43

"It would require three minutes to open the cage and deactivated the shield, sir," Jarvis said.

'Oh,' John thought that it would require Jarvis 15-20 minutes to open the cage, by the way of his wordings earlier.

John gave Jarvis the green signal and Jarvis started working on deactivating the energy shield and the cage.

Meanwhile John approached the cage where the Flerken was kept. The Flerken kept hissing and meowing angrily at him, threatening him not to approach.

John looked at it's golden eyes and tried to calm it down.

"I know you can understand me. I am not with those guys. Within few minutes I will free you off that cage. So just sit tight and co-operate with me. I am not here to harm you," John spoke to the Flerken while standing close to the almost transparent energy shield.

Flerken looked at John doubtfully, however the hatred radiating from its golden eyes didn't diminish even a bit. John could sense it's emotions using his Observation Haki and wondered what the people in the lab had done to the little cat, to have such extreme emotions.

As Jarvis continued to work on deactivating the shield, John focused on trying to establish a connection with the Flerken. He had heard stories about their unique abilities and intelligence, and he hoped that this particular one would understand his intentions.

The Flerken continued to stare at John, its sharp teeth bared and its fur standing on end. John could feel the intensity of its anger and knew that he had to find a way to gain its trust.

"I understand that you're angry and wary," John said, his voice calm and soothing. "But I promise you, I am here to help. I want to set you free so that you can be where you truly belong."

The Flerken let out a low growl, still unsure of John's words. But John could see a flicker of curiosity in its eyes. He slowly raised his hand, keeping it a safe distance away from the energy shield but within the Flerken's view.

"I won't force you to trust me," John said, his voice gentle and sincere. "But I hope that you can see my intentions. Give me a chance, and I promise you won't regret it."

The Flerken remained silent, but its aggressive stance seemed to relax slightly. John took it as a positive sign and continued to maintain eye contact, trying to establish a connection.

"I understand that you've been mistreated and captured against your will. Once I break this cage, you'll be free to go wherever you want, and no one will be able to harm you again." John repeated once again, trying to get the little cat understand his intentions.

As John spoke, he tried to project a feeling of empathy and understanding. He focused his Observation Haki even more, trying to sense any positive response from the Flerken.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the energy shield surrounding the cage finally deactivated.

"I've done it, sir," Jarvis said. "The cage is open and the energy shield is activated."

John turned his attention to the now open cage, his gaze still fixed on the Flerken. He slowly stepped forward, keeping his movements slow and non-threatening.

However the Flerken didn't step out of the cage as John had thought, instead it seemed to huddle at the end corner of the cage, afraid of coming out.

"What's wrong? Why isn't it coming out?" John questioned Jarvis.

"Sir the cuffs on its legs and the collar on its neck are embedded with explosives. The cat is unable to remove them by herself. And if it steps out of the cage without permission, the explosives are set to self detonate," Jarvis answered.

"Any solution, Jarvis?" John asked further.

"You can just break them with your strength, sir. However the task should be carried inside the cage," Jarvis answered.

John observed the cage which was huge enough to even fit him and then he looked at the Flerken huddled in the corner.

John understood that he would have to go inside and approach the creature in order to remove its restraints.

John slowly and cautiously stepped into the cage, his eyes still fixed on the Flerken. He made sure to keep his movements slow and non-threatening, not wanting to further agitate the already frightened creature.

As he approached the corner where the Flerken was huddled, he could still feel the intensity of its hatred towards humans.

"Easy now," John said softly, his voice calm and reassuring. "I'm here to help you. I won't hurt you."

The Flerken hissed in response, its sharp teeth bared. John could see the fear in its eyes, but also the instinctive need to protect itself.

He knew he had to be careful. He slowly crouched down, giving the Flerken some space. He extended his hand towards the restraints, while covering his arms with Haki as the teeth and claws of the Flerken were said to be quite deadly. Nick Fury had lost his eye to one of the Flerkens.

Flerken saw the approaching hands of John and tried to swatt them away by its paws. John dodged the little paws of the Flerken.

John wondered whether the little cat was unable to understand him, or whether it had a deep seated trauma with humans.

John spoke softly, trying to soothe the creature. "Hey there, little buddy. I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to remove the cuffs on your legs and the collar on your neck."

Cautiously, John extended a hand towards the cuffed leg of the Flerken. He could see the fear in its eyes. Slowly, he gripped the handcuff, his muscles straining as he applied pressure.

The Flerken seemed to finally understand John's intentions and didn't try to attack him again.

With a loud snap, the cuff broke, falling to the floor of the cage.

The Flerken let out a purr of relief as it pulled its leg free from the broken cuff. John smiled, at the cute little cat. "Just a few more to go," he whispered to himself.

Taking care not to startle the Flerken, John moved on to the collar around its neck. He gently cradled the cat's head in one hand, using the other to inspect the collar. It was tightly secured, but John was determined to free the Flerken.

Using his strength, John gripped the collar and pulled it apart. The explosive mechanism inside sputtered and died harmlessly.

As soon as the restraints were removed, the Flerken wasted no time in darting out of the cage.

As John looked at the collar in his hand, a system identification prompt appeared in front of his eyes.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Name: Restrictor

Function: Ability to confine space related abilities within a specific range.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Now John understood why the Flerken hadn't used it's tentacles all the while.