Chapter 28: A Shift in Fate

Alex zoomed down the streets on his beat-up moped, the wind rushing past his face. The weight of the pizza box on the back felt oddly reassuring—mundane, but grounding. In this world full of titans and gods, doing something as simple as delivering pizza made him feel like he still had some control over his life. And after the mess with the Hulk, Abomination, and Nick Fury's sudden interest in him, staying grounded was exactly what he needed.

What Alex didn't realize, however, was that his presence tonight was more than just about earning a few bucks and a couple of points. His path through the city was weaving him into the very fabric of fate itself—subtly, quietly, and in ways he couldn't yet see.

He made his way to his next delivery, a modest apartment complex tucked away in Queens. As he approached, his enhanced senses kicked in, catching the faint echo of voices in a nearby alley. He briefly considered checking it out but decided against it. After all, he was trying to keep a low profile, and for now, he didn't need to get involved in anything too heavy.

The door to the apartment creaked open, revealing a middle-aged woman with a warm smile and tired eyes. She paid for the pizza, thanking him profusely, and Alex gave her a polite nod before heading back to his moped.

"Another delivery down," he muttered, glancing at the system panel floating before him. His single point still gleamed in the corner, but nothing more had been added.

Satisfied, he started the engine and made his way back to the Pizza Parlor, unaware that something important had just occurred.

---

Just around the corner from the apartment complex, a tall man with a weathered face stood in the shadows, a gun clenched in his hand. He had been watching the building for hours, waiting for the right moment. His target was simple—a friend of Peter Parker's Aunty, a woman who had once helped the hero without knowing his true identity. He'd been hired by someone to take her out. It was supposed to be easy. Quick.

But something had gone wrong.

Moments ago, he had been ready to make his move when the sight of the pizza delivery guy entering the building had startled him. The delivery guy hadn't looked like much—just a regular guy on a moped—but the timing had been too perfect. It threw the assassin off his rhythm, and that small distraction was all it took for him to hesitate. And in that hesitation, he lost his window of opportunity. The woman he had been sent to kill was no longer at the window. She had vanished into the apartment, safe for now.

The man cursed under his breath and melted back into the shadows, deciding to wait for another night.

---

+5 Point

Points: 5

---

Alex didn't know it, but his simple act of delivering pizza had just saved a life. And the system, recognizing this indirect interference in the timeline, rewarded him with another point. It wasn't much, but it was enough to remind Alex that even small actions could ripple through the world in unexpected ways.

---

Nick Fury's Office, S.H.I.E.L.D. Secret HideOut

Nick Fury sat behind his desk, his one good eye scanning through several reports on his tablet. The light from the screen cast a sharp shadow across his face, making his expression even more unreadable than usual. He had just returned from a particularly grueling meeting with the World Security Council, but his mind wasn't on global threats or alien invasions.

It was on Alex.

A man who, according to all available intel, shouldn't exist or possibly doesn't exist.

Fury leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table as he thought back to his brief encounter with Alex. There was something about the guy—something off. He wasn't dangerous, not in the immediate sense, but there was an aura of unpredictability surrounding him. Fury had learned to trust his instincts over the years, and they were screaming at him that Alex was worth keeping an eye on. As for how they caught a cautious person like him was because of a hidden camera that people thought had malfunctioned but was just one of the bugs S.H.I.E.L.D. uses in hidden places.

He clicked a button on his desk, and moments later, the door to his office slid open. Agent Phil Coulson stepped inside, calm and collected as always.

"Director," Coulson greeted, standing at ease with a clipboard in his hands. "You wanted to see me?"

Fury didn't bother with pleasantries. "What's the status on that pizza delivery kid from Queens?"

Coulson raised an eyebrow, but didn't question the odd request. " Oh Alex. We've been digging into his background. Standard stuff. No criminal record. He's kept a low profile since moving to New York. We've cross-checked him with the usual databases—nothing out of the ordinary. Just another guy trying to make ends meet."

Fury leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "That's exactly the problem. There's no trace of him until a few months ago. No digital footprint, no bank records, no history before he moved here. People don't just appear out of thin air, Coulson."

Coulson nodded, flipping through the clipboard. "We've flagged it as a potential identity anomaly, but without more evidence, it's hard to say if there's anything more to it. So far, he's just been doing delivery jobs. Nothing that stands out."

Fury narrowed his eye. "That's what bothers me. He's flying under the radar—too much so. People who stay out of trouble usually have something to hide."

Coulson considered this for a moment before replying. "You think he's dangerous?"

"I don't know yet," Fury admitted. "But I've been around long enough to know that the quiet ones are usually the ones you need to watch. Especially when they pop up in the middle of something big. This guy showed up just before that whole Hulk-Abomination mess. Could be a coincidence, but I don't trust coincidences."

Coulson flipped to the last page of his report. "We can increase surveillance. Keep tabs on him for the next few weeks. See if anything changes."

Fury nodded. "Do it. I want to know where he goes, who he talks to, and what he's up to when he's not delivering pizzas. If there's something more to this guy, we're going to find out what it is."

Coulson scribbled a note on his clipboard, then glanced back up at Fury. "Do you want to bring him in for questioning, again? Maybe see what he knows about what went down in Harlem?"

Fury shook his head. "Not yet. Let's keep it quiet for now. If we bring him in too soon, we might scare him off. I want to know more about him before we make a move."

Coulson gave a sharp nod. "Understood. I'll have the surveillance team on him starting tomorrow, once again."

As Coulson turned to leave, Fury's voice cut through the air once more.

"And Coulson," Fury added, his voice low and deliberate, "if this guy turns out to be more than he's letting on, we need to be ready. I don't want another wildcard in play. We've already got enough of those."

Coulson gave him a brief, knowing smile. "I'll handle it, sir."

With that, he left the room, the door sliding shut behind him.

Fury sat back in his chair, eyes narrowing as he stared out at the night sky through the helicarrier's window. He didn't know who—or what—Alex was. But something told him that this kid was connected to something much bigger than they realized. And Nick Fury was never one to leave loose ends untied.

---

Meanwhile, as Alex sped through the city streets on his moped, completely unaware of the surveillance that would soon be watching him, he felt a strange sense of calm. His system panel still showed only five points, but he knew he was on the right track.

He just needed to be patient.