CHAPTER 13

🎉Finally managed to launch the patrëon🎉

It's not much, just five chapters ahead for now. You can check it out @patreøn.com/QuackVader.

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The place we came to was none other than the infamous Hell's Kitchen, aka the Gotham of New York.

Quite a few crimes were reported from this corner of the city daily that it has become something normal. Unfortunately, the whole jumping into an alleyway and saving everybody you find in need is not something I think I'll ever commit to doing full-time. 

I have already put a few things into action but unfortunately, all those were either on the net, my head or just generated tasks that were still pending. I lacked resources and trying to get them on my own was bound to attract suspicion so I decided to pay a visit to Stark. The man had been quite adamant that I pay him a visit every other time. 

Anyway that was for later because right now I was on the roof of a house alongside Pietro and Wanda, overlooking a drug trade going on. 

"You know this isn't going to make me break a sweat, right?" Pietro asked, looking perfectly calm and nonchalant as he watched what was going on inside the warehouse below us through my holoprojector. 

"I don't expect it to. Research shows that logical thinking is sometimes impeded during/when under pressure. I do find them quite lacking but you can take this as a test study."

He looked unamused by reasoning so I decided to even it out for him. "Take." I gave him a watch. 

"What's this for?"

"It'll monitor your speed, so try not to go over 1000ms." I said. Any single one of them could wipe out the full warehouse with the slightest efforts but this wasn't about that. This was just me wanting to see how they behaved when faced off against humans more than anything. 

Pietro said nothing and strapped the watch to his hands as he got ready while Wanda just looked at me as if waiting for her restrictions. Weird, but okay. 

"Just try not to mind control them." She nodded as she and her brother got ready and kicked into action, unfortunately for them I was one step ahead. 

The fire alarms went off inside the building which caused both sides involved in the trade to become alert. There was no way I was letting them do this stealthily after all. 

"You dick!" Pietro cussed. 

"I'm afraid I don't have one…"

"…"

"…"

"… yet. Yeah, I'll work on that." 'Put that on my tab'. I ignored Pietro's laugh and went incognito. Truly, having a Vibranium bod was the best. It wasn't called the most versatile metal on earth for no reason. Even now I was still piling theories upon theories of different applications of the ore. I recall it surviving a black hole in the comics – that had to count for something. 

The warehouse had already turned into a warzone and it looks like my worries weren't without base. Though they were both fine, Wanda was having problems focusing on everything on all directions. She was being too linear but that can easily be overcome if she learnt how to use her abilities like a sonar or maybe just creating a dome around herself instead of a shield in front of her. 

Pietro on the other hand was doing relatively good. His reactions were faster than it used to be which was perfectly normal due to my interference but it can be better. 

They were taking care not to hurt any of the dealers but they were bound to be some not-so-friendly friendly fire. Well I'd already taken some precautions to make sure no one knows where we are so we're in the clear. 

"I think I've seen enough. You could use some improvements but I think your overall performance is… adequate."

Everyone paused as I made myself known, not my vision body, but my human façade. It made me look like some sort of godfather.

"Adequate? Really? How would you do it then?" Pietro asked, ignoring the people who were trying to escape.

Rather than answering him, all the guns in the warehouse levitated, even those with the dealers, and folded into a round shape before shooting towards each person still conscious with a force and trajectory that would ensure they all would pass out upon the impact. 

"Like that." The guns loosened themselves and then bound all of them together in the middle of the warehouse while the two watched with wry expressions. 

"That's…"

"Efficient? Yes, it is." I left the warehouse with a little ping on the NYPD's servers. I don't do cleanups. 

"So where to next?" Wanda asked as we left Hell's Kitchen. I know I should have considered paying a visit but I figured another time. 

"Stark." Both of their expressions turned rigid a little bit, mostly Wanda's which prompted her to ask why. "Because… I want a few words with the man."

Sure it was great being an Avenger but what was even greater than that was the autonomy I was playing into. In the eyes of Banner and Stark, they probably saw me as a research subject, quantifying and tabulating my growth by giving me my own space and letting me have my opinion on things, but just that wasn't going to cut it. 

In a sense, the three of us were the most grounded Avengers and I was going to change that. I could have done that already but it'd be best, not necessarily, that I be on good terms with the Avengers. It's not like I had any bad feelings towards them or anything like that. 

We took a cab to his house, not hard to miss when the whole world knew who he was. I already sent a notification to Friday to let her boss know we were coming and the reply I received was one I fully expected. 

"If you guys aren't comfortable, you can go back and wait for me." I told them but they refused so I just shrugged. To each his own I suppose. 

"Junior, fancy seeing you here. Drink?" Let's just get this over with.