Spectre's Chronicles: Chap #20

Fate. It's a concept familiar to everyone. The belief that certain events are predetermined, inevitable, and beyond our control. And right now, it seems like fate is at play.

Peter, being the curious superhero that he is, impulsively followed the Lizard into the sewers, leaving me alone to survey the aftermath of our destructive encounter. I stood there, gazing down at the rubble we had caused, contemplating the situation.

Suddenly, a shout broke the silence from behind me. "CIA! Put your hands up in the air!" I swiftly turned around, my eyes filled with recognition as I laid eyes on the person who had shouted.

'Sharon Carter... What is she doing here?' I pondered to myself, narrowing my eyes as I tried to make sense of her presence.

"One wrong move and this gun will leave a hole in you. So, I advise you to think twice," she cautioned, her voice laced with caution as she slowly approached me.

I glanced around at the aftermath of the battle, paying little attention to the blonde woman behind me.

"Hey! Are you deaf?! Put your hands up in the air, now!" she exclaimed.

Continuing to ignore her, I grimaced at the scene before me. The Lizard's green blood stained the floor, completely free from someone's taking... Including Hydra.

"What a drag...." I muttered in an exasperated tone.

"What did you say? Hey, I'm warning yo--" the woman started, but before she could finish, I darted towards her with incredible speed, skillfully evading the bullets she fired. Swiftly positioning my legs behind hers, I swept them out from under her, destabilizing her footing completely.

In a swift motion, I disarmed her, seizing the gun and emptying its contents, causing the bullets to clatter onto the ground.

Pointing the gun at her, I spoke with indifference, my voice roughened by the voice changer. "There's one bullet left in here, one wrong move, I'll put it directly to your head." Sharon Carter visibly gulped, fear evident in her expression.

"What is a lone S.H.I.E.L.D operative doing in here?" I questioned her, my voice laced with a hint of curiosity. Hearing my question, Sharon's eyes widened in shock, rendered speechless by the knowledge I possessed, which she believed I shouldn't have.

"Or perhaps you're not alone? Am I already surrounded? How many of them are here? Is it Barton? Natalia? Or maybe even Nick Fury himself?" I interrogated her further, my voice tinged with suspicion.

You might be wondering why I'm revealing my knowledge of their identities so readily. Allow me to provide a brief explanation. S.H.I.E.L.D is a spy agency, which means that even the slightest hint of danger can make them the most paranoid individuals you'll ever encounter.

By posing these questions, I aimed to achieve multiple objectives with a single move. It was like hitting several birds with one stone. The first bird was diverting their attention from solely focusing on me to considering the possibility of a spy within their own ranks.

Additionally, by implying that I might be a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative myself, I hoped to plant seeds of doubt and prompt them to investigate potential infiltrators within their organization, i.e., Hydra fucktards.

That's not all. My knowledge of Clint provided them with a glimpse of what I could do to him... and to them. Information is indeed power. Fury would do anything to protect Clint's family and the trust he had in him, even swallowing his pride and authority just to avoid getting on my nerves.

And, most importantly, I need them to refrain from hindering my every movement.

"How... Who are you...?"

Now that I think about it, what's my other name? What's the name of the persona I'm currently embodying...?

I'll think about it later, for now. I have to get ready for whatever Connors is planning. I'm sure that whatever was in the movie is bound to change considering that I've already fluttered the butterfly effect because of today's fiasco.

Staring back at the woman below me, with her looking directly at my mirror mask which I'm sure has terrified her, an idea has formed in my head.

'Why not use them?' With that realization, I lowered the gun on my hand and opened my mouth to speak,

"The mutated Lizard is currently under the sewers of New York, and he plans to create some buddies much like himself. I suggest your people evacuate everyone in the vicinity of Oscorp because there's a possibility that he would go there."

"What? Are you giving us orders? Why should we trust the words of a man hiding behind some creepy mask?" she retorted, her voice filled with skepticism.

"Why would I order you something like that, lady? Isn't that your job?" I replied, my voice laced with a hint of sarcasm.

"Then tell me why should we trust you?"

"You're still breathing, aren't you? That's more than enough to consider my words. I'm sure your superiors would agree, isn't that right, Nick?" With a swift movement, I flexed my hand and allowed my body to pass through the mirror's surface, vanishing into the mirror dimension.

As I disappeared from Sharon Carter's view, I couldn't help but imagine Fury's reactions once he heard everything I had revealed. The thought of it brought a mischievous grin to my face, almost tempting me to burst into laughter.
...................

Inside a state-of-the-art garage that houses advanced technological devices that mainly focuses on machinery, a man could be seen fiddling with a highly advanced 'prosthetic arm'...

This man is the one and only, Tony Stark.

"Yinsen, I'm telling you, burger is greater than pizza in all margins."

"Look Stark, I don't know if it's your patriotism on America talking but, pizza is much better. I thought you would join me on this one considering that you dabble in mathematics, isn't a pizza a pie? I thought you all love your 3.14?"

"What— That's absurd, where did you hear that from... Jarvis, are you hearing this man,"

{Mr. Yinsen is technically correct, sir. Sir, if we delve into the etymology of the word 'pie,' we can draw an interesting connection to the beloved dish we commonly refer to as pizza. The term 'pie' traces its origins back to the Latin word 'pica,' which means 'magpie' - a bird known for collecting a diverse assortment of items in its nest. Similarly, a pie traditionally encompasses a filling enclosed within a pastry crust. Now, when we consider pizza, we find a striking resemblance. The dough serves as the crust, providing a vessel for an array of toppings and flavors, much like the structure of a classic pie. Furthermore, the circular shape of a pizza, reminiscent of a pie's round form, reinforces this analogy. So, based on historical and structural similarities, it can be argued that pizza, in its essence, is indeed a delightful manifestation of a pie, blending culinary traditions and transcending cultural boundaries.}

"Thank you, Jarvis, finally, a cold hard proof," Yinsen uttered while handing a piece of equipment to Tony. Tony received the equipment while rolling his eyes at Yinsen.

"Uhh, Jarvis, I appreciate your witty remarks, but I think it's time we dial down your humor capacity a bit," he ordered the AI causing Yinsen to chuckle.

{Humor capacity minimizing...}

"Anyways, I'm surprised you agreed to come with me, Yinsen. I thought you would immediately go to your hometown."

Yinsen looked at Tony Stark with a determined expression. "And what? Die? Those bastard terrorists are still in there. Do you think I would do anything there besides being their emergency doctor? I prefer to help you finish your armor faster so you better help me beat the crap out of them."

Stark nodded solemnly, understanding the weight of his actions. Yinsen could see the guilt in his eyes.

"I know what you're thinking, but the fact that they're using your weapons is not your fault," Yinsen reassured him.

Stark shook his head. "You don't need to lie to me, Yinsen. I'm the owner of this company. Anything connected to it is connected to me. It is my fault."

Yinsen's voice carried conviction as he spoke. "And what? You're just going to drown yourself in guilt? Why do you think we are creating this suit?"

Stark looked up, his determination resurfacing. "To stop them."

"That's right! So get over it and make sure you stop them. But before we do that, we need to uncover who in your company is manufacturing their weapons."

Stark replied firmly, "I'm already on it..."

{Sir, I think you need to see this.} Suddenly, Jarvis activated one of the monitors which shows a piece of certain news about a mutated Lizard

[I thought it would just be your everyday normal school life, you know? Taking my algebra class, and having lunch, when suddenly, as I was retrieving my Lego sets from my locker, the people around me screamed and ran. Naturally, I screamed too and ran in the opposite direction by accident. And then, boom! I freaking saw Spider-Man being pushed back by this rip-off Godzilla that seemed to have some sexual intercourse with a dinosaur. I mean, holy shit! Spider-Man told me to run, so I wobbled away from there, I think that's the fastest I've run this year! Also, shout out to my Lola, my—]

"Another Lizard attack. The world is getting weirder every day, Stark," Yinsen said, his eyes fixed on Tony, who had just risen from his seat.

"I know. A superpowered kid in a mask, and then this—" Tony exclaimed, descrbing the red and blue spider vigilante. Rubbing his temple in frustration. "That kid packs a ton, for Christ's sake! How is that even possible?" He walked over to a circular platform, he approached the sleek, red, and gold metallic suit of armor that awaited him, positioning himself on it and raising his arms horizontally, he extended his arms and slid them into the awaiting robotic arms.

"It's a bioweapon, right?" Yinsen pondered, his gaze focused on the mechanical arms that suddenly sprung into motion, encircling Tony with a purposeful air.

The sound of metal clinking against metal resonated through the room as Tony secured the robotic arm in place. He flexed his fingers, feeling the power and control at his disposal. Next, he stepped into the suit's boots, causing its mechanism to be activated and fully encased his foot.

"It's what that man worked his whole life for, a cure for his limb, sucks for him, everything has a price. That's exactly why I don't want to meddle in genes. It's too unpredictable." Tony replied, taking a moment to steady his breath, Tony positioned himself at the center of the suit's torso, aligning the intricate mechanisms with precision. The suit embraced him, wrapping around his body like a second skin, ready to amplify his capabilities and shield him from harm.

"I've already mapped out the sewage systems in the entirety of New York and the possible place where that thing can be in. It will now be easier find whatever that thing is," Tony uttered while pointing his finger at a screen that shows a bridge on it. On the bridge was our resident Dr. Connors, already in his transformation phase into a mutated lizars.

"Are you prepared now?"

"We've done everything we can with the suit." With a pressurized hiss, the helmet descended from above, encasing Tony's head in a seamless fusion of man and machine. The familiar hum of advanced technology surrounded him, its presence a constant reminder of his newfound purpose.

"I'm ready."

"Let's kick some Dino's ass, shall we, Jarvis?" Tony smirked, his confidence unwavering. His suit's systems, a cascade of holographic displays illuminated the visor, projecting vital information before his eyes.

{At your service, sir,} replied Jarvis.

The holographic displays flickered with data as Jarvis initiated a systems check, ensuring optimal performance. Power surged through the suit, energizing its components and enhancing Tony's physical capabilities.

{Suit integrity at 100%, propulsion systems online, and weapons primed.}

Tony clenched his fists, feeling the surge of anticipation coursing through his veins. The suit's heads-up display presented a live feed from various sensors, revealing the approaching threat of the lizard-like creature wreaking havoc in the city.

With a confident nod, Tony activated the repulsor beams in his palms, the distinctive blue glow illuminating the surroundings.

"Time to show them what this armor is made of," he declared, his voice filled with conviction.

Stepping forward, Tony propelled himself into the air with a burst of energy but not before stopping mid-air as he looked down below and stared at Yinsen.

"Don't touch my burger, Yinsen!" With strong propulsion, Tony Stark whizzed through the skies at supersonic speeds.