"Maybe they thought it was just some sneak attack," Rize offered, her grin widening. "You know… classic villain delusion: 'We were caught off guard… next time will be different!'"
The group laughed at that, the tension in the air fading away like smoke.
The rooftop lights cast a soft golden hue across their faces as they looked down at the now-settled city.
Max's phone buzzed.
He glanced at it.
"Hmm. SHIELD's already mopping up the wreckage," he said. "They're calling it a 'terrorist attack by a rogue experimental android'."
"Classic cover-up," Gwen said, rolling her eyes. "How many times are they gonna blame some 'rogue AI' for things?"
"Enough to keep public panic low," Max muttered. He tucked the phone away and looked toward the girls. "Anyway, it's done for now."
Mu Qing and Lan Xue landed softly on the rooftop a moment later, having leapt up from the street below. Not a scratch on them.
"We handled it," Mu Qing said, casually dusting her sleeves.
Lan Xue added, "He was strong. But not dangerous."
Max smiled. "You two passed the test."
"So," Gwen said, stretching her arms above her head, "what now?"
Max leaned against the railing, eyes sweeping across the city skyline lit by scattered neon and the occasional buzz of traffic. The chaos had settled, but the aftertaste lingered.
"Now… we rest," he said quietly, but the steel in his tone remained. "But not for long. I don't think that guy came alone."
Malaika looked over, her hair catching the breeze. "You think more are coming?"
Max shrugged with a faint smirk. "That wasn't revenge. That was scouting."
They exchanged knowing glances.
"Then next time, I'm going," Gwen said, cracking her knuckles.
Max gave her a lazy shrug. "Suit yourself."
Before he could turn fully, Gwen stepped in, looping her arms around him. "But before that—" she whispered, standing on her toes to kiss him. "You owe me dinner. And maybe some quiet time."
He chuckled, gently pulling her close. "Deal. But quiet is a luxury we don't often get."
Just then, Malaika, who had been watching the sky with narrowed eyes, spoke.
"Max," she said calmly. "We've got company."
Max looked up. A faint shimmer blinked near the rooftop's edge. A cloaked figure slowly emerged—black trench coat, eyepatch, and that unmistakable scowl.
Nick Fury.
Max didn't even blink. "Fury. My everyday unwelcome guest. How's the spy game treating you?"
Fury stepped forward, removing his cloaking device with a flick. "Better than your public image right now. That cyborg bastard didn't come alone."
"I figured," Max replied, voice flat. "But don't worry—I handled him."
Fury wasn't impressed. "Yeah, well, there's chatter on our deep-space comms. Someone matching that tech profile pinged one of our satellites a few days ago. You know anything about that?"
Max shrugged again, though his tone turned a bit more serious. "Dotted around outer space are a few scavenger crews. Pirates. There was one group—I think their commander had the same name as this cyborg freak. They tried to take me out a while back."
"And you?" Fury asked, knowing the answer.
"Killed them all," Max said flatly. "But looks like one got away. Came back for revenge."
Fury pinched the bridge of his nose. "Great. Just what I needed. Another cosmic grudge spilling into my backyard."
He sighed. "I don't care if you blow up planets. Just keep that motherf***ing AI army of his out of my damn city."
Max smirked. "I'll handle it. Like always."
"Good," Fury said, already turning away. "Because I'm not cleaning up another crater and calling it a gas line explosion."
He paused at the stairwell. "Oh, and Max—next time something lands from orbit, give me a heads-up before it explodes."
"I'll send a postcard," Max quipped.
Fury muttered under his breath and disappeared into the night.
Lan Xue blinked. "He's… intense."
"That's the polite way to say it," Rize said.
Max exhaled and looked at the sky again. "Looks like our vacation's officially over."
Later that night…
Max moved alone.
He didn't need a jet. No armor. No wings.
Just his will—and the power woven into his very soul.
A silent hum surrounded him as he hovered thousands of feet above the Earth, his coat fluttering in the wind, eyes glowing faintly with cosmic energy. Below, the world slept, unaware of what circled overhead.
But Max wasn't patrolling for crime.
He was hunting.
In the distance, a faint pulse—like a whisper only he could hear. Alien tech. Unsanctioned teleport signature. Just outside the Nevada desert.
"Found you," he muttered, vanishing in a burst of distorted air.
Within seconds, he hovered above a vast rocky plateau. Below, hidden under a camo-field, a large alien ship—sleek and black, etched in foreign glyphs—had landed. Humanoids in gleaming red armor disembarked, scanning the terrain.
One of them raised a strange device. "Energy signature confirmed. He's here."
"No," Max said calmly, landing behind them, "You're already dead."
They turned—six of them, each over seven feet tall, enhanced bodies pulsing with tech and energy. Their visors glowed red as weapons unfolded from their arms.
"Target acquired—"
Snap.
A flick of Max's fingers—and the air ripped.
A single pulse of invisible force sliced through them like paper. No noise. No screams. Just disintegration—dust scattering in the wind.
The ship's door creaked open. Max casually walked up the ramp, stepping over the black ash that used to be elite warriors.
Inside, the ship's AI stuttered to life. "U-unrecognized—"
"Override. I own you now."
The panels flickered, reconfigured, and obeyed.
Max walked to the command chair and sat down, relaxing slightly. "Let's not waste time…"
The ship responded, its engines humming to life. "Destination?"
Max closed his eyes, tapping into memory. A name, long forgotten. A system in deep space.
"…Take me back to wherever you came from," Max said, eyes narrowed. "I don't care what the planet's called. I'll find whoever sent you—and return the favor."
The ship acknowledged the command in a cold synthetic voice, "Coordinates locked. Returning to last-known origin: Hostile Zone—Sector 8. High threat level."
With a low mechanical whine, the ship's engines ignited, launching it into the sky like a falling star in reverse. Clouds split. The atmosphere broke. Earth shrank behind him.
***
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