[AN: As always, sorry for the late update. Enjoy!]
Earth 199999
MCU
Year, 2012
Month, May
The next day
Steve woke up early, eager to give Andrew a visit.
But he didn't miss out on the workout, which sets his mind at ease, even for a moment. The punching bag shook violently under Steve Rogers' fists, the dull thud of leather-on-leather echoing through the dusty, mostly abandoned gym beneath his building.
His strikes were sharp. Focused.
Left, right, hook, jab.
Each punch carried the weight of a restless night.
He couldn't help but think about what Andrew said, war. He sacrificed himself to end one and went to sleep. Only to wake up to a bigger one coming. And it was just the start of something more?
The world may have moved on without him, but muscle memory hadn't. Routine kept him grounded as his thoughts sailed.
He stopped, exhaled, and pulled off the sweat-drenched gloves. The gym was empty; it was abandoned even before SHIELD acquired it for him.
He grabbed a towel and slung it around his neck.
That's when he heard the door creak open.
"I figured I'd find you here. After yesterday, I first thought you'd visit him immediately, first thing in the morning. But then, someone like you would probably still be grounded before making any move." A voice said dryly.
Steve turned, unsurprised, as Nick Fury stepped in from the shadows, long coat trailing behind him, a slim folder in hand.
"Some things never change." Steve quietly muttered and spoke.
"You're early."
"We've got a situation," Fury says and lifts the folder towards Steve, who accepts it.
"The Tesseract. It was stolen last night. We lost good agents. One of them was compromised, Barton. The Hawk, which was mentioned in the prophecy of Andrew."
Steve opened the folder. Schematics. Incident reports. Surveillance stills of Loki emerging from the portal.
"This guy... walked right through your front door. Must be the legacy of frost, right?" Fury nodded in acknowledgement.
"Then the heir is coming next?"
"Which is why we're putting a team together. I want you in."
Steve's expression was unreadable as he closed the folder.
"We brought him in last night. Before you could knock on his door today. But just to be clear, we're not holding him. We need his insight. With everything he said slowly happening, it already makes him one of the few people on Earth who might understand what the hell we're dealing with."
As if reading his thoughts, Fury told him boldly.
"But he's not a soldier. No matter what it was he used towards me that day. I'm sure even you would see he was a civilian."
"I actually thought the same until I visited him last night. Although he's not a soldier, he appears to have some experience."
Steve took a slow breath, weighing the information. The folder in his hand suddenly felt heavier.
"I want to talk to him first chance I get."
"We'll fly out in an hour. Get dressed. Andrew is already on-site. You'll talk to him soon enough."
He turned to leave, then paused.
"And Rogers? He asked about you and Tony. First thing."
Steve watched him go, the world's weight settling back on his shoulders.
He looked back at the old punching bag he replaced. It swayed gently, like the moment before a storm.
.
.
.
Stark Tower
Unlike the situation two months from now, this time Tony Stark was actually in the building when Agent Phil Coulson decided to drop by unannounced—and apparently without a single regard for privacy or protocol. Thankfully, Tony and Pepper weren't in the middle of an intimate moment like they would be during Coulson's surprise visit. Small blessings.
As always, Coulson's timing was impeccable, if not inconvenient. He strolled into the sleek, high-tech confines of Stark Tower with the calm confidence of someone who owned the place—or at least had keys. Tony, naturally, was less than thrilled.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite Agent, Coulson," Tony quipped, stepping out from behind a workstation. "Jarvis, explain to me how Agent Coulson managed to waltz past my security measures like they were wet tissue paper?"
By that point, Pepper was already greeting Coulson with practiced professionalism, taking the stack of classified documents from him and giving Tony the subtle but unmistakable look that said play nice. She was already multitasking—handling SHIELD, her overworked billionaire boyfriend, and probably five other things Tony hadn't even noticed yet.
"Sir, Agent Coulson did not bypass your security measures. He exploited a technicality. Your system recognizes SHIELD as a priority entity, and their clearance protocols are embedded within Stark Industries' databases – at your own approval, I might add. To put it simply, the front door was opened for him… metaphorically and literally." Jarvis corrected.
"So, what you're saying is, I gave him the keys?" Tony asked, a bit alarmed, but surprised.
"Precisely, sir," Jarvis confirmed. "Though, in fairness, Agent Coulson did have the courtesy to knock before entering."
"Yeah, well, next time he knocks, remind me to install a door that answers no."
Before Tony could continue his sarcasm or delve into a rant about data sovereignty and personal space, Pepper interjected smoothly, placing the SHIELD documents on his desk.
"Tony, focus," she said. "Coulson brought an assignment and a drilling exercise that needs your immediate attention, and I'm flying out early for the Tokyo summit. Try not to burn the building down while I'm gone."
Tony sighed. "Define 'burn down.'"
Coulson, unbothered, simply waited, as always—the perfect picture of a man used to dealing with eccentric geniuses and global-level problems before lunch.
.
.
.
Kolkata, India
Banner was tricked by a little girl who told him her father was dying. Inside a dimly lit hut, Natasha Romanoff was calmly waiting. She appears collected, but every muscle in the room is on edge except one person. Andrew was tasked by Fury as the 'insurance' because of his 'apparent' knowledge of the future events.
It wasn't that Fury expected Natasha to fail in persuading the Doctor. It was just that Andrew seems fixated on Natasha. So, Fury assigned two tasks for her. Convince the doctor, while watching out for Andrew, to make sure he doesn't go anywhere.
Outside, Unseen by Banner, SHIELD strike teams are waiting.
"So, the girl wasn't sick? You people have a flair for the dramatic." Bruce commented dryly.
"We needed to make sure you'd talk to us. Dr. Banner, I'm Natasha Romanoff, SHIELD."
"SHIELD, huh? I feel safer already," Bruce said with a bitter smile as he looked at the other person besides Natasha, who wore a sleepy and bored expression.
"And you are?"
"Oh, I am Andrew. Just a … recruit? I guess? They really haven't told me what my role is yet. But Fury did ask me to convince you that this isn't a setup."
"Yeah, because adding another stranger to the room really puts me at ease." Bruce snorts.
"Chill, man, I am not with them. All I really asked them was to have me date this pretty lady." Andrew gestures towards Natasha.
"Next thing I knew, Fury just tells me, 'You are not sleeping until we get the Tesseract back'. It was like our earlier deal didn't even matter at all. I suspect they aren't going to- " Natasha cut him off before he could finish his sentence.
"The Tesseract has been stolen. It's emitting gamma radiation unlike anything else we've seen. You're the only one who can track it."
"And once you have it back? What then? Is this guy correct in his suspicion?"
"No, Doctor. If your work leads us to the Tesseract, you're free to walk away. Besides, we have a current lead given by Andrew recently. If his information solves the problem before you do, then it's the same. You can walk away."
Andrew was about to comment about how his deal wasn't met, but one look from Natasha silenced him.
'Tsk, I could so easily hex you right now, but I won't. I'd better walk away from this shit as soon as the invasion is over. This woman's appearance is all that clicked to me. I don't think I'd want her as a wife at all.' Andrew was already planning in his mind what to do.
Meanwhile, Bruce thought about what Natasha said for a few moments and agreed in the end.
"Alright. I'll help you find it. But once I do, or if your current lead is a success, then I'm gone. Don't come knocking a second time."
"That's your choice. But for now, we need you."
Banner gives her a hard look, then grabs his satchel of worn notebooks. He knows this won't end as clean as she promises, just like what the other guy was about to say, but he agrees anyway.
.
.
.
A few hours ago
After the 'Negotiation'
Andrew's System prompt came in. He was actually rewarded twice! However, he didn't feel happy regarding the second reward.
[Encountered Nicholas Fury AKA Fury!
Interaction Rating: 8/10; Captain Commander Shunsui Kyoraku thumbs up!
An extra reward was added!]
[Rewards:
Set of Cross Marian:
Judgement, General Exorcist Uniform Set, Grave of Maria
Template of General Cross – A skilled marksman, Scientist, and Sorcerer. One of the Generals of the Black Order]
(Currently in card form inside your Inventory)
[Details:
Judgement - This equipment-type Innocence takes the form of a large caliber silver auto-revolver. Any bullet released by the revolver is enchanted as an Innocence weapon. A symbol in the form of a cross can be seen wherever these bullets hit (even on barriers). It can fire several bullets in rapid succession and automatically reloads its chambers. It has 3 main characteristics.
Bullets of Condemnation: These bullets do not stop until they have hit their target, even if they are embedded in something else along the way, they will pursue the target until it was hit.
Arrow of Original Sin: Forms the shape of a demon-like bow around Judgment as a cross symbol appears in front of it. It shoots an energy like an arrow which packs a higher damage than the bullets.
Sin Annihilation Level: It can temporarily boost the synchronization rate of the wielder with Judgment to increase the damage dealt with their attacks. The higher the synchronization, the higher the damage. Double, Tripe, Quintiple or more.
General Exorcist Uniform Set (Cross Marian's)– This is the normal uniform worn by the Generals of the black order. It consists of:
Long black cloak, which was high-collared with silver trim and detailing, giving it a military-meets-priest aesthetic. Decorated with Silver or white lining on the cuffs, collar, and down the front. And the Black Order insignia may be subtly visible. White Cravat or Ascot, which was fluffy and elegant tucked into his coat. Black trousers and boots. Accessories which include: Gloves (Dark), Mask, Cross-shaped earring, Pack of cigarette and Gun holsters.
Grave of Maria - This is a parasitic-type of Innocence. It takes the form of a large, flattened coffin wrapped with a long chain. When the chain is removed, the coffin opens to reveal a beautiful woman in a fancy dress with a large bow tied over her eyes, which makes it slightly reminiscent of a butterfly. This 'woman' is in fact the corpse of Maria which can be controlled. It has two main characteristics:
Magdala Curtain- Maria uses her song to create illusions that can conceal the presence of others. Carte Garde- which allows her (or Cross) to control the person's movements by affecting the brains of both humans and Akuma.
Added Reward: Template of General Cross – Currently in card form inside your Inventory]
Looking at the first reward he received, Andrew concludes that he will have no problem escaping SHIELD now. Once the Invasion ends, he will vanish like nothing happened. His only question: 'Why is Fury considered a Hero?' Which part of him screams a hero?
After cursing Fury in his mind, he reads the 2nd reward.
[Hidden Task Completed 2]
[Simp on Black Widow]
[Simp Rating: 8/10 ; Jiraiya, the sage of simps, encourages you.]
[Reward: Academy level Chakra and Academy Basic Ninjutsu]
"…"
'I am not a simp!' he shouted in his mind.
Yet if the system could speak, it'd probably disagree.
Truth be told, Andrew really didn't want to be here. He had already told them where to look. Gave Fury the breadcrumb trail with a flair: Stuttgart, Germany. "Bring Captain America and Iron Man. Problem solved." That should've been enough.
But no — apparently, insight now meant physically being there, like some psychic bloodhound on SHIELD's leash.
He sat stiffly behind the right cockpit, arms crossed, shoulders tight, and more than a little irritated. The constant low thrum of the quinjet should've lulled him into a nap — God knew they were flying long enough — but Fury had been staring at him like he was a loaded weapon the entire flight. Unblinking. Like he was trying to figure out which direction Andrew would fire if he went off.
Widow was up front, co-piloting with easy confidence, as though she'd been born in the cockpit. The STRIKE team — the ones currently pretending to be regular SHIELD muscle — had been stationed outside his damn house just hours ago. Now they were flying with him like they were old pals. He didn't even bother pretending to like them.
As soon as they dropped, Natasha was given the Mission to retrieve Bruce by Fury. Then he instructs Andrew to go along and try to convince the Doctor if he doesn't agree to Natasha.
.
.
.
Natasha and Andrew board another Quinjet along with Banner to the Helicarrier, where Fury was waiting with the Captain and Coulson. Meanwhile, Tony preferred to do the assignment first before the drilling exercise. His reasoning? He'll be there as soon as he knows what he'll be facing and what to do to win.
While inside the Quinjet, Andrew was now facing Bruce. 'Great! Who am I going to be facing next? Stark?'
Then his system prompts again.
On one hand, he was glad to receive a lot of rewards; on the other, he was annoyed for being mixed up in the eye of trouble. Can't a transmigrated man simply relax? Find a woman, settle down, and live far, far away from all of this?
If it wasn't for the fear of changes where the Avengers lose this time, he would've already used the grave of Maria to escape. With it, they will never be able to find him. Probably? He just can't underestimate this world's powers and technology.
[Encountered Bruce Banner AKA Hulk!
Interaction Rating: 10/10; Chopper is amazed by Bruce's transformation!
An additional Reward was added.]
Were you rating my interaction or Bruce's transformation to Hulk?
-_-
Now that he thought about it, the ratings were always given by a character. Does this mean they were currently watching him?
Then his system prompts as if reading his mind.
[*Note: Only your interaction with the heroes and the heroes' information are viewed by the rater.]
[Rewards:
Set of Shane:
Wind Ninja Morpher, Wind Ninja Uniform, Power of wind
Additional rewards: Template of Shane, the Red Ranger ]
"….."
Knowing Chopper's character, he was not surprised by the rewards at all. NOT AT ALL!
While he was at it, Andrew viewed his status.
[Encounter System]
[Name: Andrew Anderson]
[Race: Human]
[Templates:
1.TrollHunter - James Lake Jr.
Lion Level 2 – the demon witch]
[Skills:
Hex Level 1 Mana Drain Level 1]
[Chakra: Academy Level]
[Jutsu:
Academy Basics:
Clone Jutsu level 1
Transformation Jutsu level 1
Substitution Jutsu level 1
[Inventory:
Set of Agent J:
Ray-Ban Sunglasses
Neuralyzer
Noisy Cricket
Set of Haruno Sakura:
Kunai
Shuriken Set
Set of James Lake Jr.:
Amulet of Daylight
Bicycle
Shoulder Bag
Set of Ron Weasley:
Broken wand
Hogwarts uniform
Stolen Ford Anglia.
Set of Lucy Heartfilia:
Key of Virgo
Key of Nikora
Key of Pyxis
Template of Lucy Heartfilia (Card Form)
Set of Lion: (Empty)
Set of Cross Marian:
Judgement, General Exorcist Uniform Set, Grave of Maria
Template of General Cross
Set of Shane Clarke:
Wind Ninja Morpher, Wind Ninja Uniform, Power of wind
Template of Shane ]
Subtlety, Andrew integrated General Cross's Template while inside the quinjet and familiarized himself with the knowledge while they were on their way to the Helicarrier.
End of Chapter