Chapter 17: The Aftermath and the Interview
[Time – The Next Day – Adam's Apartment]
The apartment was a silent, empty, dead place. The air was thick with a single, unyielding sound. The sound of a single, final, unyielding thought. The sound of a single, final, unyielding truth. The sound of a single, final, unyielding destiny. Adam, a silent, unblinking presence, was a man who was a ghost. He was watching a press conference on a small, old TV. He was watching Tony Stark. A man who was a god. A man who was a monster. A man who was a professional. A man who was a hero.
"I am Iron Man."
Tony's voice was a low, steady, professional hum. A sound of a pure, unyielding purpose. A sound of a pure, unyielding truth. A sound of a pure, unyielding destiny.
I'm not a weapon. I'm not a tool. I'm a person. I'm a person who is a ghost. I'm a person who is a god. I'm a person who is a monster. I'm a person who is a hero. I'm a person who has a mission. My mission is to find the truth. The truth about the System. The truth about myself. The truth about the man who was a ghost. The truth about the man who was a god. The truth about the man who was a monster. The truth about the man who was a hero.
That's when it happened. A single, silent, ethereal presence appeared in his mind. It was a new voice. A new thought. A new tactical suggestion. It was the System. Adam activated a new, subtle, unyielding ability. The ability to scan. To scan for data. To scan for information. To scan for secrets. He was a ghost in a machine. A ghost in the machine of S.H.I.E.L.D. A ghost in the machine of the entire world. A ghost in the machine of the entire universe.
[SYSTEM: Warning. High-level energy signature detected. This is a trap. A trap set by an unknown enemy. A trap that is a part of a deeper conspiracy. A trap that is a part of a deeper network. A trap that is a part of a ghost. A trap that is a part of a god. A trap that is a part of a monster. A trap that is a part of a hero.]
The message was a brutal, terrifying punch to the gut. They knew. They had been watching. They had been waiting. They had been tracking him. They had been tracking the ghost. The man who was a ghost. The man who was a god. The man who was a monster. The man who was a hero.
"I'm not a weapon. I'm not a tool. I'm a person. I'm a person who is a ghost. I'm a person who is a god. I'm a person who is a monster. I'm a person who is a hero. I'm a person who has a mission. My mission is to find the truth. The truth about the System. The truth about myself. The truth about the man who was a ghost. The truth about the man who was a god. The truth about the man who was a monster. The truth about the man who was a hero."
Fury, a single, silent tear running down his cheek, just laughed. The laughter was a low, guttural, mocking sound.
"You're in the right place, kid. This whole place is a ghost. A ghost in a machine. Your first mission is to retrieve a small, anomalous artifact from a derelict warehouse in Brooklyn. It's a simple, harmless, civilian retrieval. A prototype. A prototype that was destroyed in a tragic accident. The man responsible for the accident, Mr. Stane, will be held accountable for his actions. The Iron Man is a myth. A myth that will be forgotten."
Fury's voice was a low, steady, professional hum. A sound of a pure, unyielding purpose. A sound of a pure, unyielding truth. A sound of a pure, unyielding destiny.
[Time – Moments Later – The Apartment]
Adam, a single, silent tear running down his cheek, felt a single, cold, hard knot of fear in his stomach. He was a ghost. A ghost who was a threat to a god. He was a man. A man who was a threat to a monster. He was a man who was a threat to a program. He was a man who was a threat to a god. He had to act. He had to find a way to win. He had to find a way to save himself.
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