The warmth of the shawarma in my hands was comforting. I had never tried one before, but it was pretty good. I wouldn't say I loved it, but it definitely had its charm.
I brought the food up to my mouth through the retractable space in my helmet. It never hurts to have a section like that; eating and drinking are fundamental things.
As I chewed, my eyes scanned the table.
Tony and Bruce looked exhausted, eating with little energy. Clint and Natasha exchanged quick glances, blinking oddly… Morse code? Spy stuff.
Steve watched me from time to time, looking for the right moment to speak.
Thor, on the other hand, ate and drank heartily, carefree. I suppose after what I saw in his first appearance—fighting ice giants—this kind of event barely fazed him.
The place was intact, even staffed. Fury hadn't been discreet. The man at the counter was in uniform… who in their right mind thinks, "There's been an alien invasion, but I'll open my shop because I'm responsible"?
Fury had left under the pretense of speaking with his subordinates, but I knew we were surrounded by microphones and cameras.
I finished chewing and saw Steve wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"How are you holding up?"
The question caught him off guard.
"Holding up… what?"
I took a sip of orange juice.
"You know, all this," I gestured around. "You were frozen for seventy years, you wake up, and your first mission is to stop the God of Lies. It can't be easy."
Steve looked down at his plate, thoughtful. The others watched him too.
"Well… when duty calls, the right thing is to answer. They needed me, so here I am. I still need to familiarize myself with… with all of this, but it's a process," he smiled at me again.
"And how do you know that?" Natasha suddenly interjected, leaning toward me. "That information isn't public."
"Let's just say cosmic energy has its secrets. I simply know," I placed the shawarma back on the table.
Clint raised an eyebrow.
"You're telling me cosmic energy makes you 'know things'? What, do you connect to the universe's Wi-Fi and just… get it?" He laughed, making quotation marks in the air.
"Not exactly. It's more like… if at the moment you try to understand, the information is already there, embedded in me, as if I had always known it."
Bruce set aside the remains of his shawarma and rested his elbows on the table.
"What we saw doesn't fit any scientific framework. Power can be inherited, transmitted, even stolen. Cosmic energy, however, seems to operate on a different plane. It doesn't follow our laws, nor do I think the human brain is designed to comprehend it." He paused, thoughtful. "And if I take into account what you just said… it's possible that contact with cosmic energy didn't just give you strength. It could have transmitted knowledge. As if the information were encoded in the energy itself, and your mind absorbed it instantly."
Tony let out a short laugh.
"You're saying it's like downloading a program into your head?"
"No," Bruce replied seriously. "It's more like touching an infinite ocean. Even if you just dip your hand in, part of its essence stays with you."
Thor nodded, satisfied.
"The stars hold more secrets than mortals believe. Banner speaks wisely."
Natasha didn't speak, but she didn't take her eyes off me.
Good, Bruce had backed up my words. That gave me room to move carefully.
"Still, what you did with the city was incredible," Clint leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head. "Or should I say what you all did? You know… with the souls."
Tony snorted sarcastically at the mention of "souls."
Steve interlaced his fingers on the table and addressed me.
"You don't want us to know your identity, that's why you wear the helmet. I respect that. But… you're young. You don't seem older than sixteen. You can tell you've gone hungry many times. I seriously appreciate what you did today, your courage is unquestionable. But you need help."
I studied him for a few seconds. His gaze was sincere, pure. But…
"I appreciate it, Steve, but there are too many responsibilities to carry and too many things I need to protect myself from. That includes you," I looked at Natasha and Clint. "I don't want to be watched or controlled."
"You can't just do whatever you want," Natasha interjected. "You revealed yourself to the world and your abilities. The U.S. doesn't have laws against mutants, but that doesn't mean—"
"I'm not a mutant," I interrupted her.
"Then you're an alien?" Tony put on sunglasses—who knows where he got them from—"Because what you do looks a lot like shapeshifting. How do we know that what we see now isn't another transformation?"
Silence. Everyone except Thor watched me, evaluating.
"I'm not an alien," I finally answered. "This is who I truly am. But I can't tell you everything."
"And why not?" Thor raised his hammer, laughing carefree. "We've shared the battlefield; we're already brothers!"
The looks he received were not exactly approving. Only Steve smiled.
"Would you share the secrets of Asgardian magic with us, Thor? Your father's teachings?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Thor's cheerful expression vanished immediately.
"Well… the same applies to me. There are things I must keep until I am ready to face the consequences of revealing them."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. can provide safety, education, and training," Natasha insisted.
"If Fury wants something, let him come and say it himself," I interrupted. "If he's not listening to this conversation, I'd be disappointed."
She held my gaze for a few seconds, then placed a circular device in the center of the table. A hologram projected: Nick Fury, serious, his one eye fixed on me.
"You know more than you should, kid. I offer discipline, education, a home. A place to use your abilities for the good of the world."
"The least subtle way I've heard to put a noose around my neck. You talk about 'the good of the world,' but really, you mean your own plans, what you decide is useful."
"Our job is to protect the world," Fury replied calmly. "I don't expect you to understand the magnitude of the dangers out there. But with us, you'd be prepared. You'd save lives."
"That has always been my purpose, to save lives. But I won't let anyone else control my actions." I wiped my hands with a napkin and stood up.
Tony sipped from his glass and commented:
"So, you'll be a street-level hero? It's not easy without support."
"No problem," Thor said, mouth full, lifting Mjolnir. "For a warrior like this, such trivialities are insignificant. Waiter! More shawarma!"
"You still haven't answered if you're an alien," Bruce interjected, adjusting his glasses.
I sighed.
"I already said, I'm not. But the forms you saw… they were all me. Different versions of me."
"I need you to be more specific," Fury put his hands in his trench coat. "I can't let someone who might be an alien run free, not after today."
I rolled up my sleeve and revealed the watch on my wrist.
The air at the table tightened. All eyes were on the device.
I knew they'd figure it out sooner or later. Better to give them a crumb now and buy time.
Hydra is known for thinking before acting, and when they do, they act with millimeter precision. No wonder no one has caught them yet.
"This is the Omnitrix," I spoke slowly, measuring the atmosphere with each word. "It's a device that allows me to transform into aliens at will."
Tony was the first to break the silence. He leaned forward with the gleam of a child facing a new toy.
"That… that's beautiful. Technology? Biotechnology? Nanomachines? How advanced is this watch?" He stood and tried to get closer to see it better, but I moved slightly away. "And how is it powered? Fusion? Its own reactor? Don't tell me it's just a battery!"
Bruce didn't take his eyes off the Omnitrix. He adjusted his glasses and spoke calmly, though his voice vibrated with a mix of anxiety and fascination.
"If it can truly reconfigure your structure at a genetic level and turn you into a completely different being… we're talking about the greatest biotechnological feat ever created. Nothing on Earth, not remotely, comes close." He looked at me directly. "Do you know what kind of energy powers it? Or whether the genetic information it handles is finite or virtually unlimited?"
Natasha crossed her arms, observing silently. Her gaze was sharp, calculating. Not fascination, but evaluation: how much power, how much threat.
Fury, projected in the center of the table, didn't blink either.
"So you're not an alien, but you can be one," he spoke slowly, measuring my gestures. "And if that device is real… what you wear on your wrist could shift the balance of power on the planet."
Thor, however, laughed as if I'd shown him a harmless trinket.
"Bah! A bracelet that changes your shape! In the Nine Realms there are dozens of artifacts that transform flesh." He took a sip of his drink and slammed the table. "What matters is how you fight, not what you look like."
Steve kept his hands interlaced on the table, listening silently. He didn't seem scared, but not relaxed either. His eyes sought to read my face behind the helmet more than the watch.
Clint, leaning back in his chair, didn't intervene either. He watched attentively, like a hunter analyzing every move of his prey, but showing no emotion.
Tony quickly returned to the assault.
"So… this 'Omnitrix' just gives you access to a catalog of alien species?" He frowned, as if looking at a 3D math problem. "Or are we talking about a generator that creates new forms from scratch?"
I shrugged, letting the silence hang before speaking.
"One day… the watch appeared on my arm. That simple. I tried removing it by every means, but it was impossible." I lightly tapped the device with my knuckles. "I don't know how it got to me, but I do know one thing: it was created by someone named Azmuth. As I understand, he designed it to be the ultimate tool for peace."
Bruce raised his head, clearly intrigued.
"Peace?"
"Yes," I nodded. "The wearer can take any form, literally step into another's shoes, understand all perspectives. Be the perfect mediator. That's what I was told… or at least what I understood. I just have to press it, and that's it," I pointed at the dial.
Tony clicked his tongue, incredulous.
"Tool for peace? Sorry, kid, but I saw a giant diamond split alien tanks like cans. Sounds more like a weapon of mass destruction than… an intergalactic counselor."
I limited myself to giving him a smile hidden beneath the helmet.
Bruce, however, remained lost in thought.
"If this Azmuth really created something like this… then this 'watch' must contain not only genetic sequences, but perhaps energy matrices, information compressed on scales we can't even conceive. What kind of storage does it need? What power source?" He paused, as if the theory had suddenly clicked in his mind. "Although… if we're talking about cosmic energy, maybe that explains it. Direct contact with forces that transcend human understanding… knowledge could even be transferred instantly to the user."
His words left him silent for a moment. Natasha narrowed her eyes, watching me carefully. Fury just clenched his jaw, processing.
"And you know all this because you used it?" Banner finally asked, genuinely curious.
I leaned back in my chair.
"I know what I need to know. The rest… are details."
Natasha leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. Her gaze was cold, calculating.
"So… you just have to press the watch, and you can become whatever you want?"
"Not exactly," I moved my wrist, letting the green core glow briefly. "It's limited to ten forms."
Clint raised an eyebrow.
"Ten? Doesn't sound so much like 'any form' as you said."
"Ten… for now," I replied calmly, leaving no room for further probing.
Natasha didn't take her eyes off the Omnitrix.
"And how long can you stay transformed?"
Inside, I felt the weight of everyone's silence, waiting for the answer. I chose my words carefully.
"Time isn't the problem," I finally said calmly. "The device has… safeties. So my DNA isn't permanently altered. If needed, I can transform again immediately." (A lie, but they didn't need to know.)
Bruce blinked, intrigued.
"A genetic safety mechanism? That would imply Azmuth understood not only the biological structures of those species, but also how to protect the integrity of the user. That… is brilliant."
Tony snorted, crossing his arms.
"Brilliant, yes, but also sounds like an excuse. Because if the watch can do everything you say, what guarantees it won't 'mess up' and turn your DNA into soup?"
"You see me sitting here, don't you?" I replied calmly, taking a sip of juice before adding, "If something like that could happen… it would have already happened."
Fury, who had remained silent until now, spoke for the first time in a dry tone.
"Limited to ten forms. With mechanisms nobody here understands. And no manual. That's not just power, kid, it's a risk." His eye fixed on me seemed to pierce through any mask.
The atmosphere grew tense, but there was no fear in their voices—just interest, doubts, and a clear intention to measure how much they could trust me.
Fury kept his gaze fixed on me, like a knife.
"One day you wake up with a device on your arm that nobody on this planet has ever seen before, capable of turning you into ten different beings, and your only explanation is that it 'appeared.' You expect me to be okay with that?"
I lifted my eyes, meeting his gaze.
"I don't expect you to be okay. I expect you to understand that I had no choice."
Fury didn't blink.
"Devices like that don't just appear. If someone created it… someone can claim it. And if someone can claim it, someone can control you." He mentioned, his single eye narrowing with each heavy word. "What if that watch decides to stop obeying you? Or worse, starts obeying someone else?"
A tense silence settled. Tony removed his glasses, observing more seriously. Bruce stopped taking mental notes, and Natasha followed every word like a hawk.
I leaned my arms on the table, tilting slightly toward Fury.
"And what if another invasion happens tomorrow and you're not there? Or if someone else decides this planet doesn't deserve to continue existing? The Omnitrix is with me. And as long as it is, it will be used to protect."
Fury squinted his eye, not blinking.
"That's what you say now. But history is full of 'good intentions' that end in catastrophes."
Thor let out a laugh, breaking the tension for a moment.
"Bah! Too much distrust. The young warrior has already proven his valor on the battlefield! Let his deeds speak louder than his words!"
Fury didn't even look at him; he remained focused on me.
"I'll be clear, kid." His tone became harsher, almost military. "You have something the world doesn't understand, and whether you like it or not, that makes you a target. I could offer you protection, training, a purpose bigger than yourself. But if you decide to walk alone… you leave me no choice but to consider you a risk factor."
The atmosphere grew even heavier. Everyone looked at me, some tense, some expectant.
I remained firm, letting Fury's gaze pin me.
"So," he said with calculated calm, "we have a kid with an alien artifact of unknown origin, with abilities that could shift the balance of power on the planet. And that kid tells me everything is under control because… 'the watch can't be taken from me.'"
The silence weighed. Natasha glanced down for a second, only to hide her interest.
"It's not 'because I say so,'" I replied firmly. "The Omnitrix is bonded to me. It cannot be transferred or used by anyone else. And yes, I know it may sound like the typical excuse of someone who doesn't want their weapon taken… but it's not a weapon. It's a tool."
"A tool that turns you into aliens," Fury shot the words sharply, as if it were a crime.
"Into ten aliens for now," I clarified, not looking away. "The potential is greater, but it's limited. And I prefer it that way."
Bruce adjusted his glasses, interested. Tony smirked, fascinated by the idea.
"That limit… intentional?" Banner asked, leaning forward.
"Yes. A sort of safety. The Omnitrix prevents the transformation from permanently altering my DNA. It's a protection system, both for the user and the integrity of the device."
"Convenient," Tony murmured. "Practically a biological lock."
Fury didn't relax, not one bit.
"And tell me, kid. What if tomorrow you decide you don't want to be a 'mediator of peace'? What guarantees me you won't use that power against the very people you saved today?"
I stayed silent for a few seconds. Then spoke with a measured tone, just enough to sound sincere:
"Nothing guarantees that. And that's the truth. The Omnitrix depends on who wears it. Today, it's me. And what I can promise is that as long as I have it, I will use it to save lives. Not for politics, not for control… but because it's the right thing. The Omnitrix was created for peace, and if Azmuth or the watch chose me, it was for a reason."
Fury's single eye didn't leave me. Natasha neither. Thor smiled enthusiastically. Bruce frowned. Tony looked intrigued. Steve listened attentively. Clint just chewed silently.
Finally, Fury sighed.
"Alright. I'll let you go… for now. But don't get it wrong, kid. As long as you carry that watch, you're a global security matter. And I don't leave global security matters unmonitored."
I didn't respond. Just nodded calmly. Enough crumbs to keep him at bay… at least for now.
Tony broke the silence before it became uncomfortable. He leaned forward, that spark in his eyes when seeing a new toy.
"So… this Azmuth," he spun a napkin between his fingers, "a guy brilliant enough to build a device that can literally rewrite biology at will, decides you're the bearer. Why? What makes you special?"
"I don't know," I replied, keeping my voice calm. A half-truth, but necessary. "I just know one day it was there. Attached to my arm."
Bruce raised a hand, as if asking for calm.
"What interests me is the mechanism," his voice sounded curious, almost scientific. "If the Omnitrix can access multiple genetic patterns, that means it stores an unimaginable bank of biological information. Are we talking real DNA, sequenced, or an energetic interpretation that translates into physical form?"
"A bit of both," I replied, measured words. "The watch contains real genetic codes. They're not illusions or projections: when I transform, I do so for real. DNA changes, my body changes. It's not cosmetic or a simulation."
Bruce nodded, fascinated, fingers drumming on the table.
Tony, meanwhile, smiled that shark-like grin he gets when he smells something revolutionary.
"So you carry on your wrist the largest biological database in the galaxy. That's more valuable than any nuclear weapon, any satellite, any Vibranium! If I could access that… I don't even want to imagine the applications: medicine, energy, defense…"
"You can't access that," I cut him off before he continued. "It's bonded to me. Think—if it's such an advanced device, it must have its own defense systems."
"Yeah, yeah, sure," he waved dismissively. "'Only works with you.' You said it. But…" He pointed a finger. "Someone designed it to be usable. That means there must be a protocol, a key, something to unlock it."
"Maybe," I replied calmly. "But if it exists, I don't have it."
Bruce intervened again, more thoughtfully this time.
"I'm intrigued that you mentioned the 'safety' to protect your DNA. That implies the device is aware of the damage it could cause. In other words, it's not just technology. It could have autonomous decision systems."
Tony laughed, amused.
"You're suggesting the watch thinks? It has a will of its own?"
"I wouldn't rule it out," Bruce said seriously. "Someone built it to contain billions of genetic samples. That's not achieved with a simple machine."
I stayed silent for a few seconds, letting the idea float in the air. Let them entertain that.
Bruce reclined in his chair, thoughtful. Tony grinned with that mix of irony and fascination. Fury continued watching me, evaluating. Natasha said nothing, but I noticed she was mentally noting every word.
Thor ordered another shawarma. Steve listened. Clint chewed.
I left my half-finished shawarma on the table.
"Thanks for the meal, really." I rose slowly, looking at each of them. "It's been a pleasure meeting you."
"You're leaving already?" Steve asked, with that mix of concern and surprise in his voice.
"Yes. There are things I need to attend to." I glanced at everyone one last time. "And I know we'll meet again."
With a touch on the Omnitrix, a blue flash ran through my body. In the blink of an eye, my legs lengthened, my body curved forward. The helmet fused with the transformation. XLR8 stood before them, claws on the ground.
The silence lasted only a moment. Then a high-pitched whir and the rush of wind accompanied my departure. In seconds, I disappeared into the streets of New York.
The table remained silent. Only the crunch of Thor's shawarma wrapper broke the stillness.
"Well… that was something," Clint rubbed the back of his neck, half in disbelief.
"The watch is fascinating," Bruce said, almost to himself. "The energy, the transformation… it's not an illusion. I have to understand how it works."
"Me too," Tony added, half-smiling. "Technology that makes Stark Industries look like a toy store. Yes, I want it in my lab."
"He's young," Steve said thoughtfully. "Very young. But he has such courage that… well, you don't see that every day."
Natasha narrowed her eyes, not taking them off where I had vanished.
"And far too reserved. I don't like it. He hides more than he shows."
"Hahaha!" Thor dropped his empty plate. "Bah! He's a fine warrior. Youth doesn't matter when courage is this great. I accept him as a battle brother."
Everyone then looked at Fury. The director just stared at the spot where I had gone.
"And what do you think?" Steve asked.
Fury let out a slight sigh before speaking.
"I never introduced myself… and yet the kid spoke to me as if he had known me for years." His gaze was cold, calculating. "Maybe that cosmic energy explains part of it. But I don't think it's the whole truth." He sighed, bringing a hand to his forehead. "Another headache."
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Hello, how's everyone doing? These past few days have been really hectic. I had to visit the hospital for several check-ups and didn't have time to write. I'm really sorry for the delay, everyone.
Anyway, don't worry—I plan to finish the story. It's just that sometimes time gets complicated.
That's all for now. This chapter was quite challenging; switching between multiple characters and points of view is not easy. I hope I pulled it off well.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be about news of what happened and a bit more about the following days.
The next arc will be "Street Heroes", which won by a landslide. Get ready, because some exciting things are coming.
Tell me, who do you want to see more of? Do you think any of them will have dangerous clashes with the protagonist? Who do you think will be the big enemy this time?
I'll be reading your answers, and don't worry—if I don't respond to some of your questions, it's because it would be a spoiler.
Thank you so much for all your comments and support. I really appreciate it.
Take care of yourselves :)