Times Square had exploded into chaos earlier that day, and New York's most iconic district was still reeling. The incident made it to every major outlet within minutes.
Inside NYPD HQ, Sheriff George Stacy slammed his phone down.
"Soren… thank God." Relief washed over his face the moment he heard Soren had intervened. The man wasn't officially on payroll, but after today? He might as well be.
"I'm heading there myself." George told his assistant. "He deserves at least a thank you, and probably a drink."
But elsewhere, the news had reached more serious ears.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
In a dimly lit command room, Nick Fury stared at the footage of Max Dillon's electrified transformation.
"This isn't a neighborhood fire we can put out quietly."
A voice crackled in over the comms.
"Director?"
"Phil Coulson. You're up. You've got history with Soren, and he respects you. Find out exactly what happened." Fury nodded.
Everlife Medical Center
Two black vehicles arrived almost simultaneously. One unmarked NYPD cruiser. One matte black S.H.I.E.L.D. SUV.
George Stacy stepped out and adjusted his coat, catching sight of the familiar figure beside the SUV.
"Agent Coulson?"
Coulson turned, offering a friendly nod.
"Captain. Looks like we're both chasing the same ghost."
George chuckled. "If S.H.I.E.L.D. is getting involved, I might actually sleep tonight."
"Don't count on it." Coulson said, half-smiling. "But let's hope the good doctor has some answers."
They walked together toward the building's entrance.
The instant the two stepped near the front doors, they creaked open on their own, no one touched them.
A breeze of warmth and clean antiseptic air drifted out.
Standing there with arms crossed and a half-smile was Soren.
"Captain George. Agent Coulson. What a surprise." Soren said dryly. "Don't tell me you've come to drag me out for supper."
"Not unless your tea counts as a midnight snack." Coulson grinned.
George gave a hearty laugh as he entered. "That tea of yours cleared up my migraines. I figured I owe you more than a thank-you."
Soren waved them inside. "Come, sit. But you're not here for small talk."
They followed him into a warmly lit office with sleek wood panels and minimalist furniture. A pot of fragrant herbal tea was already steeping.
They sat. George took a sip and sighed.
"You make better tea than half the restaurants in Manhattan."
"Because I don't charge by the cup," Soren replied.
But the momentary levity faded. Soren's smile dropped as he poured himself a cup.
"Let's skip the dance." He said. "Max Dillon or Electro… escaped."
Both men froze.
George blinked. "What do you mean 'escaped'? You were seen defeating him, the crowd was cheering your name."
"The reports said Electro was neutralized." Coulson's brow tightened
Soren set his cup down gently. "He should've been. I had him contained in a water prison."
"But during that final moment… his body lost form. He became electricity, pure energy. And before I could stop him, he flowed through an exposed conductor and vanished."
"So you're saying he learned to travel through electrical systems?" Coulson said slowly.
"Like lightning through a wire." Soren nodded.
George ran a hand through his hair. "No…"
Coulson leaned forward. "Then he's not just dangerous, he's everywhere. He could be in any grid, in any block. Watching. Listening."
"Worse." Soren added, eyes narrowing. "He's evolving."
"So tell us this, Doctor, how do we stop a man who's literally become electricity?" George exhaled.
Soren's smile returned. "You're both lawmen. I'm just a humble doctor, remember?"
"What can I do?"
They both gave him a look.
He sighed, swirling his tea.
"He can turn his body into electric current and shuttle through conductors at will. If you want to deal with him." Soren said slowly, his voice thoughtful.
"You must first isolate him. Sever every escape route, no wires, no signals, no static. Only then can you trap him."
He set the cup down with a clink.
"If you can do that… maybe you can pull it off."
Sheriff George blinked, then coughed awkwardly. "Sorry, burnt my tongue. Tea's still hot."
Phil Coulson chuckled lightly but didn't take his eyes off Soren.
"Easier said than done, you're talking about creating a no-power zone in the middle of New York. That's like draining the ocean with a bucket."
"We'd have to isolate an entire block, maybe more. Kill the grid, block every wire, line the area with insulation... It's a logistics nightmare." George nodded, grim.
Seeing the two deep in thought, Soren leaned back with a faint smile.
"I don't think the two of you should be brainstorming here with me." He said coolly. "You should be asking yourselves: what's Max Dillon doing right now?"
Both men froze.
That thought hadn't fully hit them until now.
Electro was still at large.
And free.
George stood abruptly. "He won't stop. That freak nearly destroyed Times Square. Next time..."
"Next time, he will be prepared." Coulson cut in, he stared at Soren.
"Thank you. We'll coordinate with Homeland and the grid authority. See what sectors we can blackout for a trap."
"Just don't blackout the hospital next door." Soren quipped dryly, waving them off.
George and Coulson stepped back into the night, both deep in thought as they entered their vehicles and drove off to brief their respective teams.
But inside the quiet medical center, Soren stood alone, the smile gone from his face.
Soren exhaled through his nose. "A little spark, and already I've got the whole city's eyes on me…"
He moved to the window and looked out at the lights of New York, glowing like a constellation come to earth. But now those lights reminded him of something else.
Power.
Conductivity.
Escape routes.
Vulnerability.
"If I'm already having this much trouble with a B-class like Max…" He narrowed his eyes. "How will I stand against the truly powerful? The cosmic ones… the god-tier threats...?"
"I need more power."
As Soren Macaluso lay on the edge of his bed, the sheets tangled around his legs as the city buzzed just outside his window.
It had been a long night, too long. The events of the previous evening were still fresh in his mind.
The media frenzy that followed was inevitable. It seemed as though every news outlet, from the local channels to national networks, couldn't get enough of his name.
Soren Macaluso: The Doctor Who Demolished Electro
The headlines screamed at him from his phone screen, his face plastered across newspapers and social media like some new superhero, yet Soren didn't feel like a hero.
The only thing that gnawed at him now was the eerie silence.
Max Dillon, the man known as Electro, hadn't retaliated yet. That was the part that bothered Soren the most. Electro's power, his ego, his need for revenge, Soren had expected a storm.
But instead, New York had fallen into a strange quiet. It was too quiet. Too peaceful.
Soren sat up slowly, his head heavy from exhaustion. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, the dark circles under his eyes a testament to the sleepless hours spent analyzing every angle of the fight.
His mind kept returning to one question.
Where is he?
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Fellow Phantoms and aspiring Phantoms to be, if you seek to access advanced parts of this story procced to my shadowy realm of p@treon.
PhantomDream