Author's note: Change the title to Death Dealer since you know.... uh.
Smokie's was a mid-sized BBQ restaurant tucked between a boutique and a coffee shop in Midtown. The interior was well lit and decorated nicely with New Year greetings. The smell of smoked meat, spices, and charcoal hit Dante the moment he walked in, and his stomach immediately reminded him that he hadn't eaten since... well, since he'd died.
Silver Sable sat in a corner booth with her back against the wall, a military-grade tablet in her hands and a sleek leather briefcase on the seat beside her. She wore a dark gray jacket over black pants and sturdy boots. Her silver hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail. On the table in front of her sat a cup of coffee which had gone cold ages ago.
She was beautiful in the way a blade was beautiful—sharp and dangerous.
Despite everyone eying her, she had a calm expression. Symkaria's national hero was quite used to being the center of attention.
The same level of attention shifted to Dante the moment he stepped inside—and for a good reason. Death had given him pale white skin and sharpened his features to the point of perfection, that combined with his towering, muscular figure easily made him eye-catching. Even Silver Sable held an appreciative gaze for a moment.
"Do I need to remind you," Death teased. "that I do not perform half-heartedly?"
Dante smiled faintly and walked over, sliding into the seat across from her. "Ms. Sable?"
She didn't smile, didn't frown, or offered him any greetings. Her expression was perfectly neutral as she observed him, clearly not expecting her information broker to be an attractive man, much less being the most attractive man in the whole world, debatably.
"RedEye?"
He gave a small nod. "Am I too late?"
"No, you are right on time." Her Eastern European accent was much more noticeable in person. She set her tablet aside with a quiet thunk. "Do you want to order a drink?"
"Yes." He called down a server and ordered a couple of chicken sandwiches, soft drinks, steak, and some fries on the side—the most American order he could've made. "Do you want anything?"
"I'm fine. Let's discuss business."
He leaned back, matching her calm demeanor one to one. "So what intel do you require?"
"I need to be informed about the area I'm working in," she said. "I need insight into gang territories, smuggling networks, and key players in the underground of Queens and Manhattan."
Dante kept his expression neutral, but internally he was working his mind. He did have that information pinned to his bedroom wall. The more important part was why she required it in the first place.
"I can provide that. Is this your first time in New York?"
"Yes," she replied curtly, tapping the table. "I want it to be as detailed as possible. The compensation is fifty thousand. "
Dante stared with a blank expression, both elated and deeply aware of his own ignorance. Fifty grand—nothing for her, everything for him. Her client must have paid her generously for her to overspend on intel.
"Alright. You'll get everything once I'm back home. Do you want physical or digital?"
"Both, if possible," she said, fetching the briefcase by her side and passing it to him. "Your payment and my contact are both inside."
Dante took the briefcase and opened it on the spot. The sight of stacks upon stacks of bills earned a half-hearted nod from him. There was also a small phone, probably a burner with necessary details.
Of all the outcomes he had imagined for this meeting, walking away fifty grand richer wasn't on the list. The pressure of starting from zero considerably lightened with the briefcase.
"Were you from a wealthy family?" Death asked curiously. "I grasped everything in that mysterious world except you. Your background remains mostly a mystery."
He heavily doubted her words. She would know about Marvel comics if she truly understood the world he came from.
As Dante was about to close the briefcase, the server arrived with the order. The young man's eyes flickered between the silver-haired beauty, him, and the briefcase, mouth opening as if to say something, but closing again when he saw Dante's calm expression.
Dante closed the briefcase before accepting the order. "Thank you." He looked at Sable as the server left. "Are you sure you want to offer payment in advance? What if I ran away with it?"
"You didn't arrive by car or cab as you were a bit out of breath and dehydrated. Your base of operation must be within three or four miles," she said without blinking. "Tracking you will only take an hour."
Her tone barely changed even when sending out threats.
Dante shook his head. "One hour? You can't accomplish it even if you tried your whole life."
Right now, both his previous world and Death's realm qualify as his base. Sable wasn't equipped to find either of the two.
Sable narrowed her eyes, a flicker of disapproval in her eyes. "You're quite arrogant."
"Just stating the facts."
Biting into the sandwich, flavors exploded in his mouth, amplified amply by his hunger and the enhanced senses of his new body. It took him a few moments to devour everything.
He washed it all down with the soft drink. "I feel alive again…"
Sable dabbed her hands with a napkin while staring at him like he was some rare zoo animal.
He gently wiped his mouth, showing manners that were nowhere present a minute ago. "Give me some time to organize everything."
He'd rather not send a bunch of messy files for a deal this generous.
"You are an interesting man."
He agreed to her wholeheartedly. Death wouldn't agree to be his companion if he wasn't an interesting person.
"I don't think you mean that in a typical woman fashion."
"Realistically, it almost doesn't make sense for you to be in this field."
Dante couldn't help but feel surprised. She was sharp. Too sharp. Whoever informed her about him must have also relayed the suicidal, depressed disposition of previous Dante. They couldn't be further apart from each other.
"About business, are you in New York for your mercenary work?" He swerved the topic, trying to probe some information.
"I am."
"Is it related to Oscorp?"
Her eyes widened, just enough for Dante to notice before her business mask took over. "I cannot reveal any details."
This confirmed Dante's suspicion that Oscorp was conspiring a wicked plot, which could range from turning himself into Green Goblin through Goblin serum to world domination. Unfortunately, he wouldn't get any more out of Silver Sable. He had to find another way to gain information about the events around him.
'Null might be able to help me out with this.'
She regarded him for a moment, as if weighing judgment against amusement. "You should be less apparent with your intentions."
"I'll go out of business if I don't stay well-informed." He held her gaze, matching her seriousness with something softer. "Besides, it's easier to be honest. No lies means no guilty conscience. I never have trouble sleeping at night."
For the faintest instant, a glimmer of approval flickered across Silver Sable's face. She didn't respond, much to his amusement. Her gaze flicked away, toward the people at the restaurant pretending not to stare at the two of them. She had dealt with politicians, mercenaries, arms dealers, warlords, but not many men sat across from her in a restaurant and prodded her about honesty.
"Contact me as soon as the intel is ready. Goodbye, Mr. RedEye."
She got up and left with heavy strides. Dante lingered on her back, then returned his attention onto the steak. It was juicy, its flavor only enhanced by the company of a silver-haired beauty.
"Not a bad job dealing with an experienced mercenary, Companion," Death praised him subtly. "Now, where will you spend this fortune?"
He was already picturing better bedding, decent coffee, and perhaps a secure window to keep anyone from jumping him at night. Though he didn't have time to find a new place, he could make his current stay comfortable. And he had the money to invest fully in his goal.
"It would be quite fun shopping with you."
"Who says I can't come over?"
He nearly choked on his drink at her eager answer. Death appeared across from him in her elegant form, her elbow propped on the table and her chin leaned in her palms. She was taking pure delight in his shock. Somehow, nobody in the restaurant reacted to her sudden appearance.
"Don't worry. They can't see me… unless they are close to death."
He wiped his face with a napkin and shifted the clutter to the side. "Well, I'm not close to death, I'm close to the Death."
"You very much are, Companion."
This was going to be, by far, the most fun shopping spree he's ever had.
Before he left, he pulled out the handy device in his pocket to look up Stark Industries. What showed up was Tony Stark's image plastered all over headlines after a recent interview regarding his ongoing deal with the U.S. military. The strangest part was that Tony Stark matched one to one with the one in MCU aka Robert Downey Jr. He also looked through rumors of a flying tin can just in case but found nothing.
'He is just Tony Stark right now, which adds up with the MCU timeline. No, there is Silver Sable and Normon Osborn.'
The CEO of Oscorp was next on his google search. Surprisingly, Normon Osborn had the same face in his viral "I'm something of a scientist myself" meme.
After some furious typing over the internet, he was left more confused than he had ever been in his entire life. Baxter Building also existed in this universe, and so did Roxxon Energy Corporation and Frost International.
'What in the fucked up timeline did I end up in?'