MEFS 119: Task
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Oct 19
52
Before John could rip open a bag of hot Cheetos, while waiting for the delivery, his phone rang.
The name made him squint instantly, washing away the sleepiness for a brief moment.
Nick Fury
For a moment, he wanted to act like he didn't notice the phone vibrating on the desk with that iconic jingle. He even wanted to put the phone on silent and go about what he wanted to do right now.
Still, there were reasons he couldn't just turn a blind eye to this.
There was a chance that this call was regarding Gwen. If that was the case, John would really regret missing it. And nothing was stopping Fury from knocking at his door in the middle of the night if the matter was important enough. Also, he did owe the man enough not to send him to voicemail at least once.
So, with a sigh, he picked up the phone after the 4th ring. Just then, an amused voice came from the other end.
"You actually picked up?" The fake surprise wasn't at all surprising; it was more irritating than anything.
"What happened?" John placed the Cheetos bag on the desk and rolled his stiff shoulders.
There was no need to waste time, especially since he was tired already. It wasn't like Fury called to ask how his exams went; they weren't that close. Not to mention the Pizza delivery was on the way, so he wanted this done quickly.
"At least let me get the small talk out of the way." A small chuckle later, he continued. "Nothing in particular happened; I just wanted to relay the details of a task I wanted you to handle, as we had agreed."
"And don't say that what you did in Harlem counts towards our agreement. We didn't ask for your involvement there." He added that before John could speak further.
'This guy…' It made him click his tongue.
The initial thought process after the Harlem incident, if he was asked to do something, was to try and use the fact that he stopped Abomination and helped Natasha escape to get out of the agreement.
There was no guarantee that it would've worked, but to have that door shut down from the start. It almost put a bad taste in John's mouth.
Sure, he wasn't asked to help, but he did help them. The damage in Harlem would've been ten times worse if it had turned into the Hulk vs. Abomination showdown.
'Not only is he glossing over what I did, he even wants me to do more. The nerve on this guy.' John was mostly joking at this point; since it had come to this, he had no choice but to play tough.
Yes, SHIELD did help him greatly as well, since there were no videos of the fight from Harlem on the internet, and aside from a few witness accounts, they were most likely suppressing the media coverage on John, letting the world solely focus on Abomination.
Too bad, he never asked for any of that.
"We're playing it like that, are we?" And, no matter the thing asked of him, it was his choice whether to accept the task or not.
He never agreed to comply unconditionally after all. And it felt like Fury understood that on the other side as well.
"Didn't I overdeliver on what you asked? You can at least match my sincerity, no?"
John had asked Fury to take care of JJJ, but he had also handled other news outlets that were following the Daily Bugle's formula to go after Gwen.
The smear campaign for clicks was already old news, and the public had moved on to other topics at this point, especially Abomination. And the positive news coverage for Spiderwoman had also started, which had improved Gwen's mood several times.
But of course, this was something Fury did on his own. All John asked was to take care of Jay Jonah Jamerson in particular. The rest of what he did was something he should've done on his own for the sake of the hero he had recruited.
At this point, it made him wonder if the reason SHIELD didn't handle the negative press against Gwen was to get him involved. This could very well be him overthinking, but he couldn't put this past Fury.
If they already had an idea about how close he was with Gwen/Spider-Woman, paired with their knowledge of his connections with John Doe, this seemed like a plausible method to rope him in as well.
Even now, the guy was playing a game of words with him. He had brought up the Abomination case on purpose as well, or at least that's what it felt like, while talking about overdelivering.
This seemed like an attempt to make John think that he was going to ask for something ridiculous and elicit a negative reaction, before haggling down to a task that looked simple on the surface, but was his main intention all along.
"Get to the point, man. I need to rest for a bit." John yawned; his brain was truly living up to the hype for once. But without the fuel, it was just exhausting to continue like this.
There was no telling if Fury had any negative intentions, but if he really had something like that in mind, it would be very disappointing.
As John opened the Ben and Jerry's ice cream tub, the reason for the call arrived at last.
"I need you to visit a school."
"A school?" With a spoonful of sweetness spreading over his tongue, he blinked as gears started turning in his head thanks to the newly provided sugar boost.
Why would he want to send a university student to a school? Was this demotion? Sure, his scholarship might be in a bit of danger, but sending him back to school was too much.
"Well, it isn't a normal school." Fury chuckled, almost like he could feel the confusion.
"And what do you want me to do when I get there?" John already had an idea of where this was going. Fury had chosen a direct method of confrontation since moving in the shadows had failed.
"Well, I heard you don't have many friends at university, so you can use this chance to make some."
"…" Maybe he should ask Natasha what she had put in the report given to him.
Still, since a school was mentioned, and this was Nick Fury's task, it was obvious it wouldn't be a normal type of special school. And if he had to think of special schools where Fury would want him to be, there was just one that came to mind.
"What's the school's name?" John's eyes narrowed.
"Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."
'Jackpot… or not Jackpot?' He almost chewed the metal spoon in his mouth.
"If it helps, there is a young lady who wishes to meet you there," Fury added. "Think of it as a date."
"Since when did SHIELD become 'Make a Wish Foundation '?" He scoffed, throwing the empty container of ice cream in the trash along with the spoon that had the imprint of his molars.
"We do all the good that we can in this world." With a short pause, as if to let John absorb those words, he continued. "You will have to visit the school within the next week at least. I am messaging you a number; call it when you are ready, and a car will come to pick you up."
"Does it come with lunch?"
"I'll see what I can do."
"Also, just to let you know, I have enough friends." John deadpanned.
"I am sure you do," Fury said in a matter-of-fact tone before the call ended.
"I really do, though." After the motherfuckerly stare that bored through the phone screen, John read the text message that came from the mentioned number.
He didn't have to think hard about the reason Fury was sending him to the mutant school. Sure, he was making it look like a simple visit, but it wasn't John who had a job to do there.
Charles Xavier was the one who had a task to perform.
And the task was most likely to read his mind and find out about John Doe. Despite him scratching his brain over the matter for days, he couldn't find a clear answer about why these two troublesome bald men were after him.
But this seemed like a good opportunity to get more information.
Sure, there was a risk that Charles could really read his mind and find out everything. From his original world to the system and the fake persona he had created. However, that risk wouldn't vanish just because he didn't meet the telepath in person.
Fury had enough resources and guts to force an encounter, or even bring Charles just near enough so the guy could try and invade his mind without ever coming in his field of vision.
Consent? That was just a trivial suggestion to these two.
For that reason alone, it was a good chance to uncover this part of the puzzle, and he could also right off the favour he owed Fury very cheaply.
Yeah, that didn't actually absolve the threat, but John wanted to believe in the cards he had. There was no doubt that Conqueror's Haki would help him bolster his mental defence, now that he had more time with the power in question. According to his personal experience, this could be a strong counterattack since it was the ultimate expression of willpower, something greatly needed against telepaths.
Still, the biggest card John had was his system. If the notifications alone were anything to go by, he had brought about a great deal of change in the life of several big names by now.
Leaving TVA aside, there were also other forces that monitored the flow of events, who should be kicking down his door at this very moment. But so far, even with all the changes his presence had caused, no one had found him.
There was a strong chance that even without the Anonymity filter, he had lost at the start; there was another line of defence the system kept to protect him, or to protect itself?
...
I wanna jump off a fucking building. Too much shit happening in life.MEFS 120: Bets
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Oct 19
57
Leaving TVA aside, there were also other forces that monitored the flow of events.
And they should be kicking down John's door at this very moment. But so far, even with all the changes his presence had caused, no one had found him.
There was a strong chance that even without the Anonymity filter, he had lost at the start; there was another line of defence the system kept to protect him, or to protect itself?
In a way, it made sense, since A.R.C.A.D.I.A., the Goddess of Wishes, or whoever it was that brought him here and gave him that system, surely had a reason for it.
Because even if it was framed as them granting his wish, there had to be something they got out of it.
In the world of Marvel, where overpowered characters weren't exactly rare, it wouldn't be weird for the System to have some sort of hidden safety mechanism for itself and, by extension, for the user.
Well, this could be wishful thinking on his end. But if the system really had nothing like that, he'd really put in a strong word with the customer service. If he could find that damned function.
The worst part, or the best part, was that John wasn't feeling nervous about this meeting. In fact, he was confident, at least that was the feeling coming from the depths of his soul despite his long monologue about needing a bit more certainty.
In the end, he trusted that feeling. Doubting that feeling, and himself, would only send him two steps back at this point.
And as the doorbell rang, John's mind moved on from the matter and focused on the boxes of pizza in front of him while the delivery guy left exhausted.
"This is what I am talking about… this is life." Taking a bite of the deep-dish pizza with an abundance of cheese, John felt a new wave of energy flowing through him.
Now that he had thought over the telepathy issue, there was another piece of information that stuck with him.
Who was this lady that wanted to meet him?
It had to be a mutant given the meeting place. And that did narrow down the pool of people in question. Still, as curious as he was, there was no need to think that deeply about it.
It would all come together when he visited Xavier's school anyway.
For now, all he had to do was eat and get his eight hours of sleep for once.
***
Culver University was still rebuilding from a recent disaster that had been the talk of the town, for better or for worse.
But the bigger problem for them had been the gossip flying between the students who happened to witness that disaster in person.
And unfortunately, a lot of them had seen the giant green, bipedal monstrosity treating tanks and helicopters like they were made of paper.
A great deal of these witnesses had recorded the incident on their phones. But thanks to the great effort from the military and university faculty, they were able to wipe out most of the video evidence.
Still, that did little to stop the words flying all over the place because of the few clips that made it onto the video-sharing platforms. The photos of the obviously damaged sites only fuelled the rumours, even more so when the university restricted access to the area.
It had sort of taken a turn for the worse when students tried to sneak in at night to get more videos of the place so they could share them online, as the interest in this incident was at an all-time high.
The number of these unwanted intruders increased further after news of another green monster, rampaging through Harlem, came out recently.
Since there were only testimonies from the victims from Harlem, the intrigue around the restricted area of Culver University, where the actual footage came from, only rose higher.
These days, even reporters and outsiders were trying to sneak into the place with their own agendas. There was even a protest chanting about government secrets and aliens.
And that led to the current reinforced security and additional personnel from the military that watched over the place 24/7. Although the decision had sparked more rumours, it had helped bring order to the place.
One of such soldiers was on night duty, walking out of the main building with a yawn. He was new to the assignment and still needed some time to adjust to his new shift hours. But he had been through worse in Brazil. This almost felt like a vacation compared to that mission.
After patting his pockets under the white bulb that hung over the building's metal gate, he made sure there wasn't anything missing from his gear.
'Hope I don't have to stay here for too long.' His bored gaze swept over the dark lawn, with a well-lit path snaking up the gentle slope.
He was initially supposed to be posted at the iron gates at the end of the path further down, but the security guard who usually watched over the building's gates had a gym incident and broke his wrist this morning.
Now, the soldier was stuck patrolling between the main gates and the building entrance all on his own. This would usually be a headache with the number of people they had caught over the last few days, but the night was surprisingly quiet today.
The soldier wondered if the hype around this place had died down since no one got anything; nevertheless, it was a welcome silence.
It was so relaxing that he pulled out a cigarette from his pocket for once, ready to use the lighter. However, before he could do that, a figure stumbled up the paved path.
It was a woman in a purple dress, almost limping up while gasping.
"Ma'am, you aren't supposed to be here." The soldier stepped forward, almost cursing at how this one got through the lookouts. He spoke into the communication device about how a woman got through, but all he got was static.
'What is happening?' It felt like a failed sneak attempt at first, but when he could clearly see the face of this woman, all the questions in his head halted.
The woman's short red hair was a mess, not to mention the spots of mud and red blotting her dress. The fair face was slick with sweat as blood smeared at the edge of her lips.
"Please help me…" She heaved, running up barefoot, clear panic and fear on her small face.
"Yes, I will help. Please tell me what happened." He spoke before his brain could even think; his entire being was getting pulled into her tearful hazel-green eyes.
"I was just… and then…" The poor woman was trembling like a leaf as she pointed behind her.
Was she attacked on the way home? Who would attack her? No, in a way the soldier understood. Even in her current situation, the woman in front of him was beautiful, gorgeous, even.
Some creep most definitely jumped her, seeing that she was alone, and definitely not with good intentions.
'I have to help her…' It felt like he had found a kitten on a rainy day.
"Please help…" The woman grabbed his hand with her delicate fingers.
'If the creep's still chasing her…' The soldier looked in the direction she had pointed before.
He spoke into the microphone to get information from others, and in that moment his world flipped.
Before he could even register it, the side of his head slammed against the ground, and his vision went dark. The one who had done this to him was none other than the woman who was asking for help a moment ago.
And right after confirming that he was out cold, she searched his pockets and found the key marked as 8th.
"Acting like you aren't there won't help you escape the bet." She glanced over her shoulder, her face and voice the very definition of calm.
Following a slight chuckle, and a notebook in hand, Spiderwoman stepped on the path from behind a tree. She had been there throughout the encounter, taking notes on what was happening.
"Pretty, can act well, and you can do your own stunts. The directors are gonna love you, Miss Romanoff." She scribbled a few more things on the page.
But despite the overzealous praise and hand movements of her partner for the night, Natasha only raised her right hand with a slight smirk.
"Flattery isn't gonna help either."
"Seriously, what's with these guys? How can they fall for the same trick four times!" Although sulking, Gwen handed over a twenty-dollar bill while regretting making the bet in the first place.
'Maybe bets just aren't my thing.' She vowed to stay away from all things gambling; money was already tight as it was.
"Seriously, how do you do this so consistently?" Gwen was curious about this matter for her own reasons.
'If I can get this down, I can get all those volumes out of John for once.' Aside from that one day, that heartless bastard hadn't let her read the future volumes on his computer no matter how long she gave him the puppy eyes.
"You just have to look weak enough to trigger their protective instincts, and flutter your eyelids a few times." Her teacher for the day swung the key around her finger while walking up to the building's entrance. "There is a 20% chance that the guy would try to take advantage of you, but that just makes dealing with them easier."
"That must've been tough, huh." Gwen scratched her temple, handing over the bag she was carrying. This wasn't the answer she was expecting.
"It's part of the job." Natasha took out a tablet from the bag.
After looping the footage of all the CCTV cameras, she unlocked the metal gate and stepped into the hallway.
She had played the damsel role enough times to know how to approach someone based on how they looked and even predict what they would try. It was one of the most common methods in her books, but no one could argue with its efficacy.
Not to mention that all she needed was a moment to handle her targets, which became easier when they were distracted by their lust for her.
Still, if Natasha was alone on this mission, she wouldn't have bothered with this route. Her opponents were just some soldiers on lookout in the dead of the night. Sure, they had guns and were in full gear, but it was just another Tuesday for her.
'Let's see where this goes.' But she had an audience tonight, one she wanted to know about as well, so it was worth playing around a bit.
...
I finally got time to edit the chapters. More chapters coming in a few hours. I apologize for the delay.