Location: 10th & Broadway – Lower Manhattan
Time: 3:02 a.m.
The rain hadn't let up. It dripped from rooftops, puddled on sidewalks, and blurred the glow of traffic lights into soft neon smears.
I stood across the street from the SHIELD drop point, hood up, mask on.
SHIELD knew who I was.
At least, they thought they did.
They wanted to talk.
So did I.
But I didn't trust them.
Not yet.
---
Across the street, a black SUV sat quietly beside an alley. No license plate. No engine hum.
Just waiting.
I scanned it.
[Scan Active]
> Occupants: 1
Surveillance Devices: 3 (1 thermal, 2 audio)
Threat Level: Moderate
Identity Match: 93% – Nicholas Joseph Fury
I walked.
The SUV door opened before I reached it.
Inside sat Nick Fury, eyepatch in place, unlit cigar between his fingers. Calm. Watchful.
Like a lion that knew it didn't need to roar.
"Victor Wick," he said. "The man who bleeds Hydra."
I didn't answer.
He gestured. "Sit. We'll keep it civil."
---
I entered, but stayed alert.
One finger near my hidden blade. Another on a flash stick in my boot.
He noticed. Of course he did.
"You've hit six Hydra facilities in the last nine weeks," Fury began, staring ahead. "Stolen data, rescued assets, burned the rest to the ground."
"They deserved it."
"No argument there," Fury replied. "But you're doing it too well. That worries me."
I leaned forward. "What do you want?"
"Answers," Fury said flatly. "Let's start with the obvious. You're not a regular enhanced. You don't belong to any branch. Your background's a black hole. And your tactics?"
He tapped a tablet. Footage played of me taking down a Hydra squad in eight seconds flat.
"Remind me of three different people who don't exist yet."
---
I remained silent.
He studied me, then sighed.
"You have a system," he said. "You level up. You draw power like cards from a deck. And you know things you shouldn't—like Stark Industries being worth buying into before Stark even goes public."
That made me blink.
So they were tracking my financial records.
He smirked.
"We watch everything. But you? You're playing a different game. So let me be clear."
He turned to face me.
"You either work with us, or eventually, someone tries to put you down. Maybe me. Maybe Rogers. Maybe something worse."
I exhaled slowly. "You threatening me?"
Fury grinned.
"No. I'm recruiting you."
---
I raised an eyebrow.
Fury handed me a folder—paper, not digital. Smart. Old school.
Inside were photos of a weapon—Project Annihilus. The name alone screamed bad news.
Hydra's latest. Bigger than Echo. Faster than Voltgeist. Powered by something they'd pulled from the Quantum Realm.
"Prototype was stolen last week," Fury said. "Turns out Hydra has moles in more places than we thought."
He paused.
"We can't track it. You can."
"Because of the system."
He nodded. "You're synced to something we don't understand. That makes you dangerous. But also… valuable."
I leaned back.
"Why trust me?"
"Because I've watched the footage," Fury said. "You don't kill unless they deserve it. You saved that mutant girl when you could've dropped her. You walk out of explosions like a soldier, not a terrorist."
"And if I say no?"
"Then I let you go," he said. "But I will keep watching. And when the time comes, I will send people after you."
He shrugged. "Just business."
---
The SUV was quiet for a long moment.
Rain tapping the roof. Neon lights flickering through tinted windows.
Then I asked, "What's the mission?"
Fury smiled.
---
Later That Night – SHIELD Safehouse, Queens
I stared at the mission board.
Target: Hydra extraction facility
Codename: Vault-11
Location: Beneath East River Water Treatment Plant
Objective: Recover stolen prototype
Threat: Annihilus Unit
Bonus Data: 2 VIP scientists, 1 known prisoner (Agent Carter's file: 1991)
They wanted me to infiltrate, retrieve, and destroy.
Three objectives. Zero margin for error.
Classic SHIELD.
"System," I said, cracking my neck, "prep combat mode. Tactical Echo active. Deathstroke template synced."
---
[System Online]
> Status: Prime
Template Syncs:
– John Wick (Full)
– Deathstroke (Combat Variant)
– Moon Knight (Shadow Fragment)
Current Boosts:
– Reflexes +55%
– Stealth +60%
– Precision +40%
– Tactical Prediction Active (7s cooldown)
Custom Draw Token Available: YES
Sign-In Timer: 2 Days
---
I glanced down at the folder again.
One of the scientists Hydra had captured used to work for Pym Technologies.
Which meant… Quantum-level tech was in Hydra's hands.
Not great.
Definitely not legal.
---
Vault-11: 2:03 a.m.
I entered through the water tunnel Fury's team mapped. It stank. My boots splashed through ankle-deep runoff. But the system guided me forward with quiet HUD arrows.
Inside, Hydra was busy. Lights, generators, cargo drones. I counted twenty guards.
The prototype—Annihilus—was in a stasis chamber, glowing blue and red like a heartbeat.
And then I saw it.
---
It looked wrong.
Like a mix of human tissue, exo-armor, and swirling quantum energy.
Not just a machine.
A living warhead.
[Scan Active]
> Designation: Annihilus Unit A-01
Threat Level: Tier 5.9
Energy Type: Quantum Flux / Vibranium Conductive Alloy
Status: Semi-Aware
Risk of Detonation (if disturbed): 37%
Recommendation: Neutralize Core before detachment
Lovely.
---
I crept around the perimeter. Took out four guards. Disabled the cameras. Then I dropped smoke pellets.
Chaos erupted.
Hydra screamed.
Shots rang out.
I dropped from above, dual pistols sweeping the room like a scythe.
"System—analyze quantum field!"
[Field Stability: 62%. Safe Window: 180 seconds]
I sprinted to the core, stabbed a vibro-blade into the anchor point, and triggered overload.
Annihilus roared.
Its chest opened, revealing a micro-reactor shaped like a spinning orb of reality.
I plunged an extraction rod in and pulled.
The lights died.
Hydra fell silent.
And Annihilus?
Collapsed.
Like a puppet with strings cut.
---
I grabbed the core, slung it in a lead-lined SHIELD bag, and sprinted out as backup explosions began.
By the time I surfaced, the water plant was gone—just a plume of smoke rising from the sewer mist.
---
SHIELD Helicarrier – One Hour Later
Fury stood with arms crossed.
"You just saved a dozen cities."
I handed him the core.
"Don't lose it."
He smiled.
"We won't."
He turned to leave, then stopped.
"One more thing."
He tossed me a black envelope.
Inside was a badge.
"Consultant – Level 7 Clearance"
"Means you're freelance," Fury said. "Not SHIELD. Not Avenger. But when the next fire starts? I expect you to show up."
I stared at the badge.
Then tucked it into my coat.
---
Back at my safehouse, I sat alone in the dark.
The system chimed.
[Sign-In Timer: 1 Day, 12 Hours]
[Custom Draw Available – Use Now?]
"…Yes."
---
[Initiating Custom Draw – Priority Tier]
Congratulations! You've obtained: "Template – Geralt of Rivia (Enhanced Senses + Potion Crafting)"
My HUD flickered.
New Skills Unlocked:
Witcher Senses: Track enemies, detect magic, smell toxins
Combat Potions: Craft temporary stat boosts, elemental resistance, healing
Sign Use (Basic): Igni (Fire), Aard (Push)
I smiled slowly.
The world had heroes.
It had gods.
Now?
It had me.
---