Chapter 36
In the ruins of a S.H.I.E.L.D. black site buried below New York's East River, a handful of surviving analysts were tracking unidentified kinetic impacts independently, desperate to stay relevant. Their monitors flickered from pirated military satellites and intercepted Wakandan frequencies. "That light's not from any jet," said Sarah Dawson, an ex-field operative turned hacker. The seismic pattern, heat bloom, and sonic delay made no sense—too human in shape, too inhuman in power. "Could be an Inhuman," someone offered. "Or another enhanced freak." But no file matched the glowing figure. "Whatever this is," Sarah whispered, "if it keeps moving east, it'll be over Manhattan in ten hours."
In Tokyo, the headquarters of a secret Japanese defense think tank known only as Yurei monitored the anomaly in silence. Operatives sat in sterile, white-tiled rooms with bio-electronic implants enhancing their perception. "Object moved from Pacific Northwest to mid-China in three leaps," said a technician, watching real-time schematics update. "Is this an experimental weapon?" a woman in a formal kimono asked softly. "No heat exhaust. No tech signature. No intent to strike population zones." The command center fell quiet as her eyes narrowed. "Then it is alive." Outside, two prototype AI drones launched into the night sky. Yurei would observe before they judged.
In Wakanda, deep within the Vibranium-infused earth, the royal command chamber erupted in alarms. Shuri stared at the data pouring in, showing shockwaves breaching the outer perimeter of Wakandan satellites. "He's moving north," she said. "Again." The hologram showed a white-hot blur punching through a cliffside, leaping away before they could triangulate. "We nearly had him in Mozambique," a Border Chief muttered. "Until that beam." The memory stung—Ash's mana beam had wiped out their pursuit craft in an instant.
-scene change-
Ash groaned as he climbed out of the fractured crater, dragging his heavy limbs onto a broken stretch of snowy rock. The jagged crater beneath him steamed from the heat of impact, the surrounding forest shattered by the shockwave of his landing. Ice clung to his arms and legs, fragments of crushed stone falling off his back as he cracked his neck with a sharp pop. "I never thought the ocean would be that terrifying," he muttered, shaking seawater from his hair. "The mana density is no joke." He remembered the way it had felt—pressing, shifting, alive—waves of mana had assaulted his body the second he touched the deep waters.
The ocean hadn't even been that deep, and yet the pressure of energy felt like it was dragging him into the abyss. Coral reefs shattered just from his presence, strange sea life fleeing in pulses of bioluminescent panic. "It makes sense though," he thought aloud, pulling salt from his tongue, "phenomena don't only have to manifest on land." which meant that the ocean had several phemons that have been going on for god knows how long, so the ocean was teaming with monsters, waiting for bust forth, He sighed and glanced to the horizon where the ocean and sky blurred into grey. The winds picked up again, rustling trees that leaned away from the crater. Then he paused. His head tilted slightly to the left, gaze narrowing, "You can stop pointing that gun at me, Ms. Romanoff," he said calmly.
Turning around, Ash found himself facing Natasha Romanoff. Her presence was unwavering, as always—a striking figure with an athletic, poised stance, long dark red hair falling loose to her shoulders. Her black boots crunched softly on the gravel dusted with frost. The slim jacket and jeans she wore were well-fitted, casual, but still carried the unmistakable outline of a holster. Her steely blue eyes never blinked, focused entirely on him. She frowned slightly, glancing at the smoldering crater behind him. "Ross sent you after me?" she asked, tone skeptical. Ash blinked, confused. "What?" he replied. She shrugged faintly. "He might be overestimating me, sending someone like you after me."
Ash sighed again, lifting a tired hand. "Whatever you're thinking, you're wrong. I'm not under anyone's orders." His breath came out as mist in the cold air. "I'm just kind of... wandering." Natasha didn't lower her weapon, but her grip loosened slightly. "You've got a strange way of traveling," she said, stepping slightly to the side, keeping her footing firm. "A plane might have sufficed." Ash gave a tired chuckle. "The gun's unnecessary, y'know. A bullet won't do much to someone who survived a fall like that," he said, gesturing toward the smoking crater behind them. Natasha was quiet for a moment, then finally lowered the pistol.
"You're right," she admitted, placing it into her jacket holster with practiced ease. They stood in silence, the wind howling low between shattered pine trees, a flock of disturbed birds taking flight in the distance. "You got anything to eat?" Ash asked, rubbing his stomach. "I've burned a lot of energy getting here." Natasha raised an eyebrow, but her expression softened slightly. "I might be able to give you a plate or two," she said cautiously. Ash grinned at that, a flicker of warmth cutting through the cold. "One plate's not gonna be enough," he replied, brushing frost from his shoulders as he followed her.
Inside Natasha's quiet mountain getaway cabin, the thick scent of cooked meat mingled with pinewood and frost. The wooden beams overhead creaked gently as wind brushed against the exterior walls, snow melting off the slanted rooftop in soft drips. Ash sat hunched over at the modest kitchen table, absolutely devouring an entire leg of moose, the sheer size of it almost comedic compared to his focused expression. His hands tore at the cooked meat with practiced ease, steam rising from the plate as bones clinked lightly against ceramic. Natasha, leaning on the counter with a warm mug in her hands, watched in astonishment.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Ash beat her to it between bites. "I know, and no, my stomach is not bottomless. I do have a limit," he said, clearly used to the comment by now, his tone dry but not unfriendly. Natasha smirked, raising an eyebrow. "No, I was going to say… there's an extra leg in the freezer if you want it." Ash paused just long enough to burp, wiping his mouth on a nearby napkin. "Thanks. I'll hunt it back for you," he said, already preparing mentally to do so. "I wasn't going to eat the whole moose anyway," Natasha shrugged. "Still," Ash replied, voice low and genuine, "it's only the right thing to do." A quiet moment passed before he asked, "Mind if I take a shower?" She nodded wordlessly and gestured to the hallway.