The elevator doors chimed softly as they parted, revealing the quiet, dimly lit corridor of Sublevel 2. Peter was practically sleepwalking beside me, his arm draped heavily over my shoulder, the textured red-and-black fabric of his suit warm against my own tactical gear. His enhanced metabolism was a marvel, but after the adrenaline of his first true patrol and the emotional release in the alleyway, the inevitable crash had hit him like a freight train.
I guided him down the hall, my arm wrapped securely around his waist to keep him upright. He mumbled something incoherent about cross-drafts and web-fluid viscosity, his chin dropping against his chest.
"I know, Spider-Man," I murmured, shifting my grip to push the bedroom door open. there were four bedrooms in Sublevel 2 for any late night experiments going on mind you he made clear they can only be used temporarily there was no moving down here Peter's real room was upstairs "You did perfectly tonight. Now it is time to shut down."
I managed to maneuver him onto the edge of the mattress. He flopped backward instantly, not even bothering to pull his legs up. Smiling faintly, I knelt and unfastened the sleek, metallic web-shooters from his wrists, setting them carefully on the nightstand. I grabbed the edge of his mask, which was still bunched up around his nose, and gently pulled it the rest of the way off. His face was relaxed, his breathing deep and even. He was already out cold.
I pulled the heavy comforter over him, letting my hand linger for a second in his messy brown hair. The Dawngleam bond between us pulsed with a soft, content rhythm. He was ready for Thursday. He was ready for the Green Goblin.
Satisfied, I turned and headed back to the elevator, hitting the button for the ground floor common area. I was exhausted, my own chi reserves steady but my physical stamina waning. I had completely forgotten that I was still wearing my hero face—the sharp, square jaw, the jet-black hair, the piercing blue eyes that completely masked my natural features.
****
BEN'S POV
Ben Parker leaned back against the plush leather of the common area sofa, loosening the silk bowtie at his collar. The Hellfire Club gala had been a battlefield of a different sort. Instead of the bullets and shrapnel I'm used to, it was veiled threats, corporate espionage, and egos large enough to possess their own gravitational pull.
Duke stood near the wet bar, methodically unbuttoning his tuxedo jacket. Roadblock was already out of his, sleeves rolled up, pouring a round of neat scotch, while Shaw lounged against the wall, twirling a crystal tumbler between his fingers.
"I am telling you," Roadblock said, handing a glass to Ben, "that property developer was sweating through his suit. Man has three warehouses full of lithium-ion tech and a security detail that looks like they barely passed mall cop training. He needs us."
"He will sign," Ben agreed, taking a slow sip. The burn of the scotch felt good, grounding him after hours of smiling at billionaires. "He just wants to see how we handle our first confirmed contract before he hands over the keys to his kingdom."
Duke took his glass with a nod of thanks. "The network is established. Aegis Defense is officially on the board. Now we just have to execute."
Across the room, Scott and Angel were seated at a low table. Scott was wearing a comfortable flannel shirt, while Angel was in his usual dark leather. They had been playing a lethargic game of chess, but both of them had their heads tilted toward the elevator doors before the chime even sounded.
Ben watched the doors slide open. A man stepped out.
He was tall, built like a lightweight boxer, wearing a matte black tactical suit that looked like it had cost more than the Mansion itself. He had black hair, a striking square jaw, and eyes the color of glacial ice.
Instinctively, the atmosphere in the room shifted. Duke's spine snapped straight, his feet shifting a fraction of an inch into a combat-ready stance. Roadblock set his glass down on the bar with a soft clink, his massive shoulders tensing. Shaw stopped twirling his tumbler, his eyes narrowing into cold slits.
Ben stood up, smoothing his posture. His Guardian bond hummed quietly in the back of his mind, though it didn't trigger any immediate alarm. If this man was in the mansion, he had to be one of Dennis's people. Another Defender they hadn't been introduced to yet.
"Evening," Ben said, keeping his voice perfectly level, extending a hand as he closed the distance. "I don't think we've met. Ben Parker. Aegis Defense."
The stranger paused, looking at Ben's outstretched hand.
Over by the chess table, Scott suddenly buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking. Angel took a slow, deliberate sip of his blood-wine, his fangs glinting in the dim light as a massive smirk spread across his pale face.
"I like how quickly you are to try and get along with me," the stranger said. His voice was familiar. Too familiar. "But I'm afraid it's unnecessary."
****
DENNIS'S POV
I looked at Ben's outstretched hand, then at Duke's textbook fighting stance, and finally realized why they were treating me like an stranger. I hadn't dropped the shapeshift.
I closed my eyes and let out a tired breath. Releasing the physical hold was always a strange sensation. It felt like a sudden drop in cabin pressure, a ripple of warmth washing over my skin. My jawline softened into its natural, slightly more angular shape. The jet-black hair lightened to a rich, dirty blonde. The icy blue eyes shifted back to my natural, vibrant emerald green. My height settled down by roughly half an inch, the microscopic adjustments in my spine and cartilage clicking softly into place.
When I opened my eyes, Ben was staring at me, his hand still suspended in the air.
Duke blinked, his rigid posture faltering for a split second. Roadblock's mouth fell open, and even Shaw looked genuinely unsettled, his stoic facade cracking as he stared at the face that had just reassembled itself out of thin air.
"Okay," I said, rubbing the back of my neck and offering them an apologetic smile. "I guess it is slightly my fault for not having told you properly during introductions, but I am a Succubus. A type of fae. Minor shapeshifting is one of our baseline powers. You can ask the others what species they are later."
Ben slowly lowered his hand. He had known I was superhuman. He had felt the power of the Dawngleam bond when we forged it in his living room, had experienced the rush of youth and strength I had poured into his veins. But knowing it abstractly and watching a man's skull reshape itself in real-time were two very different things.
The silence in the room was heavy, thick with the sudden realization of just how deep into the supernatural underworld they had stepped.
"Right," Ben managed to say, clearing his throat and adjusting his cuffs. He flared his Rank 2 bond with steady, stabilizing loyalty, helping him see past the shock with the fact that yes this is still his Dennis. "A Succubus. Minor shapeshifting. Good to know for future operational security."
I chuckled, moving past him toward the sofas. "Exactly. Now, how was the gala? Did you manage to get a contract? I know it's going to be small to start, but small is better than nothing."
Aegis Defense needed to succeed. Not just for the money, though my Sex Point to dollar conversion was terrible and the mansion's upkeep was going to catch up with us eventually. We needed the legitimate cover. We needed the political capital.
Ben didn't disappoint me. He pivoted to business with the ease of a seasoned feld operative.
"We managed to get one confirmed contract," Ben explained, following me to the seating area. "And three maybe ones who want to see how we do on the first job before they commit themselves. I have a meeting with the first guy tomorrow afternoon to finalize the terms."
"Excellent work, Ben. Truly."
"There is a snag, however," Ben continued, his brow furrowing slightly. "You haven't introduced me to our legal team yet. I'm going to need them for when we draw up the contract tomorrow. We can't afford loopholes if we are charging for providing metahuman-grade security."
"No need to worry about that," I said, waving a hand dismissively. "I already got a couple of guys in mind. I just haven't gotten a chance to buy them yet. Let me do it now."
Before Ben could ask what I meant by *buy them*, I pulled up the System Shop in my mind's eye. The holographic gold interface materialized in the air in front of me, invisible to the rest of the room.
I quickly filtered through the recruitment options. I had originally planned to grab Matt Murdock for legal representation, but Daredevil brought too much baggage. The Hand, Kingpin, the moral grandstanding—I didn't have the time or the patience to manage that dynamic right before the Chitauri invasion. I needed absolute corporate sharks who could navigate New York's elite without breaking a sweat.
I typed my parameters into the search bar. The System whirred, presenting a glowing gold card.
*Target: Mike Ross & Harvey Specter (Suits Season 1 Variant)*
*Cost: 50 SP (25 SP each)*
*Add-on: Modern Integration Package (Valid IDs, Social Security, False Memories, Harvard Law Degrees, NY Bar Association Certifications)*
*Cost: 30 SP*
*Total: 80 SP*
I confirmed the purchase.
*Ding!*
*Purchase Confirmed. Deducting 80 SP. Current Balance: 650 SP.*
*Initiating Summoning Protocol...*
A brilliant pillar of golden light erupted in the center of the common area, illuminating the room in blinding flashes of geometric code. Duke, Roadblock, and Shaw instinctively reached for sidearms they weren't wearing, dropping into defensive crouches. Ben threw an arm up to shield his eyes.
The light coalesced, spinning rapidly into two distinct human silhouettes. The magical particles dissolved like blowing sand, leaving two men standing on the Persian rug.
One was older, impeccably dressed in a sharp Tom Ford suit, his hair perfectly coiffed, radiating an aura of absolute, borderline-arrogant confidence. The other was younger, wearing a slightly cheaper suit and clutching a leather messenger bag, looking sharp but perpetually on edge.
Harvey Specter adjusted his cuffs, his eyes sweeping the room, taking in the tactical gear, the wet bar, and the heavily muscled men staring at him in utter disbelief. He didn't flinch. The System's false memories were already cementing themselves in their minds it will be strange at first but after a while it will be like having memories from a past life that you can recall perfectly, rationalizing their existence here.
Mike Ross blinked, looking down at his own hands, then up at me. "Did... did we just teleport?"
"Something like that," I said smoothly, stepping forward.
Ben was staring at the spot where the light had been, his mouth slightly open. Duke looked like he was trying to calculate the physics of what he had just witnessed and failing miserably.
"Gentlemen, welcome to the Avengers Mansion," I said, projecting my voice with a touch of my Level 5 Aura to settle their nerves and demand immediate attention. "My name is Dennis Shield. You are the new senior legal counsel for Aegis Defense. Your job is to make sure our contracts are ironclad, our liability is nonexistent, and our operatives stay out of prison no matter who they have to break to protect a client. That man right there is Ben Parker, the CEO. You report to him."
Harvey looked at Ben, then back at me. A slow, shark-like smile spread across his face. "I bill at a thousand an hour. If you want ironclad, it's going to cost you."
"We'll manage," I said dryly.
I rolled my shoulders, a deep ache settling into my bones. The emotional toll of the night was catching up to me. "Okay, I'm beat. I'll leave Ben to explain the rest of the corporate structure to you two. Goodnight, everyone."
I turned and headed for the grand staircase that led to the upper floors. Behind me, I heard the soft scrape of chairs as Scott and Angel stood up, falling seamlessly into step behind me also done for the night.
I heard heavy footsteps following us. I glanced over my shoulder.
Duke, Roadblock and Shaw had all started to follow, instinctively moving with the group, seeking further briefing or simply defaulting to the movement of the Alpha in the room.
I stopped on the first landing of the central staircase, looking down at them. My voice was calm, but the command in it was absolute, resonating with the subtle weight of the Dawngleam bond.
"Hold up," I said.
They stopped at the base of the stairs.
"Rank 1s sleep in the servant quarters on the east wing," I explained, my tone brokering no argument. I met Duke's eyes, seeing the brief flash of military pride before it was swallowed by Dawngleam-mandated obedience. "The main mansion and the upper floors are for Rank 2 and up only period your going to have too put in a lot of work before you deserve this. Ben will show you to the east wing once he's finished with mike and Harvey."
I didn't wait for their acknowledgment. I turned and continued up the stairs, Scott and Angel flanking me in the quiet dark. Aegis was born, the lawyers were in place, and Peter was ready.
Now, all we had to do was survive Thursday.
*****
Hey there I've been having a hard time picking a face for Ben so I decided to let you guys do it put up a photo for Ben and the one photo I liked will officially be Ben Parker's face for the story just remember he has to look like he could be Tobey Maguire's family member.