(this is the shortest chapter so far so sorry if it's too short)
____________________________
Will waited, leaning against the cool brick of the building He'd been told to wait here by the red-haired agent, Natasha while she made the final arrangements for a place to stay.
His hand drifted into his pocket, fingers brushing against the small metallic chip he had picked up earlier during the chaos of the battle.
He had almost forgotten about it.
He turned it over in his hand for a
moment.
Then it simply… disappeared he had smelted it.
A faint warmth passed through his palm as something unfamiliar settled into his mind.
For a moment his vision flickered.
Then something appeared in front of him.
STATUS WINDOW
Name: Eli Keakabetse
Race: Human (Male)
Primary Ability: Concept Assimilation
Capacity: 9 / 12
Physical Attributes
Strength: 35,000 kg
Durability: Extremely High
Agility: Enhanced
Energy Reserves: Stable
Assimilated Abilities
Ant — Proportional strength amplification
Spider — Enhanced reflexes, wall adhesion, vibration sense
Beetle — exoskeletal durability
Cat — Balance, fall resistance, night vision
Glass — Transparency manipulation, structural hardening
Fan — Air manipulation, propulsion
Fridge — Thermal absorption, cryokinetic output
Chitauri Leviathan — Bio-engineered mass durability, endurance
Vibranium — Kinetic energy absorption and redistribution
Newly Integrated Functions
• Self-Scan
• Ability Data Organization
• Status Analysis
Remaining Ability Slots: 3
The display hovered in his vision for a few seconds before fading away.
Eli blinked slowly.
"…Well," he muttered "That's convenient."
Before he could think more about it, the sound of an engine pulled his attention back to reality.
A sleek black car rolled to a stop in front of him.
The window lowered.
Natasha sat behind the wheel.
"Get in."
Eli pushed himself off the wall and slid into the passenger seat.
He looked around the car.
Clean.
Quiet.
Professional.
A small smirk appeared on his face.
"So," he said casually, "you guys had the car ready before you even asked if I wanted the job."
Natasha started the engine.
"That's called planning."
"Planning?" Eli said.
"Looks more like confidence to me."
Her lips twitched slightly.
"Confidence is usually a byproduct."
The car ride across New York was quiet.
Too quiet.
Eli watched the city pass by through the window.
Police lights flashed in the distance.
Emergency vehicles still moved through the streets.
Even hours later, the aftermath of the alien invasion was everywhere.
Beside him, Natasha drove through traffic calmly, like the city hadn't almost been destroyed a few hours ago.
Eli glanced at her.
"You always this quiet?"
Natasha kept her eyes on the road.
"Only when I'm thinking."
"…About?"
A small pause.
"You."
Eli blinked.
"And you said you weren't flirting."
Natasha smirked faintly but didn't answer.
A few minutes later they pulled into the underground parking area of a plain-looking building.
Nothing about it stood out.
Just another building in New York.
Natasha parked the car and stepped out.
Eli followed.
"So this is…?"
"A safehouse," she said.
"For S.H.I.E.L.D."
She walked toward the secured entrance.
"And you'll be staying here for a while."
They entered through a reinforced door and climbed a quiet stairwell.
Inside, the apartment was simple but comfortable.
A small kitchen.
A couch.
Two bedrooms.
A table covered with laptops and files.
Eli looked around.
"…This is nicer than I expected."
Natasha tossed her jacket over a chair.
"You were expecting a bunker?"
"Honestly? Yeah."
Natasha opened the fridge.
"You'll get used to disappointment."
Eli leaned against the wall.
"So this is where I'm staying?"
"For now."
She tossed him a bottle of water.
He caught it easily.
Natasha noticed.
Eli noticed that she noticed.
"…You're studying me."
"Observation," she said calmly.
"Part of the job."
Eli twisted open the bottle.
"You want a demonstration or something?"
Natasha leaned against the counter.
"Depends."
"Can you do anything besides fly and punch aliens?"
Eli shrugged.
"Probably."
"That's not very specific."
Eli looked around the room.
His eyes landed on a small metal spoon on the table.
He picked it up.
Natasha watched carefully.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
Eli turned the spoon slowly between his fingers.
For a moment nothing happened.
Then the spoon start to float and spin.
Her eyes narrowed slightly
"What did you do?"
"i used Aerokinesis on it" Eli said casually.
Natasha looked up at him. Eli shrugged. And made the spoon land
Natasha studied the spoon for another second before setting it down.
"Interesting."
Eli leaned against the wall again.
"That's it?"
"You're not going to ask a thousand questions?"
Natasha shook her head.
"People reveal more when you don't interrogate them."
Eli laughed quietly.
"That sounds manipulative."
"It is."
She walked toward the window and looked out at the city.
After a moment she spoke again.
"You didn't hesitate back there."
Eli frowned.
"…Back where?"
"The battle."
She turned toward him.
"You went straight for the Leviathans."
Eli looked away.
"Someone had to."
"That's not what I meant."
He didn't respond.
Natasha watched him carefully.
"You fight like someone who's used to disasters."
Eli forced a small smile ' of cause he was he had 18 years of experience'
"Space travel. You see weird stuff."
Natasha didn't fully believe that.
She had seen the way he reacted when buildings collapsed.
The hesitation.
The look in his eyes.
She walked toward the hallway.
"You can take the room on the left."
Eli blinked.
"Wait… you're staying too?"
She stopped and looked back.
"Yeah."
"Is that a problem?"
Eli hesitated.
"Well… yeah."
Natasha raised an eyebrow.
"A man and a woman unrelated living in the same house?"
She walked back toward him.
Stopping just a little too close.
"What are you?" she teased.
"Shy?"
Then she stepped past him toward her room.
"Relax."
"It's not a man and a woman."
"It's a kid and a woman."
"And besides…"
She opened her door.
"It's only for tonight."
Eli frowned.
"I'm not a kid."
Natasha ignored that and walked into her room.
Eli followed halfway down the hallway and added " and you aren't that older than me. You're what—twenty-three? Twenty-five?"
Natasha paused.
Then closed her door.
Eli sighed.
"Right."
He turned toward his room.
Just before he entered, Natasha's voice came from behind the door.
"Oh."
Eli looked back.
"Yeah?"
"If you're going to stay here...try not to distroy or make any of the furniture float"
Eli grinned.
"No promises."
For a moment the apartment was quiet.
Then from the other side of the wall, A soft, amused breath of laughter.
Natasha leaned back against her bed, arms crossed, thinking about the strange new "guest" in her safehouse.
"Yeah…" she murmured.
"This is going to be interesting."