Chapter 579: Aggression


    "Gwen seemed off..." Anna mumbled while gazing at Nik dubiously, "You didn''t touch her pants again, did you?" She spoke with a sagely expression, "If your past self did give Gwen a wedgie that meant you can do it, too." Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, like usual while she wore a frilly green top and a tight pair of denims, attracting a few appreciative gazes from around, just like Nik attracted a few frivolous ones from the women passing by. "Oh, enough," Nik rolled his eyes, "Like I would do that." He suddenly held Anna and pulled her close to him, avoiding her from stumbling into a random passerby as he whispered, "A petty thief," he gestured towards the man who continued along and stumbled against someone else.


    "Superpower for the safe!" Anna cheered in a low voice as they continued to make their way towards home. Like usual, they were about to call for a cab when someone tried to approach Anna with familiar clicks in his pocket, and this time, Nik found the difference. If the gun was pointed at him, his head would be ring as harsh as a train''s honk but right now, he only figured out the situation with his own senses as he leaned down to kiss Anna''s lips suddenly, making the creepy middle-aged man flinch with the gun hidden behind his briefcase. "Mmgh" Before Anna could enjoy it fully, Nik shifted his body by the slightest bit and kicked sideways harsh enough to throw off the case alongside the gun, effectively damaging the man''s wrist as the gun slid over the street, not attracting any attention at the given moment.


    "Anna, grab that gun and meet us there," Nik gestured towards the darker corner as she nodded hurriedly, now seriously annoyed with her kiss cut short. Hurriedly picking up the briefcase and using it to get the gun while avoiding attention, she got back and found Nik standing with his back towards Anna, his figure hiding quite a bit of man pushed against the wall as his expression, too, remained hidden. "Now, did you want money? Or something else?" Nik inquired as he gazed at the man. Feeling something off, he brought his other hand closer to the thin man''s mustache as he started to struggle intensely but couldn''t even budge the slightest as his gaze turned a little strange.


    *Fwip*


    With a harsh pull, Nik''s hands now held the fake mustache while the man spoke with a strange expression. "Amazing senses. Did you learn martial arts, kid?" He inquired as Nik furrowed and pushed his grasp from the stranger''s neck to his jaws, revealing a cold expression that wasn''t really in the mood to engage in a chat after finding the target of the man''s action. "Why are you doing this? For money? Or other desires?"


    "Orders," the man spoke and instantly tried to attack Nik with his knee only to find Nik kneeing him a second earlier on the inner side of his left thigh. "Khk" his screams cut short by a harsh grip of his jaws as Nik smiled viciously, "Shouldn''t have tried that, pal." Headbutting the man, almost breaking his skull itself, the man looked dazed, a deep cut on his forehead while the blood from his nose squirted on Nik''s hands. The thing Nik understood was to never reveal his intent to kill when inquiring for answers. So instead of using the words Last chance or something simr, Nik continued to hold the man as the stranger''s arms remained clutched on Nik''s forearm. "Orders, right? On whose orders? Give me a name, and you''re free to go."


    Hearing him, the man smiled slightly, slowing regaining his bearings as he let go of Nik''s arm and spoke slowly. "I''ll tell you but let me go... can''t breathe." The decision was an easy one as Nik let go and continued to stand in between the man and Anna while he continued to cough for quite a while. "Call me," coughing again as he slowly stood straight, the man identified himself, "Agent Magun," the looked at Nik, "And I wasn''t targetting her but you," Nik furrowed his brows. He was sure of one fact, Anna was being targetted. He didn''t just sense the clicking sound of the gun, he also heard the man''s rapid breathing as if he wasmitting the biggest mistake of his life, the sweat trickling down his forehead, and his toes trembling shortly. Now, the man showed nothing of the sort which confirmed Nik one thing, this ''Agent'' did know Anna indirectly and this made Nik recall Mary''s untold past.


    "And what do you want from me?" He tilted his head, looking at Anna for a moment as she stood with a serious expression. ''How sweet,'' Nik thought internally while the man spoke, "My superiors believe that you have abilities beyond any ordinary man."


    "Yeah, you do look quite ordinary," Nik gazed at Agent Magun, "And just being slightly quick and stronger isn''t that extraordinary but your way of beginning the conversation wasn''t upto the mark and I hate liars. So, feel a little proud, I''m going to break my rules for you," Nik smiled while Anna suddenly found Nik''s scent flooding their surroundings as his eyes glowed bright violet eerily. His whispers left the norms of mortality and grew enchanting, "Since you wished to hurt Anna, I might as well control youpletely," he gazed into Magun''s dazed expression as he instantly learned almost everything about the man, "Isn''t that right, Leo Magun? Now, do something for me, just report to S.H.I.E.L.D that I am interested in joining them. As for Hydra, be sure to reveal nothing about Anna."


    As the man nodded stiffly, Nik took the briefcase from Anna before returning both the items to the man and left with Anna.


    "Who was he?" Anna finally asked with a distressed expression. "Him?" Nik looked back with Magun already disappearing into the crowd, "He''s from a secret organization. You remember that girl with Cindy? Ava? She''s from that ce, too." Nik answered as Anna nodded slowly. She couldn''t hear the unintelligible whispers that Nik used tomunicate with the man but all of it seemed quite possible as she looked at Nik, "So? Are you going to be a secret agent x superhero?" Her gaze glimmering with excitement.


    "Probably, yeah. I mean, I have nothing else to do and with their information system, I might get a chance toplete this life''s objective, too." Nik smiled as they entered the cab, making their way back to their home.


    ---


    Meanwhile, Mary received a message from Maria Hill, the contents of which, did bother Mary quite a bit.


    Hill: We have identified your guest as a superhuman. And he agreed to work with us, we will pick him tonight for the orientation.


    Mary knew that this was a professional and personal courtesy from Hill since the S.H.I.E.L.D operatives did not need to answer tomon citizen Mary had be. Instead of contacting Nik using his cellphone and risking her call getting tapped into, which was a high possibility considering how Maria actually worked, Mary contacted Nik through their mental connection instantly. She was near the precinct to get an interview from George Stacy for he called a press conference regarding the current situation of the city with the Commissioners backing his ims. This, in fact, meant themissioner''s words and if it wasn''t for the Commissioner''s current medical situation, he would have called the conference himself.


    [Nik, did you agree to work with S.H.I.E.L.D?]


    [Yep, and you know this because...]


    [Because now I can tell you that I am an Ex agent from the same ce.]


    [Good stuff,] Nik felt a little excited to Mary at the moment, [Listen, I''d love to hear all about your agent work now that we can talk about it but right now... how should I put it, Anna is showing off her flexibility in the best manner possible and I really want to focus on her.] Saying so, he mentally hung up on Mary while she presented a nk look on her face. Linda looked at Mary and wished to speak up but when she gazed at Mary''s hickey, now even the one near her jaws showing up, the younger initiate blushed. The men from the team, of course, presented listless expression, theirck of morale all too prevalent in their works.


    Mary, on the other hand, realized that aside from their s.e.x.u.a.l escapades, she could now really open up to Nik. Which caused her to ask something else.


    Did he actually join the organization with that objective in the first ce?


    She wasn''t a hopeless romantic as she used to be but if Nik did what he did because of her...


    As her gaze blurred with Mary''s cheeks turning rosier by the second, she felt her mind going in an overdrive.


    She really didn''t know how to return the gesture.


    ---


    Meanwhile, Agent Magun now sat across a man with a long scar running down his left eye to his neck. He revealed a slightly crazy expression as he gazed at Magun. "Leo," he snarled, "What do you have on her? Her name is probably changed and she is under the protection policy. Did you find her? My kids?" He breathed deeply, "Whatever, you''ll find her eventually. You''re one of the best. Just know that you need to kill her on the sight. Don''t hesitate, alright?" The man whispered while gripping his own thighs.


    Leo looked at the man who defected from S.H.I.E.L.D and almost killed his ex-wife, Mary Fuker, in the process. Andrew Grand, a Hydra''s spy and one of the most vicious agents in the team. But, due to his medical conditions, he was never allowed to gaze at anything from the outside world, and with Mary being under the protection of S.H.I.E.L.D, Leo found nothing on her but he had seen Anna''s picture. Her face matched the ones with her four-year-old self.


    "He said... that bringing you to them would hurt them all over again. They have moved on," Leo whispered softly, attracting Andrew''s attention. "And you need to move on, too..." Leo looked at Andrew with a dazed expression.


    "Huh?" Andrew gazed at Leo with a confused expression but instantly, Leo pulled his pistol and shot Andrew right in between his eyes. The sound of the gunshotpressed into a release of air due to the attached silencer as the grey-haired man fell on the desk, his face drowning in the pool of his blood while Leo calmly stood up and began cleaning the scene.


    "You have moved on," Leo nodded in satisfaction, "Hail Hydra," he smiled as he looked at Andrew''s corpse with a gentle expression.