Chapter 582: Debut


    "Nik, what happened in 1963?" The bespectacled teacher inquired the disinterested young man with promising scores in the exams. A mistake that the teachermitted oftentimes. "Many things Mr. Karl. Annie was born." Nik stated as his nose twitched for the briefest moment as a few students snickered. Mostly girls. Nik had earned his fair share of hate and envy from his ss early in the years. "Who''s Annie?" The teacher puckered his lips as Nik looked to the side, towards the windows. With his ssroom situation on the first floor near thebs of the school, the students sitting near the windows could see the busy street and pass their time. Sometimes, students were also lucky enough to capture feeds with the most stupid situation that would go viral. Twice, this happened in Midtown Highschool. "Annie him..." Nik pointed at the window as the students at the corner were already flinched in fear. Their mouth gaping as a ferocious green monster hovered on some form of a flying object.


    His physique thin, ruby-red eyes, and his body garbed in tough, leather-like body outfit of purple and yellow, giving him that perfect halloween image. "What do you mean Mr. Nik" The teacher looked at the scene, his words stuck in his throat as the hovering monster smiled, revealing a set of yellowish jagged teeth, his gaze falling on Nik and Gwen. Then, the monster looked towards sh, who had decided to attend the ss. With the soft echo of the collective breathing of the students and teacher filling the room alike, all of them waited silently. Most of them afraid to do anything to aggravate the monster.


    "I''m not Annie!" Showcasing high auditory senses, the man hovering cackled, his shrill voice causing everyone to finally gulp as Karl was the first one to take a step back. "I''m Red!" Peter screamed, the gatling guns on the flying object clinking into action and started to slowly rotate when Karl shouted, "Kids, get outta here!" Not willing to be the subject he taught just yet, Karl rushed out of the ssroom as the students already began shouting.


    "F.u.c.k! Fatass, move already!" One of them shouted.


    "Hurry! Just stop packing!" Another girl panicked when she found her friend hurriedly packing the books instead of moving.


    "Time''s up"


    The sound of the barrage of continuous rounds of the two loaded gatling guns instantly attracted everybody''s horror as the bullets pierced through the windows, causing the shattered ss to fly around while the students continued to scream and run as if all hell broke loose. With the bullets piercing through the floor and the desks, raising a cloud of splinter and smoke out of sheer bullets, Red''s long nose twitched as he heard a strangely jittery noise within the fog as if metal collided against each other. Before long, the dust settled and the streets below Red was already emptied. Hearing the police sirens from afar, Red furrowed his brows and jumped down from the hover with his skin shifting. Soon, Peter''s grizzly face turned into a rather modest-looking blonde youth while he took out a remote from his suit and pressed a button, causing the hovering object to fly up to the roof of the school.


    ---


    Before the two machine guns rained hell on the entire ssroom due to hatred directed towards sh and Nik, himself, Nik''s gaze glowed momentarily as he stacked the space right after the window pane and manipted them to shift in between the stack itself, creating a shreddingyer of space that would crush anything that passes through that particr wall of space shredder. This was his enlightenment on space locking. A wall surrounding a perimeter filled with an invisible shredder that would simply block anything and everything. Of course, there were still many methods to bypass this kind of blockade, all Nik now needed to do was find these methods out by himself.


    As the bullets got shredded and continued to impact against each other and the fragments of ss, the entire ce was soon filled with a cloud of powdered metal and ss meanwhile the ss was emptied quickly with the security rushing up and students filling the corridors with curious gazes. "Man! That''s a monster!" One of them shouted before pushing his friend away, "I''m leaving! Y''all need to get your asses out, too!" The youth with slightly disheveled clothes and blonde hair shouted before turning away. Instead of leaving, the youth entered the bathroom and saw a n.a.k.e.d, unconscious student lying with his outfit. Smiling, Peter took off the casual clothes once again and started wearing his outfit.


    With his boosted senses, Peter could easily hear stuff from almost 8 meters away and he heard many panicked cries, trying to filter his target.


    "We need to leave! Now!" Anna held one of her friend''s arms, pulling him and his boyfriend away. On the other hand, Peter could also hear Mj''s voice, "Harry! Are you alright? Help! He- he''s seizing!" Peter''s expression crumbled slightly but he continued calmly. "I''m getting out of here! Jenny, hurry along!" He shouted with finally Gwen''s meek shouts echoing amongst others, "Nik?! Where are you?!"


    Hearing all of them, Peter sneered. However, his thoughts shook when he heard a soft voice regarding him calmly.


    "That''s quite a nice hairstyle... considering you were bald? You can shift your appearance? How convenient, Annie," Turning back with a sharp expression, Peter found Nik standing with a curious expression. "Don''t feel confused, I could smell you out. Your scent stuck out like a sore thumb," Nik closed the door behind him while scratching the top of his head, "Now, tell me why you just tried to kill me."


    "It''s me!" Peter''s face slowly shifted onto the unusual blonde guy as Nik took a second to process everything. "Peter!" Nik acted in a betrayed manner, "How could you?!"


    "You all watched me as the expendable guy! The butt of all jokes!" Peter gritted his teeth before smiling, "But don''t worry! After I get even with all of you, I''ll vanish from society! Even that goblin won''t find me!" Snarling, Peter took out apact knife from his belt and gazed at Nik, "I have the physical strength to crush your bones... but this will make it less painful. You aren''t sh, after all." Slowly walking towards Nik, Peter suddenly stopped as his outstretched knife was instantly shredded as he continued to walk forward.


    "Butt of all jokes? You go to therapy with such problems, not a gun store!" Nik shrugged, "And what were you thinking? You arepletely defenseless. I won''t even enjoy removing you from existence," waving at Peter, Nik smiled, "Well, see you. This is what painless death should look like." Nik pointed out before Peter simply exploded. His blood and gore instantly entered shredder of a spatial lock and formed into an artistic blood fog, "And you can''t just copy my style. I''m Vanish," Nik mumbled while walking out.


    "But... the stronger a person is physically, the harder it is to shift their bodies and induce the intion of their body until the explosion... does that also apply to the atmosphere?" Closing the door behind him so as to keep the smell from spreading at the moment, Nik thought seriously, "Maybe, there might be a different atmosphere that can reduce the effectiveness of the maniption itself." Not willing to get his hypothesis confirmed by Sky, which would prove to be a buzzkill, Nik began jogging towards the exit.


    "So Peter was abducted by the Goblin? The same guy to attack the debate. Peter''s actions seemed personal though." As Nik jogged out of the exit, he found the front perimeter surrounded by police vans and multiple officers in ck helmets and robust outfits covered the area alongside the local PD taking over the situation by questioning the students present in Nik''s ssroom.


    "Hey, kid! Get here!" One of the men gestured Nik towards him as the apostle nodded and hurried towards the older cop. "Did you see anything inside? Are there any more kids left?" The cop''s answer was answered as more kids and a few teachers rushed out. "Ugh, nothing officer. I was finding my pants. Some of the kids had hidden away in the locker room." Nik lied with an embarrassed expression as the cop sighed, "Kids these days. Almost got you in harm''s way. Go, get yourself checked up and an officer would take your statement there," The cop pointed at the line of students as Nik nodded.


    Finding Mr. Karl, his history teacher shivering with a nket over him, Nik restrained his urge to spook the man out and got through his procedures when he finally found Anna standing close to Brandon. Making his way over, Nik instantly hugged Anna as she breathed against his neck in relief, her hands coiling around his waist tightly. "I was almost worried!" Sheined in worry as Nik ignored Brandon''s unusual gaze before pecking Anna and smiling, "That''s assuring then. I''d worry if I were you, too."


    The students who did see Peter stated the truth in their reports but strangely, Nik was caught for the final questioning before the group of cops decided tomence a search of the school grounds. "Many students believe that you knew the attacker and even called it Annie." A man stood in front of Nik with Anna looking from a distance away as Nik nked out for a moment. "Yes?" He inquired again, "Annie... ugh, that was a joke."


    "Is that right?" The man inquired further with his gaze narrowed as Nik''s lips, "Yes, that''s right. And when I saw the attacker, I thought that someone was... trying to prank Mr. Karl in the most excellent manner and decided to direct his attention towards the... well, that guy called himself Red."


    "Red, hmm. Anything else, kid?" The Captain from other precinct inquired as Nik tilted his head before shaking in denial.


    "Alright, watch your steps from now on and study seriously," the cop sighed as Nik made way towards Anna who had already gotten approached by Gwen as she couldn''t care about Anna''s surprise to her get-up at the moment and gave Nik a sharp re. "Where did you run off to? It''s still dangerous!"


    "Ah... we''ll talk about itter!" Nik whispered, "Your dad''s here," without waiting, Nik instantly pulled Gwen into a hug and brought Anna closer simultaneously, one of his hands on Gwen perky and sweet butt while the other on Anna''s as Brandon who was bringing a dark-haired girl with soft blue eyes towards the group reluctantly almost lost his cool andshed out but not willing to lose the other chance with Kiara due to Nik''s frivolity, he restrained himself. That didn''t mean the suddenly enraged father wouldn''t!


    "Hey! Get your hands off my kid!" George hissed, physically separating Gwen and Nik before ring at Nik, who gave a surprised expression. "Woah! Sorry, sir. I was just making sure that your daughter isn''t scared. We all were put against a gun''s aim." Nik exined as he even slowly let go of Anna, who clearly was too confused as Gwen finally realized that... well, Nik kept his word and gave her butt a good squeeze.


    "Son, don''t try to act smart! Next time you try to y off with my baby girl I''ll"


    "Dad!" Gwen hurriedly shouted, pulling on his hands. She got her drama and even if she enjoyed the slightest bit of panic and anger on his face, she just didn''t feel right and tried to diffuse the situation. "Nik was just doing"


    "And not a word from you, Gwen," George turned his re towards Gwen, realizing the changes she made in a matter of hours, stunning him speechless as Nik looked back slightly, gazing at the approaching Brandon and well, Nik stand corrected. If he couldn''t keep up with Kiara, Nik might identally anger the boy once again. "What happened to you?" George demanded, his gaze simply shifting from anger to sudden disappointment as he pursed his lips. Even Anna gulped. Gwen did change and even when she looked great, the change itself tensed the situation.


    "I think she looks great," Nik''s voice echoed, "I told you Gwen, pink suits you," his snicker cut short by the other captain on the scene breaking in, "George? You''re finally here!"


    Gazing at the man, George thought for a while and red at Nik and pulled Gwen away with her hand as she looked back at Nik apologetically. After all, he lied for her.


    "Believe me, she asked for the hug," Nik then turned to gaze at the confused Anna as she furrowed her brows, "Really?"


    "Yeah, Gwen said that she''ll talk with you in your sses but... well, we didn''t get a chance."


    Nik shrugged before proceeding to exin. Of course, his desires were all too prevalent since the lie that he didn''t enjoy her butt was something Nik would never utter. Praises were meant to be spoken truthfully after all and patronizingpliments, Nik felt, should not be given out casually.


    ---


    Meanwhile, Goblin roared. That''s what he had been doing for the past few days, unable to see how his thinking had started to deteriorate. Of course, his intelligence grew with each mutation but that wasn''t the same thing for his wisdom and decision-making abilities. Now, with hisb attacked by a mechanical being painted in red and gold, arms zing with miniature missiles, and an arc reactor shining from the chest, the Goblin''s pale yellow eyes turned redder due to popping vessels and red at Iron Man indignantly.


    "Tony! How did you find me?" Goblin wasn''t equipped well to take the armored suit of destruction but he did have the confidence to escape should the need arise.


    "You weren''t well hidden... Norman. I did have help, of course. Hey guys, thank you for making me a spectator. I''ve had my fun! Get him!" Tony grinned as the mask of the helmet lifted up, revealing his expression. Instantly, the entrance and exit of theb were sted open with teams of fully equipped men wearing a pitch-ck outfit and a silver emblem of an aerial figure imprinted. Their arms much more advanced, deadlier, and silent as Norman shouted, flipping the table full of chemicals towards the entrance when they threw in metallic balls that connected itself and created an electromaic wall, instantly defending from the epassing st.


    Meanwhile, the team from the other sideunched a flurry of shots loaded in their guns which stabbed into Goblin''s back in the form of short tranquilizer shots. Within the first round, dozens of shots already introduced itself to Norman''s system as the man felt his consciousness blurry.


    "Hey! That''s good stuff!" Tonymented, "Especially in parties! One drop and boom!" He chuckled before gazing at the particr man walking up to Goblin, "Of course, Director Fury, I''ve never had this. Just heard from a friend."