The Raft's concrete arteries pulsed with a low, mechanical thrum, a constant reminder of the abyss I was currently traversing. My wrists, still tender from the recent entanglement with Spider-Man, were bound by more than just simple steel. These were reinforced energy cuffs, humming with a contained power that promised a painful jolt for any foolish attempts at escape. A testament to my recent, and frankly embarrassing, defeat. Two SHIELD guards flanked me, their rifles never deviating from my spine. They were silent, efficient, and utterly humorless.
"What's this, boys?" I drawled, my voice echoing unnervingly in the narrow corridor. "Field trip? Showing me the sights before they lock me away for good?"
No response. The rhythmic echo of my boots on the grated floor was the only percussion to the hum of the generators. They weren't paid to chat, and I wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.
The dull grey corridor unexpectedly spat us into a room that was less a room and more a void. Dimly lit, it was a study in sterile minimalism. Sleek, cold, and utterly devoid of any comfort, it felt like the inside of a computer's hard drive. Sitting at the far end of a long, polished table was a man who radiated an aura of quiet, focused authority. His hands were clasped before him, the only movement a subtle tension in his jaw. One eye, sharp and piercing, fixed on me. The other was hidden behind the familiar black patch.
A small, amused smirk touched my lips. "You're not my lawyer."
The man's single eye narrowed, a barely perceptible shift. "No," he said, his voice a low rumble, devoid of any warmth. "I'm the man who decides whether you rot in here, or walk out with a purpose."
I slouched into the chair he indicated, the metal cool against my skin. My gaze swept over him, trying to place him. There was a familiarity, a weight to him, but his identity eluded me. "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"
"Who I am doesn't matter," he stated, his gaze unwavering. "What I can do for you does." He leaned forward slightly, and in that moment, I recognized the predatory focus. This wasn't some bureaucratic paper-pusher. This was a hunter. "I've been watching you, Taskmaster. Noticed a pattern. Iceman. Hawkeye. Black Widow. You've beaten some of the best. Copied every move. Learned every trick."
His voice deepened, a subtle shift in tone that promised a verbal dissection. "But you still fell to a sixteen-year-old kid. That must sting."
The smirk flickered and died, replaced by a quiet, simmering tension. The fight with Spider-Man had been… unexpected. A surge of adrenaline and a lapse in judgment. "You think I care?" I scoffed, trying to regain my composure. "I got the fight I wanted."
"And lost." Fury's voice was quiet, almost a whisper, but it carried the weight of an accusation. "That's not the kind of ending a man like you deserves."
He rose then, circling me slowly, like a general inspecting a prized, but potentially volatile, weapon. His footsteps were silent on the polished floor. "I've seen what you can do, Taskmaster. You learn faster than any human alive. You don't just fight – you adapt. You analyze. You improvise. That's something SHIELD could use."
I let out a dry, humorless laugh. "You want me to play babysitter?"
"Instructor." The correction was immediate, sharp. "There's a difference. You teach them how to survive what you've survived. How to fight what you've fought. We're building something new – the Young Avengers. Kids who will need someone who knows how to break bones and egos before the world does it for them."
He stopped behind me, his presence a palpable pressure. I could feel his gaze dissecting my posture, my reactions. I leaned back in my chair, testing his resolve. "And why would I help you? You think I forgot I'm in a cage?"
"Cage or cause. Your choice." His voice dropped lower, more intimate, more persuasive. "You're a soldier, Taskmaster – you just forgot who you were fighting for. You spent years proving you're better than everyone else. Now it's time to prove you can make someone better. You've been the storm. Time to train the ones who'll survive it."
The silence in the room stretched, thick and heavy. My gaze drifted down to the polished surface of the table, catching the faint, distorted reflection of my own scarred face. This man had a way of seeing past the masks, past the machinations. He saw the core of what I was, even if I tried to bury it deep.
Finally, a small, grudging grin tugged at the corner of my lips. "You've got a hell of a mouth on you."
"It gets results."
I nodded once, a decisive, final gesture. "Fine. But I'm not wearing a SHIELD badge."
"Wouldn't dream of it." The man's expression remained unyielding, but there was a flicker of something that might have been satisfaction in his good eye. "Just show up. Teach. And maybe… redeem yourself in the process."
As the guards, with a quiet whir of their devices, unlocked the energy cuffs, Fury turned towards the door. The release of power was a gentle hum, leaving my wrists feeling strangely light.
"Hey."
He paused, his hand on the doorframe. "Yeah?"
"You tell that spider-kid…" I paused, a dangerous glint in my eye. "…the next time we meet, I'm not holding back."
"Wouldn't want you to."
The door slid shut behind him, leaving me alone in the sterile, dimly lit room. The guards stood at attention by the exit, their presence a silent promise of containment, but their role felt secondary now. I sat there for a long moment, flexing my freed hands, the faint phantom ache of the cuffs a lingering reminder of my recent confinement, and my recent failure. My gaze fell back to the polished table, the metal surface a dark mirror. A small, almost involuntary smile spread across my face.
"Instructor, huh?" I murmured to my reflection. "Guess there's a first time for everything." The concrete walls of The Raft suddenly felt less like a prison and more like a staging ground. The game, it seemed, had just changed.
PART 2: PREDATOR'S CREED END
Spider-Man will be going on a small hiatus and return in around 2 Months with part 3 to plan the story and character arcs so it ends up being even better than the last.
Thank you for reading and for the support and I will see you all soon.
Please check out of my other works during the wait (: