Hell's Kitchen
Alex Ray and Agent Coulson sat facing each other in the restaurant. The atmosphere was tense, the air heavy with anticipation. Outside, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents formed a three-layer perimeter around the building.
Snipers were stationed on the rooftops, and Hawkeye stood ready with his bow, arrows nocked, awaiting Coulson's signal—as though war could break out at any moment.
Coulson had quickly realized that Alex Ray had no fear of S.H.I.E.L.D. Even more unsettling, Ray's allies—John Wick and the others—had already exited the restaurant without anyone noticing. Ray remained calm under the crosshairs of multiple snipers, completely unbothered.
Coulson exchanged a glance with Natasha Romanoff.
He then turned back to Ray and spoke slowly. "Mr. Alex Ray, we came here with peaceful intentions. Everyone outside is with us. If you refuse to cooperate, we have the authority to take you into custody. Ordinary firearms might not work on you, but…"
His eyes swept across the restaurant as he continued his thinly veiled threat. "Your restaurant, the people inside, and the residents of Hell's Kitchen won't withstand our firepower. And let's face it—no one really cares how many people die in Hell's Kitchen."
"Don't even think about retaliating. If you don't cooperate, next time it won't be agents knocking on your door—it'll be the federal military."
Alex Ray chuckled darkly in response but said nothing. He leaned back in his chair, picked up his teacup, and took a slow sip.
Though Ray was furious, he didn't act impulsively. Killing every S.H.I.E.L.D. agent present would stir up far more trouble than it was worth. If Nick Fury were to send in Captain Marvel, defeating her might be impossible—and even if it was, Hell's Kitchen would certainly be reduced to rubble.
But still, S.H.I.E.L.D. had come to his doorstep with threats. If he didn't make a stand, what would his subordinates think? What would the outside world think? Would this just be the first of many invasions?
Coulson misread Ray's silence, thinking he had acquiesced.
Little did he know, Alex Ray was simply contemplating how best to neutralize them without creating an international incident.
Ray finally spoke, his tone calm: "We prefer not to use force. Now, bring the person out."
He stood up, done with the discussion. Glancing briefly at Caine, he turned toward the kitchen and added, "No one takes my family. Caine, handle it."
Coulson and Natasha began to rise, hands moving toward their weapons. They hadn't paid much attention to the "Caine" Ray had mentioned.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intel indicated Caine was just a blind assassin who relied on heightened senses to kill—hardly a threat to seasoned agents.
Then—bam!
A sudden wave of invisible gravity hit like a massive hand, slamming their heads down onto the table. No matter how hard they struggled, Coulson and Natasha couldn't lift themselves up.
Something was very wrong. There was another mutant in the room.
"Don't waste your energy," said a voice behind them. "Just stay down."
It was Caine. Unnoticed, he had moved behind them.
Coulson's blood ran cold. The voice left no doubt.
"You're a mutant?" he gasped. "You've hidden it for decades. Incredible."
"Impressive," Natasha said, still composed despite the situation. Years of espionage had trained her to remain calm in the face of danger.
Agent Coulson, on the other hand, was beginning to panic. "I don't know what you did, but this won't be enough to stand against S.H.I.E.L.D.! Let us go immediately!
"Agents, we have resistance inside. Outside teams—move in!"
Nearby, Deadpool and John Wick stared in confusion. To them, Coulson and Natasha had just randomly bowed their heads to Alex Ray and started spouting nonsense.
From what they gathered, it was Caine's doing.
Deadpool leaned in close to Caine and asked, "Yo, was that you? Was that magic? Or some mutant crap?"
Though blind, Caine took a step back, detecting Deadpool's proximity through his Observation Haki.
"I don't know. Maybe a superpower?"
"No time to chat," John Wick said, eyes sharp. "If they act, we act."
Outside, Hawkeye had received Coulson's order. He made a few quick hand signals, prompting the surrounding agents to ready their weapons.
"I've got this," Caine said calmly. "I'm new here and haven't done anything yet. Let me handle it."
He walked out of the restaurant alone.
Alex Ray had saved Caine's daughter, given them a safe home, and even granted him supernatural powers. And he had never once asked Caine for anything in return.
Now S.H.I.E.L.D. dared to insult Ray and use civilians as bargaining chips. Caine was livid.
Hawkeye saw Caine emerge and instantly gave the command: "Open fire."
He loosed an arrow, and the agents followed with a barrage of bullets.
Interestingly, the rooftop sniper did not fire. He simply kept his scope trained. He figured this was overkill—using a sniper on a blind man under such firepower was like using a cannon on a fly.
A hail of bullets rained toward Caine.
Ordinarily, the old blind man would have been shredded in seconds.
But not anymore.
Caine had adapted quickly to the powers granted by the Gravity Fruit. In just a few days, he had mastered them.
Unshaken, he slowly unsheathed his sword, stopping just a quarter of the way. His pale, sightless eyes opened as he spoke:
"Gravity Command."
A tidal wave of invisible gravitational force exploded outward.
Bullets dropped like hail on asphalt, clattering harmlessly to the pavement.
The agents were instantly slammed to the ground, as if a massive hand pressed down upon them. Caine was clearly controlling the pressure. If he had used his full strength, they wouldn't be lying there—they'd be crushed.
Hawkeye stood frozen on the rooftop, watching in disbelief. One word. A partial sword draw. And now his entire squad was incapacitated.
"Retreat! Retreat immediately!" he shouted, turning to escape.
But the moment he moved, his legs buckled.
He dropped to one knee, then collapsed entirely.
Even so, Hawkeye was a pro. He braced his hands against the rooftop, trying to push back against the weight.
But within seconds, the increasing gravity had pinned him completely.
"Apologies for showing off," Caine said, sheathing his blade into his sword-cane. He turned and calmly walked back toward the restaurant.
Deadpool, eyes wide, whistled. "Damn, that was slick. Your move's kinda like Alex's—it stops bullets too. But why are they all lying down? They allergic to beds or something?"
John Wick watched Caine with a strange look. "We've known each other for years… You never told me you had powers. You holding back when we sparred?"
"I wasn't hiding it," Caine said casually. "I didn't have powers back then."
He returned to the restaurant to report to Alex Ray.
John Wick stood in silence, turning Caine's words over in his mind.
Didn't exist before… Then how does it now? Is it because...
---------
ADD TO COLLECTION
LEAVE A REVIEW
DROP POWER STONES
--------------------
Let's rise up the rankings together!
----------------
Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones