Chapter 16 - The Inner Circle

[A/N]: 🚨 Big news—this is our debut in the rankings! Let's show them we're here to stay. Power stones = more firepower! 💪⚡

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The Queens safehouse felt different in the evening light. What had been Jay's backup warehouse to practice his powers till now was now something else entirely—a command center for operations SHIELD couldn't touch.

Jay moved through the safehouse with deliberate precision, his danger sense unfurling like invisible feelers, brushing over walls, ceilings, and shadows—searching for hidden eyes, listening devices, or the faintest hint of a mole in their midst. "Clear," he muttered, crushing the last transmitter between his fingers.

Bobby emerged from his position by the window, cigar smoke trailing behind him. "Perimeter's clean too. Our people are here."

They came in quietly, one by one. These weren't the sick people Jay had helped months ago at the shelter. Maria moved with the confident stride of someone whose spine no longer screamed in agony. Linda's breathing was clear and steady. Max's burn scars were gone, replaced by healthy skin. Tom had put on thirty pounds of muscle since Jay had first found him starving in the shelter.

But it wasn't just physical healing. There was something else in their bearing now—purpose. Direction. The kind of loyalty that couldn't be bought or coerced, only earned through genuine care.

"Doc," Maria said, settling onto the couch with easy familiarity. She was a small woman in her fifties, but her eyes held the street wisdom of someone who'd survived decades in the Bronx. "Bobby said SHIELD made contact."

"They did." Jay dropped into the chair across from them, the same one where he'd faced down Black Widow hours earlier. "Sent their best to try recruitment. It went about as expected."

"Meaning?" Max leaned forward, curiosity replacing his usual caution. He was the youngest of the group, barely nineteen, his face once marred by deep burn scars—scars Jay had erased the day they met.

"Meaning they know we exist, but they don't understand our depth." Jay's gaze swept the room. "They think I'm some freelance healer they can recruit or eliminate. They don't see the complete network."

Linda shifted in her seat. "What do you need from us?"

The question was so simple, yet it hit Jay harder than he expected. No bargaining, no talk of what they'd get in return—just pure, unquestioning trust.

"Things are about to escalate," he admitted quietly. "SHIELD won't stop with recruitment attempts. When that fails, they'll try pressure. Surveillance, harassment, maybe worse. I need you all to be able to protect yourselves and your people."

Max frowned. "We've got good networks, Doc, but we're talking about the government here. How do we fight that?"

"By becoming something they can't predict or control." Jay pushed himself up, walking to the window. "I'm going to offer you all something. Powers. But once I do this, there's no going back. SHIELD will eventually figure out that you're enhanced, and they'll come for you too."

The room fell silent.

"Doc," Bobby's voice was rough with emotion, "you pulled shrapnel out of my leg with your bare hands. You gave Linda her lungs back. You straightened Maria's spine when doctors said she'd never walk right again. You gave Max his face and confidence back."

"We don't follow you to get something out of you," Maria added firmly. "We follow you because you're the only one who ever gave a damn about people like us."

Jay felt that these people had been invisible to the world—homeless, sick, forgotten. Society's throwaways. But now they'd become the foundation of something powerful.

"Alright then." Jay turned back to them, a slow, deliberate grin tugging at his lips.

"Let's make sure you can go toe-to-toe with them."

Jay had been preparing for weeks, tracking down specific mutants whose abilities he could repurpose. A thief from Brooklyn, a runaway from Philadelphia, a former military contractor who'd been wrongfully discharged, and many more. He'd convinced each of them to come with him to the Queens' safehouse, knowing he had to act fast. With only a single storage slot available, he couldn't afford to extract their powers and save them for later—it all had to happen now, tonight.

Maria went first. "This might feel strange," Jay warned, placing his hands on her shoulders. A current surrounded them both as he transferred the tracking ability. Small, antenna-like growths appeared behind her ears, barely hidden by her hair. "Make a physical contact with your targets, and you'll be able to track them anywhere in the world."

"I can feel it," she whispered, touching the tiny protrusions. "Like having extra senses."

Next came Linda. The new mutation manifested as a small diamond-shaped mark on her forehead, like a third eye. "Picture someone's face, speak their name, and you'll know their medical condition. Perfect for keeping tabs on our people's health."

For Max, Jay transferred the most important ability. The change was internal, but Max's eyes briefly flickered with electric blue light as the power settled. "Any network you're connected to—you can now encrypt or decrypt all communications. Even SHIELD won't be able to intercept our messages."

Tom received the shared vision ability—the power to see through someone else's eyes with their consent. A thin ring of silver appeared around his irises, visible only in certain light. It was perfect for the network—he could see through the eyes of any homeless person on the street, creating an invisible surveillance web across the city. Someone getting hassled by cops, a safe shelter filling up, dangerous areas to avoid—information could flow instantly without anyone having to risk exposure by making calls or sending messages.

Finally, Jay approached Bobby. This one was special.

"This stays between us—I can give two abilities, not just one," he said quietly, placing his hand on Bobby's chest. "Truth inducement. People will be more honest around you than they intend. Combined with your lie detection, you'll know when they're lying and be able to guide them toward the truth."

Bobby felt the power settle as he tighten his jawline. He met Jay's eyes. "Your secret's safe with me, kid."

When it was done, Jay slumped against the wall, exhausted. Transferring five different abilities had pushed his limits, but the look in their eyes made it worth it.

"Time to test them," he announced, straightening despite his fatigue.

Maria closed her eyes, concentrating. "There's a guy three blocks south who grabbed my wrist yesterday when he was drunk. I can... feel where he is. Fourth floor, apartment facing the street."

Linda studied Jay intently. "Jay—" The diamond mark on her forehead pulsed with soft light. "Severe exhaustion, dehydration, stress hormones through the roof." She shook her head. "You need to take better care of yourself, Doc."

Max pulled out his phone, connecting to the building's WiFi. "Encrypting," he murmured, current arcs flying over the screen. "No one's reading our digital traffic now."

Tom glanced at Max. "May I?"

Max nodded, and suddenly Tom was seeing the room from Max's perspective—a disorienting but functional split-screen vision.

Bobby studied Jay with genuine concern. "Doc, are you holding something back about how dangerous this really is?"

"Yeah," Jay admitted without hesitation. "SHIELD has resources we can't match. If they decide we're a threat rather than an asset, people will die. But the alternative is letting them control how enhanced individuals are treated, and we've all seen how the government handles people like us."

The weight of his words settled over them.

"So what's the plan?" Maria asked.

Jay straightened, exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "We do what we've always done. We take care of our own. But now we have the tools to do it properly."

He moved to a map of New York City pinned to the wall, territories marked with different colored pins.

"You all know your territories," Jay began, his tone shifting to business. "Maria, the Bronx is yours. Use your tracking to keep tabs on anyone who threatens our people. Linda, Manhattan—your diagnostic power makes you our early warning system for health crises. Max, Brooklyn's networks are your domain. Tom, Staten Island, and coordinate with everyone using your vision sharing."

He paused, catching each person's attention. "Bobby, you're with me in Queens. We'll handle the intelligence work—your truth detection combined with the inducement will help us figure out who we can trust and who's feeding us lies."

"What about SHIELD?" Bobby asked.

"They made their play today. Tomorrow, I'll make mine." Jay's eyes hardened. "They think they're dealing with a lone healer and some street contacts. They are in for a real surprise."

As they prepared to leave, Linda paused at the door, her voice thick with emotion. "Doc? What you did for us... not just the powers, but seeing us when everyone else looked right through us. Giving us purpose when we had nothing left."

"I could do it, so I did," Jay replied simply.

Bobby stepped forward, the scar on his jaw catching the light. "We won't let you down, kid. Any of us." The others nodded, a silent promise passing between them.

Maria was the last to speak, her voice steady but her eyes bright. "You gave us more than abilities, Doc. You gave us a family."

After they'd gone, Jay stood alone in the safehouse, watching the city lights blur together like fallen stars. Somewhere out there, Natasha Romanoff was writing her report. Nick Fury was calculating risks. Phil Coulson was updating threat assessments.

They thought they were playing chess with a street kid who got lucky.

They had no idea he'd just built himself an army.

[A/N]: I write across multiple fandoms. Support my writing and get early access to chapters, exclusive content, and bonus material at P@treon - Max_Striker