I rushed into the house, running and preparing sand discs and a small blade made of particularly strong particles that could instantly cut through even heavy armour. There was a particularly loud shot, and all sounds ceased.
I entered the house through a window and began to move forward stealthily, looking around the empty rooms. I only remembered that I could still see through the walls after I was hit on the head with something heavy from around the corner. Everything swam before my eyes, I felt handcuffs click on my wrists, and then I was lifted up and sat down on a chair. When my vision cleared, I saw a woman dressed in an American flag costume, with a shield in her right hand and a gun in her left. Her face was hidden by a half mask fastened under her chin, which made her ears stick out ridiculously.
"I am Captain America, so I recommend you answer my questions quickly and to the point. How many terrorists are in this house?
"How many fighters are there with you?
She swung her shield with relish and struck me flat across the face.
"Wrong answer! We are freedom fighters, you know.
"One world, one people?
"How do you know that phrase?
"My fellow freedom fighters love to repeat it.
She hit me again with her shield.
"These are terrorists! If you don't want to spend the rest of your days behind bars, you'll arrange a meeting with them at these coordinates." Captain America showed me a point on the map on my phone, which I had forgotten at home when I left to meet Magna. They tracked it and came here? But where are the girls?
"Empty threats. Captain, you have five minutes to live, no more.
"You hope someone will help you? Don't bother. Mary Jane Watson and Snezhana Kravinova are dead.
I looked into the Captain's eyes, filled with rage, and saw only fanatical belief in the righteousness of his own convictions. I had felt these emotions from the very beginning of the conversation — hatred and self-confidence. That kind of thing can really kill you. She asked me something else, but I didn't care. Another masked woman, a black woman, approached her from behind, and Captain America ordered her to call for transport to take the bodies away. She put a gun to my forehead, and that was the last straw.
I cut the handcuffs and filled the trigger with sand, then pushed the superheroine away and stepped towards the second woman in the room. She reacted instantly and tried to wrestle me to the ground, but I only needed to get closer to her to make it easier to cut. A quick swing split her in half vertically, but I didn't let the halves fall, stood between them and addressed Captain America:
"You won't get away that easily.
She took a step back, and I felt a wave of terror wash over the veteran of many hot spots. Pressing herself against the wall, she held up her shield as if it could save her. I slashed at it with the same blade of hard sand, but only the paint came off the shield.
"Why do you call yourself Captain America?" I asked and directed a thick stream of sand at the shield to scrape the paint off the entire surface, then covered the inside with sand and cut the shield off the handles. A convex vibrating disc fell to the floor.
"You took my loved ones from me. I'll take EVERYTHING from you." I formed two blades with large serrations in my hands. These would cut even slower than a chainsaw.
"I'll start with your fingers.
And then I heard Wendy's guilt prick her. She was calm and curious to see what I would do next. It seemed that Captain America had deceived me; she hadn't found anyone here.
"No, no, don't!" I heard the liar's faint squeak.
"Why not? Maybe you have a husband and children? You're a girl in uniform, and if you take it off, who are you?" I cut her clothes off.
Shame and fear mixed into some kind of disgusting, unnatural reverence, she collapsed to her knees and whispered:
"You are my god, and I am your slave.
For a second, I processed what I had heard, then looked at Wendy, who had rushed over to us. She was anxiously awaiting my reaction to the words of the broken creature in front of me.
"This is worse than fear, isn't it?" I asked Wendy. She nodded.
I quickly and as painlessly as possible severed the head of the mad soldier from her body. Wendy hugged me and then asked:
"Why did you torture her?
"She said you were dead.
"No. But Mary needs your help." Wendy was very worried about her.
We heard the sound of a helicopter approaching, called by the soldiers to remove the bodies. I carefully gathered the black woman's body, which had been cut in half, and made a kind of stretcher out of the door. She died with dignity. I gave Captain America's body to Wendy to destroy, and from his head and shield I made a message for the idiots who had sent the soldiers to their deaths: I glued a pen to the concave side of the shield, placed the head on it, and carved a peace symbol on the skull, like the ones American soldiers painted on their helmets in Vietnam.
The helicopter crew took aim at me when they saw their comrades dead, but they didn't dare shoot. I laid the body on the ramp and gave the shield to the nearest soldier. "Give this to your commander and tell everyone what happens when you play superhero." I hope they also understand that it's better to look for terrorists far away from me.
I didn't watch the helicopter take off, but went to Wendy's house. The ghost met me at the door and led me to the cave with the map. Another statue had been added to the Statue of Liberty, off to the side of the diorama. It was a life-size figure of Quinnpin's captive, just as disproportionately tall and thin, dressed in a strange yellow and green suit. Mary was sitting next to her, her eyes tearful, and Snezhana was hugging Mary's shoulder and holding her hand.
"What happened?" I approached and placed my hands over theirs.
"I... We... We were attacked," Mary said, constantly interrupting herself with sobs.
"It's okay, the house isn't badly damaged, just a small hole in the wall. We have two other houses available, don't cry.
"The ghost spotted the attackers before they started. She refused to kill them until she was sure they were hostile.
"I don't kill anyone just like that!" Wendy replied to Snezhana's reproach.
"Then I said that Mary and I would do everything ourselves and asked for information about the targets. That's how we saw this," Snezhana pointed to the statue.
"It looked vaguely familiar to me," Wendy said, embarrassed.
"That's IMPOSSIBLE!" Mary shouted.
"Quiet, quiet, calm down. We have to approach this like an investigation, otherwise we won't get anywhere." Snezhana held the supergirl closer to her and began to stroke her more vigorously.
"What happened after you saw the statue?"
"That's my sister!" Mary continued to hysterically.
"The one you wanted to avenge?
"Yes! This can't be happening, why did she attack us?
"Mary wanted to talk to the attacker, but I wouldn't let her. What if it was some kind of trick, like Magna's secretary? We hid here so we wouldn't get hit, and the Ghost went to defend her houses.
"Are you unhappy about something again?" I asked Snezhana, sensing her emotions.
"We can't kill Patricia Jane, even if her identity isn't confirmed. And when faced with an invincible enemy, the only correct strategy is to run and hide, hoping for a change in circumstances in future encounters. You can't reveal your fighting capabilities to the enemy in a battle you've already lost!
"The ghost is strong. We could have captured Patricia.
"Wow, what a wonderful idea! Among men, you are the best tactician in the world! After all, no one expects a special agent to be captured, except you, of course!" Snezhana said sarcastically.
"A self-destruct mechanism, a source of misinformation, a double agent, a hundred other ways she could harm us or herself if she were captured," Snezhana continued in a more even tone, with a slight hint of arrogance.
"What happened to the house?
"A large creature appeared, as if out of smoke or a dusty wind, and several drones with missiles were hiding inside it. I raised a sandstorm to block their view, but it didn't help. I shot down the missiles and got close to the drones, but the last one fired right through me and pierced the wall.
"What happened to the creature?
"It was an illusion. Patricia shot it with green beams, but I could see that it was all light, not dust.
"So Patricia saved us from herself? And then she flew away?
"That's exactly what happened! I don't understand, who else would attack us besides Queenpin?" the cat interjected.
"I'm more concerned about something else. Defending villages from monsters is a job for a hero. And if he can fly and shoot lasers from his hands, then he's a superhero.
"Who cares? Peter, my sister suddenly came back to life, gained new abilities, and started working for our enemy!
"Mary, I'm sorry, but this is necessary: did you see your sister's body with fatal wounds?
"No.
"Then she wasn't really dead. Wendy and I saw her in the dungeons under the Queenpin tower. She was being held in a cell and was in a very bad way. Your sister didn't betray you, Mary. Maybe she's been brainwashed?
"No. She... She has a mental disorder and is a powerful telepath. Neither doctors nor mutants could help her; she always returned to her original state!
"Then something has changed. And there's only one way to find out.
"What is it?" Mary asked, her heart filling with hope.
"We need a strong telepath who can be trusted.
"No chance, there's no such thing," muttered Snezhana.
"What about me?
"Peter, we all love you very much, and you're an excellent fighter, but as a telepath, you're very weak," Mary's voice faded.
"That can be fixed. We just need to steal a couple of gadgets from the mutant school.
All three of my companions looked at me as if I were crazy.
***
We all went together in Snezhana's trailer. Wendy didn't want to leave her possessions, but I managed to persuade her; we weren't leaving forever, and staying in a place known to all our potential enemies wasn't the best idea. We reached the school in two days, and on the morning of the third day, we pulled into the parking lot of a high-fenced estate. We were greeted by the headmistress herself, a bald middle-aged woman in a wheelchair. She was pushed by her red-haired husband, who was of frail build.
"I am delighted to welcome our dear guests to my humble abode! What brings you here?" asked Charlie Xavier, stopping in front of me.
"I heard about a place where mutants can live without constant fear and use their abilities without hiding.
"There are many such places now, young man.
"Human?" I interrupted her.
"We remain human, even if we have incompatible genes, young man. If you believe otherwise, I can tell you where your kindred spirits live.
"No, I just... I've forgotten what it was like to live a quiet, peaceful life as a normal person.
"For twenty years, I've been helping those whose lives have been ruined by superpowers to return to society. If you dream of joining a pride, buying property and finding a stable source of income, I'll help you completely free of charge!
"No, no, me... Um, us. We're actually fine. And I haven've been living with a cat long enough to forget where to put free cheese." I scratched Snezhana behind her ear.
"In the mousetrap, silly! You haven't put anything in your mousetrap in so long...
"Ah, youth. But she's over a hundred years old!" smiled the professor.
"Advanced telepathy," Mary whispered.
"You know, we haven't had many guests lately! Come over for a barbecue, we can discuss business over dinner. Our chef has a nose like a wolverine, she knows more about meat than forest predators, and you won't find such delicious food anywhere else.
"Except for her sister's restaurant," Wendy said grimly.
"If you don't mind human flesh on the menu, it's a really good alternative," said the man accompanying the telepath for the first time.
"I think you've been misinformed, my dear friend. They don't sell waitresses there, no, they just show them off.
"Jean, stop it. Are old grudges against other people really going to come between us and this lovely creature?" Charlie smiled broadly at Wendy in an American way, and she adjusted the hair covering her face, but I managed to notice the brick dust on her cheeks.
"Besides, I don't like it when people have ulterior motives, so I'll say it now: for my students, your visit is a great experience in interacting with other people and an opportunity to put their knowledge of etiquette and hospitality into practice. They will do everything they can to make sure you leave here in a good mood and want to visit us again.
"Yes, I understand," I replied resignedly. Now it all depends on how deeply the pair of telepaths were able to get into my head. I didn't even try to hide the real purpose of my visit — robbery, especially since the girls didn't even have the minimal protection I had stolen from the overly curious mind readers, and Gina's burning hatred suited me much better than the professor's cheerful playfulness. It seems she appreciated my absurdly complicated but beautiful plan for the robbery and decided to teach her students a lesson. I wonder if she'll warn them that we're going to shoot with live ammunition and blow up the wall with a thermobaric charge? Because after I died, I discovered an unhealthy passion for large explosions.
The labour teacher, nicknamed Wolverine, who didn't look anything like that unpleasant animal, cut the rolls with long claws, which, as it turned out, were made of adamantium. Next to her, cutlets were frying on the grill, and several other students were assembling hamburgers from all this and distributing them to the rest. The professor took me to a gazebo, where we were served an important part of my plan: wine. Charlie pulled out the cork with telekinesis, and I applauded the trick, just to see if she could spot the fake.
"So, Peter... Or would you prefer me to call you Nemo?
"Nemo?
"No one, in Latin.
"I'm quite used to being Peter Parker.
"So be it. Although it's the strangest superhero name I've ever heard. And I have to deal with a lady nicknamed Dead Puddle, not to mention fifty rabid teenagers, some of whom change their names more often than they change their socks.
"Are your graduates in demand in today's society?
"Superheroes aren't needed," is that what you're getting at? Actually, this isn't just a school, it's also a college, so you can test the truth of my words for yourself. And we'll sign up Russian Blue as your pet, that'll be a laugh!
"Ha. Ha. Ha.
"I understand your scepticism, but the world doesn't revolve around Quinpin Incorporated, or New York for that matter.
"They think differently. And the US government, whose laws are blatantly ignored by Wella Fisk, is for some reason very interested in catching terrorists who threaten corporations.
"Is that so?
"Enjoy, Professor," I said and began to replay the execution of Captain America in my mind.
Charlie knocked back her glass of wine with a trembling hand, poured herself another one with telekinesis, and drank it too.
"There is no excuse for your actions.
"I don't need any. So, can you turn me into a superhero without resorting to lobotomy?
"That depends entirely on your desire to return to a normal life. In my opinion, being a superhero is like a job with frequent business trips. To be completely honest, since we started working with the US Army, there have been far fewer incidents with bloody consequences. My X-Men simply don't want to be like soldiers, and I consider that my achievement.
"That sounds so noble, I'm almost ready to call off the robbery.
"No, don't be silly. I don't have many pleasures left, and even fewer worthy opponents.
"So you're willing to part with a few kilograms of despicable metal?
"My school earned that gold over many years, but I'm willing to take the risk. Besides, you'll never crack my safe.
"Well, how about one more?
"Of course!
I got drunk on Charlie Xavier. Gina had to take on Snezhana, he has a weakness for cats. You can tell right away that he's a strong, independent man! Mary returned to the car under a plausible pretext, and when it got dark, I went up to Wendy and said:
"Remember the plan?
"Yes!
"Forget it. Just sneak into Professor Charlie's secret room, take a few metal plates out of the walls, wrap them in a copy of the safe we were supposed to steal, and drag them to the car.
I hurried to pull Snezhana out of the clutches of the hidden cat lover, and together we slipped unnoticed into the trailer. Wolverine was walking around the parking lot with some blue gorilla, but we got away. The cat started the engine, and then we heard a loud bang outside. Wendy whispered, "They've spotted me," and passed out. I ran out, picked up the pearl from the dust, and Mary carried the heavy stone safe inside. As we were leaving the car park, I noticed that some mutants who had "accidentally" found themselves nearby were catching up with us on foot. We wouldn't be able to leave quietly.
***
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