Madison's vision blurred. When it cleared, the sunny street was gone, replaced by a dingy, shadowed alleyway.
Fifty feet away, a lone man in black tactical gear stared at them, wide-eyed with terror.
"You damn monsters! Stay back!!"
He raised his pistol, aiming shakily at the two teenagers who had just materialized out of thin air.
Suddenly, Rollin shouted a single phrase.
"Hail Hydra!"
The assassin froze. His gun dipped slightly. Confusion and recognition flickered in his eyes.
Gotcha.
Rollin smirked. "I knew it. It really is Hydra."
It was a safe bet. In the Marvel Universe, how many organizations had the resources to deploy a tactical hit squad in broad daylight? And of those, how many weren't secretly Hydra?
Even if he guessed wrong, Hydra wouldn't mind the free publicity.
Madison frowned. "What kind of secret code is that?"
Before Rollin could explain, the assassin snapped out of his daze. He saw the mocking look on Rollin's face and realized he'd been played.
"Bastard! You dare mock us?! Die!"
Enraged, the assassin squeezed the trigger. Bang! Bang! Bang!
Rollin didn't flinch. He just watched calmly as a slab of concrete appeared from nowhere, hovering directly in front of them.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Unless the bullets knew how to drift like a Tokyo street racer, that 9mm pea-shooter wasn't getting through six inches of reinforced stone.
The shooting stopped.
Through the slab, Rollin "saw" the assassin pull a round object from his belt and prepare to throw.
"Just a bunch of cannon fodder. No Anomaly Points, just headaches. Why can't you just surrender quietly?"
Rollin shook his head. He prepared to raise another Geo-Pillar and shield them.
But Madison moved first. She thrust both hands forward, invisible energy rippling through the air, blowing her hair back like a wind tunnel.
"Wait—"
Rollin started to speak, but it was too late.
The grenade, mid-arc, was caught by Madison's telekinetic blast and hurled back at supersonic speed.
BOOM!
The assassin exploded into a fine red mist. Pieces of him decorated the alley walls.
He had lost his life, but he had gained freedom.
Amen.
"How was that? Not bad, right?"
Madison tossed her hair back, exposing her smooth, swan-like neck—a tempting target for a love bite. She looked proud.
Rollin stared at the carnage in silence for a moment. "I was going to say... we should keep him alive for questioning."
"Oh." Madison shrank back, her confidence deflating instantly. She gave an awkward laugh. "Sorry. slipped. I didn't mean to explode him."
"Forget it. He probably wouldn't have talked anyway."
Rollin waved his hand. From the bloody mess down the alley, a communication device and a smartphone flew into his grasp.
Since the owner was dead, these items were now "ownerless loot," allowing Rollin to pick them up and scan them with the Map Editor.
[Item: S.H.I.E.L.D. Secure Comms Unit]
[Rating: Decent encryption. Standard issue.]
Madison peeked over his shoulder. "I know this part! You answer the phone, pretend to be him, and trick them into revealing their identity. That's how they do it in the movies."
Rollin tossed the device over a building into a lake five hundred meters away. "Too much effort. I already know who they are."
"Who?"
"Snake-Shield."
"Snake-Shield? What a weird name. Who names their organization that?"
Madison grumbled, looking around. She noticed that the walls blocking the alley exits had vanished without a trace, returned to their original positions.
She didn't need to ask. She knew Rollin had put them back.
Even though she had seen it happen, her brain refused to process it. What is the scientific principle behind deleting and undeleting architecture?
It was beyond magic. It was admin privileges.
Then, a realization hit her. She lowered her voice, feigning fear.
"If they came for me... that means my house isn't safe anymore!"
"So... tonight... can I stay at your place?"
"You wouldn't mind harboring a refugee, would you?"
She gave Rollin a look that was pure, distilled seduction.
Rollin wasn't born yesterday. He knew exactly what she was thinking.
She says she wants sanctuary. She really wants my body.
Boys, always protect yourselves when you go out. If you encounter a situation like this, be wary of the 'Badger Game'. Stop immediately, and let me handle it.
Rollin nodded gravely. "No problem. Just remember to bring your things."
Madison winked. "Of course. I'll make sure to bring protection."
Rollin raised an eyebrow. "I meant your luggage. Who told you to bring condoms? I never use umbrellas."
Sure, it was only 0.01mm of latex, but the difference in sensation was heaven and earth.
Five minutes after they left.
A cleanup crew of black suits arrived silently.
Agent Phil Coulson stared at the scorched earth, then at the five-meter-tall stone pillar that shouldn't be there. He frowned deeply.
He walked over to a nearby garden wall, inspecting it, kicking the base.
An old lady carrying groceries walked by and saw him. Her voice was shrill enough to shatter glass.
"Hey! You bald freak! Don't you dare pee on my wall!"
"Get lost! If I see you here again, I swear to God I will shove my boot so far up your ass you'll taste leather!"
Coulson's face went dark. He instinctively touched his receding hairline.
Excuse me? I am not bald yet! That is slander!
He signaled his agents to flash their badges and get rid of her. Then he looked up as Tony Starkdescended in his Iron Man armor.
"Tony. Tell me. How did this wall disappear and reappear?"
While the old lady watched suspiciously, Coulson kicked the wall again. It was solid. The mortar was old and weathered. It looked like it had been there for fifty years without moving an inch.
If he hadn't seen the satellite footage, he wouldn't believe it.
"J.A.R.V.I.S.?" Stark asked.
"Sir, structural analysis indicates the wall is completely integrated with the foundation. There are no signs of separation, cutting, or reattachment. It is... seamless."
"Impossible."
Tony whispered, frowning inside the helmet. That violates physics.
Coulson sighed. "Well, we don't know how he did it, but at least the wall was returned to its owner."
Tony remained silent. The scene was full of anomalies.
A wall returned perfectly.
A pillar of fire that behaved like a fluid.
A specialized radar sense that pinpointed enemies instantly.
Compared to that, the teenager's teleportation and energy shields seemed almost... mundane.
Tony knew about magic. He knew there were wizards out there. But wizards were biological. They bled. His armor could track their energy signatures.
But Rollin's "magic" challenged the fundamental laws of reality. It wasn't magic. It was editing.
Just then, an agent handed a dossier to Coulson.
Coulson scanned it quickly. "Well, well. Madison Montgomery's agent was a closet cultist. That explains why she was targeted."
"Hmm. Let me see their destination..."
Coulson's eyes widened. "Motherf—!"
"I think we can stop the pursuit. We don't need to kill them."
"They're already dead."
Later that night.
"Oh god! No! You brute! Slow down! I'm going to die!"