Marvel: The Infinite Crown

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{Chapter: 149 - Subsequent Impact And Too Many Eyes}

S.H.I.E.L.D. – Director Nick Fury

The mobile screen lit up with the familiar one-eyed glare that made most people stand straight like a soldier. But Aiden? He slouched back into the captain's chair aboard his hovering command ship and groaned in annoyance.

The incoming call blinked: Nick Fury – Secure Channel.

He rolled his eyes.

"Again?" Aiden muttered under his breath. "Doesn't this man ever sleep? I kill one overgrown octopus, and he acts like it's global news. Which… it kinda was, but that's not the point."

He accepted the call with a flick of his wrist, but his tone was far from diplomatic.

"You better be calling to offer me a bonus or an island in the Caribbean, Fury. Otherwise? I swear, I'll hang up and let Magneto borrow your Netflix password just to spite you."

The eye patch narrowed. "No bonus. And Magneto doesn't even like streaming. I just wanted to thank you. You saved Spider-Man."

Aiden scoffed, rubbing his temples with a sigh. "I didn't save him, Fury. I cleaned up his mess. Again. How many times does the kid have to crash into a building before someone finally teaches him trajectory physics?"

Fury paused. That tone… he'd gotten used to Aiden's sarcasm, but today it had bite.

"There's also something else—"

"Not interested," Aiden said flatly, and then—click—hung up the secure line with zero hesitation.

Across the Helicarrier, a dozen analysts watching the call feed blinked in stunned silence. Nick Fury, hung up on. Again.

"That little—" Fury slammed his fist on the desk. "This guy's starting to make Stark look polite."

Of course, Nick's original reason for calling wasn't just gratitude. The real problem was the manner of Octavius's death. Sure, Otto Octavius was a threat. But publically tearing off his limbs and beheading him, in the middle of a NYC restaurant? Not exactly PG.

Public approval was dipping into grey territory. Civilians were used to the Avengers saving the day, not turning New York into an open-air horror film. And Aiden… he didn't play by the same rules.

But at this point, Fury knew better than to expect obedience.

---

Aiden's Floating Base – The Command Room

The sterile metal floors gleamed under bright white lights. Holographic panels danced in the air, detailing schematics, satellite footage, and a half-finished architectural blueprint of their expanding base on the newly purchased island in the middle of the ocean.

The base had been quiet ever since Blink teleported the civilian workers out. Of course, all wages had been paid in full—plus hazard bonuses. The workers left feeling like kings, not hostages. That was Blink's doing.

She cared. In her own sassy, teleport-you-into-a-volcano-if-you-messed-up way.

Now, they were all gathered in the command chamber. The conference table shimmered with project data.

Aiden stood at the head of the table, arms folded, clad in a black tactical suit with faint energy lines glowing across the seams. His voice carried weight—firm, confident, slightly cocky.

"Alright, team," he said. "Here's the deal. Damage Control is taking over construction. They promised a one-month finish—though knowing their record, I'll believe it when I see it. In the meantime, we've got our own roles to play."

He turned to each of them in turn.

"Pepper, Clarice—I'll need you both to oversee the project's external progress. You'll be the face of this operation while I… unfortunately… head to S.H.I.E.L.D."

Pepper raised an eyebrow. "Why do I get the feeling you're dumping the hard work on me while you flirt with Black Widow and annoy Maria Hill?"

"Because I am," Aiden said with a smirk, then turned his head slightly toward Blink, "...unless Clarice wants to volunteer to keep me company."

Blink tilted her head, a mischievous smile curling on her lips. Her vibrant magenta skin glowed beneath the flickering lights, and her eyes gleamed with emerald amusement.

"Keep you company?" she purred as she leaned against the table, her teleportation javelin slung lazily across her back. "And here I thought you could handle yourself, handsome."

"Physically? Absolutely," Aiden replied, his voice smooth as silk. "Emotionally? Let's just say I cry alone after my protein shakes."

Marrow snorted from the corner, sharpening a bone blade on her thigh with one eye half-closed in boredom. "Get a room, you two."

"Jealous?" Blink teased, flashing a grin.

"Of your pink skin or his ego? Pass."

Aiden chuckled. "Chan Ho, Marrow—you're on combat duty. Stay aboard the ship. Train. Test new weapon mods. Don't spar unless you want Clarice teleporting your spleen into the moon."

"Roger that," Chan Ho said with a grin, cracking his knuckles. "But if I end up punching a hole through the training deck again, that's on you."

"Good. Do it. Then I can finally upgrade the flooring," Aiden replied.

A brief silence passed, during which Pepper, seated with her digital tablet, glanced up hesitantly. She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

Aiden caught it. Of course, he did. He noticed everything about Pepper Potts—how her hands lingered near her heart when she was troubled, how her lips pursed just before she made a hard decision.

But he said nothing. Not yet.

Instead, he turned away and paced toward the panoramic window overlooking the island below.

'She'll stay,' he thought. 'Even if she doesn't say it. I just have to make sure she knows she's needed. Wanted.'

---

Suddenly—

"Master," the voice of the Dark Elf echoed. The stoic warrior, cloaked in midnight armor and glowing glyphs, stood tall near the exit. "I've detected something. Fast. Approaching from south."

Everyone tensed.

Aiden's eyes narrowed. "Show me."

The screen lit up with a red warning—a fast-moving object barreling toward them. Too big to be a drone. Too small to be a ship.

Blink walked up beside him, voice low, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

He smirked. "It's not pizza delivery, that's for sure."

She leaned closer, her breath warm against his ear, "Shame. I was hoping you'd invite me to dinner first."

"Oh, Clarice," he murmured with a sideways glance, "you're always welcome at my table. But next time you teleport into my shower, at least pretend it was an accident."

"No promises," she whispered, her grin daring.

Pepper rolled her eyes in the background, but Aiden saw the amused smile forming at the corner of her mouth.

The dark elf's slender fingers danced over the glowing keys of the holographic screen, a cascade of foreign runes and digital data shifting in tandem. His deep blue skin shimmered faintly beneath the low overhead lights of the spaceship, reflecting the magical and technological fusion of the facility. His long silver-white hair fell over one shoulder as he pivoted now to fully detailed video.

A sleek speedboat sliced through the ocean waters on the screen, its signature ping matching one of the authorized access signals. Several figures aboard it were highlighted, their facial scans running through an algorithm in real time.

Aiden, sitting on a plush leather seat with one leg lazily crossed over the other, leaned forward slightly. His golden eyes narrowed with mild interest before a half-smirk tugged at his lips. "Hah... so he came after all," he murmured, voice velvet edged with amusement. He could already guess why.

"You can call me 'Boss' like the others," Aiden said casually, not even glancing toward the dark elf, who visibly perked up in silent obedience.

The dark elf bowed deeply, his obsidian gaze filled with gratitude. Unlike others of his kind known for arrogance or malice, this one had proven himself loyal and eerily quiet—traits Aiden could tolerate, even reward.

"Blink," Aiden called smoothly.

From behind the holographic veil, a confident voice answered with just the right amount of sass, "Yes, Boss?"

Clarice Ferguson—Blink—stepped forward, her magenta hair spilling over one shoulder like silk. She was dressed in a skin-tight violet combat suit lined with glyphs that shimmered when she moved. She didn't just walk—she glided, with the confidence of someone who knew exactly how powerful and attractive she was.

"Go greet our guests. Bring him in." Aiden flicked a hand toward the screen.

Clarice's violet eyes twinkled. "Anything for you, Boss." She exaggerated the word with a wink that could set a lesser man's heart racing but Aiden was too used to it.

Aiden's smile curled wider. "Careful, Clarice. If you keep looking at me like that, I'll think you actually like following orders."

"Oh, I love following your orders. Just not all of them." She grinned with mischief before opening a swirling purple portal. With a small spin, she vanished into it with the grace of a dancer.

Seconds later, another portal tore open with a soft chime. Blink re-emerged, her hand firmly resting on the shoulder of a nervous man in a worn lab coat—Professor Curt Connors, better known in certain less ethical scientific circles as the Lizard.

His shoulders were hunched as if the weight of guilt and fear had physically compressed him. His human form was intact, though the telltale ridges on his skin suggested the serum still lingered in his bloodstream.

He entered like a man approaching the gallows.

Blink leaned in a little too close to Aiden as she returned, her breath warm against his ear. "He smells like formaldehyde and regret. Do I get extra points for not teleporting him into a dumpster?"

Aiden chuckled low in his throat. "You'll get something extra if you behave."

"Promises, promises." She gave him a sultry smile before strutting over to lean against the wall.

Curt's voice broke through the lingering flirtation. "I—I came because you offered a place. A... a second chance. And after what happened to Otto—Doctor Octopus—I realized you weren't bluffing. You meant everything you said."

Aiden studied him in silence, fingers steepled before his lips. His gaze was piercing—calculating.

"I remember saying something like that," he finally replied, voice even and calm. "But why now? Why come so late?"

Curt hesitated, eyes shifting to the floor.

"Don't tell me you're scared now?" Marrow, lounging nearby, scoffed and crossed her arms. Her bones subtly extended into small spikes along her forearms. Her rough voice dripped with contempt. "You tried to dissect me once, Lizard. Spare me the coward speech."

Aiden didn't stop her. He wanted Curt to sweat.

Curt clenched his fists. "Yes... I was afraid. I am afraid. I've been hiding ever since our last encounter. I thought you'd forgotten me, or worse, that you were just using fear to keep me in check. But then... then I saw the footage. You ended Octavius like he was nothing. He was dangerous—brilliant—and you... you crushed him. So I realized—if I didn't come, I wouldn't be allowed to choose my fate."

He looked up, voice nearly breaking. "I came because I want to be useful… and I'd rather be on the side that wins."

The silence that followed was suffocating. Then Aiden slowly rose, the shadows of the room seeming to ripple around him.

"You made the right decision. Just know this isn't a charity house. You work. You obey. You don't betray me." He approached slowly, each step deliberate. "You'll join the genetic research team. We're developing something… unique. You'll help. No experiments on my people. No secrets."

Curt nodded quickly, relief visible.

"Blink will show you to your lab," Aiden said, turning away.

Clarice strolled up, gently brushing her arm along Aiden's as she passed. "Try not to lick any lab rats, Professor."

He stammered an awkward "thank you" as she opened a portal and motioned him through.

As the shimmer faded, Marrow glanced over. "You sure he's not going to flip?"

Aiden waved it off. "Blink, Chan Ho, and you have grown stronger. If he tries anything, you know what to do."

Marrow smirked, cracking her knuckles.

Aiden pulled out his phone and stared at a message from Quake—Daisy Johnson—detailing cold activity near the northern district. He had promised to check in with her soon, and he meant to keep it. She was valuable. More than she realized.

And there was still Fitz—Leo Fitz, tech genius extraordinaire. Aiden had plans for his team's upcoming battle suit design. He needed it to be more refined, agile, and deadly.

He slid on his jacket and turned toward the exit.

Marrow raised an eyebrow. "You going to Daisy or Fitz first?"

"I'm going to Quake," he replied smoothly. "We've got a cold to heat up."

Then, just before leaving, he shot a teasing glance at Blink. "Don't fall in love while I'm gone."

Clarice winked, lips parting in a playful pout. "I already have, Boss. Just waiting for you to realize it."

Aiden chuckled and disappeared into the lift, his mind already juggling alliances, plans, future world, seductions and women. The path ahead would be bloody—but it would be his.

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