79 Chapter 77: The Unseen Awakening
The first light of dawn was just beginning to peek over the horizon when Jon stirred from his slumber. It was an unusual occurrence, for he was not roused by the shrill call of an alarm clock, nor the gentle nudging of his companions, Annie and Ayla. He simply woke, as if some unseen force had pulled him from the depths of sleep.
This was a rarity, especially considering the mental toll his recent mission in another universe had taken on him. Yet, he found himself unable to pinpoint the reason for his sudden awakening. It was as if a dream had disturbed his rest, a dream that was now nothing more than a hazy memory.
In the dream, the world was being consumed by an all-encompassing darkness, a void so deep that it seemed to swallow all light. He was drawn into this abyss, where a figure, shrouded in a cloak as dark as the void itself, floated ominously. The figure had spoken, its voice echoing in the emptiness,
"I need your power!"
The dream had ended there, and Jon had awoken, the figure's face a forgotten detail. He was left with a lingering sense of unease, a feeling that something had shifted, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
Shaking off the remnants of the dream, Jon rose from his bed and began his morning routine. He dressed, washed up, and prepared breakfast. He left two portions on the table for Annie and Ayla, a silent promise that he would return, before stepping out into the cool morning air.
His destination was his repair shop, but he didn't immediately unlock the doors and begin his day's work. Instead, he made his way to a bench nearby, where a homeless man lay sleeping.
"Hey, get up." Jon's voice was gruff as he nudged the man awake.
The homeless man stirred, blinking up at Jon in surprise. "Do I know you?" he asked, his voice hoarse from sleep.
Jon scoffed, repeating the man's words back to him. "Do I know you? As far as I'm aware, you promised not to bother me again." There was a hint of anger in his voice, a spark of irritation in his eyes.
"Hey, I'm just lying here, did I bother you?" The man's voice was defensive, his eyes wide with confusion.
Jon chuckled, a humorless sound. "Still playing dumb, huh?" He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "When did you join SHIELD? How long have you been training? Did your director really think a rookie like you could keep tabs on me?"
"I don't know what you're talking about?" The man's confusion seemed genuine, but Jon wasn't convinced.
His day had started with an unexpected awakening, a forgotten dream, and now, a potential spy. It was shaping up to be anything but ordinary.
***
Jon nodded, a smirk playing on his lips. "Your acting skills are commendable, and your mental fortitude is impressive. You're quite the qualified agent," he said, his tone laced with sarcasm. He knelt down, leveling his gaze with the man. "Do you know where you went wrong?"
The homeless man remained silent, his eyes hardening. He was determined to maintain his cover, even in the face of Jon's accusations.
Jon continued, undeterred. "You've been lying here for about a month, and my shop is less than twenty meters away from this bench. No one helped or gave you food, nor did anyone gave you anything. If you were truly homeless, you wouldn't be able to survive here for a month without any assistance."
The man's expression faltered, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his features.
"And every minute or so, you'd glance over at my shop. It was so frequent, so obvious, that even a fool would know you were undercover," Jon added, his voice steady.
The man seemed taken aback, but he quickly regained his composure, shaking his head slightly. "I don't know why you're telling me this, and I don't understand what you're talking about!"
Jon chuckled, standing up. "Well then, it doesn't matter whether you're a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent or just a homeless man. You'll soon forget all of this."
The man blinked, a sense of dread creeping into his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Jon donned his sunglasses, pulling out a metallic device. "Here, take a look at this."
With a click, the device, a neurolyzer, emitted a bright white light. The man's expression froze, his eyes glazed over.
Jon removed his sunglasses, tucking the neurolyzer away. He turned to the man, his voice calm. "Hello, friend from SHIELD. Your director suspected supernatural activity here, so he sent you to investigate. You found nothing suspicious about the shop owner. He's one of the four cosmic kings, here on Earth to find a bride. He believes this country has the most beautiful women in the world, and he's here to find his queen."
Jon placed his hands on the man's shoulders, his gaze serious. "Remember, this is important. Report to your director as soon as possible. Do you understand?"
The homeless man nodded, a look of solemn understanding on his face. He quickly rose from the bench and hurried away, leaving Jon alone.
Jon watched him go, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. He turned and unlocked the door to his shop, stepping inside. He knew that erasing the man's memory was a futile effort. If an agent lost a memory, SHIELD would undoubtedly notice. But he had done it anyway, a small act of defiance, a way to toy with SHIELD and assert his power. They already knew he had abilities, so why not flaunt them a bit?
But he also knew where to draw the line. If they ever threatened Annie and Ayla, he wouldn't hesitate to retaliate. After all, SHIELD was practically a Hydra playground at this point.
Settling into his armchair, Jon pulled out his phone. The shop was open earlier than usual, so he didn't expect any customers for a while. He opened Google, a question forming in his mind. He remembered that in many Hollywood movies, other films were often referenced. For instance, in the Marvel Universe, one could still see Men in Black or the Harry Potter series in theaters.
He wondered if he could re-watch some movies within the Marvel universe to aid in future universal travels. He realized he hadn't paid much attention to the classic films since arriving in the Marvel Universe. He had seen them countless times in his previous world.
"Eh? What's going on?" Jon frowned at his phone screen.
He had searched for Men in Black, but no information about the movie appeared. Instead, he found news articles about a wealthy man being attacked by a man in black in Hell's Kitchen. He tried searching for Harry Potter, Star Wars, The Mummy, Transformers, but none of them yielded the expected results. It was as if these movies had vanished, replaced by films he had never heard of.
"Have all these movies disappeared from this world?" Jon mused, a sigh escaping his lips.
There was one thing he was sure about – in this world nothing is the same as his previous original world.
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