Greetings to all.
It's been a while since I was working on a fiction in relation to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (or MCU), as a great superhero lover I am. Well now that the last movies are out at the cinema, I can finally get started !
This story is an Alternate Universe. Some events have therefore been changed from the movies. Also, I advise you to read the prequel "Night of Ashes" for more details on the
story of Lost Emotion.
If you spot any mistake, please tell me.
I hope you like this story !
Enjoy your reading.
Dawn was beginning to appear in the neighborhood of Cobble Hill.
The red bricks of Brooklyn hoisted a pink tint with the sun, t hile the white walls hoisted a slightly blue tint. The streets were calm and silent, in contrast with the chaos and unstopping frenzy streets of Manhattan. Some stray cats roamed the sidewalks, looking a bit lost, before disappearing into the darkness of the alleyways.
Thomas stared outside from the window of his room. He liked to watch the dawn and see the colors of the buildings change little by little. It was his little morning ritual, an instant of tranquility which allowed him to empty his mind.
The young man lived alone in a modest home with gray, white and midnight blue colors. Its modern and spacious structure set it apart from the Victorian-style residences that people used to see in Brooklyn. Everything was clean and uncluttered, and the interior itself was comfortable and well equipped : TV, hi-tech kitchen and bathroom, wifi... The appropriate place for a loner like him. That said, although he has a home, Thomas has never bothered to put extravagant decorations since he moved into this little apartment a year ago. No paintings, no posters, no goodies or other derived products from his favorite movies and series. Nothing. Apart from a guitar and an MP3 that he bought himself, everything had remained as he had arrived. It was hard to believe that a sixteen years old teenager can live in such a cold and sober environment, moreover a mutant. However, the latter was not the type to indulge in luxury or eccentricity... His nature as an orphan and former prisoner had taught him to be content with the essential. As long as he had a roof where to sleep and the opportunity to live freely, the lack of fantasy between his walls didn't matter to him.
Thomas finally sigh, then went towards the kitchen to prepare breakfast consisting of a hot chocolate, toasts and fried eggs. he put his phone on the table, put on headphones and savored his meal while listening to music. Once satiated, the young man looked at the time displayed on his screen : It was eight thirty in the morning. The teenager then arranged his cutlery inside his dishwasher before going to his room to put on his shoes, a gray sweatshirt, a black coat and a black health mask over his face. Once dressed, Thomas came out of his apartment, closed the door with a double-turn and finally went outside to join his workplace, the Orange Sunset restaurant, where he worked as a waiter. A spring breeze gently caressed his skin as he walked.
The stroll lasted no more than fifteen minutes, and the young man arrived very quickly in front of the Diner. Morning customers began to line up in front of the entrance, mainly employees wanting to have a hearty meal before going to the four corners of the boroughs of New York. All were regulars of the Orange Sunset, and they always answered present for the opening of this atypical place. Why atypical ? Because the entire staff of the restaurant were orphan teenagers of 16 and 17 years old. The boss, Cameron Owen, heir of a wealthy family and philanthropist, wanted to show to the public that minors emancipated for lack of adoption could take care of themselves very well. Many were initially skeptical about this project, thinking that these young employees couldn't keep up with the pace of life in the world of work for a long time. And yet, their goodwill and sociability got the better of people's mistrust.
Thomas left behind the Diner and entered the building through a staff door. He walked down the halls to the cloakroom, where he donned his waiter uniform in less than five minutes. As he finished closing the last button of his jacket, the door opened behind him. An adult figure loomed through it, curly brown hair stopping at the neck, black glasses resting on his nose, elegantly dressed and smiling.
"Hello Thomas." Politely greeted Mr. Owen.
"Hello boss." Replied the latter with a small smile.
"You look fine."
"Yes, sir. I'm always ready for another day of work !"
"I see that." Gingerly laughed the boss of the restaurant.
Then the two men headed to the main hall, where Thomas's teammates worked to complete the final preparations to greet the customers. Footsteps caught the attention of the small team, and everyone turned to greet their employer and their friend. The young man helped his companions to check the premises so that everything was clean and functional, then everyone met in the kitchen to do a debriefing.
"Everyone is present ?" Mr. Owen asked.
"Yes boss !" Said all the employees with one voice.
"Good. I guess you already know the rules very well, but a small booster is never too much : the morning is the calmest time of the day. Stay relaxed and focused, but keep a certain pace to maintain your strength for the afternoon. Your lunch break will be held at 1 pm, and service will resume at 2 pm. And if any of you find yourself in trouble, whatever the reason, don't hesitate to tell me. It's okay for you ?"
"Yes Boss !"
"Perfect. So it's time to open ! Everyone in place !"
Mr. Owen left the kitchen and went to the bar. He turned on the lights, lifted the iron curtains that protected the glass panes and turned the entrance sign face "OPEN". The day could finally begin.
Since the customers were few and they all came to take the Breakfast menu, only four out of the eight waiters were active, while the eight cooks were all in the kitchen. Thomas took advantage of this moment of respite to go to a rest room and join three of his comrades : Leon, his best friend and partner in crime, Phoebe, his second best friend and Lauren, a rebellious girl with a big heart. All were precocious children who grew up in the same orphanage, Forescent, previously located in Brooklyn before being destroyed by a fire. That explained their perfect coordination and why they got along so well. Even if they didn't have families, even if they were not linked by blood, it didn't matter for them... All sixteen were like siblings, ready to do anything to help each other and to protect each other.
"Hey, Tom !" Said Leon, Phoebe and Lauren.
"Hey, guys."
"Well slept ?" Lauren asked.
"I guess, and you ?"
"I spent a lot of my time playing Team Fortress 2... So much that I didn't go to bed early yesterday." Leon confessed with a big smile.
"Same. I spent my evening on Overwatch. It was so satisfying to see idiots raging on the chat !" Lauren had the same smile on her lips.
Thomas rolled his eyes, while Phoebe giggled at the assertions of her colleagues. The young man sat next to his best friend. The four teenagers told each other little anecdotes that they lived or heard, then they had fun playing the "one second, one word" game, where they have to pronounce a word or a name as quickly as possible. Everyone willingly practiced the exercise, and several laughters ensued when one of them took the others by surprise.
The mutant greatly appreciated the company of his companions of the orphanage. Leon and Phoebe were his best friends since they were young, and were always ready to help if needed. Lauren was an excellent diplomat and never let anyone make fun of her or her closed ones. Noah and Kenna possessed a foolproof mental strength and determination. Allen and Ellen were outstanding strategists. Caleb and Amber were good observers and had impressive learning abilities. Sebastian, Evan and Jonathan were the strongest fighters of the group. Rebecca, Meghan and Jessie, meanwhile, knew demonstrate ingeniosity to any complicated situation. They were his allies, color fragments which brightened up his daily life.
Mr. Owen suddenly entered into the rest room.
"Ah, you are here."
"Don't worry, boss, we didn't run away." Thomas said casually.
"Hahaha, I guess, otherwise I would have seen you escape through the back door."
"Oh my god ! You are Big Brother !" Screamed Leon and Lauren with a theatrical manner.
"Yes, I'm Big Brother... And you're all my hostages !" Mr. Owen wore a devilish smile and then took the two teenagers in his arms, before laughing all three like children.
Phoebe and Thomas stared at each other for a moment, then they both nodded and threw themselves on their boss. Mr. Owen didn't protest and took the time to tap the backs of his four employees huddled against him, smiling fondly at them. The quarantine was the mentor of these sixteen orphans and helped them in all the steps to get up and move forward. He too had gone through this terrible ordeal of finding himself alone in the world without knowing what future awaited him beyond the walls of his former boarding school in London. He understood perfectly well the pain of growing up on the margins of others and the feeling that he couldn't count on anyone. But he'd managed to get by when he became an adult, and he was planning to help his protégés as he would have liked to be helped at their age.
Once released from any pressure against him, the manager of the Orange Sunset asked his waiters at rest to store the freshly arrived deliveries in the food reserve. They ran without further delay : Thomas and Leon took care of sorting the various goods and depositing them in optimal storage conditions, while Phoebe and Lauren took stock of the food available to see if they were out of stock or not. The work was very fast at four, so it took only half an hour to complete the storage and referencing. And to say that at the beginning, they put an entire hour to accomplish these two tasks... Now, they beat speed records.
Seeing that it was past ten, the four friends decided it was time to support their colleagues because more and more customers flocked to the restaurant. They took their trays, the menus and warm towels on their forearms, and then began their service. The peak of attendance came around noon, drastically changing the calm of the early hours of the day, but they didn't lose the pace and chained orders like one man. And before they knew it, it was lunch time for the staff.
Thomas had prepared the day before meatballs with tomato sauce, rice and cooked potatoes. Since his enhanced metabolism was developing faster than normal, he needed to eat a lot of food to stay in shape. So he always tried to never stay long with an empty stomach, at the risk of his superhuman abilities weakening and collapse with exhaustion. The advantage of his job was that he learned both to serve the dishes and cooking, allowing him to prepare varied and balanced meals. In addition, his co-workers were aware of his powers, so they could know how to react when he showed signs of exhaustion.
Leon and Phoebe sat next to him, and discussed together for a while.
"By the way, you've planned something tomorrow afternoon, Tom ?" Leon asked, eating a big fork of spaghetti.
"Apart to sleep, nothing in particular."
"We thought we would have a grouped party tomorrow night all together. It had been a while since we hadn't seen a movie all sixteen." Phoebe explained.
"Yep. Especially since Caleb has found lots of DVDs lately."
"Affirmative !" The latter confirmed, sitting not far from them, raising his left arm high .
Thomas couldn't help but smirk. Caleb was a big moviegoer and never missed the opportunity to find movies wherever he went, be it popular movies or unknown finds.
"Okay, why not. We're going to Jessie's house, as usual ?"
"Yeah. She prepared everything for the occasion. We can even stay at her house for the night !" Phoebe made a V with her fingers.
"I think someone would be happy to hear that..." Leon noticed quietly, observing Evan. All three smiled maliciously.
The time of the resumption of service resounds. All Orange Sunset employees packed their belongings and then returned to their places in the kitchen and reception. The affluence decreased drastically after fourteen thirty, much to the relief of the staff who managed to take a breath between two orders. Thomas didn't even see the time pass since his gestures were mechanical and meticulous. Being accustomed to having organized life settings since childhood, working in a restaurant didn't seem to be anything binding to him. That was a simple execution of repetitive tasks loop : as long as he remained focused on what he had to do, the days never seemed long.
About twenty-one o'clock, closing time of the Diner, the last customers left. Mr. Owen flipped the panel attached to the front entrance on "CLOSED". Then he closed the iron curtains, while Thomas and his colleagues took care of the storage. Once the place was perfectly clean, the sixteen teenagers went to change in the cloakrooms, satisfied with this new ending day. Everyone went out from the back of the Orange Sunset at the same time, minutes apart, then they said goodbye to each other before going home on their own.
On the way back, Thomas put on his headphones to listen music. A piece of jazz played to his ears, slow and melodious, mixing perfectly with the quiet environment of Cobble Hill. It gave him the impression of being in a romanticized Brooklyn in old movies of the 60s. The young man was lulled by the melody, enjoying the night atmosphere that reigned around him. The night was clear, but the sky was totally black. Not a single star shone, as if they had been swallowed by darkness. The only source of light that illuminated the streets were street lights and car headlights.
This sky recalled Thomas the day when misfortune struck his fate... His parents, his uncle and aunt were killed by four men when he was only eight years old, before his former home in Queens was reduced to ashes by a fire. Only he escaped death thanks to the intervention of Iron Man. The boy was later placed at the Forescent Orphanage in Brooklyn where he was able to find a form of peace. Unfortunately, it was short-lived when HYDRA, the most dangerous criminal organization in the world, took him by surprise and kidnapped him in a rainy night. There followed long sessions of experimentation, imprisonment and constant oppression, where his body was transformed into a spying tool, and later on mutant. It was during this time that he learned that HYDRA was actually the leader of the men who murdered his family. Enraged, the young boy decided to take revenge against the criminal organization by silently attacking them from the inside, like a virus. It was after three years, under a dark sky devoid of stars, that Thomas regained his freedom by exploding the last existing HYDRA bases around the globe.
Since that day, the teenager led a cat life, hidden among the citizens of New York. He was content to live from day to day without ever using his powers, except in cases of extreme urgency - which has happened only rarely since he resided at Cobble Hill. He didn't aspire to a grand future or recognition... All he wanted was to lead a peaceful and anonymous existence.
By the time Thomas arrived at the foot of his apartment building, the music stopped . He entered the lobby, took the elevator and went up to the second floor. Once at the door of his apartment, the young man thrust the key into the lock to open it. However, he noticed, not without some surprise, that it has been hooked.
Why the door is open ? I had closed it this morning.
Thomas suddenly had a bad feeling... He carefully opened the door, then silently closed it behind him. He watched the living room in every detail : the windows weren't broken and no objects had been moved. He did the same with the kitchen. Same result. Everything was in order as when he was gone. The young man quickly deduced that it wasn't a burglary. But he remained still on guard... If the lock was left open, then the person who went inside his home was probably still present within these walls.
The mutant sneaked up to his room, ready to react to any suspicious noise. The door was strangely ajar. Thomas decided to open it to understand what was happening. And while his view became accustomed to the brightness of the room...
"It's a very clean apartment." Commented a voice. "Maybe a little uniform, but no less pleasant."
The teenager's eyes were wide open, his face struggling to hide his shock... The mysterious visitor who talked to him was a woman. In view of her appearance, she must have been in her thirties. She was dressed in a gray turtleneck shirt, a dark blue coat, black pants and boots. Her brown hair was tied up in a bun, small strands were falling down her ears, and her sky-blue eyes seemed to analyze him in every features. Thomas didn't know how to react... It had been so long since he had spoken to another adult that Mr. Owen that this situation seemed to him completely out of the ordinary. But he managed to control his mind as well as he could see that the person in front of him didn't show any hostility. He took a breath, then asked in a taciturn voice :
"Who are you ?"
The young woman continued to observe him without a word for several seconds, her face impassive. Then she took a few steps forward towards him, before stopping.
"My name is Maria Hill, Assistant Directorof SHIELD. We want to talk to you... Peter Benjamin Parker."
