Alright my friends, I'm back with another chapter. I just want to thank my Beta, Darkest Nightmare's Dread for his help. He's an amazing beta, and you should really check him out. I'm happy to have him on my team for the long haul, and trust me, there is a lot of work to do with Predator. Also, I really want you guys to please tell me who you think the villain is. I really want to hear back from my loyal readers. Can you please tell me? Once again I hope you guys like this chapter.
"How's he doing?' Ava asked Dr. Connors as she observed Andrew sitting on his bed in the medical ward.
"He's not very happy," Dr. Connors began as he looked up from a clipboard that had Andrew's vitals on it, "but I think he knows I'm keeping him here for good reasons."
"What are those reasons exactly?" Ava asked, needing a breath of fresh air "I was not around when the 'incident took place."
"Where should I get started?" The Doctor asked as he turned to face her.
"Please start from where you think this started, and what caused it," Ava requested.
Doc Connors nodded. "Apparently, a few hours after the attack from HYDRA, another Academy student reported that Andrew was having unusual-," he paused as he tried to think of a good term for it.
"Unusual what?" Ava pressed.
"-Behavior," the doctor finished cautiously.
Ava turned to look at him with a frown. "Who reported the unusual behavior?" she pressed.
"It was Iron Spider and Squirrel Girl who brought this matter to my attention," the doctor informed her as he walked over to an electronic monitor and pressed a small button. The monitor emitted a complete holographic projection of Andrew, including his vital organs.
"I was great in science in all," Ava said as she eyed the holographic projection, "but what am I supposed to be looking at?" She asked as she tried to figure out what the doctor wanted her to see.
"That scan was taken upon Andrews arrival at the Academy about a month ago. Notice how everything is in order, and notice the blue color around his brain," Connors pointed out as he walked closer to the display in order to point out what he was talking about.
"Alright." Ava said as she looked it up and down, "but that doesn't answer my question as to what I'm supposed to be looking for or at." she said as she crossed her arms for extra emphasis.
"This scan," Connors began as he pushed another button which brought up another projection, but this one had a very noticeable difference. "Notice how his brain is now-"
"Red," Ava finished for him.
"Precisely," Connors said as he walked back over to her. "It appears that whatever that brain beam did to him is affecting Andrew more than it did the others. You were also hit by it, but you feel any different?" Connors asked her, which caused Ava to think for a minute. In her honest opinion, she felt completely fine.
"I feel totally normal, Dr. Connors," Ava answered him, attempting to put a smile on her face for the extra emphasis. It came out as more like a lemon-sucking grimace.
"I thought so, as it seems you and everyone is fine, except for Andrew," Connors said as he drew her attention to the hologram once more. "The incident I called you for is that about two hours ago, Predator and Iron Spider where fighting in a training exercise, and Predator acted a little more aggressive than usual," he said as he pulled up a security tape.
Ava was surprised by what she saw. Predator was running in, swinging like an angry person who had too much to drink. Iron Spider was dodging left and right, trying to avoid the wildly swinging fists. "Hold still, bug!" Andrew shouted.
Iron Spider ignored him, dodging the strikes. "Calm down, Predator!" He shouted.
"I am no calm!" Predator shouted as he backed away to charge in for another slugging attempt. Iron Spider dodged the attack and hit Andrew in the back of the head. The angry hero stumbled forward, and stopped. He had been angry just a moment before, but now he seemed confused. "What happened?" He asked.
"You tried to Hulk Smash me. That's what happened," Iron Spider replied.
Andrew shook his head. "It's gotta be that HYDRA beam," he said. "I haven't felt right since getting hit by that thing, and I hate that!"
"Hey. Calm down," Iron Spider said, raising his hands. "We'll have Doc Connors look at you. Maybe he'll be able to help you."
"Yeah. You're right," Predator replied as the two armored heroes walked out of the training room.
"That's not all," Doc Connors said to Ava. "I found this," he added, pointing to the original holographic display of Andrew. He highlighted an area on the neck area of Andrew's armor. "See anything strange there?" He asked.
Ava leaned toward the display. She saw nothing at first, but then she saw something. "What is that?" She asked.
"I don't know," Doc Connors admitted. "It's too scratched to make out clearly, but if I were to guess, it looks kinda like a snake's head. I'm guessing that Andrew's got some secrets that he hasn't told us about. I don't have any proof, though. I need more information before I can ask any questions. I'll have to report my findings to Director Fury. He'll be able to ask Predator the questions needed."
Ava nodded. "Thank goodness it isn't the HYDRA symbol, though," she noted.
"I agree," Doc Connors replied, "but at least if he was former HYDRA, we'd be able to get valuable intel from him." Ava nodded, and left the room, wondering what that symbol was, and what skeletons Andrew had in his closet, so to speak. She also wondered why the beam had affected him so greatly, and why Agent Venom and Iron Spider weren't affected at all.
-Meanwhile-
"There are no new messages," the cellphone said. Omeran put the device back in her pocket, and she looked at her watch. It read 5:30 PM. She decided to visit her favorite club. The beer was good, and people minded their own business there, which the pale woman enjoyed. She didn't like people prying into her business.
The streets were clogged with people trying to get wherever it was they were trying to go, and the recent HYDRA incident had further slowed traffic down to half the snail's crawl it usually was. Omeran didn't care, though. She walked through a couple alleys, knowing a shortcut to the club. Someone came up behind her, knife in his hand. "Give me your money," the mugger growled, slowly waving the knife around.
"No," Omeran deadpanned. "I have no reason to give you money."
"Oh, really?" The mugger asked, waving the knife in Omeran's face.
The pale woman's eyes narrowed. "Get that knife out of my face, or you will regret it," she said. The mugger didn't move, so Omeran turned away. "I do not have time for this," she said.
"Don't you turn your back on me!" The mugger yelled. Before he could move, his knife was kicked out of his hand. "Whuh?" The mugger asked, but before he could get anything else out, the same foot slammed into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.
"I told you. I do not have time for this," Omeran said coldly before walking out of the alley.
A policeman walked to the entrance of the alleyway. "Is everything alright, ma'am?" He asked.
Omeran ran to him, panting heavily. "Officer, help me! That man just tried to mug me!" She said, sounding distressed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
The officer gasped, and glared at the mugger. "This wouldn't be the first time we've had to deal with him," he said, walking over to the mugger. "Alright, you. Time to go back to the cooler."
Omeran ran away, panting heavily. As soon as she was out of sight of the officer, she began walking normally, her breathing settling down to a normal pace. "Too easy," she said as she brushed the tears away, allowing a small smile to appear on her face. She didn't enjoy interacting with police too much, but she could use the fact that she looked like a cancer survivor to her advantage.
Within a few minutes, Omeran walked into the club that was her destination. "So, the usual?" The bartender asked, recognizing Omeran by her bald head.
Omeran nodded, and she quickly got a Scotch. She wasn't particularly picky as so what her alcohol was, considering whatever it was, she never got drunk. She wasn't a fan of sake, though. It brought back some poor memories for her, memories she would rather forget. Halfway through her cup of Scotch, her phone rang. She knew who it was because only one person had her number. "What is it, Tony?" She asked in her usual flat tone.
"Chill has been given the green light to begin his job," Tony replied. "You are to give him assistance if he needs it."
Omeran nodded. "I see," she said neutrally. "You know where to find me," she added, hanging up. She looked at the bartender, who was looking at her with a confused look. "My boss," she said simply. "He may need my help."
The bartender nodded. "Keep out of trouble, young lady," he said.
Omeran nodded, and walked out of the club after paying for and finishing the Scotch. She had no intention of staying out of trouble. "It always finds me," she thought, walking back to her apartment.
To be continued…
Edited by Darkest Nightmare's Dread
