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BOOOOOOOOM!
High above New York City, a sonic boom ripped through the night sky.
Hawk's figure, moving at Mach 50, streaked toward a small town near Augusta, Maine.
At the S.H.I.E.L.D. command center in New York, it was a quiet night. The agents on duty, with nothing major happening, were chatting idly.
Suddenly, a red alert box flashed across the main screen. The base's early warning system blared to life at the exact moment Hawk had gone supersonic.
"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"
"Shit!"
"What the hell is going on?"
"Massive unknown energy surge detected over New York City. Analyzing now."
"Got it."
A S.H.I.E.L.D. satellite locked on, and a moment later, Hawk's face appeared on the main screen.
The agents, who'd been scrambling just seconds earlier let out a collective sigh of relief.
'It's just Hawk... Probably on his way to fight Thor again.'
But then, one of the agents remembered. "Wait a minute. Didn't he just fight Thor yesterday?"
"What? Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I was the first one in this morning. I saw him and Thor re-entering the atmosphere. They just got back."
"So where the hell is he going?"
"Hold on."
"Maine. Near Augusta. We've lost the signal."
"GET THE COMMANDER ON THE LINE. NOW."
...
Chamberlain, Maine.
A small town with a population under two thousand. Even in a metropolis like New York, the streets were mostly empty at night. A small town like this was a ghost town.
Hawk slowed, hovering in the air above the main street completely unnoticed.
The streets were deserted.
Except for the occupants of a cherry-red sports car that was tearing down the street directly toward him.
There were two people inside. A man and a woman. Both of them looked terrified.
The girl in the passenger seat—who couldn't have been older than high school age kept glancing back over her shoulder, urging the driver to go faster.
The driver was older—a townie.
This was a classic pairing. The high school mean girl and the burnout townie boyfriend.
Just then, Hawk felt a burst of wild energy.
A girl in a red dress, her long red hair flowing behind her, appeared in the street, right in the path of the speeding car.
Is that blood?
Hawk's eyes narrowed.
The next second, he watched as the blood-soaked girl threw her arms wide and let out a furious scream. The ground beneath her feet cracked open, a jagged chasm tearing down the street, racing toward the now-slowing car.
BOOOOOOM!
The chasm caught up, and the asphalt in front of the car collapsed into a gaping, bottomless pit.
The driver slammed on the brakes just in time, the car screeching to a halt at the very edge of the chasm. He swore under his breath, then cranked the wheel hard, spinning the car around and gunning it straight back toward the girl.
The mean girl in the passenger seat was screaming.
"HIT HER! HIT HER! KILL THE BITCH, BILLY! RUN HER DOWN!"
"Shut up!"
Billy roared back, his hands clenched on the steering wheel. He took a deep, steadying breath—then stomped on the gas, muttering to himself, "I can do this. I can do this."
The car's engine roared.
The girl in the street just stood there, her face twisted with cold fury.
The outcome seemed obvious.
But—
Just as Billy was about to send the girl flying, she held out her right hand.
CRUNCH!
The car screeched to a dead stop, its front end crumpling as if it had struck a solid, invisible wall. Billy's head slammed against the steering wheel, knocking him unconscious as blood streamed from a gash on his forehead.
The mean girl, whose name was Chris—was thrown against the dashboard, dazed and disoriented.
Just then, the furious girl in the street raised her arms again.
The red sports car slowly began to levitate off the ground.
Inside, Chris who had just come to her senses saw the gas station just a few feet away. She looked back at the girl in the street—at the cold, terrifying smile on her face, and her eyes went wide with horror.
Just as Chris was about to scream…
The girl's power forced the unconscious Billy's foot down on the accelerator, and then the invisible barrier in front of them vanished.
The car shot forward and slammed into a gas pump.
The next second, Chris—having just unbuckled her seatbelt—was hurled forward. Her head smashed through the windshield, and her body was caught, impaled on the jagged glass, hanging half in and half out of the car—a grotesque human hood ornament.
The girl in the street walked slowly toward the wreck. She looked at Chris, now gurgling as blood streamed from her throat, and a wave of satisfaction washed over her.
...
Just then, a voice spoke from beside her. "Feeling better?"
The girl, Carrie, spun around, her hand lashing out. Telekinetic power shot toward Hawk.
He felt the force of the blast wash over him.
The white t-shirt he was wearing billowed and snapped in the invisible wind. But he didn't move.
"..." Carrie stared, shock written all over her face. She didn't know what surprised her more—the fact that her power had no effect on him, or the fact that he was wearing slippers.
Hawk had wanted to change first, but the Hell Witch had been insistent. She couldn't leave New York, and if he didn't go immediately, her descendant was going to be tortured to death.
Hawk looked at the girl standing before him, at the dried pig's blood matting her hair and crusting on her dress, at the rancid stench hanging thick in the air.
He walked over to the wreck and looked down at the dying girl trapped inside.
Chris stared up at him, eyes wide with terror, a gurgling breath escaping her lips. The next second, her eyes went glassy, and the life drained from her body.
Hawk pulled his hand back. "Revenge is one thing. Torture is another. It's not necessary—"
"What's your name?"
"...Carrie."
Hawk ignored the smell. "That's a beautiful name."
Just then, three black SUVs sped down the street and screeched to a halt nearby.
Carrie looked at them, panic washing over her in waves. She was just a high school student. A moment ago, she'd felt like a God, drunk on her newfound power.
But now the adrenaline was fading, replaced by cold, creeping dread. Just as she was about to run, the man in the slippers spoke again.
"Don't worry. I'm here."
His voice was calm. She reminded him of his sister. If Anya had lived, she would have been about her age.
The doors of the SUVs opened, and a group of men in black suits and sunglasses got out.
They walked toward him, but before they could speak, Hawk cut them off.
"S.H.I.E.L.D?"
"Uh… yes. Mr. Hawk…"
"Tell Sharon to call me tomorrow."
With that, he wrapped an arm around the stunned, blood-soaked girl and launched them both into the sky without hesitation.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents just stood there, speechless.
Finally, one of them spoke. "Team Leader…?"
"Report to Command."
"Yes, sir."
"Let's go. I want to know what the hell happened at that high school."
...
Back in New York, Gwen sat in her living room, engaged in a curious conversation with the Hell Witch, who remained wreathed in blue flames.
Just then, Hawk and Carrie appeared in the backyard.
"Holy shit." Gwen saw them walk in from the back door and cried out in shock. "What happened?"
"It's a long story..."
Hawk looked at her. "This is Carrie. Can you get her a shower and some clean clothes? We can talk later."
Gwen nodded.
"Thanks. I'm going to go change too."
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If you're interested, you can read advanced chapters:
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
~# Bonus Chapter every 300PS