Chapter 11: Natasha: So Lynn, Do You Think Steve's Still a Virgin?
Looking at Ronak, who was squatting on the ground, vomiting and crying.
Natasha walked over. "Mr. Ronak, are you okay?"
"Oh God, what did I do?"
Ronak grabbed Natasha's arm, kneeling on the ground and begging, "Please, Agent, please kill me. Let me atone to God!"
Seeing Ronak's agitated state, Natasha immediately tried to calm him.
As a professional, she knew how to calm people like Ronak down.
Once Ronak had finally settled, Natasha continued, "Mr. Ronak, this is the place where you and Professor Robertson were doing research with the Chitauri tech, right?"
At Natasha's question, Ronak finally realized he was now at the place where the nightmare began.
"No... I don't want to be here... I never want to set foot in this house again…"
Shaking his head in terror, Ronak scooted back with his legs, trying to get away.
Nearby, Steve frowned as he watched. His principles told him that forcing an innocent "victim" to relive a traumatic experience was inhumane.
He was just about to step in and stop Natasha.
But in his peripheral vision, he saw Lynn pick up a leaf from the ground, as if he'd found something strange about it.
Steve took a step over. "Detective Lynn, is there something wrong with this leaf?"
"Look."
Lynn held the leaf up to the sunlight, watching the dappled pattern the light made as it passed through.
He turned to Steve. "Do you see it?"
Steve took the leaf from Lynn and studied it.
"You mean… the color is wrong?"
"Exactly."
Lynn nodded. "There's a maple grove about two miles from here. Every year around October, tons of people drive out to see the scenery."
"But right now, the leaves on all the maples around here have turned red. This one maple leaf, however, is still green."
After speaking, Lynn waved Steve over and led him to a maple tree.
The tree's leaves were a beautiful, painted red. Steve crossed his arms. "Detective Lynn, is this tree also a problem?"
"It is. A big one. That leaf just now? I watched it fall from this very tree."
As he finished speaking, Lynn reached out and plucked a maple leaf from a branch.
Strangely enough, the leaf that was red on the tree...
Instantly turned green the moment Lynn picked it.
Steve was stunned by the sight.
He reached out and picked a leaf himself, watching the color change right before his eyes.
"I thought after sleeping for seventy years, nothing could surprise me anymore. Not even aliens tearing a hole in the sky to try and take over the Earth."
"But I have to say, this has surprised me again."
With that, Steve waved his hand, and two SHIELD agents ran over and began to examine the tree.
"Steve Rogers."
Steve held his hand out to Lynn, his expression serious. "Your observation skills are incredibly sharp. To be able to spot an anomaly like that without any specialized training... that's a real talent."
"Honestly, you should join SHIELD."
Lynn took Steve's offered hand and shook it.
But his expression was completely nonchalant. "You can just call me Lynn. I'm very happy over at the Manhattan precinct, so I have no plans to change jobs."
"Oh, right. Do you know what the hottest topic on the internet is right now?"
Hearing this, Steve Rogers smiled. "What is it?"
"Hundreds of thousands of people are debating whether or not the famous Captain Rogers is still a virgin."
Steve Rogers was no longer smiling.
"Hey, boys. What are you two discussing?"
Having calmed Ronak down, Natasha walked over, her voice a little husky. "You two seem to be having fun. Mind if I join?"
"We were just talking about the hottest topic online... whether Captain Rogers is still a…"
"Ahem!"
Before Lynn could finish, Steve coughed twice, cutting him off. "This isn't the time to talk about this."
"Let's check out this abandoned villa."
Finished, Steve Rogers took the lead, shield in hand, and walked into the house.
Watching Steve's back, Natasha shrugged at Lynn. "I'd bet 20 bucks he definitely still is."
"I don't think so."
Thinking of the conversation Hulk had with She-Hulk after drinking, Lynn said, "Don't forget, seventy years ago, after he got the super-soldier serum, he was on that USO tour to raise money for the war."
"I'm betting it happened back then."
***
Inside the villa.
The house, which hadn't been cleaned in days, was covered in dust.
But when the three of them, plus Ronak, got to the second floor, it was as clean as if it had been scrubbed just minutes ago.
They followed Ronak into a lab on the second floor.
A cylindrical machine, over six feet tall, stood in the middle of the room.
It was surrounded by a dense web of wires. On the floor was a fire axe and an uncleaned bloodstain.
Staring at the bloodstain, Ronak swallowed hard. "This is it. This is where Professor Robertson started the experiment. And then... that devil appeared from the purple light and bit the professor's head off."
As he remembered, Ronak's body trembled uncontrollably. "It was like it was eating a cookie... it just crushed Professor Robertson's head."
"Oh God, even now, I can still hear the sound it made... chewing his skull."
Seeing Ronak's terrified recollection, Steve stepped forward. "Calm down, Mr. Ronak. I promise you, no matter what happens, I will protect you."
Steve Rogers's reputation was still very high.
Especially after the military had promoted his heroic deeds for over seventy years for recruitment, and after the Battle of New York.
You could say that Steve Rogers's public approval rating now far exceeded anyone else's.
So, with his guarantee, Ronak's terrified expression slowly began to relax.
Seeing Ronak calm down, Steve turned to look at Natasha.
Only to find her and Lynn huddled together, whispering about something.
Noticing Steve's gaze, Natasha spoke up before he could ask. "This is about a 20-dollar bet, Steve. After this investigation is over, I expect you to answer our question honestly."
With that, Natasha walked over to the machine and began to examine it closely.
As for Lynn, he was standing idly by the window, admiring the view outside.
As if none of This had anything to do with him.
Death energy filled his pupils. Outside, the beautiful maple tree was now half-green, and half-withered.
It was a scene of stark contrast. And Lynn also sensed... faint traces of death energy, seeming to circulate within that machine.
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