"You're telling me the people who transported the Super Soldier Serum that day were from the Air Force?"
Rosen lay back against the headboard, his voice a low murmur in the quiet of the apartment. Jessica was curled against his chest, the morning light filtering through the curtains and painting her skin in soft shades of gold. The battle—both the massacre in the warehouse and the passionate marathon that followed—had left a lingering haze in the room, but Rosen's mind was already clicking back into tactical mode.
"That's what I found," Jessica said, her voice still raspy from sleep and tears. "I tracked down the police officer who handled the original accident report. After a little... persuasion, he admitted that the chemical truck came from an Army research institute, but the driver and the escorts? They were Air Force personnel."
Air Force?
Rosen frowned, his hand absently tracing patterns on Jessica's arm. The timeline was messy. Jessica's accident, the birth of the Hulk, and Emil Blonsky's injection all happened in close succession, centered around California. All signs pointed to General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, the Army General obsessed with recreating Captain America.
But there was a problem. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ross was Army through and through. The rivalry between US military branches was legendary—they fought each other over budget and jurisdiction almost as fiercely as they fought the enemy. General Ross, a man of immense pride, would sooner shut down his program than let the Air Force get their hands on his serum.
So, why would Air Force personnel be driving an Army truck full of experimental chemicals?
"Unless they weren't really Air Force," Rosen thought, his eyes narrowing.
Two possibilities:
1 Joint Operation: Highly unlikely given Ross's ego.
2 Theft: Someone inside the military, disguised as Air Force, stole the shipment from under Ross's nose.
Rosen's mind immediately jumped to General Hale—the Air Force officer who would later be revealed as a high-ranking HYDRA operative in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..
"Of course," Rosen realized with a dark smile. "It's Hydra. It's always Hydra."
It made perfect sense. Hydra had infiltrated every level of the US government. When they learned Ross had restarted the Super Soldier program and successfully enhanced Blonsky (even with severe side effects), they would have moved heaven and earth to get a sample. The accident wasn't just bad luck; it was a botched heist.
And sending street gangs to silence Jessica? That was Hydra's MO for low-level threats. If it were Captain America, they'd send a strike team or the Winter Soldier. But for an "ordinary high school student" poking around? Gangs were cheap, deniable assets.
"The game changes tomorrow," Rosen said, breaking the silence.
"Why?" Jessica looked up, blinking innocently. "We burned the bodies. We cleaned the apartment. There's no evidence."
Rosen sighed, a mix of affection and exasperation washing over him. She was powerful, but she was still so painfully naive about how the world worked.
"We cleaned up the crime scene," Rosen corrected her. "But the people who sent those gangs already know you're investigating. The fact that an entire stronghold of armed thugs went silent overnight? That's not a coincidence. It's a message. And do you really think organizations like that need a court order or forensic evidence to come after you?"
Jessica frowned. "Let them come. I'm not afraid of them."
There was a fierce, almost cute defiance in her tone. She was riding high on the realization that she was bulletproof against small-arms fire. She had dismantled a gang single-handedly. To her, she felt invincible.
"Jessica," Rosen said, his voice serious. "You fought thugs with 9mm pistols. Do you think the people behind this will stop there? Do you think your skin can stop a .50 caliber sniper round from a mile away? Can you shrug off a rocket-propelled grenade? If the military—or whoever is pulling the strings—decides you're a threat, they won't send gangsters. They'll send a kill squad. Or worse, they'll send someone like the Hulk."
Jessica stiffened. The cold reality of his words hit her like a bucket of ice water. She imagined herself surrounded not by street punks, but by tanks and helicopters.
"Then... what do I do?" she asked, her voice small. "I can't just stop investigating. My family..."
"We put the investigation on hold," Rosen said firmly. "For now. Instead, I have a better idea."
He sat up, looking her in the eye. "Didn't you want to be a superhero? Go be one. Be loud. Be flashy. Save cats from trees, stop bank robberies, throw cars at bad guys. Make sure the cameras see you."
"What? Why?"
"Because if you're a public figure—a celebrated hero—it becomes much harder for them to disappear you," Rosen explained. "If 'Jewel' or 'Knightress' suddenly vanishes, people ask questions. More importantly, if you make enough noise, you'll attract the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D.."
He paused, letting the plan form fully in his mind. "S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't perfect, but they collect powered people. If they recruit you, or even just monitor you, Hydra will hesitate. They won't want to risk exposing themselves by attacking a SHIELD asset in broad daylight. It buys us time."
It also gave Rosen a wedge. He had no intention of joining the Avengers, but having an insider—a loyal ally—within their ranks? That was invaluable.
"But you're not ready," Rosen added, critiquing her. "I watched you fight yesterday. You're all brute force. You have no technique, no discipline. You tank hits you should be dodging. Against a trained fighter, you'd be dismantled."
"So, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying school is in session," Rosen grinned. "I'm going to train you. And I'm going to build you some gear that actually protects you."
Rosen wasn't a martial arts master in his old life, but the Watcher template came with thousands of years of elven combat memories. Maiev Shadowsong was a warden, a jailor, and an assassin. She knew how to fight opponents stronger than herself. He could teach Jessica how to use her strength efficiently.
"I'll listen to you," Jessica said, nodding obediently. The fear was gone, replaced by determination.
She had a dream of being a hero. Now, she had a mentor to show her how.