The SHIELD agent's boots echoed against the concrete as she led Henri deeper into the abandoned warehouse.
The place smelled like gunpowder and antiseptic. Tactical crates lined the walls. A flickering light bulb swayed above them like a ticking clock.
Henri kept glancing back toward the sealed metal door.
> There's a symbiote out there. A real one. I almost died. Again.
He couldn't stop shivering.
"Sit," the woman barked.
Henri dropped onto a dented metal chair.
She stood tall—early thirties, cropped black hair, sharp cheekbones, sidearm holstered at her hip. Her black vest was marked with white letters: S.H.I.E.L.D. FIELD OPS – 11 EAST.
"Name again?" she asked, crossing her arms.
"Henri Cross."
She narrowed her eyes. "No record of you. No ID. No digital trail. Not even facial recognition."
He tried to hide the way his hands trembled.
"I—I don't know how that's possible. I just… showed up here."
"You were unconscious five feet from a symbiote nest, and then you sprinted like a trained operative." Her voice hardened. "You wearing alien tech, Cross?"
Henri blinked. "Alien?"
> Not yet. But give me time.
---
🧠 Upgrade System v1.0
> [1 Upgrade Point Available]
[Skill Tree: Unlocked]
[Would you like to view your Skill Tree? Y/N]
---
> YES.
Suddenly, a 3D interface bloomed in his vision—like a branching web of glowing icons. Each node pulsed faintly blue or gray.
He scanned the titles.
🧩 Skill Tree Overview
⚙️ Engineering Path
▪ Basic Mechanics
▪ Circuit Integration
▪ Adaptive Design
▪ Energy Core Assembly (LOCKED)
▪ Nano-Print Blueprinting (LOCKED)
🧠 Cognitive Path
▪ Speed Reading
▪ Advanced Logic
▪ Neural Overclocking (LOCKED)
▪ Tactical Memory Recall (LOCKED)
🦾 Physical Path
▪ Pain Resistance
▪ Agility Boost
▪ Muscle Threading (LOCKED)
▪ Enhanced Reflexes (LOCKED)
> Only the first tier is unlocked. Higher tiers need points or quest completions.
Henri exhaled. "Okay, first upgrade…"
---
🔹 [Skill Acquired: Basic Mechanics]
> Enables real-time understanding and repair of low-tech machinery.
Can analyze simple weapons, electronics, or mechanical systems.
---
The effect was instant. His mind felt… clearer. He looked at a damaged comms headset on the table and instantly understood the internal design: where it broke, how to reroute the circuits, how to rebuild it.
> I could fix this with a battery, some solder, and about 30 seconds.
The SHIELD agent tilted her head. "You twitching for a reason?"
"No," Henri lied. "Just… nerves."
Her hand hovered near her weapon. "You're not a civilian. You act like one, but I've seen trained reactions before."
He forced a nervous laugh. "I'm just lucky."
"Hmm."
Suddenly, her comms earpiece crackled. A voice came through—muffled, urgent.
> "Command, this is Delta-11. Symbiote signatures increasing. At least three confirmed spawns in the lower district."
> "Stay clear. We're evacuating all non-enhanced."
The agent cursed. "We've got to move."
"Move where?"
"To a SHIELD extraction point—if we can make it across 47th."
Henri hesitated. "I'm coming with you?"
"Unless you want to be symbiote chow."
She tossed him a taser baton from a gear locker.
He fumbled it, blinking. "Is this going to do anything?"
"It'll piss them off for two seconds. So don't miss."
---
🚨 [New Quest: Extraction Protocol]
> Objective: Reach SHIELD evac point at District 47
Distance: 0.9 miles
Bonus Objective: Retrieve Tech Cache at Block 4C
Time Limit: 40 minutes
Reward: +1 Upgrade Point
Bonus: Unlock "Energy Core Assembly" Skill
---
Henri's HUD flickered.
> Another quest. Alright... let's go.
---
🏙️ Streets of War
The city looked like a war zone.
Windows shattered. Police barricades destroyed. Flames licked the sides of abandoned cars.
And the sky—dark, oily clouds twisted in impossible shapes. The symbiote presence was doing something to the atmosphere.
Henri and the agent sprinted through alleys, cutting corners, ducking under fallen signs.
Every noise made his heart pound.
He held the baton like a sword he didn't know how to use.
> "So what's your name?" he asked between breaths.
"Agent Ryler."
"Are we gonna make it?"
Ryler didn't answer.
---
They turned onto 45th. A distant roar froze Henri in place.
A massive creature leapt from the rooftops—a hulking, half-humanoid mass of slime and teeth. It was not Venom. Not Carnage.
Something worse.
"Move!" Ryler yelled.
Henri dove behind a car as Ryler rolled forward, slamming her baton into a fire hydrant valve. Water blasted upward.
The symbiote howled in agony, its body twitching and steaming.
"Water and sound," she hissed. "Only two things that hurt them."
> Note to self: find speakers.
Henri's mind raced. He opened the system again.
---
🧠 Upgrade Opportunity Available
> [Scrap Metal nearby]
[Loose wiring]
[Old boom box]
Combine to create:
📢 Sonic Disruption Device v0.1
> Requires: Basic Mechanics ✅
Energy Source: Unavailable ❌
Would you like to proceed?
---
Henri's eyes darted to the open electronics store across the street.
"Cover me!" he shouted.
"You're insane!" Ryler replied.
Henri ran anyway.
Glass crunched under his boots. He dove over a counter, ripping out speaker wire and yanking the guts from an old stereo.
> No battery... wait— he spotted a glow under the desk.
A backup generator. Half-dead.
[Upgrade Option: Rechargeable Mini-Core]
[Convert to Energy Source? Y/N]
> YES!
The components reformed in his hands, snapping together into a handheld speaker-box with a glowing blue coil.
He stepped outside, aimed it at the creature, and hit PLAY.
---
🎶 [EMITTING SONIC FREQUENCY – 120 dB] 🎶
The monster screeched. Its body convulsed. Chunks of slime flew from its limbs.
Ryler fired her taser baton straight into its chest.
It exploded into black mist.
Henri dropped the speaker, panting.
Ryler stared at him, stunned. "What the hell are you?"
Henri forced a grin.
> "I guess I'm upgrading."
---
🎉 Quest Complete!
[Extraction Protocol – Complete]
Reward: +1 Upgrade Point
Bonus: Tech Cache Retrieved
🧠 Skill Unlocked: Energy Core Assembly
---
Back at the evac point, SHIELD agents hustled refugees into transports. Drones circled the skies.
Henri collapsed onto a bench, exhausted.
His HUD pinged again.
---
🧠 Upgrade System – Level Up
New Feature Unlocked: Blueprint Archive
> You may now SAVE crafted items as blueprints
Saved: Sonic Disruption Device v0.1
Next save slot: 3
---
A SHIELD officer walked up.
"Cross, right?"
Henri nodded weakly.
The man studied his wristband. "That tech. It's not StarkTech. Not Wakandan. We scanned it… and we don't recognize it at all."
> Of course you don't. It's from the System.
"Director Fury wants to speak with you."
Henri sat up straight.
> Oh no.
---
🔻 END OF CHAPTER 2