Chapter 60: Proto Goblins
Manhattan, New York
Snowfall had begun to fall over the city. A sense of normalcy should have permeated the area, but the night seemed especially chilly. He bristled and pulled his coat closer, looking around expecting something that didn't occur, making him analyze the situation deeply.
'Something new in the air?' He theorized that his power over heat and cold stabilized his shivering.
"Anything that is happening that I need to be aware of." He asked.
The A.I. Alfred had yet to respond. Still, articles and feeds filled his vision, superimposing over the creeping snow that fell alarmingly.
Like a statue, he stood there relaying feeds and reading reports. Cole's mind began its work at a heightened pace; his mind passively categorized segments, plans formed, and old ones were wiped from his mind. Cole hadn't known now but had been developing at a valuable rate.
"Unbelievable, Iron Monger and Iron Man had started their fight across greater New York on the night the city had been attacked by red goblins created by Oscorp," Cole said in a monotonous voice.
"There is a group capturing the red goblins," Anne said over the secured line.
"Known or Uknown." He said in the same voice from earlier.
"Ah. I have no idea who they are. Are you okay?" Anne asked; he felt Angelica's usual pry over his shoulder as she loaded what he saw on her side.
Cole shook his head, his steel grey eyes dimming to their normal appearance.
"Yeah. I'm fine." Cole responded, pulling Anne's feeds up and looking them over. He recognized the logo and was surprised.
"Howling Commandos, S.H.I.E.L.D. boogie man squad. The strange part is that I assumed they came afterward and not before The Avengers, or were they first?" Cole said, continuing.
"Avengers," Anne muttered before a snap was heard over the open line. "Yeah, the Avenger Initiative; I've read that file already."
"I'm surprised you did that,' Cole said teasingly over the line.
"I bet I could sur-"
"Guys, please," Angelica groaned; Cole and Anne laughed aloud before they went back to discussing the new group on the scene.
"So with that, I want you two to avoid them; the last thing you want is Fury focusing on you for his Avengers goal." They cut the line and
returned to cleaning up the goblins; Cole remained on course, hoping to catch the first.
Cole had obtained many rewards from the System. It wouldn't be far-fetched if he said that he couldn't or wouldn't use most of the things he had.
System message: Proto-goblins slaughtered. Proto Goblins Relationship: Murderous. Howling Commandos Relationship: Investigating. Rewards: $8,000. Building Upgrade Token.
'Useful and quite needed.' He thought to himself. He decided to use it on the Redoubt. At the most, it would make Angelica happy. It was a thank-you for her outing tonight.
Because he knew he wouldn't use most of the stuff he received, he gave the majority of the things to Angelica and Anne. For example, the Stargate tech had been a windfall and had been something he equipped. Cole could hide the rings when not in use.
Anne had taken to the Kara'Kesh and its sister ring almost as if she had been trained. From the footage he had seen, she had been improving, blurring the lines between human and super-soldier; currently, she could move like a professional athlete as she took down the goblins. Firestar had been more reserved, firing her sidearm and taking to the skies to dodge groups.
As he was actively being careful, he ensured no surveillance was on them that wasn't under his control. But this was Marvel, so he needed to find out if he covered all bases.
He ran across the roofs of the buildings like a man possessed, demonic in his dealings. It was amazing how his control increased. He was sure it was the system implantation of knowledge.
He had happened upon many scenes tonight that warranted a hero's response. It just happened there weren't any around. Seeing scenes that he knew occurred off-panel and witnessing them in real life was surreal.
"No, please." a man down below begged and pleaded as his teenage son was dragged off by a goblin into the darkness of an alley; his wife lay on the ground, her intestines outside her body, her eyes glazing over as the heat slowly fled her body.
He had stopped above the couple, his figure shaded in the roof's darkness and the building's angle; the only thing that could be seen was the cigarette that hung haphazardly in his mouth.
He inhaled, burning away the cigarette, his habit born of his persona, and readied his Rifle. The Rifle thrummed in his hand, archaic runic words and designs glowing in the night. He exhaled, releasing the smoke and firing the Rifle; the goblin holding the boy dropped, and the other three turned enraged.
He dropped from the roof and landed in a crouch. The husband shuffled back, shocked; the teen was unconscious. He stood the Rifle on his shoulder, staring back at the goblins.
"Please, help him." Cole turned his head and looked past the man toward his wife; he had noted her death, her passing at least witnessed by him. He nodded his head and strolled away; the man wailed and screamed before not noticing the Husks burning where they stood, the beats closer turned to ash.
"Thermokinesis is an Interesting ability." He said aloud. He was sure he could fly under his powers now, especially if he pushed himself. He had returned to the roofs moving across the besieged city.
System message: Proto-goblins immolated. Proto Goblins Relationship: Murderous. Howling Commandos Relationship: Investigating. Rewards: $8,000. FN P90.
....
....
He had been bombarded with systems prompts, the goblins giving him an assortment of items. He had even gotten Batman Cape. He wasn't sure if he would ever adorn a cape.
Cole H.U.D. was populated with battles across Manhattan. Spider-man had healed fast and arrived in Manhattan. The Sinister Six had hit their target and went to the ground. He had an idea of their location but needed more time to verify. Whatever they took was owed to him after the mess they had caused.
Cole felt as if he was watching a turning point in the story. He knew that Norman would die tonight once he had gotten the mission, and it wouldn't be by his hand; unfortunately, that was Parker's job. Cole would miss out on what he knew would be a great reward.
Daredevil and Misty Knight were in the city. Luke Cage had hung back with Jessica. He had no idea what they planned. Another group had been fighting back; he scrutinized them as one of the women's faces was familiar.
Cole snapped his finger as the memory returned; he also burned a swath of goblins that cleared up his region as he went further to where Nader was sighted last.
"Daughters of The Dragon." He muttered, scaling a building, his pitched black nails sharpening into pointed claws as he effortlessly made his way up the side.
He darted across the top of the building, his long coat billowing behind him. "Misty and Felicity are missing," he said aloud. He jumped between the towers, dodging the checkpoints and roadblocks.
"Silver Sable and Colleen Wing." He said, as the faces of the two were shielded, little did that do against him. He recognized the outfits, both of them in their ultimate version costumes.
Cole had been filled in by the System on what occurred to his parents, but it was also something the York boy had witnessed and suppressed. He had yet to learn of the connections with The Daughters of The Dragon or The Defenders. The group had also been part of Luke Cage and Iron Fist Hero for hire.
Silver Sable, on the other hand, was actively looking for him. Her partner and friend Collen worried she didn't have a lot of family left, and the ones she had she cherished, a quirk of hers, developed from a young age losing her mother; she was a staunch supporter of family and would help Jeremy York return to the right path when they met.
He had no idea if Angelica had kept ties to the group, but he sent her the video. She was asked to assist them. It seems the Daughters of The Dragon's attack on The Hand tonight had led both parties to be attacked by the savage creatures.
An explosion reverberated in the distance. The Green Goblin had arrived, and Spider-Man and him were spinning through the sky, Parker and Norman exchanging blows atop the military-grade hover cruiser. It felt like Cole was watching the movie again, although certain elements changed; Goblin had a clear advantage, perhaps because Parker did not possess the symbiote.
"Sir-" Alfred started.
"I'm aware, Alfred; thank you for having my six." Cole acknowledged.
"My pleasure, Sir." The artificial intelligence said, going back to silence, working on whatever projects were assigned.
As his proximity sensors blared as he summoned his Katana without the sheath, the magical metals gleamed against the moonlight. He glanced into the distance as if he could see the two specks swirling through the air from his position; in reality, he was watching the H.U.D.