"What happened?" Ace said as he got up.
He looked around and realized that he was in a hospital room.
Just like a few days before. However this time it was a private room where only the bed he was on was present.
"You are up. I am not expecting you to heal so soon" A sick-looking man with blonde hair and pale skin said to Ace.
"Oh. I have to introduce myself. I am Doctor Donald Blake. And this is my assistant, James Foster." He said as he extended his hand to Ace.
"Pleasure to meet you. I am Acelynn Evens" Ace said.
"I wanted to ask how long I passed out for," Ace asked Don Blake.
"It's around a month. But still, I thought It would take even longer for you to wake up considering you broke every bone in your body." James said to Ace.
"What happened to you?" Don Blake asked.
I don't think revealing information about the Hulk to the sick-looking doctor would harm me. Ace thought in his mind.
"I met the Hulk," Ace said.
"That means he is the one who...." James asked before stopping midway through her speech.
Ace nodded.
"I am surprised that you even survived," James said to Ace.
"I am too," Ace replied.
Ace didn't know that the Hulk was not someone who killed people and always held back.
The only reason why Ace was beaten up to the point of being near death is that Hulk realized that there was something wrong with Ace's body that allowed him to recover faster.
"Your hospital bill has already been paid by someone else. He also said to give an envelope when you wake up." Don Blake said to Ace.
"James." He said as the nurse gave Ace an envelope.
"From Director Fury." Ace read the letters that were on the envelope.
Then he opened the envelope to see a letter, a card and a check inside it.
He read the letter first.
Agent Acelynn Ciel Evans.
I am sorry to inform you that you have been let go from your duties as your injuries are too severe to continue acting as a Shield operative. Because of your contribution to Shield, you are eligible for a 30,000$ yearly payment. You can get the payment by using the identification card that was within the envelope. If you didn't receive the ID card or lost it you can contact Shield HR for a new one. All the payments that you are entitled to are deposited in your bank. Except for your reward which was in the envelope that this letter was in. Your belongings will be sent to you through a package during the next two days. For more information please contact Shield HR. From Nathen (Shield HR Manager).
He read the letter. He noticed that although it said it was from Fury, Nick Fury didn't write the letter.
"I see. They weren't expecting me to recover from my injuries." Ace said.
"I suppose it was very bad news." Don Blake asked Ace.
"It was a blessing in disguise," Ace said after looking at the number that was on the check.
It was 5 million dollars. Which was more than what he was expecting.
He thought that it might be the combination of his reward money for tracking, locating and fighting against Hulk and compensation for getting injuries that would leave a normal person permanently disabled.
With this amount of money, I could move to a more private place and set up my lab. Ace thought in his mind.
And I would also have a study income without having to work. Ace was happy and sad at the same time.
He knew he wanted to set up a lab and wanted to go into the scientific field but he was also sad about having to give up his agent life.
He hated his job but he was still a little sad when he had to stop doing it.
He just felt empty inside.
"Hulk. If only he stayed with the Avengers he could have been a renowned hero instead of a criminal." Don Blake said as he sighed.
Ace noticed that the way Don Blake addressed the Hulk was somewhat strange. It was like he was addressing someone that he knows instead of someone who is to be feared.
"I am going back," Ace said to Don Blake.
"Wait. Here take this walking staff with you." Don Blake said as he handed a walking stick to Ace.
"No thanks. I can walk on my own." Ace said as he got up and walked away from the humble little clinic.
------------------------------
I was asleep for a month. A lot of things happened in that period. Ace thought in his mind as he looked at a Newspaper stand.
On the cover of the newspaper, it shows a photo of the Avengers. However this time it seems to have different members.
There was Captain America, a woman in a red costume called Scarlet Witch, a man in a sky blue costume called Quicksilver and a man in a purple costume named Hawkeye.
Which was different from The Ironman, wasp, Antman, Hulk and Thor lineup that he knew.
"I knew Hulk left but why are they still keeping the name Avengers if no one from the original team is left?" Ace said as he walked past the newspaper stand.
He continued to walk home as his bike was also taken by the Shield after his firing.
He then realized that there was a possibility that Shield might trespass on his house to get their equipment back.
He quickly started to run towards his house.
At the entrance, he saw a box that was lying in front of the door.
He looked around before approaching the box.
Then he put his ear on the surface of the box to check whether there was a bomb or not.
He then shakes it to make sure before taking it into his house.
He opened the tape that was on the box with a box cutter and opened it.
It was the clothes and items that were inside his locker room in the shield helicarrier.
He also saw a note that told him to return the shield technology that was in his possessions. Whether it is broken or not.
The notes also said that he has to compensate 10k $ for every item that was missing on the list that comes along with the box.
Expect one item that he has to return no matter what otherwise he will be branded as a criminal.
There were Eight items on the list.
The tranquillizer gun that he took and the bike are excluded, meaning that Shield has already taken them.
"So this is the method they used to prevent Shield Agents from leaking Shield technology to the outside world," Ace said.
The list includes Shield Cameras that were created in collaboration with Stark Industries, the laser gun, two Shield uniforms (one of which is specifically designed for stealth missions and one which is made of bulletproof materials), a desert eagle, an AR 15 assault rifle, an m24 sniper rifle, an EMP device, Grappling Hook gun, portable UAV device and Shield ID card.
The ID card is something he has to return no matter what.
With the compensation and reward money, I can pay for all of them except for the ID, Ace thought in his mind.
I should write them a letter to tell them that I want to keep the other items as a souvenir.
They probably won't bug me as long as I give them the fine and the ID card back. He thought in his mind.
He didn't speak out aloud as he knew that there were still trackers and voice recorders that were in his room.
"Now that I have some cash with me I should move out of this place," Ace said.
He wanted to have some sort of privacy.
He hadn't done anything before as he was still working with Shield but now that he is an outsider.
So he wants to move out as fast as he can.
----------------------------
A few hours later at the Shield HQ.
"Sir. Former Agent Acelynn has given back the ID card and compensation money to the other equipment that he failed to send back." An agent said to a beautiful woman sitting at the table.
"Did you find some sort of clues that link him to other organizations like Hydra or other industries?" The woman asked.
"We have checked his browsing history, his emails, his contacts and the voice and video recordings that we got back from his house. He has no links. However, there were some purchases that he made not long ago that involved large amounts of unusual substances." the agent reported back.
"However the substances that he bought do not seem to be components of the equipment that he has at his disposal." The agent continued.
"Then it's not a big deal. Agent, you are dismissed." The woman replied.
"Yes, Miss Valentina." The agent replied.
-------------------------------
Two days have passed.
"This should do it," Ace said as he finished packing up all of the stuff that he was going to take with him to his new house.
He only took his clothes, and important items from his childhood, shield's new technology and disposed of pretty much most of his stuff by selling or throwing it away.
As there might be trackers from Shield that would try to keep an eye on him.
Those include his car, his bicycle(his bike has already been confiscated), and even old documents and papers from Shield.
He would use them if they were helpful but since he is a combatant most of the documents are just permission slips or other non-scientific papers.
He would have sold them but he didn't because he didn't want to become a criminal chased by the government.
He then dialled the number of a moving company.
The phone connected and as he was about to speak he was approached by a woman.
To be exact it was a girl. That possesses red hair.
She was wearing a black and yellow hybrid suit and had a mask covering her face.
"Sorry to interrupt you while you were on the phone. But I want to ask you, mister. Are you perhaps a mutant." She asked.
He ignored her and walked a few steps away from her to continue his call.
"Please. We already know you are a mutant from the professor. We wanted you to join the school for gifted young people to fight alongside us in making a better world for our kind." the girl said to Ace.
"Listen here missy. I just got fired from the biggest government organization in the world. I am not in the mood to join your circus parade." Ace said to Jean.
"Circus parade?" Jean was shocked when she heard Ace's words.
"Now you have five minutes to get out of my face or I will shoot you." He said as he pulled out his desert eagle and aimed at Jean's head.
It was a threat. But not an empty one.
"After all since you people possess terrifying power even if I shot you in the head I won't be branded as a criminal by the government," Ace said.
That was the moment that Jean knew that the person called Ace was not a noble person with a good heart.
"Are you willing to kill another mutant? Even though you know you are also a mutant." She asked him.
"I worked for Shield. Killing someone is still within my capabilities." Ace said to Jean.
He was someone who was willing to kill if he knew he could get away with it.
"Optic blast." Then suddenly a red energy beam hit the hand Ace which was holding a desert eagle and knocked it away.
The hand was visibly burnt however it healed with a green glow immediately after being burnt.
If the wound was on any other body organs Ace would have needed to make contact with the wound to his hands to heal within seconds of being burnt or he would have to wait hours to heal if he didn't make his hands have direct contact with the wound even with his fast regeneration speed.
After all, he was not someone from the Weapon X program so his regeneration abilities were not as good as someone from the wrapon X program.
He was a healer. Not a regenerating warrior.
I am already really tired from healing the wound. It seems like my abilities aren't that polished yet. Ace thought in his mind.
"And who might this gentleman be," Ace asked.
He always tried to be professional when he was in Shield because it was what he was supposed to do.
Shield was an organization that even taught its agent to say the word "blast" instead of cursing to avoid offending anyone.
A man wearing a golden visor with red vertical lines on his eyes walked out of the shadows as he looked directly at Ace.