"So, what are we doing right now?" I asked Lynn who's busy with a laptop by my side.

"We're searching for a possible trace in any unnatural events that can lead us to find other superheroes." Lynn replied without raising her head.

"Mope around and do nothing. Got it."

We're currently in a pop-up shop in New York Times Square that sells matcha drinks with churros. This has been our meeting place as of lately because of their amazing churros. Lynn especially likes this place; and as for me, it's not half-bad either. I get to eat delicious snacks. For free. Lynn has a lot of money so it's okay.

By the way, I've been curious for a while now. So while we're still doing nothing, I asked Lynn something I've thought of a long time ago.

"Lynn. Where do you get all that money? What's your parent's business anyway?" I asked while taking a bite out of the sweet churros. Mm-hmm. Tasty.

"Huh? I haven't told you?"

"Besides you being filthy rich, I don't know anything."

"Is that so?" Lynn then raised her head and sighed. "Well. It's not a secret anyway so I might as well tell you first-hand."

Lynn closed her laptop as she started speaking.

"When I was a child, my parents died in a car accident. I was 6 at that time, I think? My parents are living far away from their families, so no other relatives came to get me. I ended up in an orphanage. The people were kind there. And the kids were all orphans like me, so I got along with them pretty well."

Lynn also took a bite out of her sprinkled churros.

"If waff untiw thiff maw--"

"Don't speak while chewing your food."

After being reprimanded, Lynn obediently finished chewing first before speaking again.

"As I said, it was until this man adopted me. At first, I thought that he was a bad man because of how he looks. But I found out that he was actually kind. Especially to me. He even supported me when I said that I wanted to be a journalist!"

"Hoh? What's his name?"

"Wilson Fisk."

"Fisk? As in Fisk Industries?"

While I asked in bewilderment, Lynn simply nodded. "Yep."

"You own that huge ass building near the Empire State?"

"Yep! That's the one!" Lynn happily cheered.

This might be the biggest shock I experienced yet. However, it did make sense if she's affiliated with that company. She can dish out money like it was a normal paper so her father must be very supportive of her.

By the way, the tower I'm talking about is the Fisk Industries tower that's on par with the Empire State building and Stark tower in terms of height. It is located at 439 West 38th Street (on the corner of West 38th Street and 5th Avenue), just north of the Empire State building and a few blocks southeast of the Bank of America tower.

And about her name; Lynn told me that her father allowed her to use her mother's last name, so she hasn't changed it since that's the case.

Hmmm. I think I need to somehow thank her father for all the games that she's been giving me, so I put it in mind to pay a visit later. Also—

"Is that you, Finn?"

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a voice that called out my name. I looked at the source and saw a man in his early 30s. He's a tall man with a scholarly look on him. His hair was mostly brown, but a strip of grey stood out on his temples. I searched my memories of him until something clicked.

"Reed?" I asked.

"Yeah, Reed Richards. You still remember me? Hahahaha that's good. I thought you wouldn't wake up from your coma."

Lynn by the side asked who he was, so I replied with my hazy memory. "He was my senior at Columbia University, I think. He was always building these crazy stuffs while I sometimes drop by his lab to observe."

"Right, right! I was studying for my sixth degree there when you're pestering me to create those video game consoles. Hahaha but I'm really glad you woke up from your coma, Finn. You changed a lot these past few years, huh."

I replied a smile from what he said. Yeah, you changed a lot too. The last time I saw you, you still didn't have that unknown energy inside your body. You also didn't have any superpowers. Just what happened while I'm in a coma?

Reed suddenly exclaimed. "Ah, by the way. Let me introduce you to my wife, Susan Storm."

Pointing at his side, a slender woman emerged. She is the perfect archetype of an American woman: long, blonde hair and blue eyes. She's at least 5'6 in height.

"Hello, nice to meet you. You can call me Sue, if you want." Susan introduced herself. Yep, this one too has the same unknown energy like Reed.

Naturally, it would be rude to not introduce myself after they did; so I introduced myself first and then introduced Lynn.

"Uh, this is my colleague at work, Lynn Walsh."

After that, Reed and Susan also bought matcha with sweet churros and sat down with us. Lynn and Susan got along pretty well, while I and Reed talked about the college days. I told him that after I dropped out of college, I got into an accident and went into comatose for two years.

Reed also told me what happened after he graduated. He was offered a job and worked in the megacorporation called Von Doom Industries, who specializes in technology research. Then, he strangely fast-forwarded his story to where he and Susan got married. I see, he was hiding the fact that he and Susan have powers.

After conversing for an hour, Reed and Susan bid their farewells. Reed said they're on their way to a doctor to see if Susan is pregnant. I congratulated them in advance and watched as they disappeared from the crowd.

"Meeting old friends unexpectedly brings out the 'human' in me, huh..." I muttered to myself. Well, it was maybe because Reed is the only friend that I made during college, so that's probably it.

"Huh? Huh? What's that?"

Lynn pointed at the middle of Times Square. A convoy of black cars suddenly surrounded a man. The man has a buff build, enough to call him the embodiment of muscle-builders. He has blonde hair and a face that looks like a perfectly sculpted Greek god. The man looks confused as he scanned his surroundings.

Then, several men in black suits came out of the cars. They prevented others from entering the encirclement that they have made. In one of the cars, a familiar man suddenly walked out.

'Hmmm. Isn't this Nick Fury?'

Right, the man who came out was Nick Fury. Black skin, bald head, and a distinct eyepatch on his left eye. The man who talked to Stark about the Avengers Initiative, a project to band superheroes together. He approached the buff guy and talked about something. It seems like he was successful in convincing the buff guy about something as the buff guy entered the car.

Before Fury entered the car, I met eyes with him for a second.

I know what those looks meant. And I instantly knew I f*cked up.

I remembered the Harlem incident in which I forgot to erase the trace of my ice magic in a hurry to leave.

So that's it. I suppose it's safe to say that I'm being watched now. That irritates me somehow. I guess I'll do something about it later on.

I watched them leave as I sipped on my matcha drink.

"?!?!?!"

Crap. What is it now?

I suddenly felt a very strong darkforce from a distance. It was not too far away from me, so my senses were greatly influenced by it. My head hurt for a moment before fading away.

"Lynn, pack up. We have something to do."

I stood up. I cannot neglect a darkforce this strong.

More importantly...

I felt that this darkforce is somehow connected to me. And it's calling me...