Su Zhan looked down at his scorched and tattered clothes and could not help but smile wryly. Being a superhero was certainly not easy- he really needed a proper battle suit, not just for appearance's sake, but for sheer practicality. Otherwise, ending up like this after every fight would be far too troublesome. He even found himself thinking about Hulk's pants-one of Marvel's great unsolved mysteries. If he could one day acquire the Hulk's powers, he would be truly invincible on Earth.
However, absorbing John's ability had revealed a significant problem: although he could absorb powers through his palms, the process was not as simple as it seemed-especially if the other person resisted. The resistance was intense and draining. The Extremis virus had been easy to absorb from Pepper because she had not resisted, and it was a serum-based power. John's fire control, on the other hand, was an innate mutant ability, and absorbing it was much more difficult, especially with John fighting back desperately. If Su Zhan's own extreme body temperature had not weakened John, the absorption would not have gone so smoothly.
He realized he could not simply clap his hands and steal someone's power at will. It only worked if the target was unprepared or unable to resist, and different abilities presented different levels of resistance. For now, he could not even consider going after the Hulk's power-he would need to become much stronger first.
Still, he had gained the ability to control fire, which would undoubtedly prove very useful in the future.
Despite his ruined clothes, Su Zhan found himself in a rather good mood. "Sorry, Skye, looks like we'll have to skip that meal," he apologized as Skye handed him some fresh clothes.
Skye shook her head. "It's fine. But we need to leave now." She turned to get the car ready. Su Zhan quickly changed, relieved to see that Skye seemed calm and composed-she was not afraid or upset about his powers. After all, in a world full of superpowered individuals, and with Skye's own fascination with them, she would not be easily shocked.
Pyro John's loss of powers would be discovered soon enough. The Brotherhood of Mutants aside, S.H.I.E.L.D. would certainly know it was Su Zhan's doing. Even though Black Widow was not always present, S.H.I.E.L.D. had their ways of monitoring people. Su Zhan was sure they had been keeping an eye on him. Even if they had not, the method by which he took John's powers would be a clear sign. What happened with John was, in truth, an accident. It was John who had taken the initiative to cause trouble, and he had never been a good person to begin with. So, apart from making S.H.I.E.L.D. more wary of him, Su Zhan did not expect much trouble.
"Screech!"
The sudden sound of brakes snapped Su Zhan out of his thoughts.
"What's wrong?" Su Zhan asked quickly, sensing the tension.
"I think… we're in trouble," Skye replied, her voice serious and low.
Outside, a black jeep blocked their path. Its pitch-black body and reinforced glass made it clear this was no ordinary vehicle.
"Stay in the car," Su Zhan instructed, grabbing the lighter as he stepped out.
Black Widow, dressed in a form-fitting black bodysuit, was leaning casually against the jeep. As Su Zhan approached, she flipped her hair and smiled. "I knew you wouldn't stay quiet for long, but I didn't expect you to act so soon. Burning John-his ability isn't that strong, is it? I didn't expect you to choose his power!"
Su Zhan played with the lighter, letting flames flicker between his fingers. "I also knew you'd keep watching me, so you should know it was John who picked the fight."
"Yes, but don't you think it's a little too coincidental? You just happened to go to that restaurant, and you just happened to run into him?" Black Widow narrowed her eyes, her gaze fixed on the lighter in his hand.
She was clearly on guard. So far, she knew he had absorbed the Extremis virus and Pyro John's ability, but who knew what else he was capable of? Black Widow could not afford to take such a dangerous person lightly.
"Believe it or not, that's up to you. You never really trust anyone anyway," Su Zhan said with a shrug. "So, why are you here? You're not just here to scare me, right? I doubt you have that much free time."
"Alright, I'm here to invite you and your little girlfriend to S.H.I.E.L.D.," Black Widow said, curling her lips into a sly smirk.
"What if I say no?" Su Zhan stopped playing with the lighter and narrowed his eyes, his tone growing colder.
"Hey, don't get so tense. It's not what you think. It's not really about you-it's about your little girlfriend. The hackers from the 'Rising Tide' organization have been very active lately, leaking information that shouldn't be public," Black Widow explained, her smile never leaving her face.
Su Zhan shrugged. "It doesn't make a difference to me if you're targeting her. As for S.H.I.E.L.D., I'm not interested right now, so you can go back."
"What if I say no?" Black Widow repeated, echoing his own words.
Su Zhan shrugged again, his expression unfazed. "Then I guess we'll have to fight."
"Seriously?"
"I don't offend anyone unless they offend me. I really want to have a friendly relationship with you and S.H.I.E.L.D.-but only if you don't try anything with me or the people around me." Su Zhan glanced at Black Widow, then turned and got back in the car.
"Let's go," he said to Skye.
Skye started the car and drove away slowly. Black Widow did not stop them.
"I won't offend others unless they offend me? How long have you even been dating this Rising Tide hacker? How am I supposed to believe you're telling the truth?" Black Widow muttered to herself, then got back in her jeep and drove off into the night.