Alex POV:
The next afternoon, I came back to the exact shield building.
However, this time, instead of an empty building with just a reception desk, there were hundreds of people in a line leaving the building. It seemed like all kinds of people were being forced out. There were researchers, medical personnel, and what seemed like soldiers or instructors.
I could make out a few faces in the line, like Dr. Zeigler walking out, conversing with two other guys, one being a professional-looking blonde man with grey strands of hair, scars across his face, and wearing a blue visor over his left eye, and a blue trench coat. The other man, looking kinda homeless, having a weathered expression, wearing all black, including a black beanie.
I think the nametags say something like J. Morrison and G. Reyes. Wait, is that...?
Ok, now that I think about it, why are there so many cameos? What the hell are those characters doing in the MCU? System?
[All fictional franchises are connected. Just what fictional universe you are in depends on what multiverse you are in. For example, you are in the Marvel multiverse right now, but there are characters from different fictional universes here too, though they might be different, and are destined not to play as big of a role.]
What, so what you're saying is that, for example, in this world, there's just an Italian plumber named Mario going around fixing pipes? Oh, what about Batman? Does he exist in this universe, too?
[It's mostly random, because we don't know what period they lived in, but maybe. For example, in the One Piece multiverse, there could be a random Marine who could shoot well, named Clint Barton. In this multiverse, there could be a random sailor in the Atlantic right now named Luffy. And to answer your second question, no. Wayne Enterprises got eaten up by Advanced Idea Mechanics.]
Well, that's bleak... So what, could there be main characters from other franchises as extras in our world? Like Sonic the Hedgehog as a random hedgehog somewhere in the wild?
[Well, Sonic the Hedgehog in this multiverse is contained somewhere in Stark Industries... But that's not important, you should get back to the story.]
Huh? Get back to the story-
Just as I'm thinking, I feel a tap on my shoulder from behind, and an impact to the back of my knees.
Losing my balance, I fall flat on my ass. I look up, only to see Natasha Romanoff looking down on me.
"You need to work on your spatial awareness." She smirks.
"Yeah, yeah. That's why I have you, isn't it?" I quip back. "Now help me up? " I say as I extend my hand.
5 seconds pass.
"Fine," I say dejectedly, and push myself off the ground. "Why are we outside anyway? Why is everybody leaving?"
"Apparently, some higher-ups wanted to change this facility into a classified research sector, and made all of the personnel working here find somewhere else. The director refused, but the people from the council wanted it." Natasaha shrugs.
Oh shit. That's definitely Hydra-related.
"Now since, this shield base is kind of unusable," Natasha pauses and motions at the people leaving the building. "We need somewhere else to do our lessons. Where do you want to do it?"
"Uhhhh- what about all of your other students? Am I the only person that you're teaching?" I question, confused.
"Yup. Remember yesterday, the crowd of bruised and bloody recruits heading to Angela's office before you came to my class?"
A look of recognition crosses my face. I think I remember that. I remember seeing all of them in so much pain and rethinking my decision to take this class.
She notices my look of recognition and continues. "Those were all supposed to be your classmates, and all of them quit before you even came. It's been the same since I started teaching."
She pauses and clears her throat.
"I play as the type of brutal, unkillable boss you face at the beginning of soulslike games, to start, to show how hard it will get later in the game. Every day, it's just new recruits, beat them up, they all quit or change instructors, new batch. Until you. You actually interested me."
"Thank you so much for showing interest in me. I feel so honoured." I reply sarcastically, still in pain from the stairs.
"So, yes. You're my only student who stayed with me during my almost a year in teaching." She stated briskly. "Now, where do you want to train?"
"I-I know this abandoned building near where I live..." I mutter unsurely.
"Well, I guess that works. If I find rats though, you'll regret agreeing to train with me. Text me the details. I'll give you my number." she replies coolly.
She pulls out a cute iPhone with a bunch of cat stickers on the case.
...? The benevolent master spy Natasha Romanoff with a cute little teenage girl's iPhone?
She notices my gaze on her phone, instantly shoving it down her pocket and pulling out a seemingly normal black flip phone, with an uncharacteristic blush spreading across her sharp features.
"You tell anybody what you saw, and I will end your life." She growls out through her clamped shut mouth.
I just grin, now knowing I got some blackmail over one of the world's best blackmailers.
Anyway, we got each others numbers, though I got a suspicion that the number I got was her work phone, but we decide to skip the class today, and meet up tomorrow at the location.
Now I don't need to sneak into shield for every lesson, and I got the Black Widow's phone number!
Hopefully, I can get a little closer to the black widow while I'm at it. It's great to have connections, especially if they're beautiful russian redhead women.
Little did I know that the next two months of training would be the most brutal time of my life.
-o-