→ 250 POWER STONES= 1 BONUS CHAPTER
→ 450 POWER STONES= 2nd BONUS CHAPTER
→ 600 POWER STONES = 1 SIDE STORY
CURRENT PROGRESS:↓
– FIRST OBJECTIVE:- 211/250 P.S
– SECOND OBJECTIVE- /500 P.S
– THIRD OBJECTIVE- /600 P.S
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After making deals with Tony Stark, Nova was in quite a good mood. After all, he'd just established a connection with Tony Stark — his favorite superhero growing up. The novelty of it had faded a bit since he gained powers of his own, but still… Iron Man and Spider-Man were classics. Untouchable legends in his eyes.
He shook his head with a faint grin and pushed open the door to his café.
Inside, Skye was sitting cross-legged on one of the mismatched café chairs, hunched slightly over her laptop with fingers dancing across the keys in a practiced rhythm. Her long, dark brown hair was tied in a loose, messy ponytail, with a few strands falling around her face — effortlessly chaotic, like she hadn't tried, but still made it work.
She wore a faded Star Wars T-shirt beneath an oversized plaid shirt, unbuttoned and loose. Black ripped jeans hugged her legs, and her worn-in boots were kicked off to the side under the table. A half-eaten croissant sat on a napkin next to her laptop, beside an untouched iced coffee with the condensation long since dried.
The glow of the laptop screen lit up her face — sharp eyes, hazel with a flicker of amusement, focused and alert despite her relaxed posture. Earbuds dangled around her neck, and chipped black nail polish tapped absently on the keyboard as she typed.
When she heard the door open, she turned, her eyes widening slightly. "Ah — boss! I didn't know you were coming in today."
Nova smiled as he walked toward her. "Well, I was nearby, so I figured I'd check in. How's the work going? Everything alright? We're opening by next weekend, after all."
Skye gave a confident nod. "Don't worry, boss. Everything's on track — just a few finishing touches left. Miss May has been stopping by regularly and helping me out a lot."
Nova glanced around the space, nodding to himself. "She's not here now?"
Skye shook her head. "She's here — just upstairs. She's talking to someone who came by about the part-time barista job you mentioned."
"Got it," Nova said with a small nod. After chatting with Skye a bit longer, he made his way upstairs.
The soft hum of the city bled in through the open windows on the upper floor, sunlight streaming across the café's second level — still in the middle of being arranged. Tables were in place, but chairs hadn't been fully set, and the scent of wood polish still lingered faintly in the air.
Near the back, May Parker sat with her back to him, speaking casually to another woman seated across from her.
The woman noticed him first.
She glanced up from her coffee and gave a polite, neutral smile — the kind that was warm without being too friendly. She stood as Nova approached, straightening to her full height.
She was dressed simply: a dark top under a light black jacket, fitted jeans, and clean sneakers. Her dark brown hair was tied neatly back, and her eyes — a steady, calm hazel — studied him with practiced ease.
May turned and smiled. "Oh hey, Nova — you're here."
Nova nodded back. "Yeah, figured I'd check how things were going up here."
May gestured toward the woman beside her. "This is Maria. She came by about the part-time barista opening."
The woman stepped forward and extended her hand with a small, professional smile. "Maria Hill. Nice to meet you."
Nova reached out and shook her hand. "Nova Ashbourne, the owner."
The handshake was brief. Polite. Nothing strange.
But the name lingered in his mind like an echo.
Maria Hill.
He didn't react outwardly — kept his posture easy, his tone casual. But in his head, the connection was already snapping together. Maria Hill. Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Well so he finally got on Shield's radar huh? Afterall the Brotherhood of Mutants and Emma Frost casually dropping by his house these days was bound to be suspicious.
Still, he played along.
They chatted for a few minutes about the job, responsibilities, and availability. Maria said all the right things. She didn't oversell herself. Didn't underplay, either. Just the right level of "mildly overqualified but between gigs." If Nova didn't already know who she was, he might've believed it.
After a few minutes, he gave a nod. "Sounds good. We'll get you started in a few days — Skye will walk you through the system before we open."
"Appreciate it," Maria said, grabbing her jacket. "I'll be in touch."
With a polite nod to both May and Nova, she made her way downstairs and exited the café.
Excusing himself from May, Nova walked to the far corner of the room, well away from the windows. Rolling up his sleeve, he tapped the face of the Omnitrix.
Then he took out his Omni-Dex, a green light blinked softly as he scanned the immediate area.
No bugs. No cameras. No trace of hidden surveillance. She was clean. Which is a surprise.
He rotated the dial until the silhouette of a familiar alien face appeared — long, striped, and ghostly.
With a flick of his wrist, he slammed it down.
The green light burst silently around him as his body twisted, dissolved, and reformed into a floating, translucent figure — Ghostfreak. Weightless. Intangible. Untraceable.
Thankfully he have the final version of Omnitrix, meaning he don't have to fear aliens running out of his Omnitrix and trying to take over him or Omnitrix.
Nova phased down through the floor, drifting outside the building and into the air above the sidewalk. Maria was already a block away, walking at a steady, calm pace with her phone held to her ear.
Nova hovered above, listening.
Maria's heels clicked softly against the pavement as she moved down the street, blending seamlessly into the flow of New York foot traffic. One hand casually held her phone to her ear, her voice low and even.
"Agent Hill reporting in. Contact established with the subject. Civilian alias remains 'Nova.' Personality matches the updated dossier: calm, composed, socially adaptable and hormonal teenager, as I caught him glancing at mine and May's chest a few times. Slightly amused demeanor, but controlled. Aware of his surroundings — he definitely clocked me, even if he didn't show it."
She weaved around a pair of tourists while speaking.
The voice on the other end came through sharp and gruff. "Hill. Give me the full picture."
Maria's tone shifted — all business.
"He owns a café. Modest location, but the layout is strategic — good lines of sight, two floors, clean exit routes. Staff includes a girl named Skye, civilian, but highly proficient with tech and a middle aged lady May Parker. Surveillance is limited on paper, but I suspect passive countermeasures are in place. He's careful. Controlled."
There was a beat of silence before Fury spoke again.
"You get a read on his affiliations yet? We need to find it very urgently as in the past few weeks, two high-level mutant figures have visited him personally: White Queen and Magneto. No subtlety. No clandestine meetings. They walked through his front door, sat in his living room, and stayed for hours. Then recently Magneto openly visited Xavier's mansion."
Maria frowned slightly and nodded," I already got the barista job here and will create good relation with both May and Skye. It will help me loosen targets gaurd around me."
Suddenly the line went static for few minutes and a very frustrated voice came over," Maria guess where our target was before coming to the cafe and what heaven defying thing he did."
Fury didn't wait for Maria to respond," He was at Stark's mansion entire morning. After he left, Coulson met Tony Stark, who looked like he returned to his twenties, without a blue light in his chest and definitely with a body like he was religious going to gym not fu*king models at night. Even Pepper Potts, looked in her twenties. So Maria I want result very fast, very very fast."
Maria's steps faltered for a moment, the unexpected intensity of Fury's tone and the news. She took a deep breath, mentally steeling herself for the next phase of her assignment. She wasn't just up against a target now. She was caught in the web of something far bigger than she had expected.
But as Nova floated above, listening to her every word and smiled.
Damn, it's hard to focus with her walking like that. Spy-training aside, her walk's got its own... rhythm. And those tight jeans—really makes you wonder if they're made for quick action or just to tease...
Ghostfreak's intangible form drifted closer, his thoughts swirling with curiosity.
Maria's voice crackled slightly through the phone, "Understood. I'll move faster. Stark's situation complicates things, but I'll adapt."
Fury's voice came back, sharp as ever. "Don't just adapt. Get ahead of him. Stark's change is not something that can be suppressed. We need leverage and information urgently."
Ghostfreak followed Maria silently through the city streets, letting her walk her usual pace. His ghostly form was nearly invisible, passing through walls, floating over crowds without being detected. Ghostfreak's thoughts continued, the alien entity inside Nova observing everything with cold calculation.
I wonder how she would handle it if I just appeared in front of her now. Would she flinch? Or would she just take it as part of her spy training? Either way, she's getting too close. Too much attention. I need to move first, or this whole thing could go sideways.
Maria rounded a corner, her heels tapping rhythmically as she walked. The phone conversation continued in the background, her voice clipped and focused.
"I'll be back in touch shortly. Hill, out."
The line went dead, and Nova allowed himself a few more moments of silent observation. His thoughts turned to something else entirely. Today seems like one of those days. Something in the air. I might just get to see May later...
Nova's lips curled into a faint smile. She'd probably get a kick out of me in the kitchen... apron on, casually making my move. Wonder how long it'd take before she lets me get my hands on her.....
With these perverted thoughts, Ghostfreak turned around and came back to his cafe.
He twisted his wrist, bringing up the Omnitrix once again. The green light flashed as his body rematerialized, shifting back to his human form.
XxxxX
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