DoorMan (MCU SI) - #127 : Impending vacations, Sentiment & First Fan? Getto!

Disclaimer - I don’t own Marvel or any of its characters. The Mighty Mouse does =and I hope it is not standing behind me with a shotgun cocked and ready to blow my brains out the second I have the audacity to press PUBLI——

DoorMan #127

Afghanistan, Ten Rings compound [June 2008]

–Colin Baxter–

He floated on top of the lake, using a very small flow of pressurised air with Doors placed on top of his butt, meditating as he scanned the entire place with his senses with a much finer comb than before. He wanted to locate the source of the environmental manipulation in this place before Wenwu woke up, so once he was awake, he could use that in their negotiation.

He also had not consulted Ancient One before just coming here, since he did not know that Wenwu had a previous agreement with Kamar Taj. It could potentially backfire on him but all of that hinged on how Wenwu reacted when he woke up. If he could listen to reason or just charge mindlessly at him once more. From the very small encounter he had with the Ten Rings, confiscating them wouldn’t be too hard, nor just yanking the ownership from Wenwu. 

Not to toot his own horn but he was a pretty advanced Chi user, having it flow through his body for years now, constantly. Chi manipulation was pretty much second nature to him now.

In the middle of his second sweep, he felt Jin’Ya speak through their mental link.

‘Bruce and Hansen have decided on their vacations and were wondering if the offer was still up.’

He jolted a bit at that, clicking his tongue as he stopped the deep scan and replied, ‘Of course, it is still up. What kind of monster do they think I am? Tell them I will meet them when I return later today. Then, we can get them set up.’

‘Hmm.’

He felt Jin’Ya retreat from their mental link as he got back to his sensing task and realised that he was not as good at it as he thought he would be. Whatever the artifact was, it was well hidden and probably would not reveal itself to his senses unless it was close by. He could just waltz through their hidden compound, looking at every piece of stone that looked wrong but that would just send the wrong message and needlessly agitate the people assembled nearby.

So far, they had been quite disciplined, forming a circle around the lake, keeping vigilant watch over him but not making any moves that might be construed as an attack, which is why there were no wet people around him as he waited for Wenwu to awake and get to him. 

It must have been at least an hour since he began meditating and even he was getting antsy of getting this over with, so he could go back to the Red Hearth and start doing the next item on his agenda. He hadn’t injured Wenwu that much and even then, a dose of Chi should have pretty much healed him, leaving behind nothing but cuts and bruises. Those he should be able to heal on his own, given his command over Chi.

It always amused him that people like Wenwu existed in some forgotten corner of the world, living peacefully until someone came in and shattered that precious peace, leaving behind broken people who became infinitely more dangerous than they were mere moments ago, all because they lost someone in their life.

Fury didn’t even know someone like Wenwu existed, and it would probably tick the man off if he knew how old Wenwu was and if motivated enough, how much impact the man could have had on the global scene.

A single death. Of the millions that died annually. And it reactivated a warlord whose personal kill count must be in the tens or maybe even hundreds of thousands, let alone the people his army killed on his orders. He operated mainly in Asia, and the way the casualty figures rose even in relatively isolated battles in Asia meant that Wenwu here might actually be responsible for dozens or maybe more millions dead throughout his life.

A tainted person throughout, and even after all of that, he got love. Maybe the most dangerous trait of humans everywhere. The ability to bond with and love anyone, even the most unworthy of them.

Huh. Why am I getting sentimental all of a sudden?

Before he could ruminate on that, he felt the sea of people parting around the lake, making him open his eyes. Instead of Wenwu, he saw the child who was most likely Shang-Chi, already with bruises on his entire torso. Visible abs, muscle definition present already.

He clenches his fists at that. Child soldier training. 

He sighed, as an Air Door manifested in front of him, slowly moving towards Shang-Chi, stopping right at the edge of the lake. Shang-chi took one look at it and, before his minders could stop him, leapt a distance no normal child should ever be capable of traversing, and landed lightly on his Air Door, which began moving towards him after that.

There was a slight uproar at that, but since no one attacked him, he let Shang-Chi come towards him as the Air Door halted right in front of him, a couple of feet away from his current floating position.

“What is your name?” He asked the boy to confirm his identity. And now that he was much closer to Shang-chi, he could tell the amount of Chi the boy had in his body.

Holy shit, this is closer to the amount the adults have in Ta-Lo, without any food from Ta-Lo.

“Shang-Chi. My name is Shang-Chi.”

He nodded at that, “I am Mysterio. What would you like to know?”

Shang-chi visibly struggled with his question before asking, “Can you get my sister away from here?” He had a hunch that this was the most Shang-chi had ever spoken with a stranger. The question itself was kind of complicated. He was in no position to jut adopt a child and take them anywhere.

Hell, he himself was a textbook case of a patient isolating themselves from everyone in their lives, all in an effort to gain a semblance of safety, by retreating from real life, to remove any vulnerability.

He was self-aware enough to know that. Which also meant that he couldn’t make a decision like that all on his own. She would need a family, a much better and well-settled family than the one she currently had.

Too bad that the MCU did not have a convenient, perfect family with impeccable moral standing, like the Kent Family in Kansas for Superman, else it would have been an instant yes from him.

And at that exact moment, a thought struck him like lightning.

With Great Power comes Great responsibility

Uncle Ben! The Parkers!

It took great effort on his part not to react in any way, considering the discovery he had stumbled upon. In the MCU, they had not explored Uncle Ben or how he died or how Peter got his powers. 

With that in mind, he nodded at the boy silently, waiting for his answer, “I can try but it all depends on what your father has to say once he wakes up.”

“You beat him,” Shang-chi quietly remarked, ending the sentence with more than a little awe and reverence, which was understandable since Wenwu must be an unbreakable rock to these people.

“Yup,” He nodded, cracking his neck as he stood up, still floating, the Air Doors seamlessly sliding from his butt to his feet as he stood up, “Quite easily at that. Now, come on, let’s see what your old man has to say. I’m getting quite tired of just sitting here. Why don’t we take the scenic route?”

Shang-chi, confused, nodded as they both, stood on top of the Air Door as it transported them to the edge of the lake. The people who had circled the lake before followed him as well, and by the time he reached the edge of the lake, there was a veritable army of people seemingly waiting to lynch him.

He raised a single eyebrow, not that they could see it since he was behind a mask, as a giant claw rose from his back and stabbed itself into the ground in front of the gathered people, making them part with ease as he and Shang-chi landed on the ground, after the Air Door was dispelled.

“Gentlemen,” He nodded at the gathered people, as he began walking ahead, Shang-chi walking side by side.

“You scare them,” Shang-chi remarked.

He nodded, “Yes. I assume not every day someone comes out of nowhere and beats your father.”

“No, everyone gets beaten up by father. No one can touch him,” He remarked somberly, something that was ill suited on the face of a boy so young. Then, Shang-chi added as he looked up at him, “Except you.”

Oh boy. He might have a case of hero worship here. He didn't know what to make of that.

Technically, Shang-chi was his first fan, in the persona of Mysterio, anyway.