C118 Reveal [Happy 4th of July!]

C118 Reveal [Happy 4th of July!]

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Doctor Strange stood over Carol, who lay still in her hospital bed, still in Xavier’s office. He meticulously went over her chart, his sharp eyes scanning every detail. “Hmm...”

Reaching behind her neck, he gently felt the small lump from the chip embedded there, his fingers tracing the edges of the foreign object. Satisfied with his examination, he took a step back.

"So, are you willing to do it or not?" Peter asked, breaking the silence.

Strange turned around, a contemplative look on his face. "Maybe," he said, pausing for effect. "But if I am going to do this, I’ll need a sterile operating room with all of the normal equipment, and at least one person to act as my assistant for the procedure."

Xavier nodded. "Everything has already been prepared. We only needed a good enough surgeon to get the job done."

Strange nodded in return. "And there's also the matter of my fee..." he said, a greedy twinkle in his eye.

Peggy was about to reply, prepared to offer payment from Shield funds, but Peter beat her to it. "Do you take Russian rubles?" He asked, as he had a mountain of them back in the Red Room.

Strange and everyone else turned to Peter, confusion evident on their faces. Strange chuckled. “You’re kidding...” he asked, turning to the others in the room. "He’s kidding, right?"

————

Once the payment was settled somewhere in the eight-figure range, which Peggy would pay through some offshore Shield accounts, Doctor Strange began scrubbing up, meticulously preparing for the procedure. Beside him, Peter was also getting ready, donning sterile gloves and surgical attire.

As they walked into the makeshift operating room, sterile and equipped for the surgery, the door across from them opened as well, and Beast entered, also dressed for the procedure. His appearance was striking, with his blue fur and beastly features making him look more like a creature from a fantasy novel than a doctor.

Strange nearly jumped out of his skin in fright, his eyes widening in shock. He had only ever heard about mutants on the news until today when he met Professor Xavier, but seeing such a strikingly mutated mutant was a different experience altogether.

Peter noticed Strange's reaction and smirked in amusement. "Doctor Stephen Strange, meet Doctor Henry McCoy, also known as Beast. He'll be assisting you with the surgery."

Beast stepped closer, his presence looming over Strange, who fearfully took a step backward, cowering in fear. “...”

And just as Strange was about to p*ss his pants, Beast spoke, "Dr. Strange!” He smiled, instantly losing his intimidating appearance, “It's such an honor to meet you. I've heard so much about your incredible skills as a surgeon. Your work is truly inspiring."

“H-Hello....” Strange replied awkwardly, still recovering from his initial shock as Beast continued to fanboy over him. RêAd lateSt chapters at novelhall.com Only

Turning away from the excitable blue monster man, Strange asked Peter, "I thought you were going to be my assistant?"

Peter shook his head. "I'm just here to deactivate the chip's security before you get started. You know, so you don’t blow up...”

Strange, curious and skeptical, asked, "And how do you plan to do that?"

Peter smirked, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "You'll see," he replied mysteriously

...

After getting acquainted with Beast and running through the procedure, it was time to start the surgery. They stood around Carol, who lay face down on the operating table, a marker drawn around the lump in the back of her neck where the chip was implanted. Strange looked across the table at Peter, ready to begin.

"Alright, start it off," Strange said, indicating that Peter needed to deactivate the chip's security before he could begin.

Peter nodded, his expression turning serious. He held his hand over Carol's neck, and it began to glow visibly with the Force. Strange's eyes widened as he watched, captivated by the strange phenomenon. Peter closed his eyes, focusing intently as he delicately used Mechu-Deru to deactivate the chip's intricate security systems.

Beast and Strange watched in silence, noting Peter's furrowed brow as he worked. The complexity of the chip was evident, and both men wondered if Peter was encountering difficulties but refrained from speaking, not wanting to interrupt.

After a tense minute or two, Peter opened his eyes and pulled his hand away, the glow fading. He let out a sigh of relief. "That was harder than I thought it would be..."

Beast stepped forward, concern evident in his voice. "Did you manage to deactivate it?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah, the security is all off. The only way that thing will explode now is if you stupidly stab it or something." He looked over at Strange and added, "But I doubt you'd do that. You may be a douchebag, but you’re not an idiot..."

Ignoring the comment, Strange couldn't help but ask, "How?"

Peter smirked. "How what?"

She could potentially reveal everything she knew about the galaxy. And given his own notoriety as the Jedi who killed Ronan the Accuser, not to mention the fame of his Star-Lord persona, it was likely she knew who he was as well.

‘Maybe I should just tell them now?’ Peter realized he needed to explain some things now, to ensure they didn't get the wrong idea later. Better to be upfront about himself and the galaxy at large than to have the information come out unexpectedly.

He took a deep breath, glancing at Peggy and Xavier, who were focused on the surgery. This was his chance to set the record straight and hopefully avoid any misunderstandings when Carol woke up.

Peter stood in silence for a few moments, gathering his thoughts before turning to Xavier. "Did Peggy crash her ship nearby?"

The question took Xavier by surprise. He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "How did you know that?"

Peter nodded. "I'll take that as a yes."

“Ship?” Peggy raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "I'm guessing we're not talking about boats?"

Peter shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips. "No, we're not talking about boats." He held out his hand and, using the light of the Force, drew a glowing symbol the Kree Empire in the air. "Did the ship have this symbol on it anywhere?"

Xavier studied the symbol for a moment before nodding. "I think so, why?"

Peter frowned, falling silent as he processed this information. If Carol's ship had that symbol, it confirmed she was the new Kree enforcer his masters had warned him about.

Unable to hold herself back any longer, Peggy demanded, "Can either of you start explaining? I feel like I’m playing a guessing game here."

Xavier turned to her and explained, "A week ago, a spaceship crash-landed in the woods behind the school. We found Carol in the wreckage."

"Spaceship," Peggy muttered, her eyes widening as she turned to Peter. A look of realization crossed her face. "No wonder no one could find you. You weren’t on this planet, were you? What happened? Were you abducted by aliens?"

Peter's expression darkened for a fraction of a second as he recalled the Ravagers and their harsh treatment. Both Peggy and Xavier noticed as well, though they didn’t comment on it.

"Yeah," Peter said, his voice subdued. "Something like that."

Xavier, still processing what he had just heard, asked, "Excuse me, but what are you talking about?"

Peggy turned to him and explained, "Peter went missing when he was nine years old, but he was never found until a few weeks ago when he just showed up in Los Angeles."

Peter nodded, adding, "Yeah, I’ve been looking for Earth for a while. You know, this planet is actually located in a place called Wild Space? It’s past the edge of the known galaxy, and there are all sorts of hazards too. But luckily, I have an experienced guy in my crew who knows his way around."

Xavier muttered, "Right..." still trying to wrap his head around the concept. "I have so many questions."

Peggy nodded in agreement, her curiosity piqued as well. "Me too. For example, If there's a known galaxy, then does that mean there are spacefaring civilizations? And if there are spacefaring civilizations, are they peaceful? Which ones should we look out for? How strong are they? Have they discovered our planet yet?" She listed off her questions rapidly.

Peter took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, there are quite a few spacefaring civilizations. Empires, kingdoms, republics, you name it. But, there’s only one that we should be worried about right now." He held his hand out and remade the glowing symbol from earlier. "The Kree Empire."

As the symbol glowed brightly in the air, Peggy and Xavier stared at it, a palpable tension and unease descended upon them.

But before they could ask any more questions, suddenly the doors behind them swung open, and Doctor Strange walked out, removing his surgical mask and gloves.

Peter, Peggy, and Xavier turned their attention to Strange, their earlier conversation momentarily set aside as they awaited the surgeon's detailed update on Carol's condition.

Strange remained silent for a moment, unused to doing this part of the job, as it’s usually the nurses who give the good or bad news. "Uh... the surgery is over," he announced awkwardly.

Peggy and Xavier frowned worriedly, their anxiety spiking as they braced themselves for bad news.

Strange continued to fumble over his words. "Well, it didn't go exactly as planned—“

Before he could finish, Beast emerged from the operating room, a broad smile on his face. "The surgery was a resounding success!" he announced, his voice full of relief and excitement.

Peggy and Xavier let out a collective sigh of relief, their tension melting away. Strange, looking slightly sheepish, gave a small nod of confirmation.

"Yes," he finally admitted, "everything went well."

Peter, visibly relieved but also slightly annoyed, turned to Strange. Without warning, he slapped the back of the Doctors head, making him flinch. “Ugh...”

"You couldn't have just started with that?!”

A/N: 2231 words :)