Chapter 18: Shock Your Heart - Part 2

Water streamed from the showerhead.

“Hm~♪ Fufu~♪”

Humming to myself, I twisted the valve shut and grabbed a towel. Scrubbing my hair dry, I glanced at the mirror.

What looked back was a confident, damn good-looking guy. Tall, blonde, built.

I spread shaving cream over my skin and picked up the razor. Shaved. Rinsed. Towel-dried again.

The name’s Herman. Herman Schultz.

I’m twenty-four. And my job? Well… let’s call me a bad guy.

People know me as “Shocker.”

Cool name, right?

Why they call me that? Let me tell you a little story.

I used to be a genius. Actually, scratch that—I still am.

I, the genius, designed gauntlets that generate vibration shockwaves. The Vibro-Shock Gauntlets. They could bust open any safe, no problem.

I went wild with those things. Robbed banks left and right. Lived the high life.

Before long, people started calling me Shocker.

…Didn’t last long, though.

Even now, it pisses me off just thinking about it. That damn Spider punk clocked me and tossed me in prison.

Stuck in a cell, wasting my talents, until Fisk—Wilson Fisk himself—pulled me out. Now, I work for him. Loyal and all that.

I’ve only got one goal: beat the living crap out of that Spider bastard.

…Oh, and money. Can’t forget the money.

Money’s important. You can never have too much of it, right?

I pulled on my shock-absorption suit and strapped the Vibro-Shock Gauntlets onto my arms. They burn through power fast. Cartridge batteries are a must. I clipped a few spares to my belt.

This time, Fisk asked me to bodyguard some guys from A.I.M. and the Life Foundation. Details? Don’t remember. Fisk set up the deal himself.

I’m just here to keep things clean and quiet.

Suited up, I stepped out to join the ship’s crew waiting outside my room. Fisk’s guys. Which makes them my coworkers, technically.

“Wait here for a bit.”

With that, I stepped into the room.

Inside, a bunch of tough-looking guys in black suits stood waiting.

…Not amateurs. A.I.M. agents, maybe. Or private soldiers from the Life Foundation.

Hmm.

Their formation’s shaky. Two different teams, then. Separate groups forced to work together.

Makes sense. They’re both here.

“Mr. Herman, about this assi—”

“Whoa, whoa. Call me Shocker.”

Cutting off the man addressing me, I shot him a glare from behind my mask when he looked irritated.

In this line of work, letting them underestimate you means you’ve already lost.

Better to scare them. Intimidation’s useful. Keeps unnecessary fights off your back. Makes things go your way.

I dropped into a chair.

“…Mr. Shocker, regarding this assignment… there’s one more outsider besides us. I’m asking you… please don’t act too—”

“Huh? You hired someone besides me? What, I’m not enough for you people!?”

I snapped at the nervous guy.

The hell? Nobody told me this. What, you think I’m not reliable on my own?

Pissed off, I kept going.

“Don’t know who you dragged in, but if I’m here, everything’s covered! If they’re just gonna slow me down, they’re in the way.”

Right as I said that, the door opened.

Perfect timing.

Let’s see who they dragged in.

From my seat, I looked up—and saw them.

A mask red as fresh blood.

A black suit dark as boiled-down night.

I’ll be honest?

Never seen them before.

Total stranger. Never laid eyes on them.

But I knew the stories.

Redcap.

Anyone working under Fisk’s banner knew the name.

An assassin sent to eliminate traitors and dead weight.

Merciless. Bloodless. No pity. No mercy. Didn’t matter if you were an ally. If Fisk marked you, Redcap killed you.

Near-perfect mission record.

At least, I’d never once heard of Redcap failing.

Once marked, your death was guaranteed.

Like a bullet you can’t dodge.

And despite that reputation, few had seen them.

Made sense.

Anyone who did… didn’t live long enough to talk about it.

You know what they say? There's a rumor that Redcap’s killed more of Fisk’s own people than anyone else.

Everyone’s scared. Because they all know—betray Fisk, and that thing comes for you.

Before I even realized it, I was sitting up straight.

Crap.

This guy’s above me.

That lifeless red mask turned toward me. Couldn’t see a face, couldn’t even tell where the eyes were, but somehow—I knew. It was looking straight at me.

『Quite the mouth you’ve got… Shocker. What do you say? Want to find out if you’re the dead weight here?』

A voice that didn’t even sound human. Could’ve been a man or a woman. I couldn’t tell.

…Huh?

How the hell does Redcap know my name?

I felt the heat drain from my body.

No eyes. No nose. No mouth on that mask.

No expression. No tone in that voice.

I had no idea what this thing was thinking.

The unknown is terrifying.

I wasn’t even sure the thing in front of me was human.

It was like getting thrown into a cage with a beast that doesn’t understand words.

Panicking, I jumped up from my chair.

“H-hey! It was just a joke! I didn’t know you were coming, that’s all! I mean, you’re fine, yeah, hahahaha…”

I didn’t care if I looked lame or weak—anything was better than pissing off Redcap.

As I scrambled to explain myself, Redcap raised a gloved hand to their chin.

Like they were thinking… but I couldn’t read a damn thing.

『I see. Then fine.』

Saying that, Redcap stepped closer.

I backed away from the chair.

『What’s wrong? You can sit, Shocker.』

“N-no way! You should be the one sitting!”

There was only one chair in this room.

Not exactly a big space.

A single chair facing the desk… me sitting, while this thing stood the whole time?

Nope. Couldn’t handle that. My nerves wouldn’t survive.

『I see. My bad.』

Saying that, Redcap sat down.

Right. Yeah.

I wasn’t the king of this room anymore. This guy was.

…Though, honestly? He’s not what I expected.

From the rumors, I figured he’d be some psycho freak, or maybe a knife-happy serial killer.

But now that I’m seeing him in person… he’s short.

What, maybe one-seventy? No… doesn’t even look like that.

More like one-sixty? Maybe less?

Is he the smallest guy in the room?

A fake…? Nah. His gear’s too real for that.

Not like thinking about it’s gonna help.

Now that Redcap was sitting, the Life Foundation—or maybe A.I.M., who knows—started briefing us.

The deal’s two hours from now.

Location: a section of the container yard.

We’re moving out in an hour.

…Wait.

I’m gonna be stuck in this tiny room with Redcap for an hour?

I stole a glance at that red mask.

Redcap sat there, silent.

…C-creepy.

I just knew it.

This was gonna be the most uncomfortable hour of my life.

---

And then… the time for the deal arrived.

I drew a slow breath. Let it out, heavy and steady.

We were inside the ship’s container hold—one section of it deliberately cleared. No cover, nowhere nearby to hide.

The ceiling was high. No attack would come from above.

Overhead, fluorescent lights flickered with occasional hums.

A man in a suit—probably the Life Foundation’s representative—stood holding an attaché case.

From the other side, the A.I.M. rep, wearing a lab coat, stepped forward to receive it.

And then—suddenly, with the crack of a rupture—the area was plunged into darkness.

“What the hell!?”

That was Shocker’s panicked voice, echoed by murmurs of confusion around us.

I activated the night vision in my mask.

…The fluorescent lights were intact.

Not a scratch on them.

The power source must’ve been cut.

I drew the knife strapped to my thigh and readied it in my right hand.

No doubt about it. Enemy attack.

As the surrounding agents started adjusting to the dark, something rolled in at our feet.

In the next instant—blinding flashes and deafening thunder.

No impact. Not a bomb.

A flashbang.

A deliberate choice, considering we were inside a ship.

Agents who’d strained their eyes in the dark had their vision seared, their inner ears assaulted by the blast’s roar. None of them could keep their balance.

And Shocker…?

“GAAAAHHHHH!! MY EYES!! THEY’RE BURNING!!”

…Yeah. He’s out.

That left only me still standing.

But even I wasn’t at full capacity.

Looks like they deployed an EMP as well—my mask’s display glitched, visuals distorted.

The mask dampened the sound damage a bit, but my ears were still ringing.

Definitely not ideal.

My healing factor would fix that soon, but… I wouldn’t get the time to wait.

A black figure, swift as a gust of wind, darted in.

Here they come.

The enemy.

I raised my weapon and positioned myself in front of the Foundation agent holding the case.

Their target was obvious.

That case.

Like a breeze at night, the figure closed in with graceful agility. I swung the knife.

Steel met steel. Sparks flew as my blade clashed with their metal baton.

In that moment, a surge of electricity crackled from the baton.

『…Tch!』

My suit’s insulated—but who knows how long it’ll hold under constant strain.

I forced the knife forward, knocking the baton away.

Blue sparks danced, and for a moment, I saw them clearly.

The face—was that the woman I met earlier? That agent?

But her hair was different. Not blonde like before.

Now, it was red.

A disguise, then. The blonde must’ve been part of her infiltration.

But her entire aura felt different now.

A change in hair and makeup can transform a woman entirely. A dangerous truth.

Her outfit was a black rider suit of some kind. And at her belt buckle… an emblem. A red hourglass shape.

But I knew better.

That wasn’t an hourglass motif.

It was the mark carried by the black widow spider—a poisonous creature with a lustrous black body and a vivid, venomous red symbol.

And that spider…

In English, it’s called this:

“Black Widow…”

The Black Widow.

A master of every espionage skill. One of the highest-ranking spies in the world.

An elite agent of the international peacekeeping force known as S.H.I.E.L.D.

In all likelihood, she surpasses me in every skill.

But physically… thanks to my enhanced body from the super soldier serum, I should hold the advantage there.

I stepped in, slashing my knife sideways.

Widow avoided it with minimal motion, countering with a high kick aimed at my head.

“…Tch!?”

But not even a scratch.

For two reasons.

First, my high-tech suit—crafted from vibranium alloy—absorbed the impact.

Second, the sheer difference in raw physical strength.

Without hesitation, I caught her leg and tried to hurl her into the nearest container.

But in that instant, Widow twisted, wrapping herself around my arm using her other leg, shifting into a position like a shoulder mount.

Losing sight of her, I tried to bring my knife up to stab—

『Gah…!?』

A shock ran through me.

My body trembled from the unfamiliar impact, and I dropped to one knee. Turning back, I saw the device on Widow’s wrist glowing blue.

The “Widow’s Bite.”

That’s what they call that gadget packed with various functions.

Vibranium is resistant to known forms of physical impact. But when it comes to magic-based attacks or alien energy… sometimes it can’t absorb it all.

Black Widow. She’s a member of the hero team known as the Avengers. She fights aliens and demons as part of her day job.

No doubt her gear includes weapons built with technologies I can’t even begin to understand.

I tried to stand… but my knees wouldn’t move.

I focused my awareness on my neck.

Worse damage than expected.

Even my neck nerves were hit.

I forced my breathing steady, consciously activating my healing factor, trying to accelerate recovery… but it’d still take at least ten seconds before I could move again.

In that window, Widow sprinted forward and snatched the attaché case from the Foundation agent’s hands.

Without breaking stride, she bolted for another floor.

From assault to theft to escape—it happened in under a minute.

I felt my neck heal and stood.

I needed numbers.

I looked around… but no one else had recovered from the flashbang’s shock.

『I’m going after the case! Give me backup as soon as you’re able!』

I barked orders at the writhing agents and chased after Widow.

In raw speed, I had the advantage.

But she was clever—slipping between shadows and tight spaces, preventing me from opening up my stride.

At this rate, the physical gap between us didn’t matter.

She dove down a spiral staircase and disappeared into the parking garage.

She slipped through a door. I followed a few seconds behind…

…and lost her.

Before me were nearly a hundred parked vehicles.

Plenty of cover to hide behind.

She couldn’t have gone far in those few seconds.

She had to be nearby—hidden somewhere in the shadows.

But every second wasted would let her gain distance.

I strained my super-soldier-enhanced hearing, searching for any sound that might give her away.

A faint clink—something brushing metal.

I launched myself off the nearest car roof toward the sound.

Crushing the car’s roof as I landed, I peered toward the source.

A white pendant spun slowly on the ground.

“Damn—”

Suddenly, an explosion erupted.

Small scale, but enough to blast away the car at my feet.

…So she’d decided to stop worrying about damaging the ship.

Rolling across the floor, I caught sight of her in my blurred vision.

She was running again, putting distance between us using the explosion as cover.

I righted myself instantly and pulled my arm back.

Then, I threw.

A full-powered knife throw—far beyond what I’d ever use against the average street gang.

The knife accelerated to nearly bullet speed, tearing through the air toward its target.

Widow reacted, trying to dodge—but too late.

“Gh!”

My knife drove into her right shoulder.

She let out a dull cry of pain.

I exhaled slowly and rose to my feet.

Someone was approaching from behind.

“W-What the hell was that huge explosion just now…!?”

Shocker had finally caught up, drawn by the sound of the blast.

『…You’re late, Shocker.』

“A-ah… y-yeah… sorry.”

Watching him apologize, looking genuinely guilty, I decided not to push the point.

Widow was lying there, breathing hard.

“…Damn, you’re amazing, man.”

Shocker, for some reason, started praising me, but I ignored him.

There’s nothing pleasant about being praised for the ability to hurt people.

As I approached Widow, Shocker hurried to her side as well.

“Hey… what’re you planning to do with her? You gonna kill her?”

He said that while pointing at the fallen Widow.

I rubbed my chin with my right hand.

A habit of mine when I’m thinking.

『No. This woman still has value. We should restrain her and hand her over to Fisk.』

In short, I wasn’t planning to kill her.

Unless explicitly ordered to, I didn’t want to.

Besides, if I killed a high-profile operative like Black Widow… the hero teams would definitely come after me.

Both emotionally and logically, my conclusion was clear: she shouldn’t be killed.

Hearing my cautious response, Shocker looked a little surprised and shrugged.

“Ah, got it. But… just don’t torture her in front of me, okay? I’m no good with that stuff.”

He clutched his neck, pretending to gag.

…What does he think I am?

Maybe I should punch him once.

…But no, fair enough.

I have resorted to torture when necessary.

In that sense, Shocker’s ‘Redcap image’ of me might not be entirely wrong.

Much as I hate to admit it.

With that thought, I reached out to take the attaché case from Widow’s hand—

My ears caught the sound of something fast approaching.

『Dodge!』

I grabbed Shocker’s arm and pulled him aside, evading the incoming object.

What flew past was disc-shaped.

It ricocheted off a nearby car.

As the spinning object flew up into the air, I felt like the air itself had frozen.

It was a shield.

Red and white rings, with a blue circle and a star at the center.

“…No way… no one said anything about this…”

Shocker whispered in fear.

Forced back from Widow by the incoming shield, we now stood face-to-face with the man who had thrown it.

He extended his left hand, effortlessly catching the shield as it spun back toward him.

A navy-blue suit, accented with white and red.

A helmet covering the upper half of his face, marked with a single letter:

‘A’.

“You okay, Natasha?”

The one who called out to Widow was—

The most honest, strongest, and proudest hero.

『Captain America.』