Monkey Talisman

Interstellar junk.

Shendu's ears twitched.

"He's here to deal with those alien wrecks."

Natasha walked in, followed by Banner and Hawkeye. Expressionless, she said, "The council outsourced the cleanup to a third party, claiming it was to reduce S.H.I.E.L.D.'s burden."

Quill shrugged. "Really, they just don't want to spend more money. But it's a good deal for me. Some parts from those Chitauri ship wrecks can fetch a pretty penny on the black market."

Shendu looked at him.

There was something strange about this man's aura.

Not dangerous. Just... familiar.

"So you're living at S.H.I.E.L.D. now?" Banner asked Shendu, pushing up his glasses.

"Temporarily."

Steve answered for Shendu. "His condition needs to be monitored, and besides... things are chaotic outside right now."

Shendu understood what he meant.

After the Battle of New York, the entire world knew aliens existed.

If a talking dragon appeared on the streets, it would probably cause even greater panic.

"How are you dealing with the radiation?" he asked.

Natasha sighed. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is clearing most of Manhattan."

"The nuclear blast left behind quite a bit of radioactive dust. Fortunately, it detonated high enough up that the spread was smaller than expected. Still, no one can live around Times Square for at least six months."

Tony snorted. "Six months? Those old council geezers sure knew where to drop it."

The room fell quiet for a moment.

Quill looked from one person to another, then suddenly spoke up to break the awkward atmosphere. "So, this dragon is your mascot?"

"He's not a mascot." Steve's tone was somewhat stiff.

Quill waved a hand. "Whatever. I start clearing wreckage tomorrow. Anything you need to tell me? Like places I shouldn't touch?"

"Don't touch any energy cores that haven't exploded yet," Tony said irritably. "Everything else is up to you."

Quill made an OK gesture and turned to leave.

At the door, he paused, pulled out a Walkman from his pocket, and put on his headphones.

A faint melody drifted out.

Shendu's entire body jolted.

There was nothing unusual about the music itself. It was just a man singing over somewhat old-fashioned accompaniment. But the instant it began, the Mouse Talisman in his chest suddenly throbbed violently.

No. It wasn't the Mouse Talisman. It was coming from somewhere else.

A pull he had never felt before came from Quill, like an invisible thread hooking onto some slumbering part within him.

The Monkey Talisman.

Shendu's pupils contracted sharply.

Yet he did not move. He maintained his original posture, without even a change in expression. Only his claws curled slightly tighter.

The sensation quickly vanished, as abruptly as it had appeared.

Quill had already pushed the door open and left, the music fading farther and farther away.

"Little dragon?" Steve noticed something was wrong. "What is it?"

Shendu slowly shook his head. "Nothing."

After a pause, he asked, "That man... how long will he stay in New York?"

"About a week, I guess. Why?" Natasha asked.

"I was just curious," Shendu said flatly. "He looks very young."

Tony looked at him suspiciously and raised a brow. "Don't tell me you've taken a fancy to him? Leaving aside the reproductive barrier, you're both male."

Shendu could not be bothered with him.

He lowered his head and pretended to inspect the cracks in his claws, while his mind raced.

The Monkey Talisman was on that man. At the very least, that man had come into contact with the Monkey Talisman.

That threadlike sensation could not be mistaken. It was something that belonged to his body. Even across the entire universe, he would recognize it.

But the problem was that he could not ask. He could not reveal the slightest abnormality.

If the Avengers learned of the talismans' existence, if they learned of their power... no one could guarantee what they would do.

Steve's voice pulled him back to reality. "You need to rest."

Shendu raised his head.

Captain America stood before him. There was concern in those blue eyes, along with something Shendu could not understand.

"You saved a lot of people, little dragon," Steve said. "Get some rest. The rest of it... we can talk about later."

Later.

Shendu repeated the word in his heart.

The Monkey Talisman was on Earth, on the man named Quill. Or rather, Quill knew where the Monkey Talisman was.

He had plenty of time.

Out in the corridor, Quill hummed as he walked, his fingers lightly tapping the beat against the headphone cord.

At the corner, he paused and glanced back at the closed door.

That dragon...

His brow furrowed for an instant before relaxing again. He shrugged and continued on his way.

Who cared?

He was only here to collect junk.

Once he was done, he would leave.

The music in his Walkman continued playing. He hummed along, casting the dragon from his mind.

But he did not notice that in his pocket, the strange pendant he had just found on the corpse of a Chitauri officer suddenly glowed faintly.

It was a monkey-shaped pendant, crudely carved from an unknown material. It looked like some primitive amulet.

It lit up once, then dimmed.

As if nothing had happened.

S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters was especially quiet late at night.

Shendu lay in the temporary room prepared for him, but his eyes remained open.

The Monkey Talisman.

That name had circled through his mind for the entire day.

One of the Twelve Talismans, the closest one to him, was on this planet, on someone who was about to leave Earth.

He had to act.

But how?

If he told the Avengers directly, they would definitely question him about the talismans' purpose.

If he lied, Steve's blue eyes always seemed able to see through something. Even if Steve saw nothing, Shendu could not guarantee Natasha would not notice anything.

If he told the truth and informed them that the talismans could grant him the power to transform into anything, then he could forget about ever seeing another talisman again.

He had seen humanity's thirst for power far too often.

Early the next morning, Natasha pushed open the door and brought him breakfast—strictly speaking, several huge slabs of roast beef.

"How did you sleep?"

"Very well."

Shendu answered calmly, then nudged the pile of beef with a claw. "I want to go out for a walk."

Natasha paused.

"Go out?"

"Only within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s grounds," Shendu said. "I need to stretch my limbs, and besides... I want to see those Chitauri wrecks."

Natasha watched him with the professional scrutiny in her eyes.

"Why are you interested in the wreckage?"

"Because I come from an ancient civilization."

Shendu swallowed a piece of beef and said slowly, "And those things came from space. I want to know what kind of enemies I may face in the future."

It was a perfectly reasonable explanation.

An Eastern dragon from an unfamiliar world, suddenly confronted with an alien invasion, wanting to understand potential threats—it made complete sense.

Natasha considered it for a moment. "I'll need to ask for authorization."

Twenty minutes later, Steve appeared at the door. "I'll come with you."

It was not a request, but a notice. Shendu did not object.

They passed through S.H.I.E.L.D.'s corridors. Shendu coiled in the bed of a truck as it drove toward the outskirts of Manhattan. Along the way, he looked over the devastated city.

Some streets were still piled with rubble. Some buildings had half collapsed. People in protective suits moved through the ruins, using instruments to measure radiation levels.