An old friend

"Could you lend me that thing so I can study it? I'm not asking for a freebie. Name your price! I'll pay!"

Stark waved a hand, speaking with extravagant confidence. That was the attitude of a man with money.

"No. I have absolutely no interest in your planet's currency." Galacta pursed her lips and rolled her eyes at him.

Just as Stark found himself at a loss, his cheeks growing hot, Galacta tossed the transformation flashlight into Mercer's hands and spoke.

"Here, you can borrow this to play with. Of course, while you have it, you can lend it to whoever you want. Just remember to treat me to something tasty."

"I have tasty things too..."

Hearing that, Stark thought he had spotted another glimmer of hope. But Mercer paused, then raised a hand. Dazzling lightning surged over his palm before quickly shrinking into a thumb-sized bead, which he handed to Galacta.

Galacta took it, examined it, and nodded in satisfaction before popping it into her stomach.

Stark watched from the side, utterly speechless.

Do all you godlike beings enjoy eating weird stuff like that? That thing was just pure energy, wasn't it? You can eat that too?!

The hope in Stark's eyes hadn't completely faded. What Galacta had said when she gave the thing to Mercer offered him a way forward.

With that, he turned his hopeful gaze toward Stark again.

After Galacta's "beating," Mercer had a conspicuous red, leaf-shaped handprint on his face. Still sporting that slap mark, he turned toward Stark and cleared his throat. "Once this is over, let's talk about the flashlight."

"Deal!" Hearing that, Stark knew he had a chance. Galacta wasn't an Earthling, but Mercer was. In other words, money still mattered to him.

A disguise flashlight instantly brought Mercer and Stark closer together, turning them into a pair of buddies chuckling as they quietly negotiated a price.

"Oh, right. Take this with you when you sneak into the school." Stark suddenly remembered something important. He jogged out and immediately returned, holding a disc-shaped device about the size of a rice bowl.

"This is an isolator that blocks gamma energy. I don't know whether it'll work against something that bizarre, but another precaution can't hurt. Dr. Banner and I developed it together."

"All right." They were all on the same team now, so Mercer didn't bother with extra thanks. He took the device and put it into the backpack Carter had found for him.

Thanks to Natasha's preparations, Mercer now wore a simple plaid shirt and shorts, with a black schoolbag on his back and black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. Combined with his altered face, he looked exactly like an ordinary student.

Galacta wore a similar outfit. No passerby would ever have guessed that these were two terrifying beings.

"Very good." Nick Fury nodded in satisfaction. "I'll take the squad and patrol outside the school. Report immediately if anything happens, and we'll act according to the situation."

"Got it!"

With their tactics settled, everyone set off for their destination.

First High School, Queens.

"Nothing unusual at the main gate. Looks like those S.H.I.E.L.D. guys haven't noticed yet."

"Once we summon that evil god, everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. will become our slaves. Ha ha!"

"By the way, don't lose focus on the assignment from upstairs. That guy called Mercer might show up to interfere."

"Relax. With looks like his, he'll be spotted the moment he appears. There's no way he can sneak in."

As the two men spoke, they glanced around. A young boy and girl approached them. The boy looked ordinary, so the men had no interest in him and swept their eyes straight past him.

The girl, however, earned another look. Her face was ordinary too, but she had an especially good figure, and both men couldn't help stealing a few extra glances at her legs.

They saw the boy saying something to the girl, but Mercer and Galacta were too far away for them to hear what they were discussing.

They didn't care, either. After a few casual glances, they looked away and resumed watching the area outside.

"You're pretty popular, little Gala," Mercer said with a soft chuckle.

The affectionate nickname made Galacta roll her eyes at him, but she didn't object. "Hmph. I can't be bothered with guys who think with their lower halves."

"Ha ha, true. How could people like that ever catch our big sister Galacta's eye? You're a god-tier being, after all."

Mercer kept showering Galacta with flattery. She was someone who could protect him. A simple exchange of food wouldn't be enough; he needed to bring them closer so he could ask for her help later if anything happened.

Galacta seemed to enjoy this relentless flattery from every possible angle.

Gradually, Mercer also realized that while this girl was brilliant with technology, she was remarkably innocent when it came to dealing with people.

No wonder I got her to stay just by offering food... Mercer thought. The two wandered aimlessly around the campus, constantly watching for changes in the people around them.

"There really are a lot of them. There's a disguised Hydra sentry every ten meters. This isn't going to be easy."

Mercer's expression grew grave. Although the Hydra members were all disguised as teachers, staff, or visitors, their movements still betrayed certain habits of agents or soldiers.

For Mercer, who had absorbed a Hydra assassin, those habits were easy to spot.

"Huh, that's... him?!"

Just as Mercer was idly surveying the campus, someone caught his eye and held it.

Of course. Coming to this school meant he would surely encounter that person: Spider-Man, Peter Parker!

What made Mercer look so astonished was that the Peter Parker not far away wasn't the Peter Parker from the Marvel Universe, but the Peter Parker from The Amazing Spider-Man!

"To think it would be him..."

Mercer's voice trembled slightly. This Spider-Man was the Andrew Garfield version, his favorite before he had crossed over into this world.

He hadn't used the convenience of his powers to gain anything for himself. Instead, he had ended up putting himself at a disadvantage.

His girlfriend Gwen Stacy's father had died, and Gwen Stacy herself had died not long afterward. Those losses had dealt this Spider-Man a devastating blow.

That had also long been a sore spot for Mercer. The shot at the end of the film, with Garfield gazing at Gwen Stacy's grave through all four seasons, had hurt him even more.

If it's you, then I'm willing to help. At least I won't let those regrets happen again! Mercer silently vowed.

Seeing Mercer staring at a boy in the distance, Galacta asked in confusion, "So that's your type?"

Mercer didn't bother explaining in response to her joke. He kept his eyes on Peter Parker and spoke slowly.

"I just saw an 'old friend,' that's all."