(A/N):
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<AUTHOR NOTE:->
Guys I Want you to help me find all those character’s you felt they should be in…
Since I can start my research on them…
And also helps me find the character’s easily…
Hope you comments their names or img…
here…
….
The System notification appeared in the corner of Raja’s vision while he was still sitting on the floor with Peter and Ned.
“Important Character Contact Confirmed”
“Target: Peter Parker
Associated Identity: Spider-Man
Current Status: Initial Stage”
“XP Reward: +1,000”
Raja’s eyebrows shot upward.
“One thousand?”
He quickly checked the notification again, and then another line caught his attention.
“Identity Tag: Initial”
“Subject has not yet acquired his established Spider-Man equipment and has not entered his later-stage development.”
Raja immediately understood what that meant.
Peter hadn’t even reached the stage where he had his classic Spider-Man suit yet.
He was still in the early days of his career, when the homemade hoodie suit was basically his entire superhero wardrobe.
‘So the System actually tracks the stage of a character,’
Raja thought as his understanding of system increased.
That could become very important later.
He mentally opened his status.
“System Level: 3
“Current XP: 1,535 / 10,000”
Raja stared at the number.
‘…That’s going to take a while.’
He had gone from needing only a few hundred XP per level to suddenly needing ten thousand.
At this rate, he would have to meet quite a few important people before the System reached Level 4.
Still, he wasn’t complaining.
A thousand XP from Peter alone was pretty generous.
Raja closed the System and returned his attention to the two boys beside him.
That was when he discovered another problem.
Peter and Ned had somehow turned the floor into a miniature engineering workshop.
LEGO pieces were scattered everywhere, but what surprised Raja wasn’t the number of pieces.
It was what the two boys were actually doing with them.
Peter had drawn a rough mathematical diagram on a sheet of paper while Ned was arranging pieces according to measurements and angles.
They were calculating proportions, estimating structural support and figuring out how many pieces were required for different sections of the model.
Raja stared at them.
“…Are you two actually doing mathematics?”
Peter looked up.
“Yeah.”
Ned nodded enthusiastically.
“We’re trying to make sure the structure doesn’t collapse under its own weight.”
Raja looked at the massive LEGO construction taking shape in front of them.
“You need mathematics for LEGO?”
Peter gave him a confused look.
“Of course.”
“How else are you supposed to calculate the load distribution?”
Raja slowly looked at Ned.
“….”
Ned nodded as if Peter had just explained the most obvious thing in the universe.
Raja leaned back.
‘Right….
Of course.’
‘These two aren’t normal teenagers.’
He didn’t hate mathematics.
In fact, he had always been perfectly capable of understanding it when he actually sat down and studied.
The problem was that mathematics had a strange habit of making students believe they understood everything until the examination paper appeared in front of them.
At home:
“Yeah, I understand this chapter.”
During revision:
“Easy.”
Five minutes into the exam:
“Who is x and why does he owe me money?”
Raja watched Peter and Ned continue calculating.
“…I’m beginning to regret coming here.”
Ned looked at him.
“You don’t like math?”
“I like it.”
Raja paused trying to come up with an answer.
“I just don’t like what happens when math doesn’t likes me back.”
Peter laughed.
Ned stared at him for a second before bursting out laughing as well.
After spending another few minutes watching the two of them turn LEGO into an engineering project,
Ned suddenly suggested they take a break.
“There’s an arcade nearby.”
Peter immediately looked interested.
Raja glanced between them.
“You two go there often?”
“Sometimes,”
Peter replied nodding his head.
“It’s one of the few places we can hang out without spending too much money.”
Ned nodded.
“And they have games.
Good games.”
Peter looked at Ned.
“Some of them are terrible.”
“That’s why they’re fun.”
Raja shrugged his shoulder.
“Alright.
Let’s go.”
A few hours later…
Raja was beginning to question his decision.
The arcade was certainly…
an arcade.
The machines were old.
The graphics looked like they had survived three different generations of technology.
And the selection of games was questionable.
Raja stood in front of one machine and stared at the screen.
A pixelated dinosaur ran endlessly across a barren landscape while obstacles appeared in front of it.
He looked at Peter.
“Seriously?”
Peter shrugged his shoulder excited.
“It’s actually fun.”
Ned nodded.
“Yeah.
It’s addictive.”
Raja sighed looking at the Dino jumps from the cactus.
“Okay.”
He took the controls.
The game began.
The little dinosaur started running.
Raja pressed the button.
Jump.
Jump.
Jump.
The dinosaur collided with a cactus.
Game over.
Ned laughed seeing he get out sooner.
“You’re terrible!”
“I’ve been here for thirty seconds!”
Peter grinned since he was a long run compared to them.
“That’s still terrible.”
Raja looked around the arcade.
For a universe filled with alien technology, superhuman beings, mutants, sorcerers, gods, secret organizations and billionaires building powered armor in their garages…
The entertainment industry seemed to have missed the memo.
“Let me understand something,”
Raja said as he asked.
“This is a world where people are building weapons that can destroy cities, Stark Industries is developing technology decades ahead of everyone else, and nobody thought of making better arcade games?”
Ned shrugged his shoulder.
“Apparently not.”
Raja shook his head.
“Humanity has its priorities completely wrong.”
Peter laughed hearing his complaint.
For the next few hours,
The three boys continued moving between different machines.
Some games were actually enjoyable.
Others were so outdated that Raja wondered whether they had been installed before he was born.
But eventually, the afternoon began fading into evening.
The sky outside turned orange as the sun dropped toward the horizon.
Peter checked the time.
“We should probably head back.”
“Yeah,”
Ned agreed looking at the sky.
“Aunt May’s party should be starting soon.”
Raja nodded.
The three returned to Peter’s house.
When they stepped through the front door, they immediately heard May speaking on the phone.
“No, I understand…”
“But you said it would be delivered before six.”
Raja stopped hearing her voice.
May turned away slightly while listening to the person on the other end.
“What do you mean you don’t have enough delivery staff?”
She sighed looking at the time.
“Yes, I understand.
Alright.”
She listened again before finally responding.
“I’ll pick it up myself.”
“Yes.
Thank you.”
May ended the call and rubbed her forehead.
Peter looked concerned.
“What happened?
Aunt May…”
May turned around.
“The cake shop had an unexpected shortage of delivery staff.”
“They apologized and said they couldn’t send anyone tonight.”
Ned frowned hearing it.
“So the cake isn’t coming?”
“They said I can pick it up myself.”
May sighed in helplessness.
“They’re giving me another cake and a fifty-percent discount voucher for the next order as compensation.”
Peter looked apologetic. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“I’m sorry, Aunt May.”
“Don’t be.
Why are you asking sorry?”
She smiled looking at Peter who was looking at her like he did something wrong.
“I’ll go get it.”
Then she looked at the three boys.
“You stay here.”
“And don’t go wandering around the neighborhood while I’m gone.”
Ned immediately raised his hands.
“We won’t.”
May grabbed her purse and keys.
Raja glanced toward her.
“Where’s the shop?
Ms.
May…”
She told him the location.
“About fifteen minutes from here.”
Raja immediately stood.
“I’ll drive you.”
May looked surprised.
“You don’t have to.”
“It’s fine.”
He picked up his Camaro keys.
“It’ll be faster than taking a cab or waiting around.”
May hesitated for a few moments.
Then smiled.
“Alright, Raj.
Thank you.
I can’t believe Peter made good friend.”
Peter watched them head toward the door.
“Drive carefully.”
Raja looked back.
“Don’t worry.”
He opened the door for May.
“Your cake is coming home.”
Ten minutes later,
Raja pulled the Camaro into the parking area outside the cake shop and switched off the engine.
The place was still open despite the late afternoon rush, with several customers coming and going through the glass entrance.
May unfastened her seat belt and looked toward him.
“Wait here.
I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Raja nodded his head.
“Take your time.”
May stepped out of the Camaro and headed inside while Raja remained behind the wheel.
He leaned back in his seat and glanced at his phone, casually scrolling through the notifications he had accumulated during the day.
Inside the shop,
May walked toward the reception counter.
“Hi.
I’m here to pick up an order.”
The cashier smiled politely.
“Of course.
Could I have the order number?”
May pulled out her phone and showed him the confirmation.
After checking the system, the cashier nodded.
“Yes, we have it.
There was a slight delay with the delivery, so I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s alright.
I understand.”
The cashier disappeared into the back for a moment before returning with two neatly packed cake boxes.
“Here you go.
And this is the voucher we promised you.”
May accepted both boxes along with the voucher.
“Thank you.”
She turned toward the entrance.
Then the front door opened.
Two men wearing dark suits walked inside.
Something about them immediately changed the atmosphere.
The cashier’s smile disappeared.
“….”
His face became tense.
May noticed it too.
The two men didn’t even bother approaching the counter.
One of them turned around and locked the entrance door.
Click.
The sound of the lock seemed unnaturally loud.
A few customers looked toward the door with confusion.
“What are you doing?”
Someone asked frowning since they were about to go out.
Neither man answered.
The second man reached inside his coat and pulled out a handgun.
BANG!
He fired a single shot into the ceiling.
Several customers screamed.
Dust and tiny pieces of plaster fell from above.
“Nobody move!”
The command instantly froze everyone in place.
Outside, Raja’s head snapped toward the shop.
“What the hell?”
He had heard the gunshot clearly through the closed windows.
His expression immediately changed.
Inside the store, the situation became even more frightening.
The two armed men moved toward the customers, forcing everyone away from the entrance.
May instinctively lowered the cake boxes she was carrying.
She wasn’t sure what was happening, but she knew one thing.
This wasn’t a simple robbery.
The man who had fired the gun looked around the store with cold eyes.
“Nobody gets hurt if nobody does anything stupid.”
The owner slowly raised his hands.
“Please…
Take whatever you want.”
“The money, the registers, everything.”
“Just don’t hurt anyone.”
The man barely looked at him.
“We aren’t here for your money.”
That answer made the owner even more frightened.
Before he could ask another question, the man turned toward the cashier.
“You.”
The cashier froze.
“Come here.”
The cashier took a nervous step backward.
“What do you want?”
“You know what we want Fucker.”
“I don’t…”
The cashier suddenly turned and sprinted toward the kitchen.
BANG!
He screamed as the bullet struck his knee.
He collapsed onto the floor, clutching his leg.
May flinched hearing it.
“Stop!”
The armed man walked toward the injured cashier without showing the slightest concern.
“Where is the briefcase?”
The cashier stared at him in terror.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The man crouched down as he pointed his gun at his forehead.
“You have three seconds.”
“I swear…”
“Three.”
“I don’t know!”
“Two.”
The cashier’s breathing became frantic.
“It’s in the restroom!”
The man stopped hearing the answer.
“Where?”
“In the flush tank!
I hid it there!”
The armed man stood.
“Search the restroom.”
One of his companions immediately moved toward the back.
May watched silently, her mind racing.
‘What kind of cake shop has a briefcase hidden inside a toilet tank?’
Clearly, whatever these men wanted had nothing to do with the business.
A minute later, the second man returned carrying a small black briefcase.
He placed it on the counter.
The first man immediately opened it.
A faint mist escaped from inside.
Everyone nearby stared.
Instead of money or weapons…
The briefcase contained twelve narrow glass tubes arranged carefully inside a specialized compartment.
Each tube contained a small quantity of dark-red liquid.
Blood.
The inside of the briefcase was lined with a miniature cooling system, keeping the samples at a low temperature.
The man’s expression finally changed.
Satisfaction.
“Got it.”
May’s eyes narrowed her eyes.
‘Blood samples?’
Why would armed men break into a cake shop for blood?
And more importantly…
Why would someone go to such lengths to hide them inside the restroom?
The man carefully checked each tube before closing the briefcase.
Outside…
Raja had already stepped out of the Camaro.
He wasn’t sure exactly what was happening inside, but the gunshot had told him enough.
He looked through the glass.
He could see frightened customers.
Armed men.
And May standing among them.
His expression hardened.
“Okay…”
He slowly reached into his jacket.
“…birthday cake retrieval just became a little more complicated.”
Raja approached the cake shop cautiously, keeping his expression as normal as possible while his eyes moved across the surrounding buildings.
His first instinct had been to simply transform, walk inside, and deal with the armed men before they had the chance to hurt anyone.
With the Ghost Rider’s abilities, there was a very good chance he could end the whole situation in seconds.
Then he noticed the cameras.
One mounted above the entrance.
Another across the street.
A third attached to the neighboring building.
Raja’s eyes continued scanning until he realized just how thoroughly the area was being watched.
The cake shop itself had multiple cameras covering the entrance, the counter, the seating area and even the parking lot.
“Great,”
He muttered.
Transforming here would be the equivalent of standing in front of a police station, lighting himself on fire and announcing his name.
There was no way he was going to throw away his identity that casually.
‘I’m not Tony Stark.’
He wasn’t some billionaire with an artificial intelligence monitoring every camera feed in the city and a tower full of technology capable of cleaning up his mistakes.
Even Tony’s resources hadn’t always been enough to keep the people around him out of danger.
Raja looked through the glass again.
May was still inside.
So were the other customers.
His eyes narrowed.
He had two choices.
He could go inside and deal with the gunmen himself…
Or he could wait for the police.
The second option was obviously safer for maintaining his identity.
Unfortunately, this was the Marvel Universe.
Raja had already learned one important rule.
‘Canon events have absolutely no respect for common sense.’
For all he knew, waiting five minutes could turn a simple robbery into a hostage crisis, a massacre, or the introduction of some new lunatic who had been waiting for exactly this moment.
He wasn’t taking that chance.
“Fine.”
Raja walked back toward his Camaro.
“If subtlety wants to abandon me…
I’ll improvise.”
He climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
The Camaro roared to life.
Inside the cake shop, one of the gunmen heard the engine approaching but didn’t pay much attention to it.
Then the sound grew louder.
VRRROOOOM!
The leader turned toward the window.
His eyes widened.
“What the…”
A yellow Camaro was accelerating directly toward the front of the shop.
“GET DOWN!”
CRAAAAASH!
The car smashed through the glass wall.
The entire front of the shop exploded inward in a storm of shattered glass and twisted metal.
People screamed and dropped to the floor.
But Raja hadn’t driven directly toward them.
He had deliberately angled the Camaro so the vehicle itself became a barrier between the gunmen and the civilians.
The impact threw several shelves aside while the Camaro skidded across the floor.
Before the vehicle had even come to a complete stop, Raja opened the driver’s door and jumped out.
He rolled across the ground, absorbing the impact before quickly getting back onto his feet.
“Everybody down!”
Several civilians didn’t need to be told twice.
They immediately ran through the newly created opening.
May, however, had already recognized the driver.
“Raj!”
She saw him crouching near the wrecked vehicle.
Her face immediately filled with panic.
“Raj!”
She ran toward him.
“What were you thinking?!”
“Later!”
Raja grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the counter.
“Down!”
They barely made it behind cover before the gunmen recovered.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Bullets ripped through the shop.
Glass shattered.
Cake boxes exploded into pieces.
One bullet struck the counter only inches above Raja’s head.
May instinctively curled into herself.
Every gunshot made her flinch violently.
“May!”
Raja grabbed her shoulders.
“Stay down.”
Another burst of gunfire echoed through the building.
May’s breathing became rapid.
Her hands were trembling badly.
Raja noticed immediately.
“Hey.”
He lowered his voice.
“Look at me.”
She tried to calm down but she was having difficulty.
“You’re safe.
I’ve got you.”
Another gunshot made her flinch again.
Raja’s expression hardened.
He didn’t know what May had experienced in her life to react like this, but seeing her terrified made him realise she must have a bad memory with it.
“I won’t let them hurt you.”
Before he could say anything else…
Sirens screamed outside.
Multiple police vehicles arrived almost simultaneously.
The officers moved into position behind their cars.
A familiar figure emerged from one of the vehicles.
George Stacy.
He immediately assessed the situation.
“Armed suspects inside!”
“Get civilians away from the building!”
The officers raised their weapons.
“POLICE!
DROP YOUR WEAPONS!”
The response was immediate.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
The gunmen opened fire through the broken windows.
The police returned fire.
Suddenly the entire cake shop became a battlefield.
Bullets tore through walls.
Glass continued falling from the ceiling.
Shelves collapsed.
One of the cake refrigerators exploded under the impact of several rounds.
The civilians who hadn’t escaped scrambled for cover.
Raja remained crouched behind the counter with May.
He carefully peeked over the edge.
There were still too many gunmen.
And they were clearly trained.
These weren’t ordinary criminals.
They moved with discipline, covered each other’s positions and fired in controlled bursts.
Raja’s eyes narrowed.
‘Who the hell are these guys?’
The leader noticed the same thing Raja had done.
The police had them pinned.
Their escape route through the front was blocked.
The briefcase was still in their possession, but they couldn’t fight their way out forever.
Then the leader glanced toward the counter.
He remembered seeing the young man pull the woman behind it.
His eyes narrowed.
“Who’s that?”
One of his men looked over.
“The kid who drove the car.”
“And the woman?”
“She was already inside.”
The leader’s expression changed.
He pointed toward them.
“Get them.”
The subordinate hesitated.
“The police have us surrounded.”
“Exactly.”
The leader tightened his grip around his weapon.
“We need leverage.”
He gestured toward the counter.
“Take the hostages.”
Two men immediately moved through the ruined shop, using the overturned furniture as cover.
Raja noticed them approaching.
His jaw tightened.
‘So that’s the game they’re playing.’
May looked at him seeing him forwn.
“Raj…”
He glanced at her.
“Stay behind me.”
The armed men raised their weapons.
“Get out from behind the counter!”
Raja slowly stood.
May remained crouched behind him.
The leader shouted from across the shop.
“Both of you!”
“Hands where we can see them!”
Raja looked at the gunmen.
“….”
Then at the police outside.
Then at May.
His mind began racing.
He couldn’t transform.
Too many cameras.
Too many witnesses.
But he will be confronting them with his other template’s help.
But he also couldn’t allow them to take May.
The leader pointed his gun directly at him.
“Move.”
Raja slowly raised his hands.
“Alright.”
He stepped forward.
But beneath his calm expression…
His mind was already calculating exactly how many seconds he would need to put every one of these men on the floor.
*******************************
(Author note:)
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