East Coast Studio — Linen's Lounge
"Done!"
Watching the video render to completion, Linen leaned back in his chair and stretched.
Not every video about him was entirely true.
On one hand, this was to throw S.H.I.E.L.D. and Tony Stark off the trail of his real past.
On the other, it was to further shape his public persona.
After all, the subsystem — the "Spoiler System" — required his presence in every video.
The Avengers would eventually suspect something. So, why not get ahead of it? He would feed them the concept of an "anchor person" and let them fill in the blanks themselves.
And filling in the blanks — that was always the most dangerous part.
Besides, what could be more convincing than the "facts" they discovered with their own eyes?
Of course, each video contained a blend of truth and fabrication to make it feel authentic.
For example, it was true that he had once helped the Digital Gang move product — not because he wanted to, but because he was young and broke, and it helped keep the police off his back. That much was real.
And the calico cat? Also real.
Only, the stray cat he adopted wasn't the Goddess of Vengeance — Nemesis.
Now that he'd explained the origin of his strange powers and introduced the idea of the "anchor person," whatever he did next could be justified. The Avengers themselves would likely invent reasons to defend him.
He chuckled to himself.
If one day he got the idea to break into the White House and kill the president, they might even find a way to rationalize that.
But… who was the true anchor of this universe?
Linen only knew that there was a mutant universe anchored by Logan — Wolverine.
Curious, he reopened the system interface to check what reward he'd earned for creating the new video.
[Prompt: Subsystem user has completed viewing. Trust level exceeds 90%. Reward granted: Flight.]
[Note: There is no upper limit to the flight skill. Based on current strength, it is advised that the host should not fly into outer space.]
Linen blinked.
"Seriously? Do I need to be told not to fly into space?"
Still, unlimited flight meant that once he gained a body capable of surviving in the vacuum, he could go anywhere — even the stars.
Smiling, he dismissed the interface.
A thought later, he rose effortlessly into the air, hovering above his chair.
Tony Stark's Laboratory
After leaving the viewing room, Tony Stark's face was uncharacteristically solemn.
"I didn't expect Linen to have gone through so much at such a young age," he muttered, glancing at Steve Rogers, who sat across from him.
"Linen once told me that if he had the choice, he'd rather not have these powers," Tony continued. "We see them as gifts — but to him, they're a curse."
Steve nodded. "He's been quietly protecting Earth all along. Linen's… a respectable man."
Tony frowned suddenly.
"JARVIS, pull up the satellite footage from when I fought Obadiah Stane."
"Right away, sir," JARVIS replied.
Moments later, the recording appeared — Tony, in his armor, battling Obadiah Stane near Stark Industries.
"Zoom in on that building across the street," Tony said.
As the image magnified, both Tony and Steve could clearly see it: on a rooftop opposite the fight, Linen, dressed in a black judge's robe, stood watching the battle.
Tony stared at the image, stunned.
"At that time, neither Stane nor I noticed him. He just… watched."
Steve frowned. "He must've already known what Stane had done. That's why he didn't interfere."
Tony sighed. "And to think, Stane's actions indirectly gave him another chance at life… he still didn't intervene."
Steve's expression softened. "Compared to what Linen's endured, my own past feels trivial."
Before Tony could reply, a video call appeared on the holographic display — Natasha Romanoff and Nick Fury.
"Tony," Natasha began, her tone curious, "what's that video behind you?"
"Oh, this?" Tony gestured casually. "That's my fight with Stane. Remember in the theater, Linen said he'd witnessed the battle? Well, turns out he really was there."
Natasha smiled faintly. "Then you should thank him. After everything we've seen of his past — if he hadn't been inherently just and kind, he could've easily stood against you."
Tony shrugged. "Fair point."
Nick Fury, silent until now, spoke up.
"Now that we understand where Linen's powers come from and what he's been through, I have one question: who exactly is that 'Nemesis' figure? I've never heard of her in any mythology."
"Neither have I," Tony said. "Honestly, I was shocked when I found out Thor was real. I thought he was just a Norse myth. Maybe Nemesis is similar — an alien mistaken for a goddess?"
"Possible," Natasha agreed. "But based on what we saw, she's powerful enough to erase an entire universe with a wave of her hand — and she's destroyed countless universes, moving freely across the multiverse."
"That's a god by any definition," Steve said grimly. "Thor's lived for fifteen centuries, but no one knows how long Nemesis has existed."
His tone darkened. "My concern is that she might grow tired of our universe and destroy it for amusement."
The thought silenced everyone.
Nick Fury broke the quiet. "Speculation won't help. None of us can understand the minds of gods."
He leaned forward. "But I noticed something — in every video from the Spoiler System, Linen appears. Maybe it's hinting that he is the anchor person of our universe."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Makes sense. The Goddess of Vengeance herself said he was special."
Natasha nodded. "She's recruited others like him before. But when they finally understood her true purpose, they all took their own lives."
Her voice softened. "And every time Linen challenges her, he suffers unimaginable pain when he fails."
The room fell silent again.
Finally, Steve said firmly, "I believe in him. Linen won't give up."
Everyone looked at him — and one by one, they nodded.
At this point, all they could do was believe.
Later, when the call ended, none of them felt the excitement they usually had after watching a video. The weight of what they'd seen lingered like a shadow.
"Natasha," Fury said quietly, closing his laptop, "what's Linen been up to lately?"
"It's winter break," she replied. "He's been helping us fight the Blood Parrot Gang and investigating the forces behind them. He spends most of his time at the East Coast Studio with his two senior sisters. You know he's also an exorcist now — the director of the Supernatural Crimes Division keeps asking me to recruit him."
Nick Fury nodded slowly. "From now on, S.H.I.E.L.D. will give him space. If he needs anything, offer support discreetly. We can't help with the Nemesis issue — but we can handle everything else."
He rubbed his forehead tiredly. "Let him see the good side of this world. I don't want the burdens he carries to crush him."
Natasha smiled faintly. "Understood."
As she turned to leave, her thoughts lingered. Even after knowing so much through the Spoiler System, she still trusted him — maybe even more than before.
And somewhere in Asgard, she wondered, had Thor finally managed to reconcile with Loki?
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