I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. The weight of the Force around me began to stabilize. The weapons were on the ground. The officers were still trembling, confused. And the man in charge, the one who had been shouting orders, stood frozen, unsure whether to advance or retreat.
His eyes met mine.
I stepped forward. My voice was clear, without raising the volume.
"My name is Anakin Skywalker. I am a future Jedi, a protector of peace in the galaxy. I acted with diplomacy, and I saved lives here."
I paused briefly, letting the silence underline my words.
"I want to speak with whoever is in charge of this city. Or this planet."
The man stared at me, unmoving. He blinked, as if I had just spoken to him in Wookiee. Then he slowly raised his shoulder radio, maintaining eye contact.
"This is primary unit… we have a hostile subject. Possible superhuman threat. Requesting immediate backup."
I blinked.
Hostile?
Subject?
My expression froze. Then I exhaled slowly, looking up at the sky as if the Force needed to grant me patience in real time.
"Threat?" I repeated aloud, turning my head toward him. "Seriously? Are you deaf? Did I not just tell you I'm a Jedi?"
I stepped forward, lifting my hands with fingers spread, as if I needed divine assistance to process this level of stupidity.
"Look, I have a kriffing plasma sword. I'm a Jedi!" I exclaimed, gesturing broadly toward my belt. "Well… a Padawan. But that's not the point."
The man stared at me, confused.
"On your planet, is everyone this uncivilized, or is it just a local tradition in this city? Do you want to escalate this into an interplanetary conflict? Huh? Is that what you want?!"
"And on top of that, you're filming me with a news helicopter. Fantastic. Where is my Master when I actually need him?"
I muttered the last part under my breath, resigned.
Of course, Obi-Wan is far better than I am at this sort of thing. Give him a tribal leader with a spear and five poorly translated sentences, and within ten minutes he's being offered a welcome banquet. Give me a civilized city, and I end up with rifles pointed at me and reinforcements on the way.
Right then, while I was locked in a standoff with this local force of idiots, I felt movement behind me.
I turned quickly, and saw him.
The kriffing Lizard had woken up. Or rather, the man had transformed again.
All the officers instinctively stepped back, since, thanks to me, they had no weapons.
I remained where I was, staring into the Lizard's eyes without fear. My hand rested on my saber.
The Lizard looked at me for a second, then at the officers. Without hesitation, he fled. He bolted in the opposite direction and, within a few meters, dove into the underground through a sewer grate.
He yanked the cover up, and before dropping down, he hurled it at me with tremendous force.
The rusted metal disc flew toward me at high speed, aimed straight at my head.
I barely reacted. I raised my hand, and before it could hit me, it stopped midair, then dropped harmlessly to the ground.
Tsch. Stupid lizard. Next time, I'll cut off your tail, I thought irritably.
That's when I heard another sound.
Not a helicopter. Not more patrol cars.
Metal wings beating against the air.
I turned my head and saw a man descending slowly in a red-and-silver suit, wings extended. He landed elegantly, no visible weapons, but with a tense, professional expression.
"Hey, are you the guy who fought the mutant lizard?" he asked.
I looked him up and down. His armor was interesting. His tone wasn't hostile, it was reasonable.
"And who are you?"
"Sam Wilson. Also known as Falcon. Member of the Avengers."
Avengers?
I didn't understand what that meant. But I couldn't help smiling for the first time.
"Finally, someone civilized on this planet. I was starting to think the entire species was doomed."
I tilted my head slightly toward the officer who still watched me tensely, radio in hand, brow furrowed as if he hadn't understood seventy percent of what I'd said since arriving.
"That blond one with the strange outfit doesn't seem very intelligent… or he has hearing problems. I told him I'm a Jedi, and he called me a superhuman threat."
Sam suppressed a smile, glancing toward the officer. The man, visibly offended, frowned even deeper and tightened his jaw.
"We're handling a dangerous incident," the officer growled, unable to hide his irritation. "And a kid shows up with a glowing sword talking nonsense."
My smile faded slowly.
My gaze hardened.
It didn't bother me that they underestimated me.
It bothered me that they mocked what I represent.
I took a deep breath and smiled again, this time with quiet superiority. I reminded myself that this is an ignorant race. I must be indulgent with them. Patient. Like my Master would be.
"The one you call a child saved countless lives from that lizard who just escaped because of your paranoia. Now a four-meter monster is still loose. If it causes more damage… will you take responsibility?"
The officer pressed his lips together and stepped forward, his ego clearly bruised. But before he could say a word, Sam raised a hand and stepped between us.
"Hey, hey, easy. Captain Stacy," he said, looking at the officer seriously, "let me handle this. As an Avenger."
The officer frowned. Sam lowered his voice, but not his authority.
"This isn't a standard case the police can deal with. From what I'm hearing, we're dealing with someone who isn't even from this planet…"
Sam tilted his head slightly toward me, keeping his tone firm.
"And it wouldn't be the first time, right? We all remember New York. Loki. The guy with the scepter… also from another world. Thor. Asgardians. That's not science fiction anymore."
Asgardians?
A peculiar name for a species. I filed it away mentally.
Stacy slowly nodded, lowering his weapon and accepting his limit. Maybe out of respect. Or maybe because he no longer knew how to process what he had just witnessed.
Sam looked me straight in the eyes. "Anakin, right? How about we talk somewhere quieter?"
I studied him for a moment. His posture was open. His words diplomatic. There was no threat in him, only reason.
I nodded.
"Fine. Let's go," I said without much resistance. Finally, someone civilized.
Sam pivoted on his heels, extended his wings, and began to rise into the air.
I followed without hesitation, propelling myself with the Force. I leapt several meters upward, landing lightly on a nearby building. Then I jumped to the next without breaking rhythm, keeping close behind him.
I could have gone faster if I wanted to.
But it wasn't necessary.
I let him lead the way.
...
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