Chapter 198: Arc 5: Chapter 41: A Tragedy

"You're giving me quite the problem."

In Fury's office, Merlin plays with the medallion in his hand and tells Fury:

"No data, no intel, no guide, just a name and some rumors, and you want me to leave home and fight for my life on the other side of the planet."

He shakes his head:

"I must be crazy, but my gut is telling me that I shouldn't decline."

"This isn't just to retaliate for what the CIA did to us, Merlin."

Fury lets out a breath, looks at Merlin, and says:

"Just think for the warriors who sacrificed for the country but can't even rest in peace."

"Yeah."

Merlin keeps the Ten Rings medallion and says:

"It would've been alright if we didn't know."

"But we can't let it go now that we do."

"I knew you'd accept this mission."

A smile appears on Fury's black face. He sits onto his chair and tells Merlin:

"When you're gone, I'll need someone to take over SDOLD, any recommendations?"

"Coulson's fine."

Merlin looks at Fury, and when he notices the hesitation in Fury's eyes, he rephrases:

"Of course, he's too young and inexperienced, it'll be hard for him to command the others. Him and Melinda will act as adjutants instead, I've already split SDOLD's affairs; they're each on their most suitable positions now, all they lack is someone who can look at the grand scheme of things yet understand the wizarding world well enough, most importantly, someone you trust."

"Why not let Garrett come back?"

Merlin says:

"He's fought alongside the wizards in England for a long time, he knows quite a bit about magic, and most importantly, he knows how wizards act. With him leading my department, you won't have to worry about the relationship between him and the Magical Congress. But the only problem is that Garrett's leading thousands of agents in Europe, it'll be a demotion to transfer him back here to manage a subordinate department."

"It's alright."

A light flashed in Fury's eye as he said:

"Garrett can hold a concurrent post."

"The Europe branch was established since the Cold War, it has a mature structure like SHIELD, it won't be much of a problem to have him act as SDOLD's leader, since he only gives orders and not conduct them. I also plan on transferring Victoria out from the Raft, she's too valuable to be kept there."

"So?"

Merlin asks:

"What's your plan?"

"Agent Felix will serve as the officer in the Raft, Victoria will go to the Europe branch and act as the secondary commander there, while Garrett will return to New York to lead your department. Barton and Natasha will be transferred back to base to lead two other recently established teams."

Fury snaps his fingers:

"That'll do."

"It's always the same people."

Merlin shakes his head and sighs:

"Our organization may look majestic, but there are only so many trustworthy people in the chain of command. This can't do, Fury, you have to promote some newbies before it tires out everyone."

"You're the one to talk."

Fury glares at Merlin:

"You're the most relaxed of all the high-ranking commanders, don't think that I don't know that you pushed all the troublesome work to Coulson and Melinda."

"I'm trusting them and training their abilities, Fury."

Merlin says thoughtlessly:

"How can children grow up if you choose not to let go? The path may be a painful one, but when it scars, it'll become a medal of courage."

"Not to mention, aren't I busy cleaning up your mess?"

Merlin waves the document in his hand; he exercises his shoulders and says to Fury while standing up:

"Ah, I've stayed on this continent for long enough. It is time to go around outside, wait for my good news, Fury; I'll be back in a few months if things go well."

"Mmm."

Fury nods:

"The affair with the DoD should end after a few months. Also, stay safe, Merlin. Afghanistan isn't New York, I won't be able to go save you in time should you get into trouble."

"You save me?"

Merlin glances at Fury's somewhat fat belly with doubt, and his eyes embarrass Fury. Before Fury becomes angry, Merlin then exits the office while laughing.

After Merlin left, Fury closed the door, instinctively stroked his belly and shook his head.

Mmm, maybe I'll take a trip to the gym this afternoon.

I've been lazing around quite a bit lately.

---

After exiting the SHIELD building, Merlin drives his car to Queens.

He turns the steering wheel while dialling a strange 19-digit number, and what's more bizarre is that the number had connected.

"Du Du Du"

After a brief moment, a low, muffled voice resounds from Merlin's phone:

"My friend Merlin, have you found something related to the Allspark?"

This voice was somewhat iconic, for it was metallic and lacked emotion.

It was the voice of the Cybertronian Cliffjumper.

"Sector Seven in Hoover Dam."

Merlin says:

"Do you know that place?"

"I can find it."

Cliffjumper replies:

"Me and Bumblebee will head over as soon as possible, if the Allspark is there, we promise that we will leave the world with it immediately."

"Good, better bring the Decepticons and your damned mechanical war disaster along with you."

Merlin answers:

"Also, you just want the Allspark, so don't cause too much trouble, I mean, don't kill too many people, alright?"

"The Resistance has their bottom line, Merlin."

Cliffjumper says:

"We do not harm other lifeforms unless necessary."

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"Good, stay in touch then."

Merlin didn't stay on for long and soon hung up the call.

He has no intention of interfering with the Cybertronians' affairs as Earth already has enough of homemade troubles.

Merlin drove his car and turned into the next corner under the shine of the afternoon sun. Fury gave him little time, so he had to return to his house and pack his things before his flight to the Middle East tomorrow afternoon.

But just as Merlin's car turns into the harbour area of Hell's Kitchen, Merlin suddenly discovers a group of people gathering on the road up ahead.

Next to the crowd was a large truck that had flipped over.

Merlin's vision was excellent; thus, he could see the truck's red canisters and the skull mark on those canisters.

That meant that those were dangerous chemicals.

Merlin lowered the car window and could even smell the faint stinging smell in the air; most importantly, Merlin could hear the painful screams of a child at the centre of the gathered crowd.

"Make way! Make way!"

He opens the car door and pushes aside the crowd, only to see a young boy lying in a puddle of green liquid.

He recognized the boy.

He was Matt Murdock, Jack Murdock and Sister Peggy's son.

Merlin had seen and even participated in separating the child's parents that night seven years ago.

He squats down, takes out a cloth, and wipes the liquid on Matt's body; he then picks him up and rushes to his car.

The child was in extreme pain and kept struggling in Merlin's arms. He did not wish to do so but couldn't resist the severe pain.

Merlin could understand the pain, the despair, the helplessness.

He then held young Matt even tightly while the young child held his eyes that were drenched in liquid; he was crying so much he could hardly speak.

"It must hurt."

Merlin looks at the painful child on the passenger seat and says:

"Child, hang on, I'll take you to the hospital right now."

As he finished, Merlin stepped on the pedal and speeds toward the nearest hospital. Along the way, Merlin tried to help young Matt clean his eyes and burnt skin by casting Reparifos and Scourgify but had little effect.

God knows what was in that chemical liquid; it seemed to include some irritating effect that caused young Matt to scream in pain.

"Make way!"

In less than 5 minutes, Merlin arrives at the nearest hospital.

He carries the weak and painful Matt and storms into the emergency room; he then watches as the poor child is delivered into the operating room.

A few minutes later, a raging man storms into the emergency room like an angry bull; he was still wearing a boxer's pants and had blood stains on his face, seemingly to have just heard of the terrible news after finishing a match.

He shouts to the young girl at the front desk with his face full of sweat:

"Where's my son? God, tell me, where's my Matt?"

"Stop it!"

Behind him, Merlin says coldly:

"This is a hospital, so shut it."

"You again!"

Jack, who had rushed here from the boxing ring, turns back and glares at Merlin; the boxer seemed to be more mature compared to how he was in the fire dragon incident a few years back; more scars filled his once-handsome face, which appeared to show that he did not have a good time trying to make a living over the past few years.

But because the Magical Congress had wiped their memories of the Fire Dragon incident, this was Jack's second time seeing Merlin.

His memory of fighting alongside Merlin had vanished in the Fire Dragon incident.

Thus he acted very impolitely towards Merlin.

"Nothing good ever happens when I see you! God, are you misfortune reincarnated?"

Jack's cursing made Merlin speechless.

"Stop being so loud, I was the one who delivered your son to the hospital; I heard from the others that he encountered danger while trying to save an elderly man who almost got hit by a car."

"You may not be something, Jack, but your son did something heroic today, he's a hero."

"To hell with heroes!"

Jack does not appreciate Merlin's compliment; he looks to the operating room and says with concern and pain:

"I just want my son to be safe, I never should've let him go onto the streets alone, this is my fault, this is all my fault..."

The supposedly strong boxer mutters to himself.

He seemed to lack the strength to even quarrel with Merlin.

He sits on a chair outside the operating room, covering his head with his hands and bending his back.

This savage man seemed to be struck down by the heavy weight of fate.

"Sigh..."

Merlin saw this and is speechless.

He stands beside Jack and pats his shoulder; the latter glances at him and lowers his head without saying anything.

"Relax, your child will be fine, he's strong."

Merlin senses the life activity inside the operating room with his dark senses, young Matt had fallen into a coma under the effects of anaesthetics, but his life activity was slowly recovering.

The child was lucky not to have been harmed by the chemical liquid.

Merlin tells Jack:

"God favors the brave, perhaps your son inherited your bravery."

"It's all my fault."

Jack grabs his hair and mutters to himself:

"I let him read too many superhero comics, I always tell him to be a good person, to study and become a proper man in the future instead of an incompetent kickboxer like me. I encouraged my son to be someone who helps others, but misfortune befell him instead. This is all my fault..."

"What fault is there?"

Merlin shakes his head and sits beside Jack; he says to the underworld boxer, who gave him a bad first impression but was slowly changing:

"Letting your son become a kind person is much better than letting him become a bad guy who does everything for money. Young Matt will be fine, trust me."

"How do you know?"

A worried Jack looks at the operating room and tells Merlin:

"None of us can see into the future. Are you more special?"

"I just know!"

Merlin says softly:

"Just think of me as special..."

 

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