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He gave your arm a reassuring squeeze. Then, out of nowhere, a portal opened up in a remote corner of the room. Everyone who saw it froze and turned the rest of the way around to stare. You felt Ben's muscles tense through the bit of contact you shared, and you were right there with him. What could it possibly be this time…?
A lone figure emerged from the portal. Female. And familiar!
Pandora Peters panned her gaze around the room, a single unbound brown curl swaying as she turned her head. The rest of her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, clipped by an ornate golden cylinder. She wasn't wearing her usual uniform. Instead, she wore a sleeveless gray hoodie and black trenchcoat. And from the look of those boots she was wearing, she at least had the bottom half of her uniform on.
She cleared her throat and raised a wand to her lips. The tip began to glow white.
“Excuse me. Can anyone here tell me what the hell's been going on? Where's the King?” she asked, her voice somehow amplified by the wand she held.
This caused everyone else to quiet down, and the crowd shifted to identify the source of this new disturbance. Mina was the first to step forward, and the others parted to allow her through.
“Good evening, Ms. Peters. The King is currently indisposed. He is currently not in the best condition, so I will be acting on his behalf.”
Pandora stepped forward, her eyes fixing on Mina.
“You're on the council. I also see the Amazon Queen and the Were-Tribe leader. But what I don’t see are any Kaiju.”
“They are indisposed as well.” Mina noted.
“Doing what?”
“Give us a break, Peters! We just fought a damn war!”
That came from Ben, who had decided that now was a good time to insert himself in the situation. Pandora took a deep breath before turning to address your foster father.
“Huntsman. Since when have you been coming to the Metropolis? Most people don't even know that it exists.”
Ben shrugged and folded his arms.
“Oh, you know me. I'm just a well-connected guy.”
Pandora gave him a thin-lipped smile.
“That has been my experience, yes.” she said, a tad begrudging, you thought. “Maybe you'd like to explain all this, then.”
“I could. But…only if you say the magic words.”
Pandora's smile grew even more brittle.
“Come on. You're the head of S.H.I.E.L.D's magic division.” he goaded her. “Surely you know the magic words. I know everyone here does.”
The monsters’ murmured their general agreement, while others began to chuckle.
Pandora took another steadying breath, replaced her wand in its holster, and clapped her hands together.
“Would you please tell me what's going on.” she said, sounding at least a little convincing in her sincerity.
(Cont.)
