"Friday." Fenris called out after closing the safe.
Light flickered, and a holographic projection of a young girl appeared in front of him.
This was the artificial intelligence created by Tony Stark, meant to replace JARVIS after he was destroyed by Ultron and eventually transformed into Vision.
It was clear that this version of Friday was something Fenris had scavenged from the Void as well.
"Good evening, boss," Friday greeted sweetly.
Compared to the version seen in the movies, this Friday felt far more human. She was just as capable as JARVIS, but had something unique of her own. Her own holographic form.
"Anything going on?"
"Everything is normal."
Fenris nodded, then asked, "What about the people I asked you to investigate?"
"Isaiah Bradley, a recipient of the super-soldier serum. Codename: Captain America. Current residence: Baltimore, Maryland."
Friday brought up a holographic map, clearly marking his address and current location.
"Jessica Campbell, currently known as Jessica Campbell Jones, is living in Midtown Manhattan with her adoptive sister, Patricia Trish Walker."
The map again displayed her precise location, which, surprisingly, was just around the corner, on the same street.
"Lucas Luk-" Friday continued without pause.
Fenris interrupted, "You can skip the rest for now."
He wanted to become stronger and gain more powers, but there weren't many viable targets at the moment.
Bruce Banner hadn't become the Hulk yet, Tony Stark wasn't Iron Man, and future Scarlet Witch Wanda was still just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl.
Besides, to deal with the Time Variance Authority, close-combat physical strength was the priority.
The TVA was a magic-suppressed environment. Even the Infinity Stones were useless there, no better than paperweights or junk in a drawer.
However, the Time Keepers' enforcers, tasked with capturing time offenders and protecting the TVA, were all regular people.
They used to be time offenders themselves. After being caught, their memories were wiped and identities rewritten, turning them into loyal guards tasked with catching other offenders.
In the TVA's home ground, those who relied on magic or energy were often less threatening than an average field agent from S.H.I.E.L.D.
Outside the TVA, these guards relied entirely on their gear.
Weapons that could prune targets into the Void, devices that allowed travel across time and timelines in the multiverse, collars that restrained escapees, reset charges that could erase branches of time, these were what made the TVA powerful.
What if the enemy was too strong?
They wouldn't fight.
They would just prune the entire time branch and reset the timeline, erasing the problem without anyone even noticing.
Back to the present, Fenris had stepped outside and spotted Jessica Jones arguing with a blonde woman near a bar entrance.
Unfortunately, the blonde was her sister, Trish Walker. No matter how heated the argument got, it would never turn physical, which meant no opportunity to watch a fight and trigger a system drop.
"You know what, Jessica? I'm proud of myself tonight, even if you're not," Trish said in frustration, turning toward her car. "If you don't want to join me, fine. I'm going to be with my friends."
"You think they're your friends? They're just leeches. They want your money, your drinks, your food," Jessica tried to stop her from falling into shallow, meaningless indulgence.
But Trish, already riled up, snapped back, "Aren't you? Why don't you pay your own tuition?"
Jessica stared at her in disbelief. "Because you insisted on paying for me."
"And how about paying the damn rent instead of mooching off me?"
That hit a nerve. Jessica lost her cool too. "You think I need you? You think I can't get what I want on my own?"
"I don't need anything from you."
She stormed off toward an ATM nearby, ripped it open with ease, and grabbed the cash inside.
Trish watched with a look of helplessness.
"See? All taken care of," Jessica raised the money proudly.
"Great. That's just great. When you get arrested and need bail, don't call me."
"When you overdose and end up in the hospital, don't call me either."
Jessica snapped back with more fire, but Trish didn't want to continue the fight. Shaking her head, she got into her car.
Bang!
The car door slammed shut, and she drove off.
"Damn it," Jessica muttered under her breath, crouching down to gather the money she had dropped.
While picking up the cash, she noticed a pair of feet stop in front of her. Looking up, she saw a sharp-featured Asian guy with short, messy hair. There was something cool and a little mischievous about him.
Fenris glanced across the street at a guy holding a bottle. He remembered this scene from Jessica Jones's solo series. This was where she met her first boyfriend.
That guy, the one with the bottle, was her first love. Jessica's later trademark look, black leather jacket and boots, came from him.
But he was a scumbag, and he eventually got beaten to death by Jessica's mom.
"Why argue? Can't you just calmly slap each other a few times instead?" Fenris said lazily, his tone full of regret.
Jessica Jones: ???
That question mark wasn't about her confusion. It was about how he was the one acting weird.
"She's my only family," Jessica said, clearly annoyed.
"Not anymore."
Jessica nearly lost it and wanted to ask, "Do you even know how to be polite?"
You really snatched every last bamboo shoot from the mountain.
Fenris blinked, thinking, Your birth mom is still alive, you know. Surprised? Bet you are.
Good-looking as he might be, he had the personality of a jerk.
Jessica stood up, stuffed the money back into the ATM, and forced the metal shut with her hands. She turned to leave.
"Hey."
"What?" Jessica turned her head.
Fenris pointed at the sign for the Everywhere Logistics Company across the street and grinned.
"Free food and housing included. Want the job?"
Jessica looked at the company sign, then back at Fenris. Confident and bold, she nodded.
"Sure."