"What have I done…?"
Alex stumbled through the dark alley, his breath ragged.
His heart pounded in his ears, but his mind was louder.
"Her face…"
The jogger's terrified eyes.
The way her body trembled under him.
Her broken, whispered words—
"Don't… touch me…"
Alex gagged, his stomach twisting as bile rose in his throat.
"It wasn't me… it was the Omnitrix…"
But that was a lie.
He felt it.
The heat.
The hunger.
The sick satisfaction that came with it.
"I could've stopped…"
But he didn't.
His legs gave out, and he fell to his knees.
"I'm a monster…"
It didn't take long for the news to break.
And when it did…
The vultures swarmed.
[BREAKING NEWS: JOGGER SEXUALLY ASSAULTED BY UNKNOWN BEAST IN CENTRAL PARK]
"A horrific incident occurred last night in Central Park where a young woman was brutally assaulted by an unknown entity. The victim, who remains unnamed, was left severely injured and traumatized after the attack."
[POLICE CONFIRM SEXUAL ASSAULT]
"Sources within the NYPD have confirmed that the victim showed clear signs of sexual assault. Medical experts are calling this one of the most disturbing cases they've seen in recent years."
["IT WASN'T HUMAN," VICTIM SAYS IN TEARFUL INTERVIEW]
"In an exclusive interview, the victim, her voice trembling with fear, described her attacker as 'something not human.' She tearfully recounted how the creature pinned her down, ignoring her cries for help."
Every headline, every broadcast—
They didn't stop.
They pushed the story nonstop, shoving the most brutal details in front of millions.
"Jogger sexually assaulted."
"Beast attack."
"DNA not human."
They didn't care about the victim.
They didn't care about justice.
They just wanted views.
Clicks.
Money.
"Monsters," Alex whispered, his hands shaking as he scrolled through the headlines.
But was he really any different?
"I'm the real monster…"
It wasn't just the tabloids.
Everyone wanted a piece of the story.
"We need answers!"
"What is being done to stop this?"
The pressure was mounting.
And then they went after the big guns.
"Mr. Stark!"
Tony barely had time to step out of Stark Tower before the vultures pounced.
Cameras flashed, microphones shoved in his face.
"What's the Avengers' response to the Central Park assault?"
"How did you let this happen?"
"Are the Avengers even doing anything to stop this monster?"
Stark's jaw clenched.
"Back off," he muttered, trying to push through the crowd.
But they didn't back off.
"You're Iron Man. You've stopped alien invasions. How did this happen under your watch?"
"Are the Avengers losing control?"
"What are you doing about it, Stark?"
The questions kept coming.
Louder.
Harsher.
Relentless.
"I said—back off."
Stark's voice was sharper now, his usual sarcasm gone.
"We're handling it."
But that wasn't enough.
The vultures wanted blood.
"Handling it? A woman was sexually assaulted by a monster and all you're saying is 'handling it'?!"
The reporter's voice echoed across the street, cameras zooming in.
"Do you even care?"
For once…
Stark had no comeback.
His face was tight.
Jaw clenched.
"We're doing everything we can."
And with that, he pushed through the crowd, disappearing into the building.
But the damage was done.
The headline was already being written.
["STARK STUMBLES: AVENGERS SILENT ON CENTRAL PARK ASSAULT"]
___
Inside the tower, the mood was tense.
"This is bad," Natasha muttered, her eyes fixed on the news feed.
"No shit," Stark replied, rubbing his temple.
"Do we have any leads?" Steve Rogers' voice was calm, but there was steel underneath.
Bruce Banner frowned, reviewing the forensics.
"DNA's… complicated," he muttered. "It's alien. But it's not just one species. It's…"
His voice trailed off.
"It's a hybrid."
"What kind of hybrid?" Natasha's eyes narrowed.
"Something we've never seen before."
Silence filled the room.
Then—
"We need to find it. Fast."
Steve's jaw clenched.
"Before it happens again."
Alex sat in the footpath, staring at the TV that were on display.
The news played on loop.
Sexual assault.
Beast.
Monster.
The words echoed in his mind.
"They're hunting me…"
The Avengers.
The police.
The entire city.
"If they find out it's me…"
His stomach churned.
"I'm dead."