Druid in the Marvel Universe Chapter 127: Geniuses Use Assistive Tools

Alvin went to track down Megan, who'd been in the assassin game for years and knew her way around firearms.

He laid out what he needed, and Megan got Jarvis to whip up the handgun Alvin wanted. Alvin thought this smart butler wasn't as sharp as it acted!

Alvin's needs were pretty basic: "Accurate, lots of bullets, powerful." He always figured his lousy aim was 'cause he was using the wrong gun. With a better piece, maybe his shooting would suck less!

The shield? That was for Steve. Seeing Steve without his shield was like seeing a cowboy without his hat! The shield just needed to be tough as nails. Steve could handle the rest.

Let S.H.I.E.L.D. keep their fancy shield in storage!

Tony's workshop was no joke. In half an hour, Alvin's gear was ready.

Alvin picked up the handgun and checked it out. It looked slick, kinda like an M1911 but with a longer barrel and bigger grip. Whether it was any good, Alvin had no clue—that was Megan's department!

Tony, always looking for a laugh, heard about the gun test and couldn't resist joining in.

He knew Alvin's shooting was meh, and any chance to roast him was golden.

Alvin squinted at Tony, knowing exactly what this clown was up to. But hey, no biggie. It's not like they were betting cash, right?

Out by the cliff in the mansion's backyard, it was the perfect spot for a shooting match.

They set up a long table at the cliff's edge, lined with empty beer bottles from lunch.

About 65 feet from the table, Alvin and Tony stood side by side.

Tony had on a cowboy hat and some flashy gold sunglasses.

Grinning at Alvin, Tony said, "Alright, who's up first?"

Alvin fiddled with the handgun and said, "Gotta get a feel for it first, man. Fair's fair, right?"

Tony rolled his eyes, spread his hands, and said, "Fine, but let's up the stakes. If you lose, you're my chauffeur for two days. Uniform and gloves included!"

Alvin waved him off, annoyed, "We'll see who loses! Now move, don't wanna get blood on you!"

Ginny, in Megan's arms with cute noise-canceling earmuffs, was cheering for Alvin with her tiny fists.

Alvin loaded the mag, aimed carefully, and missed his first shot.

Tony laughed so hard he almost fell over, "Dude, you can step closer, I won't mind!"

Alvin shot Tony a glare, aimed again, and just as he was getting jittery, Megan leaned into him.

She held his waist with one hand, his forearm with the other, helping him aim, and whispered, "Relax, it's easy. Think of the gun as your girlfriend; she'll behave."

Alvin turned, kissed Megan on the forehead, and grinned, "You saying you'll behave too?"

Megan rolled her eyes, ignored his comment, and softly said, "Shoot!"

Alvin listened, didn't even look back, and pulled the trigger. With a steady hand, he nailed a beer bottle with a bang!

Alvin shot Tony a smug look, picked Megan up, spun her around, kissed her, and said, "I think I got the hang of it!"

"I'll treat it like my girlfriend; you cool with that?" Alvin joked.

Megan laughed and gave him a playful punch in the gut, letting him practice on his own.

Alvin got in the zone, nailing ten out of ten shots. He turned to Tony, all smug, "Alright, buddy, let's see you crash and burn! How about we up the ante? Loser drives for a week, uniform and gloves included!"

Tony didn't even flinch and took the bet with a grin.

When Tony hit all 20 shots in his mag, Alvin was floored. Since when was Tony a sharpshooter?

Alvin eyed Tony suspiciously. He knew this guy had to be cheating, but he couldn't figure out how, so he just had to roll with it.

Alvin gave it his best shot but only hit 10 out of 20. Losing sucked, but a bet's a bet. Being a rich dude's driver for a week wasn't the end of the world, right?

Tony was on cloud nine, making Alvin toss a beer bottle into the air. Tony did a quick-draw like a cowboy and shattered the bottle mid-air with a bang.

Even Megan was impressed. Hitting a flying beer bottle with a handgun, especially one thrown by a strong guy, was no joke!

Tony looked at Alvin, grinning ear to ear. Seeing Alvin frustrated was better than winning the lottery! This guy always had a way of getting under his skin.

Alvin stormed over to Megan and Ginny for some comfort. If his hands weren't always on Megan's butt, he might've scored two kisses. Now he only got one, and Ginny's was the best!

Still annoyed, Alvin glared at Tony, "Buddy, I know you cheated. I lost fair and square, but you gotta tell me how you did it."

Tony laughed, took off his sunglasses, and handed them to Alvin, motioning for him to try them on.

Alvin took the glasses, checked them out, and they just looked like pricey shades. But when he put them on, he realized they were something else. They were a shooting aiming assist device.

Whenever Alvin aimed his gun, a crosshair popped up on the glasses, showing exactly where the gun was pointed. Shooting with them was like playing a video game.

As a seasoned gamer, Alvin quickly got the hang of it and couldn't help but admire Tony's genius. Most people practice shooting; Tony just uses high-tech gear!

Smart folks should read more books; knowledge is power!

After messing around for a bit, Alvin reluctantly handed the glasses back to Tony. He liked them a lot, but they were probably super expensive, so he decided against keeping them.

Tony waved it off, "Buddy, for being a good sport, these are yours! I need to get a cooler pair anyway; these don't suit my face."

Alvin didn't turn down Tony's offer. If Tony hadn't offered, he wouldn't have taken them. But since Tony did, he accepted without hesitation. That's how friends roll.

Don't be too greedy, but with close friends, don't be too shy either!

Everyone's got their own way of handling friendships; there's no one-size-fits-all rule, but Alvin felt he always nailed it!

They hung out a bit longer, chatting about dinner plans.

Then Alvin's phone rang. To his surprise, it was Aleksei, the arms dealer from Hellfire Boulevard.

This guy had the guts to call Frank to get Alvin's number and invited him to a soccer game. From his tone, it sounded like his son Anton was having a rough time at USC.

Aleksei wanted Alvin to check on his son. He was super worried but had no clue what was going on.