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"Superhumans stormed our building in broad daylight!"
"They snatched our division chief right off the floor!"
"You hear the name 'Oscorp' and the police just hang up."
"They say the Malick family is part of Hydra. Even Iron Man's getting involved must be true."
"Even if Malick's dirty, Oscorp is committing vigilante murder. Since when do corporations get to execute people?"
Across the media, voices clashed. Some were outraged. Some afraid. And many were utterly confused.
But one thing was clear: Oscorp wasn't hiding. And it wasn't asking for permission.
Nolan had no intention of dragging this out. His objective was simply to break every hand that reached for Oscar's throne. Whether Hydra, the Malick family, or anyone else, they'd feel pain and remember it.
And the bonus? He was now raiding decades of Hydra's stored scientific data. Most of it was outdated junk… but in the right hands, even dead ends could become breakthroughs.
Max Dillon's display lit up.
"Carl's on the field," Nolan's AI assistant, E.L.L., reported.
The screen showed Max facing down a military unit surrounding an abandoned port owned by Malick Industries.
Helicopters hovered overhead, gun barrels trained on him and his Steel Corps.
Max didn't flinch.
E.L.L.'s voice buzzed in his ear, "Target confirmed: Carl. Priority capture. He's a candidate from the Inhuman gene program."
"Power?" Max asked.
"He can alter his molecular composition to match any material he touches. Vibration-absorbing metals. Energy-resistant polymers. Including vibranium."
Max nodded. "Understood. Capture intact."
---
On the ground, Carl, now a special ops commander for the ATCU, stepped forward. Oscorp's raids had finally triggered a military response and he had been personally dispatched to confront the "Electro."
"You're violating federal law!" Carl shouted. "This isn't your city, Max. You and your freak squad need to stand down!"
Carl's history with Malick ran deep. He once worked inside Hydra's human enhancement program before defecting. Now he was caught again this time ordered by General Glenn Talbot himself to protect Malick's "assets."
Even Carl knew it stank.
But orders were orders.
Max's eyes glowed with electric blue as arcs danced from his fingertips. "You realize you're protecting Hydra, right?"
"We follow our chain of command," Carl replied grimly. "You break the law, we take you in. Simple."
Max didn't argue.
Because Carl wouldn't listen.
---
Lightning surged across the asphalt. Bolts burst from Max's outstretched hand dozens of them lashing out like electric serpents.
But Carl didn't dodge.
Instead, his body shifted translucent and rubbery, bouncing the voltage off like he was coated in insulation foam.
"Electricity?" Carl smirked. "Bad matchup, buddy."
But Max just grinned. His fingers danced in intricate patterns, recalibrating frequency, modulating flow.
Carl blinked. "What are you—?"
Then his knees buckled.
His vision blurred.
His brain—scrambled.
"What the hell—"
"This isn't magic," Max said calmly. "It's science. Bio-electric disruption. I'm scrambling your nervous system cell by cell."
Carl dropped to one knee until his skin shifted again, gleaming with a dark silver sheen.
Max raised an eyebrow. "Vibranium skin? E.L.L. was right."
Carl stood up fully. "I touched vibranium. You think you're still walking away from this?"
---
Just then, a shadow dropped from the sky.
Max flinched and then immediately stepped back in awe.
"Boss!"
Carl froze.
The man descending was calm, unhurried, cloak rippling in the breeze. But the presence he exuded was undeniable.
Nolan.
The CEO of Oscorp. The man Hydra feared. The one Malick called "the new Superman."
Carl stumbled backward. What is he doing here?! He'd expected soldiers. Maybe enhanced enforcers. Not him.
Nolan smiled.
"I've been curious about the Inhuman genome," he said, voice smooth as silk. "How about you be my first real experiment?"
Carl's breath hitched.
Before he could answer, Nolan raised a hand.
"No response? That's a yes."
In the blink of an eye, the Mirror Dimension unfolded behind Nolan, shimmering like fractured glass swallowing the world.
And Carl?
He was already inside.
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Yo! I've just released a brand new fanfiction titled "One Piece: Wind-Wind Fruit!" If you've been enjoying this story, I'd love your support on the new one too. Check it out and let me know what you think!
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