The final year of the 1930s unfolded under a sky growing progressively darker with the shadow of impending war. Dr. Finch's reports from Europe became increasingly alarming. Germany's aggressive posturing, Italy's colonial ambitions, Japan's expansion in Asia – the pieces were moving into place for a global conflict that would dwarf the Great War. Elias Thorne, absorbing this information through his hyper-acute senses and processing it with his supercharged intellect, saw not just impending chaos, but also unprecedented opportunity. Wars, for all their horror, were crucibles of change, catalysts for the emergence of new powers and the fall of old orders. They were also, tragically, fertile ground for the discovery of individuals with… unique talents.
He intensified his efforts to build his global intelligence network. Anya Petrova undertook several more "research trips" to Europe, her primary focus now on Berlin, Rome, and to a lesser extent, London and Paris. Under various guises – a linguistics student, a correspondent for a niche Canadian arts journal – she observed political rallies, discreetly photographed military installations, and documented the social atmosphere. Her Archer-enhanced sight allowed her to read documents from incredible distances, lip-read conversations in noisy cafes, and spot the subtle signs of clandestine activity that would escape any ordinary observer. She reported a growing militaristic fervor in Germany, a chilling efficiency in their preparations, and a palpable sense Jof fear and resignation in the countries threatened by Nazi expansion.
"They are not just building an army, Mr. Thorne," Anya reported back from Berlin, her voice tight during a heavily encrypted, brief radio communication Elias had painstakingly arranged. "They are building a cult. The devotion to Hitler, the belief in their own superiority… it's fanatical. And there are… rumors. Of men who do not tire, who do not feel pain. 'Ubermenschen.' Most dismiss it as propaganda, but…" She trailed off, letting the implication hang.
Elias cross-referenced this with Finch's research into the SS Ahnenerbe and other secretive German programs. The term "Ubermenschen" resonated with the System's potential for empowering individuals, and the horrifying possibility that another, darker "System" or its equivalent might be at play. If so, he needed to know. He needed to find their assets, their Prime Conduits, if they existed.
He also began to lay the groundwork for acquiring resources and influence within Canada itself, anticipating the country's inevitable involvement in the coming war. Through a series of shell corporations and trusted, non-empowered legal and financial fronts, he started investing in key industries: munitions manufacturing, resource extraction (particularly strategic minerals Finch had identified), and transportation. He wasn't just aiming for profit; he was aiming for leverage, for access, for the ability to position his "people" where they could be most effective or gather the most critical information when war finally broke out.
James Howlett remained his most potent, and most unpredictable, asset. Logan's loyalty had inched up to [25% (Resigned Acceptance, Emerging Purpose)]. The "problem-solving" tasks Elias assigned him, while often brutal, gave him a focus beyond his internal torment. Elias gradually began to include Logan in discussions about the wider world, feeding him carefully selected snippets of Finch's intelligence reports.
"Looks like the world's gone mad all over again, eh, kid?" Logan would grunt, nursing a whiskey, the old pain still haunting his eyes. But there was a new alertness there too, a grudging interest in the larger conflicts brewing beyond his immediate cage.
"Madness often creates opportunities for those who can keep their heads," Elias would reply. He was subtly planting seeds, suggesting that Logan's unique abilities might soon have a purpose far grander than solving Montreal's petty criminal disputes. He was preparing Logan, mentally, for a stage that would demand everything he had.
Elias himself continued to master his own mirrored Wolverine abilities. The sensory overload was now largely manageable, filtered through layers of mental discipline. His control over the psychosomatic claws was absolute. He trained rigorously in private, pushing his physical limits, learning the nuances of his enhanced strength, speed, and healing. He wasn't just a landlord with a System anymore; he was a living weapon, albeit one he preferred to keep sheathed unless absolutely necessary. His command over the barely suppressed berserker rage was his constant internal battle – a source of immense power if unleashed, but a threat to his meticulous control if not mastered. The System now described this internal struggle as [Feral Resonance Attunement: 65% (Conscious Control Achieved; Subconscious Integration In Progress)].
One area Elias began to explore more actively was the System's potential for creating new, customized troop empowerments beyond the standard templates and Finch's Archer variant. The "Exotic Energy Fluctuations" the System had once registered around Wolverine hinted at deeper mechanics. Now that he had a Prime Conduit partially integrated, did he have more latitude?
System, he queried during a period of intense concentration, with the successful partial integration of a Prime Conduit possessing unique biological and energetic properties (Wolverine/Adamantium), can I now access or develop new Tier 1 or even Tier 2 troop templates that reflect these acquired attributes? For example, a "Regenerator" troop, or a "Close-Combat Specialist" with enhanced resilience?
The System's response was complex:
**[Prime Conduit Synergy allows for potential development of novel Troop Templates based on mirrored innate abilities. However, this is not a direct transfer. Host must first:
Achieve Deeper Conduit Integration/Loyalty (Wolverine - Current 25% - Insufficient for advanced template unlocking).
Isolate and comprehend the fundamental biological/energetic principles underpinning the desired Conduit attribute (e.g., the mechanics of Wolverine's healing factor at a cellular/quantum level). Requires advanced scientific understanding OR significant Host Intuitive Leap via System Attunement.
Expend a significant amount of System Energy AND specialized 'Prime Essence Shards' (obtainable via full Conduit integration, defeating other empowered individuals possessing unique traits, or rare environmental sources) to research and prototype a new template.]**
[Alternative: Standard Tier 1 Units (Barbarian, Archer, Goblin) can be bestowed upon recipients with pre-existing compatible traits. The System may then organically adapt the empowerment to create a unique sub-variant over time, influenced by Host intent and recipient usage, as seen with Finch (Archer-Cognitive). This is less predictable but requires fewer Host resources.]
So, creating entirely new, high-tier troops directly from Wolverine's template was a long-term, complex project requiring deeper loyalty and resources he didn't yet possess ("Prime Essence Shards" was a new, intriguing, and worrying concept). However, the "organic adaptation" route offered a glimmer of hope. Perhaps by carefully selecting individuals with specific inherent qualities and empowering them with standard troops, he could nurture the emergence of new sub-variants, just as he had, partly by design, partly by fortunate accident, with Dr. Finch.
This meant scouting for talent not just for loyalty, but for innate potential that might synergize in unexpected ways with the basic Clash of Clans powers. He needed to expand his recruitment, to find more raw clay to mold.
The storm clouds over Europe were no longer whispers; they were roaring thunderheads. September 1st, 1939. Germany invaded Poland. Two days later, Britain and France declared war. Canada, as a loyal Dominion, would inevitably follow.
Dr. Finch brought the news to Elias, his face etched with grim resignation. "It has begun, Mr. Thorne. The world is at war."
Elias nodded slowly, his expression unreadable. He looked out his window, not at the quiet streets of Montreal, but at a world aflame. His period of quiet preparation, of consolidating local power and building his initial network, was over. The larger game, the one played for the highest stakes on a global stage, had just commenced. And Elias Thorne, the unseen architect, was ready to deploy his carefully cultivated assets, and himself, into the heart of that inferno. The seeds of power he had sown were about to face their first, terrible harvest.