~Yo! We've hit 200 Powerstones, here's your Bonus Chapter as promised!
----
Nolan stood before the sleek biomechanical spine resting on the lab table. It gleamed like a metallic replica of a dragon's vertebrae.
"We followed your structural blueprint exactly," Otto explained. "But the internal architecture was far too delicate. The more refined it became, the more energy interference we ran into."
He handed over a data sheet without hesitation. "So I recalculated. Made some structural compromises that slightly reduce its efficiency—but preserve core functionality."
Otto wasn't worried about Nolan's misunderstanding. Not anymore. After joining Oscorp, he had come to understand just how terrifying Nolan's intellect really was. The man wasn't just the architect of their most advanced projects he was the reason Oscorp was soaring.
From the Nightmare Protocol to the Surveillance Web Initiative, all roads led back to Nolan.
"Good," Nolan nodded. "How's the 'Nightmare' project coming along?"
"We're still decoding audio patterns—trying to identify the optimal frequency range for emotional harvesting. I'm developing an AI model to handle filtration, but the training phase might take time."
"No rush," Nolan said. "You've got the right idea. If you hit a wall, just ask."
"Yes, sir."
From anyone else, Otto would've dismissed those words as arrogant nonsense. But from Nolan? He took them as gospel. The same man who solved a decades-old problem in Otto's own fusion-control algorithms like it was a crossword puzzle.
Only one issue remained—how to miniaturize a neural core capable of housing that AI.
"Loop in Connors. He can assist with your testing phase."
"Understood."
As Nolan scanned the lab, he could already envision the framework of his demonic army coming together. The only limitation?
Batteries.
He still only had one viable power source—and demons weren't exactly lining up to be harvested.
He strolled into Connors' lab to take a look.
Connors was currently working on the Jessica Serum, or, as some in the company nicknamed it, the Baby Superman Formula. It had monstrous potential, but also monstrous requirements. The enhancement threshold was so high it rejected all but a tiny percentage of test subjects.
Still, the concept had promise.
After all, who wouldn't want to wake up feeling strong, energized, and healthy after a long night's rest?
Mass-market appeal? Massive.
"We might need to cut certain abilities like flight," Connors said. "Too unstable for general use."
"Otto may need your help shortly," Nolan noted. "Be ready."
"Got it."
"How's testing?"
"Still not ideal. Compatibility is up, but strength boosts are negligible—because we're trying to force gene expression from universally present sequences. Even standard muscle protein coding has a genetic variance that gets in the way."
"What about defense and agility?"
"Defense is easier. Since it's surface-based, we've managed to enhance dermal resistance within expected margins. But speed's tied to strength, so… same limitations."
Nolan thought for a moment. "Try embedding Alexei's genome into the sequence. Let's see how the results change."
Connors' eyes lit up. "Of course! With his enhanced durability—I'll run tests right away."
"If anything's unclear, ask me."
"Understood."
After checking on his two core projects, Nolan returned to his own lab. It was time to analyze Magneto's blood.
---
Elsewhere—inside a fortified military complex…
General Ross stood behind a thick layer of reinforced glass, eyes locked on the chaos unfolding within a high-tech lab.
Multiple subjects were strapped to biometric beds, each surrounded by nervous-looking scientists. Robotic arms injected the fluorescent serum into their veins.
Monitors beeped. Techs shuffled between workstations.
Beside Ross stood a balding, greasy man in a stained lab coat and black-rimmed glasses.
"General," the man began, "we've fully sequenced Luke's blood and recovered partial data from his last trials. The new test batch is prepped. This time, we'll succeed."
"This is attempt number forty-three," Ross muttered. "You said that forty-two times before."
The scientist wiped the sweat from his brow.
In the corner, a massive creature scoffed.
"You'd be better off going back to Gamma research," rumbled Blonsky—better known now as Abomination. "At least that worked. I'm living proof."
His hulking form was grotesque—bulging muscles, jagged scales, gill-like ridges flaring from both sides of his face.
"You were a fluke," Ross said, shaking his head. "Most can't survive two doses of the super-soldier serum."
He turned back to the lab. "Begin the injection."
"Commence Phase Four," the scientist ordered.
As the serum coursed through their veins, the test subjects began screaming—in anguish, twisting their faces into masks of pain. Monitors spiked, and alarms blared.
"Vitals dropping fast!" someone yelled. "Glucose and ATP levels are crashing—there's no metabolic buffer!"
"Inject nutrient compounds!" the lead researcher snapped.
"Too late! Their bodies can't absorb it fast enough!"
Moments later, the subjects convulsed violently. Blood ruptured from beneath their skin like internal explosions.
One by one, the monitors flatlined.
Ross clenched his jaw.
Another failure.
"I… I just need one more try—just one more!"
The researcher turned to plead for mercy—only to be grabbed by the head.
Abomination's massive hand crushed his skull like a balloon.
Splurt!
The corpse dropped like a sack of meat.
"These idiots were useless anyway," Blonsky grunted, shaking blood from his claws.
Ross' eyes flared with restrained fury. He needed Abomination's power—for now. But his disregard for authority had grown worse since Ross freed him from cryo-lock.
The scientist did deserve it. But acting without permission?
Unacceptable.
That's why Ross remained obsessed with recreating Luke's enhancement process.
He needed a countermeasure.
"Who else can fix this…" Ross muttered.
Then one of the aides muttered under their breath, "With this kind of budget, we'd be better off just buying more Phoenix Serums. At least those work on active-duty soldiers."
That struck a nerve.
Ross froze.
Phoenix Serum…
Nolan.
His eyes narrowed.
----
[Support with 100 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
For early access to advanced chapters on p@treon:
P@treon/iamxeno
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!