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"Inject Steel Physiology Serum—now!"
"Subject One, 200ml. Subject Two, 500ml. Subject Three, 340ml..."
As the serum was administered in varied doses, the six test subjects began to convulse violently, their bodies reacting almost instantly.
At the master control station, Nolan's screens lit up with a flood of real-time data. Heart rate spikes, muscle activity, stress markers—all flaring red. His fingers danced furiously over the console, running rapid-fire calculations and adjusting parameters on the fly.
In an experiment, this volatile, success came down to how fast you could respond.
"Inject 500ml glucose solution into Subject One—arterial line!"
"Subject Three, 10ml adrenaline directly into the heart!"
"Begin full transfusion on Subject Six—keep it flowing!"
One command after another spilled from Nolan's mouth. The lab team moved like a precision machine, each in sync with no hesitation.
They weren't just assistants. They were the gears and cogs in a far larger mechanism—a military-grade human enhancement trial—and Nolan was the one holding the blueprint.
"AAAAAHHH!"
Subject Two suddenly howled in agony. His muscles bulged grotesquely, skin stretching to its limit.
BANG!
A geyser of blood erupted from his shoulder, followed by more explosions across his body. Red sprayed across the room—some hitting a nearby assistant.
"Hmph. So much for genius," Abomination sneered from beside Ross. "Some 'top scientist.' Just another bug pretending to be a god."
He scowled at Nolan from behind the reinforced glass, hatred simmering in his eyes. Something about Nolan made his blood boil. He didn't know why—but the urge to crush him was growing.
"Inject 60ml inhibitor into Subject Two!" Nolan ordered, voice sharp.
Despite being drenched in blood, the assistant obeyed instantly.
The subject's hemorrhaging stopped almost immediately.
Jason gasped. Did… did it actually work?
But a second later, blood poured from Subject Two's eyes, nose, and mouth. His head slumped to the side. Flatline.
BEEP—BEEP—BEEEEEEP.
Vitals vanished from the monitors.
Nolan stared silently at the screen. "Extreme muscle contraction triggered an organic acid surge. Rhabdomyolysis set in. Complete tissue breakdown."
His eyes shifted to the remaining subjects—still stable.
"Inject 100ml sodium bicarbonate into Subject One."
"Subject Three—1350ml."
"Subject Four—470ml."
"Subject Five—300ml."
"Subject Six—230ml."
The commands rolled out without pause.
Subject Two had undergone successful enhancement—but the byproduct acid overload killed him before his body could stabilize. It wasn't the serum's failure—it was a metabolic crash. It is a chemical failure, not a biological rejection.
The staff looked uneasy. Jason had promised that everything would follow Nolan's command, but now one subject was dead—and the symptoms looked eerily similar to previous failed trials.
Jason snapped at them. "What are you staring at? Back to your stations!"
The readings were different this time. Nolan had adjusted for the overload in real-time.
His ability to isolate the problem, calculate the exact neutralizing compound, and issue the command within seconds—was superhuman.
"This man," Jason whispered to himself, "isn't just a genius. He's on Stark's level… but in bioengineering."
Then he stepped outside.
Ross, noticing him leave, frowned. "What's the situation?"
Jason exhaled. "We've done it. The enhancement phase succeeded."
"But the death just now—?"
"Over-acidification during the transformation. But the serum worked. It worked, General. It just needs fine-tuning. A few more iterations and we'll lock in the perfect ratio."
Ross's eyes widened. "So it's real…"
"Dr. Nolan's on another level. His biology, his calculation speed, his observation… He figured it all out mid-procedure."
Ross was stunned. "Another Tony Stark…"
Jason nodded. "Except this one builds super soldiers."
Ross looked through the reinforced glass. Nolan was still commanding from the control station, laser-focused, issuing orders without pause.
We need to stay in Osborn's good graces, Ross thought.
Meanwhile, Abomination clenched his fists.
"Tch. What good is a genius who creates failures? One punch and they'll shatter like glass."
The moment he heard Ross's praise of Nolan, a surge of fury overtook him.
This was his domain. He was created to take down the Hulk. These new toys? They were nothing.
Back at the console, Nolan allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. Despite one loss, the experiment was stabilizing. Connors, beside him, assisted masterfully—filling in gaps, helping monitor metrics, and ensuring nothing was missed.
Five subjects are still active. One undergoing dissection for chemical analysis. They were juggling five complex enhancements in parallel.
"Subject One showing accelerated muscle growth. Bone density increasing."
"Subject Three skin density rising—dermal plates forming."
"Subject Four—wait… muscles are shrinking, bone integrity destabilizing!"
Chunks of shoulder flesh peeled from Subject Four, revealing exposed, jagged bone. The subject screamed in agony, then slumped. Flatline.
"Subject Five showing epidermal scaling—skin forming layered armor."
"Subject Six showing parallel progression."
Of the six, four survived.
Jason's voice trembled. "We did it… We can actually build enhanced troops to counter the Hulk!"
Ross clenched his fist and slammed the reinforced glass. "Finally! It's real! We've done it!"
The future? A battalion of enhanced soldiers. Resilient, strong—unstoppable.
But not everyone was happy.
Abomination slammed the ground with a growl. "That little rat succeeded?!"
"He doesn't get to succeed. I'm the weapon. I'm the one who fights the Hulk! These imposters are garbage!"
Ross stepped back, startled. Nearby soldiers immediately raised their weapons.
"Stand down, Blonsky!" Ross shouted. "You're still our prime Hulk-killer. These are support troops, nothing more!"
Ross wasn't sure why Abomination was losing control. He thought the creature was stable by now.
But maybe… just maybe… his hatred for the Hulk had rooted itself too deep.
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