----
Stick gave Nolan a long, unreadable look. It was clear now Nolan no longer saw them as equals.
Ever since he'd mastered the Meditation Technique, it was as if the Handheld had no value in his eyes.
"Let's go," Stick muttered, stifling his frustration.
The remaining members of the Chaste quietly followed their leader. But just before leaving, Stick glanced back one final time.
"…Bullseye."
Nolan pulled out his phone. "Klaw, is everything ready?"
"All set."
"Then let them in."
Moments after the call ended, several transport trucks rolled in through the compound gates. Klaw jumped down from the lead vehicle, taking in the battlefield strewn with bodies. He instinctively swallowed hard.
Nolan never held back. When he moved, it was catastrophic. The body count here… was absurd.
"Take everybody back to the lab for dissection. I want these two locked in vibranium cuffs. There's also a live one on the rooftop secure and transport them as well."
"Understood."
"Search the building. The Hand was guarding this place there has to be a reason."
"Got it."
"And one more thing… Send a message to Kingpin. Tell him all his allies are dead and the Church of the Sacred Path is watching him now."
"You're really gonna be that direct?"
"The only way they could've gotten wind of this is through him. He created the problem let him deal with the fallout."
"Copy that."
The squad sprang into action, combing the site for intel while cleaning up the mess.
While they worked, Nolan turned to Klaw. "When we get back, have your mechanical arm removed. You're getting the Phoenix Serum Version 3."
"You finished it already?!"
Nolan nodded once.
Klaw couldn't contain his grin. "You're a damn miracle worker, boss."
He had expected to wait weeks maybe months. But Nolan always exceeded expectations.
Max looked on, visibly envious. He knew what Phoenix Serum-3 meant.
Nolan noticed. "Your physiology's still unstable. The serum can't bond with your body yet. But once you master your power… immortality will be child's play."
Those words lit something inside Max. Coming from anyone else, he'd call it a bluff. But coming from Nolan… he believed it.
Klaw eyed the glowing blue man beside him he recognized Max Dillon. Electro was officially on the team now. They just hadn't crossed paths until today.
"Did you find anything on Luke?"
"Some leads. Military archives. I've got my people talking to General Ross's team. We might get a DNA sample."
"Make it happen. And while you're at it, keep an ear out for any trace of the X-Men."
Klaw nodded. "Also, word is two weeks from now, Wakanda's king is giving a speech at the United Nations."
"You got a team in place?"
"Already assembled."
"Good." Nolan nodded. The heart-shaped herb still held potential. It could only be used once per person but even once was enough to push the human body to its limits. In rare cases, it even led to visions of the Panther God.
Minutes later, one of his men approached from the house. "Sir, finding this locked in a biometric case must be important."
Nolan took it and tore the lid clean off with a flick of his wrist. Password-locked cases were child's play to him. Not vibranium? Then it's just plastic with attitude.
Inside was a polished wooden box. He opened it.
A single ancient bone sat nestled in velvet. It looked like a fossilized spine segment.
"This? This is what the Hand was protecting?"
He had only a surface-level understanding of the Hand's origins just the legend of "The Beast." But for someone like Black Sky to guard it… that meant it had to be tied to the Five Fingers of the Hand. Or worse.
"Sir, there's also a sarcophagus."
"A coffin?"
He turned to see it—almost perfectly matched to Black Sky's frame.
"Lock her in vibranium cuffs. Seal her in the sarcophagus."
"On it."
"Sir, all bodies accounted for. What's left is charred beyond recognition, but the others are en route to the lab. These ninjas might be worth studying their physical enhancements and the Beast's influence could reveal a lot."
"Good. Call the cops. Let them clean up the scene."
---
Two Days Later
Nolan sat cross-legged in his private office, practicing the Sacred Path's breathing technique. It was unlike anything else less about brute enhancement and more about awakening dormant potential.
The stronger your natural foundation, the more it is unlocked.
It made sense now why everyone used this method. It wasn't a trick. It was a blueprint for greatness.
Nolan felt it. His strength and his regeneration were rising.
Jessica's powers were still a mystery. She hadn't even scratched the surface of her potential. And Logan his healing had been compromised by the adamantium bonded to his skeleton. They had no way of measuring his true peak.
But according to the data… Logan, at his strongest, could tank a nuclear explosion and live.
Sure, it was an older-generation nuke. But surviving it still meant something. It puts you in a league of your own.
Just then, his phone buzzed.
"Boss," said Connors, voice crackling over speaker, "Logan's requesting a call."
"I thought he was already on ice?"
"So did we. But the guy assigned to monitor the freezer blacked out right after reporting it."
Nolan narrowed his eyes. "Send Max to get Logan. Tell everyone else to clear out. I'm on my way."
Someone had moved fast.
Was it the bald man?
He knew what this meant Logan had reached out. He'd bought himself a reprieve.
Good thing too. If they'd dumped him into the ocean, no one would've found him for decades.
----
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