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A ring and a chain-style magnetic collar.
The earlier magnetic collars Nolan had developed were purely for testing no aesthetics required. If they looked like dog collars, so be it.
But if Nolan was going to wear one himself, it needed to look presentable. The chain design was sleek and more importantly, capable of regulating energy up to 5 Magna-Surges.
Now it was time for a personal trial.
He wanted to experience the demonic amplification directly. The energy scaled with the user, and the more Magna-Surges funneled in, the stronger the effect.
Right now, Nolan could punch with 20 tons of force unassisted. He wanted to see what would happen with demonic energy added to the mix.
He tapped the ring.
A surge of molten-like heat radiated from his palm, flooding his body with overwhelming power. He felt it instantly—every muscle charged, every synapse humming.
He nodded with satisfaction and stepped into a private testing pod near the lab—smaller than the training chamber, but outfitted with a compact alloy force gauge.
With no preparation, he threw a single punch.
Boom!
A deafening bang echoed across the chamber. The readout lit up: 30t.
"One Magna-Surge gives about a 5-ton boost…"
"If I push to five surges, I'm easily hitting 50 tons."
Not bad, Nolan thought. Especially considering this was just demonic energy.
But it wasn't the real prize.
His gaze shifted to the giant containment tank of Shou-Lao's Chi at the lab's center.
That was the real game-changer. The demonic energy was just a tool. A sidearm.
The Chi was a divine arsenal—one Danny Rand had barely scratched the surface of.
"But how do I structure a flow circuit inside my body…"
He hasn't moved to experiment with it yet.
Chi followed precise meridian pathways inside Danny. Unlike demonic energy, it didn't just flood the body randomly. It had order. Direction. Intent.
Science always begins with replication. Don't change too many variables too soon.
Strong magnetic fields could restrain Chi externally—but using it internally was another challenge entirely. Nolan wasn't going to risk anything without a modeled internal route.
And it wasn't like he could casually generate magnetic fields from inside his body.
Magneto and Max Dillon were outliers.
Magneto's powers were born from traumatic awakening not formal study.
Max? Before getting powers, the guy was a power-line repairman. He barely understood voltage, let alone how to direct electromagnetism consciously.
Neither of them had engineered internal magnetic flow circuits.
As Nolan leaned back in his chair, brainstorming potential solutions, Connors's call came in.
"Boss, there are some people here. They say they're from Xavier. They've brought the samples—and want to see you in person."
'Charles Xavier, huh?'
'So the DNA samples were finally here.'
"I'm on my way."
Nolan trusted Charles at least enough to believe he wouldn't try anything underhanded.
He had Black Sky and the now-useless Iron Fist wheeled back into containment before changing into a clean lab coat and heading for the OsCorp HQ lab.
He replayed Xavier's timing in his head.
By Charles's account, the Sentinel Program had begun.
That meant this was roughly around the end of The Wolverine timeline just before Days of Future Past would've kicked in.
Which also meant…
Mystique was probably already captured by the U.S. military. Her DNA would be the breakthrough that led to adaptive Sentinels.
Bolivar Trask had created the prototype Sentinels, sure but they were limited. Once Mystique's shapeshifting gene was added?
The Sentinels became monsters capable of mimicking even Omega-level mutants like Iceman and Magneto.
Of course, Nolan thought, that was only possible because those Omega mutants never fully tapped into their potential.
Too many powers. Not enough brains.
But if Days of Future Past hadn't been triggered yet…
Then Apocalypse was still waiting beneath the sands of Egypt.
This raised a new question:
Would this timeline continue as-is, or shift once the past was altered?
Or… could Nolan intervene himself?
His thoughts raced as he arrived outside the office door.
Before entering, he checked the security cam feed on his phone.
Inside the office, seated with Norman and Max, were four unfamiliar individuals wearing distinctive uniforms.
Storm. Iceman. Beast.
And a fourth man dark-skinned, wearing a suit, and clearly Latino or South American.
For a split second, Nolan didn't recognize him. Then a name flashed in his mind:
Sunspot.
Target identified.
He pushed the door open, smiled warmly, and entered.
"Welcome, X-Men," he said with a polite nod.
Everyone in the room turned toward him.
"You're Nolan?" Ororo Munroe asked, surprised. She hadn't expected someone so young—or so sharp-looking.
Charles had described him as a brilliant mind, but nothing prepared her for the presence he carried.
Nolan's eyes, however, locked onto the fourth man.
Sunspot.
He hadn't expected to see him here. In Days of Future Past, Sunspot had already been part of Xavier's inner circle, battling Sentinels head-on.
Seeing him here made sense. But it also complicated things.
Because unlike Pyro or Human Torch, Sunspot absorbed solar radiation to grow stronger.
That… was something Nolan very much wanted to study.
"A solar-powered bio-reactor, right in front of me…"
The temptation was strong.
But he didn't act.
His deal with Xavier had only included Storm, Iceman, Cyclops, and Charles's genetic samples.
Trying to grab Sunspot now could damage everything he'd built with Charles.
"Not yet," he thought.
"Soon."
Especially now that Charles was regaining his powers. Hostile actions wouldn't go unnoticed. And if Nolan crossed the line, he'd hear Charles's voice in his head before nightfall.
No—this wasn't the time to burn bridges.
This was the time to build the foundation.
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