Sorry! Only one chapter today!
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Nolan had arrived at a delicate moment in the timeline.
Because of the looming threat of the Sentinel Program, the once-divided mutant factions had temporarily united. Otherwise, it would've been easy to manipulate one side and capture the other.
"A shame… If Sebastian Shaw's body were still around, I wouldn't even need Sunspot's ability."
Not that it mattered. Nolan had multiple avenues toward becoming stronger. Solar absorption was iconic one of the most powerful traits of Superman-esque figures—but for him, it wasn't a necessity.
"There'll be time to study Sunspot later. Focus on what's already on the table."
"Where's Logan?" Ororo Munroe asked, her tone sharp.
She already knew the plan. This trip was about trading back Logan.
She never imagined someone could capture Wolverine—let alone hold him.
It had been years since anything like that had happened.
Nolan's attention finally drifted from Sunspot, landing squarely on Ororo.
"The professor told you the deal, right?" Nolan said flatly. "So… where's the package?"
He swept his gaze across the team again. Iceman. Sunspot. Storm. Beast.
Power and brains—well-rounded.
Beast narrowed his eyes and held up a metal briefcase. "We need to see Logan first. Once he's here, we'll hand this over."
"Fair," Nolan said.
He motioned for Norman Osborn to retrieve Logan.
Norman quickly left the room, while Max —ever cautious—remained tense. His senses warned him just how potent these mutants' bio-signatures were.
All except the blue-furred scientist in the back.
"By the way, Dr. McCoy," Nolan said casually, "Have you abandoned your work on the mutant suppressant?"
Truth be told, Nolan had always been curious about Beast's X-Gene inhibitor. It was a dangerous weapon—if its effects could be generalized, it could be used against any enhanced individual with physical mutations.
"You know about that?" Beast blinked.
Before they left the mansion, Xavier had told him—Nolan might be as intelligent as you. Possibly more.
And the theory he presented about Chi, mutation, and enhanced evolution? It had shaken Beast to his core.
If Nolan's theory was correct, then everything Hank had built his research upon was fundamentally flawed.
"Of course I know," Nolan said with a small smirk. "I dug through your archived papers with Xavier. Some were sealed… but with the right channels, I got access."
He didn't mention that General Ross had handed them over in exchange for access to OsCorp's regenerative sprays and tech.
"You've got talent, Dr. McCoy. But you're chasing a shadow. You're not wrong… but your framework is."
Hank looked intrigued, but Ororo quickly interjected, cutting off further discussion. Now was not the time.
Still, Nolan smiled.
"If you're ever curious, feel free to email me. It's listed on OsCorp's main site."
"I—" Beast started, but Ororo glared.
Now was definitely not the time.
Just then, Norman returned, pushing in a mobile gurney. Logan was strapped down, unconscious, his body covered in white scars and needle punctures.
His limbs were locked in four separate magnetic cuffs. An oversized restraint hugged his waist.
His skin was pale. Lips dry. He looked exhausted and abused.
"What the hell did you do to him?" Ororo snapped, voice trembling with rage.
She had a history with Logan—romantic, in some versions. She knew his healing factor well.
These kinds of scars only appeared after massive trauma in a short period.
Nolan glanced over at Beast. "You've seen Logan. Now, I believe I'm owed the samples?"
Beast looked at Ororo. She clenched her teeth, glaring at Nolan. She wanted nothing more than to summon a lightning storm and blast him into atoms.
But Xavier's words echoed in her mind.
If Nolan's theory is true, it could redefine our place in the world.
"Give it to him," she muttered.
Beast opened the case. Inside were four vials, each carefully labeled with the donor: Charles Xavier, Scott Summers, Ororo Munroe, and Bobby Drake.
"Good. I trust Charles enough not to tamper with them," Nolan said.
He tapped a control panel on the side of the gurney.
Clank-clank-clank-clank…
The restraints were released all at once.
And in that very instant—Logan's eyes snapped open.
"Die, you cold-blooded devil!" he roared.
With a bestial growl, three adamantium claws burst from each hand, slashing forward at blinding speed.
But Nolan had already moved—two steps back, just enough to evade the strike.
His right thumb brushed across his ring.
Demonic energy surged through his body. His muscles swelled. Power flooded his nerves. He launched forward like a predator.
BOOM!
The air cracked with a sonic burst as Nolan's fist shot forward, enhanced by Chi, demonic force, and his own strength.
The punch landed squarely in Logan's chest.
BOOM!
The impact rocked the entire room.
"GUH—!"
Logan's body folded in half at the waist then went airborne like a cannonball.
The force of the strike turned the air itself into a wall. It exploded outward, shaking every fixture in the room.
"What the hell?!"
"Logan!"
Everyone froze.
Logan smashed through Norman's desk, barely slowing down.
CRASH!
He kept flying—straight into the office's bulletproof exterior window.
CRACK-CRASH!
The reinforced glass shattered like sugar, shards spraying across the room as Logan plummeted toward the city streets below.
"Logan!" Ororo shouted, leaping toward the opening.
Without hesitation, she dived after him, lightning already crackling at her fingertips.
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