----
"Ugh..."
Natasha groaned as she stirred awake, her head throbbing. She found herself lying in the middle of nowhere so abandoned patch of land on the outskirts of the city.
"I actually let a normal guy knock out? What the hell was that strength?"
She frowned in disbelief. His physical power had felt... wrong. It was on par with Captain Rogers, maybe even more intense.
"No... that can't be."
She flexed her wrists experintally. They'd been broken she rembered it clearly. But now? Completely intact. Not even a bruise.
Then she spotted a folded slip of paper near her.
"(Here's a little gift. For the ti being, you're practically unkillable. Enjoy.
If Fury finds out you're nearly immortal... well, let's just say I'm dying to see what he does. Can't wait! :)"
The smirking face doodled at the bottom was sohow even more insulting than the ssage itself.
As Natasha processed the note, a deafening roar overhead broke the silence.
Boom!
A figure smashed down from the sky in a burst of smoke and dust, carving a shallow crater in the ground. Sunlight caught gleaming armour.
"Natasha? What the hell happened?"
Tony Stark's helt retracted, revealing his concerned face.
"I... Tony, I—"
She hesitated, recalling the note. And more importantly, everything she'd been through working under Nick Fury. If what that psycho said was true, if she really was near-immortal, then Fury wouldn't just leave it alone.
Routine dical exams would turn into full-on invasive surveillance. She'd be studied. Monitored. Controlled.
"I'm fine," she said quickly.
Tony raised an eyebrow. Friday's scan had already picked up traces of sedatives, ether, and several unknown chemical compounds in her bloodstream.
"You sure? Your vitals are all over the place."
Natasha forced a smile. "Yeah. Got caught up in sothing weird. It's over now. Classified mission."
"Right..." Tony didn't push it.
"Talk to Rogers for , would you? We need to move forward with the Superhuman Registration Act. It's for everyone's safety."
His mask snapped shut, and in a blast of jet fire, he was gone.
Natasha stared into the sky.
"That bastard..." she muttered.
---
Back in Queens, New York...
Nolan and Klaue had relocated again after the S.H.I.E.L.D. incident. With his experints complete and his Phoenix Serum functional, if unstable, it was ti to lay low.
The two n sat across from each other in a cramped, rundown apartnt.
Klaue exhaled deeply. "Just when I was starting to enjoy the good life again, we're on the move. By the way... Did you actually inject her with Phoenix Serum? Why?"
"For fun," Nolan said with a shrug.
Klaue stared. "You realize that serum is worth fifty grand a vial? You handed her a bottle for laughs?"
Nolan just smiled enigmatically. He knew what the outco would be. Natasha would start experiencing changes maybe subtle at first, but eventually, Fury would notice. And when he did... chaos.
If Natasha chose to stay loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D., fine. Let her suffer under Fury's paranoia and constant surveillance. If she didn't? Even better.
Either way, she'd beco a ti bomb.
"She's a walking distraction now," Nolan said. "Even if she figures out sothing's wrong, finding soone who can fix it? That's a short list."
"Whatever, man." Klaue waved him off. "Your madness, your rules. Anyway, I bought up most of Oscorp's shares like you said. I own 21% now. The transfer paperwork just ca in and needs your signature."
"Any trouble?" Nolan asked.
"Used cutouts. Nobody knows it was . And the company's stock is tanking IRS, EPA, and probably so angry gods are all knocking on their door."
"Anyone else buying?"
"Yeah, two other whales are scooping up stock fast."
"Norman Osborn, probably," Nolan muttered. "Trying to buy back control."
"Most likely," Klaue smirked. "Oh, and about the Phoenix Serum, we found a buyer. Pretty shady crowd, though."
"Let guess radicals from the Middle East?"
"Clinton Avenue, actually. Dostic nutjobs who love blowing themselves up. They're thrilled about the idea of dying twice."
"Sell it."
"Done."
Klaue leaned in again. "We're also making progress on blaming everything on Golden Panther. The intel Natasha took? All the info you fed us. Is any of it true?"
"Of course it's true."
"Then... you think Iron Man and Cap can still be friends after this?"
"They won't know," Nolan said simply.
The intel Natasha had stolen and deliberately planted contained one explosive truth: the real reason the Starks were murdered.
Klaue exhaled slowly. "You're really trying to split the Avengers?"
"If they're united, I don't stand a chance, Currently but If they're divided..." Nolan glanced out the window. "That's when I move."
Klaue pointed downward. "That detective agency see it?"
Nolan followed his gaze. It was a small office space tucked between two laundromats.
"Alias Investigations. Jessica Jones works there."
"She's still in that post-traumatic slump?"
"Drinks all day. Barely works. You want to make a move?"
"Not yet," Nolan replied. "She's volatile. Strong, but unstable. If she flies off, she'll be hard to catch. Better to wait."
Jessica had once been a bright-eyed vigilante. But after what the Purple Man did to her body and mind alike she fell into a deep pit of despair.
Her strength was formidable. But her trauma made her unpredictable.
Klaue let out another long sigh. "Man, running with you is like a roller coaster. First Hydra, then S.H.I.E.L.D., and now you're pissing off every super in New York..."
"Speaking of which," Klaue added, "what about Logan? You keep him on ice?"
"For now. Keep extracting what we need for the serum. He's not going anywhere."
Nolan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Once we perfect Phoenix Serum 2.0... the ga changes."
----
More Chapters Coming Your Way! Support the story by donating PowerStones!
100 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
Reviews
All reviews (0)