"I knew what I was getting into the moment I decided to make my move." Adam looked at Iron Man, who remained on high alert in the distance.
He had no doubt Tony had already primed every advanced weapon in the armor, ready to open fire at the slightest provocation.
"So calm. Who do you think you are? A superhero? Or some brilliant biologist with government funding and a flashy startup?" Tony's voice came through the suit.
Adam thought for a moment. "Actually, I do have some experience with entrepreneurship. Look at these wonderful little ones. Beautiful and striking, aren't they? They're the best business card I could ask for."
Little ones?
Tony instinctively glanced at the Xenomorphs behind Adam, his gaze lingering especially on the four-meter-tall specimen born from Abomination. He stayed silent.
He had Adam pegged: an arrogant show-off who seized every public opportunity to flaunt his abilities. An insufferable prick.
Proud people often hated others like themselves.
For a brief moment, Tony thought of a guy he had once run into... something wrong with his legs, name was something like Goodyear? The man had boasted about groundbreaking research and strutted like a peacock trying to impress him. Tony had found the whole display ridiculous and childish.
Everyone knew Tony Stark was the genius. People lining up to suck up to him could fill every burger joint in New York.
"Only people lacking real confidence need to put on a show and tell everyone exactly how powerful they are," Tony said. "You and your big friend caused the second major incident tonight. People are going to come after you."
"Accountability? I was clearly acting in self-defense, taking down Deviants that had infiltrated human society and caused endless harm. The public's cheers are all the reward I need."
Tony had to admit the guy had nerves of steel. His calmness was almost unnerving, and he could match Tony's own talent for playing dumb when it suited him.
What interested Tony more was the word "Deviants."
"Jarvis."
"Sir, after secondary screening, I found seven potentially relevant locked documents. I cannot access them. Based on technical analysis, the organizations most likely holding information on 'Deviants' include S.H.I.E.L.D., the Ten Rings, the Brotherhood, Atlantis…" Jarvis reported faithfully.
Tony's pulse quickened. That was only what Jarvis could find. What else was out there?
What exactly were these Deviants? Some offshoot of humanity like mutants or Inhumans?
"Fine. I'll admit you've successfully distracted me."
Tonight had been full of unpleasant surprises. Any one of the fighters who had appeared could have crushed him... armor and all... with ease.
"Your armor is too limited and restrictive. It needs serious upgrades. You should develop different models tailored to specific threats. That advice is worth ten thousand dollars. Make sure it hits my account. No need to thank me."
With that, Adam turned and left with his Xenomorphs, heading back to his base on the outskirts of New York.
"I need to develop the Mark IV as soon as possible. Maybe even V and VI. Or… maybe I really should build specialized suits like he suggested…"
Tony had Jarvis record and analyze every piece of data on the Xenomorphs, especially the one born from Abomination.
Creating a dedicated suit to counter monsters like that didn't sound like a bad idea at all.
"Jarvis, send him the money. Amount is… one hundred thousand and one dollars! The extra dollar is a tip from the incredibly charming Tony Stark. Though ten grand really isn't cheap. I could've thought of it myself, and now I have to pay for it!" Tony grumbled.
The chaos of that night finally drew to a close.
For most people, it had been a terrifying and confusing evening. They had watched several monsters appear, fight, and then disappear just as suddenly.
Beyond witnessing the military's helplessness, there was little the public could do. But global opinion had already exploded, thrusting anyone with special abilities into the spotlight.
As usual, the internet erupted with attacks on mutants and endless fearmongering. Experts paraded across television screens, gravely discussing the "mutant threat" as if mutants had actually committed some unforgivable atrocity on Broadway.
The world was like a massive whirlpool already spinning faster and faster. Falling into the abyss was only a matter of time. Adam's appearance had given the world... and everyone capable of influencing it... a hard shove, speeding up the process.
Adam sat on the shoulder of the Xenomorph born from Abomination, calmly returning to his residence under the watchful eyes of numerous satellites.
The sign for the Weyland Private Research Institute still hung prominently. People had once laughed at the name. They wouldn't anymore. No matter how unofficial it sounded, that time had passed.
Abomination's death and the birth of a far more powerful Xenomorph had drawn everyone's attention.
The creatures called "Xenomorphs" were now being secretly studied and coveted at every level.
They were extraordinary. In all of human history, across the entire Earth, nothing like them had ever appeared... beings seemingly capable of stealing the power of mature hosts and growing even stronger from it.
Adam and his Xenomorph entourage returned to the old building without interference. He even waved casually at Dum Dum Dugan in the neighboring structure.
"You won't be able to stay this relaxed for much longer. All kinds of people are going to come looking for you." Dugan started to say more but stopped himself. Under normal circumstances, he would have needed to bring Adam in for interrogation, possible brainwashing and training, or at the very least long-term containment to prevent him from causing further chaos.
Right now, that seemed nearly impossible.
When Adam hadn't been this dangerous, S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't taken him seriously. Now that they recognized both his abilities and the Xenomorphs' threat, any attempt to recruit or neutralize him felt late.
Adam paid Dugan no further attention.
This was the inevitable outcome. Adam knew the only ones he could trust absolutely were his Xenomorphs. He would seize every opportunity to grow the power he controlled.
Organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D. would naturally try to limit his growth, keep the Xenomorph population within a "safe and manageable" range, or simply eliminate every Xenomorph... including Adam himself.
It was a fundamental conflict with no room for compromise.
"The warrior Xenomorph born from parasitizing Abomination is only the beginning. In the future, many more powerful Xenomorphs will answer to me… I won't stop growing stronger, and neither will anyone else just because I pause. In that case, I might as well keep moving forward until the end."
^^^
If you'd like to read up to 50 chapters ahead, feel free to visit our patron: pat reon . com/XElenea