After bringing Wanda and Pietro home, Karl found Aunt May and Peter waiting in the living room.
Before leaving earlier, Karl had instructed Speed to inform Aunt May to stay with Peter and wait for them.
Aunt May immediately stood when she saw the children.
Karl gently guided Wanda and Pietro forward.
"It's over," he said softly. "Go get some rest. Let the past stay in the past, alright?"
Wanda and Pietro nodded.
"Thank you, Karl," Wanda whispered.
They returned quietly to their rooms.
Aunt May sent Peter upstairs, then sat beside Karl on the sofa.
"What's wrong?" Karl asked gently. "You look worried."
Aunt May leaned against his shoulder.
"I just hope they can live with what happened tonight," she said softly. "They're only children… I don't even know if I could do what they did."
She had known what Karl intended. He had told her beforehand.
At first, she thought it was cruel.
But she had agreed — because living with hatred for years would be far crueler.
Still…
Asking ten-year-old children to face revenge so directly weighed heavily on her heart.
Karl said nothing.
He simply held her closer.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
Emergency response teams arrived within minutes.
Coulson and the immobilized agents were transported to a secure medical wing.
Their bodies were encased in dense cryogenic ice.
Vital signs were stable — slowed, but present.
S.H.I.E.L.D. physicians worked urgently.
Unlike Steve Rogers, they had no enhanced physiology. Prolonged hypothermic stasis would lead to organ failure if not reversed.
Nick Fury stood behind the glass observation wall, watching Coulson lying motionless inside the frost.
His expression was thunderous.
Karl's file had already been elevated to Level 10 clearance.
Coulson had not been briefed.
To him, Karl was merely a Stark Industries shareholder — wealthy, connected, but not extraordinary.
He had acted accordingly.
And nearly died for it.
Fury's jaw tightened.
Power beyond S.H.I.E.L.D. control was always a liability.
But power they could neither predict nor counter?
That was a threat.
He turned and walked away.
Karl had frozen them.
Karl could reverse it.
Nick Fury did not send a team.
He went alone.
Karl had made it clear he disliked uninvited visits.
And Fury had no interest in testing the limits of Karl's tolerance tonight.
They met in a quiet Manhattan coffee shop.
To any observer, it looked ordinary.
It was not.
Every table was occupied by undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel.
Karl sat down across from Fury and smirked.
"What does the great Director Nick Fury want with a nobody like me?"
Fury didn't bother with pleasantries.
"You froze Coulson."
Karl blinked innocently.
"Who's Coulson?"
He sipped his coffee.
"You're not trying to scam me, are you?"
Fury stared at him.
Then spoke flatly:
"Release him. Name your price."
Karl took another calm sip.
"Vibranium," he said casually. "A ton should do."
Fury's expression darkened.
"That's not a negotiable request. We don't possess that quantity."
Vibranium was among the rarest materials on Earth. Even small amounts were strategically guarded.
Karl set the cup down.
"Sixty pounds. Minimum."
Silence hung between them.
Fury's eye hardened.
After a long pause:
"…done."
"Delivery first," Karl replied calmly. "Then I thaw your man."
Fury's jaw tightened.
Karl stood.
"If that's all, Director."
He stepped into the alley beside the café and vanished.
An agent nearby spoke quietly into a comm unit.
"Target disappeared."
Fury did not turn around.
Later — S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
Sixty pounds of vibranium were transferred under highest-level authorization.
Fury watched the sealed container depart.
His thoughts were cold and precise.
Karl was unpredictable.
Uncontrollable.
Unaligned.
That combination had historically ended badly for governments.
He considered contingencies.
Then, after a long silence, he picked up a secure phone.
And dialed Charles Xavier.
Manhattan — Stark Manor
Karl appeared inside the Manhattan manor Tony had gifted him.
The estate occupied prime real estate overlooking Central Park — a private compound surrounded by security systems and landscaped grounds.
To Tony Stark, it was a minor gesture.
To anyone else, it was a billion-dollar residence.
Karl walked through the halls:
indoor pool
• private gym
• cinema room
• esports lounge
• full bar
• smart-home AI systems
He nodded with satisfaction.
Then vanished.
Queens — Later That Night
Karl reappeared at home.
He planned to move Aunt May and the children into the manor soon.
The Queens house was warm and familiar…
…but too small.
Pietro shared a room with Peter.
Only Wanda had her own space.
And whether he liked it or not, Karl's status had changed.
Their lives were changing with it.
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