Hawkeye and Coulson exchanged a look across the table, both of them visibly thrown by Rex's choice of words. Abstract? That wasn't exactly the kind of description either man was used to hearing in a serious conversation.
Rex didn't explain himself right away. Instead, he lifted his teacup, took a slow sip, and then asked in an almost casual tone, "By the way, I've been hearing rumors. Is there really a new superhero in New York now? Someone called Steel Man… or Iron Man?"
Coulson frowned and sat there thinking for a while, his tired eyes somehow looking even more exhausted than before. "Is that so?" he said at last. "Lately I haven't been paying attention to much outside the current mission."
"I heard something," Barton said, leaning back in his chair. "There was a mass shooting at a bar, but the whole thing got buried fast. A lot of different forces pushed to suppress it. Even SHIELD didn't get much solid information." He paused for a second, then added, "But there's a rumor going around that some armored guy in silver, gold, and red walked in and slaughtered everyone inside."
Rex felt a quiet smile tugging at his thoughts. The vampire network really was impressive. News involving them got crushed almost as soon as it surfaced, buried under pressure from all sides before it could spread.
On the surface, though, he only sighed and put on a worried expression. "Sometimes I really feel like there are more and more people out there who've gone beyond normal human limits. I honestly don't know whether that's a good thing for the world or a bad one."
That landed harder than he expected.
Coulson and Barton both fell silent, and for a brief moment the air around the tea table grew noticeably heavier. Neither of them had really framed it that way before. More and more people were appearing with abilities that ordinary humans couldn't hope to match. Was that the start of a new age, or the beginning of a disaster?
The question clearly got under their skin.
Coulson's expression turned thoughtful, and Rex could practically see the report already forming in the man's head. Good. That was exactly what he wanted.
He hadn't forgotten Kingpin. He hadn't forgotten the Mafia either. The problem was that after that night, the entire underworld had pulled back like a turtle retreating into its shell. Kingpin vanished, Vanessa disappeared with him, and every obvious target was suddenly gone.
To make matters worse, both the police and SHIELD had started paying closer attention to Hell's Kitchen. Any move he made now would be watched from too many angles. His revenge kept getting delayed, pushed back again and again by circumstances.
So if he couldn't strike directly, then he'd do the next best thing.
He'd throw a different problem into the middle of the board.
The vampire race was perfect for that.
Humans living side by side with vampires? Ordinary people unknowingly sharing a city with things that might sink fangs into their necks at any time? That kind of story only needed a little push before it exploded. Vampires were strong, influential, and good at hiding, but once the truth started leaking out, they'd be dragged into a spotlight they absolutely did not want.
And once that happened, the police would be forced into the mess.
SHIELD would be forced into the mess too.
Then, when the whole city was already choking on one crisis, Devil Face could return.
The conversation drifted after that, but Rex could tell he had already planted what he needed to plant. By the time Coulson and Barton left, both men looked more troubled than when they arrived, and that alone made the entire tea session worthwhile.
At noon, another pair of visitors arrived at the church.
One was Jess, the girl he had saved after she'd been infected before. The other was a hematologist named Karen Watson, whom Jess had brought along with her. Jess came sincerely, wanting to thank Rex for saving her life. Karen, on the other hand, had come because she was fascinated by Jess's blood.
Jess had not directly told her she'd been bitten by a vampire. Instead, she described it as an infection caused by an unknown virus. That lie was probably the only reason Karen was standing here as a curious doctor rather than a terrified civilian.
After a brief exchange, Karen asked to speak with Rex alone.
She got right to the point the moment they were isolated. "Father Rex, I've done a very thorough study of Jess's blood. She wasn't infected by some unknown virus. This is a mutation. A miraculous mutation." Her eyes locked onto him with barely concealed excitement. "Can you explain it to me?"
Rex studied her quietly for a moment.
She was a black woman with a sharp, intelligent face and the kind of focused energy that came only from someone who was very, very good at what they did. In another timeline, or maybe in the deeper logic of this world, a doctor like her could become the difference between life and death for someone like Blade.
"Why do you want to know?" he asked.
Karen didn't hesitate. "Because this blood is extraordinary. It contains the code for human evolution. If it can be understood, if it can be properly researched, it could benefit all humanity."
Rex yawned lightly, as if what she'd just said wasn't enough to impress him. "Or, if you're careless, it could destroy humanity."
Karen froze. "Destroy humanity? That's impossible. I would never conduct research that dangerous. I would only—"
He raised a hand and cut her off before she could finish. "You have no idea what kind of creature you're trying to study. None. I can't just let you run with it however you want." He leaned forward slightly, a small smile beginning to form. "Unless…"
Karen's expression changed instantly. Hope flickered back into her eyes. "Unless what?"
Rex smiled wider. "Unless your boss is me."
That caught her completely off guard.
He went on before she could respond. "Like I said, this kind of research is dangerous. It can't be placed in the hands of just anyone. Only someone strong enough to bear the consequences should control it."
Karen looked around instinctively, taking in the shabby chapel, the aging furniture, the cracked walls. Her expression made it obvious what she was thinking.
You?
Rex remained perfectly calm. "The truth is, I'm not just a priest. I'm also a knight of God. A knight who punishes sin." His tone deepened, growing grand and solemn. "Under God's guidance, I will cleanse this world. I am the second sword of divine judgment. I… am the Great Flood."
Karen stared at him, visibly stunned.
He spread one hand dramatically and continued, "Follow me, and you'll witness the darkness hidden beneath this world. You'll also witness the light of hope at the deepest point of despair."
Karen kept looking at him in complete silence, and for the first time Rex had to seriously consider the possibility that she now thought she had walked into a cult.
When that dramatic angle failed to move her at all, he sighed inwardly. Maybe ideals and justice really didn't work on people anymore. Or maybe he just didn't have the natural talent to sell the priest act. In fairness, the priest certificate had been bought, so perhaps expecting too much from the performance was his own fault.
Fine.
If righteousness didn't work, there was always ambition.
"Of course," he said smoothly, shifting gears without the slightest shame, "there's another side to this. If this research succeeds, it won't just change medicine. It could make you famous. Nobel Prize level famous."
Karen's eyes twitched.
Rex pressed forward. "Your name would be remembered all over the world. You'd become a figure in textbooks. A black woman who changed the course of human history." He leaned in just a little and added the finishing blow, "You'd stomp every white academic standing above you straight into the ground."
"Enough!"
Karen's voice snapped through the room, but her eyes were shining now in a very different way. "If you can provide a suitable research environment, I'd be happy to work for you, Father."
Rex smiled immediately. "Welcome to the team. Someone will be in touch with you soon."
The moment that was settled, he turned toward the stairs and shouted upstairs, "David! Get down here and meet our guest!"
Recruiting Karen had been an impulse decision, but the more Rex thought about it, the more valuable it seemed. If vampire blood could be fully studied and useful technology extracted from it, the result wouldn't be some modest little operation. Even one viable application—something as massive as limb regeneration, for example—would be enough to support a multinational medical empire.
Fighting alone could only take a man so far.
At best, that road made you a powerful enforcer, the kind of person who broke bones for real bosses. The men who actually sat at the top all had backgrounds, money, influence, and networks.
Rex hadn't built anything before because he hadn't had the strength to support it, much less the resources to build a force of his own. But if he was serious about climbing higher—serious about one day overturning the whole board and taking the world for himself—then this was necessary.
Recruit people.
Accumulate wealth.
Build a reputation.
Strengthen himself.
This was only the beginning.
After David finished speaking with Karen and politely escorted her out, he turned around, stormed back inside, and grabbed Rex by the shoulder. His face was practically purple with agitation.
"Are you out of your damn mind?" David hissed. "Do you have any idea how much it would cost to build a research lab that meets her requirements? If we sold both of ourselves, it still wouldn't be enough. We're talking hundreds of millions of dollars."
Rex rubbed his chin and answered without much concern. "Doesn't she work at a hospital? Then tell her to keep doing research there for now. Use the hospital's equipment. We'll say our own lab is still being prepared and that it'll take a few months."
David's eyes widened. "A few months? And in a few months you'll have that kind of money?" He stared at Rex like he was looking at a lunatic. "What, are you planning to rob a bank? Or a vault?"
Rex rolled his eyes. "I've told you before, you really need to read more."
He reached over, picked up a newspaper, and slapped it down in front of David.
The headline was impossible to miss.
Stark Industries Participates in Department of Defense Bidding for Afghanistan Missile Project
David looked at the paper, then back at Rex, completely lost. He didn't understand what he was supposed to be seeing. They had bought Stark Industries stock before, sure, but they had bought against the company. If Stark landed the contract, they were the ones who would get crushed.
Rex ignored the confusion on his face and said calmly, "The startup capital God promised me is about to arrive. This is a chance to make a fortune."
Then, after a brief pause, he added, "And don't forget to assign Karen one more project. I want her researching a formula that can effectively kill vampires."
David sagged against the table like all the bones had left his body. "Fine. Do whatever you want. When all the money's gone, I'm packing up and running away."
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