"Yeah, no. I'm not okay with that."
Johnny Storm stepped forward, cutting into the conversation before Noah and Victor could lock anything in.
"Ben was already assigned to this mission. You don't just get to walk in and swap him out like he's expendable."
"Johnny, don't start," Victor said quickly, grabbing his arm. The last thing he wanted was to derail the deal now—especially not after everything he'd already sacrificed to make it happen.
Noah, who had been ready to leave after a quick look around, paused and glanced at Johnny.
"Got something specific you want to say?"
Johnny pulled free, hands in his pockets, posture loose but confrontational.
"Yeah. I do. You show up out of nowhere, probably through connections, and suddenly you're making calls that push a top-tier astronaut off the mission. You think that's reasonable?"
Noah studied him for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Johnny Storm, right?"
"Yeah. That's me."
"Then I'll be honest—you've got a real talent for comedy."
Johnny's expression darkened. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Noah didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to.
"A year ago, you snuck two Victoria's Secret models into a flight simulator. The simulator crashed, and NASA showed you the door."
Victor blinked, clearly hearing this for the first time.
Johnny, on the other hand, looked like he'd just been hit with a spotlight.
"With your track record," Noah continued calmly, "the only reason you're even near this project is because your sister runs genetics for the program. So calling me a 'connection hire' is… bold."
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Or what—was the simulator not enough? You planning to wreck a space station next?"
"Alright, that's enough," Ben cut in, stepping forward before Johnny could snap back. His voice was steady, but firm. "I'll step down."
Johnny turned to him, stunned. "Ben, you don't have to—"
"It's fine," Ben said, though the tension in his jaw said otherwise.
Noah watched the exchange, then let out a soft breath, as if reconsidering something.
"Actually," he said, tone shifting, "if you're that determined to go up together, I'll withdraw my objection."
Everyone froze.
"Ben keeps his slot," Noah continued. "All of you go."
The sudden reversal caught them off guard. A few exchanged glances, quietly assuming it had something to do with Johnny being Susan's brother.
Only Noah knew better.
If they insisted on walking into that future, he wasn't going to stop them.
He just wondered how Ben would handle it later—when Johnny came back with powers, and he came back as something else entirely.
Victor exhaled in relief, stepping in quickly to settle things.
"Then it's decided. Ben, Susan, Johnny, and Mr. Vale will go up to the station. I'll remain on the ground and coordinate."
Noah tilted his head slightly, distracted.
From several hundred meters away, a wave of noise was rising—angry, chaotic.
"Mutants don't belong here!"
"Freaks, go back where you came from!"
"Noah Vale, get out!"
…
Outside, a crowd of over two hundred protesters was marching straight toward Doom Industries, their voices sharp with hostility.
The commotion drew attention fast. Pedestrians stopped. Cameras turned. Reporters who had been waiting to cover Noah were now eagerly filming the protest instead.
Most of the crowd were the usual mix—loud, agitated, and very sure of themselves. The recent policy tied to Noah's system had only made things worse. The idea that they might soon be forced to pay into it had pushed some of them over the edge.
And when word got out that Noah would be visiting Doom Industries today, they organized.
Fast.
By the time Noah and the others stepped onto the seventh-floor balcony, the building was already surrounded.
Security was struggling to hold the line.
From above, the scene looked almost theatrical—signs waving, voices clashing, tension simmering.
Noah leaned against the railing, looking down with mild curiosity.
"Two days," he said. "That's all it took for public opinion to flip like this?"
Kingpin wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. "It's not you, exactly. Anti-mutant sentiment's always been there. It just… doesn't take much to bring it out."
Victor added quickly, "Please don't take their words to heart. We'll handle it. Just give us a little time."
Noah waved a hand dismissively. "Relax. First time I've had a crowd like this. It's kind of entertaining."
Below, some of the protesters had signs with his face on them—defaced in creative, if childish, ways.
Then someone spotted him.
"He's up there!"
In seconds, the shouting intensified. Fingers pointed. A few people tried to throw things, but the height made it pointless.
Victor and Kingpin both tensed, watching Noah carefully.
Johnny, meanwhile, leaned against the wall, arms crossed, clearly interested in how this would play out.
Noah scanned the crowd, face unreadable.
A few of them looked familiar.
Some had been cheering for him just days ago.
Now they were screaming for his head.
"Funny," Noah murmured.
The chants grew louder.
"Freak! Get down here!"
"Repeal the tax!"
"Come down and face us!"
…
Noah tapped lightly on the balcony railing.
"Kingpin," he said without looking away, "remind me—what was your original line of work?"
Kingpin hesitated. "I… run Value Line Corporation now—"
"No," Noah cut in, voice calm. "That's not what I meant."
A brief pause.
"You haven't gone soft on me, have you?"
Kingpin stiffened.
Noah gestured toward the crowd below.
"They know what I can do, right?"
"…Yes."
"And they're still this bold?"
Kingpin swallowed. "What are you suggesting?"
Noah finally turned, a faint smile on his face.
"Simple. Call in your people."
He lifted his phone, switching to a wide-angle lens, and snapped a panoramic shot of the crowd below.
"Break their legs."
Kingpin froze.
"…When?"
Noah slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"Now."
A beat.
Then, almost as an afterthought—
"Both legs… and one more for good measure."
Kingpin's expression tightened. Even for him, this—out in the open, with this many witnesses—was a serious move.
Noah's gaze flicked back to him, casual but sharp.
"Or," he said lightly, "you can take their place."
That was enough.
"Understood," Kingpin said immediately. "I'll handle it."
As he turned to leave, Noah added, almost pleasantly—
"Pick your people carefully. I don't want anyone walking away with a lawsuit."