"Who are you supposed to be?" Stark narrowed his eyes at the oddly shaped, grotesquely unbalanced figure before him.
"I already told you," Dr. Samuel Sterns said with a self-satisfied grin, his head wobbling slightly as he spoke. "You may call me…the Leader. A visionary destined to guide humanity into its greatest transformation."
"So you're saying you're responsible for everything that's happening right now?" Stark's voice carried equal parts suspicion and contempt.
"Responsible?" The Leader's bulging green-tinged eyes widened, and then he let out a mocking laugh. "No, no, no. This isn't responsibility—it's experimentation. That's all. A glorious experiment." His gaze shifted to the mutated Avengers, his face glowing with twisted excitement.
Leisurely, the Leader strolled over to a sofa that had somehow survived the chaos, dropped into it, and casually crossed his legs, as though this entire disaster were a game unfolding according to his rules.
"The Avengers' mutations are nothing more than a necessary step," he said smoothly. "My way of eliminating future threats. And as you can clearly see…the results are flawless."
"Gamma mutations…aren't they magnificent?" His voice carried a mad sort of reverence. "Imagine, Stark. A future world where every man, woman, and child undergoes a perfect transformation. No weakness, no flaws. A race of new beings ruling the Earth."
Stark's voice cut back with biting sarcasm: "Let me guess—a planet full of over-muscled idiots who can't form a coherent thought, all kneeling to you as their benevolent overlord?"
"There must always be a leader," the Leader shrugged smugly. "And who better than me?"
While the Leader talked, Stark's Iron Man suit continued scanning for the gamma radiation source flooding Avengers Tower. His HUD pinged a result—and his breath caught.
It was beneath him.
"The basement? That's impossible…"
"Impossible for you, perhaps." The Leader's grin widened. "But I am a thousand times more intelligent than you, Stark. Hiding the radiation core beneath your own Tower was effortless for me. I've done things you couldn't even conceive of. I hacked General Ross's military base, freed the Hulk from containment, and more secrets you'll never even imagine."
His tone dropped into a calm but venomous warning. "And don't even think about using your pitiful armor to destroy the core. I've rigged it with a failsafe. If it detects sabotage, it will detonate—releasing gamma energy tens of times stronger than what you've seen so far. New York City will become a paradise of gamma-born creatures."
The Leader threw back his head and laughed, savoring his brilliance.
But before his laughter could fully echo, J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice interrupted:
"Alert: Gamma radiation levels are dropping. Readings have returned to normal."
"What?!" The Leader bolted upright, fumbling for his handheld terminal. His face twisted as he read the display:
SYSTEM OVERLOAD
"No! Impossible!" His shrill roar reverberated through the room. He paced rapidly, clutching his oversized head. "This can't be happening! My design was flawless—flawless! The gamma emitter was unbreachable! How could the system overload?!"
Stark raised an armored hand, repulsor charging with a hum. "Well, green brain, looks like your little scheme just went down the drain. Maybe we should start discussing which cell block suits you best. I'll even request a deluxe suite for you in the Raft."
The Leader froze mid-step, glaring at Stark. "Fine. Maybe this round didn't go exactly as planned. But that doesn't matter. Experiments are meant to be refined. I'll improve my device, perfect my design, and next time…next time the world will be mine. As for now, the Avengers you're so fond of are already dealt with."
He snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the gamma-mutated Avengers moved like puppets under his command. They roared and charged at the only two who remained uncorrupted—Stark and Thor.
Reed Richards led the charge, his massive, Hulk-like frame shaking the floor with every step. His mutated body retained his elastic powers—his arms stretched forward like giant spring-loaded cannons, fists aimed directly at Stark's helmet.
Stark dodged just in time, countering with a fully charged repulsor blast that sent Reed crashing across the Tower. But the others didn't hesitate. Gamma-Rhodey, Gamma-Natasha, Gamma-Hawkeye—each bellowing with primal fury—rushed at them.
Thor met them head-on. With a thunderous war cry, he swung his reforged Meteor Hammer, smashing Colonel Rhodes aside like a ragdoll. The weapon gleamed brilliantly once more, the cracks from its battle with Loki completely gone after its reforging in Nidavellir.
But Stark wasn't as lucky. Just after dispatching Reed, he was blindsided—Gamma-Hawkeye's bow, wielded like a club, slammed into the back of his armor with bone-rattling force. The impact sent him crashing forward, his helmet slamming into the floor with a skull-jarring crack.
And the battle for survival truly began.
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T/N:
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