The hum of the biotank reverberated through the chamber like a cold heartbeat, each pulse mirrored in the dull throb behind Luthar's cybernetic eye. Above ground, the SHIELD convoy had long since disappeared into the distance, its diplomatic exchange completed, its consequences just beginning. The corridors of the sanctum had quieted once more, silence ruling where bargaining and tension had only recently lingered.
In his private sanctum, Luthar stood before a cascade of schematics suspended in the air—light and data forming an intricate weave of machinery and theory. The centerpiece of it all: a full reactor overhaul. A rejection of outdated warp-dependence in favor of raw, unfiltered power.
The current subspace generator, once a prized artifact of Mechanicum ingenuity, does not work without subspace. It relied on an unstable warp; it's time for a change.
The replacement plan spanned across two chambers—twice the volume of the original Hyperflux Reactor. A plasma reactor would serve as the energy source for the new light-speed engine.
The **plasma reactor** would serve as the primary node, drawing continuous power from fusion cells, with full magnetic containment and rotating field polarizers. Stabilization came through the **Hyperflux Reactor**, mounted in tandem—its role is to provide extra energy and act as a backup in case of unexpected events.
He traced the luminous path of the energy cycle with a mechanical finger. Every line was precise. Every junction accounted for. This was no patchwork design—it was the birth of a system worthy of forging war, not merely surviving it.
Activated the system research mode as he asked, "Display integration model: Plasma-Hyperflux conversion."
The schematics shifted. Animated sequences showed fusion initiation, energy dispersal, magnetic shaping, and synchronized flux correction. Heat signatures projected across containment maps. Fail-safes blinked into place.
After looking at them, he started to look at the second thing, which was his system notifications.
> **\[System Notice: Arc Reactor – Core Understanding Complete]**
>
> *+90000 Tech Points – Structural Comprehension (Gen-1 Stark Reactor)*
> *+13000 Tech Points – Dynamic Calibration Modeling*
> *+800 Tech Points – High-Efficiency Containment Protocols*
>
> **Total Tech Points: 996,500**
He blinked. The arc reactor, though primitive by his standards, had nonetheless offered insights. Miniaturization. Clean-loop design. Self-regulating containment. Stark's first-generation reactor was more than just a symbol of defiance; it was the seed of functional innovation.
Not enough to reach his next technological milestone. But close.
It was time he started acquiring resources, like starting the scan of Mars for resources. Also, he needed to check the Jupiter moons. Luthar murmured as he tapped into the resource database. "All rich with the materials; once I get them, I will not have to worry about resources."
For now, the blueprint remained theoretical, the harvesting plan deferred until the foundation was laid.
Behind the data display, construction drones had already begun sealing off the lower floor. The subspace generator would be put away safely.
And then—there was the matter of **the serum**.
---
He descended alone into the secured laboratory.
The secondary room was dark and quiet. The chamber reeked of sterilization chemicals and surgical discipline. Holographic overlays hovered in the air, detailing genome sequences, protein bindings, and viral sheaths.
Three subjects remained.
The rest—over seventy civilians—had already been released per his agreement with Fury. They had served their diplomatic function. Their utility had ended.
But these three...
His gaze moved to the projected files, facial images floating alongside detailed biometrics.
**Subject 01: Marissa Lane**, age 23. Civilian systems engineer, formerly employed at a Los Angeles-based tech firm. Built multiple autonomous drones pre-Crisis. Notable neuro-resilience and a refined cortical map suited for neural interface experiments. *Tagged: augmentation-compatible.*
**Subject 02: Haruka Saito**, age 25. Biomedical researcher, formerly part of a private Japanese medical NGO. Field experience during natural disaster relief efforts. Advanced knowledge of viral behavior and enzyme reactions. *Tagged: serum synthesis compatibility.*
**Subject 03: Anya El-Masri**, age 22. Emergency medical technician. No formal education beyond paramedic training, but multiple recorded events of heightened reflexes and rapid muscle regeneration following stress-induced injury. *Tagged: anomalous physiology.*
None were affiliated with SHIELD. That made them clean. Controllable.
Luthar looked past the human faces. He saw systems. Variables. Building blocks. Not in contempt—but in purpose.
These were no longer testsubjects;, they would bebelieversr of the machine god.
---
The primary synthesis unit sat at the center of the lab, pulsing with low energy. Tubes of pale blue fluid fed into rotating cylinders. Injectors calibrated automatically, measuring nanoliters at a time. The machine, constructed from both Mechanicum design and the formula given by shield only a working model of the serum derived from **ProjectRebirth andd older **gene splicing logs**.
The files Fury had handed over were incomplete; even so, the knowledge was enough for him to build a brand -newsuper soldier serum, which could make these three girls a little bit more resilient, as he would not want them to one day die from overwork.
Drawing from rejected Hydra serum variants, recovered Erskine notes, and black-market Wakandan gene isolation methods. He rebuilt the serum strand by strand, rewriting its biological identity.
> **\[System Notice: Unauthorized Biological Modifications Detected]**
> *No Tech Points awarded.*
> *Incomplete technology*
He watched as the final sequences merged into a stable template. Injections would be phased—three rounds per subject. Side effects unknown. Success is not guaranteed.
He accepted the risk.
---
Back at the core command hub, screens blinked to life. One listed reactor progress.
**Hyperflux reactor completed: 18%**
**Forge power diverted: 3 sectors sealed**
**Orbital mining drone construction 20%**
Another displayed serum preparation timelines.
**Prototype vial #1 – calibrated.**
**Subjects moved to cryostasis pending first trial.**
**Failure margin: 61.7%. Acceptable.**
The rest of the displays monitored ship systems, surveillance feeds, and encrypted messages from the surface. One stood out—Rumlow's report.
> **\[Rumlow]**: Outer perimeter stabilized. All non-military civilians processed and released. Soldier containment secure.
Luthar nodded once.
> **\[Luthar]**: Continue personnel scanning. Prepare a new batch of candidates from combat-grade soldiers. Prioritize spine structure, cortical adaptability, and resistance.
He closed the display.
Hours passed.
Below him, reactors hummed as Automated cranes positioned new segments of the reinforced alloy casings. Plasma vents lined up with precision. The twin-core reactor would change everything—from propulsion to the speed of a copper ship would not have a void shield, so he would have to think about something else.
Elsewhere, the cryo-chambers sealed shut around three girls who, only days ago, were ordinary.
And now?
They were part of the cult of machine God, as for their resistant and non-cooperative behaviour, it could be dealt with slowly without doing too much brainwashing, as it would affect they are thinking.
"Let the world chase heroes," he murmured. "And I will chase the miracle."
He turned, steps echoing down the hall of steel.
In the darkness of his lab, Luthar's vision took root.
---
Authors note: I just try to check for any grammar mistake and fixed the result was I got more mistake so I am stopping for now as I do not want to destroy the chapter and
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