Everyone stood frozen, stunned by the overwhelming spectacle before them.
Steel bars plummeted from the sky, embedding themselves deep into the ground with thunderous impact. The very earth trembled under the sheer force, forming a massive electrified prison around the chaotic battlefield.
Amidst the chaos, Nathan descended from the sky, his figure landing with precision. As his boots touched the ground, he clenched his fist tightly.
A loud metallic rumble echoed as the bottom of the electrified prison split open. Alloy structures surged upward like roots breaking through stone. Subatomic insulating liquid sprayed out, layering itself rapidly along the inner structure, reinforcing the barrier with dense insulating material.
In an instant, the entire prison sealed completely. No light, no energy, no current could escape.
Watching from a distance, Mr. Fantastic shook his head. "That's not going to work," he muttered, eyes narrowing behind his cracked lenses. "You can't stop Electro with just metal. He'll punch a hole right through it."
As he staggered to his feet, clutching his ribs, Nathan remained silent. He didn't even glance at him.
His gaze was locked instead on the Fantastic Four, and especially on the Invisible Woman. She wasn't his current target, but her ability intrigued him deeply. The manipulation of invisible force fields was an advanced form of biological control—the kind of superpower he needed for the evolution of his Superman prototype.
But not yet. One thing at a time.
His current objective was Electro. And finishing the business with Luke Cage.
The Fantastic Four mistook Nathan's stare as acknowledgment.
"Let's keep fighting!" Invisible Woman said defiantly, raising a weakened shield.
The Thing rolled his shoulders, preparing for round two. Human Torch flared up again, and even Mr. Fantastic adopted a defensive posture.
Inside the cage, Electro roared in frustration. "This thing won't hold me!" he yelled. Sparks burst from his palms, thunder crackling inside the prison. "I'll fry this whole thing to pieces!"
Outside, tension rose.
But Nathan calmly said, "No need to be nervous. It's already over."
Suddenly, streams of high-pressure water erupted from all sides inside the cage, soaking Electro completely.
Sparks flew, circuits shorted, and a scream tore through the air.
"AAAHHH!"
Smoke coiled from his body as his limbs convulsed. And with a final spasm, he collapsed with a heavy thud.
Outside the cage, silence followed.
Everyone looked at one another.
The Thing scratched his head. "That's... it? Electro's down?"
Human Torch, still blazing, watched in disbelief. "Who even is this guy?"
Mr. Fantastic narrowed his eyes. "That was no ordinary trap. There's science behind it—serious science. And the way he lifted that entire block and ran? His strength... His speed…"
"Who is he?" he repeated quietly.
Nathan didn't wait. He swiftly stepped forward, lifted the entire insulated prison, and vanished with a burst of speed, leaving the stunned heroes behind.
---
Back at his underground lab, Nathan reappeared from the backyard, bypassing the main entrance due to the prison's massive size. He carried Electro—still unconscious—into a specially modified insulated room.
He quickly opened the cell, drew a vial of blood from Electro, and resealed the cell tight.
Then, without delay, Nathan moved to his biological laboratory.
On the way, a message pinged on his terminal. It was from Kurt.
Inside was a detailed report: information on the Beast, the mastermind Essex, and the elusive Chemical No. 7.
From Kurt's findings, the Beast had one critical weakness—it could only possess one person at a time, and if the host was restrained, so was the Beast. Without a host, it was powerless.
Nathan frowned. "If only I had more intel... I could've captured the Beast already. A creature with ancient demonic origins has immense research value. Not to mention, it might even hold the key to countering Ghost Rider."
But Beast wasn't today's goal. He looked at the vial in his hand.
"First, suppress Electro's abilities."
Nathan began his research, analyzing Electro's mutated DNA. Fortunately, from his earlier experiments with X-24 (Wolverine's clone) and research on mutant inhibitors, Nathan had learned techniques to suppress mutant abilities.
This time, he didn't need permanent suppression—just temporary control.
He located the extraordinary gene clusters responsible for Electro's power and began editing them.
"Add adenosine to the primary structure," he murmured.
"Adjust the superhelical structure... alter bonding angles in the DNA's grooves…"
The suppression nodes responded. The active genes began to dim, losing function. After hours of editing and protein manipulation, the entire gene cluster responsible for Electro's ability became dormant.
"For the next three days, he'll be completely powerless," Nathan whispered.
With the gene suppression complete, he moved swiftly to serum synthesis. Hours later, a vial of glowing green serum sat in his gloved hand, humming with suppressed power.
"Time to test it."
---
Back in the insulated chamber, Electro had woken.
Fear clouded his eyes the moment he saw Nathan—still masked and expressionless.
Then he noticed the room.
Dozens of water pipes aimed at him. Water had begun to pool around his feet.
"Dare to move?" Nathan asked coldly.
Electro shivered and shook his head. "No... I—I won't."
"Good." Nathan stepped forward. "This serum will suppress your powers. It's temporary. Don't resist."
Electro's instincts told him to flee, but he froze when he met Nathan's calm, unwavering gaze.
He submitted.
Nathan injected the serum.
The green glow entered Electro's veins. He collapsed onto his knees, breathing heavily, but unharmed.
"Good," Nathan said. "Now the real experiment begins."
He opened the chamber.
"Follow me."
---
Inside a sterile operating room, Electro looked at the wires and machinery.
He had a fleeting thought—run. Maybe the power was back?
He reached inward—but felt nothing.
No surge. No spark. Just silence.
His heart sank.
"Lie down," Nathan ordered.
He obeyed.
Nathan strapped him to the operating table. For a moment, Electro trembled—not from fear of pain, but for something far more human.
"My mom…" he whispered. "She's waiting for me at home."
"If I die... she'll be alone."
Tears welled in his eyes.
"Please… don't kill me."
Nathan paused.
"I don't plan to kill you," he said evenly. "Cooperate, and you'll live."
Hope flickered in Electro's eyes. "R-Really?"
Nathan didn't respond. Instead, he anesthetized him and began the procedure.
---
In the days that followed, Nathan immersed himself in intense research.
He broke down Electro's DNA strand by strand, studying the bioelectric current system inside his body.
The flaw was obvious—Electro's circuits shorted with water, making him dangerously vulnerable.
Nathan designed a new bioelectric framework, using his own genetic enhancements.
Rather than relying on an internal current network, he would reroute Electro's body to become a storage battery. Then, using Nathan's own bioelectric manipulation systems, he would release the energy safely—no risk of short-circuiting.
Days passed.
And finally...
A deep blue serum pulsed inside a crystal vial. Electric arcs danced within, flickering like a storm trapped in a bottle.
"It's ready," Nathan said.
"Electro's power—successfully replicated."
He raised the vial—and without hesitation—injected it into his own arm.
Power surged.
Blue light exploded across the lab.
He felt it instantly: lightning in his veins.
And now, it was time to visit Luke Cage.
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