"So, our little test subject ultimately chose to become a superhero, Madam?"
Dr. Koyama adjusted his glasses, looking at the news report, and respectfully inquired of Ophelia, or rather, Madame Viper. Unlike Otto, Koyama was a member of Hydra, or rather, his faction, the Hand, had joined Hydra during World War II for their own purposes, becoming this vast organization's eastern tendril. He, therefore, understood how powerful Hydra truly was.
As for Ophelia, he had seen this woman since he was a child, and even his father had seen her. It was said that Madame Viper had never aged from World War II to the present day. This woman held the secret of immortality, but that wasn't the main point. More importantly was her standing within Hydra; few people in the entire organization had more say than Ophelia, due to her seniority and capabilities.
"A childish idea."
"What?"
"Nothing more than hoping to attract the attention of the Avengers or the Fantastic Four, and then expose everything," Ophelia replied to Koyama's question. In her opinion, the man posed no threat. "Continue your experiments. What's the progress?"
"Very poor, but we have made some progress. Two individuals survived the preliminary experiments: a white girl named Tandy Bowen, and a black male named Tyrone Johnson. They will be able to survive the upcoming strengthened super-soldier serum."
Strengthened?
Ophelia glanced at Koyama, frowning. "Don't do anything extra."
"Yes, Madam."
"How much longer do you need?"
"Not long, Madam, a week at most. As long as Hydra can keep the Avengers occupied for a week, everything will be fine," Koyama said respectfully, completely disregarding how troublesome it would be to "keep the Avengers occupied for a week." But Ophelia merely swept her gaze over him before retorting, "What if we bring that fellow back?"
"Which fellow, oh, you mean…"
Looking at Luke Cage, who was rescuing people on the screen, Koyama smiled happily. "That would only take three or four days, Madam."
"I will bring him back to you."
Luke Cage didn't know if his actions were effective. He had been fighting as Power Man for an entire day, seemingly attracting media attention, but what about Hydra?
After knocking down a gang member, Luke seemed to want to vent all his anger, letting out a roar. Just then, he heard a familiar voice, a voice he didn't want to recall.
"Fugitive Carl Lucas located, pursuing now."
"Willis Stryker?!" Hearing his former friend, the man who had framed him and sent him to prison, actually appear before him, Luke Cage turned around furiously. His former friend now wore a modified, high-tech riot suit, holding a dagger. The surrounding individuals were all clad in similar armor, each wielding different weapons. In addition, each of them bore different snake heads emblazoned on their armor.
"Sorry, buddy. But your hero game is over. All of New York will understand that you're not a superhero, but a criminal who luckily gained powers and escaped from prison."
Willis Stryker spoke as he approached, feigning an approachable demeanor. "You should have learned from me and left the gangs early. I've joined Viper Security Group now, codename Rattler. I'm a decent man doing a decent job. You should have stayed in prison until your sentence ended, and then come out and be an honest person."
Blaming the victim.
Luke, consumed by rage, charged forward. He possessed superhuman strength and impenetrable skin; what could possibly stop him?
Rattler simply approached Luke Cage and swung his dagger. The dagger vibrated violently and emitted a piercing ultrasonic wave. In a short time, Luke's eyes became bloodshot, and he painfully collapsed to the ground. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand up, then punched out at Rattler before him.
Rattler's dagger released a grey-green toxic gas. Cage inhaled the gas, then uncontrollably coughed and fell to the ground. Rattler looked at the fallen Cage, shrugged helplessly, and put away his weapon.
"Nerve gas, brother. It would be fatal for others, but for you, it should only mean lying down for a few minutes. Sorry, no weapon can pierce your skin, so I had to use an inhaled method."
Lying on the ground, Luke Cage felt as if his brain was severely burned. He gritted his teeth and enunciated each word: "How did you… know about my… abilities?"
"The government hired us, Cage," Rattler finally cracked a smile. "What do you think?"
Viper Security Company, also part of Hydra?
Ignoring Cage's furious glare, Rattler signaled to his companions behind him. "Alright, fellas, escort our guest into the car. Remember to check him for any tracking devices or anything…"
A sudden red blur descended from the sky, intervening in the dispute. Seeing the figure, Rattler's pupils severely constricted.
"Daredevil? You're real?"
People always said that, and Daredevil himself was too tired to explain. "I know you, Viper Security Company."
"We're… fulfilling a government contract, assisting in the arrest of a dangerous super-powered criminal."
"I know. That's why I didn't stop your operation. On the contrary, I called the police for you in advance, so you won't have to make another trip."
"Police?"
Hearing this news, Rattler looked as if he'd been struck by lightning. "But…"
"What's wrong? Does your government contract also give you the authority to detain and interrogate criminals?" Daredevil's retort left Rattler speechless. After a moment of silence, he reluctantly called his boss. Then, hearing the sirens of police cars behind him, he begrudgingly agreed to Daredevil's request, instructing the other Viper Security employees to clear a path for the police, watching as the officers led Luke Cage into a police car.
Rattler had intended to ask Daredevil some questions, but when he turned his head, Daredevil had vanished, making one wonder if he had ever been there at all.
Author's Note: As is widely known, the Viper gang in the comics is a villainous organization. Here, it has been changed to a security company, just a different disguise.
The Viper gang in the EMH animation looked rather odd.