Newark Airport was crowded with travelers, but Daniel's mind was elsewhere. He had just watched Jane Foster and Darcy Lewsi walk through security, their backs gradually vanishing into the sea of people. Betty Ross had already gone home to Florida days earlier. With them gone, only Gwen remained in Manhattan.
Not that he worried about her.
She was just a classmate—bright, stubborn, and with a father who was the city's police chief. If anyone could keep her safe, it was Captain George Stacy. Daniel had bigger battles to fight. At most, after all this chaos was over, he'd check in on her.
'If she dies by sheer bad luck… well, that's the world we live in,' he thought, coldly practical.
Instead of heading back to New York, Daniel turned toward another destination. He was already close to Newark. The secret laboratory awaited.
The road to the lab was deserted. The kind of place where even the streetlights looked half-dead. Cars rarely passed, and when they did, they didn't linger. At night, a bag dumped into a trash can wouldn't even raise an eyebrow. That was why this location was perfect—for the kind of "problems" Daniel often dealt with.
Sunil Bakshi was already waiting whenhe arrived. Beside him stood Dr. Stewart, his expression as cold and analytical as ever. Dr. Spencer, as usual, wanted nothing to do with these meetings.
But Daniel's gaze froze when he saw Stewart's head.
"…Your head's bigger," Daniel remarked bluntly, eyebrows raised. "A lot bigger."
Dr. Stewart's face twitched. Indeed, his skull had grown even larger since their last encounter, now a full circle wider, with a faint greenish hue beneath his skin. He looked like a grotesque caricature of his former self—his intelligence literally expanding beyond human limits.
"You sure you don't need help managing that… thing?" Daniel tilted his head, feigning concern. "One day it might just tip you over."
"Don't worry," Stewart replied flatly, clearly annoyed. "I've built an anti-gravity support harness. It won't affect my work."
But when Stewart's sharp eyes studied Daniel, his mocking composure faltered. He felt it—an unnatural charge in the air. Lightning ions. They followed Daniel's every movement, responding to him like loyal pets. The sheer density of energy around him had multiplied since their last meeting.
'He's grown stronger… much stronger.'
It unsettled Stewart. His own power had evolved since exposure to gamma radiation and Hulk's blood. His intellect had skyrocketed to superhuman levels, paired with telepathy and a will strong enough to bend lesser minds. He was no weakling, but standing before Daniel now, he felt like a chess piece facing the player's hand.
Unaware or simply unconcerned, Daniel strolled deeper into the lab. His eyes swept over the equipment, the whirring machines, and rows of glowing vials.
"How's the research coming along?" he asked casually.
Stewart composed himself. "The basic enhancement serum is ready. It can improve human physical capabilities steadily with long-term use. I'm currently researching a child-safe version—something that could be taken from early age, so they grow into adults with peak physical fitness far beyond the norm."
Sunil Bakshi's eyes gleamed. "Its market value will be astronomical. Even without government contracts, we could dominate the industry. With extraordinary humans appearing left and right, people are desperate for an edge."
He paused, lowering his voice. "But we must tread carefully. Push too fast, and we'll attract predators—both corporate and governmental."
Daniel nodded slightly but his expression remained indifferent. "Doctor… I hope you're not wasting time with dead-end projects."
"I wouldn't call it useless," Stewart replied stiffly. "This formula—"
Daniel cut him off. "Decades to enhance physical fitness? You think governments won't strangle that with regulations and taxes until it's a luxury only the rich can afford? Ordinary people won't see a drop of benefit."
He glanced at the rows of vials, his tone sharpening. "We're on the verge of alien invasions, Hydra resurgences, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s collapse, global extinction-level threats… and you're talking about slow-burn body enhancements?"
Stewart smirked faintly. "Then you'll like this better."
He turned, retrieving a sleek vial filled with shimmering blue liquid from a shelf. "This is a higher-tier serum. A single injection temporarily pushes a person to the human limit—strength, speed, reflexes. Side effects are minimal."
Daniel held the vial up, tilting it so the blue liquid shimmered under the sterile lights. He could almost see the molecular structure shifting within. He had spent years studying super-soldier serums; few knew the truth about their limitations. Rogers was one of the rare successful cases. Most were failures, or unstable weapons.
"Have you named it?" Daniel asked.
"Experiment No. 7," Stewart said simply.
Daniel smirked. "No flair, huh? For marketing purposes… let's call it Patriot."
Stewart's brow arched. "Patriot?"
"Yes. Trust me, that name will make the military throw money at us."
But Stewart's satisfaction dimmed. "There's one issue. After the serum's effect ends, the user suffers severe weakness for hours. It's… the only flaw."
Daniel's grin widened. "No, doctor, that's perfect. Soldiers with temporary power are soldiers who can be controlled. Permanent superhumans terrify governments. A weapon they can switch on and off? That's exactly what they want."
Stewart's eyes narrowed. There was a ruthless logic to Daniel's words, one that chilled him despite his own coldness.
"Doctor," Daniel continued, "soon, I'll be sending wave after wave of test subjects here. Ensure your enhanced soldiers can secure this place."
As he spoke, Stewart sensed it—something wrong. His telepathy extended outward, reaching for the dozens of super-soldiers stationed around the perimeter. He froze. They were moving.
Not by his command.
They had slipped from his mental control. Every single one.
His blood ran cold as he turned back to Daniel who knowingly smiled at him.