Aldrich Killian stood before a holographic array in his underground lab, data swirling around him in glowing spirals. He examined Tom's blood profile with manic fascination, with his eyes gleaming.
"Fascinating," Killian murmured. "Cellular symbiosis with pyrokinetic expression. Self-regulating combustion cycles..."
Tom was lying unconscious on the table, his skin glowing faintly beneath the surface, his muscles twitching. Killian smiled as he turned to face him.
"Your genes are the key. The prototype. The bridge to stability. You'll be the beginning for a new species."
Across the hall in an adjacent lab, Justin Hammer leaned casually over a metal table where Maya Hansen sat restrained. He had a false charm, his smile almost theatrical.
"Come on, Doc," he drawled. "Why die for Kane? He's not even here. And next week, when Stern's committee names me 'National Security Partner,' I'll own every defense contract in the country."
He leaned in closer, voice slick. "Help me perfect Extremis and you'll get everything you ever asked for—labs, unlimited funding, autonomy. Kane might have offered you dreams. But I offer delivery."
Maya met his gaze with pure contempt. "And what? So you can build an army to burn the world? I'd rather die." Hammer's smile faded. "And you think Kane is trying to save it?"
Maya replied coldly, "Alex is different." She remembered the time Alex changed the serum with just a touch, which was impossible for anyone.
Hammer's eyes narrowed. "How? What did he do for you?"
Maya remained silent, refusing to give him more than he deserved.
---
At the same time, Phoenix Squad was waiting above ground, concealed around the perimeter of the compound. They were observing the external security patterns from the safety of the rocky cover and thick underbrush. A selected few of Kane International agents were among them, equipped with high-tech stealth gear and cloaking devices.
Alex stood with them, calm and focused. The Void Crescent Spear rested against his back, its core pulsing faintly.
"On my mark," he whispered.
A silent pulse shot forward. The door split inward at the seams without a single alarm.
Inside, two guards fell with suppressed shots before they could react. A third was lifted by Alex's telekinesis, strangled midair and lowered silently to the floor. They reached a security corridor filled with laser grids.
"Tony, you're up," he said through the comms.
At the same time, the ground above erupted with motion.
A red-and-gold blur streaked across the night sky. Tony Stark's Mark IV armor hovered over the compound as targeting arrays flickered on his HUD. Precision micro-missiles launched from his shoulders, striking external sensor nodes in a synchronized volley.
"Happy now, 'Showtime'?" Tony called over comms; his voice was full of sarcasm. "The fireworks are live. Just think of it as an early Christmas party."
Hammer-tech guards scrambled to respond, swarming the roof in disarray.
They didn't know it yet—but the real strike had already begun below.
---
Inside the underground lab, the loud alarm rattled Killian. His eyes widened as panic crept into his thoughts. 'How did they find us now? I am so close. Is Kane here to steal my legacy—again?'
"Speed up the extraction process! Get me that serum—now!" Killian urged the others.
Technicians rushed to mix compounds and enter override commands, their hands shaking slightly. Inside the containment pod, Tom's vitals suddenly spiked.
His eyes snapped open. Disoriented, he blinked against the blinding light. He found some sort of tubes extracting blood from his body as his body glowed to heal the body.
Tom's primal instincts took over as he yanked the tubes from his arms, the painful rip sending a surge of adrenaline through his system. He was on his feet before anyone could react. Soldiers raised their weapons—but Tom's hands ignited, glowing with a searing red heat that exploded outward.
"Take him down!" Killian yelled, pointing frantically. He stumbled backward, grabbing the unfinished vial of serum from nearby.
The soldiers opened fire. The bullets struck Tom—then sizzled and melted against his superheated skin, warping midair. His flesh shimmered like molten steel.
Tom's eyes glowed a dangerous crimson. Heat radiated off his body as his palm ignited with flame. He hurled it towards the guards. The blast that knocked them flat.
Killian fell backwards, coughing in the smoke. He slapped a button on the wall, and the security blast door slammed shut, cutting off the inferno behind him. As the door closed, he noticed Tom's eyes never left him.
Heart pounding, he pushed himself upright and charged toward the upper levels, the half-finished Extremis serum clenched tightly in his hand.
He burst through the glass doors of Hammer's private gallery, breathless. Hammer turned around, surrounded by bodyguards. Maya sat bound nearby, watching them both with quiet fury.
"How did they find us? You said this place was safe!" Killian snapped, his voice still weary from running. Before anyone could answer, the security monitors began flickering and cutting out, static replacing clean feeds. For a brief moment, one screen revealed the unmistakable sight of Phoenix Squad. At their center, Alex Kane stepped from the smoke, the Void Crescent Spear gleaming faintly behind him. His eyes were calm and resolute. The squad followed in perfect formation.
The moment Alex reached outside of the safe room, his eyes scanned the soldiers and bodyguards inside, then Killian—and finally, they rested on Justin Hammer. The Void Crescent Spear shimmered with silent threat.
Davies raised his sidearm and fired two shots at the glass doors. The bullets struck—but only left faint scratches.
"Reinforced," Davies reported grimly.
Alex didn't flinch. He calmly unslung his spear—but before he could act, one of his operatives stepped forward. With deft fingers, they attached a compact device to the panel beside the door. Sparks flared briefly, and the lock disengaged.
The door hissed open.
Alex stepped inside without a word. The atmosphere changed instantly. Hammer's bodyguards stiffened.
Everyone in the room felt it—the weight of something powerful. Like they were no longer in a room with a man... but a beast.
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