Under the sheer force of the Mark III suit, Wilson Fisk was sent flying over ten meters, crashing into and snapping one of the factory's load-bearing columns in the process.
"You're a rude one," Tony grumbled, rising from the wreckage. "And seriously , locking me in a metal box? That's just low."
With a blast from his repulsor cannon, Tony knocked Fisk back to the ground just as he was getting up. The scorching energy blast seared Fisk's arm red.
After all, he was still made of flesh and blood. While he could shrug off bullets, anything beyond small arms fire still hurt.
But Fisk wasn't about to back down. He roared and charged like a tank toward Iron Man.
CLANG!
Captain America jumped in front of Tony, shielding against Fisk's full-force strike. Tony took to the air, hovering above to rain support fire.
It was their first time fighting side by side , and it showed. There was zero coordination. They kept getting in each other's way, which only allowed Fisk to hold out for a few extra minutes.
But that was all.
Eventually, the two heroes subdued Fisk and hauled him back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
Peggy Carter, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and the just-returned Clint Barton gathered outside the high-security holding cell.
Behind reinforced tempered glass, Wilson Fisk sat shackled with heavy alloy restraints on both wrists and ankles.
Click.
The door opened. One by one, they stepped inside.
Steve couldn't hold back: "Where's Rory?"
Fisk raised an eyebrow. "If I tell you, will you let me go?"
"Of course not," Tony shot back. "You boxed me up in that tin can , I fully intend to return the favor."
Fisk sneered. "So I get nothing for pissing Rory off and helping you? Why should I say anything?"
Fair enough. He'd burned a bridge with Rory and gotten nothing in return , why betray him?
Peggy Carter asked calmly, "What is it you want?"
"I want full immunity , and your help becoming the mayor of New York. Give me those two things, and I'll tell you where Rory is right now."
Fisk's loyalty was to no one. Sure, Rory had helped him gain power , but Fisk felt no gratitude.
In fact, he'd even considered turning on Rory after gaining strength, capturing him, and locking him up in some lab to produce more super-soldiers on demand.
Tony quipped, "So being evil comes with perks now? Tempting."
Steve shot Tony a look. He never liked the flashy billionaire, and if Peggy hadn't ordered this team-up, he wouldn't have worked with Stark at all.
Hawkeye finally spoke up. "Director Carter, here's what I've found. Rory's two labs were funded by this guy. The Russian weapons, too. His gang is involved in all kinds of violent crimes."
Fisk just chuckled. "You think arresting me will make New York safer? That's cute."
Tony and Steve didn't get what he meant , they'd never lived at the bottom of society.
Right now, nearly every gang in the city operated under Fisk's control. He'd created a shadow system of order, separate from the law but just as effective.
Take him out, and those gangs would break loose like wild horses. Things would get far worse than before.
There's a saying: the only thing that keeps a devil in check… is a bigger devil. To fight chaos, you don't need order , you need structured chaos.
Peggy Carter fell silent, thinking carefully. Then she said, "I can offer you a pardon. But I won't help you become mayor. If you've got what it takes, run for office. The most I can promise is that I won't stand in your way."
"Deal."
Fisk accepted without hesitation. Deep down, he suspected Rory had sold him out , it was the only explanation for how quickly things unraveled.
Once they had Rory's approximate location, Carter ordered the team to mobilize.
"Tony, head out with the others. No lone wolf stunts."
Just as they stepped out of the holding block, Maria Hill rushed in.
"Director Carter , we have a situation!"
"What happened?"
"Ten minutes ago, a massive blackout hit Midtown Manhattan. Energy readings show all power is being funneled toward the Hell's Kitchen docks."
Peggy's eyes widened. "It's a trap!"
Unbeknownst to them, Rory had also planted surveillance at the factory. He'd seen Fisk's entire brawl with the superheroes.
"Move out. Now!"
Carter's instincts screamed that something was very wrong. A citywide blackout could only mean one thing , Rory needed immense amounts of energy.
And he'd deliberately let Fisk loose to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. distracted. That meant Rory was ready to go all-in.
This next confrontation would be the most dangerous one yet.
And Peggy was right , this was the final phase of Rory's "Genetic Reinforcement."
Wilson Fisk had been the bait, a sacrificial pawn to lure S.H.I.E.L.D. away while Rory completed his evolution.
Ten Minutes Earlier
This time, the energy conversion chamber was different , more like a stasis pod.
Eight thick power cables snaked out, linking to massive transformers, which in turn siphoned energy directly from the city's main grid.
As the machine powered up, Rory was engulfed in surging blue plasma , and agony.
It was as if his soul was being scorched alive. A torment that yanked him back and forth across the threshold of death.
CRACK, ZZT!
Sparks flew from the cables. The plasma inside the chamber pulsed once… then collapsed into a radiant blue shockwave that spread outward before fading.
CLACK.
The pod opened.
Rory stepped out, naked, every nerve humming with raw energy. He paused, quietly examining the microscopic changes in his body.
For the first time, he felt his power.
Sure, he'd undergone two previous enhancements. They'd made him stronger , but not like this.
Now, after the third phase, he could control that strength , wield it.
He clenched his fist. At this moment, his power approached that of Thanos in his base form , theoretically, anyway.
But Thanos wasn't just brute force.
He had indestructible skin, energy resistance, immunity to disease and age , and a mind as sharp as any scholar's. His sheer will was unmatched.
Rory got dressed, the surge of power inside him still begging to be unleashed.
He smirked. "S.H.I.E.L.D.? Cap? Come on, it's time to settle the score."
And so he waited at the docks for them to arrive.
But in the end… the one who showed up wasn't who he expected.
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter
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