"I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you!"
Test Subject No. 1 thrashed violently, eyes burning with murderous rage as he glared at Rory.
Rory muttered, unimpressed, "You really are dumber than I thought."
"You little punk, you messed with the wrong guy, I'll, "
The man kept yelling threats, but Rory ignored him completely and focused on the data analysis.
Once the samples were extracted and results compiled, the conclusion was clear:
The Celestial gene had taken effect.
Hematopoietic stem cells were reshaping the blood cell structures, metabolism had accelerated, and the subject's physical condition was quickly returning to its theoretical peak. Even skin tissue density was starting to resemble that of Celestials. Every data point proved it, the experiment was a success.
Even Rory hadn't expected it to work on the first try.
He pushed the bed aside and waved at the guards.
"Send in the next one."
The doors opened. The second subject, convicted of sexual assault, entered, his voice trembling with fear.
"Sir… I know I volunteered, but… can you please, y'know… go easy?"
Yeah, good luck with that.
Needles don't care how gentle you ask them to be.
Skinny, frail, and clearly a coward who preyed on the weak, definitely not built for pain.
The guards struggled a bit to restrain him, so Rory stepped in and pinned him down with one hand, strapping him tightly to the operating bed.
"You can leave," Rory told the guards. "I'll take it from here."
With the subject secured, Rory hooked up all the monitoring equipment.
This time, he had prepared two serums:
Super Soldier Serum
Celestial Gene Extract
His goal was to observe what would happen when both were introduced into a human body.
The Super Soldier Serum would go first, into the bloodstream.
Then the Celestial gene would be injected directly into the bone marrow.
As expected, the subject howled in agony, so Rory gagged him and went about his work.
The serum was absorbed quickly using an advanced bio-energy cradle. In just a few minutes, the subject was transformed.
Gone was the pathetic figure.
He emerged bulkier, visibly stronger. No, he didn't have Cap's ass, but the transformation was impressive nonetheless.
"Wow, I'm like… the next Captain America! That means I can get any woman I want, right, ?"
If not for needing a saliva sample, Rory wouldn't have removed the gag. He collected the sample, then immediately silenced him again.
Disgusting scum.
Rory returned him to the lab bed and added another layer of restraints before beginning the second procedure: bone marrow injection of the Celestial gene.
The smug grin didn't last long. The moment the needle pierced him, the pain wiped it right off his face.
Rory expected a smooth fusion, just like with Subject No. 1.
But this time, he was wrong.
Within seconds of the injection, the subject's body began to collapse.
Muscles shrank rapidly.
Veins turned from blue to black.
Hair fell like autumn leaves.
"Rejection?" Rory frowned. "Why? The Celestial gene is rejecting the Super Soldier Serum… But in previous cell-level tests, this didn't happen. What changed?"
In biology, 1 + 1 ≠ 2.
Super Soldier Serum + Celestial Gene = Zero.
Rory had a hunch:
Maybe it wasn't about the serum being flawed.
Maybe it was because this guy's DNA lacked Rory's own unique traits, the Eternals lineage.
Inside the body, the Celestial gene and the serum clashed violently, attacking each other like enemies.
The Super Soldier cells couldn't hold up, withered and died almost instantly.
That explained the rapid degeneration.
The Next Day
Rory decided to conduct the marrow test on himself.
He no longer planned to inject the Celestial gene directly. Too risky. Painful? Sure. But a failed test would be worse.
With two assistants holding him down, a vibranium-crafted marrow needle, made from fragments of Captain America's shield, slowly pierced into Rory's lower back.
Words couldn't describe the pain.
Face contorted in agony, Rory said nothing. He bit through it like a man.
The marrow was drawn, sealed, and a small sample was prepared for microscope analysis.
Just as Rory suspected, perfect fusion.
There was zero rejection.
And not only that, the stem cell division rate was far faster than anything extracted from Phastos.
Yet, despite this promising result, Rory didn't celebrate.
He knew: science demanded rigor.
Even with perfect fusion in theory, Subject No. 2 still had catastrophic failure in practice.
So Rory took it step by step.
Meanwhile…
Secretary Ross was busy peddling the Immortality Serum.
Top government officials. Congressional leaders.
These were his primary customers.
He brought reports from three certified testing institutions, undeniable proof the serum worked.
The temptation to extend life was irresistible, especially to power-hungry politicians and greedy capitalists.
Ross didn't ask for money.
What he wanted was loyalty.
Unquestioning, absolute support.
He dubbed it the "Immortality Serum", and anyone who wanted access had to join a private group he founded called the Eternals Club.
Fueled by the serum, the Eternals Club exploded in size.
In just half a month, it had quietly spread across half the American political sphere.
Of course, there were dissenters.
Some denounced Rory as heretical.
Others claimed defying death violated divine law, that eternal life would send one straight to Hell.
As rumors spread, attention turned toward the military base laboratory.
But Ross was prepared.
He reinforced security around Rory's lab.
No one gets close without his authorization.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
Nick Fury could feel it.
Something dangerous was brewing.
"Ross is trying to take control of this country. We can't let him."
"How?" Maria Hill asked. "He's the Secretary of State. He has immunity. We can't move against him without concrete cause."
"Then we find the source of the Immortality Serum," Fury said. "Trace it. Get proof."
Hill turned to him. "We know it's coming from the military base. Who do we send in?"
Fury was silent for a long moment.
Then: "The Avengers can't be involved. I'll handle this myself."
While S.H.I.E.L.D. strategized…
Rory was already bottling the first full batch of the Immortality Serum.
Ross returned, bringing the first group of high-ranking military officials.
As Rory readied the injection, one general asked cautiously,
"Sir, I have one question. Is this serum a one-time treatment or can it be repeated?"
"If the materials are sufficient," Rory replied, "you could inject it a second or third time… but the effect would be greatly diminished."
"What kind of material are we talking about?"
Rory smiled faintly.
"The marrow… of a god."
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