Rory propped up a chair from the wreckage of the lab and managed to climb into it, sitting down with difficulty.
At this moment, he could clearly feel a surge of energy flowing within him. He tried a few times to control it, but failed, it was as if the energy had a will of its own.
The sensation was bizarre, to say the least.
After resting a while and regaining some mobility, Rory got up and walked to the refrigeration unit. He destroyed all the serums except for two essential samples.
Since the experiment had already succeeded, there was no point in keeping the rest. He even formatted all the experiment data from his computer.
Then he opened the sealed lab door and said to the research assistant outside, "Have someone come clean this place up. Also, send over a new batch of equipment."
"Yes, Dr. Rory."
The dust inside the lab was thick, and Rory needed some fresh air. Plus, he wanted to think about how to use this cosmic energy.
Not far from the lab was the training field, and as soon as he stepped out of the building, he could hear whistles from that direction.
Blue skies, white clouds, and pleasant sunshine, today truly felt like a good day.
Rory sat down on the lawn and clenched his fist. There wasn't any noticeable change in his physical strength, but he could clearly feel the energy gathered in his palm.
He tried again and again to control it, but still failed. Rory figured he needed a teacher, someone who could show him how to wield this energy.
Among the ten Eternals, Phastos, who lived in Chicago, would've been the easiest to find, but he had already been dismantled.
Their leader, Ajak, was more approachable and currently lived in the wilderness of South Dakota. However, finding her would still require some effort.
Thena and Gilgamesh lived together in Australia, which made them harder to locate. Plus, since they were together, it might be too risky even if he did find them.
The easiest Eternals to find were three: Kingo in Mumbai, and Sersi and Sprite in London's museum.
But Rory had no interest in going to Mumbai, and finding Sersi might draw out Ikaris, that bootleg Superman.
After analyzing all his options, Ajak still seemed the most reliable.
She had virtually no combat ability, and even if things turned violent, Rory wouldn't be afraid.
Having made up his mind, Rory immediately called Ross.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Nick Fury stepped out of his office and stopped Kate Bishop, who was heading toward the training ground. "Kate, have you seen Clint?"
Kate shook her head. "No, I haven't seen him in days."
"He hasn't contacted you either?"
Another shake of the head.
Fury rubbed his bald head in frustration. With the New Avengers evaluation about to begin, Clint Barton had suddenly gone missing. It was maddening.
Fury had no idea what kind of blow Hawkeye had suffered. If it had been anyone else, they might have already lost their mind.
In Barton's heart, Natasha had sacrificed herself for everyone. But Rory had told him that both he and Natasha had been deceived by that red-faced guy. Who could bear such a truth?
If they had known earlier, maybe Natasha wouldn't have had to die.
Regret, guilt, sorrow, self-blame, every negative emotion consumed Clint from within.
He didn't dare return to the base, and he was even more afraid of facing Natasha's sister, Yelena.
Just as Fury was wondering how to find Clint Barton, a burst of golden light suddenly lit up outside the base. A blazing trail shot straight toward them.
Fury instantly relaxed when he saw it.
"Now we're good."
The moment the golden light appeared, S.H.I.E.L.D. erupted with excitement. Nearly everyone rushed out to catch a glimpse of Captain Marvel.
Glowing brightly, Carol Danvers descended slowly to the ground. Fans immediately swarmed, hoping for an autograph.
Clap clap clap,
Nick Fury clapped as he walked over. "Alright, everyone, back to work. Don't make me say it twice."
Fury had activated the interstellar beeper, summoning Captain Marvel from the far reaches of space.
Carol walked up to him and said, "You didn't call me back just to sign autographs, did you?"
"Let's talk inside."
Fury wasn't in the mood for jokes. He brought Carol back to his office and immediately played the footage of Rory's battle against the Avengers in New York.
After watching it, Carol asked, "Where is this guy now?"
"He's at a military base in the outskirts... Hey, Carol, don't be hasty."
She was already turning to leave, clearly ready to confront Rory, but Fury quickly stopped her.
"Listen, right now he's an official research consultant for the military. If you start a fight on base property, both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers will be held responsible."
Carol had served in the Air Force, she understood it wasn't the right time to act impulsively.
After a couple seconds of silence, she said quietly, "I'll go check on Steve and Sam. Let me know if anything happens."
Fury breathed a sigh of relief and immediately arranged for someone to take Carol to visit Steve and Sam's graves.
Standing by the office window, he watched Carol's car drive away, then quickly pulled out his phone and made two calls, one to Coulson and one to Hill.
He instructed them to speed up the investigation into the origin of the Immortality Serum.
That night, after visiting the cemetery, Carol also paid a visit to her friend Maria. They talked until after 9 PM, and then she turned into a golden beam and shot into the night sky.
It didn't take long for her to arrive at the military base on the outskirts of New York. After a brief scan from above, she headed straight for the only two-story villa on-site.
Inside, Rory was lounging in a cigar chair, jotting notes in his notebook. Suddenly, light blazed outside his window, as if dawn had come early.
His expression grew cautious. He put down the notebook, slipped on his slippers, and stepped out onto the porch.
There they were, one man and one woman. He stood on the front steps, and she floated in the air two meters above the ground. They locked eyes.
"You're Rory?" she asked.
"Captain Marvel. Carol Danvers," Rory replied.
Carol drifted closer, now just a few meters from him, looking down. "Be smart. Come with me."
Rory smiled. "You really think you can make a move here?"
Flight trumped nearly all superpowers. If you couldn't win, you could always fly away. Rory envied that kind of unshakable advantage.
If he could fly, he might have already punched a hole through the Earth.
"You want me to make a move?"
"Go ahead and try."
Rory didn't believe Carol would actually do it. She was powerful, yes, but she had a lot to consider. She wasn't the type to bring trouble to her friends or family.
Besides, Rory didn't think he'd necessarily lose. The only true counter to him wasn't brute force, it was magic.
They stared each other down for a few moments.
Carol had already seen Rory's combat footage. She knew he was strong. Today, she had only come to test him.
If she saw an opening, she would strike. But now that she'd faced him in person, she decided against it.
Then, with a flash of golden light, she vanished from the base.
Only after she was completely gone did Rory turn around and return to his room.
Captain Marvel had returned to Earth, Rory's time was running out.
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter
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