Chapter 15: The Seoul Gambit
"Optimus Prime, set a course for Seoul, South Korea. Find Dr. Helen Cho." Talon's voice was calm, decisive. The global graveyard tour was over. Now, he needed a living, breathing genius.
"Acknowledged, My Lord."
The Transformer shot into the sky, its thrusters a low roar that faded into the clouds as it vectored toward the Korean peninsula.
Dr. Helen Cho had only made a brief appearance in the grand tapestry of events Talon remembered, but her impact was profound. The audience, in his old world, had often debated her place among Marvel's intellects, many placing her near the top. He recalled the scene where she had casually dismissed Tony Stark's armor, and Stark, for once, had no retort. Her mind worked on a different plane—the molecular, the biological. She was the key to the next evolution.
The current Dr. Cho had not yet pioneered her two greatest achievements: nanotechnology and the regenerative cradle. But Talon was certain that with the right impetus—his impetus—she could accelerate her breakthroughs exponentially.
The Transformer, cloaked in its advanced stealth systems, slipped into South Korean airspace undetected. It was a ghost, a technological phantom. With Optimus Prime sifting through global data, locating one brilliant scientist in a Seoul-based U-GIN genetic research facility was trivial.
The machine settled onto the roof of the heavily fortified complex with the silence of a falling feather. Talon emerged from the cockpit and made his way inside, moving past security checkpoints and lab doors with an unnerving ease, his path cleared by Optimus Prime's digital sleight of hand.
He found her in a sterile white laboratory, surrounded by bioreactors and holographic DNA models. Dr. Cho, clad in a lab coat, was intently studying a vial of shimmering liquid. She was elegant, her focus absolute, her intelligence a palpable aura around her.
She sensed his presence and turned, her eyes widening. A stranger, a large, powerfully built man, was in her secure lab. Her hands instinctively came up, a defensive posture. "Who are you?" she demanded, her voice sharp with alarm.
"My name is Talon Reeve. I am from… a mutual interest group. Please, be calm. I mean you no harm." His voice was a low, steady counterpoint to her tension.
"You're not cleared for this facility," she stated, her mind already racing through protocols and panic buttons.
"I'm not from your facility. I came a long way specifically to find you, Dr. Cho."
"Why? I don't know you."
"To propose a collaboration." He offered a disarming smile.
"On what?" she asked, her curiosity warring with her caution.
Talon raised his wrist. A miniaturized holographic projector flickered to life, casting a three-dimensional image into the space between them. It showed a man, and from a device on his person, a silvery, liquid metal flowed, encasing his body in an instant, forming a sleek, powerful exosuit.
The scene shifted. A soldier lay on a med-table, his body ravaged by horrific wounds. He was placed into a sleek, pod-like device—a "regeneration cradle." In moments, he emerged, his skin whole, his body perfectly healed.
Helen Cho's professional detachment shattered. She leaned forward, her eyes wide with scientific avarice. "What… what is this?"
"Nanotechnology. And the regenerative cradle," Talon said softly, letting the concepts hang in the air.
"You're showing me this… why?"
"These are conceptual frameworks. The practical application eludes me. I need your mind, Dr. Cho. I need you to build them."
"I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head, though her eyes remained locked on the fading hologram. "My work is here. My country… they would never allow it." The desire was there, but the risk was too great. This man was an unknown variable.
"Come with me," he pressed, his tone becoming persuasive, almost hypnotic. "I can give you resources beyond your imagination. Unlimited funding. A laboratory that makes this one look like a child's chemistry set. What do you say?"
"My country provides everything I need. I have no reason to leave." Her refusal was firm, but her voice lacked conviction.
Stubborn, Talon thought. He needed a different approach. A lie, wrapped in a familiar, authoritative package.
"Aren't you wondering how I found you? How I bypassed all your security?"
The question struck home. "Yes. How?"
"Because I was sent by S.H.I.E.L.D." He produced the identification badge Natasha had given him, holding it out. "We know all about your work, Dr. Cho. We've been watching."
Helen Cho, as a top-tier scientist groomed by her nation, was well aware of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. It was a name that commanded respect, and sometimes, fear. She took the badge, her movements hesitant, and walked to her terminal. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, accessing a secure, encrypted channel. She input the codes from Talon's ID.
The screen populated with his file.
TALON REEVE.
S.H.I.E.L.D. CONSULTANT.
HEIGHT: 6'1". WEIGHT: 220 LBS.
ABILITY: BIOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION.
STATUS: ACTIVE.
The tension drained from her shoulders. S.H.I.E.L.D. was the good guys. The Avengers were S.H.I.E.L.D. This man was one of them.
She handed the badge back, her expression now one of chagrin. "My apologies. I misunderstood your intentions."
"The reason for my visit is grave, Doctor. S.H.I.E.L.D. sent me because the Earth is facing an existential threat." The lie flowed smoothly, convincingly. He could deal with the fallout later. For now, he needed her compliance.
"The Earth? What are you talking about?"
Talon's face was a mask of grim urgency. "It's true. S.H.I.E.L.D. is engaged in a covert war in deep space. The enemy is numerous, technologically superior. We are being pushed back. It's only a matter of time before they reach Earth. Our world will be destroyed."
He let the silence hang, watching the horror dawn in her eyes.
"The Earth needs you, Dr. Cho. We need you to perfect nanotechnology to armor our soldiers. We need the regenerative cradle to heal them. You are our best hope."
"The pressure… what if I fail?" she whispered, the weight of a planet settling on her shoulders.
"Just do your best. That is all anyone can ask." He gave her a reassuring, predatory smile.
"I… I should inform my superiors," she said, turning toward the door.
Talon's hand shot out, gently but firmly catching her arm. "That won't be necessary. S.H.I.E.L.D. has already made the necessary arrangements with your government. You are to come with me. Now."
"But… my purse."
"Unnecessary. I have more funding than you could ever spend."
"My identification…"
"You will be issued a S.H.I.E.L.D. credential. It grants global access."
With a combination of authoritative lies and gentle but insistent force, he guided her out of the lab and back toward the roof.
When they emerged into the open air, Helen Cho stopped dead, her jaw dropping. The massive, angular form of the Transformer loomed over them.
"This… this is a machine?" she breathed.
"This is a Transformer. S.H.I.E.L.D. technology," Talon said, continuing the charade.
"It's incredible," she murmured, her scientist's mind already trying to deconstruct the engineering marvel before her.
"Optimus Prime, assume aerial mode."
The robot obeyed, its body shifting and reconfiguring with a series of resonant clanks and hydraulic hisses until a sleek, formidable aircraft sat on the roof.
Helen gasped, her fear forgotten in a wave of pure, unadulterated wonder.
The canopy hissed open. Talon climbed into the pilot's seat. Without a word, her eyes still wide with awe, Helen Cho climbed into the seat beside him. The hatch sealed them in, and the craft lifted silently into the night, leaving Seoul, and her old life, behind. Talon had his biologist. The next phase of his ascension could begin.