"Sir."
When Marcus returned to the vast underground nuclear shelter beneath the ruins of New York, the Winter Soldier immediately stepped forward to report: "We've confirmed the situation at the London Sanctum. As expected, Doctor Strange is not there. According to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s analysis, he most likely used one of the Sanctum's dimensional gateways to travel into another universe."
Marcus nodded calmly. "As I predicted."
Doctor Strange, as the guardian of the multiverse, rarely intervened in mundane affairs. Unless the fabric of reality itself was threatened, the events of a single planet—even something as catastrophic as the annihilation of New York—barely qualified as a distraction. From Strange's perspective in London, the destruction of the city may as well have been a breaking news headline, not a crisis demanding his intervention.
Marcus thought briefly, then issued his order: "Continue monitoring the London Sanctum. The moment Strange shows any sign of returning, inform me immediately."
Confronting Doctor Strange within another universe would be suicide. Strange—who had spent countless years navigating cosmic dimensions, wielding eldritch spells, and studying cosmic rules—possessed knowledge and power Marcus and his forces could never match in those realms. Even at baseline strength, Strange was the most formidable opponent Marcus had yet to face. Granting the Sorcerer Supreme the advantage of home territory would be nothing short of idiotic.
Marcus's plan was simple: ambush Strange the instant he returned to Earth, striking him before he could erect defenses or prepare countermeasures. Only then could the threat of a timeline reset be crushed.
But before Strange became a problem, there was someone else to deal with: Kitty Pryde—the time-traveling mutant known as Shadowcat.
At this point in the timeline, she was likely still at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, training to stabilize her phasing abilities. Unfortunately, Xavier's Institute was now one of the most dangerous locations on the planet.
Even if Kitty herself wasn't overwhelmingly powerful, the people who would protect her—Cyclops, Storm, the X-Men core, and now Magneto—certainly were. Magneto's magnetic manipulation countered Marcus's metal transformation perfectly, and Jean Grey's Phoenix potential made matters even worse. If she lost control and awakened her Phoenix Force… even the Infinity Stones wouldn't guarantee victory.
The cleanest solution was to eliminate Kitty quietly, quickly, and without alerting the X-Men.
But that was far easier said than done.
Kitty's phasing ability allowed her to bypass any physical structure or weapon, and her immunity to telepathic attacks made mental assaults useless.
To face both Strange and Kitty in the near future, Marcus needed to reintegrate his greatest assets—himself.
For months, Marcus had operated using two separate bodies—primary and secondary—each capable of independent action. Now that S.H.I.E.L.D. was completely under his control, the disguise of being an Avenger was obsolete. For the battles to come, one perfect body was better than two divided ones.
Marcus's two bodies lay on adjacent operating tables, perfectly symmetrical. In the center stood Alex—his loyal subordinate and master of bio-manipulation. Two fleshy tendrils extended from Alex's back, piercing into Marcus's arms. Through Alex's decomposition–reconstruction ability, the fusion process would begin.
"Master, are you prepared?" Alex asked, monitoring the surrounding medical equipment and readings.
Marcus adjusted his posture slightly against the cold metal surface of the bed. "Begin."
A surreal sensation washed over him instantly. Consciousness blurred, sight and sound faded, and Marcus felt his soul detach from its vessel. It drifted weightlessly for an unknown duration—seconds, minutes, hours—falling endlessly through a void.
Then, gravity returned. Sensation returned. Light returned.
He opened his eyes.
He flexed his fingers—no numbness, no resistance. Smooth, perfect control. As he sat up, he saw that the second operating table—where his duplicate had lain—was now empty.
"It's finished?" he asked.
Alex bowed his head slightly. "Only you can truly determine that. But based on our team's calculations, there should be no lasting side effects."
Marcus raised a hand. Blood-red flame flickered to life across metallic skin. The next second, his fingertip elongated like a spear, shooting upward with blinding speed and piercing the ceiling like paper. The metal retracted instantly, and the blood-flame snuffed out.
Every ability had returned:
Metallization
Bloodflame
Rapid regeneration
Death resistance
All unified into a single vessel.
For the first time since he had split himself, Marcus felt complete.
He stood, ignoring the reinforced combat gear he usually wore. Instead, he put on a plain, casual outfit—simple enough to blend into any street. He looked like an ordinary man heading out for snacks, not the most dangerous being alive.
As he walked through the underground shelter's metallic corridors, he encountered the Winter Soldier again. The latter paused at the sight of Marcus's relaxed, almost harmless appearance.
"Sir," the Winter Soldier said quietly, "you're heading out to begin that plan?"
Marcus nodded. "Yes. It's time I paid the X-Men—and Magneto—a personal visit. Since I've dropped Captain America into their laps, they need to understand exactly what move they're supposed to make next."
The Winter Soldier stood at attention. "Then… good luck, sir."
Marcus's plan was yet another solo mission—another reckless operation that no normal human, even a super-soldier, had any place joining.
Marcus smiled slightly and continued walking—calm, casual, unstoppable.
_____
T/N:
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