[It's time to repay the favor, Miracle Boy.]
[Objective: T-VEX Prime Serum.]
— Baron
[Note: For Wanda.]
Pietro stared at the message on his phone, his expression darkening by the second.
Baron Strucker.
"T-VEX Prime…"
HYDRA had studied T-VEX countless times—dissected it, analyzed it, tried every possible reverse-engineering route. All attempts had failed.
The problem was simple and fatal: they never had the original sequence.
HYDRA scientists had long suspected that T-VEX had an upper-tier compound—a prime serum.
And they were right.
Pietro clenched his jaw.
He knew exactly what it was.
Within Vought, it was no longer a secret. Every enhancement serum in circulation was derived from that single vial.
It was Vought's lifeblood.
The foundation of their heroes' near-suicidal strength.
Their ultimate trump card.
If he stole it…
If he was discovered…
Everything he had now—
the mansion,
the cars,
the fans,
the freedom to run openly beneath the sun—
All of it would vanish in an instant.
Worse still—
He would have to face Homelander.
The smiling man.
The friendly tone.
And those eyes—
those eyes that occasionally glowed red in the dark.
Pietro shuddered.
But…
If he didn't do it—
Wanda was still in their hands.
"Damn it…"
He tossed the phone onto the bed and raked his fingers through his silver hair.
"One devil on one side… and an even worse devil on the other."
He loved this place.
He loved Vought.
That man in the star-spangled cape had given him dignity.
Status.
Power he'd never even dared to imagine before.
But—
For Wanda.
Those four words were his deadliest weakness.
The only anchor he had left in this world.
If he refused, what would Strucker do to her?
Pietro closed his eyes, Wanda's pale face flashing through his mind.
He grabbed a bottle from the table and took a long swig. The alcohol burned down his throat—but couldn't burn away the chill in his chest.
That HYDRA bastard. That Nazi remnant.
He didn't want to betray Vought.
But he couldn't abandon Wanda.
So this would be a borrow.
"I'll take the prime serum first," Pietro muttered to himself, forcing logic into his fear.
"I'll give it to that old bastard Strucker. Once Wanda's safe—"
"—even if I have to tear down that fortress brick by brick, I'll take it back."
"Then I'll return it to Vought and confess to Mr. Starr."
"Worst case? I get fired."
He snorted bitterly.
"I'll deliver pizza instead. At least I'd be the fastest delivery guy on Earth."
Yet the image of Homelander's glowing red eyes still sent a tremor through him.
"As long as I'm fast enough…"
He looked down at his hands.
"…no one can catch me."
-----
The Next Day — 5:55 PM
Vought International Headquarters — Core Laboratory Zone
One of the most heavily guarded areas in the entire building.
Pietro stood there in his silver-gray suit, goggles pushed up onto his forehead, chewing gum—a nervous habit he'd never quite shaken.
"Hey, Debbie!"
He leaned casually against the supply counter, flashing a devastating smile at the woman inside.
"You know, your makeup today is amazing. You look like… Avril Lavigne?"
Debbie, a slightly chubby administrator, blushed.
"Oh, stop it. You say that to every girl. Here for your monthly quota?"
"Yep." Pietro tapped the counter.
"Training's been brutal lately. Ashley practically wants me to run until my legs fall off. I need some… spinach juice to stay sharp."
"Spinach juice" was the internal nickname for T-VEX.
For the Seven, it was the ultimate "training supplement."
Tests had shown that enhanced individuals who used T-VEX before extreme training improved at dozens of times their normal rate.
And as long as usage was limited to one dose every two weeks, the body metabolized it cleanly—no addiction, no resistance.
Debbie sighed and opened the safe, pulling out two sleek metal cases.
"Here's your share—two doses. And this one's Firestar's. She said if you showed up, you could pick it up for her."
"No problem," Pietro said easily.
"I'll make sure the hothead gets it."
He took the cases—but didn't leave.
Beep.
The wall clock ticked over.
17:58.
Two minutes until the core researchers' shift change.
"Thanks, Debbie."
Pietro turned away—but instead of entering the elevator, he slipped into the restroom beside it.
He locked himself into a stall and sat down.
Opened the case.
Cold vapor spilled out.
Two syringes lay nestled in shock foam, glowing faint green.
Pietro steadied his breathing.
Then he picked one up.
"For Wanda."
The needle plunged straight into his thigh.
He pushed the plunger down.
"—HISS!!"
The familiar, violent surge exploded through him.
His heartbeat thundered.
The air thickened.
The world—
Stopped.
A droplet from a leaking faucet froze mid-air, refracting the ceiling light like a tiny prism.
Pietro stood, power roaring through his veins. Every cell screamed to run.
"Let's begin."
He vanished.
…
In this near-frozen world, Vought employees became living statues.
Coffee hung in mid-spill.
Documents hovered beside knees.
A yawn remained half-open.
Pietro wove through them effortlessly.
He reached the core vault.
A half-meter-thick titanium pressure door—triple biometric lock.
No clearance.
But he had speed.
Two researchers were exiting, pushing a cart.
The door opened a crack—barely thirty centimeters.
That was enough.
Pietro slipped through the gap.
One researcher's foot was still suspended mid-step.
Inside the vault, a transparent container sat at the center.
Blue liquid.
The Prime Serum.
He didn't touch it directly—that would trigger the weight sensors.
Instead, he used a custom extractor.
Draw.
Replace.
Balance preserved.
Done.
He turned, slipped back through the still-opening door, returned to the hallway—
Back to the restroom entrance.
He emerged in the exact posture of someone just finishing a bathroom break.
"Haah…"
The world resumed.
Clack.
The blast door fully opened. The researchers exited, chatting casually, unaware that in the blink of an eye, the vault had already been breached.
No alarms.
Perfect.
Pietro forced his racing heart to calm.
He walked toward the elevator, whistling, carrying the "quota" case.
"Hey, Pietro!" a staffer called.
"Later, man!" Pietro waved back with a grin.
No one knew what priceless secret he carried.
-----
Outside the building, Pietro stepped onto the plaza and let the cool air clear his head.
He'd done it.
Now all he had to do was run.
Ten minutes—he'd be in Sokovia.
Then—
He saw someone.
Standing beside the massive Homelander statue in Vought Plaza.
Waiting.
--------------
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