"Wait — it was you?"
Helen Cho looked genuinely surprised.
"You were the one who suggested my project to Mr. Stark?"
Tony rolled his eyes slightly.
"He suggested I look into regenerative lattice integration. When I checked who was already years ahead of the curve… your name kept appearing."
Helen's expression shifted — from surprise to professional composure.
"You have no idea what that funding means," she said honestly to Karl. "The Regeneration Cradle isn't profitable. It consumes resources constantly. Universities don't want it. Private investors think it's fantasy medicine."
She exhaled slightly.
"I was months away from shutting it down."
Karl gave a small shrug.
"Groundbreaking research always looks like a money pit before it changes the world."
He didn't exaggerate. He didn't flirt openly.
He spoke calmly.
"You built a vibranium-cellular interface capable of accelerated tissue reconstruction. That's not fantasy. That's infrastructure."
Helen's eyes sharpened slightly.
He understood the science.
Interesting.
Tony interjected.
"Okay, enough intellectual admiration. Why are you here?"
Karl glanced around the lab.
"How far is the vibranium nano-lattice integration?"
Tony folded his arms.
"Still in fragmentation testing. Vibranium doesn't like being broken into programmable micro-constructs. It resists energy shaping."
Helen nodded.
"It absorbs and redistributes kinetic force. But restructuring it at nanoscale without destabilizing its molecular cohesion is extremely difficult."
Karl considered this briefly.
"You'll need a phased energy stabilizer. Not brute-force restructuring."
Tony blinked.
"…That might actually work."
Helen looked thoughtful.
"Localized frequency tuning to prevent vibranium resonance collapse…"
Tony pointed at Karl.
"See? That's why I tolerate him."
Karl allowed himself a faint smile.
"I'll leave you to it."
He paused — then turned back toward Helen.
"You're not a buried gem."
She looked at him.
"You're already polished. You just needed a larger platform."
Then he vanished.
Tony stared at the empty space.
"…Show-off."
Helen folded her arms, slightly amused.
"He does that often?"
"All the time."
Private Laboratory
Karl appeared inside his biological research facility.
Yinsen and Samuel were reviewing gene-mapping sequences.
They immediately stood when he arrived.
Karl placed two items on the table:
A secured Oscorp genetic key file.
A sealed vial of dark red blood.
Samuel frowned.
"What is this?"
Karl replied calmly.
"The locked master formula for Oscorp's spider-serum project. It's gene-coded — designed to activate only in specific DNA sequences."
Samuel's eyes widened slightly.
"And the blood?"
"Asgardian."
They both paused.
"Thor," Karl clarified. "Collected after a combat incident. Minimal volume — but sufficient for cellular analysis."
Yinsen approached the vial carefully.
"Asgardians aren't gods," Karl continued. "They're an advanced alien species with dense cellular structures, enhanced longevity, and superior metabolic efficiency."
Samuel stared at the blood sample like it was radioactive.
"Longevity level?"
"Baseline lifespan exceeds a thousand years."
Silence filled the lab.
Then Karl placed another object on the table.
A fragment of Dragon Bone.
Its internal golden veins pulsed faintly.
Yinsen looked uneasy.
"This energy signature… it isn't biological."
"It's residual vitality concentration," Karl explained. "It reinforces cellular durability. But overuse causes instability. Controlled dosage only."
Samuel swallowed.
"Boss… this is beyond anything on Earth."
"Yes."
Karl leaned back slightly.
"Unlock the spider serum properly. Remove the fatal instability. No rushed trials."
Samuel nodded quickly.
Yinsen hesitated.
"Karl… this is too valuable. Dragon Bone extends lifespan. Enhances physiology. I don't feel right taking it."
Karl shook his head.
"You helped me from the beginning. You don't owe me caution."
He placed a measured fragment — not excessive — into a containment case.
"Controlled intake. Monitor vitals. No experimentation on yourselves without full sequencing."
Samuel nodded firmly.
Yinsen sighed but accepted.
Karl disappeared before further debate.
Private Room
Karl reappeared in his own room.
He retrieved the Lumberjack's Spring — a limited enhancement artifact.
His gaze shifted to the Obelisk.
The Kree Terrigen relic.
In canon, the Obelisk did not "awaken powers."
It activated dormant Kree-modified genes.
Without those genes, exposure resulted in calcification.
Karl understood that.
If he strengthened the Obelisk's catalytic stability, it might refine activation — not create power where none existed.
He exhaled slowly.
There were only a few paths left to advance further.
The Casket of Ancient Winters would be ideal.
But that remained in Asgard.
Beyond reach.
For now.
He looked at the Obelisk again.
Then began the enhancement process.
…
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