"Damn!" Johnny Storm couldn't help but curse as he watched the explosion before him. He never expected that Kilian, just like his subordinates, would be so easily ignited by a mere stray spark from his own flames.
Johnny had actually been looking forward to facing Kilian, the mastermind behind everything, in a serious fight. But instead, Kilian, the supposed final boss, had been dealt with just like that. And what was the point of swallowing the Extremis Virus if he was going to go out so quickly? Kilian's demise seemed almost meaningless, a failure even in his own attempt to give himself more significance.
Then again, Kilian did die from the Extremis Virus's flaw. While it wasn't a heroic end, it was certainly one fitting for the current stage of the virus. As for a perfected version of the Extremis Virus, Kilian would never get to see it. His dream of revenge against Tony Stark was now impossible. Ironically, the completion of the Extremis Virus would likely fall into the hands of Tony Stark himself. If Kilian knew that, he would surely be rolling in his grave.
"If Tony finds out that Kilian died this easily, he's going to be speechless. After all, Pepper spent weeks terrified of this guy. She didn't even feel safe enough to go home—they've been staying at the Avengers base this whole time," Robert quipped, shaking his head lightly.
After learning about the troubles Stark Industries and Pepper had faced because of Kilian, seeing him go down like this almost made it seem like Pepper's fears were an overreaction. Kilian had caused so much chaos simply because he had remained hidden, undetected by anyone. If they had discovered him earlier, the situation would have been resolved much faster.
Still, better late than never. At least now, Robert could bring back the Extremis Virus data intact and report the unexpected weakness Kilian's fire-users had when facing Johnny's flames.
"Ready to head back? Are you going solo, or are we heading out together?" Robert asked with a smirk, noticing the dissatisfied look on Johnny's face.
"Hmm…" Johnny hesitated, feeling conflicted. On one hand, he hadn't gotten the fight he wanted, and part of him thought about going out and finding some other bad guys—maybe those who were misusing Chitauri tech—to blow off some steam. But then he glanced at the research equipment Robert had brought along and quickly came to his senses.
Sure, he hadn't had a satisfying fight with Kilian, but his main objective here had always been to retrieve the Extremis Virus data. He wanted to know if it could enhance his fire powers. Now that he had easily crushed Kilian and his crew, he was eager to find out how the virus might affect him.
"Let's head back. I want to run some tests. You're bringing all this stuff anyway," Johnny said, eyeing the equipment that Robert had telekinetically gathered.
"Alright! Kara, we're heading out!" Robert nodded and called out to Kara, who had been stationed outside the abandoned factory as an extra layer of security. Not that they were worried about Kilian escaping, but more so to ensure that no other forces—perhaps those investigating the fire-users—would stumble upon their operation.
After all, it was incidents involving fire-users that had inspired villains like Mysterio to target the Avengers in the first place. The fire-users represented a mass-producible supernatural threat, and it was likely that more than just the Avengers were keeping an eye on them. The US government, for instance, wouldn't pass up the chance to investigate this new form of power, especially with the added allure of Chitauri technology.
Had it not been for the distractions of the war on the African continent and the discovery of Wakanda's vibranium reserves, official agencies might have already launched a full-scale investigation into Kilian and the fire-users.
"Alright, let's move!" Kara responded and flew toward the Avengers base. Robert, controlling Johnny and the equipment with his telekinesis, followed closely behind.
As they left, the factory was left completely barren. Despite the intense explosions earlier, there wasn't a single mark left on the ground. Robert's telekinetic barrier had shielded even the ground from the destruction, making it seem as though no one had ever been there.
Johnny, now fully aware of the speed difference between himself and Robert, marveled at how quickly the surroundings blurred past. Even speedsters like Pietro or Barry Allen wouldn't be able to keep up with Robert's current pace.
With Robert and Kara leading the way, they soon arrived at the Avengers base. Tony Stark and the others were busy studying the Skrull corpses, with Reed Richards having recently joined their research team. While this addition had sparked new ideas and breakthroughs, the absence of the Martian Manhunter had slowed down their progress. The Martian was still deep undercover, and while his powers allowed him to return whenever necessary, his focus had been elsewhere lately.
"Tony, put down the alien research for a moment and check out the Extremis Virus. Johnny's getting impatient!" Robert sent a mental message to Stark as soon as they landed, noticing Johnny's eagerness.
"Huh?" Stark paused, surprised by the message. But rather than being irritated, he felt a wave of relief. Studying the Extremis Virus meant Kilian had been dealt with!
With Kilian gone, Pepper could finally relax, and they could both stop living at the Avengers base and return home. Even better, Tony could finally enjoy the surprise Pepper had promised him—a surprise that had been delayed due to all the stress.
While Stark was fascinated by the Skrull research, Pepper's surprise held even more allure.
"Jarvis, Reed, let's shelve the Skrull data for now. We'll come back to it once we've dealt with the Extremis Virus," Stark said, setting aside his current work.
"Of course, sir," Jarvis responded, quickly saving the research for later.
"Oh? Are we stopping?" Reed Richards seemed a bit disappointed as he glanced at the Skrull corpses and data before him. His face showed clear reluctance.
"It's just temporary. We're not done with this stuff. Besides, weren't you a bit freaked out the first time you saw an alien corpse up close? Now you're hooked?" Stark teased with a chuckle.
"Who wouldn't be a little startled by a dead alien on their table? I'm just a regular guy, not like you guys who deal with extraterrestrials and superpowers all the time. It's normal to be surprised!" Reed shrugged, nonchalant about his initial reaction.
"But now? The Skrulls are such a fascinating species! Their biological structure and genetics are so unique that it's hard to step away. Pausing now feels like stopping in the middle of an exciting discovery…"
"Staying focused on one alien race or one type of superpower isn't necessarily a good thing. It narrows your perspective. We need to expose ourselves to different civilizations, technologies, and supernatural forces if we want to innovate and be ready for any crisis," Tony said thoughtfully.
"Hey, I'm just a scientist. You guys are the ones who handle crises," Reed replied, not falling for Tony's inspiring speech. He was happy doing his research and had no interest in fighting or gaining superpowers.
Joining the Avengers had given Reed everything he wanted—ample funding, access to advanced tech, and the chance to study various alien and supernatural phenomena. But that didn't mean he wanted to be on the front lines.
Unlike Bruce Banner, Reed had no desire to merge his body with any extraordinary powers.
"Fair enough," Tony muttered, shaking his head in mild disbelief at Reed's attitude. He hadn't expected the quiet, nerdy scientist to be so stubborn. But then again, Reed's mind was far more valuable to the Avengers than his combat skills ever would be.
"Whoa, you brought all this back?" Tony asked, his eyes widening when he saw the sheer amount of equipment Robert had brought with him.
"What did you expect? Did you think I'd sort through it all on-site to figure out what was useful and what wasn't? This way, you won't miss anything," Robert replied casually.
"Fair point. Let's dig into this and see what the Extremis Virus is all about," Tony agreed, turning his attention to the research materials. Reed joined him eagerly, ready to dive in.
"Oh, and by the way, we might have a new problem. It seems like there's a specific counter between the Extremis Virus and Johnny's powers," Robert added, prompting Johnny to project some footage for Tony and Reed to watch. The footage, captured by the AI in Johnny's suit, showed his encounters with the fire-users at the factory.
"Wow, I didn't expect Johnny to be so dominant. I thought the Extremis-enhanced fire-users would at least be on par with him. But it looks like he completely crushed them," Tony remarked, frowning as he watched the footage.
"But this doesn't add up. Based on everything we know, the Extremis Virus only causes explosions when the user's body can't handle the power or they lose control. How did Johnny's flames ignite them so easily?"
"Don't ask me—I don't know, Kilian didn't know, and I doubt anyone else knows either! If my flames could do that to anyone, I'd be unstoppable!" Johnny said with a mix of frustration and excitement, his mind racing with possibilities. "A single fight where I totally dominated isn't much fun, but if I could crush every opponent like that… now that would be awesome!"
"Heh, keep dreaming," Pietro quipped as he appeared, overhearing Johnny's words.
"What's that supposed to mean, speedster? You mocking me
?" Johnny snapped, puffing up his chest.
"Really? You win one easy fight and now you're full of confidence? You think I'm as easy to beat as those fire-users?" Pietro shot back, eyes wide with mock disbelief.
"Please, come back when you can beat the Martian Manhunter," Johnny sneered. "You know he's not even a match for me, so what makes you think you can stand a chance?"
"???" Everyone around them couldn't help but stare in silence at Johnny's boastful claim. Finally, Peter Parker spoke up, unable to resist. "So, what? If I just walk around with a torch or even a lighter, does that mean I could take down the Martian Manhunter? In that case, are you saying you're as powerful as a torch... or a lighter?"
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