M.O.D.O.K.—Mental Organism Designed Only for Computing—was one of the last top-secret projects designed by A.I.M.
As the name implied, this was a project formulated to enhance the computational power of the brain, endowing the human mind with a series of abilities including telekinesis. In reality, up until the day A.I.M. collapsed, the M.O.D.O.K. project had never been completed and was tossed directly into the trash heap.
However, Hydra, having taken over all of A.I.M.'s legacy, did not share that sentiment. Not only did they retrieve the designs and engineering of M.O.D.O.K. from the trash, but they also prepared a perfect host for it—Aldrich Killian, who had been blown apart until only his head remained.
Relying on the Extremis virus within Killian's body, the surgery was completed successfully. Of course, there was a price to pay: his head became incredibly massive due to the excessive amplification of his brain's computational power, while his regenerated torso and limbs were conversely very spindly. As a result, he had to rely on a flight cradle built around his head to mount himself upon.
And so, Killian—or rather, M.O.D.O.K.—became one of Hydra's new high-ranking operatives.
"We already knew A.I.M. was one of Hydra's subsidiary departments; now we can basically confirm that Roxxon belongs to Hydra as well."
Watching M.O.D.O.K. from a distance, Peter muttered to himself, only to be met with Iceman's look of astonishment.
"A.I.M. is Hydra? Roxxon is Hydra too? Why does it feel like Hydra is everywhere?"
"Well, Hydra is indeed pervasive. They've infiltrated many corporations and departments."
"Don't tell me S.H.I.E.L.D. has Hydra in it too... Hey, why aren't you refuting me? Holy crap!"
Peter ignored Iceman and looked toward Strange. "Can your spells guarantee that we can seize the items silently and then evacuate?"
"I cannot. If I am to crack the protective spells of two pantheons, I must be fully concentrated. At that point, I will have to cancel the effects of the cognitive filtering spell."
Peter was somewhat speechless. Can you, the Sorcerer Supreme, start being useful? If Gwen were here, she would surely be able to take the items without anyone being the wiser.
Strange said nothing in response, while Iceman watched with curiosity.
However, M.O.D.O.K., who was ordering his subordinates to carry out the excavation, suddenly came to a halt.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
The A.I.M. grunts on site looked at their boss in total confusion, wondering what kind of fit M.O.D.O.K. was throwing now.
But M.O.D.O.K. spoke with meticulous detail: "My calculations show a clear anomaly in the surrounding water currents. The results indicate that three humanoid objects, undetected by sensors, are positioned at a specific nearby location, which is the only way to cause such a displacement in the flow!"
"Someone is definitely nearby!"
Hearing this from a distance, Peter was stunned. He looked at Strange and found that Strange was even more surprised than he was, even looking at Peter with a sense of helplessness.
"I never imagined this scenario. Do you have a plan?"
"My invisibility would likely be rendered useless by a similar situation if I went over, but I actually do have a solution."
After Peter finished speaking, he reached out and opened a portal in the distance, transferring the seafloor currents to another side.
The data errors caused by this were enough to keep M.O.D.O.K. busy recalibrating for a while. The next step was to subdue him.
"I have a question," Iceman looked at them with slight confusion. "If the magical defenses here are so powerful, why do we need to crack them? I mean, what if it's a trap set by the enemy on purpose?"
"I find it hard to imagine Malekith making such a low-level mistake, and his own magical level is sufficient. In fact, the Enchantress might be enough as well; it would just require a long period of chanting."
Strange maintained his view and provided a new explanation: "Furthermore, we now know Malekith is embroiled in a war. Given that, all his actions in our world are likely diversions used to pin us or Thor down."
From this perspective, it was naturally best to dispel the magic first. Delay brings change; the sooner they knew what was going to happen, the better.
Beyond that, Strange truly wanted to know what exactly it was that Loki was so obsessed with.
However, it wasn't them who were a step ahead. M.O.D.O.K. finished recalibrating the new data stream and, based on the water flow information, rapidly deduced the position of the undetected Spider-Man and his companions.
"Enemies are over there! You damned fools! Fire at that spot! Fire!"
"But... there's no one there?"
Although M.O.D.O.K. possessed extraordinary performance and an intelligence level far exceeding those of the past and present, it seemed something had gone wrong during his surgery. His current relationship with his subordinates could only be described as strained at best.
In the end, it even took killing several people before the orders were followed, but the trio had long since moved.
Then, the two sides started arguing again.
This gave Peter his chance. He had long since prepared his invisibility. Taking advantage of the bickering, he finally revealed himself and directly pierced M.O.D.O.K.'s power source. M.O.D.O.K., leaking electricity, began to howl and fly wildly all over the seafloor.
"To be honest, this was much easier than I expected."
Peter spoke helplessly. It was only then that the A.I.M. grunts realized M.O.D.O.K. had been right; they pulled out various weapons, preparing to challenge Peter.
Peter's reaction was still to ignore them. Not only that, he easily dodged various attacks on the seafloor, while Strange had already begun to cast his spell.
Simultaneously, a large number of A.I.M. grunts rushed forward, intending to blow themselves up along with Spider-Man. Peter merely snapped his fingers, and Iceman appeared. With just a wave of his hand, all of them were frozen solid by Iceman.
"Nice work!"
Peter couldn't help but praise him. However, very soon, his Spider-Sense alerted him to an even more troublesome matter.
Just as he shouted "Watch out!", a massive repulsive force swept through the surroundings. Then, M.O.D.O.K., who should have been incapacitated by the electricity leaking into the sea, stood up once more.
"How unexpected, M.O.D.O.K. I thought you had completely dissipated?"
"M.O.D.O.K. knows all! You have nowhere to hide before M.O.D.O.K.!"
M.O.D.O.K. began to roar in a semi-mechanical voice! Then, releasing his repulsive force, he shook the surrounding structures. He looked around and issued a challenge to Spider-Man, a sinister smile appearing on his face.
Peter took a deep breath in response: "Fine. This time, I'll beat you into the seafloor so thoroughly that you'll never float up again!"