"Alright everyone, imagine the scene: a giant head—one that looks like it was smeared with baby powder—waving its stubby little limbs as it charges at you. Can you imagine how filthy Deadpool's insults would be right now?"
"You will die here, Avenger!"
Ignoring Peter's mockery, MODOK's tiny hands flew across the chair's control console. A barrage of deep-sea mines shot toward Peter, who nimbly maneuvered through the water, dodging the explosives before sticking a web to MODOK in an attempt to pull the massive head toward him.
However, MODOK held a natural advantage underwater. Despite the lack of pressure-related strain on his frame, underwater combat remained a field Peter hadn't mastered; buoyancy constantly interfered with his movements. MODOK was different—his low mobility actually became an asset here, as there was no need for him to perform complex maneuvers.
Furthermore, his telekinetic attacks and defenses felt even more instinctive in this environment. Most people never realize they live in a sea of air and never think to use it as a weapon, but when you are submerged in the deep ocean, the currents within your perception feel massive.
Thus, MODOK was supremely confident that he could kill this wretched Avenger.
"First of all, I've heard that line from a lot of people. Want to guess the result? No one's pulled it off yet!"
Spider-Man's sudden burst of acceleration at the bottom of the sea startled MODOK. He hastily used the thrusters beneath his chair to open up some distance, but Spider-Man was somehow faster. Terrified, MODOK drove his telekinetic power to create a shield in front of him, barely managing to block Spider-Man's strike.
Peter's fist slammed into the mental shield, and he couldn't help but frown. This thing was indeed formidable, but it wasn't as if he was completely out of options.
"Hey, Bobby? How about we swap opponents? I can't seem to crack this guy's shell."
Iceman, who was currently protecting Strange while bullying the A.I.M. grunts with his powers, heard Spider-Man's request. He turned to look at MODOK, simply smiled and said, "Sure," and then floated over. Peter used his webbing to pull himself toward the crowd of A.I.M. soldiers who were already taking a beating. The lenses on his mask narrowed along with his expression, looking extremely dangerous.
"Alright, before I start hitting you, does anyone want to say anything?"
The A.I.M. soldiers remained silent for a long moment until someone finally asked into the quiet.
"How are your web-shooters still working normally underwater?"
"Good question!" Peter rewarded him by sticking a web to his chest and pulling him in for a knockout punch. "Because I integrated nanobots inside the webbing for guidance, pal!"
A dull thud echoed through the water as the A.I.M. agent was sent flying. Peter then added, "By the way, the reason I can punch people that far is just because I'm strong... plus a little bit of high-tech enhancement. So, do you guys still plan on charging in?"
The A.I.M. agents looked at each other and then rushed forward in a frenzy, brandishing energy rifles designed for underwater use.
On the other side, Iceman looked at the giant head before him and felt a wave of revulsion. "Ah, I finally understand why Spidey sent me over. Man, you are genuinely hideous. How did you manage to enlarge a middle-aged man's head while leaving the limbs looking like a baby's? Do you even still have a body? Is it tiny like an infant's too?"
"This is evolution! My brain has been developed to an unprecedented degree! Even that wretched Tony Stark is no match for me!"
A good while after MODOK finished his roar, Iceman finally had an epiphany and nodded. "Oh, so you have a grudge against Tony Stark?"
MODOK went silent.
MODOK began to wonder if the person in front of him was intellectually disabled.
But Iceman didn't give MODOK much time to think. He simply raised his hand and completely sealed the space around MODOK with ice. He could feel the shield the other was maintaining with telekinesis, so he intensified the ice formation and began using high pressure to crush MODOK's defenses.
"I'm not sure if you can hear me, but what was that artifact you guys prepared called? The Casket of Ancient Winters? I heard that thing could reset the globe back to the Ice Age. I can do that too, you know!"
"Of course, I wouldn't actually do it. I'm not powerful enough to control every single ice molecule yet—to hurt the enemy on a massive scale without hurting my friends. But that doesn't seem to matter. Oh, are you still listening? Can you hear me?"
MODOK could indeed hear him. His brain was now unnaturally sharp, and the extreme cold had stimulated him to a degree, causing his thoughts to run more efficiently. He began trying to calculate a way to break through the ice Iceman had created.
The ice Iceman made was, at its core, frozen seawater. As long as that was the case, then he could...
The result of MODOK's calculations made him freeze.
"You can create matter?!"
"Oh, you mean the ice? Yeah, I can create snow and ice out of thin air. That's why the MRD classified me as an Omega-level mutant—honestly, I don't think I'm that impressive, but they all say creating ice from nothing is a big deal, so I guess it must be."
Iceman laughed, watching as the surrounding ice continuously compressed MODOK's shield. As the density of the ice increased and the pressure grew stronger, he could intuitively sense that MODOK was about to cave in. The pressure exerted by that single layer of ice—no thicker than a fist—already exceeded the current ambient water pressure by tenfold! And they were over a thousand meters below the surface!
What kind of monsters are these? How on earth was a species like this pushed to the brink of extinction by Sentinel robots?
Amidst his desperate resistance, MODOK perfectly calculated the only available solution to the problem. He let out a loud shout.
"I surrender!"
Iceman stopped and completely dissolved the ice, then shrugged at the relieved MODOK. The guy seemed formidable, but in reality, he wasn't much to write home about.
"Turns out your only real talent is being ugly."
As he spoke, he looked back to see that Spider-Man had already flattened all the A.I.M. agents and bundled them up.
The two then turned their attention toward Strange.
"Almost there... dispelling magic is quite the hassle..." Strange sighed, then his eyebrows shot up. Without looking back, he said, "You two had better get back."
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