On the base rooftop, Black Widow was already in a black tactical suit, seated in the pilot's chair of a waiting helicopter. The rotors spun up as she lifted off, the chaos below giving her the perfect cover to escape.
She had everything she came for.
All of Lyle's research data was secured. Once clear, she could hand it over to S.H.I.E.L.D. and let cleanup fall to someone else.
"I'll have Hawkeye lead the sweep," she muttered, fingers steady on the controls.
Today's haul went far beyond a rogue scientist. Mutant cloning weapons. A rejuvenated Wolverine. And a number of mutant children hidden across New York. Enough intelligence to reshape multiple operations.
Then the cockpit shadowed.
A figure with snow-white wings hovered directly in front of the helicopter.
Before she could react, Rowan Mercer raised his hand.
"Transform."
The spell struck the rotor's central bearing.
Metal warped instantly into solid stone.
The blades locked. The engine screamed. Gravity took over.
The helicopter slammed back onto the rooftop in a shower of sparks.
Rowan couldn't transfigure the entire aircraft yet, but he didn't need to. Complex machines lived and died by single components.
"Fast escape," he said lightly.
Black Widow had already jumped clear before the crash fully settled. She hit the rooftop in a roll and sprinted for the edge, moving with fluid, practiced precision.
Rowan surged forward, wings beating once. He cut her off in mid-stride.
"Agent Black Widow," he said calmly. "Please hand over the copied research data."
She raised her right hand slightly, Widow's Bite primed.
"You're not with Lyle," she said, studying him. "You're with Wolverine, aren't you?"
Explosions still echoed through the facility. From her perspective, Lyle was barely holding on, if he was alive at all. No one should've known she'd taken the data, much less intercepted her this precisely.
That narrowed the field.
"If you're on Logan's side," she continued, "then we're not enemies. We both want Lyle's work destroyed."
"If that's true," Rowan replied, extending a hand, "then give me the data. This kind of technology can't survive. Even if Lyle is gone, someone else will pick it up."
She shook her head.
"That's not my call. My mission is to deliver it to the Director. He'll decide what gets destroyed. Everything we do is to protect this world. If you don't trust us, come with Wolverine to S.H.I.E.L.D. You'll get answers."
Rowan sighed.
"Then I'll take it myself."
He lifted his hand.
"Stupefy."
The spell flashed toward her.
Black Widow moved instantly, twisting aside as the magic grazed past her shoulder. At the same time, she fired a micro-taser from her wrist, thirty thousand volts packed into a metal dart.
"Quick reflexes," Rowan said. "Doesn't matter."
His magnetic control snapped into place.
The taser reversed direction midair and shot back toward her.
Her eyes widened. She bent backward with impossible flexibility, trying to slip under it.
The dart obeyed no physics.
It dipped sharply and slapped against her chest.
The shock hit.
Her body seized, muscles locking as electricity tore through her nervous system. She collapsed, convulsing against the rooftop.
"I did warn you," Rowan said mildly.
He crouched beside her, ignoring the spasms, and searched her suit. Inside a concealed inner pocket, he found a tiny flash drive.
"Good hiding spot," he said, almost approvingly.
Then he crushed it between his fingers.
Fragments scattered across the concrete.
"Nice build," he added offhandedly. "Effective design."
He raised his hand again.
"Obliviate. Memory alteration."
He wasn't under any illusions. Memory charms weren't flawless, especially on trained operatives. Given time and scrutiny, inconsistencies would surface.
That didn't matter.
Short-term silence was enough.
Even if S.H.I.E.L.D. restored her memories later, Rowan would already be gone. Lyle was finished, and Rowan intended to disappear for a long while to focus on refining his magic.
S.H.I.E.L.D. would only have one lead.
Tony Stark.
And even Tony didn't know where Rowan was hiding. Only that it was somewhere in New York.
Rowan hadn't mentioned the mutant school.
"Stupefy."
He put Black Widow fully under, lifted her effortlessly, and took to the air.
The fighting wasn't over.
The mutant clones didn't stop when their creator died. Without a controller, they followed their last orders until destroyed. Tony and Wolverine were still engaged.
Rowan arrived just in time to hear Stark shout over comms.
"Rowan, help! We're getting wrecked!"
He took in the scene and frowned.
"How did it get this bad?"
Logan was pinned, barely able to counterattack. Tony's armor was in ruins. One arm module was gone entirely, and the rest looked like it had been dragged through a warzone.
This wasn't how it was supposed to look.