It didn't just rain in Hell's Kitchen; it hit the city hard. Sheets of it pounded the broken sidewalks, turning gutters into black rivers and neon signs into pink, electric blue, and venom green wounds that bled. It seemed like someone had painted broken promises on the concrete and then smeared them all over the neighborhood. Alex Thorne lay face-down in one of those dirty puddles, his cheek pressed against the cold tarmac. He could taste the bitter taste of his own blood mixed with fuel and hopelessness.
He shouldn't have been alive. Not even close.
The last thing he remembered was Singapore: the streets were slick with monsoon rain, a horn honked, and tires screamed as a delivery truck hit him at full speed. There were no heroic last words or deep regrets flashing before his eyes. Just a tired "fuck this life" and then nothing. Black. Empty. The end.
The black was now breaking open like an eggshell, slowly and with a lot of effort. There was a faint buzz behind his eyes that didn't quite seem like sound, more like static crawling under his skin. Then words appeared, like bad news on a broken phone screen, floating in the dark.
[INITIALIZATION OF THE SYSTEM COMPLETE]
[Host: Alex Thorne (Deceased Variant—Earth-199999 Echo)]
[Rebirth Protocol Started. Location: Earth-616, the Marvel Cinematic Universe's adjacent timeline. Local Date: About Three Months Before the Public Arc Reactor Demonstration by Stark Industries.
[Core Module: Infinite Evolution System—Null Version. This is not a second chance. This is a deal. You will pay with pieces of your soul until there is nothing human left. Alex coughed once, a wet, agonizing sound that sent blood splattering across the puddle. He laughed, a brief, harsh laugh that didn't help at all. "Of course it's Marvel." The universe couldn't provide me DC's sad orphans or Star Wars' wizards in space. No, I get the one where everyone has problems with their father and the world dies every Tuesday.
He pushed himself up with arms that shook as if they had forgotten how to work. The alley smelled like rotting trash, charred wires, and the faint metallic smell of gunshots that had just happened. A huge holographic billboard flickered on and off above: The Stark Industries logo was beating like a heart that was about to stop. Sirens were wailing in the distance. The NYPD was presumably pursuing shadows. It all felt fake. It didn't feel like his world anymore.
He saw his reflection in a broken shop window across the street. The same face stared back: a strong jaw with stubble, tired hazel eyes that had seen too much too soon, and a small scar that cut across his left cheek from a bar fight he barely won when he was in his twenties. But the eyes... they weren't showing the neon right. The thin violet threads that ran across the irises seemed like active circuits. They glowed dimly and pulsed in sync with the buzzing in his head.
[First Evolution Trigger Available.]
[Option 1: Take in leftover kinetic energy from a recent deadly injury. Reward: Basic physical improvement (Strength +15%, Reflexes +20%, Pain Tolerance +30%). Cost: Minor brain desensitization—level 1 of emotional degradation.
[Option 2: Don't add anything. Stay human at your core. Estimated chance of survival in the current environment: 12%.
Alex looked at the lettering that was floating. It didn't even blink. It didn't make a decision. It just sat there.
He said, "Desensitization," while wiping the rain and blood from his mouth. "That's a sophisticated way of expressing "you won't care anymore." Is that right?
[Correct. Emotional deterioration is a planned part of the design. The higher you go, the less you look like the weak creature that died on that highway in Singapore. The system is honest. It just trades.
He thought of his mother again. Her last voicemail, which had a weak and broken voice because of bad reception, said, "Alex, just come home." We can make this better. Money doesn't matter to me. I simply want my son back. He'd removed it without saying anything. Too embarrassed. He was too mad at himself. Too busy acting like the world owed him something.
Now the world had given him back what he owed.
"Hit me," he whispered in a low voice. "Please give me the upgrade." "Let's see how much of me I can afford to lose before I turn into someone else."
The heat came on quickly and violently, like liquid fire running through his veins. His muscles trembled, tightened, and got thicker under his skin. The acute pain in his broken ribs faded into a faint ache. His pulse rate slowed down and became more steady, like a machine calibrating itself. But at the same time, something else went away. A familiar, silent pain behind his sternum—the ghost of homesickness, the sting of regret, and the faint voice that still said, "Maybe you could have been better." It went away like smoke through hands.
He reached for it. Couldn't do it. It was already gone.
[Finished Evolution 1.]
[Current Status: Enhanced Baseline Human. 94% of people are human. Warning: Index deterioration will speed up with each new evolution.
[Next Threshold: An outside energy source is needed (organic is best for the best yield). Be careful as you go. Or not. For now, the choice is yours.
Alex stretched out his fingers. The knuckles popped with a clear, mechanical sound. He stood up straighter, and the rain ran off his jacket like it understood it shouldn't stay. The lane seemed smaller now. More sharp. Every sound was clearer: the sound of water dripping from a fire escape, the distant rumbling of traffic, and the faint metallic click of a rifle being cocked two blocks away.
Three men in tactical vests that didn't match pulled a woman across the street to a black panel van. Her lips was sealed shut, and her eyes were wide open with fear above the silver tape. As they dragged her, her heels scratched uselessly on the wet concrete. One of the guys, a huge guy with a shaved head and a cheap neck tattoo, looked over at the alley. Saw Alex standing there, wet and bleeding, and thought he was just another junkie who wouldn't bother him.
The system surged again, this time with a sense of eagerness.
[Target Acquired by Chance. Three profiles with modest threats. Estimated energy yield: Moderate to High. Possible collateral: very little. Are you interested?
Alex moved forward one step. Then one more. It remained raining, but it didn't feel cold anymore. It felt far away. Like the weather happening to someone else.
He would have glanced away in the past, when his life ended under Singapore tires. Walked more quickly. He told himself it wasn't his problem. Maybe he called the cops from a safe distance if he was feeling brave that day. He mostly just lived. Head down. Close your mouth. Stay alive.
There was different math in this new life.
He rolled his shoulders once. The motion felt too smooth and strong. It seemed as if the body wasn't fully his anymore.
"Okay," he muttered to the empty air, the system, or whatever sadistic architect had put him back together again. "Let's see what this warranty covers."
The guy with the shaved head turned first, but it was too slow. In three steps, Alex closed the gap. His fist hit the jawbone in a crisp, crushing arc. The crack sounded like a gunshot bouncing off of brick walls.
The man fell like a bag of wet cement.
The other two turned around and reached for their pistols.
Alex didn't wait. He moved quicker than he had ever moved before. One hand gripped a wrist in the middle of a draw and twisted it till it broke. The rifle fell to the ground. The second guy raised his gun and seemed scared all of a sudden.
Alex hit the man in the throat with his elbow. Not hard enough to kill. Just enough to make the windpipe fall. The guy fell down, choking and holding his neck.
The woman fell back against the van, her eyes wide above the tape, and she gasped in fear.
Alex stood over the three victims, two of whom were groaning and one of which was comatose. Rain was flowing from his hair into his eyes. His hands weren't shaking. His heart didn't race. It beat steadily, like it was a machine and had all the time in the world.
He gazed down at the lady. She flinched.
He slowly and carefully reached out and took the tape off her mouth. She took a deep breath, and tears mixed with the rain on her cheeks.
He inquired, "Are you okay?" His voice sounded flat. Not enough excitement.
She shook her head once, trembling.
"Go. Before more come.
She didn't need to hear it twice. She rushed away, her heels clicking loudly, and she was gone around the corner.
Alex looked at her for a long time. After that, he gazed at his hands. They don't have any blood on them. Not yet.
The system made a quiet sound.
[Opportunistic Harvest Finished.]
[Energy taken in. There is a small evolution option. Reward: Better sensory acuity (+25%). Cost: More desensitization of the nervous system. Go ahead? Yes or no?
He could feel it—the slow degradation again. Another little piece is slipping away. No regrets this time. Something gentler. What is empathy? Pity? He couldn't quite put a name to it.
But he did know one thing: he wouldn't miss it for long, no matter what it was.
He chose Y.
The world become sharper again. Brighter colors. Sounds better. Each raindrop on his skin felt like a separate pinprick.
And deep inside, a small voice that was getting weaker said, "This is who you are now."
Alex Thorne, who had been reincarnated, enhanced, and already less human, went back into the shadows.
The city kept glowing neon around him.
And for the first time in a long time, he didn't feel little.
[To be continued...]