"Looks like we've succeeded," Samuel said, turning toward Karl, Yinsen, and Tony. His enlarged cranium twitched slightly as his thoughts raced ahead of his words. "The gene sequence is stable, but it hasn't been tested on humans yet. To be safe, we should still conduct controlled human trials."
He knew exactly who Karl intended to inject. And from what he had learned about his employer, if anything went wrong, the consequences would be… catastrophic.
"No," Karl replied firmly. "The gene has already been successfully developed."
He trusted the system's analysis more than any laboratory protocol.
Then he glanced at Raven.
"Samuel… can it be used on mutants?"
Samuel adjusted the display, already thinking through the biological implications.
"Yes, boss. We only need to integrate the recipient's genetic sequence before synthesis. In theory, the result could be even more effective than in baseline humans."
He paused.
"But it hasn't been tested. So you understand the risk."
Karl nodded slowly.
"Produce several more vials. I need them immediately."
He turned to Tony.
"How bad is the palladium poisoning?"
Tony rubbed his chest reactor instinctively.
"Seventy-three percent," he said with visible irritation. "I'm testing toxins every day, drinking chlorophyll sludge, and you still haven't fixed it."
Karl smirked.
"Relax. A few more days of leafy green suffering won't kill you. I'll clear the toxins and fix that arc-reactor hole in your chest."
Tony squinted suspiciously.
"You're enjoying this."
Karl said nothing.
He wasn't delaying out of cruelty. He was waiting.
Until Ivan Vanko revealed himself.
Until the arc reactor threat surfaced.
If S.H.I.E.L.D. acquired arc reactor replication technology too early, Earth could become a battlefield of armored armies.
And Tony… needed to feel mortality.
Only then would he truly understand Pepper's feelings — and his own.
Tony sighed and collapsed onto the couch.
"Fine. I guess you won't let me die."
Bringing Aunt May and Raven
Karl had Shadow Ninjas escort Aunt May and Raven to the laboratory.
Since the Red Room attack, each member of the household had fifty Shadow Ninjas guarding them at all times.
Moments later, they arrived.
Karl stepped forward and embraced them both.
"We've developed a gene serum," he said gently. "It can enhance physical vitality, slow aging, strengthen immunity, and extend lifespan."
He met their eyes.
"I brought you here so you could decide whether to receive it."
"I want it," Aunt May answered instantly.
She had long feared growing old beside Karl.
Every night she wished she had met him sooner.
"Me too," Raven said softly.
"My mutant genes slow aging… but not forever."
She looked at him.
"These past days… I've been happier than I have in decades."
Karl nodded.
"Alright. Aunt May, lie down on the lab bed. Raven — we need your blood sample so Samuel can tailor the serum."
Raven took the syringe without hesitation and drew blood from her arm.
Samuel immediately sequenced the sample, isolating her mutant genetic markers — particularly the morphogenic cellular structure unique to her physiology.
He adjusted the serum matrix, integrated her DNA sequence, and placed the mixture into the centrifuge.
Minutes later, a new serum vial emerged.
Karl activated system analysis.
[Mutant Super Gene Serum]
Derived from advanced genetic enhancement protocols integrated with mutant gene sequences.
Compatible only with mutant physiology.
Effects:
• Potential enhancement of mutant abilities (probability variable)
• Increased physical vitality and resilience
• Slowed cellular aging
• Accelerated metabolism and recovery
• Enhanced immune function
• Optimization of six core biological attributes
Karl exhaled slowly.
No instability.
Only potential.
He handed the serum to Samuel.
"Prepare injection."
Injection Process
Aunt May and Raven lay on adjacent medical beds.
Samuel and Yinsen secured the injectors.
The gene serum flowed through transparent tubing.
Thirty seconds later, the solution had fully entered their bodies.
Immediately—
Pain crossed their faces.
Tony stood.
Yinsen leaned forward.
Samuel monitored biometric readouts.
Even Juggernaut turned to watch.
Karl's heart tightened.
Outside the laboratory, thousands of Shadow Ninjas had already emerged, sealing the perimeter.
Inside, Karl's telekinetic field formed an invisible barrier around the beds.
Nothing would interfere.
Nothing.
Aunt May's breathing became uneven.
Raven's veins rose beneath her skin as her cellular structure underwent rapid adaptive restructuring.
The process intensified.
Minutes passed.
Then ten.
Then twenty.
At thirty minutes, Raven's transformation destabilized — her borrowed human form collapsed, revealing her natural blue skin and scaled texture as her morphogenic cells struggled to stabilize.
Tony's eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise.
No one recoiled.
No one showed disgust.
She was Karl's partner.
That was enough.
Juggernaut merely folded his arms.
He looked far more monstrous when channeling Cyttorak's power.
Karl remained motionless, psychic energy reinforcing their bodies as the serum rewrote cellular efficiency, repaired genetic degradation, and enhanced biological resilience.
The laboratory was silent except for the rhythm of heart monitors.
And the slow, relentless work of evolution.
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