By the time Thaddeus Ross arrived at Quantico Base, the alarm had already been silenced.
This time for real.
But the situation was far from resolved.
Inside the base command center, lights blazed across every workstation. Officers crowded around monitors while technicians scanned surveillance feeds.
The atmosphere was tense.
Someone had infiltrated one of the most secure Marine bases in the country.
Destroyed an entire facility.
And escaped.
Even worse—they had completely lost track of the intruder.
"What do you mean you lost him?" the lieutenant colonel demanded.
"He disappeared in the forest roughly twenty kilometers south of the base."
"And our helicopters?"
"It's nighttime and dense woodland, sir. They can't safely descend for close pursuit."
"Damn it!"
The colonel slammed his fist on the table.
"Deploy everyone. Ground teams, helicopters—everything. I want that bastard found."
His aide nodded and hurried off.
The colonel stood with his hands on his hips, watching the massive command display. Several helicopter feeds and body cameras from search teams streamed across the screen.
Then a deep voice spoke behind him.
"You lost one man."
The colonel stiffened.
He turned slowly—and saw General Ross standing there, his expression dark.
"G-General…"
Ross gave a thin smile.
"One intruder," he said calmly. "And you still lost him. Impressive."
The colonel swallowed and quickly motioned to a technician.
"Bring up the escape footage."
The large screen changed.
A surveillance clip played.
Under bright floodlights and drifting smoke, the intruder's silhouette stood among the rubble of the collapsed laboratory.
The camera couldn't capture his face.
Then—
The figure crouched.
And leapt.
In a single bound, he cleared the perimeter and vanished into the surrounding forest.
Ross stared at the footage.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he spoke again.
"You confirmed the attack only involved the Gamma Laboratory?"
"Yes, sir."
The colonel nodded quickly.
"He entered the facility and the building collapsed shortly afterward. At first we believed he was some kind of suicide bomber. But while I was reporting the situation to you, he suddenly burst out from the rubble and escaped."
Ross folded his arms, watching the clip replay several times.
Single intruder.
Clear objective.
Gamma Laboratory.
Unnatural agility.
Extraordinary jumping capability.
Ross's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Any other cameras catch him?"
"The tech team is still reviewing the feeds."
"And his location now?"
The colonel hesitated.
He glanced toward the aide who had just returned.
The aide shook his head.
"…Negative," the colonel admitted.
"He disappeared in the forest twenty kilometers south of the base. Search teams are still combing the area."
Ross nodded once.
Then he turned and began walking toward the exit.
"Get excavation equipment," he ordered. "I want the Gamma Laboratory dug out immediately."
The colonel snapped to attention.
"Yes, sir!"
Heavy machinery arrived not long afterward.
By the time the rubble was cleared and the bodies buried beneath the ruins were recovered, dawn had already broken over the base.
Helicopters that had spent the entire night searching finally returned.
But the machines barely paused.
Fresh pilots climbed aboard, fuel tanks were refilled, and the helicopters took off again.
They spread outward in every direction from Quantico, scanning the surrounding wilderness.
Ground teams rotated as well.
Soldiers who had searched through the night were sent to rest.
Fresh units replaced them and pushed deeper into the forests.
The operation showed no signs of stopping.
They were prepared to search for days.
Meanwhile, General Ross remained at the base.
He sat in the back seat of his vehicle parked near the destroyed laboratory, eyes half closed.
Waiting.
His aide's phone rang.
After a short conversation, the aide turned around.
"General, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. is on the line."
Ross opened his eyes.
"…Give it here."
He took the phone.
"This is Ross."
A familiar voice answered.
"General Ross. Sounds like things got lively at Quantico last night."
Ross rubbed his temple.
"Get to the point, Nick."
Across the country, inside the airborne headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury leaned back in his chair.
On his monitor, a frame from the surveillance footage played again—showing Lucas Kane launching himself over the base wall.
Fury chuckled.
"How about a joint operation?"
Ross scoffed.
"In your dreams."
"This is a military matter," he said flatly. "Stay out of it."
He paused.
"And if I remember correctly, your operational authority is still under review."
Without waiting for a reply, Ross hung up and handed the phone back to his aide.
He straightened in his seat.
"Any sign of him yet?"
"No, sir."
Ross gave a quiet laugh.
He seemed almost unsurprised.
"Has the Gamma Laboratory been cleared?"
"About ten minutes until excavation reaches the lower level."
"Good."
Ross opened the car door and stepped out.
"Let's take a look."
His aide hurried after him.
Nearby, rows of bodies lay beneath white sheets.
Marines killed during the attack.
Ross paused briefly, studying their faces.
Even in death, many of them still wore expressions of shock and disbelief.
He turned to his aide.
"File the report," Ross said quietly.
"Maximum compensation for their families. I'll authorize it personally."
"Yes, sir."
Ten minutes later, the excavation crews reached the collapsed tunnel beneath the laboratory.
Researchers waiting nearby descended into the exposed passage.
Their voices echoed up from below moments later.
"Nothing!"
"It's all gone!"
"That's impossible… did he absorb everything down here?"
"Dear God… why didn't he turn into something like the Hulk or Abomination?"
At the mention of those names, Ross's eyes lit up.
He turned sharply toward his aide.
"Lieutenant."
"Yes, sir."
Ross's voice hardened.
"Find him."
"Whatever it takes."
The aide nodded immediately.
"Yes, General."
The hunt had officially begun.