Marvel: Father of Superheroes

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*****

Stark Tower

Talian burst into the building. As he looked at the people bustling in and out, a trace of struggle flashed in his eyes.

The energy and heat inside his body—caused by the Extremis virus—were rising rapidly and slipping further out of his control.

"Sir? Do you need help?"

A kind young female employee asked with concern.

Seeing her innocent and youthful face, his chaotic mind cleared slightly.

So young... If she were to die, her family would be devastated, wouldn't they?

The next second, he suddenly shouted, "Run! Run! I'm about to lose control!"

As he spoke, it was as if a growing fire ignited within his body. He turned orange-red all over, and cracks began appearing on his skin like dried earth.

Seeing this, the young woman let out a scream and quickly backed away, shouting, "Run! Everyone run! It's dangerous!"

The people nearby turned to look.

And when they saw Talian, standing in the center of the lobby, emitting waves of heat as if he might combust at any second, they immediately began retreating in panic.

"Go! Get out of here!"

Talian shouted loudly.

In the end, he chose to follow his conscience.

But it only gave him a few more seconds.

BOOM!

Like a human-shaped energy bomb stuffed to the brim, Talian exploded in an instant. The unleashed energy turned into flames and shockwaves, ravaging the lobby and turning it into an inferno.

Still, thanks to his final warning and brief delay, casualties were kept to a minimum.

Many were injured, but very few were killed outright.

"What happened?!"

On the upper floors, Pepper Potts heard the explosion and felt the tremor run through the building. Confused, she asked aloud. Upon receiving a report from Happy, she frantically rushed downstairs.

Seeing this, Wade, who had been lounging in her office, quickly followed.

This was his mission target, after all. He had to protect her—his handsome face was on the line.

When Pepper reached the scene and saw the devastation, her body trembled as she covered her mouth.

"W-What happened here...?"

She asked in a daze.

This was her first time encountering something like this, but upon hearing the moans of the injured, she quickly snapped out of it and rushed to help.

Just then, a stranger entered from outside. His eyes scanned the chaotic lobby until they landed on Pepper. A cold sneer spread across his face, and both his hands began to glow red-hot, radiating intense heat.

"Hey! Stop right there! Unless you wanna cry for mommy, stay away from the lady."

Wade stepped forward, wearing his hood and blocking Pepper's path.

The man let out a cold laugh, showing no intention of stopping. Instead, he charged faster.

"Yah!"

Wade didn't hesitate. As the enemy drew near, he drew his sword and slashed toward the man's neck.

But to his surprise, the man reached out with a hand glowing orange-red and grabbed the blade directly.

A glint of coldness flashed in Wade's eyes as he slashed even faster.

But...

The expected slice through the man's hand—and his neck—never came.

Instead, his blade was caught mid-swing.

Immediately, unbearable heat began seeping through the weapon.

Burning pain...

It felt like his entire hand was being cooked alive, causing Wade's face to twitch slightly.

Within seconds, the blade turned golden-red from the heat.

"Heh."

The man sneered, yanked the sword toward himself, dragging Wade closer, and with his other superheated hand, stabbed toward Wade's chest like a bayonet.

Wade raised his hand to block.

Instantly, the smell of burning flesh filled the air. His palm was roasted and began charring rapidly.

"Ugh!"

He grunted through clenched teeth. But instead of retreating, he released the sword, flicked the hilt upward, and as the blade flipped, he spun behind the enemy—ripping off the scorched hand in the process.

Seizing the falling sword mid-air, Wade slashed it across the man's throat.

Thud.

The man's grinning head tumbled to the ground.

Wade glanced at his missing hand and the other one, now roasted and blackened. He couldn't help but lick his lips.

Pepper, shaken and frightened, clutched her chest and turned away from the corpse. Nausea welled up in her, but she still managed to thank Wade before urgently taking charge of the rescue effort.

A few seconds later, Mick arrived with Tony Stark, who was already suited up in his Iron Man armor.

Seeing Pepper taking command, Tony let out a sigh of relief. But as his eyes swept over the ruined lobby and the injured employees, his expression darkened.

Minutes later, ambulances arrived. The injured were evacuated in an orderly fashion, and the building was temporarily cleared.

After getting a full report from Pepper, Tony turned to Wade.

"Thanks."

He then hugged Pepper gently, comforting her. Once she'd calmed down, he asked both her and Wade to leave the scene.

Turning to the corpse on the floor, Tony frowned and said to Mick, who had remained silent until now:

"Uncle Mick, you were right."

Not all explosions come from bombs.

The moment the blast occurred, Tony had asked JARVIS to replay the surveillance footage. That gave him a clear understanding of the explosion's cause.

And this man...

Tony stared at the body and frowned.

"Wasn't he supposed to be a disabled person?"

But from what he'd just seen, that guy could have taken on ten people alone.

"You got any advice, Uncle Mick?"

Tony looked at him expectantly.

Mick smiled and nodded.

"Aren't you already investigating?"

If the target was human, they'd have a life trail. Tracing it could reveal something valuable.

But Mick already had a good idea of what they were dealing with:

The Extremis Virus.

Yes, it had to be that.

After thinking for a moment, Mick said out loud, "Extremis. AIM."

With the data Tony had already gathered, finding AIM was just a matter of time.

This little reminder was simply to make sure the Avengers dealt with it sooner rather than later.

Tony's eyes lit up. "Alright. I'll dig in right away."

As for how Mick knew all this?

Because he's Mick.

The Avengers were already used to it.

Watching Tony suit up and take off, Mick turned and left Stark Tower as well.

His job for today was done early.

Meanwhile, at AIM Headquarters—

Killian crushed his phone, his expression grim.

The mission had failed!

He had opposed attacking Stark Tower from the very start. But those two idiots wanted to give Tony Stark a "warning," maybe even kidnap his woman.

And now?

They ruined everything.

(End of Chapter)