Marvelous Mutations

The success of the last two attacks had left Killian riding high.

Tony Stark, the mighty Iron Man himself, was dead.

The President of the United States was already in his hands.

In his mind, nothing seemed impossible anymore.

Killian's confidence swelled like a balloon.

True, his last encounter with Luke had shaken him. That boy had dealt a serious blow to his pride. But instead of discouraging him, the confrontation had only fueled his ambition. It reminded him that the world wasn't simple, hidden among everyday people were dangerous anomalies, gifted individuals lurking in the shadows.

But so what?

His Extremis soldiers were no less extraordinary. In fact, he believed they could surpass the so-called "superpowered" elite.

"Do it," he ordered, eyes narrowed as he stared at the laptop monitor.

Onscreen, his forces mobilized. Hundreds of Extremis-enhanced people began to move in, spreading out around a single, unassuming location.

The grocery store.

Three men at the front approached the rolling metal shutter. Their arms lit up with an ominous orange-red glow as heat rippled off their bodies.

This was one of the abilities granted by Extremis, an internal furnace capable of melting through almost anything.

Steel? Child's play.

Even tungsten would weep under that heat.

And this rusty grocery store shutter? They scoffed.

Smirking, they placed their hands on the rolling door.

The air shimmered.

The heat radiating from their bodies would've turned a car into slag within seconds. A human body wouldn't even leave bones behind.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three…

Four.

The grins began to falter.

They glanced at one another, eyes narrowing with confusion.

The metal hadn't budged. Not a dent. Not even the tiniest bubble of heat warping its surface.

"What the hell?" one of them muttered, disbelief creeping into his voice.

"Thi-this doesn't make sense," another stammered.

Still, they pushed harder, channeling even more energy through their arms.

And still, nothing.

Thirty full seconds later, they finally pulled away, their arms cooling rapidly.

The door stood untouched, unmoved and unburned.

Behind them, the other Extremis agents watched in stunned silence.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

A task this simple, melt a door, had completely failed?

One of the squad leaders tapped his earpiece and reported nervously, "Boss, uh… the door. It's not melting. Something's… off."

Killian, watching the footage from his control center, narrowed his eyes. He leaned in slightly toward the screen.

Strange, yes. But not enough to slow him down.

He already knew Luke was abnormal. That was exactly why he sent an overwhelming number of troops.

Fine. If subtlety wouldn't work, then brute force would.

"Forget being quiet," Killian growled. "Break the damn thing down."

There was a hard edge in his voice now. He was losing patience.

He had more important things waiting at the dock. He wasn't going to waste time on one stubborn storefront.

"Why are you just standing around?" he barked through the comms. "GO!"

The order reignited their drive.

If the heat couldn't burn it down, then it was time for Plan B, blow it open.

Several soldiers slung shotguns from their backs, cocking them with practiced ease.

Shotguns might lack range, but for this task? They were perfect.

They raised the barrels toward the shutter and opened fire.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Sparks flew. Smoke burst from the impact points.

Then, silence.

They lowered their weapons.

The rolling door hadn't budged.

No dents.

No holes.

Not even chipped paint.

"…No way," someone whispered.

"What is this door made of?"

Confused murmurs swept through the group.

The squad leader scowled, resisting the urge to curse. He didn't dare report this again to Killian. Not now.

Being stopped by a rusty metal gate with over a hundred Extremis-boosted soldiers was humiliating enough.

Fine. No more doors.

"We're going through the wall," he growled.

Cheers erupted. This was more familiar.

They all knew what their enhanced bodies could do. Busting through concrete? Easy. They'd done it plenty of times before.

The rolling shutter was weird, sure, but a regular wall?

Nothing to worry about.

Two of the strongest men stepped forward. Their bodies glowed like molten stone, arms pulsing with searing heat.

They broke into a sprint, aiming straight for the brick wall beside the shutter.

The buildings in this area were old, many built nearly a century ago. Even with renovations, the walls were nothing special. These two had smashed through thicker barriers before.

They picked up speed, blazing toward the wall with everything they had.

…

Inside the helicarrier, in the control room, Luke watched the scene unfold on a massive high-resolution monitor.

He rested his chin in his palm, looking mildly amused.

Wanda stood to his left, arms crossed, brows furrowed. Sharon was on his right, her expression skeptical and tense.

When the Extremis agents started heating their hands, all three instantly recognized the technique.

Luke leaned back slightly. "Extremis. Killian's pets," he muttered.

Wanda shot him a glance. "There are so many of them…"

"Looks like he's been busy," Sharon added.

None of them were surprised the grocery store was being targeted. After all, Luke had gone out of his way to humiliate Killian.

What surprised them… was that the door wasn't melting.

It should have, by all logic, been reduced to molten scrap within seconds.

But the door held. No marks. No heat signature. Nothing at all.

That's when the two women exchanged glances, concern rising in their eyes.

The Extremis soldiers were now charging the wall.

Wanda looked at Luke, voice low. "The door's clearly reinforced… but the wall?"

"Should we stop them?" Sharon asked, already poised for action.

Luke's face was unreadable for a moment, then a faint smile played on his lips.

"I told you a long time ago," he said, almost casually, "our grocery store's really weird."

He nodded toward the screen. "There have been shootings right in front of it… have you ever seen a single bullet hole on those walls?"

Both women turned back to the monitor.

The two blazing men were just about to hit the wall.

…

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