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"Damn those mutants!"
General Ross slammed his fist into the desk, shattering it instantly. Even in his human form, his strength was nothing a desk could withstand.
His aide winced but said nothing. With Ross's volatility after the experiments, everyone had gotten used to him breaking things at least it wasn't people.
Ross cursed under his breath.
The white phosphorus barrage was supposed to cripple Wakanda's remaining forces. But the mutants ruined everything. Their sudden intervention threw all calculations into chaos.
He had assumed Xavier would keep his precious students out of international conflicts.
Clearly, that was naïve.
"They're not like us," Ross muttered. "They'll never be loyal."
To make matters worse, the Sentinels developed by Trask Industries to suppress mutant powers had been compromised. Stark had gotten hold of one and disabled its systems. Easily.
Ross didn't like Stark. But he respected his brain.
Even the President once said, "Give Tony a challenge and a coffee, and he'll break the laws of physics by lunchtime."
Now Ross had no leverage against mutants. He was desperate.
He could only hope Trask or AIM could come up with something fast.
Just then, a soldier entered. "Sir, we received a high-priority message."
Ross waved it off. "Probably spam. Handle it."
"It's from Oscorp."
That got his attention.
Oscorp had stayed publicly neutral through the entire conflict. Most thought they wouldn't touch this mess.
But Ross knew Norman Osborn. That man never sat on the sidelines unless he was planning something bigger.
"Send it to my terminal."
He read it quickly. Then scoffed. "Greedy bastard."
Norman claimed Oscorp had developed a next-generation Sentinel, immune to Tony Stark's hacks, and was offering the blueprints for free.
But nothing from Osborn came without strings.
He wanted access to Nolan's Life Cradle technology in return. Said it was "for research."
Sure it was.
Ross narrowed his eyes. "How the hell did Oscorp replicate metal-cell growth without the Cradle?"
He forwarded the message to Trask Industries for verification.
The reply came swiftly.
"It's possible. If Oscorp obtained Colossus's genetic material, and given Nolan's deep understanding of mutant biology, they might've reverse-engineered it.
"Trade is up to you. Just make sure you get the schematics, not just the hardware."
"Also, ask Nolan if he's open to a direct exchange."
Signed: Bolivar Trask.
The name hit Ross like a brick. Trask? The original architect of the Sentinel project? He was alive?
Ross stared at the message, deep in thought. The Wakandan operation was a disaster. Losses were piling up. He couldn't back down now.
If Nolan was offering a new weapon, Ross needed to grab it.
---
Elsewhere…
Nolan flipped a page in an arcane manual, psionic energy swirling calmly between his fingers.
"Ross agreed," Otto reported. "But he wants test units deployed in Wakanda before committing."
"Have Otto and Norman handle it," Nolan said without looking up. "I deal with outcomes, not transactions."
"One more thing Trask wants to speak with you personally."
Nolan's hand paused.
Bolivar Trask?
That name shouldn't exist in this timeline.
The man was a genius, the creator of the first Sentinel theories. He shouldn't be alive—or at least, shouldn't be relevant anymore.
Then again, Nolan understood. Trask's ideas were simply ahead of their time. His only failure was lacking the tools to observe the X-Gene on a deeper, quantum scale.
Trask might've understood mutant biology and engineering but not quantum physics or dimensional biotech. And that's where Nolan thrived.
"Genius, sure. But not omnipotent."
"I'll consider it," Nolan said. "Prepare the prototypes."
---
Wakanda
In a secured chamber, the Avengers convened.
"We can send a fighter to intercept it midair," T'Challa growled. "We just need to keep it from detonating here."
Tony shook his head. "If it does, the fallout will poison your rain cycle for months. The radiation will enter your water supply."
"So what do we do?" Steve asked.
"Dump it in the ocean," Tony suggested.
"That will destroy marine ecosystems," Storm protested. T'Challa didn't look at her but his silence was agreement.
Tony drummed the table. "Every option is bad. Unless someone can open a portal to another dimension and throw it in."
"If we still had the Space Stone…" Storm muttered.
"We have dimensional travelers," said Bobby. "But we can't reach them."
"Who?" Tony asked.
"Mystic. She's a mutant. And a sorceress."
"Where is she?"
"In hell, she can't come back."
"Why not?"
"Because Nolan forbade her return."
Tony leaned back and muttered, "Of course. Him again"
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