In the Arctic glaciers, a green giant and a yellow rock man were ferociously smashing the ice. Faced with this act that was sure to draw protests from environmental groups, Nick Fury calmly sipped his coffee in the helicarrier's command center, watching the drone footage.
The Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the Thunderbolts—almost all of Earth's most powerful heroes—had gathered there as a precaution.
With each punch from the two powerhouses, chunks of the glacier at the source of the signal fell into the sea, exposing a massive creature sealed within the ice. It was a colossal, jet-black being, curled up in the permafrost. The symbiote that covered its body was also frozen solid, motionless, yet it exuded a vibrant, living energy.
"If this thing straightens out, its full length could exceed thirty meters, with a wingspan of about fifty meters. The good news is we've seen bigger things before. The Chitauri Leviathan carriers were larger than this," Tony Stark said, as he and the Human Torch flew to the sides and began to shoot energy beams, cutting the massive black dragon out of the glacier. The Thing then took over the transport—Hulk didn't like doing non-destructive work.
"So, what does S.H.I.E.L.D. plan to do with this thing?"
"We'll lock it up on this helicarrier, suspended outside of New York. The helicarrier will be stationed near New York, just in case."
Captain America thought this plan was incredibly stupid—why would you put a potential nuclear bomb right at your doorstep? "If this thing has been sealed in the ice for centuries, why don't we just leave it here?"
"If our enemies came here to wake it up, then they undoubtedly have a way to do so. Since they have a way to wake it up no matter what, we should try to keep the situation as contained as possible."
Nick Fury calmly stated his, or rather, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s, philosophy: All dangerous items should be under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s supervision. S.H.I.E.L.D. must control all unstable factors, and even if S.H.I.E.L.D. can't actually control these things, the surveillance it provides can give people a sense of security. Faced with a terrifying alien enemy, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s job wasn't to protect the people but to make them believe they were being protected, since the aliens knew that the people of Earth actually had no defense.
"You want to end the war before it even begins?" Captain America asked, saying helplessly, "How do you know this isn't exactly what the enemy wants? Just like with Loki, they might be hoping you'll bring this thing to New York."
"We have no means of fighting Asgardians. They are as powerful as Kryptonians. But we have ways to deal with symbiotes. High temperatures and sound waves are effective weapons against these alien slimes. If necessary, this helicarrier can self-destruct."
But it would be best if it didn't, since S.H.I.E.L.D.'s goal was to permanently seal the thing, not kill it.
"So the rest is a matter for the scientists. Without thawing this guy out, come up with a way to permanently seal it." Nick Fury then looked at the scientists behind him. "Alright, gentlemen, get to work."
"From a literary and mythological perspective, Grendel refers to an ancient giant in Norse mythology that appears in the epic poem Beowulf. The epic also features a fire-breathing dragon, but it is unnamed."
Reed Richards made a serious analysis while circling the ice block, then returned to his analytical instruments. "If the historical records are true, this creature has been trapped in the ice for 1,500 years, but it still has a heartbeat. It's alive. This is incredible."
"Considering we already have one old popsicle on our team, I wouldn't call it a miracle, Reed." Tony, in his armor, walked in holding an ice core. He impatiently placed the core in the instrument for analysis. "It's strange. This ice core shows no unknown components at all, and it was right next to the thing."
"This means that although the dragon is still alive, it's not engaging in any metabolic activity. Nothing is being expelled, and there's no molecular exchange at all. For 1,500 years, there has been no molecular exchange. This implies that it can control its own molecular structure from leaking out. In theory, that means this creature isn't in a state of cryogenic freezing; its consciousness can still control the molecular structure inside its body. But how is that possible..." Hank Pym concluded hesitantly.
Although Captain America survived being frozen for seventy years, he was in a state of low metabolism. It didn't mean he had stopped metabolizing altogether. But this creature before them had gone beyond the current biological definition of life. No matter who it was, they couldn't deny that this monster was beyond their understanding.
It was very strange.
Just then, a heavily bundled-up Bruce Banner walked into the lab, rubbing his hands together. "Sorry, guys, the Hulk was having a little too much fun. What were you talking about?"
"We were just talking about how our super-old popsicle survived," Tony said, while also asking Hank, "Any brainwave activity?"
"None. Considering the unique nature of symbiotes, I suspect the host dragon inside is dead, and only the symbiote is still alive. The necessary sustenance for a symbiote is phenethylamine. If it was in an extremely low-temperature state, the symbiote inside could have eaten the dragon's brain and then entered a state of cryogenic hibernation, which might have allowed it to survive until now."
Hank offered a relatively reliable analysis, and Reed agreed, adding, "If that's the case, then its current state is the best form of containment. According to the information Spider-Man provided, symbiotes can't bond with a corpse. By sealing it inside a corpse, it has no host and is powerless."
Everyone agreed with this point of view. Only Bruce Banner, after looking at the results of their research and listening to their discussion, put on his glasses and asked a curious question.
"Guys, aren't we studying the creator of the symbiotes? What they call the God of Symbiotes?"
"Why are you analyzing that thing with methods you would use for a regular symbiote?"