"Not bad, Director Fury. Still got it."
"Motherf*cker, can you quit standing there running your mouth? That punch rearranged my entire internal organ layout! I'm conservatively calling it three broken ribs."
"Scars are a man's badge of honor."
"I've got enough damn honor. At this point, I'd rather have fewer badges and a spine that doesn't feel like it's made of glass."
Dante stepped up, casually kicked Wesker's corpse out of the way, then walked over to help Fury off the ground.
One look at the sweat beading on Fury's forehead, and Dante sighed.
The old King of Agents was—well—old. Definitely not built for high-intensity frontline brawls anymore.
If it weren't for that memory lock situation, the guy probably wouldn't have gotten dragged into this mess in the first place.
Just then, Ada and Harley—who'd been happily smashing the zombie leftovers—came jogging over.
"Don't fuss over me. I just need a breather," Fury muttered, propped up by Ada. "Go see what Wesker was trying to cook up that was worth exposing his location and tossing out that many upgraded Tyrants for stall tactics."
Dante didn't waste a beat. He kicked open the swaying, half-destroyed door and stepped inside.
And immediately had to squint.
The place was decked out like a mobile high-end lab straight out of a Stark R&D catalog.
And smack in the middle of the room, on the central research table—an object glowing with a soft green light.
"Oh hell no."
Dante marched over, eyes narrowing.
No way. No way in hell.
Unless his brain was fried and lying to him, what he was staring at… was a Green Lantern Power Battery.
A bioterror maniac researching the core energy source of the intergalactic space cops? Who the hell signed off on that crossover?
Dante shook his head and reached for it.
Might as well grab it first and ask questions later.
But the moment his fingers brushed the Power Battery, the soft green glow flared—suddenly exploding into a brilliant blaze of light that lit the entire lab like a goddamn spaceship hangar.
In that instant, Dante remembered one of the mission rewards he'd picked up not long ago:
[Reward: Passive Trait – Batman's Willpower]
Right.
Bruce's willpower could casually override a Green Lantern Ring.
And sure enough, a ring glowing with the same vibrant green light floated out of the Lantern Battery and hovered in front of him.
["Intelligent lifeform detected.
Dante Alighieri of Earth.
You possess the ability to overcome great fear.
Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps."]
—
"Director Fury, why is there a green disco ball going off in there? You think that headless freak booby-trapped the lab?"
"Dante can handle himself," Fury muttered with a wince, then turned his gaze elsewhere. "You should be more concerned about our safety right now."
Ada's eyes followed his line of sight. She raised her rifle slightly, resting it against her chest, finger just above the trigger.
"You made too much noise. There's no way anyone in this area could've missed it."
From the shadows ahead, a group stepped forward.
At the front—bald, white, in a wheelchair, suit neatly pressed—was a man being pushed by someone behind him.
"Allow me to introduce myself," he said. "My name is Charles Francis Xavier. You may call me Professor Charles. Or Professor X."
He gave Fury a polite nod.
"Long time no see, Director Fury."
Fury stared at him like he'd just offered to sell insurance in a boss fight.
"Professor X? Never heard of you. And I'm sure I've never met you."
"No. You have met me. In fact, we briefly worked together twenty years ago on a project tied to the American government."
Professor X's tone was calm. Too calm.
"I'm the one who erased your memories. Every memory of me—and every memory of the Mutants."
"What?! You're the Mutants Dante mentioned?!"
"Dante…" Professor X frowned slightly, then pressed a finger to his temple. A moment later, his expression shifted.
"That moment just now—" Fury's one eye widened. "You read our memories? I didn't even feel anything. Your powers are that subtle?"
"We are born with such talents. Aside from that, we're no different from humans."
As he finished, the group behind him activated their powers.
Steel claws extended.
Bodies morphed into solid metal.
One transformed into a hulking blue beast.
Another sprouted feathered angel wings.
Tiny whirlwinds danced from someone's hands.
Every person had a different ability.
Fury, Ada, and Harley just stood there, watching in stunned silence.
They were no strangers to supernatural abilities.
But this many? All at once?
Nope. That was new.
"So you've outed yourselves on purpose," Fury finally said. "What's your angle?"
Shock only lasted so long. Fury was Fury, after all. He pulled himself together fast.
Mostly because he had to. These Mutants looked like they could break Agents in half for fun.
"We came seeking cooperation," Professor X said, still calm. "Our people are being targeted."
"Targeted?"
"Yes. By an ancient and evil organization. One you're quite familiar with—HYDRA."
Fury's face twitched the moment the name dropped.
"Wesker's research, his sudden appearance in Westchester County—it was all funded and orchestrated by HYDRA."
Fury opened his mouth to respond—but then, behind him, a chant rang out.
"In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil's might beware my power… Green Lantern's light!"
The lab split in half as a green energy blade slashed clean through the structure.
And there he was.
Dante. Dressed in a black-and-green tactical suit, the Lantern Battery in his left hand, and a glowing, ship-slicing energy blade extending from his right.
The Green Lantern emblem gleamed on his chest like it meant business.
"…Uh. Good evening?" Dante looked at the extra visitors and didn't bother powering down. He casually adjusted his hair and strolled over to Fury's side.
"Wolverine. Colossus. Beast. Angel. Storm. You Mutants always stay up this late just to watch the FBI work overtime?"
For the first time, Professor X's zen composure wavered.
Because he didn't know who this man in green was.
Or what powers he possessed.
So, he did what he always did—he reached out with his psychic ability.
Except… this time, it didn't work.
The combined resistance of the Dionysus Factor and the Green Lantern Ring was like slamming into a steel wall wrapped in a force field coated in "nope."
Dante felt it. Of course he felt it. And he knew exactly what Professor X was trying to pull.
"Alright, my dear Professor X," he said, smirking. "You were saying?"
(To be continued.)