Ben had always wanted the Super Soldier Serum. Not for himself, and not even for the superhuman abilities it granted. His motivation was far more personal. The serum didn't just enhance a person's physical fitness; it dramatically slowed the aging process.
His Mom and Dad were getting older. They had worked themselves to the bone for most of their lives, and their health was beginning to show the strain. The healing serum he had developed at Primus was miraculous for injuries, but it could do little for the gradual decline brought on by age and disease. The archives left behind by S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't contained so much as a single, incomplete sample, which had been a source of constant frustration for him.
Now, he had access to the source. Walter Hardy remembered Dr. Erskine's original formula with perfect, photographic recall. He could replicate the serum that created Captain America, one-to-one.
But Ben had no intention of doing that. Erskine's formula was flawed. It magnified a person's core characteristics, making good men better and bad men worse. That wasn't the part that concerned him; with a viable sample to work from, modifying that particular trait would be simple.
Before any of that could happen, however, Walter wanted to go home.
Ben respected his decision. He offered to accompany him, but a message from Norman Osborn pulled him away. Norman had managed to acquire a small amount of vibranium and was now requesting the design plans for the four defense satellites and the orbital station. Vibranium could wait, but the satellites were urgent. The countdown to the Chitauri's arrival had begun, leaving him only a year to get the defense grid online and arm the Plumbers' space station to the teeth.
Walter could see that Ben was no ordinary teenager, and he didn't press the issue. Before they parted, Ben gave him an address.
"Primus Technologies," he said. "It's my company. When you're ready to get to work on the serum, come find me."
Then, Ben departed in a hurry, leaving John Hardesky to be escorted back to New York by a H.A.M.M.E.R. agent, his heart pounding with a nervous rhythm he hadn't felt in decades. He lingered on the sidewalk in front of his old home for a long time, the familiar facade now seeming like a relic from another life. Finally, he mustered the courage and knocked on the door.
Felicia opened it, a curious look on her face. "Excuse me, can I help you…?" Her question trailed off as her eyes fixed on the stranger. The man's white hair and weathered face suddenly superimposed themselves over the image of the father she held in her memory.
She thought she was dreaming, even as Walter's composure broke and he cried out her name.
"Felicia! Look at you… you've grown up!"
"Dad… is it really you?"
They collapsed into each other's arms, crying uncontrollably. It took several long minutes before Felicia could finally believe this was real.
"Dad, where have you been all these years?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"That's… that's a long story for later," Walter managed, wiping tears from his eyes. He grasped her arm, his expression shifting from sorrow to a father's gentle teasing. "But you, Felicia. Don't you have anything you need to tell your old man?" He raised a knowing eyebrow. "About that boyfriend of yours, perhaps?"
Felicia's face flushed a brilliant shade of crimson, so hot she felt like steam might start pouring from her ears.
Back at the H.A.M.M.E.R. Helicarrier, Ben met with Norman, who handed him a signed agreement.
"The World Security Council voted unanimously," Norman informed him. This was the political equivalent of the five permanent members agreeing on something; H.A.M.M.E.R.'s mining operations in Antarctica would proceed without restriction, though they would officially be conducted under H.A.M.M.E.R.'s authority.
Ben was surprised. "I didn't expect it to be that easy."
"Compared to the alternative of an interstellar war, granting mining rights to a frozen wasteland is a small price to pay," Norman said dryly. "What exactly is down there?"
"A unique metal. You could consider it another type of vibranium," Ben explained, giving Norman a brief rundown on Antarctic Vibranium, also known as Vibranium-B or Anti-Metal.
"I had no idea such a thing existed," Norman mused. "Are you planning to use both types to build the satellites?"
"No, the satellites won't require such advanced materials. They'll be protected by the energy shield itself. Unless they're destroyed from within, they'll be perfectly safe." The only structure that truly needed a full vibranium weave was the Plumbers' space station. Ben planned to concentrate a significant portion of Earth's offensive firepower on that single platform, and since it would have to operate outside the planetary shield to function as a weapon, a sturdy hull was non-negotiable.
"Antarctic Vibranium isn't suitable for construction," Ben continued, "but it's perfect for weaponization. It can destroy almost any other metal on contact, even adamantium."
"In that case," Norman said, his brow furrowing, "our current supply of vibranium is nowhere near sufficient." He had done his best to procure what he could, but the global supply was severely limited. There was barely enough to make a single suit of armor, let alone a space station capable of housing thousands.
"See if you can find a man named Ulysses Klaue," Ben suggested.
"Ulysses Klaue?"
Norman glanced at Maria Hill, who immediately began a global search. A moment later, dozens of profiles with the same name appeared on the main screen. "There are quite a few," Hill noted. "Any other distinguishing features? Nationality, education?"
"I remember he had a prosthetic hand," Ben recalled from the Black Panther film, though he wasn't certain if this world's Klaue had lost his arm yet.
That single feature was enough. Hill narrowed the search, and a familiar face appeared on the screen.
Norman nodded decisively. "Find this man. Immediately."
With H.A.M.M.E.R.'s agents on the hunt, Ben turned his attention to the satellite schematics. The technology involved was complex, but their primary function was simply to act as scaled-up energy shield emitters. He could draft the blueprints without needing to transform into Grey Matter. The designs also included a crucial function for receiving and channeling the Tesseract's immense energy.
"Considering they need to withstand the raw power of the Tesseract, the materials should be more durable than standard," Ben decided. "We'll use a Vibranium alloy." In many ways, the alloy was even stronger than pure vibranium.
"How do you plan to mine the Antarctic vibranium?" Hill asked. Numerous scientific expeditions had been to the continent, but very few had ever found significant deposits of anythinh, indicating that surveying and extraction would be incredibly difficult.
"The agency has three Helicarriers. Lend me one," Ben said.
"A carrier isn't equipped for mining operations."
Ben just smiled. "I have my ways." His plan was simple: transform into Upgrade, possess the Helicarrier, and temporarily reshape it into a colossal mining machine.
By the time he sent the finalized satellite schematics to Norman, it was already late into the night. He'd been to several places in one day and was too exhausted to go home, so he decided to stay overnight at the H.A.M.M.E.R. facility. Norman was even busier, having thrown himself back into his work with a ferocious intensity. The man looked tired, but his eyes burned with a renewed fire. Norman Osborn was a man born for the fight.
Once we have the serum ready, Ben thought, he's getting a dose. Otherwise, he was genuinely worried Norman might work himself into an early grave. Harry could probably use a shot, too.
The next day, Ben found himself heading back to New York. Felicia had called, inviting him to dinner at her house. Her father had apparently given the family an edited version of his long absence. Mrs. Hardy had known her husband was the Black Cat, but she had no idea about the serum or where he had been all these years. Walter had kept the details vague, telling Felicia only that he had been captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. and that, with S.H.I.E.L.D. gone and its prisons overflowing with Hydra agents, Ben had pleaded his case to the new Director of H.A.M.M.E.R. for his release.
For this, Felicia and her mother were eternally grateful. Mrs. Hardy, who had once looked down on Ben at the Stark Expo, was now filled with regret. Seeing Primus Technologies flourish had been the first blow to her pride; learning that Ben had the ear of a figure as powerful as the Director of H.A.M.M.E.R. was the second. Thank goodness my daughter has good sense! she thought.
Ben arrived in New York with time to spare before the dinner appointment, and Felicia met him for a walk. The moment she saw him, she rushed forward and threw her arms around him.
"Thank you, Ben," she said, her voice thick with tears. "I never thought I'd see my father again."
"Hey, you don't have to thank me," Ben said softly, patting her head. Felicia leaned into his touch, shrinking into his embrace like a contented kitten.
They spent the day wandering the city. Throughout their walk, Felicia was behaving mysteriously, shooting Ben amused, secretive glances.
"What's going on with you?" Ben finally asked.
Felicia let go of his arm, spun around to face him with her hands clasped behind her back, and tilted her head. Her long, golden hair fanned out around her like the hem of a gown. She pursed her lips, fighting back a laugh, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Nothing," she said, her voice light and playful. She pointed a delicate finger toward a distant shop. "I want ice cream."
In truth, a secret was bubbling inside her. The previous night, after discovering her father was the legendary Black Cat, she had begged him to train her. She wanted his skills, his legacy. She wanted to be a hero. She'd even chosen a name for herself: the Black Cat. When her father had asked why, she'd simply said that the darkness and the night always made her feel comfortable.
The real reason was a bit more complicated. It's because Prime's suit is black, she thought.
Since Ben hadn't told her that he was the mysterious new hero, she was determined to keep her own secret from him. When the time was right, she would debut as the Black Cat and find Prime. She imagined running into him on a rooftop, teasing him, matching his skills with her own.
The thought of it filled her with a thrilling sense of anticipation.