Chapter 42: Doing What Scientists Should Do
At the new Avengers compound, Nick Fury slid a photograph across the briefing table. "This is our latest intel. A man named Ryan has been spotted in the Midwest. His current location is unknown."
Hawkeye crossed his arms, his expression grim. "We're probably no match for him based on what happened in Manhattan."
"That's exactly why I'm assembling a new Avengers team—gathering more enhanced individuals and superhumans to take down Ryan," Fury replied.
Maria Hill produced a thick dossier. "This contains profiles of every powered individual we can locate. Our task is to select the new Avengers roster from these candidates."
While they debated team composition at the compound, Ryan had already reached his destination: Chicago.
With a metropolitan population exceeding 9 million, Chicago ranked as America's third-largest city—and the perfect place to disappear.
After arriving, Ryan spent a full week tracking down his target.
Sipping a smoothie, he strolled through a quiet suburban neighborhood, observing the tree-lined streets dotted with modest homes, manicured lawns, and children at play.
A family of three caught his attention—two men and their adopted son. Ryan had been searching for someone specific, and his patience was finally paying off.
Phastos, one of the ten Eternals stationed on Earth, possessed unparalleled technological and engineering capabilities.
The Eternals had once fought a devastating civil war that split their ranks into opposing factions.
The defeated faction was exiled from Earth, enduring countless hardships before eventually settling on Titan—where Thanos would later be born.
The two branches of Eternals evolved along different paths. The victorious Earth-bound faction mastered cosmic energy manipulation as their primary power source.
The exiled Titans focused on physical enhancement, converting energy into raw strength and durability—the genetic foundation that would produce Thanos.
The man Ryan had located, Phastos, belonged to the cosmic energy-wielding Earth Eternals.
Noticing someone staring from across the street, Phastos frowned and approached. "Excuse me, is there something I can help you with?"
Ryan raised an eyebrow, smiling. "No, I'm just fascinated by your domestic life."
Phastos had endured discrimination throughout his millennia of existence, but he maintained his composure. "We live peacefully here, and I hope you can find your own happiness."
Ryan shook his head slowly. "Your peaceful life ends today."
"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean."
Ryan deliberately lowered his voice, forcing Phastos to step closer during their conversation.
Now they stood less than three feet apart.
"I said your good times are over."
With the Deviants long since eliminated from Earth, Phastos had grown complacent. He no longer carried the advanced weaponry he'd once used against cosmic threats, nor maintained the battle-ready vigilance of his warrior days.
The Eternal's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious.
When Phastos regained consciousness, he found himself in an unfamiliar sterile environment.
He was restrained on a metallic examination table, surrounded by pristine white walls. Surgical instruments lay arranged on nearby trays.
Beyond a large observation window sat an array of laboratory equipment. A young man hunched over a workstation, studying something under bright lights.
Phastos recalled the encounter: this stranger had somehow incapacitated him outside his own home.
While uncertain of his captor's motives, they were clearly malevolent.
Phastos struggled against his restraints for several minutes before the young man noticed his consciousness returning. The figure stood and entered the examination room.
"Save your strength. These restraints are forged from Uru metal alloy—the same material used in Asgardian weapons. Your abilities can't break them."
Ryan explained while donning fresh surgical scrubs, latex gloves, a mask, and protective eyewear.
"Who are you? Why have you brought me here?" Phastos demanded.
Ryan approached with a gleaming scalpel crafted from the same Uru alloy.
"I'm conducting important research. I understand you've expressed guilt over humanity's development of atomic weapons, so I'm here to help free you from that burden."
"What do you want from me?"
While Eternals wielding cosmic energy weren't as physically imposing as their Deviant enemies, they far exceeded normal human durability.
Ryan cut away Phastos's clothing with surgical scissors, then used a silver marker to draw precise lines across his subject's body, marking several areas with 'X's for optimal incision points.
After completing his markings, Ryan smiled coldly. "I'm intensely curious about Eternal physiology."
Phastos was shocked to hear his species identified so casually.
Ryan began the sterilization process with methodical precision.
When finished, he turned back to his subject. "I've heard Eternals can manipulate cosmic energy directly. Care to explain how?"
"Release me, and I'll tell you everything!" Phastos stared at the gleaming blade, terror rising in his chest.
This was the closest he'd come to death in millennia of existence.
Ryan shrugged dismissively. "No need. I prefer hands-on research."
During the recent Manhattan battle, Ryan had identified critical weaknesses in his abilities.
He lacked effective ranged attacks and enhanced mobility, possessing only overwhelming physical strength. The Eternals represented the perfect solution to these limitations.
Ryan coveted their diverse supernatural abilities—particularly their unmatched flight speed and energy projection capabilities.
Having inherited Thanos's genetic legacy, Ryan was technically a distant descendant of the Eternal bloodline.
Theoretically, he possessed the biological foundation necessary to access cosmic energy manipulation.
Phastos was geographically convenient and, as a non-combatant, represented the weakest target for initial experimentation.
The Eternals were originally human, transformed by Celestial technology. They retained human anatomy—skin, organs, metabolic processes—with the crucial difference being dramatically enhanced cellular density.
Hours into his investigation, Ryan grew frustrated. He'd expected the Celestials to implant some form of cosmic energy conductor within Eternal physiology. The evidence suggested otherwise.
Ryan muttered thoughtfully: "Where does the cosmic energy originate? How is it accessed and channeled?"
"You probably don't understand the mechanisms yourself. No matter—I'll discover them through direct observation."
After an exhaustive examination, Ryan had systematically dismantled Phastos into component parts. The exact moment of death had passed unnoticed—Ryan's focus remained entirely on understanding the source of cosmic energy manipulation.
He simply needed to identify how this power functioned at the cellular level.
End of Chapter 42
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