The air inside the plane grew tense as Skye worked tirelessly at her terminal. The glow from the computer screen illuminated her face, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Beside her, Su Zhan leaned back in his seat, his arms crossed, but his mind was elsewhere. They were on the hunt for Michael Collins—the first test subject exposed to the Extremis virus, a man whose explosive powers could be catastrophic if not controlled.
Skye was the one making the real progress. Her hacking skills, combined with the high-tech equipment on the plane, were invaluable in tracking down their target. Su Zhan, however, wasn't feeling as confident. He had his powers, yes, but Michael Collins was unlike anything he had faced before. The Extremis formula had already proved to be volatile, and now, there was the added complication of Collins' explosive tendencies.
"Got something," Skye said, breaking the silence. Her voice was tense but triumphant. "He's been holed up in a warehouse just outside the city, using some kind of isolation protocol to stay off the grid. But I've managed to track his signal."
Su Zhan nodded, glancing at the map on the screen. "Good work. But if he's been hiding that long, we need to be prepared. He won't come quietly."
"I know," Skye replied, her fingers flying over the keyboard. "I'm prepping the system to get a better look at his vitals. If he's been exposed to Extremis, it's only a matter of time before his powers become unstable."
Su Zhan felt the familiar fire within him flare up at the thought of someone else having the kind of power he had. But there was something different about Collins. The fire inside him had been something he could control, something he had learned to embrace. Collins, on the other hand, seemed like a walking time bomb.
"We should be careful," Su Zhan said, his voice low. "If his powers are anything like mine, we're not dealing with just another man. We're dealing with a ticking time bomb."
Skye paused, looking over at him. "You've been exposed to Extremis. You survived. You can help him."
Su Zhan looked away, his expression hard. "Helping him is not the same as saving him. If he loses control, there's no telling what could happen."
Skye bit her lip. "I just don't want another life lost because we didn't act in time. We can stop him before things get worse."
Su Zhan didn't respond. He wasn't sure he could do that, not without risking everything.
The Warehouse
The plane touched down silently, hovering above the abandoned warehouse. The night air was cold, and the world below was eerily still. It was hard to believe that a man with the kind of explosive power Su Zhan had heard about was hiding in such an unassuming place.
As they disembarked, Coulson turned to them, his face stoic. "This is it. Keep your distance, and don't engage unless you have to. We don't know what we're walking into."
Su Zhan nodded, already feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on him. He could feel the fire within him simmering, just waiting for an excuse to unleash itself. But this time, he wasn't sure if he would be able to hold it back.
"Let's move," Coulson ordered.
They crept forward, moving swiftly but cautiously toward the entrance of the warehouse. As they approached, Su Zhan's senses heightened. There was something off about the place—a feeling in the air that made his skin crawl. They weren't alone.
They reached the door. Coulson went to open it, but before he could, there was a loud crash from inside. Su Zhan immediately summoned the fire in his hands, the flames flickering dangerously in the dark.
"Stay behind me," he ordered Skye, his eyes scanning the shadows.
As they entered, they found him. Michael Collins stood in the center of the room, his body twitching as if holding back some kind of power. His skin was pale, veins crawling beneath it, glowing faintly with an unnatural light.
Collins' eyes locked onto Su Zhan, and for a moment, there was nothing but silence.
"You," Collins gasped, his voice rough. "You've… survived. How?"
Su Zhan stepped forward, keeping his fire in check. "You don't need to know how. We're here to help."
"You don't understand!" Collins shouted, his voice filled with desperation. "I can't control it anymore! The power... it's too much. It's going to kill me—kill everyone!"
Su Zhan's heart sank. He could see the pain in Collins' eyes, but he wasn't sure he could trust him. The Extremis formula had shown no mercy in the past. The people who had been exposed had either died or turned into uncontrollable weapons.
"We can help you," Skye said, stepping forward. "Just calm down. Let us help."
But Collins wasn't listening. His body trembled violently, and suddenly, he let out a scream that sent shockwaves through the room. The ground cracked beneath their feet as energy began to radiate off of him. Su Zhan instinctively stepped back, the fire in his hands flaring higher.
"No! Stay back!" Collins screamed. "I can't hold it in much longer!"
Su Zhan knew what was coming. The power was too much, and there was no way they could talk him down. He had to act fast.
"Get down!" Su Zhan shouted, just as Collins' body erupted in an explosion of energy.
The shockwave hit them with the force of a bomb, throwing them all to the ground. Su Zhan's body absorbed the blast, but the force of it still rattled him. He pushed himself to his feet, his body still humming with the heat of the flames he was holding back.
Collins was still standing, his body wracked with energy, his face contorted in pain. Su Zhan knew he had to stop this before things got worse.
With a roar, he unleashed a blast of fire, enveloping Collins in a fiery vortex. The heat was intense, but Su Zhan kept it contained. He couldn't afford to let his power run wild, not here, not now.
Collins screamed, but Su Zhan didn't stop. He couldn't.
And then, just as suddenly as it had started, the flames died down. Collins collapsed to the ground, his body spent, his energy finally drained.
Su Zhan stood over him, breathing heavily, his hands still glowing faintly with the residual fire. "It's over," he said softly.
Skye ran to Collins' side, checking for signs of life. "Is he alive?" she asked, her voice tense with worry.
Su Zhan nodded. "Barely. But he's still alive."
Coulson approached, his face grim. "We'll take him back to the plane. We need to stabilize him and figure out what to do next."
Su Zhan glanced down at Collins, the weight of what had just happened settling in. The mission was a success, but the road ahead was far from clear. The Extremis formula was unpredictable, and if they didn't find a way to stop it soon, there would be more people like Collins. More ticking time bombs.
He turned to Skye, offering her a faint smile. "We did what we could."
Skye nodded, but there was still concern in her eyes. "It's never that simple, is it?"
"No," Su Zhan replied softly. "But we'll keep trying."