Nick Fury stared at the frozen block of ice, his expression grim.
He knew Vincent Hall—the Ice Demon—was dangerous.
There were other cryokinetics, like Iceman from the X-Men. But Bobby Drake had limits. He had a conscience.
Vincent Hall was different. He had turned Hell's Kitchen into a sculpture garden of corpses. He had executed the Kingpin on live television.
And now, he had frozen a regenerating monster like the Lizard with casual ease.
"Natasha," Fury said, his voice low. "The Ice Demon is unpredictable. An orphan raised in Hell's Kitchen... we don't know how deep his darkness goes."
"I know he's dangerous," Natasha replied, eyeing the Lizard. "But what about this thing? If the Regression Serum fails, and he thaws out... he could kill everyone in this base."
She shivered. The idea of New York turning into a "Lizard Kingdom" was terrifying.
"I have a backup," Fury said confidently. "I retrieved the Anti-Lizard Serum from Oscorp. Even if the Mutant Cure fails, this should revert him."
Inside the ice, the Lizard's amber eye twitched.
Vincent had been careful. He had frozen the Lizard to incapacitate him, not to kill him. He hadn't destroyed the cells at a molecular level.
This mercy was a mistake.
The Lizard's healing factor was working overtime, repairing the cellular damage caused by the frost.
"Prepare the Regression Serum," a scientist ordered.
A robotic arm lowered a heavy-duty needle toward the ice block, aiming to drill through and inject the Cure.
CRACK.
A spiderweb fracture appeared on the surface of the ice.
BOOM!
The ice exploded outward.
The Lizard, now larger and more muscular than before, roared. His claws slashed through the scientist like wet paper.
He grabbed the corpse and used it as a shield, charging straight at Nick Fury.
"Look out!"
Natasha tackled Fury to the ground.
The Lizard leaped over them, smashing through the security team. Bullets bounced off his scaly hide.
He smashed through the reinforced steel doors of the containment unit, disappearing into the dark corridors of the base.
Behind him, he left a trail of destruction. And he had smashed the vials of both the Regression Serum and the Anti-Lizard Serum.
"He's gone," Natasha whispered, standing up and dusting herself off.
The Lizard's escape was calculated. He hadn't just rampaged; he had targeted the cures first.
"Dr. Connors is still in there," Fury said, dusting off his trench coat. "But the Lizard is driving."
Fury was furious. He had underestimated the creature.
"Sir," Natasha said, scanning the wreckage. "He must have a secret lab. He couldn't have made that much serum at Oscorp without notice. We need to find it before he launches his endgame."
"Get Stark on it," Fury ordered. "He can track the biological signature. And call the Ice Demon."
"Again?" Natasha raised an eyebrow.
"We need heavy hitters. And get Barton here. We need Hawkeye."
Penthouse. 3:00 AM.
Vincent was asleep. Gwen had sneaked back to her own room hours ago.
His phone rang.
Vincent groaned, picking it up. Natasha.
"Let me guess," Vincent said, his voice thick with sleep. "You let the Lizard escape."
There was a pause on the other end.
"You didn't tell us thawing him out would wake him up instantly," Natasha said defensively.
Vincent sat up.
"I froze him to keep him alive, as per our deal. If you wanted him permanently incapacitated, you should have asked me to freeze his brain."
He rubbed his temples.
"So, is this a request for help?"
"We need him stopped," Natasha said. "Before he turns the city."
"Is this the Second Deal?" Vincent asked.
Natasha hesitated. She knew the price for the first deal hadn't even been paid yet. But she was desperate.
"Yes," Natasha said firmly. "This is the second deal."
Vincent smiled in the dark.
"Two favors owed. You're racking up quite a debt, Ms. Romanoff."
"Just find him," Natasha snapped.
"I don't need to find him," Vincent said, walking to the window. "I know where he's going."
"Where?"
"Oscorp Tower. He needs the Ganali Device to disperse the serum."
Vincent hung up.
He looked at the Stark Industries chart on his monitor.
If the Lizard turned everyone into reptiles, the stock market would crash.
"Looks like I have to save the city again," Vincent muttered. "For my portfolio."
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