The mutant issue was the sharpest internal conflict facing humanity.
The Inhumans could loosely be considered descendants of the Eternals. Like mutants, they had originally emerged among Earth's human population, but Black Bolt had since led his entire people to the Moon.
This race, which also possessed superhuman abilities and was advancing its own technological tree, was not a threat to humanity. On the contrary, they could be viewed as a related branch of the human family... a force worth uniting with.
In some parallel universes, Black Bolt was even a member of the Illuminati, a cornerstone defender of Earth.
Mutants, however, were different. As distant descendants of the Deviants, they were still fundamentally a branch of humanity and should have been a vital part of the human family... at the very least, far more so than vampires.
Yet humans and mutants had become locked in bitter conflict. To many, it had turned into a zero-sum game of "us or them." That was a very bad development.
"I understand your concerns, but the truth is I don't believe certain mutant organizations... like the Brotherhood... know nothing about the extinct Deviants. They're desperately trying to prove their superiority over humans, so they're bound to investigate historical records," Adam said, spreading his hands.
Coulson nodded. "Correct. That field of study is called 'Mutant Origins' and it's quite popular among mutant circles."
His greatest worry was that mutants might mistake Ikaris... an Eternal... for one of the ancient Deviants. That would complicate everything.
Unfortunately for him, the very scenario S.H.I.E.L.D. feared was exactly what Adam wanted to see.
Adam held no particular grudge against these eleven Eternals, but he felt no warmth toward them either. He cared even less for the lesser, dog-like Deviants. Both groups were essentially tools that Arishem had reused for millions of years.
They were nothing like the true Eternals and Deviants on planets like Skrullos or ancient Earth... races capable of reproduction, civilization-building, and genuine development.
Besides, Adam had already clashed directly with Ikaris, the strongest warrior among the eleven.
"Powers similar to the Superman from the other universe. A budget version, sure, but if I could parasitize him, it would be excellent," Adam thought to himself.
Seeing Adam's expression, Coulson stood up. "Well, I think that covers our meeting for today. I still have plenty of other tasks waiting. But Mr. Adam, you don't want to see the world descend into chaos either, do you?"
Coulson gave the surrounding Xenomorphs a meaningful look, deep wariness flashing in his eyes.
One of his main reasons for coming in person had been to observe these terrifying creatures up close.
The ability to parasitize Abomination and produce a being clearly stronger than its host was enough to send a chill down even Coulson's spine.
He wondered about their reproductive capabilities and the limits of what they could parasitize. Were they restricted to mammals? To mortal beings? What about… gods?
This universe was hardly short on deities. Some interstellar civilizations that had developed for thousands of years had even established their own pantheons.
The Skrulls, for example, had their Skrull gods.
Coulson had learned the name "Xenomorph" during this visit and confirmed that the creatures showed extreme loyalty to Adam. The reason remained unknown.
The Xenomorphs were shrouded in far too many mysteries, and Adam... who somehow controlled them... only deepened the enigma.
Coulson turned to leave, pausing to point at Elektra. "If you don't mind, I'd be happy to take her off your hands. The Japanese Hand has a notorious reputation and is wanted for many major crimes."
"I do mind. I'm keeping her."
"Very well." Coulson wasn't going to push the issue and left with a worried expression.
That left Elektra, who now had nowhere to run or hide. Her face was pale and her spirits low.
After overhearing so much, she had gained a confusing wealth of strange information. Deviants were connected to Eternals? The Flying Man wasn't a Deviant? It was all a tangled mess.
Elektra didn't want to know any of it. She just wanted to escape.
"The problem now, Miss Elektra, is that you can't run and you can't beat me. Whether you came here chasing Kingpin's people or on orders from the Five Fingers, you're in my hands now."
Adam walked up to her, looking her over before adding deliberately, "And you've learned secrets you shouldn't have. The Deviants in Alaska are not something you were meant to know about."
Truthfully, Elektra had potential. Used properly, she could be useful.
"Just kill me and get it over with."
Elektra stared at the approaching Adam, her words defiant even as her eyes sharpened.
She couldn't beat the Xenomorphs, but surely she could handle one human?
When they were barely a meter apart, she moved. A dagger shot out from her sleeve, aimed straight at Adam's throat.
She didn't intend to kill him... just take him hostage to intimidate the creatures and buy her escape.
Speed, timing, courage... she had all of them. As a world-class assassin, she didn't believe she could fail at this range.
Snap!
Adam simply extended two fingers in what looked like a casual motion. In reality, it was terrifyingly precise and fast. He caught the tip of the dagger effortlessly.
Elektra felt as if she had stabbed adamantium. No matter how hard she pushed, the blade wouldn't advance even a fraction of an inch.
"That's impossible!!" Elektra froze, her expression shifting rapidly. "You're a superhuman? How else could you have this kind of strength!"
"By your standards, yes. But don't be envious, miss. You're about to become one too. Then you won't be so stubborn."
Adam opened his hand.
A facehugger crawled up.
"It's beautiful, isn't it? Very obedient. And it likes you very much."
"Wait... don't!"
Elektra's face drained of color. She tried to fight desperately, but the moment she moved, a swarm of Xenomorphs pinned her down. When she tried to bite into the cyanide hidden in her tooth, a messenger Xenomorph forced her mouth open.
The moment the pale creature entered her soft mouth, Elektra felt a warm current slide down her throat. Then she lost consciousness.
Don't misunderstand... Adam had no plans to let the creature chestburster out of Elektra. Even if it succeeded, the resulting drone would only be a basic one born from an ordinary human. Its combat ability wouldn't be particularly high... nowhere near enough to withstand a punch from the Abomination Xenomorph.
What Adam needed was simply the "parasitism" stage.
Few people knew about another use for facehuggers: parasitism without the chestburster.
In this way, the host could absorb the power contained within the facehugger's genetic material.
Only Adam could do this, because he could prevent the facehugger from ever chestburstering. This was also why he had gone from an ordinary person not long ago to a superhuman capable of withstanding a punch from a dying Abomination.
Using this method, as the Xenomorphs grew stronger and acquired better genes in the future, Adam's own power would leap forward in tandem.
Adam waved his hand, dismissing the Xenomorphs, and left Elektra where she was. There was no need to pay her any more attention. From this moment on, she could no longer escape his control... whether in life or in behavior.
As he walked away, Adam gave an almost imperceptible glance toward a messenger Xenomorph in the corner.
Once the Xenomorphs dispersed, that seemingly ordinary messenger in the shadows... appearing perfectly normal from any visible angle... quietly produced a signal transmitter and sent a message outward.
"This is Mystique. I have successfully infiltrated and obtained critical intelligence: the Flying Man is a Deviant. Location: Alaska!"
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