Da, Da, Da
The sound of steel echoed ominously through the underground chamber. Heavy, deliberate footsteps, like a titan waking from slumber.
From the fog of cold vapor and burnt ozone, Max emerged.
Except… he was no longer Max Dillon.
His body was now an amalgam of energy and armor. Thick plating molded seamlessly to his frame like living steel.
HYDRA's lead scientist watched from behind a thick protective screen, excitement glinting in his eyes.
"We've rebuilt you.Your powers remain, but everything else, your biology, your structure, your cellular matrix, it's been rewritten."
He tapped a holopad, revealing Max's vitals.
"This suit adapts to your physiology. It molds to your form, reshapes when you phase into energy, and withstands any feedback loop your body generates. You are a walking electromagnetic storm."
In response, the Electro-being let out a low, animalistic growl. Words no longer came easily. Human speech felt… distant. His throat, his larynx, they still functioned, but the brain behind them had moved beyond conventional language.
"Rrrahhhh…kkhhhhh…" The creature howled, trembling with energy as lightning danced between his fingertips.
"Your reserves are full." the HYDRA commander said coolly, watching the beast with pride. "Your mission is simple: crush your enemies. Begin with the one who scarred your soul… Soren Macaluso."
With a flash, Electro's body disintegrated into blinding currents of blue energy, vanishing in an instant, leaving behind scorched floor tiles and the stench of ozone.
"For years, the world has forgotten what it means to fear the name HYDRA. It's time to remind them."
Days had passed since Soren's last encounter with Electro.
Soren himself had already begun deploying energy sensors, distributed discreetly throughout key city locations in case Max returned.
Contingency plans layered atop contingency plans.
Yet, still, no sign.
No burst transformers. No blackouts. No trace on surveillance.
Soren stood in his command room, arms crossed, staring at his tea cup.
"Mr Soren." Phil said, setting a thick folder down. "We've monitored every power grid, every fusion reactor, every hydro plant across three continents. Not one has experienced an unexplained surge or loss. It's like he's gone."
Soren narrowed his eyes. "No… he's not gone."
Phil frowned. "It's possible our assumptions were wrong. Maybe he's no longer dependent on large-scale energy absorption. If someone reengineered him, they may have built in an internal generator or power core."
Soren's fingers tapped his arm.
"Then they've made him harder to track. Hidden from certain eyes."
Phil hesitated, then continued. "There's something else. We've been digging into the rescue, into the people that extracted Max from custody."
He slid the folder open, revealing high-definition photos of a man in red and black, surrounded by carnage.
Deadpool.
"Top-tier mercenary. Mutant regeneration. Master swordsman. Gunplay. Unpredictable behavior profile. Known for excessive violence and sexual… issues."
Soren chuckled softly at the file. "I've read about him. Cut off his arm, he'll grow it back."
Phil nodded. "S.H.I.E.L.D. blacklisted him years ago. He's hard to find and even harder to pay. Astronomical fees. He's not driven by money alone, he picks jobs based on mood."
Soren turned from the monitor, his voice quiet but firm.
"Then we don't pay him in dollars."
Phil blinked. "Sir?"
Soren leaned in. "Find him. If you get close enough to deliver a message, tell him this, I can fix his face."
"What's wrong with his face?" Phil raised an eyebrow.
"Everything." Soren smiled.
As dusk fell over the city, the sky was cloudless, a deep velvet blue. Not a single sign of a storm.
But…
KRAKKA-BOOM
A bolt of lightning tore down from the heavens with no warning, like the wrath of a god, and it struck directly in front of Everlife Medical Center.
The impact shattered the reinforced gates, incinerated a security drone mid-flight, and left a perfect ring of glass-fused concrete.
Inside, alarms blared as power fluctuations spiked across the city. But Soren didn't startle.
He'd been waiting for this.
With a grim smile, he picked up a sleek, polished gauntlet weapon from the display case, his latest invention, and stepped out of the building, sneakers crunching over fragmented debris.
What he saw made him pause.
The creature standing before the ruined gates wore armor fused into flesh, or was it flesh turned to armor? Its surface was rippling obsidian and cracked metal, sparking with veins of pure electricity beneath.
His eyes, once unstable with manic rage, were now empty, driven by pure instinctual hatred.
He wasn't an angry fool anymore.
It was designed to kill.
"What have they done to you, Max…" Soren's brow furrowed as he whispered.
He called up the System.
[Maxwell Dillon / Electro]
[World-Class: A-Rank]
[Abilities] [Electric Energy Absorption Lv 9, High Voltage Shock Lv 9, Energy Conversion Lv 9]
Soren's stomach turned slightly.
"A-Class already…?"
Just days ago, Max had barely touched B+. The last time they fought, Soren had torn him down with a combination of Psychokinesis and planning. The electric man had fled, injured and unstable.
Now… he had evolved. No, he had been entirely rebuilt.
"No more underestimating."
Max didn't speak.
He electrified.
In a fraction of a second, his body became pure current, streaking toward Soren in a searing blur of blue and white.
Soren's activated [Potential Awaking – Lv 10], pushing his body beyond its human limits as his Psychokinesis roared to life.
A pulse of invisible force radiated from him like a shockwave.
[Psychokinesis: Lv 5 ➝ Lv 8]
He upgraded his go to power, but he was annoyed it only went up to Lv 8.
Soren activated it at full strength, pushing himself to the brink, Soren barely managed to slow him down slightly, his movements now a bit more sluggish, like watching a high-speed chase in slow motion.
But it was only temporary.
Dillon's body, a conduit of raw electric fury, was too much for Soren to control entirely. No matter how hard he tried, Max's charge seemed unstoppable
"Damn it, too much." Soren felt Max was several times stronger than before and Lv 8 was far from Lv 9 Psychokinesis.
Soren's mind screamed for a solution. He pushed his psychokinesis harder, willing the power into his hands, focusing on Dillon's movements like a conductor with an orchestra.
He tried to weave an invisible net to catch Dillon's momentum and stall his advance.
But the surge of electricity from Dillon's body was more than Soren could manipulate.
It wasn't enough.
BOOOOOOM!!
In a flash of crackling white, he vanished, just as Max detonated where he stood.
The surrounding buildings were torn apart in an instant, their structures crumbling like paper in a firestorm. The air was filled with dust and debris, as a smoky haze descended over the area.
A massive crater formed where Max had struck. The pit was deep, the edges jagged and dark, like a wound in the earth itself.
This destruction was an annihilation, a total dismantling of everything in its path.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Dare you peek into my other tales? The opening three chapters of select stories are free to all.
PhantomDream