Penthouse.
Vincent returned home silently, slipping in through the terrace.
His phone buzzed. Natasha again.
"Ice Demon," her voice purred. "How did it feel getting kicked by Ghost Spider?"
Vincent could hear the amusement in her tone.
"My biggest weakness is beautiful women," Vincent laughed. "Ghost Spider is a knockout. Being kicked by a beauty? It was a pleasure."
Natasha sounded disappointed. The Ice Demon was supposed to be terrifying, not a masochist.
"Did you receive the package?" Vincent asked, cutting to the chase.
Natasha snapped back to professional mode. Then she remembered the "Deal."
"I did. And I'm a woman of my word. I've washed up... do you need to come over now?"
Vincent knew she was baiting him.
"The package is delivered. I'll collect my payment when I feel like it."
He hung up.
On the other end, Natasha glared at her phone.
He hung up on me? Again?
Does he think his little girlfriend is better than me?
Just you wait, kid. I'll make you kneel and call me Queen.
The Black Widow's competitive streak was fully ignited. She wasn't just doing a mission anymore. It was personal. She would conquer this arrogant boy, body and soul.
Nearby Rooftop.
Mystique put down her listening device, a strange smile on her blue lips.
"The Deal with the Devil... interesting game."
So the Ice Demon risked exposure just because Natasha called him? He really was obsessed with her.
"If I fulfill Natasha's side of the deal... and then propose a new one... would he accept?"
Men love sweets. But women conquer the world by conquering men.
Mystique had lived a long time. Her shape-shifting gave her eternal youth. She had seen empires rise and fall.
She knew secrets even SHIELD missed.
Like the Skrulls.
"Those green skins are hiding everywhere," Mystique muttered. "But I can see through them."
Right now, however, she had a bigger problem.
The Cure.
A young boy named Leech had been discovered. His power could suppress and erase the X-Gene. The military was weaponizing his DNA to create a "Cure" serum.
"They want to erase us," Mystique hissed. "If they succeed, mutants will be extinct."
She needed the Ice Demon. She needed his power to destroy the facility where Leech was held.
Penthouse Study.
Vincent sat in his chair, checking the Stark Industries stock.
The trend was vertical. The bulls had won.
The futures market was a bloodbath for the shorts.
"Next week, I close the position," Vincent decided.
He had made enough. Greed was good, but getting too greedy attracted the wrong kind of attention.
A soft breeze blew into the room.
Vincent turned. Ghost Spider was perched on his windowsill.
"Hi, honey."
Gwen pulled off her mask. Her blonde hair cascaded down, her face pale and beautiful in the moonlight.
"Hey, girl. I saw you on the news," Vincent grinned. "Brave move, kicking the Ice Demon."
"Of course," Gwen leaped from the window, landing softly in his lap. "I'm the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Woman."
She cupped his face, her eyes sparkling.
"Chief Stacy is working overtime tonight. I think we have some time."
Vincent never refused a beautiful woman. Especially one wearing a suit.
He checked his Desire Points. He was just shy of 10 Million.
The Lizard event had netted him over 1.5 million points.
The System is pushing me to grow fast, Vincent thought.
"Don't worry," Gwen whispered into his ear, her breath warm. "I brought the other suits."
Vincent's blood pressure spiked.
Thank god I didn't go to Natasha's.
Who could resist Gwen Stacy in cosplay?
SHIELD Secret Base.
"This is Dr. Connors?"
Nick Fury stared at the massive block of ice. Inside, the Lizard was frozen in mid-roar.
"He's still alive," Natasha confirmed, shivering slightly from the cold radiating off the block. "The Ice Demon froze him instantly."
"Can we capture the Ice Demon?" Fury asked.
Natasha shook her head. "Unlikely. He can turn into mist. Physical attacks pass right through him. He's... elemental."
Fury frowned. "Thaw the Lizard out. carefully. I want to inject him with the Regression Serum."
"Regression Serum?" Natasha asked.
"It's a military project designed to neutralize mutants," Fury explained. "It erases the X-Gene. Or in this case, we hope it reverses the Lizard mutation."
The government was terrified of mutants. Magneto's Brotherhood was a constant threat. The Cure was their answer.
"You want to use it on the Ice Demon?" Natasha realized.
"If he goes rogue... we need a way to turn him off," Fury said coldly. "We need to know if the Cure works on mutates, not just mutants."
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