After Karl finished speaking, Wanda, Peter, and Pietro immediately ran off toward the bathrooms.
It was freezing.
Aunt May, however, walked slowly toward him and wrapped her arms around him.
She understood.
If someone capable of controlling minds had targeted him… then what Karl called a "solution" could not have been simple.
"It's alright," Karl said softly, patting her back. "Go take a hot shower. Luckily this place has enough bathrooms — otherwise we'd be waiting in line."
Aunt May looked up at him with quiet affection before heading upstairs.
Karl remained alone on the sofa.
Silent.
Thinking.
Karl's Decision
This entire mess traced back to one man.
Nick Fury.
Karl now possessed:
mutant genetic samples (including Xavier and Magneto)
the Spider Serum formula
three Senzu Beans
one use of the Lumberjack Fountain
shadow constructs
telekinesis, cryokinesis, and dimensional access
Yet despite the gains…
Karl was still furious.
Fury had tried to weaponize Charles against him.
That crossed a line.
Karl leaned back, eyes cold.
Even with the Captain Marvel pager as Fury's ultimate insurance policy, he needed to be taught a lesson.
Not killed.
But reminded.
The Message
A Shadow Ninja appeared before Karl.
In its hands: a compact timed explosive.
Karl set the timer to three minutes.
He imprinted Nick Fury's appearance and scent signature into the ninja using the Niga Mask.
Mission:
Deliver the device directly to Fury.
If Fury escaped — he lived.
If he failed — that was his fate.
The Shadow Ninja vanished.
Karl teleported to a tree overlooking the Potomac-facing S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion complex and waited.
Inside S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
Nick Fury sat in his office, reviewing contingency options for dealing with Karl.
Then—
A ripple in the air.
A black-clad ninja appeared silently in front of his desk.
It placed a device on the desk.
Then vanished.
Fury's eye locked onto the timer.
00:05
He didn't hesitate.
He dove toward the reinforced blast door.
The moment it sealed—
BOOM—!!
The explosion obliterated the interior of his office.
The blast hurled Fury through the doorway and into the corridor wall.
Smoke filled the hallway.
His ears rang.
Vision blurred.
He tasted blood.
Still conscious.
Still alive.
He would probably have cursed… if his lungs would cooperate.
Immediate Response
"Director! Director!!"
Maria Hill sprinted down the corridor with security agents.
She found Fury pinned against the wall, burned and bleeding but alive.
His reinforced office — designed to withstand explosive attacks — had absorbed the worst of the blast.
Without that reinforcement, he would have been dead.
"Get medical! Now!"
Agents rushed him toward the infirmary.
Karl's Observation
High above, Karl received confirmation through the Shadow Ninja link.
Mission complete.
He smiled faintly.
If Fury wasn't dead — he would be bedridden for weeks.
That was sufficient.
Karl vanished from the tree line.
After all…
If Nick Fury could be killed that easily, he wouldn't be the most dangerous intelligence chief on Earth.
The Summons
Meanwhile, Tony Stark received a federal summons.
He was required to appear before a Senate Armed Services hearing.
Tony wasn't surprised.
Ever since declaring "I am Iron Man," he knew this day would come.
Governments do not ignore private citizens possessing strategic-level weapon systems.
Corporate Alarm
When news spread that the hearing's goal was to force Stark to surrender the Iron Man armor, Norman Osborn immediately contacted leaders of major defense and technology corporations.
His message was blunt:
"Today it's Stark.
Tomorrow it could be you.
If the government sets this precedent, no proprietary technology is safe."
Executives responded quickly.
"I agree."
"We can't allow forced seizure of private innovation."
"I'll be present."
If the government overreached, markets would panic.
And Wall Street feared panic more than war.
The Senate Hearing
The next day, Tony attended the hearing.
Cameras flashed.
Press crowded the chamber.
A senator leaned forward.
"Mr. Stark, do you possess a privately developed weapons system with strategic capabilities that may threaten national security? If so, you are required to surrender it."
Tony replied calmly:
"I do not."
The senator frowned.
"Then what is the Iron Man armor?"
Tony shrugged.
"That depends on your definition. Is a high-tech prosthetic limb a weapon?"
Murmurs spread through the chamber.
The senator pressed on.
"This technology must be surrendered for national stability. We have invited expert witnesses… including Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes."
Tony glanced sideways.
He hadn't expected Rhodey to be brought in publicly.
Rhodes read an official assessment.
Then Justin Hammer was called to testify.
Hammer delivered a smug, self-serving speech about the dangers of privatized weapon systems.
Tony rolled his eyes.
Then he accessed the hearing display system.
With a few keystrokes, he replaced the live feed.
Footage appeared:
Hammer Industries weapons tests.
Unstable drones.
Weapon malfunctions.
Explosive failures.
The chamber erupted in whispers.
Tony spoke:
"It will take this country at least twenty years to replicate my technology."
He gestured at the footage.
"Hammer Industries? Maybe forty."
Laughter rippled through the audience.
Tony turned and walked out.
Behind him, the furious senator shouted:
"Stark! This is contempt!"
Tony didn't look back.
He blew a casual kiss to the cameras and left.
Aftermath
Norman Osborn and the other corporate leaders watched the broadcast in silence.
They had expected a battle.
Instead, Tony dismantled the hearing in minutes.
No precedent had been set.
Markets stabilized.
For now.
Back at the Workshop
Tony returned home and resumed work on his armor.
General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross had helped smooth over the mutant incident through military channels.
In return, Tony provided Ross with several large-scale sonic suppression weapons — far more powerful than Obadiah's prototype device.
Tony suspected they were intended for Hulk containment or crowd-control scenarios.
He chose not to ask.
Some questions invited answers better left unknown.
The world was shifting.
Power blocs were moving.
Governments were watching.
And Karl had just reminded the most powerful intelligence chief on Earth…
that he could be reached.
Visit patreon.com/ShiroTL to gain access to 40+ chapters