Whether Silas Stone wanted to accept it or not, he had to admit one thing: before the accident, he hadn't paid enough attention to his family. If he hadn't missed Victor Stone's important championship game, there would have been no argument between Victor and his mother, and the car accident might never have happened.
Silas felt a deep sense of guilt about this, but aside from reviving Victor through the Mother Box, he didn't know how to offer him comfort.
Even at the crucial moment when Victor had been transformed, gaining supernatural abilities but becoming a "monster" in his own eyes, Silas still devoted much of his energy and time to Mother Box research.
Now, as Silas struggled to find a way to address Victor's emotional wounds, Victor had already made his own peace, planning a future for himself and even compromising along the way. Although Victor still seemed cold on the surface, Silas understood that Victor had made his peace with him.
"It seems they really are a troubled father-son pair. He may actually have gotten himself captured on purpose," Reed Richards muttered, watching the surveillance footage.
"Doesn't matter," Tony Stark replied softly. "They're under our watch now. JARVIS has already scanned his body—unique, yes, but not impossible to control."
"He's similar to Hydra's Dr. Zola, except that he still has a physical body. That's actually a weakness—at least he can't hide entirely in data networks."
"I get it. A localized virus attack, right?" Reed immediately caught on to Tony's meaning.
Though Victor had previously overpowered JARVIS with ease and even managed to hold his ground when Reed intervened, that didn't mean Victor's capabilities were unrestricted.
"Exactly. The only tricky part of planting the virus is catching him off guard. Fortunately, we have that capability," Tony nodded, then frowned as he added, "Still, JARVIS could use some upgrades. It's not like he needs to be at the level of that Supreme Intelligence the Saiyans encountered, but he shouldn't be so easily breached. The Avengers' data is way too critical to leave exposed."
"Victor's intrusion wasn't on Earth's level, which means if Apokolips ever invades, our secrets will be wide open to them," Reed agreed, nodding. "Victor's abilities are the result of Mother Box technology, meaning their level of tech is beyond our control. If they bring more advanced data manipulation, your suits could go haywire—and even those unstable bio-flamers could fall under their control."
"Let's hope they hold off for a while," Tony said with a hint of exhaustion. "We've got enough on our plate right now. To be honest, I'm pretty worn out. Without that drug we developed to ease physical fatigue, I'd probably be running on fumes already."
Mental fatigue was another issue, though—one he and Reed could only resolve on their own. Mental health medications couldn't be developed as freely, and physical exhaustion was one thing, but mental strain was a whole different challenge.
"Barry and Ben should be close to finalizing the new serum. Steve could get a boost, too," Reed mentioned, glancing at Tony. "Thinking of trying it yourself, or sticking with this 'pure human' ideal?"
"There's no such thing as a 'pure human,'" Tony sighed. "Human genes have never been 'pure,' especially given that our civilization might just be an experiment of the Celestials. Anyway, if I don't strengthen myself, I might not hold up much longer. Age catches up eventually, especially given my, uh, indulgences in youth…"
Tony used to think that his younger escapades wouldn't affect him, but with the escalating intensity of Avengers' missions, he had to admit his physical limits were taking a toll. Even the fatigue-relieving drug wasn't enough since his base physical fitness was relatively low.
"According to our research data, this new serum should function as a stronger Super Soldier Serum. Its Extremis virus compatibility just isn't high enough, so barring surprises…" Reed nodded confidently.
Although Reed and Tony weren't actively involved in every aspect of the research, they had set the primary direction. With limited Avengers personnel, Barry Allen and Ben Grimm had been put in charge of this experiment.
But as confident as Reed was, overconfidence could backfire, especially when experiments were conducted outside his or Tony's direct oversight.
Before Reed could finish his sentence, a loud "crack!" echoed outside the Avengers base, immediately followed by JARVIS's alarm.
"Warning! Barry Allen was struck by lightning and is currently unconscious. Suspect is unidentified, and no surveillance footage captured the attacker…"
"What?!" Tony and Reed's faces changed as they rushed toward Barry's lab. By the time they arrived, Robert was already there, observing Barry's condition.
"JARVIS! Replay the footage from Barry's lab and the base perimeter," Tony ordered.
"Yes, sir." JARVIS promptly displayed the lab footage along with the external footage of the Avengers base.
After the Avengers had finished inspecting the Red Room in mid-air, Barry Allen and Ben Grimm returned to the lab to continue their research. As they worked, everything seemed normal, so JARVIS sped up the footage.
Then, at a certain moment, Barry paused, a confused look on his face as he glanced out the window. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck outside the Avengers base, shattering the specially reinforced window and hitting Barry directly.
In that instant, the experimental compound Barry had been holding shattered, splashing onto him. Barry's body convulsed briefly, and then he collapsed.
The incident happened so fast that Ben, an ordinary human, didn't have time to react. By the time he came to his senses, Barry was already down, prompting Ben to cry out in alarm. Moments later, Robert arrived at the scene.
"This lightning appeared out of nowhere, not from a storm. Is Thor back on Earth, or is there someone else with similar lightning powers?" Tony furrowed his brow as he examined the footage.
While Peter Parker also had electric powers, Tony ruled him out. Peter's abilities, enhanced by the loss of Mjolnir, leaned more toward electricity than lightning—a distinct difference in Tony's eyes.
"Thor isn't on Earth, and I didn't sense anyone's presence before the lightning struck. Barry may have encountered something similar to what happened to Lorna and Pietro," Robert replied calmly.
"I'm not sure who did this, but Barry hasn't been hurt. The lightning imbued him with an unfamiliar energy, putting him into a coma as his body adapts to it."
"An unfamiliar energy? Isn't lightning supposed to grant powers like Thor's?" Tony looked at Barry's unconscious form, puzzled. "And why would this even happen?"
"Hard to say—someone may be watching us, or maybe this is Barry's good fortune?" Robert speculated. "But it's definitely a positive for Barry; at least he'll be able to keep up with the team now. That's been his goal all along. I just hope Pietro won't get too envious…"
"I won't be jealous, as long as Barry's okay!" Pietro interjected, walking in at that moment. He'd overheard the last part and shook his head firmly. "Besides, I got my powers first along with Lorna, so it's only fair Barry has his own breakthrough."
"I hope you'll feel the same after Barry masters his new powers," Robert chuckled, glancing at Pietro.
"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Pietro's expression froze, his confidence faltering. "Is Barry's power going to be way stronger than mine? That doesn't make sense—before he powered up, his speed was barely above mine. After my enhancement, I left him far behind. If he powers up now, he should only be able to match me or maybe be a little stronger, right?"
While he'd accept Barry being on par with him, Pietro dreaded the idea of Barry surpassing him by a huge margin.
"I'm not sure if he's still a speedster like you, but the energy inside him is massive—possibly even greater than what we've seen in Doctor Strange or Captain Marvel!" Robert grinned.
"What? That's insane!" Pietro's eyes widened in disbelief. He wasn't entirely familiar with Captain Marvel's full power, but Doctor Strange's abilities were well-known to the Avengers.
"God help me—no, Superman help me! Please let Barry's new power go anywhere except his speed!" After a moment, Pietro began to pray.
To be honest, Pietro would rather Barry become a powerhouse like Strange, no matter how strong. But if Barry's speed outmatched his, Pietro would be devastated.
"Oh, stop being so dramatic. Barry's increased strength is a good thing, isn't it?" Lorna scolded Pietro with a playful tap on his head.
"A more well-rounded Barry wouldn't be so bad," Pietro mumbled reluctantly.
"He's awake." Robert's gaze shifted to Barry, who was just starting to regain consciousness.
"Where am I?" Barry murmured, looking around in confusion as he took in the sight of his teammates. Just then, Pietro dashed over to him.
"Quick, find out what powers you've got!" Pietro urged eagerly.
In a flash, Barry appeared at the other end of the lab, leaving Pietro empty-handed and visibly distraught.
"Oh no! Whether or not he has other powers, Barry's faster than me! His speed's practically godlike!" Pietro, a speedster himself, immediately recognized Barry's newfound velocity.
"Am I…enhanced?" Barry murmured, equally stunned as he looked down at himself.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]