----
Nolan entered Otto's lab and walked straight toward the containment display. Inside sat a shimmering crystal transparent, prismatic, pulsing faintly with energy. Otto had done it.
Using a particle collider, he had refined a fragment of the Tesseract into a new isotope brighter, more stable, and far closer to viable power output.
Nolan scanned the readout Otto handed him, eyebrows lifting slightly. "It's good… but this isn't truly infinite. At a higher draw rate, energy output collapses. The core can't maintain equilibrium."
Otto adjusted his goggles, hands still stained from the reactor tools. "Boss, there's no such thing as infinite energy. Just underutilized fuel."
He gestured toward the refined crystal.
"This shard alone could power the entire Oscorp complex for a full year. And after that? The isotopic core can recharge itself within two months."
Nolan ran a few calculations of his own, skimming through the data.
"Can we mass-produce it?"
"With the structural model? Yes," Otto replied. "But creating chain reactions requires high heat thresholds. We're not Tony Stark. Miniaturized cold nuclear fission? That's beyond me unless you've got full schematics."
At least Otto was honest. He didn't oversell.
"Doesn't matter. I'll figure out the reaction dynamics later. First, get started on Max's power armor. He's the biggest beneficiary of this upgrade."
Electro—Max Dillon was still reliant on stored electrical charge to fight. His body was like a capacitor, and while he was improving, there was still an upper limit.
This suit would eliminate that problem.
It would let him fight fully charged always.
Otto nodded. "Consider it done."
---
Back in his personal lab, Nolan skimmed through progress reports.
Connors hadn't submitted anything new on the Mystique genome. Not because of laziness, but because of how volatile the gene was, any shift in conditions destabilized the transformation DNA. One wrong step, and weeks of work evaporated.
Nolan didn't intervene.
He could have solved it. But if Connors never struggled, he'd never grow. Nolan needed capable minds, not assistants, for Earth, and eventually, beyond Earth… and into the multiverse.
He had bigger fish to dissect.
---
Inside a reinforced chamber, Nolan lowered himself to a microscope. Under the lens: Abomination's cellular tissue, specifically, a sample taken from the arm.
He placed it side-by-side with Hulk's medical data.
The difference was clear.
Abomination's cells were compact, absurdly dense. The cell membranes had enhanced permeability, allowing rapid nutrient and energy exchange without rupturing organelles.
Internally, the nuclei had adapted, producing specialized proteins that reshaped the internal structures for combat readiness.
"Gamma cells… flexible, high-capacity, high-yield…"
Abomination's cells were locked, solidified gamma expressions.
Hulks were reactive, still evolving, still adaptable.
"Abomination's raw power exceeds base Hulk, but he lost all flexibility. No evolution, no transformation. Just a wall."
He scribbled more notes.
"Red Hulk, She-Hulk, and Hulk all possess reactive gamma cells. Their power can grow. The missing variable is…"
He paused.
"…the Super Soldier Serum."
Everything came back to that.
Blonsky, the man who became Abomination, wasn't exposed to gamma radiation alone. He had already been dosed with an unstable version of the military's serum. That's likely what allowed him to survive the mutation.
But it also froze his evolution.
Unlike Banner, who underwent direct radiation exposure, Blonsky injected Banner's blood, not raw gamma. No family compatibility, no immunity. He should've died.
But the serum stabilized him… at a price.
Permanent transformation. No reversion. No growth.
"She-Hulk and Abomination used the same base material. But Jennifer Walters was Banner's cousin. Her genetic compatibility prevented rejection. Blonsky? Total mismatch. His survival was a fluke."
Nolan sat back, arms folded.
If he attempted a similar experiment, he couldn't afford to guess.
"I have the gamma spectrum parameters. I could trigger it anytime…"
"But if I want a controlled gamma mutation, something like Red Hulk or Hulk,, I need cellular resilience before exposure."
"Elle," he said aloud, "your take?"
The AI's voice responded smoothly.
"Based on your prior solution style: cellular fusion."
"Most viable path: fuse Mystique's shapeshifting DNA with compatible power-based cells, Sebastian Shaw, Sunspot, or Human Torch. Then exposed to gamma radiation."
Nolan nodded.
The theory was tracked.
It would mimic Red Hulk's ability to absorb radiation… with added adaptability from Mystique's DNA. In theory, his body would transform, react, and retain growth potential.
Still… too many unknowns.
He wouldn't risk everything on a shot in the dark.
"I'll need Sunspot's genome," he muttered. "And… Red Hulk's data."
Only then would it be safe to proceed.
----
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