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Enzer had always anticipated a breaking point with S.H.I.E.L.D. 's tolerance, yet their continued inaction remained a puzzle. Was their funding truly that boundless? Regardless, the days drifted by in this peculiar equilibrium, with Enzer and the Dum, Dum clone as unlikely neighbors, occasionally indulging in acts of localized philanthropy, cycling through their seemingly inexhaustible funds with a shared, if odd, contentment.
"To date, the Queen has laid fourteen eggs. Two remain unhatched. The other twelve have yielded eleven offspring." Enzer tallied his burgeoning forces, simultaneously monitoring the nascent mental states of his creations, a unique telepathic link he possessed. During this period of incubation and growth, Enzer remained within his sanctuary until Blade's impatience drew him out.
"You know I have no fondness for visiting your… menagerie," Blade stated, pushing his sunglasses up as he surveyed the interior. He noted several Messenger Xenomorphs but didn't spot the crowned Queen. "Not content with your previous collection, I see. How did you acquire even more of these things?"
"And how do you manage to dispatch vampires with such… visceral efficiency on your own?" Enzer countered. "Strength. I possess considerable strength."
"Precisely my point. Because I am strong, I maintain an unwavering belief in my capacity to achieve significant things." Blade remained unconvinced, suspecting Enzer had been cultivating these embryos for an extended period, only now revealing their existence.
"State your purpose. My willingness to provide you with more of my… specialized solvents has its limits," Enzer said.
"No need. I dealt with a self proclaimed 'Blood God' recently. Your… concoction proved most effective. However, the fallout is that certain elements within the vampire community now suspect your involvement and are actively seeking to eliminate you."
"Then let them come," Enzer replied, considering the prospect with a detached air. "Perhaps a comprehensive eradication of vampires from this planet is a viable long, term goal."
Blade's eyes narrowed, his skepticism evident. "Are you serious? That's a monumental undertaking, bordering on impossible, short of developing a targeted viral agent. And countless others have tried that for years with minimal success. I still maintain that focusing on a mutant cure offers greater potential gain."
"Hmph. You believe addressing the mutant issue is somehow less complex than dealing with vampires?"
"No, I simply believe the mutant situation presents a larger, more intricate landscape. Focusing your efforts there offers greater potential rewards, as many researchers have already recognized. Vampires are, in essence, a parasitic infestation of humanity," Blade stated.
Enzer's tone hardened. "Then I shall leverage my power to… parasitize the vampire."
His animosity towards vampires seems genuine, bordering on a form of human supremacism. Or perhaps, Blade mused silently, this is merely a calculated facade, driven by the potential benefits of vampire hunting. Yet, Blade struggled to envision what those benefits might be. Beyond their extended lifespans and the inherent financial advantages of immortality, what tangible assets did vampires possess? Nothing of real value, as far as he could tell.
Blade finally revealed his reason for the visit. "There's a situation where your particular… talents might be required."
"Are you acting independently, or on behalf of this 'team' you mentioned?"
"I haven't formally aligned myself with them yet, so to be precise, I need your assistance. Reliable contacts are… scarce in my line of work," Blade stated evenly. "I've received intel that a rogue general has become fixated on resurrecting the Super Soldier program. To that end, he's even deployed military assets to capture a… rather large, green, mobile source of blood."
"You want me to… handle this 'green guy'? That's no small task. I recall seeing some rather… impactful reports about him online a few months back," Enzer remarked.
Blade stared at him, a mixture of disbelief and bewilderment in his eyes. "What in God's name makes you think you possess the means to interfere in the Hulk's affairs? A single roar from that behemoth would likely pulverize your entire collection of 'pets.'" Are all these young upstarts this reckless? Or are they simply delusional about their capabilities?
"Then I shall endeavor to express my gratitude," Enzer replied, his tone deliberately ambiguous.
Blade scrutinized Enzer's subtle facial cues, still unable to discern whether this apparent confidence stemmed from ignorance or a concealed agenda. He leaned towards the former. Anyone even remotely familiar with the Hulk's capabilities would be awestruck, if not terrified. This green behemoth could swat down aircraft with his bare hands and generate hundreds, if not thousands, of tons of force with a casual gesture. His power escalated exponentially with his anger.
Blade continued, "There are individuals seeking to exploit the Hulk's unique physiology. Your… smaller creations are remarkably agile and possess a certain… combat potential. They could potentially divert some of the attention."
"But why would I willingly involve myself in something so inherently perilous? Simply to allow these shadowy figures to gauge my 'threat level'?"
"Look, I'm not privy to the full extent of your deductions, but there's no harm in leveraging your capabilities where you can," Blade said directly. "Your current power base isn't sufficient to intimidate these players, but they also can't afford to let you operate unchecked. You're an intelligent individual; you must have foreseen this dynamic when you initiated our arrangement." Blade's gaze intensified. "You've been deliberately showcasing your… talents, haven't you? Perhaps it's time to make your presence more widely known. Aligning yourself, even tangentially, with their power structure could be a strategic advantage."
"Don't misunderstand my intentions. I have no desire to 'join' you. My motivations are… more altruistic. I simply wish to contribute to the betterment of society," Enzer stated with a dismissive wave. He recognized, however, that a more public emergence was inevitable, and using Blade's current predicament as a catalyst presented a convenient opportunity. He took the offered document from Blade, his eyes scanning the contents, quickly grasping S.H.I.E.L.D.'s primary focus. It wasn't the Hulk himself they were after, but another individual: a "Mr. Blue," who had apparently conducted genetic experiments using the Hulk's blood.
Blade's interest in Mr. Blue stemmed from the scientist's connections to a particularly influential vampire known as the Blood Baron. This association hinted at a potentially dangerous and large, scale blood trade, marking Mr. Blue as a priority target for elimination. In Blade's grim assessment, the potential consequences of a high, ranking vampire consuming the Hulk's blood were too catastrophic to contemplate. The resulting entity was an unknown and unacceptable risk.
"Understood. You require me to locate and neutralize this 'Mr. Blue,' correct?" Enzer stated. "Let me be unequivocally clear: my involvement in such an endeavor comes at a significant cost."
"One million dollars," Blade countered.
"Two million, considering the inherent risks. Furthermore, I require all available intelligence regarding vampire population density and the locations of their known strongholds," Enzer stipulated.
Blade regarded the young man with a knowing look. Information on vampire population distribution? Such a request suggested either utter recklessness or a truly bizarre obsession. What was it about vampires that so captivated Enzer? Blade operated on a simple principle: eliminate them. But Enzer seemed to perceive a different, untapped potential. Their numbers are significant, and their individual strength is considerable. One could potentially… profit from a large, scale acquisition. Nothing piqued Enzer's interest more than the prospect of capturing vampires. After all, what other supernatural entities offered such… readily available resources? Mutants were far too unpredictable and politically volatile.