"Dr. Connors has found someone who can cure him? Who is it?" Peter asked, staring at the note in his hand, doubt tightening his voice.
Just as he stood there wondering, Alice's voice rang in A2's earpiece.
"Sister A2, I've reviewed all video surveillance within a five-kilometer radius. Dr. Connors was spotted."
Two days ago, Connors had met with a mysterious hooded figure, returned briefly to his lab, and then vanished without a trace.
"A hooded man? Who is he?" A2's brow furrowed with suspicion.
"Based on facial recognition and gait analysis, there's an 80% match to Dr. Stern—the one the boss assigned me to track. It's highly likely it's him."
"Dr. Stern? The guy who turned General Ross into the Red Hulk?"
"Yes. According to the boss, Stern's brain was enhanced with a refined Hulk serum. His IQ is off the charts—which is exactly why he's on our watchlist."
"Take a screenshot immediately. We need to report this to the boss right away."
"Understood!" Alice snapped into action, capturing the frame of Connors meeting the hooded man and transmitting it directly to Loren.
With no sign of Connors at the scene, A2 saw no reason to linger. In a flash, she transformed into a streak of iridescent light and shot toward the manor, vanishing before Peter could even blink.
Peter frowned, watching her disappear into the distance. Things were spiraling—fast.
He had to find Dr. Connors. If he didn't, who knew what disaster might unfold?
But how?
He had zero leads. It was like looking for a needle in a burning haystack.
Then it hit him.
He frantically patted his pockets and pulled out a crumpled business card. The ink was smudged, but the name was clear:
Homeland Strategic Defense, Attack and Logistics Agency
Special Agent Phil Coulson
"This guy might be able to help," Peter muttered, dialing the number before he could second-guess himself.
---
Inside Morgan Manor, Loren studied the screenshot Alice had sent, his expression unreadable.
"Alice," he said coolly, "aside from this image, have you uncovered anything else on Dr. Stern?"
"Yes, Boss. Using the timestamp of Connors's meeting as a reference, I cross-referenced citywide surveillance. I've located Stern's secret lab."
"Excellent." Loren's eyes narrowed. "A2—take your squad and pay him a visit. He's reached into my domain. Let's make sure he regrets it."
"Understood," A2 replied. "Do you want him alive or subdued?"
"Try diplomacy first. If he refuses to cooperate…" Loren's voice dropped to a razor's edge. "Then send him to meet his ancestors."
"On it."
A2 sprang into motion, leading her team toward the coordinates Alice provided.
---
Deep within his hidden lab, Dr. Kurt Connors lay on an operating table, his human form temporarily restored—but barely conscious.
Beside him, a green-skinned man with an abnormally large head tinkered gleefully with a vial of glowing green serum.
Dr. Stern.
"Interspecies gene fusion—pure genius," Stern mused aloud. "Once perfected, it'll birth the ultimate organism. And you, Connors—you're its father. Your name should be worshipped, not spat upon like some lab rat."
"You said you'd help me become human again," Connors rasped, struggling against his restraints. "I have a wife. Children. I don't want to be a monster!"
"Fool!" Stern snapped. "We've transcended humanity. Why crawl back into that ant colony? You belong among gods!"
He gestured toward a device mounted on the roof of the Empire State Building, visible through a live feed on a nearby monitor.
"In ten minutes, this dispersal unit activates. The entire city will be bathed in my Super Lizard Serum. Your family will join you—not as humans, but as your true kin. Isn't that what you wanted?"
"No! They're innocent! Don't—!"
"I will let you go," Stern said, his eyes wild with triumph. "But not yet."
Before Connors could protest further, Stern jammed the syringe into his neck.
The serum—enhanced with refined Hulk DNA—hit Connors' system like a detonation. Stronger than the formulas used on Blonsky or Ross, it didn't just stabilize the Lizard form—it triggered a berserk, hyper-evolved mutation, surpassing even Abomination and Red Hulk in raw power.
Stern grinned. His third masterpiece was about to be born.
Then—ALARMS BLARED.
On the security monitor, a silver-haired woman and over a dozen black-clad operatives stormed the compound perimeter.
Stern's grin twisted into a snarl.
"Loren Morgan! Always spoiling my work! Fine—if you want a war, I'll give you one!"
He'd spent years in the shadows since the Hulk vs. Abomination incident, refining his craft, obsessively improving the serum that once turned men into gods—or monsters. Both Abomination and Red Hulk were his creations, his pride. And both had been taken from him… by her.
Now, he was done hiding.
His third masterpiece was nearly complete. And this time, Loren wouldn't walk away unscathed.
Just then, a guttural roar shook the lab.
Connors—no, the Super Lizard—ripped free from the ta
ble, eyes blazing, muscles swelling, scales hardening like armor.
The transformation was complete.
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