Abomination's flesh evaporated under the Gauss Blaster's relentless assault.
Every shot stripped away more mass, reducing the creature to its fundamental components. The heavy bone plates covering its chest, thick enough to stop anti-materiel rifle rounds, offered no more protection than paper. They glowed green for an instant, then dissolved into nothing.
The ribs beneath collapsed, crystal-green light eating through calcium and marrow. The protective cage that should have shielded vital organs simply ceased to exist.
Abomination's heart was exposed. Massive, grotesque, pounding frantically as if aware of its vulnerability. It beat faster, harder, pumping enhanced blood through a body that was rapidly disappearing.
The green beams found Abomination's legs. Thick thighs, corded with muscle dense as steel cable, evaporated. Flesh first, then bone. The femurs lasted seconds longer than the surrounding tissue before they too broke down into constituent atoms.
Without skeletal support, Abomination's massive bulk collapsed.
The creature fell like a toppled tree, hitting the pavement with tremendous force. The impact raised clouds of dust mixed with the faintly glowing green vapor of its own dissolving body.
Its limbs were gone entirely now, separated from the torso and reduced to scattered atoms drifting on the night breeze. Only the head remained intact, connected to a partial neck and that huge, exposed heart still beating in the open air.
The heart's rhythm was proof of life. Barely.
Abomination wanted to roar. Wanted to scream its rage and confusion and terror. But the green light had already crept up past its shoulders, melting through vocal cords and trachea. No sound emerged except a wet, desperate gasping.
It writhed on the ground, using what little remained of the skin on its back to feel vibrations through the pavement.
Footsteps. Steady. Approaching.
The figure that had destroyed it so easily was coming closer.
Abomination's blind eyes rolled uselessly in their sockets, seeing nothing but darkness and afterimages.
Then something cold and sharp punched through its heart.
A bayonet, driven with precise force directly into the ventricle. The organ spasmed once, twice, then began to slow.
Nolan stood over the dying creature, his face hidden behind the Kasrkin helmet. He pulled the blade free with a wet sound and stepped back.
Then he raised the Gauss Blaster one final time.
And fired.
Green light consumed everything. The remainder of Abomination's body, the pavement beneath it, even the air itself seemed to burn with that terrible color. The beams carved a deep crater into the street, melting through asphalt and the substrate below.
When Nolan finally stopped firing, nothing remained. Not even the toe that should have been separated earlier. Just a pit glowing faintly green, surrounded by wisps of dissipating atoms.
Nolan raised his head, helmet tracking movement at the end of the street.
Police cars. Military Humvees. The cavalry arriving after the battle was already over.
He snorted derisively, the sound barely audible within his helmet.
Then he turned and walked into the shadows between buildings, Gauss Blaster carried casually over one shoulder. By the time the authorities reached the site, he was long gone.
The sweating policemen and heavily armed soldiers carefully picked their way through the devastated street. They found the crater. Found scorch marks and melted asphalt. Found absolutely nothing that explained what had happened here.
One soldier claimed he saw a large toe earlier, evidence of the monster. But by the time they secured the area, even that had dissolved into nothing.
They stared at the destruction and had no answers to offer.
Nolan navigated the twisting underground passages with practiced ease, returning to the secret base.
David waited in the main hall, his optical sensors brightening as Nolan entered.
Nolan set down the Gauss Blaster and scanned the space. No sign of his aunt.
He pulled off his helmet, his face showing the fatigue beneath. "Where's my aunt?"
David's head tilted slightly. "She has returned to her apartment to rest, my lord. I believe she required time to process the evening's events."
Nolan exhaled slowly and crossed to the round table at the hall's center. He tossed his helmet onto its surface with a clang, then hoisted himself up to sit on the edge.
"I didn't want her to know," he said quietly. "She's just a civilian. She has old-fashioned values, a simple life. She doesn't need to carry the weight of what I'm doing."
"My lord, if I may interject." David stepped forward, his tall metal frame somehow conveying eagerness despite having no real body language. His voice carried an unusual quality, almost animated.
"Your aunt is not as fragile as you believe."
Nolan looked up, surprised.
David continued. "During your absence, she recovered from her initial panic remarkably quickly. She even attempted to communicate with me, asking questions about my function and purpose."
A pause. "Her methods were somewhat clumsy, yes. But her respect for my existence far exceeded what I have observed from Ms. Jessica. Or, if I may be candid, from yourself, my lord."
Another pause, this one more hesitant. "Please forgive my presumption, but the data suggests you are underestimating your aunt's resilience. I do not believe you need to worry about her as much as you do."
Nolan sat in silence, processing David's words. His feet swung idly back and forth, scuffing against the table leg.
Several minutes passed.
Finally, he slid off the table and landed on his feet. "I think I need to reflect on that."
He walked toward the lounge without another word.
Half an hour later, cleaned up and dressed in civilian clothes, Nolan quietly opened his apartment door.
The living room was dark. Silent. The clock read past midnight.
He stood in the doorway, debating whether to check on his aunt. But disturbing her rest seemed counterproductive. She'd been through enough today.
He went straight to his bedroom and collapsed on the bed, pulling out his phone.
The news feeds were chaotic. New York had erupted into panic after the monster's rampage. The preliminary death count was climbing, each update bringing fresh outrage.
Comments sections were battlegrounds. Some people demanded answers from the military. Others criticized the federal government's response time. A vocal minority mocked Tony Stark, suggesting that Iron Man only bothered saving people overseas while ignoring his own backyard.
The internet had descended into its usual circus of hot takes and conspiracy theories.
Nolan scrolled through it all with narrowed eyes, searching for useful information. He found nothing that David hadn't already reported.
He tossed the phone aside and closed his eyes.
Sleep came quickly, pulling him down into darkness. But as he drifted, he felt something strange. Deep in his mind, in some space that wasn't quite physical, something stirred. Something was brewing, growing, preparing...
Before he could focus on that sensation, identify what it meant, sleep claimed him entirely.
The next morning, Nolan woke with purpose. He needed to talk to his aunt. Explain things properly, address her concerns, make sure she understood what she'd seen.
But when he found her in the kitchen, she spoke first.
Her words surprised him.
She expressed appreciation for what he'd done last night. Putting himself in danger to help others. She was pleased to see him growing into someone who would stand up when it mattered.
Then she said something that caught him completely off guard.
Whatever he planned to do going forward, whatever path he chose, she would support him. As family, it was her role to understand and accept his decisions. The world around them was changing in ways beyond anyone's control. If Nolan had found his place in that changing world, she would follow his lead.
She wouldn't be a burden to him. Wouldn't hold him back.
The sincerity in her voice left Nolan speechless.
He could only nod, throat tight, already thinking about how to ensure her safety in the chaos to come.
Jason called shortly after, checking on the restaurant. Despite everything, his aunt decided to open for business today. Normalcy as defiance against the previous night's horror.
Nolan stayed home after she left. He ate a simple breakfast, then pulled out his textbooks. The makeup exam was approaching. Might as well prepare, maintain the appearance of a normal life.
Then he'd head to the base to check on Jessica's recovery. See how her training was progressing.
Thirty minutes into studying, his mind wandered. He stared at the textbook without reading, thoughts elsewhere.
Finally, he closed the book and opened the simulator interface.
Time for another dive. Time to see what other tools the Emperor might provide for the battles ahead.