After his... "meal," Nolan leaned back. Delina, kneeling before him, gracefully finished cleaning up and rinsed her mouth in silence no ulterior motives, no fuss.
"You can stay nearby while I work," Nolan said flatly. "Just don't make noise. I don't like distractions during experiments."
He wasn't worried about her stealing his DNA or some sci-fi nonsense. If genetic extraction were that simple, Captain America would've been locked in a lab ages ago.
He retrieved his Vibranium shield, picked up a heavy steel hammer, and under Delina's stunned gaze smashed it against the shield's surface.
A muffled thud echoed, but the shield didn't even flinch. Not a scratch. Not a dent.
"Perfect," Nolan muttered, nodding with satisfaction. "This should hold up against his claws."
Captain America's shield was forged from Vibranium alloy, with traces of proto-Adamantium and other rare elements. It had better penetration resistance. Adamantium, being more edge-friendly, could be honed sharper.
But pure Vibranium? It excelled at kinetic absorption.
For Nolan, this shield wasn't for offence it was defence. He wasn't trying to kill Wolverine. He wanted to capture him... and study him.
Next came customization.
Cap had his red-white-and-blue star-spangled banner.
He sprayed a bold red "S" at the centre. The crest of the House of El. Superman's emblem.
He outlined the "S" with diamond-shaped lines and filled the background in a deep, royal blue. Clean. Powerful. Symbolic.
He gripped it, testing its weight and balance.
Nice. Solid. Just the right heft.
Placing it aside, Nolan started planning his next phase.
"Time to finish Klaue's arm. And before HYDRA shows up on our doorstep, I need to level up."
"Training. Research. Weapon upgrades."
"The data I've absorbed from HYDRA is a drop in the bucket. My predecessor's knowledge base was pathetic."
To replicate Wolverine's regenerative factor, Nolan needed advanced bioengineering mastery. And not just textbook theory real, experimental-level knowledge.
The only reason someone like Stryker had pulled it off was because he had help from geniuses like Zander Rice and Dr. Trask the father of the Sentinels. Without them? Deadpool and X-23 would never have existed.
And Nolan? He was just a former mid-tier lab tech in a throwaway research facility.
So he had to learn. Fast.
HYDRA's data was useful, but he'd also need to trawl the internet for bleeding-edge biomedical research and synthetic biology papers.
The more he absorbed, the closer he'd get to understanding and replicating Wolverine's healing factor.
With his mind racing through plans, Nolan pulled up Klaue's bioscans and prosthetic schematics.
The arm wasn't just a mechanical replacement. It had to:
Interface with nerves through sensors and microprocessors.
Simulate natural movement in real-time with near-zero lag.
Track every micromovement with nanosecond precision.
React with perfect alignment between thought and execution.
Even a fraction of the delay would make it feel like moving underwater.
Thankfully, the Chitauri had already perfected such tech.
He would adapt it fuse it with the Vibranium-powered sonic emitter Klaue's team had prototyped. The alloy compatibility was solid.
Now, it was just about execution.
A symphony of biofeedback sensors, AI-tuned processors, and seamless hydraulic coordination.
The squad of HYDRA super-soldiers had reduced Klaue's first safe house to rubble. After a full sweep of the area nothing.
It was like Klaue and Nolan had vanished from the face of the earth.
Baron Strucker gritted his teeth as he read the report.
This had Nolan's fingerprints all over it.
He's like a mole gone at the first sign of wind.
Strucker narrowed his eyes.
"Pull up all known intel on Klaue. That rat was barely worth tracking before but now he's joined forces with Nolan."
His aide began running searches. Within minutes, Strucker had a narrowed focus on a specific zone.
"Expand the search grid. Use satellite support if needed I want every corner of this region swept."
"But Baron," the aide interjected carefully, "expanding into this zone could attract S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention. We'd be risking exposure."
HYDRA had only just purged the Site 31 facility to cover Nolan's escape. If they moved too loud, especially near a populated zone...
"I don't care," Strucker snapped. "Nolan isn't just the key to the Super Soldier Serum he's something... more."
He'd reexamined Nolan's past and found the inconsistencies glaring. No way someone with that resume could've created something this groundbreaking.
Not unless he'd changed.
Strucker knew the truth. There were special people in this world. Hidden among the masses. He'd studied them. Experimented on them.
He believed Nolan was one of them.
If Nolan linked up with other gifted individuals he'd be unstoppable.
He had to be captured.
The aide bowed and left.
Strucker stared at Nolan's photo in the file.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Where are you... Nolan?"
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter!