Compare the products of two industrial giants, and the difference becos obvious.
After shutting down its weapons division, Stark Industries pivoted into clean energy. Tony Stark now stood at the forefront of the world's next-generation energy revolution, holding patents that—on paper—should have made him unimaginably wealthy.
In theory.
Reality was less cooperative.
The first obstacle was adoption.
Clean energy didn't just replace old systems—it threatened them. Middle Eastern oil fields, legacy energy conglorates, and the financial empires behind them weren't going to step aside quietly. Many of those interests were tied directly to powerful Arican capital groups. Letting their assets devalue, or worse, collapse, was not an option they would accept.
If not for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s protection, Tony Stark might have already been eliminated and replaced by soone more… agreeable.
Then ca the second problem.
Jobs.
Entire industries depended on fossil fuels. Workers, engineers, logistics networks, educational institutions built around old energy systems—millions of livelihoods were tied to it. Replace that overnight, and you don't just disrupt economies.
You destabilize societies.
Even students currently training in those fields would find themselves obsolete before they ever entered the workforce.
The ripple effect would be enormous.
To transition humanity fully, it would take generations.
Four, at a minimum.
And that was an optimistic estimate.
Because those sa entrenched interests wouldn't sit idle. They would resist. Fund protests. Incite unrest. Sabotage infrastructure. Push back in every way possible.
Stretch that resistance out, and the tiline doubles.
Five generations. Maybe more.
People understood the benefits of clean energy.
They just didn't want to pay the price.
—
That was why Drex Valen never pursued it.
Too slow.
Too complicated.
Too many moving parts.
Materials and weapons, on the other hand?
Imdiate return.
Imdiate leverage.
—
He had developed the miniature arc reactor.
But he never marketed it as a global energy solution.
It powered War Machine.
Nothing more.
—
And that decision—
That focus—
Was exactly why Blade Technology Industries had caught up to, and now surpassed, Stark Industries in such a short ti.
—
"Boss… you're brilliant. No one doubts that."
Urd stood at the lab entrance, arms crossed lightly.
"But you don't have to live here."
Drex barely looked up from his workstation.
Days blurred together for him. Research consud everything.
Urd admired that drive.
But it ca with a cost.
She couldn't get close to him—not really. He kept a distance that had nothing to do with hierarchy.
And more than that—
She worried.
Relentless focus had a way of breaking people.
—
Drex set a tool down, finally glancing in her direction.
"Half the world wants dead right now," he said evenly. "Stepping outside just increases the odds they take a shot—and soone else pays for it."
A faint pause.
"I'd rather stay here and make sothing useful."
—
Urd considered that.
He wasn't wrong.
Being a figure who reshaped an era didn't guarantee safety.
History had proven that.
Repeatedly.
—
"By the way," Drex added, almost casually, "what's the status of Emil Blonsky?"
—
Urd straightened slightly.
"He accepted the offer."
There was a hint of amusent in her voice.
These days, almost no one turned down an invitation from Blade Technology Industries. Applications flooded in constantly—resus from top-tier talent across multiple fields.
Recently, Drex had been prioritizing specialists in biotechnology.
Urd had spent most of her ti coordinating with experts in genetic engineering and related disciplines.
—
As for Emil Blonsky—
He hadn't hesitated.
Not even a little.
—
Less than two days later, Drex t him.
Blonsky stood at attention, posture sharp, eyes alert.
A forr special forces operative, he carried himself like a man built for conflict.
Even so—
He couldn't hide his surprise.
This was Drex Valen.
The man who had reshaped global industry.
And he was…
Young.
Far younger than expected.
Barely twenty, according to official records.
Calling him talented didn't begin to cover it.
—
"Mr. Blonsky," Drex said, offering a faint smile, "are you willing to join Blade Technology Industries?"
—
"Absolutely, Mr. Valen."
The response ca instantly.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Though beneath that certainty, there was curiosity.
Why him?
—
Drex already knew the answer.
Blonsky wanted power.
Not status. Not wealth.
Power.
The kind that didn't fade.
The kind that let him stay in the fight, at his peak, indefinitely.
A career soldier who feared only one thing—
Aging out.
Losing the edge that defined him.
He had no family.
No attachnts.
No life beyond combat.
—
"You were selected for a reason," Drex said. "Our company has recently made a breakthrough in biological research."
He let that hang for a mont.
"And we're looking for individuals who can fully realize its potential. You're one of them."
—
Blonsky's breathing shifted.
Just slightly.
But enough.
—
Blade Technology Industries had already changed the world twice.
Secondary Kryptonite.
War Machine.
Either one alone would have secured a place in history.
Together—
They redefined it.
—
And now—
Another breakthrough?
—
Blonsky felt it.
That pull.
The sense that he was standing at the edge of sothing massive.
—
He didn't resist when they guided him to the lab.
Didn't question the process.
Didn't hesitate as he was secured onto the examination platform.
—
Nearby, a containnt unit stirred.
The second-generation bio-enhanced soldiers stood within.
They no longer resembled anything terrestrial.
No trace of their original species remained.
They were sothing else now—
Sothing built.
Sothing engineered.
Monstrous in form.
Overwhelming in capability.
Far beyond the first generation.
—
Blonsky saw them.
And smiled.
—
The injection ca next.
The serum entered his bloodstream—
Cold.
Violent.
Transformative.
—
Then he was lowered into a cultivation tank.
Fluid closed over him.
Systems activated.
—
And the process began.
User Comments
0 comments from readers