Nick Fury understood clearly: Ethan Hayes, the Ice Demon, was incredibly dangerous. His superpowers were unlike anything Fury had seen before. The X-Men's Iceman had powerful abilities, but he was nowhere near as unpredictable as Ethan. The frozen figures littering Hell's Kitchen, still lifelike, served as a grim reminder of his strength.
Jin Bin, the underworld emperor, lay dead, and now the terrifying Lizardman, with regenerative abilities comparable to Wolverine's, had been frozen by Ethan with shocking ease. Fury knew how to manage threats like Iceman's powers, but the casual, almost careless devastation wielded by Ethan was something else entirely. It was suffocating.
"Natasha, you should understand that Ethan Hayes has a capricious personality. His parents were killed when he was young, and he lived in Hell's Kitchen for two years. We don't know how much darkness still lingers in him," Nick Fury said in a low, serious tone.
"I understand the danger," Natasha Romanoff replied, her gaze fixed on the frozen form of the Lizardman. "But what's your plan for him? If the restorative serum doesn't work, once the ice melts, he'll pose a fatal threat to everyone at this base. He wanted to cover New York with lizard serum, turning everyone into cold-blooded monsters."
The thought of an entire city turned into lizardmen sent a chill down Natasha's spine. New York, the bustling metropolis, reduced to a kingdom of reptilian beings—a disaster that would shake the world.
Fury smiled grimly. "We've got the serum from Osborn to reverse the genetic modifications. Even if the serum fails, I have contingencies in place."
As Fury spoke, the ice encasing the Lizardman began to crack. The creature's body twitched slightly. Ethan's ice had trapped the Lizardman, but Ethan hadn't penetrated deep enough to fully destroy his regenerative cells. The damaged cells were quickly being replaced, a testament to the creature's incredible healing ability.
"Prepare the serum," Fury ordered.
A researcher moved to pierce the thin layer of ice and inject the serum. But before he could, the ice shattered entirely. The Lizardman's body swelled dramatically as he lunged forward, his sharp claws tearing into the researcher, using the man's body as a shield.
"Watch out!" Natasha yelled, tackling Fury out of the way as gunfire erupted in the lab.
The Lizardman, moving with terrifying speed, escaped the lab, leaving chaos in his wake. He had taken several vials of reduced serum and genetic modification serum with him. The screams of injured agents echoed through the base as gunfire rang out, eventually fading into silence.
Fury and Natasha stood and surveyed the damage. Natasha had tried to pursue, but the steel gates at the base had been ripped apart, leaving no chance of catching him. She sighed in frustration—once again, a monster had slipped through their grasp.
"This guy's more dangerous than we thought," Fury muttered, fury bubbling just beneath the surface. "His intelligence hasn't diminished in his lizard state. In fact, he seems more ruthless than ever."
Natasha nodded. "He must have a secret lab somewhere. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to develop and carry out such an ambitious plan. We need to find it before he can create more lizard monsters. If he succeeds, it won't just be New York at risk."
Cold-blooded, intelligent, and vengeful—if Dr. Connors had his way, New York would become a nightmare of reptilian terror. The thought of lizardmen, organized and vengeful, gave Natasha a sick feeling in her stomach.
"You handle Ethan Hayes. I'll go find Tony and see if he can help us track Connors," Fury said, his mind already racing. He needed Stark's brilliance to lock down the Lizardman's location.
Natasha, though reluctant to approach Ethan again, knew they needed his power to stop Connors. "I'll contact Ethan, but we also need Barton in the city. His archery skills with the serum could be crucial in bringing Connors down."
Natasha didn't voice her deeper concern—that Connors would improve the serum before they found him, rendering any antidote useless.
Ethan was woken from a deep sleep by the ringing of his phone. Gwen had already fallen asleep in the next room, but the caller ID made Ethan sit up, alert.
"Natasha Romanoff, calling in the middle of the night? Don't tell me you let that Lizardman escape," Ethan said dryly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
On the other end, Natasha sighed, exasperated. "You didn't warn us that thawing him out would make him more dangerous."
Ethan was momentarily silent. He hadn't expected Connors' regeneration abilities to be so rapid, even with the ice still in place. He had tried to keep Connors alive, but hadn't realized just how effective the Lizardman's healing could be.
"Is this your second favor?" Ethan asked, his voice calm but pointed.
"Yes," Natasha said, her tone resolute. "This is the second favor."
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