Just as Lucien left the scene, Medusa quickly gave orders to the other Inhumans.
She sent them back to Attilan with Lockjaw, and the massive teleporting dog also transported the restrained Alpha Primitives away from Earth. Only she and Black Bolt remained behind to deal with the approaching Iron Man.
Tony landed directly in front of Black Bolt with his typical dramatic flair. His face mask disappeared as the nanotech retracted, revealing the philanthropist.
He looked directly at Black Bolt with a mixture of authority and irritation. "So, Silent King..."
Black Bolt remained completely silent, as was his nature, but Medusa immediately spoke up with a sharp tone.
"It's King Black Bolt for you, Stark."
Tony turned his attention to Medusa, his expression shifting to one of mild amusement mixed with condescension. "Of course, the princess is going to do the talking as usual."
Medusa's frown deepened at the deliberate slight. "It's Queen for you."
Tony made a dismissive humming sound and gestured broadly at the destruction around them. "So why decorate my city? What's the occasion?" His sarcasm was thick as he referred to the damaged buildings and lava-scarred streets.
"It was an accident," Medusa replied firmly. "One of our people lost control, and this was the result."
Tony's expression immediately became more serious, and his usual playful demeanor vanished.
"Lost control? And do you know how many civilians lost their housing and shops because of that 'loss of control' incident?"
His voice rose as he continued, the businessman in him calculating damages and the hero in him thinking about innocent people affected by the rampage. "Next time, if you can't take care of your own problems, call me. I'll take care of them for you. Just don't bring them to my city."
Medusa's frown deepened at Tony's aggressive tone, but before she could respond, there was a familiar sound of teleportation. Lockjaw appeared again, but this time he brought something with him.
A giant pile of gold bars materialized next to the massive dog, gleaming in the streetlights. The stack was enormous, easily weighing over a ton.
Medusa looked at Stark with an expression that was both apologetic and dismissive.
"This time it was an accident, and as for the losses, use this gold as compensation. As for the rest, keep the change. The Inhumans have no shortage of things you humans consider rare."
With that, both she and Black Bolt stepped onto Lockjaw's back and teleported away, leaving Tony standing alone next to the massive pile of gold.
Tony's jaw hung open, but not because of the amount of gold he was seeing.
The pile was worth around a hundred million dollars, which wasn't particularly impressive to someone with his wealth. What bothered him was the way Medusa had treated him like a delivery boy and then given him what amounted to a tip.
He had come here to assess the situation and bring it under control, only to be completely shut down by the Inhuman Queen. The casual dismissal was more insulting than any direct confrontation would have been.
Tony sighed heavily as he looked at the gold and then at the destruction around him.
"Jeez, I wonder how Black Bolt handles her."
Attilan
Back on Attilan, the atmosphere was much calmer compared to how it was during the invasion. Dante was still unconscious but was now resting in the advanced medical facilities that the Inhumans had developed over centuries of dealing with power manifestations and transformations.
The medical bay was equipped with technology that could monitor and analyze Inhuman physiology in ways that human medicine couldn't even attempt. Dante's vital signs were stable, and his body was slowly adjusting to the massive changes that had occurred during his awakening.
Meanwhile, Black Bolt and Maximus were in Maximus's personal laboratory, a space filled with advanced computers and scientific equipment that would have impressed even Tony Stark.
Maximus was working intently at his computer, and on the large screen, Dante's body was being displayed in three-dimensional detail, showing his internal organs and the new biological systems that had developed during his transformation.
Black Bolt stood quietly behind his brother, watching the screen with his usual stoic expression. The data streaming across the display showed readings and measurements that only someone with Maximus's genius-level intellect could fully interpret.
Suddenly, Maximus burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the laboratory. He turned away from the computer to face his brother with obvious excitement.
"Brother, it did not fail," he said with enthusiasm. "It was just delayed."
Black Bolt raised an eyebrow slightly, the closest thing to a question he could express without risking his destructive voice.
Maximus continued his explanation, his eyes bright with scientific discovery. "When your voice caused the Terrigen mist bomb to explode during your fight with Thanos, it was immediately mixed into the atmosphere and is still in it."
He gestured back toward the screen, where atmospheric readings were now being displayed.
"It's just that it's still under the process, and if I'm right, then there will soon be clouds of Terrigen mist in the atmosphere."
The implications of what Maximus was saying began to sink in. The Terrigen mist wouldn't just disappear after the explosion - it would continue to exist and spread throughout Earth's atmosphere.
"Our little experiment with Dante proved our theory that Terrigen mist is not working wrong," Maximus continued.
"The only reason Dante's awakening was so fast is that we concentrated the Terrigen mist in a small area. But soon, the clouds will be formed and your plan will be successful."
Black Bolt's expression didn't change dramatically, but there was a subtle shift that showed satisfaction. His plan was working exactly as he had intended.
Maximus looked at his brother with something approaching admiration. "But brother, I never expected you to be this shrewd. You used Thanos's attack as an excuse and blasted the Terrigen mist bomb."
He paused, then continued with genuine pride in his voice. "Though I'm proud that our king can think and use his brain to take the matter of our low population into account."
The statement revealed the true scope of what Black Bolt had been planning. The fight with Thanos hadn't just been about defending Attilan - it had been an opportunity to execute a much larger strategy.
"Just a few days or weeks, and we will have countless more members to welcome to our race," Maximus said, turning back to look at the atmospheric data on his screen.
The readings showed Terrigen particles spreading slowly but steadily through Earth's atmosphere. Soon, anyone with dormant Inhuman genes would begin undergoing the same transformation that Dante had experienced.
The scale of what was about to happen was staggering. Across the entire planet, ordinary humans would suddenly discover that they carried Inhuman heritage.
Black Bolt had essentially guaranteed that the Inhuman population would experience explosive growth in the coming weeks.
Maximus chuckled again as he continued analyzing the data. "The atmospheric conditions are perfect. The Terrigen mist is stable and will remain active for months, maybe even years. Every person with Inhuman genes will eventually be exposed."
He pulled up a global map showing wind patterns and atmospheric circulation. "It will spread to every continent, every major population center. We're looking at potentially millions of new Inhumans."
Black Bolt remained silent, but his posture conveyed satisfaction with how events were unfolding. The plan he had conceived was working perfectly, and soon the Inhuman race would no longer be a small, isolated population.
"Of course, there will be chaos," Maximus admitted with a shrug. "Humans don't handle change well, especially when that change involves people they know suddenly developing superhuman abilities. But that's not our problem to solve."
The laboratory fell quiet except for the soft humming of computers processing atmospheric data from around the globe. Both brothers understood that they were witnessing the beginning of a new era for their people.
"The only question now," Maximus said thoughtfully, "is how we manage the integration of so many new Inhumans. Attilan wasn't built to house millions of people."
Black Bolt nodded slightly, acknowledging the logistical challenges that lay ahead. But compared to the near-extinction his people had been facing, these were good problems to have.
He had done this in such a way that nobody would be able to blame him for it.
Black Bolt's eyes shone with quiet satisfaction as he nodded.
.....
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