Chapter 46: Red Skull - The Ultimate Manipulator
Ryan stared at the data analysis combining Captain America's enhanced genetics with the Celestial gene samples.
He ultimately concluded that before attempting Celestial gene bone marrow injection on himself, live human trials were essential. If the procedure failed catastrophically, regret would come too late.
It was well past midnight when he filed the report and departed the laboratory.
Crossing the military base's manicured grounds toward the luxury quarters Ross had arranged, he suddenly stopped midway.
He turned toward a small hill overlooking the barracks. After a moment's consideration, he changed direction.
The perimeter fence and razor wire stood twelve feet high, but Ryan effortlessly vaulted over both barriers.
"You came to see me?"
"Yes. I want to know if there's a way to kill you."
Hawkeye sat calmly on the ground, his voice and demeanor eerily composed.
Ryan smiled and settled beside Barton. "Why do you want me dead?"
They conversed like old friends reconnecting after years apart.
Clint's expression carried profound grief. "You murdered Steve and Sam. Justice demands accountability."
Among the few non-enhanced Avengers, he'd experienced better outcomes than most.
His wife and children had been killed during the Blip but were later restored. Although Laura remained a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, their love endured, their children thrived, and he'd successfully mentored Kate Bishop as his successor.
He should have been enjoying retirement, yet here he sat before Ryan.
Ryan chuckled. "They attempted to execute me first. I acted in self-defense. If you're inadequate at combat, practice more. Don't come whining to me about consequences."
Barton dropped the stone he'd been fidgeting with. "You're destined to lose. Just like Thanos, you can never defeat the Avengers. We're a team—a family. Unless you kill me right now."
Ryan asked with amusement: "You came here hoping I'd kill you? Did you plant surveillance equipment nearby, waiting for me to murder you so the footage can be transmitted, giving the military justification to remove me?"
Ryan's assessment proved accurate. Clint had indeed planned exactly that.
Ryan possessed overwhelming power—so formidable that enhanced individuals like Captain America, Doctor Strange, Hulk, and Spider-Man couldn't match him.
As a non-powered Avenger, his only remaining strategy involved creating legitimate justification for New Avengers retaliation, using his own martyrdom to galvanize them.
Barton hadn't anticipated Ryan penetrating his scheme so easily.
Seeing Clint's silence, Ryan chuckled softly.
Ryan leaned against a boulder. Here, absent light pollution and urban haze, the night sky blazed with stellar brilliance.
"Clint, do you remember Natasha? Natasha on Vormir?"
Clint paused his stone manipulation, frowning. "Why bring her up?"
"Nothing specific. I simply consider her death wasteful."
Ryan's calm tone infuriated Hawkeye.
"No! Her sacrifice was invaluable because she saved everyone!"
"Did she really?" Ryan glanced at Barton before continuing. "Then why did she have to die?"
Barton's expression contorted with pain.
Natasha died for him, for the Avengers, for all lives lost to Thanos's decimation.
In Clint's heart, no one surpassed Natasha's nobility.
"Haha," Ryan said, then delivered crushing revelation.
"Did either of you consider killing that red-faced guardian instead for the Soul Stone?"
Clint Barton froze, staring at Ryan like he'd spoken madness.
He scoffed: "You can only obtain the Soul Stone by sacrificing someone you love. You don't understand Natasha's greatness."
This love encompassed romance, family bonds, and deep friendship.
One soul exchanged for another—the Soul Stone's immutable law.
Ryan suppressed amusement. "Who established this rule?"
"Obviously the guardian protecting the Soul Stone," Clint stated matter-of-factly.
"Then why did he explain the process to you?"
Ryan's question left Clint speechless, as if turned to stone. "But Thanos—"
"Hahahaha! That's hilarious! If Red Skull hadn't established those terms, do you think Thanos would have sacrificed Gamora for the Stone?"
Red Skull had manipulated both Thanos and the Avengers perfectly.
Without Red Skull's specific requirements about sacrificing loved ones, he would have been the logical casualty. Soul for soul—it didn't necessitate beloved souls specifically.
Perhaps loving souls offered one advantage: using the Stone allowed reunion with loved ones in fantasy realms.
Ryan stood, smiling as he descended the slope back toward the base.
Clint Barton remained motionless, lost in devastating realization.
Ross had provided luxurious accommodations within the base—a fully furnished two-story suite. Daily housekeeping maintained cleanliness and restocked the refrigerator with beverages, beer, food, and fireplace wood.
The only limitation was prohibiting laboratory materials in residential areas—not due to regulations, but because the quarters lacked security locks.
Ryan opened a beer and activated soft background music.
He settled into a leather armchair before the fireplace, absorbing warmth while contemplating experimental challenges.
Human test subjects weren't difficult to obtain on military installations. Incarcerated individuals seeking pardons, disabled veterans unable to provide self-care but hoping to leave substantial insurance payouts for families—these volunteers often actively pursued experimental participation.
Ryan planned bone marrow biopsy experiments testing Celestial gene integration. He'd begin with two subjects: one baseline human and one enhanced individual. After analyzing results, he'd determine whether to undergo the procedure himself.
He immediately initiated preparations, arriving at the laboratory the following morning and contacting Secretary Ross to explain requirements.
Ross quickly approved human testing protocols, with selected subjects scheduled for delivery within three days.
During this period, Ryan focused exclusively on studying Celestial gene properties—challenging work that nonetheless yielded progress.
The laboratory assistants faced even greater difficulties than Ryan.
Their assignment involved monitoring Ryan and attempting to steal critical experimental data.
But Ryan was documenting everything in advanced scientific notation and encrypted shorthand that even trained cryptographers couldn't decipher.
Ryan prepared intensively for three days, but test subjects failed to arrive on schedule.
Contacting Ross revealed the Secretary had encountered significant obstacles.
S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers had filed federal lawsuits against the Secretary of State, bringing the case before Congress on national security grounds and halting all related experiments. They were attempting to use political pressure to expel Ryan from the military research facility.
Congressional hearings were scheduled in seven days. Even if Ross prevailed, Ryan would wait at least ten additional days before receiving test subjects.
When direct confrontation fails, harassment becomes the strategy. Classic Nick Fury methodology.
End of Chapter 46
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P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)