After a short rest, Nolan got up and headed outside for a swim to clear his mind.
Klaue wasn't around the villa that day most likely off handling the aftermath of their last escape.
Though Klaue had made his fortune through Vibranium trafficking, he wasn't one to sit idle. He still ran several businesses to support his scientific endeavors.
Losing two safehouses, especially the mountainside lab had cost him dearly. That particular base had been a vital research site, and while most of the data had been backed up, the loss was still significant.
As Nolan stepped out of the pool and reached for a towel, a curvy woman approached and handed one to him.
"Thanks," he replied instinctively. When he looked up, he was met with a cascade of red waves and eyes brimming with charm.
Eastern European, the woman gave him a dazzling smile and introduced herself, "I'm Natalia Norseman. Mr. Klaue assigned me as your new secretary."
Nolan immediately realized who she was. 'Klaue, you sly bastard. You sent me her?'
This wasn't right. Nolan wasn't supposed to be on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar…
Which meant they weren't targeting him they were targeting Klaue. And it just so happened that Klaue, looking to hire a secretary for Nolan, unwittingly opened the door.
"Background check came out clean"… Of course it did. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had a dozen identities apiece. Clean as a whistle, naturally.
It only took Nolan a moment to piece it together.
"Alright," he replied calmly, masking any hint of suspicion. He knew full well that even the slightest change in expression could tip off a professional spy like Natasha.
"Go prepare breakfast. I like Eastern cuisine."
"Right away. I'll have someone bring it in," she said with a soft nod before turning to leave.
Nolan watched her retreating figure. No wonder so many people were infatuated with her. Still, he felt nothing.
Too plain.
Sure, she was beautiful perhaps even by Eastern standards but her pores were too large. He didn't care for that uneven texture. And he wasn't a fan of public property.
No matter how many refurbishments a bus underwent for customer satisfaction, it still reeked from overuse.
A private car, though? May need some tuning at first, but at least it's yours and hasn't had dozens of drivers before.
Nolan lay back in his chair, mulling things over.
Klaue, for all his resources, really couldn't be trusted. His previous secretary had been a HYDRA agent. Now this one was from S.H.I.E.L.D.
The man was practically a walking target hoarding Vibranium and metals without the strength to protect himself. A sitting duck, ripe for carving.
From the wolf's den straight into the tiger's jaws.
Still, Natasha did her job well. At least she brought breakfast with a bit of flair. Nolan ate contentedly.
Soon after, he returned to the lab beneath the villa. Natasha had been dismissed for now which suited her just fine. Before going underground, Nolan sent a message to Klaue, informing him of Natasha's real identity.
In the lab, Klaue's team of technicians was already bustling.
"Boss, everything's ready," one of them said as Nolan entered.
These were Klaue's personally vetted personnel loyal, at least for the time being.
Their families were under Klaue's control, which guaranteed a certain degree of obedience.
Nolan nodded and looked at the operating table.
Logan was still there, covered in dried blood and open wounds some halfway healed, others still raw and ragged.
"You really are a treasure," Nolan muttered. "With an ability like this, and no one thought to study it? Letting you wander the wilderness…"
"Kill me if you've got the guts!" Logan growled, his voice hoarse from pain and rage.
He'd woken and passed out repeatedly over the last day, ether and neurotoxins pumped into him like clockwork sometimes just for shouting too loud.
Nolan shook his head. His eyes gleamed with obsession. "Why would I kill you? If I could've found your brother, I wouldn't have needed you. I just want to understand your abilities."
He paused, then added with a vague smile, "Once I'm done studying you, maybe I'll let you go. Depends on how cooperative you are."
That was a lie, of course. Nolan still hadn't decided what to do with Logan. Killing him was nearly impossible the man had survived a nuclear blast, after all.
He turned to examine the latest batch of tissue slides. Comparing healing-phase cells with normal ones, he noted little difference.
"So it's in the genes…"
Once everyone left, Nolan took a syringe and drew blood from Logan's arm. Under the cold gleam of an electronic microscope, he dropped a single bead of blood onto a slide.
A double-helix structure appeared on the screen twisted strands of deoxyribonucleic acid: DNA.
DNA was the keeper of genetic information, and Nolan was determined to unlock its every secret.
He zoomed in.
Eventually, he found it: an anomaly embedded deep within the sequence seemingly out of place, yet perfectly integrated. The X-Gene. The origin of mutant-kind.
Nolan leaned in, analyzing every detail. "This structure's insane. I'd need molecular scissors to splice this into myself…"
Even with his Evolution Core capable of adapting to any power he couldn't transplant something he didn't fully understand.
The X-gene responsible for Logan's healing was incredibly complex.
Not that it daunted Nolan.
What truly held him back was the lack of proper tools.
"Maybe I'll start with genetic seeding…" He couldn't wait. If he wanted survival in New York, he'd need at least a partial version of Logan's regeneration.
A full transplant wasn't feasible yet but he could inject fragments of Logan's genome to overwrite portions of his own.
It wouldn't grant Logan's peak-level regeneration but it'd be a start.
It would take many trials. Countless refinements.
Nolan pressed his temples, eyes sharp with resolve.
He needed that healing factor.
With it, he could finally stand his ground in a city filled with gods, monsters, and men with agendas.
----
100 Powerstones = 1 Bonus Chapter