At the research base, the gates aboveground burst open with a crash. A group of research facility security personnel drove out from the underground hangar and garage in their vehicles.
Viper, Ophelia Sarkissian, rarely had more than a trace of color in her icy face, but now it was flushed red. Expressionless, she unfastened the buttons at her chest. Her long, pointed green fingernails sliced through the neckline of her dress like blades, exposing a broad expanse of pale skin and the bruised marks left by the impact.
The skin where Ben had struck her twitched as thick, mottled patches of dead skin bulged up. Viper casually grabbed the shedding skin and tore it off, then tossed it to the ground in disgust. The injury on her chest had already vanished.
"Four. Four people with nearly Class Five, or even Class Six, destructive power have escaped. Go. Request an audience with Wolf Nest."
After giving the order to the assistant hurrying over, Ophelia got into a car. Rather than join the pursuit team in chasing after Ben, the Thing, she drove off with something else in mind.
Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm—the four scientists and astronauts exposed to the abnormal energy of the Cosmic Storm—had developed extraordinary abilities one after another over the past few days.
The changes to their genes had astonished every expert researching mutant powers. They were not only completely different from the X-Gene system of Mutants, but also remarkably stable and powerful.
According to the Mutant power classification system, all four had mutation potential in the Alpha-to-Gamma range. Their energy levels and destructive power also exceeded the Class Four standard. Experiments even suggested that Johnny's fiery form might reach the energy level of a Supernova explosion.
Even among the powerful ranks of