Wolverine Logan surveyed the battlefield...
Broken streetlights, overturned cars, and the lingering smell of gunpowder and something... disgustingly sweet and bloody filled the air.
"Hey, Blondie! Nice new look. Which dumpster did you crawl out of?"
Just then, a shameless voice rang out.
Logan turned toward it and saw a guy in a red-and-black bodysuit waving wildly at him. Two gleaming long knives spun in his hands, making him look pretty intimidating.
Deadpool?! What was that guy doing here, too?
Logan's brow furrowed, but before he could speak, a swift figure shot across the battlefield.
Its target was the head of a... well, a "monster" that could just barely be recognized as humanoid.
The humanoid monster was, of course, Harry Osborn wearing the X-Kryonaut, and the attacker was Lady Deathstrike.
But in the face of this sudden, deadly attack, the X-Kryonaut covering Harry's body reacted instantly.
A thick metallic sheen covered his arm. It was Colossus's Mutant ability.
He raised his arm to block!
"Splurt!"
To everyone's surprise, the metal skin that had always been nigh impenetrable was pierced with ease by the attacker's glinting claws, as if it were made of paper!
"Adamantium?"
Feeling a sharp sting in his arm, Harry realized what it was.
That stuff was seriously overpowered.
Fortunately, he'd equipped the armor with a feature that blocked pain signals from reaching his nerves, so it didn't hurt much.
His visual processing sped up, turning every tiny movement and every twitch of his opponent's muscles into a stream of data that was transmitted in real time to Prometheus I.
"Recalculate combat strategy. Objective: suppress, non-lethal."
Harry issued the command in his mind.
The next second, the X-Kryonaut took control of his body and moved in a way that surpassed human limits, narrowly evading Lady Deathstrike's follow-up attack.
At the same time, he threw a punch over his shoulder, sending Lady Deathstrike flying again...
But injuries like that were useless against Lady Deathstrike, who had a healing factor and an Adamantium skeleton.
Lady Deathstrike roared and charged again like a beast.
Her Adamantium claws slashed wildly, trying to kill Harry.
But with Prometheus I's computational assistance and the X-Kryonaut's capabilities, Harry completely outclassed her in combat technique. He managed to keep the ferocious Lady Deathstrike pinned down for a while.
But he couldn't land a lethal blow...
"What?!"
Nearby, Wolverine finally got a clear look at the fight, and his eyes went wide.
That woman had the same abilities as him!
That confirmed what they'd heard: William Stryker was supposed to be the only one with access to this technology.
But why was this woman attacking that black monster?
Could that monster... actually be Harry Osborn?
How had he ended up looking like that?
"Wow! Beauty and the Beast, live and in person? No, wait, it's Beauty and... a way cooler beast?"
Deadpool had figured it out, too. He whistled and charged in with two Adamantium swords, precisely blocking Lady Deathstrike's attack.
"Young Master Osborn! Wade Wilson, at your service! I'm a huge fan! I heard you're a top biologist who can even cure cancer. Could you take a look at my face sometime? Is there any hope for it? Just say the word and I'll take care of this chick for you!"
Deadpool kept running his mouth as he fought.
Harry was taken aback, but he could certainly use the help right now.
"Deal! Help me capture her alive! If you can't cure me, I'll give you an extra million dollars!"
Harry replied. He wasn't short of a little pocket change.
"Got it!! Hey, pretty lady, Uncle Wade's gonna show you some love!"
Deadpool's eyes lit up at the promise. He instantly sprang into action, swinging his swords with gusto.
These two men, both with healing factors, paid no attention to their own injuries. Neither dodged nor retreated; every strike was aimed to kill!
And the best part was that Deadpool kept spewing nonsense as he battled Lady Deathstrike:
"Ooh, someone's got a temper! Is it that time of the month? I've got a family recipe for ibuprofen that'll clear that right up!"
"Nice nail polish. What brand is it? I'll recommend it to my girlfriend later... Oh, wait, I don't think I have a girlfriend anymore."
Wolverine realized what was going on and roared as he joined the fight. Adamantium claws clashed against Adamantium claws, throwing sparks everywhere.
He was after Lady Deathstrike, too, since their mission was to protect Harry Osborn.
At the edge of the fray, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes watched four healing-factor freaks fight. Then he looked down at his own metal arm, half of which had just been melted by a laser, and fell silent.
Then he promptly chose to make a strategic retreat, disappearing into the ruins.
With Deadpool, the fearless troublemaker, and Wolverine, the hard-hitting bruiser, helping him out, Harry soon subdued Lady Deathstrike...
One hour later.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
Nick Fury's already dark face grew darker still.
He stared at the urgent report on the encrypted tablet in front of him, the veins in his forehead twitching.
"Harry Osborn was attacked on his way to Las Vegas.
"The attackers have been tentatively identified as Mutants. One of them may be the Winter Soldier, who disappeared years ago. One of the female Mutants has an extraordinary healing factor and Adamantium claws.
"And... Wolverine and Deadpool were there, too?!"
Fury's voice was frighteningly low.
"The most outrageous part is that I, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., am the last person to hear about this?!*****!!"
He slammed his hand on the desk, making the coffee cup jump.
"Ahem, sir, that's not all..."
Agent Phil Coulson, standing across from him, sighed helplessly.
Coulson handed him another tablet, which was playing a somewhat blurry recording of the fight. The key details were still clear.
It showed the X-Kryonaut in action.
"According to our tech department's preliminary analysis of the cell tissue left at the scene, the biological material making up that armor is more than thirty percent similar in structure to the cells of the alien organism, the 'Symbiote,' that Osborn previously provided to us."
"Also, according to eyewitness accounts from several civilians caught in the fight, this... 'Symbiote' came straight out of the vehicle Osborn was riding in after it was hit by the first volley."
Coulson paused, then continued.
The truth wasn't hard to figure out from those clues...
"Looks like the young master of the Osborn family has quite a lot he's been keeping from us..."
Nick Fury took a deep breath, forcing down his anger.
More than the little toys the young master Osborn had been developing behind their backs, he was concerned about something else now.
"So where is our all-powerful young master Osborn?"
"Based on the last place he was seen and the signs of Wolverine's presence at the scene... we have reason to believe Mr. Osborn may have gone to the X-Men's headquarters... Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."
Before you continue