His name was Victor Keene — once a top-tier SHIELD operative before he went rogue.
"Project Echo was mine first," he growled. "Before I was discarded."
He raised his arm — silver veins pulsed under his skin.
"I was the first to adapt. But not like you. Not naturally. Mine came from pain. From forced evolution. Bio-weaving, neural rewiring, cybernetic grafts…"
He stepped closer.
"Then you came along. Clean. Organic. Superior."
"And you resented me," you said coldly.
He smiled bitterly. "No. I envied you. And now, I'll take back what should have been mine."
He attacked.
Fast. Brutal. The weight behind each punch was different from your clones — more deliberate, more dangerous. His strikes didn't test you. They targeted you.
You parried and countered, but your body reeled.
[Warning: Adaptation Suppression Detected – Source: Echo Prototype Signature]
He could suppress your growth.
You had to find a way through.
Victor grabbed you by the throat and hurled you into a steel column. It bent from the impact.
"You're not evolved," he spat. "You're just lucky. But luck runs out."
He lunged again — but you smiled.
"Thanks," you whispered.
[Adapting to: Prototype Combat Pattern – 78%][Suppression Resistance Developing… 91%… 100%]
You caught his arm mid-swing and twisted, feeling the click of control return.
[Adaptation Level 2: Stabilised]– You are no longer suppressed by earlier Echo protocols.– Temporary boost: +15% strength, speed, and reaction time against prototype users.
You drove your fist into his ribs, then your knee into his chest. Victor stumbled back, coughing.
"You evolve fast," he admitted.
"But not just in strength," you said. "In purpose."
Behind you, the clones still stood.
You reached out, absorbing the remaining ambient energy in the room, locking onto their neural link.
You weren't just going to defeat Phantom.
You were going to sever his control.
Victor roared and charged.
And you met him head-on.
Fist against fist.
Power against power.
Adaptation against legacy.