Inside a HYDRA Base – Baron Strucker's Office
Baron Strucker sat rigidly in his leather chair, fingers intertwined. His one visible eye narrowed as he stared out of the reinforced window. His gaze was fixed—not on the armored patrols or the distant tree line—but on a single tree.
A lone insect crawled along its bark, oblivious to the shadow in the sky above.
A bird hovered, flapping its wings with sharp intensity, its eyes locked on the crawling bug.
Knock.
A HYDRA agent entered briskly.
"Baron, we still haven't found any trace of Alex," the man reported, hesitating. "Since the Klaue incident, it's like he vanished into thin air. No sightings, no digital trail. Some believe he may already be—"
"—Dead?" Strucker cut in coldly, voice sharp as broken glass. "Only you worthless fools would die that easily. Alex is not dead."
"He developed the serum that rivals even Schmidt's original formula. And he injected himself with it. He is no longer human."
"Alex is intelligent. Resourceful. Dangerous. He's not dead—he's hiding."
Strucker rose, walking slowly to the window. "He's somewhere on this cursed land, continuing his work. He didn't take that data just to disappear."
"Any leads on the research files he stole?" he asked, his back still turned.
"There's been... an anomaly," the agent said.
Strucker turned instantly, eye locking onto the man.
"Where?"
"Wolverine," the agent answered. "A conflict with the Essex Group broke out recently. During the confrontation, a man intervened—he looked like Captain America, but... stronger. He had a Vibranium shield and strength bordering on Superman's level."
Strucker's eye glinted. "Superman's strength... Vibranium shield… That reeks of Alex."
"Klaue was the last person to see Alex. He's the only loose thread."
"Someone like Klaue—he knows how to vanish, how to assist others in vanishing. If Alex disappeared, Klaue made it possible."
"Find him. Find his children if you must. Use them as bait."
"Yes, Baron. We've already deployed all four Winter Soldiers. Special forces. Exoskeleton squads. If Alex is hiding, we'll flush him out."
Strucker's voice dropped to a deathly whisper. "If you fail again, don't come back."
Elsewhere – Small Town Alleyways
Klaue and his daughter Elizabeth moved swiftly, blending into the shadows. They wore old caps and oversized jackets, faces smudged with dirt and cuts. Elizabeth's breathing quickened.
"Liz—your inhaler," Klaue muttered urgently, pulling it from his pocket.
One puff. Two.
Elizabeth coughed, then nodded weakly. "I'm okay, Daddy."
"We can't stop now," Klaue said, voice low. "They're close."
"Why don't we find big brother?" Elizabeth asked. "He can beat the bad guys."
Klaue knelt beside her. "Because they're after him, not us."
"If we find him, they'll find him."
Elizabeth nodded, her expression understanding but sad.
Klaue stood, holding her hand tightly. "We keep moving."
New York Safe House – Alex's Basement
Alex placed the unconscious ninja onto a steel table. The poison pill had been carefully removed.
"You'll talk soon," Alex said calmly. "I want to know everything—the Hand's secrets, the beast enhancements... and that strange hidden sound technique."
The ninja's bulging veins had faded, indicating the enhancement had worn off. Pity.
Turning, Alex placed the red wooden box onto his lab bench and opened it, revealing dragon bones that shimmered faintly with age.
"A treasure," he muttered. "Lifespan-extending bones. And the meditation healing technique..."
The memory of his boosted healing factor made him grin. He now healed faster than Wolverine.
"But that's not all," he said. "These breathing techniques... they follow patterns. Different meditations bring different effects. The old man's healing method is just one of many."
"I must study this—extract the science hidden behind the mysticism."
The screen in the corner of the room blinked.
Alex walked over, expecting a routine check-in.
It wasn't.
Anonymous Message Received
It's me, Klaue! We've been discovered by HYDRA. Elisabeth and I are on the run!
Alex's smile vanished. "HYDRA... why are they still watching him?"
Then it clicked.
"They're not after Klaue. They're after me."
Klaue was the only one who could've helped Alex disappear after defecting from HYDRA.
"He was my last contact. They're chasing him to get to me."
Alex's hands clenched into fists.
"Klaue... even now, you're protecting me."
He tapped out a reply without hesitation.
[Come to New York. I'll handle HYDRA.]
He glanced at his gene sequencing software—nearly done.
Spider physiology, Vibranium tech, Wolverine's healing, meditation-based regeneration... He was no longer a mere super soldier.
This time, he would face HYDRA head-on.
And this time, he would be the predator.