The hum of the underground base echoed with a steady vibration, the kind that made Peter Parker—Spider-Man himself—shift uncomfortably in his seat. He sat cross-legged on the steel railing, his mask pulled halfway up, chewing on a protein bar. His wide eyes locked onto the massive strength-testing machine that dominated the chamber. Beside him, the air seemed to buzz with anticipation.
The readout had already climbed past 130 tons.
Still going up.
140 tons… 150 tons…
The numbers raced upward like a runaway elevator.
The machine strained, metallic groans filling the silence. For a moment, Peter thought the thing might blow apart.
155 tons!
160 tons!
Finally, the screen froze at its peak.
165 tons!
The chamber went silent again except for the electric hum. Nathan stepped back from the instrument, his chest rising and falling steadily. The dim blue light caught on the sharp angles of his face, but his eyes burned with satisfaction.
"165 tons…" Nathan murmured, his deep voice rolling across the room. "It seems the pain I endured this time wasn't wasted. That's a solid 35-ton increase in one session."
Peter nearly dropped his protein bar.
Nathan continued, his words calm but his presence overwhelming. "165 tons of raw strength. Even across the entire planet, I'd rank among the very top. But with a blessing…" He clenched his fist, knuckles creaking like stone under pressure. "…I don't know how much higher it could go."
The thought was staggering, even for him.
After enduring the grueling gamma experiment, Nathan's base strength had exploded to 165 tons—far beyond both Hulk and Abomination at their earliest stages. This wasn't luck. Nathan's body had always been a fortress, his foundation already leagues above normal super-soldiers. When the gamma energy fused with his cells, the results were cataclysmic.
Where Hulk had once started as a brilliant but fragile man transformed by rage, Nathan had begun as a warrior with strength already worthy of legends. This difference created a gulf so wide that the Hulk's initial strength seemed almost primitive in comparison.
Nathan's eyes flicked back to the glowing screen. "Let's push further. Let's find the upper limit. Before, it was 130 tons. Let's see how high it climbs now."
He moved toward the diagnostic instrument. Metal shifted beneath his heavy steps. The machine hummed to life again, a second round of testing already prepared. Numbers cascaded down the screen, then stabilized.
400 tons.
Peter let out a low whistle.
Nathan's lips curved in satisfaction. "The upper limit increased by 270 tons. Nearly tripled." His hand grazed the console, almost tender in the way one might stroke a trusted blade. "That means, through continued training, I can push my strength to 400 tons. And that's only Level One research."
His tone hardened with resolve. "Once my body fully adapts to gamma energy, it won't matter how much of it I absorb. No side effects. No degeneration. Only strength."
That was the difference between him and the Hulk. Bruce Banner's monstrous alter ego was a separate form, a split being birthed by gamma overload. If the energy was removed, Hulk ceased to exist. But Nathan's gamble had been different.
He had forced his normal cells—his true self—to absorb the power. His flesh, bone, and blood had been reforged. Even if the gamma source were stripped away tomorrow, Nathan would remain a titan. His strength was permanent, not borrowed.
Peter's jaw hung open, awe flooding his features. "Four hundred tons… That's… that's insane! You could… I don't even know what you couldn't do!"
Nathan ignored the praise, his focus already moving forward. He left the first testing apparatus and approached the strength-enhancement rig. His voice cut through the air.
"Sapphire."
The sound of a finger snap reverberated like thunder.
From the shadows at the doorway, a shimmering blue figure emerged—Sapphire. She glided forward with otherworldly grace, her form dissolving into streaks of azure light before weaving itself around Nathan. In an instant, she expanded, twisting and morphing into a vast, glowing net that enveloped him.
The transformation was immediate.
Nathan's body flared with radiant blue energy. Black aura from the enchanted bracelet surged into his veins, fusing with Sapphire's blessing. His frame expanded slightly, his muscles taut with uncontainable power. He wasn't just human anymore—he was a living engine of destruction.
"Let's see…" Nathan flexed his colossal hands, his voice rumbling like distant thunder. "How far can I go this time?"
The last test had capped at 312 tons under Sapphire's enhancement.
He drew a long breath, planted his feet, and wound his arm back. The air seemed to recoil, the temperature spiking as raw energy condensed around his fist.
Then—
Boom!
He struck the testing block. The impact detonated like a cannon. Shockwaves blasted across the chamber, rattling the steel beams overhead. Dust rained from the ceiling as the reinforced walls groaned in protest.
On the screen, the numbers flew upward like a rocket.
250 tons… 270 tons… 300 tons…
312 tons—past the previous record.
But it didn't stop.
330 tons… 340… 360… 380…
Peter gripped the railing so hard he nearly bent the steel. "No way… no way…!"
The numbers slowed, then crept higher.
390 tons… 396 tons!
Finally, the machine froze. The number blinked brightly.
396 tons.
The room stilled.
Peter's eyes went wide, his voice a hoarse whisper. "Almost four hundred tons…"
Even Sapphire—usually silent and composed—was stunned. Her energy pulsed erratically as her mind reeled. Less than a single day ago, Nathan had only managed 312 tons. Now, by afternoon, he had skyrocketed to nearly 400.
"How?" Sapphire thought to herself, her glowing form trembling faintly. "This morning it was 312. Now it's 396. The gamma experiment… it must have worked. But… why hasn't he turned into a Hulk-like monster?**"
Her understanding of gamma radiation told her that anyone who survived such an experiment would mutate into a hulking green beast, like Hulk or Abomination. Yet Nathan remained Nathan. His human form endured, unbroken, enhanced beyond reason.
Nathan studied the display calmly, though a faint glimmer of triumph lit his eyes. 396 tons. Almost four hundred. A number that placed him in a realm even legends whispered about.
He flexed his hands, feeling the unstoppable tide of energy rushing through every cell. For the first time, his body felt like it was on the cusp of true invincibility.
With a mere flick of his finger, Nathan signaled. Sapphire dissolved back into her base form, flowing over him like a second skin before collapsing neatly into the folds of his clothing.
His expression was calm, but his words sharp as blades.
"Now… it's time to deal with S.H.I.E.L.D."
---
In another part of New York, inside the fortified headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D., tension filled the air.
A projection display illuminated the room, casting light across the faces of Director Nick Fury, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Deputy Director Maria Hill. Each of them leaned forward, their expressions grim.
Hill's voice broke the silence. "We've confirmed intelligence. Most of HYDRA's top brass have relocated."
Fury's one eye narrowed. "Relocated where?"
Hill's tone was grave. "New York."
Gasps rippled across the table.
Natasha Romanoff—Black Widow—frowned deeply. "Why? Why gather in New York all at once? HYDRA's too scattered to risk something so bold."
Hill's reply cut through the tension. "They're here for one man. Nathan."
The name hung heavy in the air.
Clint Barton—Hawkeye—shifted uneasily, his voice low. "Nathan's in New York?"
The silence that followed was more unsettling than any explosion.
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