"What exactly are you building here?" Marcus asked curiously as he watched Doctor Octopus manipulate his mechanical arms, adjusting massive steel supports and heavy machinery that were forming into the shape of a dome atop the New Umbrella headquarters.
Without pausing in his work, Doctor Octavius replied, "It's something inspired by the mutant girl you brought back. After studying her, we found that her abilities are heavily linked to mental and psionic energy control—similar to how my mechanical arms respond to my neural impulses. That gave us an idea: what if we used technology to amplify and stabilize her mutant powers?"
Killian, welding the structure's steel joints with a searing beam from his mechanical arm, added, "Exactly. Think of it as an assisted power interface. This girl still lacks fine control over her abilities, so we're designing a system that can help regulate her psychic output. With this machine, she won't have to worry about accidentally overloading herself."
He gestured toward a glowing energy core installed in the center of the dome. "Also, Stark refined the manufacturing process of my solar reactor. Its output efficiency now surpasses even that of a full-sized arc reactor. We're using it here as the amplifier's power source—enough energy to sustain continuous operation for hours without failure."
Octavius chimed in again, "Since her powers require direct visual focus on a target, we're installing the amplifier on the rooftop. The exterior shell is made from one-way optical materials with adjustable magnification. Once it's activated, she'll be able to observe every inch of Queens from above—down to the flight of a single fly."
As the two scientists eagerly described their creation, Marcus could already grasp its true purpose. In essence, it was a mutant power amplifier, a machine similar in concept to Professor X's Cerebro—but designed specifically for the Scarlet Witch. It would dramatically enhance Wanda's psionic range and control.
However, unlike Cerebro, which was crafted by the genius mutant Beast, this version combined the technological expertise of Doctor Octopus, Aldrich Killian, and Tony Stark. The fusion of their sciences resulted in something far more advanced—and far more dangerous.
Whether Wanda would be able to wield it successfully would only be proven tomorrow, during the full-scale battle against the human alliance.
Even so, enhancing the Scarlet Witch's powers was a wise investment. At present, Wanda's strength was only that of a mid-level Alpha mutant, far below Professor X's upper-tier classification. But in the original Marvel comics, the Scarlet Witch was no mere telepath—she was an Omega-level mutant, rivaling even the Dark Phoenix.
Marcus had no doubt that, one day, she would reach that level again.
"All right, Wanda," Marcus said, glancing at her. "Cooperate with their setup. This amplifier might just become our trump card tomorrow."
If the machine worked as planned, it could easily turn the tide of battle. Marcus could only hope it would be completed in time.
After confirming the research team's progress, he made his way to the Extremis Training Grounds, where Alex was organizing the ranks of the Extremis Zombies and the specialized Chasers for tomorrow's operation. Among the formations were the recently captured supervillains from the Raft Prison Break.
"How's the progress?" Marcus asked as he approached.
"Frontline Chasers and Thunderbeasts are already deployed into strike formations," Alex reported crisply. "The mutated infected have been assigned as a mobile special-operations unit, as you instructed. Thanks to the Earthshaker' tunneling network, our troops will be able to maneuver faster than the U.S. military."
"Good. Let's hope it holds," Marcus said, then added, "Our intel suggests the enemy will deploy first-generation Sentinel robots in the upcoming battle. Have the Chasers equipped with additional EMP weaponry."
Alex nodded, already adjusting his digital tablet. Marcus continued, "And the airborne infection operation—how are the zombie birds progressing?"
Alex hesitated for a moment before answering. "We estimate it will take another fourteen to fifteen days for full global coverage. We don't yet know if anyone has detected them. If a vaccine is developed and distributed before then, our efforts could be wasted."
Marcus gave a faint, confident smile. "No need to worry. Hank Pym himself said the vaccine's development will take at least a month. Even if they complete it, mass production and worldwide distribution would take another ten days—minimum, even with advanced deployment tech. Their timeline isn't any more forgiving than ours. We just have to survive the Battle of New York. Victory will follow soon after."
And once that was achieved, Marcus fully intended to deal with those troublesome heroes who could manipulate time itself.
After inspecting the training grounds, Marcus returned to the New Umbrella headquarters tower. The entire building now functioned as the command center of his undead army. Inside, an array of advanced tactical systems—radar screens, holographic projectors, surveillance grids, and strategic mapping displays—filled the room, all sourced through Stark's black-market connections.
The only problem was manpower. Unlike S.H.I.E.L.D. or HYDRA, Marcus didn't have trained military staff. Most of his operators were virus carriers—former humans infected with a controlled strain of the zombie virus, intelligent enough to handle logistics but still under his command. It wasn't ideal, but it worked.
Standing at his side was his most experienced field commander: the Winter Soldier.
"Sir," Bucky reported, "all formations are now displayed on the tactical grid."
The central holographic projector flickered to life, revealing a three-dimensional, to-scale projection of Queens. Thousands of red dots marked the ordinary zombies; larger ones represented Chasers and Thunderbeasts, while triangular icons indicated the elite mutant variants.
"Excellent," Marcus said. "Bucky, tomorrow you'll serve as my Chief Combat Strategist. I'll rely on you to oversee field coordination."
Before Marcus had been transported into this world, he had been an ordinary man—no soldier, no commander. His grasp of military tactics came mostly from strategy games, not real warfare. He knew better than to lead blindly. Having a seasoned operative like the Winter Soldier as his right hand was not only practical—it was essential.
Tomorrow's battle would decide everything.
And as the holographic map glowed red under the dim lights, Marcus knew—the night before the apocalypse had finally arrived.
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T/N:
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