GreekGreenGlass
patreon
[Marvel: Xenomorph] Chapter 58: The Ambitious One's Rhapsody Plays the Most Beautiful Melody
🕑 Added 2025-02-20 16:58:04 +0000 UTCPoor Reynolds had no idea what was going on. The events of the past few hours had been overwhelming.
All he saw was Duncan speaking with two strangers one after the other—only for their heads to explode soon after. Then, before he could process what was happening, Duncan forced a strange liquid down his throat.
Heaven above, Reynolds had just gotten used to the alien symbiote and his new self. His mind was filled with both apprehension and ecstasy as he fantasized about becoming a superhero, standing in the spotlight.
Maybe he could be like Tony Stark—wherever he went, crowds would cheer, and people would take out their phones to snap pictures.
Oh, wait… he couldn’t fly. But that didn’t matter. Reynolds was already eager to break free from a past where he was ignored and despised. He longed to become a respected powerhouse.
As for pledging loyalty to Duncan? Well, that was sincere. Reynolds genuinely admired and appreciated Duncan for noticing him, pulling him out of the abyss, and bestowing him with such unique power.
But…
Reynolds never expected that the moment of his loyalty would come this soon!
In fact, he wasn’t even pledging loyalty—Duncan had skipped straight to absolute devotion!
"I'm done for. I'm totally done for. Judging by their serious expressions, this stuff must be terrifying. I'm going to die…"
That was the only thought in Reynolds' mind, and his despair was written all over his face. Two streaks of tears slid down his cheeks.
"Don’t overthink it. You won’t necessarily die."
Duncan only let go after confirming Reynolds had swallowed all of the serum. He then observed Reynolds' condition and spoke calmly.
Through his communicator, Stryker’s shocked voice erupted:
“What are you doing?! That’s super serum! Even if it were poison, you shouldn’t waste it like this! Did you not review the past experiment logs? Do you even know what’s in that serum? Even a single drop would’ve sufficed, but you—what the hell were you thinking?!”
Stryker, watching the satellite feed and hearing the gulping sounds, instantly realized what Duncan had done. His expression was one of sheer disbelief.
That was super serum. And Duncan just made some random nobody chug it all in one go?!
“You think I’m being careless?”
“Careless?! I seriously question how you even got your master's degree! Is this how your mentor taught you to conduct human experiments?!”
"Stryker, don’t make blind assumptions about things you don’t understand. Just like your knowledge of mutants—without extensive observation and research, you can’t call yourself an ‘anti-mutant missionary.’”
As Duncan spoke, he closely monitored Reynolds’ changes through the alien symbiote.
The effects of the super serum were indeed terrifying. The moment it entered Reynolds’ body, it went berserk. Despite its small dose, it was like a boiling ocean, mercilessly tearing through his cells.
At an even more microscopic level, down to the very atoms that made up Reynolds’ body, violent shockwaves rippled through them, shaking them to their core.
The alien embryo within Reynolds was no exception. It, too, faced this terrifying onslaught, teetering on the brink of collapse.
Both host and embryo were moments away from total breakdown. Every part of their biological structure showed signs of fracturing and dissolving—they were about to die.
“Is this a failure?” Duncan frowned, a bit disappointed.
Reynolds was the only one who could seize that one-in-a-billion chance—to use the power of the super serum to connect to an unknown pocket universe and receive its parting gift before its destruction.
After much deliberation, Duncan had chosen to parasitize Reynolds in his mortal state, hoping that his alien symbiote could also synchronize with this power.
“Of course, it’s a failure! Did you actually think this would work?” Stryker sneered, his voice laced with mockery and schadenfreude. “I don’t know why you had so much faith in this guy. Is he some kind of adaptive mutant? Here’s my advice: recover his corpse and re-extract the super serum.”
Suddenly, Duncan's expression shifted slightly. His voice turned cold.
“This conversation is over. So is our deal.”
“Wait! You haven’t agreed to attack the mutants! We can—”
“No need. I’m quite satisfied with my current alien specimens. Compared to mutants, I still think vampires make better hosts.”
“Wait—if you’re backing out, when are you giving me the alien eggs?”
“Next time, for sure.”
“...?”
Without the slightest regard for credibility, Duncan hung up and casually tossed the communicator to an alien, instructing it to carry the device far away to prevent any eavesdropping from Stryker.
Whether it was Stryker or anyone else, any attempt to control the aliens was sheer foolishness.
“I really should put an end to Stryker,” Duncan muttered, a trace of killing intent flashing in his eyes.
Now that he had acquired and used the super serum, he would ensure that Stryker's last avenue was completely sealed off.
But for now, Stryker’s fate wasn’t the priority.
Neither was the war between mutants and Stryker.
The most important thing was ensuring that Reynolds survived.
“It’s working. His body is undergoing internal phase shifts,” Duncan's eyes gleamed with excitement.
His atomic structure was shifting—connecting to an external universe.
Now, it was just a matter of patience. Whether Reynolds could grasp that near-impossible chance depended entirely on him… or perhaps also on the alien embryo inside him?
Gripping the writhing Reynolds, Duncan descended into an underground cavern. Layers upon layers of aliens surrounded the area.
“Reynolds, I know you can hear me. Remember—you still have a new life ahead of you. Your power has yet to be witnessed by the world. If you die now, it would be such a waste.”
Duncan transmitted his words directly into Reynolds' brain through the symbiote.
Reynolds’ consciousness was fading. But upon hearing this, the thought of never showcasing his might to the world ignited a powerful unwillingness in his heart. His desperate desire to live erupted, fueling an extraordinary will to survive.
There was no doubt—this was who Reynolds was. No matter the universe, his addiction was insatiable. Once he became the Sentry, he simply replaced his drug addiction with a superhero addiction.
But his resolve only lasted a moment before he began slipping away again.
Duncan gave him another jolt, forcing him back to lucidity—again and again, in a brutal cycle.
“Hm. The alien embryo is definitely a burden on him. At the very least, it’s making his atomic phase shift much more difficult,” Duncan mused, rubbing his chin.
Alkali Lake Dam.
No matter the universe, Stryker always set up his headquarters here—a place that buried all his ambitions and sins.
Sitting at his lab bench under dim lighting, Stryker’s expression was grim. He had spent a full three minutes trying to figure out what Duncan was doing.
Was he simply testing the serum’s effects? But the way he went about it was far too reckless. Was he not worried about wasting it?
Around Stryker, various bizarre pieces of equipment were scattered about. On the wall-mounted shelves, countless jars were stacked, each containing an assortment of grotesque organs.
A closer look would reveal that these glass containers held not just mutant limbs and organs but also fragments of alien anatomy.
These were the results of Stryker’s painstaking efforts—collected bit by bit over a long period of time.
Duncan continuously sent Xenomorphs into battle—it was impossible for them to always return unscathed. Eventually, some were bound to be injured or killed. Even if only a single cell remained, it was enough to give someone like Stryker an opportunity.
Silently, Stryker collected his samples. In truth, he had already gathered a considerable amount of Xenomorph genetic material. Theoretically, he could even begin cloning them.
However, Fury’s disastrous lesson served as a warning. Stryker decided he could afford to wait a little longer—better that than risking Duncan’s wrath.
“Hiss! Hhhrr!”
Several Xenomorphs of varying forms surrounded Stryker, letting out eerie cries, their presence vivid and lifelike.
Stryker could even feel the menacing aura radiating from them. When he reached out to touch them, their cold, slick surfaces felt eerily real.
As if they were actually there.
“That’s enough, Jason. I don’t need these fake illusions. And stop trying to please me like this! The ‘Preacher’ doesn’t need such tricks!”
Irritated, Stryker picked up the phone and gave an order. Moments later, the Xenomorphs around him vanished completely.
Despite being merely a colonel, Stryker was infamous in the global underground world.
Ever since his wife’s brutal death and the destruction of his family, Stryker had suffered a severe psychological break. He transformed into the so-called Preacher and embarked on a bloody crusade against mutants.
“As long as I can obtain a Xenomorph and have it parasitize a mutant, I can use it to harness the foul X-Gene and build an unstoppable army! But the problem is, how do I break Duncan’s control over the Xenomorphs and claim them for myself?”
S.H.I.E.L.D. had already suffered a catastrophic failure, indirectly aiding Duncan’s deployment of his forces. Given that, Stryker was more cautious than ever, contemplating new ways to control the Xenomorphs.
Could he rely on his son—his carefully reshaped tool, the Master of Illusions?
Jason, the Master of Illusions, could deceive all five senses, creating hallucinations indistinguishable from reality, affecting sight, sound, and even touch.
If used properly, his illusions could trap a person’s mind in an endless loop, permanently severing their grasp on reality.
Stryker had even written a manual on how to use his own son effectively. According to his calculations, with Jason’s abilities, he could bring an entire city to its knees in a short amount of time.
“Judging from that battle, Nick Fury seemed to have some way of controlling the Xenomorphs—perhaps through pheromones, or maybe imprinting. If those methods prove ineffective, the most reliable approach would be mind control… If I can capture Professor X, then controlling the Xenomorphs would bring my lifelong ambition to fruition!”
A glint of madness flickered in Stryker’s eyes.
The underground world was well aware of the sheer lunacy behind the name "Preacher." Even someone like Fury couldn’t help but take note of this colonel.
“That treacherous bastard Duncan will pay sooner or later. As long as I can eliminate Professor X…”
Stryker’s goal was simple: to seize control of Professor X and use his mind to control the Xenomorphs. After all, when it came to psychic domination, whose brain was more powerful than Charles Xavier’s?
Originally, Stryker had only planned to use Xavier’s mind, amplified by Cerebro, to exterminate every mutant on Earth in one fell swoop. But after witnessing the potential of the Xenomorphs, he began to change his mind.
Even if every mutant in the world were wiped out, normal humans would eventually give birth to new ones.
Stryker recalled another secret project—the “Sentinel Program.” The plan was to create powerful robots that could be upgraded through successive generations, culminating in the complete extermination of mutants on a global scale.
It was a promising approach—using mass-produced machines to combat the naturally reproducing mutants.
But now, with the Xenomorphs… who would even need Sentinels?
If he could break Duncan’s hold over them, Xenomorphs—absolutely obedient and free from the programming flaws of lifeless machines—would be vastly superior.
Their potential was far greater, their methods of evolution far superior to simple robotic upgrades.
Stryker’s vision was clear: he would replace Duncan and take command of the Xenomorphs. By merging the Weapon X and Sentinel programs, he would become the ultimate overseer of both projects, ensuring the permanent eradication of mutants. The moment a new mutant was born, a Xenomorph would immediately eliminate them.
And the timing couldn’t be better—Professor X, for some unfathomable reason, had chosen to openly challenge the authorities at the global summit.
Deploying part of the military to attack Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters wouldn’t be difficult.
And Stryker did just that. He rallied a group of like-minded individuals—those who harbored resentment toward mutants—and gained their support. Seizing the opportunity before Xavier and the X-Men could relocate from New York, he launched a surprise assault.
“This is our last chance! If we strike now, at worst, we’ll enrage Professor X—but a man like him won’t resort to total annihilation. If we manage to kill him, the threat mutants pose to the world will be cut in half!”
A few phone calls were all it took to convince a host of anxious individuals.
Stryker’s efficiency was downright terrifying. By nightfall, military forces had already surrounded Xavier’s School.
Gas grenades rained down like a torrential storm, blanketing the entire campus.
Squads of well-trained soldiers advanced in waves, backed by attack helicopters, tanks, and armored vehicles.
For some, the scene might have felt eerily familiar—just over a month ago, Broadway had witnessed the same treatment when Abomination and the Hulk clashed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The heavily fortified Xavier Institute—the X-Men’s very home—crumbled under the relentless barrage of missiles and artillery fire.
“The military is here! Humanity has declared war on us mutants!”
“The Professor was right… Good thing he secretly evacuated the students before attending the summit.”
“The Professor passed out the moment he put on Cerebro—humans must have tampered with it!”
The X-Men wore expressions ranging from fury to sorrow, but there was no hesitation in their actions. Without mercy, they struck back at the invading forces.
In theory, a modern army stood little chance against the X-Men. Even without Professor X, Wolverine alone could massacre them given enough time—let alone with Cyclops and the others in play.
But Stryker’s preparations were never so simple.
The Master of Illusions made his move.
The world’s most terrifying illusionist twisted reality itself, warping vision, sound, and even smell, making his presence utterly undetectable. Unseen, he slipped into the school and located the unconscious Professor X.
What he didn’t expect, however, was that someone else had been lying in wait.
Not just Xavier.
Slowly, Magneto opened his eyes.
His gaze was cold, fixed on the seemingly empty space before him.
Comments
Sebastian
Cought strapped to wheelchair infront of Eric. Stryker couldn't get a plastic one
