American comics: Starting with Luke the Maker

“Not control, but conversion! It's integration!” Malik meticulously adjusted his clothes, retreating behind the newcomer with a smile.

The mysterious figure wore a black robe, with long, ink-green hair cascading down to her hips. Her delicate face was framed by pale skin and a seemingly frigid smile. Most striking was the unusual Hydra symbol on her forehead, resembling an octopus.

“You should all know Hydra's origins, stemming from the great Hive! Hydra's initial goal was to help the god sweep away all enemies, welcoming his return.” The woman's clear, cold voice echoed before Pierce and the others. “Now, the god believes the time for his return has come.”

Pierce and the others exchanged covert glances, wary of one another, yet tacitly signaling cooperation.

They indeed knew some of Hive-Hydra's history, and that their Hydra branches had risen from the ashes. Even after suffering continuous, heavy blows, they had tenaciously survived, with Malik's ancient and wealthy families contributing significantly. But this didn't mean they were willing to casually trust a so-called stranger, or a god.

Even if Red Skull appeared before them now, they wouldn't consider him an absolute leader.

“Do you intend to betray the organization?” Malik asked, his voice a somber threat as he eyed the wary Pierce and his companions.

“You're the one betraying the organization, Malik! We represent the majority!” Pierce retorted, his face hardening. He was deeply dissatisfied with the current situation, and his discontent extended to Malik.

“It doesn't matter. You can still represent the majority. Because the god represents both the one and the many.” A peculiar, eerie smile graced the woman's face. Her red lips parted, and unexpectedly, several black afterimages darted from her mouth, lunging towards Pierce and his group.

“Damn it!”

The instant the woman opened her mouth, Pierce sensed a grave threat. As the danger approached, he instinctively activated the silver-white ring on his right hand.

A layer of energy armor instantly enveloped him, providing protection and enhancing his combat capabilities.

The afterimages struck the energy armor, causing the impacted areas to bulge instantly, appearing like large, swollen welts. The unknown afterimages were deeply embedded within these welts, seemingly on the verge of piercing the armor, yet always falling just short.

Black energy emanated from Viper, her highly corrosive power swirling around her like a seemingly thin, irregular spherical energy shield, blocking the approaching unknown afterimages. The energy of black magic collided with the unknown afterimages, producing a sizzling sound.

Whitehall, on the other hand, used some ability to teleport himself to a safer location nearby. As for Baron Strucker, half of his body had transformed into machinery. He extended his arm, a thick metal shield blocking his front. The afterimages crashed against the shield, causing Strucker's arm to tremble, but he still successfully blocked the attack.

“Communication is down. Looks like Malik was prepared.” In the darkness, Whitehall calmly stated as he slipped his communicator back into his pocket.

In the current situation, no one questioned how he'd brought a communicator into this private space where no equipment was allowed. If they insisted on investigating, none of them would be innocent.

“I'm fine. Using the permissions I set in the data dimension, this shielding won't affect me. My subordinates will receive my alert from the data dimension,” Baron Strucker said, his voice laced with a metallic quality, as he retracted his shield.

“My ring can also provide some communication,” said Pierce, clad in his energy armor. He'd already identified the attackers: metal-textured, insect-like objects with large, round abdomens and sharp, slender mouthparts resembling syringes. Pierce didn't know what they were, but it was clear that being stabbed by one would lead to unpleasant consequences.

“You!” Malik's face visibly flushed as he watched Pierce and the others display their abilities. His somewhat gaunt chest heaved violently like bellows, clearly agitated by their defiance.

His goal for this meeting was to catch them off guard. As per the rules, and for 'security' reasons, he hadn't allowed them to bring any communications or weapons. He'd thought it foolproof. Even if Pierce and the others were unwilling after the reveal, the presence of the god's envoy would prevent them from causing trouble. But he realized he'd underestimated them.

“It seems there are indeed some interesting things on this planet.” The woman, known as the god's envoy, showed no panic as she watched the various expressions of Pierce and the others. Even her pale complexion remained unchanged, retaining the same frigid, emotionless expression.

“Allow me. The Malik family has enough power to smooth everything over for the god.” Malik stepped forward, pressing a button in his hand. As a supporter of these Hydra branches, he knew exactly how much power Pierce and the others held! If he failed to subdue them completely at this meeting, allowing them to return, the subsequent trouble and retaliation would be too much for the Malik families to handle.

Therefore, Malik had long prepared for this day with a desperate, all-out plan. At this moment, the group of Inhuman assassins he had carefully cultivated and enhanced by the god's envoy was his last trump card to suppress and threaten Pierce and the others!

However, embarrassingly, both sides stared at each other for several seconds, and nothing happened outside.

Malik suspiciously took out the alarm button and pressed it again in full view of everyone.

Again, after several seconds, nothing happened.

Malik's expression was even more unsightly. He had guessed that some major event he was unaware of must have occurred outside. Otherwise, according to the established rules, the moment the alarm button was pressed, all security personnel and Inhumans within the Malik mansion would immediately come down to act as force, suppressing the resisting Pierce and the others.

“Looks like yours doesn't work. How about trying mine?” Baron Strucker seemed to have received some information, and a slightly grim smile appeared on his half-metallic face. Under Malik's glare, he gently clapped his hands.

Bang!

The basement door was completely opened from the outside. A young face peeked in from outside, looking at the tense people on both sides. The young man scratched his head and stepped aside.

“Who are you? Where are my men outside?” The previously calm Malik finally couldn't maintain his composure after being hit by a series of changes. He had become somewhat hysterical with panic, having repeatedly lost face in front of the god's envoy.

Two men wrapped in red energy were thrown in from the outside, falling to the ground. The two rolling on the ground were like crazy beasts, ignoring everyone, biting each other's flesh, and stabbing each other's vitals without hesitation with cold weapons in their hands. Crimson blood flowed all over the ground.

A beautiful woman in a red dress strode in from outside.

“The Maximoff twins, my most proud works,” Baron Strucker proudly introduced the man and woman who came in.

“Dewey, Edico, what exactly are you two doing?” Malik looked at the two men desperately stabbing each other like mortal enemies, his face ashen.

“They are controlled. Even the god's parasites have been affected.” The god's envoy, who had always maintained a calm appearance, finally showed a hint of surprise at this moment. It seemed that she was surprised that there was energy that could affect the god's parasites.

“Parasites? It seems we made the right decision.”

Pierce and the others also heard the woman's words, especially the word 'parasite,' which sensitively touched their nerves. Especially Pierce, he knew that there were indeed some strange life forms that could parasitize humans and other creatures. Even S.H.I.E.L.D. had studied them.

Symbiotes!

A parasitic race that can forcibly control and even affect the human mind! Although according to them, this influence is mutual, and most of their symbiotes are good people, with their own code of conduct that helps and supports the host. But this still cannot hide the fact that they have the ability to temporarily parasitize and control a creature.

Pierce had regarded that god as another alien creature similar to a parasite, which could coexist with humans and control humans. Even if in Malik's ancient legends, that god originated from this planet, but because he was too powerful, he was backstabbed and exiled to a planet in the universe by people and Inhumans who were afraid of his power.

If they had been careless just now, they would probably have been directly parasitized and controlled by this so-called god's envoy, reduced to puppets or brainwashed into fanatics. Pierce's mind, which was good at conspiracy, could already imagine what he could bring to the other party if he was controlled. The entire existing power of Hydra would become the power of that so-called god.

If there was no choice, he shouldn't mind cooperating with that god as long as the other party was willing to keep his will conscious and his thinking independent, as long as the other party could let S.H.I.E.L.D. completely control the world. It seemed that Baron Strucker and the others were the same.

But with a better choice and the payment and harvest not matching, who would want to welcome a god back to sit on their heads? Especially this so-called god, in their concept is more like a powerful alien, similar to the Asgardians.

“Are you really unwilling to welcome the god back? He will grant you endless power, a position second only to him, as well as powerful abilities and longevity! Even higher technology, the god can share with you.” The woman said softly.

“Catch her!” Baron Strucker decisively issued an order to the Maximoff twins.

The somewhat scruffy young man instantly pulled out a series of afterimages, appearing next to the god's envoy and Malik like teleportation. Facing Malik's stunned gaze, he chopped him unconscious with a hand knife.

Just as he was about to repeat the above operation on the god's envoy, the god's envoy flickered strangely and came to the red-skirted woman guarding the door. She stretched out her slender, pale palm, and a surging shock wave surged towards Wanda, who was blocking the front, with a light push of her arm.

Wanda pushed her hands forward, and the red energy surrounding her also rushed forward like a wave, colliding with the woman's shock wave. After eliminating the destructive power and existence of the shock wave, it continued to rush towards the robed woman unabated.

With another flicker, the robed woman flashed to Whitehall's side, suddenly holding his head in both hands. Her red lips parted slightly, and parasitic seeds like yellow sand turned into a line of yellow sand, connected to Whitehall's mouth.

Whitehall was extremely frightened in his heart. He found that his Inhuman ability had completely fallen into silence after the other party touched him. He could no longer use any Inhuman organs transplanted to him, nor could he mobilize the Inhuman power granted to him by these organs. He could only be like a petrified statue, letting the robed woman stuff the parasitic seeds into his mouth and into his body.

“The Lord possesses the power to dominate the Inhumans. He is the god of the Inhumans.” The robed woman let go of Whitehall's face and took two steps back.

“Attack!” Baron Strucker's scalp tingled as he watched Whitehall become increasingly pale, and his eyes gradually lost their agility. He hurriedly and urgently issued attack instructions to the Wanda twins.

The manpower brought by Pierce and the others was still fighting against the Inhumans and the Malik family's armed forces inside the villa. Although these people had all armed themselves to the teeth with their respective technologies, they had after all been away from the front line of battle. Even their attributes such as researchers and politicians were greater than those of combatants.

“As the Lord's messenger, I also have the ability to use part of the power of God.” The robed woman flashed again to the side of Baron Strucker, who spoke, and gently patted the metal shield he was holding up. In full view of everyone, Baron Strucker disappeared directly.

“What did you do?” Pierce took a step back subconsciously when he saw the robed woman look over.

“I just sent him to the Lord's planet to see the Lord.” The robed woman said piously. So far, she had used a variety of rare and powerful Inhuman genetic abilities, including shock waves, teleportation, parasitism, and teleportation of objects. The single ability might be considered tricky by everyone present, but they wouldn't care too much. But when these abilities are combined in one person, everyone present feels a little scalp tingling.