Chapter 7

The moment the muscular woman had knocked Noah into the air, Wade leaped from his spot and landed on her back. He wrapped his arms around her neck, trying to choke her out, squeezing with all his might to cut off her air supply.

But she didn't even flinch.

What really seemed to irritate her was Wade rubbing against her back.

With sheer force, the muscular woman pried Wade's arms apart, effortlessly breaking his chokehold. Wade was stunned, but his mouth still moved: "For a lady, don't you think you're a bit too strong? I feel sorry for your husband. Bet he's never gonna get on top. I mean, in every aspect of life—"

Before he could finish, the woman bent down and smashed Wade into the ground, driving him down with bone-cracking force. The sickening crunch was followed by Wade's body collapsing into a twisted heap, barely clinging to consciousness.

In moments, she had taken both Noah and Wade out like they were nothing.

Annoyed by Wade's comments, the woman grabbed a steel bar from the wreckage and rammed it through his back, pinning him to the floor like a bug on a card. Wade was immobilized, completely powerless.

"Gina, calm down. No point in getting mad over a dead man."

Francis walked up and patted the woman—Gina—on the shoulder. "How'd it go? Everything taken care of?"

"All the files and research from the institute are destroyed. No traces left behind. The surviving test subjects have been moved to other locations," Gina replied coldly.

"Good. Let's go."

Without sparing a glance at Wade or Noah, Francis turned, and he and Gina walked away, leaving behind the smoldering remains of the facility—and the bodies of the two men.

…

Not long after they left, Wade stirred.

He painfully lifted his head, his eyes finding Noah's crumpled form. Despite the short time they'd known each other, Noah had earned Wade's respect. And now he was gone, just like that—died right in front of him. Helplessness gnawed at Wade, bringing back old, unwanted memories.

"Sorry, buddy. Guess I won't get to show you the world's most beautiful—oh, what the hell?!"

Wade's voice, which had been filled with regret, immediately shifted to shock as Noah's mangled corpse slowly got to its feet.

"What's going on? Am I on the set of Resident Evil or something?!"

"Relax, I can't die. And neither can you," Noah said, dragging his battered, regenerating body toward Wade. He grabbed the steel bar lodged in Wade's back and pulled it out with a grunt.

As soon as the bar was removed, Wade looked down in disbelief as his chest wound began to heal at an alarming rate.

"Oh my god, I'm infected! I'm gonna turn into a zombie! Does that mean I'll have to eat human flesh? No! Not my chicken tacos!"

"Quit freaking out! We need to get out of here—this place is about to collapse!" Noah grabbed the panicking Wade and hauled him to his feet.

The fire had spread uncontrollably, thick smoke now engulfing the entire facility, making it impossible to see a way out.

"You came in from outside. Do you remember how to get out of here?!" Noah shouted.

Wade paused for a second, then pointed uncertainly toward what looked like a sea of flames.

Without a second thought, Noah dragged Wade and charged straight into the fire.

…

Minutes later, two figures stumbled out of an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city, their bodies covered in soot and ash. Behind them, the research facility crumbled as flames consumed everything inside.

"Finally... free," Noah muttered.

He stared at the burning wreckage, a swirl of conflicting emotions running through him. After two months of being trapped in that dark, oppressive place, he was finally out.

But now what?

Since the moment he had traveled to this world, Noah had been stuck in that facility. Now, as he stood outside in the open air, he realized with a sense of disorientation that he had no idea what this world even was. It was unfamiliar, and he had no place in it. He was an outsider—a stranger to this reality.

Letting out a long breath, Noah turned to look at Wade, who seemed deep in thought.

"Wade, what's next?"

"As I've been saying, I'm going to get Vanessa back!" Wade declared with determination.

"So... you plan on doing that naked?"

Having just escaped the burning building, both men's clothes were scorched and tattered. Noah's uniform had held up somewhat, leaving him with a few strips of cloth covering key areas. But Wade, on the other hand, was completely exposed, standing there without a stitch of clothing.

Noah glanced down, only to be greeted by a view of Wade's body in full display.

Roast chicken...

___

"New York Journal, February 13, 2009."

"The military announced today that Tony Stark, chairman of Stark Industries in New York, was attacked by terrorists yesterday afternoon after demonstrating the newly developed Jericho missile in Kunair Province, Afghanistan. All 13 American soldiers who accompanied him were killed, and Tony Stark's whereabouts remain unknown. The military stated they would not give up on the search and rescue operation..."

On the streets of Brooklyn, New York.

Noah Clover stood alone at the entrance of an alley. He had already swapped his tattered uniform for a hoodie and slacks. After escaping the research institute hidden inside an abandoned factory, he had followed Wade here.

He held an old newspaper in his hand, reading it intently.

Tony Stark...

The future Iron Man, the central figure of the Avengers!

Anyone who had watched the Marvel series of movies would recognize that name. After all, the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe started with Iron Man.

According to the date on this newspaper, it had been more than a month since the attack. In other words, the current time period was before the birth of Iron Man. At this point, the Avengers hadn't come together yet. Even Captain America wouldn't be unearthed for a few more years, not to mention the major events that would later define the Avengers.

For now, it seemed the Earth was relatively safe...