Building Superheroes at Marvel

Manhattan, New York.

After dealing with Arkham's affairs, Kyle and Natasha caught the earliest flight back to New York.

However, not long after landing, Gasco and Alice were apprehended and forcibly brought back.

The reason? The Sumerian slate that Tony Stark had given Kyle that night had finally been deciphered.

Kyle immediately threw himself back into work, heading straight to Dr. Green's research room.

"First time meeting, Dr. Green," Kyle said, extending his hand to the green-haired woman before him. Despite his cordial words, something about her made him uncomfortable—a sensation of something both familiar and unsettling.

Dr. Green's cool demeanor matched the sharpness of her gaze. She took his hand briefly but didn't engage in any further pleasantries.

After the formal greeting, the focus shifted to the Sumerian slate sitting on the table. Everyone gathered around as Dr. Green began to speak.

"As you all know, the Sumerians were an incredibly advanced civilization, especially in the fields of astronomy, mathematics, and engineering. They created a solar calendar, dividing the year into 12 months of 30 days, with the other 6 months containing 29 days, making a total of 354 days—a little under the Earth's annual rotation, which led to the creation of the leap year system."

Her tone was cold and methodical, reminiscent of any dedicated scientist.

"Their timing system is the basis of our own today, dividing an hour into 60 minutes and a minute into 60 seconds. Quite remarkable for its time," Dr. Green continued, but then her expression grew more serious. "However, the slate before us... It's not a design for a nuclear bomb or a world-ending weapon, like some had speculated. It's not even the research for a simple energy cannon like the ones you see in some of those Avengers movies."

Kyle was relieved, but also confused.

"Energy weapons?" Kyle raised an eyebrow. "How advanced was Sumerian civilization to possess such designs? I mean, this isn't something that could be created even with today's technology, and you're saying it's from ancient times?"

Dr. Green pushed her glasses up her nose and explained. "This isn't something that could have been built back then, not by their standards. It's more of a concept—one that modern technology can barely comprehend. Only someone like Tony Stark, who has access to the Ark Reactor and vast resources, could potentially bring something like this to life."

Tony Stark's Stark Industries, with its access to cutting-edge technology like the Arc Reactor, was indeed capable of producing energy weapons, but this was far beyond what ancient Sumer could have achieved.

Kyle frowned. "That doesn't add up. How could an ancient civilization be designing advanced technology like this?"

Natasha, ever pragmatic, patted Kyle on the shoulder. "Think about the leaders of the Sumerian King List. Some of them reigned for thousands of years, right? We're talking about a civilization filled with mystery and myth. They had knowledge we can't even begin to comprehend."

Natasha had developed a sharper mind over time—thanks to her rigorous training and the enhancement of her own memories. But every time she examined Sumerian records, she found herself frustrated by their almost mythical nature.

Kyle exhaled slowly. "Forget it. Let's just record all the information. Natasha, destroy the slate. It can't get out."

Dr. Green, who had been doing the bulk of the deciphering, hadn't yet considered what would be done with the slate. She was more concerned about the next steps in her research. But Kyle was not one for loose ends. As an egoist, he made it clear that anything potentially dangerous to him must be eliminated.

The Red Queen, the AI system Kyle trusted, had already cataloged all the data on the slate and uploaded it to the secure database. The technical department would handle the manufacturing of any necessary devices, should they choose to proceed with whatever the slate's secrets revealed.

Natasha nodded, moving toward the Sumerian slate encased in a secure glass box. With a precise, almost effortless motion, she gripped the box, her hand tightening.

In an instant, the glass shattered, the slate cracking under the intense pressure.

Gasco and Alice had witnessed Natasha's abilities before, so their reactions were subdued. But Dr. Green, still adjusting to the true extent of Natasha's power, looked visibly shaken.

In a split second, Natasha had obliterated a 4,000-year-old artifact, something many would have considered priceless. Dr. Green couldn't help but wonder if Natasha could easily crush her skull with a single thought.

"Dr. Green," Kyle said, his voice smooth but carrying an undercurrent of authority, "you should take the lead from here. Your reward will come later, or feel free to ask for it yourself."

Kyle's gentle smile masked the danger behind his words. To Dr. Green, it felt more like a veiled threat. She understood that this was Kyle's way of warning her—not just about the slate, but about her life. Revealing anything would have serious consequences.

After the slate had been destroyed, Gasco and Alice returned to their duties, and Kyle and Natasha returned to their office. With the work out of the way, they had a little downtime.

Kyle slouched in his chair, pulling out his phone, while Natasha flipped through a file of reports. As they relaxed, Natasha spoke up.

"Boss, I need to remind you about energy weapons. S.H.I.E.L.D. has researched them too, but their designs are still incomplete."

Kyle glanced at her, intrigued.

"They're experimental. They usually fail after just a few shots. The guns explode, or the materials inside melt down."

Natasha hesitated before continuing. "S.H.I.E.L.D. uses the Tesseract—the Cosmic Cube—for their energy weapons. Its power is drawn from the universe itself. But the energy source in the Sumerian slate is nuclear fusion-based, a more stable system. The bullet it uses is an energy tube—much more reliable."

Kyle absorbed the information, his mind working through the possibilities. He already had an idea for how to refine the designs, but he needed the right materials.

"Natasha, have you ever heard of a metal called Zhenjin?"

Natasha blinked at the mention of the name, her expression shifting to one of recognition. "Zhenjin? Yeah, I've heard of it. It's a rare metal, almost impossible to find on the black market. S.H.I.E.L.D. has a limited supply, but it's not enough to make anything significant."

Zhenjin, better known as vibranium, was one of the most valuable materials in the Marvel Universe. It could absorb and store energy, making it the perfect metal for creating advanced weapons.

Kyle leaned forward, a knowing smile crossing his face. "What if I told you I could acquire enough vibranium to arm an entire squad of reinforcements?"

Natasha's eyes widened, surprised but intrigued. "Vibranium? How do you plan to get that much?"

Kyle's grin widened, revealing his plans. "It's time to pay Wakanda a visit."

Wakanda, home of the Black Panther and the most significant source of vibranium in the world, would be the perfect place to start.

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