UNKNOWN GUEST

#101 Power Broker

We arrived at the address we'd been given, but what we saw didn't resemble a lab in the slightest.

The building looked like it had been abandoned for years: crumbling bricks, walls shaky and worn, no paint left on the exterior. It looked like the whole place would collapse with a strong enough gust of wind.

It seemed impossible that a place this rundown could be home to the creation of highly specialized tranquilizers meant for mutants—and more importantly, potentially the recreation of the super soldier serum.

But as we ventured inside, things started to shift. A faint, unnatural glow emanated from deeper within the building. Logan and I exchanged a glance and moved forward, following the light. Soon, we came upon a reinforced door.

Without hesitation, Logan tore it apart with his claws, the metal groaning as it gave way under his strength.

What greeted us on the other side was a small, dimly lit room, reeking of something harsh—chemicals, by the smell of it. The walls were stained as if someone had splashed them with corrosive liquids.

It felt suffocating, like the air itself was toxic. My stomach churned. The room was a makeshift lab, no doubt, but nothing about it seemed sterile or organized—just pure chaos.

A man suddenly ducked behind a table, fumbling with something in his hands. He raised a gun toward us, his voice trembling. "Get out of here."

I let out a sigh, feeling both tired and impatient. "Not without answers."

He fired the gun, and the bullets rang through the room. But Logan was faster. With a swift motion, his claws deflected the shots, the sound of metal meeting metal echoing in the cramped space.

In a blink, Logan lunged at the man, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him down onto the table, cracking its surface.

Logan's voice was a low, dangerous growl. "You're Dr. Nagel?"

The scientist, now cowering under Logan's grip, nodded shakily. His face was pale, terrified.

Logan tightened his hold, lifting the man slightly off the ground. "How did you make the tranquilizer? Who gave you my DNA?"

The doctor stammered, his words barely coherent. "I—I don't know anything about your DNA. I just make what they ask for. I don't ask questions. I swear. They send orders; I just fill them."

Logan's claws came dangerously close to the man's face, the tips just shy of his eyes. "Who are 'they'? Were they mutants?"

Nagel shook his head furiously. "I don't know! I never saw their faces clearly. There were two men... one had a mustache, that's all I know!"

Logan let go of the doctor, but not without a solid punch to the man's jaw. Nagel fell back, clutching his face, groaning in pain. Logan ran a hand through his hair in frustration, muttering under his breath, "Son of a bitch."

He turned back to Nagel, who was still curled on the floor, and pointed at the cluttered lab. "Destroy it. All of it. Every sample, every scrap of mutant DNA, everything."

Nagel wiped blood from his mouth, speaking through gritted teeth. "There's nothing left. I've already destroyed everything I had on mutants. I've been working on something else."

I stepped forward, my heart pounding. "The super soldier serum?"

Nagel's eyes widened in surprise, but he nodded.

My fists clenched at my sides. "How? Who's backing you? How are you replicating it?"

Nagel swallowed hard, his fear evident as he spoke. "Power Broker. The Power Broker gave me a sample of Captain America's blood."