MARVEL: BUYING GODHOOD

Malick didn’t even hesitate.

“Okay,” he said quickly.

“I’ll tell you everything.”

The change was so sudden that even I was surprised.

Only moments ago, the man had been ready to die rather than betray Hydra.

Now, the mere thought of the fate Lord Chris had described had shattered whatever resolve years of training had built inside him.

Lord Chris acknowledged his answer with a slight nod before turning toward Borzoff.

“You and your men wait outside.”

Borzoff didn’t waste a second asking questions.

“Yes, Boss.”

He immediately motioned for his men to follow him, and they hurried toward the warehouse exit so quickly that they looked less like hardened gangsters and more like frightened animals escaping from a predator.

Within moments, the enormous warehouse became eerily quiet, leaving only Lord Chris, myself, Malick, his three bodyguards, and the corpse lying in a growing pool of blood.

Lord Chris looked back at Malick.

“Continue.”

Malick swallowed hard before speaking.

“Mutants are… the closest relatives humans have. You could call them a cousin species. Biologically, they’re almost identical to ordinary humans, except they’re born with an additional genetic sequence known as the X-Gene. Once that gene activates, it grants them extraordinary abilities.”

Lord Chris listened without interrupting before asking, “What kind of abilities?”

“Almost anything,” Malick replied immediately.

“Some can control fire, some manipulate metal, others can read minds or control gravity. Every mutant’s ability is unique. There isn’t really a limit to what the X-Gene can produce. Because those abilities were unlike anything ordinary humans had ever seen, governments eventually began referring to them as mutants.”

“And what happened after that?” Lord Chris asked.

Malick took a slow breath before continuing.

“About ten years ago, two extremely powerful mutant groups fought each other. The battle nearly leveled an entire city block. After witnessing the destruction they were capable of, the President decided that allowing mutants to remain scattered among the general population posed too great a risk.”

“So what did he do?”

“He contacted the leaders of the two largest mutant factions and opened negotiations. After several meetings, an agreement was reached. The mutants would relocate to the dark side of the Moon, where they would live alongside another race known as the Inhumans.”

Lord Chris frowned slightly.

“Inhumans?”

“Yes.” Malick nodded.

“The Inhumans have maintained secret ties with the United States for generations. They quietly assisted America during the War of Independence, and because of that, our government developed a strong relationship with them. Over the years, both sides exchanged resources and technology. When the mutant relocation became necessary, the Inhumans agreed to let them settle nearby. Since then, the two races have lived together on the dark side of the Moon.”

Lord Chris remained silent, carefully considering the information before asking another question.

“Then why were you so surprised when you learned I was a mutant?”

Malick hesitated before answering.

“Because their leader is one of the most powerful telepaths in existence. If someone as unusual as you had awakened as a mutant, he should have sensed it. They would have contacted you, brought you to the Moon, and determined who you were and what your abilities were. Someone like you shouldn’t have been living an ordinary life on Earth without attracting their attention.”

Lord Chris remained thoughtful for a few seconds before asking another question.

“What happens when a mutant or an Inhuman goes rogue? Who deals with them?”

“S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Malick answered without hesitation.

“They work together with the mutant leadership. If a mutant or an Inhuman becomes a threat on Earth, S.H.I.E.L.D. helps locate them, but it’s usually their own people who take them into custody and decide their punishment.”

Lord Chris slowly nodded, having received the answer he wanted.

“Okay.”

He fell silent for a few moments, carefully organizing everything Malick had told him before asking another question.

“If that’s the case, why aren’t they here? A superpowered mutant is standing in a warehouse torturing someone. Why hasn’t anyone come to investigate?”

Malick answered almost immediately.

“They don’t monitor Earth constantly. They perform a complete scan of the planet only once every month. Today isn’t the scheduled day.”

Lord Chris’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“When do they perform the scan?”

“The eighth of every month.”

A thoughtful silence settled over the warehouse.

After calculating the dates in his head, Lord Chris quietly muttered, “That means they scanned Earth five days ago.”

“Yes.”

He tapped a finger lightly against his arm before asking another question.

“Do you know how deeply they can search a person’s memories?”

Malick shook his head.

“No. I only know they can read minds. I’ve never been told how far that ability extends.”

Lord Chris didn’t press him further.

Instead, he turned to look at me.

“We have to accelerate our plans.”

I immediately understood his concern.

During the meeting with the board of directors, he had openly used his mutant abilities.

If the telepaths on the Moon could examine memories deeply enough, then every person who had witnessed that meeting represented a potential risk.

Whether that risk would become relevant tomorrow or years from now was impossible to know, but my lord had never been someone who ignored even the smallest possibility.

His attention returned to Malick.

“One last question,” he said calmly.

“Answer it, and you’re free to leave.”

For the first time since the interrogation began, hope appeared in Malick’s eyes.

“What is it?”

“Do you know where I can obtain Vibranium?”

The hope disappeared almost as quickly as it had come.

“No,” Malick admitted.

“As far as I know, the last known supply was used to forge Captain America’s shield. I don’t know of anyone who currently possesses any.”

“I see.”

Lord Chris accepted the answer without disappointment.

Instead, he stepped forward and slowly raised his bloodstained hand until it rested against Malick’s forehead.

From where I stood, I noticed the faint hesitation in his movements.

Even after learning the curse, placing it precisely within the target still required complete concentration.

He closed his eyes, remaining perfectly still for nearly a minute before lowering his hand.

Without speaking, he walked over to each of the remaining three guards and repeated the process.

Their fear had already broken whatever resistance they might have offered, allowing the curse to settle far more easily than it otherwise would have.

Only after all four had been marked did he speak again.

“You’ll continue working inside Hydra,” he instructed.

“Remain exactly where you are. Gather information on Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D., and most importantly, find out exactly how deeply those telepaths can search through a person’s memories.”

Malick nodded so quickly it was almost frantic.

“I understand.”

Lord Chris looked at him for a long moment before his gaze shifted toward the three guards standing nearby.

“And if you ever think about telling anyone what happened today…”

He didn’t finish the sentence.

He didn’t need to.

With nothing more than a thought, the curse activated.

All three guards collapsed to the concrete simultaneously.

Their screams echoed through the empty warehouse as their bodies twisted violently in agony.

They clawed at their own flesh, begging for mercy as though invisible hands were dissecting them alive.

The sound alone was enough to make anyone’s blood run cold.

Less than a minute later, the screams faded, leaving behind three motionless corpses and an oppressive silence.

Lord Chris looked back at Malick, whose face had turned completely white.

“Worse than that awaits you if you ever betray me,” he said in the same calm voice.

“Not only if you betray me, but even if you genuinely decide to betray me.”

To ensure there was no misunderstanding, he activated the curse on Malick for only a brief moment.

Malick’s body immediately locked up before he collapsed to the floor with a scream unlike anything I had heard before.

Every muscle in his body convulsed uncontrollably as he writhed across the concrete, his fingers scraping against the floor until they bled.

Tears streamed from his eyes while desperate gasps escaped his throat, yet the pain lasted only a few seconds before Lord Chris released him.

Malick lay on the ground, drenched in sweat and struggling to breathe, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

Lord Chris looked down at him without the slightest trace of emotion.

“Remember that pain,” he said quietly.

“Because from today onward, the moment true betrayal enters your mind… it will be the last thing you ever feel.”