Rising from the ground, Val swiveled around. The Carterium armor on his back radiated a blue glow, absorbing the energy from the earlier beam and dispersing it across the entire armor.
His gaze landed on the source of the energy beam, revealing a surprise. A soldier clad in a Hydra exoskeleton stood before him, a blaster integrated into its palm still emitting wisps of smoke—a telltale sign that it was the origin of the energy beam.
Val's attention was drawn to three more Hydra soldiers emerging from a newly arrived truck, training their rifles on him. Without hesitation, Val charged at the soldiers just as they commenced their barrage of gunfire.
* BANG *
* BANG *
* BANG *
Closing the gap swiftly, Val reached a Hydra soldier and, in a fraction of a second, landed a forceful strike to his head.
* WHAM *
The immense force behind the blow twisted the soldier's head at an unnatural angle, and he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Next, Val swiveled towards the remaining two Hydra soldiers, making a beeline for them while nimbly evading an energy beam shot by the Hydra exoskeleton soldier.
Within moments, Val was face-to-face with the two soldiers. With a swift twirl, he aimed two potent kicks at their faces, obliterating their skulls and ending their lives instantly.
* BANG *
Val crouched down, nimbly sidestepping another energy beam from the Hydra exoskeleton soldier. His focus then shifted toward the exoskeleton-clad soldier. Grabbing a nearby lifeless Hydra soldier, he flung the body towards his opponent.
The Hydra exoskeleton soldier brushed aside the incoming corpse but failed to notice Val's swift approach.
As Val cocked back his fist, he mused over the absurdity of facing a Hydra exoskeleton soldier head-on, a thought crossing his mind, '20 years ago, I would have bolted at the sight of one.' Unleashing his full power, he drove his fist into the chest of the exoskeleton soldier.
* BOOM *
The force from Val's punch sent the Hydra exoskeleton soldier flying backward, crashing onto the road below. The soldier skidded for a few meters, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake before finally coming to a halt.
With his speed maxed out, Val charged toward the fallen soldier, leaping high above. His fists raised overhead in mid-air, and he mused, 'I am not the same man I was 20 years ago. Both my physical and mental self have evolved. I am no longer Ian Westbrook. I am Valexis Haller - The Phantom Reaper!' The energy from his Carterium armor surged into his fists, and he brought them crashing down onto the exoskeleton soldier, resulting in a thunderous explosion.
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* BOOOOOOOOM *
Moments later, Val stepped out from the dust cloud of the explosion. Behind him lay the crushed remnants of the Hydra exoskeleton and the obliterated corpse of the soldier within, a grotesque sight. The walls and road in the vicinity were left devastated by the blast.
Surveying the scene, Val noticed a few people fleeing, while others were not so fortunate, their lifeless bodies strewn on the ground. Looking up at the sky, a smirk formed beneath his mask as he thought, 'Time to claim my ultimate prize!'
...
Several months later,
In a secluded spot amidst the hilly terrain of Austria,
Wielding a shovel, Val plunged it into the earth at his feet, adjacent to a tree. He continued this process tirelessly for hours, excavating a vast pit without showing any signs of exhaustion.
* CLANK *
Eventually, his shovel struck something hard with a resonant clunk, hinting at an object buried beneath the surface.
With palpable excitement, Val tossed aside the shovel, using his bare hands to continue the excavation. He paused when his eyes fell upon a small metallic box adorned with intricate, otherworldly designs.
Carefully lifting it from its underground resting place, he set it beside him. As he opened the container, Val's eyes sparkled at the sight of the Obelisk inside. A single thought filled his mind, 'Finally!'
Peeling off the gloves he had been wearing, Val hesitated as he was about to touch the Obelisk, reminding himself, 'I just remembered that this Obelisk could kill ordinary humans upon contact, with a few exceptions. Only those with Inhuman DNA can touch it and survive unscathed.'
A broad grin spread across his face as he gazed at the Obelisk, the thought emerging, 'But, I am no ordinary human anymore!' As his fingers grazed the Obelisk, it emitted a menacing glow, which faded a few seconds later.
Holding it aloft, Val contemplated, 'I knew I could find an Obelisk in Puerto Rico, but I was also aware that Jiaying had more than one Diviner with her. It made sense to establish a rapport with her and form an alliance sooner, rather than face the chaos that the next century is sure to bring.'
Rising to his feet, Val let out a laugh, playfully handling the Obelisk as he mused, 'Now, there are no missing pieces for my mutant experiment.'
...
In October 1960, in a mansion in New York,
Sporting longer hair and a cleanly shaven face, Val, donned a laboratory suit, made his way into the mansion's basement. A thought crossed his mind, 'Ah! It feels good to be home at last.'
Upon entering a code on a wall-mounted lock, the basement door swung open. As he stepped inside and surveyed the space, he thought, 'I owe a debt of gratitude to Peggy for helping me purchase this mansion in New York.' The memory of her face brought a smile to his own as he recalled, 'She was so endearing while persuading me to settle in New York instead of L.A., just so she could visit me whenever she pleased.'
Venturing further into the basement, Val triggered a concealed door, revealing a space teeming with ongoing experiments and hazardous equipment scattered about.
He approached a designated table, carefully setting the Obelisk upon its surface. Arranging the samples of mutant blood from Shaw, Erik, and Charles alongside it, he thought with anticipation, 'Now, it's time to begin!'
However, hours later, Val grumbled in frustration, reclining back in his chair, muttering under his breath, "Why can't I make any progress beyond my previous calculations? Despite the serum, the Chi, and the P'an-T'ao, I'm still stumped."
Exhaling a sigh, his gaze drifted to the wall clock, his eyes widening in realization, 'Oh no! It's time for the Hellfire Club and the Cuban Missile Crisis! I can't afford to miss that!'
His eyes fell on the scattered papers on the table, mentally pledging, 'Just one more diversion, and then I'm coming back to crack you. That's a promise.' With that, he rose from his chair.