Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Feels Nice to the Touch
On the rooftop of the base, Black Widow, now dressed in a sleek black tactical combat suit, boarded the helicopter stationed there and began piloting it for a slow takeoff.
She had successfully acquired all the research data and now planned to escape amidst the chaos, taking the data back to S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Let Hawkeye lead the cleanup team for the rest!"
The intel she had gathered today was invaluable—not only about Rice's clone-mutant weapon project but also the rejuvenated Wolverine and a group of mutant children hiding in New York.
However, just as the helicopter lifted off, a figure with snowy white wings suddenly appeared in front of it.
"Fravitude!"
George cast a Transfiguration Spell at the helicopter's rotor hub.
Under the spell's influence, the mechanical bearing instantly transformed into a solid chunk of rock. The rotor jammed and ceased to rotate, causing the helicopter to crash back onto the rooftop.
Though George couldn't transform the entire helicopter, altering a single component was well within his capability.
Precision machinery often needs just one component to fail to render the whole system inoperable.
"Trying to run, huh?"
Before the helicopter fully crashed, Black Widow noticed something was wrong. She deftly leaped onto the rooftop and began making her way down to escape with her agile movements.
But escaping George was no easy task. In a flash, he sped ahead of her, blocking her path.
"The renowned senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Black Widow. Kindly hand over the copied research data."
"You're not one of Rice's people. Are you Wolverine's ally?"
Black Widow raised her right hand slightly, activating her Widow's Bite.
"If you're with Wolverine, then we're not enemies. Our goals align—we both aim to destroy Rice's plan."
From the distant explosions, it was clear the base was still under siege. Rice was likely too occupied to notice her duplicating the research data, let alone send someone after her.
More importantly, even if Rice did find out, it was improbable he'd know her identity so clearly.
Thus, the winged man with superpowers who downed her helicopter was likely Wolverine's ally.
"If our goals align, then please hand over the research data. This clone-mutant technology must be destroyed. Otherwise, even if we stop Rice this time, someone else will take his place next time."
George smiled and extended his hand.
Black Widow shook her head.
"That's not for me to decide. My mission is to deliver this data to the Director, who will determine whether it should be destroyed.
But trust S.H.I.E.L.D. Regardless of the decision, our ultimate goal is to protect the world.
If you don't trust us, you can accompany Wolverine to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. I'm sure the Director will provide a satisfactory answer."
"So, you won't hand it over willingly? Then I'll take it myself."
George, impatient to argue further, raised his hand and cast a Stupefy Spell.
"Stupefy!"
But Black Widow wasn't an ordinary soldier. With extensive combat experience and a body enhanced during her Red Room training, her physical capabilities far exceeded that of regular agents.
The moment she saw George raise his hand, she tactically dodged, evading the incoming magical beam. Simultaneously, she fired a high-voltage micro-electroshock device from her Widow's Bite, delivering up to 30,000 volts.
"Quick reflexes, but futile."
Watching her dodge his magic and counterattack, George smirked and activated his powers, reversing the trajectory of the micro-electroshock device back toward her.
Since the device contained metal, it fell under his magnetic control.
Black Widow was startled to see her attack reflected back at her. She bent backward with incredible flexibility to dodge.
Unfortunately, the device didn't merely ricochet—it was fully under George's control.
Just as it was about to fly past her, it abruptly dropped unnaturally, sticking to her chest.
The device discharged its 30,000-volt shock, leaving Black Widow convulsing on the ground.
"I told you to hand it over. Now look at you, all shocked and helpless."
George approached the paralyzed Black Widow, shook his head with a grin, and began searching her.
Soon, he found a tiny USB drive hidden in a secret pocket beneath her tight combat suit.
"Nice figure. Feels good, too," he quipped with a smirk.
Right before her eyes, he crushed the USB drive into powder.
Then, pointing at the struggling Black Widow, who was trying to suppress her convulsions and get up, he cast another spell:
"Obliviate! Memory modification!"
Like Coulson before, George intended to erase and alter Black Widow's memory.
He knew memory-altering spells weren't flawless. While they might work on ordinary people, highly trained agents like Black Widow could easily detect discrepancies in their memories upon reflection.
But that didn't matter to George. As long as no issues arose in the short term, it was sufficient.
Even if Coulson and Black Widow later restored their memories through S.H.I.E.L.D. technology, it wouldn't significantly affect him.
Once Rice was dealt with, George planned to enter a new period of seclusion to study and refine his magical abilities. He wouldn't be venturing out much.
If S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to find him, their only lead would be Tony Stark.
And even then, whether Tony would cooperate with Nick Fury was uncertain. Besides, Tony didn't know George's exact location—only that he was somewhere in New York.
George had never revealed that they were hiding at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
"Stupefy!"
Knocking Black Widow unconscious, George swiftly carried her and flew toward the battlefield where Tony and the others were fighting.
The mutant clones wouldn't stop attacking just because Rice was dead. Much like X-24 in the movies, they would continue following their last orders until destroyed.
Tony and Wolverine were still battling a large number of mutant clones.
"George! Get over here and help! We can't hold out much longer!"
As soon as George arrived, he heard Tony shouting for help. Looking at the situation, he was stunned.
"What's going on here?"
He had expected Tony and Wolverine—one excelling in ranged attacks and the other in melee combat—to hold their own. Yet, both were in dire straits.
Wolverine was entirely on the defensive, while Tony's suit was in shambles, with one arm completely destroyed. His armor was tattered, and he clearly had taken a beating.