Chapter 31: Arc 1: Chapter 29: Merlin’s Retaliation

"5 agents were stabbed in the thigh, the blade penetrated the muscles and did not harm the bones. Either our agents were lucky, or the assailant had a precise technique."

"11 agents were involved in a what we think is a magic explosion. The least injured has to lie in the hospital for 2 months, and the unlucky ones may have to permanently transfer to clerical work."

Second-in-command of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, Alexander Pierce throws the report in his hand onto the table.

The near 50-years-old agent leans back against his chair, crosses both palms, and places them on his abdomen, he looks at Nick Fury who was in front of him and asks lightly:

"I hear, that he defeated 20 of our best warriors in the darkness."

"So, Fury, are you still telling me that this...this Merlin is just a harmless individual? And you're telling me that he has been repenting for the misfortunes he caused by doing good things?"

Without waiting for an answer, Pierce straightens his body and stands up in an oppressive stature, he then places both hands.

He looks at Fury sharply, and says in a deep tone:

"That is a freak with supernatural abilities, an extremely dangerous individual! He has declared war with us in the most direct way! Fury!"

Fury did not answer, he knew Pierce's temper, retorting now would only make the situation worse.

In his experience, Pierce's fire-like temper would only last 10 minutes. In his bones, Pierce was a calm person, he knew how to weigh the situation and make the perfect decision.

Just as he did in the Vietnam War, using his calm thinking and outstanding ability to see the big picture, leading them from one victory to another.

As he expected, in a few minutes, the anger in Pierce's eyes slowly fade away. The second-in-command of the S.S.R. takes a deep breath, he walks by the window and looks at the bustling street outside, he lights a cigar and says:

"Tell me, Fury. Over the past 2 years, you've been trying to track him down, so I need you to give me a suggestion. What do we do with Merlin? How do we deal with this 89084?"

Moments later, Fury's voice resounds in the office.

"Pierce, I know what I'm going to say might make you angry, but if you need my suggestion, then my suggestion to you is..."

Agent Fury whispers:

"Maybe we should get in contact with him more softly. Don't get angry now, hear me out!"

Seeing as Pierce was about to explode, Fury calmly explains:

"You've read Merlin's file, you know the full extent of the explosion he makes...2 years ago, he could easily blast through concrete barriers mixed with steel, his power would only have grown over the years. So if he had truly wanted to, none of our agents would've survived."

"Yet they survived. This made me remember something I've been overlooking, maybe I've been too rough with my actions. He isn't declaring war, Pierce."

Fury walks next to Pierce, and tells his superior both on the battlefield and in the office:

"Like a rattlesnake rattling, like a dog barking. This is a warning, a warning for us, he rejects making contact with us, he's trying to keep us away through this method."

"So?"

Pierce asks with his eyes squinted, and Fury answers:

"This warning means that he has consciousness, which also means that he's hiding a secret."

"Before Merlin made such a big mess, he once snuck into Stark's mansion and met with Tony. And while Tony rejects describing their meeting together, but I suspect it has something to do with the Howard couples' death..."

"Which means..."

Light flashes in Pierce's eyes, he deducts in a light tone:

"That Merlin saw and received something important. Maybe he saw the murderer, or maybe, if we go deeper, maybe before the Howard couples' death, he'd been directed to take away something important, and now he wishes to return it to Tony Stark."

Reaching this point, Pierce and Fury look at each other, he sees the anticipation in Fury's eyes.

"It's likely the one thing that brought the Howard couple a fatal disaster...the Super Soldier Serum!"

Fury nods and says:

"Merlin may be carrying the serum, there's a chance he even injected himself with it. Which explains how he could still freely move after being struck by multiple rubber bullets...he's probably been enhanced."

"Then we must find him!"

Pierce walks to his table hurriedly and swiftly signs his name on a document, he then passes the document to Fury and says with a serious tone:

"The young man may not know the value and danger of the item he has, an organization hiding in the dark is looking for him. They killed the Howard couple without a doubt for the serum, they will not let him off."

"He's in danger...I authorize you with the permission of state emergencies, Fury, you can deploy all the resources you need, I will fully support you!"

"I have only one request!"

Pierce grits his teeth and speaks word by word:

In the shortest time possible, bring the missing Merlin back!"

---

Merlin did not inject himself with the blue liquid.

Based on the situation at hand, he was clueless and at a loss. But he wasn't desperate enough to inject an unknown liquid into his body.

He suffered a lot due to carelessness and this has taught him to be extra cautious.

"Kack Kack"

As the train moved, the ice cubes in the thermos on his lap made sounds of ice cubes colliding, but this didn't disturb Merlin's thought process; he looks out the window yet he has no interest in the view outside.

He preserved the odd blue liquid using ice cubes, though he wasn't sure whether or not this simple method of preservation would render the liquid ineffective.

Nor does he know why Howard Stark requested him to take the liquid and leave before his death.

But one thing's for sure, this liquid was of utmost importance, so important that even prominent figures like the Howard couple had died for it.

Just from this fact alone was enough for Merlin to treat it with utmost caution.

Though, from what intel Merlin had collected over the last few days, he could make a guess what the liquid was.

Howard's greatest achievement was creating the greatest hero for the Allies in WWII, Captain America Steve Rogers; and needless to say, all his legends began with the Super-Soldier serum.

After Dr. Erskine was assassinated by N**i agents, the formula to the serum was lost forever; though there have been rumors of Howard also knowing the full formula. 

And with Howard Stark dead, without a doubt, the less-than-half liquid in Merlin's possession was the last existing Super Solider serum in the world.

But it was futile for him to know about this, as someone so close to becoming a doctor, Merlin knows through his medical knowledge that the transformation of Steve Rogers from a normal human to a Super-Soldier was not as simple as an injection...

Modifying the human body was not an easy task, one would need a catalyst to support its stimulation.

Just injecting the serum may not make Merlin stronger overnight, there was also a high chance that he may die on the spot.

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Merlin reaches out his hand and clenches his fist, he recalls his travels from the last 2 years, as well as his battle near the Hudson River a few days ago...

He knew better than most people in the world, that no great power comes without a price.

"What should I do with you?"

Merlin shakes the thermos cup in his hand, it would seem that he needs to replace the ice cubes again.

Thankfully, ice cubes were not that rare, the dining car of this train heading towards the West coast should have them.

He stands up, pulls down his cap, grabs his backpack, and heads towards the dining car.

Unfortunately, he did not buy a ticket and he slipped onto the train through some special methods, so he had to hide from the attendants on the train, which wasn't that hard of a thing for Merlin to do.

Using the dark senses of his second sight, Merlin slips past two attendants and arrives at the dining car; it was not the time for dining so there were only a few people here.

Merlin soon finds the container filled with ice cubes, he pours out the water in the thermos cup, fills it with ice, and closes it tightly.

As he was done, a blonde beauty approached his side with a wine glass at hand, seemingly wishing to refill ice cubes.

Merlin takes a step backward as a true gentleman would, he looks at his wristwatch and prepares to drink some water to moisten his dry throat.

But just as he raised the glass, his heart skips a beat.

His dark senses alarmed him, but before he could react, the beauty with the wine glass smashes the glass onto the edge of the bar and thrusts the sharp edge towards Merlin like a dagger.

Merlin could only step back from the sudden attack; however, he then feels something hard pressed against his back.

"Bzzzt"

Merlin had been tased, his entire body was paralyzed, he could hardly even hold the thermos cup in his hand; he could only watch as the beauty snatches the thermos before it hits the floor.

She turns around and runs without a doubt.

Merlin was completely paralyzed, but the shock wasn't lethal enough for Merlin to turn into smoke, he could only watch as the woman took the serum to the edge of the dining car.

A paralyzed Merlin falls onto the floor with nearly all of his muscles cramping.

 Around him, multiple brawny men approach him from all sides with ill will; some people wearing attendant uniforms even sealed off the entrance to the dining car shut.

In a short few days, Merlin's combat style had been seen through by these mysterious enemies.

They used a very clever way to trap Merlin into the dining car.

"Knock him out and bring him along!"

The leading man, who was the one that tased Merlin, looked at the recovering target and commanded. Another man next to him squats down and picks Merlin up.

But then Merlin's still paralyzed face let out an odd yet twisted smile, he stammered:

"You guys..."

"Should've made your move...after I drank water!"

The clock behind Merlin strikes at 4 pm.

Exactly 6 hours since Merlin last drank water!

The shell pendant on Merlin's neck dimmers; the brawny man grabbing Merlin's neck felt a cold wind pass by as if some weird hell has been unleashed.

"Bang"

A loud noise resounds, sparks fly out of the trains' engine, causing it to shut down abruptly; this fast-moving train acted as if it had hit an invisible obstacle, but luckily there was no explosion.

The entire train slowed down abruptly, causing its passengers to scream as if they were in a disaster.

The unlucky bastards who weren't prepared were thrown forward; the situation was better for those in the passenger car, but it was catastrophic for those in the open-spaced dining car.

The delicate wine glasses are thrown into the air, just like the stumbling men in front of Merlin. Merlin bit his tongue to stay conscious and he chose not to attack the brawny men. He knew that all it took from these prepared men were a few taser guns to take him down.

So he chose the most direct method...

He pulls out the combat knife hidden in his boots, and in the terrified gazes of the brawny men, he lets out a sinister smile; as the leading attacker roared, Merlin held the knife inwards facing his body and thrusts the knife into his heart.

"I warned you..."

"DON'T MESS WITH ME!"

"KABOOM"

As Merlin roared in anger, the savage dark powers inside his body erupt in this stationary dining car.

In this enclosed space, the power of the magic explosion was raised to its limit; the exquisite dining car was torn apart as if invisible hands had ripped it open, all the glass shattered, and the car distorted from the center, sending black smoke mixed with sparks flying from the wreckage.

The magic explosion dissipated as quickly as it erupted.

A few minutes later, a pale-looking Merlin staggers into the panicking crowd as they flee the train. He carried his backpack, wore a baseball cap and sunglasses, along with a typical thermos cup at hand, he looked like a backpacker who had been terrified by the explosion.

Behind him, was the wreckage of the dining car that had been distorted by the explosion; in it, the beautiful blonde assassin had her heart pierced through by sharp steel.

In her beautiful yet hollow eyes were traces of fear, as if she saw hell descend.

But she was lucky.

At least her dead body was still fully intact in this hell covered by steel and minced meat.

"You have my thanks this time, Vulko."

Merlin opens the bottle and drinks the cold water to reactivate the shell pendant; he looks back at the disastrous wreckage and shakes his head sadly.

He could only hope that these deaths would make those hunting him think twice before making a decision.

As for him...

His journey was not over yet.

 

 

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