NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12: Are you a mutant now?
"Go to hell, you bastard," Raza snarled as he pulled the trigger, utterly convinced that his shot would end anyone's life without fail.
But just when he thought Leon was finished, something unexpected happened. In a split second , Leon's figure darted between the cover. A heavy round from a Barrett rifle tore past where Leon had been, slamming into the ground and carving a small crater.
Raza's composure shattered. "Impossible!" he hissed, eyes darting wildly. "What is he, a mutant?"
Despite Raza's relentless barrage, Leon pressed on with astonishing speed, first covering 1,200 meters, then 1,000, then 800, until he was down to 600 meters from the enemy position. At that moment, Leon retrieved a grenade from his belt, yanked the pin, and hurled it toward the enemy position.
"Is this guy for real?" Raza muttered, a flash of disbelief crossing his face before he quickly ran to avoid the grenade.
Boom!
The grenade exploded with a thunderous roar, on the top of ammunition shells triggering successive blasts that devastated the enemy's artillery positions. In the chaos, shells rained down relentlessly, even Raza, who had barely escaped earlier, was struck. Severely injured and littered with shrapnel, he lay helpless on the ground, his fate sealed unless treated immediately.
Meanwhile, as Leon continued his relentless assault on the enemy artillery, Tony Stark watched the carnage with a mix of awe and disbelief. Clutching a binocular, Tony marveled at the almost supernatural power his brother had awakened.
A wild thought flashed through Tony's mind 'Is Leon tapping into some kind of mutation? If Leon can mutate and grow stronger, maybe I can too. Afterall we are brothers, half-brothers, same DNA, sort of. Maybe I've got a superpower buried in there too.' For Tony, who cherished designing breakthrough inventions, devouring burgers and charming women, the idea of unlocking a mutation that could make him even more formidable was irresistibly exciting.
The chaos settled. Leon scanned the battlefield, eyes sharp as a hawk's, confirming every threat was ash or rubble. Chest heaving, sweat streaking his face, he sprinted back to Tony and the rattled convoy crew.
Tony patted Leon firmly on his shoulder. "We'll talk about that new power of yours later, kid. For now, this stays between us." Turning to the military and security personnel around him, Tony added in a low, commanding tone, "Keep what just happened under wraps. Not a damn word about Leon's performance, clear?"
Rhodey stepped up . "You heard him, keep it shut, or you're answering to me." The team nodded fast, mouths clamped tight.
Without further discussion they boarded the remaining Humvee that was still safe amidst the chaos and sped away from the battlefield.
....
Not long after their departure, a fresh wave of heavily armed terrorists arrived at the abandoned battle position. Fully equipped and intent on finishing what they started, these newcomers discovered Raza, badly wounded and barely clinging to life. Instead of pursuing Leon's team, they rushed to rescue Raza. Simultaneously, the US military deployed combat helicopters. The birds swooped in, extracting Tony, Leon, and the team.
In the aftermath, the military leaders, especially those who had previously negotiated arms deals with Stark, offered apologies. Determined not to offend Tony Stark, they arranged for a swift extraction. Soon enough, Leon, Tony, and the others were back in the US.
......
Back in the States, Leon and Tony separated from James Rhodey. As they arrived at the seaside villa, black-clad security personnel intercepted the media frenzy that had erupted overnight. News of the violent ambush and the large-scale bombing had spread rapidly, everyone was talking about it.
Inside the villa, Tony Stark wasted no time. He ordered Jarvis to bar any visitors, then retrieved two bottles of beer from the refrigerator. Handing one to Leon, he slumped onto the sofa and said, "Alright, hotshot," Tony said, popping his bottle with a satisfying *hiss*. "Spill it. How did you get so damn powerful? Are you a mutant now? Did you become some kind of superhuman?"
At that moment, news of their return reached the ears of Obadiah. His face contorted with anger, as he contemplated the enormous losses.