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Marvel: King of The Swarm Chapter 68: Reveal (I)
🕑 Added 2025-07-16 00:08:09 +0000 UTCThe ride on the way back to the tower was silent, as Harry scrolled through his email, looking at all the reports that had come through since the meeting.
Silvija sat in the seat next to him, and while her face was impassive and her eyes focused forward, Harry could hear her racing thoughts as clearly as if she were speaking them.
'Well, I did reveal quite a lot, and from her perspective, the dinner must have been a massive failure.' Harry mused before deciding on a course of action, "You have a lot on your mind, Silvija. If you have questions, ask them."
For a moment, the mercenary was silent before she glanced at Harry out of the corner of her eye, "Was it true...what you said to those heroes. That you have powers and your father exploited you for them?"
"Yes, my father experimented on me because I am a mutant," Harry replied matter-of-factly, still scrolling through his emails and typing out reports, "I hope that doesn't drive a wedge between our collaboration."
Silvija shook her head, making her silver hair swish back and forth, "I've seen enough of the world to know that nothing determines what you are other than your own actions. Though I must ask, is that how you were able to beat me in our fight?"
"Not directly, but it is how I was able to learn decades worth of martial art experience in such a short time frame," Harry answered before glancing at Silvija, "Still, I understand if you would like to challenge the results as unfair."
Silvija smirked and crossed her legs, "Nothing is completely fair. I had not assumed you were some arrogant brat; I would have taken a different course of action. I can't blame you for my own shortcomings, you won even before we stepped on that mat."
Harry let out a soft chuckle, "That is a very logical and mature way to look at things. I don't think I would be able to take it so well."
"I don't believe that even for a moment, after all, you don't seem to be the least bit phased that you only managed to recruit one hero after today," Silvija countered as she looked forward once more.
"Recruiting them was never the objective," Harry clarified, "The goal was to plant the seed in their minds and let it mature. Eventually, they'll realize just how outmatched they are, and how considerate my offer is compared to the other tactics some will use."
"Mmmh, if you know that, then you must be somewhat aware of the fact that those same people won't allow you to continue what you've been doing, unchallenged even while you're still operating within your father's influence," Silvija warned with a cautionary look.
"If you're referring to Madison, then there's no need to be concerned, I was aware of her true intentions since the beginning, she knows what I want her to know and thinks what I want her to think," Harry replied with a shrug as if it weren't a big deal, "Though I'm curious as to what clued you in about her, she is quite good at her job."
"During our initial meeting about the merger, she took a call, though it wasn't about work because it was on a second phone of hers." Silvija explained, "I thought it might have been personal, but afterwards I realized that the call time matched up with the shooting you were involved in."
Harry grinned, "I was wondering if you had caught wind of that. I'm surprised her people were able to muzzle the specifics of that story so quickly. Though I guess anything is possible when you're given trillions of dollars in government funds."
"It took some digging, and up until now, I doubted whether you were actually involved," Silvija admitted. "I assume your powers assisted you in that scenario as well?"
Harry nodded his head, "Would you like me to tell you what my mutation is, or should I keep it a secret?"
"Don't tell me, I like the challenge of figuring out myself," Silvija responded with a sly smile, "But back to the original subject, how did you manage to dispose of Madison for so long, won't she be suspicious?"
"Not if she believes it to be her own fault," Harry said with a shrug as his smile turned coy, "After all, she had a very long and busy day; it's not her fault that she happened to fall asleep and couldn't wake up for her alarm."
---
Maria opened her eyes with a groan but winced as the morning sunlight stabbed her unadjusted retina. It was then that the wrongness of the situation struck her, making Maria sit up in a flash as she looked over at the clock, "No....no, no, no."
Throwing off her sheets, Maria rushed over to her bedside table and opened the secret compartment. Taking out her secure laptop, Maria logged in and checked the records, only to find a missing report log and an automatic warning as she hadn't made a mandatory report or given notice that she wouldn't be able to submit one.
"How did this happen?" Maria muttered under her breath as she reviewed her memory from last night, expecting to find a wall of haze, but instead, she managed to perfectly recall the intense fatigue she had felt coming back from organizing the press meeting to the point where she had called it early and immediately gone back to her hotel.
Which made no sense as Maria had been trained to go days without sleep in the most stressful of environments, there was no way a management job should have been able to exhaust her.
Walking back over to her bedside table, Maria reached within and pulled out a hermetic case that she unsealed, revealing several items inside, along with a computer screen and four strips of chemically reactive reagents.
With haste, Maria quickly gathered a sample of her blood, saliva, sweat, and urine with the help of some medical swabs, each of which she rubbed against the four chemical strips before turning on the computer and letting the scan run.
Waiting expectantly, Maria readied an antidote just in case, only to shake her head in disbelief as the computer screen flashed negative for all four samples, meaning that it couldn't detect any poisons or anomalous chemicals in her body. "Damnit, there goes my one easy excuse to Fury...ugh, this is about to be a rough phone call."
---
Gideon opened his eyes as the flap of his tent was thrown open with urgency, "Excuse me, Guardian, but more pilgrims have arrived at the gate. They say they're being pursued and have those injured and in need of healing."
Standing up from his prayer, Gideon held out his hand and summoned his crook to him where it settled in his grasp with a familiar weight, "Thank you, Brother. I'll see to them immediately."
Stepping out of his tent, Gideon looked around once more at the encampment they had claimed in Genesis' name. What had once been an abandoned government building was now a sprawling community covered in violet vegetation and protected by a living wall that kept those within safe from the corruption that lingered just beyond.
Making his way to the entrance, Gideon looked around and watched as his brothers and sisters tended to those who had joined them so far, hearing word of a haven within a warzone with endless water and food provided by a merciful god. Most had been skeptical when they had first arrived, but full bellies and well-rested minds were hard to argue against.
Arriving at the front gates, Gideon found them open, with his brother and sisters forming a wall blocking a group of agitated people from entering, who were pleading and arguing in their native tongue.
Fortunately, Genesis had blessed them with the ability to understand and converse with all, so no matter the location, they may assist the needs of those seeking the light.
"Please be at ease," Gideon spoke up as his presence took command of the scene, "All of you will be welcomed to Sanctuary, but I heard that there were injured in need of assistance."
From within the crowd, a woman stepped forward holding a child within her arms, his arms and legs thin as sticks with skin sunken against bone, "M-my son, h-he has not eaten in days h-he needs water!"
Staring at the unconscious boy, Gideon had to steel his heart to prevent the grief from overwhelming him as he knew that while he could save this child, there were millions more in this world alone whom he couldn't reach.
Walking forward, Gideon held out his hand, which began to glow with the golden light of his god. Placing his hand on the child Gideon smiled as he watched the boy stir as his body filled out and his skin regained a healthy glow.
Gasps and cries of relief arose from the crowd and after a moment, Gideon stepped back as the mother began to cry and kiss her son's forehead, "All of you are welcome and shall receive my god's light. I just ask that you consider and listen to our teachings. We do not force compliance, only demonstrate what it means to be free of corruption."
"C-corruption?" The mother asked with a confused gaze
"The root of all evil, that spreads with each foul act caused by the necessary struggles of an imperfect life," Gideon explained, thought before he could expound more, the distant roar of motorcycles echoed from down the street, sending a visible wave of fear through the crowd as they pressed forward and desperate for safety.
Turning to his siblings, Gideon nodded once, "See to them, and ensure they are all safe. I will repel our visitors and insure they see the error of their ways."
