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[Ironman] Ch: 149 [Sublime]
🕑 Added 2025-08-15 21:27:01 +0000 UTCSublime was the self-appointed name of a sentient bacterial life-form that arose during the beginnings of life on Earth. With the rise of multicelluar lifeforms, Sublime found endless numbers of hosts it could infect. However, mutantkind, immune to its infection, eventually arose and multiplied, becoming the first threat to its domination.
The very hatred and fear of mutants was caused by Sublime itself. But the bacteria took more direct actions in order to ensure that the mutant population would be held in check, if not exterminated, in order to keep it from becoming the dominant species of the planet.
However, the big question was if the mutants are immune, then how the hell did Shaw get infected?
Well, the answer was simple. It evolved.
Tony activated the cryo protocol at max power. The cell’s environmental systems hissed as the cryogenic liquid flooded the cells. Shaw’s smugness froze on his face, literally, as ice crystallized across his skin. Emma Frost, in the other cell, was also locked in a suspended state. The entire process took less than 10 seconds.
"What are you...?" Wanda mumbled but noticed the grim expression on Tony's face.
Tony scanned the base with the energy of the Mind Stone. Luckily, no one was infected. Then he quickly added the data to Hermes and upgraded the scanners in all his bases. Thanks to the adaptive nanites, it took less than a minute. Then he scanned Horizon Base, the Starfire Base and all the Shield bases for traces of Sublime. The Horizon and Starfire bases were safe, but some of the Shield agents were infected.
"Hermes, tag them and keep an eye on them. If they try to do something funny, zap them and put them in cells," Tony ordered.
"Affirmative, boss," Hermes replied.
Finally, he turned the Stone's energy inward. The sensation of scanning himself was always unsettling. It was like seeing the blueprint of his own mind layered over his body. The results came back clear. No infection, no latent signals, nothing alien embedded in his system. He let out a breath he did not realize he had been holding.
The absence of infection in them did not change the larger problem. If Sublime was here, then it already had hosts elsewhere. There was no telling how many. Sublime’s strategy had never been about single targets. It spread itself across populations, hiding in plain sight until its influence was so entrenched that removing it meant tearing out the heart of a civilization. Somewhere out there, it had a hoard of infected bodies, and they could be anyone... like those Shield agents, for example.
"Well," He looked back at Wanda. "We got a big problem on our hands and... I need your help."
"What can I do?" Wanda asked as she walked over to him.
"You can control others' biology to the cellular level, right?" Tony asked.
"Yeah, I can turn anyone into a bloody meatball without killing them if I want," She replied as she raised her right hand a bit and summoned a ball of chaos energy.
"Okay, that's great and slightly disturbing. Anyway, I need you to extract a bacterial lifeform from Shaw's body without killing him if possible. And I know there are many bacteria and germs living in a human body, so... I'll give you the information you need. Don't resist," Tony touched the right side of his forehead as his eyes glowed with a yellow hue. He transferred the information about Sublime and its structure directly into Wanda's mind.
He could have extracted it with his nanites or used his cosmic energy to purge that freak of nature, but he simply wanted to check out Wanda's power with his own eyes.
Wanda’s expression changed the moment the knowledge settled into her mind. Her pupils dilated, and a flicker of unease passed across her face before it was replaced by cold focus.
“You gotta be kidding me! You are telling me that thing has been manipulating human history for millennia?” she was surprised. "I didn't even detect it when I manipulated his genes." Her gaze shifted toward Shaw, frozen in his cryo-prison. “If it can evolve to infect mutants and even upgrade their power, then no one is truly safe anymore.”
Tony gave a short nod. “That’s why we’re not going to give it a chance to adapt again. Extract it from their bodies.”
Wanda stepped forward, her right hand raised. The sphere of chaos energy in her palm pulsed, the red light shifting into a deeper crimson shade than before.
She closed her eyes, feeling beyond Shaw’s frozen skin, past the blood, nerves, and bone, down to the microscopic world inside him. It was not like reaching for a single organism. Sublime’s presence felt like an oily stain that had soaked into every part of him. She pinpointed its structure instantly thanks to the data Tony had shared, locking on to it with surgical precision.
The sphere in her hand swelled and drew the bacteria toward it. As each cell of the infection tore free from Shaw’s body, they gathered inside the red energy, suspended in a writhing cluster. When she had every trace, she sealed it into a tight, humming orb. The light within the orb flickered as if the thing inside was trying to escape, but her control was absolute.
“One down,” she said.
She walked to Emma Frost’s cell. The process was faster this time, Wanda’s power sliding into the same microscopic hunt. The second sphere of chaos energy formed, the crimson glow enclosing another pulsing cluster of the alien bacteria. When she was finished, she held both spheres aloft for Tony to see.
“They’re contained. For now,” Wanda said. "But they are trying to send some kind of telepathic signal."
Tony studied the spheres for a moment, his mind already calculating contingencies. “Good. Cut their telepathic link. I don’t want them warning the others.”
Wanda’s eyes glowed faintly as she extended her influence toward the two floating orbs. She severed the thin, glistening threads that connected them to the larger mental network. The connection snapped in silence, leaving Sublime isolated.
“It’s done,” she confirmed.
“That buys us time,” Tony said. “Not much, but some. The others will notice when two of their hosts drop off the grid. They might not know why, but they’ll suspect. When that happens, they won’t just hide. They’ll act. If we’re not ready, they’ll do something we can’t take back.”
He turned to his wrist display and opened a secure channel. “Ultimates, we have a situation,” he said as soon as the line was live. “Potential planetary-level threat. Possible infiltration vector is a bacterial lifeform called Sublime. It can adapt to infect mutants. It can also shapeshift, take over humans, and influence thoughts and decisions without the host realizing it. Be on guard and keep the suit on for safety. I’ll send the biological signature so your systems can flag it immediately.”
Tony tapped a few commands and transferred the information to them. Then he continued...
"Melina, take your group and keep my parents safe. Elena, take over the surveillance and tag every single infected person and animal. The rest of you, come to my coordinates I am sending and be ready to act at any moment. Meanwhile, I'll prepare a nasty surprise for these fuckers. Tony, out."
Tony stepped closer to Wanda, his hands already in motion as adaptive nanites streamed from his palms, weaving together into two elongated glass vials reinforced with a thin lattice of vibranium. They settled into his hands with a faint metallic chime.
“Transfer them in here,” Tony said, holding the vials out. “I’m not taking any chances with containment.”
Wanda gave a short nod. The two crimson spheres floated forward, their light dimming as she compressed them into tight, dense cores. She lowered them into each vial with slow, deliberate control, sealing the writhing clusters inside. Once the orbs were fully enclosed, Tony’s nanites sealed the tops with airtight, adaptive caps that shimmered faintly with an energy field.
“They’re secure,” She said, watching as the light in the vials pulsed once before fading to a steady, muted glow.
“Good. Now you stay here and defend this base until the Ultimates arrive,” Tony instructed, his tone leaving no room for argument. “The connection is already cut, which means the others will notice. There’s a ninety percent chance they’ll strike here first to recover what we’ve taken. This base becomes the choke point. Hold them back till I create a bio weapon that will erase them from existence.”
Wanda cracked her knuckles with a smile, "Well, this night is getting better and better."
Tony reached into his pocket and pulled out three bracelets, each one etched with faint glowing patterns. He handed them to her.
“Nanite suits,” he explained. “For you, Pietro, and Lorna. They’re keyed to your biometrics and linked to my network. You’ll have full combat support, medical nanites, and environmental shielding. Don’t take them off unless you want to end up as Sublime’s next petri dish.”
"Cool! So, this means we are now the Ultimates?" She asked.
"Yup! After this mess, I'll throw a big welcoming party for you all," Tony replied, and then he quickly went to the lab in that base.
