Marvel : Mutant God

Seven Tower. President's Office on the 82nd floor.

Richard sat opposite Edgar, his posture relaxed yet commanding. "I have something I need you to take care of," he stated calmly.

"What is it?" Edgar asked, furrowing his brow slightly as he spoke with measured caution.

"I need you to use your authority as President of Vought to instruct the publicity department to promote Soldier Boy's brilliant achievements and glorious history to the public," Richard explained, his tone deliberate and unhurried.

Re-promoting Soldier Boy?

Edgar's expression shifted to one of puzzlement upon hearing Richard's request.

As one of the select few who knew the truth about Soldier Boy's supposed "death in battle," he couldn't fathom why Richard would suddenly task the propaganda department with reviving public interest in the long-absent hero.

Over the past month, Richard had occupied himself either with Starlight or by leveraging his position as Seven captain to cultivate connections with New York's elite social circles and eligible women.

But Edgar remained 100% certain these activities were merely Richard's methods of passing time—or more accurately, waiting for the perfect opportunity to execute whatever his true plan might be.

"May I ask why you want the Propaganda Department to resurrect Soldier Boy's public image?" Edgar inquired with practiced politeness.

Though he harbored fantasies of eliminating Richard, he wasn't foolish enough to reveal such thoughts openly. He had mentally prepared himself for Richard's dismissal or cryptic response.

However, Richard occasionally surprised with his straightforwardness, as he did now.

"Nothing complicated. I'm positioning Soldier Boy to become a super villain," Richard said matter-of-factly.

"Though captured by the Russians, he never actually died."

"In due time, I'll bring him back to American soil and establish him as the perfect antagonist to complement my heroic persona."

"Of course, before that happens, the public needs to reacquaint themselves with exactly who Soldier Boy was."

Richard's explanation flowed smoothly, as if discussing something as routine as the weather forecast.

Is this really just about enhancing his fame further?

Though Richard appeared to be speaking truthfully, Edgar instinctively questioned whether other motives lurked beneath the surface.

Richard wasn't surprised by Edgar's skepticism. In Edgar's position, he too would harbor doubts about such a straightforward explanation.

"Creating a super villain isn't inherently problematic," Edgar said thoughtfully. "But this particular operation can't be handled directly by Vought's publicity department."

"At least not openly."

"If our promotional team manages this campaign visibly, it will inevitably impact our stock valuation."

Edgar's business acumen remained razor-sharp, even when dealing with potentially combustible situations.

Hearing this response, Richard replied with indifference: "The implementation details are entirely your decision—whether you leak the information anonymously to media outlets or handle it through other channels."

"I'm concerned solely with results, not methodology."

Edgar observed Richard with thinly veiled surprise.

Despite numerous previous interactions, something about Richard's demeanor today struck him as unusually accommodating.

Is this merely my imagination at work?

Or has his temperament genuinely shifted?

Edgar found himself unconsciously analyzing this unexpected pliability.

Richard, entirely unconcerned with Edgar's internal deliberations, simply rose from his seat.

Just as he prepared to teleport back to his luxurious apartment, a thought crystallized in his mind, causing him to pause his spatial relocation.

"One additional matter," he added casually.

"Shortly, I'll create a pretext to remove Translucent from the Seven, opening a vacancy within the team."

"When that happens, you may select his replacement. Consider it a modest reward for your cooperation with my agenda."

Richard's tone carried the nonchalant air of someone offering a minor concession.

Though he had demonstrated numerous extraordinary abilities before Edgar, he had never explicitly revealed his telepathic capabilities.

Edgar knew only of Richard's ability to block psychic intrusions, not that he possessed telepathic powers himself.

This knowledge had come not from Richard directly, but from Daenerys' report to Edgar following her failed attempt at mental manipulation.

"Very well. When the time comes, I'll present several candidates for your consideration," Edgar responded with practiced composure.

Though Richard had ostensibly granted him decision-making authority, the experienced corporate executive harbored no illusions about Richard's apparent generosity.

"As you wish."

Without further conversation, Richard activated his teleportation ability, vanishing instantly from Edgar's office and rematerializing in his luxury apartment on the 96th floor.

Upon arrival, he proceeded directly to his study, powered up his computer, and navigated to the dark web.

He accessed a particular website, logged into his account, and opened the messages awaiting him in his secure inbox.

The information wasn't classified intelligence in the traditional sense, but detailed surveillance reports on Billy Butcher and his associates.

After learning that Butcher had approached Hughie and reconvened with his former teammates—Mother's Milk and Frenchie—to establish what amounted to a vigilante squad targeting superhumans, Richard had paid handsomely through dark web channels to secure professional surveillance of the group.

Though Butcher and his companions lacked superpowers, leaving them unmonitored could potentially lead to unforeseen complications down the line.

To prevent any disruption to his carefully cultivated lifestyle, constant monitoring of their activities proved necessary.

Richard quickly absorbed the contents of the surveillance reports in his inbox.

How interesting.

Due to his intervention in this world's timeline, Butcher's team had veered onto a completely different trajectory than the one depicted in the television series Richard remembered.

In that version of events, Butcher's group had used A-Train as their entry point, hoping to leverage evidence against him to bring down both the Seven and Vought.

But here, Richard's direct intervention—compelling A-Train to hold a press conference and issue a public apology—had prevented Hughie from infiltrating the Seven Tower to plant surveillance devices.

With Hughie never entering the building, Translucent naturally never tracked him to Frenchie's hideout.

In essence, Richard's interference had inadvertently saved Translucent from the fate he suffered in the original timeline—being explosively eviscerated by a bomb inserted into his rectum.

Though Butcher's team hadn't completely abandoned their investigation into A-Train, that pursuit had become secondary.

Their primary investigative target had shifted to Richard himself.

However, they weren't the only ones conducting covert investigations into his background and capabilities.

The CIA, Department of Homeland Security, and various military intelligence branches were simultaneously running their own inquiries, desperately attempting to determine the origins of the superhero codenamed "Death Archon."

These government agencies weren't investigating Richard because of any specific actions threatening national security, but rather because of the sheer magnitude of power he had demonstrated.

During his display of strength to Edgar, Richard had created a perfectly circular crater ten kilometers in diameter in New York's outer suburbs.

The discovery of this massive geological anomaly had triggered intensive federal investigation.

Had the crater resulted from a nuclear detonation, officials would have been concerned but not mystified.

Given sufficient explosive yield and ground-level detonation, creating an impact crater of that diameter wasn't entirely unprecedented.

The troubling aspect was that this perfect circle of destruction had materialized without triggering radiation sensors, satellite detection systems, or any of the numerous safeguards monitoring for nuclear events. This catastrophic power—like an invisible nuclear weapon—was precisely what terrified government officials.

The CIA and DHS had quickly connected the crater to Richard.

Their rapid identification stemmed partly from the public nature of superhumans in this world, and partly from Richard's recent high-profile emergence.

He had appeared seemingly from nowhere, with no documented history, and had been immediately elevated to membership in the Seven.

If the intelligence agencies hadn't flagged him as suspicious after such circumstances, their analysts would have been criminally incompetent.

Following thorough investigation—or more precisely, after clandestine meetings with Edgar—they had confirmed that the mysterious crater was indeed Richard's handiwork.

From that moment, he had become the central focus of attention for the CIA, DHS, and military intelligence communities.

Though they still couldn't determine Richard's origins, their investigations had revealed something even more disquieting: Richard was far more dangerous than initially assessed.

Acts on personal whim! Acknowledges no limitations! Refuses to be bound by any person or organization! Demonstrates zero loyalty to the United States!

These were the chilling conclusions reached by intelligence analysts after compiling their reports.

These assessments had naturally resulted in Richard displacing Homelander as the number one threat on classified superhuman watch lists.

Had there been even the slightest certainty of successfully neutralizing him, American authorities would have already attempted to eliminate this existential threat.

Richard was fully aware of the covert surveillance and investigations being conducted by these agencies—he even knew about the beautiful female agents dispatched to approach him under the guise of high-society socialites.

Yet he dismissed these efforts entirely.

Not only that, he had deliberately pursued intimate relationships with these undercover operatives.

And he wasn't careless about it either.

He consistently took precautions to prevent any biological material from falling into government hands.

Whether in this reality or the Marvel Universe, with few exceptions like Emma Frost and Sue Storm, he always used his abilities to neutralize any reproductive possibilities after such encounters.

He had no interest in discovering clones or unexpected offspring created without his knowledge.

After reviewing the surveillance reports, Richard first responded with instructions to continue monitoring Butcher's group, then transferred payment to the operatives' secure accounts.

Once finished, he logged out, shut down the computer, and teleported directly to the Seven meeting room on the 98th floor.

Upon arrival, he retrieved his phone and dialed Ashley, instructing her to summon both Translucent and A-Train to the conference room immediately.

Shortly thereafter, both heroes appeared before him, their expressions reflecting appropriate deference.

"Sit," Richard commanded simply.

Both men nodded respectfully before taking their designated seats at the conference table.

"I've summoned you because I have two assignments requiring your attention," Richard explained, his gaze moving between them with casual authority.

"What do you need?" they inquired simultaneously.

"Nothing especially complicated," Richard assured them.

"First, A-Train. I'm aware that Homelander previously tasked you with delivering Compound V to terrorist organizations worldwide."

"Your last accidental killing was directly connected to that operation."

"I want you to resume these deliveries, but with increased frequency and volume."

Richard's directive carried no hint of moral hesitation or ethical concern.

"No problem. I can leave whenever needed," A-Train responded without hesitation.

Ignoring A-Train's eager compliance, Richard shifted his focus to Translucent.

"I need you to conduct constant surveillance on a specific individual," he stated plainly.

"Your target is Billy Butcher, former CIA black operations specialist who has assembled a team targeting both the Seven and Vought."

"He currently occupies an apartment at 937 Church Avenue in Brooklyn."

"I want comprehensive intelligence on his movements—locations, contacts, communications—everything."

Though clearly curious about why Richard wanted around-the-clock monitoring of a former intelligence operative, Translucent knew better than to question his orders.

"Understood. How long should I maintain surveillance?" he asked instead.

"Until I instruct you otherwise," Richard replied.

"That concludes our business. You're dismissed."

Without further discussion, both heroes rose and exited the conference room.

After their departure, Richard contemplated whether he should immediately travel to Russia to confirm Soldier Boy's exact location.

After brief consideration, he decided this could wait.

Soldier Boy's containment facility had held him securely for decades—a few more weeks wouldn't change anything.

Besides, bringing Soldier Boy back prematurely, before properly conditioning public perception, would squander the narrative potential.

What next?

Richard moved to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city, contemplating how to occupy himself during what promised to be a tedious waiting period.

At that precise moment, Homelander—who had maintained a conspicuous distance from Richard for over two weeks—entered the conference room.

Approaching Richard directly, he spoke with barely concealed urgency: "I heard from A-Train and Translucent that you've assigned them new missions."

"Correct," Richard confirmed dispassionately.

"I'm currently without assignment and available for deployment," Homelander pressed, his tone betraying his desperation.

"I have nothing for you at present," Richard replied, turning to regard his interdimensional counterpart with cool indifference.

"I require missions to maintain public visibility!" Homelander insisted.

"I've cooperated with your every demand. When you wanted the captaincy, I surrendered it without resistance."

"When you chose to elevate Starlight, I redirected my criminal apprehensions to her jurisdiction."

"You can't simply sideline me. I'm the soul of the Seven! I represent—"

Before Homelander could complete his protest, Richard's right hand shot out with lightning speed, clamping around his throat and effortlessly lifting him from the floor.

"Are you teaching me how to do things?" Richard asked, his voice dropping to a dangerous, icy register.

"No—that's not what I meant," Homelander quickly backpedaled, his words strained against the crushing pressure on his windpipe.

"Good. Because I wouldn't hesitate to transform you from a living icon into a cautionary corpse."

With that final warning, Richard released his grip, allowing Homelander to stumble backward.

...

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