Marvel: The Ultimate Superman-Chapter 159. Cracking the Symbiote Genome

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Nolan stepped out of the gamma chamber, his skin still faintly steaming from the energy infusion. He flexed his fingers.

"Meditation, fused with targeted gamma bursts..." he muttered, "Not bad. Another ten tons of strength in just two days."

Connor was already waiting in the corridor, holding a data tablet.

"What's up?" Nolan asked, pulling on his shirt.

"We just got a message from Dr. Hank McCoy. The X-Men want our help."

"Oh? Thought they went quiet after the Sentinel debacle. What do they want?"

"They're trying to decode the X-Gene Suppression Formula. The military is planning a mass deployment. They want us to help crack the formula and create a counteragent."

Nolan raised an eyebrow.

"Let me guess. This is tied to Ross?"

"Exactly. Yesterday, the U.S. military officially declared all super-powered individuals must register. Those who refuse? Detainment. By force."

Nolan smirked. "Let me guess again Ross thinks his new 'Steel Corps' gives him an edge?"

"He's already developed a prototype army."

Nolan turned, heading down the corridor. "Tell the X-Men they have our support. But I want a Sunspot DNA sample in exchange."

Connor nodded, pacing beside him.

"As for Ross..." Nolan's voice hardened, "Let him grow arrogant. Someone will humble him soon enough."

That was the difference now.

Nolan didn't need to play clever anymore.

He didn't need to manipulate people like he once did with Jessica.

His power, resources, and reach had grown to the point where even groups like the X-Men came knocking.

Now, he could shape the board.

"By the way," Nolan asked, "how's Peter?"

"He's calmer. No signs of the aggression he had while bonded with Venom. But... he did start investigating his uncle's death. And apparently... it's linked to Flint Marko."

Nolan halted.

"Have you had Norman verify that?"

"Yeah. It matches the surveillance footage. Marko didn't mean to kill him it was a panic shot during a botched robbery."

Nolan sighed.

"Let Peter handle this one. It's personal."

He hesitated.

"...And prep the Mystique samples. I want accelerated development on a compatible hybrid organism that can stabilize her gene template."

"Understood."

Connor departed.

...

As Nolan passed the meditation chamber, he paused. Inside, Wanda sat quietly in the lotus position, suspended in the air.

She was progressing faster than expected.

A walking source of chaos, probability, and magical energy, if harnessed right, she could become a living grimoire.

A catalyst for spell synthesis. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

But she still needed time.

Nolan finally entered his personal lab. The gamma field systems pulsed around him, dim green light painting the reinforced walls.

He had a plan.

A bold one.

To decode the symbiote's genome and repurpose it into a next-gen adaptive evolution system—what he called the High-Level Darwin Protocol.

If it worked, he wouldn't need further enhancements.

He would become a self-adapting organism capable of evolving through thought alone, just like Superman's "belief-driven" strength scaling.

No more tedious genetic splicing.

No more upgrades.

Just pure, seamless, living evolution.

He looked at the four containment canisters on his table.

Venom—active, cooperative (for chicken).

Riot—drained and silent.

Shade (blue) and Screamer (yellow)—relatively weak, but genetically stable.

He selected Riot.

"Time for violent disassembly."

A snap of his fingers triggered a cascade of golden runes. The Mirror Dimension folded open like a puzzle box.

He never conducted symbiote research in the real world not after learning about Knull.

The last thing he wanted was to trigger a full-scale invasion.

Better safe than cataclysmic.

Riot was still sluggish, ever since sensing the Ancient One.

But the moment Nolan activated the lab-grade nanoscopic laser scalpel... it shrieked.

Too late.

The procedure had begun.

He ignored the wailing. His gaze locked onto the genetic breakdown on the monitor.

"Interesting..."

> "The symbiote genome doesn't rely on carbon-based sugar chains. These aren't carbohydrates. It's... something else. A new element? But still forms stable atomic bonds..."

He leaned closer.

> "This segment... dopaminergic hormone clusters. Adrenaline synthesis triggers. That's why the host becomes more aggressive, more primal."

And deeper still—

A flickering helix, partially unwound.

> "Half-converted sequences. Semi-redundant. This must be how they absorb and store traits."

Even stranger:

> "Emotion-sensing alleles. Neural frequency receptors. They... react to thoughts and emotions."

Nolan's eyes lit up.

> "This... this is it. The foundation for conscious evolution. Symbiotes didn't just rebel against Knull they chose to."

All it took was time, exposure to empathy, and memory.

And they turned against their creator.

He grinned.

"Bring out the rest. I want a full comparative breakdown."

More canisters lined up. Even Venom.

Shade and Screamer resisted flailing in their containment but Nolan crushed them with magnetic compression, dragon energy seals, and even a pulse of psionic suppression.

They froze.

Venom didn't move.

It had learned.

"Smart one," Nolan said coldly, prepping the scalpel. "That's why I'm starting with you last."

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