Su Zhan stepped outside just as a helicopter lifted off from the estate's helipad, Ian Quinn's silhouette visible through the tinted windows. A cold, knowing smile curled on Su Zhan's lips. "Run if you want, Quinn. You'll never escape my grasp forever," he muttered, eyes narrowing as the aircraft faded into the night sky.
Turning back, Su Zhan hurried into the villa's basement, where chaos reigned. Coulson and Dr. Franklin Hall were locked in a tense standoff, the Gravitonium-powered machine at the center of the room already humming with unstable energy. Blue arcs of electricity crackled across its surface, and the gravitational field was warping reality itself-furniture and debris floated, the floor tilted at impossible angles, and the very air seemed to vibrate with power.
Coulson was pleading desperately, his voice echoing in the distorted chamber. "You can't do this, Dr. Hall! If you destroy this machine now, you'll kill countless innocent people-including my team. They're good people!"
Dr. Hall's eyes were cold, his resolve unwavering. "Ian Quinn's power is growing. If he's allowed to continue this research, he'll possess unimaginable energy. I'm doing this for the greater good, Agent Coulson. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice a few to save the many."
As he spoke, Hall poured himself a glass of wine, but the liquid defied gravity, pouring sideways instead of down. The entire room began to tilt, objects spinning and flying in all directions as the machine's gravitational field intensified. Coulson and Hall found themselves standing on the wall, the rules of physics rewritten by the unstable Gravitonium.
Su Zhan entered, immediately feeling the shift in gravity. The force threatened to pull him off his feet, but he focused, channeling his psionic power to stabilize himself-altering his own gravity just enough to maintain control. On the left wall, Coulson and Hall faced each other, while to the right, the Gravitonium generator spun wildly, its core morphing and pulsing with dangerous energy.
"Su Zhan! Find a way to shut down the machine!" Coulson shouted over the roar. "If this thing explodes, everyone here is dead!"
"Understood!" Su Zhan called back, quickly scanning the room for any way to halt the device.
Hall's eyes flashed with determination. "You're too late!" he shouted, firing his gun at Su Zhan. But just as he pulled the trigger, the gravitational field rocked violently. Hall lost his footing and tumbled, his shot going wide.
Su Zhan nearly lost control as well, but he managed to steady himself and reach the power source, shutting it down with a surge of psionic energy. The room stopped shaking, but the Gravitonium generator continued to spin, its core still unstable.
Su Zhan frowned. The only way to truly stop the machine might be to intervene directly with Dr. Hall. He had hoped to claim the Gravitonium for himself, but it seemed he would have to improvise. He quickly enveloped Coulson in a psionic barrier and hurled him out of the chaotic chamber.
"Go, Coulson! Get out of here and tell May to prep the plane for takeoff!" Su Zhan shouted.
Coulson hesitated, unwilling to leave Su Zhan behind, but the urgency in Su Zhan's voice convinced him. He nodded, gritted his teeth, and ran for safety.
Hall, still sprawled on the floor, muttered, "It's useless. The machine will explode any second now."
Su Zhan shook his head. "Not necessarily, Dr. Hall. This may be our first meeting, but I doubt it will be our last. I have a feeling you're destined for something greater… or darker."
Hall looked up, confusion and fear in his eyes, as Su Zhan raised his hand and unleashed a powerful psionic blast. "Goodbye, Dr. Hall. Next time, I suppose I should call you Graviton."
With a final, decisive motion, Su Zhan sent Hall hurtling into the heart of the Gravitonium generator. The black, swirling mass enveloped Hall, pulling him in as he screamed in terror. The machine erupted in a violent explosion of energy, the gravitational force slamming Su Zhan against the wall despite his psionic defenses. The barrier shattered under the strain, and he crumpled to the floor, dazed but alive.
As the dust settled, Su Zhan staggered to his feet, surveying the ruined chamber. The Gravitonium core had solidified, the once-living mass now a silent, obsidian sphere. Su Zhan wiped blood from his lip and spoke softly, "System, can you store this Gravitonium in system space?"
"Confirmed," the system replied.
"Do it."
Instantly, the Gravitonium vanished from the room, transferred to Su Zhan's system space-now appearing as nothing more than a smooth, black stone.
Coulson rushed back into the room, relief flooding his face when he saw Su Zhan standing. "Are you alright?"
Su Zhan forced a weary smile. "I'll live. Though, after all that, it feels like we barely accomplished anything."
Coulson shook his head, his voice sincere. "No. We saved ourselves-and a lot of innocent people. That's never a waste, Su Zhan."
As Su Zhan looked at the empty space where the Gravitonium had been, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of power and what kind of threat-he had just sealed away. Somewhere in the shadows of his mind, he knew this would not be the last time he crossed paths with Dr. Franklin Hall-now transformed, somewhere within that silent black stone, into the being known as Graviton.