"FUXX! You filthy, disgusting humans—only maggots like you would use such cowardly tactics!"
"That idiot Professor X still believes humans and mutants can coexist? You parasites should be on your knees before us—mutants were born to rule over you!"
"FUXX, you're nothing but sewer-dwelling—"
Even with his limbs riddled by bullets and his nervous system paralyzed by electric shock, Kevin Robert still had the strength—and hatred—to scream his curses at the top of his lungs.
The venom in his voice was enough to make even Sean's trigger finger twitch.
"Tch," Sean muttered, "dude's got holes in every limb and he's still flapping his mouth. Super strength, alright."
From the shadows came a calm, amused voice.
"Well, he's got stamina, I'll give him that."
Kevin strained his bloodshot eyes, looking through the circle of FBI agents forming around him—just in time to see Lynn Hall walking toward him, his face calm, posture confident.
"You son of a—MMPH!"
Kevin's rage was cut short as Sean stepped forward and kicked him square in the mouth.
Kevin choked on his own blood and broken teeth, gagging as he fell to the pavement.
Sean ground his boot down on the mutant's cheek. "When our boss asks questions, you answer. And if you open your sewer mouth again, I'll start pulling teeth—one by one."
Kevin's glare was pure venom—he burned with the same fury he'd seen in the eyes of the father he had gunned down the night before. The man had thrown himself between Kevin and his family, even in the face of certain death.
> [Kevin Robert – Favorability: -8]
Lynn saw the notification in his mind and gave Sean a nod of approval.
Damn, Sean was a natural at pulling aggro.
Lynn crouched down, pressing the cold barrel of his sidearm against Kevin's forehead.
"I've seen your file. Ever since the Brotherhood fell apart, you've been on a murder spree. You killed a whole family—parents and two kids—for fifty bucks and a TV."
Kevin spat blood, grinning. "You humans should die."
CRACK!
The butt of Lynn's pistol slammed into Kevin's skull, splitting his forehead open.
Blood poured freely, but Kevin only laughed.
"Go on. Beat me. It changes nothing."
"Magneto was a fool. If he hadn't failed, the United States would belong to mutants by now. We would've ruled with an iron fist—and nuked the rest of the world into submission."
"You pathetic vermin would be our slaves!"
Sean, Alice, and the rest of the squad bristled, their fingers tightening around their triggers.
But Lynn stayed calm.
He didn't care who ruled America.
Mutants. Aliens. Hell, zombies.
As long as his interests were protected—and he came out on top—let the world burn.
He raised the pistol again and slammed it into Kevin's face, over and over, trying to push the mutant's favorability down to -9, the threshold that would yield higher rewards.
But no matter how hard he beat him, it remained stuck at -8.
A shame.
Lynn sighed and stood up.
Then, without a word, he pulled the trigger.
BANG.
Kevin's head snapped back with a dull thud—his skull now ventilated.
> [Kevin Robert – Favorability: -8. Target eliminated. Reward acquired: Super Strength LV1]
The system notification rang out.
Lynn didn't celebrate. He just gave Sean the order to clean up the scene, then climbed into the back seat of the Suburban.
Only once the doors were closed did he open his system panel.
---
Name: Lynn Hall
Intelligence: 3
Strength: 4
Speed: 2
Stamina: 3
Energy Projection: 0
Combat Skills: 6
Abilities:
Krav Maga LV10 [MAX]
Firearms Mastery LV9 [2574/11000]
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu LV7 [755/2100]
Muay Thai LV7 [125/2100]
Melee Weapons Mastery LV6 [740/2600]
Super Strength LV1 [0/1500]
Experience Points: 780
---
Lynn's eyes narrowed as he read over the new data.
Finally. His first true superhuman power.
From a baseline strength of 3 (human peak) to 4—placing him somewhere between lifting 800 lbs and 25 tons.
It wasn't just symbolic. It was a turning point.
A line had been crossed.
He was no longer just a highly trained operative.
He was post-human.
He'd tried to push Kevin to -9 favorability for a better reward, but -8 had been the limit. Still—this was more than enough to start.
Super Strength at LV1 was weak compared to the legends, but Lynn didn't care.
Now he had a foundation.
He could build from this.
Testing could wait until he was back at the apartment. The dumbbells he kept there would be a joke now—but at least he could gauge the shift.
He was already mentally calculating how many more kills, bribes, and favors he'd need to level up the new skill.
Just 720 XP left to reach LV2...
The sting? His best supporters—Gwen and the Stacys—were giving him 150 XP a week thanks to their Favorability 9 rating.
But Sean and the others?
> Favorability 7 = one gift a year = 5 XP.
Lynn sneered as he turned the ignition.
A decade's worth of gifts from Sean was worth less than one week of Gwen's.
He returned to the apartment and casually picked up a 20 kg dumbbell. It felt like an empty soda can.
Definitely needed professional testing.
Just… not at the Bureau.
This power was his ace in the hole, and it stayed hidden.
He washed up, then lay back on the bed.
HYDRA's "trial" was complete. By tomorrow, James Duke would likely present him with the pin. He'd become an official member of the "Brotherhood."
The real game was just beginning.
Lynn's thoughts turned toward how Duke would try to slowly pull him deeper into HYDRA—tests, operations, leverage.
Didn't matter.
HYDRA was at its peak right now, with tendrils in every corner of America's power structure.
In a few years, it would all come crashing down—Captain America would see to that.
But until then?
Lynn intended to bleed them dry.
As for Phil Coulson?
That business card would come in handy down the line—when he eventually played the role of the repentant defector.
When Steve Rogers started cleansing S.H.I.E.L.D., Lynn would be ready.
He'd be the perfect "misguided agent who saw the light."
Everything was aligning.
Lynn closed his eyes and began his nightly ritual—replaying every decision, every action, double-checking for flaws.
Only when he confirmed there were none… did he finally allow himself to sleep.