Marvel : Strongest Siblings

Clint stepped closer, gripping Phil's hand firmly. "Glad to have you back, Coulson," he said, his voice steady but filled with relief. Phil nodded, though disoriented, and asked, "But why are you shouting?"

Clint blinked, his expression confused. "I'm not shouting," he replied, his tone perfectly normal.

"You are still shouting," Phil insisted, his voice steady but tinged with puzzlement. Black Widow and Clint exchanged glances before turning their eyes to Max.

Max shrugged nonchalantly. "He's a Vampire Lord now," he explained, "and he can't control his enhanced senses yet." Both agents nodded slowly, digesting the information.

"Vampire Lord?" Phil asked, his brows furrowing as he glanced between them.

Max leaned against a nearby wall, crossing his arms as he elaborated. "Yeah, Vampire Lord. It's a higher tier of vampirism—stronger, faster, and more refined. You're not just any vampire; you're royalty," he said, smirking slightly.

Phil rubbed his face, still processing. "I didn't think you meant it this way," he muttered, looking at Max.

"It's better this way," Max assured him. "All you have to do is drink a glass of blood once a month to stay in top shape. If you don't, you won't turn into a monster or anything, but you'll get weaker and eventually fall asleep like a hibernating bear."

Phil gave Max a skeptical look. "Don't vampires turn bloodthirsty if they don't feed?" he asked.

"Normal vampires, sure," Max replied. "But you're not normal. As a Royal Vampire, your kind doesn't lose control. Instead, your body just starts shutting down if you don't feed. But don't worry—you'll be fine with even synthetic blood."

Phil tilted his head thoughtfully. "So I'm not just a regular vampire, but a Royal Vampire?"

Max nodded. "Exactly. Royal Vampires have a racial trait called 'Attuned with Grace.' No matter what, you'll always move and behave with a certain elegance. For example, even now, you've been disoriented, yet your posture and expression remain calm and regal."

Phil instinctively touched his face. "Is it really that noticeable?" he asked.

Black Widow and Clint both nodded in agreement. "It's weirdly... dignified," Natasha admitted.

Phil chuckled softly. "Well, I feel weak. And hungry. Like an normal hunger," he confessed.

Max nodded knowingly. "Your body just underwent a significant transformation. It's expected. You need to replenish your energy. Do you have blood bags here?" he asked, glancing at Natasha.

"Yes, we keep them in the medical bay," she confirmed.

"Good," Max said. "Give him one to stabilize him."

As Black Widow headed off to retrieve the blood, she hesitated for a moment and looked back at Phil. "This... isn't something he's going to live with forever, right?" she asked.

Max waved off her concern. "Don't worry. He'll adjust. Royal Vampires are more human than not, just with a few extra quirks," he said before turning to leave.

Max moved to track Bruce, checking the facility's various rooms. When he didn't find him, he groaned in frustration and called Fury. "Fury, where's Banner? Don't tell me he's gone 'big guy' somewhere?"

Fury's voice came through, calm but direct. "Relax. He's in the meeting room, safe and sound."

Max sighed in relief. "Good. Thought I'd have to deal with the Hulk after reviving Coulson," he muttered, heading toward the meeting room.

Soon, Max reached the meeting room and found everyone seated—Hawkeye, Black Widow, Fury, Captain America, Bruce Banner, and Maria Hill among them. The atmosphere was heavy, with tension palpable in the air.

"Why the depressing mood?" Max asked as he sat down, his posture relaxed and unbothered.

Maria Hill shot him a glare. "A lot of people died today. And now you ask why the mood is grim?" she retorted sharply.

Max shrugged, his tone nonchalant. "Great, at least you acknowledge that," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Now, maybe you'll start comprehending the bigger picture instead of just rushing blindly after any Alien tech."

Maria opened her mouth to respond but stopped, biting her tongue as Fury raised a hand to silence her.

Fury, shaking his head, spoke up. "We need power to defend Earth. That's the truth of it," he said, his tone steady but firm. "It was never meant to be this way, but we're here now."

Max scoffed, leaning forward. "No, you guys wanted weapons. Weapons like the Tesseract and whatever Alien tech you could get your hands on. You let your people start playing with powers beyond your understanding, and now you're surprised it backfired on you?"

Captain America frowned. "We stopped Hydra before. We can do it again."

Max rolled his eyes. "Sure, you stopped Hydra, but their ideology didn't die. Their people didn't disappear. They infiltrated, regrouped, and kept pulling strings behind the scenes while you focused on the flashy stuff. And now you're dealing with the fallout of their persistence."

"Now, it's not just HYDRA with some Alien tech but genuine Alien army on you " 

He gestured broadly at the room. "Your focus was misplaced. You wanted quick solutions and shiny weapons, but you ignored the real threats hiding in plain sight. And now? You're scrambling to clean up the mess."

Several assistants outside the meeting room paused at Max's words, exchanging uneasy glances before hurrying away.

Max's smirk widened. "This whole place is just a collection of poorly connected parts, and you're wondering why the machine doesn't work," he added, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "The question isn't whether you can win. It's whether you'll realize why are you guys even in this situation at the first place" 

Hearing him, Fury looked at Max and said, "I appreciate your lecture, but we clearly don't have time for it."

Max face turned cold as he replied, "And that's exactly why you're not lying in a hospital bed right now."

Fury narrowed his eye, sensing that Max wasn't bluffing. "Do whatever you want, but let's focus on stopping that alien army first," Fury said firmly.

Max nodded, but before he could respond, an agent rushed into the room, activating the screen. It displayed a massive blue portal opening in the sky above Stark Tower.

"Hey, isn't that my building?" Tony exclaimed, standing up abruptly.

***

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