The Next Day – Inside the Abandoned Building
"Hey, Adrian… what the hell was that thing you did last night?" Peter asked, wide-eyed and confused. "That… weird black vortex. It looked like something out of a horror movie."
Adrian stretched his arm, still sore from the previous night. "I think it was a new quirk unlocking."
Peter blinked. "Are you serious? How many quirks do you have, man?!"
Adrian ignored the rising tone. "No time for that—I want to test it. Now."
"Okay, okay," Peter sighed. "Can you even activate it again?"
Adrian stepped back, focused, and brought his hands together in a rough, bootleg Kamehameha pose. He closed his eyes and breathed in slowly.
A swirling black-and-purple vortex suddenly manifested in front of him with a low hum, shimmering like warping glass.
Peter nearly fell over. "Holy shit… it works."
Videos and tools on the workbench rattled from the dimensional pressure. Even Peter had to take a step back. "Okay, this is actually sick. Convenient, too. How far can you go with this thing? Got a name for it yet?"
Adrian smirked. "Not sure about the distance, but I'm calling it Warp Gate."
"Nice. Clean. I like it."
But then Peter's eyes narrowed. "Wait—dude, what happened to your hand?"
Adrian looked down—and his smirk vanished. His right hand was gone, replaced by a swirling spiral of semi-solid black smoke, warping like ink in water.
"What the fuck…" Adrian muttered. He quickly shut the portal. The smoky vortex receded, and his hand began to take shape again—first the fingers, then the palm, until it fully returned.
Peter stepped forward, serious now. "That's not normal, Adrian."
Adrian nodded slowly, flexing his fingers. "Yeah… that was new. I think there's a side effect. When I use Warp Gate, it's like… my body starts becoming it."
Peter put a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to use that power if it's gonna melt you from the inside."
Adrian's eyes hardened. "No. It saved that girl. This quirk is too useful. I just need to understand it better—and build something to stabilize it."
Peter took a breath. "Alright. Then let's figure it out together."
Montage – Warp Gate Tests
Adrian and Peter ran test after test.
— Long-distance teleportation warped entire walls but caused Adrian's arm to partially dissolve into smoke for nearly ten minutes.
— Short-range teleportation, though, was more stable. He could blink from one corner of the building to another without losing shape.
— When his arm turned into smoke, it couldn't be damaged. Peter's steel rod passed right through it like mist.
— Adrian tried morphing the smoke—changing its shape. Success was rough, but he could make it resemble claws or widen it for a shield, though not with precision.
— The more he used the ability, the more exhausted he became. It demanded not just energy—but focus.
"Okay," Peter said, jotting notes. "This is going to take serious tech. I'll need to build a molecular stabilizer to keep you intact."
Adrian wiped sweat from his brow. "I'll help you. But before that—I need to talk to someone."
Peter raised a brow. "The friend you want to help?"
"Yeah," Adrian nodded. "Frank Castle."
Scene – Frank Castle's House
Adrian knocked. The door opened slowly, revealing a weathered but solid man. Frank Castle. The Punisher. But today, he looked less like a soldier and more like a father in a loose shirt.
"Kid," Frank said. "Didn't expect you."
"I'm not here to talk about the future," Adrian said. "I heard you were planning something… with your family. An outing?"
Frank paused, a rare smile tugging at his lips. "Was thinking about taking Maria and the kids to the amusement park. It's been… a while."
"I want to join," Adrian said. "Not to intrude. I just… thought maybe I could help guard the kids. So you and Maria can relax a little."
Frank looked at Adrian for a long moment. No words—just silent understanding.
"…Sure, kid. That'd mean a lot. Be here in three days. Bring something casual."
"Got it." Adrian turned to leave, then paused. "See you in three days, Mr. Frank."
"Kid," Frank growled. "Don't call me Mr.—makes me sound old."
Adrian smirked as he slipped out the door. "Because you are old, Mr. Frank."
He slammed the door shut just in time.
Inside, Frank exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "Little bastard's got a mouth."
Maria walked up, smiling. "Sounds like he's fun to be around."
Frank nodded slowly. "Yeah. He is. I just hope… nothing goes wrong this time."
Back at the Abandoned Building
"Hey Pete—how's it looking?" Adrian asked, entering the lab space.
Peter looked up, haggard. "Horrible. I don't have the right components. Half this shit makes no sense. Stabilizing molecules?! What am I—Mr. Fantastic?!"
"We'll get there," Adrian said, confident. "One step at a time."
Peter rolled his eyes. "You said that when you kicked my ass in that fighting game."
"Still stings from that loss?"
"Shut up. I'm better than you."
"Then prove it, Peter the Puny."
The two broke into playful bickering, each one hyping themselves up as the better fighter, the better builder, the better everything.
Their laughter echoed through the building.
Elsewhere – Inside a Government Black Site
Alarms blared. Blood smeared the halls. Screams turned to gurgles.
"Security breach! Who the fuck got in here—?!"
A guard collapsed, throat slit open. A wet squelch followed by silence.
The remaining officer stumbled backward. "W-Wait! I can give you info! Anything—just don't kill m—!"
Before he could finish, his head rolled off his shoulders.
The attacker stood tall, face hidden by a snarling wolf mask. His tactical armor was soaked in crimson, but he didn't flinch.
"I don't need your info," he muttered coldly. "I already got what I came for."
He stepped into the nearest shadow and vanished without a sound.
The lights flickered.
The halls were painted in red.
Bodies piled like debris.