Marvel - The Blood God

"You're saying you've discovered alien blood that can regenerate indefinitely? And you plan to use it as food for the blood race?"

Maverick Cassain frowned as he considered this. "Isn't that risky? Alien blood could be dangerous. And are you sure we can consume it? Vampires can't drink animal blood—only human blood."

Dr. Stern, exuding confidence, replied, "Don't worry, Mr. Cassain. The blood your people will drink is not the raw alien blood. The original is far too potent and unsuitable for consumption. I've developed a diluted version that removes most of the alien blood's active properties while keeping its energy intact. With the vampires' unique digestion abilities, there's no danger."

Dr. Stern paused for emphasis. "In fact, I've already tested it on some volunteers from the blood race. They drank the diluted blood, and it not only worked but also enhanced their strength—much like drinking fresh human blood."

"So you're saying," Maverick mused, stroking his chin, "that, in addition to human blood, vampires can survive on alien blood?"

"Precisely," Stern answered, his tone growing animated. "And I have a theory about that! Vampires aren't limited to human blood per se—they're restricted to the blood of intelligent beings. Animal blood doesn't work because animals lack sufficient intelligence to make their blood viable for vampires."

Maverick raised an eyebrow. "That's an interesting theory. But why would such a restriction exist in the first place?"

"There's no clear scientific explanation," Stern admitted. "It could very well be a curse, one that binds vampires to consume only the blood of intelligent life."

"A curse?" Maverick said with a frown. "Then the blood race's weaknesses—sunlight, garlic, silver—are they also part of this supposed curse?"

"That's possible," Stern said, shrugging. "But curses and science don't have to be at odds. Even if these traits originated as supernatural, science can study and potentially overcome them. After all, what we call 'magic' is just science we don't yet understand."

Maverick chuckled faintly. "You're not the first to say that. Alright, hand me the alien blood. I want to see if it works for myself. If this truly solves the issue, the blood race will no longer depend on human blood."

Stern handed over a vial, his expression eager. "I assure you, Mr. Cassain, this will work. The technique I used is far more advanced than that of the creator of the alien serum you mentioned. If someone drinks the original serum, they risk mutating into an alien creature."

"Interesting," Maverick said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "It sounds like those aliens tricked someone into a dangerous experiment."

He pushed the thought aside and drank the diluted blood. Closing his eyes, he focused on the sensation coursing through him. After a long pause, he opened his eyes and nodded, a spark of excitement lighting his face. "You're right, Stern. This blood works perfectly for vampires. You've done an excellent job."

"Thank you, Mr. Cassain!" Stern said, his face lighting up with pride.

"For safety, we'll conduct broader tests," Maverick instructed. "Recruit 100 volunteers from the blood race and monitor them for three months. If all goes well, begin mass production. This could transform how we sustain our kind."

"Understood," Stern said.

Maverick nodded, satisfied. Clapping Stern on the shoulder, he added, "This is a major breakthrough. For your work, I'll reward you with $50 million in cash and another $50 million in shares of the Osborne Group."

Stern's jaw dropped. "Thank you, Mr. Cassain! I—this is beyond generous!"

"You earned it," Maverick said simply. Turning to Lilith, he ordered, "Send the Yeti to guard this lab. Nothing can be allowed to jeopardize this research."

"I'll handle it," Lilith replied. Every vampire in the room understood the monumental importance of alien blood for their survival.

Maverick continued, "Start acquiring farms as well. We'll need a substantial supply of animal blood for the process. Money is no object."

Lilith nodded. "I'll see it done."

Stern chimed in, "If you can obtain more alien specimens, I may be able to uncover even greater applications for their blood. Its power is on par with some of Earth's strongest beings."

"If the opportunity arises, I'll bring back what I can," Maverick said with a faint smirk. "I'm curious myself about what these alien creatures really look like."

At S.H.I.E.L.D.'s central command, Nick Fury and his team watched the screen intently. A fighter jet wobbled out of control before crashing into a forested mountain with a fiery explosion.

Despite the realistic destruction, Fury frowned. "The crash is convincing, but those trees and flying debris? Pure holographic projection."

Hill added, "And the leaves on those trees didn't even move in the wind."

Fury's face darkened. "Wakanda's technology is leagues ahead of ours. This energy shield and their holograms are light-years beyond what we've seen."

Nearby, Ulysses Klaue chuckled. "Told you so! I tried to warn people, but no one believed me."

"We believe you now," Fury muttered. "If Wakanda ever goes to war with the U.S., who wins?"

Klaue shrugged. "Wakanda's tech outmatches anything the U.S. has, but they've never fought a war. Hard to say who'd win."

Fury turned to Hill. "We need to tread carefully. Start keeping tabs on Wakanda's movements. Quietly. We can't let this escalate."

Hill nodded. "Understood."

Fury added, "Also, assign a black agent to approach Wakanda's prince. They won't trust a white operative."

Two Months Later

The lizard-man crisis had settled, but now all eyes were on the new film Thor.

"Wait—Asgard is real? And Earth used to be one of their territories?"

"Who's the Ancient One? And how did she negotiate Earth's autonomy from Odin?"

"The town in the movie exists. It's still under military quarantine! How could this not be real?"

On forums and social media, debates raged. Was Thor an exposé or clever propaganda?

Meanwhile, Maverick Cassain watched an uncensored version of the movie in his private theater with Stephanie Malik.

"It's incredible," Stephanie said, eyes wide. "He defeated an entire army alone!"

"Thor isn't the only powerful one," Maverick said, smirking. "If you need a god, I can be yours."

Stephanie's breath caught, and under Maverick's red-eyed gaze, she whispered, "My God."