A Mutant Collector Quest

"…ake up, Lucas."

"Wake up, Lucas!"

I stir at the sound of D.A.I.S.Y. urgently calling my name. As I regain consciousness, I find myself tangled up with a soft body.

"What's going on?" I ask, still groggy.

"The Cosmic Cloud is accelerating and will make contact with the space station soon, ETA is 60 minutes."

My eyes widen with alarm. "Prepare the chopper," I command.

I glance at Felicia, who seems to be sleeping peacefully, like a contented cat despite the commotion. She must be exhausted after last night—it was definitely crazy, and I couldn't control myself after the Naked Cat show.

Pressing a kiss to her forehead, I slip out of bed. A quick glance at the clock tells me it's still 5 in the morning.

"Have you sold our shares of Von Doom Industries?" I ask while freshening up.

"I initiated the sell-off as soon as the rocket launched yesterday, per your instructions. Currently, only a nominal percentage of shares remain in your name," D.A.I.S.Y.'s voice echoes through the bathroom as I take a quick shower.

With today's impending catastrophe, Von Doom Industries' share price is set to plummet, ensuring a substantial profit for me.

"Excellent," I acknowledge, trusting that D.A.I.S.Y. would have followed my directives, but I still wanted to confirm it just to be sure.

"Skye is advising that you should not be impulsive and let SpaceX and NASA handle this," D.A.I.S.Y. informs me as I step into the walk-in closet to select my attire.

"If you are listening in, at least talk to me directly," I retort in annoyance.

"She doesn't want to talk to you. It seems Skye is angry with you, Lucas," D.A.I.S.Y. remarks with a hint of amusement.

"Why? What did I do?" I ask, puzzled by this unexpected hostility.

"Tell her I will apologize for whatever I did later. Right now, Sue is the priority," I say, stepping out of the room, fully prepared.

"Skye says you are an idiot," D.A.I.S.Y. responds sweetly.

Shaking my head at their antics, I take the elevator to the roof.

"Is Bobbi ready?" I ask as the elevator halts.

"Yes, she's right in front of you," D.A.I.S.Y. confirms, and as the elevator doors slide open, I see Bobbi.

Barbara 'Bobbi' Morse, known as Agent 19 or Mockingbird, is a familiar face from both the comics and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series.

However I altered her trajectory by hiring her for my company early on, before she could join S.H.I.E.L.D.

Many of the core members in my company were hired early, before they joined their future workplaces or are directly poached before they become well-known. It's all possible because of the incredibly sharp memory I was blessed with in this life.

In the future, Bobbi becomes an expert in combat, piloting, medicine, and even earns a Ph.D. in Biochemistry. Recognising her talent, I have invested heavily in her, providing extensive training and resources over the past three years.

I have seen her skills firsthand and even frequently sparred with her. Bobbi's a beast, a machine in her own right, though not quite a super spy yet—she's getting there.

"You responded fast," I greet her with a smile.

"D.A.I.S.Y. gave me a heads-up yesterday about a potential morning mission, so I was prepared," Bobbi responds with a serious demeanour.

"We are just heading to the main office of SpaceX in New York for now. You are accompanying me as a bodyguard, just in case anything unexpected occurs," I explain as my watch vibrates.

"Understood," Bobbi nods, maintaining her composure.

I notice an incoming call from Elon, who has likely just received the news.

"Hello... Yes, I have heard. I will be at headquarters in 10 minutes... Of course, let's hope for the best," I say before ending the call.

"D.A.I.S.Y., bring Dr. Amara Perera and Dr. Helen Cho to Research Base 14," I command through my watch, receiving an affirmative signal in response.

"Let's get moving," I instruct Bobbi, and she strides ahead toward the helicopter.

Once I'm strapped in, Bobbi starts up the helicopter, and we take off.

Glancing at her, I notice her focused expression as she stares ahead.

"So, how's your thesis coming along?" I yell over the noise of the helicopter through my headset.

Bobbi's face twitches in annoyance. "We haven't spoken in two months, and that's what you're asking me?" she yells back through the headphones.

"No 'Hi, hello,' no inquiries about whether the training's too intense or if the missions were challenging? No apology for adding Biochem studies on top of everything else? Or maybe a 'sorry for not keeping in touch?'" Her voice rises, the frustration in her voice quite clear even as she manoeuvres the Helicopter over the buildings. At this point I start to realize that it might not be just the noise of the helicopter making her yell.

"Well, you can tell me all of that. We have got some time until we reach our destination," I shout back.

"Forget it," she mumbles, her words barely audible over the helicopter's roar.

"No, tell me. I'm listening," I insist, realizing how plenty of people seemed to be upset with me lately. Maybe it's time to make amends.

After some back-and-forth, she doesn't divulge much, but she shares a few things. I realize I might have been pushing her too hard. It's only because I have seen her future potential, and I want her to excel in everything she does. But she is only 21. Maybe I need to ease up on her.

Soon, we arrive at the SpaceX headquarters, and I sense the panic among the people there.

-----

The Next day, I am seated beside Susan, who lies unconscious on a hospital bed.

Yesterday morning, the cosmic rays accelerated unusually fast, striking the space station just as I arrived at the SpaceX headquarters. Shortly after, the space station became unresponsive, losing all functions and hurtling towards the Earth.

Despite the dire situation, the emergency system rebooted upon entering the atmosphere, activating backup generators.

Though in the end, the space station still ended up crashing into a desert in Texas.

Responding swiftly, Bobbi led a team to the crash site, rescuing the passengers.

The space station, made and owned by Von Doom Industries, was state-of-the-art, so not only did it survive the crash, but all its passengers, despite being unconscious, were basically unharmed.

I decided to bring them to my research lab for a check-up. No one refuted me, as my girlfriend was one of the victims.

But soon Victor woke up and demanded that the team be brought to his company's quarantine facility. After some arguments, I let him take Ben and Reed with him, but I brought Susan and her brother Johnny to my facility since they were technically my employees.

Everything that happened was within my calculations, but I still felt incredibly guilty. If anything had gone wrong, I would have lost Sue forever.

I haven't left Susan's side since last night. I also filled her hospital room with sunflowers—her favourite.

As I watch Susan's beautiful sleeping face, the door swings open, admitting two women in white coats.

On the right is Dr. Amara Perera.

She was born and raised in Sri Lanka and is a brilliant Biophysicist. She is such a genius that in the comics, she had successfully cured the X-gene, effectively stopping mutants from gaining powers, but chose not to use that cure .

She even married Tony Stark at one point.

Convincing her to join Watson Labs was simple. I offered unlimited funding for her Alzheimer's cure research, a cause close to her heart. I hold her in high regard for her genuine desire to improve humanity.

On the left is Dr. Helen Cho.

She is a brilliant Geneticist from South Korea. She had created Vision's body from Vibranium in the Avengers movies and could even make artificial skin that looks and feels real.

She was trying to start U-GIN, a research group based in Korea trying to make a device named 'Regeneration Cradle' that can produce artificial skin. I promised her as much funding as she needed, in exchange for a majority stake in her research group, U-GIN, and for her to join Watson Lab. She readily agreed.

"It's just as you predicted, Luke," Amara chimes in eagerly. "Although Susan and her brother appear stable, their cellular compositions are undergoing remarkable transformations." she reports with palpable excitement.

"Jemma is going to be so mad at you when she finds out you didn't invite her for something this exciting!" Helen teases mischievously, a playful glint in her eye.

"This isn't her field of specialty, and I didn't want to pause her research work when you two are more than capable," I say with a wry smile.

"Yes, you should definitely start practicing this kind of excuses to tell her!" Helen laughs, covering her mouth with a hand.

Ignoring her antics, I turn to Amara. "How long do you estimate this transformation will take to complete?"

Amara pauses, thinking for a while."I don't know, I can't say for sure as she and her brother are the first cases I have encountered, still the pace of their transformation is remarkably rapid. Judging by the rate of progression, I would venture to say it's nearing completion."

"Log everything," I instruct before turning to Bobbi, who has just entered. "What about Victor's side?"

"D.A.I.S.Y. is monitoring them through surveillance cameras. Two of our people in there, have been able to collect a blood sample from all three of them. The samples are currently being transported here," Bobbi reports, as she leans against the wall with her hands crossed.

Helen casts a suspicious glance my way. "You're a little too prepared for this accident. It's almost like you knew it was going to happen."

Amara says nothing but seems to share the same thought. I share a look with Bobbi. Only three people in my company know about Cassandra: Skye, D.A.I.S.Y., and Bobbi. I trusted them with some of my meta knowledge, which I attributed to Cassandra's powers. Even Pepper, MJ, and Susan don't know about her.

The main reason I have kept Cassandra a secret is her safety. I made it a policy that, unless it was absolutely necessary, no one would know about her.

It's all about understanding how dangerous this world can be. Even though I have amassed a fortune that could last a hundred lifetimes, I'm still just flesh and bone—weak, easily crushed or manipulated by more powerful forces.

But now, with Susan gaining powers, maybe it's time to expand my inner circle a little. I should also think about advancing my 'Super Power' project.

Just as I am debating whether to tell them about Cassandra, I feel Susan's hand jerk.

Both doctors immediately notice and get to work, knowing she's about to wake up. They check the devices scanning her as Susan slowly opens her eyes.

"Where... am I?" she asks, her voice trembling with confusion as she surveys the room.

I gently grasp her hands, concern clear in my voice. "Sue, how are you feeling?"

When she sees me, her expression softens. "Luke!" Then, noticing Amara and Helen nearby, her brow furrows. "Amara? Helen? What happened?"

At some point, Bobbi had already slipped out of the room.

I let Susan lie back down and glance at both doctors. They give me a thumbs-up, signalling she's stable. I turn my attention back to her.

"There was an accident involving the Cosmic Cloud," I explain gently. "Sue, do you remember what happened?" I squeeze her hands lightly.

Susan's eyes widen in realization. "Yes, the mission! We reached the space station and started placing all our probes to collect readings when the Cosmic Cloud suddenly began to accelerate. We managed to close the shields in time, but..." Her voice trails off, anxiety creeping into her expression.

I rise from my seat and pull her into a tight embrace, stroking her back. "It's okay, everything's under control now. I'm here with you."

She calms down quickly, then suddenly looks up at me. "Johnny! What about him? And Reed, Ben, and Victor?" she asks, gripping my shirt, clearly agitated.

"They're all fine. Reed and Victor have already woken up. Johnny and Ben are still sleeping, but they are okay," I reply calmly, offering a reassuring smile as I rub her back.

"Good," she sighs, visibly relaxing as she rests her head against my chest.

"So, the station's shield couldn't block the cosmic rays from the cloud," she muses, her mind already working on what went wrong.

"Most likely," I affirm.

Both doctors chat with her briefly before leaving us alone.

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[90% increase in Felicia Hardy's energy reserve: Gained a mutation]

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Random Powers:

[Gained SPower: CuckQueen]

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[CuckQueen applied to Felicia Hardy]

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