A few hours later,
Western Massachusetts, Frost Orphanage,
After returning to earth, I went straight to check for a convenient and safe area around the estate where I could build my second base. Flying to Mars each day would be an inconvenience in the long run and sadly, it had to be underground cause although the estate was rather huge, I didn't want curious superpowered kids messing with my stuff or potentially exposing the base to outsiders.
The entire process of construction this time took a much shorter time as my mental capabilities allowed for easier information processing at a much faster rate while Eve handled the technology front once more. At this rate, I would begin considering construction work as a possible field to dominate in the future after laying down tons of cement in the span of a few days. The idea of making a clean-up crew to fix my messes sounded more appealing. The entire process took more than an hour to finish placing a reinforced banker a few hundred meters away from the mansion and a few kilometers underground. This would have taken time and a fortune to make I was sure if my mind wasn't playing tricks on me. Damn, I love my convenient power ring.
Afterward, I dropped my costume returning to my comfortable baggy pair of grey joggers and an oversized black hoodie, before proceeding to the next phase. It was already past seven in the evening considering the sun was now almost fully setting over the horizon and if my dates were right it was Monday probably. I still had an entire week of resting and setting my plans into motion before focusing on education for a while. This was in my best interest cause I was sure that even in this fucked up reality that would eventually spiral out to massive catastrophes and disasters as an every Tuesday occurrence, most of the powerful villains had fucking brains.
I walked towards the mansion this time taking a while to appreciate the calm beautiful estate as most of the kids were all inside leaving a few teenagers here and there hanging out. The outdoor security lights were on giving the mansion and its surroundings a more larvish appeal highlighting its Victorian architectural style. The rustling of trees alongside the sound of the gentle breeze blowing by made the experience more surreal. I continued to enjoy the fresh air and peace for a while as I mulled over my thoughts.
Entry into the mansion almost completely cut out sounds welcoming me to a lavish hallway with a few maids here and there moving around, cleaning up any earlier messes, and doing their business. I ignored the whispers and curious looks I was getting over my state of dress as I walked towards the cafeteria where the most prominent sound in the house came from. I knew dressing in this fashion would attract attention but I didn't give a shit much honestly. Most people from the twenty-first century knew fashion trends circled back a lot so I was pretty sure I wouldn't stick out much. However, if I was living by myself or with fewer kids around, I would probably make myself more comfortable changing up a lot of things around. I passed a few of the adults who I assumed would probably think I was some kind of rebel child or something considering by this point cause they only saw me once before I disappeared for a few days.
Walking into the cafeteria, I was blasted by the noise of children socializing over dinner. Some teenagers gossiping here and there, kids playing with their food, a few adults reprimanding the kids and so much more was going on and thanks to my enhanced senses, it was chaos. This reminded me of high school from a single glance causing me to chuckle in amusement. I ignored the curious gazes as I proceeded to grab myself something to eat before proceeding to make a quick scan looking for somewhere secluded to have my meal. After all, there was no need to draw too much attention to myself right now.
I went and took a sit at an empty table in the corner after not finding anyone worth talking to and began enjoying my food. A plate of rice with grilled chicken breasts and a side of assorted vegetables which I was picky with coupled with a glass of water. The food was more amazing than most orphanages I visited back in the day for charity and the happy smiles on most of the kids' faces here only reaffirmed this fact.
As long as I wore my ring though, I had a form of self-sustenance so food would not be a necessary requirement but I still wanted to enjoy a warm meal for now. Speaking of which, Eve has been rather silent ever since I left Mars. I wonder why but I should leave her be for now and deal with a certain unhappy redhead spy before I end up sleeping on the floor tonight. I gulped down some water to push down my anxiousness as soon as I felt the presence that had been approaching me stop right behind me.
"Hey, Nat. Long time no see. How have you been doing?..." I called out masking my nervousness hoping she wouldn't see through my act and let me off on a light note only for me to be greeted back by silence. I could feel her sharp gaze bore into my back for a while before she finally moved and occupied the seat opposite to me on the table.
"Irene, it's been a while since we last saw each other." Her words coupled with the sharp gaze gliding over my body analytically for a short while almost made me break out in a sweat.
"I've been good enjoying the stay here. So do you mind me asking something real quick?" Natalia responded to me although the fake smile on her face coupled with her posture already alerted me to her skepticism and doubt.
"Ohh that's good. Ask away." I replied giving her a smile of my own hoping to ease the tension a bit as beads of sweat run down my spine hoping to not be fucked.
"Remember that crazy day we were sent to steal some documents from some fat guy in Sledorvorsk and get to the extraction point by the fourth day?" She asked this time squaring me with her stern eyes causing me to subcontiously reply without thinking much although I wondered why she brought up a past memory.
"Yeah, the one we were told originally only was a simulation but instead ended up being our first mission together. What about it?"
"I just wanted to ask how you managed to get to the extraction point, I can't remember well enough?" She replied with a smirk tugging on her lips as a traumatic memory surfaced in my brain.
"Черт возьми, как я мог обогнать шестерых немецких овчарок, если не через канализационную систему. (Fuck you, how was I supposed to outrun six German shepherds if not through using the sewer system.)" I responded to Nat who was snickering at my misfortune and enjoying seeing me visibly shiver at the memory. Be it my past life or now, I don't know why dogs don't like me. Well, the feeling is mutual though and I'm more of a cat person. Either way, I always somehow end up in a situation getting chased one way or another.
"Хаха, смейся сколько хочешь, у меня дела получше, чем у тебя. Вы были причиной, по которой я вообще попал в эту ситуацию. (Haha, laugh all you want. I ended up getting the better end of the stick, and in fact, you were the reason I ended up in this situation in the first place.)" This time it was my time to snicker in contempt as I saw Natalia visibly shiver and recoil in horror and disgust. No way I'm the only one going down with trauma.
"Отвратительная толстая свинья была монстром, судя по тому, как он смотрел на меня и по всем подаркам, которые он мне предлагал, чтобы называть его папой. Хорошо, что я проколол ему глаза. (The disgusting fat pig was a monster, judging by the way he looked at me and all the gifts he offered me to call him daddy. It's good that I pierced his eyes.)" Nat replied still cringeing at the memory as I continued watching her as I ate my meal. I don't judge but people out there get off to some weird fetishes me included but some need to outrightly be purged from this world. We continued our small chat for a while laughing here and there reminiscing how at first we had a rivalry and all that jazz the mental conditioning made us do.
"Sorry, I had to confirm it was you. Anyway, you've changed a lot in a short period. What happened?" This time she asked as we switched back to becoming serious. Of course, from a single glance, she noticed I had changed although the clothing was doing a good job of hiding it, I couldn't fool her eyes. I wondered for how long she had been observing me before finally approaching.
"Я исправил и улучшил то, что с нами сделали в Красной комнате. (I fixed and improved what they did to us in the Red Room.)" I said to her in a low voice while signaling her in Morse code that I would talk more about this later. She nodded in agreement while holding back from saying or asking anything if her jaw tensing and hands clenching her fists and slightly wrinkling her white shirt was an indication.
"Otherwise, how have your days been here? I saw you made friends when I went out." I steered the topic away making small talk with her. From the information she gathered, I discovered that the orphanage was opened almost a year ago and all the kids here were mutants. Abandoned, shunned, and cast out kids who had nowhere else to go after awakening their abilities. Here they are provided with a home, food, education at Massachusetts Academy which isn't far, and a chance to learn and train their mutations. Afterward, they are provided with jobs under Frost International. A good way to pay up for Emma's generosity and her mentorship alongside getting herself some loyal allies. From one look I already noticed some of the kids weren't even American therefore the kids could have been taken from different places probably cause Emma saw potential in them or she just chose to take them in, but I don't know. It's a good structure either way, unlike Xavier's school in my book although it might be different in this reality. I'll hold onto my opinions for now and judge appropriately once I see stuff for myself after all, this isn't a comic anymore and I've been here for 13 years.
Also, there have never been any government raids or attacks by any nosy people here so that's also a plus in my book. Having Frost International as a front is probably what's keeping most of the problems at bay as it is a successful business that has major government powers that probably are interested in and want a piece of it adding to the fact that Emma hasn't officially gone public like Xavier so she's still in the green.
Our conversation stretched on for a while until I finished my meal and proceeded to leave the cafeteria alongside Nat after alerting one of our sisters to go and call the rest for an important meeting in a few minutes outside of the manor. Finally, away from any onlookers outside, I created a soundproof barrier around us and asked Eve to adjust the light spectrum and make the barrier invisible to avoid drawing much attention we finally began our conversation once more as we strolled in the garden.
"So where were you gone to for the last few days?"
"I had left to build a base at first and seek medical treatment. " I responded flexing my muscles a bit for emphasis.
"How bad was it?" She asked this time with a hint of worry creeping into her voice.
"Broken bones here and there damaged internal organs and more. Just the usual stuff but a minor difference is the serum wasn't healing me as expected. It seems it was a long way coming." I responded to Nat's question remembering all my aches.
"Seems you finally noticed that your posture was always slightly slumped during ballet." To her answer, I only grunted in confirmation remembering the torture of almost breaking my toes while spinning like a top.
"Mhh, four days in the torture room followed by all your recent activities isn't good for your health you know." Natalia's response broke me out of my reminiscing causing me to unconsciously smile at her showing concern for my well-being.
"…Well, the procedure to fix me up had to keep me asleep for nearly 48 hours so don't worry much about me," I replied waving off her concern.
"So now you're healed, can you explain your changes 'cause I don't think a simple healing can suddenly make you as tall as me?" Emphasizing her statement, she even ruffled my hair.
"Hey, that's a low blow even for you and I was still growing." My reaction got her laughing in amusement at my misfortune but at least now I hoped we could be equal at height in the future.
"Anyways, the healing should have taken a shorter time but adding another serum up enhanced me to have a better physique similar to or probably exceeding that of Red Guardian and Captain America as I grow older that is. Enhanced strength, speed, healing, longevity, and more but I was mainly focused on improving my brain for now." I replied to Nat's earlier question causing her to him in understanding and turn silent for a short while.
"So… are you also going to give me the enhancement or are you afraid of me surpasing you once more?"
"Humph, dream on. I was better than you even before all the improvements but I will give you the serum afterwards to further prove my point. As for the other girls though, …healing them would have to do for now." I playfully told Nat before dropping my act and going back to serious mode.
"You don't trust anyone at all with it do you?"
"Nope, it can't be helped. There are too many dangers running around in the world. More problems than the red room itself that I can't risk playing that game right now." I wasn't one to shy away from sharing powers with those I cared for honestly but I was reluctant to bring the girls into any of this for now plus imagining hydra or Shield getting this serum was a big no in my book.
"What about me though, why tell me all this?" Nat's question made me momentarily pause my steps and turn to face her. I placed my hand on her face gently caressing her cheek slowly sliding my finger down her bottom lip as I replied to her.
"You're the only person in the world I can confidently put my trust in knowing you have my back. Ever since the first night in the shed at Sledvorsk. Remember our promise, to be there for each other and watch each other's backs." In response, I got a nod from Nat whose cheeks were gradually turning a shade of red causing me to subconsciously lick my lips before and smirk at her. My thoughts spiraled out of control seeing this cute side of the always-guarded assassin tempting me to push farther and claim her for my own while another side of my brain wanted me to use her as my tool and dispose of her when her purpose is done just like the missions. This killed my mood immediately as it seems the red room planted some shit in my brain that would haunt me for a while longer. I pushed down those voices suppressing them and chose to deal with that mess later.
"What about the ring on your finger? I noticed you got your crazy abilities the day you got the ring." I pulled back my hand with a smile still on my lips and winked at her before replying as we continued our walk.
"That I would have to show you later in detail and it's a surprise. Also, it isn't like I didn't notice you were spying on me the day we arrived and know some of its abilities." From the side, I could see Nat looking away sheepishly at least showing some common decency for once at being caught.
"Anyway, why did you give that hot brunette one before letting me have one myself?" She asked her question teasingly causing me to stumble for a second before coughing and resuming my walk.
"Do you believe in the impossible?" I inquired only to get a sneer of contempt from Nat.
"Seriously, you ask that question now after doing some crazy stuff to break us out and leaving me with a bunch of kids who can pull fire out of their asses trying to impress me?" I coughed in embarrassment and rephrased my earlier question.
"Well, I expected as much but do you trust in my ability to judge situations?" I asked as I bent down to admire the blossoming daisies only getting a hum in confirmation from Nat.
"You see, she's a mutant that has the ability to glimpse into possible futures as the future isn't set in stone you know," I responded trailing a finger through the daisy's petals.
"Can you show me proof then?" She replied with skepticism dripping from her words while crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.
"I figured you wouldn't understand as much. You remember the hot blue chick who helped us escape?"
"Yeah, Raven what about her?"
"You see she was there thanks to Irene's ability to foresee that we needed help escaping and settling down for a while," I replied remembering that big blue bubble but, Stanley knew I wanna be buried in it one day.
"If she didn't show up weren't you going to break us out with your abilities though, it's all the same." Nat's question brought me out of my fantasies causing me to look at her momentarily while phrasing a satisfactory answer.
"Well, you see I kinda got my abilities as a stroke of lack which led to everything happening like this. Yes, I would still break us out although settling down would have been a hustle but if I didn't awaken my ring, I'm afraid we would still be stuck in the red room for a while." I clenched my fists in anger remembering my pain before shaking it off leaving us in silence for a while.
"Mhh, if she could see the future then her helping us was for ulterior motives right?" I hummed in confirmation causing Nat to furrow her brows in suspicion at me before going back to her speculations. She probably wonders whether I sold the girls out or something as a consequence.
"So we came to an agreement of me partnering up with their little group and doing work here and there and in return, all of you get a place to live, a safe home with the education provided, and a choice to how you want to live your lives." I already knew there was no such thing as a free meal in this world from prior experience and expected Nat to know the same by now.
"You want us to live normal lives, don't you? So why would you sell yourself for us you know we would all be pissed if we learned of this and you already know that would be hard considering everything we went through."
"Hey, I didn't sell myself. I struck a deal and now I'm on the table of decision-makers and it's my duty as your older sister to ensure you are all safe while paving the way for each of your futures." I only got a hum from Nat before she finally sighed as her tense shoulders finally relaxed which was enough for me as I plucked one of the daisies.
"As my duty, I had to make sure we weren't trading masters so I made my decision and it isn't that bad considering I saw you girls enjoy yourselves away from the senseless murder and fighting just to be used as tools. You see that brunette, Irene, helped us a lot so I gave her the ring to symbolize our agreement and also fix her blindness raising my potential value even higher in their eyes." I replied to Nat whose mouth was open in shock at my statement but I didn't mind and just proceeded to tuck the flower into her hair and proceeded to close her mouth and place my index finger on her lips.
"There are more things I did but I'll tell you in due time, so just continue trusting me for a while. For now, let's go back our sisters are probably all gathered." I finished replying to her as she just cutely nodded in agreement. With how cute the flower looked on her coupled with her red cheeks, I bopped her nose and proceeded to walk out of the garden after generating a mirror which I passed to her so she could observe herself.
It took us a few minutes to return to the front entrance of the mansion where we found the rest of our sisters. Some of them were chatting away when we arrived but one look at their outfits pretty much gave me an idea of where they were previously. It was still pretty early in the evening around nine o'clock but seeing a few of the girls in pajamas made me feel sorry for disturbing their sleep but this had to be done right now. I don't think I would have much time to address some of the issues I wanted to bring up once I'm done setting my plans into motion and something tells me I would instead end up probably annoyed.
Upon noticing my presence the talking mellowed down. Although they looked relaxed, I could see and feel they were ready for battle at any second. I could see there was still caution, wariness, and vigilance through their eyes but otherwise to a certain degree they all still let themselves rest for a while for the first time as this was a rather safe place. I knew from experience they were still probably thinking this was a dream, a test or something would happen out of nowhere and disturb their unexpected peace causing them to go back to their torturous lives. Deep down they were afraid of being forced back into the cut-throat cycle of murdering each other, broken down and toughened to be the best assassins and spies the organization could offer. Afraid of being a disappointing tool that in the end would be discarded for not being sharp enough. Afraid of suddenly waking up after experiencing all this peace in a few days to find out it was a dream. I couldn't blame them for being like this cause deep down I knew I felt the same as them. I was still afraid of finding out the last few days were tricks of my imagination and I am just waiting to wake up and find myself back on the torture chair. It wasn't anything physical but more psychological. After all those years some things can't just be fixed in a few days.
I sighed in exhaustion signaled them to follow me and proceeded to walk toward the bunker entrance. Everyone was silent along the way giving me enough time to sike myself up for what I'm about to show them.
I spotted three silhouettes from a distance causing me to construct a monocle with the ability to zoom into further distances over my eye. I furrowed my eyebrows at the view of Irene, Emma, and Raven standing next to the hidden entrance. This was somewhat alarming making me doubt whether I had to make an extra effort at concealment only for Irene to turn around and excitedly wave at me drawing me out of my thoughts. I had contacted her to meet us alongside the other two outside a while back but finding my intended destination wasn't much of a surprise although it was slightly disconcerting. I know she's a precog and all but this will take a while to get used to. I dropped my construct and continued on my way. This wasn't going to stop me cause at least she was on my side as far as anyone was concerned.
It took us a few minutes to finally arrive to find both Emma and Raven looking around confused trying to spot anything a miss with the ground structure. As for Irene, she was excited that I could tell but what's more, she pinned me down with an analytical gaze for a short while before she finally broke the ice first.
"Irene, nice to see you finally back." I scratched my cheek in embarrassment upon her greeting before replying with some courtesy.
"Miss. Adler, it's good to see you once more." I greeted her back with a curt nod causing her to frown slightly.
"You don't need to be courteous with me after all you are already family to me." She replied with a smile causing me to instinctively object.
"But..." I was cut off from answering by her appearing swiftly in front of me and hugging me burying my face in her boobs while proceeding to lift me off the ground and spin me around. All this was unexpected but not unwelcome causing me to subconsciously hug her back. Stanley knows I'm starved for affection and the fact I can't sense any hostile intentions towards me only contributed more to me getting easily knocked off track. It was not because I was also getting a free closeup with her breasts no that I deny although I was fighting an intense battle with temptations to motorboat her. I heard chuckles from below snapping me out of my boob-induced hypnotia causing me to notice we were flying a few meters off the ground this entire time with Irene covering both of us in a protective barrier.
I reluctantly pulled my head back from my soft jasmine-scented prison remembering where I was and why I was here in the first place alongside my sisters. Blood rushed to my cheeks upon remembering we had people around us causing me to get embarrassed as well as internally cry about looking like a fool in front of all my sisters. The chuckles I heard from below confirmed my thoughts making me look down and see some of them laughing while others just smiled and began talking among themselves once more. The previous serious mood was gone replaced by a gentler calmer mood making it more comfortable to relax a little.
I turned my head back up to look at Irene who had a genuine smile on her face. "Thanks for all you've done for me and for giving me eyesight. I believe I haven't shown you my appreciation yet even if you insist it isn't necessary. I don't know if anything I can give you can be considered paying you back so if you need anything don't be shy to ask I'll be here to help." She responded followed up by her placing a gentle kiss on my forehead before I even voiced my opinion or asked any questions. I just disregarded those thoughts and enjoyed the brief feeling of warmth.
"Hmm, I see you've changed." Irene was the first to speak after a short while of comfortable silence as we descended onto the ground and I finally let go of the hug leaving me feeling somewhat dissatisfied.
"The procedure was successful although it took a few days. So like the new look?" I asked back flexing my muscles a bit to exaggerate the physical changes causing me to receive a chuckle from Raven who observed us from the side.
"I see you have yet to understand. Sigh* I'll have to teach you later." Irene replied causing me to raise an eyebrow in confusion. Wait something changed in me and I don't know about it yet but I made so many physical checkups before coming back. I observed Irene quizzically for a while as she went back to speaking with Emma before finally dropping the matter for later.
"You know, you should stop looking at my wife with that intensity. I might get jealous." I heard Raven's voice as I snapped out of my thoughts causing me to look at her approaching me.
"She's beautiful so are you afraid of me stealing her from you?" I asked her with a teasing smirk tagging on my lips causing her to burst out in laughter.
"For now, dream on kid but in a few years you'll have your chance." She replied to my teasing remark causing me to continue with our short banter.
"You know, it won't be fair if I take her only and leave you out of the mix so what about joining us?" I told her with a wink causing her to playfully smile at me.
"Tempting offer, but how sure are you to succeed though? You are already flirting with two older women forgetting your cute redhead friend now?" She asked me with a teasing smirk causing me to subcontiously turn to Nat who wasn't much distance away approaching us as she appreciated the view of Raven's bubble but for a few seconds before meeting my gaze and gesturing to the magnificent view as I nodded in approval. Yap teenage hormones were acting out in both of us now that we didn't need to watch our behaviors and every word.
"Nat's my number one same as how Irene's your number one but I'll shoot my shots later," I replied to Raven as I turned back to face her waiting for Nat to finally arrive next to me.
"Cute you even have a pet name for her." We continued teasing each other causing us to laugh for a short while before Nat finally arrived. I did the introduction between them and proceeded to converse. The two hit off fast in a short period and became fast friends. I felt a bit relaxed in this environment.
"So Irene, I heard you had something you wanted to show us." Raven finally asked after the end of our short conversation causing me to snap back to business.
"Ohh that, give me a moment," I replied while moving away from both of them and proceeded to where I hid the entrance. It seems I forgot that I still wasn't done for the day while all I wanted to do was rest and chill.
It seems my movement had caught everyone's attention as they became quiet and took a step back to observe first waiting for me to give them a sign to proceed and follow. As soon as I reached a section of the plain land, a small section on the ground shifted away revealing a slick black spherical pedestal that rose from the ground and extended to reach my waist height. The top surface of the pedestal was empty looking nothing futuristic or amazing apart from a small hole. Yes, I fashioned it out of the same design as Superman's command key which I retrieved from my pocket space through the green portal that appeared beside me for theatrics and I placed it down in the key slot.
Following my actions, the ground in front of the pedestal in an ovular pattern suddenly rose a few feet off the ground, slid, and parted to reveal a metallic reinforced door that sank down internally and opened to an elevating platform now covering the hole. I proceeded to get onto the elevated platform as the pedestal sank back into the ground and smiled at the amused looks I was getting from everyone.
"Please proceed to join me on the elevator platform if you want to see what's inside."
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Paragraph formatting got deleted in this chapter, or something.
Dang that cool
Is The protagonist name Irene or Irina?
Irene
Tftc