Chapter 9
I was woken up by the sunlight hitting my face. It felt good to just sleep and I felt even more refreshed after taking a shower. I got ready and headed to the kitchen. I figure I would make breakfast for the three of us to make up for my grumpiness.
"Good morning," I said to James and Victor. They were already up.
"Morning," they both responded.
"Food will be ready in a few minutes," I said as I started cooking.
We could have the worst fights and the next day it's like nothing ever happened. This was the best part of our makeshift family. We just forgive each other.
"Food's ready!" I called out as I placed the plates on the table. I made a mountain of eggs and bacon with toast. They got up and joined me at the table.
"So, have you thought about what to do?" Victor asked.
"Yea, my plan is to keep working and save more money. We need to work together to start a business. I put a lot of time into studying medicine and technology, so I'll stick to what I know. Meanwhile, you two will go to Africa and retrieve that meteor I talked to you guys about. I've been preparing a document with everything I know about it for you guys." I explained.
"A meteor?" Victor asked. I could see James was also confused.
"The meteor contains a special metal. It would be extremely helpful if we obtained it," I said.
"And how exactly do you want to transport a meteor?" Victor questioned.
"I'll take care of that," I said grinning. Victor seemed to realize that they would be in for some magic and stopped questioning.
"What are you going to be doing while we do the hard work?" James asked.
"Very funny… I'm going to make sure everything goes smoothly with setting up the business and keep studying." I said.
"When should we leave?" Victor asked.
"Whenever you're ready. Remember to try to lay low. When you find the meteor, let me know so that we can extract it." I said.
That same day, James and Victor booked a flight to begin their search. They had become so mission oriented that they didn't want to waste any time in getting started. I gave them some money and the document with all the information they would need in their search before I saw them off at the airport.
My next step was to go to a bank for a loan. I had saved a good amount of money working as a doctor. It wasn't a fortune, but it was enough to start something. I had been working on ideas for a business for a while now. I wanted to focus first on medicine since I was from a modern time and I was also a patient for a long time. Now that I knew more about the medical field after practicing medicine for so many years, I could create devices that would help diagnose conditions.
The loan officials were excited to about the business plan and my loan was approved. I didn't waste time. During my time waiting for Erik, I had managed to study business law and operations. I spent days drafting blueprints and ideas to submit them for copyrights and to be patented. After submitting, I waited a few weeks before everything was approved, and I began the logistic side of things. I acquired a piece of land near the city to begin construction of a new hospital. I also contacted different manufacturers to make my inventions. I was approaching the max on my loan, but thankfully everything was in production. Once the devices were made, I knew they would be very sought after, so I wasn't worried about paying off the loan quickly and getting the lenders off my back. I had to deal with greedy bank officials that thought they could manipulate me into signing away a percentage of the rights for my business, but it was easy to get rid of them too. The sole owners of Howlett Enterprise would always be James, Victor and myself.
The construction of the facility finished by 1952. The name of the new hospital was Howlett Medical Innovations and owned by Howlett Enterprise. It would provide medical services free of charge for those who had low incomes, but the lifeblood of the business would come from the sale of our medical equipment. I had already made large amounts of profits even before the hospital was finished because the inventions were selling better than I had imagined. I had paid off my loan in no time. While I waited for my brothers, I continued studying. I also practiced my magnetic powers and was able to gain better control, but I noticed that I still needed to use a lot of energy when I manipulated multiple items at once. When the hospital was ready and furnished, I began to hire people. I was hands-on with the HR department and worked within a modern business model. I hired a CEO to manage the facility and oversee operations. The CEO would have to consult with James, Victor, and me for any major decisions. I wanted to limit the amount of power the CEO could have even though it would be frustrating, but I knew that I needed to find the right person to work with. This would limit our contact with the number of people we would have to talk to. I also made it so I can remove any employee for any reason including the CEO. The employee package I offered was unheard of at the time. I allowed for paid parental leave of 6 months, vacation days, sick days, and retirement plans. I wanted to establish a loyal workforce from the beginning. During the interviews, I screened everyone with my mental abilities to make sure they didn't have any ill intentions. I was a bit paranoid that Hydra or another organization would plant people into the hospital. Thankfully, I didn't encounter anyone like that, but I decided to continue to monitor everyone occasionally to make sure no one changed. I was exhausted each day, but I was determined to weed out anyone that could hurt the business or my family. After all that work, business took off and was an immediate success.
Late in the year, I received a letter from Victor. He and James had managed to track down the meteor, but the locals did not want to take anything to trade for it. They worshiped the meteor as a religious artifact. I was surprised that Victor was the one to contact me about what to do next. In the original timeline, he would have killed them all under orders but that was after the events of the Vietnam War. I used a piece of my hair and located them using the rune setup I used to find them in New York. I walked through the portal that was created. The business was in good hands with the CEO I had appointed.
"Hey guys," I said I as I walked through the gate. I looked around and saw I was outside. I noticed tents and guessed they must've camped near the village of where the meteor was.
"Hey sis." James said. Victor just nodded. Victor then began to tell me what he wrote in the letter.
"Come on let's go," I said as I felt the people nearby. James and Victor followed me as we walked to the direction of the village.
I didn't want to do this originally for moral reasons, but it was the fastest and safest method I could think off. I took control of all the people in the villages and made them fall asleep. I modified their memories to change the color of the meteor. I had to rest for a bit since I felt extremely drained after doing that.
"What did you do?" asked Victor.
"I modified their memories so they can still have their structure without any bloodshed," I said quietly.
"Lydia…" James said in a concern tone.
"I know. You don't have to say it. I already feel horrible. I'd rather do this than use force," I said sadly.
I made my way to the meteor and I could feel the magnetic lines from it. I sat down and crossed my legs. I saw that the lines ran down rather deep. I concentrated and began to lift the adamantium from the ground and gathering it all in one area. The ground shook for a bit before all the adamantium was collected. It took a few minutes collecting all the adamantium. I took a breath from the exhaustion of gathering so much. To my surprise it was quite a bit, almost the size of a large truck. I made a portal using my sling ring and pushed the adamantium through it. Before I left, I used my powers to create a similar structure with the rocks and magnetic rocks. It looked the same, but it was different in color. This way they still had their religious structure. I walked through the portal with James and Victor following me. I created portal to a warehouse location I bought some time ago. I began to breath heavily. I have noticed something wrong recently. The use of my powers drains my energy so quickly. If I used all of them, I would collapse. I might be able to hold off for a couple of seconds but not much after that.
"Sis, you okay?" James asked concerned. I just waved him off, signaling I was okay.
"Where are we?" James asked.
"One of the warehouses I own." I responded slowly.
"Sorry, we own." I corrected myself. I was starting to feel better as my energy was recovering.
"We?" Victor said looking at me.
"Yes, I took the liberty of adding your names to the business." I smiled while looking at Victor. I opened my pocket dimension and took some IDs out.
"These are your new IDs," I said with a smile.
"Victor Howlett?" Victor said as he looked at his ID.
"Well you're already part of our family. Might as well make it official don't you think?" I said.
"She's right," James said as he put his hand on Victors shoulder.
"…Thank you," Victor said in a low voice.
"Aw, don't cry now. Come, give big sister a hug." I said as I knew that would bring him back to normal. It worked as he lounged at me with claws out. I stopped him midair and threw him to the wall. He grunted has a landed on the floor. I began to sweat from the sudden use of energy, but it was totally worth it.
"You bitch!" Victor yelled. I made a dramatic sound while smiling.
"James! Help me!" I said dramatically while hiding behind James. James just shook his head smiling and proceeded to exit the warehouse.
"So, what are you going to do with this stuff anyways." James asked pointing at the warehouse.
"I am thinking of a way to inject it in our bone structure." I said.
"You what?" Victor asked.
"Adamantium is virtually indestructible. It would make us pretty much unkillable however it would slowly poison us because of the properties of the metal. The human body isn't meant to have such a thing inside it. I'm working on a way to safely do it." I explained. Both fell quiet as they heard me. I could hear their minds going through all the implications this would have on their lives.
"Trust me when I say that we are going to need it." I said in a serious voice. They both looked at me and nodded.
"For now, give me your hands." I asked as I extended both my hands to them. They looked confused but proceeded to give me their hands. I focused my energy and concentrated on their regenerating powers. I could see an energy flowing through their veins. I focused on my energy and merged it with theirs. I used my energy to increase their powers. My energy dwindled dramatically as I transferred it to them. I fell to my knees from the large drain.
"Lydia!" Both yelled as they grabbed me before I fell on my face. I was breathing heavily as I began to slowly stand up with their help.
"Sorry, it was my first time doing that," I said.
"What exactly did you do?" Victor asked.
"I enhanced your ability to heal. It's more powerful than it was." I paused to catch my breath.
"It will help with the adamantium poison if I can't find a way to solve the problem." I paused again. I think trying to enhance both was doing too much. En Sabah Nur did it like it was nothing. I am beginning to see the limitations of myself. While I gained new powers, I can't maintain them for long. I need to find a way to increase my energy to support all my abilities.
"Let's head to the apartment." I said and they both nodded.
I had passed out from exhaustion in the taxi. I woke up on my bed the next day. I was feeling a lot better now that I had rested. I thought about En Sabah Nur's abilities. I knew one of them was the essence transfer, but that required the technology he used. I wasn't really interested in that, but I was interested in his ability to absorb others essence into his own. I could manipulate things at a molecular level, so it might be possible to absorb the energy. There was only one thing I could think of that had that much energy to give. The space stone. I had to build my reputation as a scientist so I might be approached to help with Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. That wouldn't happen for at least another 20 years or so. In the meantime, I did know of one mutant who had the ability to absorb energy. Sebastian Shaw.
I will have to keep a close eye on the events that should happen. I don't know when to intervene. Should I wait until Shaw dies and take his body? That would mean Charles would get paralyzed. I don't know if it's necessary for him to be crippled to become the Professor X in the future. Maybe it doesn't need to happen.
As time passed, we purchased a large amount of land and moved from the apartment. I had made multiple bank accounts and set up offshore accounts as well. I wanted to save money for when the time came to make an organization in secret. We hired a construction crew to make our house on the land. It was like Charles' mansion except with lots of added security. James and Victor tested out their regeneration powers by beating the hell out of each other. They noticed a vast improvement on their healing factor. The business continued to grow at an incredible rate. We began to take more and more international orders as word spread that our equipment was the best. The medical facility was recognized by U.S. officials as a role model for the health industry. The CEO handled all the media attention. Since we never charged anyone that met income requirements, people flocked to us before going to any other hospital. It proved to be both a good thing and a bad thing. Our competitors didn't take kindly to getting bested. They sent thugs to threaten people near the building, which of course turned out to be a stupid idea as Victor and James made short work of them.
I noticed my energy slowly becoming denser. Now I used less energy than before to use my abilities, but it was still very draining. I wouldn't be able to sustain them for more than a few minutes meaning my fights must end quickly or I would lose. I think that my body is trying to cope with the large demand of energy. I doubt I will naturally make more energy by myself. I was still stuck on how to safely inject adamantium into our bodies. I had a lot of ideas on how to improve our bodies, but nothing would prevent the poison. I realized that I would need vibranium from Wakanda to use in the adamantium injection process. The vibranium would go into our joints to support the added weight of adamantium and we would have increased flexibility and shock adsorption. The problem was still the metal in the body. With two metals now being introduced, I had to find a way to prevent the poison. I knew the rune to use, but the issue was they had to be inscribed on the bone itself. That would mean that the body would have to be cut open and maintained open for me for write the runes on the bone. Doing that was out of the question. I would have to consult with the Ancient One. Maybe she might help me.
I opened a portal and traveled to Kamar Taj. When I stepped, I felt a sudden attack coming. I activated my force field and looked at my attacker. It was a young apprentice that threw a conjured dagger at me.
"Relax," I said as I put my hands up.
"I am here to see the Ancient One." I finished saying as I dropped the force field.
"Y-yes, please wait here." The person said. I decided to sit down while I waited for her.
"Well, this is a surprise," she said as she walked through the door.
"Master," I said as I stood up and bowed.
"Please, I think we're passed all that," she said as she waved her hands.
"What do you need help with?" she asked, perceptive as always. I smiled.
"I need your help with a problem I'm having. I am stuck with how to approach it." I said as I began to explain the situation. After speaking, she began to think. She moved her right hand as if to reach something and grabbed a book from a portal she created.
"This should do the trick. You've never seen this book since it has been in my possession all this time." She said as she was handing it to me but before I could grab it, she pulled away.
"What do you want?" I sighed and asked knowing what her gesture meant.
"You must swear to never use the knowledge gained from this book for evil deeds and you cannot teach them to anyone," she said in a serious tone. I knew what she wanted me to do. I was going to do that anyways, so I agreed.
"I swear upon my life and soul." I said.
"I know you mean that but just in case," she said as she put her palm on my chest and created a spell circle where my heart was. She looked at me. I sighed and made a hand sign to accept the conditions.
"Was that really necessary?" I asked knowing exactly what she did. Upon making a promise, one can seal it with a spell. If the promise is broken, then the one who made the promise will die. This spell can only be completed if the party conceding to the promise willingly agrees to the conditions.
"A precaution. The book I am giving you contains a lot of information. Some can be used for unspeakable evil," she said.
"Also don't you think that injecting yourself with these metals is a bit much?" she asked.
"Trust me when I say that I would need a lot more than this for the coming battles. I promise to return the book as soon I get what I need." I said looking at her. She hummed as she walked towards the door before glancing back at me. She exited, leaving me in silence as I stared at the book in my hands. It had an inscription all throughout the front cover. I created a portal and traveled back to the mansion.
When I arrived, I asked James and Victor to look after any business matters as I went straight to my office and began to study the book. She wasn't kidding when she said the information could be used for evil. An apprentice could become unstoppable with the instructions written in this book. The rituals, however, were very gruesome. Some wanted an insane number of sacrifices or wanted souls from victims. There were multiple runes here that were never mentioned in other books. Some of the rune descriptions were very similar to how Thor's hammer functions. It made me think about the Asgardian and Dwarf weapon creation process. It would be amazing to get my hands on their methods and metals, but I might never have a chance to do that. What interested me the most was the section regarding rune application. It went to even more detail than any book I've read. There were multiple rules that runes had to abide by, but after reading the book I learned ways of creating exceptions to the rules. It was much like the English language. It has its base rules regarding sentences, but it had exceptions in certain cases and even those exceptions had exceptions. It like was coding with a slew of IF and OR statements continuing until a certain condition was met, and the code finishes. If it wasn't for my increased intellect, I would never be able to understand this.
I was very excited now that I knew how to make the injection process safe. I rested and recovered my energy. My next move was to rob Wakanda of some vibranium. I knew the location from my memories so I could teleport inside with my ability or with my sling ring. I prepared myself and dressed in all black military gear. I had to sneak past a lot of people, but I would be able to use my mental abilities to make myself invisible. It would take a lot of energy to do that and maintain it, but I could hold it until I entered the location where the vibranium was stored. I decided to use my sling ring since it used less energy and stepped inside.