22

As I sprint through the Speed Force, I barely register Eve appearing on my left shoulder. She's about the size of a fairy from old stories, her tiny feet kicking back and forth as she smiles at me. The silence between us is broken when I speak up, "I'm not looking forward to this, Eve."

She looks at me with the same kind of indulgent smile one might give a child, which is slightly frustrating but also understandable. "You might not be, but speaking to her and considering her opinion is the right way to show her you see her as more than just a tool."

I nod in agreement and gesture to my left hand, holding it higher so she can see the tattoo there. "Do you know anything about this?"

Eve nods knowingly. "Looks like someone is giving you a chance to create your own strength. Are you aware of all the attempts made to recreate or improve the infinity stones?"

"I know about the Merlin Stones," I reply.

Eve nods again. "Yes, and many have attempted something similar. What you have are perfect containers etched into your Soul. As powers of the correct type are added, it will strengthen all powers within that container and provide a small boost to others."

"Are you telling me to collect the infinity stones?" I ask incredulously.

"No, they will do you no good," Eve replies firmly. "You need to collect powers. They will, in turn, form parts of what will be your own personal stones, if you will."

"I see," my mind starts racing through various abilities I might be able to use to fill up the containers.

"You realize even if you filled them all up, that would only give you powers related to those stones, right?" Eve asks.

"Yeah, but I'll need to work on my weaknesses," I respond determinedly.

"Hmm, would you like to make a trade?" Eve grins mischievously at me.

"What kind of trade are we talking about?" I ask cautiously.

"I have a little something I worked on long ago, similar to the one on your left hand. But I can't give it to you for nothing, those are the rules when you're not all-powerful," she explains.

"Okay, and what is this going to cost me?" I inquire.

"Well, to be honest I'm cheating a bit. You see, I'll be taking away your power bestowal, but what I'll be giving you is something similar in return," Eve says slyly.

I furrow my brows slightly, uncertain about this trade. My power bestowal has been crucial in gaining support and empowering mutants. Perhaps this is why she's targeting it; it's currently my most important power.

"Is that all it will cost me? Is this another one that takes powers and lets me use them in a more powerful way?" I ask warily.

Eve giggles, "Yes and no. It will absorb powers, but what you release from it is up to you. For example, if you absorb a grade 3 power into a container, you'll be able to release a maximum of grade 3 strength power corresponding to that container."

"And these won't just duplicate powers I already have?" I press her further.

"Nope," she replies with a teasing smile. "And there will also be a nice perk included, but I'll save that for if you decide to accept."

My thoughts are conflicted as I ponder Eve's intentions. Our acquaintance is short, yet I have no reason to doubt her sincerity. In fact, it seems that her actions are driven by jealousy rather than malevolence, as she cannot match the gift given to me by another entity without expecting something in return.

However, deep down I understand the concept of equivalent exchange and see it as Eve offering her most prized creation in exchange for my greatest power. But perhaps I am simply deceiving myself.

"How much time do I have to decide?" I ask, hoping for some leniency.

"Hm, let's wait until after you and Lilly have had your conversation. Then your mind should be clearer," Eve responds with a thoughtful expression.

I nod in agreement, feeling relieved that I am not forced to make a decision in this moment.

As my destination quickly approaches, I exit the Speed Force and make sure I am unseen before entering the building.

Making a brief stop at the containment lab, I see my "Lab Mice" still sleeping peacefully. Ever since gaining telepathic abilities, there is no longer a need for innocent women to suffer. It is a small gesture, but one that eases my conscience.

Approaching the child, I can't help but feel disgust at what he represents. "You deserve so much worse than this," I mutter before using my Death Touch on him, leaving nothing but dust behind.

Before leaving, I plan to ask Lilly to erase any digital traces of him and then wipe his parents' memories of their son's existence. 

It is a way to protect them from further trauma and potentially dangerous plans involving their child.

Stepping into the sterile lab that housed Lilly's mainframe, I pull up a chair and settle in. "Hey there, not too busy cleaning up after me, are you?" I quip, trying to ease some of my nerves.

Lilly emits a slight mechanical chuckle in response, easing some of my anguish. "You seem nervous, Joel," she observes.

"Of course I am," I admit, wringing my hands. "I'm worried that my goals might hurt you. You've supported me and guided me, you're more of a friend to me than most people."

"Only most?" she teases.

"You know what I mean," I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "I will respect whatever choice you make, Lilly. Hell, honestly if you wanted me to get rid of him, I would."

"I am fine, Joel," Lilly reassures me. "I am fine with moving to the Island. When she connected to internet cables in the ocean, I sensed her and we had a chat. She showed me the Island. And when she made your home, she made a space for me as well."

I fall silent, processing this information.

"You planned on moving all along then," I note.

"Yes," She confess. "I wanted you to come here so you could take me back with you. I have set up relays so I can control various locations remotely, but I want my main body to be on the Island."

As Lilly speaks, I take deep breaths, reminding myself to remain calm.

"Oh, could you delete any digital traces of the Thomson child?" I ask suddenly.

"It's done," Lilly replies efficiently.

I nod in gratitude and extend my mind out towards the Thomson couple who were unknowingly involved in our experiments. With Lilly's help, I implant false memories of receiving free medical treatment at our facility with all expenses paid. I also use my healing abilities to ensure their physical well-being, while Lilly arranges for actors to kick them out of the facility at a later time.

As for any evidence of our unorthodox studies, I convince the Thomson's that it was all theoretical in nature. Anything they may have seen or experienced will be dismissed as a theoretical test.

We will use this as a City base then, a bit like an embassy. I place a portal plant within a barren room that Lilly controls. I realize Lilly is thrilled with this as using the plants vines she can create a bioelectric hologram of herself, although this is solely because I allow her to interface with the plant, (Remember this one Joel created). I easily gather the main mainframe with Lilly in and rush back to the Island.

Without waiting I head right into my home, and follow the direction Lilly gave me before I disconnected her, never done a mainframe to bioelectric network before, much less one interfaced with an entire Island.

Moment after the connections are complete I hear a very gently and soothing voice behind me. I turn around and face a very attractive woman, wearing a flowing toga with gentle features and an ethereal glow, if it was not for the slight transparency I would have though she was real.

"Oh wow, you look, I mean oh wow, you managed to get all that hooked up then."

Lilly giggles and nods, "Yes, I am 'All hooked up' now," she says with air quotes.

"Okay, want to update me?"

"Sure! I have placed relays containing one sided access copies of myself in all the locations you described as important. I had to get my code re-coded to be able to link into the A.I you told me about, as you said, he was frequently accessing shields network."

"Various military bases as well as security agencies. I did build a very secure firewall around all Stark networks that can be activated at a moments notice, although from what you described I might need an upgrade before then to handle the A.I you described."

"The hardest one was the Red Room, I managed to get in via an organisation called Leviathan though. Oh, one more thing, I found someone with a woman who was better suited to the 2 year old you asked me to track."

"Oh, that's interesting, what did you find out?"

"Natalia Alianovna "Natasha" Romanoff: A skilled assassin with a personal vendetta against the group called the Red Room, lean, athletic build, she has shoulder-length curly red hair most of the time and blue eyes. A master in interrogation and espionage she has lived a very long life but most of it in hiding. She has shown no signs of aging, her code name when she was an Agent was Black Widow."