Marvel: A Tale of Shadows

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Felicia quietly worked in the abandoned underground subway yard. She had decided to come here and work after everyone left for the night. She also decided to avoid her aunts since they were constantly arguing.

She could not go to lessons since Black Fox is out of town. So she came to this hidden lab and storage facility to work on something. She decided to go with something simple, something explosive but with a twist.

As she worked she noticed the living slime was moving around slowly in the cooled cases. She quickly sent a message to remind Ethan about them. He probably forgot about them. She knows she already forgot about them. But considering he thought they might be alive he should take care of it sooner rather than later.

As Felicia was working she heard her phone and answered it. Putting it on speaker while she worked on her equation. "Felicia here, you are on speaker."

"Felicia, it is your father. I was wondering if I could come over this week, I need to get some blood samples for a gift I am working on for you." Walter explained as he talked quietly. "I also needed to tell you about some changes that are going to occur."

"Changes? Can you at least tell me a bit about what is going on?" Felicia asked as she looked up from her almost complete prototype. 

"Uh… I cannot in case someone is listening. But I have already put in my two weeks notice with Oscorp. Anyways that is all I called to talk about. When is a good time to talk?" Walter answered as it sounded like he was moving in the background.

"Um… in two days at my apartment. My Aunt is currently staying with me but she leaves tomorrow. I will explain when we talk, it is a whole thing." Felicia decided after taking a moment to think about it.

They talked briefly for a few more seconds before hanging up. Felicia finished up her prototype and then left making sure everything was secure.

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A few days passed by quickly. Felicia's aunt, Renee, left after confirming that her sister was indeed alive. Apparently they were now planning a family reunion party. But Ethan was not going to butt into that, especially since he was busy with removing the Rhino armor and finishing his training with Black Fox.

Felicia on the other hand had dived into tutoring and developing her new explosive. It was not complete but she had already made a short term explosive that slowly breaks down on contact with the air. Now she had to work on it to make it different. But that would take some imagination.

At the moment she was setting out some food as her father sat down at the counter. "So what did you want to talk about that we could not discuss over the phone?"

Her father sighed, "I am leaving Oscorp." He pulled open a reinforced case he brought and prepared some equipment to draw blood. "First Line has reassigned me, I am going deep cover in a few weeks but before I do that I got permission to commence an experimental project. I was even able to get you in as the first batch of test subjects."

"Test subjects?" Felicia asked in surprise. "Why would I want to be a test subject?"

"Because this test is for enhancements, sort of like how Captain America came into existence. The plan is to make a consistent batch formula, but in order to get to that they have to first test variations." Walter explained as he looked at the toast he was handed.

"What variations will I be getting? Hopefully nothing too bizarre. If it changes my appearance it is a big no-go." Felicia explained as she rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, I plan on asking for both your and your boyfriend's help in finalizing the version you will be taking. I will also have one more gift for when you graduate. But that can wait." Walter then looked at Felicia with a raised eyebrow, "what is this about your aunts?"

Felicia chuckled as she began explaining about her aunts.

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"So basically you are going to get your own supersoldier serum custom made for you?" Ethan asked as he tweaked the device he was working on.

"Yes and apparently you are helping. Have you heard anything about this? I figured they would try to get you some of this as well." Felicia asked as she tweaked her formula again.

"No, I haven't. But you have to remember that I am already enhanced. Honestly I would turn down any invitation to get a serum anyways. I doubt it would work on me, more than likely it would cause an adverse reaction with the enhancement I already have. There were double enhancement experiments in the seventies by Hydra and it did not end well." Ethan explained as he nodded at a stack of folders.

"So you are saying I should be absolutely confident in whatever Serum I plan on taking?" Felicia wrote something down as she finished another variation of an explosive.

"Yeah, but I can build an alteration on a machine I already made to see if the serum is compatible and what abilities it will give you. I originally built it to see if I could read a mutant's abilities just from their DNA and it worked. I was even able to identify latent mutants who haven't awoken." Ethan explained as he stood up and moved over to a box pulling out a device the size of the box.

"Why would you need something like that?" Felicia asked with suspicion.

"Curiosity, I never planned to do anything else with it. I could miniaturize the tech but I feel no need to. But I had already theorized I could use it to simulate biological reactions. I will make the necessary modifications." Ethan explained nonchalantly.

"You realize you could make a good profit off of it. I imagine even if the X-Men would want it, they could use it as a political bargaining tool in the future to prove normal humans have latent mutations." Felicia pointed out.

"It could also be a minefield we are walking into. I will make a miniaturized detector but I will not be releasing it anytime soon. You can tell them about it." Ethan declared as he pulled out a notepad and began scribbling down notes.

"Okay, but maybe do not make it too simple. If it is too simple it could be used on people without their consent." Felicia suggested as she made another formula.

"Noted, how is your explosive going? Have you decided what kind of unique nature you are attaching to it?" Ethan asked as he completely forgot about the other device he was working on.

"Yes, I want it to disperse slowly on contact with air. Making it indetectable if it has to be disposed of quickly and quietly. But I am having problems with the toxic fumes, I am trying to use a combination to change it." Felicia explained as she showed him her formulas.

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"I am surprised you are permitting my presence at the school. I figured I would be rejected like all of the previous occasions when we requested an FBI liaison position here." Agent Fred Duncan pointed out as he moved a box into the on campus room he was given. He was also granted an office in the main building. But for the most part he would be acting as an observer.

Ororo chuckled as she moved another box to help him. "Yes, well things are changing around here. We are opening up more and more. We decided part of that should be showing that we are open to having limited government presence in this private institution."

Agent Duncan frowned and nodded in understanding, "I suppose that goes along with the whole need to acquire more land and expand the school?" He looked over at Jean who walked in and smiled weakly.

"It does, but while we are expanding our property we are also considering acquiring properties in other countries. It would help the view that we are not a military force." She explained briefly with a weak smile.

"Hmm… I will keep that in mind when I make a report. When will I be getting a tour of the school?" Agent Duncan asked as he moved out of the room to go get another box passing Beast who was carrying two boxes on his shoulders.

"I am busy at the moment so not it." Beast chuckled out as he walked past him.

"Professor Xavier will be giving you a tour later today of the main building. Tomorrow morning it will be Alexander Summers and then after lunch I will be giving a tour of the rest of the area." Jean explained as she walked out to join him.

"So… I won't be allowed to explore on my own?" He asked as he followed her out to his car.

"Correct, you have to remember that this is still a school for all ages. That includes younger children, some of which were abandoned when they were discovered to be mutants. So we have several dedicated caretakers who are certified and former students." Jean explained briefly, giving him an idea of what she was hinting at.

"So since I am an appointed representative instead of a staff member that was hired on you will have someone escort me for a few days. Mostly to ensure the safety of the students. You are setting precedents, okay I am all for it." Agent Duncan agreed, "but I assume nothing will be off the tour, that includes your underground training facility?"

Jean smiled and nodded, "Yes, we plan to officially disclose our underground facility. Including the fact that we plan on creating an elective class for high school level students where they can train their powers."

Agent Duncan frowned, "from what I understand you already have courses throughout their schooling that require them to train their control over their powers."

"Yes we do," Jean nodded in agreement. "It is called Physical Exercise, or PE class. But what I am talking about is training them to use their powers in combat situations, emergency situations, and other situations where they would be in danger."

Agent Duncan frown deepened as he looked at the red head. "You mean you would be training more X-Men? The moral implications…" He trailed off alluding to something else.

"Actually…" Jean chuckled, "I thought the same thing at first. But I was reminded that if the students end up wanting to do it anyways then they could do it behind our backs. So I figured it would be safer for them if we made it official and voluntary."

Agent Duncan seemed to mule that over for a few minutes before nodding, "I will disclose that in my next report. But expect someone to come after you regardless. Making it an elective is a good way to do it."

Jean shrugged as she caused a few boxes to levitate out of the vehicle, "we are not strangers to judgement. Besides we are still a private institution, they can not change our voluntary classes just because it makes them uncomfortable."