No.18 circled Natasha, her eyes gleaming with curiosity as she looked her up and down — occasionally nodding in approval, occasionally rubbing her chin like a fashion designer judging her model.
The behavior made Natasha's skin crawl. She crossed her arms tightly, a chill running down her spine.
"You… what exactly are you doing?" she asked warily, eyes narrowing.
Her instincts told her to stay alert — this blonde android looked like the type to enjoy tormenting people.
No.18 simply smiled.
"Hehe, relax. I'm just observing whether you're qualified for the job."
Qualified for what job exactly?! Natasha's mouth twitched. Whoever came up with this "maid idea" had to be out of their mind.
At this point, even Leo couldn't take it anymore. He wanted to watch the show too, sure, but some basic decency was still required.
"Ahem… Lali, don't tease Natasha too much," he said lightly. "She's new here — give her a little adjustment period."
Natasha let out a tiny breath of relief.
Finally, someone reasonable.
No.18 clicked her tongue in irritation. "Tch, boring! You're no fun at all!"
Leo ignored her pout and suddenly changed the subject.
"By the way, let's talk about Jean's schooling."
The room fell silent. Everyone knew that was a tricky issue.
Jean Grey couldn't exactly go back to a normal school.
Her powers made her… stand out. And in a world that still feared mutants, that could be dangerous for everyone.
Wanda thought for a moment and said, "How about hiring a female tutor? Someone well-educated, maybe from a top university. She can come here to teach Jean privately."
No.18 nodded. "Yeah, that works. We don't need a diploma — just someone who can actually teach."
"I agree," Natasha added.
Leo smiled. "Alright then, it's settled. I'll have the Red Queen find a few candidates in the next couple of days."
The conversation drifted into lighter topics, and before long, lunchtime rolled around.
Unfortunately, there were no groceries left in the house, so they settled for ordering takeout.
After they'd eaten, Leo handed Natasha a sleek black card.
"Here. Go to the supermarket this afternoon and stock the fridge. From now on, you're handling the cooking."
Natasha froze.
"…You're seriously making me your nanny?"
Leo raised an eyebrow. "What, you think I was joking? You get three hundred thousand U.S. dollars for the job — not bad for a private chef-slash-spy."
Natasha blinked. "Wait… you're actually paying three hundred thousand? For real?"
She'd assumed all that "maid talk" earlier was just another one of his jokes — or a cover story for Fury. But apparently… he meant it.
Slap!
Leo smacked her lightly on the forehead.
"Of course I'm serious. You think I don't keep my word?"
"You—!" Natasha glared at him, clutching her forehead. "Ever heard of personal space?!"
Leo chuckled. "Relax, you're family now."
The level of shamelessness was astronomical.
Natasha looked like she was ready to bite him, while Jean Grey and Wanda both rolled their eyes.
Jean sighed. "This annoying brother… good at everything except not being annoying."
Leo waved them off. "Alright, alright. You ladies have fun. I've got business to handle."
Later, Leo arrived at the Umbrella Corporation's secret Hive Base.
The facility was running smoothly — dozens of cloned researchers and security officers, all perfectly loyal and conditioned to obey only him.
At this stage, Umbrella hadn't begun external recruitment yet; everything remained deep underground, hidden from the world.
Terminator TX was overseeing operations, ensuring that the new security forces carried out massive material acquisitions — raw supplies, culture fluid components, and advanced cloning equipment.
But recently, progress had slowed.
The problem wasn't technology — it was biology.
The Ghost Orchid, a critical material for stabilizing clone DNA, was nearly extinct in this universe.
Back in the Resident Evil world, Umbrella had access to plenty.
Here in the Marvel Universe, it was a different story.
Supply lines lagged. Research stalled. Patience wore thin.
Leo frowned as he approached the central lab.
"Red Queen, what's the status of the Steve clone project?"
[Report: The Steve Rogers cloning attempt has failed, host. Genetic rejection reached 92%. Subject cells deteriorated during fusion.]
Leo sighed. He had come expecting progress — maybe even a breakthrough.
But when he looked through the glass and saw the incomplete figures lying in the pods, each bearing a faint resemblance to a scrawny kid from Brooklyn, something twisted inside his chest.
"Damn it," he muttered. "You poor guys deserved better than this…"
...
Author's Note:
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