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….
Specifically, another phantom of mine waited for three hours at that airport for the departure of the nearest flight to Malibu after the Asian woman left.
"Ladies, that's for us. Let's wrap it up," I announced the new directive to Sarah and Laura, putting down the cutlery. Luckily, timing the speed of breakfast consumption to the moment of the car's arrival wasn't difficult at all.
"That?" the scientist shifted a bewildered gaze from me to the window, behind which the mobile home loomed, and back. "Aren't we hiding?"
"No, why should dead people hide? So from here on, we ride with the proper level of comfort. Oh, I almost forgot, we'll need to attend to new documents for you, otherwise you can't board a plane or a train. But that's enough talk, time to hit the road!"
And we moved out, saying a warm goodbye to the elderly couple who owned the motel. In ten minutes, they wouldn't remember our faces.
"Hello, Yuriko," I entered the salon, dispelling my phantom.
"Hello, sir," the mutant nodded, shifting her gaze from the place where "I" had just been sitting to, actually, me.
"Still can't get used to the fact that I can be omnipresent?"
"It is… rather unusual," she agreed.
But then Sarah, obeying my wave, started to enter the salon, and…
"Ah-h?!"
The gasp and backward leap were excellent. Nine out of ten.
"You know each other?" I raised an eyebrow. "Ah right, Stryker showed up in that bunker a couple of times…" I realized, recalling a couple of moments from someone else's memory.
"Hey, relax, combat hamster, no one is going to hurt your mom," I winked at the tense girl who had managed to brace herself and raise her hands to her chest.
"And, Dr. Kinney," I looked ironically into the woman's eyes, "no need to be so nervous. On the entire continent, there are only two people who could harm you while I'm around, and I know both of them. True, I recently hit one of them hard on the head, and he might hold a grudge," I sort of "reminded" myself of the "unpleasant" moment.
What the hell is this? I can't help myself! I constantly feel drawn to show off and play on people's nerves! Even the real Loki didn't behave like this!
"But he's in San Francisco right now anyway, and besides, he doesn't attack cute little girls, especially mutants," I hastily reassured the scientist.
"In fact, he'd tear apart anyone who tried to attack one in front of him. You understand: difficult childhood in Nazi camps, moral trauma, all that, give him free rein, and he'd do things to those who threaten his kind that make this look tame. Although generally, he's a good man, just a bit touched by senility."
"W-what are you talking about?" the woman shook her head.
"About acquaintances. I hope you got slightly distracted and don't want to run away from us anymore because you saw a familiar face?"
"I…" Sarah shook her head again, squeezing her eyes shut slightly to help gather her thoughts. "That woman was with one of the project curators!"
"Correct," I nodded, noting out of the corner of my eye how the girl, the Asian one, involuntarily gripped the steering wheel, memories of being a prisoner in her own body brought her no pleasure.
"Just like you were with Rice. Yuriko," I turned to the beauty, "do you mind if I tell them your story?"
"No, sir," the regenerator answered after thinking a bit. "I understand what effect my presence might have on Dr. Kinney, so it will be easier for everyone if she knows. But… without details, if possible."
"Good," I turned back to Sarah, who had recovered a bit and was no longer planning either to "make a last stand" or frantically run somewhere, clearly realizing the futility of both options.
"So, where to start? Hmm… In a way, I pulled the same trick with Yuriko as with you. With the only difference being that you couldn't escape yourself due to your physical weakness, while she was kept under control by pharmacological methods."
"Pharmacological?"
"Rice's 'trigger' is far from the most effective chemistry such bastards have. Luckily for normal people, these bastards remain bastards, ambitious, selfish, and considering themselves the smartest. So if they do cooperate with 'colleagues,' it's with great reluctance, keeping all the tastiest trump cards for themselves."
"Is that so," the woman pursed her lips, no longer paying much attention to my awareness.
"Yes, but I think we can discuss these issues sitting in the comfortable interior of the air-conditioned van, not under the scorching sun. By the way, kid," I squatted in front of Laura with a deliberately conspiratorial air, "I don't know if you're direct relatives or not, but your abilities are very similar, only the claws differ. So be a good girl and don't offend Auntie Yuriko. She may look strict, but she is kind. I know for sure," I winked at the girl, noting with satisfaction that after my words she looked toward the driver's seat with interest.
"Understood," X-23 answered quietly, almost in a whisper, returning her eyes to my face. And that's it. Looking again as if she's holding water in her mouth.
"Excellent," I rose to a vertical position. "Yuriko, thank you, I'll drive from here, and you can go rest." The girl nodded and, getting up, moved into the salon… right next to Sarah and Laura.
Hmm, perhaps I should create a phantom there and facilitate the start of a conversation and maintain the general climate in the collective.
After all, Dr. Kinney is far from a professional soldier; her nerves aren't made of steel, and much more has fallen on her in a day than fragile female shoulders can bear. So she's holding up pretty well.
….
Some time later. One playboy, billionaire, philanthropist, and just a sad troll.
"Tony, you must come out and take control of the situation immediately!" an old friend burst into the inventor's inner sanctum as if death with a scythe were chasing him.
"Ah-h," Stark waved him off with the bottle clutched in his hand, "I don't have time for another round of idiotic claims from these morons."
Perhaps it was too rude, but the billionaire's condition and mood did not dispose him to courtesy or even basic politeness.
….
Bonus Chapter on every 500 power stones;
If you want to read ahead by 20+ chapters from here you can visit my Patre-on.
[P] [A] [T] [R] [E] [O] [N]
[email protected]/Yggdrasil_Loki