Chapter 51: Sage (Edited!)

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Secret Roll for encounter: 6/20

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"I alone could have handled it. You didn't need to come to the field," Bobbi says with a sigh, her hands steady on the Ghostwing's controls.

"What harm is there? This way, I get to spend more time with you," I reply, a hint of amusement in my voice.

Bobbi's expression turns grave as she faces me. "I am serious, Luke. There is no need for you to put yourself in danger. Anything can happen out there. Just look at what happened to Toni."

I have always found Bobbi cute when she is serious. "I understand, but the girl is important. I want to be there myself. And with you by my side, I feel safer," I say, flashing her a reassuring smile.

Bobbi rolls her eyes, unconvinced. "I know you have powers now, but that doesn't mean you are Invincible. Promise me you will avoid dangerous situations," she urges, her concern evident.

"Of course," I assure her, though memories of my recent escapades as a vigilante, which happened just last night linger in my mind.

"I heard you had a lunch date today with a reporter," Bobbi says, her eyes focused ahead.

"It was just a professional matter. I needed her to handle some sensitive news," I reply, a wry smile playing on my lips as I suspect Skye spilled the beans. "But if you are free, we could go on a real date sometime," I add, placing my hand atop hers with a gentle smile.

"Maybe later, after we find Toni," she responds with a smile of her own. "Right now, I am swamped with getting these Bio-probes to the blank areas."

"I know it's hectic for you. A second Ghostwing is already under construction, but I don't have anyone I can trust with it. Most of our people are mercenaries, and I can't entrust such tech to just anyone," I say with a sigh.

Bobbi shakes her head at me. "We have plenty of promising candidates. It is your criteria that is weird," she remarks.

How do I explain that I can only trust characters from the "canon" realm, as they are the ones I know about inside out.

As we chatted away, the Spin Ghar range in Afghanistan soon came into view. The speed of the Ghostwing, cruising at 2.1 Mach, was truly appreciated in such moments.

With the jet in stealth mode, we pass a small village, its ruins a testament to the harsh realities of the region. Eventually, the jet halts under a nearby mountain.

Utilising my forcefield, I descend from the jet with Bobbi, leaving it hovering in the air on autopilot. D.A.I.S.Y. guides us both to a cave near the mountain's peak. Bobbi instinctively reaches for her gun, but I motion for her to hold off for now. 

Entering the cave, I lay eyes on the person we have traveled all this way to find.

"S-spare me, d-don't kill me please!" the girl pleads, her eyes wide with fear.

Identifying individuals solely from comic drawings was always challenging, especially without the aid of live-action adaptations. In this world, where timelines were muddled and ages and even gender were ambiguous, the task became even more daunting.

However, despite her torn and dirty clothes, I could tell she was exactly who I thought. Her eyes, though filled with fear, betrayed a subtle awareness as they scanned us both unconsciously.

I notice that she has some provisions with her and doesn't seem to be badly hurt, just that her clothes are in poor condition. But still she is lucky we found her sooner; who knows what could have happened otherwise.

"Do not worry, we are not here to hurt you. We are here to rescue you," I assure her with a warm smile, extending my hand. "Can you tell me your name?"

"T-tessa, my name is Tessa ... Are you guys really the rescue?" she asks, taking my hand for support as she gets up.

Inwardly I was shocked hearing that her real name was Tessa, as in my previous world's comics, she was mostly known as Sage.

She was a mutant with numerous abilities, the most prominent of which was her brain's remarkable resemblance to a computer, perhaps even a supercomputer.

At some point, she did adopt the name Tessa, likely when she infiltrated the Hellfire Club, which could indicate a reclaiming of her original name.

"Yes, we are here to help you," I reassure her, offering her my jacket to cover herself.

"Can you tell us what happened to you?" Bobbi inquires from the side.

"My village was attacked by men with guns, and I had to flee. Th-they... killed everyone!" Tessa recounts, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Don't worry you are safe now" I say enveloping her in my embrace, offering her solace as she silently weeps against my chest.

"They might be who we are searching for," Bobbi remarks, rolling her eyes at my comforting gesture. I shoot her an innocent look in response.

"No, they were just local bandits. I had D.A.I.S.Y. check the satellite imagery of this area for the past day, and they only retreated into the nearby jungle," I explain with a shake of my head.

"Should we… take care of them?" Bobbi asks with narrowed eyes.

"Right now, she is more important," I respond, casting a glance down at the girl who was watching and listening to us both with curiosity.

"Let's go," I say with a gentle smile as I guide her out of the cave.

"W-where are you taking me?" the girl asks hesitantly.

"To a place where your talents will shine, and you may even soon call it home," I reassure her with a trustworthy smile, silently thanking my luck for stumbling upon such a precious gem.

-----

It had been five days since Sage joined our team, and to say she was a genius was an understatement.

Skye and Bobbi had eagerly taken her under their wings, almost competing over who she would spend more time learning from. With her ability to perfectly replicate anything after a single viewing and her impeccable recall, she was quickly living up to her moniker, Sage.

The faster she mastered all the skills, the better, as she was shaping up to be the ideal successor for Pepper.

The news about Union Allied Construction was released by April as well. With the spotlight shifted, they have ceased targeting Karen for now, who has now taken up a position as a secretary at Nelson & Murdock, albeit without pay. Yet, she doesn't mind the lack of salary, knowing that thanks to me, financial worries will never trouble her again.

I smile warmly, reminiscing about my dates with Jemma and Liz. Each one was a unique experience, with different settings, atmospheres, and memories. Despite their differences, both were incredibly enjoyable in their own way.

Lost in these fond memories, I was deeply engaged in programming an upgrade for D.A.I.S.Y. when my phone suddenly rang, interrupting the flow of my thoughts.

"Hi! Sue, were you missing me?" I ask, my voice carrying a cheerful tone.

"Luke! I was missing you sooo much!… and I also just wanted to hear your voice," Susan replies, her voice tinged with relief that I didn't miss.

"Is everything alright? You know you can just leave the Baxter Building and come here anytime, right? Or do you want me to come and fetch you?" I offer with a teasing smirk.

"I can't visit right now, as we are nearly done with the cosmic ray machine," she explains, a hint of fatigue in her sigh. "But I wouldn't mind if you visited me," her voice brightening with the suggestion.

"Sure, I will come over right now then. It has been a while since I have tasted your lips," I lay my desires openly.

"No, don't come now. I know that if you do, we will just end up doing it… and then I won't be able to work for the rest of the day," she protests lightly, her practicality surfacing despite her eagerness. "Let's meet this evening instead. By then, our machine should be complete, and we will only need to run some tests tomorrow before it's fully operational."

"As you wish, Sue. Just be ready for my full 'affection'," I say with a deep chuckle.

"Mmm, sure baby, I will be waiting," Susan responds shyly, then hesitates before adding, "Luke... um, have you seen Felicia recently?" Her voice lowers.

"Yes, I went to her place recently, and she even dropped by my penthouse too just after you left," I reply frankly.

"Umm... did you two... do anything?" Susan asks hesitantly.

"Why? Were you hoping we did?" I tease, my voice playful.

"N-no, nothing like that!" Susan responds quickly, her tone flustered.

"I could tell you in detail about all the fun we h-" I begin sensually, but she interrupts me.

"I have to go now, love you!" she says hastily.

"Love you too," I reply with a smirk, as she ends the call.

"Show me the video feed from the Baxter Building," I say aloud, and the display in front of me lights up with live footage.

I rewind the video to just a few minutes earlier.

"I am telling you, Ben, the machine isn't ready. Just give me some time," I hear Reed arguing with Ben.

"Time! time! how much more time do you need, Reed?" Ben asks, his frustration evident.

"Just a few more days, Ben. We just need to run a few more tests," Reed explains, but Ben interrupts.

"More tests? Look at me, I am just rocks. What more is there to test?" Ben retorts.

"We need more time, trust me, Ben. Why would I lie to you?" Reed pleads, scanning the data.

"You're even lying to yourself. Admit it, you are dragging this out because you want to spend more time with Susan," Ben accuses, irritation in his voice.

Susan looks up in surprise at their conversation.

"Susan, he is speaking nonsense. I would never—" Reed starts, but Ben cuts him off.

"Susan why don't you get together with him already so I can get my body back" Ben asks Susan frankly.

"Ben," Susan sighs, "I am with Luke and I am very happy. I respect Reed as a colleague and a friend, that's all." She states firmly, looking sincerely at Reed, who offers a wry smile before returning to his data.

"Lucas isn't good for you, Susie. Rich guys like him are just like Victor. He is probably fooling around with some girl while you are stuck here," Ben says earnestly.

"That's enough, Ben. Leave her alone," Reed snaps.

Unbeknownst to them, Susan's face flushes imagining what Ben just said.

"Fine, keep lying to yourselves. I am out of here. I can't just sit around doing nothing for another week," Ben exclaims, storming out.

Watching the video, I purse my lips thoughtfully. Susan's odd tone now made sense.

"Ben, Ben, Ben, maybe life hasn't kicked you enough yet," I mutter with narrowed eyes.

"Where is Ben right now?" I ask D.A.I.S.Y.

"He just entered a nearby bar," D.A.I.S.Y. informs me, displaying the interior of the bar where Ben has just arrived.

My eyebrows rise in surprise as I recognise someone in the video. "Looks like I have another good deed to do today," I say with a smirk, anticipation clear in my voice.

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