31 Chapter 31: Fruits Of Labour

(Original Roman: POV)

Entering my company's headquarters I greeted the receptionist and anyone else I saw before entering the elevator.

I then pressed the button for the 6th floor and got off as soon as the elevator arrived at it.

Once I did so I headed to the entrances to one of the numerous rooms we had converted into a lab and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Maya spoke.

The moment I did so I opened the door and entered Dr. Hansen's personal lab.

Which also doubled as a small medical facility.

Given her work with Extremis.

Which I am happy to say has finally been perfected.

With a little help from yours truly that is.

Because not only did I personally work with Maya to stabilize the Extremis formula, but I also provided her the final piece of the puzzle she needed to complete what will likely be her life's greatest work.

A blood sample from a man known as Chan Ho Yin.

Who I recalled from Agents of Shield had special heat-resistant platelets in his blood which made immune to the fire he could generate.

The instant I remembered this little fact I had ADAM track him down, and once he did obtaining a sample of his blood and reverse-engineering the effects of the platelets within and applying those same effects to the Extremis Serum was easy.

Once that was accomplished Maya and I worked to make a more simplified version of the Extremis Serum that would heal people but not give them extra abilties like the original Serum does.

Since neither of us wanted a punch of fire-breathing people walking around.

Moving on.

At the moment the simplified Extremis Serum is being put through clinical trials with a 100% success rate.

Leaving me with no doubts the FDA will approve it for general uses across the entire US.

And if they don't well then their going to have a lot of angry people on their hands.

Especially veterans.

Since they are the main participants in our Extremis Serum clinical trials.

Who I may or may not have encouraged through indirect means to share the results of the trial with their friends and families.

All of which are connected to other disabled veterans in one way or another.

So yeah, the FDA and government better approve the simplified Extremis Serum or else suffer the consequences.

Closing the door behind me I walked over to the table Maya was seated and working at.

Typing away at a computer, while various species of plants were arranged in front of her in various stages of growth.

All part of one of my long-terms projects that I have Maya working on and spearheading.

Project Demeter.

A project which involves developing several different strains of super crops which can survive in virtually any enviorment.

To put it simply Project Demeter is a plan to end world hunger.

And unlike other people who are all talk my company will actually be able to that dream into a reality.

"So, how is everything going?" I asked Maya.

Since this is our weekly check-in session.

I come to check on the progress of her research and assigned projects and she gives me a report.

This is also the time she can ask me for anything she needs immediately.

"It's good." Maya replied. Turning to face me as she did.

"That's good to hear. But seriously, you're not having any trouble at all?"

"No. None." Maya replied.

"Alright then. Keep up the good work." I said.

I then said goodbye to Maya and headed over to the next lab on my visitation list.

That of Dr. Curt Connors.

Arriving at the door I knocked.

When I didn't get a response after a minute I knocked again.

Yet I still got no response.

Not wishing to go for a third time of not getting an answer I decided to go ahead and open the door.

The moment I did so I found myself inside of a mini-zoo.

As Dr. Connors has multiple terrarium's with various animals housed inside them set up inside of his lab.

Just from a single glance I can see lizards, snakes, spiders, several species of frogs.

Looking around I quickly spotted the good doctor sitting at his workstation at the back of the lab.

Completely and absorbed in his work.

Using his hands to complete it.

Yep, you heard right.

Dr. Connors has both his hands, since the moment Maya and I perfected the simplified version of the Extremis Serum he was its first recipient.

Which was a resounding success.

The good doctor cried tears of joy for over an hour on that day.

I also knew it was the day he became firmly a lifelong member of camp Abstergo.

Which filled me with immense satisfaction.

It also made me want to touch myself a bit.

Who knew that securing people to your cause using incentives could be so damn satisfying?

I sure didn't.

But now that I do I'm afraid there is no turning back for me.

"Dr. Connors, everything ok in here?" I shouted.

Since I know that when Curt becomes focused on his work shouting at him is one of the only ways to get his attention.

"Mhm, oh yes. Things are going very well." Curt replied.

"Good." I said.

I then exited Connor's lab.

Happy that he was happy.

Especially since so I put so much effort into making Curt happy.

First with returning his arm to him, and then making sure the research he had at Oscorp Industries remained his.

Just as I predicted Oscorp Industries tried to keep Dr. Connors work in house after he signed up to work for me.

But thanks to our newly hired law firm Hogarth, Chao & Benowtiz that didn't happen.

They hammered Oscrops' legal team and made it so Dr. Connors was able to bring all his work over to our company.

Which proved to me that hiring Jeri Hogarth and her firm to represent us in legal matters was the right call.

My weekly check-in sessions with Curt and Maya complete I headed back to the elevator and took it back down to the first floor.

I then made my way to a janitor supply closet and entered it.

The closest not being a closest at all.

But rather was it one of the few entrances to the underground levels I had built under Abstergo Industries headquarters shortly after I purchased the building.

All I had to do to accomplish this was get a number of contracters to sign some memory-wipe contracts like my employees and viola.

My undergroubd headquarters was complete with no one being the wiser.

A fact I made absolutely sure of.

Once inside the janitor supply closet I headed to the back wall, leaned into it, and spoke.

"Command Center."

The moment after I spoke this phrase a small section of the back wall opened up and then a beam shot out and scanned my face for several seconds before it stopped.

Once if did do the panel closed and then the broom closet began descending to the lower levels.

Which it won't do unless you say the entrance code phrase, and your voice print and facial features have been entered into the lower levels security system.

Which I call the Command Center by the way.

Since these secret levels are the main base for people that are trying to save the world from evil threats and the galaxy from one huge purple scrotum-faced threat.

So I thought the name would be appropriate.

But I am not calling my team the Power Rangers.

That would be going too far.

When the elevator stopped I used the door and exited it.

Finding myself in a sleek metallic hallway.

The first floor of the Command Center, of which there are ten.

Humming the Zeo Rangers theme song to myself I made my way through the first floor until I reached the stairs.

I then took it down to floor four, which is the training floor.

Arriving I made my way to one of the many observation rooms and saw the current members of my team running some exercises together.

The members being James Madrox, Domino, and Piotr.

Seeing that the three of them were getting along well I took the stairs to the 6th floor.

Which is for researchers and scientists.

Just like Abstergo Industries company HQ is.

The same is true for the 7th floor of the Command Center and the 7th floor of the topside HQ.

Arriving at the 6th floor I made my way to the only lab actively being used in the Command Center at the moment.

The lab of Richard and Mary Parker.

Since it turns out Mary was a lab assistant to Richard once upon a time.

It was actually how they met.

Finding the door open upon arriving at the Parker's lab I looked inside and saw them both working diligently.

Seeing this I nodded.

I then headed back up to my public office and felt content.

Happy to see the fruits of mine and my allies labour.

Still, we've got a long way to go.

But to me that actually makes it fun.

Putting a small smile on my face I put my feet up and relaxed.