Chapter 58 A new lab

Now that my business with Tony was taken care of, I immediately caught the earliest flight and headed straight for New York. I would have liked to stay and sightsee a bit more, but I just couldn't wait any longer—not when Fury sent me a message letting me know that my lab was now ready. A real lab!

Yeah, my warehouse had some tools and machines that I used, but it was far from a lab and more like a workshop. This, however, was completely different. The location was well protected, being a retired missile silo. It went a good distance underground, with a total of fourteen floors, giving me plenty of room to work. If I wanted more space, I could always expand.

But most of all, this place was now perfectly equipped with what I needed. No longer did I have to break into Oscorp to make a 24th chromosome or any other serum. Now I could make it on my own.

Upon arriving in New York, I made my way to the silo where a SHIELD agent was waiting.

"Mr. Dagon, it is nice to meet you. I am Agent Maria Hill," the woman said, offering a handshake. "My boss would have liked to be here, but as you know, he has some other pressing matters to take care of because of the Stark incident."

Yeah, he's definitely going to be busy with that one. I bet he's already being harassed by the World Council to force Tony to hand over his armor. Not like it's going to work. "Yes, I understand. I'm sure he'll be quite busy with that for a while."

Maria simply gave a tired smile in response, showing that it wasn't only Fury who was going to be busy but most likely the entire agency. "Well, Mr. Dagon, how about I give you the tour?"

Giving her a nod, she began to walk me through the facility, and let's just say it was truly impressive, to say the least. The entrance was inconspicuous, blending seamlessly with its surroundings, but once inside, the true scale of the project became evident.

State-of-the-art equipment lined the walls, with advanced computers, robotic arms, and various scientific instruments that I could only dream of before. The security was top-notch, with biometric scanners and multiple layers of protection to ensure that only authorized personnel could gain access. Something I was going to have to check on later considering Fury's past tendencies.

Reaching further inside, I took a moment to appreciate the sheer scope of the facility. Fourteen floors underground provided not just ample space, but also the perfect environment to conduct experiments that required isolation and controlled conditions.

The lab was divided into different sections, each tailored for specific types of research. There was a section for biochemistry, equipped with everything needed to work on genetic modifications and serums. Another section was dedicated to robotics, filled with the latest tools and components for designing and building advanced machines. There was even a specialized area for quantum physics, with apparatuses designed for experiments that pushed the boundaries of our understanding of the universe.

As I familiarized myself with the facility, I couldn't help but think of the possibilities. The projects I could undertake here were limitless. I could develop new technologies, create groundbreaking medical treatments, and explore scientific frontiers that were previously out of reach.

Besides that, there was also a floor dedicated as a living space for anyone who chose to live and work here, along with another floor for entertainment purposes such as an arcade and theater.

"This place is truly impressive."

"Indeed, Fury had all of our eggheads here setting up the best work environment for you. He also told me to tell you that he eagerly awaits your first product." This basically boiled down to that he wants it sooner rather than later, and I could understand why.

My appearance with advanced robotics and Tony's arrival with a new kind of armor and advanced energy is most likely making SHIELD and its top brass feel that they are being left behind. Something that they will not allow to last for much longer unless they start seeing some benefits.

"Let him know that his first product should be ready in about two months." Honestly, it could be ready within the week with all the equipment I had in stock, but I wanted to knock some of my projects down first before I started helping anyone else.

"Perfect. Well, I'll be heading out. If there's anything else you need, be sure to give us a call and we'll handle it." Good to hear, but I won't be doing that too often. SHIELD is useful, but it's not necessary, and getting too reliant on them could be annoying in the future.

Once Maria was gone, I took out my phone and started up some music. I had a lot of work to do before I started my projects, and first on that list was debugging all fourteen floors.

Sigh. This is going to take a while.

...

670.

That's how many devices I found hidden throughout the entire facility, not even including what was on the computers. Ignoring the blatant breach of trust, I gathered all the spyware and placed it outside in a bag that had a note saying "For Fury."

"I can't trust that he or any other organization similar to them won't try to infiltrate this place. The security is good, but it's still lacking." After saying that, I quickly drew up a plan to enhance the facility's security.

Better firewalls, improved performance upgrades on everything that was already here, and also a plan to build more Police Scouts to work as guards.

Ring Ring.

Hearing my phone, I picked it up and saw that it was Gwen calling.

"Hello Gwen, what's up?"

"We did it! Me and Ned spent almost every hour of the day here and we finally got it done," she said with a super joyful tone.

They finished with the Nerve Gear? Wait, that's perfect! With the VR ready, I can finally start making Cortona to run my facility.

"Great job, guys! See, I told you that you could do it," I said with an equally joyful tone since everything seemed to be coming along nicely. "But before you guys do anything, I want you to bring over the Nerve Gear and the supercomputer. The scouts will also help you on the way here while they bring some other items."

"Alright, we'll start packing up right away."

Hanging up the phone, I switched screens to send my scouts a message detailing the items I wanted them to bring, with the main two being my case of Chromosome Serums and my spiders. They have spent too long out in the open, and that ends today.

"While they do that, I should also get things ready here. I have the Scouts schematics and can easily start having the machines process it to start some production. I should also make some more stimpaks for emergencies." Having a set list of things to do, I went back to work.