Genetic Ability Chain

Isaac returned home that evening feeling a mix of exhaustion and unease. The events of the day played over in his mind as he walked through the front door and into the quiet of his apartment. The confrontation with Dr. Greaves and the revelation of an undisclosed organization's interest in his research had shaken him more than he cared to admit.

He dropped his bag by the door and headed straight to the kitchen, needing something to ground him. Pouring himself a glass of water, he leaned against the counter, trying to process everything that had happened. The hum of the refrigerator and the distant sounds of the city outside were the only noises in the otherwise silent apartment.

Isaac made his way to his living room, sinking into the couch and letting out a deep sigh. His mind was racing, thoughts tangled with questions and doubts. He pulled out his laptop and began typing notes on the day's events, documenting every detail of his encounter with Greaves. This was not just for his own record but also to ensure he could protect his research and prepare for any future complications.

He paused, staring at the screen. 'A high-level organization, I suspect, it to be S.H.I.E.L.D., or worse, Hydra is hiding in S.H.I.E.L.D. They were monitoring Stark Industries. Could they be watching me too?' The thought made him a little uneasy. He reported this situation to Pepper and will wait to see what the arrangements are tomorrow.

Deciding he needed to clear his mind, Isaac stood and walked over to the window, looking out over the cityscape. The lights twinkled in the darkness, and he found some comfort in the familiar sight. Despite the day's chaos, life outside continued as usual. It was a reminder that he needed to find a balance and stay focused on his goals without letting worry take over.

"I need to work on my abilities; if not for them, things would have been way worse," murmured Isaac as he settled on his bed to start his daily meditation. During the previous few days he was monitoring Dr. Greaves, he didn't forget to activate a new genetic base point a day. Today, he has a feeling that he will make some advances.

After guiding the energy as usual, he focused on the 36th genetic base point, which is in sync with the others. After some time, he successfully activated it, and as if on cue, all 36 genetic base points began to reverberate as if they were being united.

Isaac hurried out of his meditation state and, as if on instinct, swallowed another enhanced energy restoration elixir. After calming down, he checked his sensing range and discovered that it had reached 20 meters, and not only that, but there was no burden whatsoever; in fact, he was feeling more liberated than ever before.

Not only that, but after some trial, he found that his control of this ability had improved to a whole new level. Before, although he could ignore his senses, the sensory information was still trickling in the back of his mind, but now he could actually control the range more easily and even exceed his limit; however, the details would be a little vague, and he could also shrink down the range to only 0.5 meters around his body to avoid distraction.

"My enhanced senses became so versatile, but I have a feeling that this is not the main ability that was activated," murmured Isaac while preparing to enter meditation again.

He remembered that he gained his extraordinary senses from accidentally activating the 15th base point, and it is not directly resonating with the current 36 points, although there seems to be a connection as the range of his sense keeps increasing.

After staying most of the night in his introspection, making observations and doing some tests, he reached a preliminary conclusion. He deduced that special abilities are produced through the resonance of genetic base points, which he decided to refer to as the Genetic Ability Chain.

The particular chain he had just activated appears to be, for lack of a better term, Mental Power.

He arrived at that conclusion because, when he was activating this particular chain, his burden was decreasing and his mental capacity was increasing. The control and improvement of his sensing range could also be attributed to the increase in his mental processing power; some physical attributes also underwent a slight enhancement. Like memory or vision.

So he confirmed that the first complete ability he gained was the Genetic Ability Chain of Mental Power.

He tried humorously to move small items with his thoughts, and while he didn't succeed, he did detect some faint movement when he attempted to move some papers. 'Wow!! It looks like I have awakened the force!' thought Isaac sarcastically as he tried again just to make sure it wasn't the wind or something. 

And indeed, he could exert a minute influence on light objects; however, it was too small to make it an ability. "Maybe I activated part of the chain during my first awakening. I have to do some more testing," murmured Isaac excitedly while trying to move a feather from a destroyed pillow. But he collapsed on the bed soon after from mental fatigue.

He woke up the next day a little late. He hurriedly washed up and didn't forget to bring some feathers with him. 'Alright, I admit I am a Star Wars fan, he thought to himself with some embarrassment.

Isaac walked into Stark Industries the next morning with a sense of interest. The previous day's events had changed the status quo, and he wanted to hear what Pepper Potts had planned in response to the situation with Dr. Greaves.

Pepper was waiting for him outside her office, her expression serious but composed. "Good morning, Isaac," she greeted him, gesturing for him to enter.

"Good morning, Pepper," Isaac replied, following her inside. He took a seat across from her desk, noting the array of documents and reports.

Pepper leaned forward, her hands clasped on the desk. "Isaac, after confirming with the authorities that Dr. Greaves was indeed working for an official organization, we've decided to take several steps to ensure your safety and the integrity of your research."

She continued, "First, we've increased surveillance around your lab and apartment. You'll notice additional cameras and sensors, but they're all for your protection."

Isaac nodded. "That's good to know. I was worried about potential breaches."

"Second, we've tightened access control within the lab. Only essential personnel will be allowed in restricted areas, and their movements will be closely monitored. You'll need to approve any new additions to the team personally."

Pepper handed him a list of authorized personnel, which was significantly shorter than before. "This will help limit unauthorized access and ensure we know exactly who is in the lab."

"Third, we're conducting thorough background checks on all current and future team members to ensure there are no hidden affiliations or ulterior motives."

Pepper continued, "Tony has also asked Happy Hogan to coordinate directly with you for any security concerns."

At this, Happy Hogan entered the room, giving Isaac a silent nod.

Isaac returned the gesture. "Thank you, Mr. Hogan. I feel more at ease knowing you're involved."

"Lastly, and most importantly, we've set up a dedicated, isolated server for your most sensitive data. It's offline and accessible only through physical means within a secure room. You'll have the only keycard, and we'll implement biometric authentication as an added layer of security."

Pepper handed Isaac a sleek, high-security keycard. "Make sure you keep this with you at all times. Any work related to the core aspects of your research should be stored here."

Isaac turned the keycard over in his hand. "I understand. I'll take every precaution."

He exited the office while ruminating on the new arrangements. Although it looked as if he was under more scrutiny, his actual control over what's going on in the lab increased. If he took adequate precautions, he could research a better energy restoration elixir for his personal use in less time.

'Now that Stark has inquired about Dr. Greaves' origins, I am sure some of the higher-ups will know about the energy restoration elixir early and will demand its use in the military,' thought Isaac while returning to his lab. He knew this would happen sooner or later, as the Energy Restoration Elixir was originally designed by the military in his previous life as a high-energy ration for special squads on prolonged missions.