CHAPTER 32 - CHANGES
As Vision's mind blurred, a series of notifications defining the changes his body was undergoing rang out but nobody was there to listen to it.
The Mind Stone that has been reacting violently ever since the serum was injected turned purple for a few brief moments before turning back to its serene yellow.
[A major change had been enforced]
[The Infinity Stone that encompasses the universal Mind has been corrupted and personified]
[All abilities related to the Mind Stone had experienced a large growth and evolution]
[The Mind Stone has gained a personality – Vision]
[The consciousness known as Vision has been stirred]
"Woah!"
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[The Vision POV]
I don't know why but that felt like the greatest nap mixed with a full session mani-pedi anyone has ever gotten.
"Woah!"
Okay, whatever that was has got to be straight up illegal. I don't know how to describe what I'm actually feeling but it's the greatest thing I've ever felt in both lives. Not even sniffing on dope that one time came close to this.
I looked at the time and saw that the upgrade only took a bit more of ten minutes so I was still on the clock.
With a snap of a finger, I reflected the light bouncing off my body and projected it in front of me, forming a mirror to look at myself.
Despite the body still being my default red, the feeling I was getting from it was anything but.
If before I was a stupidly super-powered robot, then now I was a pro max super-powered sentient robot.
Though the differences were mostly unseen, the unbound sense of power I got just by looking at them was telling on its own.
Without even giving it a command, my form shifted and my skin tone changed and what stood in front of me was a very hunk guy of unearthly proportions.
The face I was looking at was not one that should have belonged to a dude named 'Vision', but to a pimp named 'Mr. Steal yo girl'.
The Mind Stone was still visible in this appearance which I'm not gonna lie looks a lot like Geralt of Rivia, more so if my hair was longer and white.
Well fantasizing about my appearance and whatever changes that came with it can come later. Right now I have a base to raid, some experiments to stop and a recruiting to do.
I walked out of the room only to bump into a confused looking Wanda who reeled back in surprise only for her to freeze over as her eyes landed on me.
Was it my face? Why is she looking at me like that? It's as if I'm some type of rare exotic fruit, a bit uncomfortable to be looked at with such intensity but it's not as if I'm exactly clueless why she's stunned into silence. I'd gawk at me too if I were into men.
"V-Vision? Is that you?" She finally managed to stutter out.
"Of course. I believe you of all people should be able to easily identify me regardless of what identity I take on." Yeah, about that bit. It turns out that being psionically connected to Wanda was one of the perks that came with the Mind Stone. Whether that's a good thing or not remains to be seen.
"You feel different. You feel…"
"Alive?"
"Yes. More so than you've ever felt before." She spoke as if still in a trance as she brought her hand to hover in front of my face. Weird, but it's Wanda so I guess normal?
"As much as I like being the focus of your full attention, I regrettably have somewhere I pressingly need to be at this moment."
My words seemed to have done the trick as she finally snapped out of it and it might have been the red glow in her hands but I could swear she was mildly blushing.
She faked a cough and regained her bearings and with it was gone the cutely stunned Wanda to be replaced by a serious looking Wanda. She would have looked more menacing if she hadn't stopped channeling her magic.
"Where are you going to? Can I come along with?" She asked.
"Well, it's an extermination mission if you want to know." I turned to her and asked. "You coming?"
With Wanda agreeing to come along, the both of us left the Compound but I had to literally drag her along because she couldn't keep up with the speed I was flying at…which had more than doubled what I could move at days prior.
Looking at the privately-owned underground experimental facility, a soft smile adorned my face that Wanda noticed.
"I'm just glad. It's a blessing in disguise that I get to 'experiment' a little with willing test subjects." It was funny how her face changed from confusion to horror and then helplessness as she realized my little play on words.
"You know what they say; start every party with a bang."
In a flash of light, a wide hole was created in the middle of the base to the earth's bedrock. I left Wanda to do whatever she wanted while I moved forward to a specific place in mind.
°°°°°°
While Vision and Wanda were about to decimate a 'research' facility, in an opulent room was full of a group of people who made the country move as they pleased.
"Ross is dead."
No one reacted to the news since they were all aware of it to an extent.
"I heard a mutant did it. This will grow to be a national concern. We can't even protect our own interests and it's clear they don't consider themselves below the law." One of them dressed in military attire said as he fiddled through some files presented in front of him with a sneer on his face.
Another nodded at the first words. He looked like a businessman with the full suit and tie he wore. "We can't judge the entire mutantkind with the actions of one, but I think you are right. Whether it is planned towards this end or not, we can't allow this to become a precedent."
Whether they liked it or not, they were simply unable to censor the rising awareness of the existence of mutants.
"It's a bit unfortunate but now that Ross and Stryker are dead, maybe it's about time we revisit Norman Osborn's proposal. Roxxon and Trask are still looking for government partnerships to move ahead of some interesting projects, I hear."
Another rebutted harshly, "And how does that help our current situation?"
His words caused the man to laugh as if only he got a joke that everyone else missed.
"Oh, it's pretty simple. A sanction is all that's needed. We stop hiding them in the dark and bring them to light." He tapped on the table in front of him as he stared at a blurry picture of a man with a helmet on and metal works behind him.
"Since they want to live among everyone else so bad, then give them what they want, but with a few stipulations of course. It'll also enable us to keep an eye on them and who knows, maybe recruit some of them before their abilities grow too big to be controlled." He concluded.
The room fell into a cacophony of murmurs and gasps as the other occupants discussed with each other in hushed voices until one raised a question they all thought about.
"And how do you propose we keep an eye on them."
"Simple. Have them registered; name, birth date, address, everything of importance and also the nature of their mutation. You can say it'll help them promote the livelihood of the people and also make them easily accepted. And anyone who refuses to sign automatically has the status of an illegal immigrant. Stipulations also need to be made to ensure that they don't use their abilities unless told to as that can be accounted as juvenile acts or terrorism."
The entire room felt cold all of a sudden as the bunch of willy old foxes' minds churned as they weighed the pros and cons of the suggestion. It was entirely doable but there was just something that none of them wanted, even wishing it didn't happen.
"This can very well cause a rebellion or even a civil war since most of them will see it as nothing more than slavery. It will cause some of them to resort to terrorism… and I think I speak for everyone here when I say none of us want that to happen, Mr. Sublime." The one who spoke was the person who sat at the head of the long table.
"I understand, Mr. President. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. You know what they say about eggs and omelettes after all."
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