I paid the tax immediately after the IRS agents left my home. I tried to go to my room with Maria, but my mother stopped me.
"Felix Cole Vale. You better explain," my mother said, looking dead serious at me.
"About that, I think I'll explain it some other time," I said, trying to slip past them.
"RIGHT NOW! EXPLAIN RIGHT NOW!" my mother shouted, her tone making it clear she didn't want any nonsense.
"Okay," I said, sitting down in the living room with them.
"Remember when I developed my AI? I also created a company called Oseong Corporation. For the first six months, I wasn't making any money, but then something changed," I said, deciding to tell them almost everything. They kept quiet as they listened to my explanation.
"I started making money after that. Each month, I was making about 100, but I never used it. I even forgot about it because I became too focused on the phone."
"We made $100,000 a month, and you didn't even tell us?" my mother said in shock, staring at me. I understood why; there was debt that needed to be cleared.
"No. I made $100 million a month."
"""WHAT!"""
Everyone reacted in shock as my grandmother started to have a heart attack, and we had to calm her down.
Everyone started shouting at me after they found out how much money I was making each month. My mother demanded a share, and so did my grandmother. Maria kept quiet and didn't say anything, but my mother said I should give her money too.
I gave my mother $20 million, my grandmother $5 million, and Maria $10,000. That was a lot of money for a 15-year-old in 1997, enough to buy a house.
After that, we went to my room to cuddle—nothing more. Maria spent the night at my place.
The following day, Maria left for her house, and I decided to check something.
I looked into what happened in 1962, and it was surprising. Apparently, Darwin didn't die the way it was shown in the movie, even though events still played out the same. When Sebastian Shaw told Darwin to "Adapt to this," he triggered an explosion that destroyed everything around him, and the footage cut out.
I thought, That didn't go the way it was supposed to.
I realized Darwin can adapt to almost anything except the Hulk. Whenever he faces the Hulk, his body teleports away, like it can't adapt to him at all. He can handle gamma radiation, but not the Hulk himself.
I decided to check his status. I couldn't remember his name, but SPACE knew exactly who I meant.
FULL NAME: Armando Muñoz
RACE: Afro-Latino
SPECIES: Mutant
STATUS: Alive
I was instantly surprised when I saw that, but I returned to normal quickly because it was expected for him to survive that attack.
I looked into things and found that Latveria doesn't have a king yet. David Banner escaped the mental hospital he was put in. Bruce Krenzler finished college and was recruited by the military to develop soldiers who can't die.
I also found out about Dr. Joseph Reinstein, which surprised me. He destroyed anything related to the Super Soldier Serum, and Steve Rogers was given the only version. There was an earlier version of the serum that wasn't perfected, but it was perfected when given to Steve.
SPACE tried to find research on the serum, but it appears it wasn't recorded anywhere except in the memory of the person who created it. SPACE found a picture of the serum and decided to break down the elements used in that bottle.
After SPACE finished decomposing it, she gave me a list of materials I might need to recreate the serum. Some couldn't be found in the mall, so I had to hit the black market.
I was seen as prey, but I eventually got my materials, even though I got scammed. I lost my phone in the market, but I was lucky I didn't get beaten up.
I showed the materials to SPACE, and she told me I had the wrong ones. She said most people make mistakes with certain materials, which wasn't surprising. What was surprising was that I had the same material, but with different components.
It's like seawater and tap water. They're the same, but also not.
I had to return to the underground, but I decided to buy everything they had, including their clothes. They refused, but I bought the materials anyway, using the car. They even sold me guns along with them.
It cost me $4 million, which was a lie, but I didn't want to argue. I just paid and left. I took the stuff piece by piece and eventually got everything back to my house.
It's weird being rich but still living with my mom.
I was surprised when SPACE pointed out there was promethium among the things I bought, and some vibranium too. There was even a Heart-shaped Herb in the collection, which I got at a lower price.
Seeing Vibranium and the Heart-shaped Herb together made me realize: Namor definitely has access to both. That means there's probably a place near Namor's location where Vibranium fell, and it probably allowed a few Heart-shaped Herbs to grow there.
Either way, it's good for me that I have them.
"SPACE, forget about Project Peak. We need to start Project Cosmic."
«Sir, do you want me to abort Project Peak?»
"No. Don't abort it. Just create one Super Soldier Serum, and we can start Project Cosmic once it's done."
«Okay. Just follow the instructions I laid out.»
After that, I started developing the serum. Project Peak is the creation of the Super Soldier Serum, and Project Cosmic is the creation of the Superior Mutagen Formula.
I developed the Super Soldier Serum in less than an hour. It was easy because I was following SPACE's instructions. God damn, I'm a genius.
«Sir, I'm the genius. Not you.»
Anyway, I completed the serum and stored it somewhere safe, but still inside the house where SPACE could monitor it. Next, I decided to develop the Superior Mutagen Formula. I'll call it SMF for short.
I wanted to mix the properties of the Super Soldier Serum, Promethium, and the Heart-shaped Herb, but first, I had to make Promethium less dangerous.
How did those goons even get their hands on Promethium-X?
I should make a list of everything.
Guns and Drugs.
Steel and Iron.
Vibranium and Heart-shaped herb.
Promethium-X and Carbonadium.
Adamantium and Cavorite.
Terrigen crystals and Netharanium.
There's some random stuff too.
Yeah, some of those materials had no business being in the hands of criminals. I don't even recognize half of them, but I'll have to use them anyway. I asked SPACE about Cavorite, and it turns out it's the same material NASA tested on Carol Danvers before she met Mar-Vell.
Carbonadium turned out to be a knockoff of Adamantium. Promethium? That came from those HYDRA lunatics and their ridiculous ambitions. I'm not even surprised.
That probably means they experimented on someone who came from hell.
"SPACE, put all materials into Project Cosmic, except the drugs. Make them safe, if possible."
«Sir, that will be difficult. It will take time.»
"Just do it. And don't forget to merge the Super Soldier Serum with SMF. Make it 100% safe—or at least 90 to 99%."
«Sir, there is a 50% chance you will attract unnecessary trouble.»
"What kind of trouble?"
«Wakanda, sir… and possibly demons.»
"Wakanda? What does Wakanda have to do with this? And demons? What are you talking about?"
«The Heart-shaped Herb mostly grows where there is Vibranium, and Wakanda specializes in Vibranium. They may think you stole it. As for the demons, HYDRA captured one and experimented on it. They extracted large amounts of Promethium from its body.»
"I knew it. Wait, how do you know about the Heart-shaped Herb in Wakanda?"
«Sir, Wakanda possesses advanced technology. They have their own satellites, network systems, and energy sources. I was able to access their camera footage and locate the Heart-shaped Herb.»
"You hacked Wakanda? Oh, shit! We need to move. Now."
«Sir, there is no need to worry. I did not use your IP address. I routed the access through a library in Manhattan, bounced it through Washington, D.C., then through the White House before using Wakanda's own network.»
"So Wakanda's going to think the White House hit them. Mxa Noice."
I should probably buy a house. Or an island.
I let SPACE continue working on Project Cosmic while I started building smart glasses and a smart ring. When those goons took my phone, I couldn't even capture their faces. There were no cameras there. If something had happened to me, no one would've found me.
My seventeenth birthday came, and we celebrated properly. Everyone close to me was there, except Alan. We'd been seeing less of him over the past four months.
At first, nothing seemed wrong. People change as they get older. I used to be jealous of him because he switched girlfriends every week but that stopped once I started dating.
It felt weird dating a fifteen-year-old at first, but I got over it.
We thought he actually liked the girl he'd been with for the past five months. Anyway…
My mother bought a brand-new car. Correction, cars
A McLaren F1, a Bentley Brooklands, a Bentley Continental R, and a BMW 7 Series (E38). We sold the old car, and she suggested buying a new house, but my grandmother and I refused.
My grandmother refused because she built everything in the house we live in now. She worked her ass off for it.
She said, "You can buy a new house, but your home is here."
After that, my mother dropped the idea. Before buying the cars, she cleared all her debts.
I asked to borrow one of the cars, but she told me to buy my own. I didn't help with her debts, not because I couldn't, but because I chose not to. I thought about helping earlier, but I decided to wait.
Life doesn't go as planned. The IRS showed up.
If I had paid off the loan sharks immediately after getting the money, they would've noticed something was off, like I'd won the lottery. They would've come after us constantly. Or worse, they'd say, "Everyone pays their own debts," take my money, and drag me into their business.
Either way, I'm glad everything got settled. My mother asked if she should go clubbing, and I said I'd go with her. She refused at first, but I told her if I wasn't going, then she shouldn't go either.
She reluctantly agreed, and we left in the McLaren F1.
It was just the two of us. We entered the club, and I sat near Grace while she was drinking. She told me to leave her alone.
A man came up to her, dressed in plain, simple clothes, and my mother got angry the moment she saw him. He had seen us getting out of the car, apparently, he's my deadbeat father.
He made small talk with Grace and eventually asked for what I expected, money. He's running from the gangs he borrowed from.
He got married in 1987 at 25. He already had a daughter two years before that. Last year, he borrowed a lot of money from gangs and sold his wife and daughter just to save himself.
Then he asked my mother if he could borrow money and promised to pay her back. She was about to agree, but I stopped her.
It looks like she still has feelings for him.
He got angry when I stopped her, really angry. Then some men showed up, and that's when it clicked. He sold us out.
He probably told them he'd get their money from my mother. That realization pissed me off. My mother seemed to realize we were surrounded.
There were eight of them, plus the bastard who brought them. I'm 5'5", and these guys looked anywhere from 6'3" to 7'4".
I stared their leader straight in the eyes without backing down. It looked strange, a 5'5" guy locking eyes with someone over 6'4".
My mother grabbed my hand and told me we needed to go, but they blocked the exits. It was a setup from the start. I glanced at the one who set us up, he was standing at the back of the group.
Everyone in the club saw what was happening, but no one stepped in.
"Bartender, give me the most expensive bottle you've got," I said.
The bartender hesitated, then handed it over.
"What are you doing, boy?" the leader asked, watching me.
"Relax. I'm coming to you. Bartender, are there any cameras here?" I asked.
He pointed them out.
"You think cameras scare us, boy?" the leader said with a smirk.
I shook my head, grabbed the bottle, and looked straight at one of the cameras. My mother stood beside me.
"SPACE, edit the footage of what's about to happen."
Everyone looked at me like I was crazy—everyone except my mother.
"Can we leave, please?" I asked the leader.
"No. You're supposed to pay us," he said. That's when it clicked. The bastard set us up.
"Pay you? For what?" I asked, genuinely not caring, just trying to push them.
"Rick said she owes him money. Pay that first, then you can leave."
My mother froze when she heard that and looked at me with an expression I didn't recognize. It wasn't sadness, anger, or happiness; it felt more like approval.
"She just met him today after seventeen years. How could she owe him anything when he clearly owes her?" I said, my tone flat.
They turned to look for Rick and realized he was gone.
That made them angrier.
They weren't letting us leave.
So I moved.
I smashed the bottle over the leader's head, grabbed his collar, and slammed his face into the counter, still holding the broken glass.
My mother slipped past them.
One of the goons swung at me. I ducked and drove the broken bottle into his armpit, then twisted his arm behind his back.
Another came at me. I ripped the bottle free, stabbed into the incoming strike, and kicked him in the gut. As he folded, I yanked the bottle out and drove it into his face, then threw him into the counter near his boss.
I turned, too slow.
A punch cracked across my face, and everything blurred for a few seconds. He grabbed my collar, lifting me to slam me down, but I drove my knee up between his legs.
He folded. I kicked him in the face and stomped him hard before launching myself toward the next guy, using the momentum to close the distance.
I hooked his head and flipped him, messy, but it worked. I landed over him and stomped the back of his head hard enough to keep him down.
Another rushed me. I spun and caught him with a kick that dropped him.
The last two didn't hesitate; they pulled guns.
One fired. I moved just in time.
As soon as he shot, I grabbed his wrist, wrenched the gun free, and fired at the other one. The recoil slammed into my hand and threw me off.
Too loud. No control. I wasn't trained for this.
The one I disarmed tackled me and started hammering punches into my face.
Then a shot rang out behind him.
My mother.
She hit him in the back, but the recoil knocked the gun out of her hand.
That gave me the opening.
I shoved him off and broke free.
I went to my mother and asked if she was okay. She was in shock, but she nodded. She was fine.
I picked up the gun that had been fired and made the leader hold it. It helped that it was the same gun I had used.
When I looked around the club, everyone was gone. They probably left the moment the shots were fired.
I could hear police sirens getting closer. I told my mother we needed to kneel in the corner and hold each other until the police came in.
The cops entered and found us there. They told us we had to come to the station to give a statement. We agreed, and they took us along with the guys I had fought.
The ones who were shot were taken by ambulance. The rest were escorted by the police, even the ones still bleeding.
My mother was shaken. My face hurt like hell.
At the station, they asked us to give our statement first since we looked like the victims, which we were.
"Can you tell us what happened?" the officer asked, pulling out a pen and notepad.
"You see, Detective, those guys wouldn't let us leave, and the one who looked like the leader punched me first," I said.
Everyone looked at me, my mother included.
"He punched you first? Why?" the officer asked, skeptical.
"Let's go back to the morning. Actually, let's go further back so it makes sense," I said. They nodded.
"On July 25, my mother won a jackpot. The next day, she paid off all her debts. By early August, she started buying luxury clothes, bags, and cars, left and right."
"What does that have to do with tonight?" the officer asked.
"Everything. On my birthday, my mother wanted to go clubbing. I didn't want to go at first."
"If you refused, how did you end up there?"
"I told her if she was going, I was going with her. I wasn't there to drink; I was there to drive her home when she got drunk."
"Alright. That explains why you were there."
"We arrived in a McLaren F1. I'm mentioning the car because it matters, not to brag."
The officer paused writing when I said that.
"We got there, and my mother ordered drinks. Then a man approached her and started talking. I thought he was just flirting, which I didn't mind, but then he asked her for money."
"What exactly did he say?"
"He said he saw us arrive and assumed she had money. We tried to leave, but he stopped us. Then those guys showed up," I said, pointing at them.
"So why did they come? And who was that man?"
"He ran off. He told them my mother owed him money, which isn't true. If anything, he owes her. He never paid child support."
The room went quiet. They understood.
"Anyway, they wouldn't let us leave and demanded payment. I even bought the most expensive bottle in the club to calm things down, but it didn't work."
"Did you break the bottle?"
"They weren't interested in the gesture. Then things escalated."
"What happened next?"
"One of them tried to de-escalate, but the leader shot him in the chest."
The goons started shouting in protest, but the officer ignored them.
"Go on."
"Another guy reacted and knocked the gun away. I saw it on the ground and picked it up. When I fired, I hit the counter by mistake."
"You fired the gun?"
"Yes. Someone saw me and punched me in the face. He pinned me down and kept hitting me. My mother grabbed the gun but hesitated. She was scared she was going to hit me."
Everyone in the room stared at me.
"Then the leader took the gun from her and shot the guy attacking me. After that, everything went quiet. By the time I got up, everyone was already down, and that's when you arrived."
The police officer finished writing the report.