Orochimaru and I resumed our work on the X-Gene project, this time with far more momentum than when I first shelved it centuries ago. Even I admit that while I'm the unmatched genius of the multiverse, biological manipulation is Orochimaru's home territory. The man is a nightmare given flesh when it comes to genetics, and in the Foundation that makes him invaluable. Standing beside him, working scalpels, genetic sequencers, and reality-stabilised reactors, feels like conducting an orchestra of impossible science.
Our lab at Site-999 had been expanded to accommodate the work—rows of cryo-tubes containing sedated mutants, living subjects, Omega-level blood samples suspended in stasis, and a half-dozen corpses of powerful mutants from the X-7905 world. Many were from that universe's "elite" groups. Their loss was tragic—for them—but useful for us.
Dozens of junior and mid-level researchers assisted from the outer rings of the chamber. All hand-selected. Every single one had demonstrated talent in biological sciences or chemistry. And every one of them understood the weight of this project: perfection of the X-Gene.
The serum I had produced earlier—one capable of activating a dormant X-gene, or even installing one into a baseline human genome—sat in suspended development. It was a success, but it lacked precision. The O5 Council didn't simply want powers. They wanted choice. Control. If we were to grant ourselves mutant abilities, we weren't going to roll dice with fate. We would engineer destiny.
Orochimaru leaned over a shimmering sample under a quantum microscope, his serpentine eyes glinting with fascination."Administrator… I must say, the way you've stabilised the Omega-gene expression is… beautiful."
I smirked theatrically."I know. Praise me more. Slowly."
He ignored the joke, because—of course—he was already dissecting the next problem.
"For us to predetermine mutations," he continued, "we must isolate the exact genomic sequences that correlate to specific phenotypes. Telekinesis, pyrokinesis, regeneration, energy absorption…" He trailed off as one of the living subjects—a captured telepath—twitched violently in their pod.
I adjusted the runic stabilisers built into the chamber walls. "And we're not guessing. We have the full genomes of several Omega mutants. Jean Grey from one universe. Exodus from another. A broken version of Magneto. A stable copy of Storm. We have enough Omega DNA to build a small pantheon."
"And yet," Orochimaru said with a soft chuckle, "It is your mind, Administrator, that makes this endeavor… possible."
He's not wrong. With my mind protections, my processors—mental and technological—I can model millions of mutation patterns at once. Orochimaru provides mastery of biology. I provide the omnidirectional, multiversal genius to unify all fields at a scale few beings could comprehend.
We worked for hours, days—time lost all meaning inside Site-999's sealed research vault. Runes glowed faint blue, fūinjutsu layers hummed, and my advanced computational arrays updated in real time as each new mutation sequence unfolded. I analysed the Omega blood samples while Orochimaru sequenced and cross-referenced mutation stability.
Behind us, Doctor Gears observed quietly, arms crossed, and Lin Lang—his new assistant—took meticulous notes at impossible speed. The boy really is Gears with just a sprinkle more humanity. Cold. Focused. Efficient. And his IQ of 320 makes him one of the brightest non-anomalous researchers ever recruited into the Foundation. He watched every movement, every calculation, every incision like a student studying gods.
And honestly? He wasn't wrong.
By the end of the week, Orochimaru and I had produced the first working blueprint of what the O5 demanded:
A way to choose mutant abilities.
A serum that wouldn't simply activate an X-gene—it would create designed evolution.
The O5 Council will have their powers.
But first… they'll know it was me who perfected the X-gene, and Orochimaru who shaped its flesh.
And after that?
We decide what abilities the new era of the Foundation will wield.