Julius sits across from me in my office, wearing that same immaculate black suit and crisp white shirt as always… except now his right eye is unmistakably not human anymore. The pale ripple pattern of Isshiki's dōjutsu sits calmly in his socket, glowing faintly with that alien power only Ōtsutsuki could wield. Sukunahikona. Daikokuten. The ability to crush battlefields into nothing or summon a concealed arsenal out of thin air.
I don't comment on it. I already know exactly where he got it.
The System.
All five of us—me, Julius, Darius, Sun Tzu, and Cleopatra—had access to that strange interface. A reward for being chosen as the original O5 Council. We earn points by completing missions, crafting technologies, or averting disasters. Julius has clearly been investing.
He leans back in the chair, hands steepled."Administrator," he says calmly, "give me your update."
I exhale. "The X-Gene Project is progressing… but not in the direction I wanted."
His eyebrow rises ever so slightly.
I continue, tapping the holographic files floating above my desk.
"First: Orochimaru and I successfully extracted three stable serums—• Telepathy/Telekinesis modeled from Charles Xavier,• Magnetokinesis from Erik Lehnsherr,• and Regeneration from Wolverine, isolated and purified."
I flip to another screen filled with graphs, tissue samples, genetic overlays.
"But beyond that? We've reached a hard limit."
Julius nods slowly. "Explain."
I sigh, rubbing my temples. "I cannot create new X-Genes. I hoped I could craft entirely original mutations—design them, program them, tailor them like software." I shake my head. "But the X-Gene is too complicated. Too… interconnected. Every ability is built around a specific biological 'anchor' carried by an existing mutant lineage."
Julius thinks about this. "Meaning?"
"Meaning," I say, "if we want a mutation that no mutant has ever possessed, then we're out of luck. The only way to guarantee an ability is to acquire the DNA or body of a mutant who already had that ability."
He nods. "So we need the original source."
"Exactly. Without a biological template, I can't stabilize the gene expression. Any attempt creates unpredictable results—random mutations, deformities, or abilities that burn out instantly."
I show him one of the failed test logs. A mutant subject whose body tried to manifest a theoretical gravity manipulation gene. His body literally collapsed into a singularity for 0.3 seconds.
Nobody wants to repeat that.
Julius whistles softly. "So even with your intelligence, Orochimaru's expertise, and enough Omega-level DNA to drown a planet, we're still bound by the rules of mutation."
"Yes," I say. "The X-Gene is more like an ecosystem than a code. It evolves, but it doesn't obey."
Julius places a hand on the desk. "Then we find more mutants."
I arch an eyebrow. "Of course you'd say that."
"We're the SCP Foundation," he replies coolly. "We contain, secure, and protect. Obtaining biological samples is… trivial. Especially now that I have this." He taps his Isshiki eye.
I narrow my eyes at him. "I'm not authorizing the abduction of metas or mutants from other worlds, Julius."
"Not without cause," he agrees. "But if we find a mutation that would benefit the Foundation—our defenses, our personnel, our future—are you going to refuse?"
I lean back.
He knows exactly how to push.
"We both know," he says, "that if we had complete control over our own X-Gene abilities, you'd refine all 11 of us into something truly unstoppable."
"…You're not wrong."
"And," he continues, "you're the one who insists we need contingencies. Protections. Fail-safes. If empowering the Council contributes to universal security…"
I sigh.He wins.
"For now," I say firmly, "we continue with the serums we can replicate. No more attempts to design new abilities from scratch."
Julius nods. "Reasonable."
"But," I add, "if we come across mutants with abilities we want? We evaluate case by case."
Julius smiles faintly. "As expected of O5-1."
He stands, straightening his suit. As he leaves my office, his Isshiki eye flashes again—space rippling behind him as he warps away.
I sit there a moment, staring at the holographic X-Gene diagrams.
The project isn't a failure.
But it's not truly mine yet.
If the X-Gene refuses to be written like code… then I'll just have to rewrite the rules.
And the multiverse is full of samples waiting to be collected.