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Aidan clapped a hand on Kaecilius's shoulder, pulling him back from his deep, obsessive thoughts about the multiverse. "Don't get lost in the possibilities, Master Kaecilius," he said, his voice unusually gentle. "Some doors are best left unopened."
Kaecilius looked up, his eyes filled with a pained gratitude for the young man's strange, pragmatic form of friendship. "Be safe, Aidan," he replied.
Aidan nodded. "Tell the Ancient One and Mordo that I have urgent business to attend to." With a final wave, he traced a circle in the air. The familiar shower of orange sparks coalesced into a shimmering portal, and he stepped through, leaving the ancient, mystical silence of Kamar-Taj behind.
The transition was instantaneous. The scent of sandalwood and old stone was replaced by the cool, sterile hum of advanced technology. He was standing in his primary laboratory on Apex Island.
"Ruby," he said to the empty room. "Report."
The holographic projection of the red-dressed AI appeared before him. "Bobby Lyle of your cinematic production team has contacted you. He has left a message inviting you to a meal."
"Lyle?" Aidan asked, surprised. The Baymax production team had been congratulated and paid handsomely; he hadn't expected to hear from them again so soon. "What does he want?"
"That is unclear," Ruby replied, bringing up a new holographic file. "However, during my routine surveillance of their communications—as per your standing orders—I have uncovered a new Japanese military initiative. Codename: Project Keshin—Poppy. The executor of this plan is someone within Lyle's team."
Aidan's eyes narrowed. "Details."
"Further information was not in the file, and the individual could not be positively identified from the encrypted data," Ruby stated, displaying a complex encryption schematic. "However, I was able to capture a covert communication sent from within Lyle's San Francisco studio last week. The communication was routed through the personal device of your special effects artist, Jair Myron."
"So we have our man," Aidan concluded.
"Negative," Ruby corrected. "While the signal originated from his device, the encryption is military-grade. The user could have been anyone in the studio. All members are currently considered suspects."
"Can you get the content of the call?"
"That would require active intrusion into their encrypted network communications. Such an action carries a seventy-eight percent probability of detection by global network security agencies, including S.H.I.E.L.D. It requires your direct authorization."
"You have it," Aidan said without hesitation. "Do it." He then picked up his personal phone and opened the message from Lyle.
"Hey, Aidan, it's Bobby Lyle. It's been a while, man, we miss you! The team just took a job in Queens and we heard you were back in town. If you're free, we'd love to get together for a meal and celebrate! ...and yes, there will be hot girls with hot bodies!"
Aidan rolled his eyes at the juvenile bait. They're trying to lure a teenager with women and a party. How crude, he thought. But a crude trap is still a trap. Let's walk into it and see who pulls the strings. He dialed Lyle's number. After a brief, enthusiastic conversation full of feigned surprise and delight, he agreed to meet them for dinner.
"Ruby," he said after hanging up. "Investigate the client who just hired Lyle's team in Queens."
Nearly a year passed. A year in which Aidan Parker's world, and the world at large, changed irrevocably. The Baymax robot became a global phenomenon. In New York, London, and Tokyo, the gentle, white figures became a common sight, helping the elderly cross busy streets, playing with children in parks, their very presence a symbol of peace and compassionate care.
Baymax Medical Technology, with Yinsen as its tireless, public-facing CEO, grew into a corporate titan, its public influence and approval ratings on par with Stark Industries and even the beleaguered Oscorp. Rescue stations, funded by the company's massive profits, were established in war-torn regions like Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq. The cute, white robots, like angels walking through fields of suffering, became a global symbol of hope. According to official statistics, Baymax Medical had directly or indirectly aided in the rescue and treatment of nearly one hundred million people worldwide within its first year.
Aidan, seeing the immense goodwill his company was generating, slowed construction on the Apex Island base, funneling nearly all of his resources into the global expansion of his humanitarian efforts. Build the trust first, he thought, watching the news from his command center. Become indispensable. Become untouchable. Then, and only then, do you reveal your true power.
And then, Yinsen held a press conference.
From a stage in the United Nations Plaza, he stood before hundreds of reporters. "After the release of the film Resident Evil," he began, his voice calm and steady, "the world came to understand the fictional danger of the T-Virus. The original intention of that film was to serve as a warning…"
A reporter interrupted. "Is this press conference related to the film?"
Yinsen took a deep breath. "Yes. We have discovered this virus in a remote region of Africa. It comes from an ancient species of chrysanthemum known as the 'Sun Staircase.' It contains a progenitor virus that can revive dead cells, but the side effects… are exactly as you saw in the movie."
A collective gasp went through the room. Reporters surged forward, their voices a frantic cacophony of questions.
"What does the company intend to do with it?" one shouted.
"Rest assured," Yinsen said, his voice cutting through the noise. "We have already developed a complete antidote, deliverable as both an injection and an airborne agent. Everything is under control." He paused, letting that sink in. "Now, we must return to the original purpose of the T-Virus research as depicted in the film. The movie was a warning. But our research… is intended to save the world. If the T-Virus can be controlled, then the genetic diseases of the little girl in the movie can be cured. Terminal illnesses can be reversed. This is a great invention. It will save tens of thousands of people. It will end suffering."
He opened his arms wide, a benevolent doctor offering a miracle to the world. The room exploded in a blinding flash of camera shutters, recording the moment for history. The reporters asked dozens more questions about safeguards and security. Yinsen answered every one of them with calm, unwavering confidence. The world, which had grown to trust Baymax as a symbol of peace, now looked upon its parent company with a mixture of terror and profound hope.
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