(Mid 2008)
Lucian recognized that his Rick-level intellect was optimized for theory and macro-strategy, not for navigating urban conflicts or performing discreet industrial espionage. He needed an operational extension of his will—a team capable of executing missions where discretion and technological superiority were paramount.
He directed Nine (Agent Nine, his Head of Security) to assemble a black-budget special operations team, drawing personnel not from conventional military ranks, which were too traceable, but from the highly skilled, disillusioned fringes of intelligence and special forces agencies worldwide.
The criteria were absolute: Unquestioning loyalty to Frontier (secured by NDA, technology, and wealth), exceptional operational adaptability, and the ability to disappear completely.
The team was codenamed The Phantoms.
Their base of operations was a fully cloaked, submersible tender vessel, designated the Styx, which serviced The Citadel and acted as a mobile armory and deployment platform, capable of launching covertly across any major ocean.
Lucian outfitted them with technology that made contemporary special forces equipment look like children's toys:
Adaptive Stealth Suits: Lightweight, semi-rigid combat uniforms capable of micro-thermal regulation and active camouflage, allowing the user to blend perfectly into any environment—effectively becoming invisible to the naked eye and thermal/night vision.
Sentinel Drones: Palm-sized, nearly silent reconnaissance drones networked directly to the Phantoms' HUDs and, critically, feeding their data instantaneously through the Aegis Quantum Comm Array back to MORPHEUS for real-time threat analysis.
Aether-Derived Weapons: Standard issue firearms modified to fire hyper-accelerated, non-ballistic rounds stabilized by a miniaturized Aether-Alpha magnetic field, providing extreme accuracy and stopping power while utilizing silent, low-heat propellants.
The Phantoms' initial mission wasn't to fight crime or supervillains; it was to Secure Future Assets. Lucian knew the timeline was about to accelerate, and he needed specific, unique items and resources that would be exponentially valuable or strategically vital in the coming Age of Heroes.
Lucian's directives were cold and pragmatic:
Phase I: Gamma Tracking. MORPHEUS, utilizing the Aegis platform, was instructed to track all highly anomalous gamma radiation spikes worldwide. This was his early warning system for the emergence of super-soldiers, Hulks, and cosmic artifacts.
Phase II: Metallurgical Acquisition. Focus on securing unique, high-value, and obscure metals, isotopes, or minerals that would be essential for his next-generation armor and propulsion systems.
Mission 001: The Vibranium Whisper (Mid 2008)
MORPHEUS flagged an obscure, anomalous energy surge emanating from a closed, government-run research facility in Central Africa—not Wakanda, but a neighboring state, rumored to be a former colonial outpost involved in illegal mining.
"The sensor readings suggest the presence of a highly stable, exotic isotope that exhibits zero-point energy characteristics," Lucian dictated to Nine from The Citadel. "It is not pure Vibranium, but likely a heavily diluted variant, possibly a residual smuggling cache."
The Phantoms were deployed via the Styx, moving silently through the Congo River system. The mission was textbook: rapid insertion, absolute non-lethality unless compromised, and extraction of the target asset.
They found a small, heavily fortified bunker containing several metric tons of a dark, metallic ore, humming faintly.
The Phantoms secured the ore, analyzed its structure, and confirmed it was a Vibranium-Iron composite—far less potent than the material used in Captain America's shield, but possessing extraordinary shock absorption and lightweight properties.
The Haul: Three tons of the rare composite, instantly giving Frontier a strategic material that no other entity on Earth (outside of Wakanda) could replicate.
Lucian's Analysis:"This composite is perfect for the structural integrity of the Mark-Sigma prototype I am designing. It will be lighter, faster, and capable of withstanding the energy output of the micro-fusion core. Stark is using gold-titanium alloy; we are using future-proofed materials."
(Late 2008)
As the year progressed, Tony Stark officially debuted the Iron Man Mark III suit, announcing himself to the world. S.H.I.E.L.D. began scrambling to understand this new variable.
Lucian's response was to accelerate his own projects, using his ill-gotten Vibranium-Iron composite.
He instructed MORPHEUS to begin optimizing the Repulsor Theory utilizing the exotic matter core, naming his parallel armor project Project Chimera.
"Stark's repulsors are based on palladium and conventional magnetics," Lucian explained to the holographic image of MORPHEUS. "They are inefficient and have a limited power cycle. We will use the Zero-Point Resonator—a sustained reaction that draws ambient quantum energy. The output should be orders of magnitude greater, and the power supply will be theoretically limitless."
Lucian was creating armor that wouldn't just be better than Iron Man's; it would be functionally alien in its energy source and materials.
Meanwhile, the Phantoms received their next, crucial directive, linked to the public emergence of a new, highly dangerous threat.
Mission 002: The Gamma Spike and the Resource Drain (December 2008)
MORPHEUS detected a massive, uncontrolled gamma signature spike in a heavily populated urban area. The data cross-referenced global news feeds: The emergence of The Abomination (from The Incredible Hulk).
Lucian wasn't interested in the fight; he was interested in the fallout.
"Nine, track the residual radiation signatures after the conflict subsides," Lucian commanded. "We need to find out where the US Military contained the Hulk's blood samples and Banner's research notes before S.H.I.E.L.D. completely locks them down. That gamma radiation signature is the key to understanding, and perhaps weaponizing, the limits of human biochemistry."
The Phantoms were now tasked with their first true espionage mission against a major government entity, aiming not for money, but for unparalleled biological data—the ultimate resource for a true master of the multiverse.
The game had begun. Lucian was operating years ahead of the curve, using his Phantom ground team to gather the seeds of power, ensuring that when the Avengers finally assembled, Frontier Industries would be the undisputed technological overlord of the planet.