A Mutant Collector Quest

As soon as the connection with D.A.I.S.Y. was reestablished, she informed me of the 'bad news.' It was about the unfortunate accident Dr. Stephanie Strange had been in.

When it had happened, D.A.I.S.Y. couldn't contact me, but even if she could, I wouldn't have been able to help as I was on the other side of the planet. So, she forwarded the emergency to Bobbi, who was in New York. Bobbi flew a chopper to the crash site and was able to bring a heavily injured Stephanie to the hospital.

By the time I got the news, Stephanie was already in the ICU. Her life wasn't at risk, but they were performing surgery to save her hands. Knowing there was no point in hurrying back immediately, I finished my urgent matters in Belgrade before taking a private flight back to NYC.

I reached New York in the morning, where a car was already waiting for me, courtesy of D.A.I.S.Y. I then promptly drove to the Metro-General Hospital, where Dr. Strange was admitted.

The reception hall of the hospital was crowded, as one would expect. Just as I was approaching the elevator, someone called out to me.

"Mr. Watson."

I turn to see a nurse approaching me.

"Oh, you must be Ms. Linda Carter," I say, looking at the attractive nurse. She had her black hair tied in a bun, with bangs framing the front of her head.

Her attire was strictly professional, but the nurse uniform clung to her curves remarkably well.

"Yes. I am surprised you know of me at all, Mr. Watson," she replies in a professional tone as she nears me.

How could I not know of her? She was a famous character in the Marvel comics, popularly known as the Night Nurse.

At the moment, Linda Carter was just a nurse, but in the future, after becoming a doctor, she opens a clinic that would help superheroes by providing them with medical care.

And although her surname was Carter, she was only very distantly related to Peggy. In fact, calling them related at all was a stretch.

"I have heard Stephanie mention you once or twice," I lie easily, flashing a small, charming smile.

She narrows her eyes for a moment but decides not to press further. "You must be here to see her. Follow me; she is admitted to one of our VIP suites," she informs, leading the way and calling for the elevator.

The elevator arrives promptly, and I follow her inside. There were other patients in the lift, so the two of us stand silently in the corner. I wanted to break the ice, but she looked too serious and not in the mood to talk, so I let it be.

As the elevator stopped at each floor, people exited until only the two of us remained.

"I heard the operation was a success and that she is not in any danger now," I say with a relieved sigh.

"Yes, because she was brought to the hospital in time. Tell me, Mr. Watson," she begins, taking a deep breath.

"Please, just call me Luke. You are her friend, so I would like to consider you my friend too," I say with a polite smile.

"Okay, Luke. I have a question for you. Last night, I was on the phone with her when the accident occurred. Fearing the worst, I called emergency services. But the person who rescued her before they could even locate her was one of your people," she says, narrowing her eyes. "How did your people find her so fast, Luke?" Just as she finishes her question, the elevator doors open at the final stop.

"Shall we?" I ask, gesturing for her to go first.

She takes a deep, calming breath and nods slightly as the two of us exit the elevator.

"It is quite simple, actually... Linda, may I call you that?" I ask, and she nods, staring at me as we both walk slowly through the silent hospital corridors.

"Our Watson Group has a priority list. It is a list of important people—those who are important to me or the company. Whenever anyone on that list is flagged in either the police network or the emergency services network, we are notified so we can either assist them or prepare an appropriate response. It is more like a rich man's paranoia," I say with a chuckle, spinning a plausible cover explanation for the Index.

"But Stephanie isn't part of…" Linda trails off, doubtful.

"Oh, she isn't, but I added her there. You could say I am quite fond of her. Consider it this young heart's one-sided crush," I say, scratching my cheek and feigning an innocent blush.

Linda's eyes softens as she smiles faintly.

"And as for how my people found her so quickly, we used my company's satellites. But the impressive part here is you, Linda. You have real analytical skills and a drive to uncover the truth. I am surprised you are a nurse here. Maybe you should consider a more exciting occupation," I say, moving closer to her as we rounded a corner. "I would love to have you join me, actually," I add, flashing her a charming smile.

"Uh… I am honoured, Mr. Watson," she says, a blush spreading across her cheeks as my presence looms over her smaller frame. "But I like where I am right now. Through my work, I can save lives, and that's all I need," she says with conviction.

"You have such a noble soul," I say, clearly impressed. "And I told you to call me Luke. If we can't work together professionally, then let's get to know each other personally… because trust me, I am very interested," I say, looking into her eyes as I hand her my phone.

She hesitates for a moment but eventually types in her number. I give her a quick call, and the two of us finish exchanging contacts. Later during the short walk to our destination, I learn more about her, like her shift timings and how she was alone in New York City. She seemed a bit reserved, as she hardly asked me any questions in return.

The conversation was cut short when we reach the room, which Linda confirmed was where Stephanie was resting. Taking a deep breath, I open the door.

Inside, I see Dr. Christine Palmer seated beside a hospital bed. On the bed lay Stephanie, her face covered in bruises and cuts … It gave me phantom pain to see such a beautiful face so scarred, especially her hands, which had numerous metal pins sticking out of them.

"It's Luke. He must be here to see you, Stephanie," Christine says gently.

"I don't want to meet any visitors. Send them away," Stephanie speaks, turning away, not even facing me.

Christine sighs, she gets up and approaches me. Linda, seeing Christine approach, says, "Let me go and inform them that she is awake," and she quickly leaves the room.

Christine gestures outside, and I nod. We both glance back at Stephanie before exiting, but she was still looking away.

"Hey," Christine says, mustering a smile as she closes the door behind her.

"Hey. How are you holding up?" I ask, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I am fine… just fine," she says with a small smile. "It is just that I have warned her so many times to drive safely, to not go so fast, but she never listens," she comments, exasperated.

"We both know she has a tendency to ignore advices," I echo with a helpless sigh.

"She wasn't even in a hurry or running late last night … She had even invited me to go with her. If I had said yes, I could have been with her—maybe I could have stopped her... Linda thinks it was her fault because she was on the call, but I feel just as guilty," Christine says, placing her hand on her forehead.

"Hey, hey, you can't blame yourself, Christine," I say, pulling her into a gentle embrace, enveloping her soft body in my arms. "Look on the bright side—despite experiencing such a horrible crash, she is still with us. She is still alive," I whisper soothingly into her ear.

"Hmm," Christine hums softly, comforted as she closes her eyes against my chest, releasing a relieved sigh.

If it is blame she is searching for, then the truth is only Stephanie herself is at fault. I had known that Dr. Strange might experience an accident like this—after all, something similar happened to her male counterpart in the movies and comics.

So I had done all I could to prevent this. Even if the accident might ultimately lead to something good, I just couldn't willingly let it happen. I had already let something similar occur with Susan when she flew into space, and the guilt and worry from that experience were feelings I didn't want to endure again.

To protect Dr. Strange, I had gifted her a bracelet equipped with a forcefield generator, even explaining its function in detail. Yet for all her brilliance, she had left the bracelet at home.

That wasn't all. I had also given her an armoured car, reinforced to survive a fall like the one she experienced. It was a bonus for her work monitoring Captain Carter. But last night, she chose not to drive that car… So yes, I am right to say that this accident is entirely the fault of this proud and stubborn woman.

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