Considering Carter's situation, Shiller made a call to Wanda.
Wanda and Jarvis had originally planned to take a flight to Los Angeles, have fun for half a day, do some shopping, and then head to Shiller's farm. After receiving the call from Shiller, they no longer cared about shopping and teleported directly to the farm from the airport.
At this time, Shiller was providing psychological counseling to Carter, but Carter's mental state was poor, mainly because her physical condition was too bad, and mere psychological counseling wasn't very effective.
After all, she was vomiting everything she ate, waking up every hour at night, and sleeping in a hazy state with ongoing dreams. That she could still maintain physical activity during the day was a testament to her incredibly strong willpower.
Before entering the door, Wanda tidied up her appearance. To fit with California's exuberant style, she wore a beautiful red dress, pinned her hair up, and tucked a California poppy on the side.
Even though the poppy's flower part is non-toxic, considering the many children around, Wanda quickly removed the flower and threw it away, as causing an allergic reaction to pollen could be quite serious.
Carter leaned listlessly on the couch, half-asleep and half-awake under Shiller's hypnosis; a hint of red light flickered in her eyes as she looked towards her stomach.
She opened her mouth in surprise but quickly composed herself. Steve hurried over, and after a moment of hesitation, Wanda pulled him to the backyard.
Steve looked at her, and she looked back at him. After a few seconds of eye contact, Wanda took a deep breath and said, "I must first say that I can't be sure, but I think there's a possibility..."
"What?" Steve immediately tensed up, hardly daring to breathe.
"Your child might be a mutant."
"What?!!"
Wanda opened her mouth and then pressed her lips together before saying, "He's still too small right now, I can't determine his class. Although I am a mutant, I must remind you that over 90% of mutants are Gamma Level or below."
Wanda showed a pained expression but continued, "Delta and Gamma Level hardly affect life, but most look different from ordinary people. Most Epsilon Class mutants have minor defects that don't really impact normal living, but there is a small portion..."
"Because I've seen many suffering mutants, I sincerely advise you not to gamble. After all, the pregnancy is still in its early stages, you still have the chance to regret..."
Steve's face showed despair, then he suddenly grabbed Wanda's arm tightly and said, "Could this be related to my being a modified person?"
Wanda shook her head and answered, "I'm afraid it's unrelated. The emergence of the X-gene is completely random, but there's a possibility that either you or Carter is a recessive carrier of the X-gene, in which case your child could inherit your X-genes and they may become dominant."
Steve stood still for several seconds before saying, "Back when I became a Super Soldier, many others underwent the transformation, but I was the only one who succeeded. Could it be because I might have a recessive X-gene inside me?"
"Usually, and I'm just saying usually, a recessive X-gene would not react with anything; otherwise, it would have been detected. But I have no clue about the technology that turned you into Captain America. Maybe you should ask a professional?"
Steve returned as if in a daze.
Wanda whispered the matter to Jarvis who appeared, and he then relayed the information in a low voice to Stark, whose eyebrows knitted together tightly.
He pulled Steve to an empty bar, said something to him, and Steve's face seemed a bit brighter. After that, Stark called over Peter and Gwen.
They discussed at the bar for a while, and after the meeting, Stark picked up the phone and said, "I'll give Doctor Connors a call, but don't get your hopes up; too much time has passed since the Super Soldier Serum, and looking into it now is as hard as ascending to heaven."
Steve, with Carter in his arms, went upstairs, seemingly intending to tell her the truth, while Shiller sat on the edge of the couch, watching all this and sighing inwardly.
The vast majority of Captain Americas across various universes didn't have biological offspring, and even if they did, the mother wasn't Carter. In one universe, he grew old with Peggy Carter, who gave birth to their daughter Sharon, later known as the Female Captain America.
In another universe, his son seems to have become the Red Skull, but that universe stressed that the child was conceived before Steve underwent the transformation.
This wasn't quite normal, considering Marvel's enthusiasm for stories about the next generation of heroes. Not to mention the well-known mutant offspring, characters like Iron Man 2, Spider-Man Second Generation had hefty roles. Captain America was a leading popular character, yet there was scarce development of his progeny. There must be a reason for this in the real world.
Shiller wasn't too optimistic about this; the cost of destiny's gifts was already silently marked.
After a while, cries came from upstairs but quickly settled down. Helen went up and Pepper wanted to as well but stopped halfway. Erica also took Little Jack back to her room to sleep.
By the time Shiller started preparing lunch, Steve had come downstairs embracing Carter. Although the female agent still looked quite haggard, her spirit had improved a lot, and there was even an inexplicable sparkle in her eyes.
If Shiller had to say, he could see feelings of resistance and rebellion in her. She seemingly didn't want to resign to her fate.
Indeed, Steve came over to help Shiller with the cooking. As he washed the vegetables, he lowered his voice and asked Shiller, "When will Erik and the others arrive?"
"There's been some trouble in the Andromeda Galaxy, so they might only be able to take one day off to attend the wedding. If you want the mutants to come over earlier, you shouldn't be asking me; you should go to Bucky."
Steve paused in his actions, then he remembered that Bucky had spent quite a while in the Andromeda Galaxy and had some connections there. However, Bucky seemed to have recently started seeing a girlfriend, and Steve was worried he wouldn't have the time.
Nevertheless, he ended up making a call to Bucky. Steve didn't know whom Bucky had contacted, but Wolverine Logan called him back.
"Hello? Captain? It's Logan. We're dealing with a biological uprising in the Andromeda Galaxy. If everything goes well, we should be able to return to Earth in about three days."
"I know you're in a hurry, but the fact is, even if we come back, there's not much we can do. We're mutants, but we're not mutant experts. The real experts on mutants are on Earth. I think you should ask Dr. Beast at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and other experts on mutants."
"Also, Erik suggests you look for the creators of the Super Soldier Serum. If you really can't find them now, have the Prophet from Professor X's legion take you back in time to see if you can find any data on the serum."
After hanging up, Steve thought deeply until Shiller took the vegetables from his hands, and he came back to the present.
"I think he's right. I should take a two-pronged approach. At least, I need to determine whether the child in Carter's womb is a mutant, what level of mutant, and how the X-gene appeared in the first place."
Shiller said, "I'll call Charles. Although he and Erik are both unavailable now, Dr. Beast is a civilian staff member and should be able to make the trip. If he agrees, I'll have Loki go fetch him."
Steve nodded, feeling that was the only option.
As Shiller washed the vegetables, he asked, "What did Helen come up to see you for?"
"Couldn't keep it from you, could I? She proposed an idea. Her Doomsday Spores can alter the human genetic sequence, which might be able to eliminate the mutant gene, but she has never tested it. It can only be a last resort."
"So what's really troubling you is her plan to use a disabled Epsilon Class for the experiment, isn't it?"
Steve seemed no longer surprised by Shiller's Mind Reading Technique as he simply nodded and said, "Although I know there are many Epsilon Level mutants in this world suffering tortures worse than death, that's no reason to use them as experimental subjects, even if they consent. Playing with genes is the devil's game. We must be exceedingly careful, otherwise, it may lead to great disasters."
Shiller didn't say much more; although Steve was indeed conservative, that wasn't a bad thing in the American Comic World because many of Earth's disasters were caused by those who recklessly meddled with genetics.
During lunch, everyone ate without taste, as most of them had previously just regarded the mutants as partners, feeling the tangible power of the strongest among them.
But this time, they suddenly realized that the X-gene was the devil's lottery. You could, of course, choose to wager on the elusive chance of your child being born a powerful and perfect Alpha or Omega-Level Mutant.
But the harsh reality is, from a statistical standpoint, it's more likely that the child will be a Delta Level with unusual appearances but little to no abilities, a Gamma Level with unchecked power like an uncontrolled bomb, or even an Epsilon Class born with disabilities.
The remaining Beta-level, Alpha-level, and Omega-level mutants with no significant deficiencies and possession of formidable abilities do not even make up one-tenth of this population. Not even the wildest gambler would wager on such odds.
And Steve had to consider that being one of the representatives of Earth's image, his statements and positions could significantly impact global affairs. His stance on mutants would affect both the conservative and the radical factions. If he mishandled the situation, it might lead to countless casualties.
And to give up this child? Of course, he wasn't willing. He always suspected the Super Soldier Serum might have had an effect on his fertility and the quality of his progeny. And even if he gave up this child and tried for another, what if that child were also a mutant? Or worse, what if he became sterile altogether?
Steve was rather old-fashioned, always feeling that he should have a stable family. He believed that taking on the responsibility of a family was one of the most important sources of happiness in life. He still hoped to have children.
Besides, if the second child also had issues, Carter surely couldn't bear the brunt of it twice. The mother and child would both be at risk, and given the current situation, Carter may not even withstand this ordeal.
So, until they could be certain of the child's deficiencies, Steve and Carter would not choose to give up.
After lunch, Shiller made a call to Beast, who took the situation very seriously and agreed to come immediately.
Loki opened a Teleportation Portal, but she didn't return for a long time. When she finally returned alone after a while, Steve immediately stood up worriedly and said, "What happened? Is there a problem?"
"It's nothing. There's just a ton of precision equipment to be moved over here. I didn't dare use magic in case I damage something. Tony, send a few Mechas to help."