"How have you been lately?" Rebecca's concerned voice came through Daniel's laptop.
"Pretty good. My mood has stabilized, and I'm not having nightmares anymore. How's work at S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Daniel responded with a smile.
Despite being at Kamar-Taj, Daniel kept in touch with Rebecca. They had maintained contact since his time at Midtown High School, and they had become good friends. Daniel often asked Rebecca about biochemistry.
As for his presence at Kamar-Taj, it was easily explained as seeking peace of mind after the traumatic events of Raccoon City. Rebecca didn't doubt this since she had also experienced nightmares initially due to the horrors of Raccoon City.
"It's going well," Rebecca said. Due to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s confidentiality policies, she couldn't share much information.
The same applied to Sherry's situation; Daniel only knew she was doing well but didn't have any specifics.
Although Rebecca couldn't discuss S.H.I.E.L.D., she could share other news. Through her, Daniel learned about the aftermath of Umbrella Corporation.
After completing their compensation payments, Umbrella declared bankruptcy much earlier than in the games. As a result, their bioweapons flooded the black markets of various countries, and governments discovered traces of bioweapons in several nations.
Chris and Jill, along with ten others, founded the BSAA (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance). Chris had lost faith in the government due to the obstacles he faced when seeking military assistance, so the BSAA started as a civilian organization.
Without official authority, the BSAA initially focused on assisting police forces in setting up anti-bioterrorism units, training officers to combat bioweapons, and educating the public on bioweapon prevention.
The BSAA's efforts were highly effective. Several bioterror incidents were swiftly contained, preventing disasters like Raccoon City.
As bioterrorism escalated, the BSAA was soon officially recognized and integrated into the United Nations, restructured to combat global bioterrorism.
Despite the government covering up Raccoon City's truth, survivors' accounts made the public wary of pharmaceuticals. This distrust severely impacted the pharmaceutical industry.
The Global Pharmaceutical Consortium had played a significant role in Umbrella's swift bankruptcy. Their motive was to restore public trust in medicine by supporting the BSAA's official status.
During this period, traditional medicine saw a resurgence as people trusted the visible ingredients over manufactured drugs.
To keep pace with civilian efforts, the FBC (Federal Bioterrorism Commission) was established under the UN to handle bioterrorism, with higher authority than the BSAA. While the FBC wanted to absorb the BSAA, Chris and other founders, along with some nations, resisted, preferring to keep the organizations separate.
Hearing this, Daniel regretted that S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't managed to recruit Chris. Leon, on the other hand, joined the FBI. Leon's rapid rise wasn't solely due to his abilities but also his family connections, carrying the Kennedy name.
Through Rebecca, Daniel also learned about events he hadn't known. For instance, Claire had been kidnapped, leading to a bioterror outbreak on a remote island, thwarting a genius girl's plan to rule the world just days before it was completed.
This girl was Alexia Ashford, a prodigy who graduated from university at ten and created the Veronica virus at twelve. She injected herself with the virus and underwent a fifteen-year cryogenic process to integrate it. Claire and Chris's intrusion foiled her plan just days before completion.
Even in the Marvel Universe, Alexia's successful integration of the Veronica virus would have made her a formidable opponent, though ruling the world was unlikely.
The Veronica virus granted immense power, but its incorporation of an ancient queen ant's genes would create a hierarchical ant-like society, which was terrifying. However, killing the queen would trigger a chain reaction, leading to the death of others.
While the outside world was chaotic, Kamar-Taj remained peaceful. The Ancient One paid little attention to human affairs unless dimensional threats arose.
Staying at Kamar-Taj would be a safe choice if not for Daniel's other plans. Besides Kaecilius, the sorcerers faced no real enemies, and dimensional creatures were handled by the Ancient One or Doctor Strange after her.
Thanks to the Time Stone, Dormammu's threat was neutralized.
However, Kamar-Taj's tranquility was too dull for Daniel. Unlike the Ancient One, who had lived long enough to accept death and transcendence, Daniel was still young and ambitious.
"This is Everest." Using the Sling Ring to create a portal, Daniel excitedly arrived at the summit of Mount Everest, a place he had never imagined visiting so freely.
Kamar-Taj's portals and Mirror Dimension required the Sling Ring, a vital artifact strictly guarded. The rule at Kamar-Taj was that no one could take any artifacts upon leaving.
Stealing a Sling Ring under the Ancient One's watch was impossible. Even if one managed to steal it, the Ancient One would reclaim it.
Thanks to his dimensional journey and the Op-Op Fruit, Daniel progressed quickly in magic, mastering several spells. The only thing he lacked was raw power, or magical energy.
"I don't have Strange's courage." While Strange boldly experimented with the Time Stone, Daniel didn't dare to.
The Ancient One might seem benevolent, but that didn't mean she wouldn't kill.
"The materials for the Sling Ring are incredibly rare. Perhaps they come from the dimensional space." Despite analyzing it with the Op-Op Fruit, Daniel couldn't comprehend its composition.
Wong mentioned that all Sling Rings were made by the Sorcerer Supreme, but the process was unknown.
Daniel had his eye on several artifacts at Kamar-Taj, like Strange's Cloak of Levitation, which provided defense and flight. However, it was reserved for Strange.
Other artifacts had their uses, such as boots that enabled high jumps.
But the Sling Ring was paramount. Without it, a sorcerer was just a melee fighter wielding magic.
The Ancient One's restrictions were indeed formidable.
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