[color=white][sup]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/9dSW6QH.png[/img][/center][h1][center][color=693012][b]CHAPTER 1: WELCOME TO THE INSTITUTE[/b][/color][/center][/h1][/sup][/color][center][color=f7ea9f][sub][i]DEC 17 2022 | Somewhere in Northwest Italy[/i][/sub][/color][/center][hr]

[indent][indent][sup]The constant wind made the huge windows that covered the institute's walls creak. A lot of movement was going on. Several androids carried heavy objects around. Cassandra had changed her mind about the arrangement of the rooms at the last minute. All the students who would make up the new class had already arrived. They were probably all still asleep from the heavy dose of XNM that had been given to them.

Karine wasn't sure if she was proud of having invented the drug. It was a heavy chemical, capable of making people forget pieces of their lives or selected moments, according to a specific electromagnetic pulse. If it weren't for the drug, new students would be able to remember the path they took to reach the facilities of the European Union's new venture. And secrecy was a fundamental part of it. That was the second class to enter the institute. Karine had been part of the first and was the only one to choose to continue.

Things would be very different this time according to Cassandra, thanks to the mutant prodigy's inventions. The androids and artificial intelligence developed by the young woman made the whole process much more automated and restricted. Cassandra no longer needed the help of a staff connected to Alchemax Industries, one of the main developers of the project. Just her and Karine were enough. The project was almost closed after the graduation of the first class. 

Cassandra had not managed to cultivate a strong enough feeling between them to cement the creation of a team of heroes that could defend Europe in case of attacks. The United States owned the Avengers, but the European Parliament urgently wanted a group it could direct at close quarters. It wasn't easy for her to convince them to give her the opportunity to create this team. And four years later, she still hadn't shown significant progress. Not only was her chance slipping away, but closing the institute would also mean the end of the diplomatic immunity granted to her. They still didn't know exactly who Cassandra Nova was. But the acts committed by her would never be forgotten.

Karine watched the new students wake up through her augmented reality lens. Each student would encounter one of her "blobs" - small floating robots purposely built as cute spheres. They were cute, at least in Karine's eyes. They would serve as personal assistants to the students, always guiding them through the halls, reminding them of their schedules, and keeping records. The girl couldn't wait to meet them in person. She and Cassandra handpicked them. All with unlimited potential to become great heroes. But some with powers with the reach to wreak an even greater disaster than her last gang.



[center][img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1033788933085089852/1033807134934179901/robozin.png[/img][/center]

[/sup][/indent][/indent]