The private control room of Queen Bee was silent, bathed only in the blue glow of holographic screens. Psimon, the telepathic master, floated in the center, his partially transparent skull pulsing with a faint light as he sifted through data streams. Months of fruitless searching for the vanished "Project M" had made the atmosphere under his sovereign's rule increasingly oppressive.
Suddenly, the door slid open with a faint hiss. An organization computer technician, a man with a pale face and features drawn from sleepless nights, entered hurriedly. He held a tablet, his fingers trembling slightly.
"Master Psimon," he announced, his voice charged with nervous excitement. "We've found him."
Psimon slowly turned his head, his pale eyes settling on the man. The visible part of his brain seemed to pulse a little faster.
"Who?" he asked, his voice a barely audible whisper, demanding immediate specificity.
The technician looked down at his tablet, checking the data one last time before taking the plunge. "Project M. We've located his energy signature."
A silence fell, heavier than any earthquake's rumble. Psimon descended from his floating position, his feet touching the floor without a sound. He approached and took the tablet from the man's trembling hands. His eyes scanned the data: analyses of energy residue, spy satellite reports, correlations with recent abnormal activity in Japan.
A thin, unpleasant smile stretched Psimon's lips.
"Good," he murmured. "Very good."
He turned and left the control room without a further glance, leaving the relieved but still nervous technician behind. His steps were decisive as he moved through the gilded halls of the palace, heading toward the Queen's private quarters.
He was admitted into her presence without delay. She sat on her amber throne, more radiant and imperial than ever, but her eyes held a blood-freezing coldness.
"Your Majesty," Psimon began, bowing deeply. "The news you have been awaiting."
Queen Bee did not move, but her gaze sharpened, like a raptor spotting its prey.
"Speak."
"Project M has been located. He is no longer in Bialya. He is in Japan."
A flash of pure fury crossed the sovereign's eyes, immediately replaced by a predatory interest.
"Japan?" she repeated, the word resonating with contempt. "Explain."
"Our systems intercepted reports concerning a new 'hero' who has appeared in Tokyo," Psimon explained. "He operates discreetly, but his methods and descriptions of his abilities strangely match those of the subject. More conclusively, an analysis of the energy residue left during the recent earthquake and the Fukushima incident shows a unique signature. A signature we have observed only once before: during the final phase of Compound V testing on Subject M."
He let the information hang in the perfume-laden air.
"He used his powers. He exposed himself. And he survived radiation levels that should have killed him. The Compound V within him not only held, but it proved its stability and power under extreme conditions."
Queen Bee rose slowly from her throne, one hand tightening on the amber armrest. Her initial anger morphed into an icy determination.
"My toy ran away, took a new name, and is playing hero," she said, each word sharp as a blade. "He thinks he can escape his creator. He forgets to whom he belongs."
She turned to Psimon, her gaze now burning with a desire for absolute possession.
"Assemble a team. Discreetly. I want no international incident. I want my property returned to me. And if he resists..." She smiled, an expression devoid of humanity. "...remind him where his powers come from. And at what cost. Project M is coming home."