The girl's heart raced, her breaths ragged as she sprinted through the city streets. Behind her, a relentless group of pursuers closed in, towering giants known as sentinels. The enormity of the situation weighed on her, and she couldn't help but mutter, "Shit if only I could use a bit of the Phoenix Force, this would be an easy run for me."

Her hope dwindled as she knew the sentinels possessed a device capable of harnessing the Phoenix Force's power, though not to its full extent. Their advantage lay in sheer numbers. "There must be at least a hundred of them behind me," she panted, her face drenched in sweat, exhaustion setting in.

Desperation pushed her to consider her limited options. "I still have a bit of power left. Perhaps I can try jumping, but where to?" Her mind raced, searching for a haven where she could teleport to safety, but nothing nearby came to mind. Faced with a dire choice, she decided to take a gamble rather than risk capture. The pursuing sentinels echoed the words "Target lost, Target lost" as she disappeared from their sight.

The scenery around her blurred as she teleported, and darkness enveloped her. With a soft thud, she landed on something surprisingly fluffy. "Is this... a bed? Where the hell am I?" Her senses were on high alert, she quickly got up and scanned her surroundings, assessing her safety and the presence of any potential pursuers. Seeing none, she realized she was in an exceptionally large bedroom. On the edge of the room, computer consoles caught her attention, and she slowly made her way toward them, hoping to find some answers.

Attempting to activate the computers, frustration crept in as nothing responded to her commands. "Dammit!" she cursed, feeling the urgency to determine her location, she curses from desperation, she needs to locate her position right now, but the damn thing just won't cooperate with her.

"Luce, we're done with today's test. You can take a rest now," the tall lady informed the girl in the wheelchair. Luce simply nodded, her face remaining impassive and devoid of expression. Another lady, wearing glasses, offered her assistance. "Here, let me help you back to your room," she said, gently pushing Luce's wheelchair in the designated direction. "Oi, don't get too absorbed in those games, and make sure you rest properly!" the former admonished, raising her voice. Luce managed a weak smile and gave a thumbs-up in response.

Returning to her room, she entered the familiar darkness, her true friend and sanctuary. Hastily, she maneuvered her wheelchair towards the computer, pressing the power button. The machine emitted a soft sound as it sprang to life, revealing her desktop. Just as she was about to put on her headphones, the sound of footsteps reached her ears. Startled, she swiftly turned her wheelchair around, finding herself face to face with a girl adorned with fiery red hair.

Luce regarded her silently, the red-haired girl reciprocating the same quietude. Eventually, a chuckle escaped the red-haired girl's lips, and she introduced herself. "Name's Hope Summers. And trust me, I didn't break in. I just have this annoying habit of teleporting to places I don't intend to be."

Luce continued observing Hope, her wariness evident. "Name's Luce, what do you want from me?"

Hope smirked, her gaze gleaming mischievously. "Relax, I'm not here to cause trouble. I just need to find my way out of this place. Got a little lost, you know?"

Luce's curiosity stirred, albeit reluctantly. "And why should I help you?"

Hope's eyes twinkled with a hint of camaraderie. "Because, my new friend, I can tell we're cut from the same cloth. You're not like the others here. I can see it in your eyes."

Luce maintained her steadfast gaze, seemingly unconvinced. Then, she slowly clapped her hands. "Elma, are you there?"

A young lady materialized behind Luce. "Hello there, Lucette. You called?" Elma inquired. Luce shot her an exasperated look and demanded an explanation.

"Approximately fifteen minutes ago, a temporal anomaly was detected in this room. An energy transfer occurred, resulting in the materialization of a person who landed on your bed," Elma recounted the events of Hope's unexpected teleportation.

Luce sighed, pressing her hand to her face in frustration. "This is a security breach. Why didn't you inform me when I was about to enter the room?"

"Notification was turned off by your orders approximately 76 hours and 33 minutes ago," Elma informed her.

Luce facepalmed, realizing she had deactivated notifications due to an overwhelming influx of messages. Elma had taken it upon herself to provide incessant updates, eventually becoming a source of annoyance for Luce.

"Whoa, Is this a hologram? She looks so real, I can almost feel like I'm touching her", Hope says in amazement. "What is she? An AI?"

Luce shot her an annoyed look, silently urging her to be quiet. Hope quickly caught on to the message conveyed by the gaze. "Oh, oh, okay..." she muttered, understanding Luce's irritation.

Luce let out a sigh, turning her attention back to Hope. "Are you a mutant?" she asked, her annoyance still apparent.

"I, uh, well yes I am", Hope says while smiling

"Do you know where you are right now?"Luce asked, annoyed. "I was hoping you would be helpful regarding that matter", Hope continues.

"This is the infamous Stark Tower, and these sections here are private and off-limits. You need to have a level 1 clearance just to access the outer part of my room," Luce explained, sighing in exasperation.

"Wow, then you must be someone important to have your room here.". Hope suddenly looks at her in amazement.

Luce sighs again and continues, "Where is it that you want to go from here anyway?"

"Krakoa, if possible?", she shrugged. Luce gives her an annoyed look, "And risking a diplomatic incident? The US and Krakoa are not exactly on friendly terms nowadays."

"I could, if you allow me, to take diplomatic refuge in this room, well god knows for how long though", Hope suggested with a smile.

Luce sighed, her gaze shifting to her feet, where she noticed multiple scratches on her pants and some wounds. Curiosity piqued, she inquired, "What happened to you before you reached my room?"

Hope met Luce's gaze and sensed her guarded demeanor. Deciding to be as truthful as possible to earn her trust, she recounted her story. Luce's eyes widened with excitement as she listened to the tale, particularly the part where Hope was being pursued by the sentinels. Doubt wrestled within Luce, unsure whether to help her. However, she couldn't shake the feeling that Hope was being genuine and truly needed her assistance.

Luce's guarded expression softened slightly as she decided to assist Hope. "Fine, I'll help you. But we do it my way," she declared. Hope giggled, relieved that her gamble had paid off and she was one step closer to returning to Krakoa and reuniting with her people.

"Before I show you anything, you must promise to keep it between us. Can you do that?" Luce asked, her tone serious. "Sure thing!" Hope replied almost instantly. Luce turned to Elma, emphasizing, "And that goes for you too, Elma. No recording this event!"

"Before we proceed, let me find an antiseptic spray for your feet. I'm sure I have some around here... Ah, here it is," Luce said, reaching for the bottle on the table. Suddenly, her grip faltered, and the bottle fell to the ground. Luce stared at it with a cold, expressionless face. Without hesitation, Hope picked up the bottle and began applying the antiseptic to her wounds. She looked at Luce, puzzled. "Are you okay there?"

Luce didn't immediately respond, taking a moment before finally replying, "Yeah, just a slip of the hand. No big deal."

"Are you sure?" Hope pressed, concern evident in her voice.

"Yeah," Luce replied wearily, her response carrying a hint of exhaustion.

After about 5 minutes, they finished treating Hope's wounds. Curiosity getting the better of her, Hope asked Luce, "Why do you use a wheelchair? Is there a story behind it?" Luce simply shrugged in response, remaining silent. Slowly, she maneuvered her wheelchair towards a corner of her room and gestured for Hope to follow.

Luce's room occupied a significant portion of the floor within Stark Tower, serving as her entire world. It was a sanctuary where she immersed herself in books, and games, and even explored the latest online trend of generating images using word prompts. Despite its considerable size, what Hope beheld before her seemed impossible.

"Welcome to my secret hangar. This is where I store and, well, create and build spaceships," Luce explained, pride is evident from her tone. Her words hung in the air as Hope's eyes widened at the sight that unfolded. A vast plane hangar stretched out before her, housing an armada of various spaceships. Peering through a window at the far end, Hope was certain she could see the Earth outside, giving her a glimpse of the incredible possibilities that awaited her.

"How the hell... you just press your hands on the wall of your room, and it suddenly unfurls into this hangar in space? What the hell?" Hope exclaimed, genuinely taken aback by the extraordinary sight before her.

Luce couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at dumbfounding Hope. "Ck, ck, ck, have you ever heard the saying, 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic'? I am the techno magician, Lucette Stark. Nice to meet you!" she retorted, clearly mocking her.

"Now, I'll lend you a ship to give you a ride back to Krakoa. How's that for a plan?" Luce said with pride, offering a solution to Hope's predicament. However, Hope looked at her curiously and asked, "You say your family name is Stark? As in Tony Stark? You are his...?"

Luce took a deep breath before responding in a soft, almost hushed voice, "Daughter."

"W-wow..." Hope stammered, still dumbfounded by the sight of the ships. "You're sure this will work, right? I won't be obliterated in space?"

Luce smirked at her and replied, "Do you have any other choice? If you could teleport yourself, you would have done it already. So, that's out of the question." Hope's expression shifted, conveying her resignation to the seemingly heavy sentence imposed upon her.

Now clad in a spacesuit, Hope found herself seated inside the cockpit of a ship. Luce, on the other hand, was in the command center room of the space hangar, diligently performing all the pre-flight checks. "The one you're riding now is an interceptor ship, dubbed the Ranger-2," Luce explained proudly. "It's capable of reaching a quarter of light speed using its normal engine, and it's also equipped with a hyperdrive, capable of..." Her technical explanation was abruptly interrupted by Hope's curt remark. "Shut up, I'm not interested in hearing any technical explanations. Just make sure I arrive in Krakoa in one piece!" Hope exclaimed, cutting Luce off mid-sentence. Luce simply shrugged in response.

"Pre-flight check is complete, no problems here. We're entering the flight phase. Just relax, Elma will be the one handling everything. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the trip," Luce reassured Hope.

Silence fell over Hope as she sat quietly in the cockpit. Luce, satisfied with the preparations, proceeded to initiate the ship's launch.

"Elma, prime the drives!" Luce commanded with determination.

"Sequence loaded and primed, Luce," Elma responded.

"Open bay doors," Luce ordered.

The massive bay doors slowly began to open, revealing the expanse of space before the ship. With a gentle acceleration, the engines ignited, propelling the ship forward. Luce could swear she heard Hope's screams echoing through the vessel, but all she cared about at that moment was ensuring the ship performed as she had hoped.

"Testing is complete," Luce announced with a sense of satisfaction. She gazed out into the vastness of space before slowly wheeling herself back into her room. As she did, the hangar seamlessly folded away, leaving only the familiar wall of her room behind.

Luce pushed her wheelchair toward her bed, reflecting on the unusual day she had experienced. It had been years since she had encountered anyone besides Arisha and Eirian, and the story Hope had shared with her was truly captivating. Luce found herself lost in her imagination, wondering if she would dream about the extraordinary adventures they had discussed. Was the world outside the confines of Stark Tower as thrilling as Hope had described? It had been far too long since Luce had stepped foot outside, her freedom taken away by the relentless grip of her debilitating disease. Everything in her life had changed on that fateful day, 7 years ago.