Lily's Hope thrived under a golden dawn—stone homes dotted the island, moat-streams glimmered, and mutants bustled: Lena's night vision guided patrols, Rok's stone fists built shelters, Buzz scouted cliffs, Ellie sparked lights, and Spike fortified walls. Bill stood atop a cosmic-crafted tower—Captain Universe's glow soft—watching Clara tend a garden, Lily's fire warming soil. The comics' dream—mutant sanctuary—lived here, Trask's defeat a fading echo. But peace brought new trials.Weeks after settling, food dwindled—gardens struggled on rocky soil, fish thinned in the lake, and mutant numbers swelled—hundreds now, mouths to feed. Clara noticed first, her pantry bare—Lily's fire couldn't cook what wasn't there. "Bill," she said, voice steady but strained, "we're running out."Lily's glow dimmed, hands sparking nervously—Ellie beside her nodded. "We're hungry, Dad."Bill's comics memory flashed—Genosha's collapse, scarcity breaking havens—his templates stirred—Upgrade hummed, Steve's crafting itched—but hunger demanded more. "We'll fix this," he said, cosmic senses scanning—fish gone, soil poor—determination flared.The system chimed:
"Host emotional state: Urgent resolve. Templates available: Captain Universe, Upgrade, Steve, Quadra-Hulk, SCP-173, SCP-096. Objective: Address food crisis."He gathered the mutants—Lena's group, new faces—outside the gazebo. "We've got a problem," Bill said—cosmic voice resonating—"Food's low. Ideas?"Rok grunted, "Hunt mainland—but Trask's ghosts linger."Buzz buzzed, "Fish are deep—too deep."Clara stepped up, vibroblade sheathed. "We grow more—faster."Bill nodded—comics' heroes adapted—Upgrade surged, merging with Clara's hoe—blade glowed, tilling soil effortlessly—Steve mined rock, crafting planters—cosmic energy enriched dirt, Lily's fire heating it—plants sprouted, slow but sure. "It's a start," Bill said, "but not enough."He flew—Captain Universe soaring—cosmic senses probing the sea—fish hid deep, storms had thinned them—Upgrade merged with a Steve-crafted boat, enhancing it—speed, sonar—Buzz scouted overhead, spotting a shoal. Bill dove—Quadra-Hulk roared—four gamma arms hauling nets—cosmic strength lifting tons—fish piled, but the island's stores still begged.Night fell—mutants rationed—Bill's strain returned—Four Arms' ache, SCP-096's growl—but Clara's hand steadied him. "We're a team," she said—Lily and Ellie sparked a fire, roasting fish—hope flickered.Then—an idea—cosmic intuition—comics' Fantastic Four, terraforming—Bill fused—Upgrade and Steve built a hydroponic rig—cosmic energy powered it—Lily's fire warmed water—Clara planted seeds—greens sprouted fast—mutants cheered, hunger eased, but not ended."We need more," Bill muttered—templates his lifeline, family his drive.