The Fastest Man Alive
Chapter 43
Manhattan, New York, New York.
Felicia Hardy
Black Cat, Leader of the Hardy Foundation.
Acquisitioner of Premium Artifacts.
Felicia reclined back within her office chair with very expensive and stylized heels lay upon her desk. It had been a very busy few days for her after her little heist, and she was now taking the time to catch a breather before handling some appointments. For now though, she was going to enjoy her caesar salad. Above her location floated the diamond that she had acquired a few nights prior.
Felicia spiked a mini tomato with a sharpened nail as she watched the array of lights play off the surface of the diamonds above her. There was no stopping the smile as she watched the nine diamonds rotated above her head. The chandelier that held them was placed in a central position above her desk.
Each diamond that floated above her was marked in her belt from very interesting moments in her life. It would be the ninth that would have her teaming up with a super. It reminded her of when she first started it all, a little nine-year-old waif that picked pockets until she picked the wrong one in San Francisco diamond exchange.
Her father had saved her before they had a chance to beat her bloody, but that was life back then. Trying and failing, now though, no one could tell it was ever her unless she let them. Felicia couldn't help the smile on her lips at the thought about her latest acquisition.
BEEP…
"Ma'am, your two o'clock is here."
"Give me ten Kristine, then bring her up."
With a sigh, Felicia pulled her legs off her desk before getting herself ready for the day. Before she could go any further, she noticed the red blinking lights with a picture and name. The screen read; Madame Gao, one of the leaders of the Hand Ninjas. They were based in New York and around the world, also known as Yami no Ti. Chi master, extremely dangerous master class hand to hand combatant. The list went on and on, with no end in sight to the atrocities these Hand Ninjas has committed. There was also a list of abilities that this Gao might possess.
Placing her salad aside, Felicia got up to straighten her pants suit before pressing a button on her desktop to page her assistant.
Felicia stood with her back straight as Madame Gao walked in wearing a very traditional black garb with intricate patterns along the front. Her hair was done up in a bun that folded at the back of her head, held together with two hair picks. Felicia took in the detail of the fragile old lady before her and could not place the cold hard killer that all of her devices keep warning her about.
She wanted to huff, but Felicia knew better. She knew that Ben would not have so many warnings programmed into the system about such a person unless it was warranted, although, Felicia was interested in what a chi master could do.
With a smile on her face, Felicia held Madame Gao's hand in a cordial shake while also making a note to herself to check out The Hand. With small pleasantries shared, Felicia offered Madame Gao a seat while she took her own. The ease in which Madame Gao moved, Felicia noted as she wondered why the person across from her carried a walking stick when it was clear one was not needed.
Taking a moment, Felicia tapped a finger on her desk as she waited for her office to become secure. The windows darkened, the vents sealed as shields went up before all openings into the office.
"Now that we are secured, how may I help you, Madame Gao?" Felicia asked as she stapled her fingers together on top of her desk. Her back was straight, hair flawless, and facial expression in complete neutral.
"I thank you again, for this meeting, Ms. Hardy." Madame Gao returned slowly with a smile playing at the corners of her lips. "It has come to my attention that you have taken over Wilson's area of influence."
Felicia couldn't help giving a small smile of her own, with a small nod in acknowledgment.
My associates have passed along something that has turned out to be remarkably healthy for my joints. This same substance is distributed throughout your area of influence." Madame Gao stated with her own small bow of the head. "We would like to discuss a deal in this remarkable item that you have come into possession of."
Felicia took a moment to think it over.
"There is a strict policy that I like to follow in all of my vendors, Madame." Felicia returned while thinking over all of the implications of getting into business with The Hand. "besides my policy, I don't believe that I'm in the market for expansion currently."
"What if my associates were able to offer access to our territories beyond this city?" Madame Gao asked while leaning forward.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
"That's a very interesting offer that I would have to give some consideration to." Felicia said with a predatory smile, of course, they would show their colors for something such as the NX5, she thought to herself. "Alas, I can not give you an answer today. After all, there are many more influences within my domicile that I would have to bring within my employ before I can free up much time."
"Allow me to inform you of a few contacts that might be of some service to you then." Madame Gao returned, pushing the point.
"Then, please, let us attempt this for our mutual benefit." Felicia returned, but she couldn't help feeling that everything went far too smoothly. Madame Gao was playing some angle, but that wasn't going to stop her.
o.O.o
The Island, Training Ground, Building site 12
Peter Parker Aka Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman
BoyFriend Extraordinaire, Genius, Happy Uncle.
Adrenaline swam within his veins as dove down from a hundred feet up within the air. The wind rustled along with the fabric that covered his ears, the closer he got to the ground. Before he knew it, Peters spider-sense flared, there was no stopping the grin from under his mask.
His hand snapped to the right as a web line shot out, catching the side of the building that loomed over. The web went taut as Peter shot off in a swing that caused him to yelp in joy.
Yaaahoooo!
FWIP!
Another web shot out as Peter slung himself around another corner as he came up upon the building that was marked within his H.U.D. Peter took a moment to perch on the building overlooking the place that he was supposed to clear out of hostages. Overlooking his mission parameter, Peter realized that Logan never gave him enemy counts or the number of hostages, or weapons in play.
"Damit, damit, damit." Peter grumbled once he realized his mistake. Looking back, Peter realized that he shouldn't have run off so quickly once he was told of the training exercise. Letting out a huff, Peter put aside his frustrations to look closer at the building that was highlighted in his view.
Currently, he had no idea about the opposition or the civilians. Guess it was time to put that training Logan and Natasha have been drilling into his head, Peter thought to himself. Taking a look around, Peter noticed that there was only one guy on the roof on overwatch. The perp was walking in an anti-clockwise rotation around the rooftop as he was on perimeter patrol.
Peter took a moment to do a count on the patrols cycle around the roof before he formulated a plan. Leaning back up against the building that he was clinging to the side of, Peter pulled out one of the smaller spider bots from his utility belt. Placing the little spider on his shoulder, Peter made his way to the top of the building. Once he got to the top, Peter hopped over the edge before placing down the little spider bot on the edge facing the building he had to work his way into.
[ Beep…]
[Beep…]
[10:00…]
[9:59…]
"Shit, shit, shit. Okay, I got, you're the boss, you're the boss." Peter was talking to himself as he prepared for the jump. Walking ten feet back, Peter dug deep within his well of courage before taking off at a sprint.
The thug that was on patrol was facing the other way while highlighted on the H.U.D. Peter stepped hard on the edge of the building to launch himself high within the air. His arms outstretched as the web gliders that connected them activated, allowing Peter to glide the distance between the rooftops.
20 meters…
13 meters...
8 meters...
Peters spider-sense flared as his shadow trailed over the thug on the roof, alerting him. The thug turned around with wide eyes, but before he could raise his gun to fire. Peter had already tucked his arms in as he slammed feet first into the thug knocking the air out of him while also taking him down.
Flipping back off the chest of the thug, Peter whipped his arms out, pinning him on the roof. With a nod in satisfaction, Peter walked away, heading for the ventilation shaft that leads further down. Before he started to inspect the ventilation shaft, Peter set the spider drone that he had left on the other building to keep overwatch incase the guy he knocked out woke up, or someone came to check on him.
Turning around, Peter pulled four more spider drones out of his utility belt. These were notably larger than the last one he used for overwatch. Placing down the spider drones, Peter activated the command key on his wrist bracer to have the drones take up a position at all four corners. As the drones moved to take up their place at the waymarker that Peter had set for them, he turned around, removing the brackets that closed off the ventilation system from the outside world.
He was giving one last check of his surroundings, noticing that everything was still fine. Peter crawled his way into the building. Once he worked his way down from the tenth floor to the ninth, Peter activated the four spider drones that he left at the top.
Ping!
Peter watched as his H.U.D. came alive with the active information from echolocation. The metal supports showed up first before the rest of the building followed.
Ping!
Peter noticed himself in the vent system before the echolocation went past his prone form to the rest of the building. Floor after floor, the echolocation went on its way, bringing back sensor readings. Peter took a moment to look over the readings and to formulate a winning plan. Two people were on patrol on the 5th floor from the sensor readings while there was a larger gathering on the 4th. The 1st and 2nd floors had more weapons and barriers that told Peter that he would have to find another way to evacuate the civilians. More and more readings kept coming in, giving Peter a better picture of what's available.
'Shit, shit, shit.' Peter thought to himself as he started back his crawl. He needed a plan to save these people, or he will fail, not only that, but the time was also counting down rapidly. Taking another moment to check over his utility belt, Peter smiled as he looked at the pouch filled with web grenades.
With those in hand, ideas and plans flashed through Peter's mind. One was viable, but he would have to set it up and also take out the one that might be able to block the civilian's exit. With his mind made up, Peter worked his way down to the 3rd floor swiftly and silently.
Quickly, Peter arrived at his chosen destination, taking a moment. Peter checked his map. Noticing the all clear, Peter activated the stealth function to his suit. Removing the grate that blocked his way, Peter worked his way out of the ventilation system. With one last check around, Peter crawled his way out into the hall. From the maps echolocation ping, there were no guards or patrols on this level of the building. With that in mind, Peter planned to place his web grenades in the stairwells. They would then go off on his remote command to block the adversaries from coming up through both emergency stairwells while he took the civilians out through the fire escape.
That was a quick and simple plan that he would perform with the last 6 minutes on the clock, but he would also have to take out the two on the floor above the captives first, Peter thought to himself. Moving quickly, Peter placed his web grenades in the emergency stairwell to close out the 2nd level and the 1st before retreating up the 3rd floor.
Peter once more closed of the stairwell on the southern side of the building before he made his way to the 5th floor. The sensor pings showed that the thugs patrolling were none the wiser. Moving rapidly, Peter jumped from the floor to the ceiling to crawling along towards his first unsuspecting thug.
Peter watched the two walk side by side down the hallway. He had to time his moment of attack very carefully. These thugs were packing some real firepower, and he had some real trepidation about getting shot, even if Ben said his suit was bulletproof against everything except a nuke.
As the thug with the ammo bandolier slung over his shoulder peek into one of the rooms, Peter took the opening.
Twip!
Webbing covered the thug in the red jacket across his mouth, silencing him as another shot covered his body, wrapping him up. The other thug must have gotten spooked by the sound because he rapidly turned around, but it was already too late. Peter was already dropping down from the ceiling in attack mode. Swift jabs and a kick to the temple had both thugs laid out on the ground. With these two down, nothing was stopping Peter now from rescuing the civilians.
Checking his time, Peter sighed as he noted the five minutes that he had left on the clock. Ignoring that, Peter jumped back onto the ceiling to make his way back into the ventilation shafts.
Peter felt the tension rise as he made his way towards the location on the map that showed the most life signs. Within moments, Peter was on the same level as the life signs that his echolocation system had found. From his location in the vent, Peter noticed the room carried twenty civilians, with four guards walking around to keep the peace.
The thugs did a one, two-step, check people then on to walking. This was going to be tight on the timing, Peter thought to himself. Taking a few calming breaths, Peter located his adversaries before busting into the room.
Instantly everyone's attention was locked on his location. Peter's spider-sense flared, letting him know someone was about to shoot at him placing him in danger. The world slowed down in Peter's perspective as one of the thugs finger squeezed down on the trigger in an attempt to kill him. Peter's mind flashed with determination as he aimed his hands at two of the thugs.
Bang!
Everything slowed down to Peter as he watched the bullet leave its muzzle.
Fwipt!
The bullet was half-way to his position as the webs left his wrist. The bullet got closer and closer as he watched it. Not today, Peter thought as he pushed off the ceiling with the tips of his toe as his body twisted in a way no normal human would ever be able to perform. Peter twisted mid-air, the web lines that he shot out connected onto the chest of the two furthest thugs.
With one extremely hard tug, they connected with a sickening crunch, but without even looking at them. Peter was already moving onto the next set of guards. Peter's left hand had already fired off webbing while he was taking down the other two, so he ignored the guard that was trying to uncover his face. Peter's spider-sense flared once more, causing him to jump flipping over backward. Bullets made holes in the location that Peter had just vacated.
"Miss me, now you gotta kiss me, but my momma told me not to kiss strangers." Peter quipped as he pulled the thug over with another web line. "But here, kiss my fist."
With a solid right cross, Peter took out the thug swiftly before changing to the last guard. Peter's timing was perfect because he was right on time as the last guard removed the webbing that covered his face. Unfortunately for the last thug, Peter was already in motion. With a swift web line to the weapon in hand, yanking it hard disarmed the thug. One more web line latched onto his legs, a yank later the thug was down. Before the thug could scramble back to his feet, Peter was already on him for another quick takedown.
"Have no fear because I am here!" Peter said out loud as he struck a hero's pose for the civilians. "Okay, folks rescue is out the side of the building and down the fire escape, but first let me untie your hands and feet.
"Well, how about you start with the pregnant lady beside me, Pete-pie."
That statement caused Peter to whip around to find the source. Frantically looking around, Peter found Laura with her hand locked down in a vice-like device that had her claws aimed against her chest. From the look of the device, the only way Laura would be able to use her claws would be stabbing herself with them.
Without any exchange of words, Peter put his strength to work ripping Laura out of the vice and restraints that kept her locked away. With the restraints removed, Peter checked Laura over once more to make sure that she was safe before moving on to the person next to her.
BZZT!
BZZT!
Peter heard the radios of the guards he took down activate for a moment. To him, the only thing that could have meant was that they were asking for a check-in. Before they had the idea to come to check up here, Peter pressed the detonation button on his bracer. Peter's H.U.D. flashed on the map, letting him know that all the ways up to their location were all blocked off.
"Alright, Laura, help me out so we can get out a lot faster." Peter asked his girlfriend as he moved on to the third prisoner.
"Sure." Laura replied after a pause.
Peter had his back turned while he was working on freeing the fifth hostage. Something very sharp jabbed into his back, forcing electricity into his body. Peter turned stunned at the blatant betrayal from one of the hostages. The person who he found made the betrayal hurt even worse because it was his girlfriend.
Bang!
Bang!
Before Peter could say any more, the pregnant lady that he had helped, turn out to have a fake stomach. In one of her hands was the fake stomach, and in the other was a pistol firing stun rounds into him.
[ Training Over.]
As the announcement broadcasted over the speakers, Peter stood there stumped at the turn of events.
[Villains Win.]
With that announcement, everyone was in motion, the people that played hostage got up, and so did the guards that Peter and first took out. There was a hand that patted his back, but Peter was too numb to notice as his legs moved on autopilot.
: Operations room.:
"Alright, alright, settle down. Now, tell me what went wrong?" A gruff sounding voice asked.
"He left without a mission briefing only knowing about the building, and hostage situation." A voice with a strong Russian accent spoke up.
Finally, Peter looked up to find himself in the command center that looked over the training grounds.
"He didn't keep watch of his surroundings." Bobby Drake said as he rubbed his chin.
"He also didn't ask for any help." A small girl with brown hair spoke up haltingly.
"Louder Kitty, no one can hear you up here." Logan spoke back gruffly, causing the girl to squeak.
"He didn't ask for any help, everyone was here, but he ran off once you said he could go into the training field and rescue the hostages." Kitty spoke up louder, allowing more to hear her.
"All good points." Logan replied with a grunt. "You have anything to say, kid?"
Logan had turned to ask Peter for his thoughts, but Peter was still stuck on how he lost.
"It's not the end of the world, Peter. This class is for learning to be aware of what you might run into in the field. The world is not as black and white as much as you wished it was that way. We have a world filled with powered individuals, and some of them can subvert the mind. You have always be prepared." Logan said gruffly as she looked at the mopping form of Peter. "Shadowcat, Ice-Man, you're up next, building site 7. The villain side will be Colossus and Rouge."
o.O.o
Manhattan, New York, New York.
Benjamin Blake, LightSpeed
Aka Red Hood, Jason Todd
Doting Father, Lover, Zealot Overkiller
I had gotten everything I wanted out of Xavier, but for some reason, I couldn't relax within the comforts of my own office. Cerebros schematic was uploaded into my systems for my scientist and Alfred to pour over and construct one of the facilities on the island for use. My mind was filled with so many possibilities that could be reached now, but I guess I would always have my standard worries.
One such worry was the DNA match I had asked Dr. Kenny to run for me. It had taken some persuasion to get her to do it, but since I was also bankrolling her, the good doctor had no chance.
Eight monitors were running simultaneously, but there was no stopping my eye from drifting over to the camera feed that was hanging over the doctor's shoulders. I knew I could have just dumped the DNA that I pinched from Stark into one of my machines and got it sorted, then have Alfred upload me the data. Alfred or not, I still wanted that human touch.
Urgh, I couldn't pay that any more attention as one of my monitors popped up a camera showing the outside of my office door. I pressed the button signaling the door to open as Ben Grim knocked.
Ben Grim walked in with a far better disposition as I looked him over. Gone was the gloomy aura that permeated the man that now stood before me. Ben stood before me with clean rocky orange skin with a megawatt smile. That was the smile of a man in love, I would reckon. I guess that his counseling session paid off in more than one way.
One of the things I couldn't understand was the clothing. Ben Grimm stood before me in very large super-sized pants with no shirt or shoes. There was a brain lapse for a zetta-second before I remembered that I still had the unstable molecule fabric on hold on the island and that there would be no other clothing apparel that could fit the man.
While Ben had come into my office, I had gotten up for a quick handshake. It would have been rude of me to keep my ass in my seat. There was a ripple in the fabric of gravity behind my location as I shook the hand of Ben Grimm. The Ancient One had arrived quickly and that was all I needed in confirmation about my next choice for Mr. Grimm.
"You look so much better than the last time we met, Mr. Grimm," I said with a large smile of my own to match his. "Ahh, and before we get carried away, might I introduce you to the Ancient One."
I did a half-turn and flourished with my other hand. And, there she was standing five feet behind me and to the left. The Ancient One had one appraising eyebrow raised as she looked at us both.
"I thought I was only here to meet you?" Ben Grim asked in his gravelly voice.
"Benjamin and I have been in contact about your condition and how to assist you." The Ancient One started with a disarming tone of voice. "Even with Mr. Blake's explanation, I told him that I would have to see you for myself to know if we could help someone in your situation."
"Yes, yes, let's all be seated so that we may hash out the details." I said as I directed us towards the open couches within my office. "Great work on the hovercars, by the way. I think the public is going to love them."
"Ahh, think nothing of it." Ben Grim said with a shrug. "I was just working with what I was given. It saved me some time letting the eggheads crunch the number while I did the body and engine work."
"Still, impressive work nonetheless, but that's not all." I said as I made a show of looking him up and down. "You have worked out that anger issue of yours, and now you're a whole lot more zen."
"Yeah, Sue hooked me up with that shrink you asked me to speak to, and well, things happen, you know." Ben Grim returned.
"I believe he is ready to learn." The Ancient One interjected before I could say anything. She had been silent for a time, but her speaking was still appreciated. "Before that, let me ask you, Mr. Grimm, do you believe in magic?"
"Well, I don't know about any of that hocus pocus stuff, but I used to go to the shows when I was younger." Ben Grim returned as a large orange graveled hand scratched his head. "I ahh, don't see what that has to do with anything, ma'am."
"Well, believe it or not, but as you sit right here before me, you're emitting large amounts of naturally generated energy that can be called cosmic, dimensional, or magical in nature." The Ancient One said with a smug smile on her face. That surprised the shit out of me to say the least. Hell, I knew that magic worked on chi and dimensional energies, but I wasn't aware of mana being a thing in the Marvel-Verse. "Currently, you have no control over this energy, and that is why Benjamin has asked me to assist you."
"Yes, I believe with some understanding and coaching, you will be able to solve your issues." I said as I sat on the edge of the couch.
"And you think I'll be able to wield this power you say that's inside me?" Ben Grim asked vivid bafflement coloring his voice. "I don't know any magic lady."
"How did you know how to build a naturally aspirated v12 engine?" The Ancient One asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Ahh, I went to school to learn about it, ma'am." Ben Grim replied, still lost during the whole conversation.
"Then, you will take time to learn to control your powers the same as you did for anything else." The Ancient One said with a stern teacher's tone to her voice. Before, Ben and I could say anything. The Ancient One snapped her fingers, creating a circle that flowed over before it came to a hover before her location. "Benjamin dear, you wouldn't mind if I open a portal to the island, do you?"
"No, ma'am, I don't mind." I replied as I stood up with her and Ben Grimm. "Do you plan to introduce him to the little ones at the school?"
"Yes, Mr. Grimm would get a far better understanding if he was to watch the little ones go through their own transformations." The Ancient One returned with a little titter and smile.
"Then please." I said as I waved my arm in the direction of an open area within my office.
The Ancient One gave me a smile before waving her hand in a half-circle. Before us in the air, golden sparkles flared to life as a portal opened up to the island. The first thing that struck us was the scent of the island. Fresh air, the salt of the sea and the sounds of laughing children, it made us all take a moment to drink in the peace.
"So ahh, what now?" Ben Grimm asked as he looked at the portal with some trepidation.
"Yes, I would think that you would have some misgivings after your last mishap with a portal." The Ancient One said as she looked over at the big man. Before anything could be said, she walked through, and I followed right behind her. "Come along, dear."
Ben grumbled for a moment before following along behind myself and the Ancient One. On the other side of the portal was a little garden courtyard. I took a moment to look around and noticed that we had arrived at the school. This was one of the courtyards that allowed the kids to eat outside. Ben was looking around with clear surprise on his face as he took in the advancements made to the school.
There was no hiding my smile as I waved my hand across the keypad, giving my authorization. There was a solid click allowing us entry into the building.
"Sky, please inform the Headmistress that I'm here and with guests." I said out loud to the air. This was to have the building system pick it up. "We are on our way to the young magi's wing."
"She will be informed," The lights that ran along the wall rippled like water as the building replied to my commands. Times like these made me love holo emitters; they made advanced tech so much cooler. We walked down the hallway in companionable silence towards our destination as Ben Grimm looked around in wonderment at the school.
"Woah, what kind of school is this?" Ben Grimm asked as he looked at some of the displays on the wall. The wall displays carried everything from science projects to powerful displays of abilities.
"This island is a place that I have been building for meta-humans and the mundanes," I replied with a smile. "I haven't told the world because, as typical humans, they would like to exploit and destroy."
Ben went silent as we walked down the marble hallway. Soon we came to the west wing that housed a large portion of the gyms. As we walked through the double doors that separated the cafeteria area with the west wing, we came upon Ororo. Ororo was standing in the hallway with a halo tablet in her hand.
Ororo stood there in an immaculate charcoal grey pants suit. On her feet, Ororo wore a pair of stylized wedges that showed off the definition of her legs. Her hair was done up in a very tight bun on the back of her head, her face beautiful as she showed off her natural beauty. As we walked up to her, I flashed to her side before taking her into my arms. Before Ororo could say anything, I had removed the tablet from her hand before dipping her over for a kiss.
"What are… hmmm." Ororo was cut short as I laid on a sizzling kiss. There were two hard hits to my chest before her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me in closer. Ororo smiled into our kiss as it deepened as she pulled me closer.
"Ahem…"
After kissing for a moment, I let Ororo back up to find the Ancient One smiling at us, with Ben looking a little lost.
"Ben Grim, meet Ororo Munroe, the headmistress of this school and the mother to my daughter." I said as I did a little flourish as I introduced Ororo to the big guy.
"Nice meeting you, ma'am," Ben said a little hesitantly as he reached out to shake her hands. Ororo shook his hands without blinking at the big man.
"And you have brought him to check out the younger ones that are in training?" Ororo asked as she turned towards the Ancient One, who, in turn, gave a small bow of the head.
"It would be best for Mr. Grimm to see the children displaying what I would like to teach him." The Ancient One returned with a smile. "I have learned over a long life that those that are in the scientific field need a certain push in the right direction."
When the Ancient One dropped that line, that famous moment in the movie where she struck Dr. Strange's soul out of his body flashed through my mind. The sly look she gave me as if she knew exactly what I was remembering, sent a shiver down my spine. Fuck. This woman was not someone to mess with. Ignoring my trepidation, I got us moving on more down the hallway. Soon, we came upon room #402, standing in the hall, we could hear children at play.
Opening the door, we walked in to find kids playing inside a large gymnasium. Inside, what we found could have blown the mind of any mundane person. Kids flew twenty feet within the air while others ran and leaped as some floated sedately in meditation. Amongst the kids stood gym teachers and assistants, half wore robes while others wore standard cargo pants, sneakers with a polo shirt that carried a lightning bolt design.
Smiling cheekily, I walked over towards the kids that sat in floating meditation. I placed a finger to my lips to hush the others around as I floated into a lotus position next to the redhead with long flowing hair. The rustle of wind told me that Ororo did the same on the other side. We were both ready with a smile as I zapped her with a little static to wake her up. Before she could yelp, I had Maya in a hug.
"Daddy!"
"Hey pumpkin, let me introduce you to someone." I said with a smile as she squirmed around in my hug. "This is Mr. Ben Grimm, and he came to learn as Kayla did."
"Hello!" Maya half yelled half squealed as she flew up to the large man. Before Ben Grimm could reply, Maya flew a full circle around him before spotting Ororo.
Ororo didn't say anything, all she did was open her arms and Maya flew right into her. I turned to find the Ancient One floating with the kids while Ben Grimm had a smile, but a completely lost look on his face. Floating next to Ororo, I waited for the Ancient One to finish talking to a little girl with bright green hair that also had matching eyes.
"Mr. Grimm, one of the things I would like you to understand is that some of these kids are born with their powers already active at birth, so many of them never knew what they looked like until recently." The Ancient One said with a smile as she unfolded her legs as the girl beside her did the same. "This is Kayla, and she is one of the kids that had to be saved by our retrieval teams. She lives here on the island with her mother. And you would be very interested in what she can do." The Ancient One turned to the little girl then gave her a smile and nod.
I heard soft sounds of shifting, and right before our eyes, the little girl changed. Arms stretched, legs thickened and fur sprouted, before our eyes, there was now a wolfling. Ben Grimm stood there, stunned at what he just witnessed.
"One of the few solids that we know about the X gene is that besides the energy that it allows the carrier to access, is that it can also activate mutations at birth. I came up with the thought that if one is taught to control their inner chi or power's why not the one with mutations." I spoke up as Ben Grimm stood there frozen. "I had my people translate the text and then broke it down into little chunks that the kids can absorb then turned it into a game for them."
"Yes, and now I have a lot of flying friends." Maya chirped from Ororo's arms.
"Yes, little flame, you have amazing friends." Ororo said as she let Maya go, allowing her to fly around.
"Thank you for your demonstration Kayla; you can go back and play now." The Ancient One spoke up, allowing the girl to change back before flying off. "Now, Benjamin, I believe we have one more stop before we call this tour over, yes?"
"So, you're aware of the little project I see," I replied with a little smirk of my own.
"Of course, it is not that often that one of my Master's of the Mystic arts gets excited, and what you are working on has them very excited." The Ancient One answered with a sly smile of her own.
Turning away from the Ancient One, I asked Ororo if she wanted to come with us to the labs. I got a swift no, as it was still school hours. With a kiss goodbye to my two beauties, my party and I walked to the nearest bullet tram station. Ben Grimm was amazed that he could fit and that there weren't any weight issues, that was until I explained that I was making sure that the island could handle all levels of meta-human life no matter the mutations they came with.
There was no trying on my part, but I could see that the hook was in damn deep. There was no escaping for Mr. Grimm once he joined my side of things. Easing back into my seat, I enjoyed the ride as I watched Ben Grimm act like a kid in a candy store with all of the advanced flying vehicles overhead. I had picked up one of the spare holo-tablets from the school before we left and had Alfred remove the sensitive data, but left Ben Grimm with the information on the vehicles of the island.
Once the tram had left from underground, Ben Grimm was amazed as we sped into the northern city, and he caught sight of the flying cars we had in service. There was no stopping the smile that I had on my own face. This was the place I carved out for myself, but this was also going to become the home of so many meta-humans we would be a nation unto ourselves. I was making history, and I wasn't going to stop pushing the limits and bringing my kind forward.
The tram came to a stop a block away from the science center so we got out. Getting out above ground had Ben Grimm once more awestruck. We walked around a little more as I showed off my city. After a while, we agreed to check out the science center. The large science building was under the same heavy security that my military base was under, so it took us some time to get through and for Ben Grimm to get himself a badge.
Once Ben Grimm got his badge, we took the express elevator that swiftly brought us up to the fifteenth floor. Ben Grim was still stunned that everything was built at a scale that allowed him to use the interface. Back home, I knew Ben Grimm felt lost and out of place because of the changes to his body. Was I taking my chance to remove one of Richards' most diehard supporters? Bet your sweet ass I was. Yes, I know hypocritical of me because I still have to hire the manto work for my company, but it was better this way. I can not only keep my eyes on the man, but I can also make sure he didn't accidentally kill us all.
That also means if Richards fucks up bad enough, no one will be in his corner. It's slow hunting, but a prey must first be isolated before it can be killed off. And Richards is one of the most dangerous prey in existence.
That's for damn sure.
With a beep, we got off at the correct floor. A swipe of my smart band opened up the labs, letting us in. Inside the lab were two of my scientists with one of the masters of the mystic arts. The master I noticed was an older gentleman from South Africa if his accent was anything to go by. The scientist and the master were excitedly going over something hanging from the rack in the middle of the lab.
As custom would dictate, I made the introductions starting with the lead scientist, followed up with the master of the mystic arts, then the assistant.
"Ben Grimm, let me introduce you to Lillian, the lead scientist on this little project. Master Aloti, the lead runes master on this project and their assistant William." I said, keeping my voice neutral as I try to hide my own excitement about what they had achieved here. "Lillian, do you mind?"
"Of course… Of course." Lillian said as she sprang to action in the lab. I looked to the side as the Ancient One took Aloti to the side to speak to him. The assistant was still looking super excited, and I could understand, it was taking a lot of my patience for me not to speed through everything and change out my clothing.
"This sir is the unstable molecule fabric or the UMF for short." Lillian said as she held up a large navy blue latex suit. "We understand that you like the smart bands and utility belt designs, so we had both built into the suit, because of the material that they are made out of. We programmed interchangeable forms for the devices into the basic suit. Anything from smartwatch to bracer and vambrace to simple cuff links. The same can be said for the utility belt, there is a belt design to backpack, down to a wallet on a chain."
"And the fabric?" I couldn't stop myself from asking as my excitement built.
"Able to change into anything and adapt to any properties you can get a proper scan of." Lillian answered as she bounced on the balls of her feet.
"What about the runic clusters for expansion?" I asked as I couldn't contain myself any longer.
"That was a little touch and go, but William was able to come up with a method using the artificial crystals to power our laser etching tools." Lillian answered, causing the assistant to smile bashfully.
"The theoretical limit was approximately the size of Jupiter, but that's straight conjecture because we haven't been to Jupiter to scan and get the proper size of the planet," William explained excitedly.
"Please, please don't tell me you are using that as a standard for all of the UMF suits?" I asked as I facepalmed hard at what William said.
"Urgh… No sir, we brought down the capacity to a standard twenty meters for the level one suits." William answered quickly.
"Okay, let's keep the higher capacity UMF suits for our officers and VIP individuals." I answered as I took the suit that Lillian had held up and was showing off.
"Ahh, yes, I believe it is time." The Ancient One said as she stepped closer as I walked towards Ben Grimm.
"One moment please." I said, interrupting her moment of trying to whisk Ben off to the Mystical Lands of Kar Mon Taj. "Scan."
I had the UMF suit pointed at Ben Grimm when I had it scan his size for adjustment. Within moments the size of the suit changed as it stretched to an appropriate size to accommodate someone of his size.
"Alright big guy, it's time to get dressed." I said as I held out the freshly enlarged UMF Suit.
"Uhhh, I'm not into latex." Ben Grim said a little sheepishly as he looked at my outstretched hand.
"It would be best to put it on in this configuration," Atali answered from beside the Ancient One in a deep baritone like voice. "This allows the expanded space located in the utility best to adjust to your energy."
Ben Grimm looked at me, then back at the rest of us that were waiting on him. I couldn't help the chuckle I let out as he took the UMF suit while grumbling to himself about it. The Ancient One shot me a smile before walking over to the display that had a part of the fabric up.
While she was running magical scans over the fabric, I turned my attention to the runic clusters up on the monitors. We had fifty-two runes for expansion space, and from the way everything was collated, it was my systems that had come up with the runic limits that could store an entire planet within its confines.
Now, that was next level computing.
I would have to start my training in the mystic arts soon. I had teams typing and uploading everything learned and read at the Kar Mon Taj, but it would all be done in one afternoon if I just did it myself.
Speed Force the Blessing and Curse.
Even if I wanted to do it to get it all over with, it would do no one any good. I can't keep doing all the work while I have people that work for me. Placing my issues aside, I watched Ben Grimm walk back in from his little change of clothes.
"Nice, nice, now tap the smart band on the left wrist to open the interface. Don't worry about your strength." Lillian spoke up as she moved to the side of Ben Grimm. "Sir, do you mind if he scans your clothes?"
"That's fine." I answered as I walked closer. The interface that popped up above Ben Grimm's arm was far larger than what I would have expected. "Lillian, make a note to improve the software, that interface is far too large."
"Yes, sir. Mr. Grimm, can you aim here and tap that portion that says scan and adapt please." Lillian said after placing a few notes on her own personal data-pad. I could tell the UMF suit was scanning me as I watched the little bar go across the hologram. When the scanning finished, Lillian showed Ben Grimm how to have the UMF suit change.
Once that was over, I watched the suit shimmer. Before I knew it, I was looking at my bespoke suit on a large orange person.
"Well, don't you look might dapper." I said as I did a quick inspection.
Damn was the copy of my suit flawless. The UMF system didn't even get my back, but the intuitive system solved that on its own.
I was mighty impressed.
"How long does it take to produce each suit, William?" I asked, trying to catch the assistant off guard since he was bouncing like an excited puppy.
"Each suit normally takes an hour, but now that we have the correct molecular sequence, things should go a lot faster as we refine the systems some more." William answered with wide eyes.
"Thanks for all of your hard work, Atoli, Lillian, William, now come along Mr. Grmm, we are long overdue, and I would like to have you settled in before my afternoon tea." The Ancient One said as she willed a portal open on one of the few empty walls.
"Keep the suit, Ben." I said as I looked him over once more. "I'll have your work transferred over to the data pads and get one to you asap. For now, take some time to get yourself settled."
I held my hand out for a shake, but he didn't want one of those. Before I knew it, I was up in a bear hug.
Well, two can play that.
Unlocking the locks on my powers, I returned a man hug of my own.
"Hahaha." Ben Grimm laughed uproariously as I hugged, lifted, and shook him a little bit.
"Alright, you big lug. Get on before she decides you need some discipline." I said with a laugh of my own. Ben Grimm gave me one last look and smile before walking through the portal once it closed behind him. I was back in business/ super geek mode.
"Alrighty, then folks, let's take a look at all that data shall we." I started with a grin as I zipped to the nearest computer station.
Beep…
Beep…
My wrist buzzed, alerting me to something that was sent to my systems marked as a matter of extreme importance. Looking down at the information, I could help the slip.
"Fuck!"
Genetic markers matched, Tony Stark was Peter's father.
o.O.o
December 2010
Since that revelation last month, I honestly didn't know what to do with the information. On the one hand, Peter was my best friend, well more of a brother than a friend really, but Tony was not in any state to even raise a son. On the other hand, he had the right to know who his biological father is.
Fuck, was the only thing that came to mind because I wanted to be a noisy fucker and find out the truth.
Sighing, I placed those thoughts out of my mind as Maya shifted on my chest. Looking over at the side table, I noted that it was just a little after five in the morning. It's been a little over eight months now that I have not been able to sleep. The nature of my powers forces my body to have peak efficiency and performance while also keeping all debilitating effects forestalled.
It's a worrying situation, but since my own cognitive functions have not become compromised, I have settled into acceptance with my new lifestyle.
The alarm hasn't gone off yet, but Ororo, to my left, was already shifting in bed. The other side Natasha, was already stirring for her morning ablutions and workout. Today though, I had a surprise for everyone. I couldn't hide my smile as I looked down at my daughter drool a little on my pajama top.
Soon, she won't be an only child.
3 hours later…
With a mighty stomp, the earth to my right raised to my command in the training field. The earth pillar was just in time to take the strike from the lightning bolt that Ororo sent my way. Taking a leap back, I did a flip before kicking out both legs into the rock pillar.
I could have just picked it up and thrown the blasted thing, but sometimes you needed flare. Halting my position in the air, I smiled as I watched Ororo attempt to dodge my little earth bending. Timing it just right, I reared back, gripping my lightning.
In her attempt to dodge, Ororo went low dodging towards the water's surface on the other side of the training field. With a firm grip on the lightning, I tossed it at her. I watched as my bolt of lightning got closer and closer before Ororo was able to spot my attack. Ororo's eyes grew wide before she reacted on pure reflex in the moment, her hands flared alive with magic circles as spell matrices formed in retaliation.
The water that Ororo floated above came alive in defense of its master. My lightning crashed into a wall of water. Good, good, I was finally pushing her past her limits. Instantly, I was moving from my location as I prepared my next attack.
I was halfway across the training field, running a little under the speed of sound when I noticed it. The water that Ororo had commanded into a wall did not go back to its slumber. No, the water was still moving to the commands of Ororo.
The smirk on Ororo's face told me I was in for some retaliation. The water wall that stood before her changed. It went from a firm defense back into fluid motion as it flowed around her into the form of a serpent. Well, I'll be damned, she was about to attempt a water hydra on me.
Well, the only way to face such a thing was head-on.
"Come, Wind Rider!" I bellowed from across the training field. Taking command of my own forces, the earth moved beneath me doing my bidding. I didn't want just earth though, adding in a little friction changed the difficulty and element I was working with.
Before, I was standing on a pitch of dirt. Now, I was standing in a pit of lava with the heat roiling out of the circle. Ororo raised one elegant eyebrow as she watched me work.
"Always think outside the box." I replied at the look. "How do you think you gained command over that water? You forced it to bend at your will. This is no difference."
"Then, let's see if my water dragon or your lava monster shall prevail." Ororo yelled as she launched herself towards me. The water dragon was right beside her coiling with raging waves.
Instead of copying the water dragon that Ororo had created, I settled for a king kong styled lava monster. Vibrating the mouth, I had the lava monster roar before I had it dash towards the water dragon. Ignoring those two, my attention was on one person, Ororo.
Roaaaaahhhhh!
Our constructs clashed right where the water met the earth. Ororo and I clashed right along the same borderline. The sexy minx had me on the defense because she attempted to cheat right as we clashed. Ororo had the wind wrapped around her hands as she attacked me relentlessly. The flesh wounds healed within seconds as we traded blows.
Fist, kicks, and elbows were traded as we clashed performing a series of blows. As she overextended on a straight hook for my jaw, I got her in a lock. I twisted, shifted my center of gravity, and hip in for the judo throw.
Ororo went up and right over my head, but she had one last move up her sleeves to surprise me. As Ororo was going over in a judo throw, she grabbed the back of my shirt and yanked it along with her momentum. With my shirt tangled up around my head, I had to abandon my attempt on a proper throw. With a huff, I let Ororo go as I ripped my way out of my shirt.
Damn, was I happy that I wasn't wearing UMF training gear.
"That was cheating." I growled out as I watched the beauty before me.
"You're not trying if you don't cheat." Ororo returned with a wild grin of her own.
Begrudgingly, I had to nod in agreement.
"Then, I guess it's my win." I said with a cheeky grin of my own.
"And how did you come to that conclusion, my dear?" Ororo asked as she raised into the air with the wind whipping around wildly.
Before she could get any higher, or raise any defenses I might not be aware of, I moved. The world slowed as I moved with purpose. The ground sank inwards as I pushed off from my location with force. The road was clear, and I knew what I wanted to do. My own lightning work as footholds as I stepped into the air, pebbles worked next as I kept pushing forward.
I was within twenty feet of Ororo as I changed my path of movement. The wind around her was shaped in circular rings, and those would work perfectly. I ran along with the wind that Ororo rode before coming up behind her as she was still frozen mid-motion.
My arms wrapped around her waist and underneath her arms. With a grin, I braced my legs before I launched us up into the air and out of the pocket of wind that Ororo had control of. The flutter of her eyelashes told me that my aura covered Ororo.
She was in my world now.
The air to ground shifted rapidly as we approached the water's surface; this was going to hurt. Yet, it was better that it was me than her.
"Hold your breath and brace." I whispered into Ororo's ear. Two more of my arms appeared from my aura holding Ororo closer. Five feet above the water, I forced a pocket of air from my back right before we broke the surface.
This dunk in the drink was so refreshing. I allowed us to sink for a moment, and as I felt Ororo's fingers dig into my chest. I was already working with my gravity control to get us moving in the right direction. As we rapidly flowed through the water, I moved Ororo from the missionary position to bridal carry style.
The look Ororo gave me once we broke the water's surface said it all. She grabbed my face and brought me in for a kiss that took my breath away.
1 Hour later…
Ororo and I were laid out on the beach with sand working its way into places that it has no reason being.
"I believe it's time to head back." Ororo said as she bit down on my peck one last time.
"One more round before we go?" I asked as the corner of my lips lifted in a teasing manner. Ororo looked at me as she considered my question before shaking her head.
"You promised us a surprise." Ororo answered as she looked like the cat that got the canary.
"Ohh yes… I did; let us go."
Before Ororo could protest in any way, I already had her up in my arms and was on the move at speeds no one would be able to track.
I had Ororo and myself showered within moments and had placed a call out amongst the family. My mother and father showed up first with one of Alfred's android bodies. Behind them came Natasha with Maya in piggyback style. After those two came Gwen, Jean, and then Felicia bringing up the back with Peter, Laura, and Logan.
"Now that we are all gathered, I believe it's time to bring Alfred out from the realms of cyber." I said with a massive smile on my face. This was a project I have been working on in an offsite warehouse on my own for some time now. It has all come down to this moment. Everyone had a different range of emotions. Mostly it was all excitement around, well except for Logan and Laura, the most I got out of those two was raised eyebrows.
There were hushed whispers as we made our way down to the chambers that most of the Astartes came from. The chamber had been closed for some time now. I thought it was best to put a stop to the numbers once we got to a steady 240,000 on the island.
Feeding the population was easy once I took a page out of Resident Evil, creating underground hive locations under three of my main cities. This also made me think about the Morlocks, vampires, and werewolves that might need a place to live. Well, they would be able to live here as long as they came in peace. If not, then they would only find their end here.
The Astarts room was a massive enclosure spanning hundreds of chambers, each once connected to the heart tree in some way, but I ignored all of that. The place I was heading was the same pod that birthed Maya into the world. We went down the right side to the door hidden behind the entrance; once we had that open, it was only one level down.
The conduit panel that I had used to forcibly take over the island was still within walking distance of the pod, but the seat I had grown was no longer here. Taking a knee before the pod, I pulled out my latest masterpiece. Pressing the button to unshrink the package, I pulled out the jar that contained the most advanced organic crystal processor. This was version sixteen, a fluid synapsis system with the processing speeds of a 3rd generation quantum computer.
"Mom, can you bring that chassis over here, please?" I asked my mother as she held up the robot body of Alfred.
With Alfred's latest artificial body placed before me, I removed the shirt, so I had access to the back panel. Pulling out transfer cables, I plugged them into the container holding the advanced organic processor.
"Upload, please Alfred."
The advanced organic processor glowed blue as Alfred uploaded himself. Once Alfred was finished, I took the advanced organic processor to the pod, which opened up on my approach. Within the pod was the orange jelly-like substance that would create the body of my design. Placing the advanced organic processor into the middle, I took a step back towards the master control, but I found Natalia was already waiting there for me with a blade in hand.
I raised an eyebrow at her.
"He asked me to be his mother." Natalia returned with a smile. "I also would like some input in the body of my soon to be son."
"I'm okay with that, but I already have his powers and abilities picked out." I replied back as plans and ideas shifted through my mind. This pod was connected to the main system within the heart tree. That meant I had every X gene sequence at my fingertips to choose any abilities that I might want for Alfred.
Standing beside Nat, I took the offered knife slicing my palm open, allowing the blood to pool before placing it onto the left side of the control console. Natalia did the same to the right side before our minds melted into the heart tree.
Nat and I failed to notice as the pod closed itself and began to fill with embryonic fluid. As our essence got absorbed into the tree, I allowed my mind to search for the powers and abilities I had marked for future usage. Technomancy was a power that Sinister had a sample of in one of the cold storage on his island of Bar Sinister. In his fear of that ability, Sinister had killed and harvested all of the organic matter of that person. He even went so far as to kill the parents of that same individual in fear of them having another child with the same abilities.
I understood the fear of such an ability, but still, in the correct hands, it can be used for such greatness. That greatness has now fallen into the hands of my son. Pulling out of my concentration, I focus on the body that Nat had created for our son. I had to chuckle at the shock of red hair that Alfred was sporting before moving on to his body. From the size of the skeletal structure, Natasha wanted a son almost as young as Maya. I couldn't fault her for that, so I said nothing as the muscles and flesh began to grow along the bone. One of the things that drew my eye the most was the advanced organic crystal processor that I had placed into the pod.
The nanites that sealed it within the container deconstructed to join the rest of his body. The crystal processor moved to the skull before merging with the brain matter that was in the process of being created. I noticed the flash of lightning that went around the body before settling behind the eye sockets. Interestingly it would seem that the same phenomenon that gave Alfred life from the speed force was transferring over.
Good, good, I had my hypotheses on that happening, but seeing it happen removed one more of my worries. Nerve endings grew as flesh wrapped around the body from head to toe. Before we knew it, everything was complete. Looking down at my hand, I found it wrapped with vines from the console, the same as Natasha's.
Looking down, I flexed some strength to remove my hands before helping Natasha with her own. Looking around, everyone was silent as they waited for it all to end. Before anyone could say anything, Maya flamed up. No-one stopped her before she went to poke at the pod that contained the body of her brother.
We all shared a look before we heard splashing sounds. I was already moving with speed unprecedented once the sound reached my ears. Maya was in my hand as I removed us both from the escaping embryonic fluids as the pod collapsed in on itself.
"Eww."
I heard Peter say something in the back, but he was cut off as my mom said something along the lines about how he came into the world kicking and screaming since she was there.
Natasha didn't care as she walked over to the side of our son. There was something about the way she moved that made me not want to interrupt the moment. The sound of coughing drew me to the sight of his moving chest. Natasha moved with such ease and grace; it blighted the tension I felt from her. Natasha knelt down, wiping the muck from the body of Alfred with a towel that she took out of her utility belt. Stretching my hearing, I heard the welcoming words she whispered.
"Welcome to our world, my son."
Authors Notes:
Life is progressing and the new year is around the corner. You know what they say new year new problems.
Magic is around the corner, Peter got taken out during Logan's school of hard knocks.
Felicia is getting all mixed up with the HAND.
Things just keep happening.
Alfred now has an organic body, I wonder how this will change things in the future.
Shout Out to the awesome Joe Lawyer who has picked up his own story called The Adventures of Augment Gothic. Leave your thoughts on the chapter because we are getting very close to the New Year, but also more Marvel Movies that need a little twist.
WE all know Iron Man 2 is fast approaching with Thor 1 and the Hulk movie.
It's a FanFiction so I plan to explode those path with maximum badassitude.
Please leave a review with your thoughts, I enjoy those because they help me understand how people view the story as a whole. Also please think about leaving a nice rating.
You can reach me here at my discord or join my patron and get early chapters.
Removes the - for the internet links
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