AN:
Story inspired heavily by 'Cruel To be Kind', '12 Steps To Omnipotence', 'Rise of an Empire' and a million and one other fanfics. If you see stuff and think that it's similar to another fanfic. it's probably because we read the same story and I liked that plot line or idea.
BEWARE this is a 'Gary Stu, wish fulfillment, power fantasy type story.
Thank you for reading!
Enjoy
Chapter 3
Year 1, Day 157: Shameless Universe, Lakeside Cabin somewhere in California, 2019
I poured the sauce and mixed it with the spaghetti. The sausage slices already fried and kept warm in the sauce pan.
I made sure to even out the slices so they wouldn't all bundle up in one spot and filled up my plate with the home cooked dinner.
Home in this case being this decked out Lakeside Cabin. I was back in the 'Shameless Universe' in 2019 because I needed to buckle down and do research on a great many topics.
After I cleaned up the ARTY's control room well more like organized and got some extra furniture to keep everything, it looked more orderly and sane.
I thought back to my bender and man I can drink a lot. Olympian gods and booze go hand in hand. And holy shit the amount of drugs I could do was literally God Level. A small shudder went down my spine.
I spread a bit of Mozzarella for the tasted and dug in. I may be able to go a long time without food but I still felt hunger.
It took a while to find this place. Its 2019, so much is done online now that without having a credit card you almost can't operate.
No identity, no card. A problem.
Eventually I found someone willing to rent for cash, very frustrating.
I came here yesterday. Didn't do much, bought groceries, mindlessly browsed for a while then crashed and called it a night. Sometimes you just needed some mindless R&R let the mind relax and not think about much.
Woke up, made breakfast. Practiced with my powers. I haven't made any real progress in over two months mostly because I haven't really practiced during while I was Uh …distracted.
Went for a swim in the lake. That was wonderful.
Water is good.
Water is soothing.
Water is life.
What can I say, water affinity.
Had the bright idea to make lunch while practicing my telekinesis, made a mess everywhere. Used telekinesis to cleanup which was much easier, I guess less fine movements.
Did some more browsing and here I am now finishing dinner. Dishwasher tonight, feeling lazy to keep going with TK.
A sudden pang of sadness hits me; I haven't had dinner with my family in a long time. I'm never going to see them again, my mom, dad and my sister. I miss my Jake. I take a deep breath in and let it all out in a controlled manner steadying myself.
I went and took a good look at myself in the mirror. I was doing that a lot more now than before. Vanity I guess.
I went from 5'.8" and 140lbs to 6'.1 and 210lbs, I was a solid lad now. Muscled definition, as if I had regularly worked out for more than decade. Blond hair and blue yes stayed the same. I snorted, how ridiculous, I was proud and vain for something I could change at will, all I need was to concentrate enough and I could take any shape or form.
But that was the problem. Concentration, visualization, determination was hard. Mental discipline was hard. Harder than I thought. The gods in the show made it look so easy but then again they were hundreds, thousands or heck some of those guys were primordial so from the beginning of time old.
While the new gods were shown to be weaker but were able to use their powers right away quite easily. Hmm, maybe Velasca and Callisto were driven instinctually by their rage and insanity…but the more likely explanation is because the writers wanted them so.
I needed to master my magic, especially if I was going to venture into the MCU and DCU which I know eventually I would get the itch to. Every little boy's dream to meet their favorite superheroes.
My transfiguration sucked, my conjuring had 50% chance of exploding. Why? I still have no idea. Physically I was actually doing ok. That was coming along better then again I had always been pretty good at sports. Even though I was more enhanced than a regular human I was nowhere near the 'big boys' and with the whole implied self-actualizing thing of the Xenaverse gods it meant I needed to master my mind and actually believe in myself.
Dam. I thought for a moment I also need to learn about the human body and healing, medicine…shit Physics, everything really! Don't want to accidentally give someone cancer when healing a paper cut. What kind of ignorant ass god would I be if I can't even comprehend the basics of the universe.
I needed a reality that would help with my magic, have knowledge of the mind arts, let me study a variety of subjects both magical and scientific, have readily available experts in those fields and provide a sensible adventure, because why the hell not. A measuring stick and an end goal always makes one strive harder and I am no different. Plus I wasn't a squishy mortal anymore so I could start taking some risks. Even the best well planned leaders in history have had to deal with risk and how they dealt with is what set them apart.
A tall order overall but I was thinking of a reality that would meet almost all those criteria but first some practical matters.
I need money.
I need a credit card.
I need an identity or maybe several on various Earths. Mellow Earths, predictable, similar, some family shows, so I can go back enough in time and take advantage of future trends.
If I was going to eventually travel the limited infinite universe readily available, build an empire or mess around with my favorite fandoms then I would eventually need access to resources.
And believe it or not periodically stealing things would reach a limit wall that I wouldn't be able to pass. No, it was better to cultivate some assets now and let them grow organically, it would attract less attention and give me a wider reach.
Money I can get from post-apocalyptic universes like 'Zombieland'. A lot of gold laying about uselessly I can collect. My plan to launder it was simple, find some shady bankers that would accept to collaterize the gold against loans at a very preferential rate for the bank preferably in a time period and reality I could get away with it.
I think my best bet is the 1980s. I know I'll have to set something up in the late 2010s for comfortable research purposes at least but the 80s would be a good start. I can use the advanced printing capabilities of 2019 and create any document I needed for the 80s as well the world and systems were not nearly so interconnected so much easier to plant a relatively solid paper trail. I would have to start companies, get lawyers, accountants set up a while system.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and sunk further into the couch.
"I have a lot of research to do."
Scene Break
Year 1, Day 203: Resource Universe 2, Ohio, Some small Hospital archive records room, 1981
"Come one where is the dam correct drawer!" I almost yelled exasperated. Stupid paper trail setting so tedious.
I stop jolt my head up, my enhanced hearing picking up footsteps. I immediately go into intangible mode. I've gotten better at it. Just as I disappear form view the door bursts open.
My jaw drops as I see the two bodies stumbling in. "I fucking knew it!" I say out loud knowing the two mortals would not be able to hear me. Mortals? I'm referring to them as mortals now? A bit high and fucking mighty I might say!
The night security guard is fucking the night shift janitor lady. I so called it too! I staked out this place for like a week and man were they playing eye footsy the whole time. It's definitely not the first time but it's only recent. You can tell by the passion, forbidden love allure.
"Well mister Zapphiro Brannigan I believe we will have to wait bit until you become a real person." I say looking down at one of my identity's birth records.
Zapphiro 'Zapp' Brannigan, Philip J. Fry and yours truly Darrow Miercuri will be real people. As real as I can get them. I already set them up in the Lethal Weapon universe, my first 'Resource Universe' and this was the last one for this universe.
I planned on having 5 realities to draw from. Staking out places, planting documents, contacting lawyers, setting up companies, opening bank accounts it all takes time, patience and is a very tedious process. But if I did it right it would solve many problems down the road. I was already bored and annoyed so no more than five. Five should be enough.
Moaning brings me back to the almost coupling 50 year olds.
"Right! Let's give them some privacy!" And I disappear.
Scene Break
Year 1, Day 226: Zombie Land Universe, Fort Knox area, 1981
"BOOYAH!" I yelled as the zombie exploded. Throwing energy balls like baseballs was fun especially when you got to explode Zombies.
Fort Knox held something like 100 million gold ounces for the US and various countries around the world. At around $400 per ounce, 1980s price, I had an easy potential of $40 billion in gold to play with.
I have already transported 100 tons into ARTY's control which should be around $1.4 billion. I was only planning on laundering around $100 million in each reality but I wanted a cushion since I didn't want to have to come here every time I needed some. Transport was easy every since I became a God my transport limit increased to just over 1000 tones. Not bad, not being a squishy mortal for the win!
I extend my hands to reach the water in the nearby pond. I feel as if it's a living thing reacting to my presence. With one smooth motion a jet of water the size of a truck slams the milling zombies in front of me.
I take a deep breath and exhale, using my whole body to metaphorically lower the temperature to push the heat away. The water freezes along with zombies forming an ice ark leading back to the now frozen pond.
Not bad, getting better at this water bending stuff. Just for fun I throw an energy ball to see it all shatter in a million pieces.
Year 1, Day 253: Die Hard Universe, A Beach in the Bahamas 1988
I couldn't help but giggle as I sipped my Pina-Colada. I had just mailed my first bearer bond interest certificate for payment.
I was sitting on a beach earning 20%!
The idea came to me after leaving Zombieland and I just couldn't stop thinking about it. I had to execute it.
Honestly at first it was just for shits and giggles but the more I thought about it the more it made sense to steal the Nakatomi Plaza bearer bonds. It would provide for cold hard cash that I would be able to use in any of the resource realities in their time periods.
So I went about to set up the usual identities and companies then staked out and planned the heist. I wanted maximum effect so it had to be the same day Gruber does it.
Flashback:
I was intangible standing inside the vault with a wireless speaker the moment I hear the vault door unbuckle I let the 'Ode the Joy' play. It's for me, they aren't going to hear it but I want to recreate the moment from the movies. Obviously in 'real life' there is no background music so I had to bring my own.
I see Hans Gruber's shocked face and hair fluttering as air pressure equalizes.
"Merry Christmas!" Theo says with satisfied smile.
He rushes at the boxes on the shelf quickly opening the covers his hands moving quicker than his eyes take to process what he sees but when it catches up his smile drops.
"There not here" he whispers.
"What's not here?" Hans responds from the suite of samurai armor.
"The bonds are no here!" Theo responds forcefully.
"What do you mean they are not here?" Hans responds immediately rushing to the shelf.
"The boxes are empty, there's a note in each and every one!" Theo takes out the piece of paper and hands it over to Gruber.
I try to stop myself from snickering even though I know they can't hear or see me, it reflexive but I fail badly. The disbelief in Gruber's face is too much.
"We appreciate the solidarity" he says accentuating each word in his distinct way and as if he was preparing for his close up shot his hand slowly dropped and head panned up.
"Signed Asian Dawn"
End Flashback
I stopped giggling and chucked the rest of my drink.
"Ah crap, I have a lot of gold to launder."
Scene Break
Year 1, Day 307: Resource Universe 4, 1981
"Mr. Fry you have to understand the concerns the bank has about the source of the…" blah blah blah.
I mostly zoned out as the heavy thick set Deutsche asset manager started his spiel. We've already had this conversation three times already. He managed to have the same path in four of the resource universe. This was excellent for me as I could use the same strategy over again cutting down on research time.
You see you can't just show up to any serious bank with ten tons of unknown gold and expected them to loan you money against it. Ok, that's not completely true... you could if you showed up at the right bank with the right banker.
Research was needed. Research on who to approach and how to approach them. It's why I chose my resource universes to be close to the research universe 'Shameless' where it was 2020. The closer the shared history the more identical they were with the same folks making similar decisions. It cut down on the research time.
Don't get me wrong I still spread it around as much as I could in big and small amounts across my three identities, across companies, different banks and accounts but when you wanted to make big moves you still needed to know who to approach.
"Mr. Mitchel's." I interrupt. "I understand the bank's and" here I stress the words "any potential investors concerns in these loans so I am willing to go up as high as 30% and no more." I say finitely.
The man stops as if to consider for a moment. I think on average I lost about 28%. At the beginning I negotiated hard for each percent but as I went through the first two realities I realized why bother? I can always just get more gold if needed, might as well save up on time. Especially since it took so dam long to transfigure away the identification marks.
"That can be arranged." He said as predatory smile etched across his face.
Excellent six tons will be moved.
Scene Break
Year 1, Day 341: Resource Universe 5, Los Angeles 1981
Sitting across from me in the private booth of a very expensive Italian restaurant in downtown LA was Haley Hitchson.
She didn't know it yet but she would be running some of my companies. With investment accounts you can leave instructions to your lawyers or asset managers to execute trades as you saw fit. It was a fairly easy process to manage. I could pop in a different intervals and leave new instructions but with a business you needed someone there to run it every day.
So here I was offering her the opportunity of a lifetime…she already said yes three times already and I knew how this conversation would go.
I had hired earlier some fancy expensive headcount agencies to find me some suitable candidates and Haley along with Tom Tresler, Mark Mulligan and Aaron Aston made the cut in most of the universes.
"So let me guess this straight you don't actually have the business yet you want to start it?" she asked.
"You are correct, the initial seed money will be five million." I confirm.
"Then why do you want me? I haven't started a business before. I thought this was for a director of operations role and now you're telling me you want me as the CEO of a brand new enterprise. Is this some kind of joke?" she asked frustrated.
"I assure you I am not joking. The reason I want you is because of your work experience at 27 years old you were on track to make operational director at FedEx a company that is turning out to be very competitive in the logistics field. What I'm proposing in getting in the construction material supply business is really not so different. We figure out the transportation of products from point a to point b." I stop for a half second then continue not wanting to let her mind settle on a thought.
"I believe California's construction sector especially in housing will increase drastically in a decade or so and I want to position this company to take advantage of it." I finish putting on as neutral tone as I could. I knew she didn't really believe me in her mind I was a rich kid playing business man with grandpa's money but she would take the job anyways because of how much it paid.
At 27 she had a kid, stopped to be a stay at home mom then three years later husband gets hit by drunk driver. She's a smart girl she sees the writing on the wall the life insurance money will only last for so long. If she wants to give her kid the life she always dreamed she needs to work again.
She's got the personable skills combined with a history and motivation of not being a complete fuck up in life which made her a winner in my book.
Yea… I wasn't exactly looking at genius level candidates to run my soon to be business empires. I was looking more at middle management types that can take directions well and have some strategy implementation skills along with certain desirable motivations in their life that would keep them from stealing the rug right under me. Money will solve the rest of the problems.
Folks who wouldn't put up to much of a fight against my directions for the company. Eventually I would expand into steel, commodities, transport, logistics; I would try to ingrain myself into the supply chains of the world.
"Like I said before I will be providing the general direction for the company and I want a slow and steady hand to execute the strategy such as yours. I need someone methodical and process driven." I was laying it out thick.
We went back and forth discussing further theoretical details for another half hour before she relented to the big fat sign-on bonus check in front of her and convinced herself to take the job.
Scene Break
Year 1, Day 358: Shameless Universe, Swanky Beverly Hills Mansion 2020
My training had really taken a hit over the past few months I had barely had any practice time. Outside of transfiguring gold into slightly different gold my magic was terrible. Still couldn't conjure well, didn't know how to enchant or any rituals. Made no progress on the mind arts.
It was time I mastered my mind and my magic.
"ARTY jump to set reality destination 'Harry Potter'!