One Punch Man: Attitude Adjustment
Chapter 16: Wingless Angel
The scent of well cooked meat came from the office as Rose walked down the hall. Spade was at his desk, enjoying his dinner as his assistant walked in. His steak, potatoes and salad looked like it was prepared by a five star chef. There was also a woman who looked like a super model in a black cocktail dress standing behind the bar.
"Just in time Rose, want to pull up a chair and join?" Spade asked with his mouth full of steak.
"Not tonight, I'll make something for myself later." Rose replied before looking down at her tablet. "It appears that the Heroes were able to beat the monsters you sent out faster than expected."
"Really? Even the mime?" Spade asked, he was surprised but not fazed by the news.
"Yes, and it was apparently Randal Hogan's team who managed to beat it." Rose replied.
"Damn...they are good." Spade said with a small, impressed smile.
"So it would seem. Dr. Nova estimated it would take at least an A-Class Hero to beat the Masked Mime." Rose said in her usual, matter of fact way.
"That's because Nova is too focused on the numbers. You'd think the Association would just rate their employes by how well they do their jobs, but their too busy wondering how many people are following the Heroes online." Spade explained, talking like he knew how silly it all was. "If they focused on what's important, I would have gone up the ranks in half the time back then."
"Do you think that would have gotten you into S-Class?" Rose asked, curious about how Spade would answer.
"No..." Spade said, his voice suddenly becoming tense.
Rose was not surprised by Spade's reaction, it was always a touchy subject. He finished the rest of the whiskey in his glass and then held it up in the air. This signaled the woman behind the bar to walk over to the desk with a bottle to give him a refill. Spade did not want to say anything else about it at first, but then he wondered something.
"Did I ever tell you about the offer they made me?" Spade asked Rose, wondering if he ever ranted about it after one too many drinks.
"No, but I have wondered about it more than once." Rose answered while adjusting her glasses.
"You should have been there...I still can't believe they said it with a straight face." Spade said, his eyes drifting down to the desk as he thought back to that day. "Thought I was just going in for another warning. "Don't be so reckless","no more picking fights with others Heroes","Stop flirting with reporters during interviews"...then it turns out they did a bit more digging into my past and found some of the more...extreme cases."
"Oh really, which ones? The robberies, the hits jobs or that one time you wiped out an entire fighters club because they were being stingy with your prize money?" Rose asked non-nonchalantly.
"Little bit of everything. The whole board of executives tried to chew me out for it. They all tried to sound so high and mighty, but all they were doing is explaining how pathetic I was for "choosing a life of crime"." Spade explained, shaking his head as he remembered the arrogant faces of every board member.
"I'm guessing you didn't have a happy response." Rose said, a small smirk on her face as she imagined Spade's reaction.
"You could say that." Spade said, shrugging his shoulders before cutting into his steak again. "They gave their opinion of me, so I did the same. Called them a bunch of self entitled dolts who wouldn't know a real hard days work if it smacked them upside the head." He said before taking another bite, savoring the meat before he kept talking. "They didn't take that very well, people started yelling and then they cut to the chase about the choice I had to make. Apparently, having someone like me walking around like everyone else was "a potential risk to public safety". So they say I can keep being a Hero, I just have to spend my off time in a cell and only come out when they need another monster killed."
"In other words, you would have been their prisoner." Rose said, understanding how such a choice could make someone upset.
"Bingo. The other options was to quit. No time in prison, I'd just be under constant surveillance to make sure I didn't cause any more trouble." Spade said, scoffing at the idea after he said it. "Great choice, am I right? Walk away after all that time and effort, or let them treat me like dog that get's put in the house until master is nice enough to let me out again."
"I'm sorry you had to deal with that, I figured you didn't leave over a simple pay dispute." Rose said honestly.
"Don't be, best decision I ever made." Spade said before enjoying another sip of his whiskey. "I'm a king now, with an underground castle and everything." He said with a chuckle. "Nova said her big project is almost done, after that I have a feeling we can really start expanding this little kingdom of mine."
"She told me the same, I believe she wants you to came take a look at the progress." Rose remarked.
"I know, tell her I'll be there after dinner." Spade replied.
"Of course." Rose said, giving Spade a respectful nod of the head before leaving the office.
"But then again..." Spade said to himself once he knew Rose was back in the elevator. "I wouldn't mind some desert to..." He said with a smirk, looking over to the woman behind the bar who smiled and playfully blew him a kiss.
Dr. Nova stood impatiently in front of the elevator. The team of supporting scientists kept their distance when she was in such a mood, Dr. Nova could not stand being kept waiting. She had been expecting Spade to show up over an hour ago. He may have been the one funding her research, but that doesn't mean he could not show her a little bit more respect.
"Evening doc, sorry to keep you waiting." Spade said, walking into the lab with hands in his pockets and a relaxed smile. "Dinner took a little bit longer then expected."
"Oh yes...I'm sure that's why you have lipstick on your neck." Dr. Nova replied in a condescending way. "Just follow me, you ought to see you ultimate product of your investment."
"Bold claim, hope your boy-toy lives up to it." Spade said as he followed Dr. Nova through the lab.
"Please don't call him that..." Dr. Nova said, disgusted by such a term. "I assure you, once the education process is complete the project will be ready to test out in the field. I almost feel sorry for the poor S-Class Hero that will have to face him first."
Spade liked the confidence, but still needed to see the results to believe them. They passed the large vat that used to contain the doctors prized project. It was empty and the green fluid the subject used to float in was completely drained. After passing through a pair of metal, sliding doors the two entered a small room. The subject was in the middle of the room, sitting in a high-tech examination table. The lower half of his body was covered by white track pants with two thin, black stripes on the outer sides. His muscular chest was exposed but his head was covered by a by a helmet that looked like a twisted version of a virtual reality headset. The helmet completely covered his face, with four wires that protruded out of the top of the helmet and connected to a supercomputer set up on the wall behind the table.
"Oh good, you finally gave him some pants." Spade said.
"Is that all you have to say? Not even a single question about what he's going through?" Dr. Nova asked.
"You called it an education process, right? I'll take a wild guess and say that helmet he's wearing is pumping his brain full of information." Spade answered apathetically.
"Very good Spade." Dr. Nova said, presently surprised that Spade could figure it out on his own. "But it's doing far beyond that. History, science, multiple languages... all these things and more are being taught to his highly advanced brain at a rate no human mind could comprehend. When the process is done, he will emerge as an unparalleled genius. His incredible intellect will compliment his unmatched level of strength, making him the one true example of a perfect life-form." She said while stepping closer to the table, looking down at her subject with admiration.
"And you're doing that...because?" Spade asked with a brow raised. "You do realize I'll mostly need him for just punching things, right?"
"Do you really think mere brawn will be enough to beat the Hero Association?" Dr. Nova replied.
"It will be, if this one lives up to everything you promised." Spade said.
"What I promised was a being that would be able to kill any Hero, and that's what you're going to get. He will be strong enough to overpower his enemies and smart enough to deal with any tricks they might have up their sleeves. Whether or not you see the importance in this is irrelevant, when the time comes I know the results will speak for themselves! " Dr. Nova said passionately.
"Okay, but what do you expect from him after all the Heroes are dead? Think he's just going to hop back in the tube for a swim?" Spade asked sarcastically.
"Of course not, that would just waste everything he has to offer the human race. With Heroes made obsolete, he could be the one to protect us from monsters and terrible disasters. His god-like power will keep humanity safe, and will help guide all of us to a glorious new age of prosperity." Dr. Nova explained, almost drifting off into her own imagination.
"Ahh...so we're going down the religious route." Spade said in a cheeky way. "Will that make you the head priest or something?"
"Nothing so medieval, I assure you. I simply plan to help him be humanity's beacon of hope. I will aid him in any way I can, as a dependable ally and also as a loving mother." Dr. Nova said, looking down at the subject again as she placed her hand on the side of the education helmet.
"How touching..." Spade said. "How much longer until he's ready to go?"
"Soon, very soon." Dr. Nova said, still looking down at the subject.
"Good to hear, enjoy your family time." Spade said, already backing away towards the door.
Dr. Nova scowled, hearing the mocking tone in Spade's words as he left the room. She did not want to bother with telling him off, not when there was something much more important laying down in front of her.
"Do not worry my dear, no one will doubt you when the time comes. All these years spent trying to unlock human potential has lead to you, a being that shows just how far we might be able to ascend." Dr. Nova said softly, like a parent trying to lull their child to sleep. "Even the likes of Spade with kneel to you in time, everyone will praise you as their savior." She said while leaning her head down to touch the forehead section of the helmet. "Until then, sleep well. My sweet angel...Seraph."