[2008, New York]
Eddard had been in this world for two years now. His order for one-and-a-half year. In this time many things had changed. His order had become more active in their studies. The first projects had taken the longest.The Quadcopter had taken six months to finish but the second project of adding a wireless camera had taken less time for the tinkerers. Jacob had been learning under Peterson and had started to liquefy all the technology stocks they owned slowly as Eddard did not want to get screwed because of the 2008 economic collapse. The money had been given out as investment to single parents who wanted to open businesses, although Jacob had not said it out loud, Eddard understood that due to being raised by his father alone Jacob wanted to help other parents.
Jacob had asked Sophie for getting access to James Turner, James had told Eddard that the boy had simply asked him to get him a list of parents who Turner thought deserved such a chance. The boy had taken up a whole month meeting these people as a normal teenager. He had invested into 6 people. Eddard had seen that almost all of them had deserved such a chance and those who did not Jacob had penned their name down to look into them and if they deserved to even have children.
All 6 people Jacob had invested in had started producing money. Eddard had felt proud and had praised the boy in front of his father. Jacob's father had hugged the boy who had been embarrassed by the public display. Eddard had allowed the family to leave the building for a day. Eddard did not like if his wards were not somewhere he could reach fast but he did not want to stifle them.
The programmers, Harry and Nathan had completed the most projects. They had made various malware. They had designed something they called "The web of free will." It was a combination of over 72 different pieces of software. But if it were to be successfully implemented. It could , in theory, predict trends in the modern technological world with upto 99.9% accuracy. But they also stated that the world does not have that many computers sharing such data to do so. Maybe thirty years from now, their would be computers in every home. They had designed it because they believed there was a pattern where competing companies are not truly competing but were owned by one group which just wanted to not get associated with a monopoly.
Eddard was amused that this very prediction would be proven wrong by Apple this year. What he had asked them to do next was erase such footprints for everyone that was in the Order. They had been working on this for six months and were currently working on a software that removed or faked site data and spoofed information from sensors that may make it seem real information to flow through the webs of such an algorithm. Making the algorithm's conclusions unreliable at worst or inaccurate at best. Eddard wanted it so nobody like Facebook or Google had any tangible information on them. This had also led the mechanical engineers to start learning into computer hardware and electronics in general to help the programmers.
Eddard was impressed with the dedication his wards were showing for such a project, he was sure that by 2012 they would be experts of the highest level in their fields thanks to the concepts of the signet ring. Kayneth had been studying chemistry in too much depth and had only finished one project which was something Eddard had asked on a whim. For a synthetic material that could replicate a spider's silk and could be stored in liquid form before solidifying rapidly when it came into contact with air.
It had taken 6 months for Kayneth to come up with a workable polymer and then 8 more months for him to create a theoretical method of synthesis. And one other month of tests and then he had synthesized the material. He had asked for Vibranium to study in exchange for completing the project and had been testing the metal ever since. Eddard had made that project thinking to the synthetic webbing from the Amazing Spider-man that came out in 2012. Kayneth studied Vibranium and had written a small booklet for perusal by anybody on its properties.
Stormi and Draco were truly monstrous in terms of fighting capability now. They were better fighters than Eddard and if not for his divine physical strength, they could pound him into the ground. They had opened a youtube channel dedicated to parkour and teaching combat. Eddard had been a bit opposed to revealing their faces in public but given up when he thought about it. They had a total of three projects until now. One was getting to know the local underworld environment and who owned what, the crime lords in the city. It had taken them the last three months of 2007 to find out all this.
They had marked the map of the meeting hall with various markers and labeled them as drug syndicates. Stormi and Draco had also at the end of their exploration made certain requests which had led to him making a room at the third floor that was for storing and using guns. Now the gun laws were not something Eddard had any use of knowing, so he asked James Turner who told him that he could own most guns legally.
Eddard had pondered for some time before he had decided that legally owned guns were not really useful in this situation.
He had then looked at the map and decided a raid on syndicates would help. He had marked and scouted the most criminally active syndicates and finally chosen a target which seemed to be involved in human trafficking as well. He had worn a blue shirt, blue jeans and a black cap with sunglasses and a black mask.
Eddard killed the first guy who was bringing a 'Package' by breaking his neck. The total number of people killed were twelve. He had broken their necks. His trip had landed him shotguns, assault rifles, revolvers,pistols along with a machine gun. These men had more illegal firearms than he could have imagined. The problem was transferring the money, drugs, guns, ammo and teenagers so he had loaded it all in the 'Package' guy's van. He had called Draco and Stormi for this transport. After everything was set and done. He had then burned the place to the ground using the fuel from the vehicles of the other filth.
Eddard had then called Jacob to help him deal with the money.
Jacob had been shocked to find out that the resident god had raided a syndicate and killed all those in there and then burned the place down.But he had quickly composed himself when he heard what Eddard had found there. Jacob had advised incinerating the money because it was a security risk unlike the drugs or guns. Since the guns were not going to see the light of day just like the drugs. Jacob had then asked whether the girls had seen him.
Eddard had grimaced at the reminder of the women. They were drugged and he believed were abused and raped as well. There were three women. He had healed the damage from the abuse and used his ability to purify to clean out their body from drugs. They were with Stormi and Sophie at the moment who had stopped her latest study into the effects of vibranium on plant evolution to watch the woman who might panic due to finding themselves in a new environment.
Eddard was planning to let them board the house before asking them about their life which he was dreading was going to be a difficult thing for the women. He had called an order meeting and then explained the situation. Most of the members were horrified. Then the analytical and sympathetic side had set in, which led the guns going into storage. Just like the drugs which would be put in with Kayneth behind a lock to be only accessed by him.
Jayden, his ever intelligent magic researcher had suggested using signet rings that had the concepts of Optimism, Hope and self-love. Eddard had nearly hugged the boy crying out his love for him due to the suggestion if not for being interested in only women.
Jessica had setup a television in their room. Nathan asked for a photo of the women to run a search for them on missing persons reports or on the internet. Draco chimed in saying that letting them to their own devices could be disastrous, we should keep them engaged in talks. Exercising and sports could prevent overthinking. Jacob asked if they should join the order.
It was shot down by Jayden who said that if they want they could do it by choice not by recruitment. Eddard agreed with Jayden. Jacob also said that he would contact Turner if new IDs were required for the women. He had then elaborated on how human traffickers often worked on debt or blackmail and to not let them out for a year or two because their could be people part of a bigger trafficking group on the lookout for the women since only twelve bodies would be found on the site where the women were kept.
It was during this time that Tony Stark was kidnapped in Afghanistan on 4th February. This has led to the stock of Stark Industries crashing which slowly dominoed into the crash of economic market in 2008. The butterfly effect was amazing to watch. At the same time, Jacob had bought a lot of stocks using the previously liquefied state of our assets. This would be a boon to us in the future.
The women rescued also had mentally recovered a lot during this time. They had opened up to Sophie and Stormi. Their names were Eloise, Amelia, and Andromeda. They found themselves in their predicament as a result of debt and blackmail. Jacob had gotten new IDs. They were now named Mia, Elizabeth and Paige Smith. They were orphaned sisters.
The rings had worked and Elizabeth and Paige joined Stormi and Draco as the watchdogs of the order. Eddard added the standard concepts to the ring as well. Mia had studied computer programming in college and joined the younger programmers who had awed the girl with their knowledge and experience in programming.
Meanwhile Jayden had finally approached Eddard about the idea they had been working on. Jayden and Eddard for the past one-and-a-half year had been experimenting with concept permeation. Jayden had come up with many ideas. Each more radical and awesome than the other but most were shot down by Eddard due to being too dangerous or being too costly for himself energy wise.
Eddard had learned that his ability worked by having his light overload a concept onto something. He could for example manipulate time but he could not imbue the concept in such a way that it would affect something hundreds of years in the past simply because he did not have that much divine energy yet.
Jayden and Eddard had designed a sword that they called Proto-Excalibur which would be made of a combination of vibranium for the crossguard, hilt and pommel and adamantium for the blade while adding decorations of gold. It would have the concepts of Hope, Honour, Light, Healing, Sword, Named and Blood-Bond permeated into it over days. They had taken the time to verify the effects of the concepts by using a small amount of light for the concepts. Jayden theorized that the sword would be similar to a holy sword from fiction thus he named it Excalibur. Eddard added the Proto as a nod to the design which was inspired by the sword from fate series.
They had then designed a scabbard, Eddard named Avalon. It had the concepts Scabbard, Durable, Metaphysical, Light, Protection, Healing, Named and Call. It would always be with Eddard but only respond to a call of its name. Each of the concepts were again individually tested and slowly added on a gold scabbard which was lined with vibranium on the inside. It had ᚪᚠᚪᛚᚩᚾetched across its length. It meant Avalon.
They had designed an armor. It was made out of vibranium plated with gold. It had the concepts of Armor, Durability, Protection, Metaphysical, Blood-bond and call. It had Three Leaf Clover Symbol of his order at its back. It covered everything on his body except for his face and hands.
They had then created a gauntlet for his left hand since he planned to use his right for the sword. This was one of the most dangerous things they had done as they had used frankly disturbing concepts. It had the concepts of Destruction, Light Disintegration and Devastation as actively permeated concepts while durability, protection,named and call as passively permeated concepts. During testing they had been cautious enough to add the concepts related to protections against the active concepts. It was made of vibranium but the fingertips were made of adamantium and sharpened plated with gold for cosmetic reasons. They had named it Decimation.
Eddard was standing in a room alone as he pointed at a titanium slab. Jayden was looking at him from behind a glass pane across the room. The pane had the concept of anti-destruction and protection on it.
He called out as he pulled on his light while thinking of the gauntlet, " Come."
Purple motes of light formed into the gauntlet " It never gets old, how they look like they just come into existence." Jayden commented.
"Agreed. You ready?"
"Yes sir."
Eddard pointed to the slab and said," Decimation." He felt a pull on his light by the gauntlet which he started feeding and the effect was immediate. The gauntlet glowed in purple light before firing a beam of purple light that when it hit the titanium slab literally started erasing it out of existence. It took around ten seconds to erase the slab of around twenty seven kilogram (approx. 60 Ib) from existence.
They had previously tested that the addition of light as a concept allowed Eddard to control the other concepts to some degree. The gauntlet would erase anything Eddard wanted at a rate of 2.7 kilogram each second.(approx 6 Ib per second.)
This is how Eddard Clarke had spent the time during which Tony Stark was captured. And as Eddard came to the living space which everybody shared in the order on the second floor.
He saw Stark saying, "I had my eyes opened. I came to realize that I had more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries"
Eddard commented, "And so it begins." as he witnessed the death of the legacy of the Merchant of Death and birth of The Invincible Iron Man.
[Author Note]
Name of the order member if you are wondering.
Stormi Smith- FIGHTER
Draco Anderson- FIGHTER
Paige Smith - FIGHTER
Elizabeth Smith - FIGHTER
Harry Williams-PROGRAMMER
Mia Smith - PROGRAMMER
Nathan Jones - PROGRAMMER
JAKE Turner- MECHANICAL ENGINEER
Jessica Miller- MECHANICAL ENGINEER
Jacob Johnson-FINANCE MANAGER
Kayneth Wilson- CHEMICAL ENGINEER
Sophie Turner- BIOLOGIST
Jayden Taylor- MAGICAL RESEARCHER
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