Chapter 2: Mind Palace
More chapters on my (P)atreon at Saintbarbido.
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(General P.O.V)
"I love this time of year."
Xavier commented, breathing in the cool afternoon air.
A slow breeze blew the leaves on the ground, swirling them through the air. Some landed on the pool of clear water while others drifted away.
"I admit, it is peaceful here."
Ororo smiled behind Xavier's wheelchair. The professor returned the smile, tapping his young student's palm.
"Take it in Ororo. Take it in before the storm."
His words took on an ominous note, bringing a thoughtful look on Ororo's face.
"I have a question for you, Professor."
She spoke up, breaking the brief silence that had fallen between them.
"Who was that boy? Was he a mutant?"
Ororo's question made Xavier frown a little.
"A mutant? No. But he's definitely something. Able to read minds easily and I couldn't get through his barriers, only communicate with his mind. He's not limited to Telepathy alone, based on what I could tell from his mind. With enough time...he could become extremely powerful."
Ororo's hold on the wheelchair tightened. Her face had turned serious.
"Then he's in massive danger. We both know Magneto keeps an eye on you. It wouldn't take much for him to gain an interest in the boy."
She remarked.
"Don't worry about Eric." Xavier shook his head. He knew his old friend. As long as Charles wasn't actively trying to recruit Billy, then Magneto would assume that even if the boy was a mutant, he must have had an epsilon level mutation. Those were mutant abilities at the lowest rank.
It could be like being able to tell the time accurately or changing the color of your eyes from only blue to green. They were, put crudely, useless abilities. Eric would not be interested in someone like that. He wanted powerful mutants to drive his mission forward. The supremacy of the mutant race.
"Although Eric has his own means to detect mutants, there's a subtle aura of concealment on the boy. A suggestion to look the other way. I assure you, he is in no danger from Magneto."
His face darkened.
"However, that does not mean he is entirely safe."
A wood pecker sounded from afar.
"Someone was watching him. Shield I think. I have a feeling we might see our dear young Billy sooner than he expected. Definitely sooner than he hoped."
He added with a small laugh.
(Billy's P.O.V)
I sank on the bed, staring at the ceiling with blank eyes.
Today had been...eventful. I met the leader of the X-Men, Charles Xavier. He represented one side of the mirror.
His complete opposite being Magneto, a genocidal maniac who wouldn't hesitate to go to any lengths to ensure mutant superiority.
If this idealistic mission culminated in numerous terrorist attacks to further his agenda, then so be it.
Eric Lehnsher, a monster to some. A hero to others.
One of the most complex characters ever.
I groaned. The plan had been to keep a low profile.
But it was only the second day and I was already in the radar of the Sorcerer Supreme, Spiderman and now professor X.
I clutched my fingers into fists, I need more power. I gotta push myself harder. I jumped off the bed and dragged my tired body to the shower. Fortunately this time there was hot water.
I finished drying off after the shower and went right into preparing dinner. A cup of noodles was forever devoured from the world. People downplay how much a cup of Instant noodles can save you when you're literally broke.
Having a stable means of income was the first thing on my mind. That or I could hope for Atlas' Stamina to come in quicker before I died of starvation. A bit cynical? I know.
Seriously, I needed a job or a way to make money. I had a few options of course. I could live off Tony Stark. He was like the ultimate superpowered people sponsor.
But I was reluctant to part with my self respect. Plus, going to Tony would introduce me to more dangerous situations that I was not ready for.
I was at the moment, just below street level. Stilt Man and the fucking Hypno-Hustler would kick my ass without even trying.
The second option was S.H.I.E.L.D.
I could get trained as an asset and live off the government.
Plus that would put me under Fury, who I admired due to his badassness. Dude basically hang around Gods, mad geniuses and rage monsters and managed to keep up.
However, again, that would put me under Fury. It was a two sided deal. Fury would keep secrets from me and use my powers to further his own agendas. So that was a straight no.
The other option I had and that I was leaning more towards, was beating up criminals and stealing money from them.
A sort of Robin Hood situation. Only difference would be that I was stealing from the bad guys and keeping all of the money.
Yeah, you know what, let's go with that. I wasn't like Spiderman, who had a better hold of his morals. I was just pushed into a corner.
I needed the money and this was the only option I could see working out.
I dug into my meal, the cup of noodles tasting like Nirvana in my hungered state. My mind had been working overdrive and that required a lot of energy.
8 marbles orbited my head in a spherical cycle. I had grabbed a few of them from a toy shop before heading back.
They would help me on the next phase of TK, multitasking. I broke them into two pairs. Each having 4 marbles. The second pair begun revolving around my head in an anticlockwise motion.
The two pairs did dips at different intervals without breaking the motion. I was getting good at at this.
This morning I couldn't completely sustain two things in the air at the same time and now I was able to juggle 8 marbles almost individually.
Not to mention, I had a book opened in the air infront of me. It was a Sherlock Holmes paper back. I had noticed something while in the library.
First of all, knowing I wouldn't have a lot of time inside, I signed up, getting a temporary library card that would last me for 3 months.
Why a temporary one? Basically I lacked proper identification.
Which was the second thing I need to take care of. Unfortunately, I would need to deal with criminals for that particular thing. Forging official documents wasn't exactly legal though, and I was worried I might have been skirting the line.
Back to the library thing. It might have seemed redundant because I had a smart phone but reading...was a habit.
Scratch that, it was part of my lifestyle. And nothing could beat the smell of old paper. I was an avid reader even during my past life. The quiet of the library was just...peaceful. plus I couldn't get all the information I needed from the internet.
Including the small booklet about Chi that I found at one of the sections, I had a Sherlock Holmes novel mostly for any reference on how to create a Mind Palace.
I wanted to grab the whole collection but unfortunately one of the staff said it was impossible.
The booklet about Chi on the other hand was old and not very outstanding, with a dark green cover.
I had perused throughit a little and the concepts contained inside had a few interesting parts that I could use to create a channel of energy through my body.
TK was good.
But I needed to come up with something that could hold up if an enemy ever got too close.
Maybe create a membrane of psionic energy over my skin? Or go deeper into the interior of my body and run the energy through my flesh, organs and bones, reinforcing them.
The second one was very dangerous of course. I could hurt myself badly.
It was a risk that could pay out handsomely. Plus, time was running out. Sooner or later I would be embroiled in another fight.
I needed to be able to protect myself. The inspiration I could get from experimenting with my Psionic abilities could be what I needed to complete the Ring of Solomon mission quicker.
Tomorrow was a Tuesday, I still had the Midtown high mission to complete. So do I simply go to school? That would require me having some sort of documents right? Just then I felt something dig into my side.
I looked at the bed and saw an envelope there. A frown appeared on my face. I stood up, spreading out my psionic field. That envelope had simply...appeared out of nowhere.
Wait...what if it appeared due to my desire?
I grabbed it off the bed and closed my eyes, concentrating. I wanted it to go away. To go somewhere else up until I had use for it.
The envelope disappeared. I blinked, feeling a sensation at the back of my head. Like a light brush on my brain.
Diving into the feeling had me smiling in surprise. I had an inventory.
It was about the space inside a big closet. This is so going to be so useful.
One combat use would be taking a grenade, pulling off the pin and then storing the grenade in my inventory.
In a fight scenario I could push it towards the enemy by telekinesis. Not to mention, I could hit drug houses and criminals, steal the money without having to carry it in big bags and leave the drugs to the cops.
It wasn't a bad idea. It could solve most of my immediate problems.
That is, if I found a place to get grenades from. I sighed. That was harder than simply doubling down on the grind.
I'll tentatively place that under 'plan c'. Just in case, I didn't come up with something good by the end of the week.
I left the letter in my inventory alone for the moment. First of all, how do I create a mind palace?
Step one. Establish the layout.
I sank deep into my meditation. A mind palace was essential moving forward. But not for what you think.
Basically, it was a way to store memories and information by associating it with objects inside a chosen location. Which was why the mind palace was also known as the method of Loci.
I needed to have a layout.
It could be anything from the mansion in black ops 2, Fort Knox, The Triskelion from Marvel or even the Minas Tirith from The Lord of The Rings.
Basically, i was only limited by familiarity with the layout. And endless hours of gaming had ensured that I was more than equipped for that.
(Billy's P.O.V)
The envelope in my inventory happened to contain copies of my enrollment documents. The originals were already with the school, or so the letter said.
The biggest win however was that I had a driver's license. Not a learner's permit. A full license registered to one Billy Batson. With that, getting full identification would be easier because it meant I was already in the system.
I prepared myself and left my apartment early. There was a delay at the subway. Apparently Spiderman and The Lizard had fought and wrecked wall columns and a few support pillars inside.
This kind of thing was almost a daily occurrence. The city was already adapted to the point there were different protocols in place. For instance if the threat was especially dangerous, the city would be evacuated to let the heroes fight.
That was mostly the case during an Avenger's level threat .
The tunnel was already going through repairs. They finished fast and a half hour later, I was walking through the entrance to Midtown High.
My first impression was that the outside was clean and welcoming.
Navigating through the noise and chaos along the hallways reminded me of why I hated highschool. Teenagers. Yes, ironic considering I was now one myself. However, I like to think I was generally quieter back in my younger days.
Back then I did what any geek with aspirations to dominate another facet of life in the future, would do.
Huddle down, mind my business and wait for college. And although I had had to drop out due to some matters, I still enjoyed my time there in comparison to high school, that's for sure.
You see in College, people were mostly into two things, partying hard or actually studying seriously. They lacked bullies in the way of the Quarterback harassing someone next to my locker.
Yes. You heard that right. Not even 2 minutes in and a cliche' scene was happening infront of me.
Broad-shouldered and tall, blonde hair cut short, the bully wore a letterman jacket and had his forearm under the chin of a smaller dark haired boy. I had to push through the crowd to try and get access to my locker.
Nobody was doing anything. Most had their phones out, filming.
"You lied to me Puny Parker, you said I would get an A. I. Got. A. B+! Which is not good enough when the rest of my grades are not up to par."
"Up to par? Wow. Where'd you learn that? Dumb Jock's study group?"
The dark haired boy choked out.
I winced at the quip. Talk about something not up to par. There was a collective groan from the spectators. Even Flash looked at him weirdly. Peter rolled his eyes.
"Cut me some slack. I've had a tiresome morning."
Flash leaned in dangerously, with a nasty smile.
"I am going to take my frustrations out on you, tiny Pete."
The murmurs from the crowd increased. I looked around. No one was really going to do anything? Even back in my old high school, blatant harassment like this would have somehow found it's way to the teachers.
This seemed negligent and worrisome. Worrisome because it meant I would have to do something. I had wanted to slip under the radar but I guess we can't always have want we want.
"Let him go."
Surprisingly someone beat me to the punch.
The statement came from a very familiar redhead, flanked on two sides by a brunette and a tall boy dressed in some expensive clothes.
"Stay out of this MJ."
Flash threw over his shoulder in casual dismissal.
Okay. I still needed to find my guide and this guy was wasting my time.
"Excuse me. That's my locker you're using to bully someone. Not to mention, you're doing it infront of over a dozen people recording the incident on their smartphones."
I spoke up, impatiently while looking into his mind.
Oh? So this was Flash? Real name Eugene, bully extraordinaire. He was currently worried about the coach benching him from the upcoming game for his low grades. Fun fact, he heard 'Up to par' from the coach.
He turned his gaze towards me.
"What? Who the fuck are..."
He begun to speak but I cut him off.
"You don't seem like the friendly type so it wouldn't take much to get the footage of you harassing someone out. And then, benching you would be the least of your worries."
Silence dominated the hall.
Flash stiffened, blinking in confusion, worry and anger. A lot of thoughts were going through his head.
He swept his blue eyes around the hall and saw how much attention he was garnering.
Meanwhile I was staring at his victim. I suspected I knew who this was. The dark hair, lithe frame and the lack of fear in his gaze as a Bully held him up against the locker was indication enough.
I struggled to keep my own face blank as I stumbled into some interesting facts by perusing his mind as well.
The boy was named Peter Parker, he had been waiting for me at my Locker so that he could show me around. It was a task given by the Faculty. Oh and he was also spiderman and knew who I was.
He couldn't believe that I was still alive when the last time he saw me I was covered in blood. And now I was here. Facing off against his bully. He was afraid that Flash would hurt me. How heroic.
"Hey I'm talking to you!"
A beefy hand landed on my shoulder. Oh he was?
"Sorry I zoned out." I sighed, then immediately shrugged.
"Actually, that was lie, I was just ignoring you."
There was a collective giggle from the crowd.
He released Peter and fully turned to face me.
"Why you little..."
I applied a little pressure to his skull. Not too much to cause harm, but enough that blood flow was slowed. He stumbled back a little, letting go of my shirt.
"Think about it you idiot. The school has rules. No matter how lax and uncaring the teachers might seem. All it would take is for one of your victims to get fed up and it's Juvie for you."
I gestured behind me.
"The only reason most of these cowards haven't done anything is because they are afraid of you."
I continued, stepping closer to him, the hall quieting down.
"I'm not."
I could see the instant he understood the threat. Was it weak? Yes. Was it effective? Absolutely. Now I just needed to be ready when he decided to solve this matter outside of the school.
"You're a dead man new kid. Better watch your back."
Flash warned before breaking through the crowd and walking away, his posse following behind him.
MJ and I shared a glance and she smiled, turning around and walking away after Flash with the other girl. So she's part of the popular crowd huh? I liked her better when she was just the pretty barista.
"Thanks."
Peter said, grabbing his glasses from the ground. Before he could get to his feet, the other tall boy who had been standing next to MJ was there, helping him up.
"Lemme guess, the frames are broken. Again."
The boy sighed.
"Dammit Flash."
Peter cursed.
"This is the third time this year."
"Peter!"
A new voice sounded out, the owner being a heavyset kid with rich brown skin.
"S
There you are! Sorry I was in the bathroom when I heard that Flash was...oh Hi."
He stretched out a hand towards me, noticing my form standing awkwardly beside Peter and who I guessed was Harry Osborn.
The latter resembled Norman Osborn alot. I had seen his image online during my research into this world's setting.
"I'm Ned. Ned Leeds. You must be the new kid."
The heavyset boy introduced himself. I shook his hand.
"I'm Billy. I can already tell my time here is going to be fun."
I said sarcastically.
Peter chuckled.
"Sorry. Not a good first impression, I'm sure. I'm Peter. Peter Parker and this is Harry Osborn."
He introduced both of them.
"Nice to meet you. Now could I please get to my locker?"
Peter and Harry looked at each other before shuffling away sheepishly.
"Pete. I'll see you later. Don't forget our study session."
Harry told him, leaving with a small wave.
"Dude. Are you okay?"
Ned approached Peter just as I pressed in the combination to my locker. I didn't have much to actually carry. But I did come with the Sherlock Holmes book.
It had grabbed my attention. This being a parallel earth, the books were written with different plot lines. Even some of the Characters were different. Moriarty was a woman for instant.
Things had changed from me wanting to create a Mind Palace to me actually being invested in the storyline. I was also thinking of coming up with a skill that let me assume Astral Form. This would allow my body to rest while I practiced my powers or studied.
If Strange could do it within a few weeks of learning the Mystic arts then as someone with the legacy of Solomon, I was more than capable of the same.
Besides it was not like I could call on Solomon to help me out with this. I hadn't heard from him again since the dream. I had been trying to reach out but you can't exactly reach out when there's nothing on the other end.
In a way I was fine with it. Minimal supervision meant I could do this my way. The choices I would make and the consequences produced as a result would be mine.
"Seems like we share a few classes."
Peter commented after I had handed him my schedule.
We walked down the hall with many people staring and pointing at me as if I was some sort of celebrity or the second coming of Christ. It was annoying.
"Are they usually interested in a new comer like this?"
I asked, finally having had enough. Someone had tried to take a picture of me without my consent. I almost crushed their phone with TK but instead the glare was enough to have them running away.
Peter snorted.
"It's different when the new comer stands up to the biggest bully in school."
"Stories shall be told through these hallowed halls of your bravery. Of Billy the Bully breaker!"
Ned said theatrically.
"Bully Breaker? That somehow sounds worse than the Spot.
I said with a raised eyebrow.
Peter laughed his ass off.
"Name pending."
Ned added quickly.
"How about the Flashinator?!"
Peter asked and Ned and I looked at each other.
Despite knowing he wasn't being serious, I wanted to tease him a little.
"Yeah...maybe stick to something else Pete. Names aren't really your thing."
(Billy's P.O.V)
Most of the day was spent learning which lessons were in which classes, prodding the suspicious cafeteria food (that's 3 dollars I'll never get back) and lastly dealing with the awkwardness of being the new student.
I couldn't wait for the week to end. The mission description on attending Midtown high had changed to reflect my own decision to give the place a week.
Now I had to wait that exact amount of time before I could decide whether to ditch or not. One week where I would have to sleep on the floor in liew of not having a bed anymore.
Peter introduced me to...huh... actually it was just him and Ned. There was also the strange and snarky Michelle 'MJ' Jones sitting at the same table as us during lunch period. She sort of waltzed in and introduced herself though.
"So you're the new guy."
A tray with a single apple on it was laid next to me as a beautiful brown skinned girl took a seat. She had frizzy chestnut hair and a bored but slightly curious expression on her face.
"The name's Michelle Jones, don't wear it out."
"Of course it would be so much easier to call you MJ, if there wasn't another more popular and better liked MJ."
Ned spoke without thinking.
Michelle narrowed her eyes while taking an aggressive bite off her apple.
Ned looked terrified for a bit.
"Uh, he saved Pete from getting his ass kicked."
The intimidated boy eagerly added, trying to change the subject.
"I wasn't about to get my ass kicked."
Peter cut in, stabbing into his vegetables angrily.
"Any minute and I would have had him."
"What?" Michelle snorted.
"Your quick mouth couldn't save you fast enough this time?"
Ned laughed at the dig.
Even I couldn't stop the smile that appeared on my face. I didn't join in the convo. And I was happy that they didn't press me too much for questions.
Only asking the bare minimum like where I was from, what school I went to before coming here and etc.
My mind was somewhere else.
I was studying the Cafeteria. At the crowds of students. All these people, they were as real as real can get. They weren't simple cartoon characters following a plot. They talked and thought like real people.
I learned a lot from their minds. It was still the surface thoughts though. I never pushed deeper. Although, the better I got at Telepathy the more I could see more without putting conscious thought to it. Flashes of images.
Solomon's Legacy was overpowered. The day before, while looking for the Sherlock Holmes books, I tried to read a few foreign subjects and voila, I could understand them.
Out of all the Psionic abilities I had access to, this ability was the most magical. It's not that I could suddenly read Mandarin, I just understood what the words meant.
I couldn't write in it which was a bummer. But I could at least understand any foreign language.
While on commute to the school, I sat beside a middle aged man in a suit speaking in Russian. His mother was asking him why he never visited.
It opened new avenues. There were magic systems like the one used in Elder Scrolls that invoked feats of power by uttering a few Draconic words. What if I could tap into that particular system and extend my ability to learn and understand any language?
Every minute, I was finding out so many uses for Solomon's legacy.
On adjusting to life as the new kid, I was glad that I'd met the main characters so fast. As stated previously, this stank of a plotline.
Peter, Michelle, Harry and Ned were in 11th grade, so Sophomores.
Flash, MJ and who I suspected was Liz Allen (I hadn't bothered to look into her mind) were Seniors. Another thing was that the characters slightly resembled the actors that played them.
Peter Parker resembled Tom Holland a little, only taller while slightly lacking a bit of Tom's muscular build. Ned was of asian descent and overweight, Michelle Jones shared the same looks as Zendaya, the beauty only dialed up to 11 to fit the comic book pretty image.
Harry had a different lunch period but were he here, their friend group would be full. Though I noticed he and the others weren't as close as I might have expected.
So far they all matched with the image I had of them in my mind. But seeing them joke around with one another, just like any normal teenagers served to remind me that this was all real. Somehow, I couldn't see myself getting over that particular sense of awe. I was in a fictional world, with superpowers.
"Hey, you okay?"
Peter asked in concern from across the table. Ned was showing Michelle something on his phone.
"Yeah. Sorry, I zoned out a little."
I replied.
Peter nodded but I could still see the questions on his face and inside his mind. He was wondering why he found me bleeding in an alley.
He was also thinking about the Ancient One. He had never seen her before. Maybe she was part of some secret Avenger's taskforce? One that dealt with the threats the Avengers couldn't handle? Even Spiderman had a few villains that were sometimes too much for him.
I chuckled inwardly, he had no idea how close his guess was. The Sorcerer Supreme and the rest of her mystical practitioners did in fact deal with threats the Avengers couldn't handle.
Still, I wasn't ready to answer any of those questions.
"Can I ask you something. About physics class."
So the alternative was to change the subject.
Pete perked up.
"I'm mostly into Bio-chem but go ahead."
Back in Physics class, the lesson had been on Magnetism. And that had gotten me thinking.
"What is easier? Controlling an object or controlling an object's magnetic field?"
I questioned.
Peter blinked. It was a strange question, all things considered. I had an idea I wanted to pursue but I would have liked to hear a genius's thoughts before proceeding.
"Umm, well In general, it is usually easier to control the movement of an object directly rather than manipulating its magnetic field to move it."
He started, grabbing a pencil from Michelle's notebook. The girl glared.
"Break it and I break you."
Peter shivered, placing the pencil before him on the table. It's side facing him.
"And that's because directly controlling the movement of an object can often involve simpler and more straightforward mechanisms, such as applying a force or torque to the object."
He demonstrated by pushing the pencil and watching it roll a bit, only stopping because it wasn't perfectly round, only hexagonal.
"Whereas manipulating the magnetic field to move the object can require more complex and specialized equipment."
I completely understood what he was saying. Either as an effect of him simplifying it or my own enhanced mental acuity.
"However, there may be situations where manipulating the magnetic field to move an object is more practical or efficient. For example, in certain industrial processes or medical procedures, magnetic fields can be used to move small objects or particles with very high precision and control."
He rattled off.
"And Additionally, some scientific experiments or technological applications may require the use of magnetic fields to manipulate objects or particles in ways that would be difficult or impossible to achieve through direct physical manipulation."
He concluded.
Telekinesis was a powerful ability. However, I only had one good example of someone using it the right way. By the right way, I mean evolving from basically moving objects around, to moving objects on the micro-scale. Manipulating molecules and atoms. And that one example was Jean Grey.
It could be argued that the only reason she could do all that was because of the entity inside her. The Phoenix Force. Which was also the cosmic hub for all psionic abilities. Meaning all telepaths, telekinetics or people who could manipulate psychic energy got their powers from it. It was kinda like the Flash and the speed force. Only the former category got their powers from the Phoenix Force.
Regardless, manipulating molecules was currently out of my reach. My control was not at that level yet. However, there was a closer goal. Manipulating the Magnetic field of an object. Like Magneto.
The Mutant Supremacist had a very useful X-Gene. Among Earth's most powerful mutants, Magneto's abilities were basically limitless.
He could manipulate all forms of magnetism, summon force fields and shoot electromagnetic pulses that can disable electronic devices.
Magneto could mess with the Earth's polarity.
Magneto could extract the iron contained in someone's blood.
Yikes.
Me want!
Of course I had to be realistic. It would take years to reach his level in magnetic field manipulation alone. Luckily, I wasn't going to simply be another version of him.
I only needed to pick up what could be useful to the current me. Once the other legacies kick in, I will be more well rounded. So anything that I would eventually get was currently off the table. No super strength or lightning manipulation. Oh and also anything that TK could do was also out.
It didn't leave me with a lot of options though. I mean I could train myself to better repel bullets shot at me but TK could do that too. And it provided better options. Like a protective hard coating of Psionic energy over my skin.
The only useful avenue for Magnetism manipulation would be to restrain criminals once I started going out. Maybe by controlling metal wires to form cuffs. Or simply controlling the metal contained in their blood stream.
Regardless, I needed to set aside time to pursue this path as well.
"Thanks. That helped more than you know."
I smiled at Peter.
The day seemed to slog on slowly. It wasn't accurate to say I was bored but my initial thought of this being a waste of my time was right. The lessons were almost a rehash of my former life's except maybe the history part.
The History teacher was deeply interested in Captain America's exploits during WW2. He gave us an assignment to write a comprehensive report on the Howling Commandos.
Which meant, I had to hit up the Library again. Could I get the info I needed by using my phone? Yes. Was I using this as an excuse to go to the library again? Definitely.
(Billy's P.O.V)
It was almost the end of the week. Tomorrow was Friday.
Despite the four days in Midtown High, I still felt as if my time could be better put to use somewhere else. Like for example, setting up a true base. Living inside the dingy apartment was not a problem but it was hardly what you would expect from a champion of the gods.
I had decided, if I was going to do this then I was going to do it the right way. The original Shazam had the Rock of Eternity. I wasn't in luck. There was no ultra powerful Wizard to hand that out to me while he fucked over to somewhere.
I only had myself to count on.
That led me to a few more options since I was still not joining Shield or leeching off Tony. There were pocket dimensions scattered across the Earth. It wouldn't be too hard to find one to use as my base.
Or I could also take over Latveria. Yesterday, a section of the city was destroyed as the Avengers fought Dr. Doom. The megalomaniac genius scientist, leader and sorcerer had wrested control of the Midgard Serpent by using a weapon from Asgard.
The Avengers came out on top and Doom had unceremoniously banished into the Asgardian Underworld, home to the Rock Trolls. His castle was ripe for the taking...then again, I probably wouldn't make it past the entrance.
That idea was quickly discarded. Which meant I had to seek out my own base. Even if I decided not to leave the apartment, mixing superhero stiff with real life was a recipe for disaster. I wasn't hopeful about the Dimension thing either. Just an abandoned warehouse hidden from view would suffice.
And it seems as if the gods were smiling down upon me. Through some luck, I had come across something similar to a warehouse. It wasn't exactly viable due to the distance from my apartment but it was in a section of the city that was mostly abandoned due to the Chitauri invasion 3 years ago.
After another soulless day at school, I stood in the center of the abandoned factory, surrounded by rusted machinery and dusty equipment. The open space and isolated location was perfect for practicing my telekinetic abilities without fear of causing damage.
It wasn't a perfect base but for a training space, it was sufficient.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, focusing my mind on the crates and barrels scattered around the room.
With a flick of my wrist, I lifted the closest crate off the ground and held it suspended in mid-air. I concentrated on maintaining my hold on the crate while reaching out to another object, a large metal barrel in the corner of the room.
Slight pressure on my temples became apparent but it was not as bad as it could have been 4 days ago. It took a moment to stabilize the hold on the barrel, but soon I had both objects floating in the air, both controlled by hand movements. A slight chuckle escaped my lips. I was actually doing it.
I felt a surge of excitement as I began to move the objects around even faster, twirling them in the air like a baton twirler.
The crate and barrel moved in perfect harmony, as if they were extensions of my own body. I grinned to myself, reveling in the feeling of power that came with manipulating objects with just my thoughts.
2 days ago and keeping my bag suspended next to a single book used to give me immobilizing headaches. And now, now I could do this.
As I continued to practice, I began to experiment with more complex maneuvers. I lifted a stack of crates with the motion of my left hand, while controlling the movement of a conveyor belt with my right despite the lack of power in the building.
It was tricky to keep both objects in check, but I felt a sense of accomplishment as I managed to handle the complex mechanism of the conveyor belt.
But I wasn't satisfied with just moving objects around the room. I wanted to push my abilities to the limit and achieve my ultimate goal-the ability to fly. Getting around the city would be easier with flight in my repertoire.
I had been training this skill for the last few days. All I had managed to achieve was a brief levitation, where my body was suspended in the air for a few seconds before the load became too much.
But this morning I woke up and just knew. The day before, I had used most of the money I had left to your the city, specifically the locations that had been affected the most by the invasion.
I had decided to therefore go out the next day which was a Saturday. So I needed to be able to fly of I was to go around the city saving people.
I closed my eyes, clearing my mind and only leaving behind a mantra.
'I need to fly.' ' I need to fly.'
'No, I Want to fly', I reaffirmed with determination.
Breath escaped my lips as I focused all my energy on creating a telekinetic shell around my body. Slowly, like a soft cascading curtain, I was enclosed in a blue cloak.
The pressure on the sides of my head increased but I could handle it.
It took all my concentration to maintain the shell, but I felt a sense of exhilaration as I slowly lifted off the ground.
I hovered in mid-air for a few seconds, feeling a small breeze blow against my face. It was a thrilling sensation, but I knew I had to keep practicing if I wanted to become truly proficient. I imagined moving to the left, only for my my body to shoot towards the wall in a burst of speed.
"Whoa, too fast! Too faaast!"
I let out a telekinetic blast at the wall, leaving an imprint that had cracks running out of it's form. I was pushed away by the rebound, twisting my body and tightly holding onto the control of the shell around me, before I kissed the floor with my face.
Slowly, I reoriented my body. And then just as slowly, I begun waving my hands in a swimming motion. My cheeks were aflame in embarrassment. However it seemed to work to balance my posture.
After a few minutes, I flew around the factory easily but slowly, dodging debris and obstacles, honing my skills and strengthening my telekinetic shell.
I couldn't stop the surge of pride as I landed back in the ground.
I still had a long way to go before I could truly master all the abilities at my disposal. For now, the abandoned factory was the perfect place to practice and explore the full extent of my powers.
(Later on)
I was expecting the mission rewards to appear any minute now. I'd spent a full week in Midtown high and despite the fear that something would happen to the school while I was there, it was a fairly quiet week. All things considered. (this was Marvel after all.)
Tonight I had used most of the money I had left, to buy some groceries and actually have a home cooked meal. I had been surviving off instant ramen and takeout. I missed the taste of my own decently cooked food.
It was also an extension to my training. A normal person would have blinked in surprise at the knife chopping apart the ingredients. Using Telekinesis to cook, ain't that an enviable skill.
The spices were measured to the exact amount, vegetables chopped and sliced the right way, heat measured to the exact degree. It was clumsy at first but intuitive to the point that my apartment was filled with the delicious scent of stir fry.
That was until something literally crashed through the walls of my apartment, destroying the window and shredding apart my stove.
The knife went through the ceiling as I lost control of it in a blind panic, throwing up a spherical shield around my body for protection.
The shield received the impact fairly well as we crashed through the thin walls separating the bathroom from the kitchen. My head ached a little bit I was otherwise unhurt.
I groaned, rising to my feet as the pipe in the bathroom started splashing water across the shattered room. I scrambled out, pushing the ceramic pieces of the bathtub away as my bare feet walked out to see what had attacked me.
My body sang with energy. I kept the tight shroud of psionic energy over my skin in preparation. This was going to be my first true fight.
The red hulk like creature that had clashed onto my shield, sending both of us into the bathroom growled getting to it's feet.
My body froze. It had it's back to me but it was so...huge. It's back muscles rippled under the one piece costume it wore. The creature rumbled forward still not noticing me. My eyes were wide open as it tore off the bricks around the hole it's body had created.
"The Hulk is truly powerful! Red Skull didn't lie! This battle shall be glorious!"
The red skinned monster roared in battle lust, a blood thirsty smile on his face. He didn't even spare a look my way before jumping out through the same hole. I watched it leap across dozens of tall buildings in one simple action.
It was gone. I had... survived.
Relief fell gripped me. I was...alive. I walked forward, knees wobbling while staring around. Yeah I was alive but the damage to my apartment was extensive.
The window and an entire section of wall facing the street was destroyed. The new York night life revealed to my sight. I could see people taking videos and pictures from the sidewalk. Sirens sounded out from afar.
The interior was worse. The oven was nothing but clashed metal, my mattress had blown off into the street and my bathroom was leaking water.
It was so... inconsiderate of him. Of them.
No really. You have to understand. A civilized person at least acknowledges their mistakes. This thing basically crashed through my apartment, did damage and then fucked his way off.
It made me mad. Very very mad. Mad enough that the fear washed away, replaced by a cold fury that wanted nothing but revenge on the creature for taking away the only thing I had!
I might have looked down on the rundown apartment but it was mine! By God it was.
I roared, energy bursting out of my pores in a wave of a bright rainbow like aura. And then I was off, flying through the hole in my apartment while following the path of the red creature.
Their Psionic trail was easily distinguishable from normal people. I could differentiate between the two distinct brainwaves, the thousands of New Yorkers passing under me as I flew in pursuit to the Alien creature.
I cleared 5 blocks before arriving at the scene.
My body came crashing down onto a street that was destroyed. A car was burning near the entrance to a flower shop and the Hulk was sending shockwaves rippling out while battling with two red skinned humanoid beings.
The psionic trail led to one of the creatures.
I lashed out with a hand and all the worry, desperation, confusion, anger and hatred I had accumulated over the last week came out in one large burst of power.
A telekinetic wave that was indiscriminate, unavoidable and powerful. It did not distinguish between foe or friend so the Hulk as well as the pair of red skinned muscular aliens dressed in a one piece were all thrown away.
Concrete, wood and metal making up the flower shop were shredded as pieces of glass shattered due to the blast.
The trio crashed onto the wall of a building before I even knew what was happening.
I blinked and reality came crashing down on me. A man in a red and yellow colored armor landed before me, his face plate retracting as he stared.
"Okay Kid, calm down."
Iron man raised his hands in the air. And that's when I realized, I had a shit ton of debris floating around me, ready to shoot out and impale/crush my enemy.
(General P.O.V)
Tony Stark was a genius. That was a well known consensus. Being a genius enabled him to lead a lifestyle very different from a normal person. His mind gave him the necessary tools to stand shoulder to shoulder with gods, monsters and spies. In other words, he had seen a lot.
This...was near the top of the crazy shit he'd witnessed.
It first begun with Jarvis informing him of the fast moving object headed towards where the Hulk was fighting the Blood Brothers, notorious alien mercenaries that as a pair were more than a match for Hulk's strength.
"Cap, Falcon heads up, we've got incoming!"
Iron Man's statement came in a bit too late as Captain America threw his shield, hitting Falcon on the side to throw him away from the object's path.
Falcon pushed off from the impact of the shield, reorienting his flight by using the thrusters under his jetpack to push towards the sky. The shield bounced off a fire hydrant before rushing back to Captain America's hand.
Barely a second later, a teenage boy landed on the already smashed street, causing cracks to run up the tarmac.
"Sir, I sense a great build up of unknown energy within him."
A new screen appeared on Iron Man's interface. One filled with a diagram of the boy's form showing red waves of energy wafting off him.
"Everybody take cover!"
Iron man yelled through the comms, flying higher to escape the range of the burst of pressure that propelled the Hulk and the Blood Brothers through the flower shop and onto another building an entire street over.
"Widow, tell me there were no civilians in that building."
Cap called out as he got to his feet. He'd used his vibranium shield to endure the stray shockwaves.
"Affirmative. Hawkeye and I had the cops create a cordon around the area. It was evacuated minutes before the Hulk and his buddies decided to see who could punch harder."
The spy said, her hover car doing a round above where the Hulk and the pair of brothers had landed.
"Wow, I never thought Thor could hit that hard."
Hawkeye said, swinging off a roof to land next to said god on the shattered pavement.
"It was not me, Archer." Thor corrected, pointing his hammer towards the dust cloud in the middle of the road. The dust and smoke settled, revealing a tornado of debris rotating around the boy.
"That boy did it. I see Midgard is still producing fine warriors!"
Thor complimented.
With a roar from his thrusters, IronMan landed on the street before the other Avengers.
The boy turned to stare at them, eyes glowing with a blue color. A frown was imprinted on his face.
"Okay Kid. Calm Down."
The armored Tony said, holding his hands up.
"Jarvis, run a facial recognition."
He added quietly.
The AI got right down on the job.
"Avengers?"
The teen muttered in surprise, his earlier anger seeming to cool down.
"Good."
Tony sighed to Jarvis.
"I don't know how we could have handled another angry teenager."
He was referring to Molecule Kid, the son of Molecule Man who had been using his father's powerful technology to reshape matter. The kid had gone into a rampage and almost destroyed New York, a week earlier.
Then a roar sounded out, cutting off Tony's thought.
Oh shit. He knew what that roar meant. Someone green was angry.
The source was the hole on the side of the apartment complex the Hulk and the Blood Brothers had crashed through.
The bellow of rage was followed by a devasting punch that launched one of the brothers out into the sky, a powerful shockwave following along, pushing everything away.
Tony watched as the expression on the boy changed as he glared at the red skinned alien sent flying by the Hulk. The anger came back and he was off, cutting through the air like a torpedo.
(Billy's P.O.V)
All I remember is seeing the one responsible for bursting apart my apartment. My anger came surging out and with it was my Psionic energy roared in defiance.
I blasted off towards the sky, clearing the distance between the alien and I with a devastating punch that caused the debris around me to slam onto him like bullets from a machine gun.
The force pushed him further away. The alien's body smashed the side of a skyscraper with it's shoulders, chipping a chunk of metal, glass and concrete off, before falling towards the highway.
Oh no! There were cars on the road and the end of a yellow tape cordoning off the zone behind us. The Avengers must have had it put up to keep the fight contained within the few blocks.
I urged my flight speed to increase. A trail of rainbow light trailed after me as I swooped down, grabbing onto the Alien's ankle before he could land on top of a minivan. There were shouts and yells as people ducked down in fright.
I grunted at the Alien's weight. I was reaching the limit of what I could carry with my TK. And he wasn't helping as he thrashed around.
Despite my anger I knew we couldn't afford a fight near so many people. So I spun and threw him away, aiming for the cordoned off area we had initially come from.
I flew after him, ignoring the blood dripping from my nose while pushing his body with telekinesis, one hand held before me. We tore through a billboard showing the wanted image of Spiderman.
The daily bugle had put up an a cash prize for Spiderman's pictures. 1000 dollars. Huh, maybe I should collect it.
I came rushing in with a knee on it's chest, digging it deeper onto the brick courtyard of a park. A fountain was in the middle to our left. I felt half a dozen scared minds ran away as people escaped the scene.
"The apartment was all I had, you fucking bastard!"
I screamed myself hoarse, pouring most of my psionic energy into my hands. My fists lit up in a blue glow as I landed punches on the Alien's tough face.
My knuckles hurt but I was relentless, throwing blows that were strong enough to crack the ground and make it tremble.
Despite that, it's face had taken no apparent damage apart from him being a little dazed. I was still not strong enough.
"Brother!"
A yell sounded out and following it was a devastating backhand to my right cheek. The blow saw me thrown towards a fountain, blasting through a few trees before finally getting stopped by a wall.
I lay there, embedded in the structure while trying to catch my breath. No matter how hard I tried to breath, my chest still felt needy and hollow.
The only reason I survived that was my TK shield. Pressure begun building up in my temples.
There was a loud crash followed by a snarl. Through the passage I had created in the small forest, I saw the Hulk land onto the ground ontop of one of the aliens.
"HULK STRONGEST THERE IS!"
The big guy roared, stomping a leg onto his opponent. The blow was so powerful I felt it despite the distance between us. Birds rose up to the air, flying away.
Wait, where is the other one?
A mind entered my range from the sky. I looked up and saw the form of the other alien bearing down at me with a punch pulled back and a manic smile on it's face.
I brought my hands forward in a guard while also pulling any loose material I could find to form a shield before me.
The punch landed and the entire building shook, but the wall held. The two benches and dumpster I had pulled off the ground to create my impromptu shield, shattered and bent respectively.
The alien stabbed it's fingers onto the side of the wall, preparing another punch.
"I will kill you brat! No one hurts my brother! R'Hos of the Blood Brothers will smash you to paste!"
The alien yelled, it's stinky breath buffeting my face.
I reinforced my personal shield, gritting my teeth.
"Get a breath mint you fucking idiot!"
I shot back, still peeved about my day getting ruined.
'This next hit will be tough. It will probably push us through the building and into a room. In such an enclosed space, I wouldn't be able to escape him since he seems to react faster than I can. I will also be limited in how I can use my flight. So, I can't let him corner me.' All this went through my mind in a split second. Was this an enhancement from Solomon's legacy?
In any case it was clear I had to retaliate faster than he could land his attack. So I pulled away power from my Psionic shield, leaving me unguarded. On the other hand, I would hit him hard enough to throw his body across the street. It was a risk I was willing to take.
Only for Thor's bloody Hammer to slam onto R'Hos, throwing him away to create a groove across the street. Mjolnir returned to the god's hand just as I extracted myself from the wall.
A headache instantly assaulted me. I descended to the ground slowly, landing on a knee while massaging my head. I guess I hadn't ever used my powers that much before.
"You okay Kid?"
A pair of red boots appeared in my vision. I looked up and saw a gloved hand. And belonging to that hand...was Captain America.
I grabbed his palm and got up, still surprised at seeing the very real Steve Rogers before me. I had grown up reading his comic books. He wasn't my favorite Avenger, that honor goes to Black Widow and yes, it's for 'those' reasons.
And on an unbiased opinion, Iron Man was the most important member of the Avengers but Captain America was the ideal the team lived by. He was the glue.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
I finally found my voice and replied.
Then cursed myself for getting distracted in a battlefield. My Psionic shield flickered on and off as I tried to access my psionic energy. It wasn't a problem of needing reserves but more of how much power I could handle.
Meanwhile the fight was still going on. A rocket slammed infront of one of the Blood Brother's feet. Unfortunately, the Hulk had jumped in at that precise moment and was blown back as well, smashing through a few cars.
"Sorry."
Iron Man winced, audible through Cap's ear piece.
"STAAARRRKK!"
The Hulk roared as he extracted himself from the wrecked car.
"Iron Man fall back for now. Thor let's move in to intercept the Blood Brothers. They seem to be focusing on the Hulk and that doesn't sit well with me."
Captain America rattled off orders as he wound up his hand and threw the shield onto one of the aliens that had managed to get behind the Hulk.
Thor flew to the sky and thunder rumbled high in the clouds.
The shield was intercepted by R'Hos before it could land on his brother, separating him from the Hulk. This close to my telepathic range and I could tell the two aliens apart.
Of course! It was like a bolt of lightning went through me. Telepathy seemed to be working! I didn't need to just fight by moving things with my mind! I could control minds too duh! Kinda.
Never really tried to influence someone's mind before. It always seemed like a steep and slippery slope. Still, there's a first time for everything.
I held out my hand and begun to focus. R'Hos' mind was different from a normal person's. It felt less compact. Not dumb exactly just a different way of prioritizing things.
In a way it was very simple to change the stimulus he was reserving from his sensory organs. Which is why instead of dodging the arrow from Hawkeye, I made him jump towards it.
The arrow smacked onto his chest and exploded throwing him to the ground. Yes! I fucking did it!
Strong arms grabbed my shoulders as I suddenly felt weak. My head started pounding ten times harder and I couldn't hear what Captain America was saying.
Inwardly I was happy. Happy that I'd had my revenge. Happy that I hadn't been useless. Happy that my practice had paid off.
Then everything changed when a green mist was exuded from a device on Hulk's back. The Falcon tried to fly around it, funneling it towards the sky but it was too late for us. I started hacking as I breathed it in.
Then I saw black.
::-::
This chapter is part of the Hulked Out Avengers in the animated series of the Avengers.
The fic is not strictly M.C.U. I've changed a few things.