Chapter 5: King-pin
More chapters on my (P)atreon at Saintbarbido.
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(General P.O.V)
"Sierra 2, come in."
The Club's security called into his radio.
He had been observing the live footage of the club and hadn't spotted the patrols on the back section of the club.
Only static answered him.
"Sierra 2, do you copy?"
The guard called out once more. There was no response.
He made eye contact with his colleague, who was seated next to him in the surveillance room. The colleague shrugged.
"You know Mike, maybe he's on a smoke break."
The first guard shook his head, standing up from his seat.
"Mike is unreliable but Ian is a professional. He wouldn't go silent on us. Not tonight."
The guard gave the radio two clicks, opening the main channel.
"All units, converge on Sierra 2's location."
He turned to his partner.
"Inform the boss we have company."
(Billy's P.O.V)
The first sign of trouble ironically didn't come from the Basement.
No, the first sign of trouble was due to something we hadn't anticipated. The men outside, the very first ones we had dealt with, missed their call up.
In an instant, I felt the 10 minds belonging to Kingpin's men; the ones guarding the club, start walking towards a hallway that wouldn't you know...led towards the fucking basement.
I had been meditating in midair but with a sigh, I floated down to the cold ground as the goons poured in from the upper floor.
"We have... friends. Nothing I can't handle."
I informed Daredevil, speaking to his mind.
He had just dealt with the 7 inside the basement.
"Good. Keep them busy. I'm approaching the final door."
He replied, surprisingly good at mental communication.
The door banged open. I raised my palm and waved at the first guy to come through.
"Hi there, I seem to be lost. Could you show me the way to the bathroom?"
He blinked, then immediately answered with a hail of bullets. They slammed onto my shield and flattened, falling to the floor.
I raised an eyebrow.
"That clearly didn't work."
"Mutie!"
He yelled then begun to lift his gun again. Frowning at the name, I flicked my wrist, slapping him to the side of the wall with telekinesis.
Breath left him and he dropped the gun, which clattered to the ground.
The second guy was already in the middle of pulling the trigger when I pushed the first guy's body back, bowling over the rest like bowling pins.
My feet left the ground as I leaned forward and flew towards them with a smile that promised pain.
"Fall back! He's one of those fucking capes!"
One of the guys said, hurrying back through the door.
"Where do you think you're..."
My words were cut off as the entry way was occupied by another goon, this one had something different in his hands.
A huge glowing high tech gun. He held it closer to his hip like fucking Rambo and smiled.
"Kingpin sends his regards."
The weapon charged up, glowing blue.
I only had time to reinforce the TK aura around my body before a glowing blue energy beam slammed into me.
I sailed back, concrete giving under my back, then I was out of the building, the city lights flashing above me.
I unceremoniously slammed into a dumpster, bending and shredding the metal under my TK aura.
I laid there for a single second, just trying to catch my breath. My shield could take a punch from someone with super-strength.
Kinda(I like to think I held up pretty well during the fight with the Blood brothers.)
But something about that energy weapon rubbed me the wrong way and it wasn't that it hurt like a bitch.
And as I rose up from the dented remains of the dumpster, I growled in realization.
"That was a Chitauri gun. Fuck, guess the Vulture and his group of tech salvagers are active. And in business too."
The presence of those weapons showed that this mission had elevated in difficulty.
We could die here if we weren't careful.
I needed to inform Daredevil. He didn't have a TK aura like I did. Getting shot by one of those guns would leave a smoking hole in his body.
I got up from the remains of the dumpster, my TK aura pulsing blue.
"Get off my turf! I found this! It's my space!"
A croaky voice shouted from beside me. The source of the voice being a homeless guy with a beanie and a scruffy beard inside a box house.
"Okay okay, Old geezer no need to get worked up."
I raised my hands, floating up.
"Whoa...Jesus?"
The homeless guy called out in a awed tone.
"Not him."
I answered, surveying the club.
I could hear and sense the commotion from within as the men ran down the staircase leading into the backdoor.
I reached into their minds seeking to send them to sleep by shutting down their minds, only to frown.
"Dammit. Too many of them to risk it."
This was a relatively new skill that always left me almost drained. I could maybe take 2 out before the familiar headache leered it's head.
Shutting down minds wasn't exactly easy. The victim's own mental presence would fight you.
I could push through it but as it was a skill highly dependent on achieving a calm disposition to execute, forcing it would do more harm than good to the victim.
I'd just been hit by an energy gun, so I wasn't exactly calm. That said, I didn't want to kill or irreversibly mentally harm anyone, so the hard way it was.
I pulled the TK aura close to me.
With Supervillains, I could kick their ass without concern but the rest were just normal bad dudes who may or may not want to do this.
'So don't hit them too hard, Billy.'
I told myself.
Then again...these were human traffickers, could I afford to go easy on them?
The answer was no. I flew closer enough that Daredevil was in my range once more.
"Daredevil, we have a problem. They have Chitauri weaponry. I think this might have been a...
(General P.O.V)
(A few minutes prior)
"Trap."
Dare Devil said, looking around the final room.
He had made short work of the 7 men outside; although a lot of kicking had been involved.
Oh and also the sounds of bones breaking. He had no mercy for King-pin's men. They were sick and twisted just like the head honcho.
He had then moved on towards the room the kid hadn't been able to sense. He had stopped before the door, tilting his head to the side to listen.
24 heartbeats.
12 racing in fear, pulse elevated to almost panicking levels.
11 hearts also beating fast, these ones were more in anticipation colored with dread.
2 out of those 11 were standing right on the sides of the door inside the room, waiting for him.
And finally 1 heart which was pumping calmly.
He opened the door, arms raised.
Immediately 2 guns were pointed at his temples from both sides. He ignored the little voice mocking the two underlings because of the risk of friendly fire if they tried to shoot.
To his front, stood the King-pin.
"I see you retain reason, for a man dressed in the way you are."
The Kingpin said, a larger than life figure dressed in a white ivory suit and a gold chain hanging from his neck.
He stood infront of some more of his men, who had guns trained behind the heads of 12 scared girls.
The girls were shivering in fear and crying. Some of them had bruises on their arms and thighs.
DareDevil gritted his teeth, wanting to do nothing else but teach King-pin and his men the meaning of pain.
But ultimately, the girl's safety came first. He let go of his anger.
"I Know you'll kill them if I do anything. So I won't. Let them go."
Daredevil calmly spoke, head tilted as he stepped closer, holding his batons up, before proceeding to place them on the ground.
They would kill the girls and then shoot him before he could make a move on Fisk. Daredevil could tell it from their twitching muscles.
Fisk motioned to the men on either side of the man without fear. One of them placed cuffs on Daredevil's wrists, locking his hands behind his back.
"You have been a thorn in my side for a long time."
Fisk started, popping the buttons of his shirt while removing his suit jacket.
DareDevil came to a stop a few feet away from the larger man. This was a familiar dance to them.
"So you lured me here by staging a fake rescue attempt."
Daredevil said.
"But of course." King-pin nodded as he folded the sleeves of his shirt.
"I am going to usher in a new dawn for this city. You see, Vigilante, I have come across an untapped resource."
King Pin waved a hand. One of his men walked to the back of the room where rows upon rows of crates were stacked on top of each other.
The underling opened the lid and removed a weapon, then they brought it forward.
"A way to fight the good fight. Technology that seems to agree with my cause of destroying this city and then rebuilding it."
The gun was placed in Fisk's hands and he raised it up, showing a familiarity as the weapon pulsed, active.
"You will never win. Even if you take me out. There are others who will fight."
Daredevil told him fearlessly.
The King-Pin turned the high tech gun towards Matt.
"I wonder when I started hating you."
Fisk begun.
"Was it because you cost me nearly millions? Or because you hurt my reputation?"
He shook his head, eyes burning with malicious intent.
"No. I hate you because of your fucking hypocrisy."
Fisk pulled the trigger.
(General P.O.V)
"Sierra 2, come in."
The Club's security called into his radio.
He had been observing the live footage of the club and hadn't spotted the patrols on the back section of the club.
Only static answered him.
"Sierra 2, do you copy?"
The guard called out once more. There was no response.
He made eye contact with his colleague, who was seated next to him in the surveillance room. The colleague shrugged.
"You know Mike, maybe he's on a smoke break."
The first guard shook his head, standing up from his seat.
"Mike is unreliable but Ian is a professional. He wouldn't go silent on us. Not tonight."
The guard gave the radio two clicks, opening the main channel.
"All units, converge on Sierra 2's location."
He turned to his partner.
"Inform the boss we have company."
(Billy's P.O.V)
The first sign of trouble ironically didn't come from the Basement.
No, the first sign of trouble was due to something we hadn't anticipated. The men outside, the very first ones we had dealt with, missed their call up.
In an instant, I felt the 10 minds belonging to Kingpin's men; the ones guarding the club, start walking towards a hallway that wouldn't you know...led towards the fucking basement.
I had been meditating in midair but with a sigh, I floated down to the cold ground as the goons poured in from the upper floor.
"We have... friends. Nothing I can't handle."
I informed Daredevil, speaking to his mind.
He had just dealt with the 7 inside the basement.
"Good. Keep them busy. I'm approaching the final door."
He replied, surprisingly good at mental communication.
The door banged open. I raised my palm and waved at the first guy to come through.
"Hi there, I seem to be lost. Could you show me the way to the bathroom?"
He blinked, then immediately answered with a hail of bullets. They slammed onto my shield and flattened, falling to the floor.
I raised an eyebrow.
"That clearly didn't work."
"Mutie!"
He yelled then begun to lift his gun again. Frowning at the name, I flicked my wrist, slapping him to the side of the wall with telekinesis.
Breath left him and he dropped the gun, which clattered to the ground.
The second guy was already in the middle of pulling the trigger when I pushed the first guy's body back, bowling over the rest like bowling pins.
My feet left the ground as I leaned forward and flew towards them with a smile that promised pain.
"Fall back! He's one of those fucking capes!"
One of the guys said, hurrying back through the door.
"Where do you think you're..."
My words were cut off as the entry way was occupied by another goon, this one had something different in his hands.
A huge glowing high tech gun. He held it closer to his hip like fucking Rambo and smiled.
"Kingpin sends his regards."
The weapon charged up, glowing blue.
I only had time to reinforce the TK aura around my body before a glowing blue energy beam slammed into me.
I sailed back, concrete giving under my back, then I was out of the building, the city lights flashing above me.
I unceremoniously slammed into a dumpster, bending and shredding the metal under my TK aura.
I laid there for a single second, just trying to catch my breath. My shield could take a punch from someone with super-strength.
Kinda(I like to think I held up pretty well during the fight with the Blood brothers.)
But something about that energy weapon rubbed me the wrong way and it wasn't that it hurt like a bitch.
And as I rose up from the dented remains of the dumpster, I growled in realization.
"That was a Chitauri gun. Fuck, guess the Vulture and his group of tech salvagers are active. And in business too."
The presence of those weapons showed that this mission had elevated in difficulty.
We could die here if we weren't careful.
I needed to inform Daredevil. He didn't have a TK aura like I did. Getting shot by one of those guns would leave a smoking hole in his body.
I got up from the remains of the dumpster, my TK aura pulsing blue.
"Get off my turf! I found this! It's my space!"
A croaky voice shouted from beside me. The source of the voice being a homeless guy with a beanie and a scruffy beard inside a box house.
"Okay okay, Old geezer no need to get worked up."
I raised my hands, floating up.
"Whoa...Jesus?"
The homeless guy called out in a awed tone.
"Not him."
I answered, surveying the club.
I could hear and sense the commotion from within as the men ran down the staircase leading into the backdoor.
I reached into their minds seeking to send them to sleep by shutting down their minds, only to frown.
"Dammit. Too many of them to risk it."
This was a relatively new skill that always left me almost drained. I could maybe take 2 out before the familiar headache leered it's head.
Shutting down minds wasn't exactly easy. The victim's own mental presence would fight you.
I could push through it but as it was a skill highly dependent on achieving a calm disposition to execute, forcing it would do more harm than good to the victim.
I'd just been hit by an energy gun, so I wasn't exactly calm. That said, I didn't want to kill or irreversibly mentally harm anyone, so the hard way it was.
I pulled the TK aura close to me.
With Supervillains, I could kick their ass without concern but the rest were just normal bad dudes who may or may not want to do this.
'So don't hit them too hard, Billy.'
I told myself.
Then again...these were human traffickers, could I afford to go easy on them?
The answer was no. I flew closer enough that Daredevil was in my range once more.
"Daredevil, we have a problem. They have Chitauri weaponry. I think this might have been a...
(General P.O.V)
(A few minutes prior)
"Trap."
Dare Devil said, looking around the final room.
He had made short work of the 7 men outside; although a lot of kicking had been involved.
Oh and also the sounds of bones breaking. He had no mercy for King-pin's men. They were sick and twisted just like the head honcho.
He had then moved on towards the room the kid hadn't been able to sense. He had stopped before the door, tilting his head to the side to listen.
24 heartbeats.
12 racing in fear, pulse elevated to almost panicking levels.
11 hearts also beating fast, these ones were more in anticipation colored with dread.
2 out of those 11 were standing right on the sides of the door inside the room, waiting for him.
And finally 1 heart which was pumping calmly.
He opened the door, arms raised.
Immediately 2 guns were pointed at his temples from both sides. He ignored the little voice mocking the two underlings because of the risk of friendly fire if they tried to shoot.
To his front, stood the King-pin.
"I see you retain reason, for a man dressed in the way you are."
The Kingpin said, a larger than life figure dressed in a white ivory suit and a gold chain hanging from his neck.
He stood infront of some more of his men, who had guns trained behind the heads of 12 scared girls.
The girls were shivering in fear and crying. Some of them had bruises on their arms and thighs.
DareDevil gritted his teeth, wanting to do nothing else but teach King-pin and his men the meaning of pain.
But ultimately, the girl's safety came first. He let go of his anger.
"I Know you'll kill them if I do anything. So I won't. Let them go."
Daredevil calmly spoke, head tilted as he stepped closer, holding his batons up, before proceeding to place them on the ground.
They would kill the girls and then shoot him before he could make a move on Fisk. Daredevil could tell it from their twitching muscles.
Fisk motioned to the men on either side of the man without fear. One of them placed cuffs on Daredevil's wrists, locking his hands behind his back.
"You have been a thorn in my side for a long time."
Fisk started, popping the buttons of his shirt while removing his suit jacket.
DareDevil came to a stop a few feet away from the larger man. This was a familiar dance to them.
"So you lured me here by staging a fake rescue attempt."
Daredevil said.
"But of course." King-pin nodded as he folded the sleeves of his shirt.
"I am going to usher in a new dawn for this city. You see, Vigilante, I have come across an untapped resource."
King Pin waved a hand. One of his men walked to the back of the room where rows upon rows of crates were stacked on top of each other.
The underling opened the lid and removed a weapon, then they brought it forward.
"A way to fight the good fight. Technology that seems to agree with my cause of destroying this city and then rebuilding it."
The gun was placed in Fisk's hands and he raised it up, showing a familiarity as the weapon pulsed, active.
"You will never win. Even if you take me out. There are others who will fight."
Daredevil told him fearlessly.
The King-Pin turned the high tech gun towards Matt.
"I wonder when I started hating you."
Fisk begun.
"Was it because you cost me nearly millions? Or because you hurt my reputation?"
He shook his head, eyes burning with malicious intent.
"No. I hate you because of your fucking hypocrisy."
Fisk pulled the trigger.
(Billy's P.O.V)
I strafed to the left, escaping the energy beam while pulling closer to the man with the Chitauri weapon.
He pressed on the trigger, releasing another shot my way. The collapsed dumpster behind me shot out towards my front, held aloft by TK, blocking the attack.
The metal shredded even more. Regular bullets poked holes on it's surface as I shoved the wrecked piece of metal forward through the entrance I'd made.
"Dodge!"
One of the men yelled to the others as he jumped away, evading being crushed by the metal.
One of them wasn't as lucky and fortunately for me, it was the one with the high tech Chitauri weapon.
The remains of my improvised shield slammed onto his body, carrying him up the steps of the staircase.
He landed with an oof! and the metal groaned, bending around his body and holding his limbs to his sides.
I pulled the high tech gun to me and sent it to my Hammer space. It was an alien weapon after all, sue me.
Without the danger of the powerful gun, I stepped inside the building with a smirk.
"Shall we dance?"
I called out into the room.
"Aaaaahhhh!"
One of them yelled, running towards me with a machete of all things.
"Dammit Johnny get back!"
The one who seemed like the Leader shouted ineffectually.
"Why? Let him come."
I chuckled, waving a hand and tying Johnny's shoe laces together.
The man slipped and fell, the landing completely leaving him breathless and sprawled on the ground.
More bullets started flying my way as the goons recovered and got organized.
I flew towards 3 gathered in one place. Snatching their guns away, I slammed a kick into one, the impact throwing him to collide against one of his friends.
The last one I covered with Telekinesis, throwing him to the ceiling before releasing him to fall on the ground.
"That's 6 down. Only 4 remaining. You guys better give up."
I spoke out, directing my voice down into the basement.
The leader and three others were waiting for me to step down before they unleashed everything they had at me.
Everything.
I could read their minds and they were just inching to put me down. Especially after I'd taken down half of their group.
So I calmly and fearlessly floated down the stairs. Sparks lit up through the stairway as bullets bounced off my shield, landing on the railing and the metal frames along the wall.
The overhead light was torn apart by the projectiles.
The first gun clicked empty as I arrived at the bottom, completely unharmed. I floated forward, hands crossed over my chest.
One of them, a guy with a goatee and sunglasses indoors, reloaded his gun, aimed it and pulled the trigger at my forehead.
The bullet bounced off my TK aura, digging into his friend's leg.
"Gah! Fuck is wrong with you man!?"
His friend yelled at him, cradling his thigh.
I raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Was that really necessary?"
The gun flew out of his hands and into mine. I used TK and right before their shocked eyes, squeezed the weapon into a metallic ball.
King-pin's men looked at each other before they raised their hands in surrender.
I extended a mental feeler into their minds, influencing them.
"You guys gather everyone injured, tie them up and wait for the cops. They'll be here in..."
I spread out my Psionic range even further.
"A few minutes. They're only a block away."
The mental suggestion took hold and they
begun carrying out my orders.
Meanwhile my mind was on something more immediate. That sweep with my mind had shown me that Daredevil had been captured and was getting ready to be executed.
Without wasting time I blasted through the final door, selectively throwing back everyone with a gun before they could so much as react to my presence.
The cuffs on Daredevil's wrists snapped after I applied pressure on them. He tugged his hands free and immediately rolled on the ground, grabbing his Eskrima sticks and then jumping up to deliver a knee strike on King-pin's face.
"Get the girls out of here!"
He yelled, beginning to trade blows with Fisk who, holy hell, was fucking huge.
It was amazing to see the much smaller Matt go up against the fucking King pin and hold his own.
Realizing I had my own part to play, I pulled all the weapons in the room to me and then turned them to point at each of King Pin's men.
"Act funny, get a hole in your body."
I warned.
"Put your hands behind the backs of your heads and step away from the girls."
They looked at each other before complying. Next I turned my attention to the girls.
"It's okay. We are here to rescue you. Help each other and leave through the door. There's a stairway that will take you out of the building. We're right behind."
I spoke directly into their minds.
Most of them were asian teens, with various degrees of scars and bruises.
"No!"
Fisk roared, throwing Daredevil off him.
"They are not going anywhere!"
He barked, running towards me with the force of a Juggernaut.
His punch was deceivingly quick, totally unexpected from a man of his size. It also failed to do much, harmlessly landing on my cheek without so much as moving me a single step.
I mean a bullet had failed. Despite Fisk's considerable strength he was still human.
I looked at him unfazed.
"Really? that's it? Okay, it's my turn now."
Saying that, I pulled my own hand back, closing the fingers into a fist and thrust it forward.
The fist stopped mere inches from his face. The area behind him however, suffered a telekinetic apocalypse.
A pressure wave threw everything back, causing the stacked crates to slam onto the furthest wall and shatter, more Chitauri guns falling out in a mess.
Kingpin blinked.
"Whoever you are, you have cost me millions of dollars... I'll be coming for you."
He promised.
I had to admire his courage. Despite witnessing what I could do, the man was not in the least not worried.
Then again, neither was I
"I'll be waiting."
I told him, applying pressure to his skull, restricting blood flow and causing the much bigger man to take a knee and then collapse next to my feet.
Daredevil's Eskrima stick passed right next my cheek as it slammed onto a goon trying to grab one of the Chitauri weapons on the ground.
I'd of course sensed him but still.
"Thanks."
I nodded at the more experienced hero.
"You had my back as well."
He said, turning to face King Pin's men, still held hostage by the guns hanging in the air overhead.
"You have something to deal with them?"
He asked.
I extended more mental feelers out, touching upon their minds and giving them the same treatment that I gave their friends.
"Surrender to the cops once they arrive."
Their eyes glazed over as the suggestion took hold.
"What's about these weapons?"
I asked Matt.
"It's evidence. Along with the drugs and the money."
He said, leaving the room.
I looked around and sure enough apart from the guns, there was a desk with bags of coke and a stack of money inside a half opened bag.
Score!
No more suffering!
No more instant Ramen.
"Hey wait up!"
I called out, using Telekinesis to amplify my voice.
It was just loud enough that Daredevil missed the very very slight sound of a couple grand floating out of the bag and into my hammer space.
I couldn't take all of the money as it was still evidence. But what I had taken was more than enough.
A few minutes later, the Devil of Hell's Kitchen and I watched on as the Cop led out Kingpin and his men.
Paramedics had also been called in for the girls.
"I can't believe we just captured the Kingpin."
I said, sighing out into the New York night.
It felt as if that whole thing had taken more time that it actually did. In actuality only 20 minutes had passed.
"This is only half the battle won."
Daredevil said.
"The other half will happen in the courtroom."
"Yeah but with the evidence we found, surely the police can build a solid case against him."
It made sense. How was Fisk going to explain his way out of a cache of highly illegal weapons, drugs and stacks of money?
Not to mention the witness statement from the girls.
Daredevil got to his feet.
"This is an age of flying men and gods. In comparison, one man escaping the law is not too surprising."
He stared at me with his mask's completely white eye holes.
"Thanks for tonight Kid. Next time leave the money where you find it."
With that he jumped off the edge of the roof.
Fuck. He knew.
Still it was cool that he wasn't making a big deal out of it.
"Thank you Matt."
I whispered too low for even him to hear.
(General P.O.V)
A few buildings away, Daredevil smiled as he hopped onto another rooftop.
"You're welcome kid."
(Billy's P.O.V)
The light streaming in through the window made me groan and throw a pillow at the offending sun.
The pillow sailed the distance only to stop mere inches away from the window pane. A shimmering blue glow covered the edges, telekinesis allowing the pillow to float in midair.
With a sigh, I pulled it into my hands and swung my feet off the bed.
The alarm clock on the night stand showed it was 10 in the morning. I usually set it up for earlier than 6. I must have been too tired to even hear it.
Last night I came in late, so it was understandable I would almost sleep half a day away.
And what an eventful night it was. I laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling with a growing smile on my face.
"I met the Daredevil, fought KingPin, saved a bunch of people and...oh."
I stopped, immediately sitting upright.
"The money."
I said softly.
"The money!"
I repeated with more excitement, my face reflecting the elation I was feeling.
Now more invigorated, I sat cross legged on the bed and reached out into my hammer space.
Within it, was the Trident of Neptune; which I was yet to study, let alone use.
"I should learn how to fight with it. The ability to manipulate water this close to the ocean is an OP skill."
I mumbled to myself as my awareness moved past the trident and the Chitauri weapon, before landing on a bundle of green paper.
With anticipation building inside, I pulled the money out, leaving it in a neat stack on top of the bed.
Running my hands over the crisp bills, I counted the amount and did a doubletake.
14,500 us dollars. 500 bucks short of 15k but we're not gonna stress the technical stuff.
"Holy fuck. I'm rich!"
I flew up to the ceiling, doing a few dips and flips while avoiding the fan and the overhead light.
I stopped in midair.
"I can finally have a real decent meal."
I said, with realization dawning on me that my biggest problem was now solved.
14 grand wasn't a lot of money in the grand scheme of things but still, to the current me, my money troubles were effectively gone.
"Oooh maybe now I can get as many of those spicy pastries as I want."
And who says the superhero gig doesn't pay?
'Next time leave the money where you find it.'
Daredevil's voice echoed at the back of my mind.
My excitement dimmed a little. I needed to be careful moving forward.
Matt had mildly chastised me for taking the money. Which meant I couldn't make it a habit of stealing from bad guys all the time.
This time I'd been very desperate.
"This is just until I get a more stable source of income."
I promised myself.
Shazam was a hero blessed with numerous abilities, there was a lot of ways to make money.
Maybe I could become the bodyguard of a rich dignitary. Or I could journey out into space and mine Asteroids for precious metals like gold.
Or if that failed, I could raid sunken ships for treasure. Oh, that might create a problem with the Atlanteans. The good thing was that they didn't rule over all of the ocean like Aquaman from DC.
I only needed to avoid Namor and his people and I would be fine.
The real upside to all this was that now that I didn't need to worry about money, I could focus on something more important, fully practicing my abilities.
I wanted to complete the Ring of Solomon mission and that meant actually coming up with an original psionic ability.
Now to be honest, I'd been pushing this thing back as much as I could. But I don't think I could do that any longer.
I couldn't put it off longer. Fortunately, I had an idea on how I could go about creating the ability. Magnetism.
Which meant...supergrind! An evolved form of grind where you go extra hard...
"Extra time."
I slapped my cheeks while staring at my reflection on the mirror.
My body was already changing. My muscles were still that of a teen but there was definition there. And I was toned in the arms too. Just because I had powers didn't mean I had to ignore my physique.
So aside from Psionic energy training, I'd also been lifting anything I could find in the Abandoned factory, to build my body up. The only thing lacking had been a nutritious diet but that was now handled.
I wanted to have a firm base before the more physically oriented legacies awakened. That would make for more powerful abilities overall.
"Welp, let's get onto it then."
First, a round of cardio.
I left my apartment and took a jog through the city. The sidewalks were too busy though, so I had to change directions and ran in the park.
After the cardio, I left for my training base where I pushed my telekinesis even further.
Afterwards, I got into the reason I was here, learning how to bend metallic stiff like Magneto.( A gross understatement of what control over magnetic fields actually was)
A few minutes in and I could see progress.
I had managed to sense the magnetic fields around everything.
This field was omnipresent.
Though stronger in some things and weaker in others, it gave me a better interpretation of information when paired up with telepathy.
It was almost as if I could map anything out using this new sense. Before, I'd only gotten impressions and blurs. Movements and motions of the body.
For instance, when I had sensed King Pin about to pull the trigger on the Chitauri gun and how I'd known that Daredevil was standing infront of the weapon.
This time the sense was stronger. I floated above the interior of the abandoned factory, simply breathing in and out.
With each exhale I would send out a pulse. By breathing in and pulling my magnetic field closer to my body, I would release it and let the invisible field interact with the components within the factory.
The conveyor belt had metal on it so it stood out like a bright light in a dark room. The barrels, metal frames, crates, nails...
And on the ground, tiny pinpricks of light that belonged to the numerous metal shavings left from back when the factory was active.
I took it all in. Simply studying the interaction it all had with me and I with everything else.
By the end of the day, I'd made even more progress on that front. Fine tuning the sense enough, that I could feel the Earth's magnetic field.
This progress could be attributed to my experience with Psionic Energy.
The Earth's magnetic field was like a blanket that covered everything.
Everything including me was in relation to the Earth's magnetic field. And trying to delve deep into it was like getting lost inside an ocean with no bottom.
Eventually, the day ended but I never noticed the time slip by. I was too busy, gliding in the aether, swimming in the seas, experiencing seasons that had already passed and were yet to come.
I felt how she had felt billions of years ago when she had formed. The ice melting into water. The first signs of life on her surface.
How she had to create a warm cover over her surface to shelter her children in safety. Protecting them from the harsh winds and cosmic radiation of space.
I sank into Earth's memories and from within, I felt a presence greater than anything else I'd ever sensed, turn to regard me.
(The age of the gods ended long ago, little champion. Who do you belong to?)
The question had risen from seemingly nowhere.
I have no recollection of what answer I gave. But what I do know is I could sense a deep interest from the presence.
(Very well. If that is what you choose, then I shall aid you. I shall hide you from my brother's scarlet hued gaze. But heed my warning champion. Your presence is a catalyst. The age of gods is upon us once again.)
The presence had said.
"Who are you?"
I had asked, calling out the question through verdant green plains, tall mountains, deep ravines, wide caverns, tropical islands and deserts.
And like the whisper of a swallow's wing beat, the answer flowed through my mind,
"Gaea."
Solomon's Wisdom confirmed the truth of the name instantly.
The next morning saw me open my eyes to a wondrous sight.
Every magnetic object close to me was floating in midair, vibrating slightly. I raised a hand and waved it through a cloud of metal shavings that was spinning around me like the rings on Saturn.
I blinked and lost control of what I was doing.
A cacophony of loud noises sounded out as several heavy objects fell to the floor. Instantly my head felt like it was being split into two.
I barely managed to fly down before I i stopped using my powers. Fuck. I'd felt as if I'd been standing on the precipice of something grand.
Throughout the whole week this feeling only grew stronger. It was a few days later that I finally cracked the code of magnetic field control.
Solomon's Wisdom was a big help. See there was a very big difference between how Magneto used his x-gene to tap into the Earth's magnetic field, and how I did.
He was a mutant, last I checked, I wasn't.
So basically, he had a natural connection to the Earth's magnetic field.
I on the other hand, used my psionic energy to interact with different fields. It was an empathic process that demanded understanding and respect.
I was after all messing with forces never meant to be wielded by man. And this way of approaching things gave me something I doubt Magneto had.
It gave me not just control but knowledge on what I was controlling.
I had just unlocked a new ability, Psychometry.
For example, magneto wouldn't know where a particular coin had been, but he could control it.
I on the other hand could read the magnetic field of that same coin and know how long ago it had been created and a few other details like it's durability and worth.
Nothing too outlandish as this was still a relatively new skill.
But my new awareness of magnetic fields and Psychometry were the basis to what would be my original psionic skill.
And by the start of the following week, I was ready to create it.
(Billy's P.O.V)
The hot coffee left a burning sensation on my tongue as I took an impatient mouthful.
My eyes narrowed in on the cup containing the hostile liquid, it's sides warm in between my palms.
I did not avert my gaze. Partly out of focus and partly because the man I'd been staring at previously had somehow felt my eyes and was now looking around the restaurant.
And no, I'm not in the habit of simply staring at people.
I like to think I'm way more polite than that.
The only reason I'd even done so in the first place, was the transparent blue screen before my eyes.
A screen that only I could see.
The screen was an interface of sorts, telling me the material used to create the cup, it's durability and how old it was.
All this was accomplished simply by reaching out and interacting with it's magnetic field.
The ceramic was the furthest thing from ferro-magnetic you could get.
That said, it too had a magnetic field, as weak as it was. By prodding this field with my Psionic energy, a screen detailing the cup's parameters and make had manifested.
(Material: Ceramic)
Durability- Common.
Age- 2 years.
It was a basic well used mug.
Nothing too abnormal. And it seemed to be the same for most of everything. The man from before was normal and his field reflected that.
One prod and this had appeared above his head.
(Race: Human)
Power: Common.
Age: 42.
The screen unfortunately didn't go too deep into personal stuff. For example while I could see their ages, the same couldn't be said for the name or other details.
Good thing I could cover that weakness by simply reading the target's mind.
I looked around the Coffee place some more. Prodding the Barista's and the customer's fields.
(Race: Human)
Power: Below Common.
Age: 12.
A young boy seated in a booth with his family.
(Race: Dog)
Power: Below Common.
Age: 3.
A pooch on a walk with its owner, passing outside the shop on the sidewalk.
(Race: Human)
Power: Common.
Age: 37.
And then the owner.
I returned my attention to the inside of the coffee shop. My eyes falling on Pedro.
(Race: Human)
Power: Uncommon.
Age: 52.
I raised an eyebrow. Pedro's power parameter was the first I'd seen labelled as Uncommon.
According to some of the Barista's stray thoughts, he used to be a marine in the past.
So maybe that's how he knew Fury? Perhaps they had carried out missions together in the past.
"You've been avoiding me."
A voice said from beside me.
"MJ!"
I exclaimed, having gotten too distracted to track her mind. I didn't even notice she was standing beside me until she started speaking.
"I didn't see you there. When did you come in?"
I added with a fake smile.
"A few minutes ago."
She replied, holding up the coffee pitcher.
"Refill?"
I looked at my full cup.
"Huh..."
"You haven't been showing up around school."
She said, staring at me with narrowed eyes.
"And whenever you turn up here, you make sure to avoid the times when I'm working. You come before my shift begins or after it's ended."
She added accusingly, brows furrowed.
I raised my eyebrows, a bit surprised.
"What? I mean...why are you so concerned?"
"Why wouldn't I be? We're friends aren't we? I'm supposed to be concerned. Plus, Peter doesn't have a lot of friends and he's been worried about you. We all have."
She looked at the counter, and after noticing Pedro's attention was on other things, she slipped into the booth with me.
"I know how hard it is to be the new kid."
She said leaning forward.
Unfortunately, MJ had a sizable bust, so it was a fight not to stare at her cleavage.
To distract myself, I prodded her magnetic field.
Another screen appeared before my eyes, replacing the one from before.
(Race: Human)
Power: Common.
Age: 17.
Nothing too abnormal there as well. I wonder what's the range on this new ability. Speaking of which, I was yet to see the notification from the system saying that I'd accomplished the mission.
Mmh...maybe I was still missing something?
While the ability to see the Status of other things and beings was not a useless skill, it felt kind of based.
"...told him, I would check up on you if I saw you..."
MJ kept on talking but my mind was on other things.
There was more to the ability I was sure. I could feel it. I mean the reward hadn't triggered when I'd gotten Psychometry or my Magnetic sense, which were the basis for this ability.
Maybe to qualify for the Ring of Solomon as a reward, meant elevating the skill from a simple scanning feature to something just as powerful as control over magnetic fields.
If that was the case, then I still had a long way to go to start manipulating metal like Magneto.
However, maybe I was on a different path. One that would not necessarily make me a master of magnetism but would bring other benefits.
I just needed to find ways to keep on getting better. I had a feeling I was on the verge of finding what I was missing.
"...mostly because everytime they come by your place, you're not around. Why is that?"
MJ asked, referring to the many times Peter and Ned had stopped by my place only to find I wasn't home.
'Because I can sense their minds from afar and react accordingly.'
I thought, but didn't say.
"Are you even listening?"
She asked a little frustrated.
I opened my mouth then closed it. Why is she so concerned?
"Look MJ. There's a lot going on in my life. But I promise you that I'm not trying to avoid you guys." (I totally am)
I added a reassuring smile at the end of the statement.
She stared at me for some time before sighing.
"I have a feeling that even if you were avoiding me, you wouldn't say it. So are you going to return to School?"
"Yeah?"
I replied unconvincingly.
"You're so full of shit."
MJ snorted.
True. I sucked at lying but luckily the redhead was gracious enough to drop the whole issue.
"I need to get back to work."
She said, getting off the booth.
"Even if school doesn't work out, don't stop coming round here."
She waved and went off to serve a different table.
I spent a few more minutes in the coffee shop before paying my bill and leaving for home with some spicy pastries to go.
Now that I could afford it, there was no reason not to splurge on myself.
Though I needed to be careful not to misuse the funds I had. Who knew how long it would be until I got more.
Once at my apartment, I changed into my costume and left on an early patrol. This past week, I'd mostly been starting my patrols at 9 or so, before making it back to my place by 1 or 2.
At 4 in the afternoon, the day was still going strong. Traffic was a bitch for the motorists on the road, the sidewalks were as busy as ever and the noise...
Good god, the noise was too much.
It made me stay away from the streets.
I simply hang around on the rooftops whenever I took a break from flying around.
Up here it was quiet and calm. I could think while enjoying the view.
My eyes caught the glimpse of a familiar building.
Stark Industry was off in the distance, the shiny skyscraper just as ostentatious as the owner had intended.
Then several blocks away from it was the Fantastic Four headquarters.
The Baxter building with all of it's 35 stories sat prominent, the upper floors jutting through the Manhattan Skyline.
I couldn't see anything fictional about this place. Maybe I'd gotten used to it but everything felt real and alive.
These people going about their lives were just as real as I was. And I would protect them with everything I had.
For just as there was marvel and mystery to be found in this universe, so too was death and suffering. Someone needed to shield the weak from such things.
Speaking of death and suffering, something was going down.
It first begun with a slight tremble. Then the shaking intensified into an earthquake that caused cracks to form around the surrounding buildings.
"This doesn't look like a normal earthquake."
I said, getting to my feet.
I took to the air, looking down at the street where the ground was splitting into two, the wide crack headed up the street.
Screams rose up from the scared masses on the sidewalks. Cars honked and crashed into one another as they tried to leave the street where the crack was swallowing everything.
Thinking fast, I dove down and begun to save people by grabbing falling cars and flying them out of the widening gap.
Some of them were stuck inside the cracks, vehicles wedged in between loose pipes spewing water and the underground tunnels.
For those, I used my telepathic sense, flying through the wind screen and tearing through metal to get at the ones stuck within the gap.
There were a few injuries but nothing too immediate.
I placed a Taxi on the sidewalk, the driver throwing a thanks only to find I was gone, flying in and out of the crack to retrieve more people.
Up ahead, a school bus tilted, it's back tires sliding into the crack. I covered the vehicle with TK aura and pushed it from the back, away from the edge.
The bus was a little too heavy to carry with TK but I managed it, placing it far away from the still growing crack.
I heard a thwip! And a few interesting minds entered my range.
I didn't need to look to see the Quinjet overhead that had stopped to let Spiderman and his team out into the scene.
"Let's move on ahead! My team has it covered here!"
Spiderman said, swinging past me right on the Crack's trail.
We could both see where it was headed. The Baxter building.
(Billy's P.O.V)
I increased my flight speed to match his swinging.
"We should prioritize stopping whatever it is splitting the ground and causing the gap."
I told Spiderman, the both of us approaching a busy intersection up ahead.
There was no way we could save all these people in time. The street was flooded with so many cars it was crazy. The sidewalks were similarly packed.
Spiderman nodded once I told him the same.
"You're right. But I have an idea. What if I can create a net of webs under the cars so that they don't fall within the gap?"
He proposed.
Solomon's legacy came through and expounded on that idea.
"Yeah you do that. Meanwhile, I'll lift all the cars a meter high, giving you room to work with!"
"Okay. Let's do this!"
He said, much more emboldened now that we had a working plan.
I stopped in mid air, spreading out my TK range as far as I could. I sensed the metal chassis and structures that could only be the vehicles we needed to save, using my Magnetic sense.
And within them, were minds.
People leaving for home after work. Kids coming from school. I took it all in and decided no one was going to die here.
The crack begun to approach the intersection, the buildings on the sides trembling as something heavy passed under the street, not straying from its path towards the Baxter building.
I breathed in then out.
On my next exhale I used a combination of TK and Magnetic sense to spread a shroud over every single vehicle in the intersection.
Then I heaved, lifting them all up.
I could feel my mind splitting from the strain. The cars glowed a beautiful rainbow color and slowly rose up in unison.
"Hur-hurry!"
I half yelled half stuttered, my hands trembling from the strain.
Spiderman quickly got to work, shooting his webbing onto the ground and forming a thick pattern of tightly woven web fluid strings.
The strings closed over the widening crack and went on to provide a layer of strong silky fabric, that was attached to the buildings on the side of the streets.
A second later, I literally couldn't hold on anymore and released the cars. Luckily the fabric acted like a net and held them up like a wide and huge container.
Immediately my body was hit with a ton of exhaustion. My flight speed deactivated while I was in midair, causing me to plummet towards the ground.
Trying to call onto my powers only wielded disappointment. I was devoid of Psionic Energy, my tank running on empty. I...I had never exhausted my reserves this much before.
Right as I was about to land on my head, Spiderman swung in, grabbing me, before safely landing on the sidewalk.
"I got you."
He said.
"The trembling...it hasn't stopped."
I noticed, even in the midst of an annoying headache that was causing me vertigo and nausea.
It wasn't anything I wasn't used to, though, annoying was an understatement as it effectively put me out of the fight before we even really knew what we were dealing with.
"Yeah... whatever that thing is, its still moving straight for the Baxter building."
Spiderman stated before leading me to the steps of a store front.
It was a pandemonium before when every vehicle in the intersection had found itself suspended in midair.
But now that an invisible force was moving underground, overturning the tarmac, and causing a lot of destruction to the street, a fresh wave of panic hit.
"Stay here and rest. Shield or my team will pick you up."
Spiderman stated before running forward and jumping, the leap taking him dozens of feet up before he swung away after the thing.
Whispers begun to rise up from the bystanders on the sidewalk. I could feel their gazes on me as I tried to meditate, hoping to regain a little bit of Psionic energy and follow after Spiderman.
The quaking and trembling was getting far away, leaving me behind as I recuperated. Fuck. I hated feeling useless.
"Her mister, do you know Spiderman?"
A soft voice asked from beside me.
I looked up and saw a little girl, about 7 or 8 standing next to a worried mother who was looking at me warily.
I smiled at the two who were part of a few crowd of civilians watching me.
I didn't know whether to be impressed by their bravery at staying behind in an unsafe zone when others had ran away. Or maybe it was just stupidity.
Regardless,
"Yeah."
I told her, immediately enjoying the look of wonder on her face.
"Though not personally."
I added with a little bit of guilt.
To be honest, I'd been avoiding the Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman because of how things got crazy around him. Not exactly heroic I know, but a part of me wondered if it came down to it...
If I suffered just as much as Peter has AND WILL, would I still want to be a hero?
The look of wonder on the girl's face never changed even after my response.
"That is so cool! I wanna be Spider girl when I grow up!"
She exclaimed just as the sounds of the authorities and emergency cars arrived on the scene.
"She huh- She drew a picture of Spiderman."
The mother said tentatively.
"We have it pinned on the fridge door. He's an inspiration."
Her eyes briefly fell on the lightning bolt Insignia on my chest.
"You all are. Thank you for saving this city."
"Yeah! Whoooo! Thanks lightning guy!"
Another civilian, this time a man whose truck had just barely avoided getting caught up in the web, said.
And then the small crowd broke out into cheering and applause.
They were cheering for me, I realized.
I couldn't believe it. I had to check their minds to see if they were being genuine and they were.
Their praise and adoration was urging me not to give up. To keep on pushing.
I looked at the far away Baxter building and the news chopper following after a swinging Spiderman who showed no hesitation or fear.
I got to my feet. Moping wasn't going to help. Just because I was weakened didn't mean I wasn't useful. There was one thing I could still do.
I stretched my hand out, dipping it into my Hammer space before pulling out Neptune's Trident.
"I didn't think I would be forced to rely on this so soon."
I muttered to myself as the crowd gasped in awe at the golden weapon that had appeared out of nowhere.
There was a lot of water flooding the streets due to the broken pipes and destroyed fire hydrants.
With my hand around the shaft of the three pronged weapon, I could sense all water in more than a mile radius. And control it.
The crowd begun to get back as streams of water swam through the air, the dying light of the sun making the liquid shimmer beautifully.
The water gathered under me in a vortex before it rise up in a wave under my feet, carrying me up.
My eyes locked onto the faraway building.
It wasn't over just yet. I wasn't done. Not by a long shot.
"Hey mister!"
The little girl from before called out again.
"What's your name?!"
She asked.
I smiled, reveling in the mystical might contained within the trident.
My hands tightened on the shaft, mind and soul connected to a vastness that boggled reason.
"Shazam."
I answered, voice ringing with conviction. With a final smile, I tore down the wrecked street, avoiding the net of webs holding up the cars we'd saved.
It wasn't easy riding on top of a massive Tsunami. For starters it made no sense I was doing so in the first place. I mean what was I even standing on?!
The best part waz the looks of absolute shock I was receiving as I quickly got the hang of using the Trident, hot on Spiderman's tail.
My feet were firmly anchored to the water by magic, guaranteeing stability even as I weaved through overturned cars on the street.
I leaned forward, thrusting out the Trident which had the effect of increasing my speed even more.
It wasn't comparable to my normal flight speed which was steadily approaching Supersonic but it was close.
Close enough that it didn't take long before the distance between the Baxter building and I shrunk.
Soon enough the Fantastic Four Logo highlighted above said building grew prominent.
Then something big appeared before the entrance.
"Whoa..."
I said in shock.
That 'Something big' turned out to be a massive green skinned creature standing on two limbs. The other two were being used to fight against what looked to be ants compared to its size.
It was more than 50 feet tall and possessed a bulky body.
It's back was covered by a layer of tough looking crystals and it's chest rumbled like an airplane engine as it smacked away...
Holy shit, that's Ben Grimm! The Thing had been smacked away like a baseball, sent tumbling through the ground and upheaving a few cars in his path.
Creating a crater with his body upon landing, The Thing was too slow to evade the creature's leg stomp.
But then the limb landed on an invisible shield, the clash producing a loud impact. Standing before The Thing was a blonde Woman with her hands outstretched, who could only be Susan Storm, the invisible woman.
The Creature came back for a second blow on Sue's shield, only to be interrupted by a shower of flames.
Another familiar face darted around the monster, body burning with orange flames.
"Flame On!"
Delivering one of the most iconic catchphrases ever, Johny Storm aka the Human Torch unleashed a swathe of flames right on the Creature's face.
The already sweltering heat increased, managing to reach me even at my distance.
To the creature though, it must have been unbearable as it released a loud roar, shattering all the glass panes of the windows nearby and throwing away The Human Torch, Invisible Woman and the Thing who had taken a jump in a bid to attack it.
A thwip! Sounded out with Spiderman diving for a few bystanders, grabbing them from the path of a car thrown by the Creature's roar.
The Invisible Woman managed to slow down her and The Thing's momentum in the air. Then she manifested a construct for them to stand on.
The Human Torch on his part, took flight, flying around the monster while looking for openings.
In reality, all this took a few seconds to happen.
Meanwhile, I had been preparing for my reintroduction into the fight by gathering as much water as I could.
A shadow appeared before the Creature. All eyes turned towards me and the towering Tsunami of water behind me. Towering even over the Creature.
I stared into its enraged eyes, twirling the Trident in my hands.
"Ready for round 2?"