Turns out I didn't have a persistent sickness, but was instead just infected. Also, just got this done like 5 minutes ago, lol.
(Dammit, , why wont you format my story properly?)
Enjoy.
Chapter 2: Annoyances
I should've expected this, in all honesty. Tony had been pestering me about my new body ever since I saved him as we walked through the desert to the nearest settlement, with Yaso or whatever his name is watching us in amusement.
I grunted lowly, ignoring the annoying building feeling in my ribs as I shifted the weight of the pack on my shoulders and instead responded to Tony's latest question. "No" I sigh "I don't know why the dents in my body seemingly repair themselves. Might be nanotech or just magic bullshit for all I care"
He hums, laying his eyes on the distant horizon as his thoughts whirr, allowing sweet, sweet silence to fill the empty, arid air.
Left with my thoughts for a few moments once more, I continue to wonder what I should do. I had been transported to this world, likely for that ROB's amusement or something. I dont really care what reason it is, so long as I can live the life of a fantasy I have always wanted.
I grunt, stomping my foot harder into the sand beneath me to stake myself firmly as I grab hold of Tony and Yusef, keeping my grip tight as a howling wind blows over us.
"CLOSE YOUR EYES!" I shout, remaining unaffected as I continue thinking through the spontaneous wind storm buffeting us.
I needed to decide on what I wanted to do soon, because I wouldn't exactly have that much of an adventure without one. So, what should I decide on?
I shift my attention over to Tony briefly as the Wind slowly begins weakening, the Robert Downey Jr. look alike telling me exactly which continuity I was in.
I sigh, thankfully the sound is drowned out by the whistling winds, allowing me to continue thinking without much interruption.
So, Thanos was a thing here, huh? And he wasn't a massive simp for Death?
I should start preparing, then. I think that the first thing I need to do is catalog what I remember from the MCU, as it will make it easier to steadily gain power.
Ah, Power, right. I needed some sort of strength to be able to battle with Thanos.
I hum as I weaken my grasp on my companions coats, unrooting my feet as I begin to move forward in the stronger than normal winds.
I could likely harness the power of the infinity stones, considering I definitely know where the Time stone, Power stone, Soul stone, and Space stone are. But, I'm gonna be honest. That feels a little cheap.
"C'mon, lets go" My deeper than I remember voice says monotonously, a side effect of my new body Im sure.
"Sure bud" Tony says, sauntering up beside me and shoving his hands into his pockets, his eyes analytical as the facade of an easy and smug grin finds its way scrawled across his mouth. Yunendorf stays quiet as he follows, only really exhaling lightly and staring off into the distance in deep thought.
"Say" Tony begins, making me want to grimace as he turns towards me "When we get to my lab, could I take a sample of your metal? I want to see if I could possibly improve it or replicate it" He says, excitement and anticipation hidden beneath a veneer of nonchalance.
Hm, it seems that this body, or at least the ROB increased my EQ as well. That will be a useful tool. Either way, I need to consider the question. On the one hand it could hurt and the metal might be mishandled and eventually find its way into the hands of an enemy.
And on the other, upgrades.
At the thought of upgrades that discomfort within my ribs pulses, which is interesting but not something to be concerned about currently, especially considering the fact that I see a Helicopter approaching us some 500 meters away.
"I'll consider it" My voice rumbles as I stop in place, staring at the approaching Helicopter.
Yashua and Tony pause behind me as well, the both of them in varying degrees of curiosity as to my stop as Tony opens his mouth "Cool. Also, why'd you stop?"
"A helicopter is approaching, it is currently 342 meters away" my voice says monotonously, an ingrained instinct pushing the words out of my mouth before I can even process.
Unfortunate.
"Hm, should you journey ahead and check it out first? Considering you're powerful enough to take down an entire encampment" Yolaf suggests quietly.
Dammit.
I tense at the thought, staring at the approaching helicopter in dread before I turn to Tony– who seems to be excited to see me in action once more.
Dammit.
Uhh fuck, excuse, I need an excuse. Uhh, that thing could kill me? No, the logos side of me knows it can take that thing down, so why in the hell am I scared?
I inhale deeply and sigh, covering up my cowardice as I take a shaky, unbalanced step forward and decide that if I wish for adventure, then conflict is inevitable.
"Go beat its ass!" Tony goads as he yells, making me freeze in place, the simple thought of trying to even shout at that thing making me want to piss myself in terror.
Logos bleeds in and my gait smooths out.
I breathe a sigh as I continue forwards, meeting the Helicopter some hundred meters away from Tony and Yora.
"Are you here for Tony Stark?!" I yell up at the approaching helicopter, making it turn and slow as the pilot focuses on me, beside him I can see 2 other people, one in tactical gear and the other in a suit.
The crackle of a speaker splits the silence before the Helicopter hovers and someone speaks "This is the American Military, introduce yourself and point us toward Tony Stark"
"My name is Nikandr Solovyov, I am currently traveling with Tony Stark and one other. Ensure our safety and I will bring him to you!" I yell back, very grateful to the logical side of me that is currently saving my ass from cowering like a little bitch beneath the Helicopter.
Silence fills the empty space before our words as seconds pass before the crackle of a speaker splits it once more "Very well. Know that if you are lying, however, you will be arrested" The pilot responds, making me nod as I turn toward Yino and Tony before beginning my sprint once more.
The Helicopter follows close behind me, leaving no room for me to drop the logos gently guiding my actions as though a mentor.
I admit that I just want to go lie in bed at the moment, just be done with this whole debacle. But, well, cant exactly do that, now can I?
I grunt as I slow my speed, slowly coming to a stop before Tony Stark and Yosen, the both of them sitting in the shade of a small dune as they drink water and chat.
"It's the US military, here to save Tony, C'mon" I rush out, watching them both blink before Tony stands with a large grin.
"Well Well, lucky me. They've finally arrived" he grins, capping his water bottle and patting me on the shoulder as he passes by me.
The Helicopter had, thankfully, landed after they saw proof of Tony Stark. A man in tactical gear and carrying a case of some sort rushing out of the Helicopter and grabbing Tony, seating him and beginning to bandage and treat injuries that Tony begins joking about.
Yinsen stands, silently capping his water bottle and nodding at me before walking past and finding his way onto the plane. It seems he was still thinking, or maybe he just didn't talk much.
I didn't know, or care if I'm entirely honest.
I sigh, rolling my shoulders and adjusting the strap of my confiscated backpack before beginning my way to the Helicopter, ignoring the gawking of the various military personnel as I seat myself on the plane, ignoring the small leather creak that it elicits and rolling my head as I close my awareness of the world around me and follow the urging guidance of my Logos, sinking deep into my mind.
The last words I hear are, of course, from Tonys mouth "You know, I usually ride first class, but this has its own charm I guess… kind of"
Honestly.
My world fizzles out, instead being surrounded by a swirling sort of void that takes up my entire attention, everything from my sense of touch to my sense of sight is enraptured by it. At least until something appears in the swirling, monochrome kaleidoscope.
It's a small box, with 6 smaller ones within. Though, only Two were filled. That being the topmost box and bottom most.
It reads as such:
WARFRAME: Excalibur
( Level 4 )
Below that were boxes, each one empty with the name of what I assumed was supposed to be a weapon category emblazoned on it, and below that was a box titled Parazon, there was nothing else.
This was an RPG game menu, or at least some sort of MMO menu, right? I hum as I press the most interesting box, the top most one titled Excalibur with what I assumed was an image of what I assumed to be my body.
I idly noted my misty golden fingers as I watched the menu expand into that of a 4 by 2 row box, with a long, long row of boxes below that. The new menu was titled Mod Config, and to the left of it were the statistics of my body.
I had 270HP and Shields, which were a fairly confusing statistic because my initial assumption of them being my armor were immediately proven wrong by my armor stat, which was 240. I had another stat, Energy, which I assumed was something akin to Mana. Either way, it read at only 100.
I needed to learn quickly, because with the threats that were coming, these stats would not work.
Though, considering I absolutely demolished a cabal of-
No, I can't get arrogant. Tony did that in Canon as well. I need to get stronger, strong enough as to where I could handle Thanos with some or little difficulty, especially Thanos with the infinity stones.
That strange instinct within me guides my hand once more, and as I exit out of the menu I'm sent out of my little voidscape, reentering the real world.
Much to Tony's shock, anticipation and excitement.
He's gonna interrogate me, isn't he?
I hum as I stare out of the window of the Malibu that had picked Stark and I up from the landing pad, the driver/bodyguard sat in the driver's seat ahead of me glancing back at me every few moments. I ignore his curiosity until he speaks, which makes sense considering his words mention me.
"So, Tony, what's sat in the back? One of your new inventions?" The heavy set man asks, displeasing me rather greatly.
Tony smirks at the question "Ah, no. He's an ancient piece of tech aliens left behind millenia ag-"
"I am fully sentient and sapient, I have no clue how I came to be, only that I was standing in the deserts of afghanistan when I woke up" I interrupt, ignoring Tony's pouting form in favor of watching the bodyguards face morph into shock.
The car swerves somewhat, making me jump, my attention focusing onto the cars around us in vague paranoia as I listen to the bodyguards response.
"Holy shit, ah fuck." He cursed, regaining control of the car as Tony smirked. Once the car was steady once more, the bodyguard spoke once more "Sorry about that, uh. Are you- uh… So, uh, any opinion on the human race?" He asked rather nervously, glancing back at me with a sort of intrigue and panic in his eyes.
It would be rather funny to mess with the man and say I hated mankind, but honestly? I just didn't feel like it so, instead, I just shrug my shoulders and answer noncommittally "Eh, they're okay I guess"
And indeed, how sad it is that it is no longer "we" but "they".
Why the hell am I thinking like that? Like, I get I'm a robot or whatever now, but like, no need to be so melodramatic, jesus.
I shake the thoughts away and turn my attention back onto the road, idly listening as Tony perks up, turning off his phone as he looks to the bodyguard "Oh, Happy, stop by a burger place on the way, would you? It's been a while since I've had a good burger"
"Happy"s response is a long suffering sigh, a glance at the clock on the dashboard, and a defeated response of "Sure, Tony"
Tony nods idly before going back to his phone, kicking his feet onto the dashboard and relaxing into the seat.
Honestly, I'm rather shocked that he placed his feet on the dashboard, from what I remember, wasn't Tony an autophile?
Ah well, at least I'll have more time to gather my thoughts before the press conference, I hum as I turn my attention back out onto the landscape.
I hold in a suffered sigh as I hold the bag of food, walking by Tony's side as he finishes off his second burger. He motions for the last bag and, as the doors to the press conference open, I hand it to him.
"Thanks" he mumbles out, unwrapping his burger as he heads out onto the stage. I trail behind him, ignoring the flashes of the cameras as he sighs, seating himself beside the podium, I follow behind him and stand in place.
Rather awkwardly as well, I dont really… know what to do. I mean, I've been in front of a lot of people by myself before but, really, that was in a theater as an actor. What am I supposed to do here?
I guess I'll just cross my arms?
As I do so, I root myself in place, ignoring the chattering, muttering mass of reporters in front of me as Tony takes a bite out of his burger.
Obidiah walks on stage, taking place at the podium and giving me a subtle glance of greed. I ignore it in favor of contemplating the sudden reminder of who the main villain of this movie was.
Obidiah, what should I do about him?
I idly note Tony's interruption of Obadiah as he motions for the press to sit down while he speaks "Hey, would it be alright if everyone sat down?Will ya just sit down, that way I can see you and you can see me"
"I never got to say goodbye to my father" He says to the press after mumbling something to Obadiah's kneeled form.
And so, the conference begins. The tension within me rises as I stare at Obadiah's form, his bald head staring at Tony with a sort of tension that only I seem to be able to see.
"What happened over there?" A reporter asks, my attention to the conversation returning as Tony places his burger down and sighs, getting to his feet.
"I-I had my eyes opened, I realized that I have more to, to offer this world than things that blow up, that is why I am effectively shutting down the weapons manufacturing business" he says, patting me on the shoulder as he takes place beside the podium.
Ah, and so the leeches' attention shifts to me.
Obadiah stands with the reporters as he grabs Tony's shoulders, trying to guide him away from the podium as hundreds of questions are hurled at him.
The main one, the highlight, is one asked about me. One that Tony actually responds to and one that makes Obadiah pause in his steps.
"Mr. Stark, what is that robot that is standing behind you?!" A rather random reporter shouts, making me tense further.
Tony shifts his attention to me, an eyebrow raising as he responds "Why, that is my savior." He comments, making me shift in discomfort.
The previously explosive hall is now dead silent, and Obadiah's own hands are pulled back to his sides as Tony continues to speak "I didn't build him, if you were wondering. In fact, he's sapient and intelligent. Hell, he single handedly saved me from the terrorists. Oh, never got your name, by the way" he finishes idly, walking up to me, and shoving out his hand for a handshake.
I stare down at it in hesitation for all of a moment before I sigh and grasp his hand "My name is Nikandr Solovyov" My voice rumbles through the silent hall as Tony smirks.
And so, the reporters begin scrambling for answers once more.
Their questions are left unanswered like always as Obadiah guides Tony and I out of the press hall, his greedy eyes glued to my much taller bulk as we walk.
"Ah, now we can go to the hospital," Tony says, shaking Obadiah out of his stupor as he nods in understanding.
"Do you need me for anything else?" I ask, watching Tony as he blinks, Obadiah stays silent behind us as he responds.
"You know you're going to the hospital as well, right? I need you to be there when I give you a house near mine" He says, turning his eyes to the door as my head tilts in slight confusion.
"House? Why are you giving me a house?" I can't help but ask.
Obadiah says nothing but I can see the conflicted emotions warring within him.
"Why wouldn't my newest bodyguard and assistant live near me?" He asks, his voice amused as we walk out of the building proper and enter the car once more.
As Happy turns the ignition and prepares to drive off, a redhead rushes to the other side of the car, opening it as Tony turns to her.
"Ah, Pepper! Good to see you again, my lovely assistant-" he begins, his words stopping as Pepper speaks.
"Tony, what were you thinking? Do you know how much work you've just loaded me with?" She asks, entering the car as Obadiah looks for a chance to speak.
"Tony, you should really rethink your decision, and tell the press that you're rescinding that statement soon" Obadiah says, his voice chiding and making shivers crawl up my spine as Pepper nods.
"Yeah, the paperwork itself will likely take 3 days to do, not to mention various investors flooding me with emails and more paperwork" Pepper berates.
Thankfully, I've not been targeted yet, leaving me safe from-
"And that's why I've gotten you a new co-worker. Say hello to Nikandr, my newest assistant!" Tony, you're a giant dick, you know that?
Pepper's focus shifts to me as she jumps.
I let loose a long suffering sigh as she started questioning when I could start working with her.
Dammit Tony
I cross my leg over my other one as I stare down at the tablet in my hand with both shock and pure defeat.
"A mansion, Tony? I thought you were giving me a house" I ask in spite of my logical side just saying to take the gift.
Tony snorts in his medical bed or whatever it was called, smirking as he glances out of the window "A Mansion is just a big house, isn't it?" He asks, his eyes tracking the position of the sun for all of a few seconds before returning to staring at me.
"So, any opinions?" he asks, raising a brow as I huff a sigh.
"This one is too gaudy, the whole thing is made of marble for Christ's sake, not to mention that I have the very small fear of it breaking prematurely because of just how weak the structural integrity of it is." I respond, slumping as I pass the tablet back to him, watching him hum as he nods.
"Makes sense" He says, swiping the pad and entering another tab as he idly pulls out a bag of blueberries that I had bought for him while he had been going through the first part of his diagnosis.
We were currently waiting for a doctor to walk in and tell Tony if the X-ray was available, it had been about 4 minutes.
"Hm, how about this one? It's nice, rustic, got that homey feeling, probably bad power and internet but I can fix that pretty easy" He says, chucking the tablet at me lazily as he digs around in his bag of freeze-dried blueberries.
"Huh, good choice. Never thought freeze-dried blueberries would be so good" he comments as I snatch the tablet out of the air, staring down at the house beneath my gaze with interest.
It was a nice house, very nice I'd admit. Hell, I liked the style and space of it if nothing else. However, there was one deal breaker that could ruin the Mansion.
"How far away is it?" I ask, looking at another picture of it as Tony hums.
" 'round a mile if I remember correctly, which is always so yeah, a mile" he says, popping another freeze-dried blueberry in his mouth as I nod.
"Yeah, then this one's alright" I say, calmly giving him his tablet back as he nods, turning it off as he yawns, stretching slightly before settling back in.
"Alright, so, I'll buy the mansion tomorrow. Today, you're going to help Pepper deal with her paperwork or whatever she does. See if you can stop to pop in and bring me snacks, will ya? I'm still a growing boy after all" He jokes, making me snort as I nod.
"Yeah, sure, is she at your mansion?" I ask, standing as the metal of my body shifts. Tony nods, popping another blueberry in his mouth as I hum.
"Alright, it's, what, a few miles away from the hospital. I can make that trip in like 5 minutes I think" I say to myself more than Tony, shaking my head as I turn my gaze to him.
"Alright, I'll tell ya if I have to stop any supervillains on the way" I say more lightheartedly than anything else, though, with murphy's law I no doubt have just fucked myself.
"Yeah, yeah. Bring me a souvenir if you happen to beat one" He responds lazily as I leave the doctors office.
I swear to god, if I actually meet a supervillain on the way there I'll-
God dammit. Why did I invoke Murphy's name like it was the son of a whore? I stare across the street at the very obvious supervillain in disguise with both hesitance, and exhaustion.
On the one hand, I could just walk away, ignore this entirely and go on and do my job. On the other hand, however, he's… well, he's free XP.
I continued staring at him for a few moments before shaking my head and sighing. I told Tony that I'd stop any villains on the way to his house which, sure it was a joke, but like. Come on, he'd be a bit disappointed if I didn't stop a villain if I could.
Dammit, how did I gaslight myself into fighting a criminal? I'm supposed to be running to Tony's mansion right now, not stopping every criminal I see.
I sigh, walking further down the street and passing a couple streets before turning a corner into a narrow alleyway. I needed to gather my thoughts.
Now, I could fight that very obvious and suited XP bundle, but I could also just continue going to the mansion.
Ah, what the hell, this is supposed to be an adventure right? I shake my head, turning to the wall and squatting down, pressure forces itself down on the cement street beneath me as I shoot through the air, landing on the roof of the building in a roll before I squat down and begin to run back to where I had seen the guy, crossing rooftop after rooftop, jumping over gap after gap before rolling to a stop at a ledge overseeing the part of the street I was at when I saw the man.
Curiously, however, the man was nowhere to be found, despite every nook and crevice that I analyzed. Which meant that, according to Comic book logic, he was likely near me or behind me.
My shoulders slump as I sigh. I turn my helmet and there he is, sitting on a ledge beside me as he stares at me curiously.
The very obvious difference from when I initially saw him and now is that he was now wearing his suit which… yeah.
Hesitance and panic begins pooling in my gut as we stare at each other, the very obviously skilled villain watching me with a degree of curiosity and readiness.
"So uh, what were you planning on doing?" I ask uncertainly, watching as he shifts to his feet.
"And what makes you think I was planning on doing anything?" The man's voice rumbles, his helmet staring into mine blankly.
"You're wearing a super suit, of course you're going to do something" My deadpan voice seems to elicit some sort of backfooted response from him as I panic internally.
Why the hell did I antagonize an obviously skilled supervillain? Like what the hell?!
"Hm, good point. Thanks for the tip" he replies, cupping his chin as I tense.
WHY THE HELL DID I MAKE HIM LESS EASY TO SPOT?!
Jesus christ what am I doing, what am I doing? Get your head in the game man, Jesus christ.
"So uh… we gonna fight now?" My voice says before I can stop it, which causes much more panic, much to the logical side of me's amusement, the dick.
"And why would we fight?" He tilts his head forward, an aura of menace seemingly encompassing him as he circles around me. I stand, my body tense as I stare deep into the man's helmet.
"You were going to do some villain shit, I wont allow that?" I ask more than say, watching him pause for a moment before barking out a laugh.
"Hah! Good one kid!" He says, shaking his head as he inhales deeply, his posture straightening as he looks at me.
"Not a hero yet, even I can tell. So, a budding one? No, an apprentice, then? Not that either. Hm, what a curious person you are." He mumbles to himself as I stand in place, indecision rooting me there.
Should I attack? Should I wait for him to finish the monologue?
What the hell do I do? I was just joking with Tony! I don't want this!
"Ah, I see. I know what you are now" he says with a smug confidence, raising a single finger as he points at me "You're dead" I can just tell he's smiling.
Unfortunately, that only makes the fear pooling in my gut to accelerate rather than disappear.
And so, as Logic envelops my brain once more in a guiding embrace, locking away my negative emotions temporarily, the battle ensues.