Chapter 3: A Wonderful World
~ 1959: South Dakota ~
Another year has passed, being Jonathan's most distressing one yet. For following the cancellation of those two playdates, Vought also canceled the one after that.
Then another. And again another…
After twelve months of not seeing Margaret, the poor boy has a crying fit in the auditorium during a training session.
"WHERE'S MY SISTER?! I WANNA SEE MY SISTER!"
By now, Jonathan has surpassed the adults in physical prowess, which makes his tantrum all the more frightening. It's only when Mister Wilson steps up that he calms down enough to listen.
"Don't worry, Johnny! I'm going to talk with my employers here, so hopefully we can get you together again soon. Alright?"
The boy nods tearfully as his caretaker gives him a chocolate bar. While he unwraps his treat, Mister Wilson walks towards the terrified trainers backed against the wall.
"What IS the meaning of this? I was told their playdates would resume after a month of honing that long-range technique of hers! Why haven't they been reunited after twelve-times that projection?!"
The foreman of the group clears his throat.
"M-Mr. Wilson, you must understand… I know this may sound contradictory, given that we hired you and Nixton as their caretakers. But the products' happiness isn't ou-"
"STOP CALLING THEM 'PRODUCTS!'"
The sudden rise in volume startles Jonathan.
"They're human beings, for heavens sake! Children! Regardless of your grandiose plans, they have essential needs that MUST be met! Also, all ethics aside, what of the practical consequences of overdoing their deprivation?! Johnny here already has the combined strength of FOUR physically-fit men! Do you really want to risk letting loose that kind of power?!"
The staff members stiffen in shock, as if they hadn't even considered the possibility. After a few minutes, the foreman straightens his coat and walks out.
"Idiots. I'm working for a company of idiots."
Mister Wilson facepalms with frustration, then returns to Johnny.
"That should hopefully set things in motion. In the meantime…"
He leans in and whispers in his ear.
"How about you demonstrate how much you can lift? That should give those stubborn fellows some encouragement."
The suggestion puzzles Jonathan.
"But isn't that intimidation, Mister Wilson? I thought you said it's not nice to threaten others."
"It isn't, Johnny. It isn't. But sometimes to deal with incredibly unreasonable people, you need to be… assertive."
Another morally fiddly lesson. But the way Vought is mistreating the boy, Mister Wilson believes he'll definitely need it.
"I'm not asking you to hurt anyone. Just flex what you got. Show them you're not one to be trifled with so easily."
So with little Jonathan's confidence bolstered, he struts towards the power-lifter and gets to work. He cheekily turns to Mister Wilson and the others, the former giving a thumbs-up and the latter trembling nervously.
"Sh*t, you seeing this guys?! The kid's pushing a thousand…"
~O~
By the next morning, nothing's changed yet. Though Jonathan did get some satisfaction hitting a new weight record and getting an extra dessert.
But upon entering the kitchen for breakfast, he sees Mister Wilson sitting at the table with a man in a lab coat.
Though Jonathan immediately identifies him as another scientist, this one looks more distinct than the others. Aside from his angular facial features – complete with a hooked nose, slicked black hair, and circle beard – he emits an impression of intellect and refinement.
"Johnny, this is Professor J: the founder and head scientist of MarvaLabs."
"Good day, Jonathan."
Professor J greets him with an English accent and an open hand, which the boy shakes politely.
"Nice to meet you, Professor J. You work for Vought too?"
"On a contractual basis. They hired my company to provide R-and-D services."
"Neato! Though not to be rude… Will Margaret be here too?"
"I'm afraid not. For reasons I'm unable to disclose, there aren't any immediate plans to reunite you with your sister."
"Aww…"
"However… In lieu of that, Vought is willing to permit you a field trip. To MarvaLab's South Dakoka facility outside of the complex."
"Outside?"
Up until now, he's only seen the world through pictures and the television. So while not as appealing as the bimonthly visits, the prospect of actually being outdoors excites him.
But then the feeling of suspicion sinks in, as the offer seems a tad too exciting.
"What's the catch?"
Professor J quirks an eyebrow and turns to the chuckling Mister Wilson.
"Wising up already, is he?"
"The way Vought's been dangling Maggie over him like a carrot, I'd be amazed if he weren't."
"Smart lad. Anyways…"
The professor addresses Jonathan again.
"There are in fact two 'catches'. The first is you'll be blindfolded en route to the facility. The second – and most important – is you must be with your caretaker and other supervisors during the whole trip. If you fail to abide by them, Vought has made it VERY CLEAR you'll never see Margaret again."
This ultimate penalty makes his blood run cold. It's already been painful enough not seeing her for so long. But a sister-less eternity? Suddenly going outside doesn't seem so worthwhile.
"Don't worry, Johnny. You're smart enough to follow these conditions."
The boy still looks nervous, so Mister Wilson holds his hand.
"This field trip will be a good thing for you. And I'll be there to keep you on the trail. So how about it?"
Jonathan, comforted by his words, nods in agreement.
~O~
After breakfast and a lengthy drive, Jonathan has arrived to the facility. He didn't get to see the outside, as he was still blindfolded and has yet to discover his x-ray vision. But his first look at the interior is a sight to behold.
"Jeepers!"
Before him is a massive atrium several stories high, the glass-railed balconies lined with various kinds of rooms.
"Welcome to MarvaLabs, Jonathan. Shall we begin the tour?"
And so the day proceeds, with the boy being guided through the multiple levels, escorted by Mister Wilson, Professor J, and two Vought guards. The rooms are packed with researchers, scientific paraphernalia, futuristic wonders, and more. And with Professor J's engaging and understandable commentary, Jonathan is able to follow along perfectly.
He was curious why no one paid him any heed, given he's supposed to be Vought's "Golden Boy". But then Mister Wilson told him that the rest of MarvaLabs don't actually know what he looks like yet.
About two hours in, they reach the top floor and enter a refrigerated room packed with various lab samples. What catches his eye first is a large vial filled with a fluorescent blue liquid.
"Professor… This is Compound V, right? The super-serum that gave me my powers?"
"Correct, Jonathan. Not as refined as the batch used for you, but just as capable of granting superhuman abilities."
"So you're making more of it here? Why? Does Vought plan to create more supes like me?"
Professor J pauses at the question, as if deciding how to answer. But before he can, Mr. Messenger - a young Vought representative - barges in frantically.
"Sir! The prospective sponsor, Mrs. Moolah! SHE'S HERE!"
"So soon? I thought the appointment was for next week."
"Surprise inspection! In her words: 'I want to see how you keep house without shoving anything in the closet last-second!'"
"Hm. Well, you need not worry about the conduct of the MarvaLabs staff. Though I'm unable to speak for your people, which your superiors insisted on implanting within this facility."
"Spare me your operational complaints! Are you coming down or not?!"
"In five to ten. I trust you can entertain her till then."
As Mr. Messenger scoffs and scurries away, Jonathan looks up to Professor J curiously.
"Why aren't you worried? This visitor seems rather important."
"She is indeed important… To Vought. With the atrocious crater of debt they're in, they literally can't afford to lose her potential financial support."
"How'd they get in so deep?"
"Greed and impulse, my boy. All starting with their egregious decision to birth your sister so early."
"But if they don't get the money, aren't you in danger of losing out too?"
"Given their dubious credit, we aren't providing them advance services. Our work thus far is being funded by received payments, so we'll simply stop and give what they paid for once the well runs dry."
"Smart. Though that brings up something I'm been wondering about: How are Vought planning to make money off of me and Margaret?"
Again Professor J pauses, looking more stumped than before. But then – again – before he can answer…
-BANG!-
"What the dickens?!"
-BOOM!- -KA-BLAM!- -VLA-DA-VOOSH!-
Jonathan and company stumble out of the room and onto the balcony. Upon looking down, they see a handful of rooms in the lower levels have exploded. Not surprisingly, the whole place is in a panic with alarms blaring and people scrambling about.
"HELP!"
At the middle level, a portly woman in a peacock coat is dangling off a broken stairwell, unable to move past a pile of flaming wreckage.
Jonathan immediately knows what he has to do. But then, remembering the "terms and conditions" of his field trip, he turns to his caretaker.
"Mister Wilson?"
"Johnny?"
"Permission to save the lady?"
Mister Wilson's eyes widen, clearly surprised by the request and unsure how to respond.
"YES! FOR F*CK ALL'S SAKE! YES!"
Mr. Messenger appears and shakes the boy feverishly.
"OR ELSE WE'RE ALL GETTING SH*TCANNED!"
"Well, you heard the man, Johnny! It's hero time!"
Jonathan excitedly nods, leaps over the railing, and enters the scene. The woman barely has time to react before he swoops by her side, carefully takes hold of her, and flies to the top floor. Upon setting her down, to everyone's confusion, he rushes back below.
"What are you doing, Jonathan?!"
On cue, the boy catches the stairwell just as it breaks loose, then places it away from the edge.
"Just checking my work, professor!"
Jonathan soars across the atrium, looking for any injured personnel and loose debris. He's about to consider dealing with the fires, when the sprinkler system activates and the on-site emergency crew rolls in.
"You can return now, Johnny! J's people will take over!"
And so Jonathan flies back to the touring group, where they and some other onlookers applaud him.
"Well done, Johnny!"
Mister Wilson proudly gives him a high-five, and a clearly impressed Professor J pats his back. Jonathan beams with satisfaction then turns to the woman.
"Mrs. Moolah, I presume?"
"You presume well, my hero! Thank you!"
The woman graciously shakes his hand with awe.
"Good heavens! When Vought told me they were raising a superman, I didn't know they were speaking so literally!"
"S-so does that mean we have your support?"
Mr. Messenger nervously grovels before her, only to receive a stern huff.
"TO BE DETERMINED. I hope you'll understand my displeasure over this ghastly incident. In fact, the only reason I'm not saying 'NO' is because of the impressive show I've just witnessed! So for starters…"
Mrs. Moolah gratefully holds her little savior.
"I'd like to have an interview with this fine young lad! What's your name?"
"Jonathan, Mrs. Moolah."
"Nice to meet you, Jonathan! Professor J, could you please give us somewhere to speak?"
"Of course. Right this way…"
~O~
Later that night, Jonathan and company have returned to the main compound.
The interview went exceedingly well. Aside from her rescue and his initiative to ensure the safety of others, Mrs. Moolah was incredibly impressed by Jonathan's moral character. She turned out to be a pleasant person herself, desiring to better the world with her wealth. She even comforted him when he let slip about his sister, though he caught himself before revealing her superhuman nature.
While Mrs. Moolah didn't make a final decision then, she told Vought she'd be in touch. However she declared they wouldn't get a cent unless they fulfilled some conditions, including:
#1: Do a thorough investigation on what caused the explosions, as good business partners should have good safety standards.
#2: Provide weekly phone calls with Jonathan, so she can learn about his raising and training firsthand.
#3: Continue the bimonthly sibling visits. After all, a loving brother shouldn't be deprived of his sister.
The Vought bigwigs nearly foamed at the mouth at the last two. But being in such dire financial straits, they didn't really have a choice.
Thus bringing about a perfect end to the field trip.
Except for an unsettling conversation between Professor J and a crewman, which Jonathan managed to pick up with his enhanced hearing…
"…Gross incompetence by Vought's implants, we first thought. But then one of our first responders, ex-military, recovered components found in IEDs."
"Bombs?! So this was an act of sabotage then?"
"A diversion, sir. On a hunch we checked the main warehouse and found a third of the crates storing Compound V missing. Haven't done a roll call yet, but I bet there'll be some absentees."
"Bloody hell…"
"You think Vought's behind this?"
"Highly doubtful. All of the in-house stock is paid for and set to be delivered to them. More likely the thieves were implants hired by a third party to steal the goods. And given the size of each crate, that's over a thousand doses of V potentially lost to the black market. We'll have to inform corporate about the possible emergence of superhumans in the near future. Or worse, supervillains…"
Supervillains.
That word chills Jonathan to the bone. The prospect of fighting normal criminals is daunting enough, but criminals with super powers?
The implications are still haunting him now, as he sits alone in his quarters whilst Mister Wilson is at a debriefing. So he goes to the living room for some TV to take his mind off them. There he sees a lone hardcover left on the couch, titled "Historical Tragedies #4: World War 2 and the Holocaust". Unaware what this "Holocaust" is, despite his rough knowledge of WW2, he opens it for enlightenment.
The book starts innocuously enough, beginning with Hitler's rise to power over Germany. But as he progresses into this dark period of history, each chapter becomes more horrific than the last.
The camps… The tortures… The executions…
The narration alone is deeply disturbing for the young Jonathan, but somehow he can't stop reading. Even without printed pictures, vivid imagery of the Jewish genocide floods his mind.
"Johnny?"
Jonathan sharply turns to Mister Wilson, now standing beside him with concern. Visibly upset and shaking, the boy drops the book and clings onto him for dear life.
"It's okay, Johnny! Calm down! How much of that did you read?"
"T-too much! Mister Wilson, how could those Nazis do such horrible things?!"
"Hhhh… I-I can't provide an easy answer for that. How the wickedest thoughts spawn and lead to such savagery is one of the many mysteries of human nature. Thankfully, as you know, Hitler's regime was eventually brought to an end."
"But evil still exists! People continue to sin everyda-"
The boy's eyes abruptly dilate into pinpricks, as he remembers what he was trying to forget.
"The stolen samples…"
"Excuse me?"
"I-I heard Professor J mention several containers of Compound V were stolen during the commotion! He even said the theft could end up creating supervillains! What if he's right?!"
"Then you'll be there to stop them."
Mister Wilson firmly grasps his shoulders and looks him in the eye.
"The Compound V that runs through your veins is more potent than anything else ever produced. That means you'll be mightier than ANY superhuman that's borne from today's debacle and more! And better yet…"
His caretaker dramatically raises a finger to the sky.
"You'll have your sister by your side! With your combined strength and willpower, NO villain – super or not – will stand a chance! Do you believe me?"
"Y-y-yeah…"
"C'mon, Johnny! You've got to BELIEVE! Do you BELIEVE?!"
"Yeah! YEAH! I BELIEVE! I BELIE-"
-CRASH!- -WHUMP!-
The boy suddenly feels the wind knocked out of him. A few seconds later, he finds himself on the floor looking up at a certain someone.
"M-Margaret?"
"JON-JON!"
Sure enough, there's his beloved sister right on top of him, brimming with pure joy.
"I MISSED YA SO MUCH!"
Soon the two are hugging and crying happy tears. As the heartwarming reunion goes on, a bemused Uncle Nix walks through the ruined doorway and next to Mister Wilson.
"About f*cking time, eh?"
Jonathan's caretaker looks up to him and rubs his aching ears.
"WHAT?"
~ Author's Notes ~
Ladies and gentlemen, Little Johnny's very first piece of action!
The consequences of the Compound V caper are already obvious enough, so here's an early spoiler: YES. This does mean there will be a greater presence of supervillains than in the original comics, many of which will play big roles in future chapters.
As for Jonathan's surprise history lesson, I think you've also got an idea what'll come of that…