Chapter 9 Questionable places and temporary Goodbye
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So here Izuku was, bored out of his mind in what seemed like a principal's office. The man in the room there hadn't looked up at Izuku since he had initially arrived. He was just typing away on his computer. Whenever Izuku tried to initiate a conversation, the man would make incoherent noises as if that constituted a satisfactory answer.
Izuku suddenly felt a pain in his chest. "Ow, what's this feeling"?
The man sitting at the desk decided to answer him. " Don't worry. The anesthetic should kick in a bit."
All of a sudden, Izuku's chest felt slightly numb.
Then, there was a call over the intercom system. "Would Sephtis please report to management? I Repeat, would Sephtis please report to Management.'' Suddenly, the man at the computer got up and reached for a door behind the chair, which Izuku could have sworn was not there a few seconds before.
Sephtis turned around to look at Izuku before exiting. He spoke and said. " Please don't touch anything. I'll be right back." he walked out the door, closing it behind him. Izuku was about to get up when, not even half a second later, Sphtis walked in with a briefcase. He began to gather papers and files. He put his suitcase on the counter and entered the symbols ΨΟΖ into the combination lock, and as the briefcase opened, a bright light shone out of it. Sephtis simply grabbed some papers, stuck them into his suitcase, and closed it. Sephtis walked around the room. He was grabbing things from filing cabinets and sticking them into the briefcase.
Izuku spoke up. "What happened? Where are you going?"
Sephtis decided to answer him. " I'm going on vacation, so I'm picking out some work to do while on a break. ?"
Izku looked at him, "You guys get vacations ?"
Sephtis shrugged. "I don't know, but management said I do, so I won't argue. The last group that did that got cast out into lower management. Someone shall be along to take my place shortly. Good luck with whatever is going on with you. "Sephtis straightened out his suit and stepped out the door, which was gone the next second.
Suddenly, another random door opened, and a man in a white trench coat walked through. The man sat down at the desk and changed the nameplate to Beyonder. Then he sat down, and only then did he notice Izuku. He waves his hand and the nameplate to say Frank instead. Frank spoke up, "Sorry, nobody told me I was going to have company, and I promised I wouldn't use all my powers while working here. So you can return to what you were doing before I got here, and I'll get to work ."Frank typed one letter into the keyboard in front of him. "All right, I'm bored. So kid, what are you doing here?"
Izuku yawned. He honestly felt slightly lethargic, and his body felt sore, but he also felt somewhat better, as if a great weight had been taken off him. But he answered. "I honestly don't know. The last guy that was in here didn't say anything."
"Well, let's look up your file on this computer, shall we? What's your name?"Frank asks as he's already typing away.
"Izuku Midoriya "
Frank shakes his head. "That name is too strange. Your name is now Ike."
Ike began to panic. "I like the old name my mom gave to me ."
"All right, Ike. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."He entered Ike Midoriya into the computer. No results found."Huh, I wonder why that is."
"Try Izuku Midoriya," Ike said.
"Well, I don't know why that would work." Frank types it in. "Well, there you are. Why did you lie when you said your name was Ike, Izuku? You need to be more proud of the name your mom gave you". Frank looks through the file. " Huh, not much information on you. It just says waiting for a transfer order, and in place of origin, it says unknown . Time in existence says ten days . You're a very developed infant."
"But I'm 14 ."Izuku tried to correct him.
"Wait, if it's wrong, then that means that you're like me. You're not in your home dimension ."
Parker Industries
Stephen washed his hands and was de-scrubbing.
"I've done all I can. I've collected most of the carbonadium from his wounds. That being said, even though he is now stable, he seems to have fallen into a coma. It's up to him now if he wants to make it through this. Even if he does, he will probably need physical therapy for at least a year".Stephen tapped his metal leg. " You might also want to look into getting him some prosthetics. But I'm getting ahead of myself. We'll have to see if he wakes up first. I'll be resting at a hotel nearby. Please inform me if his condition changes. I'll be over as quickly as possible." Stephen shook Peter's hand and started walking towards a town car they had gotten for Strange.
When the car was out of sight, Peter returned to the elevator. "Tony Stark has arrived at the back entrance with an armored legion escort and heavy armor semi-truck. Shall I Activate security turrets?"
"As funny as that would be, he has what we need to save the kid's life. Let him in."Peter got a call. "Thought about using your security turrets against me, didn't you ?" Peter just hung up instead of coming up with a lie. He saw the security feed that Tony had the truck docked at the shipping receiving area and was unloading a large pod. Peter went down to the loading area.
"So this is the new and improved Vita chamber.?"Peter said as he watched Tony instruct D.u.m.m.y on how to unload the sensitive equipment.
"Yup, I made it with some of Dad's old blueprints and a regeneration cradle ."
"Do we need the cradle ?" Peter asked, concerned.
"Tough as the kid is, Steve was conscious when he went through it. We don't have that luxury.
"What's with the box ?" Peter asked as he looked at Tony's wrist.
"That's a mystery tool that might come in handy later. Anyways, use your skeletal muscles to help load my portable lab into your freight elevator."
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Izuku was pacing back and forth, passing his hand through his hair. He saw Frank play solitaire on the computer in front of him. "What do you mean I'm not in my home dimension?"
Frank kept playing on the computer in front of him. "It's exactly what it sounds like. Imagine having two ponds, one with goldfish and the other with turtles. Then, somehow, the turtle ends up in the fish pond ."
"So what you are saying is the multiverse is real, and I'm somehow not in my home dimension."Izuku fell back into a chair he didn't even know was there.
"If it were that simple, I wouldn't be impressed," Frank said while completing his solitaire game. Now, pulling up Minesweeper.
"What do you mean ?"
"Well, if it was just hopping across dimensions, that's easy. I do that accidentally when I sneeze. Hell, some of the humans in this universe can do that. No, what's different about you is the distance you traveled. Honestly, it should be impossible. It's as if a turtle was moved from one pond to another. But that other pond was across the country. What is surprising is how it got here. It's not like the turtle could walk. It would die on the way. Did someone carry it? But what purpose does that serve? It's not like it's all that special. No offense".
Izuku had more or less zoned out after he said across the country. He didn't even notice the jab at his character or the apology offered afterward. He just sat there in shock; one thought coursing through his head: [I am so far from home. How will I ever get back?]
"O, you have much more pressing matters than that."
"Huh," Izuku exclaims, his mind finally back in the moment.
[I SAID YOU HAVE MUCH MORE PRESSING MATTERS IN THE MOMENT ] Izuku heard loudly and clearly in his head. "What could be more important than thinking of a way to get home ?!"
"You do not have to yell. I'm right here; unlike some people, I pay attention when people talk to me. As I said, you might want to focus on staying alive."Frank said while completing an expert-level Minesweeper map. Moving on to pulling up space cadet pinball
"Huh, what do you mean?"
Frank was a little annoyed having to look up from his currently active pinball game. "Man, you ask a lot of questions. Scratch that you ask the same question repeatedly. Do you see that door?" Frank said, pointing at the door Izuku had tried to enter earlier. "That's the entrance to the afterlife. It is quite literally the threshold between life and death. When you cross over it, you move on to what you believe is after.
Izuku was in full panic mode. "I can't die yet." Izukugot got up from his chair and tried to put as much distance between him and the door. Sitting in the corner like a wounded and sacred animal, hoping that if he ignored it, it would go away, trying to make himself as unnoticeable as possible.
"Why not ?" Asked Frank. "From witness reports, what lies behind that door is the most incredible adventure. Why return to the boring part if you are already at the reward stage? You did it, and you can rest now: no more expectations, no more hurt, no more ridicule, and no one telling you what to do or where to go true freedom. You know you Mortals always look at death as something so scary when it is one of the greatest gifts HE ever granted you. It's just been misrepresented by those who can't enjoy it and are stuck to wander forever. Is it sad when it happens unexpectedly? Sure. Should people try to expedite the process? I don't think so, but if it's the way the dice fall, the last thing you should do is fear it." Frank exhaled with a sense of melancholy. "Sorry, I was rambling there."
The admittedly excellent speech had gotten Izuku to calm down. "I can't go yet. There is so much I have to do. There is so much I want to do."
"Like what ?" Frank asked, wholly engrossed in the conversation, forgetting the virtual pinball game.
"Well, I've always wanted to be a superhero."
Parker Industries
"OK, how are his readings? " asked Peter as he ran around the lab, making sure everything was set up correctly.
"Same as where earlier," answered Curt. "Heartbeat is going steady. Neural activity is at the same low level as earlier, and blood pressure and temperature are still low.
"How are we doing on power, Tony? I don't want this thing to shut off when we're in the thick of it.
"The Star Reactor is up and running. Power converters have been built and installed. The cradle is functioning correctly, and the Vita ray emitters are primed and ready. All we need to do now is hook up the mutagen and insert a kid.
Peter went and inserted each vial of mutagen into its proper slot. "Alright, let's load him into this thing."
Steve walked in carrying Izuku and slowly laid him down in the cradle. Then, he put the oxygen mask on Izukuz's face. We need to cut off his bandages so they don't restrict his limb growth. Logan walked over and slashed at the kid's bandages, and they fell off, having been cut perfectly.
The Cradle closed up and, using its sensors displayed Izuku's vitals.
"Alright, begin with the shot of penicillin."
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Izuku swatted away at whatever had just poked him.[Are there mosquitoes in here or something .]
"A superhero? Yeah, now that sounds fun. I could go down there with you, and we could kick significant ass as Frank The Incredible and his not-as-cool but just-as-important sidekick Izuku. Shure would beat being up here. But I can't. I'm on probation." Frank started to look downtrodden. Then Frank got a devilish smile. " But you aren't." Wait here?" Yelled Frank as he ran through the door. He manifested out of nowhere.
Izuku was once again alone with his thoughts. [He does move a mile a minute, doesn't he ]
"Ok, I'm back!" Frank yelled from behind Izuku, causing the teen to jump slightly and scream when he noticed that Frank was carrying something that seemed to be fighting against his hold. Frank chastised it as if it were an unruly cat.
"Just something I got from the armory, a thing they call a spirit of vengeance. I'm shure old Zad won't mind "
"That sounds dangerous. Maybe you should put it back."Izuku said with a look of worry etched on his face.
"Nonsense. Nothing is too good for my sidekick. So take this," Frank says, shoving the ball of energy into Izukuz's chest, causing the energy to bounce off and fly wildly around the room.
Frank stuck his hand out and caught the wild energy "Son of a bitch put a child lock on it. If that's how you want to play it, I'll just make my own." Frank pulled blue paper with white lines on it out of who knows where and slammed the energy down onto it, immediately transforming the power into a blueprint. He looked around the blueprint and set out to make corrections with a pencil.
"Ok, now first correction: fire is the source of power. What are we, troglodytes? This is the modern era. Let's change the power set from fire to electricity." Frank used his pencil not to erase but lazily crossed the word fire and wrote lightning in its place.[Wait, but blue fire is more extraordinary than normal fire ] Hey kid, what is your favorite color?"
Izuku was surprised at being called for answers. "Blue, no, wait; I meant green ."
Frank nodded and wrote the word green above the word lightning. He started making more corrections: "Let's keep the skeleton transformation because that's just badass. Change from B.D.S.M gear to…Hey kid, what's your country of origin?
"Japan ".
"Samurai are perfect. A Spirit of Vengeance is excellent but also a little old-fashioned, and vengeance against what evil? That's a little self-righteous. I like to believe morality is subjective. So let's make it like a storm, neither evil nor good. It brings both salvation and destruction, depending on how you use it. Alright, all done." Frank signed his name on the bottom of the page. He pulled the energy back out, and it looked green now. "All we need to do is stick this thing inside you."Frank steps towards Izuku as Izuku takes a step back
"Are we sure that thing is safe ?" asks apprehensive
" Yeah, 100 % ok, maybe like 70%.Look, I need someone there to be a hero and complete my dream."
"But being a hero is my dream ."
"That's not important right now. Listen, how about if you take this? I will do you a favor in return."
"Could you send me home?"
"Sorry, kid. I wish I could, but I am still on probation, so sending someone all across the Omniverse would be a significant violation.
"O, ok, just thought I would ask," Izuku said sadly.
"But maybe I could help you send a message."
Parker Industries
The Cradle closed around Izuku. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath. Tony was over by the controls, Kurt standing beside him, keeping track of Izuku's vitals. Logan posted outside the door to the lab just in case any other Hydra agents were hiding at Parker Industries. Peter stood by the cradle along with Steve, just in case they needed to act quickly.
Peter broke the silence. "Alright, Begine, the injection." Tony activated the injector with the press of a button. The vials were emptied one by one. They looked at Izukus Vitels, making shure they stayed stable as soon as the screen indicated that the mutagen had been fully injected. Peter nodded to Tony, signaling to start part two of the operation. Tony turned a dile slowly, and the VitaRay lights quickly pelted Izuku with radiation. As the power is increased, the screen reading looks optimal. Steve looks on in worry.
Suddenly, the vitals on the screen start to go wild. Steve yells out to Tony, "Turn off the machine"! As Steve is about to rip the door off the cradle door. Peter calls out, "Wait, keep it going"!.Everyone in the room turned to look at Peter like he was mad. Peter just said, "Don't believe in me. Believe in him ."
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Frank had spawned on an exam table in preparation for sending a message when Izuku collapsed. Frank Kneeled next to him. "Speak to me, kid. What's happening ?" Izuku said through gritted teeth, " My body hurts." Frank noticed Izuku's door starting to open slowly.
"Listen, kid, I know the deal was for me to send the message, then I bind the thing to you, but if you don't agree to this now, you will not live long enough to even send the message. So I need you to agree to the deal of taking the spirit first message afterward.
Izuku nods. Frank grabs the spirit orb and bonds it with Izuku. Out of nowhere, electrified wires wrap around the door, forcing it to shut.
Parker Industries
As Izuku's vitals were still going wild on the screen, Tony yelled out, "Alright, that's enough, Peter. Pull the kid out ." Peter shook his head. "We just need to hold on a bit longer ." Steve moved closer to Peter. "Listen, we tried. It didn't work, but we gave it our best shot ." As Steve takes a step forward, Peter fires a web shot at Steve's feet. Tony is about to intervene when he looks at the screen. "Fellas, you might want to look at what's happening to Green Teen Wonder instead of having a showdown ." They were looking at Izuku and saw that flesh was growing on Izuku's stumps. Peter shouts out, "Tony, increase the power!" "Aye, Aye captain".
I?k? ?rea?
Izuku looked around with a look of recognition. This was his apartment. This was his room. "Am I home?"
Frank's voice could be heard coming from nowhere. "Sorry, kid. I told you I couldn't do that. This is simply one of those night memories you guys have." "A dream." "Yea".Izuku tried to hold back his anger and sorrow. "So what if I see her in my dreams?" "It's not yours; it's hers." Inko walked through the door. "Izuku honey, is that you? I knew you would come back home." She was about to hug him when she stopped. "No, wait, this is too perfect. This isn't real ." as she said those words, the warmth and light left the room. " In a couple of minutes, I'll wake up, and my baby boy will still be dead ." She collapsed on the floor crying. Izuku could not hold himself back anymore and joined his mom on the floor to embrace her in a hug. "If only I were a better mom, this wouldnt have happened ."
"Mom, don't blame yourself. I never did. There were times when I thought you should have said something different, but I would never trade you for any other mom in the world. Mom, I don't know how to explain this, so I won't. I'll just tell you this is not dead; I'm stranded. I've met some good people who will help me where I am. She looks up at him and asks one simple question. "Will you ever come back ?" Izuku holds his mom's hand. "Not even the universe could keep me away. But Mom, I need you to do me a favor." She Looks up at her son. "I need you to keep going and live a full life even if I can't be there with you. I need you to keep smiling for the both of us," Inko just asked, "Izuku, how can I go on without you."He smiles at his mom and says, "Cause you are strong, Mom. I've seen it, and now I need you to be strong again. I know it will be challenging, but you have to take it one step at a time." After that, they sat there, hugging for what felt like hours.
Izuku looks down at his hands and sees them start to fade. "It looks like our time is up. One more thing: your birthday present is in my second drawer. You can go ahead and open it. Just remember, Mom, this isn't a goodbye. It's simply a see you later."
Parker Industries
As Izuku opened his eyes, he heard a single line.
"Welcome back, kid. You've been gone for a while."
That was a good nap. Anyway, in case I don't see you again, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.