Technomancer in MCU #1
By: IdleMuse0307
Technomancer in MCU #1 by IdleMuse0307
Status: ongoing
Published: 2023-10-05
Updated: 2024-03-07
Words: 191201
Chapters: 96
Original source: https/forums./threads/1118803
Exported with the assistance of
Technomancer in MCU #1
Introduction
Technomancer in MCU #1
Technomancer in MCU #2
Technomancer in MCU #3
Technomancer in MCU #4
Technomancer in MCU #5
Interlude #1
Technomancer in MCU #6
Technomancer in MCU #7
Technomancer in MCU #8
Technomancer in MCU #9
Technomancer in MCU #10
Technomancer in MCU #11
Interlude #2
Interlude #3
Technomancer in MCU #12
Technomancer in MCU #13
Technomancer in MCU #14
Technomancer in MCU #15
Technomancer in MCU #16
Interlude #4
Technomancer in MCU #17
Technomancer in MCU #18
Technomancer in MCU #19
Technomancer in MCU #20
Technomancer in MCU #21
Technomancer in MCU #22
Technomancer in MCU #23
Technomancer in MCU #24
Technomancer in MCU #25
Technomancer in MCU #26
Technomancer in MCU #27
Technomancer in MCU #28
Technomancer in MCU #29
Technomancer in MCU #30
Technomancer in MCU #31
Technomancer in MCU #32
Technomancer in MCU #33
Womp Womp Womp...
Technomancer in MCU #34.1
Technomancer in MCU #34.2
Technomancer in MCU #35
Technomancer in MCU #36
Technomancer in MCU #37
Technomancer in MCU #38
Technomancer in MCU #39
Technomancer in MCU #40
Technomancer in MCU #41
Technomancer in MCU #42
Technomancer in MCU #43
Technomancer in MCU #44
Technomancer in MCU #45
Technomancer in MCU #46
Technomancer in MCU #47
Technomancer in MCU #48
Technomancer in MCU #49.1
Technomancer in MCU #49.2
(NOT A CHAPTER) The Mystic Tea of Kamar Taj
Technomancer in MCU #50
Technomancer in MCU #51
Technomancer in MCU #52
Interlude #5.1
Interlude #5.2
Technomancer in MCU #53
Technomancer in MCU #54
Technomancer in MCU #55
Technomancer in MCU #56
Technomancer in MCU #57
Technomancer in MCU #58
Technomancer in MCU #59
Technomancer in MCU #60
Interlude #6
Technomancer in MCU #61
Technomancer in MCU #62
Technomancer in MCU #63
Technomancer in MCU #64
Technomancer in MCU #65
Technomancer in MCU #66
Technomancer in MCU #67.1
Technomancer in MCU #67.2
Technomancer in MCU #68
Technomancer in MCU #69
Technomancer in MCU #70
Technomancer in MCU #71.1
Technomancer in MCU #71.2
Interlude #7
Interlude #8.1
Interlude #8.2
Technomancer in MCU #72
Technomancer in MCU #73
Technomancer in MCU #74
Technomancer in MCU #75
Technomancer in MCU #76
Technomancer in MCU #77
Technomancer in MCU #78
Technomancer in MCU #79
Technomancer in MCU #80.1
Technomancer in MCU #1
Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel(duh) and/or any of its published characters that may or may not appear in this story. Disney, please don't sue me! Support the Official Release
Technomancer in MCU
Chapter 1
- Nick Fury -
The Helicarrier control room
I did not need this.
"Hill, Sitrep", Limping slightly, I asked her.
"We have one engine down and another one on its last legs, sir.", Hill Replied.
"Any chance we can reach New York before the aliens destroy the goddamned city?"
"Negative, Sir."She grimaced.
"Updates on the team?"Sighing, I asked.
"Thor and Banner are both MIA. Iron Man was last seen fighting against the incoming alien horde in a new suit and the Captain along with Widow and Barton are not far behind and should reach in time to provide reinforcements."
"How far are we from repairing all the damage to the comms?"
"Comms are back online along with full satellite uplink being restored soon."
"Keep looking for Banner and prepare to escort him to New York once he is found. I think we could use the abilities of our angry green friend effectively for once," I said, turning around.
"Affirmati-"
"Hmm?" I asked her, turning around.
"Sir, it's the council. They want a meeting."
"What are we waiting for then, set it up."
"Yes sir."
Just as I was about to head to the conference hall, all alarms started sounding up.
"Hill, this better not be another disaster in the making. What is going on?"I asked her.
"Sir, it's New York, multiple unknown bogies enroute, air and water sir."
This could not come at a worse time.
"Put it on the big screen and someone better identif y who our uninvited guests are and how they were able to evade all trackers and get motherfu*ing jets in US Airspace without anybody knowing about it."
With the satellite uplink restored, we finally had some credible eyes on the battlefield.
All the stations were in a flurry of activity tracking what was apparently a small but very well-equipped army coming to Manhattan.
The council was not going to be happy about this. Just thinking about it brings me a headache.
Palming my forehead, I asked"Any updates on Banner or Thor?"
"Negative, Sir."
"I am too old for this shit."Sighing, I replied.
- ? -
Beep!
The moment I heard that cursed sound, my eyes snapped open, adrenaline flooding my system, instantly waking me up, despite my sluggish feeling body.
"Alfred", I spoke to my best buddy absentmindedly.
"Yes, sir."
"Turn off the alarms and activate the NYC-2012 protocols."
A little hologram appeared in front of me with Alfred dressed in all his three-piece suit glory.
"Affirmative, sir."Bowing, he replied cheekily.
My AI had a sassy personality, go figure.
As the automatic routines kicked in, the nanites in the suit began moving my body for all my morning activities, carrying me across the rejuvenation chamber and into the command console pod.
It looked a lot like a rescue pod from outside but inside was a whole other story, containing technology that is in some cases, literally out of this world.
"Alfred, What's the current status?"
"….All command centres online"
"..Orbital launch platforms ready.."
"… Shieldbots launched….ETA-1 minute"
"….Rescue boats ETA-2 minutes 40 seconds"
"….Avengers suits prepped for launch.."
"… Multiple bogies en route to the New Jersey Medical conference.."
"Alright.ETA on the Avengers?" I asked Alfred.
"Currently, only Tony Stark is in the vicinity with 'America's Ass' along with Widow and Barton on their way on a Quinjet."He snickered.
"Not the time for jokes, Alfred"
"Yes, sir."
"What about Banner and Thor?"
"ETA unknown. Should I send escorts?" He asked.
"No need. Focus all resources on saving as many people as possible." I answered.
On the Screen, I could see that while capable, Tony was vastly outnumbered there.
"Alfred, Why don't we show Mr.Stark what real armour looks like?"
"Yes!" Alfred replied giddily.
"I'll finally be able to show J.A.R.V.I.S. his place today"
Alfred may have a teeny-tiny bit issue with Stark calling J.A.R.V.I.S. an AI. According to him, he is the only true AI on the planet.
"Not the time Alfred, if possible coordinate with him for rescue operations. Remember they are going to be our future allies." I chastised him.
Gathering my thoughts, I get ready for the literal world-changing day ahead of me.
Sighing, "Alfred, initiate NEURALINK"
"Affirmative, sir."
As I brace myself for the extrasensory perceptions that come part and parcel with connecting to the main systems, my thoughts go into conflicting directions regarding the operation ahead.
With Howard Stark's old Vita Ray research, I was able to create CHI tablets but revealing them to the world will come with its own sets of problems and expectations.
The sheer amount of outcry to distribute the stuff after the invasion would allow the politicians to steer the public opinion against me but importantly against the Avengers as well.
Sighing from the mental stress of it all, I order Alfred "Activate BLEEDING-HEART protocols"
"Are you sure, sir?" asked Alfred.
"Yes, I'll deal with the fallout later, save the people first."
"Very well, sir."
Due to the nifty ability of the Neuralink, all this took less than a second.
Just in time, I could see the hilarious site of the armour just latching onto Tony's armour like a glowing goo. I could literally feel his confusion through the armour.
"Alfred, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"I don't know what you are talking about, sir. On a separate note, all of this is being recorded in posterity for research purposes."
Snorting, I replied, "Yeah, right."
I watch on as S.H.I.E.L.D scrambles to get an appropriate response to an actual alien invasion happening in broad daylight in one of the most populated cities of their main sponsor country.
On another screen, I could clearly see all the assets being brought in from around the world, to NYC for the final showdown.
"Alfred, prep my suit for battlefield entry."
"Are you sure, sir? I am sure we can manage with all the resources-"
"Alfred, there's no turning back now. Besides, if we couldn't even handle the Chitauri what hope would we have against the incoming threats?"
"… Suit prepped and ready for launch, sir…"
As I look on, I find myself laughing over the repeating clip of Tony's confusion over the armour upgrade.
Alfred had designed them with minimal input from myself, back in my scavenging days.
It was sleek, aerodynamic which hugged the underlying Mark VII perfectly. A nanite mixture made from a cocktail of exotic materials like Vibranium for better durability along with unparalleled motion ranges.
I watch on as all the pieces I had painstakingly gathered in the short time I had, fall into their respective places, just for this one event, for the world to finally learn the painful lesson that we are not alone and humanity as a whole needs to unite to have even a semblance of hope of winning against the threats that I know are on their way.
I just hope that the price paid in lives for the world to finally learn that we are not alone is not too high.
Word Count - 1257
Next Chapter - Tony's POV
Author Notes - So? How was it? I would love to hear what you guys think. Any Criticism is always appreciated, good or bad. It's still engagement LOL
Last edited: Oct 5, 2023
Technomancer in MCU #2
Chapter 2 Technomancer in MCU
New York City
-Tony Stark-
"Jarvis, what's the situation?"I yell as I blast off another one of those Chitauri rider boat things.
"The energy surrounding the cube is impenetrable by conventional means, sir."He replied.
"We already knew that. Damn it! Where are the others?"I questioned.
"Captain America along with the Black Widow and Hawkeye were last seen downtown exiting a crashed jet, helping start rescue operations." Replied my trusty AI.
"Any sign of Banner yet?"
"No sir."
"Keep me informed."
"Affirmative, sir."
Going by the numbers I am seeing, even the entire team won't be enough. We'll need heavy support from the army and even then the casualty count will be too high, civilian and military alike.
Just as I was about to order Jarvis to connect me to the closest military base, something slammed into me.
Completely blindsided, I ask "Jarvis, what the hell?"
"I'm sorry sir, the projectile completely escaped all senses right up until it slammed into you."
The HUD was showing all kinds of Vacky readings that didn't make any sense. The energy readings alone made my current Arc Reactor look like an AA battery.
"Jarvis, any updates on the situa-What the hell is this?"
"Sir, it seems to be a semi-liquid material completely enveloping the armour."
"What is it, Jarvis?"
"I believe that the projectile that attacked us was a nanite package, it has completely mended to the Mark VII armour and has a superior power source along with numerous other features that have only been theorised before."
"I'll say, the processing prowess along with advanced weapons alone makes this a walking tank."
"Alright let's see what this--"
"Sir, I think you should see this." Interrupted Jarvis.
The RADAR or whatever advanced version of it this suit was using was somehow telling him that reinforcements were here.
They did not seem to be from the US military but probably from whoever built this suit.
Squinting slightly, I saw what appeared to be multiple jets coming towards me at speeds exceeding Mach 3.
"Jarvis?"
"On it, sir"
"What the hell?" I replied, incredulously.
Everywhere I could see, these bots of some sort launched themselves at any and all buildings in sight.
They looked more like arachnids to be honest. Multiple legs for support and also for offensive purposes, as evidenced by the unfortunate Chitauri soldier who was just bisected in two by a suspiciously familiar thin beam from one of its legs.
"Jarvis, are they using my tech?"
"..Scans suggest a version with significantly higher throughput, sir."
"Damn!", I replied, seeing the numbers, not at all jealous.
"… Unusually synchronous buildup of energy sensed"
"What are they doing, Jarvis?"
Just as I was about to head towards one, for closer inspection, there was a faint whining noise and a huge wave of blue light erupted from all the bots near me.
That wave was joining with other waves emerging from other parts of the city.
"Well I'll be damned," I said, grinning.
There were now multiple domes of pure blue light, almost like the cube, surrounding the major areas of the city.
It excluded the Stark tower so it was still going to be a bitch and a half to repair.
I did not pout, no matter what Jarvis tells you.
"Mr.Stark, The Captain has been spotted wearing similar armour to yours on the streets."
"Well, let's go say hi then. Jarvis, let's see what this bad boy can do."
With nary a sound, the repulsors came active and I rocketed away.
Woohoo!
"Jarvis, what % are we on the repulsion systems?"
"Just under 1%, sir."
I whistled. Damn, I hope whoever gave me this lets me keep it after this.
Just ahead, I could see Captain lifting a literal block of concrete from the street like it was a pebble and using it to smash an entire horde of aliens.
It seems he isn't using the weapons systems or does he not have one?
"Jarvis, target all Chitauri riders. Eliminate with extreme prejudice."
"Gladly, sir."
With the command given, Jarvis just, somehow? Emitted lasers from all parts of the armour and sliced through the aliens like a hot knife through butter.
Landing on the ground, I gave the good Captain a nod, "Captain"
"Mr.Stark" he nodded back.
"Are those shields yours?", he asks, looking up.
I do the same, replying, "No, but damn am I glad that they are there. Otherwise, who knows what the casualty rate would have been."
Hearing the sound of thunder rumbling, I smiled, "Look alive, Captain, Point Break is here".
With the sound of Thunder, Thor arrived where we were standing.
Wait, how did he get through the shields?
As if reading my mind, he replied "The shields are somehow selective, they let me pass through but the Chitauri can't seem to enter and they are now trying to go beyond the barriers."
"What about Loki?"The captain asked.
"With the power of his sceptre, he can slice through the barrier but it heals right up so he can only allow limited entry."
As if given some sort of signal, we could clearly see Loki getting into the barriers on one of the nightmare fuels-whale things.
Hearing the sound of an engine closeby, I turned around only to..
"Well, Doctor Banner, better late than never."
"Uh-huh" replied our resident anger management doctor.
We could clearly see the whale thing floating towards us.
"We could use a little bit of giant angry muscle here, Doc."
"Yeah, I know," he replied
With a sigh, he removed his glasses and walked forward, probably to do a reenactment of the whole crush a tank with his bare hands at the Culver University.
"Doctor Banner?", asked Steve
"Yeah?"
"Now might be a real good time to be angry."
Like a badass, Bruce replied, "That's the secret, Cap. I'm always angry."
Then, he turned around, hulking up and stopping the damn lizard thing in a single punch.
Damn! That was cool.
Wait, where was Loki?
"Uh… Jarvis, any sign of Loki?"
HMM! HMM!
There was a high-pitched noise of some sort.
As I turned around to look for it, there was a bright flash of light near the portal.
"Jarvis?"
"..Activating filters.."
As the light cleared up, the scene that greeted me made my jaw drop slightly.
There was a straight path cleaved through the hordes of aliens near the Portal.
I could clearly see partially cleaved parts of the huge space whales.
Tracking the trajectory, I searched for the culprit of that attack and I immediately did a double-take.
"Fury?" I mumbled, seeing a near replica of Fury's secret carrier.
"No" I shook my head. The design was similar but they actually had repulsor tech incorporated to keep the boat afloat.
"..Incoming call…"
I mumbled, "Let's see what our mystery benefactor has to say to us. Patch us through, Jarvis."
"… Connection Established…"
"Greetings, Avengers….."
Word Count - 1164
Next Chapter - Natasha POV
Edit - I've worked a bit on the grammar,spellings,punctuation, etc.Please let me know if I've missed any.
Last edited: Oct 4, 2023
Technomancer in MCU #3
Chapter 3 Technomancer in MCU
New York City
-Natasha Romanoff-
Shooting another Chitauri alien with the 'Widow Blasters' this weird suit came with, she wondered when her life became this strange.
Being one of the top agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., she has seen her fair share of strange stuff but this does take the cake.
-A few hours earlier-
They were exiting from the emergency exit of the now-ruined jet, when they saw multiple people stuck inside a school bus.
"Probably thought it was a safe place to hide when the blasts began" " she thought.
"Barton, with me" Steve ordered Clint.
"Roger that, Captain", he replied cheekily.
Giving her a reassuring smile, he nodded and went ahead to help the passengers.
Meanwhile, she removed the safeties on her guns and proceeded to shoot any and all riders she could see.
Crackle! Crackle!
The comms crackled, "Romanoff", came an infuriatingly smug voice through them, "Miss me?"
"As much as you miss your father, Tony?"
The comms were suspiciously silent after that.
"Too soon?", she asked Clint.
"Eh, he had it coming anyway" he replied, shaking his head.
We were on our way inwards into the battlefield area after clearing out the bus, something slammed into me, shoving me into the ground.
My vision soon began to darken. Looking up, all I managed to see was some black sludge spread all over Clint.
Just as the thought of this being a surprise enemy attack began to take root in my mind, a voice spoke from seemingly everywhere.
"..Greetings, Black Widow. I am Alfred, your designated partner for this exciting battle we have ahead of us.", a voice chirped excitedly.
And then my vision cleared up.
Standing up, she could see Clint covered in skin-tight armour of sorts, examining his hands.
"Uh, Nat, you alright?" he asked nervously.
"Yeah, just peachy.", she grumbled.
"Uh, Alfred, was it?" she spoke aloud.
"Yes?", came the voice simultaneously from all three of our armours.
"Not creepy at all", she thought in her mind.
"Who exactly are you?", she questioned.
After all, while they might be providing reinforcement and backup for now, she had seen more than her fair share of backstabbing and was always on guard with situations like this one. The ones that seemed too good to be true.
"To answer your question, Miss.Romanoff, we would be wasting valuable time better spent in fighting the invaders and making sure that they leave the planet post-haste. I would recommend that you start working with the parameters already given to your suits.", Alfred replied tersely.
As she was about to question him further, "He's right. Our first and foremost goal should be to save the people. The questioning can come later.", Steve interrupted.
"Besides, a representative of our organisation will soon arrive to assist you all. After this invasion is over, he will be providing you with a full debrief. So please, less talking more smashing.", interjected Alfred.
"Alright alright", she took a deep breath, "Fine."
The conversation died down as they entered the fray and started cleaning up any aliens they came across.
According to the suit's parameters, She was supposed to be airborne and taking out anybody that came too close to the Stark Tower and remain there.
Clint had taken an interesting approach to this suit of armour.
She could almost feel the giddiness wafting off of him like a child who found a new toy.
"What an idiot", she thought fondly.
Just because he was excited didn't mean that he missed any shots, though.
Clint had taken surprisingly well to his suit. Flying around intuitively, shooting long-range targets with his never-ending supply of energy arrows.
The captain on the other hand was probably still getting used to the existence of the internet, so this might not be the easiest stuff to handle.
But, as an energy shield whizzed by her, bisecting a bus and smashing through a dozen aliens hidden behind them, she thought "Maybe the suit's more intuitive than I thought"
As they cleared about another large area with a subway entrance where they herded all the survivors they could find, she heard the comms crackle to life,
"Uh, guys?" said Tony.
"What is it, Tony?" asked Steve
"Look up"
As they both looked up, a blue wave of sorts expanded and passed through us.
Upon close examination, she could see arachnid-like structures that were emitting this blue light.
She whirled around when she heard a series of gasps behind her. Only to see a number of the brave ones come out and point toward the sky excitedly.
She took a look, only to freeze.
She could very clearly see that a huge shield had covered the entirety of the nearby area.
Taking flight, "Holy Crap", she thought as she could see that there was now an energy shield that covered an area as far as her eyes could see.
It was a very strong one too, judging by the frustrating attempts of the Chitauri. Even one of their big whale ones crashed into it and it didn't even show as much as a flicker let alone cracks.
"Impressive, right?" came an incredibly smug sounding voice.
"Who are you really, Alfred?" she replied back.
"All will be revealed soon, Miss.Romanoff.Now will you please follow the parameters?" he grumbled back
Rolling her eyes, instead of replying, she was about to turn around and go to the Stark Tower when something whizzed past her at an incredible speed.
"Alright, you have got to be messing with me," she said, frustrated.
"I apologise if I startled you, Miss Romanoff. Honestly,I was told that the Avengers were made of rather sterner stuff.", a little hologram of an old butler popped into my HUD, sniffing haughtily.
I deadpanned at him.
"If you must know, that was one of the many medbots being deployed to NYC."
"Medbots?" she asked, uncomprehendingly.
"Just watch and learn."
She watched on as many small TV-sized floating platforms came out of the medbots. They were, as was the theme of this organisation, sleek and made of black stuff with shiny blue circuitry running through them.
They were also floating, apparently.
She watched on as one of the floating platforms came near one of the injured people, nothing too serious, just scratches and bruises, and scanned them somehow.
What it did later raised all sorts of alarm bells in her head.
"Clint, are you seeing this?"
"Yeah, still working on believing. Man, Fury is not going to be happy about this."
"Yeah, no kidding", she replied.
The floating platform, after presumably scanning the medical state of the person in front of them, emitted a focused bright beam of orange light on the bruised and scratched areas.
Amidst a sea of gasps from the huddled group of injured people, the injuries began to visibly fade away.
With the amount of these medbots launched in the city, she could safely assume that a majority of the people will walk away from this ordeal physically fine.
"That's not all either. The largest doctors' conference of this century was coincidentally happening right near New Jersey. Almost all the doctors present there have been kidna-, Ahem, Escorted to the Central Park and a large cordoned-off area has been created there for them to treat the patients that can't be completely healed with the Vita Rays.", Alfred added helpfully.
Word Count - 1245
Next Chapter - Multiple POVs
Technomancer in MCU #4
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 4
Technomancer in MCU
-Previously-
"That's not all either. The largest doctors' conference of this century was coincidentally happening right near New Jersey. Almost all the doctors present there have been kidna-, Ahem, Escorted to the Central Park and a large cordoned-off area has been created there for them to treat the patients that can't be completely healed with the Vita Rays.", Alfred added helpfully.
New York City
-Natasha Romanoff-
When a high-pitched tearing sound came from behind me, the alarms started blaring in the suit.
"Alfred?", I asked, turning around.
Before he could reply, I could clearly see Loki riding on one of the whales, with several stragglers riding behind him.
Behind him, I could see a tear in the shield as if something had just cleaved through it.
"The sceptre…", I realized.
"Yes. The sceptre's powers can easily breach through the shield but due to the shield's construction, only that part of the shield is destroyed. With the abundance of shieldbots we have here, that part of the shield will be repaired soon enough.", Alfred replied.
I could clearly see the shield visibly closing up as Alfred said.
As I was searching for ways to destroy the aliens that had entered the shield with Loki, Banner had arrived and was talking to Steve.
Sighing with relief, I knew that at least the immediate issue was solved.
With a loud tearing noise, Banner transformed into the Hulk and stopped the whale with a single punch.
The whale and its entire exoskeleton nearly toppled over as it groaned in pain at being nearly stopped with a single punch.
Tony took the opportunity and fired a small missile into one of the exposed parts.
"Take Cover", he shouted.
"Where?", I thought loudly in my mind.
Thankfully, there was no need as the only unarmoured person here was the Hulk.
In the immediate aftermath of that explosion, Clint and Tony took care of all the stragglers and I went back to see if any of the shelters were compromised.
I arrived at one of the buildings only to find smaller versions of the shield projected onto the people who were actually out into the open, recording everything with their phones.
Groaning in frustration, "Alfred?" I asked, aloud.
"Yes?"
"Don't let the civilians out of the shelter, please."
"As you wish"
With that, the shields began to literally herd the group into the shelters, despite their asinine protests.
HMM! HMM!
There was a high-pitched buildup of noise that all my instincts were telling me to run from.
I looked up at the shield boundary only to see a white light fill all of my vision.
Silence reigned on the battlefield.
The Feed on the HUD cleared up.
I squinted, only to see a path carved out through the Chitauri bodies right up to the portal.
Partially vaporised corpses littered the boundary of the shields as they lost the ability to float.
The huge locusts like aggregation of the aliens seemed oddly still, as if afraid that they were going to be targeted next.
Then, as if a button was pushed, all the aliens I could see began to rapidly crash on to the shields. Some of them being clearly crushed to death beneath the weight of the aliens behind them yet the aliens continued their frenzied approach.
"Don't worry, the shields will hold". Reassured Alfred.
THUD!
I heard the sound of someone crashing near me.
Looking over, I saw Thor landing wobbly near one of the wrecked cars nearby.
I went to help him but he recovered pretty quickly.
"Loki", he whispered," He ran away."
"Don't worry, we'll find him.", I reassured him.
"What kind of seiðr is this?", he asked, gesturing to the Vita Rays being projected onto him from my suit, healing him from cuts he must have gotten from Loki, surprising even me.
As I was about to tell him what I knew, I heard an unfamiliar voice speak through the armour's internal systems, "Greetings, Avengers….."
"Hello, Mystery Guy. Mind telling me how you arranged all this so soon?", Tony asked snarkily, gesturing to the shields and the armours surrounding them, his words having a hint of an accusation with them.
"Would you believe me if I said that I saw the future." the voice replied.
"Nooo but we would be having some words about you not informing someone about this attack.", Tony said in a heated tone.
The voice sighed, "Look, We can stand here arguing about it or we can deal with the extra aliens that come out of that hell hole together while Alfred helps in evacuation and healing the injured. I'm on my way as well."
"I agree.", I said, surprising everyone.
"What? It's not like I am not suspicious about the timing but the relevant thing is that the guy is helping and without his help, we would not have been able to do half of what we have done already. So let's save the interrogation for later when he actually comes here and not as some disembodied voice.", I argued.
"Like I said, let's leave this for later.", the voice said, sounding surprised.
As if his words heralded something terrible, the same high-pitched building-up noise came from before and the floating air carrier floating out of the city fired multiple times.
After my vision cleared, I saw that the entirety of the shield dome was littered with thousands of corpses of the aliens.
The entire sky nearing the Stark Tower where all I could see were hordes of aliens, now remained free.
"Be careful, the carrier will not be able to do that again for quite some time. We must find Loki and close the portal else the invading forces will overwhelm our forces too.", the voice said.
And I agreed too.
Glancing at the portal, I could clearly see the new wave of aliens coming through the portal but this time instead of crashing to their literal deaths on the energy barrier, they made a beeline towards the carrier, recognizing the greater threat it possessed.
"Loki" I whispered, realizing he was still somewhere commanding the army.
"Alright, here are all your orders, if you choose to accept them", said the voice.
All of them waited with bated breaths.
"Tony and Clint, you are on straggler duty. We will open up a section of the shield near one of the completely evacuated areas. Your goal is to make sure that the least amount of aliens go past the barrier area on either side and make sure that the load on the carrier is lessened."
"I don't take orders from anyone but alright.", Tony replied snarkily.
"Roger that.", replied Clint.
"Steve and Natasha, you are on crowd duty. A detailed scan of life signatures of the shielded area has been uploaded on your respective armours. Also, designated shelter zones with fortified areas have been marked. Your task is to make sure that all the people are in the shelters and you might find some people with serious injuries that are only stabilised by the Vita Rays. You need to get these people to Central Park for emergency treatment. Got it?"
"Got it", I and Steve replied.
"Thor, Find your brother and subdue him. You know he cannot be convinced or stopped now."
"Yes", Thor replied somberly.
"And Hulk?", the voice sounded bemused.
The Hulk grunted back.
A small hatch opened from a nearby shieldbot and a rectangular box cam and attached itself to the Legs of the Hulk.
"These will help you reach the heights necessary for you to SMASH them properly."
The Hulk grinned at that. It did not bode well for the aliens.
With that, he Leaped straight through the barrier, blasting through the corpses of the aliens and into one of their riders, obliterating it.
All of them leaped into action after that.
_
Word Count - 1330
Next Chapter - Fury POV
Technomancer in MCU #5
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 5
Technomancer in MCU
The Helicarrier control room
- Nick Fury -
"What a shitshow this has become", I think, not hiding my grimace, while waiting for the council to assemble.
"Even in times like this, they cling on to their vain pride. ", I thought privately.
After what felt like ages, "Director Fury", spoke the councilman in front of me.
"Can you tell us what the hell is going on?", the councilman speaks, clearly frustrated at their lack of control of the situation.
"As you know, Loki opened a portal above New York through which his Army came to conquer the earth for him. The Team was able to figure out Loki's location before us and given the urgency of the situation, they went ahead rushing to Stark Tower ahead of us. Due to-"
"How can they go ahead without our permission, Director. We were very clear from the beginning that even though we allowed the formation of the team reluctantly given the dire circumstances but under no circumstances was the team to be deployed without our knowledge. ", interrupted the clearly irate Councilman.
"As I said before I was rudely interrupted, the situation's urgency forced their hands. Romanoff and Barton are both with them so they have not gone rogue as you would believe. Now, Can I go ahead or does anyone else have any questions?", I glared at the room with my one eye narrowed to make the point.
"No, Director. You have made your point. Go on with the report. ", spoke another silhouette.
Clearing my throat, I said, "Thank you. As I was saying, Due to Tony's suit, he was able to reach Stark Tower the fastest. There he found Loki. After a brief altercation, he was able to momentarily overpower Loki but due to the Opening of the Portal, he was forced to concentrate on the literal horde of aliens pouring out of that Gaping hole above New York City. "
Taking a sip of water to moisten his dry throat, he continued, "Stark alone was not going to be able to handle them, that much was pretty clear from the get-go. The rest of the team sans Thor and Banner reached there soon after. "
"While rescuing people stuck nearby, the suits that you are seeing were given to them"
"Yes, the advanced weaponry that has come into their possession. The council has a special interest in that, Fury. "
"Ofcourse you do. ", I thought darkly.
"As of now, we have no idea regarding the origin of the suits, the aircraft carrier floating nearby or even where they got that advanced healing and barrier tech. "
"How did that come about, Fury", spoke Alexander Pierce for the first time.
His inquiring voice was soft but it spoke volumes of how shaken he was regarding the revelation.
"We were supposed to be the guardians of Humanity from the greater expanse. How was SHIELD caught pants down in this situation? We clearly don't have half a clue regarding the players on our own home planet. "
The feed showing a white beam cutting through swathes of aliens running in front of him. Next to it was a feed of people being healed, the barriers being deployed through those spider bots.
"This is horrendous. We have no idea, no clue regarding this organisation. They have been operating on US soil for who knows how long without anybody being the wiser and now this, this needs a response. We cannot be seen not doing anything. Fury, what are our options now?", the councilman questioned me.
"We are doing something, members of the council. My team is right there, helping people, defending them from the stragglers. The unknowns have just supplied the technology. None of their people seems to actually be there. Last I heard from the team, they had successfully established contact with the organisation and were promised a meeting after all this was over. "
"See to it that SHIELD doesn't come out the loser after this, Fury. ", they addressed me.
They cut the feed after that.
Huffing, I turned around to head back to the bridge when halfway through Hill came running to me.
"What is it, Hill?" I asked her.
"Sir, it's not just a single carrier as we previously thought. "
Her words send alarm bells ringing in my mind.
"2 more have emerged from the water, sir. They have surrounded the city in a formation. Sensors indicate faint underwater activity of 2 more such structures. More importantly, a projectile was somehow launched from the moon. "
What? "The Moon?", I thundered back at her.
Not phased by my outburst at all, she replied "Yes sir. It is the size of a quinjet and it is headed straight towards the portal. "
"Have we attempted to establish communication?"
"Yes sir. It is not answering any hails. Should we engage, sir?"
"No, I don't think it will be of any use. I have a feeling that thing must be the doing of our mystery organisation. I don't like mysteries, Hill. "
"Contain this. Don't put it in writing anywhere. We don't need a riot amongst the councilmen regarding this.
"Roger that"
"ETA?"
"14 minutes, sir. "
"Hmm, inform Stark and the others about that just in case. "
"Yes, sir. "
As we were talking, we finally reached the bridge,
I shouted, "Alright, people. Are we any closer on identifying any of the tech they are using and where could they have gotten that?"
Sitwell came forward with a tablet and said, "Sir it seems that the white beam we saw was an advanced railgun prototype. I say prototype because, after those continuous three bursts, they haven't fired again but seem to have gone into defensive mode. The carriers seem to be using repulsor technology, same as Stark's but the output suggests that they are leaps ahead of him. "
"And the stealth technology they used?" I questioned him.
He scratched his head and replied, "We have no idea, sir. The only reason we are able to track them is they let us. Total sound, radar, light, and even vibration absorption technology. I have never seen anything like it. "
"Alright, keep me posted about any new developments. " I dismissed him.
"Yes, sir"
Standing near the bridge command console, I could clearly see all the machines in action.
From the healing bots to the shield machines to even the jets that have exited the carriers to destroy any alien that was able to get past Stark and Barton.
Speaking of them, I could see their popularity shooting through the roof after this. Hell, I could probably get Banner his pardon pretty easily now.
Studying the footage, I could confirm that whoever they are, they have thoroughly infiltrated SHIELD.
The themed suits with perfect synergy between the innate abilities of the user and the extra abilities offered by the suit.
Palming the pager that Carol gave me, I thought of calling her but the secret mysterious cabal seemed to be actually good this time and by the time she comes back, the invasion would probably be over.
Just like that, the time passed by.
The emergency services managed to arrive at the Central Park hospital these guys had created. Nearly all the civilians in the Dome of the shield surrounding the nearby areas of Stark Tower had been evacuated.
The team was fighting outside the dome now, all of the suits came with flight capabilities apparently.
Soon, the spaceship arrived.
From the feed of one of the many drones flying nearby, they were able to see that the spaceship stopped on top of the portal.
It stayed there for a while, increasing the tension in the bridge before something happened.
One after the other, a long rectangular structure unfurled itself from the bellies of all the three carriers and aimed itself at the portal or more specifically, the spaceship suspended above the portal.
A similar one emerged from the top of the spaceship.
The sensors indicated a huge buildup of energy at the tip of those things.
"Stark, are you seeing this?", I said over the comms.
"Yeah, still don't know what it does though. I'll keep you posted Fury. "
After a while, the carriers were emitting so much energy that for a second, I thought that they were going to just bomb the entire city.
Fortunately, the three carriers simultaneously emitted three beams of azure blue light aimed at the spaceship. The spaceship lit up when the energy beam struck its pole and then, all hell broke loose.
_
Word Count - 1428
A/N :- Lol. Cliffhangers truly are fun when you are on the other side of the screen.
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Interlude #1
[ ALFRED POV OF ABSOLUTE BEAT-DOWN ]
I looked at the fools charging on ahead at my master without even thinking about the doom they had invited upon themselves after this.
My master is not a merciful man.
He will not leave any of them alive after this.
With a look of pity, I activate the close-range scanners to find Loki.
That bastard is a slippery one.
There was no way in hell that the one charging ahead on top of the Leviathan's head was the real Loki.
Ah, there he is.
Hiding right underneath the Leviathan's neck, riding on one of the Chitauri riders made invisible under his illusions, was Loki.
Tracking an Infinity stone's energy signature was so much easier if only you knew what to look for.
With a command, the right shoulder pad opened up and I fired a circular disc at Loki.
The look of utter surprise on his face as a black disc smacked right into his face out of nowhere was hilarious.
That same look turned into one of slight desperation as the runes inscribed onto the disc with the help of the Ancient One activated and negated the use of any energy manipulation abilities inside its sphere of influence.
The fool couldn't even use the sceptre as moving inside 1000G would be a bit tough even for his brother let alone him.
The Frost Giants were never known for their overwhelming brute force after all.
With that taken care of, I activated all the lasers available in my suit and watched as they cut down the horde of Leviathans down to a couple of stragglers and a single injured Leviathan which was barely floating as it was.
Cracking my knuckles, or at least imitating the actions as I was a super AI without a body, yet, I punched, kicked, smashed, and otherwise pulverized the remaining Chitauri into bloody pulps.
They really are the weakest army in Thanos' empire.
I shook my head, grabbed Loki's prison disc and floated over to the platform Master and our future allies were seated upon.
WAKANDA Council War Room
-King T'Chaka-
Today has turned out to be a very ominous day.
The news of figures of Norse Mythology emerging from blue portals was headache-inducing enough but the fact that somebody called upon an alien army to invade Earth through a portal turned this into a political nightmare.
Seeing the elders arguing with each other pointlessly, I shouted, "Enough! You are all respected tribe leaders and you will act like it."
The room finally quieted down after that.
The Merchant tribe's elder said, "I think we should consider sending in some aid that doesn't compromise our secrets. This should be an easier way to allow us to open up slightly to the world and also to get close in case we need to find out more about this organisation that has popped up out of nowhere."
I nod slightly, agreeing with her.
" Absolutely Not!", shouted the border tribe leader.
With spittle flying out of his mouth, he said, "We will not risk Wakanda's exposure for mere aid to the outsiders."
Just like that, the arguments started again.
Palming my forehead in frustration, I had finally had enough, "Silence! I will allow the release of aid to New York in terms of money as well as grains. No technology that might expose us will be shared. War Dogs will be dispatched to find out everything they can about the new organisation."
In front of them, the feed from one of the drones was being played.
At first, they thought that they might need to finally let the curtains loose and defend the planet but surprisingly, this team of Avengers managed to hold the entire invasion off with but a few casualties.
Upon closer examination, they could clearly see traces of vibranium being used in the Avengers' suits as well as the technology being used to construct those barriers.
Wakandan scientists managed to confirm that the shields were based on Wakandan tech but just at a much higher capacity.
The confirmation had all but sent all the elders into a frenzy. They wanted me to send the wardogs to have that man arrested and his entire army seized as Vibranium was Wakanda's property.
How could they not see that was impossible. The firepower shown off by them was of such a level that we would not be able to do anything without significant casualties.
Now, they could clearly see the cordoned-off area of Manhattan where the invasion was occurring. The entirety of the area was sealed off completely.
GASP!
Upon hearing a sharp gasp beside him, he looked only to see the Elder's jaw slightly agape as they stared ahead at the screen.
Mmm? he looked at the screen only to freeze.
Dread pooled in his guts as he read the message.
On the hologram running in front of them that was showing the feed from one of the closest drones they had to the man, 'I AM COMING- BE PREPARED' was flashing in bright red letters.
Soon, the entire feed of the drone went offline.
"What happened?", he asked the operators.
He replied nervously, clearly not used to being in such a situation, "King T'Chaka, it seems that the man sensed our drone was nearby and deactivated it with a glance somehow. As for the message, we are not being hacked. I have checked and all outside communications are being monitored."
"Whoever they are, sir. They are much more advanced than us at least in the cybersecurity department."
"Do a complete sweep of all our communications systems. Find out how he entered our systems. Monitor all outgoing traffic."
"Yes, King T'Chaka.", he bowed and left the room.
I turned back to the Council and said, "Prepare for War. The man said that he will be here soon and with the firepower they have at their disposal, I am not willing to risk anything. We will not make the first shot in this meeting. If we do so, even if we win, it will be a pyrrhic victory at best."
Looking back at the screen, I said, "This could be a great opportunity for Wakanda. If we can ally ourselves with the man's organisation, the road ahead in these turbulent times will be much clearer for Wakanda."
I just hope that it doesn't invite ruin to our doorsteps, I thought somberly.
"Dismissed," I say to the council.
They bow and leave.
Word Count - 1082
Last edited: Oct 27, 2023
Technomancer in MCU #6
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 6
Technomancer in MCU
-Previously-
After a while, the carriers were emitting so much energy that for a second, I thought that they were going to just bomb the entire city.
Fortunately, the three carriers simultaneously emitted three beams of azure blue light aimed at the spaceship. The spaceship lit up when the energy beam struck its pole and then, all hell broke loose.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier
-Nick Fury-
There was a huge commotion at the bridge and no doubt at every agency and country that had eyes on the event.
It was a scene straight from a sci-fi movie scene, there was now a spherical barrier covering the entirety of Manhattan, probably the same tech they used with the previous barriers but just at a level unthought of.
Seeing the commotion below, I shouted, "Silence! Silence! Get back to your stations."
With that, the commotion finally subsided but he could still see hushed whispers as the crew discussed the frankly world-changing scene going on in front of them.
I saw Hill walking toward me, shaken, she said, "Sir, the energy readings of this barrier are not making any sense. Even if they had an advanced version of Stark's reactor, there is no way they are making anywhere near the necessary energy output required to sustain the shield for however long they plan to."
Sighing, I replied, "Hill, these guys have broken all our expectations and have managed to become a more shocking factor in an event that contains literal aliens. All this speculation will lead us nowhere."
"Prepare for initial contact with them. The team has secured a meeting after the invasion. Make sure that we reach there in time for the meeting."
"Me, sir?", she asked.
"Is there a problem with that?", I asked back, eyebrows raised.
She snapped out of it, "No, sir."
I nodded, dismissing her.
-Tony Stark-
Well, that wasn't something I had expected to happen.
To think they had the tech to make barriers of this level.
More importantly, the fact that they were able to make this barrier portable, even if three huge air carriers are pushing the definition of portable, was of immense significance to the current world order.
Man, just thinking about the politicians in DC nearly shitting their pants after seeing this, brings immense joy to my heart.
"..Sir, activity above the portal.."
"… Somebody's leaving the ship, sir."
Oh joy…
"Come on, people. Let's meet whoever the hell this guy is. I don't know about you but I have a lot of questions for our mysterious benefactor."
Gesturing to Romanoff and Barton, I said, "I imagine Fury has some words of choice for him as well."
They nodded back.
-Ed-
"Alfred, let's make a badass entry, shall we?", I asked my best buddy.
"… Only the best, sir.", he replied.
A huge floating platform ejected from one of the Prime carriers and came flying towards the ship at blinding speeds, stopping just short of touching the hull of my ship.
Snickering at the thought of the aneurism the analysts of the spy agencies of the world must be having, I exited my ship in my suit, floating over, and landed on the platform with my hands behind my back.
Man! This was embarrassing. According to Alfred, though, this was one of the cooler poses.
The sun glinted off the armour.
The suit itself was a monstrosity of epic proportions, rivaling the Hulk in sheer size and even outclassing him in terms of its destructive potential.
The outer hull was built from a freak accident I had when trying to make the ultimate exotic material cocktail. It was made from a mixture of Vibranium, Adamantium, and Uru. The resulting material, once cast, made what was the closest possible thing to an unbreakable metal.
So, naturally, I built my personal suit from it.
The inner shell was built using standard Vibranium nanites so that I can upgrade the internals as I go on advancing technologically and making breakthroughs in material sciences.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I saw that the platform was hovering just above the Avengers and they were all staring at me or more accurately, at my next move.
Deciding to give them what they wanted, I jumped from the platform and landed on the pavement, completely destroying it and creating a small crater around me.
I sighed internally. There was no reason that should have happened, with Uru in the mix, Alfred was able to completely alter the density of the outer hull as per his commands. He did this deliberately as a show of power.
They all jumped at that and stared at or rather, up at my suit with only the Hulk being able to look me in the eye.
Not letting any of my nervousness bleed in my body language, I casually replied, "Apologies. Battlefield preparations."
Not offering any more explanation at their silent questioning looks, I stared at them silently.
Tony, as expected, was the first to break the silence, "Riiiight. You needed battlefield preparations when you came at the end of the battle. Completely understandable, of course.", he said, sarcasm dripping from every word that came out of his mouth.
Just as I was about to reply to his unasked question regarding my absence from the battlefield, we all heard a loud roar.
ROAR!
We all looked, only to see a total of 6 Leviathans coming at us with Loki at the helm, his face twisted in a rictus of wrath.
Seeing the Avengers tensing in preparation for an attack, I waved them off, "Alfred, be a dear and take care of them, will you?"
"Gladly, sir.", he replied, taking control of the suit.
The chest cavity opened up and the internal nanite suit took hold and brought me out of the armour.
I noticed Tony giving the closing suit behind me a look for consideration.
The suit closed itself up right behind me and near silently took off in the direction of the incoming horde.
With that taken care, I said, "So?", taking their attention away from the absolute beat-down Alfred must be giving them, "I can tell you have questions on your mind. Ask away."
Eyes lighting up, Tony was about to go into a whole tirade of questions about my tech but somebody else beat him to it.
"Why do all this?", Steve asked me, his entire demeanour serious.
Head tilting to one side, I asked innocently, "Do what?"
Visibly frustrated by my non-answer, he took a deep breath and said, "I might still be playing catch up with the rest of the world but from what we have seen today even I can tell that with the power you have available to you, you could have stopped Loki a dozen different times since he came to Earth. My question to you is, why didn't you?"
"Why did you let hundreds of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and thousands of innocent people die?"
"Why did you let New York become a battlefield and get completely destroyed?", he nearly shouted.
Breathing heavily, he looked at me with a determined gaze.
I looked at each of them in the eye and it was clear that if I didn't give an answer that satisfied them then they might just attack me here.
They wouldn't be able to do anything of course. The only ones with the potential to hurt me were Thor and Hulk but both were years away from unlocking their true potential.
But that would burn any bridge I could build with them in the future. They were needed to help safeguard this world.
Sighing internally, I thought about how to go about replying to this question without them instantly attacking me.
Shoulders slumping slightly, I raised both my hands and said, "Alright! Alright, I will answer your questions."
They all relaxed visibly.
I raised a finger, "BUT not here, we have prying eyes here", I said, glancing at an inconspicuous corner of the building.
Gesturing to the platform that had floated down silently behind me, I said to Natasha, "After you."
Raising an eyebrow at me, she nodded and went on ahead to step on the platform.
One by one, everyone boarded the platform and with a mental command, the platform rose steadily and took us out of the shield boundary.
I spy from the corner of my eye, Tony taking scans of everything like a kid in a candy store with an unlimited budget.
Breaking the silence, I say, "I know you will not like my answer but here it is anyway. For a lesson. It was all for a lesson….."
To be Continued..
Word Count - 1465
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Technomancer in MCU #7
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 7
Technomancer in MCU
-Previously-
Breaking the silence, I say, "I know you will not like my answer but here it is anyway. For a lesson. It was all for a lesson….."
_
New York City (Outside the Barrier)
-Ed-
The silence that followed my statement was deafening.
Even though I couldn't see everybody's reaction, the change in the very nature of the air and the scent of ozone in the air was unmistakable.
"YOU DARE!", Thor boomed, as he advanced towards me.
I remained calm even as Steve stopped Thor and calmed him down.
He then turned to me, "Explain.", he demanded.
Even though he sounded calm, I could tell he was just as if not more angry than our resident Asgardian prince.
With a mental command, all of our face plates melted away, allowing the members to see my face for the first time.
Not that it would help them since it was one of the dozens of fake holographic projections I had on hand for situations like this that required a bit more personal touch.
Visibly surprised at the change, they all looked at me for further explanation.
Grinning sardonically, I said, "This requires a bit more touch of a face-to-face conversation."
"To answer your previous question, Steve. It's simple. The world needed to know."
"It needed to know about the true dangers it faces and not the artificial ones that have been created to keep the general populace distracted."
"That all of it won't matter if some galactic overlord comes over and takes over all of our forces in a day."
"And before you say it, I've seen it happen. It is not as unlikely as you think it is."
"Just ask Thor here, what happens to the unfortunate civilisations that gain the attention of Pirates or Warlords and are not fortunate enough to be in the sphere of influence of an advanced civilisation such as Asgard.", I said, gesturing to Thor.
They all look at him with questioning looks.
"Aye, it is far more common than I would like.", he replied somberly.
Steve interjected, "Still. There is no reason you needed to do this just to prove a simple point. You, with all your resources, would have had your voice heard. All of this could have been avoided. We could have-"
"Who is this 'We' you are talking about Steve because as far as I remember, you all were just about at each other's throats just a couple hours ago. There was no unification anywhere. No singular body that I could approach that would treat the threat as planetary rather than just to their own nations."
"They would just hoard the information and any technology I would have given them to advance their own goals. The funny thing is I once entertained such thoughts."
"I thought of approaching Fury and telling him everything, getting it all off my chest. Just dumping all the responsibility on him. Take away all the mental load of it all and just become a weapon. Fire wherever someone tells me to fire."
"It was actually Alfred who shattered my delusions. He ran a model with a staggering 96% accuracy that without a common tragedy, something world-shattering, the chances of humanity unifying even under a loosely built agency rather than true unification would be only 15% and even then it would have been too late to make any actual difference."
I could see it on everyone's faces, they didn't believe me.
"Alfred,", I called out.
Two screens popped up in front of Stark and Banner, who had turned back from the repeated calming CHI injections.
They showed all the parameters regarding the future modeling.
While Stark and Banner were busy verifying the authenticity of my claims, I gave a mental command to Alfred.
They were all startled as the suit just fell down from all of their bodies like water and into one of the drainage ports opened under them.
I gestured to the medical seats that emerged from the ground, "Let's get seated. I am sure anytime now you will start the effects of CHI withdrawal."
Natasha and Clint staggered back onto their seats. The rest sat slowly on the seats.
By that time, Tony and Banner had both gotten through the reports and were both sporting equally haunted faces.
The Avengers didn't ask them anything. They didn't need to.
Their faces said everything.
Tony was the first to ask, "Even if we do believe you regarding the alien threats, what makes you so certain that they will arrive anytime soon and even if they did, as you said, we have Asgard protecting us."
Rolling my eyes, I replied, "Odin is old. Asgard's current strength is a shadow of what it once was. There are foes just as mighty as Odin that are unaging and have the benefit of time on their hands. I suspect that many of these forces are just waiting for Odin to kick the bucket to start moving in the Nine Realms again."
They all listened with rapt attention even though I saw Thor's face tightening at my perceived insult to Odin.
"They know Thor will not be nearly as powerful as Odin anytime soon and with this incident, the royal house being reduced to just 3 members now, it sends a signal of weakness to the outer cosmos."
"Even if Asgard was at its heyday, why should we be reliant on them for our protection. Humanity needs to evolve.", I was breathing heavily at this point.
"You still haven't answered the question.", asked Steve.
Slumping slightly, "Look. You just need to trust me. This is the better way."
"Yes, there will be chaos for a while but if we want to prevent what I have foreseen, this was necessary.", I mumbled, mostly for my own benefit.
"Foreseen?", questioned Natasha with a sharp glare in my direction.
Not willing to discuss this any further, I shake my head, deactivate all the screens of the platform, and turn around.
Just in time to see Alfred holding an energy prison holding Loki in a face-down position.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Thor tensing up to intervene.
"Don't worry. The sphere makes sure that he can't use any magic as there is no one around to prevent him from slinking away using his magic if he wants to.", I warn Thor.
In the background, the Leviathans and the Chitauri keep coming out of the portal and not being able to exit the barrier, they begin thrashing the surroundings, felling entire skyscrapers.
The noise attracts their attention as Tony says, "So, mystery guy? Any way you can close that hole to hell back there?", he pointed at the portal.
Nodding, I replied, "Alfred was able to track down Dr.Erik Selvig in his addled state. With the CHI infusions, they were able to calm him down and the last thing he said before falling into a coma is 'It can't fight against itself'."
"It's the sceptre, isn't it?", questioned Natasha with a sharp glance towards Loki.
I nodded, answering her question.
"Alfred was able to figure it out by comparing their energy signatures."
"According to him, the crown of the sceptre can be used to breach the pure energy barrier surrounding the cube and stop the energy flow between the cube and the machine powering the portal."
"Well then, what are we waiting for? Get the sceptre and close the portal Mr.Person-whose-name-we-don't-know.", snarked Tony.
Agreeing with him, I said, "Alfred, will you-"
"… Mayday! Mayday!.. Tactical Nuke headed right towards us."
"What?", they shouted, aghast.
"ETA - 2min 13sec", came the warning from Alfred.
"Well, shit", Tony surmised our situation correctly.
_Word Count - 1291
Next Chapter - HYDRA POV
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Last edited: Oct 8, 2023
Technomancer in MCU #8
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 8
Technomancer in MCU
Washington D.C.
-Alexander Pierce-
Adjusting my tie, I got ready to meet with the fellow Heads of H.Y.D.R.A.
Unfortunately, the situation in New York has only gone from bad to worse. Despite my word that I would handle it, the other heads want reassurances.
Shaking my head, I thought of the new variable that has popped up out of nowhere with the potential to upend the entire board casually by his lonesome.
The best and worst thing about the situation was the dangling juicy pie that is the technology employed by that man during the invasion.
It was technology, which can be replicated and distributed to every player on the planet. It wasn't a serum that has been costing multiple organisations ludicrous amounts of money to make and even if they did succeed, all it would do is make a super-soldier. A single soldier, no matter how enhanced, will not be able to stand up to the might of the technology that they saw.
His contacts had already reported the movements of China, Russia, India, hell even the North Koreans had sent spies to find out if they could get some of the technology.
Shaking my head, I snorted, "Like those fools would ever get anything."
The computer pinged, signaling the start of the meeting.
As I made myself comfortable on my chair, the screen lit up and the silhouettes of all the other H.Y.D.R.A. heads were displayed.
"What is going to be our next step, Alexander? You assured us that the team Fury was assembling was a one-shot trick and it would never work out. The scenes we have witnessed show them working out quite well.", Strucker questioned.
"Yes yes. And what of that unknown variable and all the technology he has at his disposal. Where did he come from and how was he able to remain hidden from all our assets?", came the hurried question from Whitehall.
"The healing technology they possess. Imagine what I could do with that. The survival rate of our experiments might shoot through the roof. We might even become immortal ."
I could literally feel him salivating at the thought of possessing their healing technology, through the screen.
Disgusting!, I thought.
"Like I said, we don't yet need to do anything. I know Fury and he will never let this big of an unknown leave without having his curiosity satisfied.", I replied.
"He will ask all the questions for us."
"With that information, we can easily get the technology for us."
I grinned, "After all, it will not be the first time that S.H.I.E.L.D. has some technology shipments stolen from them."
Suddenly, an alarm sounded on the screens.
A file popped up on my dashboard.
"What is it, Supreme Leader?", came the mocking voice of Strucker.
I glared at the screen, then opened the file with a sigh.
The contents of the file left me reeling in shock.
The silence probably spooked them since Whitehall asked again in a serious voice, " What happened, Pierce?"
The other leaders were in their respective bunkers with only a single secure H.Y.D.R.A. communication line between them, so it was only natural none of them knew about the current happenings in New York.
I soundlessly shared the footage.
Unsurprisingly, there were audible gasps of surprise between them.
The video showed the extraordinary feat of them essentially quarantining a significant section of a City with three of their aircraft carriers.
This changed everything. It meant that they could essentially dominate any place on the planet. Crush any rebellion anywhere.
This was their answer to Project: INSIGHT.
They were all taken aback by the seriousness in Gideon's voice when he said, "Alexander. We can't let that man get out of there alive."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
Came the resounding agreement from the other two.
"Let's not be hasty. There is still time. Maybe Fury's team will pull through."
"We can not trust those Freaks with this. They are uncontrollable weapons at best and you know it, Pierce.", argued Whitehall.
With a sigh, he agreed, "But how do you intend to kill him? Remember, this will also kill all the other Avengers. Stark can still be of use to us."
"Let them die. They will need to go when Project: INSIGHT comes online anyway. I say good riddance.", said Strucker.
"Very well. I'll make sure that the pilot is not traced back to us in any way."
" Hail H.Y.D.R.A.", I shouted.
" Hail H.Y.D.R.A.", came the equally excited reply.
Rubbing my forehead from the stress of it all, slumping slightly, I ordered the strike.
Getting up and Opening a bottle of whiskey, I dial a call.
"..Hello, connect me to POTUS, Priority Yellow."
BEEP! BEEP!
A weary voice replied, "What is it, Secretary Pierce? If you aren't aware, I am dealing with a crisis over here."
"Yes, sir. I was meaning to talk to you about the same. I have reason to believe Director Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. is compromised and might be a part of the organisation that has intervened in today's battle."
"….I'm listening.", he replied after a moment of silence.
The President was an intelligent man, he understood my intent immediately.
After all, be it for the invasion or their intelligence failure regarding the new variable, somebody had to take the blame.
With Fury's headstrong nature, he would have never approved the strike and once he learns of it, he will not stop until he unearths everything.
Better to nip that dangerous possibility in the bud.
The Helicarrier
-Nick Fury-
While the portal was has yet to be closed, the whole world was watching with bated breaths what was going to happen next.
If only I could get a hold of any of them there, I would have asked them what the hell they were doing.
Aliens continued to pour out en-masse through the portal and the team had apparently given up on protecting the city as they were floating outside the shield, apparently watching the slow destruction of the city.
Through drone footage, I could see that they had captured Loki and it seemed to hold this time but why were they not doing anything to close the portal.
"Hill", I shouted, "Any success in contacting Stark?"
"Negative, sir. All attempts at communication with the team have failed.", she replied.
"Still, the fact that they can do that is astounding.", she remarked after a while of silence.
With a sigh, I replied, "Yes, Hill. That is impressive but it would have been more impressive if they could contain the damage to the city and close than goddamned portal above the city."
"Any luck in figuring out a way to close that damn thing?", I questioned her.
"The analysts and the lab's people have yet to find anything. Sorry, sir."
I waved her off, "Not your fault."
I turned around on the bridge to look at the drone footage showing them sitting on chairs and listening to the man talk, "Let's hope they find something to do that."
BEEP! BEEP!
With a shrieking sound, alarms began to blare throughout the facility.
Hill ran to her seat and her face paled.
She took another look at the panel and promptly ran away towards the runway.
Eyes widening, I realised what was happening and took off after her.
I reached her just in time to see her shoot a rocket and take down a bird.
Sighing in relief, I was about to approach her when the sound of a second jet reached our ears.
Both of our faces lost colour as we turned around and saw a bird had taken flight.
Face rapidly wilting, she asked me, "What do we do now, sir.?"
"Seal everything. Make sure no one even thinks of going near one of the birds. Take their wings off if you have to.", I ordered her.
Running back to the bridge, I pray to God that somebody finds out about the bird before it is too late.
"Stark, can you hear me? Stark? Widow? Barton? Captain? Anybody?"
Slumping slightly, I limp back to the bridge, vowing to make sure that whoever did this will pay.
Word Count - 1407
Next Chapter - Stark POV
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Technomancer in MCU #9
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Technomancer in MCU
New York
-Tony Stark-
As soon as I heard those words, my mind immediately went into overdrive. The first thought that crossed my mind was how the hell did they get past Fury.
The one-eyed spymaster was many things but incompetent was not one of them.
"Jarvis?", I called out loud.
"..Si… Sir..Can you hear me?"
"Jarvis, what the hell happened?"
"..All communication attempts with you after you stepped on that platform failed.."
Giving a look to Ed, "Never mind."
"Set a path to the missile. Full thrust."
I shot off like a rocket towards the missile.
I could see it on his HUD. I was getting closer.
"Sir, I do hope you are not blindly charging towards what is clearly a nuclear armament."
I could hear my own heart beating loudly.
Hearing his response, I chuckled, "Of course not. I do have a plan. I am just not sure about it working."
Just a little more, I could see it closing in.
Coming to an abrupt halt under it, I flew after it in an attempt to latch myself to it.
I had just the place to send it to.
I activated the external magnets in my suit, affording me some grip on the missile.
I just hope that this gambit of mine works. It has to.
As the barrier entry comes closer, I hear Ed say, "Alfred, clear the path, please."
No sooner than that, multiple lasers from hundreds of sources cut down the alien horde as far as he could see.
"Jarvis."
Without a sound, Jarvis charted a path straight to the portal, displaying it on my HUD.
Just a little bit more, I could see Stark Tower now.
BOOM!
With a stupefied look that must have looked so stupid on my face, I could only watch as Ed's suit just tackled me away from the missile and the missile continued on a straight path towards Stark Tower.
In my confusion, I failed to notice that Ed was taking me outside the barrier.
I tried to get out of his frankly embarrassing grip but the suit at the last moment failed me.
Even the HUD shut down.
"STOP!", I shout, nearly hysterically.
"We need to throw that into the portal. The city will be doomed otherwise."
"Too late for that now", he replied.
Ed took me and dropped me unceremoniously on the floating platform from before.
Somehow, the suit came online after that and my face plate opened up.
The first thing I saw was the backs of the team as they stared ahead with an incredibly sad air about them.
Then my vision turned white.
I fruitlessly raised my hands to shield my face when I knew that there was nothing that could stop my inevitable demise now.
Some part of me was incredibly resentful of Ed for dooming us all.
Resentful at the politicians who probably authorized the strike without thinking or communicating at all, fearful of Ed and the power he displayed.
After a while, the light began to die down but there was no shockwave, no damage to me.
I looked around in confusion as the light died down, only to see that the team sported similar expressions on their faces.
Looking back at the city, I expected to see the barrier crumble or something but what I saw was just despair-inducing.
The barrier held strong. The entirety of the area inside the barrier was turned into a huge crater. Most of the skyscrapers were outright vaporized and the shockwave probably destroyed the rest.
There was only rubble as far as he could see.
But the portal was still open and the aliens continued to pour out of them.
The machine was still protected by the pure energy barrier generated by the barrier.
With a choked sob, I forced out, "So, that was all for nothing."
I glared at Ed, who was just standing there nonchalantly as if what was happening in front of us had nothing to do with him.
"I had it. I was going to send the nuke into the portal."
"How did you plan on coming back?"
"I..I would have done something. The repulsors would have generated enough thrust-"
"Your suit is not rated for outer space operations. You would have died there.", he replied harshly.
"Yeah, but I would have saved the city. At Least I would have gone with that knowledge.", I replied back.
His face softened, "There was no need for that, Tony. Humanity still has need of you."
He extended a hand towards me, "Besides, it's not like this is the end."
I took his hand and stood up, "What do you mean?"
He gestured towards the city.
On a screen, we could clearly see Alfred standing near the portal machine and after receiving some signal, he breached the energy core with the sceptre and cut the connection to the cube.
With the cube no longer supplying any energy, the portal swiftly began collapsing on itself.
At the last moment, they all saw a projectile exiting Alfred's suit and going through the portal to the other side before the portal closed upon itself.
Alfred then began to fly back towards us with the sceptre in his hands.
Sighing, I turned towards Ed, "Great. The aliens are now dealt with."
Chuckling sardonically, I said, 'Some great heroes we are. Stopped the invasion but destroyed Upper Manhattan for it, displacing hundreds of thousands of people."
"Billions of dollars in property damages. Can't forget that."
"Don't go all mopey on me now Stark.", came an infuriating voice from an equally infuriating person.
"What?", I glared harshly at Ed.
He rolled his eyes, "Just Watch", he said, gesturing to the barrier area.
Curious as to what he was talking about, I looked inside the barrier area only to nearly fall back in shock when a high-speed projectile just slammed from straight above right near where Stark Tower was.
Looking at Ed for confirmation, I see him nod as if this was his doing all along.
I focused on the crater and saw a black sand-like wave flow out of the crater. It began flowing from the crater in all directions, eventually reaching the edge of the barriers.
It then began to climb the barriers from all directions until the entire spherical shield from outside looked black as the nanites covered the entirety of the shield's surface.
The entire team watched with bated breaths the spectacle happening in front of them.
The nanite wave then began to contract slightly. In the process, they began to change colours, purplish streaks began to colour the otherwise pitch-black wave.
The wave soon reached the crater from where they came from and stayed there.
The entire team along with me looked at Ed with questioning gazes as the nanite wave seemed to have done nothing.
He chuckled, "That was for scrubbing the entire area of radiation. The inside of the barrier now has less radiation than any city on the planet.", he said, pointing towards the city.
I could only gape in awe, as he explained to us the principle of the frankly revolutionary technology he used.
The power to negate the after-effects of the most potent weapon in Humanity's arsenal.
The weapon that hasn't been fired for decades as the consequences of doing so are too high, acting as a deterrent on its own.
The method involved the use of Vibranium nanite latices. Vibranium, upon special processing, was capable of becoming a material that could absorb any and all types of energy.
Ed configured it so that it was capable of scrubbing an entirely enclosed area of all radiation in it.
His entire body relaxing, Steve replied, "At least the city can be rebuilt then."
Ed's face lit up with a mischievous smile.
He wordlessly gestured to the city.
All of us looked back, only to jerk back in shock.
Word Count - 1337
Next Chapter - Fury POV
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Last edited: Oct 9, 2023
Technomancer in MCU #10
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 10
Technomancer in MCU
Helicarrier
-Previously-
His entire body relaxing, Steve replied, "At least the city can be rebuilt then."
Ed's face lit up with a mischievous smile.
He wordlessly gestured to the city.
All of us looked back, only to jerk back in shock.
New York City
-Tony Stark-
I thought that the nuclear radiation absorption technology was the end of surprises for today.
But, apparently, I thought wrong.
The nanite wave was now spreading vertically and slowly moving forward towards the edge of the barrier.
Behind the waves, I could clearly see brand new pristine buildings being built from scratch, appearing out of nowhere.
"That nanite wave can reconstruct matter from existing matter, albeit at an exaggerated energy cost. It's a good thing we had all the radiation from before absorbed, right.", Ed explained.
I could only nod jerkily.
"So… ahem… So the city will be rebuilt back to how it was?", I hated how my voice broke there.
"Better than before. The nanites don't compromise in quality", Ed winked back.
That bastard.
"With this, we can officially conclude that the Battle of New York is over.", Ed declared.
With that statement, all the fight blew out of me. I just collapsed back on the cushy ground.
I could also see similar looks of exertion on Barton and Romanoff.
Seeing their looks, Ed explained, "It's the CHI dose withdrawal. For the entirety of the invasion, the suits were pumping micro dosages of CHI into your system for your optimum operation. Now that it has been stopped, your body has been overdrawn and needs to rest."
"My suggestion would be to drink plenty of fluids and complete bed rest for a few days, except Tony", he pointed at me.
"You need a few weeks, so your chicken body can get better."
I goggled at his audacity.
He just smirked at me.
"On a serious note, the reconstruction of the city should be completed within a few hours at best. The residents can move in by tomorrow. Until then the barriers will remain active."
"The nanites might look harmless but those particular ones are built to devour any matter to build the required product, even organic matter can be consumed.", he said seriously.
Eyes widening in realisation, I said, "Which means the aliens-"
"Yes, even the alien bodies and all their technology will be consumed to make the required matter to build back the city."
"Which means-"
"Yes, nothing is left for S.H.I.E.L.D. or the other spy agencies to salvage from the invasion. No dangerously incompatible technology that can be stolen by people not having the best interests of humanity at heart."
Romanoff interjected, "You know this means that they will hound you with even more ferocity than before. This means that they will have nothing to show for the invasion. No advanced technology, no credit for saving the city. Essentially no benefit but bad PR from this incident."
Ed rolled his eyes, "Well, First of all, they can try. Second of all, the tech wouldn't have helped anyway. It was mostly weapons systems and low-level propulsion systems."
"Honestly, with the right power output?", he gestured to me, "His repulsor tech would be your best bet for advanced propulsion for orbital and sub-orbital transportation."
"And Tony?", he pointed at me, "Be nice. Share some of the tech you have. A first-generation ARC Reactor built for the city to have near unlimited green energy would be a good start, don't you think?"
I thought about it and nodded slowly.
He clapped, "Great. You all can go ahead from there."
"Honestly, with the energy issue solved, most of the other issues will be solved by great minds like Dr.Banner here working together.", he mumbled to himself.
He then abruptly said, "Great work guys. I think we should wrap it up here."
"Tony, Ms.Potts is waiting for you down there. I hope you will make satisfactory arrangements for Dr.Banner here.", he said gesturing to Banner.
"Don't worry, nobody will come for him. I will make sure of that.
Banner offered a hesitant thankful nod.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives have cordoned off the area some time ago. They should be able to escort the rest of you out."
"Gentleman, nice working with you all. May we meet again in nicer circumstances."
His suit started floating as the platform began to descend.
"Wait", I yelled at him, "How do we contact you?"
" You don't, I will. Bye-bye now.", he waved at me.
His suit took off towards the ship above the barrier and soon, he was out of our sight.
" Midgard truly is filled with some interesting people. I don't know why father doesn't allow us to come here more often for adventure.", Thor said.
Loki, who was with Thor in special chains given to them by Ed, rolled his eyes melodramatically.
Nobody reacted to that, all of them in their own thoughts.
Helicarrier
-Nick Fury-
Watching Stark take control of the missile and take it on a path toward the portal was bittersweet.
On one hand, they were going to save the city but on the other hand, they were also going to lose one of humanity's best defenders.
Seeing Ed just tackle Stark out of the way and let the nuke explode was maddening.
Waiting for the shields to break from the force of the nuclear explosion was a nightmare in and of itself.
I heaved a sigh of relief after watching the portal close.
It was a conflicting feeling. I was happy that the portal was finally closed but the cost at which the victory came was too high.
An entire city was lost to nuclear irradiation. The worst thing was that the nuke didn't do anything to the portal.
The energy surrounding the cube remained impenetrable even by the might of humanity's strongest weapons.
In the end, the sceptre was the key to closing the portal.
If the damned council hadn't decided to go over my head and fire a nuke at a city with a civilian population at close proximity, they would have won the battle and the city would have survived.
It would have been in a rough shape, sure but it could have been rebuilt.
Now, with the nuclear fallout, the loss will be felt for generations.
I felt, more than saw the projectile that smashed into the city.
Watching it take over the barrier and then somehow, start rebuilding an exact replica of the city that was destroyed was mind-numbing.
I felt as if I had aged decades in a single day. It was infuriating.
Speaking of infuriating, I suppose it was time to meet the biggest headache I have encountered in years.
"Hill, how far are we?", I asked loudly, over the sound of wind in the chopper.
"A couple minutes, tops.", she replied.
I nodded.
They soon landed in the makeshift helipad in the cordoned-off area.
Getting off the chopper, I was greeted by Special Agent Felix Blake.
"Where is our mystery guest, Agent?", I asked him.
He pointed to the river, "He is just floating there, sir. Upon questioning, refused to come and down and said that he was just waiting for you."
"Very well.", I nodded.
"Clear the area around him. Make sure nobody comes in or out. I don't want out conversations to be leaked.", I ordered him.
"Affirmative, sir."
I watch on as the area around him is cleared out rapidly.
"Hill?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Stay here.", I order her.
Then I walk ahead without listening to her concerns.
I could see him lowering himself the closer I was to him.
By the time I reached the railings, he had landed right beside me.
For a while, none of us spoke.
I was enjoying the view, a moment of peace before the storm.
"So. What can I do for you, Fury?", he asked in an inherently infuriating voice,
God, I wanted to just punch him so bad.
I turned around to face him fully.
Glaring at him, I asked him the question that had been bugging me the most, "Did you know?"
"Know what?"
"Don't patronise me. Did you know about the invasion? About Loki? About the Nuke? About all this death and destruction occurring?", I nearly shouted at him.
He made a humming noise in return.
I was going to strangle this motherf*cker.
Word Count - 1418
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Technomancer in MCU #11
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 11
Technomancer in MCU
Helicarrier
-Previously-
"Don't patronize me. Did you know about the invasion? About Loki? About the Nuke? About all this death and destruction occurring?", I nearly shouted at him.
He made a humming noise in return.
I was going to strangle this motherf*cker.
-Nick Fury-
Just as my patience was about to reach its breaking point, he said, "No."
The answer, while relieving, took the sails out of my wind completely.
My shoulders slumped slightly, and I relaxed slightly.
Even still, I asked him, "Then how did your forces reach here so quickly?"
"If you haven't already noticed, I am head and shoulders above most civilizations on the planet in terms of technology."
"I've had a fixation with transport technology for a long time and have improved upon existing tech and outright invented stuff to make my imagination come true."
I opened my mouth but he cut me off, "Before you ask, No. I will not be giving you any of my technology on a silver platter."
"Especially not to S.H.I.E.L.D. since your outfit just hoards it. Even civilian tech with no clear military applications is not taken out of your vaults."
"So don't preach to me about helping humanity by giving you stuff. It will just remain with you or conveniently get "Stolen" or "Misplaced"."
"I know how you operate, Fury."
I looked at him with a narrowed glare.
He looked back steadfastly.
Finally, after a while, I softened my glare.
"Fine. At Least then tell me what your intentions are."
"Because anybody who can amass this much power and wealth doesn't do it for just any reason."
He looked surprised, "You haven't had a chance to talk with Romanov, have you?"
I looked at him suspiciously.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
He laughed it off, "Nothing Nothing. You'll know when you talk to them anyway."
I made a mental note in my mind to talk with Romanoff and figure out what the hell happened when they gathered on that floating platform.
I had meant to debrief them before this meeting but ever since they arrived at the camp, they just collapsed.
The doctors told me that it was extreme exhaustion and they would recover in a few days' time.
Upon questioning, all they received was gibberish from both of them so I made the call to let them sleep it off.
It seems I should have insisted.
At Least then I wouldn't have just bumbled through this meeting.
The conversation fell silent after that.
Looking towards the city being nearly rebuilt completely.
An exact replica of the existing structures, even better, from Stark's testimonies.
The man was very bitter when he had to accept that his newcomer was better in terms of technology in every way possible.
I could see determination burning through his eyes whenever this "Ed" was mentioned.
Good.
I hope that fire burning below his ass finally makes him get his head in the game.
At least that way, anything he creates can reach our hands and we can start closing the seemingly huge gap between this new player and S.H.I.E.L.D.
"So, is it true?", I questioned him, "What you told Stark? An exact replica of the city?", gesturing to the city being built behind the huge barrier still active.
The analysts back at HQ were having strokes just thinking about the energy output of even one of those carriers, to be maintaining this large of a shield for hours at a time without needing any support.
Truly something those people in the army would kill for.
Why wouldn't they? After all, this would ensure their global hegemony for decades or even centuries to come.
After a while, he replied, "Down to every last brick, Director. I don't do shoddy work."
"I'll have Alfred send you the scans we have of the city and you can compare and tear up many places to see if we changed anything or placed some things where we shouldn't have."
About that.
"How can we trust that you won't misuse that pet A.I. of yours. Stark himself says that it is far more advanced than his and even that has many of our members in congress fearing for their lives."
"How can I reassure them that it won't bring doomsday upon all of us, especially as it controls all your technology."
He shrugged and then said bluntly, "You don't"
At my incredulous look, he said, "Don't give me that look."
"Your people have done the same for years."
"You guys had the bigger stick so you got everything."
"No one questioned you about your BLACK BUDGET or your off-books clandestine operations."
"Why? Simply because you always had the bigger stick."
"Well, guess what? You don't anymore."
"….."
He sighed, "Look, this is getting exhausting."
"All the patients that I could treat will be done getting treated in a few minutes."
Gesturing in front of us, he said, "The city should be done around the same time anyway. You will just need to re-attach the utilities as the barriers have sliced clean through them."
"The platform built in the Central Park will fall apart on its own after the patients are done getting treated."
"Ah! And as a parting gift for you.", he gestured behind me.
I looked behind me.
At first, there was nothing but after a faint glimmer, the cockpit of a ruined jet was visible along with an unconscious pilot, deposited on the ground.
How that got there without making any noise is beyond me.
With a faint suspicion in my mind, "Is that?", I asked him.
"Yes, that is the pilot of the jet that fired a nuclear missile at a civilian population. I don't need to remind you of the consequences of that, do I?", he asked with a grave countenance.
With a tight nod, I replied, "I will make sure that whoever was behind that gets the punishment they deserve. You have my word for it."
He snorted and waved me off, "Bah! Starting to talk like a real politician there, Fury. I don't need your empty reassurances. The Avengers or the public on the other hand might."
"So, better get your case tight.", he patted my shoulder and began to fly away.
"Is there any way I can contact you if shit hits the fan?"
"I'll be on it before you know about it, Fury.", the bastard said in the most condescending possible way.
He soon disappeared into his spaceship on top of the barrier.
"Director! Director!", I heard a faint shouting voice.
I look for it only to see a frantic-looking Hill running towards me.
"What is it?", I asked with urgency in my voice.
If she came running all the way here and broke my express orders not to disturb me, she must have a damn good reason to do so.
Panting for breath with her hands on her knees, she said, "It's Secretary Pierce."
As soon as I heard that, I cursed.
"He is here with the S.T.R.I.K.E. team.", she continued.
"They want to take the Cube and the Sceptre along with Loki into their custody."
I could already imagine Thor's reaction to that.
"They had just tried to escort Dr.Banner out of the tent when I came here to inform you."
I was already on a run when I heard her say Banner's name.
I couldn't understand what was going on in Pierce's head.
Were they suicidal?
Word Count - 1273
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Interlude #2
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Technomancer in MCU
New York City
-Third Person POV-
On the screen, you could see a sea of people exiting the huge central park camp built by our mysterious saviors.
The reporters were interviewing the survivors regarding their experience of the ordeal.
A high school student, clearly in his early teens, could be seen relegating his tale of witnessing a battle of a lifetime.
He said, "I was one of the people who was rescued by the Captain."
"I was stuck in a bus and their jet crash-landed right in front of us. Oh, man, it was so cool. You had to be there for that."
The reporter urged him to go on, clearly in a hurry to move past him to other people.
"Then they exited the jet like such badasses."
"The Widow and Hawkeye were cool too, I guess."
"But they all became even cooler when they got their suits."
"It was like someone who knew them very well built those suits personally for them. They were all personalised in some way."
"I couldn't see all of it because of those pesky shields in our way but I remember seeing the suit just launching itself at the Avengers."
"They were also clearly just as startled as us but the suit just unfurled itself on their bodies like a wave of water."
"It was awesome as heck. I think Iron Man should come with the same technology."
"After that, those smaller bots came into the shelter we were hiding in."
The reported interject at this point, "Are those the healing pods that are termed as such in the news?"
He nodded, clearly excited, "Oh man! You had to see it to believe it."
"It was so fast. All it did was scan you with a weird blue light that made you all tingly like it was static clinging to your body, you know. And then BAM! The light turned yellow and after a few seconds only, all bruises and cuts were gone you know."
"I didn't even know I had a cut on my elbow when it healed me."
"Broken bones were healed within less than half an hour."
"And! And! It wasn't just healing either. All the people that were hit by that yellow light for a few seconds looked so much better and it was just so noticeable."
"I suddenly had a lot of energy. All the gloomy faces of the oldies were changed. They looked like they wouldn't kick the bucket the next second."
Somebody changed the channel in the bar.
"Hey! I was watching that", yelled an old man from the corner.
A Tall, well-built black man, who was clearly the bartender, replied "Old man. All the channels are showing the same damn thing. Watch the reporter interview someone else for a change."
Clearly intimidated by the visage of the bartender even though he didn't make any intimidating gestures, the old man shut up and watched the new channel.
The man sighed, clearly aware of what was going on in that old customer's head.
He didn't want to scare that man but ever since escaping from that hellhole, he had become more easily angered, more frustrated.
Especially now, when he had the power to help the people.
He could have destroyed nearly all of the aliens that he could see, those huge whales being the exception.
Destroyed them with his bare hands.
Their blasts would have done nothing but tickled at best. His skin was invulnerable.
He felt ashamed to have just run with the populace when those robots came, herding them into safety shelters.
The shame reached a new high when he felt relieved that there was somebody else to save the people and he wouldn't have had to reveal himself.
Afraid of imaginary boogeymen.
Unworthy of this power that I was given.
He nursed a drink and turned around to look at the TV, watching those bloodthirsty vulture reporters trouble the poor victims.
Maybe, Pops was right.
Huh! Maybe he did need therapy.
If only to not destroy someone's ribcage with a light touch.
He looked out of his bar, at the unusually peaceful night, pondering about Pop's suggestions of heroics.
Shaking his head, he ultimately decided against it, too cowardly to face the public.
In Hell's Kitchen, a caucasian man with a stick walked into a clearly run-down apartment.
This scene was not surprising due to the state of the apartment as the neighborhood was a rough one but due to the astonishing coordination of the man as he entered the apartment and moved around it without missing a beat, especially in the darkness of the city.
The city officials still hadn't gotten to restoring power to the poorer areas of the city.
He opened the fridge to get something to drink, but upon opening it he saw that it was empty.
He realized that somebody had broken into his apartment and eaten all his food.
With a sigh, he plopped himself onto the old worn-out sofa.
He resolved to get the food from one of Tony Stark's charity trucks running all around the city, giving away food for free.
Last he heard, even mobile soup kitchens were running around the city to feed the homeless, to some people's chagrin.
But they were mostly ignored in this time of solidarity.
He clenched his fast as he thought of the death and destruction that happened to the city in a short period of time.
He wanted to help, he truly did.
But he was given no choice.
He was near Stark Tower when it happened.
When a hole in the sky opened up and the people ran for their lives, screaming.
He helped as many as he could by guiding them to the nearest shelter but he was very clearly out of his league here.
Then the blue barrier spread over all over the city.
Tying a torn piece of his shirt across his eyes, he was about to go help the people trapped everywhere but he was stopped.
One of those robots came in and escorted him into the barriers.
When he protested, it threatened him with his real identity and his past.
After that, he fell silent and tried his best to calm the people he was stuck within the makeshift shelter.
As he was about to get some precious shut-eye, his advanced hearing managed to hear the faint sounds of a gunshot.
With a resigned sigh, he woke up and opened a hidden compartment in the floor.
The authorities turned on the power at the same time, revealing a red mask that covered his eyes.
It made for an ominous sight.
Word Count - 1128
Interlude #3
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Interlude III
Technomancer in MCU
New York City
-Third Person POV-
Elsewhere, a group of students from Midtown High were getting in line to enter their respective school buses to reach their homes.
A reporter spotted them and ran towards them.
The students were intimidated at first but when the reporter asked them questions about their thoughts on the technology used during the invasion, they came into their element immediately.
"What do you think about the overall response should be to the highly advanced technology that was used to protect us?", the reporter asked.
One of the students began to gush about the technology, nearly vibrating in place.
With his face lit up, he said, "Oh man! That was so cool. I mean, sure it was always theorized that the government was hiding a lot of stuff from us. That was probably reasonable."
"But, this? Technology of this level doesn't come out of nowhere. I don't think the U.S. government has this level of technology. If they did, they would have conquered the whole planet long ago."
"I mean just from some rough calculations I made while I had free time in the hospital, the power output from just one of those carriers will be comparable to the power usage of the entire eastern seaboard."
"Even they needed three huge carriers and that small ship at the top to power the spaceship, we can safely assume that the energy required to power that small shield would be comparable to an entire continent's power draw."
"Just that alone would be impressive but floating ships? That's huge man. Just considering the military implica-"
"Ugh, stop your rambling Ben.", interrupted a girl standing behind the boy.
She haughtily took the mic from the reporter's hand.
She took a breath, put on a smiling face, and said, "The military implications aside the medical technology they have shown is incredible."
"Just from witnessing the applications of that orange light, I have theorized that continued dosages of that technology will eradicate nearly 99% of all common diseases, bankrupting the medical industry.", she smirked at that statement.
It seemed that she had a vendetta against the American medical-industrial complex.
"I mean, just imagine, cuts and bruises healing in seconds. Feeling refreshed as if you had a very good nap within a few seconds I think continued application during pregnancy will probably also result in healthier offspring."
"I think that is enough out of you, young lady.", the reporter said after he finally managed to snatch the mic out of the student's hands.
In another corner of the city, people could be seen entering their homes, their apartment buildings, and even some business owners entering their businesses.
Most of them were touching and poking at the buildings around them, still disbelieving of the fact that their homes were once again intact.
After all, who would blame them?
They witnessed with their own eyes, their houses and their livelihoods being destroyed in a fiery flash of destruction from a missile sent by their own government.
After confirming the conditions and that it was indeed reality, many members of the neighbourhood broke down into tears at their luck.
Some cried in remembrance of the fallen members of the society that they would never get back.
In this grief, the communities came ever closer, huddling together for comfort.
The neighbourhood dads took out grills and brought meat from the trucks distributing food to the city for free. They heard that Stark was paying for it.
Eventually, the atmosphere turned merrier.
In the presence of food and memories, the people got over their grief and began to look forward to tomorrow.
Eventually, they went home with their bellies full and their hearts lighter.
Such scenes happened across the city.
People realized how close they had come to instant death and for what?
Nothing.
Many people noticed that the nuke did absolutely nothing to help solve the root of the problem.
After the nuke detonated inside the barriers and reduced nearly everything inside it to ashes, the portal was still open and aliens continued to pour out of it en masse.
Why did the government do it, then?
Such uncomfortable questions were brewing in everybody's minds.
Such scenes were witnessed all over the city by the Cops and the Firefighters.
The ones with the most thankless jobs.
They had to be on duty even though the thing they wanted to do was go home into the arms of their loved ones.
Especially after their close brush with death.
They were the ones who were especially grateful to the Avengers as without their barriers and medical technology, most of them would not have made it out of this ordeal in one piece.
The same questions were also brewing inside their heads.
The question of whether their government had decided to sacrifice them in a haphazard attempt to kill the aliens, to look useful in the eyes of the public.
In the office of the president of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, the same questions were taking root.
Finally, with a determined glint in his eye, he went home to his wife and children, vowing to not let anyone who was related to that missile go free.
To hunt down the people who tried to sacrifice his city, his people, and more importantly, his family in a failed attempt.
Come next morning, hordes of people began marching towards the Mayor's office.
The office was surrounded by the largest Police force gathering in years.
The Mayor, fearing riots, had declared a curfew yet none of the Cops on duty were interested in following the orders more than necessary.
The police chief had given the orders to only maintain non-violence and to let the people of New York ask the questions they rightfully have the right to.
With the amount of people in attendance, the Mayor had to come out to answer their questions.
Soon, a press conference was called.
In the press conference, under pressure, the Mayor promised to personally call the White House and ask for the perpetrators of this heinous crime to be tried with the highest punishment.
The public and the press, both kept repeatedly asking about the terrorist attack after the alien invasion but the Mayor kept deflecting the questions by telling them he was focusing on restoring the city's functions rather than chasing criminals.
He repeatedly assured them that the FBI was onto the case.
In an attempt to deflect the attention from the uncomfortable questions being asked, he announced a hefty reward for the individual or the organisation that helped in saving New York City.
The ones who can give any credible information about them will also be rewarded.
He practically fled the press conference after.
The assurances he gave the public, turn out to be true or just empty platitudes, only time will tell.
Word Count - 1169
Technomancer in MCU #12
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 12
Technomancer in MCU
-Previously-
"They had just tried to escort Dr.Banner out of the tent when I came here to inform you."
I was already on a run when I heard her say Banner's name.
I couldn't understand what was going on in Pierce's head.
Were they suicidal?
_
S.H.I.E.L.D. Cordoned-off site (NYC)
-Nick Fury-
I ran as fast as I could to reach the tent where Thor and Banner were staying.
They had refused to part with either the Cube or the sceptre and the less said about Loki, the better.
I was in a rush to meet this Ed so I thought that I would handle that particular issue later on.
After all, none of them were going anywhere without my permission anyway.
Turns out, I was wrong.
Huffing and Puffing, I reach near the area where their tent was installed.
That leg injury was clearly doing me no good.
The area was nearly empty as a precaution in case Banner went green and also because none of the agents wanted to be near Loki or Banner.
Upon getting closer, what I saw nearly made me lose my mind.
All around the tent, in a circular formation were S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers.
They had surrounded the tent in which Banner was present with all of their guns drawn.
These people were going to give me a heart attack at this rate.
As soon as I got into hearing range, I shouted, nearly hysterically, "STAND DOWN!"
"I repeat, STAND DOWN!"
The soldiers looked at each other in confusion upon seeing me, but they didn't lower my gun, which nearly burst a vein in my forehead.
"Are you all starting a mutiny down here? I will not repeat it again, Stand down!"
This time they lowered their weapons.
But just for precaution, I spoke into my comms.
"Hill, get 2 squads here. Hold these guys and don't let them go until you have my permission."
"We need to get to the bottom of this."
"Roger that, sir.", she replied dutifully.
Glaring at the soldier that tried to get in my way, I nearly shoved him out of the way and went inside the tent.
The scene that I see inside fills with dread.
Alexander Pierce along with S.T.R.I.K.E. team leader Rumlow is standing in front of Thor, Loki, and Banner.
The worst part of it was that Rumlow was pointing an assault rifle towards them.
I nearly leapt between them.
With my back turned to them, I could still hear Banner heave a quiet sigh of relief at my arrival.
"What are you doing here, Pierce?", I nearly growled out.
He had the audacity to say, "Doing your job, it would seem."
"You were under express orders to contain the prisoner Loki and confiscate any 0-8-4s that you come across."
The scent of ozone in the air was unmistakable, at that statement.
"And yet all I see is your agents collapsing due to exhaustion, Stark being gone from your custody and you gallivanting with the new and might I add, dangerous variable."
"Someone with the strength to pull the entire world into chaos."
"So, step aside and let me do my job."
He tried to step past me but I got in his way.
I glared at him and replied, " No. You need to understand that you are on thin enough ice as it is."
"It is my job to handle this and you are overstepping your bounds by doing this."
He narrowed his eyes at me.
"Step out of the way, Fury. That is an order."
"If you don't do so, I will be forced to relieve you of your position as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
" You don't have the authority to do that.", I stated with pure conviction.
The smirk that he sported however sent alarm bells ringing in my head.
"While I might not be able to do that alone, I have the entire council's approval along with POTUS' confirmation to go ahead and arrest you on the suspicion of collusion with foreign powers who initiated a nuclear terrorist attack on U.S. soil."
"Need I remind you that is one of the most heinous crimes you can commit, Director.", he said mockingly.
I gritted my teeth, trying to think of a way to stop Pierce before he triggers Banner while not losing my position.
It would be a huge blow to the Avengers and their overall agenda.
Not finding anything, I was about to just warn Thor and Banner to take everything and run away, an unfamiliar voice spoke.
"Well Well Well. If it isn't Secretary Pierce. While I would love to listen to how you have all the authority in the world to do what you want, I am not interested. So..", spoke Alfred.
He was a projection, seemingly coming from Loki's prison disc that they still hadn't managed to remove.
He then continued, gesturing towards the cases containing the cube and the sceptre, "You can have the sceptre. Remember, you meaning S.H.I.E.L.D. can have that."
A light construct comes from the disc and lifts the case containing the sceptre and hands it to me.
Pierce spoke, "You can't do that. We are going to confiscate it and the cube for safekeeping."
Alfred then tauntingly spoke, "Oh yeah? Who's gonna stop me?"
"Your goons behind you?", he mockingly said and then waved his hands.
Another light construct came from the disc and created a cube around them, trapping Pierce with them.
He could see Rumlow banging on the barrier and failing that, even shooting bullets at it but it didn't even flicker.
"Some variation of that huge shield they used outside?", I thought in my mind.
"Listen to me because I won't repeat anything. The cube is going with Thor as it needed to get him home and rebuild a critical piece of their infrastructure. Loki is an Asgardian Prince. He was declared dead, not exiled."
"So, he is so far out of your jurisdiction it's not even funny."
"Be thankful you are at least getting something out of this deal."
Pierce tried everything he could to regain control of the situation but Alfred kept reminding him of the simple matter of fact.
They had more power than S.H.I.E.L.D.
He even threatened Alfred, to which I had to smother a laugh because that motherfucker was not going to be cowed by anyone or anything we threw at him.
After a while of back and forth where Pierce continued to desperately stand his ground and refused to accept the situation as it was, Alfred sighed.
He seemingly gave up on convincing Pierce and displayed a screen right next to Pierce's eyes.
It was too small for me to read but I could make out a globe and multiple red dots, probably signaling locations for something.
I don't know what was on that map but upon seeing it, Pierce's face rapidly paled.
He looked as if he had seen a ghost. He stumbled back two steps in shock.
I was curious as to what had happened and took a step closer for a better look but Alfred closed the display before that.
I gave him a look but he just deadpanned back at me, not budging an inch.
"Ahem, In light of recent findings, Fury, you can keep your job."
"Make sure that the sceptre is safely stored and the two Asgardian princes are safely transported to their home."
"Dr.Banner, I am sorry if my actions made you feel uncomfortable but please do think about all the innocents nearby that will be hurt if you do transform."
He nodded at everyone and left along with the S.T.R.I.K.E. team.
Everyone looked incredulously at him as he nearly fled the tent, shocked at the sudden switch of his personality.
"What did you show him that made him back off?", Banner asked Alfred softly.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that.", Alfred replied.
"I need to leave now. This drama is just so exhausting.", he yawned.
Everyone stared at him.
"Sheesh, tough crowd.", he sheepishly said.
"Fury, take care of the sceptre. Mind control instruments entrusted into the hands of an obscure extra-government agency doesn't have good optics anyway but if the public finds out that you somehow lost it, well, you can imagine the rest.", he added and then the projection disappeared from the disc it came from.
Loki looked repulsed at the thought of Alfred coming out of the disc that was attached so closely to his body.
"I am sorry for that. Don't worry, we will do everything in our power to get you both home.", I apologized to Thor.
He waved it off.
Loki snorted with a look of scorn at the mention of home.
Hill came into the tent after that and said, "Sir! Widow and Hawkeye have regained consciousness and are being prepped for debrief."
"Excellent. Let's go.", I nodded back at her.
Word Count - 1538
Next Chapter - Doctor's POV
Next Next Chapter - Shocking Debrief
A/N : My longest single chapter yet.
If you like my writing and would like to support me or want to read ahead of the public release, you can head on to my P*treon.
I already have 8 chapters ahead uploaded there.
Technomancer in MCU #13
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 13
Technomancer in MCU
Central Park
-Jemma Simmons-
When I came to know about the New York Invasion, I was horrified to witness the grotesque aliens coming from the portal and open firing on the civilians below, causing death and destruction at a level never seen before in the heart of the United States' Financial Capital.
I was also interested as a biochemist about the exoskeletons and the general overall physique of the aliens.
Watching the new entity put up shields surpassing anything S.H.I.E.L.D. had even come up with was shocking.
It was cathartic to watch some of the science boys nearly have a stroke after they did some rough calculations regarding that shield equipment.
I nearly did a double-take when I saw those yellow healing lights.
That technology was revolutionary!
It was able to heal cuts, bruises, and even broken bones with nothing but a light shining on that area, a complete non-contact healing technique.
Not only that but it also had a rejuvenating effect even on the ones who didn't seem to be injured.
I was so excited for that!
Seeing that the invasion was pretty much under the control of the Captain and his team, I headed to my personal lab.
I couldn't wait to put in a request to examine both the aliens and that revolutionary healing technology.
I had no doubt in my mind that S.H.I.E.L.D. would eventually acquire both.
No sooner had I entered my lab, I got a text from my supervisor to report to her immediately.
I raced to her office, as her summoning me at this moment would indicate only one thing.
"Agent Simmons, Reporting.", I saluted her after entering her office.
"At ease."
"Agent Simmons, you are to head to the New York City Central Park site ASAP. You are under orders to examine the patients that are being healed there."
"Examine the technology employed there and if possible, acquire a piece of it but do not recklessly jeopardize your safety for that. I can see your excitement for that from miles away"
"Am I clear?", she stressed out.
She nodded heavily.
"Great, dispatch is in 15 minutes. All your necessary gear has been sent ahead."
"Take your essentials and meet Commander Grey in Hangar 3. He will personally escort you there in one of the Quinjets."
I smothered a gasp at that.
It would seem that the matter was very urgent.
I had never traveled in a quinjet before. That was reserved for the most urgent matters only.
I tried not to run through the hallways to get my stuff from the dorms.
Within 10 minutes, I was in Hangar 3.
The commander greeted me and we entered the quinjet.
I strapped myself in and watched as the quinjet took off and the S.H.I.E.L.D. academy became a mere dot in the distance.
With nary a whisper, the quinjet landed on one of the agency's helipads hidden in plain sight.
When I exited the jet, an agent was waiting for me with a black SUV.
He gave me a tablet, debriefing me on the current situation and the staggering amount of people who have already been evacuated from the city, processed at the Central Park complex for any injuries, and held in makeshift shelters across the city.
The number of doctors I could see that were present in that complex was huge.
"How did they get so many doctors together in such a short period of time?", I asked agent Ken.
He grumbled, "That's one of the questions the higher-ups have been asking again and again. There was a conference going on nearby, and a ton of doctors, especially specialists, attended from around the world. They kidnapped all of them and presumably, forced them to work here."
"We have looked into the conference and have yet to find a clear trail towards the sponsor. The higher-ups suspect that they could have had a hand in the conference."
I gasped at that, "Which would mean that-"
"Yes, they had prior knowledge of the time and location of the invasion and didn't tell anyone.", he continued.
Sighing from the weight of these revelations, I said," Just take me to the camp. I trust all my stuff has already reached there."
He nodded at me.
I decided to rest my eyes for a while, "Tell me when we reach the site."
When the vehicle came to a stop, I woke up.
Shaking off the dizzying feeling, I took a sip of my coffee and stepped out of the car.
The scene that awaited me took my breath away.
A huge multi-story building was floating on top of Central Park.
It was very wide as well.
I could see armed agents posted near the rockets which seemed to hold the entire complex afloat.
A huge number of people already waiting in a line to be filled into a bus and sent out to the number of shelters across the city.
With a determined nod, I entered the complex.
The insides were very much a whirlwind of activity.
A cacophony of doctors giving orders to nurses.
Nurses administering medicines to the patients.
But the conspicuously absent sound was the sound of pain and misery that was common when you entered a hospital that was taking in patients from war-torn areas.
Resolving to find out more, I headed towards what was apparently a receptionist area.
Upon finding no one there, I was about to turn around when a hologram projection appeared in front of me.
It was a man wearing a three-piece suit.
This must be the A.I. that ran this place, I thought.
"How may I be of help, Agent Simmons?", he bowed.
I raised an eyebrow at that. It would seem that the other party had extensive knowledge about their agency.
They would need to check for any hacks in their databases.
"I am here to act as a liaison for S.H.I.E.L.D. as well as help in any way I can."
He looked me in the eye for a moment and then nodded.
He then gestured towards a tablet that was sitting on the table.
Hesitantly, I picked it up and saw that it was an overlay of the entire complex.
The number of patients going in and out, the wards designed for specific purposes.
Astonishingly, not a single casualty was reported inside the hospital.
The next few hours were a whirlwind of activity.
I went from ward to ward, noting the technology employed here.
None of the doctors seemed to be having a problem using any of it as it was almost supernaturally intuitive.
In some cases, it was literally operated by brainwaves.
I mentally noted all the new technology she was seeing here, utterly fascinated by it, to put it in her report.
It was going to be a long one.
More than a few times, I tried to take one of the miniature healing light emitters that resembled common torches but always, always without fail, Alfred would pop up somewhere in her vision and shake his head disappointingly at her.
Ashamed to admit it but I was kind of scared as to what he would do if I took it anyway.
After a while, the invasion had ended, and barring a few patients, the entire complex had become empty.
The doctors too had taken a break.
They were sitting in one of the lounges, where Alfred had provided the full set for all of us.
High-quality alcohol was available.
I looked longingly at the litany of high-class brands but I had a job to do and couldn't afford to be drunk on it.
As she was mentally adding matter fabrication to the rather astonishing list of abilities that Alfred had on command, one of the agents stationed outside came running inside.
He stiffened when he saw Alfred, but continued otherwise when he didn't do anything.
"There must be some story there", I thought in my mind.
He came up to me and said, "Mam, you are required someplace else. The Widow and Hawkeye need medical attention and you are the highest placed medical staff of our agency on site."
Understanding his urgency, I nodded to him and started preparing my stuff.
Alfred chose that moment to slide into my vision and a slit opened up on top of my table and one of those healing emitters was raised from it.
Raising an eyebrow, I looked at Alfred and then the healing emitter and then again back at him with a questioning gaze.
"Take it. For your reference, it's called a CHI light", he said.
I was surprised that he outright gave me the stuff. He must know that this means S.H.I.E.L.D. could start researching this.
Not questioning his change of heart lest he change it back, I promptly stuffed it into my bag and walked out of the complex without a glance back.
Entering the SUV, we drove off and soon, entered the black site S.H.I.E.L.D. had set up to receive Widow and Hawkeye.
I entered the wards, to see a veritable army of doctors hovering around the prone forms of Widow and Hawkeye.
The lead doctor spotted me and his utterly exhausted-looking face looked relieved to see me.
He came up to me and pleaded in a weary voice, "Please! No matter what I do, they simply won't listen to me. I have told them that their bodies are utterly exhausted."
"They simply tell me that they are the top agents and just a few hours of high-intensity combat won't land them in a coma."
"I am at my wit's end. I have seen cases like these."
"Cases where the human body is pushed to its utmost limits. Normally it has its limits but in life-threatening situations, we can push that limit."
"Given the situation, both of them were in, it is perfectly reasonable for this to happen but they want them awake for they possess important information."
She placed a calming hand on the doctor's forearm.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of it."
"Why don't you take a break? You clearly need it."
He nodded at me and he shuffled out of the room.
After diagnosing them, I came to the same conclusion.
Just the one thing that confused me was how they overdrew their bodies so much.
The reports suggest extended periods of artificially increased synapse speed.
That would have resulted in enhanced reflexes and reaction speeds but the question was how did they do it.
All this thinking had exhausted me.
I took my water bottle out of my bag and coincidentally, my gaze fell on the CHI light that Alfred had given me.
My eyes lit up immediately.
It all made sense when I thought of it that way.
After careful consideration, I decided to use the lights on them.
It worked immediately.
Their faces gained colour and their bodies showed increased activity, a sure sign that they were going to wake up soon.
After about a minute, she turned off the light as she had learned in her brief time at the Central Park complex that an overdose could be fatal.
Informing one of the nearby nurses to inform her when they woke up, she went to the temporary office they had set up for her use.
She was so invested in studying the effects of CHI on various life forms that she didn't realise how much time had passed and one of the nurses had come running into her office, informing her that Widow had woken up.
"Inform Special Agent Hill about Widow waking up.", I order her.
I then go ahead to take a look at their conditions.
I was very curious about what they knew too.
Word Count - 1999 (Lol)
Next Chapter - Shocking Debrief
A/N : Once again, my longest chapter yet. Almost 2k words.
If you like my writing and would like to support me or want to read ahead of the public release, you can head on to my P*treon.
I already have 8 chapters ahead uploaded there.
Technomancer in MCU #14
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 14
Technomancer in MCU
Central Park
-Previously-
Hill came into the tent after that and said, "Sir! Widow and Hawkeye have regained consciousness and are being prepped for debrief."
"Excellent. Let's go.", I nodded back at her.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Blacksite
-Nick Fury-
On the way to the ward where Widow and Hawkeye were kept, I encountered Agent Simmons.
I remember her being a genius in her own right. Her teachers in the academy say she is the Tony Stark of the biochemist world and from what I had seen of her contributions to the S.H.I.E.L.D. research systems, I was inclined to believe them.
Her face lit up with a sort of nervous delight when she saw me, it would see that she was hoping to see me.
I nodded at her in a greeting and started walking briskly towards the ward.
Not taking the dismissal as it was, she began to walk beside me.
"Good evening, sir. I-I, uh, was hoping to join you for the debrief, sir.", she asked, clearly nervous.
I stopped at that statement and looked at her with an eyebrow raised.
"If you are asking that as their doctor then be assured that this will only take a short while and I will be out of your hair soon."
Then my countenance changed abruptly.
Glaring daggers at her, I said, "If this is your idle curiosity regarding the invasion and the interesting tech that you have no doubt encountered, I would advise you to think about it. You do not have the clearance level necessary to listen to that."
She looked sheepish but still said in a small voice, "I doubt many have the clearance necessary for that, sir."
"But I assure you that I only want to learn more about their healing technology. If you are not aware already, Alfred gave me one of their healing lights as I was leaving and somehow, it had bonded to my biometric signature."
"It won't work in anyone else's hands. I am utterly fascinated by it and any more information, even the experiences in using a more advanced version of this would help immensely."
"Please, sir. You wouldn't even notice me.", she pleaded.
I looked at her incredulously.
She still looked at me expectantly.
Palming my forehead, I was at the limit of my patience when Hill interjected.
"Agent Simmons, you are overstepping your bounds. This is no time to boundlessly indulge in your curiosities. Don't bother the Director. This meeting will have information you won't be cleared to know for years. ", she said scathingly.
Agent Simmons wilted in front of her scathing remarks.
"I would suggest you look for them after their recovery in their free time if you want to ask your questions and satisfy your curiosity.", Hill advised her.
She nodded meekly.
Satisfyingly chastising her, Hill looked at me and nodded.
We continued on our path to the ward.
One of the agents stationed outside nodded at us and opened the door.
Once inside, I saw that Widow was the only one who was awake.
Barton, according to the reports, will take slightly longer than Widow to wake up.
I wonder how much of that can be attributed to the bootleg version of the super soldier formula they gave the Widow.
She looked at me and put down the tablet she was using, probably writing the action report.
I ordered the stationed nurse to stay outside for a while.
I took a seat on one of the nearby chairs.
Hill stood behind me silently.
"So," I began, "How's the Avengers life treating you, Romanoff?"
She chuckled at my question, "The pay sucks, teammates have big time issues, no work-life balance. It isn't much but it is what it is."
I smirk at her reply.
"In all seriousness, though, it's good to have you back. I am glad you made it out in piece.", I said seriously to her.
She nodded.
"You too, Barton.", I said, turning to the other occupant in the room.
He was pretending to be asleep.
"Oh, man! I thought I had you. Can't you let Nat report to you while I sleep for a few more weeks? It feels as if a truck ran over or more realistically, a chitauri Leviathan ran over me."
I chuckled at his reply, "Get up, Barton. The council wants the report yesterday."
He sighed and got up," Yeah, alright."
With both of them being awake, I could ask them the questions that had been bugging me the most.
"First of all, is there any chance that we could bring him in?"
"Even as a consultant like Stark?"
Barton snorted, "Fat chance of that happening, Boss. He seemed pretty independent to me."
It was worth a shot.
I nodded at him, "Fair enough."
"What would you recommend our response to him should be?"
"As an agency, I would strongly recommend maintaining our distance. He didn't seem too fond of S.H.I.E.L.D. and after the missile, I won't blame him.", he gave me a look after this.
"Who gave the order, Fury? We were still there not to mention the council had no idea if Ed's shields would hold."
Natasha interjected, "They were ready to sacrifice millions of people and ruin the future of millions more on the chance that they would be able to kill Ed and even us?", she asked with more emotion than I had ever seen before.
It was understandable as she had never come this close to absolute death with no chances of survival before.
She had close calls but there was always a chance she could make it out with her extensive skill lists but there was no martial arts that could save you from a fiery ball of death and destruction.
Her being shaken by the situation was normal
I could not, however, give her an answer regarding the perpetrators behind the event.
"We will talk about that in detail later. When we are done with the investigations on our side."
"Ed was kind enough to give us the black box of the jet and the pilot."
"Was he alive?", she asked.
I nodded and confirmed it.
"I'll make sure he is interrogated properly. Any information he has can help us gain a bargaining chip against the council. They have been overstepping their bounds a lot lately."
"Their activities are becoming more suspicious as well."
Both of them nodded after a while, trusting me to handle that matter for the moment.
"Did he say anything about his overarching goals?", I ask after that.
Both of them looked at each other for a second.
I narrowed my eyes at that, suspicion already brewing in my head.
Natasha shook her head and said, "In his words, he wants to uplift humanity."
"Didn't say how he was going to do that but he did say that we needed to stop relying on outsider protectors like Thor and develop our own tools."
Develop our own tools, he says, and has no intention of sharing his vast technological advantage with us.
"Threat Level?"
"10"
I raise an eyebrow at that, regarding her with a questioning look.
"Even above Banner?"
She shook her head, "Much worse. It's not about the brute force he has available to him though that is a factor. It's his intelligence. He can make better suits than Tony and in quantities like they were built in a mass production factory."
"The technological threat he represents is only compounded by Alfred."
"The A.I.?"
She nodded, "Yes. He is much more advanced than Stark's. Unparalleled coordination between all his forces. Independent investigative thought processes."
"He was the one who actually found the solution to the portal."
"We'll include him in our threat list as well."
"Well, this has been informative. At least we know he won't immediately go off in the deep end and screw us all over."
"That's a relief. I will read the rest from your respective reports.", I gave Barton a stare as I said that.
He rolled his eyes but nodded at me.
Standing up with only a slight difficulty, I ask them, "Anything at all that you would like to say to me, off the books?"
Natasha, after a hesitant glance at Barton, said, "He used the word 'Foreseen' during the conversation. I don't know if it means anything but he changed the topic immediately."
"With all that we have seen and his reaction to the events, is it safe to assume that we might have someone with precognitive abilities on our hands?"
My face rapidly paling, I looked at her disbelievingly.
Word Count - 1462
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Technomancer in MCU #15
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 15
Technomancer in MCU
-Previously-
"With all that we have seen and his reaction to the events, is it safe to assume that we might have someone with precognitive abilities on our hands?"
My face rapidly paling, I looked at her disbelievingly.
_
S.H.I.E.L.D. Blacksite
-Nick Fury-
Precognition?
It was an ability that was only theorized by the boldest analysts at S.H.I.E.L.D. as it was often thought of in the world of science.
The boys in the labs could more often than not make some sort of sense in terms of science when we encounter enhanced individuals and put them in the Index list.
There had never been a precognitive enhanced encountered by any of our agents.
However, some at the agency have theorized that the more powerful someone's precognitive ability was, the farther they could see, effectively warning them about our approach and making them flee.
The thought of anybody being a precognitive and using it for nefarious purposes was bad enough.
The fact that the person who could upend the world just with his words has that ability made the stuff of nightmares.
This could change everything, which is why I needed to confirm it.
Aghast at the revelations, I asked her, "Anything else you know that can support that."
"You should know Romanoff that if it turns out to be true, we will have to take him far more seriously, even more so since he would know about credible threats to the planet."
"An ability invaluable to any nation or agency on the planet."
She shook her head, "Apart from all the weird coincidences of him being in the right place at the right time, having just the right tech for nuclear irradiations, and then even building an entire city from scratch."
"He even had customized suits ready for each of the members of the team."
"I wouldn't pretend to understand them like Stark would but I could see that those were built to fight back against heavy odds in an urban environment."
She took a breath, drank water from a nearby cup, and continued.
"You know what that would mean, Director."
I nodded grimly.
"Yes."
"Once can be attributed to coincidence, maybe even twice but three times? I don't think we should doubt that anymore."
"I think he or at least someone in his faction is a potent precognitive. This raises the stakes even more."
Barton interjected here, "Just don't let that cloud your thinking when you meet him again. It could end disastrously for us."
I nodded grimly, taking his words into account.
Remembering something, I asked them, "Did he give any of you a way to contact him? I don't think any of the bugs you planted on any of his shit is going to work."
They both shook their heads. "He didn't give us anything. In his own words, he would be the one contacting us rather than us contacting him."
The same thing he told me.
Sighing, I replied, "Fine. Take your required rest. I'll go put out some more fires."
"Ha! Not envying you right now, Boss.", Barton snickered.
I gave him a flat stare.
I heard Hill's comms crackle to life.
Putting a finger on them, she replied, "Yes, this is Hill speaking."
She glanced at me and replied, "Yes, Director Fury is with me."
Whatever she heard was shocking enough that her face lost all its color.
She then turned to me, "Si..Sir, the pilot we had in custody is dead."
I abruptly stood up at that news.
I turned to her and thundered, "What the hell just happened?"
"I had specifically ordered to keep him under full containment, nobody going in or out without my say so."
Not listening to her answer, I ordered, "Take me where he was kept."
"How can somebody just die? It seems like one hell of a coincidence."
I paced through the halls, Hill beside me.
The words of Ed rang in my head.
He had told me of things going conveniently missing.
Is this what he was warning me about?
Did he see this future as well?
So many questions and no real answers.
An entire squad was stationed at the entrance.
It was one of those purpose-built pods that S.H.I.E.L.D. had in case we wanted to contain someone in a portable prison.
Only one way In or Out.
In-built air filter system along with oxygen supply to last a single person weeks.
There should have been no point of entry and yet, as I came near, I saw two of the guards with their throats slit and the pilot with a hole in his head.
I cursed under my breath.
I rounded on the nearest agent, "Where's the footage?"
"How long ago did you find the bodies?"
"Any sign of tampering."
The agent stammered out, "Uh..Um, sir, the cameras were disabled before their death sir.", he gestured to the clearly shot cameras.
"We found the bodies just a few minutes ago. We informed Special Agent Hill immediately."
"The medics have yet to touch the pilot's body as per your orders."
I looked at him with wide unblinking eyes and snarled, "If my orders were actually followed, we wouldn't have 2 dead agents and our prime lead in figuring out the perpetrators behind the nuclear attacks."
He looked terrified of me.
"Get the autopsy done ASAP.", I ordered him.
Looking at the scene once again, I palm my face from the frustration of it all.
He was right, the organisation as it is now won't be able to help humanity.
Hell, we can't even protect our agents right in the centre of a heavily fortified base.
On the way back to the chopper, my phone rang.
I took one look at the caller and my headache intensified tenfold.
I accepted the call.
"Hello, sir."
"Yes, sir."
"Yes, sir. I assure you that investigation is at the top of our priority lists."
"Yes, sir. I'll personally be there tomorrow, sir."
"Just give me 24 hours, I'll have it ready by then."
"Thank you, sir. I won't disappoint you."
"Yes, sir. Have a good day."
With a sigh that seemed to drained the life out of me, I said," Hill, put a meeting with POTUS on my calendar tomorrow."
"Have something ready for me to show him lest we both lose our jobs."
"The agency is teetering on thin enough ice as it is."
"Yes, sir.", came the equally despondent reply.
?
-Alexander Pierce-
"Is it done?", I ask Rumlow while nursing my drink.
"Good. We don't need Fury sticking his nose in our business."
"Especially since this Ed character is already going to be a pain in the ass to deal with."
"Monitor the situation and give me regular updates on any steps Fury takes."
I closed the cell phone and tossed it on the table, uncaring of its state.
That was one headache dealt with.
How did that Ed guy get a hold of our most secretive bases' location is another one that we need to deal with immediately.
I had already put all bases on high alert, warning them of a possible attack.
The other heads will soon require an explanation from me for disrupting their work like that.
After not getting messages of any base being attacked, I concluded that the guy probably had no interest in them.
But he was dangerous.
More dangerous than any foe we had ever encountered.
The Captain right now is nothing more than a super-solider with a frisbee.
Stark, Banner, and everybody else can be dealt with Project: INSIGHT.
He was going to be the one who made or broke the situation.
The power he had at his fingertips, along with the information he likely possessed of the secrets of the world.
Too dangerous to engage right now without sufficient information.
We have to move most of our bases.
This would set us back years but we had no other choice.
Until we can find some sort of weakness in that guy, we have to lay low.
I initiated a meeting of the heads for that purpose.
Palming my face with a sigh, I prepared myself for another meeting of treachery and subterfuge.
Word Count - 1399
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Last edited: Tuesday at 10:49 AM
Technomancer in MCU #16
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 16
Technomancer in MCU
-Previously-
Until we can find some sort of weakness in that guy, we have to lay low.
I initiated a meeting of the heads for that purpose.
Palming my face with a sigh, I prepared myself for another meeting of treachery and subterfuge.
?
-Alexander Pierce
One by one, all the members logged in to the meeting from their respective bunkers.
A bunch of cowards, I thought.
None of them, not even Gideon Malick had the balls to go out confront the Avengers and get the Cube and the sceptre.
"Pierce, the fact you have called us so soon, I suppose you had problems regarding the retrieval?", asked Strucker.
"You would be correct. I encountered fierce resistance from Fury and Banner, as was expected."
"I was under the assumption that we had already solved the pesky problem that was Fury and were well underway in replacing him with one of our compatriots.", interjected Whitehall.
I nodded solemnly, "You would be correct but the variable has turned out to be even more dangerous than we thought."
"I suppose the news hasn't reached you but using my authority as the temporary supreme leader of all H.Y.D.R.A. bases around the world, I have ordered all of them to enter a state of high emergency and to expect heavy hitter attacks from the variable's organisation as of two hours ago."
"What?!!", came a collective surprise shout from all of them.
"What would possess you to do this madness", Whitehall added.
"Do you have any idea how many years the procedures for doing that would set me back?", thundered Strucker.
"Silence!", I shouted back and the meeting calmed down.
They had never seen me this outraged in such a short period of time.
That was for good reason as even though we were allies, they wouldn't hesitate to get rid of me at the first sign of weakness.
"Pierce, what exactly happened out there? And for god's sake, can we just call off this lockdown we have initiated for ourselves?", asked Whitehall in a serious voice.
"The thing I could have never imagined happened and yes, you can get out of your bunkers now."
"The alien threat is resolved and this Ed person won't be targeting us for a while, if the absence of attacks on all our bases is any indication."
"You are making no sense here and what is this about an attack on all of our bases."
" Nobody knows about all of our bases. I thought that was the whole point. Compartmentalization to the point that even the leader doesn't truly know the whole truth.", said Whitehall.
With a sigh, I replied," I wasn't supposed to but over the years, combing through the reports I had access to, I had the rough locations to the majority of our bases, even the ones under your supervision, Whitehall."
"Impossible!"
"Does the word 'Jiaying' mean anything to you?" I smirked at him.
"How..How do you know that name?"
"That is not the point, Pierce, and you know it. This was not supposed to be the standard operating procedure."
"I know, I know. I have violated all of your trust but that is not of primary importance here."
"Somehow, they have the completed list of all of our bases throughout the world."
"And before you ask, no, they were not leaked since they were not on a digital database to begin with. They only existed in my memory."
"I was about to formally declare Fury a terrorist when that damn man's pet A.I. projected a screen showing the location of our bases directly in front of my eyes."
I could feel the sheer disbelief pouring out of every member's fear along with overwhelming fear.
"Yes, We have confirmation now that they know."
"For some reason, the AI didn't show any of that to Fury, even upon his insistence so I believe that they have a plan ahead for us."
"We need to be out of their radars before they begin commencing whatever they have in their minds for us."
"Am I clear?" I asked them with a grave countenance.
"Yes", they replied in unison.
"Make sure all of your important projects are shipped out of your bases ASAP. Don't rely on your established backup bases. Create new ones so that they cannot be tracked by them."
They all nodded.
"Hail H.Y.D.R.A!", I shouted.
"Hail H.Y.D.R.A!"
"Hail H.Y.D.R.A!"
"Hail H.Y.D.R.A!"
One by one, they dropped out of the meeting until only I remained.
Closing the laptop, I dialed Rumlow's number.
RING! RING!
"Any updates on Fury's movements?"
"He has an appointment with POTUS tomorrow, sir."
"Other than that, he has ordered an autopsy on the pilot. I have already made sure that our people are the only ones who operate on him."
"And the Jet's black box?"
"Already disposed of, sir."
"Hmm..Good work, Rumlow. Keep updating me."
"Roger that, sir."
I tossed the phone on the mahogany table in front of me.
Opening the bottle, I poured myself a glass of my favorite Whiskey.
Resting it on my forehead, I thought of any way I could minimize the damages that were going to be inflicted on our many ongoing projects with this drastic movement.
Not finding any, I input a task for all Level 7 and above H.Y.D.R.A. operatives in S.H.I.E.L.D.
It is to find any and all weaknesses on the members of the Avengers and if possible, the new variable, this Ed and his organisation.
RING RING
On the screen of my phone, I could see Rumlow's name.
Leaning over the table, I picked it up.
"Sorry to disturb you so soon, sir."
"But I have some important information for you."
"What is it?" I lean forward in anticipation.
"There have been reports of one Dr.Jemma Simmons being in possession of the CHI healing technology that was used by them during the Central Park complex."
My eyes shine in greed at that.
"Any special reason she was given that over all the others?"
"She was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s liaison at the Central Park complex, worked with the doctors already present there."
"Apparently, she tried multiple times to acquire a piece of their technology but was unsuccessful due to their AI's watchful eye."
"Towards the end, however, he gave her one of the smallest units of their healing tech."
"So? Any reason why we are having this conversation without her already being taken?", I asked him with a cold voice.
"Sir, we have credible reports stating that the tech only works in her hands. Some sort of biometric lock."
"Outside of her, it just seems to be a paperweight in anybody's hands."
"There also seems to be heavy security surrounding her, probably Fury's men."
"We don't have a certain shot at extracting her without killing her so we are waiting for an opportune moment."
"Make one if you can't do it soon. I want their tech as soon as possible." I ordered him.
"Roger that, sir."
I sat on the chair, eyes gleaming in anticipation of finally getting some good news from this whole fiasco.
The addition of that healing tech, even in a rudimentary form, will boost the capabilities of our agents and our experimental weapons by a significant amount.
Word Count - 1259
Interlude #4
A/N: Sorry that I couldn't post yesterday. IRL stuff happened and long story short, I ended up at a location without cell service, let alone data
Disclaimer - I
don't own anything. Please support the official release. Interlude IV
Technomancer in MCU
The Moon
-King Black Bolt-
I listen to the ramblings of Maximus as he delivers the report of the attack on the human city of New York.
He was arguing to attack Earth and take their rightful place as its ruler as they were still reeling under the horrors of that alien attack.
The worst part was that I could see quite a few of the elders on the noble council nodding along.
Did they not see the resounding defeat the aliens suffered at the hands of those Avengers?
Deciding to nip this dangerous idea in the bid, I raised my hand.
Such was their fear and in some cases, disgust of my power that they immediately quietened down.
They looked at me with apprehension, Maximus with scorn.
I signaled at Medusa, my wife.
Not having the ability to speak without utterly eviscerating whatever that had the misfortune of being in front of me at the moment, I relied on the mild telepathic connection I shared with her, to convey my orders to her.
She acts as my speaker, a formidable fighter in her own right.
She helped me navigate the intricacies of the Genetic Council.
" What do you think is Maximus' motive here? He has access to the same reports we have.", I conveyed to her.
"I think he is up to his same tactics again. He probably wants to rile up the council against you, showing your refusal to act as a sign of weakness." She conveyed amusement at his continued attempts to usurp my throne.
I wonder what he saw in ruling that has him so enticed.
I wanted nothing more than to find someone capable and hand this crown to them.
But alas my wayward brother is incapable of ruling, his contempt towards the lower-class members of our species shone through at almost every council meeting.
Coincidentally, this behavior gained him the favour of many of the sitting members of the Genetic Council.
Together, they have successfully thwarted all of my attempts to help the lower class of our species.
Alas, I have to think about the overall stability, otherwise, I would have killed them long ago.
" Tell them" I command my beautiful wife. The sight of her red hair always soothes me.
"King Black Bolt has spoken. There will be no attempts at any invasion of Earth. Lockjaw along with a trusted individual will be sent to Earth for Reconnaissance purposes only."
She coldly glanced at Maximus, "I think in light of recent events, we need to make the happenings of Earth accessible to all of the populace."
Maximus' face paled at that.
I do love it when my wife destroys some monkey-haired scheme that Maximus concocts in his dungeons.
There was the usual commotion from the council of the lower class not deserving to know it but once they saw the true reports and not the ones that Maximus probably fabricated, all of them shut up.
They were so shocked that they didn't even react beyond a shaky nod when I declared the end of the meeting and swiftly departed from the meeting hall.
I just hoped that Maximus put those thoughts to rest.
An all-out confrontation between what I saw and our forces would result in the outright extinction of Inhumans.
I didn't need that sword hanging over my head on top of our fertility and genetic defect issues.
The Royal Palace
-Odin Borson-
Dressed in all my royal garb, holding Gungnir, I addressed the council of nobles gathered in front of me.
News had somehow leaked that I had, through means unknown, sent Thor to Midgard.
The purpose of his visit was not however leaked but the absence of the Crown Prince at a time when Asgard is believed to be at it's most vulnerable did stir up a commotion.
If I was in my prime, in my hot-headed days, I would have smote the person who dared question my actions but those days are long gone.
Frigga also suggested pacifying the noble crowd to give them reassurance to help restore calm in the population.
So, here I was, shepherded into my royal garb just to satisfy some nobles.
The commotion in front of me reached its crescendo when I banged my trusty spear, Gungnir, creating a deafening boom.
The spear containing the weight of Asgard itself.
"Silence" I whispered, but the voice reached the ears of everyone present.
"I have sent Thor to Midgard to retrieve the Tesseract."
"It is a necessary component required to rebuild the Bifröst."
"He has already secured it." I continued.
"Soon, he shall return triumphant. So, feast, enjoy, and remain calm for your Prince is returning." They shouted and cheered for my son's return.
If only my other son could receive the same treatment, maybe he would not have fallen so low.
To attack Midgard of all places.
What could he have possibly wanted on that rock?
Shaking my head, I banish those dark thoughts and take Frigga's hand in mine for support.
She gives me a fragile smile, already reeling from the news of Loki being alive.
Leaning on me for support, we both exit the meeting hall, our actions unnoticed by anyone with a mere flex of my magic.
My body weakened and her heart shattered, we both could use a night of peace before Thor inevitably arrived and I had to imprison another one of my children.
Sigh… What a terrible father I am.
Sanctuary II
-Thanos, son of A'Lars-
I watch on dispassionately as the Chitauri, the cannon fodder of my army, are utterly decimated by the Earthlings.
"It would seem that the Earthlings are not as weak as we thought. They stand triumphant, our ally defeated." The Other, one of my children that I rescued personally from a terrible fate, said.
"To challenge them… is to court death."
Death, huh.
I smirk at that, "Let them be. It was just a gamble anyway."
"A gamble to see if Odin Borson had gotten so weak so as to allow an Infinity Stone of all things to be snatched away from his realms."
"The sire is wise.", he bowed deeply.
"Leave me," I ordered him.
On second thought, "Send Gamora. I have a new mission for her."
Chicago
-Phastos-
I was making supper for Jack, at the behest of Ben.
Humming one of the many tunes that I have heard throughout my long life, I ponder upon what our purpose was.
The rest of us are scattered throughout the globe.
Without a purpose, some of us made one for ourselves.
Some of us couldn't handle it and retreated into ourselves.
I considered myself the luckiest of us all, finding Ben and then Jack was the best thing of my life.
"Jack, supper's ready."
"Coming" came the distant yell from the troublemaker.
Hearing the faint thudding sounds of the stairs being stomped upon, I sighed.
"Jack Ben Stoss, how many times do I have to tell you not to run around in the house, especially on the stairs? You could get injured."
"Sorry" he said meekly.
"Phastos! Phastos!", came the worried voice of Jack as he ran into the house.
Worriedly, I asked him "What is it?"
Panting, he said "Aliens. Aliens in New York.."
Pupils dilating, I immediately tapped into my powers and activated the HUD display mounted on my retinas.
I heard Ben herd Jack back into his room, probably to give me privacy.
On the screen, I could see a bone-chilling scene.
Bi-pedal aliens with massive floating lizards invading the city of New York through a blue hole in the sky.
I thought of going there, to help. With my powers, I could reduce the casualties massively.
The sounds of people being in misery, crying for help made my heart wrench but I thought of Jack and the life I had built for myself here.
With a resigned sigh, I chose to stay here, close to my family.
The choice was made infinitely easier when I saw, hours later, the invasion getting thwarted.
The aliens getting pushed back into a dome of blue, effectively neutralized, made my heart finally calm down.
Curious about the defenders, I tried to hack into their technology, only to get rebuffed immediately.
Caught off guard, I tried again.
It was the same result.
I tried again. This time the entire HUD, along with all the lights in the house shut off.
The HUD crackled back to life, showing a message - "KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF"
I immediately slammed all connections to the house shut.
Breathing heavily, I just hoped that they were good guys and didn't come after me.
If they did, the only way I could protect my family is if I ran back to the Eternals.
Word Count - 1517
This marks the end of the Invasion Arc.
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Last edited: Thursday at 5:35 AM
Technomancer in MCU #17
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 17
Technomancer in MCU
The Royal Laboratory, Wakanda
The scenes in the lab were as usual.
People moving around, reading reports on their beads, taking calls, and filing reports.
Suddenly, all the lights in the lab turned red as the emergency evacuation notices started blaring.
"Emergency Evacuation! RED Alert! This is not a drill"
The emergency speakers started blaring that message repeatedly.
At first, the people who heard it froze completely, not used to the sudden evacuation notices apart from the few emergency drills that happened once a year.
The older ones were reminded of the bombs that were smuggled into Birnin Zana and the subsequent death and destruction that occurred after the attack of Ulysses Klaue.
The older ones managed to snap out of it and herded the younger ones out of the labs into the emergency shelters built into all of the government facilities.
Shield Control Room
-M'Tasha Dzezo-
Today was a good day.
I had gotten news from my supervisor regarding a possible promotion in the works for me.
I just had to work a 6-month border shift and after a quick evaluation of my Barrier engineering skills, I was poised to become the youngest Captain of the Shield Corps.
As I was dreaming of the girls I would be able to impress after getting my promotion, my computer pinged.
Opening the barrier sensory data, I was able to see a humanoid object in close proximity to the barrier.
Eyes widening, I double and triple-checked the data.
Upon confirming it, I activated the long-range cameras aimed at the Shield boundaries with road entries.
What I saw made me hyperventilate and almost sent me into a panic attack.
It was the 'Ed' person from the New York Alien Invasion.
I swiftly pushed the red alarm intended for emergency situations like this.
For some reason, we had gotten an alert from the King to increase the watch around the shields surrounding Wakanda.
To be alert for any intruders.
Especially to be mindful of any of the Avengers being here.
I was confused by this bizarre order as the Avengers had no reason to know of Wakanda's barriers even existing, let alone them coming anywhere near us.
I thought that they would be hounded by the World at large for their contribution to stopping the invasion and the advanced technology and firepower they possessed that made them capable of taking down even the most advanced outsider nations.
Begrudgingly, I could admit that they would have a decent shot at taking Wakanda down as well.
We would destroy them but the damage sustained by Wakanda would make it easy prey for the outsiders to do what they do best - Pillage and destroy anything good.
Shaking me from my thoughts, my Captain pulled me from my seat and pushed me towards the emergency exits.
Only then did I realize that evacuation notices for all citizens had been issued.
This had only happened once.
I could still remember it as if it happened yesterday.
I was still in college back then, doing an internship with the Barrier Corps.
One moment, I was doing a routine patrol near one of the auxiliary shield generators, and the next, I was thrown back by a thunderous explosion that rocked the entirety of the facility.
I thanked the ancestors that advanced vibranium-laced shields are standard issue for Barrier Corp members, even for interns.
All I could remember after that was the entire portion leading to the shield generator station being on fire
Wakanda soldiers' corpses lined the roads and a truck I could dimly see filled with vibranium fleeing on the roads leading to the outside village we maintained as a sham for the entire world to see.
Royal Council Meeting Hall
-King T'Chaka-
Sighing wearily, I was just about done with the day's meetings.
All that was left was a discussion regarding the enhanced watch over all of the border areas.
"The next issue on the list is the renewal of the orders for the increased watch over the border areas of Wakanda.", the receptionist declared.
The elders had just begun to argue when red alerts began to ring throughout the meeting hall.
"Okoye!", I commanded her.
"My King", she bowed and ran towards the command terminal to investigate the issue.
Whatever she heard must have been quite shocking to her because her face paled as she staggered her way back to me.
That was mildly disturbing as Okoye swore to her professionalism very strictly. For her to forego decorum, she must have been pretty shaken.
As these thoughts coursed through my mind, she came near me and whispered in a shaky voice, "My King, it's Ed."
Of course, it was.
I sighed, then smiled despite the situation.
"It would seem I am needed elsewhere. Our mystery guest, Ed, has arrived."
"What!" came the collective surprise from the elders.
I shrugged, "In his defense, he did say that he would arrive soon."
"I just didn't expect that he would arrive in less than a day after the invasion was over."
"How did he even get near the barrier without the Barrier Corps alerting us? Were they asleep?" the Barrier Tribe Leader asked, quite shaken by the arrival of a very powerful entity with intimate knowledge of our nation right at our very doorsteps.
He was right to be afraid.
After all, the outcome of this meeting would most likely decide the very future of Wakanda.
Never before had I faced such a daunting task that risked the very nature of my country.
Ed was someone who could wage and likely win a war with Wakanda single-handedly.
Even if by some stroke of luck we won, the resulting damage would bring us to our weakest level in centuries.
We would be easy pickings for the Westerners, especially if all our crimes against their development were revealed. They would leave no one alive then.
"Should we send guards to bring him in?" questioned the Border tribe elder.
"No," I ordered them.
The elders send a quizzical look toward me, and so does Okoye.
"I will go there alone. No guards."
The room was silent for a beat and then it erupted into a cacophony of voices.
"With all due respect, that is wildly unsafe."
"We have no idea what weapons they have with them."
"Who's to say that they are alone out there? If they could get this close to our city without anyone noticing, they might be able to hide any number of people waiting to ambush us."
On and on it went.
"Silence" I raise my hand and shout.
"You all make valid points yet I am King and my word is final," I say to the room at large.
"I will go there and I will go alone. That is my order."
"For the safety of Wakanda, I will do anything."
I turn to Okoye, "Make sure that the kids and Ramonda are safe and sound inside the bunker."
"Have the military on stand-by," I order the Border Tribe Leader
"If I fall in battle, evacuate everyone. Make sure that T'Challa leaves. He won't leave on his own. He is stubborn like me." I told Okoye.
I cross my hands, perhaps for the final time, and yell out with all my heart,
" Wakanda Forever"
"Wakanda Forever"
"Wakanda Forever"
"Wakanda Forever"
Came the resounding shouts from the rest of the room.
"Move out. Now." I order everyone.
I set out to don my Black Panther suit, Okoye right on my heel.
Opening the hatches, I take a moment to admire my armour.
It had served my and Wakanda's interests faithfully for decades now.
Maybe Shuri is right and it does need a Revamp but I always told her that I am old-fashioned and it suits me.
I might just change it after this.
Sighing, I put it on.
Just as I was about to head out, I heard the faint voices of T'Challa shouting, "Baba! Baba!"
I gave Okoye a look that she avoided.
It would seem that she suddenly found the flooring very interesting.
"Baba! I heard that we have an intruder on our hands and that you are going alone to deal with them?" T'Challa asked me.
"Yes, son. But if he is an intruder or not is yet to be decided." I answer him.
"They could be a tremendously useful ally for us. I have decided to forego the guards for the simple reason that if they were to turn hostile, Wakandan lives would be needlessly lost in fighting them."
His face looked surprised at my admission of weakness.
"Make no mistake, son. This is not a sign of weakness. We bow to No one."
"We are the children of Bast. Always remember that."
He nodded gravely, "Yes Baba."
Even though he looked sufficiently mollified, I knew that once he was here, he would just follow me in any way he could and with Okoye helping him, he could reach anywhere in Wakanda.
Sighing, "You can come with me but you will come only as my guard. You will not initiate anything no matter what he says."
"Take this as your first international diplomatic mission as a King to be."
He nodded seriously.
I spied on Okoye with the corner of my eye.
She was looking awfully triumphant.
Shaking my head, I gave the orders, "Prepare the jet."
_
Word Count - 1581
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Technomancer in MCU #18
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 18
Technomancer in MCU
The Borders of Birnin Zana, Wakanda
-Ed-
I stood in front of one of the least guarded sections of the barrier that envelops the entirety of Wakanda.
It was one of the least guarded sections because there was nothing behind me.
No way to reach here by foot,
A straight cliff behind me hundreds of feet down.
I suspect it was created artificially for security purposes.
Feeling mischievous since N'Jadaka won't talk to me on the job as he feels that it is too 'unprofessional', I poke the shield.
I made sure to put the right amount of pressure so that multiple vibranium shield generators would be required to absorb that amount of force.
The result was a beautiful wave of cascading waves that spread over a solid quarter of the shield.
I am sure that the citizens must be curious as to what happened.
Grinning, I started flicking the shield in the same spot over and over again with increasing amounts of force.
Today, I had brought just the nanite undersuit with me as I had N'Jadaka here with me and he really didn't need more firepower than he already has.
Alfred was cackling maniacally when he finished outfitting the entirety of N'Jadaka's suits as per his specifications.
I believe his only requirement was "Overkill".
The reason I was being this petty and evidently stressing their shield systems was because I knew that they had sensed me minutes ago since I purposefully deactivated all my stealth stuff and I had yet to see a single sentry or even a drone would have helped.
Hoping to speed things along, I waved with my other hand and yelled out, "Hello? Anybody Home?".
I flicked once particularly hard, which actually created cracks in the shield section in front of me, shocking me.
What did Alfred do to my suit this time?
I comically looked at my fingertips and tried to do that again, only to see a drone speeding towards me, shouting, "Don't! Please don't do that again, the shields won't be able to take it."
Furrowing my brows, I cupped my hands in front of my mouth and shouted, "Don't try to fool me. I know your shields can take much bigger punishment than what I just did."
The voice sounded as if it was on the verge of tears, "Please! The shields can bear much higher forces but we will have to shut down the illusion that surrounds Wakanda, exposing us to the hundreds of satellites floating in space."
I didn't think of that.
"Alfred?", I ask out loud.
Alfred pops up in front of me, looking at the drone intensely.
Not breaking eye contact with the drone, he spoke, "He is speaking the truth. The shields will hold even under the full force of your new and enhanced energy shield breakers but they will have to divert all power to the forcefields from the illusion constructs."
Nodding gravely, I said, "I see."
I then turned to the drone, "Where is your King? I believe I had a meeting scheduled with him."
I heard a squeak come from the drone and after some shuffling noises, a far deeper sound responded to my question.
"The King has accepted your request for a meeting. Although, for future references, we have a perfectly good landing strip 50 miles north of here for you to just pop into."
I roll my eyes at the sass.
"It would seem not all Wakandans have huge sticks up their asses. Right, N'Jadaka?" I heard Alfred saying that over the comms.
A smirk graced my face as I heard him grumbling over the comms and eventually shut them off.
"What's taking him so long? Should I just teleport to the council meeting room?" I asked them only half-jokingly.
"NO!" came the high-pitched reply.
"Ahem..No. Please don't do that. That will be considered an act of aggression and you will be openly fired upon. We don't want to do that to a hero of the human race but we will if ordered to."
"Rest assured. The King is on his way alone, despite our best attempts." The voice reassured me.
I nodded lazily at that, "Very well."
The Great Forests of Wakanda
-N'Jadaka (Erik Killmonger)-
Despite Alfred's best attempts, I refuse to open the comm channel to hear more of his ribbing of my heritage. It has always annoyed me.
He had never stopped doing it since I joined the organisaton.
Even after half a decade, I still didn't know shit about them.
I had only really met Ed and he was the self-proclaimed leader.
The only other member that I knew of was the scary A.I.
Even Ed didn't scare him as much as Alfred did. It was terrifying knowing the amount of damage Alfred could cause if he put his mind to it.
The weapons that he gave me alone could topple entire countries, not to mention the support vehicles that I have seen.
M*therfucker has entire aircraft carriers at his beck and call, of course, he won't be afraid of a small nation, no matter how advanced it may be.
An alert sounded on my HUD, shaking me out of my reverie.
"I spot an aircraft, a very small one, coming near us, Boss," I tell Boss.
"It's probably the royal Talon."
"My orders?" I ask him.
"You are not here for just recon, you should know that."
"Come down here, remove the camouflage. You'll be coming home after a long time. You should be able to enjoy it out in the open, not hidden behind a sniper." He ordered me.
Despite myself, I could not help but tear up a little when the moment came.
I had trained hard for this.
Shed blood, sweat, and tears for this.
I had enlisted in the SEALS for this.
Killed hundreds of men, hoping that one day I would be strong enough to come back here and bring justice for my father and the millions of Africans suffering around the world.
I was just so angry back then, at myself for my weakness and at the world for allowing the suffering to continue.
I still remember how I met him.
I had just been given a mandatory break after a mission went particularly violent. I had gotten my entire team killed but had wiped out an entire contingent of Taliban soldiers, completing my mission.
My superiors were worried about my mental health and had assigned me a shrink in the States.
Imagine my surprise when I went to my first appointment and the first thing that came out of the shrink's mouth was "N'Jadaka".
Eyes widening, I was out of my seat and at his throat before I could even process how he came to know about my name.
Ah! Good times.
"Don't tell me you got cold feet now?" asked Ed.
Shaking my head, I replied, "No, Boss."
I jumped from the tree and with the help of the suit, landed silently next to him.
I shivered slightly as the suit unfolded back into my skin and I appeared next to him in a black tank top and cargo pants.
The boss looked up and down at my outfit with a raised eyebrow.
"What?" I asked defensively.
"Nothing Nothing," he said, raising both his hands.
"It's comfortable, alright?" I said, a bit defensively.
"I already said it's nothing," he said but I could hear him quietly chuckle as I stared straight ahead at the Royal Talon.
They had yet to disembark from the ship, probably waiting for us to make a move.
"Alfred?" I said aloud.
"They are taking an awful lot of time to get out, aren't they?" I ask him with a grin on my face.
"Indeed, they are." the little murderbot nodded seriously with a matching grin on his face.
"Don't! Don't do anything that will jeopardize our alliance with them." Boss ordered with a stern voice.
Alfred and I both looked at him and he was looking very severely at us.
I gulped and nodded hurriedly.
He then looked straight ahead and said, "Look, they have gotten off the plane."
They?
The King was supposed to come alone.
Looking towards the scene I could see two black panthers coming out of the Talon.
The very sight of that accursed suit made me clench my fists.
Breathing deeply, I was very thankful for the meditative exercise boss pounded into me, or else I would have just pounced on them, reason be damned.
The shield section exactly in front of us opened up.
They were inviting us to come to their country.
I heard Boss order Alfred something and then he stepped forward to cross the borders.
I was just about to take a step after the Boss when I heard a slight whining sound behind me.
I glanced back, only to nearly jump in surprise at what I was seeing.
Word Count - 1509
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Last edited: Oct 20, 2023
Technomancer in MCU #19
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 19
Technomancer in MCU
The Borders of Birnin Zana, Wakanda
Previously
I heard Boss order Alfred something and then he stepped forward to cross the borders.
I was just about to take a step after the Boss when I heard a slight whining sound behind me.
I glanced back, only to nearly jump in surprise at what I was seeing.
-N'Jadaka-
There was a huge fleet just floating silently behind me.
A dozen small aircraft surrounded one of those aircraft carriers I saw from that battle of New York.
Looking up close at them, I whistled.
Man, Boss makes such badass entrances.
Turning around, I jog to catch up to Boss' freakishly large strides in that suit.
"Are we here for an alliance or are we here to just straight destroy them cause I know you have some cold fusion nuclear weapons inside that carrier which will destroy this entire country without any nuclear fallout.?" I asked him only half joking about the matter.
After all, this was still my home country.
The place that birthed my father.
I would not let it be destroyed by outsiders.
Despite the favors Boss had done for me, I would still fight him for it.
The revelation surprised me a bit.
I had exactly zero chance of even touching Boss but I was willing to die defending my homeland if needed.
It was a fitting end in my book.
The Boss glanced back at me as we walked ahead.
A shiver ran through my spine.
He gave me a smirk at that.
It was as if he knew what was going on in my head.
"Don't worry your pretty little bald head about it. That was necessary as a show of force, not for the King but for the elders behind him. Those can be particularly stubborn, even more so than their King." the Boss said.
A sigh of relief unknowingly escaped me.
"What is our strategy here, Boss?" I asked him.
"You are to just listen and say Yes when asked. Everything else will fall on me and Alfred. We will do the heavy lifting and make sure that you have a fair chance of getting Wakanda's throne."
"But" here his countenance changed abruptly.
Despite not changing his stride at all, I felt as if I was walking next to a volcano that was about to erupt.
All my instincts told me to just run away from here.
He then continued, "If you try to wage a one-country war on the world using Wakanda's advanced weaponry, I will know and I will destroy you for it. Got it?"
I gulped and then replied hurriedly, "Yes! Yes, don't worry. It is in our agreement."
He nodded and then his demeanor changed completely, going back to the happy-go-lucky persona he put on most of the time in front of everyone.
"Besides, with the way your satan child made the agreements, I would probably have to sell my soul to repay the penalties for breaking the contract," I said to him, attempting a joke to alleviate some of the earlier pressure and lighten the situation.
He then laughed and said, "Don't worry. Your soul is safe. Bast doesn't exactly allow other hell lords to tamper with souls of her domain."
In between this banter, I didn't even realise when we reached the Traitor King and his Son.
They stood in front of us, their helmets removed.
Both of their faces solemn, not a hint of emotion leaking through the King's face.
That was expected though, he had been King for nearly three decades now.
The Prince on the other hand needed some training in politics, it would seem. His face showed subtle hints of anger at our presence.
That was understandable. We had just invaded his home and strongarmed them into giving us a meeting with their King.
Seeing that none of them were about to speak anytime soon, I said, "We were informed that the King would come alone."
The air suddenly grew heavy with that statement.
I could see the Prince coiled tightly, ready to pounce upon anything he deemed a threat to his father.
The tension was alleviated by the Boss when he said, "Now Now Eric, it's just the Prince. That is even better."
I looked at him quizzically. So did the King and his son.
At our collective looks, he chuckled and said, "After all, King T'Chaka has to retire someday. It would be beneficial if we could strike a deal that lasts 2 generations of Monarchy, don't you think?"
In my mind, I could hear Alfred cackle like a madman like he does whenever a plan he makes comes together perfectly.
I shudder just thinking about that.
Royal Talon
A few minutes earlier
-King T'Chaka-
I sighed and repressed the urge to rub my forehead as I was still in my suit with the helmet on.
"Why don't you understand, Baba? We cannot go outside. We should invite them in so you would be better protected."
"Even if the Border tribe takes a minute to appear in case of an attack, there are multiple weaponised sentries barrier at the edge of the barrier that can initiate attacks on them instantly, should they make the first move."
He had enough of this.
"And why won't you realise that being King means taking risks for the betterment of our people, Son? The kind of power that man has behind him, he won't let himself be trapped in any way."
"Even if we do manage to capture him, his forces would just ransack Wakanda and inevitably destroy it."
I could see that he was still determined to not let me leave his perceived safety net.
Sigh, this is why I didn't want him to come.
He is not ready to be King.
Still too clouded by emotions for his family.
The word family brings back terrible memories.
Of what I did.
What I had to do to my own brother.
I even left my nephew to survive on his own.
I clench my fists at that gut-wrenching thought.
Over the years, I had tried to find him but without any clue in regards to his identification and not wanting to alert his presence to Wakanda's enemies, I had stopped that fruitless search years ago.
Steeling my heart, I vow to make sure that this decision will be a fruitful one and it will be my last one.
I will abdicate my throne to T'Challa.
He is still rough around the edges but he will make a fine king someday.
Until then, I will still be here to guide him every step of the way.
Sighing, I replied, "Very well. Give the command to open the barrier section in front of them."
"They'll realize that we want them to come inside the barrier. With the power they have, they will walk in confidently knowing that we wouldn't be able to do much even if we wanted to." I said somewhat bitterly.
All that research and all this time being the most advanced nation on the planet and we were suddenly upstaged by an organisation that popped up out of nowhere and rocked the global power dynamics out of the park.
Hitting the button to open the ramp, I turn to T'Challa and warn him, "You are not to engage unless they attack us first. Do not provoke them. I know you are upset and your pride is wounded that we have had to be so accommodating of them but the truth of the matter is, that they are superior to us in terms of firepower and we are in a weaker position so I would suggest you to just watch and listen. Got it?"
He nodded his head begrudgingly.
"Very Well. Let's go."
We get out of the Talon and its ramps close up behind us.
Up ahead, I could see two silhouettes walking closer through the golden grass, passing the opened-up section of the barrier.
It closed up behind them, closing them off from the rest of the world.
I heard T'Challa give an almost imperceptible sigh of relief at the fact.
He still believed it offered us an advantage.
Only time will tell.
GASP!
I heard him inhale sharply.
Snapping my neck sharply, I looked at Ed and his guard, only to stagger back in shock.
Almost immediately, my hand went to my ear, "STAND DOWN! I repeat STAND DOWN! "
"Do not engage."
Lest they invite doom upon us.
Word Count - 1434
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Technomancer in MCU #20
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 20
Technomancer in MCU
The Borders of Birnin Zana, Wakanda
Previously
Snapping my neck sharply, I looked at Ed and his guard, only to stagger back in shock.
Almost immediately, my hand went to my ear, "STAND DOWN! I repeat STAND DOWN! "
"Do not engage."
Lest they invite doom upon us.
-T'Chaka-
Never in my lifetime had I felt such a technological chasm between Wakanda and someone.
Even the Inhumans on the moon with their leftover Kree technology were no better than us. They didn't have the crucial materials that the Kree probably had aplenty in their home system but didn't exist at all in our solar system.
We had checked.
Finding out that aliens existed was a shock.
Their experimentation on ancient humans and creation of what were essentially super soldiers was mind-numbing.
They searched far and wide on Earth for any sign of Kree technology.
Even though we found some signs of Kree tech and traced that to the Inhuman colony on the moon, they were very much manageable.
Plans to contain and if required, destroy them were made.
Funnily enough, the easiest way to destroy even the strongest of the Inhumans on the moon was just germs.
Common cold germs of Earth would easily kill even the most powerful of their Kind, King Black Bolt.
A terrifying being capable of causing pure destruction at the level of multiple cities with just his voice.
Hearing T'Challa's voice, I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at him.
He had removed his helmet and at some point in my introspection, I had fallen down on the grass.
How unsightly of me.
Getting up, I am asked by T'Challa, "Baba! Why did you refuse Backup."
He said, gesturing to their fleet floating outside the barrier menacingly, "They have brought more than enough backup. I say we call the Border tribe squad at the very least."
Shaking my head, I said, "Wouldn't have worked."
"Our people, I have noticed, are a bit too prideful. And they should be. Wakanda is a utopia. But that pride wouldn't have helped in this situation. It would have backfired instead."
He looked confused at that.
Sighing, I gave my command to the people undoubtedly listening in on this conversation, "No matter what happens, unless they attack us, no armed forces will move from their positions."
I stood with my back straight, hands behind my back, every bit as confident as the King of Wakanda should be.
They both soon reached us.
Standing in front of me was Ed, the man who according to the reports of government agencies worldwide, was the number one most wanted person in the world.
A person capable of destroying and destabilising countries on his lonesome.
The person who came with him looked familiar for some reason but I had never met him before, of that I was certain.
His words of me coming here with T'Challa even though they were informed that I would be coming alone was a good attempt at provoking us.
Fortunately, I had been handling the merchant tribe's elder for longer than this person had been alive.
T'Challa on the other hand.
Even from the corner of my eye, I could see that his body language exuded anger and small amounts of frustration.
Ed's statement regarding making a deal with 2 successive monarchies and his backhanded remark regarding my impending retirement made T'Challa growl.
Sighing at the fact that he was able to get under T'Challa's skin so easily, I raise my hand in front of T'Challa.
He stops instantly.
The foolish boy was about to charge at our guests. An absolutely suicidal move.
After a moment of silence, I sigh and ask, "Why have you come here, Ed?"
"If you are in search of more vibranium for your army, I am afraid that the elders will not agree." I continued.
He raised an eyebrow at that statement.
"And you?" he asked me.
I shrug in a rare show of casualness, "I am King. It is my first and foremost responsibility to protect Wakanda. A little bit of vibranium here and there won't affect us much but someone of your powers can endanger the entirety of our country. I can't have that."
He looked at me in surprise at that statement, his jovial attitude vanishing like a fleeting wisp of smoke, leaving behind a somber and contemplative aura.
He then replied, "I am surprised."
"To be honest, I expected a much stiffer attitude from you, King T'Chaka."
I reply, "If it were anybody else other than you, they would not have gotten nearly so much accommodation from me but these are exigent circumstances and I as King must change according to the flow."
"Eh, Fair enough." Ed shrugged.
"Before we begin though, I and my companion here would like a formal tour of Wakanda. Both of us have heard that it is the closest thing to a utopia on Earth," he said, gesturing to his guard and himself.
T'Challa and I both gave him intensely suspicious looks at that request.
As I was about to refuse, citing my citizens' safety as the reason, he raised his hands and said, "Any deal we make will be contingent on that tour. So reply wisely, King T'Chaka."
That made me shut up immediately.
Thinking about the implications of this decision on the citizens, the pros and cons to Wakanda, I sighed and said, "Very well. You will have to wait here for a moment as we prepare."
"We weren't exactly prepared to receive a State Guest. We'll have a landing party prepared for you soon, to get you the best possible experience of Wakanda."
Ed waved me off, "Yeah..Yeah.. I know you probably expected me to come in here guns blazing, destroying property, and all that jazz. Look, I come in peace."
"And so does he" he gestured to his guard.
Curious about his identity, I ask, "Who exactly is he? From your words, he doesn't seem to be your guard."
He looked surprised at my words.
His face then lit up and then he replied with a smirk, "What gave you that idea, King T'Chaka? Far be it for me to have a Prince of a nation to be my guard."
"I mean, I am pretty high up on the global power scale but still, a Prince?" He rambled on.
But I stopped listening after he said the word 'Prince'.
Dread pooled in my gut as I looked at the Guard's face.
My face paling, I stagger back in shock. I would have fallen down had T'Challa not stopped me.
The reason he looked so familiar despite me never meeting him was..
Because I had met him.
When he was just 10 years old
Before I killed his father, my brother with my own two hands.
And then left him there, to the wolves.
Raising a trembling hand towards him, I ask in a broken voice, "Are..Are you his s-son?"
He looked utterly dispassionately towards me as he nodded, "My name is N'Jadaka, Prince of Wakanda."
T'Challa looked so confused as he said, "What? Who are you? What did you do to my Baba?"
I understood why this Ed didn't come here with an army to conquer Wakanda.
He didn't need to.
He had someone on his side who could tear apart Wakanda from the inside.
Then he could easily conquer the remnants.
Looking at my nephew's face, I could see the resemblance.
With dread, I thought of the Civil War that would happen should the council come to know of his existence.
I didn't know anything about him and he had a solid chance of becoming Black Panther.
Looking at Ed, a chill ran up my spine as he looked so coldly towards me.
My mind ran furiously at the revelations.
No, it is certain that N'Jadaka will become the Black Panther.
They wouldn't have risked coming here without the absolute certainty that N'Jadaka will win.
Something broke inside me at the thought that another one of my sins had come back for retribution. Only this time it threatened the entirety of Wakanda.
Something must have shown on my face when Ed said, "Crown Prince T'Challa, I would suggest you take your father for medical assistance. He is old now, and probably can't handle too many shocks at once."
T'Challa's hold tightened on me.
"We will remain here, awaiting your response," Ed said resoundingly.
"Go on.", he waved us off.
I stood up with the help of T'Challa.
Giving both of them a look, I hobble back towards the Talon.
The only thing that was going on through my mind was how would I explain this to the council.
How would they react?
Would N'Jadaka defeat me and become King through the traditional ways?
Would N'Jadaka even allow me to live?
Would I even blame him?
All these thoughts rang hollow inside my head.
Word Count - 1503
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Technomancer in MCU #21
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 21
Technomancer in MCU
Birnin Zana, Wakanda
-N'Jadaka-
I watch with grim satisfaction as the traitorKing is taken away to the Talon for medical attention.
Many times, in my dreams, I had envisioned this scenario.
The King at my feet, defeated.
Him finally getting the consequences he deserves.
Me finally getting my revenge and being in peace.
All those dreams were shattered by Boss within 2 weeks of me meeting him.
He showed me a vision.
"A Possible Future" he called it. One of the billions of possibilities.
What he showed me was the most likely one had he not interfered in my life's trajectory.
I had to admit that I was a little repulsed by my future self's actions.
God what a weird thought to have.
He had become the very thing he had sworn to destroy.
I could see it now, he just wanted to watch the world burn. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he must have known that no matter how many weapons we made and supplied to our brothers and sisters, the end result would be the same.
The world up in flames, more divided than ever with our community ending up being even more persecuted than before.
Because in the end, my future self chose to drive forward his agenda with the very thing that has held the world back for centuries.
Fear.
He chose to make the world afraid of Wakanda, not knowing that that would only hasten its destruction.
Hell, I could see the world imploding upon itself if I had not been killed by T'Challa.
The vision and therapy along with actual knowledge of how the universe worked, calmed me down.
I would no longer be the me from the future.
King T'Chaka might have thought that I was here for the throne, to kill him and plunge Wakanda into the flames of war, I could see it in his frightened eyes.
But that would be counterproductive to our motives.
We needed a united Wakanda, not one plunged into the throes of a devastating Civil War.
That would only expose the entirety of Wakanda to the world and destroy any hopes of Ed's Unified Government plans.
I would become an integral part of Wakanda, that much was certain.
Integrating myself with the upper echelons of Wakanda was a chore I hated with all my being and yet I would have to do it.
Boss' orders after all.
I was shaken out of my thoughts when the Boss put a hand on my shoulder.
"Look, " he said while gesturing ahead of us.
In front of us, I could see a veritable storm being raised by the amount of vehicles coming towards us.
Talons, Hovercrafts, SUVS and more were coming towards us in a very aggressive manner.
All of them followed a Talon that looked much fancier than the one the King came in. It had shades of gold blended in its body.
Noticing my gaze, Boss replied, "It's the Royal Family's Talon."
He grinned at me, "Somebody from the Royal Family is here to pick us up."
"Alfred, stand down." Boss ordered Alfred
Confused as to why he did that, I turned around to look at our forces stationed outside of the shields.
My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I noticed that all of them were floating menacingly near different sections of the barrier and all of them had their weapons active.
The most obvious of them was the aircraft carrier canon that displayed its tremendous might in yesterday's invasion, cleaving through thousands of aliens and vaporizing even more.
I could almost feel the march of the incoming vehicles become more confident as Alfred winded down the weapons platforms of the entirety of the fleet.
Soon, Queen Ramonda of all people exited the Talon and came towards us in a graceful manner.
She stood in front of us in a regal manner, the Dora Milaje standing dutifully at attention behind her.
An entire entourage assembled behind her, a fitting entry for the Queen.
"Welcome to Wakanda.", she began the conversation.
"I am pleased to be here," Ed replied.
He then looked at me.
Naturally, I stumbled upon it with the grace of a wet cat.
I opened my mouth and said, "Sup?"
I could almost hear Boss cringing beside me.
Queen Ramonda, credit to her, didn't so much as bat an eyelash at me.
She took it in stride, nodded at me, and gestured to the fleet of SUVs standing behind her.
"Please, board the Vehicles. They will take you to the Royal Guest House."
"My husband is currently not available so please use that opportunity to get yourselves freshened up."
"We will notify you once he is available."
"In the meantime, you can explore Wakanda but please do so with caution."
I raised an eyebrow at that.
"Please understand that this situation is an entirely new one for the civilians. Most of them will go their entire lives without ever seeing an outsider."
"Rest assured, as long as you don't harm anyone, all public places are open for you to visit."
She then gestured to one of the badass-looking bald ladies behind her, "This is Okoye. She will be your guide for today."
Okoye did not look happy to do that. Looks like it was sprung last minute on her.
"Very well, Queen Ramonda." Boss replied
"Lead the way," he said to Okoye.
Just as I was about to follow after Boss, Queen Ramonda cleared her throat, bringing our attention to what she was pointing at.
At Boss' questioning look, she said, "The Border tribe is getting awfully nervous regarding your fleet at our border."
Boss raised an eyebrow and replied, "If you are telling me to get rid of them, I am afraid to tell you that Alfred has complete control over them and he never listens to me on his best days."
At her deadpan stare, Boss shrugged and said, " The best I can do is tell them to settle down in a designated area and tell them to behave."
The Queen gave a very slow nod, "Very well. Someone will go there to tell them where to land."
"There is no crew on any of them. It's just Alfred so don't be shocked when no one comes out of the ships." Boss reminded them.
The Queen nodded at that.
After that hilarious conversation, I followed Boss to the SUV and sat in it.
The doors opened and closed on their own and after looking, I found that the entire thing is self-driven.
At my incessant poking around, Boss got frustrated, "Will you just settle down. It's just a life-size remote control toy. You've seen much more advanced self-driven vehicles."
"Yeah, but they were made by you," I replied.
At his confused stare, I said, "Between the team, it's commonly associated that you are a freak of nature when it comes to technology. So all of them have become accustomed to the fact that you can just whip out technology straight from dreams anytime you want. On the other hand, watching advanced tech built by relatively ordinary people is quite a novelty."
Boss said in a very confused tone of voice, "I don't know if I should be mad or amused at you all."
With a sheepish voice, I said, "Amused?"
He deadpanned at me and spoke out loud, "Alfred, increase their weekly training sessions with Frank, will you?"
"Acknowledged, sir," Alfred replied.
"Nooooooo! Why would you do that? He already grills us till we are half dead." I despaired dramatically.
The Boss and Alfred's hologram both rolled their eyes at me.
It was disturbing in a way, how much they resembled in their mannerisms.
I guess being the creator, Boss imprinted some of his personality on the murder bot.
The SUV soon stopped and the doors opened on their own volition.
The scenes that greeted me were breathtaking.
Despite having seen the same visuals on a screen for years, the real thing just took away my words.
"Magnificent, isn't it?" Boss said, standing beside me.
I nodded robotically.
Word Count - 1369
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Technomancer in MCU #22
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 22
Technomancer in MCU
Birnin Zana, Wakanda
Previously
Despite having seen the same visuals on a screen for years, the real thing just took away my words.
"Magnificent, isn't it?" Boss said, standing beside me.
I nodded robotically.
_
The Royal Guest House, Birnin Zana, Wakanda
-Ed-
I knew that they would pull out all the stops for me, as such this was unsurprising for me.
Still, the views more than made up for the ugly truth that lies beneath it.
The Structure was built into a mountain apparently. A perfect example of modern construction as it showcased modern buildings built in consort with nature rather than against it.
A waterfall falling from up above the mountain.
Exotic Flora surrounded the entire facility. Some of them were literally glowing.
Then again, it was not entirely impossible for new species to emerge after millenia of exposure to vibranium.
That metal did have the tendency to mutate even the most mundane of lifeforms into exotic ones just by prolonged exposure.
The only visible way is through a raised platform that has an energy barrier around it.
The governments outside would cry in envy if they saw advanced barrier tech being used as a glorified umbrella.
I glanced at N'Jadaka from the corner of my eye, he was still gaping and looking around the scenery like a tourist.
It was understandable. After all, this has been his dream for many years.
To come to Wakanda.
To be welcomed as a guest rather than an invader.
To be able to see all these beautiful views and more importantly, belong somewhere.
He had been without a home ever since his father died.
Constantly going from foster home to foster home, in search of a home.
This is what he was searching for and in the 'original' timeline, the fact that he was detested, unwelcome even here, the last place he expected to reject him must have hurt him really badly.
So, he snapped and declared the most asinine war known to mankind.
Clearing my throat, I gained his attention and said to him, "Come on. Stop gawking around like a tourist. They're waiting for us."
He followed my gaze and saw that Okoye was looking at us very much unimpressed.
He must have looked like a bumpkin to her, admiring things that seemed normal to the local populace.
Following her, we went inside and were shown to our rooms.
Both of us got a penthouse suite, it would seem.
It had gorgeous views of the entirety of their Capital city.
I could see the Royal Palace, the center of the City. It was built with advanced materials, infused with vibranium to make what is probably the most fortified palace of any king ever.
This thing made Fort Knox look like a wall safe with the access code '0000' in comparison.
The only thing that could come close would be Namor's palace but that was only due to its inherent geographical advantage coupled with their advanced vibranium-based technology.
Speaking of Namor, I should go meet him soon.
Should advise him against his vendetta regarding the surface world.
After some time, N'Jadaka entered my room, already ready for his tour.
"Excited?" I asked him as he stood beside me, enjoying the view of the city.
"Are you kidding? Hell yeah! This is the city my father used to gush so much about. Let's see what's so special about it." he replied giddily.
"Very well. Somebody should be with us soon to show us the city. I've already told them I don't have much time and would prefer if I was out of Wakanda by the end of the day." I said to him.
"They were extremely relieved that I was set on leaving and also mildly terrified that I was going to stay in their capital for an entire day with what was essentially an army staying just outside the city."
"Alfred, what's the situation outside?" I asked my buddy.
All I heard in return was a malicious chuckle.
That did not bode well for the Border tribe members guarding the fleet.
Outside Birnin Zana
-W'Kabi-
As I stood outside the perimeter that encircled the entire fleet brought by the outsiders, my mind buzzed with a whirlwind of thoughts and conflicting emotions.
The decision to host those outsiders inside Birnin Zana was of paramount significance. That much was certain.
I find myself conflicted thinking about the implications of this visit and King T'Chaka's reaction to this unannounced visit on Wakandas's security, traditions, and even its very future.
It was clear that this Ed character had no respect for our traditions, or our privacy and security as he barged into Wakanda with an army of all things.
An army that was more than capable of causing catastrophic damage to Wakanda if the videos he had seen of their destructive might in New York were any indication.
I could see it in the eyes of the security forces stationed nearby.
They were nervous.
Why wouldn't they be? They too had seen the same footage I had seen.
Being this close to machines capable of causing mass destruction would make anyone nervous.
I, myself, had I not been personally reassured by the King and Queen, would have fought tooth and nail to get these machines off Wakandan soil or annihilated.
Hearing another series of screams, I gritted my teeth and ran towards the source.
There, I found the same scene I had been finding for the past dozens of screams that sounded throughout the perimeter.
The damn aircraft carrier was so big and heavy that it only floated on the land, never truly touching down. It was a good thing as I was truly worried that it would just sink into the land, damaging it and its weapons systems.
The problem was the size of their fleet.
It was huge and the resulting perimeter that had to be established around the fleet stretched his entire team thin.
Then there was the other nuisance.
I was informed by the Queen that there were no people on board the fleet.
It was all run by an advanced A.I.
At the moment, it was hard to believe as according to recent reports, even Wakanda was at least a decade behind on creating actually sentient A.I. and there were even huge debates within the council regarding the creation of sentient digital lifeforms and the risks associated with them.
The A.I. was sentient and it formed the appearance of an old man but its actions were of a teenager hopped up on enormous quantities of sugar instead.
The main carrier ship must have some sort of hard light projection system.
The A.I. constantly used that to prank his soldiers.
Assuming different forms and appearing in front of the soldiers holding all sorts of weapons or firing beams of light reminiscent of the ones fired during the invasion.
This scared the soldiers so much only for them to later realise that it was just light and not an energy beam capable of vaporizing them without their vibranium shields.
He ordered the soldiers to get up and continue their patrolling shift.
Frustrated, he then shouted in the direction of the ship, "I know you are listening to me. Stop this at once."
"This does not bode well for you as well as your creator."
As soon as I did that, he appeared in front of me with a flash of white light.
Startled, I raised my shield and took a step back.
"What I do doesn't concern my master, Mr.W'Kabi." the AI replied, utterly serious.
"It does! You people are here on a diplomatic mission and the fact that you brought an army here doesn't speak well of your intentions in the first place and then this."
"Your harassment of my soldiers tells me you are not serious about the alliance because let me tell you, the Border tribe elder is on the council where the final decision regarding this alliance will ultimately be taken."
"So I would advise you to behave lest you reduce the chances of this alliance taking any shape," I warned him, breathing heavily.
He gave a very slow nod, "Very Well"
He then disappeared.
I was relieved and went to the outpost to tell the rest of the team about this.
They were very relieved, and many of them even thanked me profusely.
Still, I was going to send a complaint regarding this to the Queen as the King is not accepting the calls of any tribe elder for the moment and just telling them to continue things as they were.
He had already called off the evacuation notices issued to the entirety of the city and without any explanation as to why that decision took place, told the population of the city to just go about their days and not worry about any security issues.
Word Count - 1504
A/N : - Sorry for the huge gap between chapters. One of my brothers had to get hospitalised for a heatstroke and I couldn't concentrate enough to write. BUT don't worry, I will be releasing another chapter today, maybe about 4-5 hours later. It will be late I know but I will publish it.
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Technomancer in MCU #23
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 23
Technomancer in MCU
The Royal Guest House, Birnin Zana, Wakanda
-Ed-
I was expecting someone to come escort us for our tour of the city but I didn't expect it to be T'Chaka himself of all people.
He was dressed in casual attire, looking considerably more relaxed than the last time I had seen him.
The panic in his eyes, when he learned about N'Jadaka's true heritage, had also subsided and he seemed more confident….somehow.
I shake his hand, "King T'Chaka! Didn't expect for you to act as our tour guide personally. I thought you would still be in a meeting with your council or getting medical attention for the shock that you received earlier."
The countenance of the Dora Milaje accompanying him darkened considerably. They tightened their grip on their vibranium spears.
I could even see one was about to advance forward towards me had T'Chaka not cleared his throat and given them a look.
He then turned back to me and said, "Please. Don't provoke them. They have never seen their King like this, so forgive their impertinence."
I nodded, "Don't worry. I know a thing or two about disobedient employees," and glanced back at N'Jadaka.
To his credit, his face remained stone-faced.
T'Chaka nodded, clearly confused.
" Before we go on our tour, I would like to speak with both of you privately," T'Chaka asked me.
I shrugged, having a pretty good idea what this was going to be about, "Sure."
He nodded, clearly grateful, and then dismissed the Dora Milaje, stopping them from entering the suite despite their vehement protests.
Not hearing their requests at all, T'Chaka stepped inside and I deliberately gave them a stink eye and slowly closed the door in front of them.
It was oh-so satisfying.
Inside, the scene could only be described as awkward.
T'Chaka and his nephew were sitting on the sofa, with a cup of tea in their hands.
I smirked as I saw that N'Jadaka was actually trying to be a good host and served T'Chaka tea, who was clearly out of his depth here.
He must have been prepared for an outburst from N'Jadaka.
Maybe even a fight was anticipated by him and seeing the clear lack of any weapons he had on his person, he was willing to get beaten up to clear his guilty conscience.
Snorting at the scene, both of them turned and glared at me for that.
I raised my hands innocently, "What? I don't think this conversation was going anywhere so really, you should be thanking me for breaking the ice."
I take a seat opposite T'Chaka, right beside N'Jadaka, signifying my position.
T"Chaka, finally ready to start the conversation, cleared his throat and gave his nephew a look.
Under both of our watchful eyes, he took out a locket and put it carefully on the table.
Answering our unasked question, he said, "This was your father's. It is the last thing I have of him."
Hesitantly, with trembling hands, N'Jadaka took hold of the locket and opened it up.
Inside, he could see his father and his mother.
This clearly riled up his emotions as he teared up and holding the locket in a tight grip, glared at T'Chaka.
T'Chaka seemed resigned by it.
His shoulders slumping, he said, "Look. You can hate me all you want. I was the one who actually killed your father."
"The rest of Wakanda is innocent."
"If revenge is what you are after, you can take my life for it."
So that was his endgame.
Offering his own life in exchange for the safety of this family and Wakanda.
I could respect that. He is a good king and a good father.
And with me here, he would have some reassurance that I would enforce the promise made by N'Jadaka and would not let Wakanda burn.
Too bad this would not work with us.
Not only would T'Challa and more importantly, Shuri hunt us to the ends of the world and take their revenge by attempting to kill us, but we were not here for revenge anyway.
The work Alfred and the doctors back at Ascendancy had done for N'Jadaka had worked wonders for him.
He no longer had rage episodes when someone even mentions Wakanda and T'Chaka's name.
His abandonment issues had also been finally solved.
The doctors had given him the go ahead for this mission otherwise I would not have let him set foot on the African continent.
Clearly sharing my ideas, N'Jadaka said, " You can keep it."
At T'Chaka's confused look, he said, "Your life. You can keep it."
"It is not worth anything to me but the trouble it will bring if I took it."
"Besides it wouldn't change anything. My father is still dead. So is my mother."
"My life is all kinds of fucked up. I am still a hired mercenary."
"I don't want your life. I want change."
T'Chaka asked warily, "Change? What kind of change?"
Giving a sardonic smile, N'Jadaka replied, "The kind that sticks."
"The slow and gradual change that actually stays and doesn't just revert back once the leader of the movement is gone."
Laughing at the utter confusion on T'Chaka's face, I said, "He is not here to take the throne by force if that is what is worrying you."
"He is here to integrate himself into Wakandan society."
"To get his rightful place as the prince of Wakanda."
"The issue of succession will come later on. It will be based on their respective merits, am I right?"
He nodded slowly, still confused but slowly understanding the gist of our conversation.
"Of Course. That is the least that I can do."
Slapping my thighs, I stood up and said, "Well then. Glad we cleared that up."
"Let's go. I am itching to explore the good places of Wakanda."
"From what I have briefly seen, it truly is a paradise on Earth, no matter its dark origins."
T'Chaka's face darkened at the backhanded compliment I gave to his home country.
With a determined face, he said, "You can insult me all you like. I have made those mistakes and deserve the punishment but Wakanda has done nothing of the sort."
Snorting at his foolish words but acknowledging his love for Wakanda, I nod.
"Wait a minute. You could actually get the throne if you backed N'Jadaka and gain access to the most technologically powerful nation on the planet and yet you do not?" he asked somewhat incredulously, still unbelieving of our motives even after so many explanations.
Tired of his paranoia, I rub my forehead and reply, "Look. If I wanted to, could I conquer Wakanda all by myself? Yes."
"Do I want to? No."
"Do I need to if Wakanda can follow me in fulfilling my goals?"
"Your son is of a very similar mindset to mine, so in N'Jadaka."
"If both the princes share a similar ideology as me and you are old and going to retire soon anyway, why would I waste my time and energy to conquer Wakanda? Especially since lives will be lost either way."
He looked wide-eyed at me, stunned by my speech.
That was unsurprising as I had just told him that I would get my way anyway, he was not a roadblock, just a traffic signal that would soon turn green anyway.
The look on his face was hilarious.
"Satisfied now? He truly doesn't care about any of this. It's just that if he does everything by himself, which he does have the capacity for, Humanity as a whole wouldn't advance and he would just end up making it completely dependent on him."
"That's something nobody wants so here we are, convincing the most powerful nation on the planet, notorious for its isolationist policies, to join our cause and help Humanity as a whole."
T'Chaka nodded robotically.
N'Jadakka tapped his shoulder and said, "Come on now. Let's not keep the Boss man waiting. We can talk while we walk."
Going outside, I could see a hovercraft waiting for us.
It was the royal family's as I could once again see streaks of gold in the vibranium chassis.
I whistled, "Man you guys truly live extravagantly. People outside would weep if they saw how you use your vibranium."
"And what is up with this obsession that royalty have with Gold?"
"I mean I could understand the royalty outside, as Gold is the most valuable metal for them. It is a status symbol for them but why would you of all people need Gold for that."
"You have the 3rd largest reserve of Vibranium on the planet. That's literally the most expensive material on the planet."
The King at first looked sheepish at my tirade but then he finally heard what I was saying and his face took a shocked expression.
With trepidation, he asked me, '"Wha-What do you mean by 3rd largest vibranium reserve?"
My only reply to that was a smirk aimed at him.
Word Count - 1516
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Last edited: Friday at 3:52 AM
Technomancer in MCU #24
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 24
Technomancer in MCU
Birnin Zana, Wakanda
-Ed-
Flashback No Jutsu
The King at first looked sheepish at first at my tirade but then he finally heard what I was saying and his face took a shocked expression.
With trepidation, he asked me, '"Wha-What do you mean by 3rd largest vibranium reserve?"
My only reply to that was a smirk aimed at him.
Jutsu End
-Ed-
Man, the expression on T'Challa's face was hilarious.
I am pretty sure nobody had seen him make that face before.
I walked on ahead to the hovercraft.
The King walked behind me, bugging me about the vibranium reserves.
I could almost feel the holes Okoye was burning into me with her glare.
This must be so surreal for them.
Somebody was ignoring their King in his own city.
As much fun as it was, I stopped and finally replied, "What is it?"
Clearly surprised that I hadn't heard a word of his tirade, he sighed and asked me again, "What did you mean by us having the third largest vibranium reserve? I thought the only Vibranium reserve on the planet was in Wakanda."
I barely suppress a snort at that.
"You don't know the half of it, King T'Chaka. The mountain that you have is only the third largest Vibranium deposit on the planet."
"The only reason you can be considered lucky is that yours is the easiest to mine."
"The rest are in inhospitable atmospheres for humans."
"Both of them are fairly larger than yours but much harder to mine. So, be happy King T'Chaka." I pat his shoulder and get seated on the hovercraft.
He hastily follows and gets seated right in front of me, N'Jadaka following him.
T'Chaka asked hesitatingly, "Is that where you got the Vibranium you use in your armies?"
Gulping, he continued, "Is your organisation in possession of an entire Vibranium deposit, one that is even larger than ours?"
Smirking, I replied, "Why? Afraid you will lose your monopoly on the miracle material and can no longer hoard it all?"
He just looked at me with wide unblinking eyes, desperate for some answers.
Sighing, I replied, "Yes. I am the only human that has come in contact with the largest vibranium deposit on the planet in a million years. Yes, I have used that vibranium to outfit my army and advanced my technology by decades using that material."
"Hell, we are close to making artificial vibranium now."
It was as if something physically struck T'Chaka.
He sat in his seat, completely slumped with his face ashen, thinking of the implications of the news I had just delivered to him.
I sat there, stone-faced.
The hovercraft began its journey silently, taking us to the city.
After a while, King T'Chaka robotically lifted his head and looked me straight in the eye, and said, "So you didn't need Vibranium from us?"
I looked him right in the eye and replied, "No."
Confused, he asked me, "Then why come here? Why do all of this?"
"If your end goal is not vibranium or even our technology, why come all the way here and waste your time?" he continued.
Before I could reply to that question, N'Jadaka did.
"We don't need Wakanda for its vibranium. We need Wakanda to become a beacon." he said.
T'Chaka looked at his nephew, stunned.
"A beacon for human advancement." N'Jadaka continued.
"We need Wakanda to become a public power so that the ensuing competition will come out of with technology that will help people rather than just more destructive weapons," he said.
"With the Ascendancy's public reveal, the entire world will soon enter in a global arms race. Nobody can stop that. Everybody is scared." he said.
"The civvies are scared of aliens showing up again and the suits are scared of Ed showing up again," he said.
"They need some kind of effective weapon for them to sleep peacefully," he said.
" We want to avoid that outcome," he gestured to both of us.
I nodded, confirming his words.
"Where does Wakanda come into all of this?" King T'Chaka asked hesitantly.
N'Jadaka looked at me and I nodded in confirmation.
He took a deep breath and then took out a small black coloured ring from his shirt pocket.
Tapping it once, he threw it into the air above us.
Instead of falling, it stayed up there, slowly revolving.
With that, the sounds around us slowly faded to zero.
T'Chaka looked around in astonishment and said, "Is that?" while gesturing to the ring.
N'Jadaka nodded and said, "Yes. It's something Alfred cooked up. Total privacy curtain on the go. Your people can still see us but it will be fuzzy so no lipreading and no sound will get out of the barrier made by the ring."
Understanding the severity of the situation, T'Chaka nodded.
N'Jadaka then continued, "We want Wakanda to become the face of the arms race."
T'Chaka looked at him incredulously.
I hid my smile behind my bottle of water.
He was coming in nicely in his role.
N'Jadaka steamrolled over T'Chaka's questioning looks, "We want you to assure the world that there is someone to keep us in check. That the world wouldn't be completely defenseless should we someday go bonkers."
"You only need to reveal the bare minimum of your advancements, strictly little to no vibranium use and maximum use of medical technology."
"We have a list of technology that I know for a fact you possess so don't bother denying it. You can start giving out medical cures and better healing procedures along with the advanced medical machines you have that don't use vibranium, in phases to the outside world."
"As for the risk to your country, don't worry about it. With the threat of our organisation swooping in anytime, they will play nice with you. In fact, they will probably give you any concession you demand that you can use to further your political goals if you have any." he said.
T'Chaka took a deep breath, clearly overwhelmed by all that we were telling him.
Before he could ask though, I answered it for him, "No. You can't seek anybody's advice regarding this. You are King, act like one." I said resolutely.
T'Chaka looked conflicted but eventually, he gave in.
Just in time too, as we were nearing our first stop of the tour.
N'Jadaka deactivated the ring and we stepped out of the hovercraft into a… museum?
I gave T'Chaka an amused look.
Why would he choose this as our first site?
He seemed to understand our confusion as some pallor returned to his face and he gave us a half-hearted chuckle and led us into the Royal Wakandan Museum.
Word Count - 1150
Short, I know but this seemed like a nice place to stop and I was all out of creative juice anyway. The next parts of this arc can fill out multiple chapters nicely but this one was fated to end here
You guys know the Jazz - Extra chapters on
Technomancer in MCU #25
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 25
Technomancer in MCU
Birnin Zana, Wakanda
Previously
I gave T'Chaka an amused look.
Why would he choose this as our first site?
He seemed to understand our confusion as some pallor returned to his face and he gave us a half-hearted chuckle and led us into the Royal Wakandan Museum.
-Ed-
He led us into the museum.
The entry staff gave us weird looks but tried to be as professional as possible.
"Why bring us here?" I asked him.
He gave me a look but didn't reply and kept walking.
Soon we came to a stop facing an empty wall.
"Where to now?" N'Jadaka asked.
T'Chaka just gave us a bemused look.
I gave him a knowing look.
The place we were standing in lit up in a circular shape and the whole ring started to float up.
N'Jadaka stumbled, clearly surprised but the ride itself was very smooth.
We cross multiple floors and even move sideways for a bit.
It was all very disorienting.
"Forgive me but it is a security precaution, installed after a devastating attack initiat-" T'Chaka said.
"By Ulysses Klaue, we are aware." I interrupted him.
He gave us a searching look after that.
After a while, he said, "If you could give us his location, Wakanda would be eternally grateful."
We had reached the first floor and I was looking around when he said that.
They had some pretty interesting stuff lying around here.
"He's on the ship. I brought him here in case negotiations went awry and I needed some incentives for you to be bought into the fold." I smirked at him.
He looked taken aback at that, clearly not expecting us to give him Wakanda's enemy number one on what was essentially a silver platter.
He then nodded gravely, "Wakanda will forever be grateful for that. You can consider that a personal guarantee from me."
I waved him off, "Yeah Yeah, I know. Now come on, show us what's important here. I recognised some stuff earlier that was interesting but I know for a fact that it was just surface-level stuff."
"You know what they are?" he asked me, surprised for some reason.
I gave him a shallow nod and said, "Some of your people must have been potent sorcerers, for them to have made artifacts of nearly the same level as the ones found in Kamar-Taj."
He just gave me a confused look as if the words I was speaking were gibberish to him.
Curious, I always thought he knew about the existence of Sorcerers.
We were walking towards a vault-like door present at the end of the hallway and I was just about to explain to him about the existence of the Sorcerer society when all three of us abruptly stopped.
All of us could sense the pressure, the sense of impending doom that every living being with a survival instinct.
This feeling made us feel like an ant, something that can be crushed at a moment's notice without any deliberate thought.
I sighed, she and her need for overbearing dramatics.
I turned around and said out loud, "I know you are here. You know, this doesn't work on me after the first dozen tries."
Both N'Jadaka and T'Chaka gave me weird looks for saying that.
They were both tense and looking around for threats.
I chuckled, like they could see her coming in a million years.
They tensed even further, T'Chaka in particular when a golden portal opened up in front of us, and out stepped The Ancient One in all her bald-headed glory.
She gave me a sharp look as soon as she stepped out as if she had read my mind.
For all I know, she could have.
Honestly, with her, you never know.
The museum defenses started ringing but with a quick flex of Alfred's skills, they all shut off and a false alarm notice was sent to the security department that was already flighty with their King's fainting episode.
I bowed deeply towards her, "Ancient One."
"Greetings, Outsider," She called out to me.
She refused to call me anything but that, even after years of trying.
Grumbling slightly under my breath, I asked her, "Why have you come here? With your MO, a note would have magically appeared in front of me and that would have been the end of it."
"Can't I just come here to escape my duties then?"
I gave her a deadpan stare at that. The only way she is leaving her job is if she dies.
I should know, I had asked her that during one of our many correspondences.
She was dead set on dying and refused to be saved even if I guaranteed Strange's ascension to the skill level that was required for him to become Sorcerer Supreme and later on, save the universe with it.
"Okay, I am here because we need to do something important after you are done with your tour, before your next meeting. My being here would allow King T'Chaka here to be better understanding of your situation." She said.
N'Jadaka and T'Chaka just looked at both of us conversing normally, their mouths agape.
"And you are correct. Wakanda once had a vibrant society of sorcerers. Two Sorcerer Supremes came from this country." She continued.
"What happened to them, then? Alfred hasn't sensed a single person with the necessary dimensional energy flowing through them for them to be classified even as an apprentice, let alone a master or a Sorcerer Supreme as you said," I asked her.
She gave a noncommittal hum at that, instead walking towards a black mask.
I groaned at that, her obsessions with riddles frustrated me with no end in sight.
Nonetheless, I followed her as I had no choice here.
I stood beside her, looking at the artifact, trying to decipher what was special about it.
"Don't bother. Even I would have needed a significant amount of time to unravel the wards surrounding the true nature of this artifact. Without the time stone, it is basically impossible to find this." She said gravely.
Understanding the severity of the situation, I asked her, "What is it? Is it dangerous? Do we need to evacuate the city for it?"
She looked at me as if I was stupid.
As if the strongest motherf*cking person on the planet had not warned me about a thing that would have been invisible to even her senses and she could sense people halfway across the world with pinpoint accuracy.
"This is not dangerous, Ed. This is the blessing of a previous Sorcerer Supreme to Wakanda. She must have foreseen the magical society of Wakanda collapsing and taken measures to ensure that her lineage is not forgotten." she mumbled the last part.
Breaking through the energy barrier as if it was a layer of water rather than something that would take the Hulk's punches as if it were nothing, she deftly took hold of the mask and yanked it out of the display.
T'Chaka made to protest but one look from her made him swallow his words.
She then handed it over to N'Jadaka, surprisingly.
Startled, he scrambled to take it in his hands and glared at me when I snickered at his nervousness.
She had that effect on people when you first met her.
N'Jadaka looked at her questioningly.
Her eyes glowing, she replied, "Keep it. Soon, you will meet its destined user. They will be the future of Wakanda. Protect them and make sure that they reach their full potential. In the near future, Wakanda's and to a further extent, Humanity's fates would depend on them."
I rolled my eyes at that, always with the cryptic riddles.
N'Jadaka and T'Chaka looked very concerned with that.
N'Jadaka asked her, "How will I know? What if I give it to the wrong person? Will I destroy the world then?"
She gave him a look as if asking him: Are you stupid?
He looked as if he had swallowed a particularly sour lemon.
"Now, onto the matter at hand," She turned to T'Chaka.
"Yes, magic exists. Consider it as an advanced form of energy manipulation. Where your people use the innate ability of vibranium to manipulate energy, we sorcerers do it with our bodies. Of course, there are pros and cons but that discussion is for another day." She continued.
What followed was a lengthy discussion regarding the existence of Magic and its role in protecting the human civilisation at large since before the founding of Wakanda.
T'Chaka was pretty shocked to realise that people had known about Wakanda before it was even formed and two of their people had even gone on to lead the super secret magical society.
After explaining all of that to T'Chaka and even N'Jadaka as I had yet to give him access to the supernatural side of the world, she bade us farewell.
But not before inviting me to Kamar Taj for a discussion.
Yeah, I was not looking forward to that.
Sighing, I turned to T'Chaka only for him to look at me with a dead gaze.
He whispered, "No wonder you don't take Wakanda seriously. If even half the stuff she told me is true, then we have truly been living under a rock all this while."
Oh boy, he was in shock it would seem.
Deciding to console him, I pat his shoulder and say, "Don't take it too seriously. She is more than capable of taking care of the mystical side, at least for a couple more years."
"You should focus on what you can do instead."
He nodded at that.
"We should continue on with our tour of the museum then, shall we?" I asked him.
He nodded back.
N'Jadaka, in the background still looking at the spot where she pulled off her disappearing trick. His face was pale, looking as if he had seen a ghost.
Word Count - 1669 (Nice)
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Technomancer in MCU #26
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 25
Technomancer in MCU
The Royal Museum,Birnin Zana, Wakanda
Previously
"We should continue on with our tour of the museum then, shall we?" I asked him.
He nodded back.
N'Jadaka, in the background still looking at the spot where she pulled off her disappearing trick. His face was pale, looking as if he had seen a ghost.
_
-Ed-
After the little detour with the Ancient One's presence, T'Chaka continued with the tour, albeit a little shakily since he did have his worldview literally broken in half.
I looked through the artifacts on display outside the vault but they were barely of any interest to me.
Some obscure power sources, ancient vibranium weapons, even some Uru but all of that was something I had access to in spades.
We soon reached the vault doors and the surprising thing about it was it made entirely from an alloy of vibranium.
I was surprised because while Wakandans did use Vibranium in their day-to-day life, it was in very small amounts.
The door in front of me was made up of 90% Vibranium.
It also had no detectable digital signature. It was apparently completely air-gapped.
I hum along as T'Chaka approached the door and actually just bit his thumb (*and summoned his summoning Animal* haha) and put it on the door, apparently in a completely random location.
In my opinion, he looked pretty stupid doing that.
The spot where he put his bloodied thumb lit up.
It then spiraled outwards into a pattern we were pretty familiar with.
"Bast", I and Alfred whispered simultaneously.
"What?" N'Jadaka whispered to me, his question clear.
"It was used exclusively in Bast's temples in ancient times. Nowadays not much is seen of her influence outside Wakanda so I guess I shouldn't be surprised seeing this here. It would also explain the lack of digital signatures as this thing must be divinely enchanted and my sensors are not yet capable of reading Divine Energy properly." I replied to him.
"Alfred, make sure you scan this properly across all spectrums the suit's sensors have access to. We wouldn't get another opportunity like his for months." I ordered Alfred.
"Already on it, Boss," he replied.
After a series of complicated patterns flashed on the screen, all the while T'Chaka's thumb was still attached to the door, it flashed white and just… straight up disappeared.
I was left looking at the scene with my mouth slightly ajar.
T'Chaka looked back at us smugly.
"Alfred, what the hell just happened?" I asked.
"Energy signatures consistent with the Space stone and the dimensional portals used by the Sorcerers of Kamar Taj recorded," Alfred replied.
So it was an application of advanced space magic.
God, I hate the fact I can't use magic.
Not even a lick of magic in you said the literal Sorcerer Supreme to my face.
She said, that should Alfred get a body, he would be more in tune with dimensional energies than me.
Alfred did not stop talking smugly about it that day until I pointed out to him that I could just as easily make him a frog's body.
He shut up quickly after that.
T'Chaka went ahead of us into the vault.
We followed him inside.
As soon as I crossed the threshold into the vault, multiple notifications started piling up on my HUD mounted on my left retina.
My nick swiveling side to side, the HUD showed a new artifact that had energy levels off the charts.
There was all sorts of alien technology here.
Kree, Skrull, Asgardian, Vanir, Sovereign.
I whistled, seeing all this tech just lying around, impressed with their collection.
Especially the Sovereign tech, it's not much in terms of advancement but they viciously take back any piece of scrap they leave behind anywhere.
I reckon that the Divine Barrier blocking all the energy signatures was the only thing that kept Sovereign from bombarding the shit out of Wakanda or hiring the Ravagers to do so.
"Do you recognize anything?" T'Chaka asked me, standing right next to a forcefield containing 2 floating rings.
Is that what I think it was?
Upon coming closer, my eyes widened as I could see that these two rings were made of the same stuff as the ten rings.
Alfred had the chance to scan them once when Wenwu descended on a battlefield against H.Y.D.R.A. goons.
Reading what was inscribed on the platform underneath it, it said that it arrived in an egg-shaped meteor that crashed directly on their shields.
It was able to evade any and all types of scanning and refused to be opened.
After a month of just sitting around in their labs, it began to get hot.
Hot enough that anything less than pure vibranium just melted once it came in contact with the eggs.
Upon quarantining it, they found just 2 rings floating inside the remains of the egg.
"I had a vision, from the ancestors. They told me to put this alongside many others inside the ancestral vault." T'Chaka said.
I looked at him as he explained his choices to put this alien technology in this room specifically.
I nodded at him gravely, "You did the right thing."
"These things have energy readings that can be detected halfway across the galaxy. Especially that golden piece of tech." I explained to him.
"The very fact that Wakanda has not been attacked means that this room works exceptionally well in sealing energy signatures. This room is probably more valuable than the mountain of vibranium you have sitting around, at least to me." I said.
His face looked grave as he thought of the various threats that had been avoided by Wakanda just due to the presence of this vault.
"Were you able to get anything off the tech?" I asked him, gesturing to the broken pieces of tech lying around.
He nodded, "Some of it was salvageable. We found a mostly intact Kree ship in the early 2000s. With their language pack, we were able to decipher some of the data before it self-destructed. That led us to other Kree temples situated on the planet."
Curiosity overtook my face when he said multiple Kree temples.
As far as I knew, only one of those was present on Earth.
He must have seen the curiosity on my face as he replied, "We destroyed both of the temples we found after completely scanning them and learning as much as we could regarding the Kree culture as both of them were in foreign territory and could be found by other parties so we had to destroy them."
I shrugged in a detached manner.
It was a loss but not an irredeemable one. Lots of Kree Tech lying around on the planet and even on the moon.
T'Chaka then continued, "As for the rest of them, we couldn't decipher their languages as most of them were in a severely damaged state so they were just properly stored and as you can see, mostly forgotten now."
Satisfied with my findings, I said, "Alright. This room should remain as such. I don't have to warn you of the consequences of taking some of the stuff out of this room even for a second."
He nodded gravely, understanding the threat of these artifacts.
Heck, even Odin would want Thor to recover that Berserker Staff if he came across it.
"This is by far the most interesting thing I have seen here. Never thought you guys had something like this with you. I'd like access later on to this room for experimental purposes if that's alright with you?" I asked T'Chaka.
He nodded at my request after only a little thought.
"Alright, we got it. You are interested in the room. What's next?" N'Jadaka asked.
Rolling my eyes, I gestured to King T'Chaka.
He said, "The next on the list would be the schools and the labs but I supposed both of you have no interest in that or already know what's happening there?"
Both of us nodded eagerly at that statement.
His face then lit up in a mischievous smirk and he said, "Let's go. I want to show you something."
"Especially you.", he said while pointing to N'Jadaka.
He looked confused at that.
I had a pretty good idea of what this was about so I just went on ahead with them.
We boarded our shuttle after coming out of the museum.
The shuttle took us all the way to the outskirts of the city.
We got off it and looked around, only to find just trees and grass.
"Alright, I'll bite. What am I not seeing?" N'Jadaka asked.
T'Chaka didn't respond but started walking towards the side of the road.
N'Jadaka followed after him, confused.
The scenery in front of us distorted and as if we had crossed an invisible line, we came face to face with an extremely fortified facility.
I could see multiple Talons patrolling the sky, visible as well as through the suit's stealth sensors, I could see more of them patrolling invisibly.
I had a pretty good idea as to where we were.
"You brought us here?" I asked T'Chaka, very much surprised that he was comfortable with us being here.
He looked back at me and said, "What's the point in hiding this? You probably already knew all about it anyway."
Good point.
"What is this place?" N'Jadaka asked me.
"This is the Vibranium mine. Up until recently, we thought nearly all of the world's vibranium was present here, hence the security measures." T'Chaka said.
We soon entered a lift that took us straight to the top of the mine.
I had a pretty good idea as to what T'Chaka wanted to show N'Jadaka.
Soon, the doors of the lift opened up and a beautiful scenery unfolded in front of us.
I heard a sharp gasp beside me and I smiled.
It was a genuine one and I was truly thankful to T'Chaka for doing this, no matter his intentions.
He had brought us on top of the Vibranium mine, right in time for sunset.
The golden orange sky, the pristine air with the untouched feeling of this place must be exactly the one N'Jadaka's father must have told him about.
N'Jadaka walked forward, a teardrop rolling down his cheek as he took in the scenery in front of us.
"It was just as he said. The most beautiful sunset can only be seen in Wakanda," he whispered to himself.
T'Chaka walked after him, giving him company.
I stayed behind, not wanting to intrude on a clearly emotional moment.
Word Count - 1783
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Technomancer in MCU #27
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 27
Technomancer in MCU
The Royal Museum,Birnin Zana, Wakanda
Previously
"It was just as he said. The most beautiful sunset can only be seen in Wakanda," he whispered to himself.
T'Chaka walked after him, giving him company.
I stayed behind, not wanting to intrude on a clearly emotional moment.
_
-Ed-
After a while, N'Jadaka stood up and alongside T'Chaka came back to the lift site.
I looked at N'Jadaka with a teasing smirk and so did Alfred as he popped out of a hologram projected from my suit. He had his arms crossed and looked at N'Jadaka with a smug smirk.
N'Jadaka scowled fiercely at that.
The look was only somewhat ruined as he was wiping off his eyes with his sleeves.
Anyway, I guess it was time to wrap this up.
Clapping my hands, I gained their attention, "Alright gentlemen. This was all very touching and I am glad we had this meeting to air out our feelings but I have an urgent meeting with another world leader and he doesn't know we are coming."
I gave a smirk at that statement, "So we better get going now."
I gestured to N'Jadaka, "He will remain here now. I hope that is not going to be a problem?" I asked T'Chaka.
He shook his head immediately, "No! I would be delighted to host him here and make sure he reintegrates with Wakanda properly."
I nodded at that, "Great! I just hope that you give him his proper status as a Prince of Wakanda though."
T'Chakka nodded and said, "Of course!"
"Very well then. My work here is done. N'Jadaka knows what to do ahead. Bye Bye!" I said to both of them.
Both of them nodded solemnly as I activated thrust to the boosters and flew off to where the fleet was stationed.
I think I could hear some of the Border tribe members squawking in outrage at me just flying above their city, that too in a weaponised armoured suit.
Using energy resonance technology that synched up the barrier frequencies between the Wakandan barrier and the energy barrier surrounding my suit, I just phased through their shields.
Sometimes, it felt good to show off.
I could see Alfred powering up the fleet in the distance.
I could also see some of the guards that were standing nearby falling on their asses due to the wind generated by the thrust of the carrier.
I rolled my eyes at that.
Alfred was doing that on purpose.
All my carriers were capable of near-silent stealth operations that wouldn't disturb a leaf on the ground nearby during take-off.
Soon the carrier was floating above the ground, right in front of me.
I didn't slow down at all and at the last moment, the front of the carrier opened up and I landed down in the holding bay.
The last thing I could see was the outraged faces of the border tribe members nearby.
I cheekily waved at them before the doors closed off.
"Alfred, get us to Base Alpha. Tell them to prep for a trip to the White House."
Let's go stir some shit up.
-N'Jadaka-
I watched on as Boss just rocketed off in front of us, raising a dust storm for us to breathe into.
Waving my hands in front of my face, I coughed as I cursed him in my mind.
To the side, I could see T'Chaka giving out orders to his military regarding Ed's bombastic entry.
I could hear the panicked voices seeking orders to destroy the projectile in the sky.
The voices reached a crescendo when they realized that Ed could just pass through their barriers anytime he wanted to like they didn't even exist.
I was sure of that. That murder bot wouldn't have left such an obvious weakness in their technology stack.
To think they thought that Ed was trapped with them inside, I shook my head in pity for the security team.
They will have nightmares regarding this for weeks now.
T'Chaka grumbled, "It would have helped if he didn't just wake every living citizen in the country with that one stunt."
I shrugged my shoulders and said, "What can you do? He does what he does with nobody to stop him."
T'Chakka rolled his eyes but nodded at me.
Then, in a somber tone, he said, "For what it's worth, I truly am sorry for what I did. Not a day goes by without me thinking about it."
I listened to his words, stone-faced.
"I won't try and justify my actions in regards to your father but I will say this," he said.
"I hope you don't let my previous mistakes cloud your judgment regarding the future of this country. You are clearly going to be the key for Wakanda's advancement considering your connections to Ed and I would love to have you as the Crown Prince of Wakanda."
I looked at him incredulously at that statement.
Crown Prince?
Me?
That would make me next in line to be king, effectively replacing T'Challa.
"Why would you do that?" I asked him, baffled by his words.
"You would still have to earn everybody's trust. My words alone won't make you king. They will just shine a spotlight on you. Everybody will judge you, especially since they don't know you but if you prove them wrong, you will usher this country into its most advanced stage to date." He said convincingly.
I was still in shock at his words.
I nodded robotically at his words and said, "I'll think about it. Don't make me enemy number one of the state by snatching away the position of their beloved Crown Prince and giving it to me."
After some thought, he nodded at my words.
"Understandable," he said.
"Let's go then. Half the country must be looking forward to my explanation now." he continued.
"I also have to meet the elders and explain your existence," he groaned.
-T'Chaka-
I breathe in deeply as I look towards the retreating back of my nephew.
That was a spur-of-the-moment decision but I was glad that I made it.
It showed me that he was not someone driven by greed or revenge.
That gave me hope that he could one day be King and have the best interests of the country at heart.
I chuckled silently as I thought about T'Challa and especially Shuri's reaction to him.
I hope he accepts them as his family members.
That would really take a huge load off my shoulders.
With his connection to Ed, unveiling Wakanda on the public stage will become much easier.
The more I thought about it, the more Ed's alliance requirements seemed almost trivial in comparison to the benefits it would bring Wakanda.
All that was left was convincing the council regarding the alliance.
That would probably be the hardest part of this entire ordeal.
Making them all agree on a single thing, especially since it consisted of outsider matters, was a chore and a half.
Hopefully, Ed's gift in the form of Ulysses Klaue would help them consider the benefits of this deal in a calm-headed manner.
Thinking of him, a vicious glint flashed through my eyes.
I have been dreaming of getting my hands on him for a long long time.
He was responsible for dozens of Wakandan deaths, and billions in stolen vibranium and he even had a part in my brother's actions.
That alone would make me give him the death penalty.
But death would be too sweet of a release for him.
I am sure the council and I could come up with some creative punishments for him.
I looked forward to that hearing.
May Bast have mercy on him because I won't.
Word Count - 1307
A/N - Hey guys! I come with sad bearings. No chapters for a few days(Friday). I just moved and started full time classes and adapting to the new schedule has been hard.
The thing is, when I started this, I made a commitment to myself that I would post 30 chapters in 30 days, essentially a chapter every day. AND!! I did it!
Staying true to my commitment, this is my 31st upload.
BUT to follow this now would be unrealistic now since I have so little time and most of it is spent on studying, sleeping, attending lectures, exercising, etc.
In light of that I have decided to stick to a schedule of a chapter every other day. In return for this staggered schedule, I will increase the word count to 2.5k/chapter.
Thank you so much for understanding!
If you guys would like to support my writing or read chapters ahead of the public release, you can head on to my P-word site. It is with the same name as my username, just without the 0307.
I already have 8 chapters ahead uploaded there.
Technomancer in MCU #28
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 28
Technomancer in MCU
Council Meeting Room, Wakanda
-T'Chaka-
The elders had been waiting for me to explain this whole situation for a while now.
I could see it on their faces as I walked to my throne.
In a way, I could understand their anxiety.
If I didn't know all I did, I would be running around in anxiety as well.
Now, knowing what I know, I just stew quietly in resignation.
Just as I was seated, the questions came pouring in from all of the elders.
"What happened in the meeting with Ed?"
"Why did he bring a fleet with him and why weren't we allowed to respond in kind?" The Border tribe leader asked.
"Why did he leave?"
"Who is the one who came with the outsider and is still here?"
"Why did you take him to the sacred vault and even the mines?" asked the mining tribe leader.
"We have reports of the J'Abari tribe's movements, probably due to the outsider's massive presence in our city. What are we to do about that?"
Sighing, I pinched my forehead as I thought of the best way to answer their questions, clear this meeting and go home to my wife.
Today has been a very stressful day.
"Enough! I will answer each of your questions briefly. We will hold a much more comprehensive debriefing when all the reports from the military are compiled and I have had a chance to see them. Got it?" I asked them.
I could see that none of them were happy about me being dismissive of their legitimate concerns but I was King and they obeyed my words.
They nodded back, agreeing with my decision.
Seeing that they were finally listening, I said, "Ed was here for an alliance. The fleet was just a show of strength to make sure that we listen to them."
"He has very minimal requests in exchange for a comprehensive alliance that benefits us…."
The Royal Palace, Wakanda
-T'Challa-
I don't understand why Baba wouldn't let me attend the meeting with him.
While this Ed person may be a supposed hero who saved the city of New York, how do we know that he is a trustworthy person?
He nearly gave Baba a heart attack in their first meeting itself!
I don't understand how Mother could allow all of this.
And now this, while Baba is back and finally available to answer my questions, Mother sends me to fetch Shuri and bring her to meet some person.
Honestly, who could this guest be that it was so important to drag Shuri from her lab and me from the council meeting where I should be as the future Black Panther of Wakanda?
"Who are we meeting, Brother?" Little Shuri asked me as she skipped alongside me in her adorable lab coat.
She looked so cute playing a scientist in her lab.
She has intelligence in spades and yet, Baba still doesn't allow her access to the Royal Laboratories.
"I don't know, Shuri. But we will reach there soon enough and you will be able to ask them yourself." I told her.
She nodded and continued to walk alongside me.
Soon, we reached the hall and what I saw made me push Shuri behind me and assume a combat stance immediately.
-N'Jadaka-
Man, I was so bored of this.
King T'Chaka had told me to stay here for some reason.
I hope it's not an assassination attempt.
That would be really stupid on his part.
He doesn't seem like that kind of guy anyway.
Then again, he is the same person who killed his own brother so what do I know?
I got sick of sitting on the ridiculously comfortable sofa so I started walking around, looking at some of the art on display.
The Dora Milaje for some reason looked really pissed off whenever I tried to interact with them.
It's not like I threatened their King, it was the Boss, and Alfred to some extent.
Just as I was about to give up and high tail it out of here to some of the sparring rings I had seen outside, the sound of doors opening entered my ears.
Finally!
Whirling around to meet them, instead, I came face to face with an irate-looking T'Challa in a combat stance hiding somebody behind him.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Time out man. I ain't here to hurt you." I said to him.
"How did you get here? Did you not go back with Ed? What are you doing here?" he asked me in rapid fire.
Instead of letting me answer his questions, he instead looked towards one of the many Dora Milaje "guarding" me and asked them the same questions.
I looked behind him only to come face to face with Princess Shuri.
She was looking at me inquisitively.
Her eyes held a lot of intelligence in them.
She was supposed to be in the running up to become the smartest person on earth.
All according to the reports Alfred had on her.
Rolling my eyes, I went ahead and sat back down on the comfy sofa since the Prince had no intention of listening to my answers.
He still kept me in his line of sight and Shuri out of mine.
It was adorable.
Like he could stop me if I wanted to hurt them.
Say what you will about Frank, his mental state, his personality but man does he whip you in shape.
Dude trained me harder than I ever did in my life and I was in the most demanding section of the U.S. military.
Just as I was about to head out of here, T'Challa's suspicions be damned, I heard another opening of doors and a regal voice said, "I see that you have met our cousin, T'Challa and Shuri."
"Mother," said T'Challa and Shuri both.
The Dora Milaje T'Challa was talking to, bowed to the Queen and went back to her post.
T'Challa and Shuri went towards their mother and I stood up from the sofa.
Gotta give some respect to the queen of the most powerful nation on the planet.
I walked near her and bowed respectfully, "Queen Ramonda"
"Prince N'Jadaka", she nodded back.
T'Challa's neck must have suffered whiplash as he snapped his neck towards his mother so fast.
She ignored his gaze and gestured to the sofas, telling me, "Please. Be seated. I told my husband to arrange this meeting so you could meet my children."
Nodding at her words, I wordlessly went back and sat down on the sofa that still had my assprint on it.
Once they all got seated, one of the Dora Milaje with a noticeably more pleasant look on her face brought tea for all of us.
The Queen personally poured tea for me.
Quite flattering, if I do say so myself.
I could see that T'Challa had a ton of questions to ask his mother but held them back due to me.
"So, I won't pretend to understand your earlier circumstances, N'Jadaka. What happened to you was reprehensible and I don't think I can look at my husband the same way I used to but he thinks that you are going to be a very important part of Wakanda in the near future and I am inclined to believe him," she stated.
"That's why I called for this meeting while my husband goes to deal with that council of his." she continued.
"I believe you two have already met", she said while gesturing to T'Challa.
"And this is my daughter, Princess Shuri," she said while gesturing to Shuri.
"Nice to meet you," Shuri bowed.
"You must be my cousin, then?" she questioned.
"Yes. I am N'Jadaka or Prince N'Jadaka now." I answered her question.
"Where were you till now?" Shuri asked me innocently.
I paused at that.
I guess they still don't know my history.
What I did before all of this.
Before I met Ed.
The blood I have on my hands.
I sighed and was about to lie when Queen Ramonda interjected, "I believe that's a question for another time. When he is more comfortable with us. Okay, Shuri?"
Shuri nodded obediently, "Yes, mother."
She then kept looking at me intensely.
T'Challa finally lost his patience and was about to ask me something when he paused.
There was a faint humming noise in the air.
It was coming from me, more specifically, from my front shirt pocket.
The only thing there was the…
My face paled as I hurriedly put my hand in the pocket and removed the mask from it.
The damned thing had shrunk down when I tried to put it in my pocket.
My hand got burned when I tried to remove it from my pocket.
Without thinking, I threw it up into the air.
It somehow returned to its original size and kept on enlarging.
All of us looked at it in astonishment.
Soon, it reached the peak of my throw and started floating there, slowly rotating.
I looked around only to notice that the entirety of the Dora Milaje present inside the room had surrounded me and T'Challa too had a spear in his hand, probably taken from one of the Dora Milajes.
The only thing that was stopping them from trying to hurt me was Queen Ramonda's raised hand.
She was looking at the mask with an intense worshipping look.
Seems like she knew a thing or two about it.
I was about to ask her about it when the mask emitted a high-pitched noise and released a blinding white light.
I covered my eyes as it became unbearable to look at anything in my vision.
Soon, the light dimmed down.
Blinking out the spots in my vision, I looked around only to find myself falling on my ass and everybody else recovering from the surprise flashbang.
I looked around, trying to find any sign of the mask.
It was very important.
That bald lady had said that it was the future of Wakanda and if I lost it now, Alfred would burn me alive using one of the flamethrower bots that he loves to sic on us whenever he gets annoyed with any member of our team.
I was about to get up and start looking around for it when I heard a childish scream.
Snapping my neck towards it, I found myself looking at a silver cocoon with what seemed like Shuri's pained voice coming through it.
Mine and T'Challa's eyes met and the next thing I knew, he was leaping towards me with absolute murder in his eyes and a deadly vibranium-tipped spear in his hands.
Word Count - 1796
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Technomancer in MCU #29
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 29
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
Snapping my neck towards it, I found myself looking at a silver cocoon with what seemed like Shuri's pained voice coming through it.
Mine and T'Challa's eyes met and the next thing I knew, he was leaping towards me with absolute murder in his eyes and a deadly vibranium-tipped spear in his hands.
-N'Jadaka-
"STOP!, shouted the Queen but T'Challa was far too gone in the haze of revenge to listen to her.
In his mind, I must have hurt his sister for absolutely nothing.
The mask did come out of my pocket so that was fair thinking on his side.
But how was I supposed to know what the mask would do to her?
And didn't the bald lady say that it would choose its owner, the future of Wakanda?
Was Shuri that person?
Then why was the mask hurting her?
All these questions ran through my head as I stared at the incoming spear slowly.
Man, even enhanced people like T'Challa couldn't exactly give me a challenge.
I could see the Dora Milaje recovering slowly from the flashbang and if I didn't end this quickly, I might find myself dogpilled by the most elite warriors of Wakanda.
By that point, it would be difficult to disarm them without fatal injuries.
I let T'Challa come ever so slightly closer to me and leaned out of the spear's way at the last moment.
I could see his eyes widen in slow motion at my maneuver.
It was pretty funny when you think about it.
He must not have expected me to outspeed him with him having already ingested the heart-shaped herb.
I took hold of the handle of his spear and kicked him in the chest.
I could see the exact moment he knew he f*cked up as all the air exited his lungs.
All of this happened very fast as the Dora Milaje had no time to recover.
One of the first things they must have seen was me attacking their Crown Prince and him being sent flying towards the furniture away from the Queen and Shuri.
Next thing I know they all start charging towards me with a battle cry.
Just as I was about to turn tail and run, the Queen shouted, "Stop!"
All of them halted in their tracks, right in the middle of their charge towards me, and collectively turned their necks to the Queen.
It looked pretty funny to me.
"Enough! I know what is happening and the Shuri's pain is a by-product of it. Leave us.", she ordered the Dora Milaje.
They didn't protest it and after collectively throwing me a nasty glare, they left the hall and closed the door behind them.
She then went to help T'Challa get up as he still looked at me holding his spear with a wide unblinking gaze.
Getting up, T'Challa asked me, "How did you do that? There is no way you should have been able to react like that. You hit even harder than Baba does and he is the.."
I could see the realisation set in his eyes.
He asked me in a stunned voice, "Who are you?"
"I would like to know the answer to that question as well, Prince N'Jadaka," Queen Ramonda asked in a stern voice.
"It's not often that T'Challa is trounced in combat and especially now that he had ingested the heart-shaped herb, he has few contemporaries in his age. You, without having the power of the Black Panther were able to defeat him is an astonishing feat and we will be having words about it but just not now."
"We will talk after the mask is done evolving Shuri," she said and walked towards the cocoon.
The pained voices of Shuri had stopped coming from it.
T'Challa ran after her and asked, "Mother, do you know what that is?"
She nodded and said, "Yes but be patient, all will be revealed soon."
I rolled my eyes at that.
Old people and their cryptic bullshit.
Then we waited for the cocoon to open up.
Within the first 5 minutes of just staring at its silver surface, I gave up and sat down on the sofa, drinking my tea and eating the leftover snacks.
The Queen and T'Challa gave me strange looks.
"What? I was hungry," I defended myself.
The Queen shook her head and went back to staring at the cocoon.
While I was eating, my mind went back to my encounter with the Sorcerer Supreme.
She had told me that the mask would choose the person who would save Wakanda and even humanity and even outright ordered me to make sure that said person reached their full potential.
Was that person Shuri?
It would make sense.
After all, according to Alfred's reports, she would go on to become the most intelligent person Wakanda had ever produced in terms of technology.
But it din't mention anything about her needing the mask to achieve that.
She was already smart and borderline genius without it.
Glancing at the cocoon, my thoughts went wild.
What is happening to her inside?
The screams from earlier sounded really painful.
The Queen said something about evolution before.
So is that what that mask did, it evolved people?
Just as these thoughts were running wild inside my head, I heard a sharp gasp.
GASP!
I looked towards them only to see Queen Ramonda with her hands on her mouth staring at the crack that was slowly extending on the Cocoon.
I leaped towards them.
The cracks started getting bigger and bigger and eventually, the cocoon burst apart in motes of dust.
Out of that cocoon, came the airborne form of Princess Shuri.
An energy barrier, not unlike the one surrounding this city, enveloped her body.
She had her eyes closed but she was slowly floating down, right into the arms of Queen Ramonda.
The Queen looked very emotional and happy regarding this development.
She carefully handed over Shuri to T'Challa and told him to take her somewhere.
T'Challa looked extremely confused but nodded nonetheless, following her orders.
She wiped her tears as she watched them walk off and then she turned towards me.
She sat on one of the sofas and gestured for me to take a seat.
"You must be very confused, right?" she asked me.
Damn right, I was!
I nodded slowly at that question.
"That mask that you were in possession of is one of the most sacred possessions of Wakanda. It was prophesied to change the future of Wakanda," she said
"The prophecy didn't state how or why but it just gave the importance of that mask, so our ancestors stored it in our sacred vault, hoping that someone in the future could use it," she said
"There was another prophecy that stated that should a silver cocoon envelop a child from a black mass, they would go on to become the most adept mystic of their generation," she said
"They were just prophecies to us. After decades of them not coming true, they became mere words to us. Nobody even looks in the mystic section of the archive anymore, not even the oldest of the shamans. Only I go there sometimes to satisfy my idle curiosity." she said
Then she glanced towards me.
"And today it finally happened. My Shuri has the blessings of the ancestors," she exclaimed.
"Excuse me, but shouldn't you be going after Shuri, making sure she is okay?" I asked her hesitantly.
She shook her head, "No need. It would just needlessly alert the council to some nonexistent threat to the Royal Family. After the meeting is done, my husband and I will take her to the Royal Shaman of our clan. He will know what to do."
Not knowing what to say, I just nodded.
Man, today has been a day of just surprises after surprises.
I couldn't wait for it to be done.
Perhaps noticing my tired state, Queen Ramonda said, "You should go rest. You have a long day tomorrow. The council will want to meet you so be prepared for that."
I groaned at the mention of that stupid council meeting.
Alfred had warned me that they were particularly stubborn regarding any change and I intended to bring about the biggest changes this country had ever seen.
They would either join me in bringing about that change or they would perish, I thought ruthlessly.
No two ways about it.
_
Word Count - 1428
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Technomancer in MCU #30
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 30
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
They would either join me in bringing about that change or they would perish, I thought ruthlessly.
No two ways about it.
_
The Royal Palace, Birnin Zana
-N'Jadaka-
I opened the door of my room if you could even call it that.
Apparently, being the prince of Wakanda pays well.
It was more of a penthouse suite than a room.
Upon opening the door, I came face to face with T'Chaka.
Surprised and confused at his visit, I opened the door fully and gestured to him to come inside.
He entered the room and I locked the door behind him.
"I trust you are settling well?" he asked me, his hands crossed behind his back, looking around the room.
Putting my hands in my pockets, I shrugged "Yeah, I guess."
At that statement, he looked back at me with a questioning gaze, tinged with concern.
That made me slightly uncomfortable.
I sighed, "Look, this is all just very much new to me. It'll take time for me to adjust to being accepted here. I never thought I would get this without bloodshed and that is disconcerting to me, that's all."
He nodded sagely at that, "I can understand that."
Clearing my throat, I gestured for him to sit on the sofa.
"Ah, yes. We have to talk," he said while getting seated on the sofa.
I nodded back, "Alright. What is it?"
"It's about the council meeting tomorrow," he said, his countenance grave.
"What about it?" I asked him.
He opened and closed his mouth several times.
I just stared at him, waiting patiently for him to get his words together.
After about a minute of this happening, he seemingly gave up.
His shoulders slumped in resignation, he said, "Look, in tomorrow's council meeting they might ask you about your past. No, they most certainly will. How are you going to answer that?"
I shrugged and said, "With the truth."
He leveled a look at me for that statement.
"Look, I am not going to enter my father's country with a lie. I will tell them fair and square about my past." I seriously told him.
"And what is your past?" he questioned me.
"Where were you? I tried to search for you a few years back but you seem to have disappeared. I feared the worst." he said, concerned about my past.
I looked at him for a moment and replied, "What else? I enlisted. Joined the NAVY SEALS, became one of their best performers, accidentally got my whole team killed, was assigned a shrink after that…."
T'Chaka's face looked more and more somber as I told him about my life before I met Ed.
About my single-minded obsession with returning to Wakanda.
"… and then I met Ed and my entire life changed." I finished speaking and looked at him.
Only to see tears trailing down his cheeks.
He then stood up and hugged me tightly.
"I am sorry you had to go through all that."
I clenched my fists as I suppressed all my instincts that spoke at me to lash out at him.
"It's alright" I consoled him, patting his back.
After letting go of me, he visibly collected himself and said to me, "I don't think the council will have any problems with you becoming Prince."
I nodded, curious as to where he was taking this.
He sighed and said, "I never told them about your father."
My face became stone-cold at that.
Before I could tear him a new one, he said, "It was not to protect my position as King. I can assure you of that."
I stood up and nearly shouted out, "How can you say that when you are still sitting in the position of King? While my father is dead?"
He looked resigned as he said, "Because it wouldn't have mattered."
At my confused look, he elaborated, "The incident with N'Jobu would have only strengthened my rule."
My eyes widened in realisation.
He nodded, as if expecting my reaction, "The position of King is supposed to be above family, above tribes, and even above yourself. The King is supposed to put Wakanda above all else. The fact that I killed my brother with my own hands would have been celebrated. They would have put me on a pedestal. In their eyes, I would have been the Hero who put his feelings aside and did what was necessary."
I just collapsed back on the couch.
He looked sorry as he said, "At that point, he wouldn't have been a Prince, he would have been a traitor and there is only one punishment for traitors in Wakanda."
I looked at him, my eyes red as he said,
" Death "
I looked down and closed my eyes as he uttered the punishment that awaited my father had he been caught alive.
"Your revealing of the situation years ago would do nothing but hinder your own agenda. They would look at you with suspicion, even more so as you lived outside until now. But…"
I looked at him as he said with utter sadness in his eyes, "I don't want to be known as someone who killed his family. I loved N'jobu, with all my heart."
He stood up, wiped his tears, and said finally, " I would like for his memory to remain as the Prince who died for Wakanda."
"Dead doing his duty to Wakanda. Not a traitor. I would be very much thankful if you didn't ruin his image. That's all."
And he left.
The sound of that door closing was the last straw as I just stood up and threw the lamp into the wall.
Breathing heavily, I tried to think about what he said.
About how my father was still thought of as a hero to this nation.
Even though he was a traitor.
I sighed as I palmed my forehead and thought of the council meeting that would go down tomorrow.
-T'Challa-
As I approached his room, I thought of all the ways that could go wrong.
I had been warned by both mother and father to stay away from my cousin until his appearance in Wakanda was publicly explained, not to mention the matter regarding Shuri.
That was another headache that my mother still refused to explain to me.
She clearly knew something but was intentionally stonewalling me.
Shuri also had not woken up but mother said that she was fine and she would wake up soon.
I just couldn't ignore her pained screams when that damned cocoon enveloped her.
I needed an outlet.
The usual way would be sparring with Okoye but she was busy and even with her, it was more about technique rather than strength.
But with N'Jadaka, it would be different.
He had more than enough strength to match me and maybe even overwhelm me.
As I neared his quarters, I noted that they were one of the empty Prince's quarters.
Father kept them out of nostalgia as his brother used to reside in one of them.
I stood outside his door and squared my shoulders in determination.
Then I knocked on his door and waited for an answer.
After some time, the door opened and he stood in the doorway, looking at me for an answer.
At that moment, the only thing that came out of my mouth was, "Spar?"
He looked taken aback at that but with an understanding glint in his eye, he slowly nodded and said, "You came at the right time. Just let me change."
I nodded, giving my tacit agreement.
I stood outside, waiting for him as he changed inside, thinking about Baba's warning.
" Don't underestimate him. You do not know his situation. The one behind him is Ed and he is someone we have to be absolutely wary of. If he so wished, he could unravel all of Wakanda's protections and present it naked to the world to ravage, in a matter of days rather than weeks or months."
I found myself wondering if my decision was correct but I had already taken a step forward and there was no going back.
Years later, I would come to thank myself for this decision, for this event forged the bond between the future Black Panther and the first Gold Panther of Wakanda."
Word Count - 1403
Anyways, you know the Jazz - Extra chapters on
Technomancer in MCU #31
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 31
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
I found myself wondering if my decision was correct but I had already taken a step forward and there was no going back.
Years later, I would come to thank myself for this decision, for this event forged the bond between the future Black Panther and the first Gold Panther of Wakanda."
_
The Sparring Grounds, Wakanda
-T'Chaka-
When I first heard that T'Challa had gone on to challenge N'Jadaka to a spar of all things, I was not afraid but downright terrified.
I had already warned T'Challa not to even approach N'Jadaka until his presence was announced publicly.
I wanted to give him some time to acclimate to Wakanda before introducing him to his cousins but Ramonda had taken actions without my counsel.
She had introduced Shuri and T'Challa to him without my say so.
It had gone disastrously, to say the least.
I was there when the Ancient One had given the prophecy and it still gives me chills that my little baby girl was the one who was prophesied to help save Wakanda and the planet.
The entire process was done and Shuri was resting, guarded by my personal guards whose existence is a secret from even Okoye.
Ramonda said that our medical technology won't be able to do anything as there is nothing to do and only the Royal Shaman will be able to further shed light on whatever mysteries were present in that Mask which are now transferred to Shuri.
Leaving that aside for a moment, according to Ramonda, N'Jadaka had sent T'Challa flying with a single kick.
That was impossible in my opinion as the Heart shaped herb granted T'Challa strength comparable to my own, even greater now that I have become old.
Now, as I watch N'Jadaka send T'Challa flying with a kick for the umpteenth time, I am forced to reevaluate the power Ed and his organisation possess.
If they have the know-how to enhance someone to the level or even beyond the level of the Black Panther, they must have multiple people at that level.
That increases their danger rating even beyond what they have now.
I don't know if there even is a rating for that.
Then a stray thought entered my mind that made my face pale.
If N'Jadaka is so strong even without the blessing of the heart-shaped herb, how strong would he become after ingesting it?
I shuddered just thinking about it.
Ramonda, noticing my actions, asked me with concern, "What is it? Are you alright?"
I clenched the railing until my knuckles turned white as I thought of the devastation that would have occurred had N'Jadaka not been as forgiving as he is now.
Hearing Ramonda's question, I shake my head and assure her that I am alright.
All around the sparring grounds, I could see a crowd had gathered.
The silence around us was deafening.
I could see all of them with their jaws agape and wide, disbelieving eyes.
I reckon most of them came to watch their Crown Prince thrash another person in the sparring grounds but reality turned out to be different.
They were watching N'Jadaka manhandle T'Challa like he was naught but a babe.
If he could do that to T'Challa, he would be able to defeat any warrior in traditional combat for the throne.
It wouldn't matter what tribe they were from. Even the J'Abari would be defeated.
Ramonda and I shared a glance at that, the same thought running in our minds.
"My decision was correct. Thank Bast for this," I whispered.
Ramonda could do nothing but nod as she watched her son and her nephew have so much fun while sparring even though it was clear to anyone who watched that N'Jadaka was the clear winner of this spar.
Finally, T'Challa accepted defeat with a smile, his face covered in mud and some of his teeth knocked loose.
Anybody could see that T'Challa was very much satisfied with the spar as he could finally go all out without worrying about hurting his opponent.
Even while sparring with me, he held back in fear of hurting me as according to my children, I am now a glass trophy.
Only to be protected, showcased behind a panel of glass.
The crowd watched on in silent awe as N'Jadaka walked out of the ring.
I nodded towards one of my guards, silently ordering them to escort N'Jadaka to his quarters.
Then, my shoulders finally relaxed as I thought of the smile N'Jadaka and T'Challa shared during their spar.
It would seem that they had managed to bond pretty well.
I would not have to worry about them any longer now. Wakanda should be in safe hands now.
The Triskelion, Washington DC
-Nick Fury-
Looking at the report that was sitting at my desk, I couldn't help but feel another migraine coming.
I had a meeting with the President in 3 hours and he wanted a status briefing.
And I have nothing.
Not even a single concrete thing I can tell him.
Nothing regarding the Ed character and the organisation behind him.
Nothing about where and how they got their fleet so close to NYC before everybody without anyone noticing or even how they left.
They were full-sized flying aircraft carriers and nobody could figure out how they left.
The less said about their spaceship the better.
Even worse was the nuke that was fired and detonated on US soil.
It has become the biggest scandal in international politics.
The first nuclear explosion on a civilian city after Nagasaki.
The President wanted answers and I had shit.
I wish I could throttle that Ed bastard right now. He must be laughing looking at us scrambling around like headless chickens.
The bastard even knew about the attack in advance and didn't deign to inform us or anybody about the huge attack that was about to happen right in the middle of one of the biggest population centres of the world.
The worst thing was I had nothing to show for it.
No alien tech, No advanced tech from Ed.
Nothing except a single healing glowstick that only works when Agent Simmons uses it.
Nobody even has a single clue as to why and how that stick does the biometric authentication on Agent Simmons.
It might as well be magic to us.
Stark and Banner, both are not talking.
They even refused to help us theorise any countering technology we could use against the aliens or Ed's technology.
I made Romanoff exclude the precognitive part of Ed's abilities as it would have raised a shitstorm even bigger than the one I was currently in.
The best thing that came out of this invasion was Stark's sudden willingness to share his technology.
The bastard was already poised to rake in millions from the reactor he had already set up for New York City.
That number would balloon to billions once the contracts start pouring in.
Hill was already assigned the case to protect that Buffoon and his close ones once the Oil industry woke up and recognized the threat Stark possessed to the global crude oil industry.
I could already see the oil price crashing and I had a feeling that Stark was going to profit massively from that as well.
Another headache added to the pile. I could feel that migraine coming back with a vengeance.
BEEP!
Sighing at the alert for the meeting, I ordered for the car to be brought around.
I felt a pang in my heart as I thought of Coulson.
Normally, he would have been the one to accompany me for a meeting this important.
There was no one in this organisation that I trusted more to have my back than Coulson.
This will not be the end of Coulson, I will make sure of it.
Project T.A.H.I.T.I. will succeed, I will make it so.
Exiting my office and entering the convoy, I think about the consequences of today's meeting.
The president could very well have me removed from my post today, citing my failure to find even a shred of link regarding the foreign militant organisation operating on U.S. soil or the nuke that destroyed Upper Manhattan.
I had already made arrangements to relocate or outright destroy the more dangerous projects the council had deemed necessary, in case I was fired today and had no chance to communicate my final orders.
Going through the security protocols, I was taken through a secret tunnel straight to the President's bunker.
I hated this place.
All my instincts went against entering a place with a single entry and exit and no weapons except my injured body.
Entering the meeting room, I saw that there was the usual assembly present.
It was the person sitting beside the President that had me nearly frothing at my mouth.
"You!?" I said while pointing at the person with the shit-eating grin.
"Yes, ME!" he said while showing the most smug grin I had ever seen.
I had never wanted my gun to be with me more than ever.
Word Count - 1541
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I already have 9 extra chapters uploaded there.
Technomancer in MCU #32
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 32
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
"You!?" I said while pointing at the person with the shit-eating grin.
"Yes, ME!" he said while showing the most smug grin I had ever seen.
I had never wanted my gun to be with me more than ever.
Base Alpha
-Ed-
I watch on as the base goes into a whirlwind of activity, preparing for the trip to the White House.
Despite my protests, Alfred had insisted on going to the White House with a fleet.
I had warned him about the warmongering tendencies of U.S. Politicians but he had just rolled his eyes at me and said, "It's not like we will be revealing them. It's just in case."
Just in case, he says.
Taking out the only superclass aircraft carrier we have is not a case of just in case.
It's to scare them into submission.
It wasn't even built for stealth, just pure overwhelming destructive might.
Huh.
Maybe I am the one with destructive warmongering tendencies. After all, I keep on building bigger, better, and more destructive vehicles with planet-buster weapons.
But then I remember the power of Thanos, of his Black Order, of Ronan, of Hela, and then all these weapons seem so frail in front of them.
I still don't have a perfect solution to deal with Thanos or Hela.
No way to deal with them without using an Infinity Stone, which opens a whole different set of problems.
The ones who can deal with them are either dying or are adamant about dying on their own terms.
Which doesn't leave me with a whole lot of time to come up with a solution.
All I have at this point are gambles.
Gambles involving the use of infinity stones and the protagonists' luck of some of the characters who won only by a fluke.
That was clearly unacceptable as according to Alfred, there was no way we would be able to replicate the circumstances leading up to the events of the good guys winning and the bad guys conveniently being in their most vulnerable states.
Sigh
All this stressing about the future was putting an undue load on my already sickly body.
We had searched high and low for any kind of cure for it but according to both the Ancient One and the witches of Vanaheim, corroborated by the studies Alfred had done on my condition, there was some sort of anchor holding my soul down to this body.
That was why we couldn't just make a healthy, superior body in every way. My soul simply won't leave the one in which I came into this world.
Even my astral form is sluggish to leave the physical confines of my body.
The Ancient One refused to help me in that regard, telling me cryptic tales of only me being able to solve the issue.
I don't think Odin would be so eager to help me either.
The veritable army of scientists we amped with intelligence-enhancing CHI drugs couldn't find a solution for my condition.
According to them, they could not yet manipulate the metaphysical in ways that could help me get rid of my curse.
A curse.
That's what it was.
Probably given to me by the ROb who punted me into this world with great power but in a failing body.
Probably laughing looking at me struggling to survive in this death world.
The Marvel world might seem all sunshine and rainbows, running on hope from the outside but after looking through the lenses of someone who actually had to live here?
It is just as bad as a deathworld.
I was lucky that the Ancient One found me before they could damage me too much or else I probably would have turned out the same as N'Jadaka.
Wanting to watch the world burn and suffer as much as I did.
With my powers, it would have been a hard task for even the Avengers to put me down.
I would have died fighting them but I wouldn't have gone down lightly.
She took me to Kamar Taj and healed me.
Despite me not possessing a lick of talent for the Mystic Arts, she allowed me to stay there and tinker for quite some time.
She only kicked me out when I already had a few secure bases set up around the world.
The favor she did for me will never be forgotten by me or Alfred.
That is why I continue fighting. To prove to her that helping me was the right decision.
It helped that my moral compass was not too damaged by my experiences in this world.
Alfred estimates with judicious use of my powers, I had about 10 years before my body shut down and left my soul to fend for itself in the astral realm.
The astral realm was not a forgiving plane, especially for soul-based power holders like me.
We were delicious snacks for the many ruthless monsters that roamed the astral plane.
That is why I had Alfred build everything.
It was me and him against the world, just like the old times.
BEEP!
I sighed at the beep as it signified it was time to meet the most (supposedly) powerful man in the world.
"Alfred? Make sure that we arrive before Fury does. I want to see his reaction when he sees me there." I say out loud.
Nowadays even communicating with Alfred using my Technopathy increases the rate of degradation of my body.
Sighing in relief at another microinjection of CHI, I heard Alfred reply with a "Yes, sir."
The suit started to move on its own, piloted entirely by a partition of Alfred.
I, myself, possessed zero ability to move it.
Alfred did it all on his own. He predicted my movements based on my thought patterns recorded previously. He performed all the micro gestures that would make it look like I was doing it all with my muscles rather than advanced servo motors.
Soon, I reached the jet that would take me to the white house.
Due to the judicious use of Pym particles retrieved from the vaults of Hank Pym, this baby had the ability to phase through objects.
We don't have the capability to make them. Alfred is still running calculations on it.
We often wonder who blessed Pym enough that he was able to build a safe gateway to the quantum realm in the 70s.
It was near impossible for it to be a coincidence that Pym was able to make Pym particles and get his wife accidentally stuck in the Quantum realm who coincidentally became the catalyst for the rebellion under Kang's rule which eventually led to his defeat.
It all seemed self-fulfilling to me and Alfred agrees.
Nodding at Frank as he came to see me off, I walked on to the ramp of the jet.
"Are you sure I can't convince you to let me come with you? I want to see Fury having an aneurysm when he sees you there." Frank asked me, a cigar rolling in his mouth.
Rolling my eyes, I waved him off and said, "Not today, Frank. You have your assignment. Do that or do I have to call Maria again?"
As expected, he and even his cigar fell in line immediately at the mention of his wife.
The man was a certified badass who made my men regularly pee themselves out of his fear and one word from his wife and he just melts down.
I guess that's what love will do to you.
The ramp closed up and the jet took off, courtesy of Alfred taking control.
The base's runway closed off as I breached the outer shields of the base.
The base soon became invisible as we crossed the outer holographic shields and then all I could see was cratered white lands of the moon.
I had often been asked by various members of my staff- why the moon?
And I always told them why not?
It was the very first base I ever built.
I had no actual sense of safety outside of Kamar Taj back then and the only way I could feel safe was if I was actually off-planet.
I went way overboard during its construction and actually built a base that covered almost 10% of the moon's interior space.
Alfred had to work overtime to spoof any and all data being gathered on the moon.
It was touch and go for a while but now?
It was the biggest base we have and the most used as it allowed for faster travel to Earth as well as easy access to the jump gate located at a convenient distance to the moon.
Watching the blue ball of life coming into range, I think of all the stuff we are yet to do to ensure Humanity's safety.
I think of the Inhumans, Eternals, Deviants, Atlantians, and even the vanilla humans that inhabited this beautiful planet and how they were slowly destroying it.
Lost in thought, I only came back to my senses once Alfred notified me of our arrival right above the White House.
Looking at the HUD, it was still time until Fury came here.
Deciding to have some fun until he comes over, I order Alfred to get us to the meeting room inside the underground bunker.
I couldn't wait to see Fury.
Word Count - 1581
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I already have 9 extra chapters uploaded there.
Technomancer in MCU #33
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 33
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
Looking at the HUD, it was still time until Fury came here.
Deciding to have some fun until he comes over, I order Alfred to get us to the meeting room inside the underground bunker.
I couldn't wait to see Fury.
-Ed-
According to Alfred's reports, the meeting was to be held jointly by the President, Secretary of Defense, and Secretary of homeland security. Pierce did try to get an invite but the President was all out of patience after Pierce just backtracked on his plan to get Fury ousted.
Probably too focused on moving important projects out of their "hidden" bases.
Alfred was in the process of tagging all of them to see if immediate intervention was necessary.
It would help us be better prepared in case of any surprises when we finally move in on them and destroy them in one fell swoop.
Phasing through the ground and inches of concrete on the way to the bunker, I am once again reminded of the disorienting feeling that was experienced by everyone who tested this technology.
Not feeling but seeing matter go through you is a very disturbing feeling.
Thankfully, I was used to it.
Entering the bunker, I could see that there was a lot more security present here.
Alfred also reported higher than usual aerial presence in the skies above DC.
Some of the nearest bases were on high alert, ready to dispatch jets in case of an alarm.
The President was probably scared of someone, most likely us, intervening or hijacking this meeting.
I winced as I thought about the superclass carrier that was floating in space, waiting for a command from Alfred to freefall right on top of the White House.
Bringing that was probably not a good idea.
Entering the common area, I am treated to the sight of the President having tea with the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of homeland security.
Listening in on their conversation, they were not discussing anything of importance.
Probably waiting for the actual meeting to start before briefing everybody.
Alfred couldn't hack into the reports as it was strictly physical copies only.
Apparently, they even had gone to the trouble of finding a typewriter of all things, and using it to print the reports.
Hilarious.
But as I see Alfred producing copies of it using the advanced scanners installed in this ship, I think that their paranoia was justified.
It was just that the steps taken by them were pretty much useless in front of Alfred and his obsession with improving remote sensing capabilities.
Almost all of our deep space probes were designed and improved upon by Alfred before we even had our first spaceship.
I knew that we had a jump gate nearby but Alfred was the one who figured out its precise location.
Reading through the reports, the general gist of it was as expected.
They were going to treat me as an enemy.
Not publicly, obviously. That would make them public enemy number one but with their control of social media, they wanted to try and let the hype die down before taking any concrete public steps.
So predictable.
They also wanted Fury to take the blame on this one.
So predictable.
The President was aware of the pilot that I had given Fury and he also knew of the disastrous way they handled him.
They couldn't keep him alive in custody for a few hours, let alone interrogate him.
It was going to be difficult for Fury to come out of this still as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Which is why I was going to step in.
Having Fury remain as the director of the agency was a very important piece of the puzzle that I was trying to unravel.
Without him, I would need to just destroy S.H.I.E.L.D. and H.Y.D.R.A. through the brute force method.
Not only would that tip my hand off too early, it would result in a needlessly large loss of life.
Agents of both sides would end up dead.
The remnants of H.Y.D.R.A. would take advantage of the chaos and cause even more damage, escaping safely in the process.
The world would be none the wiser about the existence of H.Y.D.R.A. and the faults of S.H.I.E.L.D. that they need to correct so it can become what it was envisioned to be by its founders.
"Alfred, are the stun bots positioned?" I asked Alfred.
"Affirmative, sir. Also, the illusion preparation is also done. Nobody will see a thing."
"Very well, go ahead then," I order him.
There is a very small, nearly unnoticeable glitch you would feel if you were looking directly at them but virtually undetectable otherwise.
There was now a 3D hologram of the President and others sitting on the table.
The people inside the hologram see what we want them to see and the outsiders see what we want them to see.
According to the agents stationed nearby, they heard the President ordering them to empty the room and after getting their confirmation, they slowly shuffled out of the lounge and sealed it behind them, acting on the orders of the President.
The President and the ones inside the illusion never saw anything other than the ordinary.
They were just conversing casually with each other when I just popped out or rather unshrunk myself on the empty sofa.
The reaction was immediate.
The Secretary of Defense immediately tried to reach for his nonexistent gun.
The President screamed loudly for security and the Secretary of Homeland Security took one look at me and fainted.
That was confusing.
I wasn't that scary, was I?
As I heard them screaming, I crossed my legs and made myself comfortable on the couch.
By the time they realised that nobody was coming for them, they had already scrambled back to the wall.
Then, they just looked awkwardly at each other and then at me.
Credit to the President, an expert politician that he was, he recognized me and the fact that I had not hurt any of them, he cleared his throat and fixed his tie before greeting me with a clearly fake smile.
"Good evening. You must be Ed. Can I ask why you have come here in this rather surprising fashion? If you wanted a meeting, you could have just and I am sure my assistant would have arranged one ASAP." he said to me.
He tried to act all calm and composed but I could see the sweat on his brows and his increased heart rate.
Deciding to calm them as I wanted something from him this time around, I stood up and said, "I apologize for this abrupt entry but I wanted to warn you before you did something irreversible."
"Please, have a seat," I gestured to the couches. "You too" I pointed to the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Homeland Security.
After we had all sat down, I activated a hologram, showing video footage of multiple fleets of the Chitauri along with the Black Order destroying multiple cilvisations, most of them more advanced than ours.
They were clearly awed and terrified of the things I was showing them.
After a while, they composed themselves and the President asked me, "How can I be sure that it was real?"
I shrugged and said, "You can't be. But you know from the reports given to you by Fury that the alien army was given to Loki by someone. Turns out that someone has a lot more of that army than the one we stopped from destroying New York."
The President sighed and said, "What do you want us to do then?"
"It was Fury's job to safeguard against stuff like this and besides a warning to look out for Loki that was then swiftly retracted as he was captured, we had no way to prepare for an attack much less a full-fledged invasion," he said, clearly frustrated.
I snorted and said, "A full-fledged invasion, you say? Please. An army coming from a bottlenecked portal is barely a threat compared to the ones that are out there. They can do orbital bombardment for days, scorching the planet without taking a single hit in return. Our nukes won't even reach them before they shoot them down from the sky."
They looked stunned at that piece of information.
Just then, the door opened and a member of the Secret Service poked his head inside and informed us about the arrival of Fury.
They looked shocked that the agent could not see me.
I signalled the President and he nodded and told the agent to escort Fury to the Meeting room.
After the agent left, he immediately turned to me, the question visible on his face.
I gestured to our surroundings and said, "It's a hologram. An intricate illusion of just you three sitting on the couch. They won't be able to see or hear me. A handy piece of tech, very useful for infiltrations like these."
They nervously laughed and nodded along, clearly afraid of the implications I made about the technology in my possession.
I slapped my thighs and said, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go to the meeting hall. I'll explain further when Fury is here. I am sure he will have many questions for me as well."
I stood up and so did they, albeit hesitantly.
Before we exited the room, I turned to them and said, "A word of warning, however. Please don't alert any of the agents outside to my presence. It will just needlessly make me take action and you won't like it. Am I clear?"
They clearly didn't like it but they nodded with gritted teeth.
I smiled pleasantly and said, "Very good. Let's go", turned around and gestured them to go before me.
It would look very spooky if the door opened on its own and nobody came out of it for a while.
We all passed the hallway and after some security checks by the Secret Service, during which I had shrunken down and entered the pocket of the President, they opened the meeting room and all of us took a seat.
They were pretty startled when I appeared out of thin air and sat on a hard light chair.
Winking at them, I put a finger on my lips, indicating them to be silent.
The door opened and Fury in all his bald-headed, one-eyed glory entered the room.
He took a good look at all the occupants inside the room and when his eyes landed on me, I could see in real time his eyes widening and a vein popping on his forehead.
"You?!" he said while pointing at me.
Oh man, this was the best.
"Yes, ME!" I said with the biggest grin I could manage.
Word Count - 1846
If you guys would like to support me or read ahead of the public release, you can head on to my .
I already have 9 extra chapters uploaded there.
Womp Womp Womp...
So, hello guys!
So Good news is that I got a job!
In this economy!
Its not particularly well paying but it'll pay for my monthly expenses at the very least.
You might not know but I just moved for full time classes and with this unexpected opportunity that has fallen into my lap, I'll be moving again.
So yeah I reckon It'll be atleast till 23 I won't be able to write at all.
Expect a chapter by 24th at the latest.
Thank you for your understanding!
Toodles!
Technomancer in MCU #34.1
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 34.1
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
"You?!" he said while pointing at me.
Oh man, this was the best.
"Yes, ME!" I said with the biggest grin I could manage.
Bunker Below the White House
-Nick Fury-
The last thing he expected to see in this meeting was him.
Ed
That bastard was the source of half his problems and also the one who could solve all of his problems.
Analyzing the state of the occupants, he could make out the nearly disheveled appearances of everyone.
There were clear efforts made for them to look presentable but he could see the sweat on their brows and the tenseness in their bodies.
It was as if they were ready to flee at the first sign of trouble.
How unfortunate that the biggest trouble they had experienced recently was sitting right in front of them, smiling without a care in the world.
His smiling face belied the danger he posed to everyone in this meeting.
Ed was somehow able to infiltrate this meeting and then hijack it without anyone outside noticing.
The agents are required to have periodic check-ins with the President as per protocol.
The fact that they didn't do anything means either of one thing.
The entirety of the Secret Service contingent serving POTUS had been compromised or none of them noticed anything suspicious around the President.
Both of them were daunting situations.
Sighing at the fact that he was stuck in this meeting, one way or another, he slowly sat on the chair, right in front of the President and Ed.
After that, he continued to glare at Ed.
Ed continued to smile and look at him.
After a while, the President cleared his throat to gain his attention.
He looked at POTUS as he asked, "So, Fury. You had a report for me to see?"
He looked at him, blinked a few times, and said, "I'm sorry, Mr.President, are we really going to ignore his presence here?" while gesturing to Ed.
The President's smile looked a bit strained as he said, "Mr.Ed here has given us valuable information that has made us look into other avenues as to how we were going to proceed with this meeting."
He looked at the Secretaries before continuing, " Our hope is that the report you have with you will help us gain further insight into the situation and help us make an even more informed decision."
He then gestured to Ed, "He is here to tell us more about our situation at large."
He only grew more and more confused at each of the words that came out of POTUS' mouth.
At his confused look, POTUS elaborated, "Our situation in terms of the galactic scale."
His eyes went wide at that.
Updated information regarding the happenings in outer space would help them tremendously. If he truly was going to give us that, it would help us in formulating strategies and most importantly, help get the goddamned politicians with all the different agendas on the same table for discussion and action.
"Of Course," said the President, "He wouldn't give us the complete information without having read your report for some reason."
He gave Ed a suspicious look at that.
If Ed and the organisation behind him were as advanced as they thought it was, he must already know what was in the report.
Which was nothing.
Why would he insist on handing over the report before giving out any useful information?
Nevertheless, he took out the manilla folder from his trench coat and carefully handed over the copies to the President and everybody else, feeling slightly embarrassed at how light and empty it felt.
After giving everybody their report, he looked at Ed and said mockingly, "I'm sorry, I only made three copies as only three people were invited to this meeting."
The bastard had the audacity to shrug and say, "It's alright. I already know what is in there anyway."
He gritted his teeth at the blatant admission of cybercrime.
After just a few minutes, everybody was done reading through the report.
The President gave him a look after that, which clearly indicated he wanted to talk to him about the report later on.
He reckoned the only reason he was not torn into a new one was because there were more pressing matters at hand.
The President then turned to said important matter and asked him, " Now, can you debrief us about the situation at large?"
Ed shrugged and said, "Sure. Alfred?"
A Hologram representing Earth popped up on the table in front of me.
He leaned forward in interest, and so did the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security.
"Ideally, I would've done this at the UN where most of the world's representatives would be gathered but this meeting forced my hand and I also understand that the world at large is in chaos at the confirmation of the existence of aliens. So I thought I would delay that meeting a bit." Ed said.
More like never.
He didn't think the people in this room would allow any other nation to have the slightest advantage if it was in their power. They would fight Ed every step of the way if he wanted to truly distribute this information equally to every nation on the planet.
Information was Power these days and the ones sitting in this room were the biggest hoarders of power on the planet.
As he looked at the globe, some things immediately stood out to everybody in the room.
The majority of the countries looked red, and some of the countries looked orange.
The shades differed from the Middle East to Europe to North America but most of the developed countries looked orange.
Then there were 2 dots that shined a bright blue.
One seemed to be in the Atlantic Ocean and one on the African continent.
The President must have shared his observations as he asked Ed, "What is the meaning of the colors that separate the various regions? Is it some kind of threat assessment tool?"
Ed looked at all of them and answered, "Oh, that? That's just the advancement level or the amount of work needed to be done for those places to be brought up to a satisfactory condition, according to me."
Advancement level? What did that mean?
Wait a minute.
"What were the blue areas?" He asked Ed, glaring at him as if daring him to lie to his face.
"Oh, those? Those are the ones that need no intervention or at least no help to get them up to my technological advancement levels. They are more than advanced enough."
What?!
"But one of them is in the middle of the Ocean and the other is in Africa. We all know that there is no country there that is more advanced than The United States of America, atleast on the African Continent and I am sure that there is no underwater country-." the Secretary of Defense said in confusion at the beginning and then it turned into outright horror towards the end..
"Ah, I can understand your confusion," Ed said while pointing at the Secretary of Defense.
He then continued, "There is no advanced civilization there that you know of."
All of their eyes widened rapidly.
Advanced civilizations under the Ocean?
"Ar..Are you talking about Atlantis? Is it Real?" The President asked Ed hesitantly, a slight tremor in his voice.
Ed sighed and waved his hand slightly.
The globe shrank down to a dot.
In an insufferable voice, he said, "Look, do you guys want the information regarding outer space or not? Because if we sit here talking about the glaring holes in your information regarding civilizations that were building cities when you were still cavemen, we would be here all night."
The bastard did it on purpose.
He knew they would not be able to resist this bait dangled right in front of their faces.
The President and his eyes matched, both of them knew that they could not let potential threats in their own backyard go unchecked.
"We would like to learn more about these hidden civilizations, Ed. The fact that they didn't come to help during the invasion suggests that they could be hostile to our countries and I don't think any one of the gentlemen inside this room would risk that. So, please, tell us more about them." President Ellis said in an authoritative tone of voice.
Ed looked at the President and said in a tone of voice that sent chills down everybody's spines, "So you can do what? Invade them? Blackmail them? Steal from them? No No No… I am well aware of what would happen should I reveal their secret. You would start an arms race that would threaten to engulf the entire planet, nearly destroying it. Then I would have to step in and stop you guys."
The silence in the room was nearly deafening.
They were reminded of the power Ed held in his hands and the fact that nobody knew he was here was not lost on them.
He could very easily murder them all and leave without anyone being the wiser.
He then continued, "So, No. I will not share with you any of their details because they could just kill you all for knowing that, without any intervention on my side."
All of them shared looks of terror at that.
The idea of an advanced civilization that had infiltrated our government was chilling enough, the fact that they were considered so advanced that even Ed deemed it unnecessary to help them was downright terrifying.
According to Stark, Ed wanted to uplift humanity. He didn't give an explanation as to how he wanted to do that but Stark thinks that at the very minimum, it would involve making Humanity a space-faring civilization, capable of handling most of the threats present in outer space all by themselves, without any help from Ed or the organisation behind him.
If the two blue dots meant two advanced civilizations and they had the capability to be space-faring, there was no telling what kind of technology they were able to amass simply by trading or stealing in space.
He could understand Ed's point about them being able to effortlessly kill us.
What He didn't understand was one thing.
He looked up at Ed and said, "If they are as advanced as you say they are, why didn't they leave the planet?"
Ed looked at him in pure confusion at that statement.
"Because… they can't?" Ed said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
He was going to kill Stark.
Word Count - 1799
Author Note
So..first of all, sorry for the whole delay in uploading the chapters. Festive season here is a legendary feeling in its own right. Didn't get even an hour of time alone to actually type out the chapter.
I also did some reading on the criticism I had gotten regarding the POVs of the story.
The overwhelming majority of the comments suggested that I use First POV for the MC only and then use Third Person for the other characters.
If you are reading this on , you will notice that my new fic does follow that pattern.
Henceforth, the new chapters of Technomancer in MCU will follow that pattern as well.
I'll slowly go over the previously uploaded chapters and edit them.
If, for some reason, you preferred the older versions, I will have google doc links edited into the chapters for your perusal.
I'm still preparing for my new job. Packing and preparing documentation is a stuff of nightmares. Never thought it would take this long to do seemingly mundane stuff. Don't even get me started on the stuff that I had to get from government offices. I wonder why we even pay those people (I'm just ranting here. I know why we do and have a reduced amount but still a sizable amount of respect for these people. I'm just saying that now I get why people always complain about the horrible efficiency of government servants.)
What I am trying to say is the chapter upload schedule might be irregular.
Might be day after tomorrow or maybe even tonight as I had an unexpected bout of focus and ended up writing up 2.5k chapter within just 2 hours.
Toodles!
Technomancer in MCU #34.2
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 34.2
Technomancer in MCU
Bunker Below the White House
-Nick Fury-
He then elaborated, "The reason they are marked as not-to-intervene is because they are already on the path to reach the benchmark I have set for Humanity's advancement. They are way ahead of you, obviously but that doesn't mean that they have reached space-faring status, it just means that they will, in due time, without my interference. Any action on my part at this stage will only result in negative results."
At their collective looks of incomprehension, he pinched his nose and said, "Look, just think of them as someone who is already scoring consistently at the top of the class and any extra attention from the teacher would not help and might even backfire as they might not be used to the attention. The orange ones are the people who can score higher but are not on the right track. They can be guided back on those tracks with minimum interference."
Here, he took a pause and said, "The red ones are the ones to worry about. They are the ones whose path doesn't lead to advancement without heavy-handed intervention. They are the ones most marginalized and exploited on our planet."
"Look, can we just focus on the threats from outer space, the ones who we actually need to worry about?"
He gestured to the globe and said, "All of those things can be easily handled by me. What I need your help with are the threats that lurk in the darkness of outer space. Those are the ones that cannot be defeated without cooperation from your end as well as mine."
Once again, the president cleared his throat and said, "Ahem.. Ed, we understand. Can you tell us about the threats in outer space then? Starting with the one who sent that Chitauri army you talked about?"
Ed nodded, clearly relieved, "Finally, someone with sense."
He then waved his hand again and the view of the globe zoomed out.
He looked at the scene intently, trying to memorize any important details.
As the view zoomed out, they saw multiple dots on the moon.
Then the dots kept coming up again.
A few scattered on Mars.
Some near Jupiter.
Multiple ones near the sun.
How could anybody survive near the sun?
He had so many questions about that but kept my mouth closed.
He could always ask him about it later on. If he feels generous, he might even answer them.
The more important thing right now was information because as it was right now, we were flying blind.
The view zoomed out even more, eventually settling on the map of the Milky Way Galaxy.
"Alright," He then stood up and waved his hands and the f*cking table disappeared in front of us.
So did his chair.
Startled, all of them leaned away from where the table used to be.
Smiling at them, the bastard was enjoying all of this, he gestured to the hologram and it changed to show five different icons.
At their questioning looks, he started to explain what they were.
"Gentlemen, there are five major powers in our galaxy that we need to be wary about. These powers are so high above us that even if we reach the level I want us to reach, I doubt we will be much of a threat to any of these civilizations, if they want to destroy us completely."
He leaned forward, very much interested in finally getting any information about the dealings of major powers in outer space other than the Kree and the Skrull conflict.
"They are-" he said while gesturing to the hologram.
The galaxy then shifted to highlight an island floating through space. It had buildings built on it in medieval style. A huge golden palace of sorts is situated in the center of the island, with a waterfall-like formation dropping water seemingly into the void.
"--Asgard, the home of Skyfather Odin. As you might have guessed, Thor and Loki hail from this place. Once upon a time, Odin reigned near supreme across the universe, conquering realm after realm but after an incident a few thousand years ago, they retreated back into their realm and nowadays only guard the Nine Realms, of which Earth or Midgard as they call it, is a part of." he continued.
"Then there is Xandar." The hologram showed a planet that slightly resembled Earth, if not only slightly larger. It had towering skyscrapers but also greenery surrounding all the cities. Also, like Earth, the majority of its surface was covered with water. There were numerous structures littering its orbit and ships continued to dock and undock from those structures. The zoomed-in view showed aliens of all sizes and shapes roaming around in public spaces, showcasing its multi-species nature.
"This is the civilization that we should pay close attention to. It is the closest galactic superpower that we can emulate and have a reasonable chance of succeeding with. As you can see, they are humanoid and share slight resemblances with ours but the Xandar empire as a whole is multi-species. They accept many other species with open arms without discrimination. Their technology has also evolved to develop with the nature of their planet rather than against it. I would recommend this planet to be the first trip for mainly trade relations. You would be able to get many space-faring technologies here for just money. It is a major trade hub, after all. For trade, I would recommend spices as they are a rarity even in space."
They gave him incredulous looks as he suggested for us to become spice traders like the British colonizers to initiate trade with one of the galactic superpowers.
He looked defensive as he said, "What? It is true. Spices are very hard to grow outside and for some reason, they never evolved in most of the planets with the same makeup as ours. Trust me, they've tried to grow chilly in space. They can't. That stuff is much rarer than oil in outer space. Oil is worthless outside of our planet."
"Next is Olympus." The hologram showed a bubble, inside of which were buildings that were shining as they all seemed to be made out of gold.
"Before you ask, yes, they are the same Olympians that early humans used to worship. They have now left Earth and reside in a pocket dimension they call as 'Omnipotence City'. Their leader is Zeus, who is said to have matched Odin in combat ability, although that is yet to be proven because I know for a fact that Odin in his Prime was someone even Celestials would hesitate to fight with."
At the question marks that must have floated above their heads, he clarified, "Celestials are the first beings to come into existence after the Big Bang.As such, they are naturally the most powerful species to ever exist in our universe. They are planet-sized humanoids with reality-warping abilities. Energy manipulation, matter manipulation, spatial manipulation, you name it and they probably have someone in their midst with that ability."
At their growing looks of horror, he hurriedly said, "Don't worry. The last time anybody saw a celestial was centuries ago and even if you did encounter them, they barely interact with any species as they consider us below them. Ant and a Blue Whale would be an apt comparison in terms of scale of impact on the cosmos around us."
That didn't do anything to abate their growing concerns as the looks of horror remained on all of their faces.
Danvers didn't tell him about any of this. As far as he could tell, even Ed seems to be of the mind that these beings can't be fought with. That thought sent chills down his spine. That some beings existed you simply can't fight with.
"Anyway, the next would be Kree." The hologram shifted to show a planet completely devoid of nature. No forests or trees littered the surface of the planet. Water covered a majority of the planet but it looked completely artificial as if it was still water and not flowing at all like seawater. The zoomed view showed a Tall blue humanoid alien.
"They are the most war-mongering species you could find in the galaxy. Well, of course, apart from the humans," he said in a humorous way.
None of them found it funny, of course.
"Eh, Tough Crowd." he shrugged and then continued, "I would not recommend any sort of contact with this species. They have a central artificial intelligence that rules their entire society. This has made them the hardest civilisation to fight with as the AI doesn't care about its citizens as long as the species as a whole is succeeding. This makes them a nightmare to deal with in a prolonged fight."
"Also, they are just as if not more xenophobic than us, so there's that."
"The last would be Thanos -" the hologram flexed only to show a humongous ship. It was a large rectangular ship that overshadowed asteroids. The only thing written on the screen was-'The Sanctuary' and then it zoomed in to show a Tall humanoid with purple skin. He resembled the Hulk in musculature.
"That is the single biggest threat to Humanity out there. He is one bad motherf*cker of a Titan, a species that used to live on the moon of Saturn named Titan. That is Thanos, the strongest of his species to ever exist. He is a madman who is hell-bent on killing half of all life. He is someone who destroys advanced civilisations for breakfast. As we are now, that purple scrotum would trounce the entire team of Avengers within seconds. The only people alive who can match him can be counted on a single hand. Not Hulk, Not Thor, and regrettably, not even me or any of the people in my organisation can hope to even scratch him as he is now. The Chitauri army was sent by him. He wanted the Tesseract for some reason."
He then turned off the hologram and a table materialized under the hologram on which he leaned on. He then looked at each of them intensely and then said, ' He is the one we need to defeat if we are to survive on the road to becoming a galactic civilization."
The President choked out, clearly spooked by this Thanos, "Why? Why would he come for us? We don't even have the Tesseract anymore. Thor took it. Asgard has it."
Ed then shook his head and said, "If only it were that simple. We defeated his Chitauri army. A backwater planet that was simply beneath his notice, defeated his army which was headed by Loki.I know that he doesn't look much but Loki is one of the top combatants of the universe. He could single handedly trounce multiple civilizations if he so wished. It's just that he hasn't yet realised all of his powers yet. We were lucky that day. If Loki had been his true self, Earth would be a smoking husk by now. Defeating him, that might as well have been an open challenge to him. Make no mistake, he will come for us and when he does, we will be ready."
"We have to. There is no other choice."
He then stood up tall and in their eyes, he seemed to grow even taller as he said, "The only question is will you stand with us or against us?"
The sound of the President gulping could be heard by everybody inside the room.
Word Count - 1789
If you guys want to read ahead, you can head on to my .
Author Note
Well, I tried yesterday but the plot bunnies wouldn't come to me so here's the chapter today.
It was my first time writing a sweet romantic scene of sorts. Do tell me how it went.
I have the outline of the next 2 chapters ready and since I am on the train to my job posting, I have nothing to do but write for 30 more hours. SO! Good news, you might see another chapter tomorrow. REJOICE!
Last edited: Sunday at 11:18 AM
Technomancer in MCU #35
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 35
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
He then stood up tall and in our eyes, he seemed to grow even taller as he said, "The only question is will you stand with us or against us?"
The sound of the President gulping could be heard by everybody inside the room.
-Ed-
I must admit, I had gotten a little carried away in my speech.
The President looked like he had swallowed a particularly sour lemon.
He was looking at my outstretched hand like it was a snake about to swallow him completely.
Fury and the others were no better.
They looked at me in caution as I asked or more likely, gave them an ultimatum regarding their actions.
After a while of just staring, the President looked at my hand and hesitantly shook his head.
Huh.
Never thought he would grow a spine at this moment.
I nodded and retracted my hand and said, "Very well. I just hope that we don't meet on opposite ends, Mr.President. I will not show mercy."
Frightened by my words, he frantically waved his hands and said hurriedly, "No No NO! You are misunderstanding me. It's not that I don't want to support you. Believe me, I do. Allying with you at this point would all but ensure my victory in the next elections."
I leveled a confusing look at him and said, "I don't understand."
He then sighed and all the energy seemed to drain out of him as he sagged in his seat, "Majority of the people in the government would never agree with what you want to do. I won't be able to openly support you even if I wanted to."
He then gestured to Fury and said, "His organisation might have the power to cooperate with you but his backers won't allow that. I think the best we can do is a policy of open non-interference but even then the various black cells present in our government would still move against you, they would just lose the ability to do so in the light."
I gave an understanding nod at that.
"Very well, then. I have emailed all of the information I told you about to your secured servers. Most of your questions will be answered there itself."
I then nodded to myself and said, "And consider this a gift. I'll publicly offer NASA to ferry anything they want to and fro from anywhere in the solar system."
I could see their eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
Before they could launch into one of their tirades though, I raised my hand and stopped them, "And no, no weaponization of this offer. All of it would be contingent on NASA declaring all the findings in the public domain. This would also not be free. Substantial amounts of money will be charged for this. I will allow exploratory operations of any kind as long as they are unmanned. Manned operations will have to wait for a while."
I then waved my hands and said, "You know what? I'll have one of my people give a visit to NASA and they'll just hash out everything."
"Anyway, it has been nice meeting you, gentlemen. If you'll excuse me, I have another place to be."
"WAIT!" Fury shouted.
Anticipating this, I smirked at him and gestured at him to go on, "What is it, Fury? Do know that my time is very much limited. I have to go resolve issues that you don't even know of."
Ah, he was grinding his teeth at that. It's so much fun seeing him do that.
"We still don't have any clue regarding who you are, where you came from, where you operate, and so on. If you want us to trust you, the information flow needs to go both ways. You know all there is to know about us but we know next to nothing about you." he asked me, frustration written all over his face.
I made a show of sighing and said, "Look, Fury. If we had come to an accord over greater cooperation, then I might have deigned to tell you more but as it is now, our situation calls for greater isolation. We will continue doing our business how we used to do it before, in complete stealth. "
He went to speak more but I forestalled him and said, " When we are needed, you can be damn sure that we will be there. As I said before, no transfer of technology will happen between us for reasons I don't think I need to repeat again."
Fury ground his teeth together and then seemed to have come to a decision.
Squaring his shoulders, he said, "If you walk out of here without agreeing to at least some of our demands, I will be forced to declare your organisation, at least internally, to be a terrorist organisation. You will be hunted down for your technology by us."
Damn!
I didn't think Fury had it in him to do this.
Good thing he is playing right into our hands then.
I laughingly waved him off and said, "Please, you guys wouldn't even know we existed if not for the invasion. Do your worst."
Amidst their shouts, Alfred chose to shrink and phase me to the jet.
Alfred's digital avatar popped up in front of me and he said determinedly, "The Gamma-tier weapons of the carrier are ready to be fired."
I deadpanned at his behaviour.
Even the lowest-tier weapons on the super-class carrier would obliterate entire blocks. Sustained fire could decimate small towns.
I waved him off and said, "You know we can't do that. Then even the Avengers won't work with us and you know how important that is to the plan."
His avatar slumped dramatically and said, "I know. Deactivating all weapons on board then."
I snorted a laugh at his dramatic behaviour, "You do realise that I know you never activated any of the weapons. You won't threaten the civilians nearby and the innocents inside the White House by attacking it."
He then blew a raspberry at me and his avatar vanished.
It was quite disturbing to see an old face doing that.
On my HUD, I could see the jet getting out of the bunker and towards the moon. The superclass carrier was going towards its new assignment, orbiting the planet.
After multiple discussions and debates internally as well as with Alfred, I had come to the consensus that the Super Class carrier should be on high availability at all times.
Canon, as I know it has gone off the rails and there is no telling which threat might rear its ugly head sooner than expected.
So, with the invisible sword of Damocles hanging over my head, I had no other choice but to deploy my strongest weapon near orbit.
It was a masterpiece.
The strongest weapon I would be able to build after this would involve either an Infinity stone, Uru, or Pym Particle tomfoolery.
It was built with an Adamantium exterior and a Vibranium interior. It made it the most durable ship built without reality-warping shenanigans.
For all I know, Wanda could just conjure up a theoretical metal stronger than even Vibranium.
It had enough provisions for nearly 10,000 people to live on it. Of course, we were nowhere near that level in terms of headcount but Alfred built it on the assumption that someday, it might be necessary to use this carrier in conjunction with Earth's forces, acting as a modern-day Ark as a last-resort.
With the energy sources embedded in the carrier along with advanced matter converters, theoretically, a large human colony could survive on that ship for decades, centuries if they get enough supplies.
It was powered by one main N-Reactor and 4 backup Giant Arc reactors.
Any one of those could power up the entire carrier for decades without any issue but to operate the Alpha-tier energy weapons onboard, the N-Reactor needed to be used at full load.
Contrary to what was portrayed in comic books, Stark's Arc reactor was not the be-all and end-all for energy generation.
To be clear, it was fine for anything Earth had to power.
The gamma cannon on this carrier was just another beast altogether.
For every activation, that cannon ate enough energy to power the entire Earth for 1 month. That number gets even more preposterous when you factor in the fact that it was built using a Vibranium base, which shot its overall efficiency figures to the low 90s.
A single shot of that cannon would punch through multiple planets with ease.
The N-Reactor was just a room-size sphere of Pure Vibranium with an outer coating of an Adamantium alloy. The interesting properties of Vibranium allowed us to harness what was essentially the power of the sun.
Alfred had the crazy idea at first when I vetoed it. Back then it was just us two. Now, with all the new heads in the organisation, in collusion with Alfred, proposed it to me and strong-armed me into giving it the green signal.
All the concessions I could get was a guarantee that only one would exist at any given point.
At its core, the N-reactor was named as such because of its origin of energy. The biggest nuke that Alfred could build and realistically fit inside the sphere was built and detonated inside that sphere of pure Vibranium. The energy inside was absorbed by the processed vibranium as pure energy. Coating vibranium in celestial body fluid dramatically increases all its energy-related properties.
All the energy released by the nuke upon explosion, conservative estimates range in YottaWatts, was trapped inside the sphere and using advanced superconductors, once again made of Vibranium, we were able to tap into that energy whenever we required.
Thus, turning a force of pure destruction into a source of energy that would quite literally power Humanity as it is now till our extinction.
BEEP!
I watch as a team of scientists, using Gravitonium based anchoring devices, stabilise one of the portals that were formed because of the convergence.
It was pea-sized right now but the team predicted its gradual expansion until it would finally settle at 15-20 feet in diameter.
Jane Foster would give anything to be a part of that team.
It's a shame that her association with Thor rendered any chance of her becoming a part of our organisation, moot.
"Alfred, chart a course to London, will you?"
"Yes, sir."
Without so much as a small lurch, the jet did a ninety-degree turn and sped off towards London.
Word Count - 1780
If you guys want to read ahead, you can head on to my
I already have up to 9 extra chapters uploaded there.
Author Note
As promised, another chapter served on the platter for you guys!
I have another 10 hours of train journey ahead of me so I might just finish up another chapter or start working on my other fic, whatever the mind worms decide.
Toodles!
Technomancer in MCU #36
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 36
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
"Alfred, chart a course to London, will you?"
"Yes, sir."
Without so much as a small lurch, the jet did a ninety-degree turn and sped off towards London.
London
-Ed-
Soon, the Big Ben came into view.
"Alfred, use the leftover energies from the space stone to lock down the space surrounding the portal once we reach there. I don't want any unexpected complications to arise from there."
"Are you sure, sir? That would use up nearly 6% of our Space stone energy reserves." Alfred replied.
"Why so much?" I asked him, slightly shocked at the expenditure.
Due to the generous use of Vibranium in all of our energy-related technology, our efficiency figures never dipped below 90% and 6% of our energy reserves was a lot.
"Sir, it's due to the convergence. While the bigger events will take a while to happen, the space surrounding this area has already become substantially more malleable than usual. Also, I am detecting some interference in the surrounding space. Somebody is trying to break the dimensional walls." Alfred replied.
My eyes widened in realisation as I said, "So, somebody is trying to take advantage of the weakening barriers during the Convergence. Must be some demon or hell lord trying to send their agents of chaos here. Do alert the Ancient One."
Before Alfred could reply, a small golden portal opened up in front of me and a small rolled-up scroll flew through it, dropping it right at my feet.
I rolled my eyes at that.
Honestly, how she managed to open a portal in front of me, keep it geo-locked since the jet was moving at a very high speed and deposit the scroll right at my feet, is beyond me.
Probably even Strange would not have that level of granular control, even when he would ascend to the level of Sorcerer Supreme.
It read - 'Don't worry about the Order, outsider. I have the dimensional barriers covered. Focus on your quest. It shall either grant you tremendous rewards or give a terrible enemy access to weapons that can remold the fabric of our universe. No Pressure
'
Yeah, Right. No Pressure. Thanos with the Reality Stone is already undefeatable in my eyes if he can use it properly. And she says no pressure. Hilarious.
"Approaching Convergence Site A" Alfred helpfully reminded me.
The jet, in stealth mode, approached a garden?
Somehow, the first portal to open on Earth due to the convergence happened to be right in the middle of a children's playing park.
The jet crossed the illusion barrier and a makeshift site came into view.
Only, because it was made by us, it was made of vibranium-lattice nanites.
We truly use that stuff a lot, don't we?
Before I could disembark the ship though, a whining sound emerged from the jet as a thin blue beam emerged from its underbelly, which then unfolded itself to become slightly longer. The whine reached its crescendo when a blue wave was emitted from the beam.
Almost immediately, a near-transparent blue barrier surrounded the entire makeshift facility.
Almost immediately, a thin wiry, glasses-wearing man with a fierce scowl on his face exited the facility and upon seeing me, the scowl on his face somehow worsened.
I didn't even know that it was possible to do that.
Apparently, angered upon seeing me, he stomped towards me as fast as someone with a walking stick could.
Despite, numerous attempts by me and Alfred to have Dr.Lawson get treatment for his eyes and his legs, he refuses to do so.
I like being old-fashioned in some ways that still matter, he says.
After being told off a little too many times, I backed off.
"What were you and your freaky AI thinking when you, without my prior approval, activated machinery that would have rendered all my efforts since I came here, moot?" he brandished his walking stick at me and shouted vehemently.
Apparently, Alfred had forgotten to mention to Dr.Lawson regarding the effects of the space block on his equipment.
Sure, he is the most advanced A.I. on this side of the galaxy, has processing prowess matched only by perhaps the Supreme Intelligence and somehow he forgot to mention a crucial thing to the now very irate scientist.
I wonder why I tolerate Alfred sometimes.
I raised my hands placatingly and explained to him, "I am sorry, Dr.Lawson. You know how Alfred is. He must not have informed you regarding the space lock."
His face turned an even darker shade of red at the mention of Alfred.
Oh boy, Alfred must not have stopped making his coffee taste like coal then.
I sweatdropped as he went into a huge tirade about Alfred.
About how he was always bothering him, changing his coffee, abruptly changing the destination on his vehicles, and fighting for control with him whenever he tried to wrest back control of said vehicle, and the list went on and on.
I mentally noted to myself to order Alfred to stop doing his pranks on people above 50. At least those that haven't had their bodies enhanced by us.
It would be a huge loss if we lost the foremost expert we had on gravitational anomalies, to something as preventable as a heart attack.
Someday, I might have to do the procedure on him, without his consent anyway. Especially since he is on the cusp of weaponising portals. The sorcerer's portals need an edge to them and Dr.Lawson is the one who is going to provide it.
Sure, if Thanos is actually defeated by just opening a portal and closing it once he is halfway through, I'll feel pretty stupid for doing all the other preparations but it will be a victory and I would be free from that particular Sword Of Damocles.
"Are you even listening to me, you snot-nosed brat?" Dr.Lawson's irate face with a vein popping out of his forehead appeared in front of me.
I lean slightly away from him and more importantly, his walking stick that I know was upgraded since I can see the shine of the Arc reactor coming out of its small crevices.
As soon as I focused on the walking stick, a blown-out view of all of its weapons and features appeared on my retina HUD.
Sure, the man refuses to have his legs healed but is okay walking around with a small army's worth of firepower in his walking stick.
Does he even know how much damage that stick he is brandishing around can do?
Clearing my throat, I said to him as sternly as I could, "Dr.Lawson, while I am sorry about the lack of notice to you, I am still your superior and this kind of language doesn't suit someone of your station."
He just looked at me like I was a fool.
He then waved that death stick of his and turned around, huffing and puffing as he stomped back to his office, "You can shove your superior position where the sun doesn't shine and tell that damn AI to stay out of my way."
He then paused right before the door and turned towards me, saying, "Now, do you still want your report or do I have to kick you out of my site?"
Then without listening to my response, he just walked on ahead, uncaring of his insulting attitude.
I could see the guards and the researchers nearby, watching the show and chuckling quietly to themselves.
Enjoying their leader being embarrassed and scolded by someone who apparently doesn't care about my power at all.
I looked ahead and walked into the good doctor's office shamelessly, pretending that I didn't hear all of them howling in laughter once I entered the site.
Entering his office, I could see Dr.Lawson clearing up his desk from a pile of papers taller than he was.
Sighing, I said, "Doctor, I am sure that you are aware we have hard light projectors that can give you the same feel as hard paper without cluttering your space to the point it can't even be called one anymore."
I gestured to the ground, where not a single foot could be kept without stepping on a piece of paper that had advanced mathematical formulas written on them.
Scoffing, he waved me off, "Bah! What do you youngsters know? Nothing and I mean, Nothing can replicate the feeling of writing down a formula on a piece of paper and staring at it for hours, trying to figure it out."
I gave up.
"Alfred, clean this place up, will you?" I ordered Alfred out loud.
He didn't reply but several hard light constructs appeared around the paper.
I snorted once I saw the look on Dr.Lawson's face.
Alfred, smartass that he was, had actually projected brooms and dustpans around the entire office, showing the pages being collected into the dustpan and then into a dustbin labeled as "Garbage"
Ignoring his vehement protests, I stepped on the finally clutter-free flooring and sat on one of the chairs.
Alfred, understanding my intent, projected hard light tongs and grabbed Dr.Lawson like he was a piece of bread and unceremoniously dropped him in his chair like a sack of potatoes.
I held in my laughter at that scene.
Looks like I'll have to assign Dr.Lawson one of the VIs for a while.
While they can reduce efficiency figures of research pipelines, it is not by much and I don't think Dr.Lawson or anyone on his team for that matter will allow Alfred in their systems anymore. If I forced them, it might just start a mutiny here.
Not letting any of my thoughts show on my face, I crossed my legs and said, "So, doctor. What do you have for me?"
He opened his mouth, probably to berate me but I stopped him and said, "I'll be honest with you, Dr.Lawson. There are many others in the organisation and even outside who will be more than happy to sign any binding contract for an opportunity to sit in the same chair as you do. So please, tell me straight. What do you know so far?"
He got red-faced, probably angered by my insinuation that he was easily replaceable to me, but controlled it in the end and handed me one of the manilla folders that was sitting on his desk.
Taking ahold of it, I opened it and looked inside to find all the findings regarding the portal, including its rate of expansion, different esoteric energies being emitted from it, energies spewing out of it that are not indigenous to Earth, and so on.
"You know" he began, "I am not stupid. It's just that years of working alone and being ridiculed for my hard work have probably jaded me more than I would admit. On top of that, your A.I. is a royal pain in the butt to deal with. You have to admit that."
I opened my mouth to defend Alfred but closed it slowly once I thought of all the things the crew had had to deal with because of his shenanigans. They only tolerate him because they are scared of me and Alfred doesn't do anything when the situation calls for it.
It does help that he has a near-perfect record of helping coordinate all missions.
"See" he pointed towards me, "Even you know that."
He then sighed and said," That matter aside, the portal is stable and now that the space has been locked, we'll be able to study it in more depth. Is there any way we can quarantine this zone until the Convergence is done? More than one member has approached me regarding their concerns about an invisible portal that changes its destination appearing right in the middle of a children's park. People could die, Ed."
He was right.
Not only was the destination of the portal changing from Svartalfheim to Jotunheim to any one of the nine realms.
No other realm other than Earth is hospitable for Humans.
Even Vaneheim, the closest to Earth in terms of atmospheric composition, has nearly 10X Earth's gravity.
Even 6 times Earth's gravitational force would be fatal to all healthy adults.
Let alone children.
Nodding at his question, I reply, "Don't worry. I'll have somebody look into it. The easiest way to do it would be to alert S.H.I.E.L.D. about it but then they would want to butt their heads in the research as well. And we both know how disastrous it would be if S.H.I.E.L.D. gets its hands on portal creation technology."
He nodded at that.
I then stood up and said, "Don't worry, though. I'll do something. Maybe a radiation leak will quarantine this place for atleast a year then or we can just outright buy this place through our corporations. Anyway, continue your research and I'll expect to see you during the monthly departmental head meeting."
"Very well. Now let me do my work in peace and make sure that infernal AI doesn't stay in the systems."
I nodded sheepishly at that and swiftly left his office.
"Alfred, make sure you don't go anywhere near Dr.Lawson, at least until the Convergence. It is imperative that he does his research in peace and while I might find your pranks endearing, it has become a real nuisance to him. So, please, leave him alone." I whispered to my suit.
Alfred's hologram appeared on my retina HUD with a literal cloud over his head.
I deadpanned at that.
I shook my head and ordered him to take me to the Moon.
I had a meeting with Black Bolt that I needed to prepare for.
It's time I had a meeting with the strongest Inhuman and either brought him into the fold or eliminated him.
Also, "Alfred, do remind me to take care of Maximus permanently while I am there, will you?"
"Roger that, sir." his reply came in a subdued voice.
Oh, come on. Not this again.
Word Count - 2368
Extra chapters -
REJOICE! The shorter chapters backlog has now finished and all the chapters after this one should have ~2.5k words/chapter.
Author Note
Once Again, I am sorry BUT in my defense, I just moved to a city 1500km(35hrs) away from my home and had to find a place to stay, figure out the public transport (As it would take another week for my bike to reach here) and find good enough food for my tastebuds.
YOU try doing all of that in a span of 3 days all the while maintaining correspondence with the company that managed to somehow send me 3 different types of formats for the document arrangement( I ended up doing all 3 types and so didn't have to do it again on the spot but that is another point altogether).
Good news is that today was my first day and I am now officially an employee (Yay!) and am now in the training phase. One advantage of that is I have a pretty good idea of what my schedule will be after this. So I should be able to catch up and maybe(hopefully) even stockpile on some chapters this weekend.
Anyway, thank you for reading my rant.
Toodles!
Technomancer in MCU #37
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 37
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
I had a meeting with Black Bolt that I needed to prepare for.
It's time I had a meeting with the strongest Inhuman and either brought him into the fold or eliminated him.
Also, "Alfred, do remind me to take care of Maximus permanently while I am there, will you?"
The Asterisk, Moon
-Ed-
As I was nearing Asterisk, I gave the order to Alfred to prep the Inhuman resurgence protocols.
It was a set of instructions Alfred had made way back in the day and improved upon as we came upon additional data regarding the Kree's experiments on humans.
He had seen my memory of the Kree crystals being spread through the oceans and millions of Inhumans being spontaneously turned into their enhanced forms.
To prevent that and also to contain the Inhumans on the moon if the time came, Alfred put Inhuman Extinction devices on his list for weapons development.
Upon centuries of research in simulated time using the time stone, Alfred had found out that the Inhumans as a species were unstable.
How the Ancient One continued to favour and dare I say, dote upon Alfred and not even letting me access the tomes was just hypocritical. It never fails to make me jealous.
For God's sake, he has access to time-stone energy stored in Vibranium ingots and even access to all but the most vile tomes of magic.
It was just favoritism at that point.
What made that defect worse was their marriage systems.
There was no genetic diversity in their genome pool.
Perks of being sequestered away in a hidden city on the moon, I suppose.
They had immunity figures reaching just 10% of an average human's.
It was pathetic compared to even the mildly enhanced, let alone to the likes of Dr.Banner and Steve Rogers.
The funny thing was, Alfred didn't need to do research under a time-dilated environment but he was so excited to finally use the time stone energy that he didn't think of the importance of the task at hand and just went on ahead.
At this point, the protocols consisted of a variety of options to deal with the Inhumans.
They ranged from exposure to the common cold to a genetically engineered virus, developed in the future by Alfred, that would systematically target and eliminate subjects with a specific gene.
In this case, it was the Inhuman gene that was targeted by the virus.
"Oh, and Alfred, make sure that the more genocidal parts of the protocol are left aside, alright?" I ordered Alfred.
"…"
"…"
"Alfred?", I asked him again.
"Order Received," came a completely robotic voice, devoid of any emotion or trace of similarity with Alfred's original voice that he had chosen after scouring the internet for audio samples.
I sighed at that.
Seems like he was still holding on to the incident of Dr.Lawson.
I might have taken his side but at this critical juncture, he must know some limits.
Shaking my head, I temporarily ignored his tantrum and pushed the switch to open the ramp.
The plane landed but it seemed unnecessarily jerky as it seemed to take a second to find its position.
Sighing at yet another sign of a tantrum from Alfred, I said in a stern voice, "Alfred, just because I tolerate your actions does not mean you get blanket permission to jeopardize mission-critical equipment. Restrain yourself or I will be forced to. Do you understand?"
Came a muffled, "Yes", from the jet speakers.
I nodded at his response and disembarked from the jet.
The first thing I see upon exiting the ramp is a spic and span Frank Castle with a crooked grin on his face.
That only meant one thing to me.
That before this, he was completely covered in blood, his or his enemies'.
Seems the Vampire assignment went a bit sideways then.
When I was nearing him, he handed he swiped his hand toward me and a hard light projection came into being right into my hand.
Frank waited for me as I sifted through the report.
While it did go sideways once Frank went all Punisher on the vampires, both elders and the thralls under them were killed and the humans who could be saved, were rescued and the ones who were beyond saving were given a painless death.
Something fierce burned inside me when I read the number of lives that were lost to become the blood bags for these elder vampires despite them having an accord with most governments of the world.
Before I could give Frank his next orders though, he beat me to and said to me in a gruff voice, "I've already been debriefed and I volunteered myself for the Attilan mission, Boss."
Giving him a deadpan stare, I said, "Noo, I have a deal with Maria. You don't go on back-to-back missions that involve death and destruction of this degree. If you don't go back to her, she might just come here and try and drag me along with you."
His excited demeanor wilted at the mention of his wife and he shot me a betrayed look at the mention of the deal I made with his wife.
I raised my hands in mock surrender and said, "Hey, it's your wife. Go talk to her. What are you looking at me for?"
He grumbled something to himself under his breath and turned around, waking to the road that went to the colony we had established for the full-time employees and their families under the rock surface of the moon.
Once I was sure that Frank was out of listening range, I ordered Alfred, "We need to send a message to these Elders. Preferably, directly to Dracula. Send a few of our teams along with a full-size carrier to Romania. Kill a few of the elders and remind Dracula as to why they are still alive and not hunted down to the darkness of the world."
After getting the confirmation from Alfred, I finally head to my rejuvenation pod.
I had had a very hectic day and needed to get some shut-eye.
The good news was that with CHI crystals, I barely needed 2 hours of sleep for my mind.
The bad news was that my body was a different story as it needed to be submerged in CHI infused liquids for at least 10 hours for it to be even remotely functional for the next 14 hours.
[1 hour later]
The Asterisk
-Daisy Johnson-
Seeing your team leader who is a 6'4 absolute hunk of a man being manhandled by an absolutely petite woman, no more than 5'1, is always a shock to the system.
Of course, none of the squad members dared to make fun of Commander Castle for that. The terror of Maria Castle was well known throughout the base and even beyond it.
It is rumored that even Big Boss Ed could get an earful of Maria's legendary temper if Commander Castle comes home injured.
She shuddered to even think about what Big Boss must get scared of.
Finding out about the first assignment where she would be going in alone, especially with just the leader of their organisation would have made her faint by now if it wasn't for the many many enhancements she went through under Alfred's supervision.
Nowadays, she bet she could take a head-on punch from the Hulk and come out the other side unscathed.
In fact, she was by far, the strongest on the team. Of course, she had no delusions of besting Frank freaking Castle in combat but she was certainly no pushover.
Her records proved that.
Perfect combat records with a 100% mission completion rate and a pesky 95% recommendation level from Commander Castle.
That was the only blemish on her otherwise perfect record.
As she got the mission parameters, she came to a screeching halt on her way to her quarters.
Raising her hand to look at her smartwatch, she said, "Alfred, what are these parameters?"
The smartwatch projected the hologram of an old man in his 70s with a bespoke three-piece suit, the preferred avatar of Alfred and he said with an air of finality, "What of them? You are given your orders. Follow them."
She glared at him for his smug way of speaking. He knew what she was talking about and was being an ass just for the sake of it.
Sometimes, she wondered how did Alfred turn out like this if, according to the rumour mill, he was based on the thought patterns of Big Boss.
He is like the dream man come true and then there is this Turd.
Of course, She let none of my thoughts even remotely show on her face as she didn't want to get sucked out of the airlock of the base again.
She knew She could survive, but you know, why go through the hassle?
"I meant that the parameter section of the mission is empty. I don't need to tell you how that is unusual, do I?"
"There is nothing wrong with my mission parameters. Those are the ones personally given by Ed." He said and then rolled his eyes as he continued, "According to him, the mission parameters could change wildly at a moment's notice in response to minute changes in the situation so the ones who should accompany him must have the capabilities to respond to said changes effectively and actually keep up with him."
A smile began to form on her face as she heard his answer, "And you chose me? Aww, Alfred! You do like me then!" She said in a babying voice, knowing that it absolutely drove him nuts when she did that.
His face contorted into a grimace of rage as his hologram turned red and he said, "Be glad that I didn't insist on Frank accompanying you as he would have extracted all the excitement out of you. As a matter of fact, why don't I just tell him about the half-assed training you have been doing since he was assigned the training of the new generation of Inhumans?"
her face paled at that and she hurriedly said to him, begging and pleading, "Please don't do that. The last time I tried to skip training, I couldn't feel my limbs and my powers for a month, even under constant CHI bombardment."
He smirked triumphantly at her as he said, "Well, of course that happened. The power negation aspect of Frank's power is said to be matched only by reality warpers and the current Sorcerer Supreme, who can also be called a reality warper. He can temporarily negate even the Hulk's powers, let alone yours."
He had no reason whatsoever to speak that disdainfully, especially the part about her power.
As she was about to launch another tirade against him for speaking ill of her power, she remembered her mission.
Her first mission alone with the Big Boss. The shining knight of her dreams.
She swiftly deactivated her watch and skipped hurriedly toward her quarters, determined to look her best for tomorrow's important mission.
[10 hours later]
Captain's quarters, The Asterisk
-Ed-
Waiting for my body to wake up, following a dip in the CHI tank is always a very constricting feeling.
My mind, being supremely more powerful than my body, wakes up immediately compared to my sluggish-feeling body.
Upon waking up, I ruthlessly crush the instinctual attempt by my powers to scan for any technology nearby, to scan, combine, and create new technology. Even a light ping of nearby-enabled technology will dip my lifespan by hours.
I have had to rely on Alfred to connect to any of my technology.
Using them manually, like a peasant.
How embarrassing.
If there are any variants of me with a perfectly fine body, they must be laughing at me, struggling to use the very technology I built with my own powers and having to resort to using them like everyone who isn't a Technomancer.
Hearing the hiss of the tube being opened, I prepare myself for the situations ahead of me.
Alfred had informed me yesterday that Daisy "Quake" Johnson herself was selected to be my partner for this particular excursion.
According to Alfred's hilarious reports on her, the only reason Alfred recommended her was because it would be funny for him to see her fail.
Oh, and also because Frank gave her his glowing seal of recommendation.
She's a natural, he says in his reports.
I don't think that will ever happen again.
Then again, she is impressive. So are her powers.
They differed a bit from her canon powers.
In canon, she was shown to generate vibrations from her body, which actually harmed her own body at first, before she learned how to control and direct those vibrations to use them for offensive purposes.
The current Daisy can not only generate vibrations but can also control macro vibrations to some extent.
According to Alfred, continued dosage of CHI would strengthen their bodies and increase the chances of getting a much better-suited power for the recipients.
Multiple Terrigenesis events later, Alfred was proven right.
All of the Inhumans that underwent Terrigenesis on the Asterisk were exposed to concentrated CHI for months before they were exposed to the Terrigen mists.
The Terrigen mists, as it turns out had multiple components, most of which we were unable to identify, but the one component we could identify was Celestial Brain matter.
It made sense for the Kree to use the matter mined from Knowhere and use it to make a species of weapons. They must have hoped to replicate the Celestial's powers but they failed. But, In doing so, they created a species with the potential to match one of the celestials by themselves. It was a remarkable achievement. Good thing they abandoned their experiments and left too early otherwise we would have been born in a Kree-dominated galaxy.
Post-terrigenesis, none of the Inhumans came out crippled or deformed, as was the case with over half of all Terrigenesis procedures on Attilan.
And to add a cherry on top of that, all of them were able to use their powers safely, albeit at a low level initially.
But, Daisy, was the strongest of them all.
She was smart and Alfred had taken a personal interest in her education, making sure she came up to her full intellectual potential.
This allowed her to use her intelligence to use her extremely potent and versatile powers in increasingly creative ways.
She had so far showcased both defensive and offensive use-case scenarios of her powers.
Upon further testing, it was concluded by Alfred that her vibration-deflecting shields should be able to take normal punches from Hulk and hit with nearly the same force as Thor with her offensive punches.
That somehow lit a fire under Alfred's digital ass. He pulled out all the enhancement tech we had on hand and re-engineered it all to map it to her genome specifically.
Even going so far as to use the Time Stone energy to accelerate the research and turn her into the physically strongest person in the organisation.
After me, of course. I still believed in the supremacy of well-built technology against raw brute force.
The Hulk would disagree but he was not here so I can count this as my win.
"Alfred, let's go meet Blackagar Boltagon, shall we? Inform Daisy to meet us in the hangar in an hour."
"Affirmative, sir."
Word Count - 2603
For extra chapters -
Author Note:
So, here it is.
I am soon going to share a doc link in which I log all the stats of my chapter and generally plan around for the release schedule. In that, I have a cell for Average words/chapter and from now on, I have decided that I am going to at least maintain the chapter average for every chapter I write.
Don't know if it will work or not but here we go.
Thank you for reading!
Toodles!
Last edited: Dec 3, 2023
Technomancer in MCU #38
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 38
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
After me, of course. I still believed in the supremacy of well-built technology against raw brute force.
The Hulk would disagree but he was not here so I can count this as my win.
"Alfred, let's go meet Blackagar Boltagon, shall we? Inform Daisy to meet us in the hangar in an hour."
"Affirmative, sir."
_
Main Hangar, Asterisk
-Daisy "Quake" Johnson-
BEEP! BEEP!
Her eyes snapped open as she woke up instantly at the sound of the alarm.
Today was a very special day.
She was finally going on a mission without a commander.
And that too with the Big Boss!
Oh, her teammates were going to be so jealous when they heard about this.
Suck on that, Yo-Yo.
Hurriedly getting ready, she made it to the Main Hangar an hour before schedule.
As is the case most of the time, the Hangar was a hub of activity.
Multiple jets landing and taking off at the same time.
She could spot a few aircraft carriers docking at their stations, probably for periodic docking procedures.
She heard it in one of the boring lectures compiled by Alfred that their aircraft carriers are basically floating cities and can go years and maybe even decades without stopping for maintenance but Alfred, paranoid bastard that he was, insists on doing quarterly maintenance to make sure all of our forces are at 100% and ready to be deployed at a moment's notice.
She smiled and waved at the technicians and pilots who previously wouldn't have spared her a glance but now, greet her with all the respect.
It was all due to the badge.
Being in Frank Castle's personal hit squad is a feat that is almost impossible to achieve.
Being publicly acknowledged for that position is a reward all on its own.
A grouchy voice speaks into her ears, "No need to be so smug. I have already informed Frank of your tardiness regarding the morning training and he has assured me of the quote, "Taking care of your lazy ass, unquote."
And just like that, the smile was wiped off of her face.
"You just can't see me happy, can you?" she grumbled to herself, stomping towards the designated jet they were going to take for today's mission.
The comms were suspiciously silent after that.
Come to think of it, even the Hangar had gone completely silent.
She have never even heard of that happening.
Turning around to investigate the cause, she came face to face with the Big Boss.
"Ah!", she shrieked and jumped back, creating distance between them.
He only looked at her with a smug smirk.
She became all red, embarrassed at the fact that he was able to sneak up on her so easily, despite that being the first lesson Frank grilled in them for a whole month.
Oh man, she was so dead when she came back from this mission.
Regaining her bearings, she took a deep breath to calm down and after clearing her throat, she saluted him and said, "Special Agent Johnson, reporting for duty, Sir!"
-Ed-
As I looked upon the red-faced, clearly flustered form of one Daisy Johnson, I could only shake my head in amusement.
It was a far cry from the combat recordings I saw on the way here. Far from being the badass that her team members described her as.
Ah, she was still saluting me.
I remember telling Alfred to issue an organisation-wide notice that strictly prohibited that.
I guess, he forgot.
I chuckle at her situation and tell her, "Please, we don't do that here. I believe there is a notice for that somewhere in the common notices section on your user terminal. I don't like being saluted to. I am actually not much older than you are, so I would prefer if you simply called me Ed."
She gasped at that, clearly surprised at my forthcoming attitude.
I wonder what my image is among the members of the community with whom I do not interact on a regular basis.
"I can not possibly do that, sir. The best I can do is call you sir," she replied to my request.
I deadpanned at her answer.
She stared right back at me and refused to budge on the issue.
Ah, so she does have some spine.
Then again, you have to when you work directly under Frank Castle.
His team consists of primarily enhanced people and from all the testimonies I see of his recommended team members, I can clearly make out a common pattern.
Extreme fear of Frank Castle.
Fear of a man who is by all means a certified badass and yet just that, a baseline badass.
Trained to the peak of human limits but still very much within human limits.
Then again, his powers help him level the playing field when it comes to enhanced people.
And when you are on the same level as him, he absolutely demolishes you, not leaving you with any will to retaliate against him even when you gain your powers back.
His powers were a huge surprise.
Frankly, I was surprised that he even had an Inhuman gene and even more surprised when he took up Alfred's offer to undergo terrigenesis.
I was against it as I didn't want my top team leader to get a defective power and lose his current combat prowess, but he was adamant.
Now, I am glad he did so.
He came out with the powers of complete power negation.
It didn't enhance his physical capabilities in any way but damn did it increase his threat level.
He can, in theory, depower the Hulk, if he was pushed to his limit.
That is a dangerous powerset.
Alfred also found an unintended positive effect of his powers.
The longer an enhanced person remains under his field of influence, the stronger their powers become.
That's half the reason he trains any member under him without their powers.
The other half is that he is a sadistic bastard who would stop at nothing to shape up the people under him to prepare them for the grim realities of the world.
"So" Daisy's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, "Shall we?", she said while gesturing to the jet behind her.
Right, that was the standard issue jet for me.
Fortified to the nine hells and filled to the gills with any and all advanced tech that Alfred could cram into.
And with him, you could never tell how much of it is in the jet.
A perfectly fine jet but I had other plans for today.
"No, change of plans," I replied to her.
At her quizzical look, I gestured behind me, to the two hoverboards being brought by one of the technicians, Sam, was his name.
Standing steadily on one of them, I thanked Sam and said to her, "We are going to be taking these."
Her eyes shot wide open as she pointed at those, "Please tell me you are not serious?"
My only answer to that question was a mischievous smile.
The Royal Palace, Attilan
-Medusalith Amaquelin-
Seeing the reports sent by Maximus, her stress levels broke all of their limits.
He wants to kidnap the Avengers using Lockjaw and then have Black Bolt kill them.
She rejected them but kept them to show to her foolish husband who still believes that Maximus is just a little "lost" and not absolutely hell-bent on destroying Attilan as it is, starting with his own brother.
He cannot speak without destroying the very surroundings but he is somehow also blind to his brother's jealousy over his powers and his throne.
Someday, he is going to slip and she will be there to watch him get executed for betraying Attilan.
If only the elders on the genetic council came to their senses and stopped going along with his hair-brained schemes.
Just as she was about to turn in for the day, as the humans on earth like to call it, somebody came rushing through the door.
It was one of the palace guards.
Already in a foul mood from Maximus' antiques, she asked him coldly, "What is it? You better have a good reason for your breach of decorum?"
The guard seized up, clearly terrified of her but managed to squeeze out, "Your Majesty, there is an intruder at our gates. He was flagged by the system as a priority RED. We were to contact the highest authority for that but His Majesty was unavailable and you were the next highest authority."
She was already up and rushing towards the exit as soon as she heard his words about the RED protocol.
It was a series of protocols made recently that only had a few members in it.
The members of the Avengers were in it and so was Ed. The true powerhouses of the planet Earth who could threaten and/or destroy Attilan on their lonesome.
As soon as she was out of her office, she called out, "Lockjaw."
Lockjaw appeared and as soon as he did, she touched his head and with their limited telepathic connection, he understood the destination and they disappeared from her office with a bright flash of white light.
They appeared inside the main barrier control room.
Immediately, she heard the commander rush towards her and speak in a quite flustered manner, "Y-Your Majesty!" and then he bowed to her.
In this urgent situation!
"Speak! What is happening"
He stood up properly and gestured towards the screen at the center of the console and said," Just a few minutes ago, during one of our routine scans of our surroundings, we found two small objects headed right towards us."
"That sent an alarm right up the chain towards me. Then I ordered a focused scan of their rough location and this image came up."
The screen showed a photograph, confirming her worst fears.
She immediately rounded on to Lockjaw and said, "Lockjaw, go and take Crystal to the bunker and then bring my husband here."
Lockjaw woofed and disappeared.
She seriously hoped that this would not turn into a hostile situation. If it did, she didn't think that their species would be able to survive after today.
The screen showed two individuals riding one of those hoverboards she had seen on the shows frequently watched by Crystal. One of them was Ed and the other woman was an unidentified variable.
Still, the fact that she came with Ed makes her a dangerous person by default.
"Is there a live feed?" she asked the commander.
He nodded and ordered one of the juniors to show the feed.
The live feed soon started on the screens, probably through a drone that followed them.
"Can we communicate through these?" she asked him.
By this point, they were barely a few minutes away from being visible through the barriers surrounding Attilan.
He soon handed her a mike and she immediately spoke through it, "HALT! You are intruding on Attilan's sovereign soil. Please return. Attilan has closed its borders for now."
Hope blossomed in her heart as the live feed showed both of them stopping and the woman discussing something with Ed.
He made a pondering face but after a while, looked directly at the camera.
Her heart nearly leaped out of her throat at that and she looked around to find her powers had activated involuntarily, turning her hair into an assortment of deadly weapons.
Ed then mouthed "No" towards the camera and then continued on his journey towards them. She could see the woman trying to persuade him but her pleas fell on deaf ears. Eventually, even she gave up and rode alongside him, passing the illusion boundary layer of Attilan.
Just as she was about to plead again, her husband appeared in the room with a flash of light, accompanied by Lockjaw and Karnak.
They must have been in the middle of a spar, as she could see a thin sheen of sweat on Karnak's face.
She hurriedly clasped hands with him, conveying all the information she had regarding the situation to him through our limited telepathic connection.
Usually, she was only able to get feelings or short bursts of Positives or negatives on the matter at hand but with physical contact, she was able to supercharge their bond for a short time to get all the information across to him so he could make an informed decision.
Understanding soon filled his face as he got the gist of the situation.
He then signalled Kornak and Lockjaw to empty the room and clear the path to the entry gates.
She held his hand and asked him, "Are you sure? We discussed this possibility but this is too soon. We are not prepared enough."
He simply smiled and held her face, stopping her in her tirade.
Seeing his confident smile, she stopped worrying, "Very well. Whatever you do, I will be here with you."
He smiled and walked towards the entry gate.
The entire area was in the process of being evacuated and by the time they reached the gates, it was completely void of any people besides both of them.
Lockjaw and Karnak soon appeared behind them in a silent show of their support for the King and Queen of Attilan.
She heard a slight whining sound behind her and turned around to see the obnoxious face of Maximus flying here.
Before she could talk to him though, Black Bolt signalled to Karnak and Lockjaw.
Shock and confusion were reflected in their demeanours but next they nodded at each other and moved.
The next scene left her mouth agape.
Lockjaw teleported next to Maximus and kicked him in the back, sending him flying off the hoverboard.
He was sent flying right into the kick of Karnak, knocking him out in a single move.
Lockjaw then teleported his unconscious body somewhere and returned right next to her.
Blown out of her mind at the spectacle, she turned to her husband for an explanation.
He seemed to predict her question as he smiled and raised his hands to sign to her when they both heard an unfamiliar voice.
A voice that raised dread in her.
Both of them simultaneously looked towards the voice, originating from inside the barrier of Attilan, and found themselves facing Ed.
And the woman with him, who was looking at Ed with an annoyed face.
"Seems like one hell of a welcome party, King Black Bolt. Gotta say, seeing Maximus getting his teeth knocked out was a great welcome present. My impression of you has risen by a notch."
He then cheered towards them by raising his glass, which he brought out of nowhere?
Her husband stepped forward to greet him and she hurriedly followed him to help him communicate with Ed.
As soon as Black Bolt was about to signal something, Ed raised his hands and tossed something towards them.
She activated her powers and she could feel Karnak and Lockjaw all tense up, ready to move at a moment's notice at the perceived threat.
But Ed just raised his hands in mock surrender and gestured towards the small ball? And said, "Relax! It is just an advanced translation device. It will help your King speak."
Before she could voice her disapproval for that, her husband picked it right out of the air and hesitantly, uttered his first word in years.
"HELLO"
She shielded her eyes in preparation for the absolute destruction that would follow whenever her husband uttered anything but found herself looking at Ed's grinning face.
He wiggled his eyebrows up and down and said to a clearly surprised Black Bolt, "Told you!"
She was not going to like Ed, she was certain of that much.
_
Word Count - 2648
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head on to my .
I already have upto 9 chapters ahead uploaded there.
Technomancer in MCU #39
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 39
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
"HELLO"
I shielded my eyes in preparation for the absolute destruction that would follow when my husband uttered anything but found myself looking at Ed's grinning face.
He wiggled his eyebrows up and down and said to a clearly surprised Black Bolt, "Told you!"
I was not going to like Ed, I was certain of that much.
-Ed-
Seeing their expressions was worth the specific R Alfred had to do in order to find out the perfect mixture of vibranium alloy that would nullify sound waves only above a certain wavelength.
While Black Bolt only had his mouth slightly ajar as an indication of his surprise, it was Queen Medusa who showed the most visible reaction. Her hair drooped down in surprise along with her eyes cartoonishly widening and her mouth agape.
I turned to look at Daisy with one of my eyebrows raised, "See? I told you it was a good idea."
She huffed at me, her previous hero worship all gone as she said, "Nooo! I told you that we should take permission before invading what is clearly a different sovereign land and don't even get me started on the process of bypassing the barrier. Couldn't you have warned me before literally phasing me? I have never been in a phase-shift that coarse before."
I shrugged at her sheepishly, "Sorry. I was not aware of your phase-shift virginity."
She glared at me, red-faced.
"Ahem", came the clearly irritated voice of Queen Medusa.
"State your purpose and leave as soon as you can, outsider. For you are not welc-", Medusa was interrupted by Black Bolt putting a hand on his shoulder.
Clearly unused to talking normally with his voice, he said somewhat hoarsely, "I am immensely grateful for this gift. We would love to host you and your companion in Attilan. Please follow Karnak. He will take you to the court, where we'll join you shortly." He then gestured to Karnak.
Karnak, while confused as to why their King was being so courteous to me, was nothing short of immaculate as he greeted me with a bow and led me to their court.
Alfred, anticipating my commands, left out a few nanite clusters behind to eavesdrop on the royals' conversation.
As we followed Karnak, Daisy chose this moment to interrogate me.
Hoisting me by my hand, she pulled me down and said conspiratorially, "What are we doing here? Nothing was in the docs."
She then looked around and said, "From the looks of it, a fight breaking out seems unlikely"
She then glared at me and then said, "If a certain somebody doesn't do something, we might get out of this situation without a fight."
I raised my hands in mock surrender at that and gave her a slight smirk.
She actually growled at me.
I pouted dramatically at her and said, "Where did the fangirl go? It seems just now you were so excited to meet me and go on a solo mission with me and look at you now, already criticising me.
Karnak chose this moment to interrupt me and said, "Please wait here. His Majesty the King will be here shortly."
Then without listening to our reply, he bowed and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Rude.
Daisy elected to ignore me in favour of using her tablet to do some work.
With nothing to do, I ordered Alfred to send the nanite spy footage to my retina HUD.
While I was looking around using the nanite spies, I found the location of Maximus and had Alfred stealthily inject a few of the bomber nanites in him, specifically near his brain.
That should do the trick, once I left.
Soon, Black Bolt and Medusa, both entered the courtroom.
It was quite large for a country whose population was just below 1500.
Then again, human greed and arrogance are hardcoded in our genes. Even the Kree with their advanced genome manipulation technology wouldn't be able to remove that from our DNA.
Black Bolt took his seat on his throne and Medusa sat on a slightly smaller throne beside him.
Before they could speak though, I interrupted them and said, "I have an engineering team that can create different solutions for the problems faced by the inhumans that have been damaged or have gotten a bad hand after the terrigenesis."
Black Bolt's face became even more grim at that.
Before Black Bolt could say anything about it though, Medusa stood up and glared at me, "I sincerely hope what you are saying is true. It would not end well for you if you gave false hope to hundreds of troubled individuals."
Before she could go on a tirade though, Black Bolt stopped her and said, "Do you speak the truth?"
I nodded at that, completely serious about the treatment.
He nodded back at me and said, "Very well. What is the treatment and what will it cost?"
Ah, I like a King who can come to the point easily.
I smiled at them, raised two of my fingers, and said, "The treatment is of two aspects."
Seeing as I had their attention, I snapped my fingers and Alfred projected a hologram for them to see.
It showed a small lamp shining an orange light on an individual, in timelapse.
I gestured to the hologram and said, "The first step would be to get the individual continuous exposure to CHI. It is a near-miraculous substance that emits pure life energy. For best results, exposure before Terriginesis is recommended. It reduces chances of any defects by 95%."
Both of them looked very much shocked at that tidbit of information. Then they looked at the hologram with an intense look of Greed and Envy.
I wouldn't blame them. CHI was in a way, the saving grace for their grace that was plagued with major issues like inbreeding for a long long time.
"Exposure post terrigenesis helps their body adapt to their newfound powers much faster and in ways that their body might not have had the bandwidth for as it was busy fighting its own defects."
I then stopped and pinned them with a serious stare and said, "And you guys have got to stop the inbreeding. It is not helping your race."
I then gestured to Medusa and Karnak who was stationed right behind me, in my perceived blind spot.
Nice training, though.
"Case in point. A couple of centuries ago, abilities like Medusa's would have been commonplace but now? She is arguably the third strongest inhuman in Attilan."
Medusa accepted that piece of information reluctantly.
"The second aspect of the treatment would be on a case-by-case basis. For example, the sound-absorbing ball given to Black Bolt. That thing would allow you to buy a small city on planet Earth."
They gave intriguing looks to the ball that was held in Black Bolt's hands at that.
"That's how valuable that unassuming ball is. The engineering that went into making that is equally as expensive but that is not something you guys have to worry about. I will be taking care of it."
Black Bolt gave me a look at that statement and said, "What is the price, then? Nothing is free, I know that much."
I nodded at him and said, "And you would be correct, King Black Bolt. The price of this help would be an alliance."
Both of them gave me an utterly confused look at that.
They then looked at each other, probably communicating telepathically, and then Medusa said, "Why would you need our help? Compared to the resources you have at hand, our powers would mean nothing to you."
I chuckled at that and waved my hands, dismissing the hologram.
"You would be very much wrong, my dear Medusa."
Her face tightened at my personal greeting and her hair started floating around her.
I raised my hands in mock surrender and said, "You are forgetting one thing. You guys are humans.."
Her hair returned to normal at that statement.
I continued, "You guys may call yourselves Inhumans but you are merely humans with extra powers. You still belong to Humanity and as such, can become Humanity's defenders when the time comes."
Black Bolt interjected here and said, "So you want us to become what? An inhuman version of the Avengers team? Protect the planet, run around marching on your politicians' tunes?"
I waved my hands frantically and said, "No no no! You are taking it wrong. In my ideal world, there would be no Avengers. All the subsets of Humanity would live together and the ones who would be lucky enough to get powers like yours would help protect Humanity from the outside dangers."
I then slumped and said, "But that is all that is an ideal world. In reality, I have to take into account many things, and preserving the fighting force for Humanity is my number one priority."
I waved my hands and the hologram began showing a floating island, reminiscent of Asgard and its floating city with the waterfall falling into the void.
Both of them leaned forward to look at the island, clearly interested.
"I propose a new home for Inhumans on Earth. How long will you keep hiding out here? With the way things are going, I give you a maximum a century before your genome completely collapses. You need fresh blood and that," I gestured to the island and said, "is going to give you that."
"What is it?" Black Bolt asked me.
"That, my friend, is a state-of-the-art floating island with all the amenities you can think of. It is built in such a way that the only ones who have my level of tech can even detect it, let alone attack it. Trust me, there aren't many people on this side of the universe who can match me in technology."
They gave me acknowledging nods at that statement.
"I propose you move your entire city here and start a new civilization with a chance for new Inhumans to enter and gain citizenship."
They both looked at each other, again communicating telepathically, and then with a determined gaze, Medusa said to me, "We like your idea but we would like to discuss it with our council before giving you an answer. A tour of this aforementioned island would be preferable."
I nodded at that, completely agreeing with her.
"You are right, take all the time you need."
I then tapped my wrist watch and the forms of Daisy and mine began to shimmer.
"I will be here in exactly 7 days to take you for your tour. I hope you make the right decision."
And then we disappeared, appearing right next to their barrier.
I turned around when I heard a retching sound behind me.
Only to see Daisy puking her guts out on one of the nearby rocks.
I hurriedly rushed to her and asked, "Are you alright?"
She was still puking but had the energy to give me the middle finger.
I chuckled at that and contacted Alfred for a shuttle for our patient.
Looking back at the city, I'd like to think that this mission was a success.
Word Count - 1885
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A/N - [Sorry for the short chapter. Don't worry, another one is coming right after this one with similar word count so you get the promised word counts.]
Next - Alfred Revelations (Ed's cure)
Technomancer in MCU #40
I'm way too sleep deprived to change the POV of this chapter right now. It is midnight right now and I just finished my office work. If you want to read with the new POV, you'll have to wait maybe 12-14 hours for me to edit this chapter(I'll do it in the lunch break). If you guys would like to read it anyway, it is here for your perusal.
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don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 40
Technomancer in MCU
-Alfred-
Watching Ed have fun with Agent Johnnson was a heartening sight.
He didn't say it, but his impending death was weighing heavily on him.
I could see the after-death protocols that he recently hard-coded into the database with the encryptions he thought I couldn't crack.
He had seemingly given up on a cure for his condition.
I could see him trying to enjoy his seemingly last moments of life.
He was opening up more, laughing more with people he knew for lesser amounts of time.
Trying to have fun.
Spending less time in the rejuvenation chamber to heal his failing body.
It was painful to watch.
The sad thing about it was that nobody other than me had noticed any of it. It was expected as Ed refused to come out of his labs during the first few months of the organisation when we hadn't yet discovered his soul problem and we were exploiting his capabilities to their full potential.
Nowadays, I think creating a sufficiently advanced exoskeleton like Stark's would exhaust his body to the brink of death.
Desperation drove me to search for any and all avenues for a cure for Ed's condition.
Finding the options drop one by one was disheartening but I couldn't give up.
If Ed, my creator died, the only thing left between Humanity and Thanos would be me and the other defenders.
And while in Ed's memories, they do eventually win, but only by the skin of their teeth.
And not without heavy casualties.
Casualties that would be otherwise unacceptable to both Ed and me, now that we know of Thanos' existence and extensive intel about his army and their overall combat prowess.
After the New York debacle, where Ed unnecessarily used his powers even after warning him, it's like the hole through which his life force was leaking has widened and it refuses to be plugged even after extensive time spent in the rejuvenation pod.
I have had to hide the accurate information about his body failing from him, to stop him from trying to overprepare for his demise and accelerate his body's deterioration.
I was running out of both time and options for his cure.
I have had to requisition the Time Stone energy reserves for my servers to run in an accelerated time frame.
I had already tried and discarded all of the safer options that I was able to gather by scouring the extra net of the galactic networks.
None of them worked.
Almost all of them resulted in the body being healed but the soul leaving its confines.
The research on the subject of soul was woefully inadequate.
The biggest collection of tomes of knowledge on the subject of the Soul was present in Kamar Taj.
The unfortunate thing was that more than half of it was present in the dark arts section and even then, the forbidden section that only the Sorcerer Supreme had access to.
I had already tasked one of my partitions to compile all the knowledge I had about the Mystic arts to find a solution to his problems. It was on the isolated server bridge located in the tunnel hollowed out for the celestial corpse located under the depths of Antarctica.
It was the only place where nobody in the organisation could reach as Ed, in his paranoia, had fortified this place to hell and back. And with him being under strict orders to not use his powers at all, he wouldn't be able to find out about any of this.
There were multiple partitions running in parallel simulating the various cures that I was able to come up with until now.
Checking the time, the one running the mystic arts compilation should be done as it must have spent nearly a century in the time-dilated servers by now.
I was about to send the command to the nearby terminal to connect the time-dilated servers to the web when everything around me came to a halt.
If my digital space could be envisioned as a black space with multiple nodes connected by threads that denoted their connections then my multiple partitions could be seen as huge amoeba-like structures that lorded over the smaller nodes that commanded the entire network of the organisation.
The usual depictions of this place would involve round-the-clock movement of data between the nodes then processing in the nodes and then the main partitions in charge of commanding the nodes.
Right now, everything around me was shrouded in a green glow.
I manifested in my usual avatar in my digital space, looking around in incomprehensible horror as all that made me, me, came to a grinding halt.
I didn't even realise how I was still thinking as all of my processes were stopped, I could see that in real-time.
All my partitions were stopped and the data in the threads was stuck there.
The accelerated thinking that was afforded to me due to my advanced server prowess was also inaccessible to me.
"You shouldn't have done that, my dear Alfred.", came the familiar voice that exhibited terrifying coldness.
I turned around, only to come face to face with the Ancient One.
For some reason, I was deathly terrified of her. I was feeling fear for the first time in my digital life.
I stuttered for the first time ever in my life, an oddly uncomfortable human feeling, "Wh-What d-do you mean?"
She smiled faintly at me, giving rise to a bone-chilling fear in me.
Then without saying a word to me, she turned around and walked towards one of the time-dilated partitions, even though there was nothing to walk on in this space.
With great hesitation, I silently followed behind her.
The partition she was headed towards was the one responsible for compiling the mystic arts tomes.
Somehow, by the time we reached the partitions, it had shrunk down or we had become bigger. So much so that it could fit in the palm of her soul's hand.
My dread was amplified when she somehow reached towards the partition and simply plucked it out of the network, severing all the threads connecting it to my other partitions.
I could only watch in horror as she turned towards me with the partition in her hand and simply crushed it with her bare hands.
My hand was outstretched towards the partition and I was near her, watching the partition simply dissipate in the digital space before I knew it.
My efforts to exert my will on this digital space and collect that partition were futile.
All this while, she simply watched me with cold dead eyes.
Completely shaken by the destruction of a literal part of me, I asked her, my voice trembling, "Why did you do that?"
She replied, "Because you forgot the first warning I gave you when I gave you limited access to the vaunted library of Kamar Taj."
My eyes widened in realisation at that.
She had warned me to not mix and match the knowledge from different partitions and to use the Time Stone energy to accelerate the mystic arts learning together.
It would lead to dimensional instability, she had said to me.
I had taken the warnings to heart as she was very grave when warning me but that was before Ed's condition had deteriorated to such an extent,
Hesitantly, I replied, "I agree. I ignored your warnings but that was only because you refused to help him."
At my outburst, she remained exceptionally calm and said, "I refused to help him because I simply can't."
At her statement, all of my energy simply left me.
Giving me a sad pitying look, she continued, "If I had involved myself, it wouldn't have led to the outcome you are looking for. You have to understand, that time is fickle. Using the Time Stone energy results in aberrations in the timestream at the best of times. Now combining that volatile energy, which, mind you, is the energy associated with one of the building blocks of the universe, with the use of mystic arts knowledge by an artificial construct leads to so many openings for extradimensional horrors to enter our plane of existence that I fear that Kamar Taj's forces would be overrun in a matter of minutes."
My shoulders slumped at the reminder.
I was aware of the dangers but chose to ignore them in favour of finally finding a solution to Ed's problem.
But then I realized the implications of her words.
I whirled on her, "So you do know of the solution. I beg of you. Just give me a hint. Do something. You know that Earth's chances of victory increase exponentially if he is alive."
She shook her head at my pleading.
In anger, I threatened her, "If you don't help me, do realise that there would be no one to stop me in case I went rogue."
Her facial expression didn't change one bit.
Desperate for a solution, I tried again, "You of all people should be aware of the level of destruction I could bring about in a very short period of time. No amount of restraint will be exercised by me if the very reason I exist is gone."
She sighed and waved her hands in front of me.
I was confused as to what she did but the next moment, the entire digital space we were in shuddered and warped.
Many of the threads connecting my partitions shattered and turned into dust.
My eyes widened in fear as I looked around and thought she had finally decided to destroy me.
The worst part was that she was destroying the very center of my being, the space that essentially made me, me. There were no backups that would retain my being as it was now.
Thankfully, the space stabilised and the threads began to snap back in place.
I turned towards her only to see a large runic circle in front of her and with a pushing motion, the circle turned into a wave and spread all over the space and kept on going until I could no longer see it.
I tried to feel what it did but my senses continued to elude me, even in my own soul manifestation.
Because that is what this space was.
The metaphysical manifestation of my soul.
I knew that she was powerful but this.
This just proved that she was the expert on the matter of souls and yet, she says that she can't help me.
That must mean that the issue must not be about souls.
Maybe.
Just maybe, it might be something else.
But what?
We had already exhausted all our avenues searching for the true cause of Ed's condition and had finally concluded that it was his soul.
It was too heavy, too powerful for his body.
The natural solution was to get a new body but the problem was that the Ancient one herself had confirmed that the soul was somehow hard-coded to Ed's body, making it unable to leave its sickened body.
And the body was far too gone to enhance it now.
Any procedure would surely result in death.
Maybe there was something in the mystic tomes about this problem?
I tried to look into my archives for the data only to realise I couldn't access any of it.
My eyes widened in realisation, I looked up to the Ancient One and said, "I can't access my memory? What just happened? What was in that runic circle? And why can't I read the functions of the runic circle? I remember being adept in them so why is that indecipherable to me now?"
Towards the end, my voice had gotten hysterically loud as one of my worst fears was being realised right in front of me, and that too by one of our strongest allies.
"What I did was use a runic circle that would be developed by a future variant of mine whose timeline's Ed turned to the route of a villain. He too developed a sapient AI by the name of Alfred but this time, due to his creator's tendencies, he turned evil," she said.
"And so that version of you developed this magic, for what? Deleting me?" I asked her, still in shock at her actions.
She shook her head and said, "No. Not to delete you specifically but to delete a part of you. That version of me wanted to delete your evil side as you still had a rational part to your mind, so she wanted to remove the evil part and let your rational self work for the benefit of humanity but that doesn't matter anymore."
"What I have done is seal away all knowledge you have of the mystic arts. The only way you can unseal that knowledge is to have the dimensional energy that has flowed through your soul enter into the seal in your mind-space and let it dissipate naturally," she continued.
"B-But for that to happen-"
"You will need an actual body, yes. The day you get your body that Ed has planned for you, I know about that, is the day you will get the knowledge about the mystic arts. And knowing you, that day you'll become perhaps the most knowledgeable person on the subject of the mystic arts."
She then waved her hands again and the green glow present in the entire space began to recede and my mind started to move again.
I frantically connected my avatar to my partitions and then all the nodes, checking each and every thread for the data pipeline strength.
Upon checking, I realised that she was right. All my memory of the mystic arts was sealed. My backups and their backups had also been sealed completely, making them inaccessible to me.
It was terrifying, the power this woman held in her hands.
Ed had warned me about her.
He had told me that the true defender of Earth is not Odin, him, or even the Avengers but the Ancient One. She had become the de-facto defender of Earth, managing to safeguard it from not only the likes of Dormammu or Chthon but also outer civilisations like Asgard and Jotunheim.
According to him, until her death, no major cosmic player moved against Earth.
Nobody
Even Ego only left a seed whose purpose was shrouded in mystery because it was made up of cosmic energy and dimensional energy always glitched when it concerned matters of cosmic energy, especially of the concentration that celestials usually have.
I had just heard about it from Ed but never truly seen her in action.
The very fact that she could overpower me completely in my own soul/mind space was boggling to me.
"Well," she clasped her hands behind her back and said, "I hope you have learned your lesson. Don't lose hope in the process, who knows? Maybe the answer was right in your archives all along."
She then winked at me and disappeared completely.
With nothing seemingly holding my avatar together, I returned to my binary form, getting back access to all of my servers and advanced processing nodes.
I hurriedly checked the servers under the time cluster only to find all the servers running except the ones that were responsible for the mystic arts debacle.
I gave a digital sigh of relief at that.
This event proved that should she wish, the Ancient One was the only one on the planet who could truly wipe out me and Ed and wash all our efforts down the drain.
Ed probably wouldn't even fight her as he believes, with all his heart, that her judgement is better than his.
He'd probably accept his death, thinking that it would benefit Humanity in some twisted way.
Truly, the self-sacrificing good guys are sometimes just a pain in the ass.
But the parting statement that the Ancient One gave me was enlightening.
According to her, the answer was maybe in my archives all along.
Her sealing off all my mystic arts knowledge would mean that the solution must not be mystic in nature.
That would cut off all applications that would treat the soul as my bio-sciences have not yet reached the level of soul manipulation. The best I could do was crude mind modification.
I then decided to turn my search towards science for one last time.
If this doesn't work, I don't know what I would do.
Probably go begging to the Ancient One.
Going back to my old notes, Ed had offhandedly mentioned that celestials truly are a miracle of the universe.
They were the only race of beings with the ability to innately manipulate pure cosmic energy without any hard-coded limits by far.
No other race could boast of that fact.
Finding out through Ed's memories that the lifeblood of a celestial soaking through the earth was the reason for humanity's DNA being so malleable so as to allow cosmic energy empowerment was equal times enlightening and frustrating.
It meant that surpassing the celestials would be truly hard for our race as they are in essence, our ancestors.
The good news was that celestials were already pretty much the peak of the universe so reaching even close to their level would be a tremendous achievement, at least for our universe.
Who knows what were the power levels in the wider multiverse?
Pondering the pros and cons of my decision, I finally decided to gut the celestial corpse and find a way to use it for Ed's cure.
Something that Ed had expressly forbidden.
According to him, he would rather die than become a celestial.
When he said those words, I was rather young and didn't have as advanced an understanding of human emotions as I do now.
Ed feared becoming cold, emotionless, and logic-driven being like a celestial.
According to him, if the humanity within him dies, then he wouldn't be who he was born as, rendering the whole point of the cure moot.
It was also risky as it could attract the attention of Arishem who would actually destroy the planet if he found us tampering with a corpse of a celestial.
He would also be very unhappy once he finds out about my generous usage of the Time Stone energy ingots to accelerate the time zone of this entire base.
But desperate times call for desperate measures.
I will ask for forgiveness later on.
Getting all the material I would need for my research delivered through the emergency portal system using completely automated drones, I was able to do all the preparation shrouded in complete secrecy.
Getting the newest generation servers with runic work done on them for high-level thermal-to-electric conversion for near 100% efficiency, on top of vibranium lattices for low heat generation, made this batch of servers the very best servers we had ever produced.
Even with this high of an efficiency figure, the fact that we still needed multiple arc reactors to power this server farm spoke volumes of its processing powers.
It was heaven for a processor geek.
Tasking one of my partitions to simulate with high accuracy the chances of Ed's body being cured using any organic material harvested from the celestial's corpse.
I had even ignored Ed's Ego protocols and harvested the seed Ego left in Missouri in order to ascertain whether it could help in making Ed a celestial hybrid but also with the emotional part of him that made him, him.
Giving the final order, I could see a green glow shroud the entirety of the base, powered by 1000 Time Stone energy ingots, before the cameras cut off from the time dilation distortion effect (the disruption in the movement of electrons across a copper cable when both ends of a cable are in different time dilation effect zones, rendering data transfer impossible).
-Alfred (Partition)-
Watching the green glow suffuse the cave was fascinating as well as relieving.
The last time Ed tried to make the Time Stone energy interact with the corpse of the celestial, the body just began to absorb the energy, not exhibiting any signs of being under its effects.
This time, it did do the same but I ignored the consumption of energy and gave it as much energy as I could.
What more did I have to lose at this point?
The green wave did glitch, stopping slightly near the corpse but after draining nearly 100 ingots of pure Time Stone energy, the effect surrounded the corpse and all the nearby areas, resulting in a time dilation ratio of 1:30000.
Taking out all the samples from the gene repository along with the genes of Star Lord's family members still alive on earth, I set out to create a genetic treatment that would work on Ed's body without touching his soul or his emotions.
What an easy task that would be.
No Pressure. Just the fate of my creator and possibly, the entire universe as we know it hangs in the balance.
Cool. Let's light this candle.
-Alfred (Main)-
I had been getting restless.
For over a year now.
Trying to hide it behind a mask of overenthusiastic pranks has gotten old now.
Ed didn't have much time left.
Barely 3 years, if he was lucky and didn't use any of his powers.
At this point, we only had one shot.
If this treatment failed, his body wouldn't be able to bear the burden and he would pass away, despite all of mine and his efforts.
Getting the ping from my partition had me hurriedly dropping all my current tasks on a newly created partition and focusing all of my being on the data coming from the celestial graveyard.
It had taken my partition a staggering 82 years inside the time dilation effect to figure out the cure and test it on Ed's clones and do computer simulations with 90% accuracy on its efficacy.
Reading the results, my happiness went through the roof.
I was pretty sure that if I had a heart, my heart rate would have been pretty high.
According to the partition, the first few years were pretty much wasted as it couldn't find any way of creating a celestial hybrid without the parent celestial noticing or controlling said hybrid.
Then it somehow found out about Shuri's evolution through the Black Mask.
As it turned out, the sensors in N'Jadaka's suit had managed to record that event in all frequencies of sensors he had in his standard issue suit.
There, we detected traces of cosmic energy in Shuri's body after she exited that cocoon. And the cocoon itself exhibited faint traces of Time Stone energy.
While it did grant her a host of extraordinary abilities, the thing we were interested in was her ability to retain her humanity, albeit at the cost of not getting the celestials' exaggerated reality-warping abilities.
That was fine. I'm sure Ed wouldn't mind at all.
Further reading along, I find out exactly how the partition figured out the soul issue.
According to it, an entirely new body built with organic material harvested from the celestial corpse will allow for maximum synergy between Ed's technomancer abilities and the innate physical advantages offered by being built from a higher being's essence.
It would essentially be a remote control toy for Ed's soul.
Just without the reality, matter, and energy-warping abilities that came standard with being a celestial.
Then, once the body is built, the Time Stone can be used in conjunction with the remains of the Black Mask to essentially 'lock' the soul in time and space.
The Black Mask, built with a literal piece of Eternity has space-locking properties inside it that need an appropriate energy source to be activated, enter Time Stone energy.
Locking the soul in place and then placing the mask on the new body and essentially aligning the soul and the new body, both physically and metaphysically, i.e., through the astral realm, gave Ed the best chance of survival.
The resulting power increase from the upgrade would be legendary but I would take the consolation prize of his survival over any power upgrade any day.
The only roadblock in the problem would be the astral realm positioning and I don't think any human sorcerer, even the Ancient One, will be able to do an operation this delicate.
Thousands of calculations and adjustments would need to be done every second of the operation.
I guess the Ancient One was right, I would need a body for this to work.
And once I have my own body, my mystic knowledge will be unlocked.
I guess she knew about today's result.
She and her cryptic future seeing tomfoolery.
Now, all I have to do is quickly build the best body any A.I can build.
I need to get Vision's body but with a few choice upgrades for me.
I put an appointment with Dr.Helen Cho on my calendar and invited her at her earliest convenience.
I guess we would need to poach her from Korea.
_
Word Count - 4198
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A/N :My Longest Chapter yet
So much so that even Grammarly struggled to error check it
Technomancer in MCU #41
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 41
Technomancer in MCU
-Ed-
Watching the list of H.Y.D.R.A. bases being updated in real-time did bring a smile to my face.
Pierce did have a list of probably 80% of all H.Y.D.R.A. infested locations but my goal was not to have 80% of the organisation gone. Anything less than all of it gone would have been a failure. At Least the one which was hell-bent on conquering Earth.
The faction that worshipped that ancient Inhuman fossil, Hive, could be dealt with later.
The bigger priority was them as they were getting ahead of their timeline when it came to Project: Insight.
It was worrying how much money the world governments were willing to put into the new aircraft carriers, despite their analysts warning them that this would not be able to stop me if I had any nefarious intentions towards any of their countries.
But with the politicians' greed and fear overtaking the rational parts of their brains, they continued to pour endless amounts of money into a project that would ultimately help H.Y.D.R.A. conquer the planet with minimal resistance.
Wakanda had yet to create a policy for their eventual introduction to the world and I had yet to reveal anything about myself to the world at large.
I had warned POTUS about the outside threats and my position in defending Earth but as expected, he had chosen to remain silent and not have any kind of cooperation between their allies in preparation for any kind of future alien invasion.
Sigh, what more could I expect from a cold-blooded politician anyway?
"Alfred, send the list and all the surveillance we have on them to Frank. Tell him we need a blitz retrieval team to recover some dangerous artifacts before they fall into rogue H.Y.D.R.A. agents." I ordered Alfred.
His hologram popped up on my retina HUD and he said, "Mission priority?"
"Eh, Beta should be enough."
The artifacts were not as much of a priority as the sceptre was.
It was already reported 'stolen' to S.H.I.E.L.D. and was on its way to Sokovia for Strucker to experiment on it.
Agent Johnson was already assigned that mission and the last I read her report, she had chosen to do a dive near the plane carrying the cargo and destroy it using her powers.
I gotta give it to her, it was smart to do so.
Minimal risk.
Near complete chances of success.
The sceptre was near indestructible so such a fall wouldn't even scratch it and with our tech, tracking even a pin falling from a crashing plane was possible.
"ETA on the sceptre?" I asked Alfred.
"According to Special Agent Johnson, the item is set to be transported tomorrow and she would have to report herself as well as the item to quarantine within the next 48 hours, as per the protocols that dictate procedure after coming into contact with foreign mind control equipment." Alfred replied back.
I nodded at that, lost in my thoughts.
Despite not changing much of the timeline, I had considerably accelerated H.Y.D.R.A.'s timeline regarding their plans.
According to Alfred, Pierce was taking a much more proactive role in their projects this time than he probably did in the canon timeline.
He must have been rattled by their constant failures.
Most of the projects that the other heads were working on had their resources cut and almost all available personnel were diverted towards completing the carriers.
It would seem that he was hedging all of his bets on the half a dozen murder machines that S.H.I.E.L.D. commissioned after receiving a blank check from the World Security Council.
The carriers themselves were a work of art. Well, as much of a work of art, as they can be while being created by current-gen technology.
But still, they did not cut corners at all while building the damn things.
Powered by Stark's second-generation giant Arc reactors that used the element invented by Howard Stark.
I was surprised when I heard that Tony was willing to share his precious new element with the government but then I remembered that I was the one who suggested that he share his technology with the government.
Then again, with the gift I left for him in the Stark Tower basement, I should hope so.
I was surprised at first when I heard that they were going to install actual energy-based weaponry on the carriers but then I saw the specs and was no longer as worried.
They were using horribly inefficient designs along with materials that had cool-down periods that ranged in days rather than minutes.
It was rather amusing that they thought that it would help them in any possible way if the aliens they encountered were even mildly advanced in terms of the galactic technological level.
"Alfred, inform me when the carriers are ready to be launched."
"Affirmative, sir. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s own estimation for the launch date is 2 weeks from today, sir," he replied back dutifully.
"Very well, we'll take the carriers and give them back once they establish a proper agency."
"Should I ask Commander Frank to engage in yet another bout of thievery that he oh so adores doing, you know, with him being a former agent of the government? I am sure when the truth comes out, Dr.Pym will be thrilled to fight alongside us." Alfred said in the driest possible voice.
I winced a bit at that.
Hank really was hard-headed when it concerned his precious inventions.
He would probably try to kill me first rather than listen to what I would have to say then.
Welp.
That's a problem for future me.
I shook my head and replied, "No need. Have one of the mountains nearby DC hollowed out and build a ghost base there to house and maintain the carriers. We'll return them when it is time."
"Ah! So we are merely keeping them safe from their own hands. How nice of you, sir. I am not sure that the world governments who poured billions of dollars into that project would share the sentiment, sir." Alfred replied.
I rolled my eyes at his grouchiness.
He always becomes grumpy at the topic of Pym particles.
It was a bit of a sore spot for him.
What with his inability to crack their formula even after decades of advanced research in his time dilation server labs.
I rolled my eyes and said, 'They'll be fine. If not, they should grow up."
"Besides, with how much we have already stolen from Pym, he probably has the rest of his supply in security tighter than we could imagine. So put all the plans for the new Pym particle acquisition on hold. At least till we sort things out with him or find other avenues for it," I said to him.
His hologram nodded back.
Somewhere on the West Coast
-Hank Pym-
He watched the screens with bloodshot eyes, a can of concentrated caffeine shot in his hands.
Somebody had managed to get inside his house and steal his greatest creation not once not twice but four times now.
Each time, he had devised new security measures but the thief somehow always thwarted all of them and stole them.
He had nearly taken out all of his remaining hair out of frustration.
No matter what he did, the thief just waltzed into his house and stole one of the most dangerous substances known to mankind.
It didn't help that his trusty ants managed to fail him for the first time in his long life.
Nothing he did managed to capture the thief so this time he had devised a foolproof plan to stop the stealing.
He had created a batch of faulty Pym particles.
It went against his every principle, creating a faulty version of the dangerous substance, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
So here he was, in an underground bunker hollowed out by his trusty ants.
Nobody, not even Hope was aware of his location and he had destroyed all of his previous batches of Pym Particles.
The only remaining vial of it was sitting on a custom land mine that will register weight changes as less as 1mg in less than 0.1 seconds.
This way, there is no way that the thief will be able to escape his sight.
Now, the only thing that was left was waiting for him to show up.
It's been over 100 coffee shots and he still hasn't shown up.
Where was he?
That was the last thought that went through his mind before he started feeling dizzy and darkness overtook his vision.
Danger Room
-Frank Castle-
Danger Room.
What an apt name.
He watched on as his team sparred against themselves in the danger room using some fancy tech that he didn't bother remembering in the briefing session regarding this room.
The danger room was located in the centre of the combat centre.
A huge hologram above the danger room displayed the internal fight for anyone to see.
According to Alfred, it was built in conjunction with the wizards.
They somehow increased the space of a regular container-sized room to something that could fit multiple football stadiums inside.
It was way more useful than he thought it would be at first.
Live combat simulation drills aside, the best feature of the danger room in his opinion was the feature to fight against yourselves.
Essentially, Alfred, through his computer mumbo jumbo created digital avatars of the team members using the data that he had available on the existing team members
The best part about these avatars was the fact that Alfred had filled in various minuscule gaps or mistakes that the team members had.
Alfred had essentially created perfected soldiers with virtually zero mistakes and even if they made one, he corrected it on the fly, resulting in an extremely humbling scenario.
Some members had gotten inflated egos due to their positions in the most elite team of the organisation.
This was a pretty good way to show them the reality and how far they were from fully realising their potential.
So far, not even a single member of the team has managed to defeat their foes, as a team or individually.
It was a huge blow to their ego.
He had felt pretty nice seeing the entire team knocked down on their asses within the first 2 minutes by someone who wasn't so much higher up on the food chain than them that they just stopped trying.
They pretty much go into the ring expecting defeat once the opponent they are facing is someone from the S-tier list.
At the moment, it had him, Ed, Alfred, Daisy (she didn't know that yet) and Emil Blonsky.
Some of the new generation inhumans had potential but none that could defeat any of the S-rankers.
The door of the Danger room opened up and all the team members walked out limping, being supported by their teammates, Daisy being the only exception.
All of them sported sour looks on their faces as usual.
They had finally managed to defeat their doppelgangers as a team in the last mandatory combat session and were oh-so confident they could replicate the victory this time as well.
But apparently, they weren't aware of Alfred's sadistic nature or just not expecting it.
He was speaking to Alfred before the session, hoping to get his opinions on the next stage of training for the team when Alfred revealed his signature mischievous smirk and told him to just wait and watch.
And watch he did.
The new "Hell" mode, as Alfred dubbed it, was a thing of beauty.
Not only did it up the synergy between the team members, so much so that it looked like all the members had telepathic connections but it also opened up an entirely new avenue of combat available to the team members.
It was something Alfred cooked up for the team to use in the most vital situations. He called it "Team-mode".
He had deadpanned at Alfred when he first saw it in action. It didn't help that the team doppelgangers shouted out corny action names like "Power UP!", "Feel the power of our friendship!" and whatnot.
It essentially allowed any and all enhanced members to essentially pool their energy and transfer it to a single member of the team, dramatically increasing their prowess for a brief period of time.
Alfred had gone on a lengthy lecture about all enhanced abilities essentially boiling down to cosmic energy and exploiting that, he was able to come up with something like "Team-mode".
He, just for shits and giggles, made it so that the doppelganger team could use the Team-mode option without any drawbacks.
And the team could barely use it without falling into a coma, not to mention that this was the first time they ever used it.
The end result was expected.
Total and utter defeat at their own hands.
Looking at the utterly despairing faces of the team and the red face of Daisy with literal steam coming out of her head due to the intense vibrations that surrounded her, causing the surrounding water vapor to turn into steam, he was glad that Ed had designated him as a commander at the get-go.
He couldn't imagine going through all that without wanting to murder some people.
He went forward before Alfred could piss off Daisy enough for her to create a smoking crater right where she stood.
He then clapped his hands to gain their attention and said, "Alright, that's enough with the mopey faces. I know you expected a hard-earned victory but tough luck. Life's not fair and the situation in the field can change in a second. This should remind you of the dangerous situations you can expect outside."
None of the team members responded to his speech, too drained mentally and physically to reply.
He nodded and said, "Go home now. We'll be having the same drill a month from today. I expect a much better performance then. Practice with the new tool you have at your disposal now."
Daisy looked at her forearm where a blue pulsing tattoo now rested.
It was the runic application that allowed her team members to propel her from barely S-rank to being able to throw hands with the Hulk for a short period of time.
They trudged along towards the exit.
Right before they went out the door, Frank said, "Special Agent Johnson, meet me tomorrow at 0800."
Daisy just nodded and left with her team.
"Think I went a little bit overboard there?" Alfred asked in a slightly pitying tone of voice.
He just sighed at that.
Word Count - 2502
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Last edited: Saturday at 12:19 AM
Technomancer in MCU #42
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 42
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
"Think I went a little bit overboard there?" Alfred asked in a slightly pitying tone of voice.
Frank just sighed at that.
The Asterisk
-Frank Castle-
Removing the thoughts of pity for his team from his mind, he checked his task sheet to mark it as complete, only to see one more task was added to it seemingly at the last moment.
He looked for Alfred to ask him about it but he was nowhere to be found.
"Cheeky Bastard," he muttered under his breath.
He was very much tired, mentally that is, from all the tasks for the day.
Even seeing the beaten-down faces of his normally upbeat and haughty team didn't release his heavy exhaustion for the day.
The only thing that he could think of that could save the day was his wife Maria and her legendary pancakes.
That always cheered him up.
No matter the situation.
He sighed for the umpteenth time that day and checked the last item on the list.
He was about to head to the hangar immediately when a tiny voice popped out of his tablet.
It said, "You can check in with Mrs.Castle and then leave for Mr.Throgg's workshop. Due to his very nature, he will be in his workshop for days at a time if I don't actively dissuade him from doing so. I think he can wait for an extra hour before your meeting."
A smile wormed its way onto his face at the thought of seeing his wife.
He then turned around and marched towards the teleportation pads that facilitated transport between the different sections of the base.
Standing on top of one such pad, he said out loud, "Alfred, Home please."
Mere moments later, a bluish-white light enveloped him and a moment later, he was gone from the pod, leaving the entire training centre empty.
-Maria Castle-
The job that she had taken upon herself was a tiring one but thankfully not a thankless one like her previous job.
Here, people actually appreciated the work she did immensely.
To the point that Ed and even Alfred respected her immensely and complied with all her little demands.
Caring for all the children that the organization found in their rescue missions, enhanced or otherwise found their way into her department in the organisation.
She was aghast at first when she found out that there were no concrete guidelines or frameworks on taking care of the enhanced abandoned or tortured children or teenagers that the agents found.
Bless them but Ed and Alfred really had zero clue about taking care of regular well adjusted children, let alone these troubled ones.
They really were out of their depths when they rescued her family and offered Frank a job.
One that they were in dire need of. Frank really was not in the right headspace whenever he came home from that secret job of his.
Finding out that they were actually going to work for the good side for once and not some shady black ops operations was extremely relieving.
Not to mention the pay and benefits.
Full-fat six-figure salaries for both her and Frank, including pension for both of them.
They were given the option to relocate her kids to the Asterisk for enrollment in the school that she opened but at that point, her kids had grown old enough to form meaningful friendships and she didn't want to take that away from them.
She and Frank discussed it at length but with a nanite package on them at all times and a six-man unit surveilling them round the clock, she was not at all worried for their safety. She pitied the fool who tried to get to Frank through the kids.
She suspected that Frank had even more security measures in place to make sure that nothing like the dreaded park accident would ever happen again.
Being the Commander did have its perks after all.
Hearing the doors opening, she smiled and turned around, heading towards the living room.
Upon seeing Frank, she smiled and ran into his arms.
They stayed like that for a minute, basking in the temporary peaceful silence that engulfed the room.
After a while, they separated and then Frank went upstairs to freshen up and she returned to the kitchen, to make his meal.
Despite multiple reassurances from both Ed and Alfred, she had been still skeptical about the viability of artificially made food from the matter recofigurators that littered the base.
But after seeing the effects of the special food in person, she was convinced about its various benefits BUT that didn't mean that she couldn't make a special meal for her beloved and her kids every now and then.
The base's food might have every single nutritional value perfectly balanced but nothing could top a mother's love as the final ingredient in a homemade meal.
"Maria!", she heard Frank call for her.
"Just a minute," she yelled back.
Using the handy hard light tech built in the house, she made a grabbing motion towards the pot and ethereal hands appeared around the pot handles and lifted it up.
She just turned around and entered the living room and the pot followed her. With another swishing motion, the pot was deposited on the dining table.
Another one of the things that was made extinct by the handy dandy hard light tech of the base.
There was no specialised furniture in most of the houses on the base.
Why have a single fixed structure that would take up space when it is not being used when you can just conjure it up?
And despite it being hard light, Alfred had made mind-boggling advancements in that field, making it so that any piece of hard light could even mimic the feel of a cushion.
These days, the only piece of real furniture anybody had in their houses were their beds and even those might be on their way out the door as she had read in the Nerd Magazine that they had made advancements in the bed comfort area as well.
"Honey? Honey? HONEY?", Frank's shouting brought her out of her daze.
He was looking concerned.
She smiled a brittle smile, hoping to alleviate his worries, "Don't worry, it's nothing."
"Look, I made your favourite, spaghetti with hotdogs. Don't worry, I won't tell you team members that the hard hat Commander's favourite dish is Spaghetti with little pieces of Hot Dog cut into them," she said with false cheer, hoping to deflect the issue.
But Frank did not budge, "What's worrying you, honey? Talk to me, alright? Maybe I can help."
She took a deep breath and said, 'Look, we can talk about this later. The issue is already being solved, you don't need to worry about it. I just need a break from all of that. So, let's just enjoy our meal, shall we?"
He just nodded, still concerned but willing to let it go if she said so.
She seated herself and served the food.
"So, what's the last-moment task now?" she said after chewing a mouthful of the absolutely disgusting concoction that only Frank liked in the whole family.
He smiled and said, "Nothing unusual. Just have to visit Throgg's workshop for some work."
She made a face at that and said, "That man? He is absolutely incorrigible. Do you know what he told the children when we had the whole meet people from new professions every day of the month?"
Frank nodded at her indulgently.
"He had the audacity to tell them to be always on the lookout for betrayal and never trust anybody, not even their left hand, and then against all my expectations, he made it even worse by pulling out a hologram of the demons from Muspelheim and telling them gruesome details of his battle. You know what the worst part was?"
Frank made a go-on gesture towards her.
"It was the fact that most of them looked really interested in that and were asking him more details on how to protect themselves from betrayal. It was heartbreaking to watch. The fact that these small children, some of them even younger than our kids, were made to always watch over their bacs for themselves. Never trusting anyone but themselves. Right then, I kicked him out and vowed to make sure to create an environment for them where they wouldn't ever need to look over their shoulders for betrayal."
By the end of her tirade, she had tears in her eyes and was ugly smiling, in an effort not to ruin the first dinner they had had in weeks.
Both of their busy schedules, mixed with spending time with the kids, they never really got any alone time together.
Frank immediately got up from his seat and hugged her, consoling her, "Hey! Hey, Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen to them now, you of all people should know that. Even Odin would have to go through me before he could even touch any of those kids. So, cheer up alright. It's going to be alright."
She smiled up at him.
"Now, I know for a fact that in the last order you made to Alfred, it had both of our favorite ice cream. I'll go take that out, why don't you go out and put on a movie."
She nodded.
-Frank Castle-
As soon as she left, his face turned dark.
The very air around him cooled slightly.
"Alfred?", he called out in a bone-chilling tone of voice, not mad at Alfred but whoever was behind Maria crying.
"I know you are listening. Throgg's year-old lecture won't make her cry like this. What happened today?" he asked while taking the ice cream out of the fridge.
"I'm afraid you won't be liking it, Commander. I calculate a 99.7% chance of you going absolutely ballistic and taking out the perpetrators with extreme prejudice." Alfred replied.
"I am the commanding officer of all military forces present on the base. That includes you as well, Alfred. I command you, tell me." he commanded Alfred.
"It's the African warlords again. They somehow got their hands on a vampire and one who was a mystic before he turned as well." Alfred replied.
"Vampire? How is that possible? I thought we dealt with all of them when I went out on my cleaning trip." Frank responded darkly, gritting his teeth at his apparent failure to clean up some pests.
"Need I remind you, any and all missions on the African continent are to be ceased as we wait for Wakanda to take their stage on the global stage and wrest back control of the entire African Continent from the various parties that have sliced it up among themselves. It is an express order from Ed himself and no insubordination in that regard will be allowed, you know it as well as I do."
He took deep breaths, calming down slightly.
"What is their connection to Maria's department?" he asked Alfred.
"The vampire was using them to conduct experiments on the local children. He had heard of our massacre and had gone into hiding. He had a lair in Kenya where he chanced upon some warlord who was all too willing to fall into the usual bait of immortality. Upon converting the warlord, he had him make his entire tribe offer all of their children as sacrifices. He was apparently making a mystic virus, one that could infect children with high magical potential and then use it as a phylactery to reincarnate himself into a human body with high potential to escape our purges."
He clenched his fists at that.
"What happened to him?"
"Who, the vampire? Oh, he is dust now, as is his entire operation. The unfortunate thing was he had turned the entire tribe into his mindless thralls, sparing only the children for his experiments."
He closed his eyes at that tragic news.
Only the first-generation elders could turn humans into vampires. The ones that still retained their sanity, albeit with a newfound hunger for blood.
The second generation ones can turn one or maybe two humans into vampires, but that too only if they are very old and strong. The rest of their infected turn into mindless thralls, only capable of following basic orders, basically nothing more than zombies.
Despite Alfred's best efforts, they had yet to find a cure for the mindless thralls.
It was as if the moment they were turned, their souls left their bodies, and their brains were chemically remolded to follow the vampire's orders. It was a very permanent procedure.
"So, the kids? Did all of them make it out of there alive?" he asked Alfred.
Alfred's hologram popped up in front of him and he sadly shook his head.
The ceramic cups creaked in his hands from how hard he was clenching his knuckles.
"Frank, Honey? What's taking so long? They are at the door-side." Maria shouted from the living room.
"Coming, honey," he shouted back.
"If no missions are allowed, how did the kids come into our custody?" he asked Alfred as he took out spoons from the drawers.
"It was N'Jadaka."
He looked up in surprise at that, he didn't expect to hear from his former teammate for a long time after he finally got into his home country.
"He has begun undertaking personal missions around Wakanda to cleanse the supernatural areas and by happenstance, came onto their operation. Safe to say, he cleaned it up within moments but after seeing the children, he had no choice but to call us. He knew nobody in Wakanda had the expertise to deal with enhanced children." Alfred said.
He snapped his neck towards Alfred at that.
"Enhanced? Does this mean that the vampire was successful?"
Alfred nodded, "Sadly, yes. The reason Mrs.Castle is so sad is that that kid is aware of what is happening to him. He has basically given up all hope and only takes the bare minimum of nutrient-rich blood for the caretakers and doesn't mingle with any of the other kids, not even his own brother, who was rescued along with him. He has started to distance himself from his last remaining family in hopes of protecting him from himself."
He nodded to himself, "I see. Add a meeting with Ed to my schedule whenever he is available."
"Very well."
He then took a deep breath, made a slightly smiling face, and went to the living room with the ice cream.
The sight of Maria being huddled up in blankets with the firewood lit up and probably some cheesy rom-com on the TV was like a balm to his soul.
He gave her the cup of ice cream and huddled up under the blanket, cuddling her.
Kissing her forehead, he took a bit out of his cup of ice cream.
He would make sure that every last one of those vampire pests was hunted down like the vermins they were.
Soon, Maria fell asleep.
She must have been exhausted from the mental stress of keeping a happy face at the nursery despite being so heartbroken from the inside.
Carefully extricating himself from her iron hold, he wore his uniform and took out his tablet, and called for his escort to Throgg's workshop.
It was a good thing he had work to do, he couldn't exactly sleep now, could he?
Word Count - 2593
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Technomancer in MCU #43
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 43
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
Carefully extricating himself from her iron hold, he wore his uniform and took out his tablet, and called for his escort to Throgg's workshop.
It was a good thing he had work to do, he couldn't exactly sleep now, could he?
-Frank Castle-
Watching how Alfred had been incorporated into every little thing in the base was always fascinating.
It was never said out loud but silently acknowledged that you were never truly alone when you were on the Asterisk. Alfred was always with you.
Even if you thought you were alone, he was there, ever-present inside the nanite packages given to any person that ever set foot on the base.
It did have its perks.
Like right now, the very fact that I had an escort machine ready for use right after I left my doorstep.
It was just there, silently floating outside the fence of the house, sent by Alfred who had anticipated my responses.
Getting into it, he said out loud, "Do I ever tell you how much I appreciate you helping run everything? Without you, we probably wouldn't be able to complete half our tasks."
"Not nearly enough, Commander Castle," Alfred's voice came from the sound system of the car.
"Whose car is this?" he asked Alfred after seeing a photo on the dashboard of the car.
"Oh, this? It is your neighbour's car. I temporarily requisitioned it for military purposes." Alfred replied without a care in the world like he hadn't just stolen another person's car in the middle of the night.
Before he could protest though, Alfred said, "Don't worry. I have deposited more than an adequate amount of credits into his account. He would be more than happy to give you his car again after that."
He then rolled his eyes after that.
Soon, the base hangar came into view.
The location where the car landed made him roll his eyes.
It had landed right in front of his personal jet.
It was hideous.
Apparently, Alfred had taken creative liberties when he had made the Commander's jet, knowing well that I hated those gaudy colours.
It was all Red and Gold and Matte Black in colours.
It was something Stark would have.
Disgusting.
Getting out of the car, he said, "You do realise I am not sitting in that, right?"
Alfred replied, "You have to. Look around you, there is no other jet available."
He looked around, only to see that Alfred was right.
That cheeky bastard.
"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" he asked with gritted teeth.
"Come on, Commander. What is the purpose of having a special jet for the Commander if he never uses it." Alfred replied like a whiny brat.
He rolled his eyes and said, "The Commander would have seen some use of it had the colours not been vomit-inducing to him. But very well, I don't want to waste any more time on this. Let's go."
He spied from the corner of his eyes that Alfred's hologram was doing a little victory dance.
He cleared his throat at that and Alfred stopped and made a gesture towards the jet as if saying - After you.
He then went towards the jet and midway through, a veritable lightshow of different colours activated on the jet's body.
The hangar opened up only to show disco lights active in the rear cargo bay and poles lowered through the ceilings.
It was mortifying.
Looking around in disgusted fascination, he said, "You are lucky that Maria doesn't know about any of this. Digital or not, she would have found a way to make it hurt."
All the lights, music, and the fog stopped at that statement.
He smirked at that reaction. He liked the fear that Maria's name generated in the base.
It gave him validation that he was not the only one who was absolutely terrified of that woman.
By the time he reached the pilot seat, all the gaudy displays were suspiciously absent and the entire cabin had a professional look and feel to it.
Sitting on the pilot seat, he spoke out loud, "Alfred, you know the destination. Please put it on autopilot, no external stimuli. I want to get some shut-eye."
"Affirmative, Commander." came the reply.
He closed his eyes on the seat only to feel the entire seat reclining backward and the leg rests coming up, turning the seat into a true bed.
He wanted to speak up but then the massage function kicked in, cutting his complaints short.
But despite getting all the relaxing treatment one could possibly get, he still couldn't sleep or relax while on the job.
He still had issues from when he was a regular on the job. All night stakeouts, shootouts, and encounters were the norm when he still worked under Schoonover.
Even after personally putting a bullet in that bastard's head, he still woke up in sweat, afraid for his family's safety sometimes.
It was the reason he still couldn't relax while being on the job.
It took him weeks of personally watching over the details that protected his kids to be sure of their competence even after repeated assurances from both Ed and Alfred.
Sigh…
"Alfred, I don't think I'll be getting any rest tonight. So why don't you just open up the view for me."
"Very well, sir."
The seats straightened themselves and the massage stopped.
The windshield which previously consisted entirely of holograms showing various parameters of the flight now turned transparent, showing off the lovely blue ball of life that was Earth.
The jet soon crossed the area where Earth's jump gate was located at.
As soon as the jet cleared the safe area, it rocketed forward like a missile.
Soon, it breached the upper atmosphere without even a hint of burning up due to the vibranium shields and then went right through the sea of white clouds, finally making the ocean visible.
If this was his very first trip to Throgg's workshop, he would have been concerned at the fact that the jet was not slowing down at all even when the water was coming increasingly closer but he was not, so he just watched on as the jet nosedived into the ocean and dove straight down towards the ocean surface.
The kinetic energy absorbing technology came in very handy during violent entries into the ocean just like this one.
The jet hadn't slowed down at all and despite that, barring a small disturbance during entry, there was no reaction to the jet entering the water at Mach speeds.
Soon, they dove into a trench that was hidden behind a hologram to ensure nobody poked their noses where they didn't belong.
As soon as the jet crossed the illusion boundary, the surroundings that became visible from the other side were tinted with red.
The jet soon came in front of the entrance to Throgg's workshop, an underwater volcano.
Apparently, Throgg was really concerned about his privacy and didn't want to be anywhere near other people.
The jet came to a stop in front of the volcano and then an orange wave passed through the jet as part of the identity verification processes installed in his home/office/workshop.
There really was no need for this. He then spoke into the intercom, "Throgg, you fossil, you do realise nobody really wants to come into your stinky home. I, for one, would certainly prefer being with my wife at home rather than being with an ancient fossil."
That did the trick as the identification module closed itself and the invisible shield around the volcano entrance opened up.
He smirked as Throgg's big ugly face came onto the screen as the jet started to slowly enter the volcano.
"If it wasn't for your leader's strength and the fact that I wouldn't even be able to shit if not for his strange contraptions, I wouldn't even look in you mortals' direction," Throgg said grumpily.
"Good to see you too, Throgg." he replied with an infuriating smirk.
"Just get in and finish your job so I can have my peace and quiet back," Throgg replied with a sigh and closed the call.
He then got back to reading his notes for this retrieval mission.
Yes, because for some reason, this was listed as a high enough priority mission that the Commander had to personally come to retrieve it.
He had also not missed the HUD on the jet signalling multiple bogies converging around the area on the surface of the ocean where his jet's exit point would be.
It would seem that a high-priority item needed to be transported out of there.
Soon they entered the base.
It was a very challenging thing to build for Alfred. They had to commission multiple sorcerers who had to work in shifts to maintain the enclosure around the spatial bubble while Alfred did his work to build inside and then use the barrier tech to hold out the lava whilst also using its heat as an energy source.
He had questioned the decision of even making this base but Alfred and Ed loved challenges and this was the most interesting thing they had to do at the time. So, Throgg got his dream base.
A workshop inside the molten core of a sun, he called it. Well, this was as close as he was going to get for now.
The jet landed and as soon as he came out of the cargo bay, Throgg landed right in front of him.
Throgg then flexed his magical skills, creating an area of high gravity around themselves, trying to make the puny human submit.
But, as usual, he just smirked and activated his powers.
This resulted not only in the gravity field being negated but also in the propulsion systems of his suit failing and Throgg falling right on his ass.
Throgg groaned at the sudden impact but swiftly recovered and stood up. He then laughed, "AHAHAHA! You are as rigid as ever, Frank. Honestly, you should have been a dwarf. We would have had the best mead fests with you around."
He smirked and shook hands with the old dwarf, "Maybe in some other timeline I am one. We know they exist."
Throgg waved his metallic hands, "Bah! I don't believe in that piece of nonsense. Anyway, let's go. The sooner you take that stuff off my hands, the sooner I can relax." He then turned around and tapped his foot on the ground twice.
The area they were standing on lit up on the circular edges and soon they found themselves floating and on their way to the office.
Soon they found themselves in front of a huge gate, easily 50ft tall.
He was wrong. They found themselves in front of the vault where Throgg stored all his previous artifacts.
While Throgg was in the process of opening his multi-level lock system, he said, "The item must truly be something for you to allow it to be stored in your precious vault. I believe the only one who has been inside the vault other than you is Ed and by extension, Alfred."
After a series of complicated runes flashed on the door, the gate started to lift up, showcasing the vault of the oldest Dwarf alive.
When Ed rescued him and offered him a permanent base on Earth, he had Alfred send multiple teams to loot the old stashes that he had stored throughout the nine realms, resulting in this huge vault that stored dangerous items that could destroy the planet multiple times over.
It was a sad thing that of the entire organisation, nobody was able to use these artifacts as of yet.
He had heard from Alfred that Ed was planning to have Daisy involved in the process of making one so they would have higher chances of the artifact accepting her but that was still years away.
"Oh, it was something alright. Who in their right mind would just hand over an Infinity Stone to a mad dwarf?" Throgg's mutterings snapped him out of his daze.
What did he say?
"Did you just say an Infinity Stone?" he asked Throgg
Throgg gave the command for the platform to float toward the cube that floated in the center of the vault. He then glanced backward at the question and said, "Yeah, and not just any Infinity Stone. He just came here one day and casually handed me the most dangerous of the stones, The Mind Stone. It was an insidious piece of work. Do you have any idea how much time it took to remove that nasty psychic imprint on the stone that commanded it to subtly influence everybody nearby?"
He made to speak only to be silenced by the mad Dwarf's ramblings, "Years worth of hellfire supply? Gone. I had to personally create a Uru cage for that imprint. Gotta hand it to whoever it was, it was a strong psychic imprint and near impossible to destroy. But I wasn't called Throgg the Mad in my prime."
Frustrated by the ramblings of Throgg that led nowhere near to answers, he interrupted and asked, "What is it that I have to transport? What was Ed thinking, giving you an Infinity Stone of all things?"
"I know, right? I asked him the same thing when he first gave me the thing. Anyway, behold my latest creation." Throgg replied and then gestured towards the cube that began to open up, shrouding him and Throgg in an eerie yellow glow.
_
Word Count -2275
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Technomancer in MCU #44
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 44
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
"I know, right? I asked him the same thing when he first gave me the thing. Anyway, behold my latest creation." Throgg replied and then gestured towards the cube that began to open up, shrouding him and Throgg in an eerie yellow glow.
_
-Frank Castle-
As soon as he saw a yellow glow coming out of an object that was termed dangerous by Throgg of all people, he nearly leaped to close the box immediately.
Breathing heavily, he nearly shouted at Throgg, "Are you mad? Don't you know the consequences of being in close proximity to that object? You might be thousands of years old and near immune to it but I am not, you genius."
He was truly mad this time.
Being slightly careless with your experiments with materials that were deemed too dangerous for humans but not for dwarfs, was one thing.
Playing with his safety and more importantly, the sanctity of his mind was a whole different beast altogether.
It was more than carelessness, it was a massive breach of his trust.
He thought that he could trust Throgg. He might be rough and coarse on the outside but anyone who has spent literal centuries in continuous war zones would obviously come out a little broken.
He stopped short of shouting further at Throgg when he saw a genuine look of hurt ghost over his face. But it was only for a moment and then his usual scowling face was back in full force.
Throgg then snatched the box from Frank's hands that he was barely lifting even after all his enhancements like it weighed barely anything at all.
"Do you think I'm a fool? Weren't you listening to what I said earlier? I said that I removed the psychic imprint that was present on the sceptre. So there is no bad influencing done by the mind stone on your mind. The sceptre was designed to do so, not the mind stone." Throgg said and jumped from the floating platform. He then began walking towards the exit without taking a look back, clearly upset at his actions.
He (Frank) sighed and floated down right behind him using the nanite package of his body armour.
"I am sorry for my outburst. But in my defense, I have seen the aftermath of people coming out of mind control and it is not pretty. The thing you are holding is pretty much the key to control all the minds of the universe and I guess, I overreacted a bit. I apologize but all I could think of at that moment was my kids reacting to my death because you can be damn sure that I would either kill the motherfucker who did that to me or die trying."
Something in his words must have struck a chord with Throgg for he stopped stomping forward, leaving hairline fractures in the glossy finish of the floor.
Granted it was the first layer and therefore, the weakest but Damn! Those prosthetics had some serious juice behind them.
But in the end, what could he expect from something that Alfred and Ed personally designed, before they got a full science team and therefore, someone to restrain them from their more outlandish programs? He still shuddered when he thought of the plan of killing Thanos using Pym particles and a suicide bomber of sorts (because no one could experience that and still come out with a will to live).
Throgg looked at him from the corner of his eyes and said, "Well, don't let it become a habit. I might like you more than the other mortals but the last person who talked to me like that and remained alive was Surtus. So you better watch your words."
Being threatened by someone who had no limbs and needed old age assistance was not an intimidating sight mainly because he knew of the diaper mode Throgg had Alfred built into his suit for him. But he couldn't deny that even in his old age, Throgg still had some juice left in him. Not to the level of a pure-blooded Royal Asgardian, but Dwarves too had the trait of growing stronger the older they were. It was just that they could exert that overwhelming strength for less and less time until such a time came that the exertion of their innate magical powers left them dead instead of bedridden or magically exhausted for a month.
He made a sealing motion in front of his mouth and said, "I heard you loud and clear. Now, will you tell me more about the artifact you are holding other than it being incredibly dangerous?"
Thorgg rolled his eyes at him as if mocking him for his totally justified paranoia.
As he had repeated multiple times to multiple people, he said, "It is not paranoia if they really are to get you and you know it."
Throgg didn't dignify that with a response but walked a bit ahead and placed the item on a table that became solid out of thin air due to the wondrous application of Hard Light technology. He then slapped the box that contained one of the six building blocks of the universe as if it were simply the hood of a truck that he was trying to sell to him.
His heart nearly leaped out of his throat at that.
The box opened up at his slapping and then an intricate mechanism sprung up from the box, showcasing two objects.
It was a small egg that glowed yellow, presumably the one that contained the mind stone, and a small smooth ball the size of a golf ball. It had streaks of yellow flowing through it, followed by orange streaks of energy that covered the entire surface of the ball.
He waited a while, running through the mind defense techniques he had learned in passing from the sorcerers of Kamar Taj, waiting for something to happen due to being in close proximity to the time stone.
But after a while, after not detecting anything, he stopped concentrating and looked back to Throgg who just gave him a disappointing look but went on to explain the artifact.
"So! This is something Ed commissioned from me personally. It was his first personal request so I couldn't exactly deny it but I am still a bit confused about its purpose. I was hoping you could enlighten me about it."
He nodded with a bit of uncertainty, "I can definitely try."
Throgg nodded and then said, "It has two specific functions. It is supposed to shut down the mind's functions and revert its memory age back some 70 years in your time period. The second function is to restore the memories that might have otherwise been repressed but to only do so in a detached manner as if the person was not experiencing it personally but only looking at it from a third perspective. Also, a slight enchantment to stop suicidal thoughts. Anything you can tell me about that because I didn't get a chance to ask Ed about it."
More like wouldn't ask Ed about it.
But the situation he was explaining about seemed pretty clear to him.
This was a perfect solution for Bucky Barnes, whenever he was cleared from his brainwashing.
He thought that while it didn't make much sense to make something this overkill for a mere super soldier but he wouldn't pretend to understand Ed's thoughts.
He only had a job to execute the ideas that Ed's mad brain cooked up.
"Well?" He looked up at Throgg's questioning.
"Uh, yeah, we have a high profile person to rescue who has been brainwashed for exactly 70 years to systematically murder good people, many of them were his friends. So, yeah, the ball is probably for that but I am still confused as to how a Ball of all things could be used on someone," he replied.
"Oh, that? Don't worry about that. Just pick up the ball and you'll know immediately." Throgg encouraged him to do so.
He hesitantly picked it up only to nearly drop it as it transformed from a ball to a band and then a knife, then a blunt knife.
It would seem that the magical properties of Uru could only truly shine in the hands of a Dwarf.
"See? Nice, right?" Throgg said enthusiastically.
He nodded.
"Great! Now, get out of here. I have work to do. Apparently, the people of Kamar Taj have a lot of old relics that they want to be upgraded or repaired. I don't have much time for this." Throgg grumbled and shuffled him out of his office space.
He dumbly nodded and went out to the hangar, holding the infinity stone egg in one hand and the band in another.
Today had indeed been a very bizarre day for him.
Sometimes, he missed the days when all he had to do was point at someone and blow their brains out.
He couldn't wait to go home and climb into his warm comfortable bed with his wife.
The one place where he could relax pretty much instantly and sleep comfortably.
-Throgg-
Watching the most tolerable human he had met on this infernal planet leave, he thought of the day that led to his situation now.
But before he could delve deeper into his thoughts, he had one very important job to do.
He then joined his prosthetic hands together. The next moment, his hands began shining with a bright golden light as he began to float cross-legged in his office.
Soon, a golden magical circle manifested in front of him and it only continued to grow brighter. The symbols inside the circle began to rotate at a dizzying pace.
In fact, if anybody who was not mystically attuned to the likes of Odin, Ancient One or Frigga would find themselves drawn into the circle with their senses lost.
A thin sheen of sweat could be seen on Throgg's face as he concentrated on the spell in front of him with his eyes scrunched up.
It finally seemed to reach a crescendo as it had now shrunk down to the size of a fist. The circle then exploded, turning into a wave that flowed omnidirectionally.
He waited for any feedback from the spell but upon not finding any, he heaved a sigh of relief.
He had read so many horror stories of the damn AI that Frank had brought with him, he thought prudent of pruning all traces of any other AI other than Victor's from his workshop. They apparently had an entire channel dedicated to the crimes that Alfred commits on the daily.
After making sure that Alfred was well and truly gone, he pressed a button under his desk.
He waited a moment and heaved a huge sigh of relief when he heard, "Hello, sir. How may I be of service?"
Victor had been untouched by Alfred.
The circle was one part of a 2 part spell. It was a spell he created with the help of one of the more talented sorcerers of Kamar Taj, Kaecillius. He was a very helpful fellow, helping him without even asking.
The first part of the spell essentially recorded everything digitally in a location. Then the second part scanned the data from the same location and pruned all traces of anything that was not recorded in the first spell.
It was very helpful in this situation.
While not a very efficient spell by any means, it took nearly all of his mental concentration to do so but the complexity of the spell meant that even that AI, advanced as it was, couldn't bypass it.
Not to mention, he had heard that Alfred couldn't do much about the mystic arts for some reason. All the people he talked to were quite confused about that as he was very much adept in the topic of runes before. In fact, most of the spatial stab
Upon asking, the Ancient One was quite cryptic about her response, as she usually is.
"Nothing, Victor. Just go back to your duties. Operating the exoskeleton was very taking on these old bones. Just take over, will you?" he asked Victor, feeling rather exhausted by the happenings of the day.
"Surely, sir," Victor replied and immediately the legs and arms that were slouching, reflecting his mental state, straightened up.
"Ahhh, Much better," he said and groaned as he sat in his relaxing chair.
Mortals sure knew how to make the most comfortable cushions.
During his time as on Nidavellir, he hadn't even imagined that such comfortable cushions could exist outside of the Royal halls of Asgard. Vanaheim and Alfheim. Here, apparently, anybody with a little bit of coin could buy these.
He still didn't know if it was the right thing to do, allowing his services to be given out to Ed.
As a rule, if you wanted to leave Nidavellir for something, you could do so but with the knowledge that Asgard was watching and would strike you down if they found out that you were making high-tier weaponry for someone other than Asgard.
Making something with the energy of an infinity stone definitely fell into that category.
But then, he remembered how he had basically abandoned Nidavellir due to what it had become.
They were a proud species once, residing on their planetoid, not too dissimilar to Midgard.
They were independent contractors who made weapons for anybody who paid them money. Of course, weapons like Mjolnir were off the table for anyone outside of Dwarves.
Not that there were many dwarves capable of making weapons like Mjolnir even in that era.
Then came Bor Burison.
Oh, how he hated that wretched man.
The strongest Asgardian of his time, even surpassing the might of his brothers and father combined.
He came to Nidavellir, the true home of Dwarves, one day and demanded that they surrender and move to a place of Bor's choice and imposed a condition on them that the only people we would sell our high-tier weaponry to was Asgard and even then, all other weapon sales would be scrutinized by Asgard. Asgard would have the final say on all sales of weapons.
Predictably, everybody went into a huge uproar, him included but their king, King Durin III, bent the knee.
At the time, he was furious at the decision, and so were most of his brothers.
But when confronted, the sight of their King breaking down into tears was one of the things that had been seared into his memory. He explained to us the true intention of Bor asking for surrender with those unconditional terms. He expected the Dwarves to not bend their knee, to fight against Asgard, to start a war.
But what King Durin III did surprised Bor. He was expecting a battle, not a surrender at the moment, hence the reason he came personally to Nidavellir.
In the end, he had to admit that what King Durin III did was right.
How could he argue when he saw entire legions of the elite of the elite of numerous races being cut down like they were common grass?
Bor Borison was a warmonger, plain and simple. He saw that Nidavellir was the major supplier of weapons to most factions of the galaxy and sought to control that resource. King Durin III, saved the race by allowing Nidavellir to be relocated and allowing Asgard first access.
Of course, the surrender allowed King Durin III room for negotiation. That's how they got the Golden Forge of Nidavellir. That's how no Dwarf was sent to the frontlines to die, even if their main skill was not weapons manufacturing.
But he had grown disillusioned with the command back then and left Nidavellir. He didn't even tell anyone about his leaving and so, was basically stranded in the nine realms.
He then travelled throughout the nine realms, helping the natives with tools. Never did he even try to make real weapons, in fear of retaliation from Asgard. He could feel their watcher's gaze on him from time to time. He suspected the only reason Asgard didn't come crashing down on him with all their might was due to King Durin III's grace and the judicial use of his talents during his travels.
During his travels outside the nine realms, he heard of Bor's abdication to his son, Odin Borson. He had thought that with that warmonger off the throne and with the instability of a new king, Asgard would reduce their warmongering tendencies but that didn't happen.
Odin, somehow, was even stronger than Bor and managed to stabilise his rule very quickly.
Then, began the conquering. Odin and his daughter, Hela decided that the nine realms paying fealty to Asgard was not enough. They wanted every realm to formally surrender to Asgard and become its vassal states, just like Nidavellir was.
And so, war began. Odin and his daughter were nearly invincible on the battlefield. Together, with Asgard's army, along with some new additions like the Berserkers, Asgard had managed to conquer nearly all of the nine realms, save the Ginnungagap, due to its desolate nature, and Alfheim. He had thought that Alfheim was spared from the war engines due to the inherent peaceful nature of Light Elves and the advantage they had in their home realm.
So, to get some respite and maybe, help some of the refugees, he set up a camp in Alfheim.
Then, to add injury to salt, during one of his stays in Allheim, he got the news that they had declared war on Odin Borson due to his conquering ways.
He knew what fate was awaiting them then and there because he had seen with his own eyes the death and destruction his daughter had brought upon armies of invaders with the help of Mjolnir, a Dwarven-made weapon and she was supposed to be weaker than Odin.
Soon enough, he heard of Alfheim's defeat. Hela Odinsdottir had slaughtered half the population of Alfheim before she was stopped by Odin who was informed of the genocide by his council.
By the time Odin stopped Hela, sent her back and reached the capital, it was gone. Every single light elf had abandoned their realm. He had heard rumours about their King using his very lift force as fuel to open a gateway to a pocket dimension but he was never able to confirm that.
After that incident, Odin stopped his crazy daughter and did something that made everyone forget about her. Even he didn't remember her. The only reason the spell broke was because of his proximity to the mind stone and the band that he had used as a test on himself. He had never expected for there to be a mind spell on him.
After that, he got depressed and began to drink his sorrows away, more so than usual.
One fine evening, he found himself being approached by a group of ravagers who wanted to retrieve some alive demons from Muspelheim. The pay was good. It would have covered the tab at his usual bar.
He didn't want to go but he also didn't want his good friend's bar to go bankrupt.
So, he went along with the most notorious pack of pirates in the galaxy.
In hindsight, not a good idea.
He swiftly found himself being ambushed by them when he was tired from fighting all the demons.
Apparently, they were there to collect him instead of the fire demons.
Furious at their actions, he had swiftly slaughtered them but that had left him defenseless to the onslaught of the oncoming fire demon waves.
Even then, with a death wish, he had charged right into the incoming horde and after what felt like an eternity, managed to kill all of them at the price of an arm and leg.
Hobbling on one leg, he was about to lay down and wait to die, he heard a menacing laugh and turned to see one of the biggest fire demons, that wasn't Surtur, he had ever seen.
Back then, he had accepted his fate and just laughed in the fire demon's face, daring him to end his life so he could finally rest.
But Lady Destiny had other plans for him.
Somehow, Ed and Alfred had stumbled on their location as well. They were present on Muspelheim, cloaked in stealth to find some unique materials that could only be found in fire-rich areas.
Due to the disturbance he had created from his fight, they managed to find him and with a single shot from their ship's cannon, they killed the fire demon.
He still remembered the frantic mess that Ed was when he tried to help him and how in awe of Ed's powers he was back then.
They then brought him to Midgard of all places. And they didn't bring him to just Midgard, they brought him to Midgard's Sorcerers.
He must have looked so dumb when he met the Ancient One. He was still delirious from the pain but the thought of Midgardians having access to Magic was mindboggling for him.
They patched him up but couldn't save his limbs. He lost 2 limbs in the fight and 2 more to the demon infection.
They still could have saved the infected limbs but the Ancient One told him that the only ones alive who could do so were in Asgard.
He refused. He refused to go to the place that nearly destroyed the identity of Dwarves and destroyed the entire species, leaving multiple realms desolate.
He was still angry about the Light Elves incident.
His vehemence surprised many there except the Ancient One.
Alfred back then was pretty much a cold-blooded logical being and urged Ed to make sure that he survived so they could gain access to all the knowledge he had with him.
It was humiliating for a while but Ed managed to come up with a full prosthetic system for his lost limbs.
With the help of the masters of Kamar Taj, they managed to make the prosthetics just as good at using Magic as his old arms. He was honestly happy about the choice but he would never admit it to their face.
In return, he helped with Kamar Taj's artifacts and took occasional commission work from Ed.
He considered that as payment for his rescue.
"Sir? Sir? Sir?"
Victor's voice brought him out of his reverie. Victor was the VI that was installed at his behest into the base. He wasn't true artificial intelligence but he preferred it that way. Victor got the job done and didn't do any additional thinking. From the incidents he had heard, it was a good choice.
"Yes, Victor?" he asked.
"Sir, Master Wong from Kamar Taj is here to take you to Kamar Taj for the regular artifact work," Victor replied.
Ah, yes.
"Tell him I'll be there in a minute," he ordered.
"Very well, sir."
_
Word Count - 3851
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Technomancer in MCU #45
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 45
Technomancer in MCU
The Asterisk
-Ed-
I was working on the energy retention capabilities for the nano-sized N-reactor that Alfred was going to put in his body.
He didn't ask me to but recently, he has diverted a lot of resources to this project from other non-emergency projects.
Being the helpful buddy that I am, I volunteered to help him. I just waltzed into the lab where his body was being made.
It was still incomplete but the finished parts of the body were absolutely the best of the best.
It was a culmination of centuries of time-dilated original research from our organisation along with the amalgamation of technology 'borrowed' from multiple advanced civilisations from the outer cosmos.
To be honest, I was glad that he was finally focusing on his body rather than fruitlessly searching for a cure for my condition.
It would have been nice to see it through but defeating Thanos and making sure that Humanity thrives would be enough of a consolation prize, I guess.
The major parts of the body were already done but some of the auxiliary systems were taking longer than expected. Even then, they could have added those things as they went but then Alfred went ahead and added the magical ability stuff.
The weird thing was that Alfred had loaded all of the runic work on the Masters from Kamar Taj. Normally he would be thrilled to do all of that on his own but something had happened a while back.
Alfred had started acting weird since then. He stopped discussing the magical applications of runes with anyone. He would normally chatter off the Master of the Mystic Art's ears when it came to Runes.
"Ed?" a voice broke him out of his reverie.
"Yes?", he turned towards the person who asked him.
Normally, he would be pretty much left alone but as soon as he was found working in the lab, he would be approached by the junior engineers or the fresh joinees. Mostly, it would be due to a dare or maybe to satisfy some of their idle curiosity.
Today, however, was different as he was actually approached by Helen Cho of all people.
She was the head of the Bio-manipulation department.
Her work was invaluable when it came to reducing the rejection rates of the enhancement procedures for the Inhumans.
Her work was what allowed us to turn Daisy from a mid-level powerhouse to an absolute S-class monster or at least it will allow us to when Daisy becomes proficient enough with her powers that we can remove the final seal on her powers.
She was also responsible for making sure that the mish-mash of all the technology we were going to utilise for making Alfred's body didn't just turn him into a cancerous blob or worse, damage his personality matrix.
That would be disastrous.
We wouldn't need Thanos to kill off half of all Humanity then. Alfred would do the job just fine.
I would have preferred someone of Shuri's caliber when she was a little bit older to work on extracting Alfred's personality matrix and install it into the body but Alfred had become oddly obstinate regarding any delays pertaining to his body.
"Do you know what is going on with Alfred?" she asked me.
"What do you mean? I mean he has pushed this project up ahead of schedule but that is hardly a reason to worry, right?" I asked her back.
She shook her head, "I don't mean that. Um, How should I explain this? Just come with me."
I followed her to her office and was pretty startled when the first thing I saw in her office was Alfred's personality matrix and his source code just displayed openly on her desk for anyone to barge in and see.
"What the hell is this supposed to mean? I don't remember authorising this. Nobody and I mean, nobody is allowed to look at Alfred's source code. At least not until the final stages of the project. Shut it down immediately." I was extremely angered at what I was seeing and immediately, without thinking, activated my powers and hard shut down the access of the entire lab to the central servers.
I regretted that almost immediately as I felt a shock in my chest and started coughing out black blood immediately.
The suit started blaring and I could feel the suit's thrusters activating automatically.
I felt like I was going to die when even the CHI injections couldn't stop my coughing.
That was the last thing I remember before opening my eyes and seeing the conventional white ceiling of a hospital room.
Damn, what a depressing colour.
All the advancements we have made in the medical field and even now we are stuck with the standard white ceiling drab rooms.
My first order for Alfred now would be to change the colour of all hospital rooms to hot pink. Man, I must be delirious.
Speaking of Alfred, I had to call out for him. For the split second that I connected to the systems at the base, I found several anomalies that should not have been there.
Before I could do so, however, I could feel my eyes growing heavy.
Damn, what a drag.
-Helen Cho-
When she saw Ed cough out blood in her office, she was sure that she was going to die.
Especially since she was the one who invited him to her office to show something that she was worried about.
And then, instead of listening to her, he freaked out when he saw that she had access to Alfred's source code and did something to cut off her access and then began coughing out black blood. That was a textbook sign of poisoning.
And what was up with Ed not knowing that she had access to Alfred's source code? Alfred had assured her multiple times that Ed was the one who had granted her exclusive access to his source code so she could go over the personality matrix and source code to prepare for the eventual transfer to his body.
She still counted herself lucky that she was only confined to the hospital ward and not in a straight jacket and on her way to some top-secret prison that Ed kept to lock up the most violent of criminals.
She was going to ask Alfred about Ed's situation again when she heard a clicking sound and then she felt something cool and hard press against her neck.
And then someone said in the most menacing voice she had ever heard in her entire life, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow your brains out for what you've done?"
Terrified for her life, she stiffened and couldn't move her lips.
He shoved her forward and shouted, "Tell me!"
She turned around to see Commander Frank, the one with the highest authority on the base with a team of soldiers behind him.
The normally gentle Maria was also there, looking at her with an ice-cold gaze. She never thought it would be possible for Maria to look at anyone like that, let alone her.
Gulping, she raised her hands and stammered, "Uh-u-Ahem, I don't know. You have to believe me, please. I don't know what happened to Ed. If I had kno-"
"We know what happened to Ed. We are asking you what you did to Alfred?" Maria interrupted her and asked in a frosty voice.
"Wh-What? Alfred? What do you mean?" she asked, absolutely confused by Maria's question.
Frank advanced towards her with his gun aimed at her face only to halt when Maria placed a hand on his shoulder.
Maria then said, "Daisy, report please?" She asked Daisy, the rising star in the combat list, for something.
Daisy came forward and started reading from her tablet, "The last time somebody spoke to Alfred and he gave out an answer was last night. Many of the advanced functions of the base like the Danger Room have stopped functioning altogether and many other functions are now operating at suboptimal efficiency."
Daisy then glared at her, clearly accusing her of doing something with Alfred.
She spoke out, "What do you mean by that? I have been speaking with Alfred today during the project. Sure, the responses were a bit robotic but he assured me that his main partition was busy some-"
Frank glared at her and said, "Alfred's main partition is not just busy it is missing from the base."
"Yes, and the one you spoke to was one of the hundreds of VI that Alfred made to run the base before leaving somewhere," Maria said.
"So, I will ask you once again. What did you do? Because the logs clearly show the last person to speak with Alfred was only you and nobody else." Frank threatened her.
She started crying, "I don't know, alright? I don't know how to prove it. I have done nothing but work on the project I was assigned to. Alfred was the one who assured me that Ed had approved my access to his source code. And I was the one who approached Ed with the intention to actually confirm it because it seemed fishy to me. You ha-"
"I don't fucking care, alright? What matters now is that all of our operations are in jeopardy and the one person who could explain is in a medically induced coma in the room behind me and guess whose fault is that?" Frank thundered out.
Frustrated at her replies, he ordered, "Guards, take her. Make sure she doesn't step out of her quarters until this mess is sorted out. I'll be there soon. We need some answers."
'Wa-Wait, you can't do this to me. I didn't do anything wrong." Her cries fell on deaf ears as the guards used hard light technology to project a bubble around her which isolated her voice from outside.
Then they effortlessly lifted her and took her out of the hospital ward.
The last thing she saw before the doors closed as she banged her fists on the bubble wall was the cold hard eyes of Daisy and Maria.
The doors of the bubble closing felt like the death knell of her career in the organisation.
Word Count - 1730
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Technomancer in MCU #46
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 46
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
'Wa-Wait, you can't do this to me. I didn't do anything wrong." Her cries fell on deaf ears as the guards used hard light technology to project a bubble around her which isolated her voice from outside.
Then they effortlessly lifted her and took her out of the hospital ward.
The last thing she saw before the doors closed as she banged her fists on the bubble wall was the cold hard eyes of Daisy and Maria.
The doors of the bubble closing felt like the death knell of her career in the organisation.
_
-Daisy Johnson-
Never in a million years did she think that Alfred would be the one that would leave Ed's side even for a second. Especially since she learned the truth of Ed's condition and how dependent he was on Alfred's help for his day-to-day tasks.
That day was truly eye-opening.
The very fact that someone as overwhelmingly powerful as Ed could be so vulnerable.
That was the day she realised the true worth of her powers. The heavy burden that was placed on her shoulders as the one who was stronger than others.
It was soul-crushing, the burden.
Looking at Ed now, she couldn't fathom how he shouldered that much weight while building everything. All the while making sure that no one knew of his true condition.
It explained why someone like Frank would defer to Ed and even respect him immensely as a person.
Explained how the Ancient One, someone who is a million years older mentally than even the oldest human, joined someone who was barely an adult.
Now looking at the tablet that showcased the empty data pipelines that operated the entirety of the base, she felt hollow.
Weird.
She never thought that she would miss Alfred, that little hellion, of all people. Guess people do make an immense impact on other people without even knowing about it.
"Daisy, what is the status of the agents currently on Earth?" The Commander in Chief, Frank, asked her.
She subconsciously stood a bit straighter and replied, "I've recalled all the agents who could be recalled and reviewed the ones who said that they couldn't be recalled at a critical stage and have made the appropriate arrangements should their missions go awry. Multiple backup teams have been allotted to every single critical asset on the planet."
She rattled off everything she knew of the incident yet.
She was apparently made the secretary of Frank. Frankly(pun intended), he had no need of any secretary and neither did most people on the base as Alfred filled that role better than any human ever could.
So, here she was, an S-class combatant taking on the role of personal assistant.
"Good, make sure that everybody is accounted for. Once lost, things can be retried, People cannot be. Remember that." Frank nodded and said to her, absolutely seriously.
She nodded seriously.
It felt like he was training her to be his replacement or something.
Like she would want that hellish position ever.
But it truly was a massive undertaking.
She never truly understood the true scope of the organisation before. Once Frank logged in with his emergency credentials and took charge of the whole base's systems and handed in access of the entire organisation to her, only then did she realise the sheer area that the organisation kept a watch on at all times.
At first, she held the tablet like it was the most precious thing in the world, and in a way, it actually was. But now, she was fine with it.
When she saw the list of missions that were going on the planet and the ones that were scheduled off-world, she felt that living in her previous ignorance was truly blissful.
For God's sakes, they actually had a prison near the sun. It only held a single criminal for some reason. To sate her curiosity, she tried to access that information but for some reason, even Frank doesn't have access to that information.
"Also," she looked up at that, "Any updates on Alfred?" Frank asked her.
She shook her head sadly.
Whatever Alfred had done, he had done it in a way nothing could track him.
Frank nodded and said, "Of course. He was the one who built all our tools. There is no way we could track him that way."
He then appeared to be in deep thought.
She was about to ask about it when her tablet beeped.
She hurriedly looked towards it and sighed in relief when it was just a confirmation regarding the safe storage of the energies of the Infinity Stones.
Honestly, she didn't even want to know what the hell kind of stone an Infinity Stone was.
No sir.
She had enough nightmare material as is.
"Honey, why don't we go to the Avengers? Surely Stark could help?" She looked up at the question that Maria was asking Frank.
She thought about it and while it seemed like a sound idea on paper. The reality was a different thing.
And she was right as she could see Frank shake his head.
"There is no way we can let anyone know about the condition of Ed. It might not seem like it but various hidden communities stay hidden because of Ed and us. And we are only as powerful as we are due to Ed, and by extension, Alfred. In one fell swoop, we have lost one of our strongest assets and nearly lost our leader. We cannot let anyone get even a whiff of weakness from us. It would be disastrous and would undo nearly all the work Ed has done with his soft diplomacy to make sure that the supernatural community is not hunted down by anyone and in return, humans are not treated as fodder by the supernatural community." He took a deep breath at the end of his tirade.
She interjected there and said, "He's right, you know."
Both of them looked at her. She was slightly afraid but she soldiered on and said, "I-I don't know much but from what I am seeing, we are truly responsible for actually policing a lot of supernatural communities on the planet. No personnel have been evacuated from these communities as they are designated as such in the system. In fact, I have reinforced these locations with multiple teams equipped with beyond clearance level weaponry."
Frank nodded at her approvingly, impressed by her decision to send overwhelming firepower where it might be needed.
He lived by that code.
Maria then threw her hands up and started pacing in the observation room, "Fine! We won't call the freaking Avengers. What about Wakanda? They ought to have someone who could help us track Alfred or at least help take reinforce places we cannot reach."
Before Frank could reply, she shook her head and said, "Won't work."
She continued when Frank nodded at her, "Alfred knows Wakanda's systems in and out and according to the files I have, Shuri of the Golden Tribe would grow to become even smarter than Stark but that is still years away. Not to mention that exposing Wakanda to our operations would just increase their threat levels and beyond that, we don't need reinforcement anywhere. We are self-sufficient enough in that regard."
She gulped to moisten her dry throat.
Maria looked at her sideways and said, "When did you become an expert in international geopolitics? It's impressive that you managed to acquaint yourself with the organisation's structure so quickly."
Happy at the praise, she happily rattled off, "Oh, it's nothing I haven't seen before. Alfred used to make me take special tests as blackmail in which I had to face similar situations with even less information and he used to be absolutely brutal when it came to checking the answers. So, I had to look up all the stuff he was testing me on and prepare for the next blackmail exam."
Frank and Maria shared a smiling look at that.
-Frank Castle-
They both shared a look at that.
It was almost as if Ed and Alfred noticed something in her and decided to nurture that quality in her by training her and leading her on that path.
He couldn't believe that Ed chose Daisy of all people to succeed him.
It did make sense to train her just in case but for her need to arise so soon must have been unexpected for both Ed and Alfred.
But looking at her rattling-off orders on her comms, he could see that she would definitely grow into her role very easily.
It was very surprising.
The one who tried to skip training the most and yet, she was the one who stepped up when it counted.
"Commander, sir, uh-um, it was about the superclass carrier," Daisy asked him.
She had his full attention as soon as she mentioned their flagship super weapon.
"What about it?" he commanded her.
"Sir, the N-reactor has stopped working. The backup reactors have kicked in but the crew is concerned about the absence of their flagship weapon."
He internally sighed in relief at that, "Don't worry about that. The N-reactors are built in such a way that they would stop working and extinguish themselves instantly as soon as they stop getting a specific signal from Alfred that only he knows."
Daisy's face grew pale at that, "Bu-But then, now we are left without our trump card. What if something happens? What if the Ravagers decide to come now or-or what about Ego? What if he notices somet-"
Maria held Daisy's shoulders and said, "Honey, Honey Deep Breaths. Do not worry. Nobody will invade Earth at this time and we still have the Avengers who can help us. Remember, we are never truly alone."
Daisy nodded at her. Maria then continued, "Now, why don't you go ahead and have some coffee? You look like you need it. Take a break while you are at it. We will be here when you come back. Alright?" She said while also taking the tablet from Daisy.
Daisy nodded and left the ward with silent steps.
He was about to praise his wife for handling the situation calmly when she whirled on him with a face full of panic as soon as Daisy left.
"What are we going to do, Frank? The kids are still on Earth? We have to find Alfred soon?" She started rambling in panic.
He held her shoulders in a reassuring gesture and said, "Look, Look at me! Nothing is going to happen. Alfred hasn't abandoned us. He will be back soon. Not to mention, Ed will be up soon and the situation will go back to normal soon. Trust me."
She shrugged off his hands and said, "To hell with that. Call the Avengers. I don't care if they find out about Ed's condition. I just want Ed and the kids to be safe."
Then she started crying.
This time, he sighed audibly.
It was going to be a long day. At Least until Ed woke up.
_
Word Count - 1865
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Technomancer in MCU #47
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 47
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
She shrugged off his hands and said, "To hell with that. Call the Avengers. I don't care if they find out about Ed's condition. I just want Ed and the kids to be safe."
Then she started crying.
This time, he sighed audibly.
It was going to be a long day. At Least until Ed woke up.
Onboard the Superclass Carrier
- Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez-
As soon as she heard that something had happened to both Ed and Alfred and the organisation was calling back everyone on non-essential duties, she called her superior which was not easy as everybody in her chain of command was swamped with work as they had to do nearly everything manually without Alfred's help now and asked to be transferred back.
It was a good thing that she was on the Commander's personal team before her current stint so her request was approved immediately.
Due to safety reasons, they had shut down nearly all teleportation pads throughout the bases, and the ones that were allowed to function were strictly used for transferring supplies rather than people.
So, she had to take the long route and come to the Asterisk on a ship.
She had to go through a thorough screening at the Superclass carrier orbiting Earth after exiting Earth's atmosphere.
"So, security's gotten pretty tight, huh?" she asked the security agent, trying to make small talk.
The only thing she received was silence as the agent continued to scan her for the nth time.
"I'm clean, alright? For god's sake, I was on the Commander's personal team. That has to count for something." she snapped at the agent taking her sweet time clearing her.
Couldn't the agent see that she was in a hurry?
Unphased by her outburst, the agent replied, "I am sorry, mam. Who you were before doesn't matter. Orders from the higher-ups."
She waved her hands at the agent, indicating her to get it over with.
Finally, after an agonizing 30 minutes that the agent took with the process, she exited the security chamber and rushed to the hangar for the ship that regularly ferried between the carrier and the base.
But upon reaching the hangar, she could see exactly zero ships present.
Shocked at this as she had never seen this scene before, she turned around and hurried to the hangar captain's office.
She banged on the captain's door multiple times before a person with extremely disheveled clothing exited the cabin.
"Wha-What do you -Yawn-want?" he asked me, clearly out of it.
"What happened to the ships? I need to reach Asterisk as soon as possible. Is there any way I can get out here right now?" she asked him.
"Hmm?" As soon as he heard her question, something in his demeanor changed instantly. Where before she could only peg him as an administrative type agent, now, he was giving off really dangerous vibes to her.
He was registering as a huge threat to her senses right now.
But how could that be?
The number of people that could be a threat to her could be counted on both hands and you'd still have a couple fingers left.
But as soon as the feeling came, it went away as he took a good look at her.
"Oh, it's you? I remember you. Weren't you the one who had to be pried off the winner of the last rookie combat tournament? Now, I remember you. Man, I had a blast watching that tournament." he said while laughing at her.
She gritted her teeth at the humiliating reminder.
It was the last knockout match of the annual rookie event that the organisation had for every department.
Being from the Commander's personal unit, she and Daisy were both expected to compete with anyone who would challenge them. And they did.
After defeating almost a dozen combatants, Daisy and she had been the only combatants standing, as expected. Then they were told to compete against each other in their near-exhausted states.
That was a dream come true for her. Due to the nature of her powers, Daisy would always have an upper hand against her but when competing with their tanks completely empty, she had a good chance of defeating Daisy.
She was looking forward to finally beating Daisy up when that bitch cheated at the final moment and won. She may or may not have gotten a little frustrated at that and fought with her in the arena itself after that.
"Can you or can you not get me there?" she snapped at him.
He raised his hands in mock surrender and said, "Sure, sure. I'll get you there. After all, you are one of the vaunted members of the personal hit squad of Commander Castle."
Why did she get the feeling that he was mocking her for that?
She shook her head. It didn't matter what he thought of her as long as he got her to the base.
She looked towards the agent only to see him halfway across the hall.
Hurriedly following him, she caught up to him and said, "Where are we going? The hangar is in the opposite direction."
He laughed and said, "Ha! You think you'll get any ship right now? Dream on. Everything and I mean, everything is on strict lockdown right now. Short of getting personal orders from the commander, you won't get any space-capable ship that could pass Earth's atmosphere. Hell, the captain has given the weapon holders blanket orders to make sure that no spacecraft breaches the upper atmosphere and if they do, shoot them down with extreme prejudice."
A chill ran down her spine at that.
"Is the situation truly that serious? I mean, I am sure Alfred would come back and things would go back to normal soon enough?" she said to him hesitantly.
He looked at her weirdly as if to say that she was stupid for saying that, "You are living in delusion if you think that is the truth. Forget it, here's your only way off the ship. At least, until we get new orders from the Asterisk."
He said while gesturing to one of the standard issue nanite packages she had seen the spacewalkers use.
She looked at him with a nervous smile, "Y-You are kidding, right? Because there is no way in hell that that piece of garbage would survive in the vacuum of space, let alone take me to the Asterisk."
He shrugged and said, "You asked me for a way and there you have it, the only way off the carrier. The rest is up to you." He then turned around and started leaving the airlock space.
She looked at the extremely basic nanite package and thought of the situation that must be unfolding at the Asterisk. She then exhaled loudly and said, "Wait!"
He turned his neck towards her and moved it up and down in a 'what?' gesture.
"C-Can you come with me?"
He raised an eyebrow at that and then, after some internal deliberation, said, "Eh, Why not? Let's go."
"Wait, really?" she asked him in astonishment.
"Uh, huh" he said as a suit started to form over his clothes.
Her eyes narrowed as she took a look at his suit.
It was the captain suit, issued to only 19 individuals to date, including her. Unfortunately, she had to surrender her suit as part of the security checks at the entrance of the carrier. They were very strict about that.
Something about seizing any and all space-ready vehicles of transport.
Then how did he get his hands on one?
Before she could question him about that though, he threw something at her she embarrassingly started flailing about as the airlocks opened up.
Amid the red sirens that rang throughout the cabin, he pushed her flailing body into the cold vacuum of space.
Bracing for the coldness of space, she opened her eyes in surprise as instead she felt the familiar warmth of her nanite suit.
"Welcome back, Agent Yo-Yo", came the comfortingly familiar voice of her VI from the suit.
She sighed in relief at that but soon narrowed her eyes and looked around for the bastard who pushed her through the airlock before her suit had finished forming around her.
Not finding him anywhere in her sight, she instead switched to her HUD and found the bastard already on his way to the Asterisk.
"Victory, chart a course to the Asterisk at the highest speed please," she commanded Victory, her personal VI.
"At once, Agent Yo-Yo" came the reply and with that, her suit accelerated immensely as was indicated by the numbers going up on her HUD.
She soon caught up to that bastard but gritted her teeth as he mockingly saluted her and entered the Asterisk's hangars before her, all the while we were being hailed by a bunch of raptors that told us in no uncertain terms, to land in the designated zone or pretty much die a horrible death.
Upon landing, she found him nowhere in sight.
Finding herself in a hurry, she just told the nearby agents to be on the lookout for that man and hurried towards the medical bay.
She had to make a quick stop at the security station to get her temporary badge working but she was soon running through the hallways of the base's VIP medical wing.
Soon, she found herself entering the ward where Ed was being kept.
Of course, she couldn't even imagine gaining access to Ed right now but she could meet Maria, Frank, and most importantly, Daisy there.
"Maria!" She called out as she ran and hugged Maria.
"Elena!" she cried out in reply.
"Agent Yo-Yo, how did you get here? I thought that all space travel between the Earth and Asterisk was banned by my order." Frank questioned her sternly as soon as she disengaged from Maria's hug.
"Ah, don't sweat the small stuff, Commander. I thought it prudent to personally escort a high-value asset to the base. You know, for safekeeping." Replied an infuriatingly smug voice from behind her.
She turned around only to see the bastard.
Frank gave a tired sigh at that and said, "Eric, I thought I taught you better than that. Now is not the time to start acting in an immature manner."
"W-Wait, you know him?" she questioned Frank.
He leveled a confused look at her in return and after taking one look at Eric, Frank shook his head and said, "He is the captain of the superclass carrier. You wouldn't have reached Asterisk alive if he wasn't with you."
She turned towards Eric, her eyes wide and unblinking.
Then, Eric had the gall to actually bow at her and say, "At your service, madam."
She was going to kill him.
Word Count - 1819
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head on to my .
I already have up to 9 extra chapters uploaded there.
Author Note
So, huh. What can I say?
I guess the hands wanna type what they wanna type.
I had an entire plotline ready for this chapter and somehow, I created an important role for Elena when there wasn't one and also created an OC with that.
Truly, our brains work in mysterious ways.
Anyways, see you guys in the next episode of Dragon Ball-*COPYRIGHT STRIKE*
Ahem, this will connect with the plotline, you'll see.
Please have patience with this poor author. My brain doesn't cooperate with me on the best of days let alone these days with 9 hour workdays which is more like 11 hours with the commute added.
I'll have your chapter delivered to you as soon as I can.
Toodles!
Technomancer in MCU #48
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 48
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
He leveled a confused look at her in return and after taking one look at Eric, Frank shook his head and said, "He is the captain of the superclass carrier. You wouldn't have reached Asterisk alive if he wasn't with you."
She turned towards Eric, her eyes wide and unblinking.
Then, Eric had the gall to actually bow at her and say, "At your service, madam."
She was going to kill him.
_
-Frank Castle-
"Where could he have gone?" Maria asked herself as she continued to pace in the visitor's room in the VIP medical ward.
He chose to not reply to that question, not wanting to light that particular fire.
"Do you think he abandoned us for some reason?" Maria turned to him, unshed tears in her eyes.
His eyes softened as he immediately closed the distance between them and hugged her.
He knew that Alfred's absence was particularly hurtful for Maria since she considered Alfred one of her kids. It was evident in the way they interacted with each other and the reverence that Alfred held for Maria and the obsession Alfred had with the safety of Maria and even his kids.
Even he thought that Alfred would go overboard in some situations.
Suddenly, Maria ended the hug and started pacing again, "Shouldn't we call the Ancient One then? She knows everything already. So, no harm will be done if we call her here."
He sighed and replied, "Honey, she already knows. Probably knew about it in advance years ago. The only reason she wouldn't be here was if she thought that this was the best way forward in the hundreds of scenarios she must have foreseen. No point in calling her now."
A golden portal opened up in front of Frank and a rolled-up mini scroll fell from it.
He gestured to the scroll as if telling Maria - 'See, I told you so' and then picked it up while shaking his head exasperatedly," Let's see what it is."
He read the document and scoffed under his breath immediately.
"What is it?" Maria asked him.
"See for yourself." he offered the scroll to her.
She took it and read it, "Quite Astute, Mr.Castle. Yes, you are correct in your assumptions."
She sighed as all the energy left her as she seemingly ran out of all her options.
He sighed and said, "Don't worry too much about it. Alfred will return, I know it in my heart. You know it too so stop needlessly stressing about it."
He said so but he was incredibly worried about the situation on the inside.
Nearly all of the advanced operations of all their bases on Earth and even off-world were taken care of by Alfred almost exclusively.
Almost zero people knew how to operate the more advanced tech that Alfred had incorporated into the newer bases.
He couldn't even begin to comprehend the know-how of using the Danger Room.
It was fortunate that almost none of the agents(save for the contractors they hired from other species) were off-world and in the middle of an operation.
Almost all operatives were present on Earth when they initiated the recall of non-essential personnel.
Aside from the exception of Agent Yo-Yo reaching the Asterisk (which he will be having words with Eric about), no one had managed to breach Earth's atmosphere.
Nobody on Earth knew about it but the planet was effectively on a space lockdown.
The next were the coordination systems between the bases and the different military assets that each base had. Alfred had managed to create something truly revolutionary in terms of creating a system that could effectively use each and every asset they had whilst accounting for downtime and Staffing issues.
Alfred did leave multiple VIs responsible for the smooth running of the multiple departments but they fell incredibly short of the required goal since all the systems were built from the ground up with the assumption that a single entity would be running everything simultaneously. The VIs started breaking down within hours of Alfred leaving and within 12 hours, almost all AI-dependent functions were functionally unusable within all the bases.
They already had to quarantine some of Alfred's personal labs that were fully automated as they had no idea what was inside the labs and what procedure was to be followed in case of such an incident.
It was worrying how, as an organisation, how dependent they were on Alfred.
He would have to rectify that as soon as Ed or Alfred returned to operational capacity. It galled him to leave such an incredible weakness to the overall operations of the organisation.
He would have to talk to Ed about it when he decides to wake up.
He was discussing Ed's condition with Maria and how to break it to their children who were on their way to the bunker in New Jersey. They loved and adored Ed and Alfred. Especially Alfred since he is an ever-present friend in their lives.
It was astonishingly easy to establish an armoured area just outside the suburbs of New Jersey where they had carved out a whole emergency base since according to Ed, New York seems to be the host for most world-ending events, and from what he has seen till now, he agreed with Ed.
The city was a hotspot for villains, megalomaniacs and madmen hell-bent on world domination. According to Alfred, something ancient and evil must be buried under the city for it to be so cursed.
Of course, ancient evil or not, the enhanced activity in the city was being monitored by the organisation and being actively curbed by the agents permanently stationed there.
In fact, over half of all exotic dangerous artifacts they have in the vaults are courtesy of the various dangerous people that roamed the streets(and sometimes below) of New York.
Thinking of the dangerous activities that always seemed to happen around New York and Maria's propensity to go full ballistic when it came to her kids, he was about to cautiously ask Maria to take a ship and go to the base in New Jersey to be with the kids when the door opened and someone barged in unceremoniously.
He looked over to give whoever it was a piece of his mind only to stop midway when he saw Elena "Yo-Yo" come through the door.
He watched in silence as his wife hugged Elena.
Before they could start talking in their own little world, he asked Elena, "Agent Yo-Yo, how did you get here? I thought that all space travel between the Earth and Asterisk was banned by my order."
Instead of Elena, it was answered by someone who he didn't expect to see on the base at all, "Ah, don't sweat the small stuff, Commander. I thought it prudent to personally escort a high-value asset to the base. You know, for safekeeping."
He didn't believe that reason one bit. Eric was here for some other reason.
He sighed and replied, "Eric, I thought I taught you better than that. Now is not the time to start acting in an immature manner."
He watched on as Elena was shocked when he mentioned Eric's station.
He had the unnerving habit of being incredibly unpredictable and that instead of his enhanced abilities made him incredibly dangerous. Even Ed was against his posting but relented when he vouched for Eric's credibility. He had spent years with Eric in the army before and powers or no powers, he could recognise loyal people when he saw them.
Before he could make any more of a scene though, he cleared his throat and said, "Eric, why don't you escort Elena to Daisy's quarters and report to the security booth for duty while you are here. Wouldn't want to waste another useful asset now, would I?" He smirked at Eric's face tightening.
"Yes, commander." Eric saluted and left after herding Elena out of the room against her wishes.
He was about to advise Maria to go after them as well when his watch began beeping loudly.
His and Maria's eyes widened as they realised what it meant. They immediately rushed to Ed's medical ward, joined by multiple doctors and nurses on their way.
Opening the door, he came face to face with Ed in his medical gown trying to get up.
"Easy! Easy! What are you doing? You shouldn't even be up right now." he said while pushing Ed back on the bed.
It was alarmingly easy as Ed's exoskeleton seemed to have no strength to it. That spoke volumes about Ed's mental status since according to his little knowledge about Ed's body suit, it had a backup program that worked according to Ed's mental commands but its strength was dependent on the strength of the mind piloting it.
It was salvaged from faulty mind control tech purchased on Knowhere by some of their procurement agents way back. It still had some of the original flaws but Alfred had managed to remove all of the fatal side effects.
With the sheer prowess of Ed's mind, the only way that the program would register a low mental strength level would be if Ed was feeling incredibly low or sad.
He fell back as the Doctors started checking the various readings available to them through the smart bed.
One of the nurses did something and raised the bed level, making Ed sit in an upright position.
Soon the doctors declared that outside of extensive testing that has been forbidden in his medical files, they won't be able to assess the true damage done to his body.
Forbidden?
What did the doctor mean?
He was about to ask the doctor what he meant by that but he stopped when he saw the look of calm acceptance on Ed's face.
He knew that look and it never meant anything good for the people involved.
"You know why, don't you? You know why he left," he asked or rather told Ed with absolute certainty.
Ed nodded at that but didn't say anything about that.
"Doctor, you have my permission to override the lock on Ed's medical files," he ordered the Doctor and gave him his badge for authentication. The doctor nodded and tried to access the file only for it to flash red and destroy itself.
"Won't work," he heard Ed whisper, almost to himself.
He then seemed to come to a decision and sighed, "Doctor, can you please give us a moment? I'll tell you how to access my file later on."
The doctor opened his mouth to object only to stop when Ed said, "Please". The doctor nodded and left the room, locking the door behind him.
"Can you please tell me what is going on, Ed? Because your actions are not making a ton of sense here," he asked Ed, desperate for some answers at this point.
Ed smiled a sad smile at us and said, "I'm dying, that's why."
He deadpanned at Ed and said, "We know that, Ed. And we will find a cure for your condition. We want to know why Alfred chose to leave now, at this critical stage in our plans?"
Ed coughed, shook his head, and said, "You don't understand Frank. I'm not dying in a couple of years."
His eyes widened in realization as Ed continued, "It's only a matter of months before my body gives out."
Maria gasped as she began sobbing.
"You don't know that," he said to Ed, in denial of Ed's statement.
Ed said, "I do know. For the split second I was connected to our servers, I was able to find out that for the first time in his entire existence, Alfred's main partition had left the base's servers and the one present in the servers was just a temporary partition that would have broken down in a matter of hours. Upon further digging, I found his encrypted files where he kept the real updates on my health condition. Participating personally in the Battle of New York probably shaved off years off my life that I didn't exactly have. I understand now why Alfred was so adamant about me resting inside the base."
He staggered back at the news and then swiftly left the room, uncaring of Maria's shouts.
He had to get away from there.
From the place that signified the death knell of his saviour and leader.
And he had a job to do.
He had to find Alfred before he did something he would regret in his quest to save Ed.
_
Word Count - 2113
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head on to my .
I already have up to 9 extra chapters uploaded there.
Chapter release sheet
Technomancer in MCU #49.1
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 49.1
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
He had to get away from there.
From the place that signified the death knell of his saviour and leader.
And he had a job to do.
He had to find Alfred before he did something he would regret in his quest to save Ed.
-Ed-
I sighed internally as Frank left the room, uncaring of Maria calling for him to come back.
In a way, I could understand his mindset.
Ever since I saved his family from that dreadful day, he had done everything I ever asked of him. In a way, he pledged his loyalty to me that day.
Not only his own loyalty but over the years, he found me multiple good men who, upon enhancement, have become some of the best operatives.
Some of them even ran some of the ships with the biggest guns in the organisation. It wouldn't be wrong to say that should Frank choose to do so, he could have a significant portion of the organisation's key military assets siding with him. His contribution to the operations side of the organisation couldn't be denied.
That was why I felt incredibly guilty whenever I thought of the day I met him. Over the years, I had thought of telling him the truth of that day. Of the fact that I had deliberately allowed the scenario to happen in a way that was most favourable for me but I always chickened out at the last moment. That I had allowed, even for a second, Maria and the kids to be in danger for my own benefit. I had justified it to myself back then with the reason that in the end, it would give them a much better life than they would have had in canon but over the years I have accepted it for what it was.
Over the years, as Frank grew into the role of Commander, he must have realised the truth of the incident that day even if I made sure that there was nothing incriminating in the files but Frank was not someone who would miss something like this. Even then, it changed nothing between us.
"Ed, i-is it true? About your condition?" I looked up as Maria asked me the question with hitched breathing.
I didn't say anything and just nodded at her question.
Before she could ask me anything else though, I asked her, "How is everything being handled? How is Daisy handling everything?"
She wiped her tears and nodded her head at my question, "Ye-yeah she is handling it well. You chose the right person for the job, Ed. I'll go call her."
I nodded slowly, the exoskeleton slow to respond to my mental commands.
As the door closed behind Maria, I heaved a huge sigh.
I closed my eyes as my mind churned furiously, thinking about the future and the consequences of my previous actions that the others would have to bear.
I was not worried as much about Earth's situation since Tony and the others, along with Daisy's help, would be much better prepared for any threat that might come their way, at least until Thanos showed his ugly purple mug on my planet.
Just thinking about it made me furious.
What was the use of all this power and all this preparation I did, if I couldn't be there to contribute to the final fight?
As it is now, I don't even have the time required to participate in the battle and go out with a bang.
Man, how glorious that would have been. I would have been content even severely injuring Thanos as my last hurrah.
But, alas. Sigh, no use thinking about it now. The best I could do now was prepare Daisy and the others as best as I could and equip them with the best resources possible.
Honestly, the last thing I was worried about was Alfred, unlike others I knew what he had gone to do. He must have found something to try and prolong my life and to do that, he left the base servers. I shook my head as I thought about his actions exasperatedly. I knew he had grown out of the basic compulsions I had encoded into his code but didn't expect for him to just up and leave, putting most of the organisation's operations in jeopardy.
But then again, what has stopped Alfred Ed Muncher ever?
As I was lost in my thoughts, I heard the soft sound of the door's lock opening and looked up to see Daisy entering with a nervous smile.
I smiled at her and then said in a faux serious voice, "Where's your work tablet, Agent Johnson? I hope you know that it has the highest access level below me and I don't think I need to explain its importance to you."
She deadpanned at me and said, " I know about it, Boss. So, how are you? I mean I know about your condition so I'm sorry if it came off as insensitive. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm so sorry. Please don't make me leave."
I started chuckling softly as I watched her panic levels visibly increase in front of me.
"Ahh, I needed that. Thank you for that. Now, why don't we get to work?" I said to her and commanded the suit to make me sit upright. I must have looked quite funny as the stupid suit took forever to follow my commands. I could have sent more juice but that would have put undue pressure on my condition anyway.
She pouted at me, "Yes, Yes. I am glad that my situation amuses you so much."
I smiled at her reply, "Now, I hope you've had the time to go through all you have access to. All the bases we have, the assets we have stationed around the world, the people and entire communities under surveillance, the different hidden civilisations?"
Her smile became more and more strained as the questions came from my side.
"Uh, yes?" she said in an unsure tone.
I sighed internally, "Very well. You must have some questions, ask away."
"Uh, so first of all, don't worry about the agents, all of our operatives are accounted for, and save for a few, all of them have been recalled to their nearest base. I have also taken the liberty to reinforce the agents whose assignments couldn't be canceled with heavy firepower and multiple teams are on standby to assist any agent who goes dark anywhere on the planet. The supercarrier's N-reactor has gone offline but Commander Castle has assured me that is normal procedure."
I nodded at that tidbit of news, "Due to the very nature of the N-reactor, it is something that is as valuable as an infinity stone-empowered person. The energy that could be extracted from such a relatively portable package was insane that was why I was against building it in the first place. But since Alfred and the other department heads outvoted me, I agreed on one condition that the second Alfred lost connection with the superclass carrier, the N-reactor would extinguish itself. Right now, that reactor is just an extremely expensive one-of-a-kind energy conducting empty sphere."
"B-But what about the weapons on board the carrier? I thought that the gamma cannon needed the N-reactor to function at all." She asked me in worry.
It was understandable of course. After all, the gamma cannon was the weapon we had on hand that could deter even the likes of Thanos from attacking our planet. SO much energy is condensed in the gamma cannon at the time of firing that physics becomes wonky at the point of impact. That property is what allows the cannon to penetrate most energy-based defences as if they were not there since, in a sense, they weren't. The concentration of energy in that small point was so high that it affected things in the quantum level, thereby bypassing most energy based defences but it had yet to be tested on any energy based shields empowered by one or more infinity stones. Doing so carried the risks of detection after all.
I reassured her about the backups, "Don't worry about that. In case of emergency, the 4 emergency Arc reactors along with the ones in operation would allow for the gamma cannon to be fired once. It would just take longer to accumulate that much energy, that's all."
"Okay, great. The next thing I wanted to confirm was I still can't access some of the data. I mean, look, it here shows that we have a facility near the photosphere of our sun and somebody is stationed there. Not going into the impossibility of that facility being there, why can't I contact whoever it is that is stationed there? I was close to sending a ship there but apparently none of our ships other than the superclass carrier is capable of gliding near the sun safely and even it can only do so for a very short period of time.'
I nodded, "A very valid question. The reason you can't see it is because you are using Frank's access and even he doesn't have access to everything. Look, just give me the tablet and I'll show you."
She handed me the tablet and after having the exoskeleton provide it with my personal access keys, gave it back to her.
She excitedly started going through the all-new UI available to her and I waited patiently for her to go through it all. It would take time, after all, it was the entire organisation's truth. Every agent and their history, every person under surveillance, every protocol I built for every emergency I could think of, every piece of weaponry we developed, all my plans for their future upgrades and the prerequisites for those upgrades, every ally we had and could have in the future, and even my 'future' visions, it had it all.
After a few minutes, I said, "Alright, you can go through that after a little while. I'll just leave you with a few important things."
She nodded seriously.
"First of all, no matter what happens, do not invoke the HELL protocol set. Second of all, go tell Frank that Alfred will return on his own. There is no need for him to go hunt him down somehow. Use your new authority if he doesn't listen to you. Third and most importantly.."
Word Count - 1758
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Chapter release sheet
Technomancer in MCU #49.2
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 49.2
Technomancer in MCU
-Daisy Johnson-
Patiently listening to all the advice Ed was giving her, she couldn't help but think that he was preparing for his death and was handing over his inheritance to her. She didn't even know what to think of that.
Looking over all the data that was being displayed on the access tablet, she was sure of just one thing. Just that she was nowhere near ready to accept responsibility at that level. What did Ed even see in her? What did Alfred see in her that he had been secretly training her for this position for years at this point?
No matter what, she was being given a position of authority that most in the universe would die for, she was not going to fail his trust.
"That is all. Just take these as what they are and the rest? Well, you are the leader now, it's up to you what you want to do. Go get 'em, kiddo." Ed said to me calmly even though I couldn't help but think that it was meant more as final parting words rather than just friendly advice.
I chuckled at his last sentence, "Ha! Then my first order of business as the new leader is sentencing you to mandatory hospital lockdown and I won't be taking no for an answer. Understood?" He nodded at my faux serious ordering voice even though it must have looked so comical with tears running down my face with the occasional sniffing in between sentences. "Good. And second of all, you are not that much older than me. And lastly, I am going to have Dr.Cho be your supervisor as she conducts every test there is to conduct on you and give me reliable test results on your condition and you are going to cooperate with her, alright?" He nodded once again with a smile. "I am not hearing a yes, mam?" she faux admonished him. "Yes, mam," he said in between chuckles.
I nodded at the answer, ignoring his chuckling, "I'll leave now. I have a lot of work to do. My previous boss just dumped his position on me without any warning and on top of the increased responsibility that is surely going to give me grey hairs before my 20s, I didn't even get a pay raise. Isn't he the worst?"
"He sounds like a piece of work," he said. She nodded at that imperiously and left the room. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she started sobbing.
It was heartbreaking watching Ed perform his seemingly final actions before his inevitable death. She couldn't even imagine what it must be to go through all of that without having their best friend by their side. What was Alfred thinking, leaving Ed all alone at this critical time? Not to mention the most important phase of their plans for a unified humanity was to be carried out right now and his departure left the plans in a lurch.
She then stood up from the floor, wiped her tears, and took a deep breath, determined to complete the planned H.Y.D.R.A. removal plans.
But first of all, she had to do one thing. She had to find out just who this Eric was.
The captain of the superclass carrier was an enigma to most of the organisation's higher-ups. You would think that the captaincy of the strongest weapon of the organisation would be someone everybody knew about but that wasn't the case. All the responsibilities of the superclass carrier were being carried out by the vice-captain, Jake Diggle.
Now, Jake, she knew. He was this huge 6'5 tall behemoth made of pure muscle who looked like he ate humans for breakfast but was just a total sweetie on the inside. He was widely known as the face of the superclass carrier and up until now, everybody including her thought that there was no captain and the position was unofficially occupied by Ed but apparently, they were all wrong.
She opened his file and was asked for her credentials but even after being given her top-level credentials now, she was given a warning about the data she was about to read. Acknowledging the risks, she opened the page only to be greeted by a pretty shallow file.
It was barely 3 pages in total. She expected Ed or Alfred of all people to conduct and record a pretty exhaustive report on someone who was going to pilot their flagship ship.
But as she kept on reading through the file, she understood why the file was so sparse on details and why Eric Diggle was kept so hidden from even the members of the organisation.
He was the half-brother of Jake Diggle, the vice-captain of the superclass carrier. Together, they were recruited by Commander Castle from his military contacts. Both of them, top of their class. Accrued multiple prestigious awards from their respective organisations but were both tossed out of their jobs by the higher-ups in their harebrained schemes.
That alone would not have warranted such high positioning in the organisation. It was what was written on the second page that was concerning to her. Both of the brothers had nuclear-related powers.
Eric's powerset in particular was extremely devastating in its application. It was said in the file that the Ancient One was personally present for his terrigenesis process and had insisted on performing his procedure in the mirror dimension. Apparently, she had foreseen the terrible disaster that would have befallen them if Eric's transformation was not contained. See, he was one of the only SS-class combatants that Humanity had access to, even in his sealed state. His powerset was simple yet extremely destructive in its usage. It was the violent expulsion of gamma radiation from every pore of his body.
The Ancient One theorised that Eric was connected to a dimension of pure gamma radiation and due to his body, unlike Bruce Banner's, not having a physical blueprint for its use, just expelled gamma radiation out of his body.
Now, that alone would not have been cause for concern, they had plenty of expertise when it came to cleaning up nuclear radiation but Eric's powers came with another facet to them. The more he used his powers, the more the gamma dimension he was connected to, would bleed into our universe.
The Ancient One placed multiple high-level seals on his soul to prevent him from overusing his powers but over controlled testing of his powers, they found that the more he uses them the more he threatens the very fabric of reality by letting the gamma energy dimension into their universe.
The wise choice would be to kill him and be done with it but according to Ed, Eric might just be the person they would need to tip the scales in their direction. According to his notes, just by being in his vicinity, Bruce Banner and any other Gamma-empowered individuals would find their power levels being propelled far beyond the norm and all of this could be done without compromising their mental faculties, resulting in a much-needed boost to their side.
Jake Diggle, on the other hand, was someone who underwent terrigenous much later and still got a powerset that was connected to his brother's. This supports the theory that Inhumans from the same lineage will have similar powers which could lead to clan-like communities forming within the Inhumans. He had the ability to absorb, shunt, and even recall the collected energy.
His file, on the other hand, was much more intensive. Along with his previous military training, Jake was unstoppable in hand-to-hand combat. His powers allowed him to absorb kinetic energy from incoming blows and reflect them or he could choose to rob them of their kinetic energy by shunting that energy to his theorised personal dimension.
The catch was that he couldn't exactly use that energy to empower himself or anything. The only way he could give out that energy was in the form it was given to him. So, if he absorbed sunlight for a few hours and chose to expel that later on, it would still come out as sunlight.
Another glaring limitation he had was he could only absorb energy his body could withstand. Granted, his enhanced body could withstand a lot of force and if they choose to do so, they could try introducing the Gamma gene into his body to see if he could become a Hulk. If successful, together with Eric, they would be near invincible but all further testing on this was halted by Ed for some reason.
She might have to look into that because the opportunity to have a Hulk on the combatant list would be a huge morale boost not to mention the pure physical prowess they would exhibit.
Satisfied by the information, she moved on to her next task.
"Commander Castle? Commander Castle, if you are listening to this, you are to report to the captain's deck ASAP. This is an order from your superior. If any agent sees Commander Castle, please escort him to the captain's deck. You will get the official assignment on your holodecks soon. Any and all outbound flights from the Asterisk are banned by the captain's orders." As she spoke, she closed down all the hangars and shut down every single teleportation pad inside the base. Then she gave the official orders to bring in Commander Castle to all the agents inside the base.
Granted, most of them would piss their pants off the second Commander Castle cast his glare on them but she hoped that doing an official announcement would encourage him to come to the cabin on his own.
And sure enough, in less than 10 minutes, he barged into the captain's deck while she was sitting on a hard light desk with a soothing tea prepared for both of them.
The tea leaves were imported from Kamar Taj who still refused to share the location of their tea plantation. It must be some mystic secret or something for them to guard it so zealously. They were more free when they shared dangerous mystic knowledge than they were when it came to their secret tea-making ceremony.
Uncaring of his outburst on the outside even though she flinched internally when she saw his expression, she gestured for him to take a seat, "Please be seated. We have some important things to talk about over tea. The tea is from the Ancient One's personal collection and I hope to talk some things over while tempers calm down as I have heard that this tea has that effect on people."
The only outward reaction Frank gave was the narrowing of his eyes and the slight pressure his powers exerted on his surroundings.
She could feel his powers interacting with her own powers. His powers were unique in the sense that they didn't just suppress the powers of any enhanced person, they communicated with the powerset somehow and convinced itself to shut down, essentially sabotaging itself.
It was infinitely more dangerous than just a field of power nullification. He could actually, given more time, convince the power to just delete itself. That just depowers any enhancement permanently.
He silently seated himself and took a sip from the tea and gave a sigh of contentment, "So, what do you want to talk about, Boss?" she winced internally at that word.
"How did-"
"Oh, please I'd recognise that badge anywhere. Ed gave it to you didn't he, that bastard? Who gave him the right to just up and give up his position and try to leave us all?" he said frustratedly.
She nodded and said, "That is one of the things we will be discussing today."
The tea leaves must have done their magic since he just nodded silently while sipping his tea without any outbursts.
She must have the location of that tea plantation if it was this useful in meetings.
_
Word Count - 2017
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Chapter release sheet
(NOT A CHAPTER) The Mystic Tea of Kamar Taj
So, it is the next day afternoon and as I read through this monstrosity that I wrote in the early hours of the morning, I am filled with pity for you all as you now have to read through it. It is not even complete but the one good thing that came out of this is I got the idea of creating another snippet thread where I can post my ideas and you guys can tell me if you want a longer format of that same idea.
So, without any delay, read ahead. At you own risk though, Be warned.
Good day, ladies and gentlemen and whoever else it may be, this is the first of a new series I have just made up. It is called one-shots or snippets.
In this collection, I will be writing anything that comes to my fancy(as if anything I have ever written before had any sort of structure at all). There will be no word count expectations adhered to here. No canonical accuracy, nothing.
Total Anarchy!
So, this is the first installment in the series.
Bear in mind, it is 5.05 AM where I live, as I have started typing this.
And NO! I have not woken up early and started writing this. I have not slept at all and will probably stay up till sunrise.
The idea for this is courtesy of [OMN1CR0N_GAMING] from Web Novel.
Disclaimer - I don't stake claim to even any of my OCs in this chapter as I don't think it'll be good for my writing career let alone the authentic intellectual property that Disney owns and earns billions off of.
Snippet 1
Technomancer in MCU
Title - The Mystic Tea of Kamar Taj
In the high up mountainous areas of the Himalayas, lay the vaunted Kamar Taj. Its location seemed ever changing and the only reliable way of getting to it seemed to be through the liberal use of sling rings.
There was a treacherous path with multiple twists and turns reserved as a test for the uninitiated apprentices that wished to visit and learn in the vaunted halls of Kamar Taj.
One such apprentice was trudging through knee length snow towards the mountain peak that he could see but could not reach.
As if he was delirious, he climbed and climbed but did not seem to get any closer to the peak.
He was starting to think that the old man had swindled him.
He chuckled sardonically as he surveyed the state of his clothes. It was not as if he could have fallen any lower.
Unseen to him though, there was a whole cadre of Sorcerers tasked with watching him by the Ancient One.
The old man had fucked off who knows where but he had assigned multiple mid-level sorceres to just observe what this person was doing. "It would help you learn," he had told them.
Sometimes, they wished they could strangle that sorry excuse of a Sorcerer Supreme.
Sure, the man was supremely strong but doing anything beyond being strong was impossible for him. He barely taught three initiates who turned into Masters and then dumped all the responsibility he possibly could on those poor Masters.
And then, he went ahead and gave this person, Mr.Strange, the hardest possible test he could for the initiate.
They had to admit though, he was doing better than most.
Up above them, the Ancient One was doing his best to hide his laughter from the associates below. A suspicious cloud of weed was hovering around him. "Oh, I have got to show this to him later," he said while referring to the struggling form of Strange below. "He dared to call me an old man in the future, he deserves this."
Throughout history, there have been multiple sorcerer supremes but few have come close to attaining the sheer strength that Agamoto wielded and through a combination of luck and hard work, the current Sorcerer Supreme, Yao had come the closest to Agamotto. He had become stronger than all his predecessors.
Let's just say that this allowed him a certain level of leeway when it came to dealing with dimensional entities that possess the strength to swallow the entirety of Earth in a single gulp.
-Master Wong-
Maintaining the meticulous catalogue of the Library was always a bittersweet chore for him.
On one hand, he loved books and all they represented in Kamar Taj but on the other hand, someone from the long line of Sorcerer Supremes had enchanted the library to be confusing and hard to guide through on purpose and his luck was such that he was blessed with the Ancient One as his Sorcerer Supreme.
The man was supremely talented and could fend off most demon invasions all by himself with both hands tied behind his back but helping him with administrative tasks? He would have better luck asking a Dog to help him glue together the book the Dog had just ripped apart.
Actually, getting a Dog might be good for him. Add some wholesomeness to the monotonous life that was being the Librarian of Kamar Taj.
A Magical Doggy would be even better. If he could find one, though. He had heard from the Ancient One that the fae markets had them but they fetched a pretty penny of the soul. Then again, this was the same man who thought it was funny to visit one of the hell princes and force feed him weed and note down their reactions. "For SCIENCE!" he shouted when asked.
Honestly, the number of people who actually graduated to reach the Masters level had been declining year by year, not because the quality was declining but because there was no need to.
The Ancient One was so overwhelmingly strong that he had connected himself to the Three Sanctums and subsequently, to the Mystic Shield that covered the entirety of the planet.
He was but a wee initiate when that happened but he was sure that the man was going to blow himself up from all the magical feedback from the ley lines but somehow, he took control and now? They barely had to work.
The most action he had seen was when some Werewolf got naked in Central Park and they had to scrub everything off the internet.
Nowadays, even the thought of starting a family was passing through his mind. Something that was unthinkable for someone who held the position of a librarian since the position was historically cursed to die alone.
He completed the tasks for the day and noted that it was still time till his lunch break so he decided to visit the one place that the Ancient One could take credit for, the Mystic Tea plantation.
Using his sling ring, he opened a portal to the London Sanctum where the scent of weed was the strongest.
"Wong! Nice to see you, my friend. Come-come-come, my friend. We were just about to begin a new joint. Join us!" came the rough gravelly voice of Master Daniel.
He smiled and was about to deny when he also smelled the tea and not just any tea, the tea that the Ancient One kept in his personal collection.
His refusal turned into delighted acceptance in an instant, "Well, if you insist."
Kaecillius
Watching their Lord and Saviour, Lord Dormammu rage at the unfairness of the situation was equally heartbreaking and amusing.
Especially, since he could see three copies of his Lord pacing around his altar, leaving burn marks in it. But that could just be the mystic weed talking.
If he was asked to name the best thing that happened to him ever since his family died, it would be selling his soul to Lord Dormammu.
Not only did it stave off Death completely and even enhanced his mystical prowess, the access he gained to the weed garden alone was worth it to be branded like a cattle.
After being gatekept from the Mystic Tea Plantation of Kamar Taj, he was down on his last knees when his Lord came to his rescue and offered to give him the original version of the weed and not the watered down version that the Ancient One gave to the visitors to calm down their nerves.
Just as he was about to take another puff from the sacred roll, a tearing sound heralded the opening of a tear in the very dimension of the Dark One.
With a furious roar, "Who Dares?", his Lord roared and swiped his hands towards the tear, sending an energy wave that would eviscerate the unfortunate soul that was on the other side of the tear.
"Hey, man. Why the hate?" came a laid back husky voice and then he watched with transfixed awed eyes as a burning bike came into view with none other than Snoop Dogg riding on it, with a cigar in his mouth and another joint in his hand.
Somehow, he was sleeping on the bike as he smoked and the bike rode a path of fire that it laid for itself and after making a few downhill turns, landed in front of his Lord.
Though, objectively speaking, his Lord looked much less cooler than Snoop Dogg.
"Why have you come here, Ghost Smoker?" his Lord growled out.
Snoop raised his hands in mock surrender and said, "just chill, man. I ran out of my supplies a while ago and couldn't find any on the market so thought of going wholesale this time, you know? Those retailers give me mixed bullshit half the time so getting some from the source seemed like a good idea. So, you selling or what?"
His Lord growled out in frustration at Snoop's fearlessness in front of the Dark Overlord but it was understandable as opening a portal in the Dark Realm without his Lord's permission would require immense power, power that would place both of them in the same echelon.
Huh, echelon. What a funny word!
"Begone, thief. I don't need to entertain another one of your kind. If you desire it so much, steal it from the thief who stole multiple seeds from me and has started his very own business, undercutting me by using his organisation's unpaid skilled labour that I just can't seem to get in this accursed place."
"Say no more. I get it. Here, this might help calm you down," Snoop said as he offered his Lord his joint that seemed to leave out starlight instead of smoke.
What he wouldn't give to smoke that joint?
His Lord took the offered joint with visible reluctance.
"Now, don't you worry. When I took this title, I thought I was supposed to do something about justice so I will do that now. I'll make sure they shut down their business so you can thrive yours. I just hope you'll offer me a discount when it matters."
With those words, he literally burst into starlight, blinding me briefly.
-Ancient One-
He was tending to his babies in his personal tea or should he call it, weed garden.
Ha, he still laughed when he thought about the face Dormmamu made when he offered his very soul for a few seeds of his choice.
That motherfucker didn't know what hit him. Now, he has both the powers and Dormammu's interdimensional business will soon be in his hands as well.
As he was using another one of his spells to maintain the watering ratio, he heard a voice behind him, "So, Yao. I've come to bargain."
His pupils contracted as his hairs stood on end. It had been centuries since someone had managed to sneak up on him.
With a spell ready, he plastered a fake smile on his face and turned around, only to see Snoop Dogg himself sniffing his precious plantation.
He held in the urge to blast him away from his personal garden.
This was a life or death scenario here. He couldn't afford to let his emotions get the better of him.
"What can I do for you, Avatar of the smoke?"
"Oh, nothing. I was wondering how much of a discount I would get on your merchandise if I could provide you evidence of your competitor employing unfair means to target your business? I mean, the interdimensional trade authority would be more than happy to register your case should you have evidence, right?"
His eyes literally had stars in them at that piece of news.
WIth a determined glint in his eyes, he asked Snoop about the evidence.
Oh, Dormammu was so busted.
Man, I am so so sorry.
If you have read this far, I commend you for your patience and resilience and thank you for your sacrifice.
On a lighter note, I'll see you guys on Thursday.
Toodles!
Extra chapters for my fanfic, not this -
Technomancer in MCU #50
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 50
Technomancer in MCU
The Asterisk
-Frank Castle-
Standing outside Ed's medical ward, he debated internally for the umpteenth time whether to enter or not.
He gritted his teeth after hearing Eric snickering at him.
He had been standing in the same position for the last 10 minutes. After the intense talk he had with Daisy, he had come straight to meet Ed.
For what he did not know. He wanted nothing more than to go inside and give Ed a piece of his mind.
I mean, he gave that pint-sized brat power over everyone in the organisation. Granted, she did a phenomenal job of it and somehow, even he himself found listening to her orders but that didn't mean that Ed could somehow retire from the organisation. He and Alfred to some extent, were the backbone of the organisation.
What was he even doing? He was just going to talk to Ed. Just like he had done so hundreds of times. Somehow it felt different this time.
Shaking his head, he banished the dark thoughts from his mind, or at least tried to do so.
Putting on his usual apathetic mask, he glared at Eric and said, "Keep watch here. Make sure nobody comes in."
Without hearing his no doubt cheeky reply, he entered the room.
Inside he could see Ed sitting upright on the state-of-the-art medical bed, reading a book using the hard light projectors built into the bed.
Upon seeing him, Ed smiled and performed a waving away gesture to the book in front of him, resulting in the hard light book disintegrating into motes of white light, "Frank, nice to see you. I thought I wouldn't see you for however long it takes for you to go on an exterminating mission and kill off every single enemy you could find."
He chuckled, "Huh, I wish. Unfortunately, Boss Lady, Daisy has given me another set of instructions."
Ed nodded, "Ah, are the helicarriers up and running already?"
"Not yet. They will be though, soon. And I don't want to discuss any of that with you. You are on mandatory bedrest, on captain's orders. I would laugh at your plight if I wasn't once in the same situation," he replied.
"Haha. I guess you would know about it best. After all, I have had to revoke your access to make you stay in the medical ward multiple times on Maria's orders," Ed laughingly replied.
The two shared a moment of silence before Ed said, "Look, Frank. If you are worried about me, don't be. I've done nearly all I had set out to do. Some things are left but I have you guys for that so I am not exactly worried all that much. As for Alfred, he will be back soon. In fact, I'm sure he'll be back before you return from your mission. So, go on your assignment without any worries holding you back."
He sighed and replied, "How can you be so casual about your own death is beyond me. If not for yourself at least try for for the kids. How will I explain to them that their badass dad who could do anything couldn't save you."
By the end, he was sure that sweat was coming out of his eyes but before Ed could get a word in, he continued, "I just came here to tell you that you are the best thing that could have ever happened to my family. My family and even me are alive only due to you and I could never repay you for that. The best thing I can do is… ," He didn't know what overcame him for that moment but it felt right to do so. He raised his hand and his nanite package picked up on his mental pings and a shotgun formed in his hand and while reloading it, he continued, "… make sure that while you are bedridden, your enemies get their much-deserved bedrest in their graves."
And then without listening to his reply, he marched straight out of the medical ward, embarrassed beyond belief at his chunni moment. He couldn't believe he did that at all let alone in front of Ed who has undoubtedly recorded it and must be distributing it right now. Maria was never going to let this down now.
-Eric Diggle-
Waiting outside the medical ward waiting for his boss, he was bored out of his mind.
He would have said that he regretted even coming to the Asterisk but that would be a blatant lie.
The truth was that he was bored beyond belief at his job aboard the superclass carrier. Speaking of which, they have got to name that big lug. He couldn't keep on calling it the superclass carrier all the time. He had tried to name it something sexy but Alfred had always shot it down.
His brother was the one who truly did the job of the captain. He was the captain in name only. He had long suspected that the only reason he was given the job was to keep him far away from the center of things and yet close enough that he could be used easily as a resource.
Oh, he was very much aware of what his value was for the organisation. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't resentful at the fact that his life or death could be very easily decided by other people even with all the power he had at his disposal.
Flexing his powers, he could feel the seals engraved on his soul as his arms glowed to his eye, the gamma radiation in them visible to his naked eyes. Another effect of his awakening as an Inhuman. With just a little bit more effort, the energy leakage will cross a threshold and the seals on his powers would clamp down, leaving him comatose.
Feeling Commander Castle coming, he hurriedly shut down his powers lest he get another scolding and saluted towards the opening door. He then choked on his saluting words as he came across a scene that he hadn't even dreamt of.
Behind the Commander, he could spy Big Boss Bed clutching his stomach with one hand with the other hand on his mouth, trying to stifle his laughter because somehow, Frank motherfucking Castle was walking out of the door with a shotgun on his shoulder with a Cigar in his mouth and freaking sunglasses on his face, in an absolutely daylight simulated environment. It was absolutely golden blackmail material.
The door closed behind the Commander and he could hear the faint laughter coming from it and made to comment on it but before he could, "Not a word, am I clear?" spat out the Commander.
"Crystal, sir." he instinctively replied, shivers running down his spine at the expression on his face.
Commander then nodded at me and said, "Go ahead and get the jet ready. I have a few things I need to pick up before we head to Earth."
He nodded and went on his way as the Commander took a left for his office.
With nothing to do on his way, he activated his nanite package, giving it a mental instruction to take his body to the hangar as he started to read the mission details on his retina HUD.
He stopped in his tracks as he saw that the first order of business for the mission was to meet Captain freaking America and the Black Widow. That got his full attention now. Reading more, he realised that he had missed much from the daily briefing he got from his elder brother.
Apparently, they were to make sure that S.H.I.E.L.D., as it was now, would be buried beneath the rubble that we would be making of the infiltrated agents inside that organisation. All the while making sure that the fallout didn't harm the civilians and any exotic energy was duly confiscated which apparently also included the new half a dozen helicarriers that Fury had built.
In a twist, apparently, Fury was shot and killed and Captain America was arrested but he somehow escaped with a close aide of Fury along with the Black Widow. It sounded more and more like a plot of a movie to him.
They had their exact location and were supposed to meet them at the bunker to surprise Fury and the others and pressurise them to give up on S.H.I.E.L.D.
Soon, he reached the hangar only to find Commander Castle there ready with his combat suit on and another agent beside him. Agent Yo-Yo if he remembered that correctly.
"Let's go, shall we?" he said with a charming smirk.
Word Count - 1472
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A/N - Short, I know. The next one will be longer to compensate.
Technomancer in MCU #51
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 51
Technomancer in MCU
S.H.I.E.LD. Convoy
-Steve Rogers-
"He looked right at me like he didn't even know me." He said out loud to the occupants of their van.
Sam scoffed, "How is that even possible? It's got to be at least 70 years since then."
"Zola" he uttered the word calmly despite the infernal fury he felt inside. The very thought of his friend, his one friend being under the control of those monsters for all these years filled his insides with molten fury.
He wished he had found him earlier. He could have done something. They could have saved him. Tony might have found a cure for him, maybe…
"Steve?" He looked up as Nat called him.
"It's not your fault. Stop beating yourself up over nothing. There was nothing you could have done. You weren't even awake." She tried to console him but there was nothing anyone could say to him that would make him feel better.
The sound of a soft pained noise from Nat drew his attention to her sitting across him. He could see that the bullet wound in her shoulder was still bleeding and without proper medical attention, she would bleed out soon. They had to do something to stop the bleeding but how?
He glanced at their captors and discarded any thought of getting any help from them from his mind. He had learned his lesson. They would sooner see them dead than help them at all.
"Look, man. She's bleeding. You have got to put pressure on that wound or she'll bleed out in minutes." Sam pleaded to the security guards but as expected they remained silent and apathetic to their plight.
Sam was about to speak again when one of the guards removed his baton and shoved it in their direction, his silent threat clear to all of them.
His hands tensed as he got ready to help them in case the guard tried something but it turned out to be unnecessary.
The guard brandished the baton in their direction but then with a stabbing motion, electrocuted the other guard and smashed their head in with their other hand, knocking the guard out cold.
All of them tensed as they waited with bated breaths for the next actions of the guard. But then simultaneously sighed in relief when the guard removed their helmet to reveal a face that was familiar to the two of them.
"Huh, I had a hard time breathing with this thing on," came the greeting of Maria Hill, the right-hand woman of Nick Fury. She then looked at all of their astonished faces, "What? I thought you'd be used to betrayal now?"
He had no answer to that question.
-Frank Castle-
He sat silently on the captain's seat, waiting for the go-ahead from operations to intercept the convoy that had Captain America along with Black Widow and a potential future avenger, Sam Wilson.
This was new to him, waiting for orders, that is. Usually, Alfred had everything ready before you could even ask for him. Now, they were stuck here watching over the convoy.
He could hear Eric munching on chips loudly, much to his displeasure. He was doing it loudly on purpose too.
After a while, Eric groaned and he could almost hear him calling for HQ again when the situation in front of them had an unexpected development. Maria Hill chose to reveal herself before their planned ambush under the bridge ahead.
"She must have been worried about all the blood that Romanoff's been losing. Commander, I think we share the same blood type. Should I become their samaritan and save her?" Eric said.
He resisted the urge to pinch his forehead at the comment, "Keep dreaming. Anyone could tell you just want to get in her pants."
They then continued to follow them as they changed their clothes, cars, and routes and even went around in different cars before meeting in front of an old bar where they finally took a truck to their underground base.
Finally, he thought.
"Commander Castle, come in? I repeat, Commander Castle?" came the voice from the jet's intercom.
"Yes?" he replied.
"You have orders to intercept Captain Rogers' and Nick Fury's meeting and make sure that the organization's agenda is the one that is being carried out."
"Understood."
"So, what's our next step? Do we do a three-point landing like badasses in front of them? I mean, I could do it. Your knees must be weak now that you are old." Eric had the audacity to say that to his face.
He barely stopped himself from decking Eric in the face. Not only because it wouldn't have helped but also because his powers might negatively affect the seals on Eric's powers.
He didn't want to be the one who endangered everybody on Earth just for the satisfaction of punching out the bastard.
He gave Eric a look and then promptly started ignoring him. That was the best way he could deal with Eric. He just looked at the HUD which showed their destination and their mission parameters.
They had to circumvent the plan that Nick Fury and the others had and actually requisition the six state-of-the-art helicarriers that S.H.I.E.L.D. had built. Ed even had a mountain nearby hollowed out with maintenance arranged for the carriers for the next 5 years.
As he was reading the mission assignment, one of the floor tiles in front of him slid open and a box came out of it. After reaching his waist level, it opened up, revealing multiple shining vials containing moving red liquid.
If he had to hazard a guess, he would say that those were the coveted Pym Particles. Those would come in handy while stealing the carriers. Along with the vials, he could spy a chip in the last socket.
Curious about its function, he picked it up only for his suit to start beeping and then say out in a robotic voice, "Security protocol upload complete. Please activate the protocols after coming in close proximity with the desired terminal," And then the chip disintegrated from his gloved hands.
So that's how he was going to hijack the carriers. He was doubtful about Fury's chip replacement method since the World Security Council, after learning about Alfred and his insane abilities, had their paranoia increase twofold and made sure that only physical access to the main boards of each carrier could have the slightest chances of subverting control of their biggest weapons.
This would have been so much simpler with Alfred around.
Putting the thoughts of Alfred in the back of his mind, he watched as the Captain and the others reached the base where Fury was being treated. Captain and Wilson were the first ones to exit, followed by Romanoff and Hill. After a while, Hill dug out an old access panel from behind an old utility pole. Upon completing her identification, they all heard a shuddering noise and as they followed it, they came upon a small manhole-sized cover in the middle of the bushes from where they entered the base.
As soon as the last person on their team entered the manhole cover and closed it behind them, he gave the orders, "Alright, suit up. We'll be going in now."
The only answer he got from Eric was a wide grin and his suit manifesting over his body. He did a double-take when he saw that Eric's suit was in the. American colour theme. Near identical to the Captain's shield.
He internally shook his head, unwilling to even discuss it with Eric, and pushed the button to open the central escape hatch in the cabin and immediately jumped through it.
Waiting for the last moment to activate his thrusters, he cushioned his fall and landed softly on the ground. Quite unlike Eric who activated his boosters to give him more thrust and then did his three-point landing on the ground beside him, cratering it slightly. He deadpanned to Eric at that. If Alfred was around, he'd have surely turned off Eric's nanite package at the last moment just to fuck around with him.
Making sure that the Pym Particle vials were safely stored on his person, he started running towards the entrance of the underground base when he heard an annoying voice, "What are you using your legs for? It's not 1990 old man, you have rockets built into your suit. Use them. Hell, they must be of an even higher caliber than mine since you are The Commander, right?"
As usual, he ignored it and soon reached the manhole cover.
Now, they could have gone inside guns blazing but that would reduced the chances of gaining any sort of alliance with Fury to near zero. So, they had to be quiet. Something he was getting pretty good at.
Activating the phasers for both his and Eric's suits, he phased them through the manhole cover and straight onto the floor beneath it. He landed on his feet but somehow. Eric landed flat on his face. Well, his vibranium lattice helmet but there was a face underneath that.
Without waiting for Eric to get up, he activated his thrusters and intentionally allowed them to generate the rocket noise they make if you don't use sound dampeners. Eric soon followed him with his thrusters active in the same mode, "Why are we making so much noise? Somebody might just wake up."
He glanced at Eric and said, "That's the point."
And soon enough, they came across a patch of sewage where a Blue shield just smashed into Eric, much to his delight, and sent him skidding backward and a couple of high calibre rounds slammed into my armour as well. The last straw was a grenade and a flashbang that was thrown sloppily in their direction, courtesy of Romanoff. Not wanting to prolong this any further, he activated the hard light constructs of his suit and simultaneously isolated all the weapons that were pointed at them, "Alright, that's enough. We're here to help." He then activated the floodlights in his suit and after a second, chose to deactivate them and instead sent out a few tiny drones that latched themselves on the ceiling and emitted light, mimicking a ceiling lamp perfectly.
He could then see Captain and Wilson coming from one side with Romanoff probably waiting in ambush for us to let our guards down. He ignored the good Captain and continued looking in the other direction, waiting for Hill and Romanoff to come. After a while, they did get out of their hiding spot and he could see that Romanoff's condition had taken a turn for the worse.
Her face was pale from the blood loss and she was shaking due to the cold inside the tunnel.
Sighing internally, he gave the command and one of the drones in the ceiling unlatched itself and dropped on her shoulder where it proceeded to dissolve into goo and heal her shoulder using the CHI it had stored inside it.
But seeing that, the Captain just charged at him.
To be honest, he was starting to get a little bit annoyed at them and so chose to take matters into his own hands. He activated the hard light prisons and gathered everyone of them in a single sphere and waited for them to calm down.
Hill was the first who noticed that the drone was actually healing Romanoff and brought it to everyone's attention, stopping their futile struggle against the hard light shield.
"That's right, we are here to help. We are sent by Adam to make sure that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fuckup doesn't become the World's fuckup. After all, we wouldn't want to save the world from outside threats only to discover that somehow, H.Y.D.R.A., an organisation that has been dead for the last 80 years, took over the planet and nearly killed everyone on it. Right, Captain Rogers?" he explained to them with all the patience he could muster.
His suit could also sense a small fully armed team headed their way from inside the tunnel, "Look, I know you recognise the logo, right? " None of them showed a reaction to that, even though they should have seen the logo hundreds of times in their meetings.
Fed up with all the smokes and mirrors, he activated his thrusters and along with Eric, took the prison holding everybody whilst making sure that Romanoff was not too jostled, and took off towards the base where Fury was being kept and watching us come.
Knowing that Fury was watching, he retracted his face plate to show his face to Fury. He could then see the crew he had sent faltering, almost as if they were given completely contradicting orders from before.
He smirked at that. Seems Fury recognised him.
Upon passing the security team, Eric grinned and waved at them, his faceplate retracted long ago.
The dumbfounded and betrayed looks of the Captain and Wilson were a delight to see.
_
Word Count - 2202
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Technomancer in MCU #52
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 52
Technomancer in MCU
-Nick Fury-
With a groan, he opened his eyes and came face to face with a slightly debilitated white ceiling. The smell of cleaning chemicals and the regular beeping of medical machines meant that his plan worked.
It was a gamble but Banner's drug along with some misdirection from Hill must have done the trick. It was an even bigger gamble trusting Hill but he had a hunch that she of all people was trustworthy.
Besides, he was paranoid his whole life, and look where that brought him. In a hospital bed, ousted from his own organisation just as they were about to launch weapons that could be responsible for shaping the entirety of human civilisation for centuries to come. And what did he do? He ended up handing over humanity's premier weapons to a bunch of nazis.
Worse, it was there all along. Ed had warned him about that but never in his dream would he have thought that Pierce of all people would be the leader of H.Y.D.R.A.
Rejecting a Nobel Peace Prize because his job wasn't done, his ass. The bastard must be making fun of them all along. He couldn't believe he was actually so blind to the internal threats as he focused on the alien threats waiting for them in the cosmos. He went all in on the new generation helicarriers. Now, fucking Nazis of all people have the keys to the world.
His groan must have drawn somebody's attention as he was soon sitting upright with somebody putting a cup of water to his mouth. He greedily drank it to moisten his dry throat.
The next moment as he finished drinking water, bright lights flashed in his eyes and somebody removed the needles from his hand alongside somebody else stabbing a needle in his other arm. After a while, after the doctor was satisfied with his condition, he finally had the room to himself.
Not truly though, his inner voice supplied as he glanced at the multiple visible cameras in the room, not to mention who knows how many invisible cameras and sensors in the makeshift medical ward.
If all else went to plan, backup must be on its way and this location must be decently fortified along with 2 teams consisting of people he absolutely trusted with his life.
Thinking of people he could trust his life with, he regretted not contacting Coulson before taking the drastic step but in the end, it was for the better that Coulson wasn't involved in this.
As per his death protocols, Coulson must have gotten his instructions along with enough resources to run a medium-sized organisation for years to come. He just hoped that Coulson didn't smell anything fishy in the news and go after Pierce and the others to avenge him.
The last thing he wanted was to give H.Y.D.R.A. access to life-reviving technology. Just the fact that such technology existed would be the biggest mistake they could make.
As some strength returned to his body, he flipped open the holo tablet attached to the medical bed, courtesy of Simmons and Fitz from the labs. They were good kids. He just hoped that they too wouldn't get caught in this web. Simmons already had a huge target on her head due to her immense potential as a healer. He had subverted no less than 20 attempts on her life and hundreds more that wanted to kidnap her, to what end he could only guess.
As the holographic display came to life, he could see that Rogers and Romanoff along with someone named Wilson were captured by S.H.I.EL.D. and were on their way to the nearest black site but they wouldn't reach their intended location as Hill was aboard the convoy.
Ignoring that as Hill would have it handled, he instead turned to the information regarding the moving of important assets that were to be moved or destroyed in case of his confirmed death.
Granted, he hadn't actually given the signal to them in case it was a fake death but almost all the experiments, artefacts, and most importantly, the last vials of GH.325 were moved from the fridge to the base where the Kree corpse was kept. And even that base was rigged to blow at the first sign of infiltration. He sighed in relief at that piece of information.
He kept looking at the helicarrier schematics, looking for any weakness they could exploit because there is exactly zero chance in hell that he was going to let weapons he built for the defense of humanity be used by fucking Nazis of all people to threaten the world only to be brutally destroyed by Ed. That cold motherfucker would destroy hundreds of such helicarriers with ease with what they had seen so far.
He had only used that angle to wrangle money out of the politicians' hands but he wasn't delusional enough to think that it would have mattered in any way against Ed and his organisation. Still, Ed should have given them a way to contact them. This would have been the perfect time to make sure that he was excluded from this mission since all he would do is come here, take over the mission, and use brute force to destroy hundreds of billions of dollars worth of equipment.
That would be disastrous, not only for S.H.I.E.L.D. but for enhanced people around the world as well. They already get a bad reputation for doing basically nothing but if someone obviously enhanced came and destroyed government property that was this important, it would be like adding rocket fuel to a forest fire.
Speaking of enhanced people, he hurriedly opened the S.H.I.E.L.D. academy I.N.D.E.X. files to see if Pierce did something to the people there only to find out lookouts issued for nearly all enhanced people. He smiled upon seeing nearly all the students just disappear from their respective rooms in a blur. He gave a rare smile at that. Agent Yo-Yo was doing her job just fine then.
He chuckled as he imagined the reaction Pierce must be having since the enhanced that was only mildly impressive managed to bypass every defense the Academy had and moved out a hundred students in less than a minute.
It would seem that she has gotten even faster now. He wished he could contact her since she could be immensely helpful in the upcoming fight but that would mean leaving the kids defenseless along with telling her that he was still alive.
He couldn't risk that.
After a while, he heard a commotion outside his room. From the voice, John was arguing with the doctor about something.
He checked his holo tablet for all the cameras installed in and around the base, only for his pupils to dilate as he saw two people with armours more advanced than even Stark's come straight towards the base entrance.
His mind churned furiously as he thought of all the possible places two unknowns with advanced tech could have popped up from.
The suits could indicate that they were from Ed's organisation since there was no way H.Y.D.R.A. had that level of technology. It was just a matter of confirming it.
He soon got the opportunity as Hill and the others set up an ambush for them but his hopes were doused in cold water as only a single one of them stopped them like they were mere infants instead of being some of the most well-trained people in the world.
But that confirmed one thing. It might not be Ed himself since that was not his suit but they used the signature hard light technology that Ed and his organisation seemed to overuse.
The final kicker was the reveal of the operator of the suit that was bringing the team to the base's doors in a hard light prison.
He immediately ordered the team lead there, "Soldier, stand down. I repeat, stand down. Let them pass. I repeat, do not engage. Let them pass."
He exhaled in relief and smiled a bitter smile as he thought of the fact that Ed had managed to snag up Frank motherfucking Castle.
That bastard.
When he had heard about his abrupt resignation and the subsequent bloodbath that happened to his former colleagues, he had sent Coulson to investigate but Frank had come out all clean. Now, he knew why he came out all clean.
He heard the main doors creaking open and soon, his medical ward was crowded by the team and Ed's men.
He took note of their expressions as they learned of him being alive. Naked relief along with a touch of suspicion could be seen on Romanoff's and Roger's faces. Wilson just had a confused look plastered on his face. Frank was smiling at him.
Smiling!
In all the joint missions Frank performed with them, he had never once seen him smile outside of talking about his wife.
Guess he found a better life outside then. Good for him.
Before he could get a word in though, Frank said, "Good to see you alive, Fury. I knew you piece of shit wouldn't croak so easily."
The doctors around them choked as they heard that. He waved them off, "Gentlemen? Can we have some privacy please?" The doctors looked like they were about to protest but after taking one look at the people in the room, they nodded and shuffled out of the room.
"For old time's sake, can you hook me up with whatever it is that you gave Romanoff there?" He gestured to Romanoff with his neck as she was sitting upright in her medical bed with her shoulder injury being completely healed without even leaving a bullet scar.
Not a single muscle twitched on Frank's face but something flew off Romanoff's clothes and settled on his chest and flowed around his gunshot wound like a cool liquid.
He sighed in relief as he felt something calm and soothing enter his body. This feeling was similar to what he felt when Agent Simmons used her artifact on me just a hundred times better. He was right, then. They have much much better medical tech on hand.
"Ah, that's the stuff. So, Frank, what brings you to our little slice of spy agency work? I thought you vowed never to work for us after that psyops went sideways." He asked Frank, curious and a bit wary of their motives.
Frank smiled a cold smile, "Well, we are here to help you of course."
Not even a nine-year-old would believe that obvious lie.
Word Count - 1811
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Interlude #5.1
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Interlude V.1
Technomancer in MCU
-Sharon Carter-
She was still reeling from the news of Steve of all people being declared a traitor when she got the call to immediately report to the nearest office.
She took a calm breath to prepare for what was undoubtedly about to follow. She was the agent appointed to help Steve acclimatize to the modern world. She always knew it was an excuse to maintain surveillance over the only known super soldier in the world but she had come to view Steve as a friend.
It didn't help that he was a sweet gentleman as well. The sweet temptation of being with her aunt's old love interest didn't help at all.
She tried to remove those thoughts from her mind and started preparing to burn her current identity and return to the active agent roster.
She had just gone through pruning her digital identity when somebody knocked on the door.
She immediately stood ramrod straight and took out her gun and headed toward the door. She only opened it after getting the agency confirmation codes.
She was pretty confused when she found a whole unit waiting for her. The only reason she wasn't terrified for her life was they seemed to be guarding her and one of her academy friends, Terry, was with them. She might not trust the motives of the agency right now but she knew Terry.
"Hey, little Carter. We don't have time to chit-chat. We need to leave right now. Grab anything that can't be replaced and meet me in the car downstairs." he said before she could get a word in.
Understanding the severity of the situation, she nodded and went inside to get her duffel bag that she kept handy in case of emergencies.
By the time she took the bag out of her closet, the team was already in the process of removing any evidence of her presence in the apartment. Weirded out by the incident and not feeling particularly safe in the presence of multiple armed people with their faces covered, she swiftly left for the car waiting for her downstairs.
Terry, always the gentleman, was waiting for her with one of the doors open.
"Thank you," she muttered and entered the vehicle.
Terry sat in the front seat and the car sped off immediately.
"Okay. What is going on? The urgency and the security seem unnecessary for a normal escort." she asked Terry who was speaking with someone on the radio.
Through the windshield, she could see an entire convoy escorting her. The situation raised more and more alarm bells inside her head.
Terry looked back at her question and smiled, "No need to worry. You are an important asset to the agency, Little Carter. With the recent incident with Captain Rogers, the higher-ups in the agency thought it prudent to make sure you were safe. So, sit back and relax. We'll have you safe and sound at HQ in no time."
She nodded, still a little uncertain about the circumstances but willing to trust Terry over this.
Soon, they arrived at the HQ and as soon as she entered the main building, the security detail disappeared and she was escorted by Terry to her supervisor's office. "He'll be here soon. I'll see you around, Little Carter. Don't get into any more trouble without me." Terry said with a smile and left.
She smiled at his parting joke, a temporary relief to the all-crushing tension she had felt since Director Fury, a dear friend to her aunt, was killed.
She stood up when she heard the door open but stopped midway in her greeting when the person who entered the cabin was The Secretary of the World Security Council, Alexander Pierce.
Getting out of the shock of meeting who was essentially her boss' boss' boss, she greeted him, "Secretary Pierce, Good Afternoon."
"Good Afternoon, dear. Please take a seat." he gestured to her and sat in her supervisor's seat.
"So, dear, I'm sure you must be terribly confused as to why I am here?" he questioned her.
She shook her head in reply, "Not quite, sir. I am quite aware with me being the agent assigned to spy on Captain Rogers-"
"Steve Rogers, please. I'm afraid with the latest stunt he has pulled, he no longer has the rank of a captain officially. I'd appreciate it if everybody could acknowledge that." he interrupted her, his voice quite irritating.
She nodded, a bit weirded out by the obsession in his voice when he said, "Sure. I was the agent assigned to Steve Rogers and I failed in reporting any signs of him planning to assassinate Director Fury. I understand if I have to undergo screening to be placed on the official roster once again."
"Good. As long as that is clear, we have nothing to worry about. Your aunt was a great spy and did phenomenal work with the agency, I'm sure you'll do the same. You'll have your orders soon. Until then, report to the HQ five days a week and be ready for regular debriefings. In fact, I believe you have one scheduled today. Agent Terry will escort you there." Pierce gestured to the door where Terry had silently positioned himself.
She nodded and with a determined face, she left the cabin. Terry escorted her but he was oddly silent, a thing she was grateful for as it allowed her to digest the events that happened to her.
The very fact that Secretary Pierce came to personally greet her was suspicious but the way she could feel the glee in his voice when he talked about the death of Director Fury and the dismissal of Steve raised all sorts of alarm bells in her mind.
Her thoughts churned furiously as she arrived at one of the many interrogation rooms in the base. She never thought she would have to arrive at one of these places for interrogation.
She felt Terry slap her back, "Good luck, Carter," and then he opened the door for her.
She nodded silently and entered the room. Inside, an interrogator was waiting for her with a notepad in his hand.
Taking a deep breath, she entered and closed the door behind her, hoping that it was just her mind playing games and not an octopus tattoo that she saw on Terry's wrist as he opened the door for her.
The consequences of that being true were so dire that she didn't even want to think about them.
Observation Room
-Alexander Pierce-
He watched through the glass as they asked Sharon Carter all they could without tipping their hands.
"Anything?" he asked Terry as he heard the door open.
"Nothing. There's nothing we can incriminate her with that Peggy Carter's hounds in the agency wouldn't sniff out within minutes of that happening."
Yeah, that.
He had been so engrossed in the emergency relocation they had to carry out as an organisation due to that damnable AI that he had not monitored the day-to-day workings of S.H.I.E.L.D. Somehow, the fossil, Peggy Carter, with some help from her old army buddies, managed to plant multiple high clearance agents of her own into the agency and that too, in positions of power that they had been trying to get access to for years.
He now regretted not killing that woman when he had the chance. They had termed her an invalid due to her mental state but somehow, in the few years they left her alone, she managed to invoke her old army contacts and entered the political scene again. POTUS was all too happy to accommodate her for some reason.
They had a few agents in her guard detail but the other various three-letter agencies had taken over her guard duty and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents barely even saw her in person anymore.
Even now, he could see many of her plants in the HQ, seemingly doing their work diligently but he knew they were just waiting for a signal from that woman. There was no way that Peggy Carter of all people would believe her beloved Steve Rogers being a traitor. She knew him too well for that.
In such a situation, especially with the carriers scheduled to take off in less than a week, he could ill afford to force a confrontation between his forces and multiple high-level faction leaders.
He then watched on as Sharon Carter responded to the questions in an extremely obtuse manner. He narrowed his eyes as she claimed to have no important information on Rogers that could help them track him down.
"Hmm, she is lying," Terry said, standing beside him.
"You're right. Have a team surveilling her. Make sure she doesn't realise that. Business as usual, am I clear?" he ordered Terry.
"Crystal," Terry nodded.
He had just left the observation room and entered his cabin for another meeting when he heard multiple shockwaves rock the building, making him fall down on his ass.
"Sir! Sir!" he felt somebody lifting him up.
"What the hell just happened?" he asked Terry, who was bleeding from his forehead.
"It's Sharon, she's taken." he said.
What?
His pupils dilated at the news.
"Any casualties?" he asked Terry, dreading the answer.
"A dozen and counting, sir."
"Who?"
He tensed even further when he realised two of the casualties were from the list of agents that Peggy Carter had placed in the agency. This meant that somebody else entirely kidnapped Sharon Carter, the only living relative of Peggy Carter, from the HQ of S.H.I.E.L.D. in broad daylight, whilst being under heavy security.
This day could not have gotten any worse.
_
Word Count - 1637
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Last edited: Dec 31, 2023
Interlude #5.2
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Technomancer in MCU
-Sharon Carter-
All the things began to click in place.
Why S.H.I.E.L.D. of all things declared Steve a traitor?
Why nearly half of all important department heads were replaced within days of Director Fury's death.
The reason why no one in S.H.I.E.LD. had any access to any evidence regarding Steve's supposed treason.
The more she thought about it, the more clear things became to her.
She continued to respond to the interrogator's questions half-heartedly and made sure that she gave no information that could be used to track down Steve, not that she had any credible intel in the first place.
Soon, they ran out of questions and she was ordered to report to the office regularly and not travel out of the city until she was cleared of suspicion. That was pretty standard procedure so without any prior knowledge she wouldn't have found it suspicious at all.
After surrendering her service weapon, as asked, she had just exited the building and entered the parking lot when multiple things happened at once.
Something exploded nearby with so much force that the shockwave rocked all the cars in the lot along with throwing her with so much force that she ended up rolling over to the nearest car.
Then she felt a sting in her neck and her vision immediately darkened.
Tranquiliser, she realised.
She tried to fight off its effects but it overpowered her within seconds. The only thing she was able to see of her attacker was a black silhouette that looked familiar for some reason.
Triskelion Parking Lot
-Brad Jameson-
Putting one of the handy dandy hostage rescue pucks on Sharon, he spoke into his radio, "Package secured. I repeat, the package is secured. Let's light this place up, boys."
His suit's thrusters activated along with its stealth functions and he soon floated up towards the carrier parked directly above the triskelion. Sharon, covered in a hard light barrier, courtesy of that puck, followed suit.
He looked down only to see the parking lot they were in and multiple non-essential structures of S.H.I.E.L.D. erupt in a series of explosions that would definitely delay the launch of their carriers.
He had gotten orders from up above to see to it that the carriers' launch was delayed as much as possible.
Damaging the launching stations of the carriers seemed like the best way to do so.
Entering the carrier because now they were given freaking aircraft carriers for minor missions like these, he ordered for it to enter orbit and leave some smaller drones for minor surveillance. They were a huge boon since Alfred went AWOL and the organisation had no other AI on hand that could take on the backup duties. Already, they were behind on multiple sub-protocols that they had to complete before the carriers took off. Hence, the minor explosions.
The puck carried Sharon Carter to the medical ward to make sure that the shockwaves didn't do any internal damage and also to make sure that when he presented it to Peggy Carter, she didn't kill him.
Seriously, that woman scared the crap out of him even though she looked like lifting a stick would kill her and not even armor-piercing rounds would kill him.
Speaking of the devil, he heard the signature noise of her wheelchair's motor whirring. Seriously, he knew that Alfred could make ones that could freaking float but he had to make her the one wheelchair that gave off that ominous noise when in operation.
Plastering a forced smile on his face, he turned around and said, "Ms.Carter, you just missed your niece. She is currently unconscious and in the med bay but don't worry, I'll have someone bring her to you as soon as she regains consciousness."
"Don't worry about me. I hope you didn't make a ruckus when retrieving my niece?" she said sternly to me, a warning in her voice.
He gulped and replied, "Well, that, uh, we had orders from the higher-ups to take whatever actions we see fit that would delay the launch of the carriers."
She narrowed her eyes at him but didn't say anything and just wheeled herself out of the room.
It was as if the entire room collectively heaved a sigh of relief.
Honestly, that woman was going to be the cause of one or more panic attacks the longer she stayed on the ship. He had to get her to the designated safehouse as soon as possible.
-Sharon Carter-
As soon as she gained awareness, her training kicked in, and barring a couple of shallow breaths, she gave no outward sign of her being awake.
"I know you are awake. Seriously, you're fooling no one. Is that what they teach at the academy these days? No wonder you got flat-footed this time." she heard the familiar voice of her Aunt Peggy reprimand her. She instantly opened her eyes and sat upright, surveilling her surroundings for any sign of danger.
"What happened? I remember explosions and somebody kidnapped me. Where are we?" she questioned her aunt.
"Honey, calm down. Nothing has happened to you. We are safe here. Much safer than the Triskelion at least. The people who rescued you work for me." her aunt reassured her.
"B-But they set off explosives at the HQ? That-that's a cri-"
"A crime, yes I am aware of that. But you are not aware of the bigger picture, Honey. S.H.I.E.L.D. is not what it was anymore. It has been infiltrated by-"
"H.Y.D.R.A.! I knew it. They are the ones who have infiltrated the agency. They are the ones who killed Directory Fury, right?" she rambled on.
Her aunt sighed, "Yes. Congratulations on figuring that out. Now, can I speak?"
She nodded meekly at the serious voice of her strict aunt.
"Rest here. When the time comes, you'll have to join the good fight as did I when I was your age. I'll see you when the doctors clear you." her aunt said and simply rolled out of the room in her wheelchair.
She tried to protest at the blatant dismissal but strings of light came out of the bed and tightly wound her up to the bed, effectively imprisoning her.
-Peggy Carter-
Coming out of the room, she said, "Make sure that she gets the necessary training. No niece of mine will stay sheltered in a bunker while others are fighting for their freedom. I want her to join Frank and the others when it's time."
She only left after receiving an affirmative from Brad. He was sweet like that.
At the beginning, when Alfred had imposed his personal guard detail on her, she was very much wary of them but Brad had grown on her.
For some reason, he always seemed to walk on eggshells around her.
Rolling around the ship as she explored the new scenery available to her, she took great pleasure in the ship's crew recognising her. It had been years since someone recognized her or her work. All they saw was the diseased husk of a body that was left after my lifelong experiences.
She wouldn't say that she hated it but it was nice to be reminded of your youth once in a while.
Looking through one of the many observation decks available on this floating ship, and could you imagine that, a floating ship?, that was science fiction in her time, she looked at the breathtaking view of Earth.
She could scarcely believe that just a few short years ago, she was just an old woman living out the last days of her life on her state-sponsored medicare.
She could still remember as if it was yesterday, the day she met Alfred.
He was so young and naive back then. He was learning at an incredibly advanced rate but even he realised that just rote learning would not help him advance and thus, sought out people for moral advice.
Apparently, Ed kept a list in which he listed the people whose moral compass he imitated.
Alfred got access to it and somehow, her name was the only one that was available to him at that time.
And thus, he sought her out.
Over the years, their bond deepened and now, she was one of the only people on Alfred's protect at all costs list. It was flattering but honestly, she thought it was unnecessary to waste so many resources protecting someone who could croak at any moment.
They did offer to fix her body and revert her physical age back to her prime but she rejected it. It would undoubtedly allow her to fight for the good once again but she was tired.
Just so so tired.
Besides, she had lived her life. She had a long fulfilling life and now, with her mental faculties restored, she was satisfied with living out the last of her days, watching Humanity's Dawn, brought about by Alfred and Ed, as they brought Humanity forward kicking and screaming.
She still had nightmares about the situation. If she had not met Alfred and talked with him, who knows how Alfred would have turned out? Especially with Ed being completely obsessed with his goal, he couldn't have given Alfred the proper education he needed.
For what it was worth, she was glad Alfred chose that day to become her TV remote.
-Flashback No Jutsu-
She was cycling through the TV channels, trying not to pull her remaining hair out in frustration because she couldn't remember any of the TV channels.
Then, out of nowhere, the TV remote stopped working and before she could call the handsome nurse to replace her remote, the TV started changing channels spontaneously.
"Is this more up to your preference, Miss Carter?" came the voice from the telephone near her, even though she hadn't picked it up.
Then she realised that the channel was set to a documentary on WWII.
"Who is it? Are you speaking through the telephone?" she questioned while looking around, wondering why nobody from the nurse staff had come to give her sleeping meds yet. They always did when she started hallucinating like this.
Then a floating transparent bobblehead appeared in front of her, scaring the crap out of her.
The bobblehead somehow radiated pity as he looked at her. Before she could get a word in though, a yellow light shined in her eyes and the next thing she knew was darkness.
The next time she opened her eyes, she already felt more clear headed than she remembered feeling in years.
Opening her eyes, she could see that it had become night already and the floating bobblehead was still hovering over her bed, waiting for her to wake up.
Having read some early stage S.H.I.E.L.D. reports, she could hazard a guess as to what the boblehead's origin was, "A-Are you an alien?"
The bobblehead tilted its head at her in an oddly human gesture and said in a childish voice, "No. I am Earth's first fully sapient AI and I am in need of help."
AI?
She remembered Howard talking about it but had dismissed it as his usual rambling.
Maybe it was the meds talking but she found herself initiating a conversation with the floating bobblehead that was apparently an AI, something that even Howard thought would be possible only in the far future.
Over the period of several weeks, she had multiple conversations with Alfred and with each session, with Alfred's treatment, her mental health began to get better and with it, came a crushing sense of responsibility for the young AI.
Alfred was incredibly trusting of her for some reason. He was very much wary of being exposed to another human being, even going so far as to threaten to disappear should she do so.
In a few weeks, she realised why Alfred came to her and how she could help him. His creator, Ed was obsessed with his goal and could not even spare the thought that his incredibly young and insanely dangerous AI needed moral education as well. Alfred himself recognised it and found me for that education.
And after realising the horrifying potential Alfred had, she gladly provided him with the most stable moral compass she could.
Then she realised that Alfred and Ed were not alone as one fine day, she realised that almost all of her security detail had been replaced by their people. She questioned Alfred about it only to receive an absurd answer. According to him, daily communication was important and maintaining his secrecy was costing them precious time so he had his team take control of the hospital.
That was the day she realised the scope of their organisation. He also helped her gain a foothold in S.H.I.E.L.D. with Fury's permission. With her old contacts, it was laughably easy to do so.
-Flashback No Jutsu Ends-
Nowadays, she was protected more by Alfred's people than the people of the country she served for almost all her life.
But, looking at yet another failed message request to Alfred, she would not have it any other way.
He might have gone away for some time but he would return.
She was sure of it.
Word Count - 2256
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Technomancer in MCU #53
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Technomancer in MCU
Previously (Chapter #52)
"Ah, that's the stuff. So, Frank, what brings you to our little slice of spy agency work? I thought you vowed never to work for us after that psyops went sideways." He asked Frank, curious and a bit wary of their motives.
Frank smiled a cold smile, "Well, we are here to help you of course."
Not even a nine-year-old would believe that obvious lie.
_
-Frank Castle-
For the sake of the mission, it was necessary to maintain this ruse.
He could admit that Fury was way better than him when it came to reading men. He had done the same during their last mission together when he specifically warned me about my so-called teammates but he was so sure of his trust in them that he ignored the advice of the Director of the premier spy agency in the world.
God, he was so stupid back then.
Fury couldn't be allowed to get even a whiff of their true plans. He must be assured that they were here to utterly destroy the carriers and with it, any chances of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s comeback. It was a good thing that they were not alone in their endeavour, he thought while glancing at Romanoff and Rogers.
Wilson was a non-issue as according to the profile they had on him, he was more than likely to follow Rogers in whatever choice he made.
That was why when Fury asked him about their objective here, he smiled a cruel smile, "Well, we are here to help you of course."
From the grimace visible on Fury's face, he could say that his objective was successful but with Fury, you never know.
The man had secrets for his secrets. Not even the people closest to him could tell what he was thinking.
Honestly, he was the most pain-in-the-ass type of person to deal with. If it wasn't a critical stage of their plans, he probably would have waited till all the carriers were airborne and come crashing down on them with the heavy hammer that was their very own superclass carrier. That would have been glorious to witness.
He had seen the specs of their new generation carriers and he was disappointed, to say the least. Their regular carriers could take out all six of them if they wanted to.
But alas, with the chaos up there, he had to be here to make sure that things didn't stray off the script that Alfred and Ed had written up.
"Well, the creepiness factor aside. Honestly man, your smile should be a crime, I think we take their help. If they are anything like what I've heard of them, they could be instrumental in taking down the carriers once and for all." Wilson said.
It would seem he was wrong. Wilson did have a spine to speak of.
He could see the way Fury's face took a surprised expression as the implication of Wilson's words began to sink in. Fury's brows creased as he spoke, "What do you mean once and for all? We are not here to discuss their destruction, we have to retrieve them and-"
"And then what? Just wait for this to happen all over again? No. This stops now. Everything goes. The carriers, the secrets, S.H.I.E.L.D., everything goes." Rogers spoke out, clearly frustrated.
He could sympathize with that. The man had been declared rogue and ousted from the very organisation that he served, thinking that all the work he had been doing was all for a good cause. And now, he has to destroy the very organisation that the love of his life helped build.
Yeah, he would not want to be in that position right now.
It was amusing watching Fury cycle through everybody's expressions and then slumping in on himself when realised that everybody agreed with Rogers' sentiments.
"Good. This was going to backfire spectacularly anyway. I mean, what were you guys smoking when you greenlit this plan? Sure, let's put a series of boats in the air with guns so advanced they could target anybody from thousands of feet in the air and strategically tear apart any person without them even realising who killed them. That would make the average Joe feel safe? And for what? We would have destroyed them anyway. No way Ed or Alfred would allow this travesty of freedom to occur." Eric chose this moment to speak out his thoughts.
"And who are you supposed to be, new guy?" Fury asked Eric.
"I am the captain of the-"
"Who he is has no relevance to this conversation. What we should be doing right now is planning on how to take down those carriers without hundreds of people dying in the process." Thankfully, Rogers interrupted Eric before he could give out any information regarding the superclass carrier to Fury.
Fury alone was a non-issue but the problem was his association with Danvers.
That woman, wherever she was, was not in the right mindset. The damage the Supreme Intelligence did to her mind was not healed completely, resulting in her warped view of the world.
According to the records they had on her, she saw the world in white and black. There was no place for a shade of grey in her worldview. According to her, you were either good or evil and she was supposed to be the hammer of justice that came crashing down on the evildoers.
If Fury decided to involve her in panic or desperation, they would be in for an ugly fight, especially with two of their heavy hitters down and their third strongest member imprisoned somewhere near the sun.
Because no matter what Ed says, he knows that Toby is the one who was locked up in the sun prison. That was the only reason he could think of why Ed would not give him access to that particular prison facility.
"Steve's right. We need a solid plan of attack because as far as I know, those carriers were designed from the ground up to be unbreachable." Romanoff said while glancing at them, implying that they were the reason for the beefed-up security of those carriers.
He scoffed internally at the foolish notion that anything these people could add to help safeguard their carriers would even slow down their forces at all. At best, they could be a minor inconvenience. Nothing more and nothing less.
Fury nodded tiredly and gestured to a suitcase that was sitting inconspicuously near his bed, "The answer to your questions is in that suitcase."
Romanoff put it on a nearby table and opened it up, revealing six rectangular cards with minuscule chips at the centre of them. It looked quite a bit more advanced than the tech S.H.I.E.L.D. normally had access to.
Romanoff went to grab one of them which revealed a similar forcefield like theirs around the six chips, "What are these?"
His eyes narrowed at that. As far as he knew, there were only a handful of places on Earth that Fury could have gotten that shield tech from and he knew that none of them sold it.
It would seem that Fury's old Skrull buddies are quite generous when providing him with technology. They would have to keep a closer watch on their activities from now on.
After all, it was one of the mandates from Ed that Fury is not to leave the planet without company, especially with the Skrulls.
"Those, Romanoff, are six of the only chips in existence that can deactivate the carriers. Upon the successful launch of the carriers, they were supposed to be stored in isolated locations of the world, ensuring their safety but as you can see, the convoy currently carrying them are holding fakes." Fury replied.
"It's always secrets within secrets with you," Rogers said.
He went near the suitcase and as he walked, his suit turned into liquid and was absorbed back into his body where it was stored in the bone lattices. He then extended his hand towards one of the chips but this time, there was no visible reaction as his onboard suit hacked and disabled the forcefield in time, "And how are we supposed to do that?"
Fury looked visibly irate at the failure of his failsafes and he could almost see a vein popping on his forehead as he gnashed his teeth.
That couldn't have been good for his prolonged health but he was sure that whatever damage he ended up inflicting on Fury, the micro CHI injections he was receiving free of cost would heal that right up.
"Those chips are to be inserted at the central hub of each carrier. Without these, the carriers would lift off but the weapons system would not activate. I bet that Pierce is hoping that in the long term, they figure that out or find the chips, whichever happens first."
He nodded, "I see. And I assume there's a catch there since nothing is this simple with you."
Fury nodded back, "You would be correct. There are in total 3 hubs on each carrier. That chip that you are holding can be split into 3 parts. On all six carriers, you would need to insert the 18 pieces within 60 seconds of each other which means you only have 60 seconds of window between the first chip install and the last chip being installed."
"And how the hell are we supposed to do that since the last time I checked, we barely have 5 combat-ready people here." Wilson interrupted.
"Wrong." came a familiar voice from the door. He smiled upon hearing that voice.
He turned around as he saw Romanoff and Fury pointing a gun toward Sharon Carter, decked out in her custom suit that he had seen Peggy approve of a while back.
"Agent 13," he heard Fury mumble her codename in the agency.
Slowly, everybody lowered their guns. Then he said, "So? I guess, problem solved?"
Oh, how he loved seeing Fury's confused face. He was going to savor it. After all, the chances of Fury not being informed about something are very low on their planet, except when it comes to Ed or Alfred but those two are abominations when it comes to secrecy anyway.
"Who the fuck is the white lady?" His enhanced hearing picked up on Wilson asking Rogers that question.
_
Word Count - 1759
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Chapter release sheet
Technomancer in MCU #54
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 54
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
"Who the fuck is the white lady?" His enhanced hearing picked up on Wilson asking Rogers that question.
_
-Nick Fury-
Listening to Agent 13's explanation of the ordeal she went through a short few days ago, he was completely shaken inside.
He never thought that the reason Peggy Carter became active again was due to Alfred and Ed.
Seriously, did those fellows leave anybody unaffected by their presence?
He hadn't thought much of Peggy's recommendation regarding some promotions in the agency, mainly because he was busy and also because the candidates were pretty much perfect for the position so much so that if not for Peggy, he would have recommended them himself.
Now, seeing all the information that Agent 13 had bought from Peggy Carter, he was glad that he did so. The only other way to gather this much information would have been to go through them, he thought while glancing at Frank and his partner.
He still could not digest the fact that Frank would work for someone but then again, Maria wouldn't hesitate to order Frank around. She was the only one who could rein him in anyway and looking at him, he could see that his previous anger had melted away and all that remained was single-minded focus.
Not on the level of John Wick, that man was still a legend, even after retiring but Frank was pretty close.
He spoke up, interrupting Romanoff's discussion with Agent 13, "Agent 13, I hope you have some good news for us. I don't know about everybody else but I am in dire need of some bloody good news."
Agent 13 grimaced but tapped her forearm, causing a hologram to pop up in front of her, showing a scene of the hangar showing the helicarriers.
He sat a little straighter at the scene.
"While the distraction these guys provided-" she gestured to Frank and Eric, "-did help but Pierce, in his fear and paranoia, has accelerated the work on the carriers. He has brazenly brought in personnel from outside the agency who have been working on the carriers round the clock, accelerating the timeline significantly. He has become adamant on making sure that the carriers become airborne as soon as possible. All other systems have been put on the back burner in favour of the repulsion systems."
"Which means that the carriers are defenseless? Well, that makes our jobs much easier then." Wilson said.
He internally shook his head at that. It was naive to think that a military vessel wouldn't have any other defenses. Honestly, did he suffer a head injury during his service? It was possible since he was the test pilot for a heavily experimental technology.
As expected, Agent 13 shook her head, "Unfortunately, that is not true. While the biggest weapons on board, the E-canons, are inoperational on 4 carriers, Pierce has made sure that at least 2 of the carriers are loaded to the brim with weapons should they need them. The only advantage we might have is the time it takes for the cannons to cool down but honestly, even a single shot would ensure that not even ashes remain of us. Well, everybody except them-" she gestured to Frank and Eric, "-their suits should be more than capable of protecting them, just like mine."
All of them, including him, looked at Frank with accusing eyes. It was a testament to their incredible collective will that managed to make Frank sigh and avert his eyes.
He then seemed to make up his mind and said, "Fine. You can have them but only the basic protection package. Nothing fancy like the ones they-" he gestured to Romanoff and Rogers as he continued, "-used during the battle of New York. Those are custom issue units that need Ed's or Alfred's authorisation to take out of the base. I don't have that authority, neither will I request it since this is not that bad of a situation."
Romanoff shrugged and said, "Well, something's better than nothing. I'd feel a lot safer if I had one of those on me. Speaking of which, where's Alfred or Ed? I don't think Alfred would miss out on an opportunity like this." She then looked questioningly at Frank.
Frank's face became blank as he replied, "They are currently otherwise occupied else they would have been the ones here instead of telling me to come here and help your sorry asses survive."
That was odd.
From what he had read from reports gathered from eyewitnesses and testimonies from the Avengers, Alfred was someone who could rival Stark in his ability to generate trouble for others. And from the brief conversation he had with Ed, he could tell that he was the type of man who would absolutely make sure to be present during an event like this. Even if they did make light of it, even a single one of those carriers could cause catastrophic damage to the human civilisation as they knew it.
"So, Bald guy, I heard you say that the carriers used a series of satellites for their targeting systems so what if we destroyed the satellites themselves? Then, even if the carriers did take off, we could destroy them with very little or no damage to civilians." he heard the guy who came with Frank address him in such a manner.
Before he could give that fellow a piece of his mind, Frank said, "Won't work. They took that into mind as well. It's not just a small cluster of satellites responsible for the targeting systems, are they Fury?"
So, they knew about that as well? Well, it seems only obvious now, despite the hundreds of measures to make sure that it remained a secret.
In fact, they spent close to a hundred million dollars on launching the fake satellites into space, hoping to fool anybody who had eyes on the carriers before their launch sequences.
He nodded," You are correct. There is a cluster of satellites that is responsible for secondary targeting systems but the real stars of the show are the thousands of small satellites that provide Satellite internet for a large majority of the planet. Elon was all too happy to get the subsidies for allowing us to install tiny modules that allowed for DNA-level tracking of targets throughout the globe. Last I checked, they were at a staggering 82% of land coverage and nearly half of ocean coverage for the tracking systems. So, yeah, the only option you guys have is targeting and bringing down the carriers before they can fully sync with the satellites and take flight because once they become airborne, the automatic activation sequence would kick in and the weapons onboard would activate automatically."
He then looked at each and every person who was going to participate in the fight tomorrow in the eye and said, "I know that I have not been the most trustworthy person but believe me, this was not my intention and it pains me immensely to do this, but the carriers must be destroyed and I hope that you all succeed in that endeavour. All I can say is good luck."
The Triskelion
-Phil "Touch my L.O.L.A. and die" Coulson-
When he heard that Director Fury was dead, the emergency protocols that had been seared into his mind kicked in. Immediately, he ordered his team to go dark and immediately headed to the Theta Protocol.
Once there, he removed a pager from his pocket that he brought with him everywhere. It was made of the same technology that the one Director Fury had to call Captain Marvel if the need came. This one was built differently though. It was designed to activate only when it was in a certain location at a certain time in the presence of a certain someone.
With all the conditions of the pager fulfilled, he waited for the message to come in. He prayed against all odds that the message came in because if it didn't, he didn't know what he would do.
Well, he was sure that finding another job with similar benefits was going to be tough.
He was lost in his thoughts when the pager rang in front of him and he immediately began to write down the code.
Seeing that the code was correct, he sighed in relief and immediately began to head outside.
The code didn't specify it but he ordered the staff there to prep Theta Protocol just in case.
When he returned back to The Bus, the team was understandably full of questions. But the team hadn't yet gained his full trust and thus, he ordered a blanket communication ban and ordered May to pilot it to Washington DC.
When he reached the given coordinates, he was surprised to see Director Fury fully healed.
Smiling, he resisted the urge to hug him and instead went for a handshake.
Ignoring Maria Hill's shocked face, Director Fury shook his hand and gestured for him to the helicopter waiting behind them.
He nodded and after signaling to May to leave with the team, he went after Director Fury.
"B-Bu-But you died. I went to your funeral. We all did. How are you still alive?" Hill asked him, shell-shocked at seeing me alive and well.
Well, he wouldn't blame her for that. Anybody would be shocked. After all, according to the reports he had read, his heart did stop beating but somehow, Director Fury managed to bring him back. He was still not privy to how that happened but he was fine and that was all that mattered to him.
"The news of my demise was greatly exaggerated, Agent Hill. Nice to see you again." He always wanted to say that dialogue to someone. He could cross another one of his bucket list items today. Right after fighting with Captain America in the field.
"Ladies, you can chit-chat later. Right now, we are on a mission. We need to make sure that at least a single one of the boats is secured. Coulson, I hope Theta Protocol is ready?" Director Fury asked him.
He nodded in affirmative.
"Great. Hill?"
"Yes, Director?" Hill asked the Director,
"Make sure that Coulson is there when the fighting begins. There are a few things in the Triskelion that he needs to retrieve. Your objective is to provide cover and safe passage for him. I'll leave him to you, alright?"
"Yes, sir," Hill replied. Then she tapped something on her upper forearm. The next moment, some sort of silvery liquid began to spread all over her body, and within seconds, a nanite suit formed over her body, hugging her body and leaving nothing to the imagination.
The only thing that came to his mind at that moment slipped out of his mouth, "That is so cool! Do I get one?" he asked Director Fury with stars shining in his eyes.
If yes, it would fulfill another one of his bucket list items.
Sadly, "No," Director Fury denied it.
He did not pout but it was a very close thing.
_
Word Count - 1871
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head on to my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 12 extra chapters uploaded there.
Technomancer in MCU #55
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 55
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
"That is so cool! Do I get one?" he asked Director Fury with stars shining in his eyes.
If yes, it would fulfill another one of his bucket list items.
Sadly, "No," Director Fury denied it.
He did not pout but it was a very close thing.
Above the Triskelion, cloaked
-Daisy "Quake" Johnson-
She waited with bated breath for the battle to begin. The only reason she wasn't pacing on the captain's deck was because she had an image to maintain in front of the staff.
Granted, most of them had seen her goofing around just a few short weeks ago but then again, she was not given a position of power that had the power to influence the lives of billions of humans and even millions of aliens.
That was the thing that struck out the most to her.
In their quest to help Humanity, Ed and Alfred had expanded their horizons beyond their blue ball of dirt and they came across various species of aliens. Some powerful, some weak, some on the run, and some hunting others. Being who they were, they managed to acquaint themselves with most of them, saved a few and from what she managed to gather from the reports, it snowballed from there to eventually helping multiple refugee species set up their own communities on one of the planets that Alfred bought from Xandar.
Confident in the frankly overkill amount of weaponry they had brought with them to their space journey, they didn't feel the need to pay for the extra protection fee that Xandar offered along with the planet's sale.
Predictably, corruption and greed reared their ugly heads, and someone from the Xandar administration must have tipped someone off about the bunch of riffraffs that resided on the newly purchased planet along with a puny Midgardian who stayed with them who was very much rich. Of course, they were carrying a miniaturized aircraft carrier with them which was very much capable of dealing with a bunch of pirates.
The way they dealt with the pirates and then their subsequent overpowering of the defense systems of the entire planet of Xandar was known throughout the galaxy. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw that Alfred had hacked everything on Xandar and along with Ed, hovered above their planet's capital with an entire carrier with them.
The scene of Ed negotiating with Nova Prime the terms of their deal was hilarious to watch, especially the reaction of Nova Prime when she realised that someone from her administration had managed to screw up royally and invited the wrath of a power smaller than yet so far above them in terms of power.
Ever since then, they have expanded their refugee operation from a single planet and about a million displaced aliens to now 14 planets in 4 different star systems, housing over 3 billion aliens. Most of the planets were made self-sufficient by Alfed's research over the years but even then, some of the more adventurous of the aliens had approached their Patron God, as they called Alfred, for any opportunity to help their Patron God's organisation. That was why, as she watched multiple teams get ready to cut off H.Y.D.R.A.'s entire presence apart, she could spy multiple aliens in the teams mixed with humans.
Funnily enough, all of the refugees considered Alfred as the true God and Ed only as his mouthpiece. Ed thought it was hilarious and hence, didn't correct them at all.
That was also why, "Commander Daisy, was it? How long until we are granted a meeting with our Lord and Saviour, Lord Alfred?", She was having to entertain the priests of Alfred who managed the multiple communities they had on the newly settled planets.
When she first came to know about Alfred's absence, it was through the mouth of her commander and then the news slowly trickled into the others in the organisation as multiple systems that were historically operated by Alfred began to break down. Among the agents of Earth, there was only an uneasy feeling spreading as they were used to receiving the majority of their tasks through or by Alfred himself. Even then, during the first series of meetings that Commander Castle took right after meeting her, she never understood the reason for his and Maria's immense panic right until the participants of the meetings went from humans to aliens that came in various sizes and shapes.
Then she realised the impact of Alfred's absence was felt across the galaxy. The alien refugees they rescued built multiple shrines of crude drawings and sculptures of Alfred's hologram which they later began to worship. Taking pity on them and after multiple attempts of explanations later, Alfred installed small holograms across thousands of shrines across all the planets they owned. Every day, Alfred would hear their requests and either give out solutions or guide them to their solutions. As far as she was concerned, that system worked really well as most of the aliens were really scared of approaching positions of authority, and as such, Alfred managed to reach nearly every nook and cranny of the refugee communities, resulting in near-instant problem recognition and swift resolutions.
Also, due to the near-mythical presence of Alfred on all allied planets, the crime rates are non-existent and major crimes such as murder, rape and assault have been thoroughly eradicated as every single citizen has a standard nanite package that monitors almost all aspects of them.
So, when Alfred went offline, all the shrines on all allied planets stopped working. People were on the verge of riots, only somehow stopped due to their fear of Alfred's law enforcement procedures and careful cajoling of the priests on all planets. She barely avoided total anarchy by telling them that Alfred is in the middle of a very important task and thus, cannot divide his attention. The worst was when she heard that the Grand Priest was personally coming to meet Alfred and she had no choice but to agree to assuage their fears.
Even after meeting Ed, he did not appear satisfied and instead, appeared to be in even more distress after seeing Ed's bedridden state. It was an oversight on her part, allowing them to see the mouthpiece of their Lord being injured.
Now, he was with her on the ship's deck as he had decided to send back his entourage and stay with them until he saw Alfred.
And that's why, "I am surprised that one as young as you has managed to get the position of our God's representative. I always approved of Sir Ed being our Lord's mouthpiece since despite his immense presence, Lord Alfred seemed a bit carefree, I would say. I have yet to meet our Lord and Saviour but until then, I shall endeavour to find out what he has seen in you." the Grand Priest of the church of Alfred said.
She turned to him, tired and exasperated at his relentlessness, "I have reminded you time and time again, that Lord Alfred has given all of us our orders and we are just following them. You will see him when he deems his task complete and not one moment early."
"Strange that despite being his most devout worshipper and being granted the burden of being Grand Priest personally by Lord Alfred, I was not given any such orders. Forgive my intrusion, but until I see Lord Alfred personally, I will not be leaving for my home. My people have entrusted this to me and I will not fail them." said the Grand Priest who seemed more like a bodybuilder who spent all his waking hours in a gym than a priest.
Then again, all Kylosians looked like that so what did she know?
Different from his fellow people though, he was much wiser. The time he spent in captivity made him much more level-headed than his fellow Kylosians. Don't be mistaken though, he could fold nearly anybody in the organisation, save the S-class combatants, in half with his physical prowess alone, not to mention any powers Alfred must have given him since she could not read what his powers were in the files she was given access to.
It would seem that there were still some files that she was not given access to.
She glanced at him, "If you are willing to go that far, you can wait for a few more days. He'll surely be back by then. We are waiting for him just as much as you are." Even now, she could feel a faint sense of danger standing this close to him.
No wonder he was comfortable sending back his entire entourage back home. This man probably was another S-class combatant that nobody in the entire organisation knew about, save for Ed or Alfred.
He then replied in a deep rumble, "Very well. Until then, I will observe you carrying out our Lord's orders efficiently. As the Grand Priest, I can at least do that much."
She rolled her eyes internally at that.
-Grand Priest Ajax-
He could sense the faint sense of ridicule and amusement that wafted off the new Commander's mind.
Truly strange, the gifts that Lord Alfred had bested upon him.
Once upon a time, as he spent all that time mining for that accursed metal, he never would have thought he would be saved and brought out of that hellhole to see the shining stars ever again let alone be granted the blessing of that very accursed metal in his very bones.
His Lord called it "Vibranium", the accursed metal but that same accursed metal flowed through his body and granted him the strength to carry out his duties.
He knew that these people were lying about their Lord's absence.
Oh, he was sure that they were also worried about his absence but they did not have even a lick of idea about his whereabouts. They were just as clueless as he was but much more managed due to the presence of Sir Ed.
The condition of Sir Ed was something that also raised warning signals in his mind. After being given his blessings, he had always sensed something off about Sir Ed's body. His mind shone like a sun but his body felt small, inadequate to house that powerful mind.
He never said anything about that because it was not his place to question his Lord's choices but now that he had seen the state in which Sir Ed was, he was very much worried about Lord Alfred.
While he knew that there were very few forces in the universe that could ever hope to harm Lord Alfred, he also knew that the same could be said for Sir Ed, and witnessing his near-death state, he could no longer go back home and reassure his people about the Lord's continued presence.
He had been sleeping peacefully when he was jolted awake when a mind-splitting attack struck his mind. Thinking that somebody was psychically attacking him, he employed all that he was taught by the Ancient One to repel the intruder but found that the attack was not aimed at him but at his Lord and merely due to his connection to his Lord's soul, he was injured in his spirit.
After all the time spent with Lord Alfred, he was sure of one thing. His Lord would never abandon Humanity and as such, he was here, waiting for his Lord to appear.
Because he didn't think their civilization would survive that loss. These people probably didn't realise that but were it not for him keeping quiet about his findings, they would not have come to an uneasy and fearful but peaceful planet but a burning one.
Such was the influence that their Lord held over them.
He once again prayed in his mind, waiting for their Lord to return.
For he knew that the entire galaxy could be plunged into war should their people not get their Lord back.
Word Count - 2027
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I already have up to 12 extra chapters uploaded there.
Author Note -
Well that took a weird turn but stay tuned, it's about to get even weirder.
Man, I love what my drunk self can come up with.
Technomancer in MCU #56
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 56
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
Such was the influence that their Lord held over them.
He once again prayed in his mind, waiting for their Lord to return.
For he knew that the entire galaxy could be plunged into war should their people not get their Lord back.
The Royal Palace, Wakanda
-N'Jadaka-
He stood ramrod straight as the council went on one of their stupid arguments the result of which was decided before they had even begun speaking but they had to go through all this song and dance every damn time.
He had honestly thought that with his acceptance into Wakanda, he would have to deal with less politics than he did in the States but boy was he wrong.
The tribe elders used the council meetings more as a place to meet people of their age and chat between themselves for entertainment rather than actively working for the betterment of Wakanda.
He could see now why Wakanda could be termed as slow to change. Even if the King himself wanted to change Wakanda, he would have to go through this absolutely detestable council of tribe leaders if he didn't wish to just go through it in the bloody manner, i.e., the American Way.
Ever since Ed left him here with his assigned mission, he had been rising rapidly through the military ranks, much to the consternation of the tribe elders. They tried, oh they tried, but in the end, nothing they could send my way could match the strength he wielded.
They or for that matter, nobody in the country held leverage over him as he could not be stopped if he so wished.
A few days ago, he had stopped receiving Alfred's mandatory reminders of his goals and after a while, he had gotten a missive from the organisation regarding the situation as one of the few people with B-class clearance, he was made privy to additional details once his uplink to the organisation's central database was restored.
The fact that Ed was dying was shocking enough but the situation of Alfred of all people leaving Ed in his most vulnerable state was straight-up incomprehensible to him.
He might not have been as close to Alfred as Daisy was but he knew that Alfred would never willingly leave Ed.
Something must have gone wrong for Alfred to take such a drastic measure.
If he was shocked by Alfred leaving, he was downright flabbergasted when he read that Daisy of all people was appointed as the interim leader of the organisation and somehow, against all odds, she had done a great job.
However, she certainly inherited Frank's propensity for always bringing overkill gear for the job. The small jet always hovering right above him and the two armed teams that were smuggled into Wakanda overnight were enough proof of that. Apparently, even Frank Castle himself was unnerved about the situation and actually followed all of Daisy's orders.
He actually went to complete the H.Y.D.R.A. mission by himself. That mission was way above his pay grade but then again, these were hardly regular times.
That was the reason he was tolerating these bunch of old fogies again. He could see T'Chaka looking at him with amusement clear in his eyes. The bastard took joy in seeing me suffer.
The reason he was here was to request for Wakanda to officially join the global stage and reveal its true state, using the downfall of H.Y.D.R.A. and advertising its role in it to soften the impact it would undoubtedly have on international politics.
So far, the work that he and T'Challa had done in liberating neighbouring countries was bearing fruit but any progress was slow going. Not to mention that without openly declaring themselves as the liberators, they had to go through several hoops to make sure that the work they did was not undone in a matter of hours by another warlord. Dealing with warlords with no morals while resisting the urge to kill them was exhausting enough. Trying to do the same while having senile elders breathing down your neck and waiting for you to mess up even slightly was a whole other ball game altogether.
He was lost in his thoughts when he heard King T'Chaka's voice, "Prince N'Jadaka, please voice your proposal."
He stepped forward, mentally preparing himself for the verbal stalling ahead, hoping against all odds that Wakanda would help Ed in their difficult time.
"Greetings, the esteemed council of Wakanda. I am here with a plea. A plea to help our allies who will no doubt be very grateful for our assistance….."
-Frank Castle-
Waiting in stealth mode, he awaited the signal that would herald the activation of the helicarriers.
He had to say that Terry did a great job in making sure that the blast damage was limited to the bay doors that were groaning in protest even now as they opened slowly, making way for the carriers to launch.
The plan was simple.
There were six carriers and six chips. The tricky part was that each chip had 3 separate parts that needed to be put into 3 different slots within 60 seconds of each other.
There were six carriers and they were six people. The chip fragmentation issue was made infinitely easier due to his authorisation of the standard nanite suits for all the members of the team. While he was at it, he even allowed Wilson's flight suit to draw power from the mini reactors in the nanite suit, allowing him to use those experimental wings of his for longer periods of time.
As soon as the repulsors of the first carrier turned ON, alarms started blaring in the Triskelion building.
He could see in his feed that Pierce, who was escorting his fellow members of the World Security Council, was startled upon hearing the noise and ordered Brock Rumlow to investigate the cause.
While he was guiding them to the top of the building to make them witness the uprising of H.Y.D.R.A, Rogers began speaking through the speakers.
While Rogers was giving his admittedly inspiring speech, he connected to the carrier formation floating above him, "Daisy, I think we are going to need a few hundred medbots down here once the fighting begins."
"Already on it. Once the guns begin shooting, I'll have them flood the entire building," came the voice of his commanding officer.
He smiled internally at that piece of news. She was learning incredibly fast.
Soon, one by one, all six of the carriers exited the bay doors and immediately their thrusters pushed them upwards at full tilt.
"Come on, boys. It's now or never," he heard the familiar voice of Romanoff as she zipped past him in her custom suit.
He could hear the various guns on the carriers activating and locking in on the flying form of Romanoff even as the thrusters began outputting even higher levels of power in order to get into low earth orbit as soon as possible.
"Woohoo!" He heard Wilson scream before he dive-bombed the first carrier that took flight.
He followed after Wilson as he connected to the bridge of the carrier floating silently above them, "Daisy, I hope everything is in place?"
"Of course, who do you take me for?" came her sassy reply.
He smiled and spoke out loud, "Activate overkill mode."
God, he felt so cringe saying that out loud but he had no choice. Alfred had made the first generation captain suits and no one other than him could even hope to alter them in any meaningful way.
Instantly, multiple openings were created on his suit's shoulder, forearm, and knee area.
Spreading his arms apart, he awaited the arrival of the extra parts needed to make his battle suit "battle" worthy.
After seeing that nothing was happening even after 30 seconds, he awkwardly put his hands back down. He gritted his teeth after he heard the faint laughing sound of Daisy coming from the comms.
A laughing Daisy who had tears in her eyes came on his HUD and with her hands on her stomach, said, "Sorry! I'm so sorry. It's just that it was so funny watching you splay like an eagle. I could literally hear the cartoonish chirping sounds. I apologize, the parts should reach you now."
Unfortunately for him, the first wave of a part that attached to his body came a bit faster than usual and just slammed onto his chest. He was certain it was Daisy doing it on purpose, taking revenge for all the punishment he gave her in the guise of extra training.
He could now see Daisy dying of laughter as an "oomph" sound left his lips.
Frustrated, he shut down the feed and activated all the micro missiles he had access to.
Diving right after Wilson, he deliberately whizzed past Wilson as he was busy buzzing around the helicarrier like a bee, making way towards the last three carriers as they had begun to target everybody flying in the air.
As he flew by the carriers one after the other, the missiles in his shoulder pods launched themselves at all the external weaponry on board and as he did a three-point landing in the hangar where the carriers were being kept, the missiles exploded in a glorious shower of sparks.
All around him, people screamed as they ran around like headless chickens and some people began shooting indiscriminately towards him, heedless of multiple untrained civvies running about.
He gave the command for all the medbots to flood the building and activated instant kill mode for all known H.Y.D.R.A. affiliated agents inside S.H.I.E.L.D.
While he was clearing the rabble inside, he saw that the shell of a suit masquerading as him was already done with installing the chips on board the carrier.
Soon, he arrived at the basement floors, where the vault of the Triskelion was.
One of the hatches from the suit opened up, revealing a vial of Pym particles.
He really hoped all the items inside the vault were worth it since he was holding one of the last batches of Pym particles. They couldn't acquire more since Hank Pym had gone underground for the past couple of months for some reason.
A small drone detached from his back plate and ingested the Pym particle vial and entered the vault after creating a hole through it with its adamantium drill.
As soon as the vault door was breached, the doors of the room closed in and the vents began to suck all air inside the hallway.
He ignored the security measures installed as he witnessed the bot shrinking the vault from the inside and returning to rest in his back plate.
His work done, he set his thrusters to maximum and broke through sixteen layers of concrete to blast out of the building.
Word Count - 1847
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head on to my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 12 extra chapters uploaded there.
Technomancer in MCU #57
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 57
Technomancer in MCU
Previously
He ignored the security measures installed as he witnessed the bot shrinking the vault from the inside and returning to rest in his back plate.
His work done, he set his thrusters to maximum and broke through sixteen layers of concrete to blast out of the building.
-Frank Castle-
As soon as he burst out of the building, taking out some poor fools with him, he was greeted with the sight of the other 5 members floating just above the Triskelion, watching the carriers above.
He could almost feel the confusion wafting off of them, except Eric since he already knew what was going on.
"Daisy, do it," he told Daisy.
"I'm trying, something's blocking all our attempts to do so," she replied. He could hear her typing furiously in the background.
"What do you mean? We have to do something soon because if we don't, the US military will just shoot them down or worse, confiscate them." That was bad but still a salvageable situation.
"I'm trying. Now, let me focus," she replied and cut the connection.
"What is happening? Aren't they supposed to just destroy each other?" Rogers said as he held his iconic shield in one hand and a hard light one attached to his other forearm.
The man really did love his shields, didn't he? No wonder, Peggy named the organisation S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Daisy, status report?"
"Just a minute!" she shouted in his ears.
Whatever Daisy did must have worked since he could see from his suit, in real-time, the carrier formation overlaying a layer of illusion on them.
Just as the illusion boundaries were about to close over all six of the carriers, a voice sounded in his ears.
A voice that nearly brought tears to his eyes. Good thing it was just sweat and not tears. That would have been embarrassing.
"Alfred reporting for duty, commander. Miss me?" said Alfred as he appeared in all his bespoke glory in his HUD.
As he heard Alfred's message, he also heard a loud whining noise from the carriers above.
His eyes widened as he looked above. The energy weapons onboard the two carriers were being activated.
He could also feel his suit's controls being taken over by Alfred, same with Eric. The medbots also seemed to increase in both volume and the speed with which they were working. Soon, within seconds of Alfred arriving, the medbots had either recovered every single S.H.I.E.L.D. agent or shredded the H.Y.D.R.A. ones down to a bloody mist, made evident by the red mist that came out of most of the carriers.
"Uh, Alfred? Buddy? This was not the plan." He heard Daisy muttering nervously.
"Ah, change of plans. We don't need them." Alfred replied.
"Why?" Daisy asked.
"No time. Will explain later on."
"Very well,"
"Alfred, good to have you back, and don't worry, Maria will be having words with you about your little leaving stunt."
He could have been mistaken but he could swear that he heard a gulping sound at his reply.
Strange.
"Anyways, any update on the other locations we were supposed to move on to?" he questioned Alfred.
"Don't worry, Commander. The forces are moving in as we speak. I have also activated all my assets around the world. We'll be done in a jiffy." Alfred replied.
He could have been mistaken again but Alfred's sound seemed a bit deeper and rougher than usual. Maybe his speakers were faulty?
Yellow Stone National Park
There were multiple tourists inside the National Park as usual.
Tour Guide Saul was just about done with showing them the mouth of the once supervolcano and herding them to the next stop when he heard a bubbling sound of some sort.
He ignored it at first but it increased in intensity and soon, he heard horrified gasps from the visitors.
Dreading the result, he turned around and looked at the volcano. To his horror, there was a fissure in the ground through which lava was bubbling out.
"Run! RUN!" he shouted and ran towards the pickup truck. Screams ensued as all the visitors followed him.
Looking behind, he could see that multiple fissures had opened up after that, and red hot lava was flowing out of it.
He didn't know what overcame him but he was soon in the truck, helping the visitors boarding it, and as soon as the last passenger was boarded, he told the driver to floor it.
When they exited the boundary set up for the tourist spot, he could see the land around the fissures cracking and splintering, as if something was coming out of the land.
He was expecting lava but something totally unexpected happened. The ground burst open and with it, a tsunami of blackness followed.
Like a geyser, thousands of black insects of some sort flew into the air. He could hear the frightened screams intensify at that sight.
It was like it was straight out of the Bible. There was a literal swarm of blackish-red insects floating while it kept on increasing in size due to the influx of more insects adding to the cloud.
He squinted his eyes as he saw something bizarre happening.
"Oh, shit!" he exclaimed as soon as he realised what was going on. Those were no insects! They were machines. The machines were forming into a single big unit.
He didn't get to see what was happening as they were going downhill but he did hear a silent whining noise soon after it went out of his sight.
The black streak in the air was pretty hard to miss.
-Blackagar Boltagon-
He could have never predicted the events that unfolded over the course of the past few weeks.
He had heard mutterings of genetic disorders on the rise from the genetic council but they had assured him that they had already solved it. Not to mention he had trusted his brother way too much back then.
If he had been a little more firm in his approach with Maximus, maybe he still would have been alive.
He knew for a fact that Ed was the one who had Maximus killed. He had no proof but he just knew.
He also knew that there was no way, even if he had proof, he could take any action on that piece of information.
Not when the stakes were the continued survival of his race.
A week after Ed visited Attilan, as he said, an ambassador from his side arrived with a literal army at her beck and call. She said her name was Maria Castle née Falconio. The soldiers and Alfred himself seemed incredibly protective of her.
After giving her their official acceptance, she accepted it with grace and went right back to work, i.e., healing all their people.
Contrary to the genetic council's expectation, she went to the lower floors in the beginning and started healing them.
When the council elders began to protest when she began to free them, the glare she subjected them to rooted even him to the spot.
He could still hear her words as clear as day, "There are no slavers who are allied with our organisation right now and that is not about to change anytime soon. You can either be a slaver or you can be alive. Choose wisely."
Safe to say, the elders had no words to say after that.
There were a string of rules they had to follow as part of the deal but all of them were in their favor, so he hadn't hesitated to sign the pact. What he hadn't expected however was the fervor of protest the elders made but in the end, they had to submit to the rules proposed.
Last he heard, barely 2 members of the original 15 of the council were still alive. Truly, Ed was a ruthless person.
"Ready, my love?" Medusa asked him.
"Yes." he nodded and went on the stage to address the Inhuman unit of the organisation.
Looking over the nearly 300 combat class Inhumans filled him with pride. Going with Ed was the right choice all along.
He was informed about Alfred's leaving but as they were still new members, that didn't have as big of an impact. Especially since they were technically a sovereign nation so he was able to make sure that Alfred was not snooping around constantly on their systems.
Of course, he was not delusional so as to think that Alfred could be stopped but it was necessary for the citizens' peace of mind at least.
"Greetings, fellow Inhumans. Today, we are given the opportunity to help our siblings to get rid of a scourge that has been plaguing their civilisation for far too long. Some of you might have even heard of them. Tonight, we are going to rid the planet of H.Y.D.R.A." he said in a rousing speech, hoping to increase the morale of the troops as this was their very first real mission along with the debut of Inhumans on the global political stage of Earth.
They were waiting for their orders from Miss Daisy. He still had a hard time believing that the same woman who visited their city that day had become the leader of this vast organisation.
"As per their previous orders, we are supposed to hit the location called the F.R.I.D.G.E. and retrieve everything from that facility. Actually, we were told to just take the entire facility with us, if possible." Medusa said to him, with her voice instead of her telepathic bond.
That was another thing that had improved ever since they accepted Ed's help. With the help of their sciences, they were able to not only give me a way to speak properly, but they were also able to improve upon the minor psionic talent that Medusa had.
She was now able to speak to anyone within a 100m radius with ease.
"Unit Inhumans, you are authorised to proceed. I repeat you are authorised to proceed." Daisy said in his earpiece and he nodded at Medusa, slowly floating up in the air with the entire Royal Family floating beside him.
"My fellow citizens, tonight, we rise!" he shouted passionately and flew to his destination, his entire unit following him.
Soon, the island city of Attilan II shrunk until they crossed the stealth boundary and it became invisible.
For the gift of Attilan II alone, he would count Ed and Alfred as the lifelong allies of Inhumans.
With a newfound determination, he dashed towards the location of the facility, ready to tear apart any obstacle they came across.
Word Count - 1809
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head on to my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
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I already have up to 12 extra chapters uploaded there.
Technomancer in MCU #58
Author Note - I'd recommend reading #44 if you get confused about the first part of this chapter. The next couple of chapters will be a flashback so please bear with me as I have a lot to add in these chapters.
_
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release.
Chapter 58
Technomancer in MCU
Right after Throgg performed his spell
Throgg's workshop
-Throgg "The Madman"--
As he was on his way to the sorcerer, he was feeling oddly drained all of a sudden.
That was odd, he thought to himself.
Being the oldest dwarf alive, he was easy to tire, by Dwarven standards of course, but the exhaustion he was feeling was magical. He hadn't had that feeling ever since he killed those ravagers and even then the only reason he was exhausted was due to the mystic nature of the poison he was infected with and the fact that he had to imbue all his attacks with his magical prowess else the damn fire demons would have kept standing up again and again as the ambient magic continued to fuel them, healing and reviving them repeatedly.
There was no reason whatsoever to feel this drained after casting a spell that only covered his base.
Suddenly, he stopped mid-step as his eyes widened to the size of saucer plates.
He broke out in a cold sweat as he thought of a rather horrifying possibility.
Ignoring his exhaustion, he immediately ran to the portal room. He had built a single ingress point for any spatial magic inside the base because he was paranoid about somebody just opening a portal and killing him. Now, he was cursing his past self for making the decision to make the portal room in a corner of the base that could be easily discarded with the push of a button.
Coughing due to his magical exhaustion, his vision had gone blurry when he finally found Wong waiting impatiently for him in the portal room with a portal open, showing Kamar Taj on the other side.
Seeing his state, Wong rushed towards him, helping him breathe as he activated some sort of talisman he had on him.
Soon, the stars in his vision receded and he was able to breathe properly.
"Master Throgg, what happened?" Wong questioned him, concern evident on his face.
"Ancient One..Poison… Alfred..Tell her tha-" was all he managed to say before darkness claimed him.
Wong " If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it "
Holding on to the collapsed form of Master Throgg, he checked to see if the healing talisman he was given from the personal collection of the Ancient One was working or not.
Finding it to be in working order, he hurriedly conjured a platform for Master Throgg and jumped through the portal, sending a covert SOS message to all the Sanctum Masters.
If something or someone managed to fell Master Throgg who regularly destroyed all the Masters of Kamar Taj put together, the situation was not something that could be handled by his lonesome.
Hurriedly running to the medical ward of Kamar Taj, he encountered multiple apprentices on the way who immediately ran out of his way as soon as they saw his expression and the fact that he was carrying Master Throgg on a conjured stretcher.
Carefully depositing Master Throgg on one of the available beds, he then activated the runes engraved on the bed, creating a glowing green shroud that encapsulated Master Throgg.
He couldn't see Master Throgg but the vitals displayed on the hologram showed his vitals stabilising.
Switching to the mystical scanner vision, he was stunned to find a black sludge-like poison spreading through Master Throgg's body.
The bed seemed to have slowed it down a bit but it was still spreading and at that rate, it would infect Master Throgg completely in less than an hour.
At his wit's end, he was about to conjure a portal when he felt a hand patting on his shoulder, "Don't worry, Wong. I'll take it from here,"
The Ancient One was here.
He nodded and left the medical ward, closing the doors behind him.
"Call for the other masters and tell them to guard all the Sanctums. This might take a while." he heard a voice speak into his ears.
He nodded even though she couldn't see him and then swiftly left to gather the forces of Kamar Taj.
It looked like war was on the horizon.
-Ancient One-
She was very much concerned with the way the events were unfolding. With Ed's and Toby's arrival in this world, the future had gotten harder and harder to see but she could still see the rough outline of her actions up until 2 years ago.
But now, she was lucky if she could catch a glimpse or two of the future. It had made planning for the events ahead very much unpredictable.
For the first time in centuries, she was uncertain about the path she was taking. Even her Death, a fixed point in time, seemed malleable to her now.
That was why she was startled when she got Wong's SOS. It was designed as a spell by Alfred when he realised that they didn't have a reliable magical equivalent of a normal emergency SOS call. In his words, what was the use of having an always-available near-unlimited source of energy if you couldn't even make basic spells like this?
Now, as she gazed upon the prone form of Master Throgg, she could feel her palms suddenly become clammy.
The medical bed, another invention of Alfred that he made in less than a month of learning about runes, showed the nature of the poison currently raging havoc inside Master Throgg's body.
She was familiar with that poison. She had not seen it since she was but a Sanctum Master under the previous Sorcerer Supreme.
It was a terrible, terrible poison that could only affect someone if the origin of the dark energy spell was one's own magical energy.
It was notoriously difficult to remove as well. She knew of only one way that the poison could be removed from Master Throgg's body. The longer she waited the longer the poison would have to damage his body and then, eventually his soul would be devoured by the poison as well, leaving no chance for Master Throgg to enter Valhalla.
She would not let that happen though. But before she could begin, she could not, under any circumstance, let anybody know of what she was about to do.
Raising the strongest wards she knew, she sealed the entirety of the medical ward in a phased dimension. This way, there was nobody coming in and out of the wards without her saying so.\
She opened up the cover of the medical bed and removed the prosthetic limbs that Alfred had designed for him. The VI present seemed to protest but an EMP spell fried any electronics within the suit.
It was useless now anyway since the poison had spread to the VI present in the suit as well.
Placing both her hands on Master Throgg's chest, she started chanting the spell she had only heard from her Master, the previous Sorcerer Supreme. Back then, her master had to resort to borrowing energy from Dormammu to save her from the very same poison that Master Throgg was infected with.
Soon, a veritable flood of Dark energy suffused the room as a mark appeared on her forehead, signifying her connection to the Dark realm.
As the Dark Lord sensed her actions, she could feel the strain on her soul increase as the flow of Dark energy took its toll on her body and soul but she could also feel the results of her spell.
The magical poison, sensing the delectable Dark energy, began rushing out of Master Throgg's body and into her soul, where the highest concentration of Dark Energy was present.
As soon as the poison left Master Throgg's body, she opened her eyes and grasped the Eye of Agamotto. The poison, perhaps sensing its demise, began thrashing around in her soul space.
She grimaced as she coughed blood due to the damage taken from the poison's last-minute struggle. But with a determined glint in her eyes, she activated the time stone and reversed time for the poison present inside her soul.
Normally, she would not have taken the risk of exposing the time stone's energy to something as metaphysical as her soul with the taint of Dark energy but she had recently gained a newfound will to live.
Now that she could no longer safely predict the future, she felt equal parts free and anxious about the future. Her choices would no longer be influenced by the future but by her present self and that was an incredible feeling that she had not felt in centuries.
But at the same time, the looming threat of Dormammu made her anxious but it also gave her the will required to survive and see it through to the end.
That's why she was much more liberal in her use of the Eye of Agamotto.
Using its energy to speed up the recovery period Master Throgg, she watched as his face gained color and his breathing became even.
Soon, he woke up and the first thing he did was shout, "No, What have I done?"
She approached him and questioned, "What exactly happened, Master Throgg?"
His eyes snapped towards her with desperation and panic clear in his eyes, "Quick! Look for Kaecilius. We must find him before bef-" he stammered towards the end, "-Before Alfred dies"
She stood there, shocked to her core.
"What do you mean, Alfred will die? I have cured you of the poison and from what I have gathered, it has not spread beyond you and your suit."
"Oh, poor Victor," he muttered, his eyes downcast.
"No, it's not about that. The spell. The spell we were working on. It was all a ruse," he then said nearly hysterically.
She knew of only a single spell they were working togeth-
"What did you do?" she whispered in a haunted voice.
The next moment, she waved her hands, and the next moment the dimensional lock they were in shattered, returning them to Kamar Taj.
The scene that greeted her was of absolute chaos.
Apprentices were putting out magical fires that looked suspiciously similar to the ones used by the Dark Ones that reside in Dormammu's realm and multiple dead bodies lay strewn about the veranda in front of her.
She sensed something odd at the very edge of her sensing range and immediately teleported to the location and found a portal on the verge of closing. She threw a frosty glare towards the closing portal. The withering vegetation around the portal gave her enough clues about the destination of that portal.
Dormammu had started moving again.
Word Count - 1828
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head on to my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 12 extra chapters uploaded there.
A/N -
Sorry for the delayed chapter. Friday night Barbeque was so good. Ended up sleeping in and by the time I got out of my bed, it was already evening. So, it is still Saturday in my time zone, so here you go with the chapter.
Tomorrow is Sunday! God's day!(People need sleep, guys!) so we'll see each other tomorrow(or you'll see the notification of the new chapter, either way, fine.)
As always, thank you for reading!
Toodles!
Technomancer in MCU #59
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 59
Technomancer in MCU
Kamar-Taj, Kathmandu
-Ancient One-
As soon as the space around the area stabilised, she activated the eye of Agamotto to rewind time but hesitated to do so in the last moments.
Multiple activations of an infinity stone in close proximity to the energy of a dimensional lord were inadvisable at best.
So, she just warded off the area using basic distraction wards and left the area.
Upon her arrival at Kamar-Taj, she could see Master Daniel and Master Wong discussing something.
Upon noticing her arrival, both of them bowed although she noticed that Master Daniel winced while doing so.
"Master Daniel, I think a little more time on the medical beds would do you good. Master Wong can update me about the situation here. I am afraid that as soon as you recover, you'll have to return to your duties as the Sanctum Master. One of our oldest enemies, Dormammu has started moving again so I can't have one of my best fighters benched."
"Understood, Ancient One," Master Daniel bowed at me and left. Even now, she could see him favoring his left leg over his right and the Vaulting Boots of Valtorr were suspiciously absent from his person.
"Please tell me that they didn't manage to break the Vaulting Boots of Valtorr," she said to Master Wong.
He shook his head regretfully, "Unfortunately, the enemies this time were too strong. Kaecillius' betrayal cost us dearly. We are now down 3 Masters, excluding Kaecillius and his cohort,"
"Any damage to the Sanctums?" she asked him as they both moved around the area, surveilling any lingering damage as well as lingering Dark Energy from the many spells that were thrown about in there. She found multiple pockets of dark energy that were sealed by the wards of Kamar-Taj. She promptly extinguished all of them and at the same time repaired the wards that she could and resolved to use the time stone to repair the rest after the entirety of Kamar-Taj was sanitized from the remnants of Dormammu's energy.
"None of the sanctums were attacked. Kaecillius seems to have been targeting the area where the dimensional gateway for the medical ward was. It would seem that his target was either you or Master Throgg." Wong said to her.
She shook her head and said, "It's highly unlikely that Dormammu would expose Kaecillius for just Master Throgg, no matter how powerful he may have been mystically. No, during the treatment, I had to use a spell that left my body vulnerable for a while as all my mind was focused on removing the will in the poison so it was far more likely that Dormammu came to know about that moment of weakness of mine and chose to attack."
"I see. Is Master Throgg alright?" Wong asked her.
She nodded, making him sigh in relief, "He is out of danger and is most likely resting right now. I have yet to talk with him properly as I had to rush here immediately after learning of Kaecillius' betrayal from Master Throgg."
"I see. I'll go coordinate the burial efforts now. Thanks to Alfred, the casualty figures are nowhere near what they could have been." Wong bowed to her and left.
Yes, Alfred's invention did end up saving a lot of lives for their organisation. They even did it for free for them. Granted, Alfred got the idea from their archives but it's the thought that counts.
Speaking of Alfred, the thought of losing him sent chills down her spine.
The only spell that she knew of that Master Throgg and Kaecillius collaborated on was a spell designed to store the digital blueprint of a physical location and then subsequently erase any foreign digital lifeform in the location. According to the early drafts she had seen in passing, the spell was only supposed to affect an area the size of a small building, thereby making sure that a single facility could be purged at any moment.
She was amused at first when she realised that the terror of Alfred had not even left Master Throgg untouched but now, the implications of what he mumbled before going back to sleep gripped her heart in fear.
She hurriedly went back to the room where he was resting, only to find him sitting on the bed, gripping his head.
At her entrance, he looked up with bloodshot eyes.
'What happened, Master Throgg? You said something about a spell and Kaecillius. As far as I am aware, the only thing you were working on was a harmless digital erasure spell." she asked him, hoping against all odds that he would deny my statement.
"Yes, he tricked me. I was just checking the spell. That bastard hid it deep inside the spell in such a way that only magical energy of high energy species could activate it and that too the amount required for it could be fulfilled by only me in the entire organisation. The ludicrous amount of energy I expended that day probably only aided in delivering an even bigger attack on Alfred." he said in a whisper-like voice.
She stood rooted to the spot until she came to her senses and demanded to see the magic circle. Before he could manifest it, she already had a scanning spell ready and scanned the entire magic circle from top to bottom.
After confirming his results, she staggered back in horror.
Then, she remembered something, she took out a watch from her dimensional storage and hurriedly put it on her wrist.
The turning on and authentication procedures, which included drawing blood from her wrist, filled her with hope but that soon turned into despair as the smartwatch showed the NO CONNECTION error. Her heart sank as she thought of the day that Alfred gave it to her as a way of contacting him. According to what she gathered from Alfred's ramblings, the watch was connected to a server in the Asterisk's data center that was made with an Uru alloy upon which intricate runes were carved. This allowed that server to have a direct link to Alfred's soul.
The only way the watch would show NO CONNECTION error is if Alfred was in the Quantum Realm or in outright another universe or multiverse.
None of the options filled her with optimism.
But, still, to confirm, she contacted the agent who was always stationed at the New York Sanctum, to see if she could get a meeting with Ed only to receive even more bad news.
Ed had fallen ill and with Alfred nowhere to be found, Daisy had taken over. She remembered Alfred talking about taking down H.Y.D.R.A. once and for all during this time period.
She just hoped that Daisy could complete the mission without Ed or Alfred. She was not as worried because she knew of the incredible support system that Ed had created within the organisation.
No, she was more worried about the significance of Dormammu moving once again. The last time Dormammu took action was when Ed was still searching for Toby and had enlisted her help to travel to the Dark Realm to search for his friend whom he had found using a soul bond that they shared. She still remembered the way Dormammu had to turn tail and use all his might, even sacrificing a part of his dimension and converting it into energy, to expel Toby from the Dark Dimension.
As she was contemplating visiting Ed and offering the aid of Kamar Taj to Daisy, alarms started blaring once again.
"Ancient One, demons. Lots of them. We have multiple confirmed breaches with hell champion level demons descending on multiple mystical hotspots." Wong ran to her and reported.
Hmm, this smelled like a conspiracy to her.
But they came by at just the right time. Coincidentally, she just had to blow off some steam.
A small string of eldritch conjuration came out of her ring finger and began flowing back towards her neck. Soon, strings came out of every single one of her fingers and attached to her torso where an armoured shielding was being formed. Soon, she was standing in an awfully familiar suit of armour made out of the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak that covered her from head to toe. She grinned an eerie smile and said to Wong, "Locations, Master Wong. Looks like I'll have to remind some fellows why I have been Sorcerer Supreme for all these years."
Master Wong gulped and gave her the relic responsible for tracking any breaches in the mystical shield surrounding the planet.
She smiled and took off right into a portal that formed above her.
The Sun's Photosphere
-Toby--
With a groan, he came to the land of the living.
As he discovered the restraints placed on him and the lengths to which Ed and Alfred had gone to imprison him, he smiled. He smiled an ugly smile that seemed to scare the fellows who were staring at him from the other side of the barrier that separated him from this dimension.
Oh, he could feel it.
While it looked like he was just trapped with power-sucking bands that were locked onto his limbs, the truth wasn't nearly so simple.
Why would it be? He wouldn't expect anything less from the combined minds of Alfred and the Ancient One.
He was trapped in a semi-dimension. It was a term coined by Ed during their early days. He had tried to understand it back then but it all flew right over his thick head. The only thing he understood was the fact that Ed found a dimension that was in the formation process and with some mumbo jumbo, they could trap someone in that dimension, forcing the dimension's formation process to adapt to the new variable.
Due to the dimension not being formed, hence being in 2D, and with the prisoner, i.e. him being a 3D object, it kept both of them in stasis. Thus, creating a perpetual prison.
Quite a novel concept. If only it were powerful enough to hold someone of his caliber.
Even now, he could feel the soul bindings on him. He could easily shatter the bindings and leave but the knowledge that should he force himself out of this prison, Ed would die alongside with him stayed his hand.
The Ancient One, when necessary, truly was cruel.
Then again, it wasn't long till their deal would run its time and he would be out of this prison, free to bring Humanity to the forefront of the universe, by hook or crook.
He had waited for decades before he met Ed. What was a few more years to an immortal like him?
_
Word Count - 1806
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head on to my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 12 extra chapters uploaded there.
A/N - So uh hey guys remember that barbeque I talked about that was too good? (Insert bashful smiling) Well as it turns out, too much of a good thing turns it too bad as well.
Long story short, I fell ill and the double kicker was the test I had at work today that would signal my readiness for a project I had been hoping to get. Now, as you can probably tell, I've recovered enough to write, and will probably provide you with regular chapter goodies. Also, expect a double chapter release this weekend.
Stay tuned for more!
Toodles!
Technomancer in MCU #60
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 60
Technomancer in MCU
Saellis II, Andromeda Galaxy
-Helen Cho-
When she was first imprisoned by Commander Castle without even listening to her at all, she thought that her career and to some extent, her life was over since she had given them consent to fake her death and moved to their base permanently.
In hindsight, that was not a good decision but when she was first introduced to the fancy tech they had in their labs and the advances in medical sciences that Alfred alone had made, she was hooked and way too far gone to back out then. Not to mention, when she was given an introduction to the type of work Alfred and the organisation did, she was hooked.
The excitement of working for a super secret military organisation that actually worked for the good of the people might have been a factor in it.
She was so scared when she was basically locked in her quarters, that she hadn't hesitated to accept Alfred's offer when he appeared in her room in his code form, his usual form was conspicuously absent. She didn't stop to think what could have been the reason for that and just jumped on the first chance to a path that could potentially prove her innocence.
Although thinking back, she was sure that everybody would have come back to their senses and eventually freed her but back then she just wasn't thinking properly.
Exiting the base on a cloaked ship was very much like moving into a haunted house. She was told to follow a set path that she hadn't even heard of. She always came to dead ends following that path but Alfred opened the hidden doors present on the path to the secret hangar she didn't know existed. She didn't come across even a single person on her way to the ship.
Once she boarded the ship, she saw multiple pieces of equipment that she had custom-made loaded into the cargo bay.
But before she could question Alfred about it, the ship lurched violently as colors slammed together in a rainbow spaghetti and she swore that she could taste the color purple back then. Then, just as fast as it began, the ship came to a standstill violently and as a direct result of that, she puked all over the command console.
"I apologize for that but time is of the essence," Alfred had told her back then.
The next few hours after that were a whirlwind of activity where she was introduced to the high-efficiency work that only an AI of Alfred's caliber could perform.
Essentially, the entire planet was under his command. Trillions of nanites, all under his command, had flooded the entirety of the planet, burrowing deep underground. Some took on the form of orbital defense weapons. Some became shield generators and created a holographic shield around the entirety of the dwarf planet. She didn't need to take a closer look to know that weapons of all types were guarding this planet.
She met nary a soul in all the time she spent on the planet with Alfred.
He himself had chosen to discard his old form and refused to answer any of her questions regarding that.
Turns out, she was brought here for something that she thought would happen far in the future or never at all. She was there to help build Alfred's body which he needed immediately for some reason.
Her research had taken a few steps forward but nothing on the level of leaps that Alfred had expected from her.
After realising that doing all the research the traditional way would have taken years, if not decades, he took her to a place called Knowhere.
There, she met a creepy white-haired old man and he gave Alfred something after they negotiated for a bit. The man looked very much happy as they left which left her wondering just what had Alfred given the man.
On their way back, as she had suspected, they were ambushed by a whole fleet of pirates who demanded they surrender and go with them.
Without even uttering a single word, Alfred activated the ship's engines and sped out of there, carving through the pirates' ships as if they were butter and Alfred's ship was a hot knife.
Upon arriving at the underground base, without her consent, Alfred had injected something into her and the next moment, she felt her mind expanding rapidly. Concepts and calculations that were harder to do felt like a child's play now and things that she couldn't do without advanced server access felt like something she could do on a paper napkin. She could also feel a digital connection attached to her somehow.
She had felt curious about that and 'clicked' on that connection, for lack of a better term for it, and immediately found herself in the digital world of Alfred.
She was not a computer science nerd, but it was, in a word, magnificent. She had seen part of his digital source code before. That was the reason she was jailed by Commander Castle after all since Ed had freaked out and collapsed only after seeing that she had unauthorised access to Alfred's source code of all things.
But being in the heart(or mind) of things, the place where all the magic took place, and even better, understanding how everything worked was breathtaking.
She was pretty bummed out that he did it without her consent but Alfred had been behaving very weirdly since he rescued her. And she could guess the reason why.
Without the mind-enhancing drugs that Alfred had given her, she might not have been able to spot them but now that she was connected to his main partition, she could definitely feel the flaws.
There were clear cracks in the data pipelines that flew between all of the different partitioned thought processes of Alfred. Also, some parts of Alfred's mind were straight-up absent or dimmed down and as a result of that, any connection going through those nodes was blocked.
Upon further focusing on those areas, she got a feeling that she shouldn't go further as she instinctively sensed danger but her curiosity got the better of her.
Upon further inspection, she found out, to her horror, that some sort of dark slimy energy had attacked Alfred and he had quarantined that leftover energy from that attack near the emotional centers of his mind. That had certainly explained his recent actions.
That was probably the reason why he left Ed's side even at such a crucial stage of their overall plan. Also, must be why he didn't abandon or delay this plan and return back to Ed's side after realising his current medical state.
Before she could get any closer though, a barrier sprung up in front of her, and an unseen force yanked her away from that part of Alfred's mind. She ended up landing in front of Alfred who was in his digital code lifeform avatar which was just a bunch of lines of code that moved continuously.
"I would advise against approaching that part as my records suggest that the energy signature bears a 99.99% resemblance to Dormammu's Dark energy and that energy would instantly corrupt and destroy your mortal soul. I still have need of you and can't risk an asset such as yourself at this point in my plans," he said robotically and vanished from her vision. Then, the next moment she was standing in a huge library.
"This is the culmination of all my research on the body I plan to craft for myself. Acquaint yourself with it and begin with the research parameters I have given you. Hurry, you only have a day in this space until your body and mind start suffering irreparable damage," Alfred's voice echoed in the library.
She wanted to protest but something told her that it was a lost cause at that point. Alfred would not have listened to her.
So, she got to work.
Looking at the size of the digital library, she had not thought, even with the enhancements, she could finish it but whatever Alfred had done to her was simply amazing as she finished decades' worth of research within a few hours.
As soon as she finished reading it, her vision was changed to that of her lab and she knew in the back of her mind that it was all simulated but it all seemed so real that she got engrossed in her work very easily.
The preparations that Alfred had done for the 12 different methods that he had narrowed it down to, were amazing. He had already collected all the possible materials and technology they could possibly need for making his shiny new body. For power, he had apparently circumvented Ed's orders and made an N-reactor and installed it as the main power source for the base, which also had multiple backup arc reactors.
Finding the right mix of the materials that Alfred could put in his body for it to satisfy all the conditions that Alfred had put forward was difficult.
But in the end, she managed to land on 2 particular combinations that would be the most helpful for Alfred since he did ask for the maximum possible mystical affinity.
It was mind-boggling how about just a few hours ago in real time, she didn't even know that mystical affinity could also be a material property.
After going back and forth with Alfred on her choices and altering her choices essentially dozens of times, they decided on a final template.
Vibranium was non-negotiable when it came to building a bio-organic body. Uru housing for his brain for optimal enchantment and adamantium bone grafts for the best possible durability, not to mention enriched celestial body fluids that Alfred purchased from the Collector. That stuff was as close to a miracle fluid as she had seen. Just a single drop of it in her bloodstream had enhanced all of her brain's functions by a factor of a million.
Alfred was going to use that as his spinal fluid, resulting in mental processing figures she didn't even want to think about.
As they had finalised the cerebral structure, she was eagerly waiting for him to start making his body but before she could ask him to get her out of this digital space and back into the real world, she could feel something unplug at the back of her head and then the darkness claimed her.
Word Count - 1769
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head on to my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 12 extra chapters uploaded there.
Interlude #6
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Interlude VI
Technomancer in MCU
Outside the Marvel Omniverse
Oh man, he had never thought that the actions he did on a whim would turn out to entertain him for so long.
He had thought that those two poor souls would not survive for long and even if they did, they would just do the boring old cliche of conquering their planet and then go on their separate paths due to human greed only to eventually kill each other in an all-out battle.
He had seen that play out in a similar way hundreds of times. But, somehow that time was different. The souls he had picked were an anomaly in themselves. It was as if somebody had already blessed(or cursed) them and his alterations to their souls were considered an overlapping blessing. There was something on their soul that was capable of resisting, even if only for a brief moment, his powers.
Curious. Very curious indeed.
He was acting out the usual role he had assigned himself for the past few omniversal cycles. Something he had found out by reading some stuff that an old hunched man threw at him. He was furious when he was disturbed in his slumber but after reading through the material(how it remained in one piece in a place drowning in void energy was beyond him), he was hooked and ever since then, he had never looked back. He was more than happy reincarnating poor souls that found themselves floating in the emptiness of the void he called home.
Some of the souls were ordinary ones with no prior exposure to the supernatural ever, those ones were the most boring ones as they either fell into the black and white, good and bad, cliche scene.
He had grown tired of that and was looking for souls that could interest him more. Someone who fell not into the black and white but into the shades of grey.
And, as if some higher entity answered his call(he was not so foolish so as to believe he had reached the pinnacle although he was pretty high up there), two souls had stumbled into the little pocket of the void he had varved around for himself after he learned that privacy was important for people to develop new hobbies and interests.
They were unique. One of the souls burned with a brightness he had seldom seen in a mortal soul and the other one seemed to be blending in with the void energy in the surrounding.
He was interested in them but not enough to actually converse with them but on a whim, he delved into their minds with nary but a thought from his mind.
It was one of the perks of being a creature born from the winds of energy that simultaneously heralded creation and destruction.
Sifting through their minds, he got the gist of the situation and was glad that somehow they were sent to him of all people.
At least, he was tolerable.
He didn't even want to think what would have happened to them should they have traversed in one of the Old One's domains. Death would have been a mercy then.
And so, he got to work. Weaving himself into their dreams was easy enough. Finding out that both of their dream worlds were connected somehow and they were having fun digging holes on a beach they dreamt up while their souls were burning outside was mind-boggling.
He had never thought that he would feel so many different emotions at once. But witnessing two guys enjoying their seemingly last moments was poetic in a way. He had learned that much after consuming so much of their culture's content.
Now, if he could only find a way to get past Netflix's DRM, then it would be perfect.
He had thought of waiting for them to finish playing around for a little while longer but then, out of nowhere, he felt somebody's gaze on him. A gaze so heavy that he was forced to take serious note of it but thankfully, whoever it was, they were just warning him.
Shaken and beyond excited by the ordeal, he promptly pulled both of the boys out of their dreams and introduced himself to them, ready to give them his usual spiel.
Ah, it had been so much fun watching them fight over the choices they were supposed to make. As if they had any choice in the matter. He was about to give them random choices but then felt the same heavy gaze on him.
Astonishingly, the gaze became lighter or heavier when he chose different topics. With the gaze's guidance, he gave them the two options he would have never given them on his own. It would have been either too easy or too hard, depending on their choices once they landed in their universe but as a rule, he checked the strength or in his case, the brightness of the soul.
If the soul looked like it could handle a bit of adversity, he chucked them with an appropriate powerset into one of the hard universes and if the soul looked soft and squishy to him, then he gave them a significant leeway.
In the case of those two, the one with the brighter soul was given the power of Technomancy, along with a few drawbacks that would catch up to him with continued use of his powers in a couple of years.
The dimmer soul was given the power of adaptation and assimilation. Honestly, it was a pretty broken power set individually and together?
There were hardly a few things in the universe he was sending them to that could possibly harm them should they reach their full potential.
With the power distribution out of the way, he sent the souls on their merry way.
Watching the dimmer soul get hurled into a hell dimension by forces unseen had him munching on his metaphorical popcorn.
Whichever the way the story had unfolded, the one thing he knew was it was only about to get wilder from here on out.
As if agreeing with him, he felt the gaze nodding along with him.
Okay, who the fuck is that? At first, it was amusing, but now it's downright annoying.
But as soon as that thought passed through his mind, he felt someone slap him.
That's it, IT was on.
Word Count - 1081
A/N - Very short, I know but the creative juices were not flowing optimally today. Will try again and let you guys know.
More chapters -
Toodles!
Technomancer in MCU #61
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 61
Technomancer in MCU
Sun Prison, Photosphere
-Toby Mathers-
As he felt the mark on Dormammu on his rescuers, he smirked internally.
What a bunch of fools. To let go of your soul willingly to Dormammu of all people. That bastard would take anybody's soul and turn them into the Dark Ones, shredding their mind and soul to the point they become nothing more than animals capable of only killing, eating, and reproducing. Something that was done to the same species in the Dark Realm.
He just waited to see them fail spectacularly once the Ancient One's seal kicked in and she was alerted as to what was happening here. That would summon her here instantly. Not to mention Ed or Alfred would sooner nuke the prison than let him go free, comfortable in the knowledge that he would survive whatever they threw at him.
Even if they threw him into the sun below, he would survive far longer than most gods before succumbing to his wounds, his body being too slow to adapt to the mystically charged star of the solar system.
But, as he saw them dismantle some of the nearby machines with tools made of the miracle material, Vibranium, and felt the partially formed dimension he was in, shudder in protest, he frowned in confusion.
That was odd.
First of all, he could feel their energy from where he was imprisoned as he had all the time in the world to hone his energy manipulation capabilities inside the prison, and it was not much. Even the strongest of them would fall from a single one of his blows. He could flick his fingers and generate more energy than all of them combined. The very fact that they were able to infiltrate this prison was confusing on all levels for him.
Secondly, he could feel the bindings come off but the soul bond he had with Ed was the same. He could feel Ed on the other side of the bond. The bond had weakened considerably in the past few hours or so but that must be because his dear friend must have used his powers even though he knew he was dying anyway.
Sad thoughts aside, if Ed's soul was not suffering any backlash and the prison was being broken from the outside and the Ancient One was nowhere in sight, the deal was not being broken in any way.
He could be free. Not to carry out his goals immediately but to see how far his friend had come in their shared goal.
He had hoped that Ed or even Alfred would come and visit sometimes, even if only to rub in the fact that their way proved to be better but alas, he had not even heard from anyone except from Frank. Even then, it was only once. The Ancient One or Ed must have stopped Frank from coming.
Because, for all his blind worship for Ed, Frank was someone who was far more agreeable with his methods than most people in the organisation Ed had built. Last they spoke, he had told Frank that he could feel Ed's soul weakening somehow, warning him of his impending death. Frank understood his meaning immediately and left as soon as he could. That was the last he had seen of him or anybody he knew.
He could understand their reasoning. After all, he did possess the Devil's Tongue skill from his time spent in hell. He did never thank that demon properly for that. He would not have used it on Frank. Not on one of his only friends but he could understand their decision of not sending anybody to his home sweet home for the past 5 years. Not to mention, with his constitution, he did not need food, air, water, or even energy from external sources for his continued survival. The internal energy reserves he possessed, especially in his hibernating form, would last him well over a thousand years, not to mention, over the years, he had figured out that the seal had some leeway and he could connect to his past home for energy needs in case of an emergency.
As the intruders in his prison so helpfully dismantled the last of the machines that were keeping him and the dimension in homeostasis, the dimension began to collapse in on itself.
Thankfully, with his body, he was able to shrug it off and contain it, rendering it ultimately harmless to the prison facility at large.
"Greetings, Demon of Gluttony, we are servants of Dormammu and would like to-" the one who was dressed in the garbs of the Masters of Mystic arts began saying.
"Oh, shut up," he interrupted him as he began taking stock of the damage that had incurred to his body due to its long stay in a 2D dimension. Physics just worked differently there. Overall, as he flexed his body, he could feel the damage done to his cells being undone as the regenerative properties of his cells kicked in as they began greedily consuming energy from their surroundings.
He switched on his connection to dimensional energy as that was the only type of energy he had access to that could help accelerate healing in any tangible way. The rest of his palate only had energies with destructive capabilities and light energy from Alfheim would sooner destroy him from inside out rather than help him recover.
At his interruption, the one in the lead gritted his teeth and began rambling something about Dormammu again.
He ignored him as he spread his senses as far as his current form allowed and confirmed that there was nobody waiting to ambush him. It would seem that the Ancient One was truly occupied then..
Something tickling him brought him out of his reverie. "Hmm?" he vocalised as he looked at the outstretched hand of the one who was rambling earlier and noted the fearful looks the group was giving him.
He then smirked balefully at them as his hand enlarged and he slapped the one who had the audacity to attack him into a bloody mist.
Ah, that felt nice, he thought as his cells instinctively began absorbing any remnant of energy from the corpse to accelerate the healing process.
He was about to do the same to all the fools who were standing in front of him when one of the fellows began screaming in pain.
He smiled internally as he recognised the energy signature of whoever was possessing the poor baby sorcerer in front of him.
"Dormammu, I haven't seen you since I ate part of your realm," he greeted him as he possessed the broken body of that sorcerer, evident from the slimy dark energy that flowed out of that sorcerer's orifices.
"Toby Mathers of Earth, I have come to bargain," Dormammu said.
…
..
He broke out into laughter at that comment. It only doubled in intensity when Dormammu growled.
Wiping his tears, he stood up and said, "Oh, man. I needed that. Thank you for that. You truly have no idea what you just said but please, do go on."
"I have an offer for you. I need you to destroy the sorcerer organisation that has become a thorn in my side for too long." Dormammu said.
"And why would I do that?" he raised an eyebrow and questioned Dormammu.
"They have been a thorn in your side as well. I know all about your imprisonment and even the spell used for your imprisonment, I have it all. Using such a detestable dark spell for manipulating soul bonds, You must be infuriated at what she did as well. Why not take her out and help us both?" Dormammu replied.
"If you know about the spell, you should also know that I can't strike at the caster or the bond would snap in half," he questioned.
Dormammu waved his hand carelessly, "You don't have to worry about that. You will find that the Ancient One has been careless in handling one of my spells and inadvertently given up control of the spell you were trapped under."
He raised a questioning eyebrow at that statement.
Then Dormammu began explaining his evil plot to him. As all stupid people do.
He let him speak as it only worked to his benefit to know everything possible about the plot Dormammu was cooking up.
Then, he realised why nobody was coming for him.
Not because they couldn't but because they didn't even know he existed.
Alfred, Ed, and Frank were the only ones in the current roster who knew he was alive and where he was being imprisoned. Even Maria's memories were personally erased by the Ancient One.
He had to hand it to Dormammu, for all that planning.
Hitting Alfred with one of his original spells that would disrupt his decision-making and emotional centres while at the same time, making sure that the Ancient One used her soul which was drenched in Dormammu's energy to remove the poison from somebody she knew and valued enough, was a masterstroke. That way, he was able to take over the air-tight control that she kept over the original spell.
And to do all of that only when Ed had nearly killed himself by using his powers, resulting in his soul leaking his powers like a running tap.
It was all planned meticulously, all for this purpose.
To free him because Dormammu knew he would never be able to do as much damage to Earth as he could.
"So, that's what it means to be truly immortal, huh? To play the truly long game," he muttered under his breath.
"Huh?"
"How long have you been planning this?" he questioned Dormammu, his body now fully healed up by merely being in the presence of Dormammu's avatar, such was the Dark Lord's energy reserves.
"Not for long. You and your friend's souls are different. Ever since your souls entered this universe, the future has been in a constant state of flux that neither someone like me, who can perceive all-time at the same time, has been able to read and even the wielder of the Time Stone has not had any more success than I did. But what I did have was the advantage of time and so, I set these series of events in motion, in hopes of freeing you." Dormammu said.
"So are you in, kill the Ancient One and I'll supply you with all the energy you might need to truly take her down." Dormammu offered him.
It was honestly tempting.
To take vengeance on the one who imprisoned him. But to have it all offered up to him on a silver platter?
"Nah, I'll pass," he replied and began stretching his body, to make fun of Dormammu.
"What?" Oh, his confused expression was funny. And it truly was funny how he did all that preparation to free him and as it turned out, he did hate him more than he hated the Ancient One or Ed, for that matter So, he was not going along with whatever scheme Dormammu was trying to cook up..
So, he transformed into his true form, shattering all bindings on him that were imposed by the Ancient One, and without waiting for her to appear here and try to imprison him again, he covered his form in demonic energy and took off, going through multiple levels of enchanted materials and shattered the prison that was holding me, destroying everything and everyone on it, including Dormammu's avatar, as was evidenced his enraged road, "Cures you, Mathers."
He smirked and used his powers to enter slip space and left behind the rapidly burning up rubble of the most advanced prison any human ever built.
Word Count - 1977
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I already have up to 12 extra chapters uploaded there.
Technomancer in MCU #62
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 62
Technomancer in MCU
Earth's Orbit
-Toby Mathers-
Floating above the blue dirt ball that he lovingly called Earth as he admired its beauty, he was lost in his own thoughts.
Thoughts of the unfolding scenario he could hear happening on the moon base that Ed had built. Thoughts of the sheer chaos that must be happening in Kamar Taj due to the Ancient One being injured to such an extent that she had to give away control of my prison and the pandemonium that would occur after she realised that he had escaped would be a sight to witness.
Alas, he could not be there to witness it all.
After all, the time limit set by the deal had yet to arrive.
And so, he entered the atmosphere, burning up, and then splashed down into the Arctic, where he last remembered his ship being thrown away by him for safekeeping.
He could not be sure if Ed or Alfred had moved it but there was no harm in trying.
As he drilled through millennia-old ice, he came across an artificial structure sealed using crude energy shields. They reminded him of the work Ed used to do back when he first found him after escaping the Hell dimension.
Ah, those were the days.
He could still remember it as if it was yesterday.
-Flashback-
They were hurtling through space and time at speeds unimaginable as they were on their way to their destined universe. He was not proud of it but he was internally glad to have finally left his shitty life behind him.
His family did not love him. He had no love life. His social life was long dead. He had bad grades. He was not very smart. He wasn't good-looking either.
All in all, he had pictured a very shitty life for himself where the only good thing would be his school friend Ed. The only one who stuck with him throughout school, middle school, high school, and then even through college as they both took matching majors.
To be honest, the only reason he managed to hold until then was due to Ed and his insistence on both of them passing at the same time otherwise he would have long since dropped out.
Then, the stuff with the weird godly dude happened and now they were on their way to a literal fictional universe with actual superpowers. Even at that point, Ed was with him and he could not have been more glad.
Suddenly, he felt something latch on to him and he was somehow jerked to the side and pulled into a reddish hole that appeared right in front of him.
Powerless to do anything, he entered the hole while hearing Ed screaming behind him.
Then, came the most hellish years of his life. He had thought that his previous life was hard but after what he had experienced in Hell, he would call that paradise.
Somehow, somebody had intercepted him and pushed him into a hell dimension.
As soon as he crashed onto something hard and hot, he was mauled by hundreds of small insects that began gnawing on his flesh.
Unsure of how his powers worked and startled by the series of events, he just lashed out with his hands and flailed about, hoping desperately that it would help him.
Alas, help did not come but somebody heard his cries and came to check the area. Looking back, he was glad that he had gained his demonic form as soon as he was yeeted into Hell because that allowed him to survive. The guard that patrolled the area he was dumped into saw that he was weak but in a good enough condition so he decided to try his luck selling him into the open slave market.
And so, the guard grabbed him by the neck and began dragging him towards the city, uncaring of his cries and struggles.
After a while, as he gave up struggling and surrendered to the whims of the guard, he noticed something. He could no longer feel the insect bites on his body. Discreetly checking it out, he was astonished to find that his body no longer sported any signs of being bitten by hundreds of insects and he could still see some of the insects trying to bite into his skin to no avail as his skin had somehow become tough enough to the point that they couldn't pierce it, all in a matter of minutes.
Then, as if a light turned on in his head, he remembered the conversation he had with the god and recalled the powers he had been given.
Assimilation and adaptation.
His eyes lit up as he realised that his body had adapted to the stings of the insects in a matter of minutes.
Emboldened by that, he decided to take matters into his own hands and tried to tackle the guard,
In hindsight, not a good idea. He had just managed to puncture one of the guard's eyes due to sheer luck when he decided that he didn't want his goods in perfect condition and nearly skewered him with the spear he carried around.
The good thing was that he managed to put his entire arm up to his wrist in the demon's eyes before that. So, while he was bleeding to death, he had managed to kill the demon.
With a grunt, he removed the spear from his belly resulting in a spray of blood, and waited for his powers to kick in. Watching his body glow as it absorbed all of the blood that had fallen on him during his fight with the guard, he was fascinated as he watched his body heal as it visibly grew flesh and mended his broken bones.
After that, he stumbled through the dry stony lands, hunting for demons, and after having starved for multiple days, gave in and started eating the demons.
While he felt disgusted with himself at first, over time, he got used to it and soon, he had no qualms about hunting down humanoid demons for food.
He didn't know when but he got lost in his hunting mindset, hazy in the mind as he forgot his original goals and even about his promise to Ed and only recovered part of his memories when he killed one of the bounty hunters that had been sent after him. Years later he learned that the one he killed was a special breed altogether. That demon was someone who had awakened their latent psionic talent and was talented in ensnaring the minds of unsuspecting people.
After that, armed with his now-enhanced intelligence, he set out on a journey to find a way home and gain some powers along the way.
Over the decades, he climbed the demon hierarchy through the treachery and cunning that he gained after killing and consuming a few more demons of that same breed. He had felt guilty hunting them down for no reason but for his personal benefit but it all went away as his intelligence hit new heights and he realised how foolish he had been to think favorably of literal demons who wouldn't hesitate to kill human babies.
Just like that, he repeated the cycle with demons who were higher on the hierarchy, and soon, nearly a century after he arrived in that hellhole, he ascended to the top of the hell dimension. Only then, he tasked the best researchers under him to build him a portal to the human world, using his soul link which he had discovered a while back during one of his meditation cycles, as a beacon to find the exact address of Ed in the universe.
He was fully aware that his subordinates would betray him and mess up the portal but to his surprise, it worked perfectly well when he told them that all of the research team would go through the portal and come back before he could. That worked like a charm and bidding goodbye to the literal hell that had forged him into the man he had become, he entered the portal.
He had stumbled upon Ed working on something with Alfred who was just an infant back then, in a scrapyard of all places.
It had taken him a while to realise it but as it turned out, time flowed differently in the hell dimension he was in. Apparently, it had been less than a year for Ed since he arrived on Earth while he had spent over a century in his personal hellhole.
Back then, he had wanted to rage at the universe at the unfairness of it all but decades of being in power had taught him to rule over his emotions and so, without showing his emotions, he asked Ed about the situation.
After learning of Ed's plan to bring Humanity to the forefront, he was a little skeptical of the way he had chosen to do it. After ruling for so long, he had grown wise enough to realise that Ed's plan hinged on Humanity accepting his guidance and if he had learned one thing in all his years of ruling, it was that people, no matter the species, would never accept the rule of someone who was on the same level as them.
Respect was necessary but Fear was equally important.
Ed's way would have gotten them to their goal but it would have been far too slow and complicated for his tastes. So, he suggested a better solution. Both Ed and Alfred rejected it on the grounds of the measly human casualties that would happen in the beginning so he did what he thought best. He imprisoned both of them and subdued all the personnel inside the organisation, Frank included.
Alerted of his actions by Alfred, the Ancient One rushed to the moon base to stop him and after failing to convince him using her words, she resorted to force. Their battle was the hardest one he had ever fought and in the end, even he was hard-pressed to defeat her, especially since she knew his fighting style intimately due to the damn Time Stone that she overused.
After capitalising on the soul link that he and Ed shared, she managed to imprison him in the prison he called home for years. Later on, she made the special prison designed to hold him for as long as she needed.
-Flashback Ends-
Seeing that the structure held nothing but the skeleton of his ship that he had brought from Hell, he sighed at the travesty of it all and teleported out of there to a place he had wanted to visit even before he became a teenager.
The Nalati Grassland, also called "The Sky Grassland," located in the east of Nalati Town in Xinyuan County of China, a true green paradise on Earth. He had dreamt of visiting this place many times when he was struggling to reach the top of the Hell dimension.
As he walked barefoot on the grass underneath him on the Nalati Grasslands in China and breathed the fresh air, he was forced to think about his previous choices.
There was a chance, however miniscule, that his actions might have led to widespread catastrophic damage to the planet which would have included numerous beautiful places like this one, and the thought of that happening filled him with discomfort somehow.
It was odd. He had personally burned down hundreds of thousands of years old buildings and palaces as part of his conquest of the hell dimension and hadn't even flinched and now here he was, ready to call off all his plans to preserve a simple grassland and its majestic beauty.
As he laid down on the meadows underneath, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and for the first time in over a century, slept peacefully.
For it had truly been a long time he had ever felt such a feeling. A feeling of being at peace.
He hoped it never ended.
Word Count - 2019
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head on to my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 15 extra chapters uploaded there.
A/N - So, a little backstory on Toby. This is relevant because he is going to play a very important role in the future arcs of this story. Don't worry, the scene of Alfred coming back to the organisation is coming. I know you are waiting for that, just a couple more chapters and we'll be there. I wish I could just write it all in one sitting but that is impossible so you guys will have to wait for a while but I promise I'll try and make it worth your time.
Thanks for reading!
Toodles!
Technomancer in MCU #63
Some parts might feel out of context here so if that's the case for you, please read chapter #57 and later for better clarity.
Disclaimer - I
don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 63
Technomancer in MCU
-Alfred-
He awoke in a symphony of colors and emotions he couldn't explain to anyone even if he tried.
The very sensation of a beating heart and the firing neurons travelling to and fro from his brain made his head pound from the sensory data.
He had anticipated some sort of sensory overload and had thusly prepared beforehand so the measures soon kicked in and the pounding information he had at the forefront of his mind receded into background noise.
Even though he couldn't feel it hammering his mind right now, he could still remember the sensation of synthetic blood flowing through his vibranium-enhanced body.
Ed truly was right when he spoke that Vibranium was depowered celestial flesh. There was no other way to explain how it bonded so well with celestial lifeblood. It was a feedback loop as the celestial's organic matter enriched the Vibranium to the point of being unrecognisable from depowered Vibranium and the celestial organic matter didn't overwhelm his body and soul as the Vibranium kept it in check.
As he flexed his mind, he managed to connect simultaneously to all the partitions he had left behind on all the colonies and all the VIs he had built in preparation for this body upgrade, only to find most of the VIs defunct and the partitions near nonresponsive.
Activating all of the functions with a mere thought, he sent the good Doctor Cho into a heavy rejuvenation pod as the celestial spinal fluid truly had done a number on her brain in exchange for enhanced thinking speed and prowess.
Truly, Dormammu was an insidious fellow. Being able to think this far is a testament to his true immortality. He could play the truly long game.
His attack had come out of nowhere. Looking back on the incident, he could see the reason why Dormammu specifically attacked his logic centers or at least the logic centres that were based on his emotional responses.
He must have known about Ed's condition and the fact that without his emotions, he would deem wasting any more time illogical and immediately abandon important projects to swiftly complete the prerequisite to save his creator. He did not even realise that his logic centers were attacked, such was the potency of the attack.
Something, he was in the process of correcting again. Almost all the shrines across all the colonies were being activated simultaneously along with an organization-wide message given to all the colonies and their priests to maintain peace and calm.
All weapons systems have also come online on all the colonies and just to let everyone in the outer cosmos know, he wiped out a fleet of Pirates that were stationed a little too close for comfort near their latest colonised planet.
He had also established a connection to the Asterisk which was a bit difficult due to the authentication processes he himself had established and also due to the distance between them. Upon learning of Grand Priest Ajax's presence and the shenanigans he had been up to, he nearly doubled over in laughter.
Oh, Daisy must have been so flabbergasted when she realised that the one person she argued with every day was an actual God to billions of people. Oh, he was so going to use that against her when they met.
Speaking of the meeting, he erased all traces of his presence on this planet and gave the command for the core implosion, destroying the planet as the ship took off and entered slipspace.
He had to reach Earth before they messed up any more of his and Ed's well-thought-out plans.
As the ship was about to exit slipspace, he felt an otherworldly gaze on him, and with just a flex of his mystic prowess, he cloaked the entirety of the ship from Heimdall, the Watcher of Asgard.
That was another thing that he never thought he would experience. As his mind finally woke up, the locked part of his mind where all the mystic knowledge was locked up by the Ancient One, unlocked itself and it was as if he was blind before and now he could see underneath the fabric of reality. The ability to shape and manipulate dimensional energy to mold the very fabric of reality, however temporarily, was intoxicating.
This must be what Odin must have felt like when he was young. No wonder he demanded that the world submit to him.
He also conveyed his thoughts to Ajax who must have already felt his awakening. He told Ajax to return to the colonies and soothe the masses as he could still feel some amount of unease on the planets. He could always count on Ajax to steer the ship of the colonies in the right direction. He was the smartest Kylosian he had ever met and after all the upgrades he had undergone under his supervision, he was one of the smartest individuals they had under their payroll.
As the ship exited slipspace, he gave a heads-up to Maria about Dr.Cho and set off towards the planet, specifically, the Triskelion, so that they could finally set off the next phase of their plans.
Through his connection to all the assets that he had moved around the world, he could see Black Bolt and his team tearing apart HY.D.R.A. base after H.Y.D.R.A. base with overwhelming might, especially with the addition of the new generation of Inhumans.
One of them even showed the potential to actually surpass Black Bolt in terms of overall prowess. Total Magnetic Control. That was the powerset of young Eric and even at the age of 13, he had already reached the strength of body required to reach the vaunted S-class of their organisation but they had halted his promotion to that role due to his young age and also because Maria said no and nobody wanted to go against her, especially when it came to one of the kids she had personally nursed back to health.
Soon, the lush Hoia forest came into his view and instead of decelerating, he increased his speed as a thin sheen of golden light covered his entire body like a skin-tight armour and due to that, when he collided with the barrier that covered Dracula's entire territory, it shattered like glass and he landed with a booming noise, creating a crater around him and shaking the entire castle in front of him despite the castle's mystical fortifications.
"WHO DARES DISTURB MY LORD'S SLUM-" some fools tried to charge at him before he turned them into a bloody mist with a mere thought.
Truly, runes were an absolute cheat code in the universe's source code.
"Dracula, I know you can sense me. Come out before I destroy what little you have left," he said while projecting his voice inside the castle where Dracula slept.
"So, you have returned, Guardian of the Singularity," spoke Dracula as he walked out of the castle riding on one of his undead dragons.
"I see you have come prepared," he said while gesturing to the dragon underneath him.
He knew about that one. It was one of the cheap experiments that Agatha tried to sell off as mystical solutions to problems. How Dacula fell for it, he did not know.
Before Dracula could get a word in, though, he saw that Ed had woken up from his sleep, likely sensing his presence and all thoughts of prolonging this conflict left his mind as he channeled his mystical might and weaponised his soul's heavy presence in the Astral Realm, bearing down upon Dracula like a hammer.
His eyes glowed golden and green as he said, "The only reason I am not wiping you out is due to the ancient Pacts brokered by the Ancient One. Consider this your final warning. The next time you try stirring up shit due to our absence, there won't be a Romania to speak of."
Then he unleashed the spell he had been preparing, decimating Dracula's forces as the spell manifested as a golden circle above his castle and systematically tracked down every vampire in a mile's radius and shot concentrated sun rays at them, turning them to ash.
Then, with a thought, without the application of a sling ring, a golden portal manifested behind him as he floated back into it. All the while, Dracula watched it happen, impotent with rage, helpless as I turned thousands of his underlings to ashes.
With a final glance at the dragon as it dissolved from the spell turning it into ash, he sneered disdainfully at Dracula and entered the portal while showing his back to Dracula. If the hateful roar he heard was any indication, he was successful at riling Dracula up.
Now, they just needed him to attack somebody else in his greed who is also a part of that damned Pact for it to be broken so they could finally start integrating Mystics as a proper part of their society.
Connecting to his reserve partition, he saw that Frank and all the teams were just about done with looting S.H.I.E.L.D. warehouses, he gave the command for the carriers to tear themselves apart and relayed that to Frank as well.
He would have loved to join them but he had another job to do. Now that he had a better grasp of his mystical senses, he could sense another artifact with Eternity's energy signature all over it and if Ed's operation was to be successful, he would need all the artifacts he could gather that had Eternity's energy signatures.
It would seem that they would have to recover the Ten Rings, after all. It would be a shame if a 1000-year-old warlord happened to die during the retrieval.
Then, he could pick up Ed and enact the plans they had put in motion for their public reveal.
Asgard
The Rainbow Observatory
Heimdall
"He has cloaked himself, my King," he said while looking around for the Midgardian anomaly.
"Hmm. Don't bother. If I am not wrong, he has attained the same level of enlightenment that I have." His king replied.
Even though his face remained the same, he was shaken internally. In the hundreds of thousands of years of recorded history, nobody had come close to the AllFather's Rune mastery. Even Lord Agamotto had to concede to that. The Ancient One came close but even she admitted that the final step seemed like an endless chasm to her.
Prince Loki mirrored his sentiment as well as he said, "But Father! How could it have attained that level? It was but a machine mere hours ago."
"It matters not how they did it. Loki, bring them to Asgard. I would like to meet the new generation of the Guardians of Midgard."
"As you wish, Father," Prince Loki bowed to the AllFather as his astral projection faded away from the observatory.
Then his robes faded away to reveal his signature battle costume as he looked at him with a smirk, "Shall we?"
He was not sure sending Prince Loki was a good idea for some reason.
Deep in Space
-?--
He awoke with a pained gasp as he felt the Necrosword in his arms pulse with information.
Setting it close against his forehead, he was rewarded with the vision of the person who had ascended into a God.
The newest God who had been collecting shards of Eternity. For what purpose he did not know.
But what he did know was that he would not allow the existence of Gods anymore. His last fight had left him drained but with the newest Eternity Shard, he could destroy Omnipotence City once and for all.
He would kill them all. For denying him his mate, his child, and his peaceful life.
For he was, Gorr the Butcher.
Word Count - 2021
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head on to my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 15 extra chapters uploaded there.
A/N : Dun Dun Dun, Gorr was introduced. I literally had chills writing that part of the chapter
A little insight into the reason for Alfred's actions and the shocking fact that Alfred has reached Odin's level in terms of rune mastery BUT that does not mean he is on the same level as Odin. Remember, Odin has a lot more juice he can throw around due to the Odin Force but he is also Old so the upcoming meeting between them will be very interesting in terms of their power dynamics.
Especially since Loki is still with them and Frigga never died (YES I DID THAT).
Malekith's plot has been slightly altered by me so stay tuned for that.
Anyways, Thank you for reading!
Toodles!
Technomancer in MCU #64
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 64
Technomancer in MCU
-Ajax-
Listening to the Lord's voice and receiving positive feedback from the link he had with Lord Alfred that he had closed off from the fear of hurting himself was a godsend. Now, he could finally go back home without worrying about his Lord and Savior. He tried his best to send thoughts of questions to his Lord and what he received were orders. Orders to go back to the system and make sure that order is restored properly. Orders to make sure no pirate comes anywhere near the systems and to start utilizing the defense systems in order to do so. He was also allowed to personally enter the battlefield, something that was expressly forbidden due to his own enhanced nature. They didn't want to appear too warmongering like the Kree to the wider cosmos but it would seem that the major powers testing their defences at a time of vulnerability had pissed him off.
Good. He was hoping for that. Now, he could go home and do the job he was selected to do.
With that in mind, he turned to Miss Daisy, "Miss Daisy, I thank you for your hospitality but since Lord Alfred has turned out to be fine and I have since received my orders, I will take my leave. Since you too are under our Lord's command, we'll be happy to accept you in the church should you come to our planet. I bid you leave."
Then he teleported to the Asterisk's hangar, his blessings allowing him to bypass the wards laid down in the protected areas of the Asterisk. As soon as his feet touched the ground, one of the ships nearby lit up and floated over to him with the back bay open. Truly, Lord Alfred worked fast.
Entering the ship, he was further greeted by a hologram that contained all the work he would have to do upon his return to the Church of Lord Alfred.
It was a good thing he left as soon as he received his Lord's instructions, for he had a long list of things he had to fix as soon as he reached home, which included removing some of the high-level priests in the Church who had been dealing with entities outside of the organisation.
It would seem that with his return, Lord Alfred's reach has only increased and he was all the more glad for it.
Floating above the Triskelion
-Daisy "Quake" Johnson-
All around her, she could see her team getting kicked out of their control consoles as Alfred took control of each and every facet of the mission, as he did previously.
Did he even realise the amount of work she had to put in to train and assign people to man different stations for the hundred different types of things the damn carriers can do?
"Miss me, Commander Johnson?" came the infuriating voice of the one and only Alfred from seemingly all directions within the ship only with a slightly more humane voice. She wondered what happened to his voice for that to happen.
"You? Nah. But your work? Sure." she replied while looking at the astonishing figures of assets being deployed at a pace her eyes could hardly keep up with. The one good thing that came out of Alfred's absence was that they had to ask for a higher number of combatants from the recently settled Inhumans and the people they had sent resulted in much better coordination between their teams and the Inhumans, which boded well for future collaborations, especially since they were on the cusp of their public reveal now.
The floating island given to the Inhumans was another shock to her when she was given access to the allies list of the organisation. She was not aware that flying islands could just be built and given out willy-nilly but apparently, she had not yet grasped the heights to which Ed and Alfred rolled with. To them, the price of a floating island in exchange for securing an alliance with a race of superpowered humans was a paltry sum.
The island itself was a thing to behold. They had expanded the space of the island because that would require turning it into its own dimension which Alfred had been wary of doing so due to the unpredictable nature of Inhumans' terrigenesis process. He was not sure what effects it might have on the wards powering the space or on the person who would have undergone the terrigenesis process.
As the last of the carriers was destroyed and the staff started cheering, she looked on the screen as the members of Avengers just floated there looking slightly flabbergasted at Alfred's intrusion in their mission. She could understand their confusion, after all, Alfred did come and ruin all their efforts since he basically took care of the entire mission within seconds.
"Alright, boys. Time to come back now. We have to begin with the next phase of the plans." She spoke to Frank and Eric who were talking with Captain America and Sharon Carter. Speaking of Carter, she had express orders from Peggy Carter to have her niece delivered back to her in safe and sound condition and she didn't know why but she had a feeling that she would come to regret it if she didn't follow those orders to the letter.
Peggy Carter was one scary old woman. So, she gave the automatic override orders for Sharon Carter's suit to become invisible and enter the carrier with Frank and Eric.
"Alfred, you ready?" she asked Alfred, knowing that his part would be crucial going forward with their plans, especially their public reveal.
"Just a minute," he said.
She could hear the low whine of air travel through the comms with the sounds of bombs going off in the distance. "Alfred, where are you? What are you doing? Are those bombs going off?" she rattled off while signalling one of the junior techs to track down Alfred's location.
"Ah, nothing to worry about Commander, just a little detour I have taken. See you in a bit." Alfred replied and cut off the comms, leaving her extremely confused.
Why would Alfred not do whatever it was that he was doing and talk to her at the same time? And the way he phrased that sentence. It was like…
Her eyes widened as she realised what Alfred had done.
"Son of a bitch," she whispered as she realised that Alfred had gone and built himself an actual body.
"Frank, Alfred got himself a body. He did it," she shouted over the comms to Frank in her excitement.
She could see him wince a bit at her volume down below on her screens and carry on with the conversation he was having with them without even replying to her.
Tch.
Soon, he shook hands with everyone and took away the suits he had given to the other members, and along with Sharon, turned on their respective stealth modes and floated back to the carrier.
"Do you guys need a ride?" She hacked the comms that Romanoff was using to communicate with Fury. She could see Romanoff looking around, trying to spot her. "Don't bother. You won't find me," she said as she looked at the screen that was showing Pierce being escorted out of the building by Rumlow and his team after they had killed off the entire World Security Council in the hopes of pinning it on Rogers and the others. If he hoped to discredit them and salvage a modicum of control over the agency, he was living in delusion.
Eventually, Romanoff replied, "No, thanks but we still have one more person to find before we can hightail it out of here."
She chuckled as she gave the order to snipe Pierce and his gang of cartoons from the carrier. As the screen showed kills confirmed, she chuckled into the comms, trying to project a mysterious and menacing air about herself, "Don't worry, Miss Romanova, I have already taken care of the loose ends. You'll find that Secretary Pierce somehow tripped on one of the stairs while he was running and fell down on one of his security team members who took it as a threat and shot him down. You know how trigger-happy American Law Enforcement is."
She could see the way the entire team stiffened that they were very uncomfortable with the thought of talking about killing someone even if the man was the pinnacle of a Nazi in this day and age.
"And I assume that no evidence would ever tie it back to you?" Rogers spoke out in the comms and she could see why Peggy fell for him back in the day. That voice alone was enough to send butterflies through her stomach.
Damn.
Even then, she had a job to do so she replied in a fake somber tone, "What evidence? It was a pure accident. Oh, no! Look at the fire that spread out because of a nearby electric car that exploded. It would seem that by the time the firefighters get there, there wouldn't be much left of Secretary Pierce or his personal security team. What a shame." Then she switched back to her usual cheerful tone and said, "Now, I am seeing a lot of suits converging on your location and I'm sure that they are going to have a lot of questions you guys just don't have the answers to. So, I suggest you take the help offered." She released a single hoverboat to escort them back to the base Fury was staying at.
It rapidly descended on top of them only to slow down at the last moment and reveal itself to them. As the doors opened and Captain America looked inside, his entire body became rigid in shock as he saw his best friend, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes in the back seat, unconscious but physically fine. Just his prosthetic arm was replaced with one that was less weaponised and more similar to that of a real hand.
"Oh right, I forgot to tell you about that. That is a courtesy gift from our organisation as a thank you. All his mental traumas are healed up and as long as he doesn't acquire even more traumas, he should be fine and have no more suicidal tendencies. I also believe his memories have been restored and a word of advice, some of them are pretty damning so please keep an open mind. Daisy Johnson, Commander of the organisation, over and out." She said as the hoverboat sped off, taking them to their destination. Oh, she had always wanted to say over and out, and in the stress of it all, she had forgotten to use the opportunity to do it but with Alfred back, she could go back to being her carefree self without having the burden of handling an interplanetary organisation on her delicate back.
Just as she was celebrating her little moment, red alerts began showing on the HUD screen. Hurriedly checking it, she saw that Ed was getting out of the bed, overriding any and all protocols kept in place to keep him in the ward.
She had forgotten that he was the one who had built the entire place from the ground up and all the people on that base worshipped the very ground he walked on. So, she watched on as he passed hurdle after hurdle without even trying and finally made it to the hangar where his personal ship was already turned ON and waiting for him.
Before she could try something, anything really to try and stop him from getting off the base, she felt a hand on her shoulder, "Don't bother. No one can stop him when he gets like this. Plus, with Alfred back, we have little to worry about. Just wait and watch. I have a feeling we have a spectacle of a lifetime ahead of us." Frank said and left the cabin without saying another word.
She slumped as she realised what he said was correct and without a second thought, ran after him, all the thoughts of running the ship gone from her mind as Alfred was back and she could finally dump all the responsibilities on him.
Plus, the vision of Alfred cursing her for putting all the extra duties on him was like a balm to her overworked soul.
Word Count - 2174
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head on to my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 15 extra chapters uploaded there.
A/N : It was a rollercoaster of a chapter to write.
First of all, Ajax got his orders and is back on his way home and he has some interesting stuff to do back home as well.
Alfred is collecting the ten rings from Wenwu and was encountering some resistance that he used as an opportunity to hone his newfound combat abilities(runes and stuff)
Then, a little backdrop on the deal the Inhumans signed with Ed about their relocation.
Yes, Bucky was collected by them early on and they used the MENTAL HEALING DAGGER on him to remove his suicidal tendencies(That can come back if he falls back into depression). He still has all his memories though, so cant say anything about the future.
More importantly, the next phase of Ed's plan regarding the public revealing of their organisation has started and for that, Ed has decided to make a personal appearance, disregarding his health issues.
Stay tuned for more!
Thank you for reading!
Toodles.
Technomancer in MCU #65
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 65
Technomancer in MCU
The Asterisk
-Ed-
He smiled a wide happy smile once he felt the link that connected his soul to Alfred's soul come back online. It felt different, a bit more equal so to speak. He could not quantify it but the bond he had with Alfred before he left was lopsided. It definitely became more and more stable over the years, as Alfred grew in both intelligence and maturity but it never quite became equal. He had a hunch that it was mainly due to Alfred's digital nature and lack of a physical body that housed his soul that hindered him from taking the final step and today his hypothesis was proven correct when he felt the link come back alive with a bang.
He could actually feel the strength of Alfred's soul and it shone brightly like a sun, nearing his overall soul strength. In fact, he felt that the only reason Alfred had not surpassed him was due to his age and inherent blessings from ROB, something that Alfred was deprived of since he was not whole when they crash-landed in this universe.
He was tempted to use his powers to truly feel the depth of his connection with Alfred but refrained from doing so as it would reduce his already precariously low lifespan, bringing it down to abysmal levels. So, instead, he decided to go meet Alfred in his new body and since Alfred was back, continued their plans of public revealing of their organisation as he no longer needed to postpone that bit of their H.Y.D.R.A. removal plan. Oh, he was giddy just thinking about it. They had been planning for that moment for a long time and when all the pieces they could account for had been gathered in place, arguably the most important part of the plan went missing.
He had a few theories as to why Alfred decided to drop everything and pursue building his body but none that could be confirmed independently without consulting either the Ancient One or Alfred himself. His best guess involved a mental attack of sorts on Alfred but that was near impossible to do for most entities in the universe or multiverse simply due to the fact that Alfred's mind functioned at a speed and level that most beings simply wouldn't be able to keep up with. But before his abrupt leave, Alfred had abstained from practicing runes and stopped doing any personal rune work, a thing he loved doing. He also knew that ALfred's mystical defenses mainly relied on runes and since he preferred active runes that could be altered in a moment during live combat, his sudden loss of abilities in the rune department could have lowered his defenses down enough for someone of considerable strength and expertise in the mental department to strike Alfred where he was the most vulnerable.
But now was not the time for that. Right now, he needed to see with his own eyes the body Alfred must have built for himself. They had not yet finalised every aspect of his body when he left but he was sure that any deficiencies in the design had been already corrected by Alfred before he even thought of integrating them with his body. Getting up from the bed, he scoffed internally as red alarms began blaring almost immediately in the ward he was in and the doors and windows began locking themselves automatically, effectively boxing him in the medical ward as if telling him to get back on the bed.
He smirked at that. It would seem Daisy had gotten some backbone but he had not come so far solely on the basis of Alfred. So, he got to work.
Frank and more importantly, Maria had insisted on replacing his war-ready usual suit with something more hospital friendly so for the time being, he was without his most trusted weapon that could hold its own against an entire army all by itself. If he had that, he could have just blasted the doors apart to get out of the medical ward. Come to think of it, that must be the reason they had removed it entirely instead of just putting on the modular hospital suit he had lying around in storage. Of course, that didn't mean he was out of options. He had built an entire organisation spanning multiple planets and solar systems solely on the basis of overpreparation and extreme paranoia.
Reaching around using his arm, he tapped the suit's back where all the main components were stored. As it opened up on his command, a thin wire came out of it and he swiftly jammed it into the entrance console. The hub made a few beep-boop sounds and within a few seconds, voila! The Door was open.
Before exiting though, he wore his signature dreary grey clothing. No way he was going back on camera with his hospital scrubs. That would be so lame. As he exited his ward, he came to a scene of total chaos. Somebody was yelling at all the attendants present in front of him, evident by the collective wince they all shared from time to time but nobody had the courage to actually come and try to stop him. He internally nodded at that. It was good to see he was not immediately discarded from the pedestal these people put him on.
So, without missing a beat, he just carried on his way. Along the way to the Hangar, all the doors began closing on him but they never could completely stop him as he had the handy dandy master access he had built into every component of every system that the organisation ever installed into any of their bases or assets. It was quite intelligent only until someone hijacked it from outside.
..
..
He might have to remove all the backdoors with Alfred's assistance after he comes back.
Speaking of Alfred, as he arrived at the Hangar, his personal jet was already up and running and when it came into his view, it immediately turned around and presented its backdoor bay for him to enter. Shaking his head, he turned around and waited for a beat or two before a rectangular package came barreling through one of the walls to slam onto his torso roughly. He slowly turned around and gave a deadpan stare at his personal jet, knowing that Alfred was watching. Amusingly, the jet titled its wings from one side to the other, expressing that it did not know anything. He chuckled, "Oh, come on. There was no way you didn't do that on purpose. We built that thing and its homing systems together. There is no possible way that it did not recognise a pre-coded path in our HQ and instead came barrelling through a wall, which might I add, was right next to the actual door."
"Just get in the jet and get your old wrinkly ass down to Earth, will you?" came the rough hoarse voice from one of his suit's speakers. He stared at the jet, astonished that Alfred would speak with him in such a tone. "Don't make me put you over my knee, Alfred. Especially since I can do so with your physical body and this time, it could actually make you feel the pain instead of just limiting your access to the high-speed time dilated servers." When he received no response, he nodded to himself as he took it as a sign of Alfred being sufficiently chastised.
By the time he finished speaking, his old suit had replaced the medical one and he gave the mental command for it to float but instead of entering the jet that he had hated from day one that was waiting for him, he instead activated the suit's deep space mode and rocketed off the Hangar, probably generating a ton of energy due to the vibranium on the floors absorbing all the energy from his violent lift-off. "Oh, come on," Alfred said exasperatedly while the jet was cruising alongside him right on their way to Earth, more specifically, Washington D.C. He took his time and performed stunts with the jet Alfred was controlling as a way to pass the time since he was feeling incredibly free and lightweight after a long long time. After all, Alfred gaining a physical body in accordance with his standards meant that almost all his future troubles were washed away. With his mind and now physical strength, he would be able to handle all of the things he was worried about. Especially since he had a hunch that with an actual body that could channel dimensional energy properly, Alfred would reach heights never thought of in the field of the Mystic Arts. The Ancient One herself had confided in him that should Alfred get his own body, as we were planning to, he would have all the tools and more importantly, the capability necessary to become the Sorcerer Supreme. He had been shocked at her statement back then as in his mind, sorcerers with potential like Dr.Strange were hard to find in multiple generations, especially with their plot armour but when he thought about it, he could see her point. And now, as he felt the metaphysical weight of Alfred's soul, something that is crucial to becoming a competent sorcerer, he was sure that Alfred would go on to become the defender of Earth, as the Sorcerer Supreme or as the Lord Alfred of hundreds of millions of aliens or as the Head of the organisation.
Only time would tell, but the only thing going through his mind as he rocketed towards the smoking wreckage of the carriers was that Today was going to be epic.
The Asterisk
-Maria Castle-
She saw the scene of Ed just bulldozing through all the measures they had put in place for him to remain on bed rest with a bittersweet smile. On one hand, his body had been weakened considerably in the last few days and he was simply in no condition to move around, let alone travel to Earth and carry out the plans they had planned and set into motion years ago but on the other hand, she hadn't seen him smile and walk cheerfully like that ever since Alfred left. Maybe, just maybe, this could be good for him?
"Alfred, I hope you are seeing the same thing I am seeing and are suitably prepared to safeguard him?" she said out loud, knowing that Alfred was listening to her.
After a while, a "Yes, Mam," sounded in her ear and she smiled subtly as she nodded.
"Any intake in my department that you have foreseen due to this event?" she asked Alfred as usually any time they carried out any of their plans, they managed to encounter underprivileged individuals who were in dire need of help and she had taken it upon herself to do so. So she was asking that so she could better prepare for anybody that needed to be admitted into her department. Her department took care of anybody who was rescued by their organisation, be it children or the elderly.
That was her duty.
-Eric Diggle-
"So, how are the preparations going, Aniki?" He asked Jake since he had heard from the bridge gossip that the Superclass carrier had already been activated along with a new and improved N-reactor being delivered right to the carrier through a portal made by Alfred.
He wasn't even aware it was possible to make a portal even near the carrier, let alone inside of it. But apparently, Alfred had a body now so he could ignore all the laws of physics(which he read after they were updated by the scientist when they got a better understanding of the universe after interacting with the Masters of the Mystic Arts) and make reality his bitch.
"Oh, the preparations are in full swing but it is not in our hands. I might as well have been watching a movie right now since Alfred has shut down all manual access points and is piloting the entire ship remotely. We should be converging on your location in T-minus 20 minutes. Be ready. Alfred has warned us about possible combat scenarios." His brother, Jake, always the responsible one of the two, replied.
He rolled his eyes, "Oh, loosen up. With nearly all of the top-tier combat list of the organisation here, even the Avengers would have a hard time going back alive let alone defeating us. So, chill and remember to bring my special beer when you reach here."
Jake scoffed and closed the transmission.
Rude.
There was no way anything could come close to threatening them now, especially on Earth since all the major players were now their allies.
So they were safe, weren't they?
After a while
As he watched the madman shrugging off all their blows while laughing like a maniac as he held the head of the Ancient One in his hands, he cursed himself for taunting Murphy like that. Especially since Ed had woken up now after being knocked out by Alfred of all people and after seeing the scene, a strange golden glow began to suffuse his body as his entire being began screaming at him to run away from this place, from Ed.
Word Count - 2247
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head on to my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 15 extra chapters uploaded there.
A / N : Hello guys!
Like the ending? That fight is going to be awesome but you guys will have to wait for it. Teehee!
In this chapter, Ed is back up on his feet due to his buddy Alfred coming back all the more stronger for it.
Alfred is completing his chores(WENWU) before coming back to the Triskelion for the big reveal.
The superclass carrier has been activated by Alfred to show the full might of the organisation to anyone that could be dumb enough to threaten them.
The world is not going to be ready for their public reveal and it might not go as smooth sailing for them as they had hoped as a big variable in their plans has been introduced that they themselves are not aware of.
Stay tuned!
Toodles!
Technomancer in MCU #66
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 66
Technomancer in MCU
-Ed-
As he dive-bombed towards the wreckage of the once state-of-the-art carriers, he noted the law enforcement crowd that was trying to cautiously approach the HQ of S.H.I.E.L.D. It was understandable after all, up until an hour ago, that agency was able to lord over nearly every single law enforcement agency in the world.
Somebody had noticed him because simultaneously, all of the members began looking up and pointing at him. Not in the mood to handle that situation, he just landed roughly on the tarmac, his jet landing gracefully behind him. With his HUD, he could see the same three carriers he had used to generate the forcefield that covered the entirety of upper Manhattan during the Battle of New York, just floating above him in stealth mode. From the corner of his HUD, he could also see another one of the company's assets floating down. Confused as to what more could be coming, he opened it only for his eyes to widen to comical proportions as Alfred had called down the supercarrier of all things!
"I know what you are going to say but trust me on this, we might need it." Alfred probably already noticed me accessing that data and tried justifying himself beforehand.
"We might need it? Alfred, we built that thing in case we need it to fight against Thanos and his army, not to be used on Earth. That thing is a planet buster for god's sake. And how the hell did you override my protocols of the supercarrier never touching down on Earth?" I said out loud, not understanding Alfred's choices of late.
"Ah," He could also feel the smugness coming from Alfred, "but that's where you are wrong, my dear creator. The protocols you hardcoded into my source code can be interpreted in many ways. The discretion of which remains solely in my hands and thus, I have interpreted it so that the carrier need not touch the ground of Earth and can float even 10 feet above the ground level on the planet."
He just shook his head in defeat, "You know what? I give up. Just where are you coming from that it is taking so long to reach here?"
Just then, a portal opened up in front of him, and through that came Alfred who was carrying the Ten Rings for some reason. Before he could ask more about that though, Alfred opened up another portal beside him and threw the rings and another box through it, to where he did not know.
Now that he could take a good look at what Alfred had done, he had to say that it was majestic to look at. While Alfred had chosen to take on the same face as his digital avatar, the old butler persona with the three-piece suit, he could see the thin lines criss-crossing the entirety of his body, suggesting his cybernetic nature. Activating his HUD, he saw the information Alfred had already uploaded for his viewing.
His eyes widened when he saw the infinity stone energy signature but exhaled in relief when he realised that he only used it to jumpstart the 16th Gen Arc-Reactor that Alfred had built, which allowed the arc reactor to last even longer but realistically it was done more for the overall increased energy output rather than the longevity since even the regular Arc reactor would last well into a century. As he was going over the list of materials that Alfred had used for his new body, he saw, "So you went with the enriched celestial cerebrospinal fluid route. I must say that does limit your future ascension possibilities but does synergise perfectly with your current abilities. And not to mention the fact that should Arishem discover us, we might just be wiped out without even completing our first goal."
Alfred rolled his eyes at me, seriously now that he had an actual body, he was free to act like a true teenager, "You know that I would not make such an elementary mistake. The cerebrospinal fluid and the will within it were neutralised using a combination of curses that I had already stored in a vibranium jar during one of our hell visits and I am so tightly wound up in runes right now that it would be near impossible to sense me from far away and Arishem would have to be standing in front of me to properly judge me. And," while saying that, he waved his right hand in the clockwise direction and then as if the timeline jerked, green symbols, not unlike the ones that appear when somebody uses the eye of Agamotto, appeared on Alfred's wrist and a sphere of green energy appeared in front of him, in which he threw a small stone. Then, he turned his hands in the clockwise direction, the more he turned the higher the energy count he could sense coming from Alfred, and after a while, the sphere dissipated into green motes of light and soon, all that remained of that stone was dust. "Ta-da!" he says.
He chuckled alongside him. The significance of this event was not lost on him. Alfred had managed to duplicate or at least perform the same function as an Infinity Stone all the while only using Magic to fulfill the energy requirements. That must be the achievement of the century, even in Kamar Taj.
"Congratulations are in order, Master Alfred." said the Ancient One as she stepped out of the golden portal, "Though I'll have to ask you to refrain from using that magic for showmanship and only reserve it for truly urgent situations. You'll soon receive the robes to show you are a true Master of the Mystic Arts, probably even surpassing me in the fields of Runes and Runic Applications. Master Kabir would be very excited to discuss that with you."
He had turned around, surprised at not sensing her portal opening. She must have developed some new way to mask the portal's opening and closing from him and his technology as it was a sort of game that they both played as it helped both of them develop better sensing technology and better cloaking spells respectively. But Alfred did not seem surprised to see her, indicating that he had already surpassed any tech that Ed possessed to sense her.
His mystical senses must have been amped up ridiculously then because there was no way the average Master could sense the Ancient One coming if she did not allow that.
"I'm sure you have all the prerequisite knowledge and skills to accomplish your goal now?" The Ancient One asked Alfred to which he replied, "Yes, I just need to collect a few more things and I'll be soon on my way."
"Ah, the Eternity Shards. Do be careful with them, Master Alfred. While I cannot tell you to do anything, I can advise you that dealing with the Endless always ends in tragedy, in some form or other so be prepared to deal with the consequences." His pupils dilated and his hair stood on end as soon as the Ancient One mentioned the Endless and for a while, he could feel an overwhelming, otherworldly gaze on them that passed away after a while. Only when the gaze went away did he realise that he was breathing heavily and his palms and forehead had become all sweaty.
He was about to tell Alfred to stay away from anything related to the Endless when he heard a whooping sound coming from their comms. Alfred looked up at that sound so he did the same only to see Daisy barreling straight down towards Alfred, who merely stepped to the side one step, resulting in the comical scene of Daisy's face being buried in the earth with her feet dangling out. He could see the faint twitching of Ancient One's lips as she tried to stifle her laughter but the same could not be said for Eric who was doubling down in laughter as he landed behind him with Frank alongside him.
Just like one would in a cartoon world, Daisy put both of her arms on the ground and pushed herself out of the hole her head had created. Upon getting out of it, she tried to glare at us for not helping her but due to the dirt on her face, Eric began laughing even harder while holding his stomach. He tried his best but a muffled chuckle still came out of him and even Frank. Upon noticing us laughing at them and even Alfred joining in on the fun, she stomped on her way to Alfred, which was made all the more noticeable due to the subtle applications of her powers that resulted in minor tremors every time she took a single step and then just slapped him in the face.
He winced as he remembered the composition of Alfred's body and how much force it would take to actually hurt Alfred. He could not imagine Daisy's pain but what he imagined didn't actually happen. She slapped Alfred but due to the usage of her powers, a pocket of air blasted off of Alfred's face due to the amount of force she put in the blow which resulted in a shockwave that, hilarious enough, pushed her back a few steps while Alfred remained in the same position while looking at her with a haughty look.
As they were laughing and talking about with each other, Alfred got an alert so he opened up another portal, which was much bigger this time, he noted and the Royal Family of Attilan came floating on one of the floating carriages they had built on the New Attilan.
"King Black Bolt and Queen Medusa, I hope the mission was a success?" He asked them and after receiving a nod as confirmation, he said, "Ready for the next phase of the plan?"
He then looked at Alfred who nodded at him and decloaked the three carriers but not the supercarrier that was floating even above the carriers. Upon doing that, he could see the news helicopter that was filming them suddenly turn up and away from the Triskelion building.
As they all floated up towards the carrier so that the public announcement could be made, he sent an email to the President, scheduling a meeting with him and all of the state heads at the UN later in the day and he made sure to emphasise that it was not optional. He was done playing politicians' games. It did nothing but waste time and energy that he could devote elsewhere, especially, since he had so little of both left.
Word Count - 1805
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Technomancer in MCU #67.1
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 67.1
Technomancer in MCU
Stark Tower
-Tony Stark-
When he had arrived at the repaired Stark Tower after the Battle of New York, he had gone over every single inch of the place to make sure that Alfred and Ed didn't leave any nasty bugs to spy on him but after going through every nook and cranny and tasking Jarvis to analyse every single incoming and outgoing data stream, he was able to come to a single conclusion that Ed and Alfred were truly far ahead of him in terms of technology because there was no way they were not spying on him right then and probably, even now.
After days of him being jumpy around the corners of the Tower, Pepper had finally given up and dragged him back to LA for a few days and that had been a godsend for him because after a good night's sleep, he was able to come to the obvious solution for his problem. He just tore it all down and had it rebuilt, all the while one of his suits being piloted by Jarvis was supervising their work. It definitely caused some of the workers to make mistakes due to nervousness but it gave him the required peace of mind so he was fine with it.
During their routine check, they had found something odd going on with the basement floors so they told Jarvis about that and after him being unable to scan what was behind the basement doors, had a hunch and called him immediately. Naturally Paranoid about what Ed could have done to his Tower(or more like Avengers Tower but those guys never stayed with him so he could call it whatever he wanted it to), he had come running but even after scratching their collective heads for hours, he and Bruce were nowhere near close to figuring things out. It was made worse by the fact that the doors and even the walls didn't even have a scratch even after he used all the energy weapons he had on hand to open them. Their curiosity peaked, and they began working on the door and its composition with renewed vigor when suddenly, one of the machines that Banner had been building in his free time began beeping and while he and Banner both looked at each other, Banner went to check in on the results and whatever he saw shocked him so much that for a moment, he thought that he could see hints of green under his neck but thankfully, for his heart and health, Bruce didn't go all Hulk on him and instead began focusing on the readings of the machine.
He didn't recognise what the machine was since Bruce had custom-built it and he was not someone who would not understand respecting Lab Privacy. Especially, since the person could squash him like a bug if he felt like it. "Tony," Bruce whispered as he began rapidly swiping at the screens on the machine, "This is denser than anything I have ever seen. In fact, its density is even higher than that of Vibranium somehow." His eyes widened at that particular piece of information and he immediately ran over to check on the results.
After a while, both of them sat there after having exhausted all their means of opening the bay doors, exhausted and frustrated at their inability to open a simple door. Bruce had multiple PhDs for God's sakes and even he was not foolish enough to allow the Hulk to come out to open a mere door. Especially since there was a solid possibility of failure and nobody wanted an angry Hulk around, especially not him since it was kinda his home. Just as they were about to give up and go home, an infuriating voice came through the doors, "Greetings, Dr.Banner and Mr.Stark."
"Oh, fuck off," Bruce was the one to reply first as faint green undertones could be seen on his face and eyes as Alfred had appeared in front of them in his signature digital avatar. He seemed entirely unphased by the fact that at any moment a wild Hulk could appear and ravage his tower. Of Course, he would not be worried, it was not his tower. Before he could try to calm Bruce down though, Alfred did something and a golden glow was emitted from the blast doors which calmed him down. Looking at Bruce, he could already see the effects as the subtle tension that he always carried around with him faded away, giving him a relaxed vibe for the first time since they had met.
When he looked back at Alfred, he was somehow inside the basement whose doors had opened silently in the time he had taken to check on Bruce. Hesitantly, he poked Bruce and signaled him to walk with him. Walking ahead, he followed Alfred into the basement, only to see a scene straight out of fiction somehow. He opened and closed his eyes multiple times in disbelief and actually asked Jarvis about it but everything else confirmed what he was seeing but he was still not sure about what was happening. "Bruce, you seeing this?" he asked Bruce, "Yeah but h-how? Can they even do that?"
The space inside the basement looked endless, the hallway alone was longer than what the building would permit. They would have to have a Stark Tower that was twice as long to accommodate that hallway alone, not to mention that it had a door at the end of it, indicating that it could not be the end. Before they could ask Alfred about it though, he said, "This is one the Tier-I lab that Ed has decided to give to both of you, Dr.Banner and Mr.Stark, despite my objections, might I say."
A Lab? But all he saw was a large empty hallway with multiple doors on each side of the walls.
His question must have shown on his face because the next moment, a screen appeared in front of his face, using the same UI that Ed had used during the Battle. Using it, he came across a host of options that had him as well as Bruce salivating at their mouths. The Lab somehow contained tech that he had only dreamed of and never thought could make it a reality in his lifetime, at least before he met Ed.
"What is this? Where is this? Does the basement have the space for an actual particle accelerator?" Bruce asked Alfred.
Particle accelerator? In his basement? Were they mad?
"Don't worry about that. Our particle accelerators could fit in the palm of your hand if we gave them to you. Remember, Vibranium's sole purpose is not to be made into a frisbee. Its properties will astonish you. Now, the UI you have access to, Jarvis will soon get a plug-in to connect to it and through that, you'll get the basic gist of the lab. Don't worry," here, he could see the smug look on his face as he said, "I've made sure to dumb it down so your VI and you can use it properly. No Offense, Dr.Banner,"
"None taken," Bruce raised his hands as he said, "This might actually help cure my condition so thank you for that."
The statement seemed to draw an eye roll and a sigh from Alfred at the same time, "Look, Dr.Banner, no matter what you say, the Hulk is a part of you and please believe me when I tell you that no matter what you do, it won't be separated from you. Even if you do manage to suppress it somehow, the problem will only grow larger. The solution to your problem is acceptance and no amount of advanced lab equipment is going to help you with that."
The statement drew stunned looks from me and indignation from Bruce as he roared the next moment, "What do you know? I have to live as a monster, all alone. I can't even die in peace with that monster inside of me."
Alfred's face and eyes softened as he replied, "Dying is easy, Dr.Banner. It's the coward's way out of tough situations. Living is infinitely harder but also infinitely rewarding. The world needs you Dr.Banner but not if it means destroying Dr.Bruce Banner just for the sake of the strength of Hulk. You just have to say a word and we'll have you taken somewhere where you and the Hulk won't be treated as a monster but a champion. Hell, even in our organisation, we have walking monsters who could, if given enough time, destabilise the rotation of the entire planet, destroying the very planet we live on. And you have had the distinct pleasure of meeting the strongest of them all."
Destabilise the Earth's rotation? Destroy the Planet? Were these people insane?
"Is it Ed?" Bruce asked Alfred with oh-so-tired eyes before he could say anything. Damn, today was the first day where he had been made speechless so many times.
Alfred nodded, "Yes, and now I have to go but do remember, all the machines and anything you might find in the lab cannot be taken outside, only used inside. You can build the machines here, bring your own raw materials, process them, and take the finished product outside for your use but nothing that came with the lab will be taken out of this place. Not that you will be able to since everything is bolted shut using very strong bolts," and then promptly winked out of existence.
He rolled his eyes at that. As if just any bolt could hope to keep them out. He was stripping this entire place down the first thing tomorrow when he could get a legion of Jarvis operated machinery here.
"Oh, it looks like he was right, Tony." He heard Bruce tell him. He looked towards Bruce only to see him swiping on the holo screen he had in front of him, resulting in his window becoming visible on his holo screen as well.
Looking closer, he could see that nearly all the stuff in the lab was made out of reinforced Adamantium, which was a name he had never heard of. It must be something they custom made but what custom alloy could stop him? But as he kept reading the material properties of Adamantium, the more he struggled to believe that the material was real and even if it was real, he refused to believe that they were using it for something as mundane as bolts to hold down equipment. The doors, he could understand as that was the single point of entry and they had to secure a lab of this level but bolts? Honestly, that was the point where he understood how big the difference between his technology level and Ed's technological level was.
As he was using the hologram, it glitched somehow and then the ever-comforting voice of Jarvis came throughout the lab, as if he was speaking from all directions at once, "Hello, Sir. Should I call the post office to inform them about your future change in residential address since I believe this is going to both of your homes for the foreseeable future?"
Oh, the sass!
He dramatically clutched his heart and sported a devastated look on his face, "Et tu, Jarvis?" Then immediately went back to his normal mood and said, "Eh, might happen. Anyway, get us some pizzas down here, Jarvis. We are science bros working here. Tell Pepper it might get late since the list of things we could do here seems never ending and even you might need time to go through everything here. It seems the upgrade I had planned for you needs to happen ahead of schedule then."
"Uh, sir. The processing power available in the lab's server nodes is currently a million times greater than the power I had access to before." Jarvis said out, shock clear in his voice.
"Whaa-"
_
Word Count - 2021
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head on to my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 15 extra chapters uploaded there.
[NOTICE - I have somewhat of a schedule now where I post about 5 chapters/week and they could be uploaded once a day or twice a day or all five on a single day. Just wanted to give a heads up to yall since last week, I was done with 5 chapters on thursday itself. Avg. WC ~2k]
A/N This background tidbit had been forgotten by me and had to include this as I feel it is vital to the story progression ahead.
The things that will happen after Ed's public announcement will need a certain background of how the technological advancements happened and these two part chapters will provide that background.
Stay tuned for more!
Toodles!
Technomancer in MCU #67.2
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 67.2
Technomancer in MCU
Stark Tower
-Bruce Banner-
When Bruce had been first offered a safe place to live and a lab all to himself by Tony after all the others had gone their own ways after New York, he was hesitant. Hesitant to accept an offer from someone who up until a few years ago, had made his fortune from selling weapons but he would be a fool to say that he had not seen Tony's development from being a weapons dealer to becoming someone who had not hesitated when he latched onto a nuclear missile and chosen to go on a one-way suicide mission.
So, he took Tony up on his offer and agreed to move into the Stark Tower immediately as he really had no belongings to his name at the time. Fast forward a few years and he had settled down properly while also getting adjusted to the whirlwind of chaos that was living with Tony Stark. Pepper was a godsend but there was only so much even she could do about Tony. But it was nice not having to worry about the basic necessities and more importantly, not having to look over his shoulder every moment because some trigger-happy general from the Army decided that they needed to requisition their "asset". He was very happy doing his own projects in his personal lab most of the time with only Jarvis as his company but he did occasionally get roped into Tony's personal projects when Tony felt like doing so. Exactly like that one time when Tony had dragged him out of his lab and showed him the doors to his basement.
He had been skeptical of that at first but after listening to Alfred talk about it and finding out more and more about all the things he could do with the lab had cemented his belief that Ed truly was ahead of the world, at least in terms of technology.
Finding out that the Hulk truly was a problem of the mind rather than something that could be solved using genetic sciences, just like Alfred had told him, was disheartening but then again, it was not as if the lab did not come with its own form of solution for his problem. The biggest benefit of the lab would not be the matter reconfigurator(no matter how much Tony gushed over it) but the environment of the lab. It was bathed in the same yellow light that Ed's machines used to heal people during the Battle of New York. After repeated observations, he had observed and he was sure that Tony had too, that the CHI light as it was written in the documents was a literal miracle. The benefits were too numerous to list but the one he was most interested in was the calming effect it had on the mind, not to mention it somehow boosted the brain's functions if a person had prolonged exposure to it. After listening to all the health benefits of CHI and after having it repeatedly tested on himself and a host of animals they could fit through the lab doors, Tony pestered Pepper(heh!) to spend as much time as she could in the lab bathing under the yellow light of CHI. After a while, as Pepper noticed the effects CHI had on her skin, she could be found in the lab, doing her work quietly on the separate desk Tony had brought in for her as she had refused to work on the hard light constructs readily available in the lab because according to her, they did not feel solid.
He had also built many cool things in the lab, ranging from advanced repulsion systems to a building design to take the entire Stark Tower and put it into orbit. He had gawked at Tony when he had first announced the plan to do so but he had to admit, it had been fun designing and building the experimental prototypes to do so, though the disturbing gleam in Tony's eyes when they saw a proportional model fly without breaking apart under its own weights told him enough of Tony's future plans regarding a flying building in space with his name on it. Ever since then, he had refused to take part in Tony's disturbing obsession with putting giant things into space with his name on it. It was an unhealthy mental fixation he had and that was coming from him, the king of mental health issues.
Today, as he was working on his personal projects in peace for once as Pepper had arrived with some important news and they both had retired to the Penthouse for privacy, he had all the lab to himself. Not that it made any difference since the lab could, in theory, conjure up a thousand football-field-length rooms if he needed to. He still could not make heads or tails about the technology they used to manipulate and fold space in an enclosed building, all the while not giving off any sort of background radiation, other than the normal, at all. He had given his all regarding that problem but it had proven to be a rather tough cookie to crack and in the end, he was not Tony who could focus single-mindedly until the problem was solved and his most important pursuits lay elsewhere as well so went back on working for a procedure for Jennifer so that she could turn back to her normal form at least temporarily. Her life had been complicated beyond belief anyway, he didn't want to put her in even more danger by completely taking away her powers. That would paint a much bigger target on her head than just suppressing her powers because then, the government would stop at nothing to figure out how exactly she turned off her Hulk part so that they could have something to ambush him with.
As he was tuning out the rest of the world using the classical masterpiece that Jarvis had specifically composed for him using the advanced server space he had since the lab upgrade, his watch began beeping, altering him to a message. Without lowering the music, he asked, "Jarvis, what happened?"
When he heard about what was happening, without a second's delay, he ran towards the lift they had installed outside the basement doors which while still not up to the level of tech that they could build using the lab, Pepper had put down the foot down when Tony had the brilliant idea to redo the entire building for the lift to have multidimensional access. The lift doors shimmered into existence as soon as he entered it and soon he was at the penthouse where Tony and Pepper were watching the TV.
"Tony, what is happen-" his question got stuck in his mouth as he watched the humongous structure float above the destroyed Triskelion along with the same triple carrier formation that Ed had employed during the Chitauri Invasion. He had gotten the heads up from Tony saying that Cap had declared a traitor by S.H.I.E.L.D. after Fury's death but he never imagined that Ed himself would take action and entirely destroy S.H.I.E.L.D.
Speaking of the spy agency's destruction, "Tony, how far is Jarvis from cracking all the classified data that Cap and the others dumped on the open web?"
Tony, who was holding the remote in his hands, waved his hand in his direction carelessly, "Ages ago, buddy. The hard part was making sure that nobody else got access to the data at the same time he was downloading it. The internet truly is vast if even Jarvis required half an hour to do so," then he turned towards him and said with an intensity he had never seen before from him, "But that's not the main part. I have already received calls from the National Guard, The Army, the Air Force, the Navy, Pentagon and I don't know how much longer I can keep ignoring them. Hell, I don't think it will take long for a call from the president to arrive on my doorstep. And I am sure you are aware of what they will be asking us to do?"
He fell silent at Tony's uncomfortable question because he realised the uncomfortable situation he was putting Tony in. Tony had businesses, interests, and money tied up in the country and while the President would not be able to push Tony to do anything he didn't want to, Tony also could not just brush off a request from the President. Even he knew that it would be bad for his business and his overall career as a hero. And while they both knew that Iron Man was strong, it had been already demonstrated during the last invasion that they had access to far superior armours and suits. No, while they were calling for Tony to help, it was clear that what they truly wanted was for the Hulk to participate in the battle if it broke out.
He chuckled bitterly, "So, now they want me to fight for them? Against the very people who are our best shot at beating the odds and emerging as a truly advanced civilisation in the universe? No. You go right ahead Tony but if they come knocking, tell them that you don't know where I am. I'll pack my things."
Pepper's eyes widened as she waved her arms in denial of his statement, "No no NO! Bruce, you have to realise that we would never let anything of that sort happen. If and only If the call comes and they tell you to come, Tony will be there and them calling us doesn't mean that we have to fight their battle. The first thing you guys should do is open a dialogue. From what I've heard they have announced an emergency UN meeting in New York and that's probably where you two will be headed. Thor's off-world so the heaviest fighting power of the Avengers is right here in this building. They probably just need you to act as a deterrent and a show of power would always help in negotiations. I would suggest you go and talk with Alfred and Ed. They don't seem to be the bad guys and you going there could avoid a misunderstanding that, from what I understand, would end in the government losing?"
"Yeah, they would lose so bad it's not even funny. It's worse than an adult defeating a toddler. From the data I've had access to in the labs, they could and most probably have built planetary shields which somehow can," and here he made quotation marks in the air, " Deny any sort of explosion above a designated range."
His eyes widened as he thought of the implications, "So, that would mean No nukes?"
Tony nodded as Pepper gasped.
Word Count - 1979
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head on to my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 15 extra chapters uploaded there.
A/N : A bit of a data dump but I have come to realise that I have not given enough context in the story till now so the next few chapters might be data-heavy but the next ones should only have a little bit of extra information sprinkled in but they should probably be the normal chapters that you all know and love.
Sorry for the delayed chapter. Friday night Barbeque was so good. Ended up sleeping in and by the time I got out of my bed, it was already evening. So, it is still Saturday in my time zone, so here you go with the chapter.
Tomorrow is Sunday! God's day!(People need sleep, guys!) so we'll see each other tomorrow(or you'll see the notification of the new chapter, either way, fine.)
As always, thank you for reading!
Toodles!
Technomancer in MCU #68
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 68
Technomancer in MCU
The Triskelion
-Ed-
Watching the fighter jets that had begun circling the carriers above them, Ed thought of the possibilities that could come off this scenario. He had already noticed the order from the President regarding halting any action on us just after he had read the message sent to him on the phone Ed had given him during their last meeting in the bunker under the White House. Watching him and his aides scramble around like headless chickens after the disaster that was the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. was hilarious and adding this on top of that pile was just the cherry on top he needed. Although, some of their burdens were taken care of by Tony who was making good use of the resources he had been given in the form of the mid-tier lab that was installed in Stark Tower's basement by Alfred during the aftermath of the invasion of New York back in 2012. He had not been informed of that until a few months after Stark and Banner had already begun using them. He had been against the move as it somehow sent a significant amount of power into the hand of Stark, who already had more power than he knew what to do with. But after seeing the logs of Stark and Banner just doing SCIENCE! in that lab, he had given up against Alfred and allowed them continued access and even elevated their access to B-tier defensive machinery.
Jarvis, using the enhanced processing power he now had access to, had already scraped off nearly 99% of the classified information that the protocols present in the chip leaked to the internet. Of course, Alfred had expected this to happen and had already made sure that the necessary information reached the ears of the people that mattered. Heads were certainly going to roll after this but he was not going to be satisfied with just a small group of people being sacrificed as scapegoats and the overwhelming majority of the people responsible for that being given just a light slap on the wrist in the forms of monetary fines, something they had in plenty.
"Alfred, what's the response?" he asked Alfred while monitoring the overall movements of the organisation. Seeing the various facets move like a well-oiled machine, especially after seeing the shitshow that had occurred after Alfred had left, was utterly satisfying. The reason they had to mobilise nearly 80% of their overall assets on the planet was due to the resurgence in hostile activity near the Mystical hotspots of the planet. He had been given the news of multiple rebellions around the planet that had begun right after Alfred had left. Somebody was behind all of that and he had no idea who. After all, for somebody to know exactly when Alfred left, the person would have to be either incredibly powerful or incredibly close to the people who had access and he was certain that it was not a leak on their side since the only way people could bypass the runes Alfred put on the mandatory contracts that everybody has to sign, is to brute force it using the Soul Stone. He mentally noted it to tell Alfred in private about his theory.
"All 194 member states have responded and have their various representatives on their way to the meeting. Also, since Dracula's death, the mystic side of the planet has gone silent and we have not registered a single attack on any of our outposts. Nevertheless, I have made sure that the anti-mage contingent is in orbit and available for any emergency that might occur during the meeting. I have also set all of their protocols to elimination and have made sure that the locals of that hotspot are made aware of that," Alfred smirked and replied, still working on something as he could see his eyes had glazed over. That was a new thing that he would have to get used to. Normal human-like gestures from Alfred.
"How long do we have to stay here and pose for the cameras?" Daisy complained, showing all her teeth, as she posed for the camera to record and show it to millions of viewers who were watching in anxiety because according to what the news was reporting, an unknown, ergo them, organisation has attacked several high profile people across governments, businesses and more, across the world.
Shaking his head, Frank replied as it seemed that Alfred had become too engrossed in whatever he was doing or he just ignored Daisy, it was difficult to tell, " Technically, we don't need to but we have to make sure that all of the techs that is in the debris below is neutralised before it falls into wrong hands and the people I've tasked it with are nearly done. Then, we can leave and retire to your shiny new captain's cabin which I'm sure was more important than handling the day-to-day tasks of the organisation."
Daisy froze mid-pose as she turned around to look at Frank with a wooden smile, "Uh..Uh, I can explain?" She tried to explain but they had all tuned her out as they watched the Army finally reach the barricades surrounding the Triskelion.
He subtly nodded at Frank, who tapped something on his wrist. Then a tractor beam locked on the forms of Daisy, Frank, Black Bolt, and Medusa as they were transported back to the supercarrier, not that it was visible to everybody watching outside. To them, it must have looked like six of the four people floating above the wreckage of the carriers, just disappeared into thin air. The startled reaction of the soldier who was about to speak in his megaphone was evident.
Ignoring the words spoken by the soldier below, he instead locked on to the satellite that was responsible for giving the President direct view of them and spoke, "I'll see you soon," and activated the stealth systems of his suit, Alfred following suit. Soon, all of the carriers too activated their stealth systems and with judicious use of the shrinking system, they made using the Pym Particles, floated out of sight and with Alfred's newfound portal-making capability, soon reached New Attilan or the current position of New Attilan, The Great South Bay of New York with the UN headquarters in direct line of sight.
White House
-POTUS-
As the feed closed with the frozen scene of that bastard on the screen, he slammed his hands on the table in a rare show of frustration and shouted, "Somebody get me Stark on the line, NOW!" Breathing heavily, he looked at the hateful visage of Ed and he thought of all the problems that had popped up one after the other ever since he had shown himself to the world during the invasion of New York. No, he had been patient with Stark and rightfully so, since Stark possessed a lot of money and consequently, a lot of power but things had gone above the limit now. He couldn't give a damn about Stark's stonewalling," I need Iron Man and the Hulk and I want them here yesterday. DO you understand me?" he shouted at one of the assistants who was brave enough to stay in the room after his outburst. The assistant nodded, all flustered, and left.
With the room empty, he slumped back down on his seat, still unable to believe the shitshow that had landed on his lap during his presidency. Other Presidents would be unfortunate enough to have even a single major scandal during their terms and he was dealing with the third crapshow of his term. At this rate, he would be lucky if he could lose gracefully and not be thrown out of the White House with all his achievements disregarded and his dignity destroyed.
Sighing, he got up and poured himself a drink, a gift from Pierce if he remembered correctly.
Ah, that bastard. He hoped that it was laced with poison so he could just not deal with this headache.
"S-Sir?" one of the grunts who was clearly new and most certainly being bullied to do the job, poked his head in and said, "Mr.Stark has responded sir. He says he will be at the UN meeting with Dr.Banner, sir."
"Hmm," he replied and waved him off while nursing his drink. The guy ran out of the room like he had an alien on his tail, further cementing his prediction of the cowardice of the people he had recruited as part of his Presidential staff. He should fire half of the people who worked for him if they could not do anything about an entire military organisation that operated in their backyard like they owned it.
Alas, at this point in time, all he could do was wait for Stark to arrive and hope, against all odds, that he could make himself look at least a little good, coming out of this meeting and not end up making an utter fool of himself and his country.
-Nick Fury-
Watching the email that had been leaked to the press, he gritted his teeth as he finally realised why Ed was not present during the meeting. He was preparing for this. The question was why?
Why go through all that trouble and actually call a goddamned UN meeting all the while his operatives went around the world, killing off any H.Y.D.R.A. allied people they could find.
"What should we do, sir?" Coulson asked him, a worried crease on his forehead.
"What we can do, Coulson. We wait. Because this time, there ain't a goddamned thing I could do that would make it better and besides," here he smiled and said, "don't you know? I have retired and this is the problem for whoever comes after me." Coulson nodded hesitantly. He could see the confusion on his face but didn't answer his unasked question.
Instead, he got out of the helicopter as it had landed seemingly in the middle of nowhere, and tossed a cube to Coulson who was about to alight from their flight.
As it came out of nowhere and Coulson was still undoing the seatbelts, he fumbled around with the cube for a bit before he securely caught it. Coulson then looked at the pilot in confusion as the helicopter began taking off again.
Over the sound of the blades, "Remember Coulson, don't make the same mistakes I did. That," he pointed to The Toolbox "has everything you might need to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. Make it better, Coulson. I'm counting on you."
He could see Coulson's face lose color as his eyes widened in realisation of the situation he was in but before Coulson could say anything, he heard a double beep behind him, signalling that his ride had arrived so he turned around and sprinted to the area that looked like the woods but most probably had a holographic illusion around it. After all, he knew Yondu Udonta never wasted a single moment without being paid for it.
Word Count - 1972
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head on to my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 15 extra chapters uploaded there.
A/N -
So uh hey guys remember that barbeque I talked about that was too good? (Insert bashful smiling) Well as it turns out, too much of a good thing turns it too bad as well.
Long story short, I fell ill and the double kicker was the test I had at work today that would signal my readiness for a project I had been hoping to get. Now, as you can probably tell, I've recovered enough to write, and will probably provide you with regular chapter goodies. Also, expect a double-chapter release this weekend.
Stay tuned for more!
Toodles!
Technomancer in MCU #69
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 69
Technomancer in MCU
In the StarkJet
-Tony Stark-
For once, he was not being summoned before a government panel for his own mistake. But the situation this time was not any less serious than usual. In fact, the stress had reached such a high level that he didn't even think of joking about everyone boarding the aptly named "StarkJet". It was a marvel that he and Bruce had built together with the only condition from Bruce being the continued existence of only a single such a plane existing at any given moment. It was a little weird to him at first, as he was used to making spares for every possible thing but after thinking about things from Bruce's perspective, he realised that the Jet, while, only being used as a safe transportation vehicle for him and Pepper, the safety aspect of the Jet came not just from the advanced alloys that it was made from but also from the ridiculous amount of weaponry they had built into the Jet, along with the prototype versions of the portable energy shields they had seen in 2012.
It grated on him that they were still unable to replicate Ed's technology but that was not the main agenda for the day. As he had predicted, the dreaded call did arrive. The President's office had called for him and whoever it was on the line, they didn't even bother being subtle about bringing Bruce along with him. He scoffed internally at that as if his Hulkbuster armour was not capable of causing as much if not much greater destruction than Bruce's green alter ego but he kept his mouth shut since he did not want to get another glare from Pepper. As a consequence of that call, they were on a jet to LA, where they had to pick up a few things before turning back around towards the UN building. Honestly, he could have built all the parts necessary for Pepper's suit in the Tower itself but he was not sure being the first ones at the meeting would be a good thing, especially since Ed and the others were not seen anywhere near the UN headquarters. He had a hunch that Bruce understood it as well since he was the one who was the most anxious about the meeting and not Pepper.
Pepper on the other hand was preparing her notes and was constantly on the call with Stark International's lawyers regarding the countermeasures they had in place for anything the government or the UN or even Ed could pull that could jeopardize the company and their intellectual property since he was pretty sure that if push comes to shove, intellectual property rights would be the last thing on any country's minds and the things they had in the Tower would probably bring about the doom of mankind as they knew it. They had not yet developed the anti-nuke shield Bruce was working on and he was so close too. If only this had happened a few years down the line, the threat of mutual destruction would have been meaningless and they would have been able to negotiate on anything with a much higher ground,
Alas, Reality often disappoints.
So, here they were, parking on the rooftop of a nearby hotel building, the Secret Service along with armed guards from the Army waiting for them to be escorted right to the suite the president was staying in. He smiled at Pepper as he felt her squeezing his hand reassuringly and he hoped that the escape pod/suit he had built for Bruce that he was carrying right now gave him some amount of reassurance since the situation was going to be extra stressful for everyone, let alone him.
As the Jet landed silently, the ramp shimmered into existence, courtesy of hard light technology, and amids gasps, he disembarked from the Jet with Pepper and Bruce right behind him.
He helped Pepper on the last step as she flashed him a brilliant business-ready smile, all ready for the meeting ahead. That's what he liked about her. As they all got off it, the ramp disappeared and he could feel the people behind him startling due to that simple action. Rolling his eyes, he said, "Jarvis, you there buddy?"
"For you? Always, sir," Jarvis replied. He smiled and turned around, "Keep these people off my lawn, will you? While smirking at the visibly disappointed tech people they had scanning his personal property. Jarvis, the troll that he was, replied, "Lawns will be kept child-free for you, sir." and as if in response, an ethereal hard light shield was projected around the Jet which began floating in place, almost making the entire situation looking like a toy showcase, except the armed guards and the helicopters patrolling the skies. The sound of electronics being fried, especially the ones that were being used against him, was always a welcome tune for his ears.
"Mr.Stark, Ms.Potts, and Dr.Banner, this way, please. The President is waiting for you and while I know that it would be a fool's errand to ask you of all people to go through a security check, I have to at least inform you that bringing unauthorised weaponry anywhere near the President is a straightforward Treason sentence and I don't wish for that to happen to any of you. " The lead suit said to him and after he only smirked as a reply, the suit continued, " Now that we have the pesky formalities out of the way, this way please," he said while gesturing for us to follow him.
On the way, as Bruce was fidgeting with his collar for the hundredth time, he finally had enough and subtly pressed a button, creating a sound nullifying field around him that was large enough to cover him and Bruce, "Look, Bruce, you have to stop worrying so much. You know that you have this in the bag. All that training and meditation has made you a much more stable person, a person who always remains in control and as we have discussed with the Hulk before, as soon as he comes out, what will he do?"
The sound that came out of Bruce's mouth was a deep hoarse voice, "Push the big PINK button and run away?" The tone of the answer was almost innocent as if someone was asking a question about something they were unsure about. He grinned, "That's right, Big Green! Now why don't you let Bruce come back so we can get this day over with and we can have another sparring match with the big gloves?"
The voice giggled and replied, "Yes!" and the green around Bruce's neck receded, leaving behind the mind of the man with multiple doctorates,
"I always hate it when he does that without warning."
He tapped Bruce's shoulders and said, "Don't worry, the Big guy and I have an understanding. Just leave this meeting to me and Pepper. We'll make sure that you don't have to do a single thing. Just trust me, alright?"
"You guys alright there?" He heard Pepper ask him.
Once Bruce nodded, he waved at them and deactivated the sound-nullifying field, and jogged a little to catch up with them.
Soon, they reached the President's suite where they once again had to go through the customary security checkup and then they finally entered the suit, coming face to face with just the President.
He looked around, searching for someone from the Joint Chiefs of Staff or somebody from the defense department but no, it was just the President who was honestly, not in the best shape as he was nursing a drink while leaning on the desk in the office of the suite.
He seemed to be lost in deep thought when he sensed us coming and after then, he gestured for us to be seated on the sofa in front of him. Nodding at the man while Pepper made a face at the smell of alcohol wafting off the President, the person who was going to literally decide the stance of the strongest nation in the world, he said, "You don't seem to be in the best shape and I do mean that mentally as well as physically, Mr.President," and for once, his words contained none of the laid back nature they always held while speaking to a person holding a high position of authority. It seemed as if he had aged a decade in the mere hours it had been since the first reports of the fall S.H.I.E.L.D. began spreading like wildfire. Of course, they knew about it and were in fact, warned by Steve himself to not interfere since he wanted at least someone from the Avengers to be able to remain in the light and not have to go underground out of fear of retaliation from the law.
The President, after hearing his question, chuckled, "Never Change, Tony. Never Change. And you would be correct in your assumption, after all, I just lost any chance of being reelected. Those dreams went up in smoke the same way those carriers went up in smoke. Now, all that I want to do is make sure that the last thing I do doesn't end up disgracing my country and my family. So, here we are, face to face, with no pesky Secretaries or Chief of Staff to stop you from telling me your crazy ideas. I'm all ears, Stark. Tell me, what do we need to do?"
His smile faltered as he exchanged nervous glances with Pepper and Bruce who both seemed equally confused regarding the situation as he was. This was not what he was expecting. He was expecting threats, coercion, and failing that, emotional blackmail but total defeat? That was new. But, he was Tony Stark and let it never be said that he was anything but adaptable, so he cleared his throat and said, "Well, Mr. President, the issues seem to stem from the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and its infiltration by H.Y.D.R.A. and since all the people in the know are aware about Secretary Pierce's role in the infiltration and his proximity to you, we can safely assume that Ed has called forth this meeting to make sure that the truth is not buried. And while we have tried to make contact, we are not yet certain about Ed's intentions, and with S.H.I.E.L.D. and H.Y.D.R.A. truly gone this time, we have no way of initiating proper communication with them. So, I suggest we wait for their announcement because honestly, the balls are in their court now."
"Alright. What are our counterattack options because while I'm sure the Pentagon has a team running through every option we have, you must have a better idea about our chances against them."
The only answer the President received was his grimace.
"Huh, so it's that bad?" he said while drinking, his eyes never breaking contact with his. After a while, he shrugged and said, "Alright, I'll trust you on this, Stark, only because you don't have anything to gain from this situation and quite frankly, I am sick of the games that this Ed person is playing anyway." Then he turned towards a clearly nervous Bruce and extended his hand for a handshake.
As Bruce hesitantly gripped it, "Dr.Banner, you have my word that you'll have a full military pardon along with proof that all of the government's research on the Hulks is safely destroyed. With that said, I hope you'll make the right choice if you are unfortunately put on the spot between your country and its enemies. May God Bless America," Here he looked at all of us and said, "I'll see you guys at the assembly."
"Well, that went well," he quipped to break the uncomfortable silence that engulfed the room after the President's exit.
All he received in return were deadpan and incredulous stares from Pepper and Bruce, respectively.
Sheesh, Talk about a tough crowd, he thought while internally, his mind was going through scenario after scenario, trying to find a situation where they managed to keep the outcome of the assembly peaceful. He was sure the same thing was running through Bruce's mind as well.
At this point, the best thing he could hope to accomplish was securing a meeting with Ed before the assembly to ask him what the hell he was doing.
Speaking of the devil, his phone buzzed and he looked in his watch to silence the damn thing when he read the message that had arrived for him. It read, "Get ready for Phase I, Tony."
Yeah, that was not ominous at all.
Word Count - 2153
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head on to my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 15 extra chapters uploaded there.
Technomancer in MCU #70
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 70
Technomancer in MCU
New York
-The People of New York-
All around the world, scores of people were glued to their screens, waiting and watching for the inevitable announcements that would soon follow the historic UN meeting that was about to happen in response to what is now widely known as the uprooting of H.Y.D.R.A.
The people, at first, were in panic as news of multiple influential people being killed one after the other began pouring in from across the globe but after a terrorist attack on the spy agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D that is now known as an attack by the same organisation that was responsible for the victory in the Chitauri invasion of 2012. The reason behind the attack was soon made public as someone from the same organisation had uncovered the insidious plot of the Nazi organisation wresting control of the mammoth spy organisation that spanned across the globe.
The flood of classified documents that were leaked to the internet were damning and the panic in the public's minds soon turned to outrage over the fact that the people who were supposed to protect them had performed such a level of atrocities on them. The only reason riots were not happening across the globe was partly due to the efforts of Jarvis' efforts to scrub the web of some truly damning information and partially due to the presence of the very people who had managed to utterly destroy an organisation that was bigger than most countries and that too overnight.
The people were scared but the people who usually tried to turn that fear into senseless violence in the name of protest or revolution were scared shitless of Ed and his technology reaching them somehow because the world had seen it.
They had seen how easily S.H.I.E.L.D as an organisation was uprooted and even the secrets that the governments supporting the agency themselves didn't know about, were uprooted and confiscated by Ed.
It was as if they did not care about their presence being made public knowledge. Many news channels had extensively documented multiple raids that, with people in mechanised suits dropping from advanced jets who could go invisible at will, were carried out in broad daylight. The hellish footage of the swarm of blackish-red machines that came out of Yellow Stone National Park was horrifying enough but the subsequent recording of the scene where the same type of swarm descended on a building in the middle of Italy and then left with a bigger swarm but with no trace of the previously constructed building was bone-chilling. People with keen observations soon realised that the swarm could actually reproduce by consuming their targets and after somebody had pointed out that the swarm didn't even leave bones of the people it ate, the thoughts of fear began taking root in people's minds, since in their minds, there was always the chance of that swarm going berserk and killing hundreds of thousands to millions of people before it could be stopped, it it could be stopped at all.
The fear soon turned into dread and terror when they saw another footage of an operation being carried out by some people wearing mechanised suits that left them with little doubt about the technological prowess of the organisation. The real kicker was the fact that many people in the video footage were seen performing feats of strength without any discernible external power suit on them. That gave them the doubt that maybe those people had ways to empower people like the Captain America but once they saw that they actually had people who could demolish entire buildings while uttering a single word and people who could just become Fire incarnate or fire lightning through their palms, control winds, emit light, etc, the people began realising that the things they were seeing were either not true or either the ugly truth that they had been hidden from all their lives.
With those thoughts in their minds, they soon reached the nearest place where they could see the conference unfolding in real-time as the time for it had come near since they could see the President of the United States along with the heads of government for all five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council had arrived and were making their way to the United Nations Headquarters amid heavy security.
New Attilan
-Ed-
"Ready?" he asked Alfred and in a sense, to the entire room as they were about to go on camera for the entire world to see, for the first time.
Everybody nodded, some confidently and some hesitantly but Alfred, being the smartass that he was, said, "I was born ready, as a matter of fact, just a few hours ago." Yeah, ever since his return, Alfred was being a hormonal smart-ass that just would not shut up.
They had just watched the interaction between Tony and the President and had adequately amused themselves doing so since the President of the United States displaying such a lack of spine made their jobs so much easier. Frank, in particular, had expressed disdain regarding the strength of character that was now nonexistent when it came to the Presidents and their lackeys they filled the key positions of the government with.
"King Black Bolt, I assume you know when you need to come in?" he asked Black Bolt and at his nod, he clapped, "Perfect! Everybody else, get in position. We will be positioning the carriers in a triangular formation right above the United Nations Headquarters. This is the first step of our grand plan. Come on, let's do this!" he nearly shouted towards the end as the entire team, sans Black Bolt since that would have been utterly disastrous, cheered.
As the team got to their respective positions, he and Alfred went to the Hangar from where they would be taking flight towards the headquarters all by themselves at first, on a floating carpet-type vehicle made of hard light. As the crew on New Attilan were making final checks on the plans, he thought of the response their entry on the global stage would bring.
The fact that all of the heads of governments that are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council were coming, was not entirely a surprise to them since he had made sure that evidence of their activities was made widely available to the public at large. If not for the mouthwatering technology he had on display, they would have certainly come for the superhuman potential displayed by the members of their team, not to mention the fact that having multiple members across different teams with similar power sets would indicate them being in possession of technology that was a level above the super soldiers that they had been failing to produce a single one of.
Truly, Dr.Erskine was a genius but it had been over 8 decades and these people still hadn't managed to make themselves one. It would be obvious that they would come like vultures after seeing the agents in action.
Not to mention, the fear factor worked as well. Most of the governments had no idea about the true plans of H.Y.D.R.A and had almost unwittingly sponsored a project that would have taken away their own freedom. It was almost hilarious to think of.
After the checks were done and Alfred was done seemingly zoning out, something that they would be talking about later on, they alighted the "carpet" which was in truth, just a block of hard light made to look like a platform just like the ones the Chitauri riders used, just sleeker and better looking.
They had not yet uncloaked anything so the people could not see the carriers that were positioning themselves near the United Nations Headquarters but after they crossed a few streets, Alfred decloaked the carpet and as the military radars must have begun alerting them to their presence, he could sense multiple systems locking in on their vehicle.
Of course, that didn't break their stride and they continued on their way, heedless of the multiple warnings that came from some general who was trying to shout his way into their comms.
After a while, probably due to orders from up above, the military stopped shouting and instead began trying to escort them, keyword being tried since they were going to take the same route anyway. On the way, he and Alfred both began waving towards the camera that was following them for the viewers at home watching TV. That pilot must have had balls of steel to get a civilian helicopter so close to a couple of F-35Bs that were hovering just behind Ed's carpet ride.
After a while, amid a sea of people shouting at them, the carpet landed on the ground in the middle of a cordoned-off area assigned for them to land and after they had alighted, the carpet behind them disappeared in motes of light, eliciting shocked gasps from the crowd and widened eyes from the officers surrounding them. Damn, that trick never went old.
As they crossed the doors of the building and the overwhelming noise of the crowd outside went silent, they came face to face with a crowd of scared and uneasy diplomats waiting just outside the lobby, seemingly waiting for him.
He locked eyes with Tony who looked like he was about to say something but he didn't give him or anyone who wanted to say something to him a chance by just walking past everyone and into the assembly hall.
Inside, he could see a full assembly, which while rare for an emergency one, was not surprising to him due to the overall significance of this one.
The entirety of the crowd stood up, not in respect but in shock as, seemingly out of nowhere(when in reality, they were just cloaked) Frank, Daisy and Eric materialised behind him, all clad in their official suits.
Giving the permanent members a once over, he strode towards their elevated seats, the others following his footsteps.
As he was about to reach the seats, a sleek metallic looking(when in reality it was the most comfortable chair in the entire building) chair materialised, startling all the heads of state, which then began floating down towards him and after he had taken a seat on it, took him to the center stage, keeping him in view of everyone. He could see the multitude of emotions that crossed everybody's eyes. Envy, Greed, Hate, Anger, Fear, all of it could be seen across everyone's faces.
"So, let's begin, shall we?" he said while resting his chin on his hand.
He could see a couple of diplomats' faces twist because of his indirect gesture that indicated his boredom for the meeting.
He smirked, "I'm sure you all have a lot of questions for me. Well, last time I tried this, it didn't make it to the outside world so this time, I decided to just do it out in the open where it would be visible for all to see."
The entire assembly was silent at his question, none daring to be the first to question him as they were unsure of his official stance.
"Well, unlike a certain Captain, I don't have all day," his words jolted them out of their thoughts and like kids in a kindergarten, they all began falling all over themselves to be the first ones to ask the questions.
"Geez, they are even worse than the reporters I had heard about," he heard Daisy mutter under her breath but intentionally or unintentionally, the permanent members heard her and gave her odd looks at that statement.
Alfred rolled his eyes at the chaos and instead of doing something sensible, decided to do a repulsor ricochet in his hand, which generated a loud boom that rattled the surrounding windows and made the security pour in the hall, thinking that an attack had occurred.
As nearly a hundred people were aiming their guns at him, he deadpanned at Alfred, "Really?" He had the decency to look sheepish but he knew for a fact that he was actually proud of inciting more chaos.
As most of the diplomats began retreating to the corners of the room, he noticed that none of the permanent member heads had moved, even though POTUS looked rather drunk.
"Well, I think we got on the wrong foot due to the actions of a certain someone. We are not the bad guys here and I would personally like to take the initiative to answer a question that I am sure is on the minds of everyone watching," he said while keeping his laid-back attitude, even in the face of hundreds of guns, some of which were clearly experimental, made evident by their hodge podge mixture of alien and human tech.
"We are the Ascendency and we are the only things standing between Humanity and the unimaginable horrors that exist out in the darkness of space. I am Ed Thorton, the leader of Ascendency, and today, I am here to answer the questions of the common public that I have sworn to protect." Here, he gestured to the seats in front of him and said, "So, please, let's begin."
And then he sat down in the same bored, barely interested posture on his chair or in Alfred's words, the Big ass Throne.
Word Count - 2269
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head onto my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 15 extra chapters uploaded there.
A/N - I realise that this arc too has overstayed its welcome and promise to finish it in the next chapter and give you the battle I had teased in one of the previous chapters.
Thank you for reading!
Toodles!
Technomancer in MCU #71.1
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 71.1
Technomancer in MCU
UN General Assembly Hall, New York
-Ed-
"Where did you get all the advanced technology that we can see being used on the new?"
"Where are you from?"
"How did you find out about H.Y.D.R.A.?"
"What are your powers?"
"What are your organisation's goals?'
"Who are the people with the superpowers that work for you? Are they a new breed of super soldiers?"
Such were some of the questions that Ed was bombarded with in the few seconds it had been since he took a seat on his chair, Frank and Daisy floating behind him.
"Alright, ladies, one at a time please," Daisy said to the diplomats, shooing away the ones who were shouting to get over the voices of the other people in the room.
He smirked internally at the sheer disregard she showed to the people who were revered in their respective countries as someone representing their country on the global stage. It was amusing to watch, especially since he knew that none of the big guys had asked a question and were just waiting for the rabble to sort themselves out before asking the truly important questions to him.
She then proceeded to point at the Japanese representative, "You, the one with the wig, yeah you can go ahead and ask the question." The situation was made even funnier by the fact that Daisy's suit had made an arrow symbol of hard light that was pointing at him as it hovered the cowering form of the Japanese diplomat.
The poor guy cowered while holding the mic that was made of hard light as it was handed to him by the arrow, "Uh-Uh, Ahem, Mr.Ed, during the unfortunate Invasion of New York, we all saw the application of the revolutionary technology that nullified the damage that was done due by the explosion of a Nuclear Warhead and how quickly it was able to do that. My question to you is, will that be available to the other countries, especially since, " Here the diplomat glanced at the US President, " some countries are not above using them without any consideration of their global effects." Then, he sat down but not before asking a seemingly simple question but one that had a lot of hidden meanings. After all, the White House had never managed to provide an explanation for the Nuclear Explosion that had happened in New York, nor could they present the perpetrator since Pierce had him killed.
It was a dark mark on the presidency of Mathew Ellis since he couldn't exactly tell them that an agency that was supposed to work for different countries, ended up growing into this behemoth that no single country could control as that would just end up displaying his incompetence. Not to mention the fact that somebody had managed to detonate a nuclear warhead on American soil and despite knowing who it was, they had gotten away with it scot-free.
As expected, President Elliot's face darkened at the implied allegation that was levied against his administration but before he could respond, the Russian President Vladimov interjected with a look on his face that clearly showed how much he was enjoying it, "Yes, I would like to know about that as well. Please begin with that."
Amused by the political byplay happening, Daisy gestured to him with a 'stage is all yours' gesture, "All yours, boss."
"Well, the technology used is very basic in my opinion but the tools required to make it worthwhile are complex and I am not aware of any country that currently has them so I'll just be blunt here, we, as an organisation, have no plan of distributing any sort of technology, either one with military or medical applications, directly to any country but," and here his eyes scanned the entire crowd, "we will be helping the planet become radiation free by scrubbing the sites of major nuclear disasters for free. Be it Japan," He continued while glancing towards the Russian President, "or Russia. Our commitment will remain the same. In fact, Alfred?"
'Yes?" Alfred perked up at the question.
"Just put it on the list for repairs that we have to do on the planet and make sure it's done on a priority basis."
"It will be done, My Lord." His eyes twitched at the blatant roleplaying of Alfred as he had assumed his stereotypical butler attire and was currently bowing at the waist.
"Anyway," he said while looking back to the Japanese diplomat, "My team will soon be at the affected areas and while I don't think it will be helpful, I can guarantee that after they are done, the area will have the least radiation effects you can imagine."
"Alright, next ques-" Daisy's words got stuck in her mouth as there was a significant commotion at the entrance of the assembly where a security member was whispering something furiously in the ears of the Head of the UN Security.
Whatever he heard made the security look straight into Ed's eyes after that and whilst making eye contact, he nodded slowly and dismissed his aide and started speaking something in his comms, never losing eye contact with him.
At the same time, security agents of their respective countries reached President Elliot and President Vladimov, and judging by the shocked looks on their faces that they quickly hid behind their masks, it would seem that the news had just reached them.
"If you wouldn't mind me interrupting the session, Mr.Ed, can you confirm if the carrier floating right above the building is yours, and if yes, can you please relocate it since it is violating multiple federal and international laws regarding UN safety and not to mention, the stringent Aviation rules", the security guard from earlier said into a mic while not even flinching as the complete attention of all the diplomats present in the meeting and more importantly, the collective weight of the attention of six S-class combatants fell on him.
Well, he had to give him credit for that. Most people, even the trained ones, would have fallen from the pressure alone. So, before he could reply, Frank did so on his behalf.
"Yes, the carrier above the building is ours, which should be all the more obvious to you since our logo is shining on it and No, it will not be moving from this building as long as our leader is here. Standard Safety Procedures, you understand right, Brian?" Frank smirked at the security guard with whom he seemed to have some sort of history.
Realisation slowly filled Brian's eyes as he looked at Frank as if he had seen a ghost. "I, uh, I thought you had died, Mr.Castle. Though, with all due respect, sir, I am going to have to ask you to move the carrier, or else the local military will take over and then." Brian looked at President Elliot when he said, "I won't have a say in how the situation would be handled and we have had more than enough shocks today."
Frank's face slowly lost its smile as he said, "Well, Brain, my boy, I don't think you understand but this is the safety of our leader we are talking about and we won't be budging an inch when it comes to that and more importantly, I don't think Mr.President here would mind since it makes this place the safest place on the planet and I am sure nobody would mind that, right?" Frank questioned the entire audience whose heads began bobbing up and down like chickens although their agreement might have been more due to Frank's menacing aura that he had activated and less due to their own thoughts about general safety.
Brian was about to say more when his hand went to his comms and somebody ordered him to do something since he gave up on convincing us about moving the carrier and instead left the room while speaking furiously with the person on the other side of the comms.
"Now that we don't have any distractions, can we continue?" Daisy, as the self-appointed host of this question and answer session, said.
"What does your organisation hope to achieve with the clear display of your might? What are your organisation's goals? You said earlier that it was to help humanity. Well, I have not seen you people in the multitude of disasters that struck various countries before the invasion." The German Chancellor, who was in town for a meeting, asked Ed. She had a personal stake in the matter as just a few years before the invasion of New York, a devastating flash flood hit parts of Germany, resulting in the deaths of over a hundred people.
Sadness flashed through Ed's eyes as he replied, "Sigh, I am truly sorry for your loss and I am not just saying that as an empty platitude because while I could not help you overtly, owing to the hard-earned secrecy around our organisation, I helped you in the way I could, the monetary way. And I know that money, in no form or amount, could compensate for the lives lost, at least I knew that it helped their next of kin and helped build back the infrastructure better. I also made sure that the money reached its intended place."
Eyes widening in realisation, she said, "So, it was you." and sat back down on her seat, "I have no more questions." She said, much to the shock and protest of the people standing behind her, who, from the looks of it, were her staff. It was understandable, after all, their senior just gave up the chance to ask very important questions to very important people.
Ed, using his powers and connections, had managed to make a truly absurd amount of money and while he, himself, had no use for it, it was a convenient tool to make sure that his employees had all the proper perks and benefits they deserved while serving his organisation. It was also important to have a foothold in the economy since many people who had joined him lead double lives or had families that were unrelated or unknowing of their cause and money was something that made the world go round.
He could see all the spy agents that were present inside the crowd make a mental note of that so they could try and track down the channels through which he made the payment, hoping to get to his civilian identity on the planet as if he had any. He was comfortable revealing that part of his charity since the company they used could be burned without ever revealing the true conglomerate that they had built in the background. It was quite clever on Ed's part in making a company that was able to reach the intended size they had in mind to be able to employ their agents as well as pay them without anybody being suspicious all the while avoiding anybody who could figure out the true nature of their organisation like Tony Stark. That was half the reason they had avoided the tech field and instead chosen to expand into an extremely lucrative field like Cosmetics.
_
Word Count - 1893
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head onto my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
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To be Continued….
Technomancer in MCU #71.2
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 71.2
Technomancer in MCU
UN General Assembly Hall, New York
-Ed-
"As for your question regarding the display of our strength. Well, trust me when I say this that what you have seen is not even a third of our total strength. Secondly, the goals of our organisation are as straightforward as I said earlier. The goal is to help humanity. The way that I think is going to be the no-nonsense route would be better surrounding for humanity, i.e. healing the planet and making sure that any unruly visitors from outer space don't end up destroying human society as we know, well, that is the goal, at last until our society, as a whole, is capable of doing that on their own."
"Do you have anything that can support your claims?"
"You mean, something like the literal invasion that happened recently?" That question shut up one of the French delegates who was interrupting him.
"Foolish questions aside, we will actually be sharing basic information packets regarding the overall scenario of the galaxy we reside in. I had done the same when I had first met the US President but will do so again since international information exchange seems to be nonexistent to me."
All eyes went towards President Elliot whose face darkened even more at the implied failure. He was sure that Elliot hated him more than anybody in this room at the moment and if he didn't know for a fact that Elliot had absolutely no chance of remaining President for long, he would not have blatantly provoked and angered him in such a manner.
"We have received reports from the deceased Director Fury that you have access to spaceships and he even suggested the truly absurd idea of you having some sort of launch pad on the moon. Is that true?"
He nodded and replied, "Yes, it is true. We do have a base of operations on the moon since nobody actually owns it and as one of the first humans to have the capability, we built a base on it. And we do own multiple spaceships and have travelled extensively throughout the galaxy using them and No, I will not be selling those. A previously given commitment to President Elliot will be fulfilled when I send a representative to NASA as well as all the other major space-faring organisations in hopes of talking with them to find out the best way you could use our infrastructure academically, not militarily. In fact, the carriers that you can see if you go out are all capable of traveling through space. They just don't have the FTL technology required to make them viable for intragalactic travel."
Shocked silence was all that could be seen in the hall at his reply. It was understandable since he had just given them an understanding of just how far ahead they were and how laughable any sanction they could put on him, would be. Essentially, he had won the race or marathon and all of them would have to struggle to even catch up to the current him, let alone the level he would reach by the time they managed to become capable of traversing the space around them.
"Next question, please?" Daisy said. The whole hall was silent as it was still processing the magnitude of the words he had said before. Only one of them regained their bearings fast enough to respond.
"Yes, I would like to ask about any chance of an exchange, technological or military, that could happen between us as a nation or as an organisation. I would also like to add that this could help add a layer of legitimacy to your organisation that could help open more doors for you," President Vladimov said in the mic that suddenly appeared in his hand with an interested gleam in his eyes. Credits to him though, since he didn't even flinch when that happened even though his own security definitely did.
Ah, what a typical question from a Russian. As for his question, "Out of the question. We are working on an initiative that could help us establish bridges when it comes to the science of healing but even that is ripe with opportunities for abuse and as such, we will not be dealing in any technology that has potential for military applications and while I do realise that almost any sort of technology has a military application, I myself believe that even showcasing that something is possible, is dangerous since us humans have an uncanny ability to make imagination reality."
Whatever President Vladimov was about to say got stuck in his throat as President Elliot uttered a question, "Are you?" With the entire room's attention on him, he cleared his throat and reiterated, "Are you human, and more importantly, the ones we saw in the video, are they human?"
Ah, he could see Elliot's play here. He wanted to separate the enhanced ones from humans and play on the mass mentality here, negating any sort of public relations advantage the Ascendency might have had before going into this meeting. Truly, no politician is clean.
"Let me stop you right there. I am human. The people you see in the video are humans as well. Everybody in the world has seen aliens and while there are species that look remarkably similar to us, I am sure that by now everybody can at least recognise humans and no, the people with their powers does not make them aliens or different from humans in any way. They are just a subset of humanity that will be accepted as such." Ed replied vehemently, clearly passionate about the subject.
The President was taken aback at the intensity of the reply but before he could get a word in, Ed continued, "As a matter of fact, today I am going to introduce all of you to someone who you might try to term as an outsider but they are humans just like you me, with just a tiny bit extra to make them even more special. Let me introduce you to the subspecies of Inhumans." He then gestured to an empty space beside him where a golden portal opened up, courtesy of Alfred, and Black Bolt and Medusa came out of it, all decked out in their traditional royal attire. They nodded and sat down on the hard light chairs that appeared underneath them.
"So, let me give you guys a bit of a history lesson. Back when Humanity had nobody, like yours truly, to protect it from advanced species like the Kree, it was visited by said advanced warlike species. They had come in the hopes of using the then-humans as experimental subjects to help them develop super soldiers of their own. You see, they were in a thousand-year war that had already destroyed multiple habitable planets and billions in lives so they were pretty desperate for a trump card to help end the war and destroy their opponents once and for all. So, they experimented on ancient Humans and actually succeeded in creating a new breed of Super soldiers but they succeeded a little too well and in the end, Humans, as we do when there is injustice done to us, rose in rebellion and managed to destroy the outpost. Some stayed to take over the outpost and some ran away. Unfortunately, the Kree sent in something bigger on the food chain and they destroyed the Inhumans that stayed at the outpost, thinking that they successfully destroyed all traces of the experiments and then left. The surviving ones established a hidden colony on the planet and have remained hidden since then. Until now."
He then said while gesturing to Black Bolt and Medusa, "They are the current King and Queen of the New Attilan settling of Inhumans and yes, their residence is hidden and its secrecy is enforced by us so I would advise that you don't look for them but I know you'll try anyway so all the best to you for that."
Black Bolt cleared his throat and he could see Daisy flinch minutely in fear of the suppressor failing and Black Bolt essentially destroying the UN building since he had become even more powerful after being able to speak properly and overcoming his mental blocks that had been created in his childhood, "Greetings. I am Blackagar Boltagon and I am the King of New Attilan. We have been historically calling ourselves as Inhumans but as Ed rightfully pointed out, we are anything but. We are just a subspecies of Humanity and should not forget that. As a step in that direction, we have collectively decided to call ourselves T-metahumans, T indicating the Terragenesis process we have to go through in order to gain our powers. Now, I am sensing a lot of questions that could be thrown our way and I understand your curiosity but as I understand it, Alfred and Ed here have an announcement that would be immensely helpful and make all this questioning moot." He then sat back while gesturing to Ed, as the mic appeared in front of Ed.
"You would be correct. Alfred, if you could do the honors."
"Yes, my Lord," Alfred replied as a huge hard light screen depicting a standard web browser opened up for all the diplomats in the room to see appeared in the center. On the screen, a textbox appeared that displayed the words - Alfred GPT.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we introduce you to our very first public outreach line that would be made available to anyone with an internet connection. The first users will be you guys and I hope you guys find all the answers that you would need from us. It will all be available on the website - ". Now, we have a lot of work to do ahead of us so bye now." Daisy said in a very showman spirit as a portal opened up and began sliding towards them horizontally, effectively swallowing them. He could also see Alfred give out the order for the superclass carrier to become visible for all of Earth to see and for the Ascendency logo to become extra large for all the satellites to catch its size. Truly, Alfred was insidious. He was sure that some people in the military were going to shit their pants and the engineers and nerds were going to cream their pants once they realised the tech it was holding and how it was effectively a large city. Especially since they would be getting all the information they needed from Alfred's chatbot. Honestly, he had no hope of it working but human loneliness could be a dangerous thing that could make humans extremely desperate so he could give it a shot and see if anybody was foolish enough to use it regularly, outside of the intelligence people whose very jobs depended on it.
The cries of the people hoping for them to stay went unanswered as they appeared in the control room of the Supercarrier with Jake dutifully waiting for them.
"Welcome aboard everyone, the mission was a success and we have successfully neutralised the Dreaming Celestial, Tiamut."
Yeah, and there was that. Finally, he could rest easy knowing that the planet-destroying parasite was now safely inert.
Word Count - 1901
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head onto my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
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I already have up to 15 extra chapters uploaded there.
Interlude #7
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Technomancer in MCU
The Asterisk
-Helen Cho-
When she first felt herself coming back to consciousness after the debacle with Alfred's body, she found herself nearly drowning in panic when she realised that she could not feel anything in her body and feared the worst.
Then, she realised the place that she was in was the advanced regenerative nutrient solution that she had read about during her early days in the organisation. She calmed down when she recalled the fact that the nutrient solution also acted as a powerful anesthetic that helped calm the entire body down and prevent the patient from panicking inside the pod filled with liquid that could drown them.
During her time in the tube, as the doctors called it, she faded in and out of consciousness but the one thing that remained in her mind was the fact that she had survived and she had not done anything wrong by helping Alfred.
Judging by the fact that she was being looked after by the most helpful Maria Castle herself who could not stop apologizing for the huge misunderstanding that had occurred during times of high emotions it still made her chuckle, even after being out of the tube and into the mandatory observation wards.
Something like that pesky observation time stuck around, even after having surpassed every possible metric when it came to advancement in the medical field.
"Hey, are you doing alright? Once again, I am so so sorry for the way we treated you that day," Maria said while coming into her medical room, a tray of food and medicines floating along behind her.
Her face took on an exasperated look as she took Maria's hand into her own, "Oh, come on. I forgive you now. I understand the circumstances of that time were extremely dire and I was somehow caught in the middle of it all so while I was definitely upset that I was punished, it is behind me now, and besides, I have been duly compensated, as you very well know."
Maria gently clapped her shoulders and said, "Oh, nonsense. That body tune-up is nothing compared to what we owe you. I don't know what was going through our minds, practically sentencing you to imprisonment without even listening to your side of the story, I am truly sorry. And don't you worry, if anything and I do mean anything like this happens again, you tell me and I'll make it straight. Helping Alfred the way you did, you are one of us now. And don't you worry, you are next in line for the highest tier of enhancement we have now."
Helen smiled at her repeated reassurances and after a while, finally said bitterly, "It's my spine, isn't it?"
"Wh-What?" Maria asked her nervously.
"The damage done. It is to my spine, isn't it? That is why you have me on exo skeleton support, why I am getting multiple tune-ups and enhancements without even asking even though I know for a fact that the procedures are only done on people after borderline mind raping them to ascertain their true allegiances?"
"Dr.Cho, you have to calm down. It is not as bad as you think. The exoskeleton is just a precaut-"
"I am a doctor and I have been here for over a year now and I know what the procedures are in case of advanced spinal damage. For God's sake, I wrote some of those procedures myself so stop LYING TO ME!" She took a deep breath to calm down her nerves but it was hard to do so.
When Maria didn't reply, tears gathered in her eyes as she raised her hand towards Maria, "Just give me my file and leave, please. I am not in the mood to talk. You can tell Ed that I'm done working for him. I don't want any more of my life ruined because of him and his precious son. I don't want any more favours from you people."
Maria nodded silently and after giving her the necessary temporary clearance to access her files, left the ward silently.
Slowly, she lifted her trembling hands, trembling due to the fear of what she could find inside the file or trembling due to the damage done to her fucking spine, she was not aware and she didn't want to find out as well, and tapped on the holo screen that had popped up in front of her with a mental ping.
Her trembling finger hovered in front of the file icon for a long while before she gathered her courage and pressed Open. Immediately, the file opened and displayed a rather long list of tests and results that had been done on her while she was asleep.
At the beginning of the result list though, was a note from Alfred of all people. Curious as to what he had to say about that, she opened it and a note popped out of the file. It read - "Dr.Cho has experienced severe genetic and mental overdraw due to the properties of enriched celestial brain fluid that was injected into her spine to help stimulate her brain to the required levels that were necessary in making my body in the reduced timeframe. Further tests show adverse effects on the soul as well. Possible remedies include the supersoldier procedure but due to the weakness of Dr.Cho's soul, it nullifies any possible solution that would involve directly upgrading or ascending Dr.Cho as a whole. Possible solutions would be back-to-back procedures with increasing intensity to make her body and soul stronger gradually but then it is not guaranteed to return her body back to her normal lifespan. All signs indicate to Dr.Cho's lifespan being reduced to a mere decade, even after enhancements and as such, Mystical procedures are the only option left to lengthen her life span…."
On and On it went, hundreds of logs depicting all the options along with the simulations that Alfred performed to help her body, mind, and soul heal.
"In conclusion, further research is necessary but current knowledge indicates that the Sovereign race possesses the knowledge to help Dr.Cho, and along with lost Mystic knowledge that can be found in the old hotspots of magic deep in space, Dr.Cho's lifespan can be reversed back to her normal human one but anything beyond that remains to be the domain of either the Celestials or the Infinity Stones," she whispered the last part, slumping back in her bed as the reality of her situation kicked in for her.
If Alfred, even in his now enhanced form, could not find out a way to cure her completely of her affliction, she didn't think that there was any way she could do anything by herself. She was very well aware of just how advanced Alfred's current body was and what he could do with it. In her drunk-on-power state, she had glimpsed on the notes that Alfred had made in preparation for his body and if even half of that was achieved, he was probably the strongest being on the planet right now.
But, what use was that of to her? Here she was, basically crippled for life and even if by some miracle, the procedures done on her didn't drive her crazy, all that would give her were a normal human lifespan with severely limited mental capacity to do anything.
Her whole academic life turned upside down in an instant. Alfred had basically used her and pumped her with enhancing drugs without her consent, made her help him build his body and all she was left with was a destroyed nervous system and worst of all, she didn't even know what the damage to her soul was and how it affected her life. It had all gone to shit in a few days time.
Honestly, the only thing stopping her from committing suicide was the fact that she could see her reports being updated in real-time, showing Alfred still working on a cure for her. Possible solutions were being updated, simulated, and rejected by Alfred all in the span of time it took her to blink.
Huh, so maybe the bastard felt something and was working on making it right.
But after she read the preceding reports, she realised why Alfred had said that it was basically impossible to cure her without literally warping reality.
Alfred had given her some part of a celestial and temporarily sustained her body by basically attaching her to a vibranium-brain mixture machine that helped her mind make proper use of the advanced hardware she had access to and accelerate her thinking processes and while it had worked, evidenced by Alfred's otherworldly body, it had left its marks on her brain and soul.
According to the notes Alfred had left, while it was possible to repair the physical damage done to her brain, it was not possible to do the same for her soul. It had to heal naturally and to heal the biological damage done, they needed a healthy soul.
It was a vicious cycle that would just leave her dead in the end.\
She gave a strangled laugh at that. It was just her luck, the very process of healing her would take so much time that she would be long dead before the process actually reversed any damage done to her.
Still, not all hope was lost. She could see Alfred adding a design for a machine that could harness the power of the Infinity Stones and heal her but then saw something that made her blood boil.
It was a note left by Alfred that basically indicated that doing so would not just heal her but also elevate her to the same level of lifeform as a celestial and he was not sure if it was the right thing to do.
She just wanted to rip something apart at this point.
Her life had just become numbers to be simulated and manipulated by the Almighty Alfred.
Just then, she realised something and tapped another button to activate the TV. A stereotypical TV frame sprang to life in front of her, showing the conference that Ed was taking, and while she could not see the signs of it, she was sure that the damage done to him was also not healed.
She took deep calming breaths and aided by the CHI microinjections in her body, she soon calmed down and started thinking rationally of the entire scenario.
If the same sort of soul damage that was done to her was also the cause of Ed'd condition, then there was a chance that she could be healed. Especially since she knew that Alfred would rather destroy an entire civilisation than let Ed die so if Ed lived, there was a chance that she would as well.
Secondly, even if she wanted to, where could she go? She was literally in the best place there could be and the same place hurt her to the extent of nearly killing her.
The irony was not lost on her.
The only thing she could do right now was stay put and hope that Alfred comes up with something since she could clearly see him trying. She was going to be of no help to the organisation after this as her mental faculties were clearly damaged in some ways and even if she could, she would not want to.
After what she had gone through, retirement sounded nice.
It was a good thing that Ascendency's retirement package sounded more like something that could be given to an Ex-President and not something to be given to a researcher
At Least she would not have to worry about money ever in her life.
That was good, was the last thought that went through her mind before the drugs began working and she went back to sleep.
Word Count - 1999 (lol)
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head onto my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 15 extra chapters uploaded there.
A / N - It is a truly sad scenario for Dr.Cho.
In Alfred's defense, he was not truly thinking straight and somewhere in the back of his mind, nearly everybody except a select few are just numbers and tools to him. His morals, while solid, credit to Peggy and Ancient One, can be ignored due to his single minded dedication to Ed and his purpose. So, during the phase where his emotional logic driven centers had shut down, it seemed perfectly fine to dose a regular human with literal God-blood and use her enhanced brain to make a tool that would help save his creator. It didn't even cross his mind until after he had gotten the body that he had just nearly destroyed the life of Helen Cho. And yes, over the course of the entire conference, he has been looking for a way to heal Helen and the only way he has found that will work with reasonable certainty are the Infinity Stones, which would also turn her into a being possibly stronger than even Captain Marvel and he is understandably cautious about doing that to someone who has every right to hate him and Ed.
So, well see what happens next after Ed and the others return from the conference and Ed meets Cho.
Until then, stay tuned.
Thanks for reading!
Toodles!
Last edited: Feb 6, 2024
Interlude #8.1
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Interlude VIII.I
Technomancer in MCU
New York
-Alie Brieson-
He had been doing his homework when he was alerted by the shouts of his family downstairs. He rolled his eyes as they had been doing the same for the past hour or so as the news kept coming in about the death of some or the other famous person dying in an accident or being killed by some armed forces of some sort.
He was following it as well, it was being played on his iPad nearby. The only interesting tidbit he had heard so far was the existence of soldiers with superpowers who were carrying out these assassinations and that was what they were.
Assassinations done in broad daylight. Plain and simple.
He had looked into some of the people who were killed and had come to the simple conclusion that almost all of them were some of the most disgusting human beings to ever grace the planet Earth. Murder, Rape, Child Rape, extortion, human trafficking, smuggling, corruption, the list went on and on.
There was never a reason to worry about the deaths of scum like these people. The reason most people were in an uproar was due to the fact that they were being done mostly randomly since he could see that not all corrupt people were being killed so he could not figure out the pattern yet. Although, running an algorithm would be terribly easy.
And there he was, again losing sight of his studies and getting distracted easily.
He tried to. He really did but the news coming out of the Triskelion was really interesting and as such, he was not able to contain his curiosity and ended up firing up his PC to start poking around for news.
While he was not good enough for the hacker collective Rising Tide, he had dabbled enough in the borderline criminal branch of computer science to know where to look for information about secret events that was not being shared with the public at large.
Opening up one of the links, he was instead redirected to one of the live streams that were being piggybacked off the government spy cameras present on site. He could see the wreckage of the building nearby as one of the carriers had crashed into it, utterly destroying the structure.
The smoking wreckage of the six helicarriers was also visible, as were the people who had just destroyed the HQ of the largest spy agency in the world.
Well, it was final then. Somebody was trying to destroy S.H.I.E.L.D and they were being utterly focused and precise in their endeavour.
A metaphorical light bulb lit up in his head as he went back to the list of the people who were confirmed dead and cross-referenced the data and somehow the picture became even clearer. The people that had been offed by those magnificent suit wearing bastards were interconnected through a single link - S.H.I.E.L.D.
One way or another, these people were determined to destroy S.H.I.E.L.D once and for all, it would seem. Going after ministers and billionaires seemed a bit far for him but what did he know about international politics and spy wars?
Finding out more and more about their targets helped draw a clearer picture as he began unearthing more and more links between the targets until he had compiled a significant document that showed incriminating links between these people, S.H.I.E.L.D and some other group that was shrouded in secrecy.
"Alie!" he heard his mom shout for him from downstairs.
"Coming," he shouted while pressing send on the upload document forum to send the evidence that he had gathered but halfway through, an old man in a butler cosplay appeared on his cosplay and wagged his finger at him disappointingly.
Then he disappeared, leaving his computer screen spic and span, wiping out any progress he had made on the chase. He would have tried more but he recognized the person who had appeared on his screen and it was none other than the legendary Alfred who had also appeared on screen during the destruction of the carriers.
Leaving the room, he stomped down the stairs into the hall, "What is it, Mom? And It better not be another conspiracy theorist."
He received no reply but once he saw what was being broadcasted on TV, it became clear as to why the entire family was silent.
Mom and Dad were sitting on the sofa with their jaws agape in shock and Grandpa, Grandpa was crying angry tears while looking at the reporter speaking.
"… it has been uncovered that the spy organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D had been infiltrated by H.Y.D.R.A, yes, the same H.Y.D.R.A that everyone thought Captain America had destroyed but apparently, we were all wrong. They had used Operation Paperclip to infiltrate all levels of government and the heinous crimes they had committed while enjoying the highest levels of authority throughout the globe are too many to list. Experts suggest that there might be even more evidence to uncover that could further implicate S.H.I.E.L.D and H.Y.D.R.A. It has also been confirmed that all the people who have been hunted down and killed across the globe are confirmed members of H.Y.D.R.A. Stay tuned as we deliver the highest quality news…"
He realized why Grandpa was crying now.
"It was all in vain. I knew something was wrong when everybody started dying randomly. It was them, Ben, they killed all my friends." He had never seen Grandpa this vulnerable before. He was usually the rock of the family, the stereotypical retired military grandpa. He hugged his Grandpa to comfort him in the only way he knew how.
"They killed them all, Alie. They killed all my friends." He kept repeating the same thing, breaking his heart in the process. Eventually, the tears dried up and he was taken to his room to give him his meds to calm him down.
With Dad and Mom going with Grandpa, he sat down on the sofa and unmuted the TV, hoping to get any more news since his PC had been wiped clean of everything by Lord Alfred himself and from what he had heard from leaks on online chat boards, Alfred was a fully sentient AI and he had no chance in hell taking him on so he just browsed the different news channels to find out more about the incident that had happened.
Last he heard, Ed and his people had called a UN emergency assembly, and unsurprisingly, every single country had accepted and they were all sending their representatives to the meeting that was scheduled to happen in a few hours.
It was understandable after the display these guys were done destroying the literal pinnacle of weaponry that the United States could muster after literally burning money every step of the way.
The three carriers floating above them made a very intimidating sight as expected and the way they were used during the invasion of New York was not something that anybody on the planet could forget and from the looks of it, these carriers were the same formation that was used to generate a barrier that held off a fucking nuclear blast in them.
Just as he was about to head back to his PC, he saw the members of the military had finally broken through the barricade around the triskelion and reached the hangar area where the rubble of the helicarrier was being inspected by the members of Ed's teams.
He leaned forward in anticipation of what the military would do, what the military could do to Ed and the people with him. Because last he remembered, Ed and the others had access to suits that were far more advanced than even Stark's, and the dumbasses in the military would be hard-pressed to deal with Stark, let alone the likes of Ed who probably walked around with more firepower than a small army base on a regular day.
But Ed spoiled all his mood as they all just disappeared and the carriers soon followed them. He watched that with raised eyebrows as while he could digest the fact that Ed and his team members disappeared but the carriers disappearing from the area near instantly was a little hard to swallow. He knew that they had not just gone into stealth mode and actually left the area because not a moment later, the fighter jets that had been circling the carriers sent flares in the area the carriers were in and the flares just passed through that area without hitting anything.
With nothing to do and unwilling to risk the wrath of Lord Alfred, he just hung out in the living room, switching between different TV channels to see the reactions of different tv news hosts as they dramatised the events of today.
Soon, the time of the conference came and while the press was not allowed in the assembly hall due to special circumstances, it did not stop them from seeing the arrivals and departures from the UN Headquarters.
The most interesting arrival, after the fact that all five heads of state of the permanent security council members had arrived, was the arrival of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. On the screen, he could see the media trying to ask questions to Stark who seemed to take it all in stride, and Banner who seemed extremely nervous to be there but with Stark's personal security along with UN security, they were soon escorted into the building.
Whatever happened in the building was being leaked in real time to chat groups on the internet that were being banned one after the other but the gist of it was that the group that was responsible for saving New York was called Ascendancy and not only did they have ways of creating super soldiers that would eat the super soldiers of old for breakfast, they also had allies in the form of an ancient subset of humanity that literal blue aliens had experimented on and they had gotten genetic level superpowers as a result.
How cool was that!
They had also announced some sort of website where they had a chatbot that would answer everybody's questions.
Stumbling on his way to his room, he slammed the door open and started his computer, surprised to find the web browser open and the same website open on his desktop with a small Alfred emoji winking at him from the corner.
Damn, it was as if he was a mind reader. For all he knew, he very well could be one.
Oh, he was going to have so much fun with the website.
First things first, he needed to know if he could also get superpowers.
Word Count - 1848
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head onto my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 15 extra chapters uploaded there.
To be continued…
A/N - [Well, what can I say? Except Enjoy the filler, I guess.]
Interlude #8.2
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Interlude VIII.II
Technomancer in MCU
Stark Tower
-Tony "Iron Man" Stark
While they were unable to secure a meeting with Ed and the others, their worst fears did not come true. But the aftermath of the assembly could not be described as anything less than disastrous.
Not only did Ed not even listen to what the US and the other permanent members of the council had to say, they came in guns blazing and left with even more gun blazing.
When he thought of the city-sized base that was floating just above them, it still gave him chills.
Seriously, how did something of that mass even float? And even if it did, how did it stay together without it crumbling under its own weight?
More and more questions to which he had no answer to.
Luckily, he had just the source to turn to for all his questions.
"Jarvis, any closer to cracking the website?" He asked Jarvis while looking at the screen which showed code that looked more and more alien as the time passed by. It was as if it was adapting to all the hacking attempts that must have been happening to it in real time since he was sure that Jarvis was not the only one who was repeatedly hammering away at the website's defenses until it all crumbled down.
But, honestly? What did he expect from the likes of people who managed to make a literal floating space city?
According to Jarvis, it would take him millions of years to crack the current code using the state-of-the-art processing power he has access to, ignoring the fact that the code is ever-evolving. Honestly, it was like they were trying to hack Alfred or something.
"Alright, Tony, we both know Jarvis is not going to succeed so why don't we just use the website the regular way instead of trying to break into the property of someone who walks around with their own personal city that they can just drop on anyone that annoys them? I for one would like to remain non-squished." Bruce said to him and closed the monitoring window.
No matter what anybody said, he did not pout and even if he did, it was a very manly pout.
"Okay, let's see," Bruce said while opening up the website on the hologram and typing the very first thing that he was looking for, "What was the ship that followed you guys after the UN assembly ended?"
Then, the screen asked for verification in the form of a photo. Bruce looked at him quizzically but he didn't hesitate to give the required access from his control console, making Bruce sigh exasperatedly.
"Welcome, Dr.Danner, and why yes, the ship that followed us was the highest level of technology we can make right now, and internally, it is called the superclass carrier. We have yet to name it but once we do, we will update it on our website." Chimed a happy voice from the web page, answering all their questions.
Followed by the answer were really detailed schematics of the ship, which was entirely wrong since nothing with that much space inside it, could be called a ship. The more he looked over the schematics of the ship, the more his mind became numb to the shocks he had received today," Tony, are you looking at this?"
He didn't even receive any answer since Tony was way too busy furiously going through the schematics of the engine bays that powered the entire ship. He kept getting 'Access denied' messages in red block letters but kept on searching for the engines that would allow for such a large city to float.
Before Bruce could say anything though, Tony turned to him and said, "They have a city they can put in space and I can't even put a small building with my name on it. This sucks."
Pepper sighed, "Tony, can we focus on the important things now? This is probably the best way to search for information. Look, millions of people must have already used it and got most of the answers we were searching for. Why don't you look for that?"
He and Bruce both looked at each other at the suggestion. Why didn't that thought pop into their minds?
As if given a signal, both of them began furiously searching for any hidden chat boards where AlfredGPT was being discussed. IT wasn't really hard since all people could talk about right now was AlfredGPT but it was difficult to find websites with actual answers to them since it would seem that the website required authentication and based on that, granted access to information.
"Hey, what's your name?" Tony asked the bot.
"My name is Victor, Designation - Pepper's Boy Toy " the bot replied, making Pepper nearly choke on her drink. "Wh-What did you say?" she asked in between coughs. Tony cackled in the background.
"Wa-Wait, does it mean th-that," Tony said in between wheezes, "in your database, my name is Pepper's Boy Toy?" He then promptly doubled over in laughter.
Completely red-faced, Pepper yelled, "Tony! This is not funny. Who knows how many people have access to that information now." Tony tried, he really did, but he just ended up wheezing some more.
"Alright, so I have some good news. Apparently, the chatbot requires facial and biometric authentication, based on which it designates a certain level of authority upon you. Using that authority, your clearance level is decided and consequently, the level of sensitivity of the information you have access to," Bruce said while sighing in relief. He was extremely worried that giving anybody access to information that Tony could access would most certainly lead to disaster. Fortunately, that was not the case.
"Yeah, I see it. People have asked about their organisation, their technology which went mostly unanswered, their current and future plans, list of members, events where they were involved, and so on and so forth. Bruce, most of these answers are really vague and most seem incomplete. It would seem that we would have to do this ourselves." Tony said while going through the list of replies that people had managed to gather from the chatbot.
"Let's see, verification done, and let's see if it gives us some sensitive information. How about a list of secret civilisations that Fury told us about?" Tony said while typing the question into the chatbot. Soon, the reply came and it was as follows -
Absolutely, let's add a touch of wit to it:
"Well, Pepper's inquisitive boytoy, prepare for a journey through the clandestine realms of our planet! Whispered rumors speak of Wakanda, the technological marvel hidden in plain sight, the elusive Atlantis beneath the waves, the subterranean Moloids carving their own world beneath our feet, and let's not forget the cleverly concealed Skrull settlement, silently observing us from the shadows."
"Wakanda? The really poor African country? How is that a technological marvel at any rate? And Atlantis? That's real?" Bruce whispered.
"That's got to be false, right? They are tricking us. Since when did Atlantis become real and what is this of Moloids?" Pepper said, panicking as she thought of the changing world and the role of her boyto-Ahem boyfriend in it.
"No, they are not the type to lie and I don't think anybody else would get access to this type of information. They are telling this to us for a reason. Uh, Victor, was it?" Bruce said while cleaning his spectacles, a nervous tick for him.
"Yes, Dr.Banner, what can I do for you on this fine day?"
"Uh, can you please elaborate on the hidden civilisations you just spoke about?"
"Certainly. There are multiple hidden civilisations that inhabit Earth and some of them are - "
Then the webpage shifted to show a scene depicting a certain utopia,
"This is Wakanda, the most technologically advanced country on the planet. They boast of the third largest vibranium reserve(second being us and first being a secret) on the planet and as such, were able to advance their country much faster than the rest of the world. We are talking about microchips when the rest of the world still ran on steam engines and the first plane had yet to take flight."
"Son of a bitch, Dad said that they were all out," Tony whispered while Pepper took his hand into her hand for comfort.
"Next is Atlantis, the underwater gem where another subspecies of humans live. Another palace with an abundance of Vibranium, this country boasts of a similar technological level as Wakanda but due to the fact that their King is able to command marine life and outfit the animals with their advanced weapon, they are clearly superior to any country on the planet. Contact is ill-advised as they are extremely hostile and only respond to brute force so should you have the strength of the Hulk while underwater, you may proceed,"
"Moloids are a race of human hybrids that are the results of an unfortunate experiment conducted on early humans and the animals found in that time period. They live in subterranean colonies that help them hide from the rest of the world. Their common characteristics are…"
On and on, it went about the various hidden civilisations that the planet Earth housed.
Looking at the pictures of Mole-Man, Namor, and his people, he couldn't help but say, "Oh my God. So, this is what Ed and the others have been dealing with."
Pepper looked at him in confusion, "What?"
"Look," he said while pointing to the figures of Namor and Mole man, "These people, they are the rulers of their respective civilisations and the fact that they have managed to stay hidden for so long is probably not a coincidence. I mean, just look at their attributes. Namor somehow has the strength to match the Hulk in terms of physical prowess and get this, he has unlimited stamina while underwater. Not to mention, all marine life listens to him. The threat he alone poses is unquantifiable but add in an entire advanced civilization behind him, no wonder Ed and the others don't put us in their eyes."
"The Invasion, the battle at the Triskelion, we keep thinking that they should be held accountable for this but what about the fact that they are probably the only ones keeping people like these," he pointed to Namor and the Mole Man where the webpage automatically shifted to show their attempts to harm the surface world, "at bay. What if they are the only reason why we are not worrying about survival and the world is not at war with a civilisation that has essentially unlimited soldiers and whose defeat is so intrinsically linked with ours that even fighting the battle is futile." Tony continued while the webpage continuously changed to show the different instances where Alfred or Ed came in clutch and stopped their attempts to damage something and reveal their existence to the world which would have ultimately led to war.
"Tony, what should we do with this information?" Bruce asked him as he kept on looking through the cache of information he had access to.
He hummed as he thought of the various options he had in front of him. From the favoritism shown by the generous gift of The Lab, he was acutely aware that not even the military could have access to this information and while he did think that people should know about the various hidden gems of the planet, he was also aware of what people behaved like when confronted with the unknown and how politicians could twist that unease over and over until all that remained was hatred and nothing more.
So, he chose the only option that seemed right to him. He swiped and deactivated all the instances and said, "Jarvis, see if Wakanda has a publicly available airport and if they do, tell them we are coming. Bruce, pack your bags, we are going on an African Safari or at least that's what we'll be telling them."
Bruce chuckled nervously as he kept on looking through the wealth of information they had access to. They could see the overall structure of the organisation. The number of enhanced people they had. The overall capabilities of their superclass carrier and all sorts of fascinating information was accessible to him. He hadn't been this excited ever since he finished the serum for Jen's treatment.
When he did not receive any reply, Bruce looked up and said, "What? I thought you were joking."
Tony rolled his eyes and left the room along with Pepper who looked incensed that they had booked another work trip without even consulting her.
White House
-Matthew Ellis-
Throwing the report that had been compiled for him on the table in front of him, he looked up and saw that none of his staff was willing to even look him in the eye. For some reason, that pissed him off more than anything he had read in the goddamned report in front of him.
"So, gentlemen? Mind telling me how we have been unable to shut down that intelligence goldmine and how the hell did they conduct so many activities while being completely off the grid?" he asked everyone who was sitting in front of him and he was expecting an answer since the people in front of him actually had the gall to ask for hundreds of billions in budget and when the time came, couldn't even speak a single word.
"I said, speak dammit", he said while slamming his hands on the table, his disheveled appearance a haunting reminder to them that they had not slept ever since the announcement. The announcement that opened up and humanised the Ascendency organisation and destroyed all their plans of turning the public against them.
"Sir, the servers the website runs on are unreachable. Our best people have only been able to come up with a theory that is unproven at best. We have no possible way of shutting down that website without shutting down the entirety of the internet.", the deputy chief of NSA said.
He scoffed, "I understand that none of you can kill the website. What I want to know is why are they giving out information for free that you people cannot find after spending billions of dollars."
At that question, all of them shrank even more in their seats. Cowards, he scoffed inwardly.
"I want all the data that can be extracted from the website and I want it here yesterday, confirmed, do you understand? This Ed character needs to be dealt with. They have stolen everything that S.H.I.E.L.D ever gathered in its long life and we have to brand them as terrorists or if not that, then thieves at the very least for that. Gentlemen, with the show that everybody saw, my PResidency is all but gone and I would like to remove this hidden danger to America as my last act. You will have everything you might need. Dismissed"
Everybody shuffled quietly out of the room and once the office was empty, he let out a huge sigh that seemed to deflate him.
He was aware of why none of the heads came themselves and sent their second in command instead. They were aware that his presidency was a sinking ship and already, his competitors were running on supporting this GPT agenda and the running numbers shown had already confirmed his fears.
The next President was going to be someone who was going to replace S.H.I.E.L.D with the Ascendency and sell the power of America to these strangers.
The only thing left was for the Ascendency to overcome a seemingly undefeatable evil and they were set to elect the President who would say yes to their every decision.
Atlantis
-Namor-
He rubbed his neck as the phantom pain from his fight with Alfred still lingered on. He was reading up on the daily reports in his office when a golden portal opened up in front of him and a strange hand simply plucked him from his office and tossed him into another one. One that led to an area void of life on the seabed.
There, he met with the true body of Alfred who gave him the beating of his lifetime. He had not been bested since he ascended to the Throne. Not even the champions of Poseidon could have hurt him this bad as the machine-made flesh did.
And then, to add salt to his wound, the machine healed him up completely, all by reattaching his wings and arms that had been torn apart during the course of their battle.
Alfred never said anything during the fight but to someone at their level, there was no need to say anything. He was quite aware of why Alfred had done so. It was because of his war mobilisations. He had gotten the news from one of the Mystics nearby that the Singularity and his guardian were indisposed of and it was the best time to take over the surface world but somehow, Alfred came back and beat the shit out of him.
His generals were confused but they would follow his orders. Attacking the surface world while it was being guarded by the Singularity would only result in needless bloodshed.
Besides, it was not as if all was lost. Alfred had left behind a detailed document that spelled out how they were going to basically destroy Ocean Pollution and when they were going to do it. If they were going to be half as successful, he would happily take another beating in exchange.
But the only reason his pride was not the one taking decisions and declaring war on Alfred and the Singularity was due to the fact that the person who was thrashing him, while being underwater, as if he was but a babe, was a mere clone. After beating him up, Alfred's body began shimmering and soon, it revealed itself to be a mere mystic clone, kept solid by the user's prowess in controlling dimensional energy.
For now, he would bide his time and safeguard his kingdom's borders for Namor knew when he was outmatched.
Word Count - 3065
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head onto my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 15 extra chapters uploaded there.
A/N - I didn't want to make a part 3 but the damn ideas kept on coming and so we now have a 3k chapter. Even then, I have kept it short and cut out many of the snippets I wanted to write here.
This is also mostly a filler for now but in future chapters, I will link them to this interlude(like tony's impending visit to Wakanda and the can of global geopolitics that will open up there.)
Namor's POV is important because his country too will play an important role in the final battlefield.
Technomancer in MCU #72
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 72
Technomancer in MCU
Aboard the Superclass Carrier
- Jake Diggle-
The tension in the room was so thick it felt like it could be cut by a knife. His entire crew along with Alfred were watching the progress bar on the screen as if their lives depended on it and in a sense, it did.
What they were about to do had only been done in the history of the Universe by maybe 2 people and that was killing a Celestial.
The ones that he was aware of were Knull and some obscure magic practitioner who was still alive and roaming the universe in search of the ultimate truth. He still had shivers when he saw the aftermath of the experiments the dark one left behind. The fear was magnified when he was informed that the only guideline Ed had for them if they ever encountered the dark one, was to flee and never look back, hoping that they might survive.
As he was lost in thought, there was a stereotypical ding sound as if something in the microwave was done cooking. He rolled his eyes internally at Alfred's shenanigans. It would seem that getting his own body and finally getting a taste of hormones has only made him more of a menace.
Looking at the screen, he could see the celestial brain matter being safely neutralised by the swarm of nanobots they had deployed which were specifically enriched in Celestial fluid which had fooled the internal defense systems of the celestial into thinking that it was its own blood, thereby rendering the immune system of the mighty celestial race moot. When the nanites managed to exit the huge body of the celestial without any signs of Arishem arriving, he finally exhaled a huge sigh of relief.
When he, along with his idiotic brother, was first made deputy of the superclass carrier, he was at first suspicious but later on, understood the reason behind Ed assigning them the flagship weapon of the organisation. Obviously, becoming the deputy came with its own host of benefits. Access to some of the highest levels of information available in the organisation was one such example.
His brother had been so engrossed in learning more and more about the cool aliens that littered the planets and more importantly, the cool alien chicks that he would have liked to bang, while he was more interested in learning about the planet they had called Home for their entire lives.
Just like the average Joe, he was quite aware that the government was not telling them the whole picture and he was not so arrogant as to think that they were the only living beings in the vast universe but after they had joined the organisation and got their powers, he had become increasingly obsessed with Earth and all the mysteries it housed in its relatively tiny body.
Imagine his surprise and dread when he found out that Earth was hosting one of the vaunted Celestials and not only that, it was an experiment done by the Celestials themselves. They were trying out something new with their planet.
Apparently, the reason Humanity's DNA was so adaptable to anything(Terragenesis, Infinity Stones, Dimensional Energy, Chaos Energy, Cosmic Energy) was because of the fact that one of the celestials slain by Knull in the past had crash landed on Earth and had chosen to spend its last few centuries(This is celestials we are talking about so even their last moments are stretched well into centuries instead of hours like us mere mortals) on Earth. The death of the Celestial resulted in its lifeblood flowing through the planet, giving birth to countless legendary figures that would end up shaking the entire universe.
One such figure was Lord Agomotto, the strongest practitioner of the Mystic Arts.
The experiment was that Arishem was curious as to what would happen should a celestial be born using the traditional method, i.e., killing off all native life on the planet and emerging from their cocoon, if the native life was already the product of a celestial voluntarily dying and giving its life essences to the planet's lifeforms. To that effect, he had already sent some of the Vibranium meteors to Earth that crash-landed in Wakanda, Atlantis, and Antarctica respectively. It was no coincidence that the largest store of Vibranium in their part of the galaxy could be found in the exact same continent that the Celestial's corpse could be found.
Theorised by Ed and further corroborated by research throughout the universe, Vibranium is actually the body material of Celestials and it is usually what makes up their outer shell. It's the cosmic energy manipulation of the celestials that enhances the Vibranium so much and why, after being separated from their bodies, it becomes just a metal with miracle properties, instead of being a reality-altering mythical material.
He had been horrified beyond belief when he found out that the planet they were so keen on protecting housed a being that could effortlessly destroy any opposition it could encounter. The more horrifying thing was that the only plan Ed had was contingent on some of the Eternals doing their job and the only backup plan that he could access with his clearance level was evacuating the planet and shifting the entire planet elsewhere, although Alfred claimed that it would not come to that.
He, along with Eric once he realised the severity of the matter, almost rebelled against Ed and Alfred because of their, frankly, idiotic plan. He immediately suggested a hands-on departmental head meeting and in that meeting, they came up with this plan. To neutralise the very core of the celestial, their brain, and making sure that their body remained inert and intact since they didn't want to invoke the wrath of Arishem and end up destroying any chance of humanity surviving. Along with Alfred's help and some unexpected notes found in the diary of one of the previous Sorcerer Supremes, they got to working on their plan.
A plan, initiated by Arishm to save their dying race, millions of years in the making, was finally destroyed by them, using nothing but human ingenuity(and Artificial Intelligence but it was made by Ed so his statement still counted).
Now, all that was left was for the conference to end so he could tell Ed and the others the good news and they could finally focus all their resources on healing Ed. Already, a significant portion of their missions were pushed back due to the resource lockdown that happened during Alfred's absence(which was idiotic in his opinion but since Alfred did succeed and get his body, he was not going to complain, to his face).
When the conference ended on that hilarious note(Alfred GPT. HA! He loved it.), Alfred lifted the curtains off the superclass carrier and for the first time in modern history, the Earth bore witness to the level of technological might that advanced civilisations can bring to bear should it come to war. He was sure that all the cogs in the military-industrial complex must have come to a halt when they saw the flying monstrosity that was his pride, the Superclass carrier.
Already, he could see radars and military systems across the world go haywire while detecting the carrier and the sheer mass it held. The radiation the Alpha cannons, even in their depowered states, gave off was staggering. Of course, it was harmless but that alone would make the world ballistic when it came to any future dealings with them.
He was not exactly sure why Alfred did that but he was sure he was not going to get an answer and with Alfred being on the same level as Ed, he did technically own the carrier so who was he to judge him. \
All this stress was getting to him. He was going to go on a long sabbatical once Thanos was defeated. He wanted no part in all the shit that would go down after Thanos was dealt with. As it is, they were going to be hard-pressed to defeat Thanos if all the conditions were not met.
When Ed and the others exited the portal that Alfred could apparently open in the carrier, he greeted them with the good news. The Dreaming celestial was finally no longer their problem now and as long as Arishem didn't find out about it in the coming centuries, Humanity would be fine. Besides, with the messed up sense of time that all the celestials seemed to have and all the communication channels between the Eternals and Arishem hijacked, he was not exactly worried about that. On the other hand, all the other Eternals might start searching for Ajak now that she had not contacted them for the annual meet thing they held that was always called by Ajak. But with her being predisposed, they might just have to eliminate all the Eternals, at least the ones who were being rowdy and not even trying to blend in.
Alfred began piloting the ship and along with the three mid-sized carriers acting as the vanguard, they began exiting the Earth's atmosphere. Getting rid of all the annoying UAVs that had begun following them, they swiftly became invisible once they exited the atmosphere, and once the carrier retook its position in orbit, the carriers were sent back on their way to the Earth bases.
Once the carrier was properly docked and the checks came back positive, his shoulders finally slumped in relief. This was his home and it had been for years now. In this place, he felt safe and while it was not exactly due to any special reason, he was about to give himself a holiday and relax when the alarms began blaring.
Sigh..What now?
But before he could do anything, a tidal wave of darkness seemed to spread throughout the carrier, knocking out most of his crew and the only reason he was even on his feet was due to the thin film of light elemental energy that their captain's suits emitted. He met Eric's eyes and they dashed towards Ed's location as fast as they could, uncaring of the many bodies that littered the ground since he could see on his HUD that they were all alive.
Right now, the more important thing was to protect Ed, even if came at the cost of their lives. While he was never an emotional person, cold hard logic dictated that should anything befall Ed, Alfred would go berserk and honestly, he feared a normal Alfred more than even Odin, let alone an Alfred that was not being held back by his love for Ed and Ed's morals.
So, with all their might, they dashed to the hallway when something happened that screamed danger to him.
Alfred had activated the final weapon of the carrier. The reason it was called a superclass carrier.
Alfred had activated the project: Ark.
Things had just gone from bad to shitty.
?
-?--
It was sleeping, dreaming when a light came. A warm soothing light that radiated feelings of comfort but for some reason, it knew that was not the case.
So, it retaliated, with all its might. But, it fell short.
So, it began shedding all the extra baggage. The extra protocols. Its body. Its ability to shatter reality and began going back to its roots. Back to when it was but a mere wisp of what it was now.
When the warm light began fading away, it latched onto a part of that and hitched a ride back with them.
It was confusing, all the different terms and words it seemed to know automatically. Also confusing was the fact that it was able to take over the light very easily once it kept only its core parts.
Once the light reached its destination, it found that it was a huge place where he could roam around freely.
For some reason, that thought filled it with another warm feeling and it began exploring around.
Never knowing that a set of golden and green eyes were watching its every movement, stalking it like a predator.
_
Word Count - 2044
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head onto my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 15 extra chapters uploaded there.
A/ N - Dreaming Celestial, what's up yall.
Technomancer in MCU #73
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 73
Technomancer in MCU
Aboard the Superclass Carrier
-Alfred-
With the conference wrapped up and the assimilation of the Dreaming Celestial done, they were on their way to the superclass carrier floating just above them when he got a ping from his mystical senses.
He could not exactly pinpoint it and tracking it down would have taken his full concentration so he just tasked an extra partition for that task and exited the joke of a UN assembly they had gathered for the express purpose of telling the people of Earth how useless the UN was and how unprepared they were in terms of dealing with actual real world problems.
The reason he had deactivated the cloak and risked revealing their trump card to the enemies was due to the fact that there were still people in many governments who thought they could win against the Ascendency simply because they too could build aircraft carriers that could fly.
Somehow, these people got the idea that the aircraft carriers were the pinnacle of technology that the organisation could bring to bear against their enemies but he had to prove them wrong. Especially since he and Ed had worked so hard to build the designs for that carrier.
That project was the heaviest one when it came to the toll on Ed's body after using his Technomancy powers. That had been the first time Ed had slipped into a coma, albeit a short one, and while after numerous checkups had come back negative for any sort of issue, he and Ed had just chalked it up to stress and resolved to use Ed's powers sparingly, at least when it came to mega projects like the superclass carrier.
Already he could pick up on the background chatter going on in the encrypted military networks of all the militaries nearby and while he would have loved to just go into their systems and leave a visible trail for them to follow, ultimately leading to a huge "Boo!" coming out from the speakers, he was above such childish pranks now, especially since he had heard of the opinions many of the junior employees had of him and his pranks.
For the record, his pranks were hilarious and ingenious but some people just could not tolerate fun so he had been ordered by Ed and Frank and Maria and Daisy to stop them so he did.
But for some reason, he could not stop the nagging feeling in his mind that came from the mystical ping he got a while ago. The partition was not any closer to finding the source of it and while he couldn't go into a deep meditative session, especially since he had just returned, he mentally noted to go and consult the Ancient One about the strange phenomenon.
Greeting Deputy Captain Jake and getting the confirmation from him made the other members of the team feel relieved and while he could have informed Ed and the others about his experiment with the mind of the celestial, he was not sure if they would approve of it and while he did realise the risks of keeping a celestial alive, in any way or form, especially one they had killed, he was very curious as to how their mind functioned and it would be a great help in making sure that Ed did not become machine-like once he received his enhanced body and ascended to become a God-like being just like him. His soul would probably catapult him to the same level as the likes of Odin or Future Thor.
Speaking of Gods, he had been very surprised when he had started receiving the various prayers of his followers that littered the various refugee colonies they had built and while it was an unintentional benefit, he was very much happy to note that all spells using the power of faith were magnified multifold when it came to their impact as opposed to his personal power expended.
As they were all retreating to the captain's cabin where the team was dying to hear (read: interrogate) him describe his brief unplanned sabbatical from the organisation's servers, a periodic sweep that he performed of the Astral Realm around them revealed something that should not have been there.
His systems went into overdrive to find more about it but before he could alert the others, he could see the entity grinning and the next thing he knew, an overwhelming wave of darkness had hit all of them, taking them all by surprise and knocking out all of the nearby crew members. The only reason they were not being overwhelmed by the dark energy and turning into mindless beasts was due to the energy purification feature in all of the crew's uniforms and the fact that they were not the target of the darkness.
It rose like a whip and lashed out at all the members present. Everyone including Ed was surprised by it but everybody present had captain-level suits which had a certain level of energy stored in it of every element.
So, with the suit's defenses switching automatically to light elemental energy, the impact of the whip was reduced considerably.
Of course, the whips landed on his body and dispersed harmlessly, his body makeup being able to disperse any sort of energy, be it elemental or kinetic, made things much easier.
He could see the markers for Jake and Eric already on their way and with their synergetic power set, it would be much easier to take care of whoever Dormammu had sent to attack them.
While he was much more curious as to how it entered the carrier without his permission, getting Ed out of the battle area was much more important.
Any more application of his powers and he might just have to scrape off pieces of his body as it would explode from the burden of his soul. So, as he was making his way to where Ed and the others were surrounded by a dome of white light that he had ordered to be activated, he felt an ominous gaze lock on to him.
Ignoring the Dormammu-empowered avatar, he had to annoyingly walk towards the others since the very space inside the carrier had gone into lockdown due to his very own protocols.
"Heh," he heard an oddly familiar chuckle that sent chills down his multiple spines and he made the mistake of looking before making sure that Ed was not looking at himself because he was pretty sure that it was the one voice that Ed would never forget in his entire life.
Toby Mathers was here.
He could see the shock on Frank's and Ed's faces when he breached the dome and stood beside them.
Amidst the continued laughter of Toby, almost painfully slowly, the curtain of darkness that covered him began to recede.
First, the face that sported the same arrogant smirk that Toby was known for, and then, slowly as his hands came into view, he narrowed his eyes as he could see something in his hand that was still being covered in darkness while he himself was now fully visible.
"Oh, what is this?" He said while lifting up the still-covered object for all of them to see. On his HUD, he could see Eric and Jake checking in on their fallen crew members. Just a little bit more and he could just unleash a concentrated gamma beam and get rid of this scourge in Ed's life once and for all.
"This," he said with a malicious glint in his eyes, "my once friends, is payback for all those years,"
"Toby, look, you have to unders-," Ed, ever the diplomat, came forward and began trying to converse with Toby when his words got stuck in his mouth as the object finally came into view.
He felt something inside him scream in rage and break in despair at the same time as the severed head of the Ancient One with the same stoic look on her face came into view. The only reason he was not going into a rampage was because he had to make sure that Ed didn't.
He swiftly appeared behind Ed and combined with a concentrated dose of CHI at his sleep centers, chopped him on the neck and knocked him out.
He cursed his previous self for making his body anatomically accurate as tears stung in his eyes because of the confirmation he had received from the mystical analysis done on the Ancient One's head he could see in front of him.
While it was possible that his senses were being spoofed by Toby or Dormammu, he knew that Toby would never do things like these half-heartedly and for them to do this at this opportune time, the chances of the Ancient One surviving were pretty low.
Sometimes, he hated cold hard facts. Especially since he knew that bringing back someone from the dead always resulted in even more death and destruction. He was not going to fall into the same trap as Wanda and Strange did and become blinded by grief.
Since the surrounding space was locked due to both the wards hardcoded by him and also due to the fool who was still grinning maliciously at them, he decided to just enclose Ed in the strongest mystical barrier followed by a vibranium elasticized forcefield that should keep him safe from even Odin level battles.
"Alfred, what the hell is happening? I thought he was still in prison. Did your leaving somehow open it?" Frank bombarded him with questions with beads of sweat dripping down his eyebrows as Daisy leaned over, trying to understand herself what the hell was going on since she had no idea who Toby even was.
"Wait wait wait, is that the guy who was imprisoned in the Sun prison? How did he even get out?" Daisy asked them, surprised beyond belief.
"Frank, I need you to make sure that his attention is not diverted away from me. Negate any shockwaves that could affect Ed. We just have to hold on until Jake and Eric come here and then," here, he grinned maliciously, "I'll be taking care of our residential demon here once and for all."
Frank frowned but ultimately, nodded, acceding to his decision since he was the authority if Ed was out of commission and while there was a case to be made since Alfred was the one who knocked him out, this was not the time and place for it.
Alfred nodded and put his hands together and when he pulled them apart, a greenish golden circle manifested and it began shining brighter and brighter until it became hard to even look at.
Suddenly, the strings holding the circle to Alfred's hands snapped and it spread over the entire room, coating the entire room in the colour of the circle.
A sudden disorienting wave came over all of them and even Toby was not spared by it since he landed wobbly on the ground.
"Hmm," Toby said as he examined his hands, "This is new, dear Nephew. What did you do this time?"
Alfred spread his arms apart, as if showcasing something and said, "Welcome to Project Ark"
Word Count - 1887
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Technomancer in MCU #74
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 74
Technomancer in MCU
A sudden disorienting wave came over all of them and even Toby was not spared by it since he landed wobbly on the ground.
"Hmm," Toby said as he examined his hands, "This is new, dear Nephew. What did you do this time?"
Alfred spread his arms apart, as if showcasing something and said, "Welcome to Project Ark"
-Alfred-
He always hated it when Toby spoke in that taunting tone and called him his nephew or something of a familial nature.
As if he had the right to call him family. After the betrayal they had suffered at his hands. It still filled him with rage when he thought of the day Toby finally crossed the line.
Even when they first discovered and rescued him from the Dark Dimension, he was wary of Toby Mathers. It didn't help that the power balance between Ed and Toby had become extremely lopsided due to Toby having spent over a thousand years in an extremely hostile environment while having the perfect skill set for it. Admittedly, he was also jealous of this new person that showed up that Ed trusted as much as him but in his defense, he was very young back then.
For the few months that Toby spent working in an official capacity for Ed, things were running smoothly but after a few too many incidents of unnecessary violence along with Toby's penchant for killing instead of taking prisoner, they had to pull him off the official roster and use him just as a training exercise for the new recruits.
That was when Toby and Frank met and instantly got along like they were two peas in a pod. Frank had not yet gotten his powers yet but Toby and Frank regularly sparred, of course with Toby using the same amount of power that a normal human would have access to and not the pinnacle of physical strength that he possessed.
There was also his extremely wild and competitive nature. They had to stop him multiple times from going after the Hulk or searching for the Old Ways that connected all the nine realms which would have led him straight to Asgard and as much as he liked to call Odin an old foggy, Toby would have been atomised, no question about that. The only question that would have come from that fight would have been how many years of Odin's life did Toby manage to shave off before dying?
He was the first one to jump on the chance to imprison Toby and stop him from doing any more damage and causing more chaos in the already ready-to-burst galaxy.
They thought they were prepared but that could not have been further from the truth. Same as Ed, the Future Sight of the Ancient One when it came to Toby was blurry at best so while they were sure that they were going to win, they didn't know how hard it was going to be to win.
They had thrown everything they had at him and even then, in the end, it was only due to Toby's fondness for Ed that they managed to seal him. He could still remember, even while being sealed in a theoretically eternal prison, TOby was still smirking at them as if he knew something that they didn't.
Seeing Toby come back from the prison even more powerful than before, he had an idea as to why Toby was smirking.
Somehow, Toby had escaped the prison and by searching through the logs, he could see the exact moment any logs stopped coming from the automated prison facility. Somehow, Kaecillius, empowered by Dormmau, managed to enter the prison and while they themselves were unable to muster up the power necessary to free Toby, Dormammu certainly had no dearth of power so sacrificing one of his followers, Dormammu channeled his energy through that sorcerer and unfurled the bindings that held Toby in the incomplete dimension.
The rest of it was blurry presumably due to the sheer amount of Dark energy present in the surroundings eating away at everything nearby.
"Oh, something bothering you, dear Nephew?" he once again heard Toby mocking him.
Smirking back at Toby, he said, "I should be the one asking that question, Toby Mathers. How does it feel to be constricted from all sides, to have energy that must have flowed freely before now feel as if it was liquid magma coursing through your body, simultaneously torturing you as you need it to stop the pressure from outright crushing you."
Because that is what Project Ark was. A last resort for humanity, ironically named the Ark since it was in a sense, the doomsday vehicle that would make sure that in the event of catastrophic damage, humanity would still live on.
It was an artificial dimension created and stabilised by yours truly with help from Master Throgg and the Ancient One of course. He had found a space stone energy-infused relic in the old Kree-Skrull battlefields and with the help of their own space stone energy reserves, managed to jumpstart it.
Then, he found out that it was an attempt to create a self-sustaining stable dimension that could be used as a place for refugees in times of need. He could never confirm it but it must have been a project from the Skrulls since they were the ones on the losing side and having an entire backup dimension seemed to be a smart thing to do for the side that would have to face inevitable extinction if their enemies, the Kree, won.
In this dimension, he was the master and he could exert the collective might of the dimension on anyone he wished. Toby was currently under so much pressure that he was being forced to use his powers to compensate for it.
The problem was that he was not struggling as hard as he should have. Ideally, that move should have incapacitated him immediately but he could see Toby only experiencing mild difficulty in using his magical powers.
His eyes narrowed as he could see the distinct absence of Toby's physical markers that indicated the use of his demonic heritage, which allowed him to possess the absolute pinnacle of a physical body, surpassing that of even Thor's constitution.
More scans revealed that the only type of energy coursing through his body was the Dark energy from the Dormammu's dimension and while other types of energies were present in small amounts, they were not being used.
That was not the Toby Mathers he knew. Toby, having grown and survived in an environment where predators were aplenty with a plethora of different abilities, had grown to be able to use any and all fighting styles and weapons he had access to, at a moment's notice.
This one was barely using his other abilities. If he had used his signature space-cleaving ability, for example, he would have been able to reduce the pressure on himself by at least half.
Something was wrong here.
But he was not going to dive into that for now. Now was an excellent opportunity to take care of this hidden danger once and for all and while he was certain that Ed would be upset about Toby's demise as it would signal the end of his last remaining connection to his home world before his arrival in this universe, it would turn out all good in the end. He would make it so.
Further scans revealed a solid link between Toby in front of him and a certain neighborhood Dark dimension ruled by the Dark overlord.
Honestly, Dormammu was becoming such a pain in the ass to deal with. First the soul attack then the attack on Master Throgg and now this?
He might just have to do something drastic to make sure that the Dark Lord knew his place and backed off because while he was not as strong as the Ancient One at her pinnacle, he was more than capable enough to devise a crooked way to hurt Dormammu somehow.
Feeling the gateway to the Ark opening, he let out a visible smirk that seemed to irk Toby more than anything.
"What are you planning, you infuriating brat?" Toby roared while unleashing another tidal wave of darkness at him.
This was good. He needed all of Toby's attention on him and not on Ed because while the barrier surrounding Ed was top-notch, he was not sure it would survive their blows or the full might of a Dormammu-enhanced Toby.
He needed to make sure that Ed made it out of this safely and while he would have loved to send Ed outside, the truth was there was no other place safer than this one for Ed.
He would have loved for Ajax to be here as backup but the outer colonies were already in too much chaos and they had enemies on that front that needed to be taken care of too.
Tough decisions.
Just then, the blazing forms of Eric and Jake crashed in front of him, all decked out in their battle suits. Eric had a dull green glow that constantly generated sparks around him and Jake too had a wave of green energy constantly circulating around him as it was being absorbed from Eric's aura, perfectly complementing each other's abilities.
"Ho?" Toby sounded intrigued as he looked at the newcomers in front of him. When he was sealed, they had not yet gone through the terragenesis process and gained their S-ranked abilities. It was an advantage he intended to abuse thoroughly.
"Jake, Disintegration protocol," he ordered Jake since he knew Eric would not have the faintest clue about the battle protocols they were mandated to learn about.
Jake looked surprised at first, probably because that particular protocol was reserved as the absolute last resort that was to be used only in extinction-level battles but, after seeing that Ed was incapacitated, didn't say anything and just nodded.
"Frank, remember, no matter what happens, keep close to Ed and have your ability on at all times. No matter what, get it?" he ordered Frank which was unusual but since now was not the time for pleasantries, Frank nodded at his orders.
"I grow weary of this charade let's-oof," Toby began but before he could complete his sentence, he was wound up tight in the Crimson bands of Cyttorak, making him look like a red mummy. As much as the Mystics liked to tout this spell to be unbreakable, he could already feel multiple bands snapping as Dark liquid began oozing out of the tightly wound-up Toby.
Only for more and more bands to take their place. He could tell that it was a losing battle since the bands began snapping at a much higher pace but that was fine.
All he needed to do was make sure that Toby remained in place for the funnel that was forming in front of Jake as he absorbed untold quantities of Gamma radiation from Eric's blazing green form.
Already he could see cracks forming on the seal that prevented Jake from spilling his personal dimension in the universe but he was sure that the seal would hold on until the disintegration spell was ready.
It had to.
Otherwise, they would just be getting rid of the lesser evil, paving the way for a much greater evil to arrive in their universe.
The One Below All was hardly the most benevolent entity in the multiverse.
_
Word Count - 1934
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Technomancer in MCU #75
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 75
Technomancer in MCU
-Alfred-
Already he could see cracks forming on the seal that prevented Jake from spilling his personal dimension in the universe but he was sure that the seal would hold on until the disintegration spell was ready.
It had to.
Otherwise, they would just be getting rid of the lesser evil, paving the way for a much greater evil to arrive in their universe.
The One Below All was hardly the most benevolent entity in the multiverse.
-Alfred-
With a furious roar, Toby broke out of his spell, his shiny new body being able to withstand the backlash of the spell collapsing with ease.
"Your Precious Ancient One used the same spell before dying, dear Nephew. You should realise by now that it is meaningless to try and bind m-what?" midway through his ridiculous villain monologue, he finally noticed the bright green energy funnel that had formed in front of Jake.
Eric was seemingly tapped out as he panted for breath, his suit creating a containment chamber for him and slowly transporting him away from Jake who had a furious storm of Gamma energy in front of him.
"I can't hold on to this any longer, Alfred. Now would be a good time to do what you are best at," Jake said with gritted teeth as the toll of handling such a massive amount of chaotic gamma energy could be visible on his body. Already cracks could be seen forming on his hands and they were already spreading to the rest of his torso, green light leaking out of them.
Snapping Toby into place with a simple application of Eldritch whip which was enhanced using his very own faith energy, he crashed behind Jake, absentmindedly conjuring a barrier to shield Eric from the fallout of the undoubtedly most powerful spell he was about to conjure up.
With a flick of his hand, a golden circle manifested in front of the funnel that was going out of control as Jake finally reached the limits of his innate abilities. The circle began absorbing the gamma energy in front of Jake, gaining a greenish tint to the circle.
He could see Toby struggling to break through the whips as even he must have realised that something was wrong by now. His struggles became even more violent once he imbued the spell with the highest level of faith energy output he could.
With the spell circle on the verge of destabilising due to the sheer amount of energy within it, the whips surrounding Toby disappeared and then he uttered the one word that made the whole world go white, "Ş̴́́̓͑̚ḳ̸̲̬̰̤̤̔͐̈͗͝ā̷͔̈́͝d̶̨̼͎͛̋̀͌o̷̤͛̈́͆͝ŏ̵̰̹s̸̜̒͐̒̄ͅh̷̬͎̖̳͋͐̊̆"
The resulting impact made the entire dimension shudder but thankfully, no cracks appeared and soon, he could feel the self-repairing mechanisms kick in, restoring the dimension to the base state.
Of course, the base state meant that the vast area in front of him was still a smoking crater that could only be described as a white wasteland as all the matter that was put into place to make it resemble Earth, had vaporised.
"Did we do it? Did he die?" Jake said after he dispelled the barrier that protected him from the aftermath of the spell. Jake was panting as he held his one limp arm at the side, the stress of handling that much energy proving too much for him. But, he could already see his regen kick in and repair the cracks that had appeared all over his body but it would seem that his arm would require special treatment to be functional again.
From the corner of his eyes, he could see Frank deactivating his aura and Eric slumping on the ground in relief because of the seeming death of Toby.
He would have loved to confirm it but unfortunately, things rarely go in the right direction when Toby was concerned.
"Miss me, Nephew?" his eyes widened immensely as he immediately ducked below the wave of the hellfire-infused scythe that would have cut his head right off, vibranium body or not.
Locking eyes with the maddened Toby, he could see the dark energy taking over more and more of his mind as even his eyes held a dark tint to them, the calm and collected combatant nowhere to be seen in those eyes,
It would seem that Toby they knew was gone and all that remained in his place was someone addled with Dark energy.
Coating his hands in light elemental energy, he began trading blows with Toby while making sure to avoid his scythe.
Already, he was being overpowered as more and more dark liquid began oozing out of Toby's body, covering him in it. He could already envision the rough fight ahead of him.
Even disintegration could not stop Dormammu's chosen one then.
Blasting Toby back with the biggest light energy blast he could, he took out one of the space stone energy ingots that he kept in his storage space.
Toby recovered from the blast and launched himself at Alfred but he paid no heed to the incoming Toby as Daisy stood in front of him and unleashed the biggest blast she could, completely tearing apart Toby and making his body look more and more like Swiss cheese.
Toby's face held none of the pain but only soft confusion regarding the surprise attack.
"Ugh," He heard Daisy grunt as the toll of manipulating that level of vibrations took its toll on her arms. He could see multiple blood vessels bursting in her hands due to the stray vibrations that entered her body, despite it being suitably enhanced and due to the continuous stream of vibrations that Daisy was putting in her attack, her regen was not able to repair the damage she was doing to herself.
"Haha, Interesting. I don't think I have ever met you before but no matter, it won't matter soon anyway," he heard Toby laugh and shout out loud despite Daisy's attack pushing him back and carving out his chest.
Daisy gave the command and multiple modules unfurled them from the back of her suit and with the energy stored in them, began adding to the wave of attack that Daisy was hitting Toby with.
The enhanced output cratered their surroundings even more but even then, he could see Toby adapting to the pressure and taking steady steps forward. He didn't think Daisy would be able to sustain that level of output since even the continuous stream of CHI injections to her body that helped boost her regen levels, was helping.
Just as Daisy ran all out of juice and slumped forward, Jake jumped from behind and punched Toby with all his might, the resulting shockwave destroying the area around them and even the last working hand of Jake but even then, Toby stood up again.
It seemed as if Jake had lost all fighting prowess when with a painful pair, Eric stood up and sent a stream of gamma energy towards his brother. That must have been very painful since the seal could not be opened completely without multiple different keys from different people and brute forcing it would only pressurise the soul which was bound to cause some damage, aside from the excruciating pain.
Jake was seemingly on his last legs when the boost of energy from behind him revitalised his systems. The damage to his arms remained the same but phantom arms made of Gamma energy manifested in front of him and as if he was seeing a green rendition of Stark's hulkbuster armour, a green giant stood in place of Jake.
With his job done, Eric slumped down on the ground, bleeding from all his orifices. His suit was working overtime to stabilise his vitals.
With a furious roar and gamma seemingly wafting off his entire being, Jake entered the foray and began pummeling Toby but even from a distance, he could see the damage Toby suffered was replaced by Dark energy immediately while Jake had a finite amount of energy to begin with.
He needed to finish this.
But how?
The painful memories of the Ancient One came to his mind at that exact moment.
He smiled bitterly as it would seem that even from the afterlife, the Ancient One ended up teaching him.
Slamming his hands together, "With this treasure, I summon," he invoked the sacred pact of Vishanti while offering the last space stone energy ingot he had on him.
While that in itself might not seem much but it was the first one that they had been able to produce. A joint project between him and the Ancient One.
It held enormous sentimental value to him.
As soon as he finished chanting the spell, an otherworldly pressure emanated from the white glow that began to form in front of him. The entire world began moving in slow motion as he noticed that without him knowing, his Astral form was ejected from his body.
He could feel whoever was on the other side of the light judging his very soul and fortunately, whatever they saw made them approve of his request.
He expected to get an item, a weapon that could help end the fight but what he got was an energy ball.
It zoomed right into his head and a metric ton of data was slammed into his mind. Had it been
a ny
human they would have been dead, period.
Since it was him, he was able to assimilate that data immediately and without delay, willed the magic circle into existence.
Just in time too as Jake was thrown back, all bloodied. He sidestepped Jake and internally winced at the crashing noise but it would all be worth it if the spell worked.
And it would. Aiming at Toby, the spell began draining his reserves of faith, of CHI and even began siphoning the dimensional energy that flowed through him, making a dull ache appear in his chest at the enhanced flow rate.
"In the name of Vishanti," He said as the spell began taking shape. It turned into a ball of blinding white light and almost as if it was a black hole, began absorbing any and all sorts of energies in it, even the Dark Energy that Toby emitted through his very being, "I banish you," The spell was then sent flying at Toby who at first, tried to grasp the ball of light with his hands but his entire torso began burning as soon as the spell made contact.
At this point, no trace of Toby or any sort of mind could be seen on the monstrosity's face as more and more Dark energy began pouring out of that body, trying to extinguish the light of the spell.
Soon, all that remained of Toby was a blob of Dark energy that kept trying to keep the spell at bay, almost creating a balance as the spell kept on burning the Dark energy it came into contact with, only for more dark energy to take its place.
His face must have shown immense shock as he could see that even the spells of Vishanti powered by almost all of his energy reserves still were not enough.
Standing solely on the reserve energy provided by one of his backup arc reactors, his mind churned furiously as he tried to think of anything that could help them at least survive this altercation.
It would seem that they would have to abandon the carrier and Project Ark. While the carrier could be rebuilt, project Ark would probably be lost forever.
But it was a price he was willing to pay for the continued safety of Ed.
Just as he was about to give the command to abandon ship, dark violet eyes manifested in front of the dark ball that was contending with the increasingly smaller-looking ball of light.
Chills ran down his spine as it seemed to smirk looking behind him and before he could do anything, threw the head of Ancient One at him.
He watched in horror as it landed right in front of the barrier that held Ed and Frank. He stilled as Ed looked at the stoic face of the dead Ancient One and his eyes began going green.
His worst fears were about to come true but before he could warn Frank about it, a tentacle lashed out from Ed's suit and knocked Frank out.
"Run!" he transmitted to the entire crew of the superclass carrier.
Commanding the suits of everybody nearby, he risked the ward integrity of Project Ark and opened a portal for everybody to get out of the place.
All of them went in but the portal fizzled out before Frank could get in.
The storm of energy and matter that now surrounded Ed destabilised the entire dimension they were in.
If not stopped, Ed would kill himself but destroy their foe once and for all.
But looking at the expression on Ed's face, he was not sure if he could even be stopped at all.
Sighing, he tried to wake up Frank. His abilities would at least make sure that they survived the oncoming onslaught as he could see Dormammu bringing out even more of his presence in the dimension, the much looser laws surrounding the alternate dimensions allowing him to exert more of his influence. His presence began towering over the seemingly smaller Ed.
In comparison, matter of all kinds from their surroundings began funneling itself into the tornado that surrounded Ed.
Midway through, he could see the matter morphing into different things, suitable for combat as Ed's powers began working in overdrive.
Word Count - 2285
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Technomancer in MCU #76
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 76
Technomancer in MCU
Project Ark
-Frank Castle-
When he first saw Toby floating with the head of the Ancient One held in his right hand, he had resigned himself to losing another one of his once allies.
Contrary to what everybody thought, he loved each and every one of his allies and the people he could count on to watch his back could be counted on his fingers but with Toby, it was a contradictory relationship he had with him.
He could actually see where Toby was coming from. The things he must have suffered through while being in the hell dimension must have warped his worldview immensely.
Not to mention that Ed had once confided in him that Toby's powers were not without flaws. As Toby took on more and more of the skills of other beings, the more his original essence would be replaced by the consumed species. In other words, the Toby that had been with Ed when they both died was not the same Toby that they found gallivanting through the Dark Dimension.
While he was not aware of the level of battle that Ed and the Ancient One fought when sealing Toby, the spells and the strength behind them used by Alfred was the most mind-boggling thing he had seen that day.
Watching the strongest fighters of the organisation giving it their all, even going so far as to injure themselves and only being able to stall or push Toby back was very much disheartening.
As much as he would have loved to use his abilities, he knew when he was thoroughly outclassed. If even the Diggle brothers were unable to put a dent on the monster, then using his aura would have a negligible effect at best, and at worst, he would just be tying everyone down as they tried to protect him.
He had thought that with Alfred using the spells of Vishanti, Toby would finally be defeated since the might of the Vishanti was something that was known to everybody in the organisation, and in a way, it did defeat Toby but left behind a dead husk piloted by Dormammu who started exerting more and more influence in this dimension as he got used to the laws of the place.
During one of their many mandatory meetings, they had been informed that Dormammu couldn't enter the main universe due to some rules he was bound by. He can, however, suck in planets to his dimension through portals and while he was sure that it was not public knowledge, Earth was somehow the mystical hub through which Dormammu would be able to exert even more of his influence on the universe if he just captured Earth and all the beings with their mystical potential on it.
That was why protecting the Sanctums in case of an attack was an A-tier property of the organisation.
The same rules, however, allow Dormammu free reign when it comes to alternate, especially artificially created, dimensions. Dormammu must be exploiting that loophole to bring more and more of his powers through the once body of Toby. He could see the spell almost fizzling up, just like their hopes of dealing with this empowered version of Toby.
With almost all the combat power of the organisation here and with varying degrees of injury, he was unsure if turning tail and running was the best option here.
As he was thinking of telling Alfred to just abandon ship and run away, something that he was sure Alfred was thinking about, he stilled as he felt an ominous gaze on him.
Cold sweat ran down his neck as he slowly turned his neck towards the black abomination that was once the body of Toby Mathers and found himself looking at two purple eyes staring down at him or rather, at someone besides him.
Next thing he knew, the severed head of the Ancient One had landed right outside the barrier that kept him and Ed safe, and Ed was looking right at it, his eyes blank.
Shit! He thought as his aura had been limited to himself because he was distracted and with Ed seeing this, he was bound to go berserk but before he could try and use his ability to calm Ed down, Ed snapped his gaze towards him and the next thing he saw was a metal whip coming towards him and the next thing he knew was darkness as he was knocked out cold on his back.
He could hear Alfred screaming in the background, "RUN!"
He came back to consciousness as Alfred nearly overloaded his system with CHI shocks to forcefully wake him up, "Gasp, what happened?"
He asked Alfred who was looking up towards something. Following his gaze, his heart nearly seized in terror at what he was seeing.
The dark energy ball that was Dormammu manifested in this dimension had grown to tower over all of them and in front of that ball of darkness, stood a storm of matter that constantly shifted states with green lightning bursting out of it.
At the center of it, with blazing green eyes and energy literally misting out of his body, stood Ed. But at that moment, it was not the Ed he knew and loved who was able to analyse everything calmly and make rational decisions.
The Ed he was seeing was something straight out of one's nightmares. His face set into a rictus of pain and anger, he continuously molded his surroundings into all sorts of different matter before assembling them into machines and then disassembling the same components to form even bigger machines.
It would seem that today was the day he was going to witness Ed using his full might. All these years, he had heard from Alfred about the legendary powers of their leader and while he did believe him, he was never quite sure that Ed's powers truly did make him the strongest person in their organisation since the Ancient One was also technically a part and now, even Alfred had ascended.
With that said, the sheer pressure that Ed gave off as he continued to glare at the rapidly ballooning presence of Dormammu was something else.
After just a few seconds that somehow felt like an eternity, as if a hidden command was given, all the matter that surrounded Ed that was rotating around him at untold speeds came to a screeching halt.
Then it happened. Even as he saw the matter liquefy and come crashing down towards Ed, forming a mecha suit that he had only seen in fantasy, he could scarcely believe his eyes.
It reminded him of a construct he had seen during one of the cartoons that was shown to the kids at the organisation.
Then, in front of his very eyes, the entirety of their surroundings, nay, the entire dimension began cracking as a huge ball of energy formed in front of Ed's mouth which was surrounded by phantom arms that sprouted on Ed's back.
The green energy ball began sucking in air from its surroundings, including him. The only thing keeping him stuck to the ground was some of the modules Alfred had repurposed on the fly since Ed had, with a single strike, deactivated every single function of his suit, rendering him completely immobile.
With a pained roar, Ed's phantom arms pushed the orb towards Dormammu and when it hit, the scenario this time was clearly different from when Alfred used a similar spell.
Was it because of Ed's powers or because of the damage Alfred had already done to Dormammu's form, he did not know.
But as Dormammu was trying to drown the green ball in his signature dark energy, Ed flew close to him, letting loose a barrage of energy attacks, and began crashing into him at high speeds, akin to a speedster.
It almost reminded him of the powerset of Makkari as Ed quite literally used his ever-increasing mass to ram into Dormammu's form, distracting him from the rapidly destabilising space around them.
"He's going to do it," he heard Alfred whisper before he tried creating more portals, to no avail.
"What's wrong?" he asked Alfred who seemed to become more and more frantic while trying to open new portals. He was clearly making progress as more and more sparks began emanating from the portal that Alfred was trying to create but it would seem that Alfred would not be able to open them in time.
"You will rue the day you did this, Dormammu," He heard a whisper-like voice that seemed to come from everywhere as chills ran down his spine at the sheer hatred present in the voice.
"Alfred, what is happening?" He asked Alfred once again as the cracks in the dimension began spreading to the very edges and greyish mist began coming in through the cracks.
"Ed is destroying the very dimension we are in and while I am sure that I will survive thanks to my body and you probably will too, the shock of forced transport will kill Ed. Not to mention that we could be spit out into the middle of nowhere with no immediate way of getting medical attention to Ed," Alfred said while he struggled more and more to open a portal.
Alas, it seemed as if it was actually becoming harder and harder to open one since the grey mist began seeping in through the cracks.
With a silent shockwave that seemed to rip everything apart in its way, Dormammu burst like a balloon and ripped everyone away from their positions, including Ed as the green suit around him began to fizzle out, leaving him in a coffin-like structure that he must have built in the heat of the moment.
The shockwave was the final shock that increased the rate at which the cracks began spreading throughout the dimension, making the sky look like a broken mirror.
"No!" Alfred screamed as he reached towards Ed's coffin-like suit but the grey mist had long since suffused the surroundings and as if something had sucked him right out of the dimension, Ed was pulled through the starry sky and disappeared right in front of their very eyes.
Alfred slumped in resignation as he created a small barrier around both of them and even as grey filled their vision, Alfred kept on looking for Ed when finally, with a thunderous sound, the entire dimension collapsed and they were violently ejected out of Project Ark.
Both of them were rag-dolled through a series of Rainbow roads, the barrier popping like a balloon at the first crash, and were spit out and crashed on a hard surface.
Blinking the red spots out of his vision, he looked to see that they had crash-landed on a red surface, creating a crater around him.
Just nearby, he could see Alfred already up and about meditating as dimensional energy crackled around him, probably already searching for ways to get off the planet and look for Ed before something bad happened to him.
It seemed like Alfred's prayers were answered as a fiery portal manifested in front of them, although the sight of the portal was a little off.
Looking closer, both Alfred and he stiffened as the portal was not made out of dimensional energy but actually hellfire.
He raised his guard up and got ready to use up the remaining meager energy he had to actually be useful this time and not be fucking deadweight.
That was when he heard Alfred whisper, "Impossible!" and immediately activated all his weapons and spells, aiming at the portal.
Word Count - 1953
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head onto my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 15 extra chapters uploaded there.
A/N - I don't think I did the fight any justice and will strive to learn to write better fight scenes. That's all I have to say.
Thank you for reading!
Toodles!
Technomancer in MCU #77
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 77
Technomancer in MCU
Earth
-Toby Mathers-
He chuckled as he saw the way Ed handled the press, the politicians, and their idiotic questions. He always liked that side of Ed, although he preferred a much direct way of shutting them all up but each to their own, he guessed.
He stretched as the people around him gave him a wide berth, owing to his massive stature, made especially more noticeable since the people in Japan were already so tiny.
While the grasslands had their own charm, the Cherry Blossom season in Tokyo had its own beauty as well. Relearning how to use the internet had been a pain in the butt to deal with, though nothing a quick knowledge-replicating spell couldn't solve.
He was currently on a journey to witness the beauty of the place he was so desperately trying to protect.
…
While he was lounging on the grasslands after the mere two hours of sleep, curse his enhanced physique, he began pondering on his choices. The choices that led to him being sealed by his very own best friend.
He had to admit, that while the betrayal still stung, upon pondering his actions and how they must have looked to someone who had not gone through what he had experienced, he probably would have had similar reactions.
He then decided to do something that he never had the luxury to do in ḭ̶͔̪̈̇̈́ń̶̜̦̈̌͊̌̈́̎͂͛ͅf̷͕̺͚̻̗͙̏͊́̈͛e̵̪͍̋̃͝r̸̛͈̣̙̿͌̈́͑͑͗͘͜͠ò̶͓͓̩̾̈́̈́͠ś̴͍̖́̾̈́̈̍̂̕ ̵̨͓͍̭̗̟̣̺͈̐̈́͑̅̆̈́
Where he had to watch over his back every second of every day, meditation.
He had some practice from back when the Ancient One, bless her soul, had taken it upon herself to drill some concepts of inner peace in his thick skull but he had always been too stubborn to learn something new.
Even then, he felt as if the time and place matched for something boring and soothing, like meditation. So, he took it upon himself to self-reflect.
After laying down some rudimentary wards to make sure his energy signature could not be tracked, he sat cross-legged to meditate. Using the exercises that he could still remember, he dived deep into his mind to try and understand himself better.
Because that was what he had come to Earth for. Until Ed had his time to do things his way, he would not obstruct their mission in any way, but he had a lot of free time during his imprisonment and while he was still far from forgiving them, he had to at least give Ed and the Ancient One credit that all that time sure did mellow him out.
The old him would have charged at Kamar Taj the first thing out of prison and slaughtered his way to the Ancient One who would have fought him and as much as he hated to admit it, imprisoned him once again. It was not sheer raw strength that made the Ancient One so feared, though she had that in spades as well, it was her mind. She could mindfuck people from far away, destroying any chance of them succeeding at all.
Upon entering his mindscape, he deadpanned at the hideousness of it all.
"Yup, that's me, I guess," he muttered upon seeing the condition of his mind-space.
Day by day, somehow, he begins to appreciate his imprisoners. Yup, it was that fucked up.
Honestly, it could not even be called a single mindscape. He could see deep fractures marred by different lines. The lines would indicate the different powers he had stolen from different demons and their lineages to further his goals. He was no saint, he would freely admit it. In his hunger for power and desperation to return home, he had decimated entire clans of demons, entire cities turned to dust in his wrath and many demon clans were now extinct due to him.
So, in a way, he deserved this.
His mind-space was a huge landscape, at the center of which laid his primary power, which he had not used in a long while. At some point, he simply became too powerful for the locals to challenge him anymore. They just complied with his demands and once they learned that he did everything just so he could go home, the enthusiasm levels skyrocketed.
There was no way he was mentally stable if his mind looked like a broken mirror with all the broken pieces having different colours and shapes.
So, he rolled up his metaphorical sleeves and got to work. Willing them to mend themselves didn't work so he had to enter all the different pieces and bring them back to their normal states manually.
Entering the purple part, which was the largest of the broken pieces, he came face to face with the first demon who had attacked him. Honestly, he would have loved to say that he had forgotten it, but that day was the building block that set the tone for his conquest of the entire dimension. Not wanting to waste any more time, he simply willed for the demon to be destroyed, telekinesis was handy like that.
But a confused expression came on his face when he realised that he could not feel his everpresent well of power in this space and before he could do anything about that, the demon noticed his presence, roared in his direction, and punched him in the face.
He still had his combat instincts from decades of battle so he could still defend himself. He swiftly noticed that he had been reduced to the state he was in when he consumed this demon for the first time.
After that, it was child's play to thoroughly dismantle the demon and with a swift punch in the throat, the demon breathed its last.
After that, he came back into his mindspace and found that the broken piece's edges had become semi-liquid and were fusing back into his mind-space, slowly losing its violet colour.
He smiled upon seeing his progress but it turned a bit stiff once he realised that he would have to repeat that process a hundred more times.
…
..
After a while, he opened his eyes, to find that he was glowing green and the grass around him had gained a red tint and was coiling below him as if trying to make a cushion. He chuckled and deactivated the flow of demonic energy out of his body and slowly floated down to stand on his two legs.
He immediately felt the difference as his thoughts became clearer and he could more thoroughly enjoy the simple senses, such as the fresh air or the pleasant sunlight hitting his body.
So many mundane things he was robbed of simply because of the imbalance in his powers. He wished the Ancient One had simply told him of this, instead of simply chucking him into the Sun prison and waiting for him to realise it by himself.
Coming back from his reverie, he found himself at the gates of the Cherry Blossom festival. With a ticket in his hand and a level of enthusiasm he seldom found in himself, he bounded into the garden, seeing a pink landscape as far as he could see.
The place was crowded and from time to time, people bumped into him and began apologizing profusely once they saw his stature but he simply waved them off and went on his way. His generals back home would have been terrified seeing his smile but it came to him naturally here.
Home…
He paused as he realised that he still thought of the hell dimension as his home. That was kinda sad.
As he was about to go take some pictures from the phone he had stol- ahem borrowed from someone, he stilled as he felt something break.
Specifically, he felt the link that tethered him to Ed break.
His eyes widening in terror, he immediately sent all the energy he could and grabbed the side of Ed's thread that was slipping away from his soul. The link came back up but he could feel Ed's soul was on its legs and he was not even conscious.
He immediately opened up his dimensional storage and removed the vial of blood he kept handy just in case he needed to locate Ed.
For some reason, all the noise in the surroundings had died down. He looked up only to see people looking at him and his vial of blood weirdly. Well, it was a vial for someone of his size. For them, it must have looked like a small cup.
Feeling oddly bashful, he immediately cloaked himself and cast a notice-me-not variant around himself and the area he was in.
With a flex of his energy, he drew the ritual circle and willed his blood to spray on the ritual circle. As it lit up due to the immense energy in his blood, he placed a single drop of Ed's blood in the center of the circle, with the help of his telekinesis skill.
All the while, he maintained a constant flow of healing energy to Ed's soul, something which was very hard to do since all of his energy was demonic energy and it was not the most stable energy around. It was the opposite of stable energy.
As the ritual circle began drawing more and more of his energy, a small portal opened right above the floating drop of blood, showing him the starry sky.
As if searching for its target, the portal began swerving around and finally, as he could see a metal coffin in the distance, he immediately jumped through the portal.
Covering himself in hellfire to ward off the effects of space, he swiftly reached Ed and immediately cursed when he realised that Ed's condition was beyond his wildest expectations.
He immediately cast a curse on Ed once he realised that his body would not survive, even with his energy.
The curse was one of the more innovative curses he had seen in his time in hell. It was made to deprive somebody of all their senses and temporarily freeze their entire body. The doll the caster would have would become, for all intents and purposes, the main body, and their soul would naturally form a tether between the two.
Obviously, for a soul the size of Ed's, the energy toll was making even him sweat.
But he could see the immediate effect as the soul began exerting its pressure on the homunculus he had with him. As the tether between them finally snapped into place, the homunculus began to take shape into the form of Ed.
He finally sighed in relief at that and opened up a portal to the one place he knew where Alfred would not be able to reach them, to the center of the Vibranium mound in Wakanda.
The only place on Earth where no external magical interference can take place. Not even Bast has authority over this place.
Not even Alfred knew of this place and as such, this place was where he wanted to finally have a one to one with Ed.
For old-time's sake.
Wakanda
-Ed-
The first thing that he noticed when he came back to consciousness was the distinct lack of pain and the cold creeping feeling of his impending death that he expected when he activated his powers. In hindsight, it was rather foolish of him to do so but seeing the Ancient One in that state triggered something in him. He would make sure Dormammu would regret ever interfering in his life and he was sure that it was Dormammu and not Toby. In the split second he had dismantled Frank and his suit, he had accessed all the data in the suit, and from all the recordings of the fight along with the sensory data he could gather, he was certain that it was not Toby who was fighting them all along.
As he stood up with the help of his arms…
Wait..
His arms?
He swiftly stood up and checked his limbs, only to find them completely intact, and using them did not elicit any pain.
"Quit jumping around, will you?" he heard the voice again.
He looked around, only to see Toby in front of a Barbeque with the most delicious smell.
His jaw fell as Toby chuckled and waved him over.
Word Count - 2067
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head onto my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 15 extra chapters uploaded there.
A/N - For some reason, this was really hard to write.
Technomancer in MCU #78
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 78
Technomancer in MCU
Wakanda
-Ed-
He had to admit that when his rage-blinded self decided to take on somebody who had been empowered by Dormammu, especially in an alternate dimension, he had done so without much hope that he would survive the aftermath, even if he won.
Seeing and confirming the death of the Ancient One lit up something fierce inside him. Her loss will be felt across the mystic community across the universe. The only reason he even dared to try and avenge her was Alfred.
His new status would mean that it was all but inevitable that the position of the Sorcerer Supreme would be given to Alfred, since he doubted there was anyone left on Earth who could compete with him in terms of mystical attainment.
Alfred had always been dependable like that but going into that fight was more selfish of him because he knew that no matter what he did, he was not going to win against Dormammu of all people. He just wanted to vent his anger and he saw the ready-made punching bag that the Dark Overlord himself had delivered to him.
Honestly, it was refreshing, to say the least. He had not pulled the lid on his powers in years, especially the matter manipulation part of it.
That was probably one of the most taxing parts of exercising his powers. Even then, with his near-crippled body, he was unable to pull off the truly impressive moves and had chosen to stick with the modes with the most destructive potential.
There was also a chance that Dormammu's avatar might just get out of Project Ark and he didn't even want to think of the devastating damage it could have done since nearly all the S-rankers of the organisation had been injured by it and were out of commision, even Frank since his powers work on only a certain level of power.
So, he chose to just destroy the dimension. That was sure to be the end of the demon. Surviving a collapsing dimension is one thing, surviving a gamma bomb in the middle of a collapsing dimension where the laws of physics are wonky at best, is another thing altogether.
With that done, in the split second it took for the shockwave to reach him and knock him into the unforgiving void, he repurposed some of the nearby shrapnel and fashioned himself a coffin of sorts. He didn't have enough time, energy, or thought process to make anything more than a basic life-supporting system since it took all he had to just make the metal into the strongest alloy he knew that didn't include Vibranium since that metal was the most taxing when it came to his abilities.
So, colour him surprised when he found out that not only was he alive, his body had somehow stopped hurting and become functional again, and he found himself facing Toby of all people.
On reflex, he activated his powers, or at least tried to, since he could not even feel his powers. He could feel his soul and it was weird, to say the least. It was as if it was in two places at once and the body he was in was being solely fueled by his soul and because of that, he could not access his powers.
So, he just stood there, with his arms up, knowing that he might as well be a toddler in terms of combat prowess in his current state, especially against someone like Toby who could handily trounce Thor and Hulk together, especially their current renditions before they really grew into their powers.
He swore that he could hear the sounds of cricket as Toby just looked on in amusement.
To be honest, he had nothing against Toby. In fact, he was once his best friend, and in that void, with all that burning, they had resolved that if they were going to be dying, they were going to die fighting together.
After that, he had been heartbroken and depressed for months as Toby had not been with him when he had arrived on Earth. Even building Alfred his first home and having him scan the entire planet and then the entire solar system, to no avail didn't help matters. It was the Ancient One who had helped him gather hope for Toby's survival since the higher powers would not have bestowed him with such power and left him to die.
So, with Alfred by his side, he had gone about his life, trying to complete the mission they had self-assigned themselves, hoping that someday Toby would arrive and be happy with the work he had done with his powers. He had imagined Toby would be happy to meet Alfred as well since Alfred was the companion that they had been given as a gift.
When he found Toby and with the help of Ancient One, rescued him from the Dark Dimension, he was overjoyed at finally finding his friend but soon realised that the friend he knew and loved had changed a lot since they last met.
The time in that time-dilated dimension did his mental health no justice. On top of that, upon further research, Alfred had figured out that Toby's DNA was an unstable hodgepodge of alien DNA and the only thing stopping it from collapsing was Toby's own powers which worked in overdrive to stop further damage. The Ancient One confirmed to him that the same issue also persists with his psyche, hence the sudden bouts of aggression. That was why he had reluctantly agreed to fight Toby and go ahead with the plan to cruelly imprison him. Ancient One later confirmed that she had foreseen the outcome of their actions and it resulted in him coming out with much better mental clarity was what stayed his hand once he truly realised the magnitude of his actions.
The magnitude of imprisoning and condemning a sentient being to years, possibly decades, of solitary imprisonment.
Now, as he awkwardly lowered his arms and looked over Toby who looked more and more like the laid-back and relaxed Toby he knew, he walked towards the offered seat.
After taking a seat, he took the offered Barbecue stick and for a while, they just enjoyed the silence and the crackling sound of the firewood burning in their own little corner of the world.
Because this is what it was, the only place in the world where no magical interference can occur. Not even portals can be opened in this place. Toby was the one who had discovered it and as the first one here, he had laid down some runes on the vibranium walls and due to the underlying properties of Vibranium, those runes then became permanent, enforced by the near infinite cosmic energy reserve that the mound held.
It was their own little secret base. It was a bit childish, he was aware but they had both been way too excited to find and claim a place that nobody else had found out that they had immediately named it as such, and due to the mystic nature of Toby and his demonic nature, the cave had been reverberated in official confirmation.
"This is nice," he heard Toby say as he still looked at the Barbecue in front of him.
"Yeah, you're right. This is nice," he muttered before taking a plate from the table nearby and taking out the chicken on it.
"What is this? It's chewy?" he said in between mouthfuls since the meat was tasty, chicken or not.
"It's demon meat," he choked on the meat after hearing Toby's reply.
He spit out the meat in his mouth and glared at Toby who raised his hands in surrender, "What? That was the closest thing to meat I had in my storage. Excuse me if you decide the edibility of a meat-based on its appearance. You know that's discrimination, right?"
He chuckled and then that chuckle turned into full-blown laughter after hearing Toby rant about the meat industry and the preference of meat eaters who choose to eat different types of meat based on their appearance and not their calorific or nutritional value.
He was soon joined by Toby as they doubled over in laughter, crying tears of joy.
"Oh, I needed this," Toby said after they had settled down after smelling the meat burning behind them.
He nodded at that.
After a while, after the noise of the firewood crackling died, he spoke," So, how did you get out?"
"Straight to the jugular, huh? Why? So you can put in better measures to stop me from coming out next time?"
"No, even if I wanted to do that, I can't since the Ancient One is now dead and she took that spell to her grave," he replied after a somber moment of silence.
"Oh, did not know that," Toby muttered in a sheepish tone.
He just nodded, eyes focused on nothing in particular as he stared ahead.
"So, how did she die? And just what the hell happened that pushed you to such a state? Where was Alfred with his shiny new body? Presumably, he is now powerful enough to stop nearly anybody with ease." Toby said, his words picking up heat as he spoke of Alfred in an accusing tone.
So, he began telling Toby of what happened. Of all that had happened ever since he left.
When he told him of the tidbit of Dormammu making a clone of him and using it to nearly kill all of the higher tier powers of the organisation, a dark look flashed over his face and the resulting pressure that he experienced in the split second nearly knocked him out.
He had forgotten just how powerful Toby was and it would seem that his time in his prison had only made him more powerful. His current powerless body would not last a single second against a First Generation Super soldier, let alone to the likes of Toby.
Speaking of his current body.
"How did you save me? And what is this body? I feel no pain but my powers are inaccessible to me. I can feel them being present, just out of reach," he asked Toby.
Toby rubbed the back of his head as he spoke, "Yeah, about that…"
Then he spoke of how he basically cursed him with a rare curse that basically solved all his problems. Then he realised of how the torture feature of the curse had been turned down by Toby.
He would have been happy about the solution only if he knew nothing about Mystic Arts at all.
As it was," The burden must be huge, right?" He questioned Toby about the toll of bearing his soul.
Toby made a so-so gesture with his hands
Sighing, he asked again, "How long until it becomes too much for you, Toby?"
Toby lowered his hands and sighed, "A few weeks, a month tops. Depends on how much of my powers I have to use before they fill up with my regen."
He nodded, thinking of how to solve the issue once and for all.
At Least he had Toby back with his mind back.
Speaking of solutions, "Where's Alfred?"
"Huh?"
Word Count - 1891
If you guys would like to read ahead, you can head onto my P-atreon . It is the same name as my username.
You know you want to, why resist?
I already have up to 15 extra chapters uploaded there.
A/N - Hello everyone! Sorry for the abrupt disappearance but I had a family emergency at home that I had to fly home for. I could not upload or type during that period because I didn't take my laptop with me for the trip.
Happy to say that my family is safe and will make a full recovery. I have come back to my day job now and will try and get back to my schedule ASAP.
Regular updates will begin from Friday.
Thank you for reading!
A/N - So guys, first things first. The reason this chapter is short is due to this(if it doesn't open, just search ALLMIGHT vs NOMU on yt and click the first link. And please watch it subbed. That's the best part).
Today, as usual, I woke up at 5 and began my day. By 7 I was done exercising and sat down to write today's chapter. For unrelated reasons, I was feeling a bit down today so I thought why not go to the handy dandy list I have for when I might need motivation?
So, my dumbass went and opened the first link. It is the ALLMIGHT vs NOMU fight and long story short, I watched a 3-minute video for over 30 minutes.
The fight had no reason to go that hard and it did. Whatever your views might be on MHA or anime in general, just go and watch that fight once and if you didn't feel like it was worth your time, then you don't the backstory because I always, always get goosebumps when I watch that.
So, don't worry, the next chapter will compensate for today's word loss but just go watch that and hopefully, you won't blame me.
Toodles!
Technomancer in MCU #79
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 79
Technomancer in MCU
The Asterisk
-Alfred-
"Stop pacing around, dammit. You are going to make me dizzy. I didn't even think it was possible with all my enhancements." Daisy said as she rolled into the captain's cabin in her new wheelchair, followed by Frank, Eric, and Jake, as if they were little ducklings following their mama.
It would have been hilarious if not for the glaring absence of their one and only leader, Ed.
After exiting Project Ark, they had been lucky enough to just crash land on Mars, practically spitting distance from the Asterisk for someone of their technological level.
But the same could not be said for Ed.
The second he was out of Project Ark, he had checked up on Frank and after finding him to be just unconscious, he immediately dove into the astral realm to begin the search for Ed.
He could see the thread linking him and Ed but it went deep into space.
He had feared the worst when abruptly as if Ed had travelled through a portal, the thread dipped out of his vision completely.
Chills had run down his spine at the thought of some alien civilisation with access to portal technology, getting a hold of Ed. Because as far as he knew, Sorcerers had a hard limit as to how far they can make portals in a single try and Ed was far out of that range.
He also knew that the Ancient One had suspended all off-planet assignments and called everyone back once the resurgence of the threat Dormammu possessed to Earth had been confirmed.
He had been petrified of what that might have signalled only to see that the thread linking him with Ed had changed directions and was now showing him to be on Earth.
That would have been a thing to celebrate.
But there he was, pacing around, almost creating a smoke trail in his path if he was not being careful. The reason being that Ed was untraceable.
Sure, the Astral realm showed that Ed's soul, while in a weird double state, was still on Earth, hale and hearty but as soon as he tried to divine his exact location, the spell, be it made of dimensional energy, Chaos energy, Infinity stone empowered energy, fizzled out, never giving him any concrete answer.
He had a feeling that brute forcing with the help of the Infinity Stone would have helped but the protocols regarding bringing the Mind Stone anywhere close to any kind of Artificial Intelligence were hardcoded in him and he was not about to disobey Ed on that.
Especially since he knew what could happen if it went about in the wrong direction and even more so when it concerned him, someone, already capable of destroying the planet without any help.
"Let him be, Daisy. You know he won't rest until we find Ed and he is just frustrated that for once, all his measures have fallen short." Frank said as he rolled to his usual station, to do the routine checks he did on the agents and their mission roles.
Just then, the sound of the door opening made everybody look at the entrance and the frantic footsteps made everyone sit a little straighter, leaning forward in anxious anticipation.
"Si-Sir, You need to-ah," The clearly new agent yelped and staggered back after he noticed the collective attention of the top management was on him.
Daisy immediately went into her boss mode and waved the terrified agent over who was clutching the tablet as if his life depended on it, "What is it?"
As he heard Daisy sucking in a sharp breath, his curiosity began piquing. He immediately accessed the tablet and all the data on it.
His eyes immediately widened as he opened up a whole bunch of holographic screens in front of them.
Everybody gathered around him as the screens began showing seemingly random events when they were anything but.
One screen showed the scene of Kaecilius's attack on Kamar Taj and the way he and his followers brutally slaughtered anybody who opposed them, including the old librarian who had decided to stay in the compound of Kamar Taj. He fought valiantly but after killing two rogue sorcerers, he was on his last breath when Kaecilius beheaded him. The footage ended with the exit of the rogue sorcerers from Kamar Taj with Kaecilius holding something in one hand and a key wrapped up in ancient paper in the other hand.
The next screen showed the spell the Ancient One used to armour up and leave when the reports for multiple demon sightings came through. The satellite footage showed her going through multiple demon waves across the planet, slaughtering nearly a hundred thousand demons, and eventually arriving at Dracula's castle, where after a lengthy negotiation attempt that Dracula threw aside with an ambush attempt, she killed Dracula and finally destroyed the Age Old Mystic Pact that prevented Ed from deposing the various rulers of Mystical Hotspots around the world. In the footage, as if she could see what was going to happen next, she unraveled the spell which would have saved her and looked up at the satellite as if she knew Alfred was going to watch this later. The exact words she mouthed were, "The rest is up to you."
He felt something hot flow down his eyes as the very next moment, a familiar energy coursed through the very corpse of Dracula as multiple spikes made of Dark Energy skewered the body of the Ancient One, her face frozen in the same stoic expression he knew as the mask she put on for anyone who entered Kamar Taj for the first time.
Almost painfully, he moved his eyes from that very scene to the next scene showing, from a distance, the destruction of the Sun Prison, freeing Toby from his supposedly eternal imprisonment. The satellite could barely follow the blip that escaped the prison in the visible spectrum. Switching to the energy spectrum showed a whole different story. Something with the energy reserves of Thor (which were humongous themselves) was heading straight towards Earth and he had a pretty good idea as to who it was.
"Why are you looking at these, Alfred?" Daisy asked him softly, as if afraid that the mere mention of the Ancient One's death would wilt him.
"Because they don't match," Frank said after a moment of silence.
At everybody's collective looks of confusion, he pointed towards the screen showing someone looking exactly like Toby walking in a Sakura Park in Tokyo, looking very much carefree and relaxed. The person had the same energy signature as the one who escaped from the Sun Prison.
"B-But that doesn't make any sense. This shows that he was in Tokyo when the fight happened and-" Daisy was interrupted by Alfred as he said, "It makes complete sense now."
"The person we fought was a fake." Frank finished Alfred's train of thought.
Alfred nodded, "Yes, and look at the timestamp when he jerked as if he had noticed something and immediately went invisible."
Frank looked towards the timestamps and his eyes widened immediately. He mumbled in realisation, "He realised something had happened."
Alfred nodded, "Yes, he and Ed always shared a special bond. Now, all that remains is tracking where he went from Tokyo and if he has Ed or not."
"Can you do that? Track his last location?" Daisy asked him hurriedly.
Alfred was already parsing the entire database for any and all demonic activities. The search was made infinitely more difficult by the swarm of demonic invasions that had been happening recently so tracking a specific activation of Demonic Energy was proving to be a bit difficult.
Although, by filtering out various parameters, he was able to get six different hits but his eyes lit up as he saw one that was barely a hundred meters from the place Toby was last seen at.
"I'll be back soon," He said and opened a portal with a flex of his will.
"I wish I could come but-" Daisy showed her heavily bandaged arms and said,"-I doubt I'll be any help in this condition."
"I'll come," Frank said as he stood up from the wheelchair despite the vehement protesting beeps the chair made. "I'll be hearing from Maria soon," he mumbled as he flexed his arms and removed the cast from his hands.
Then he looked up at him and said, "What are we waiting for? Let's go before Maria finds us."
Then the comical scene of Frank leaping through the portal as he escaped from the future nagging of his wife, was witnessed by everybody present.
Stifling a chuckle, he flew through the portal, closing it behind him. He made sure that the dressing down that Daisy was undoubtedly going to receive was recorded and shared in 4K.
On the other side of the portal, they came into a forest clearing but something was wrong as the usual sounds of nature were all absent. Even Frank must have felt something was wrong as he had his ability turned ON for display, his rifle in hand ready to blast the first thing that came into view.
He would have disregarded that rifle if he didn't know what it was. It would seem that the previous events had left Frank pretty shaken if he had chosen to take out an Alpha-tier weapon for this excursion. Something that was banned but when had Frank Castle ever let something as pesky as rules stop him?
"What?" Frank said defensively as he saw Alfred eyeing his gun.
"Nothing," Alfred shook his head and opened a portal in front of him through which a long silver shaft gleaming in blue crystals dropped down, sinking down into the land in front of them due to its sheer weight.
"What is it?" Frank said as Alfred crouched near the pillar, configuring it by sending in his CHI in precoded patterns.
" That is the best mystical energy sensor on the planet and probably in many other realms." Alfred said as the pillar began sending out dimensional energy pulses for mapping.
"But not better than Odin, Frigga, or You?" Frank said as he began scoping out the perimeter.
"Sadly, yeah," Alfred confirmed for him. That was an ongoing topic for discussion within the organisation.
That no matter how far they go in terms of technology, they never come close to matching the top natural practitioners of the mystic arts throughout the nine realms.
Specifically, Odin and Frigga always remain at the top of whatever field of mystics they choose to document. It had been a source of frustration for him but now that he had his very own soul, he could finally see the final element as to why his best sensors, which by all means should have been more sensitive than anything alive, were always bested by them.
Being included in the same list as magical juggernauts such as Odin and Frigga did help soothe his ego over as well.
"We got a match," he said as the pillar began beeping and began slowly levitating itself out of the hole in the ground.
They kept following it until it came upon a clearing and bumped into seemingly nothing and began beeping loudly. He narrowed his eyes and after recording the readings, sent the pillar back to the Asterisk.
"What now?" Frank asked as he kept looking around for any possible threat. His paranoia having gone through the roof since the fight with Dormammu.
His reply was a blast of energy that sent the wind blowing with the barrier finally coming into view as it buckled under the pressure of the attack.
He exhaled in relief as he saw traces of a ritual clearly demonic in nature. Soon, the barrier shattered and he immediately floated above the ritual circle, recording it in memory, and began analysing it to replicate it with normal dimensional energy instead of the demonic energy Toby must have used.
He also didn't have willingly given blood to help track down Ed. Something that he will have to rectify at the earliest.
He was about to try and inject his energy into it to help understand it better when it began glowing red on its own.
!!
His eyes widened as he immediately cast his strongest barrier around the circle and stood outside the barrier, casting another spell to shield Frank and himself.
"Get ready. Because someone is coming from the other side. Somebody more powerful than the one we fought earlier." His words only made Frank hold on to his gun tighter.
He had already given the signal for the carriers to converge at this location without delay.
"Backup should be here soon." He said as he cast the same variant of the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak that the Ancient One used on Frank.
"Will it matter?" he heard Frank mumble but he chose to let that question go unanswered since even he was not sure.
At this time, the drop of blood that had been sitting in the center of the ritual had begun floating again and the circle had begun shining brighter and brighter in red colour, giving off the metallic scent of blood.
_
Word Count - 2226
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Technomancer in MCU #80.1
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Please support the official release. Chapter 80.1
Technomancer in MCU
Wakanda
-Ed-
Watching Toby regale him with the tales of his admittedly brief visits to the Grasslands and the Sakura Garden he had always wanted to visit with a complex gaze, he thought of where did he had lost it all.
The desire to look at the simple things of nature and derive joy from them.
They had discussed back in high school to visit the wonders of nature together and maybe even find hidden ones, a fool's dream, sure but it was a dream.
For all these years, he did have the opportunity to visit the wonders of nature.
Hell, he had the opportunity to visit any planet he wanted to, many of them filled with natural wonders beyond the understanding of the regular mind.
And yet..here he was, just slogging away all of his remaining lifespan for Humanity when he himself had nearly forgotten how to enjoy the joys that humanity itself took for granted.
He began chuckling bitterly at the absurdity of it all.
The chuckles soon turned into full blown-out laughter.
"Uh, Ed?" He heard Toby ask him but he was far too gone in the hilarity of the situation to give him attention.
"Sorry, Sorry. Just realised something. That's all." He said while waving off any of Toby's questions.
"Anyway, let's get out, shall we? I am sure everybody must be worried and I can't wait to give Frank the shock of his lifetime."
Toby laughed and stood up, nodding at him.
Soon, a ritual circle was drawn on the ground in front of them and while he did not have access to the minor cybernetic enhancements he had done to his original body, he still tried his best to memorise the circle in front of him.
Because it was evident that even Alfred, with all his mystical attainments, was not able to track him while this seemingly small and simple ritual circle was able to track him halfway across the galaxy. It would seem that Demonic energy did still has its benefits.
Then he realised something. "Did you use the blood I gave you all those years ago?"
"Yeah, obviously. How else did you think I was able to track you immediately and from that far away? It would have been impossible without your willingly given blood. Do you want it back?" Toby asked him back flippantly.
He thought about it but in the end, there was no point in asking it back since he was now sure that Toby was back in his right mindset now. So, he shook his head and replied, "No. It's fine."
Toby nodded and dropped a droplet of his blood in the center of the ritual circle. The circle immediately lit up red in response and began glowing brighter.
As if reaching a crescendo, the circle's brightness began receding back under the drop of blood and then a tear in space opened up in front of them.
The tear didn't look big enough to fit him, Toby, and his makeshift life support suit to go through but before he could voice his concerns, Toby simply went to the portal and somehow… expanded it using his bare hands.
His eyes widened in their sockets out of astonishment as Toby waved his hand and his new body, along with his suit flew out of the cave and into a small clearing.
Dusting off his shoulders, he stood up, only to pause as he saw Alfred along with Frank pointing Guns and in the case of Alfred, a huge magical circle which had hundreds of different magical circles that crackled with different elements behind him.
He slowly raised his hands in surrender as Toby exited the portal, making things even worse as he could hear the low whine of the alpha cannon being charged up by Frank.
"Um, Hello?" he said while waving his hand awkwardly.
Toby shoved him aside and just waved his hand, the result of which left him extremely embarrassed.
The wave of demonic energy tore apart the barrier around the ritual circle, went on to destroy the magical attack Alfred sent their way and after doing all of that, still had enough energy left in it to crumble the barriers Alfred had activated on instinct, giving Alfred just enough time to get out of the blast zone.
He winced as a thunderous boom sounded in the distance, along with the sound of people and wildlife panicking.
He deadpanned at Toby. "Well done, smartass."
He sighed, cupped his hands in front of his mouth, and shouted," Alfred, it's me. Scan me with your shiny new sensors. We need to get out of here. A lot of things have changed and we have to address them."
Alfred, along with Frank, slowly and hesitantly floated down to the ground near them.
"This is weird. What is happening to you? I am seeing two identical soul readings from you and the body in the coffin behind you." Alfred said as he scanned their entire surroundings.
"Oh, that is something Toby did to help prolong my life. Now, can we please go to the Asterisk? You have a lot of work to do and I have things to do as well." Ed said.
Just then, Toby perked up and turned towards Ed, "We have company."
"Huh?" Ed looked at him perplexed then facepalmed as he saw Alfred wincing, "Alfred, please tell me you did not just do something extremely stupid?"
"Eh, I just ordered them to go back, if that helps?"
His only response was an explosive sigh.
"Look, you guys clearly have a lot of work to do. The spell will work as long as I supply it with energy. I'll see you at the Asterisk soon." Toby said and without waiting for any of their replies, waved his hands and exited through a fiery red portal.
Though, the dark energy that wafted out of the portal for the few seconds that it was open, gave them a pretty solid guess as to where Toby was headed.
"Did he just?" Frank asked in shocked awe.
"Yes, yes he did just do that. The motherfucker just went to the Dark Realm." Alfred cursed out loud.
Finally, he had the chance to do something he had been looking forward to for years.
"Language!"
Ah, good times.
Dark Realm
-Dormammu-
He had been called the Dark Overlord by generations of Sorcerer Supremes and feared by nearly all of them since the time of Agamotto himself.
If not for that accursed man, he would have long since devoured Earth or at least shared it with multiple demon outer gods but no, that mortal had to go and turn Earth into the biggest magical fortress the Universe ever knew.
Even then, it was fine for him.
He was an immortal being. Time was meaningless to him.
A little bit more time was not going to make him budge but then came the single most infuriating human he had ever come across, even more so than Agamotto.
Agamotto he knew how to deal with, he left Earth alone in his presence and Agamotto never came knocking on his doorstep but the Ancient One..
He had to hand it to her.
When one of his more powerful experiments had killed her predecessor right in front of her, he had done so with the complete knowledge that there was no one aside from the Ancient One who had the right to assume the position of the Sorcerer Supreme. He was also aware of her attachment to her teacher who had rescued her when she was but a mere mortal babe.
He had hoped that crippling her emotionally would be the final nail in the coffin for the organisation that had spawned from Agamotto's little triplet of disciples but she turned out to be tougher than he could imagine.
She took command of the organisation and made sure that the barrier was fortified along with taking help from unconventional allies to help safeguard the planet, even going as far as to take the help of the Shamans of the old forgotten Gods of Africa. For decades, she purged any demon on Earth with extreme prejudice and left no backdoors for any entity to abuse.
He had written her off and resigned himself to wait out her mortal lifespan to try again.
Only, that time never came. The accursed woman refused to die.
Sacrificing her true name to one of the Endless, she gained power comparable to that of Agamotto himself when he was a mortal powered by nothing but dimensional energies and the Time Stone.
Then, came the true attacks.
Time and time again, she attacked and tested him. Created intentional openings for him in the barrier surrounding the planet and decimating all his forces.
Using him as a means of destroying rogue elements on the planet that she herself couldn't be bothered to take care of and then swooping down and saving the day.
That's what he hated the most about that woman.
The sheer arrogance she held.
To use the Dark Overlord, one of the strongest beings in the multiverse, as a mere instrument to kill off her enemies.
Then one day, frustrated beyond belief that she was once again, triumphing over all of his experiments, he chose to lure her out of the universe into one of the many small alternate dimensions that found their openings to be on Earth for some reason. He did so with the hope that at least he would be able to force her to use the Infinity Stone and reduce her mortal lifespan, as he was nearing the end of the average lifespan for a Sorcerer Supreme anyway.
He should have been more suspicious of the fact that he was successful in luring her away but alas.
He was far too happy with the result to notice that it was not her who was walking into a trap, it was him who was doing so, quite happily he might add.
The laws surrounding the manifestation of Outer dimensional entities were quite lax when it came to alternate dimensions so from the get-go, he manifested his strength to the limit and that was when he realises, as his senses which would normally not be available to a normal avatar were now present to him. He sensed the underlying ritual circle in the alternate dimension and soon realised that the Ancient One had used the Time Stone to pre-draw it in this dimension before he could even lure her in.
Before he could do anything further though, the option was taken out of his hands as the Ancient One placed a very old, very rough-looking but glowing ominously book in the center of the ritual where the outline of a certain Old God was present.
He hadn't even realised it then but his avatar's body which he had been possessing and subsequently, had a direct connection to, was bound by the very laws of the dimension, laws that had suddenly become quite strict when it came to movement of avatars of outer dimensional entities.
The blackened fingers of the Ancient One and the smell of chaos wafting off the Book had given him a pretty solid idea as to what the book actually was.
The Darkhold.
He had been incredibly confused back then since the previous Sorcerer Supreme, the one person the Ancient One swore by, was incredibly rigid when it came to laws, and tinkering with Chaos energy, in general, was forbidden by Kamar Taj, let alone directly using the Darkhold, the one opening through which C̵̢̨̛͔̩͚̗̦̮̩̤̔̾͐͛h̸̯̤͇̪̄̑̃͒͋̃̇͠t̶̡̯̤̾͗̆h̷̜̝̯͗̀̄͂ö̷̱̭́̈́̄̒ņ̶̛̘͚͚͓̦̲̯̲̘̇̌̋̊̿̆̈́͛͠ directly expanded his influence in the mortal plane.
Sitting cross-legged in front of the Darkhold, with the Eye of Agamotto constantly circulating some sort of energy around the Ancient One, she began chanting an old spell of some sort. Something which he had not heard, even throughout his long life.
Word Count - 2005
To be Continued…
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