Revamped!

[Please stick around to read my final authors' note]. [2020: Can't wait!]


Chapter 33: Technical Difficulties

International Academy of Science - Munich, Germany - 9:32 AM

In a university lecture hall, Daniel stands in front of an enormous crowd of students not that much younger than him. They're looking at him and listening to what he says attentively. From what they've heard, most if not everything Daniel Banner says is the equivalent of liquid gold. Daniel denies that but it's been like that for him since his days at The Academy.

"Open your eyes, everyone," Daniel says to his audience. "The future is right before us because we are the future. And if I may share my opinion, the future looks like hell on Earth."

The students are taken aback by those words, not expecting that statement. Daniel grins to himself as they all murmur their surprise to one another.

"That is only if we continue to be blinded by the growing technology that will one day be in our worship," Daniel continues. "Humanity needs a method to control this addiction by using solutions to solve the problem and not cause more. If we can put down our devices long enough to see what's happening in the world with our own eyes, we'd have the advantage in the upcoming battle."

-o-

PNG Quinjet - 18:41 PM

James sits on the couch with his eyes currently glued to a tablet's screen, his ears have AirPods in them. Merida walks into the open kitchen and looks at James as she opens a bottle of water. She takes the plastic cap from the bottle and places it on the countertop. Merida squints one eye and focuses it on James. She flicks the cap with her finger, expecting it to hit him but James blasts it without looking.

"You'd better be doing your work since you also have to do Daniel's," Merida says, making her way over to him.

James pulls out his headphones. "I'll have you know that I finished mine and am currently working on Daniel's."

Merida narrows her eyes in disbelief. James doesn't even do his own work let alone someone else's. She reaches over for the tablet and reads what James is working on that's supposedly Daniel's work. Merida sees an article and assumes that it's a scientific journal of some kind, but as she scrolls through, he sees a picture of Emily Stark on the front page and that this article is from a gossip site. Merida stares at James. She knew it.

"What?" James questions innocently. "Keeping tabs on Emily is Daniel's number one priority. I'll have you know that she's back in New York after doing business things in Prague so our engaged couple will be moving in together soon."

The tablet vibrates as an emergency alert pops up. Merida calls the rest of the team who are on board as James transfers the alert to a hologram so they could all view it at once without cowering over a tablet. He opens the hologram just as Angela and Xavier come rushing in.

"It's a video from two hours ago," James says as he plays it.

The video starts in a dark and empty laboratory that has a spotlighted vault in the centre. A scientist places a time bomb on the lock and runs off. Once the timer hits zero, the bomb blows and the doors of the vault open. When the smoke clears, a creature slithers out. It's larger than any person being a computerized machine in the form of a parasitic worm. Its multiple legs stretch out up to several metres and have an unspeakable super strength. When its mouth opens, its red eyes glow brightly as tentacles shoot out.

"Meet Technovore," an ominous voice says, "our first nanotech AI created to store and steal data. In order to test how successful our creation is, we decided to deploy it on the current paradise for all things technology…"

The video cuts to a current view of Stark Towers.

"All in two hours…"

End of video.

The team is silent after viewing that.

"That video was released two hours ago and they said they would attack in two hours," Angela says, piecing the information together. "Stark Towers is under attack as we speak."

"But how are we sure that this video isn't some distraction?" Xavier asks.

This video may be just some type of propaganda to get the team to one area while the makers of this video are planning an attack somewhere else. Making it look like Stark Towers is under attack would send the team over undoubtedly since they do have an emotional connection with that place for multiple reasons. They would speed over to Emily in a heartbeat.

Merida attempts to contact Stark Towers but there is no response. There isn't even any type of indication that nobody is there to answer. It's blank. No dialtone. No voicemail. Nothing.

"Do we get Daniel?" James asks.

"There's no time," Xavier says, getting into action. "He's in Munich and we have to be in New York ASAP. Daniel would want us to do the same. What's our ETA?"

"At top speed, 45 minutes," Merida replies before running off to the pilot's controls.

Angela rewatches the video as the quinjet takes a sharp turn. Everyone trips a little on their feet as the quinjet speeds up. Angela notices a certain aspect of the video that needs more analysis.

"This creature, this Technovore, looks as if it's been a completed project for a long time," Angela says, looking at an image of Technovore in the video. "Besides that, why add a two-hour delay on an attack that could've happened a while ago?"

James suddenly glances at his tablet and picks it up. He goes back to what he was looking at before the alert popped up. It's the article about Emily Stark he was reading. He skims through it looking for something specifically. The publication date. James puts the pieces together and it all makes sense.

"Emily landed in New York about three hours ago," James says. "Knowing Emily, she would've gotten home about two hours maybe two and a half hours ago?"

"That, unfortunately, makes sense," Angela adds. "If Tony's technology is the primary target, these people could use Emily as some sort of ransom or hostage to get him to concede everything, especially if Pepper is there as well which she probably is."

Xavier sighs, looking out the window as the clouds zip past them. "For once in her life, Emily had better know what the hell she's doing."

Angela folds her hands together as she brings them to her mouth, quickly muttering a prayer for Emily's sake. James just stands there smugly, trying to hold back an insensitive laugh that inevitably escapes his mouth. The Rogers twins give him the most judgmental look.

"I'm sorry," James says, "but Emily is so going to die."


[James is me as a friend.

IF YOU ALL WANT, I can publish Emily's first chapter later in the day. I mean, I'm probably going to but let me know and I'll do it]. [2020: Me doing these revamp chapters].