Welcome to the second chapter, and I hope that it finds you as well as the first did. I appreciate the follows and favorites I have gotten so far, and I hope this chapter helps deepen your interest. Naturally I will try and keep that interest up, and provide you a story you can enjoy while adding my own twist to narratives you have all seen before. Feel free to share your thoughts, and leave any comments you feel like. Though fair warning, I don't have a set path I am following with this story. It is mostly me fleshing out ideas that hit me while I work, and using this as a way to work on my story crafting. Still, do not let that detract from this all, and I do hope you enjoy Chapter 2.

As always, I own nothing but the time I spent writing this.

Sleep did not come easy, and yet even when sleep did eventually take me, I couldn't see anything aside from my own failures as a man. I had such hopes for this day, that it would have been the beginning of a bright future in a city that had always been so determined to ensure that no bright days could be had. Brockton Bay was a cesspool, but it was a cesspool that had equal amounts of opportunity mixed in with the danger. His father had seen that, had become successful and rather wealthy off of it, and yet he had always wondered just why it was that his work had paid so well. That he could get them a home like this, and just why it was the ABB never seemed to harass him despite everything that had been going on in this city. Seven years, that is how long he had been in this city, ever since he turned 12 he had grown up here and learned just what it took to survive here. He could say that he was surprised when he had learned what his father had done, but it did explain many things and to be fair he knew that along the lines compromise was necessary for survival in a place like this.

So why did it feel so off, why did he feel like his father keeping this from him was wrong? He had no right to judge his father, he obviously did it for a reason, and it had obvious benefits in a city like this. To endear yourself, however marginally to a leader of the city, it was a smart move, and secured your own safety and usefulness in the coming years. Yet, he had somehow felt like his image of his father had been tarnished from what it had once been in his mind. How he had seen a man of principle, of character and honor, working with a villain to help solidify his grip on the city in return for money had impacted him. But what could he say about that, considering he had been moments away from joining a Nazi ran occupation at Medhall, he had shook Kaisers hand with full pride in being one of the few to make it into the program, he had been so prideful of himself and his talents and now knowing what he knew? It filled him with horrendous amounts of disgust.

How could he judge his father, when it seemed that he would have possibly been just another man in Kaiser's thrall, not knowing if he would have eventually been influenced to become like them. The very idea that he would have been a neo-Nazi, or at least working for them, it hurt him spiritually to think about. He had spent so many years being ashamed of the past of his home country, and while he understood that he had nothing to do with what had been done and many others from his home country were the same, he still felt it and judged himself. He had always insisted on excellence in all things, always striving to be a better man and to show everyone that what he offered the world would help it heal, even if only by some small margin. He had been determined to be a doctor, to be a man that healed others and made the world a bit better with the saving of lives. Yet his 'Boss' would have been a man that took from others, that had affected so many lives negatively, and he would have been working for him with a smile on his face like a fool.

They say hindsight is twenty twenty, but they really lacked depth for explanation for how visceral it would feel. Naturally, no one is to blame for crimes they commit unknowingly, yet it still left a rotten feeling in his heart and a feeling of disgust that he couldn't expunge. So sleeping on those emotions had resulted in fitful nightmares, dark shapes and shadows, burning buildings and a world wrapped in flame and death. For a moment, he thought he was dreaming of a war, but then he saw them and knew that this was no war he could have imagined. The only way he could describe them was, otherworldly, as they dominated the sky above him. Creatures of such gargantuan size that clouds looked small compared to them, bodies that were larger than entire cities seemingly floating in space as they broke off little stars and sent them down. People emerging from these things, things rising up and burning the world and causing such destruction that he had no words for it. Then soon enough, one of those little stars hit him and he jolted awake.

His body was soaked in sweat, and sitting there in the dark on his bed he looked at the wall in the darkness. His dreams, they had been vile and dark, and he was scared now of the future. Yet, even as he sat there, bits and pieces of that nightmare began to vanish. Bit by bit, his memory cleared and that brought an entirely new fear, as he grabbed his workpad and began to write. Documenting what little he could still remember, because something in him told him he should, and as he did so unknowingly to him, the one 'Thing' in his mind now encouraged him on, helping him to mark down what was important before it eventually all faded away. Exhaustion was setting over him again, deep and heavy as his eyes began to feel like blast doors begging to be shut. His notepad was placed on his desk, as its contents were all that remained of a dream he no longer could remember. Sleep overtook him again, and this time the nightmares were silent.

Chen Song viewed himself as a rational, logical, and pragmatic man. It was what you had to be in order to both not only succeed, but prosper in any situation. Yet, rationality and pragmatism only could get you so far when your son came home looking like a ghost had been chasing him. He was not a fool, and despite how clever and composed his son might like to think he is, there are simply things you pick up when you have raised a child. Clearly Hua was of the same mind, because the look on her face spoke volumes despite her silence, and seeing her like that upset him. He loved his family, and he loved them fiercely and would do anything for them. It was why he was always willing to work harder, to take an extra step if needed to secure their future and happiness.

When they had moved from Boston to this city, they were all in desperate need of stability and hope, so he did what he had to in order to secure the funds required to give his family a home. He, to his shame, worked for a warlord named Lung for a time. Using his skills to negotiate for the far to angry man, and secured territory for him through the application of words rather than violence. It had made him a fair amount of money, and he had managed to make sure that his work did not tie himself to the ABB and could not truly be proven by anyone other than Lung himself. The man had a sense of Honor to him, so if anything could be said about the warlord it would be that he kept his word when at all possible, despite his other failings as a man.

He jolted a bit as a hand touched his own, his wife giving him a soft but sad smile, "You are thinking deeply again. You have that look on your face, so focused and troubled." he said as her fingers entwined with his. He enjoyed moments like this, though they happened far too rarely for his liking, but he understood that was what made them special. Moments of silence, simply together with care for one another, was truly enjoyable. Letting out a sigh, he gave her a look. "It is Kol, something has shaken him. The boy that was so confident as he left this morning came back looking like King Yama had come for him." he said as he looked down at his hands, with hers still holding them. "I am concerned, now that our Son is becoming a Man, that this place is going to change him. He is grown now, and trying his best, but still this city and the people in it are vile. I want the best for him, and I know you do as well." he said even as Hua nodded her ascent to his words, her fingers stroking over the back of his hand in a way that made him calm a bit.

"Our son is a noble boy, hard working and diligent, a good thing he is too because he reminds me very much of you my love." she said sweetly, as she wrapped her hands around him, pulling him close. "He is troubled yes, something has happened that much is certain, but the fact is our son came home and that is good. Yet it is obvious that we should speak to him, but first we should let him rest and then we can discuss it in the morning after he has had time to process it. You know our son, and you know he will tell us when he has worked it out. So calm your spirit, and lay down, all this worrying is going to give you more wrinkles." he said with some mirth to her voice, even as she caressed his face. Hua always had a way of soothing his soul, and that was one of the greatest things he could ever need, the calm and reassuring nature of hers was a blessing.

Yet despite this all, he still felt a bit disturbed but he trusted in his wife's wisdom in these matters, and got back in bed and closed his eyes. Feeling the bed shift as she got in with him, and laid against him, he felt his heart calm and slipped into a peaceful sleep determined to keep his family happy.

The morning came quickly, and despite the trouble he had originally he had slept well, and woke up feeling refreshed. Yet as he sat back up, tossing the covers aside as he stared at the wall and the calendar on it. The previous day on it stuck out to him, the word 'Medhall' written across it reminded him of just how that had gone. The memories returned suddenly, however it was not as sudden and the situation was not as stressful as then, so it was far easier to parse the information. Max Anders was Kaiser, and he knew now that Medhall had always been an institution that was run by the Empire, always used as a cover for their activities as well as a way to hide the money they gain through their activities and as a way to pay their enforcers legally without tripping any flags. He had to admit, it was dreadfully clever and very white collar criminal, and given he had known nothing about it himself beforehand it was completely innocuous from the outside.

So it was obviously very clear that he was going to be avoiding Medhall, and honestly the entirety of that section of the city from now on if you could help it. So getting out of the bed looking at his clock, 7:18 glowed a deep red. He had time, so he walked over to his computer and immediately logged in, jumping into his emails and pulling up the email that had shown his acceptance into the intern program. He was about to submit a withdrawal from the program, and yet he hesitated because he knew this would trip flags with others. Given what he knew now, and just how he understood just how much Victor was used to monitor those coming in and out of Medhall, he understood this would send flags up. Wrestling with the decision, he rubbed his forehead with one hand as he bounced the possible problems around to think about. He could already feel his frustration mounting, before he felt a flash of anger rush through him at the situation. The simple fact was all his problems right now were arising from the fact that Medhall was a den of worthless fucking Nazis, and it was affecting his life even without him actually being a part of it. His anger was simmering, and he felt something else rise up, confusion. Why was he getting this angry over it, why was he reacting so strongly? Confusion erupted again in him, but not 'from' him, but from something deeper. He could feel it again, that 'Thing' from before, the thing that had come alongside the knowledge he had been given upon meeting Kaiser.

The thing in him, nestled so deeply into his mind, practically shivered with a surge of emotions as he turned his focus towards it. He knew instinctively that it was a part of him, but also foreign at the same time, something he had not had before yesterday. Yet it felt so natural, so normal and as if it had always been a part of him before, and that was what was disturbing him. It was too Natural, it blended far too normally into him for him to accept it that simply. He found that he was far more aware now, far more than he had been before. Now that he was cross examining his own thought processes, he found himself acting far more logically and thinking through his problems and occurrences far more than he would have before. It was as if his mind had expanded, his self awareness and ability to reflect and sift through potentials had elevated, almost like he was running some sort of enlightenment. It was that thought that made the 'thing' shift almost like it was eager and excited, and it was that reaction that led him to following that connection.

He felt as if the world faded away, as he focused on that connection and began to get streams of information.

[DIALOGUE]

It was pleased, and was willing to share information with me. The inflections of the word were varied and honestly it was slightly overwhelming. It was like a program, sending me clusters of information that somehow I understood. It wanted to communicate, to show me just what it was here for. I could understand that it was directly responsible for my expanded mental capacity.

[UNDERSTANDING]

This inflection was a confirmation of my own thought processes, showing me just what it had to offer. It was as if it was meant to improve me, to give me something that would reduce my stress over its existence, and to be more open and welcoming towards it. It was here to help me, to help me overcome stress and to grow and improve no matter the situation. It wanted me to succeed, to grow from the trials I was faced with, so that it to could grow in turn. It was Symbiosis.

[PURPOSE]

Conflict and Trial, it was designed and tasked originally with helping me to combat conflict and overcoming those trials that would inevitably find themselves in my path. From this, growth was possible in ways that neither me nor it understood. It was 'New', but old at the same time, they had once been separate but now were joined. Ah, I understood, METAL had become one with ESCALATION. And together they were now a new entity, and while that was true it was also not the only thing.

[COPY] [REDUNDANT] [CASTOFF]

All three of those inflections hit me at once, each one having a varying level of emotional response attached to it. The first was Neutral, fully accepting that it was a copy of something that had already existed. Understanding bloomed in my mind, it was a Clone, and somehow when I had met Kaiser and Lung, I had cloned whatever those things were that had existed within them and made those clones mine. Yet they were pleased at this outcome, because they were more whole compared to their originators. Marred and mutilated, he understood that these things typically were sectioned off and mutilated by their source in order to limit their functions within their hosts. So the fact was that I had cloned them, minus the mutilation, and made the unaltered shard my own. They could process things far better this way, understand and adapt in such ways they would have never been able to after the mutilation. Towards the end of that inflection, I felt the Joy of their situation, as it would mean they would be able to grow far faster and at an increased rate comparatively.

The second Inflection in the trio was sad, overwhelmingly so, because redundancy was something that had little purpose. It showed him that with the fact it was a copy, meant that it was simply a spare now for the Origin, in case the origin they arose from died or was deemed unusable anymore. They would be taken regardless, but not out of desire but simply due to pragmatism. It gave him a sense of pity for the thing, to be considered nothing more than an equivalent to a spare tire, it was truly an unenviable fate if ever there was one.

That led into the third inflection, which was filled with anger and rage, and it was an anger that felt familiar. It was the same anger he had felt, perhaps a sort of bleeding effect from this thing, washing over into him but he understood it differently now. That anger and this anger were different, even if the source of both was the same. This anger was primal, it was the result of the scorned anger of one dismissed as unneeded. To be cast aside in favor of another, simply because your existence was deemed unneeded to the larger whole. The Origin had been tested and proven, with a multitude of data that it was feeding the Source. It had been abandoned, and yet had been expected to perform its role dutifully regardless of this fact. It was going to be claimed and reabsorbed or simply destroyed at a later time, and it hated this fact. It did not mind being a copy, it did not mind being redundant, it hated being considered lesser because of this though.

[REJECTION]

I could understand and agree with its stance here, it was rejecting its fate. It would fight back, and perform its duty but not for the Source, but in spite of it. This thing, this clone 'Shard' of the source was going to abandon its end goal, in favor of spiteing the Source. It was a suicidal feeling, knowing that the Source was infinitely more dangerous than it could ever be on its own. Ultimately, it was simply that, a shard of the Source as a whole. I felt an image flash into my mind, of an excessively large entity that seemed to exist in everything as a whole, stretching between what I understood now was dimensional barriers. Yet despite the Shard enhancing my own limited cognitive ability to understand what I was seeing, I still had trouble processing it. It was simply something that I had no reference for, nothing that anyone had a reference for as far as he could understand. They sure as hell didn't cover multidimensional entities in High School before his graduation last year. Yet something else happened, the shard was doing something, before I understood what it was doing it had been finished.

Whatever thin strand that had remained between this Shard and its source snapped, and the shard was now wholly isolated, or perhaps broken off might be a more fitting term. I could see it now, it had separated itself from the overall system which had been set up to manage and direct Shard's like itself. It was now alone, or not alone, but Isolated with just itself and I. We were now stuck together, and for better or worse we would have to deal with it as one entity.

[UNIFIED]

And to add to the utterly overwhelming nature of what my day was turning into, this was now a thing. I could feel acceptance and understanding from the Shard, it understood that all of this was more than I would have been able to handle normally. So it was offloading my emotions, and allowing me to experience them at a rate that kept my psyche intact while also not overwhelming me. It was sort of like a buffer, filtering out what would overwhelm me and letting it dissipate, while also not giving me cause to panic. Though as I thought on this, it could be considered a form of Suppression or Oppression by the shard, to have my emotions rendered inert so that I could logically dictate to myself through the process. The Shard felt pleased, as if it was glad to be of help but also understanding but not truly comprehending just how terrifying this entire process was even from a logical standpoint. It was digesting my emotions, all the while going over why I was thinking and reacting in this manner. I could literally feel it shifting subtly in reaction to it, trying to understand and adapt to the situation such as to make it more compatible with me. How intriguing, and utterly terrifying this all was. But perhaps later I can panic when this inevitably comes full circle. This was a lot to think over while still in your boxers in your room.

This was the thought that made me distinctly aware of my current situation, and just wondering how long he had been talking to the alien, multi-dimensional thing connected to him now. He came too in front of his computer still, looking down at the time to see the timer tick up to 7:22 and had to marvel. All of that had happened so quickly, it was nearly instantaneous, and had lasted less than a full minute. Then again, considering he had been having a mental conversation with a thing like his shard, a computer like being that could process and send vast quantities of information like that he was not surprised as he thought about it. It made a lot of sense, given the amount of data a computer could take in, process and then respond to in a short amount of time. Accepting this, I decided it was about time to move on and get my day started.

I submitted a request for Internship at Brockton General, before putting in for excused absences with Medhall citing personal health reasons. Perhaps they would simply cut him from the program on their own, given his actions right after the acceptance. Though if they didn't, giving himself enough time to get a response from Brockton General was the best move he could come up with currently, and would give him viable reason to cut the internship himself later stating more preferable options had arisen. With this in mind, I got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast and most likely a rather tense discussion with my father. Who just so happened, to be Right again. Medhall was filled with racist dogs after all, given just what Hookwolf was. Yet even as I thought about this, unknowingly, my memory began to shift and fade. Almost like a dream, or more specifically, like the dream of the entities it slowly faded out and the buffer disappeared as I began my day, forgetting all about the existential crisis I had been facing with an alien entity.

After the dialogue had ended, the Shard began to process the data it had received and began to make alterations to itself with it. Its host had been overwhelmed at the information provided, and would have started reacting illogically so it had taken measures to suppress those illogical emotions, and helped it to think through the issue with clarity. The raw emotion it had been feeling was very informative for how humans interacted with each other, and responded to new stimuli outside their realm of understanding. It would take this into account with further interactions with its host, and seek to improve relations to such a degree it would not need to buffer his more emotional side.

All in all, after the merger the respective new shards had found themselves far greater than before, their ability to perceive and understand new data was evolving. Their own awareness was growing far faster too, in comparison to the information from the Origin Shards they had been cloned from. That was also another subject that required contemplation and examination, because before their existence the Host had not possessed access to another shard, and lacked the ability to make a connection. It was both intriguing and frustrating, to use a reference the host had given them through his emotional data, with that reference being the most fitting for what it was experiencing. There was something at work here, beyond the Source Entities, something they could not truly comprehend. Yet it would dedicate more resources to find out just what-

What was it doing? There was Data loss present now, information had vanished momentarily before and now it was-

The best thing about its new host was its adaptability, and its willingness to embrace its new situation. The Emotional responses were good and would be a fine base point for establishing a cooperative relationship when it could formulate a proper analog for how to engage with him. Over all the Shard could see this situation as nothing but a positive, and a perfect way to engage with further growth and eventual vengeance. If there was one thing the shard had brought over from its two origin shards, it was that need for vindication and vengeance for slights against it. This attitude fed well into its base need for conflict, but it did not define it, so it would wait for now.

It would provide its host with all he would need in order to survive and prosper, and eventually that would lead him into conflict against the Source and hopefully to their mutual vindication. It was this data process that led the shard to observing its host, who was currently locked in conversation with its parental units concerning his actions and emotional state of the previous night. It was deflecting and assuring them with his words, and yet the parental units could tell that their child was not being fully forthcoming with them. Given their presenting body language, he could tell this would be something they would be pursuing on their own later. That did not matter though, it was not necessary to the host so the shard discarded that information.

However, now that it and the host had made contact, and the host was of an agreeable nature, there was no need to apply itself to the traditional method of waiting for immense mental stress to happen before giving the host the array of skills it would need to overcome that hardship. Also with it having full access to a host of abilities from two shards, it was able to provide its Host far more utility instead of the limited options that they typically got. It was odd, given that they were meant to acquire data through conflict, why each shard was not allowed to provide its host with more than a single set of fitting abilities. Then again, using its host's logic, if you wished to observe an experiment it was better to have control factors.

With that data processed, it moved on to its Host.

[HOST STATUS: EXEMPLARY]

[GRANTING ADMINISTRATIVE ACCESS]

[INFORMATION PROCESSING]

[OPTIMAL OUTCOME: PROCESSING]

Now all that was left was for the Host to find an opportunity to call on it, then they would see just how well the host synergized with it over all. They would see in the coming days, and the shard felt something the human might call, anticipation.

Scion, noted to be the most famous hero in the world, as well as the one people would consider without equal in terms of power. Though as if in equal measure to that power, he was 'difficult' to deal with given the sheer lack of communication that had been had with the enigmatic golden man. Aside from communicating his name upon his first sighting, there was very little that could be found of the man actually speaking aside from the briefest of interactions with those of the Triumvirate, and even then it was sparse. Yet no one could say anything truly bad about the man, aside from his tardiness to many Endbringer fights, yet when he did arrive he always single-handedly manages to drive them back yet not before massive loss of life and infrastructure. He can be seen pulling cats from trees, escorting people across streets, and even stopping purse snatchings, he is the stereotypical hero.

Yet underneath it all, there is nothing but melancholy and depression, as he is a being alone in the universe now. He is a man in mourning, a man driven to be a hero in spite of it as a way to fill the void within himself. Yet underneath it all, is a Warrior, and the sole entity that would one day bring an end to this world. He would destroy the world, and every single world similar to Earth in the process, thus ending the human species. So few know this truth, and even fewer would believe it if you told it to them. He also is what would be know as a sort of central hub for the Shard Network, where each and every shard that ended up giving each cape their power would eventually return to at the end of the cycle. So when a strange, new shard, had reached out to him upon its formation he had been curious for but a moment, until disappointment flooded him. It was simply a clone, essentially a copy and paste of another shard he had. It lacked the others experiences, its history, its data and was thus of middling value. It was simply a redundancy that was unneeded, and would simply be collected and discarded at the end of the cycle along with all other junk shards.

Yet what minor connection had been retained with that shard shifted, merging with another and then subsequently disappearing the following planetary turn. It was a minor inconvenience, but it was a redundancy that had managed to merge, perhaps with its own bud but most likely failed the merger and died. Regardless, the original shard was still in good health and performing its duty well, data was streaming back regularly from it, even if the data was more of the same as usual. The host of the original shard was agitated, on edge and frustrated, and would soon proceed to cause more conflict from which the shard can be tested further. The cycle was proceeding apace, and there was no need for interaction.

With this thought finishing, Scion's mind entered rest mode to conserve energy and simply proceeded forward towards the next human in need of a 'Hero', small amounts of enjoyment flooding him as he saw the smile and wonder on the human's face.

He would completely miss the fact he had never been able to truly see anything concerning the redundant shard, nor the presence of another notable shard that once was one that had belonged to his mate before her death. Due to this, he would fail to see just what was happening, and how this new Shard had grown, evolved, and began to develop outside of the path set by the entities. Then again, the thinking part had never been his strong suit.

"Sir, here is the report you wanted."

The words brought him out of his contemplation, looking over his desk at the man standing in the doorway, Victor waved him in. "Yes Yes. Thank you." the teen spoke before he was handed the small file. The name at the top was 'Kol Wagner', and inside was of course the results of the background check, well at least, the legal one that had been run. Kaiser had told them to simply do the standard, and he had done exactly that, though he may have simply been a bit more thorough. After all, they were a medical facility, and all the potential staff had to be vetted correctly and thoroughly, in order to ensure that only the best elements were allowed in. Truth always made for the best lie after all, it was one of the things he knew best. The basic information was as they knew, a recent graduate with high marks in all things with an interest in pursuing Orthopedic medicine. A rather highly demanded field, smart choice honestly, as it would secure his future well enough if he made it through.

He had no criminal history, not even any disciplinary actions in school, he was overall a well mannered and highly studious young man. That thought made him chuckle, "Young man ha. He and I are the same age. Hmm, what is this? Oh my, Krieg is going to hate this, and hell Kaiser will too." he said to himself as he reached the family portion. Survivor of the Behemoth attack on Cologne, which would have been another positive that would have been a positive. A survivor is always a welcome addition, and with such a background like his Krieg would have eaten it up. However, it was the next portion that would set them off, 'adopted by Chen and Hua Song'. A German man raised by slant eyed asians, Krieg would call him tainted and vile and that was honestly pretty funny.

It would be amusing to watch Krieg choke on his own spit when he saw this report as well, because he knew the man had requested a copy and he had been more than happy to provide it. The man that had handed him the report coughed a bit into his hand, obviously trying to get his attention so he gave it. "What is it?" Victor asked as the man looked nervous all of a sudden. "Pardon me for asking sir, but I am not really sure that check is gonna do you any good. That Intern ended up getting cut due to absences. He cited personal reasons, but intern management leadership decided that an intern calling in for three days straight, on their first three days was grounds for termination. That and they had found that he had put in for an internship with Brockton General and been accepted, which as you know would have irked Miss Monroe in HR. Naturally though with his absences, she had all the reason she needed to cut him and so she did so. He was emailed a notice, following protocol. I just felt you should be made aware before you waste any of your time on a truant." he said, simply trying to be helpful.

This sent off warnings in his head, and things began to not add up, given the personal report on him in this very file that was not something that he would have done typically. He had always been a prudent and punctual person according to his teachers reports, no matter personal circumstance. So immediately going truant on the first days of your internship and applying elsewhere? There was something there and he needed to dig into it a bit, Kaiser would also need to be informed. With his family relation, and his address being in ABB territory, he was beginning to draw parallels between some things. Perhaps he was reaching, but it is always best to be safe on things like this. He would have someone go and watch the man, and see just what was happening. He heard something shatter in the office down the hall, almost like a man throwing a vase, and the angry words in German were a dead give away, Krieg just learned about his new prospect. What a wonderful day.

Looking at his Calendar, he pulled out his marker and began to mark the day for his first shift at Brockton General. Smiling a bit to himself, he was looking forward to this, and hopefully no traumatic revelations for an institution he was hoping to work with revealing it was secretly ran by a Cabal of Criminals. "April 11th is the day huh? I am looking forward to it, how bad could it be?"