Something Awesome Beam (Worm - FGO Reincarnation Chapter 6)

"She's sleeping peacefully." Edina said, joining Michael on the couch in the living room.

"You sure you didn't hug her too hard?" Michael asked he brought his arm up, and Edina took it, placing it around her shoulders as she sat down, leaning into her husband, resting her head on his shoulder.

"No. My boobs simply have a powerful presence." Edina said with a self-satisfied nod.

"Can't argue with that." He chuckled.

The couple fell into a comfortable silence. It was one they could sit in for hour if they wanted, as they were used to, and were eased by each other's presence.

"What's troubling you, Michael?" Yet Edina could sense Michael's turmoil.

"Okita...Am I selfish?"

"Yes."

"You really couldn't soften the blow. Just had to go with brutal honest?" Michael gave Edina a sarcastic smile, trying to act annoyed, but obviously not being so.

"You are human." She said. "And humans are selfish. So you are selfish, and that's okay." Edina looked up to him with those wide joyous, ever-accepting eyes. He couldn't help but be drawn to her plump lips, and leaned down to kiss her. She kissed him with a cute happy moan in turn.

"I'd be lost without your wisdom, wont I?" He said shaking his head.

"You'd turn emo like every Avenger Class Servant." She smiled back.

Michael snorted. "I don't do emo...I brood like a sophisticated deep character with a dark history."

"Of course."

They stared at each other for a moment, before both falling into giggling.

"So," Edina said once they stopped. "Why do you feel bad that you're selfish?"

"...I'm tired." Michael let out a heavy sigh, sounding like a man about to carry the weight of the world.

"..." Edina calmly waited for him to continue.

"I know it's wrong, but talking with Alice really made it something that wasn't just in the back of my mind. It hit me right in the face." Michael closed his eyes. "Humanity in this world lost something important." He looked at Edina with resigned eyes. "Back when the Simurgh attacked, you said you felt a premonition from the Counter Force, right?"

Okita Alter shook her head. "No. It wasn't the Counter Force, it was a voice of the World, of a danger to humanity." Edina paused for a moment. "You said humanity here lost something, what's that?"

"It's not necessarily lost, lost, but rather..." Michael took a moment to think about how to describe it. "False hope is more prevalent than hope. And everyone knows it's false hope but acts like it isn't that. I guess in simpler terms, mankind on Earth Bet are in denial about the destruction happening to them, and aren't treating the situation as one where they should put in all their efforts and resources to reversing it." Michael grew quiet for a moment as he thought about Okita Alter's words. "If it wasn't the Counter Force, but the World then..."

"The World from the Proper Human History, is what warned me. Because there is no Counter Force here." Okita Alter stated the truth like a hammer.

Michael sighed having suspected the answer, but hoping that maybe he wasn't right.

"Yeah...yeah..." He removed his arm from around his wife, and leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and buried his face in his hands. "Because we're in a Lostbelt." Michael sighed again. "Of course, we're in the Lostbelt."

"Lostbelts..." Edina sounded confused. "They can't exist without Fantasy Trees, right?"

"Yes." Michael said. "If they have already been deleted. This timeline isn't Pruned yet, and it's not gonna happen anytime soon, but it's likely to be set for Removal sometime this century."

"Ah." Edina understood. "That's bad." She eloquently stated.

"Yeah..."

"Can we save them?"

Michael looked away, a shamed smiled on his face. Okita Alter, at the first sign someone is in trouble in front of her, she wanted to help, while he was just...

"Yeah, we can..." Michael seemed to glare at nothing. "It's...do we have to be the ones to do it?" He looked at Edina almost pleading, but the guilt was already setting in. "Just because we have power, do we have to be the ones to step in? Can't we just...live?" Michael said, before becoming more mockingly heated. "Because quite frankly Uncle Ben can go fuck himself that responsibility and great power speech."

Edina her husband was just ranting. So she just smiled without judgment, took his hand and interlaced their fingers together.

"Whatever you decide on, as long as we're together then I'm happy. No matter where you go, I'll follow." She leaned into his side, as he sat back, and rested her head on his shoulder.

Edina knew what her husband is capable of, in terms of Magecraft if he set his mind to it. Thousands of first-rate magi would sacrifice everything they have to have the knowledge he did. Yet, he chose the path of not using that power, arguable a more valiant path to one with so much strength. At least, when that power wasn't needed.

"...It's not fair when you do that." Michael said after staying quiet for a while. "I can't be a lazy selfish bum when you look at me like that."

"Like what?" Edina tilted her head.

"Like I'm a better man."

"You don't see yourself as a hero," Okita Alter stated. "But when you have power, you help, no matter how little, without anyone asking you. That's the man I felt in love with." She said it with the same sincerity of the first time she declared her love for him. Edina giggled when Michael look away with a huff, blushing.

"Some help, the stuff from ChaldeaTech still haven't proliferated to help people, even though it should have by now. It's like whatever help I try to give it only has the most minimal effect." Michael was just complaining about anything, keeping the subject away form action for just a little bit longer.

"Yeah, Jefferey was complaining about that." Edina said.

"Jefferey complains?" Michael raised an eyebrow at what Edina told him. The CEO of his company is one of the most enthusiastic people he knew. Jefferey Charles always seemed like he was willing to deal with every problem that comes up, no matter how small.

"Yeah, he just didn't want to tell you because...I think he felt guilty. You made a lot of patents for inventions and he wasn't able to get everything to be a hit in the market."

Michael raised an eyebrow at her. Edina usually doesn't focus on his work, easily getting bored by it.

"What?" She adorably pouted. "I listen when you boys talk. There's just more interesting stuff worth bringing up, rather than work."

"Heh, yeah." Michael smiled.

"And besides," Edina continued. "The karma spell should help in making ChaldeaTech do more stuff to help people, right?"

"Yeah it..." Michael frowned as he thought about it from a moment. "No, it's suppose to help keep the employees and the company overall...be safe..." Michael leaned back into the couch, rested his head back, and facepalmed.

"Michael?"

"I'm an idiot." Michael sighed for what felt like the hundredth time. "So that's what my teacher meant. 'And even if you can use it, you still need the wisdom of a god'." Michael quoted.

"Hmm?"

"She told me that Fate Weaving needs a god's point of view for things in the future. For mortals, it should only be used for immediate effects, or things relatively close to the present." Michael turned to look at Edina. "In my effort to protect the people working at ChaldeaTech, I traded the progress I could offer humanity, for the safety of the few I had near me." Michael gave a self-depreciating scoff. "Trying to change the world, even in small ways would naturally be meant with challenges and dangers. Things that should be faced head on, not run away from."

"Well, now you know." Edina bright smile seemed to remove all worries from the angst man and his pity party. Thankfully said pity party was closing up. "And knowing is half the battle."

"...Sometimes I regret you hanging out with Nobunaga." Michael sighed to which Edina chuckled.

"I learned that from Taylor. When we play video games."

"Hebert's girl?" Michael asked, recalling the girl to be their neighbor's daughter from a few blocks down.

"Hmm, she invited me once went she was alone on the weekends, so we meet up here or at her home once a week or so, since her dad is always away." Edina explained.

"Huh," Michael recalled giving a peptalk to the girl once or twice.

He didn't remember the details as he didn't think it was important, or his business to stick his nose in the girl's life. She seemed depressed, so he simply told her that her life was important, and that it is worth fighting for. That social life is something to also fight for, and that it's a battleground that has it's own tools, and like everything in life, she should learn how to use it so she doesn't get blindsided by it.

After that Edina talked to her, and a few days later, Taylor started smiling when she met Michael. Danny, the girl's father, thanked him, to which Michael dismissed it as just helping like any person should do.

Michael supposed it was nice that Taylor saw Edina as a role model.

...Or should he be worried that the girl might develop airheadedness tendencies.

Edina pinched his arm.

"Ow, ow, what?"

"You thought something mean about me."

"Nope. Totally didn't."

The two joked around for a while, before finally stood up, letting out one last resigned sigh...and the look of the Master of Chaldea shined in his eyes.

"Yeah, I don't think we can afford to just coast by in this world anymore." Michael turned to Okita Alter. "So, from here on out, we're going to fi--"

Tunk.

Michael and Edina looked to the source of the sound to see the wooden number nine, fell from a hanged clock on the wall.

The both understood the implications. Michael had long since lost the road to Divination Magecraft, but he had considered himself lucky that his death and rebirth had given him back, at least, this portion of the mageraft.

Divining the Present, and with it, the ability to make a warning system of threats that will soon come. A danger that will arrive, usually within the time range of three days to a week at most.

Michael had bought many miscellaneous items, placing the symbolism of Endbringers or S-Class threats upon them, and arranging them around the house. The warnings activating are usually something simple like the object falling, or cracking.

The wooden nine falling from the clock was pretty clear. The Slaughterhouse Nine were coming soon.

The house started to shake. Michael knew that there was no earthquake, and from the outside the house would seem fine, but inside it, Michael could feel the whirlwind of magical energy moving about, as the warning system blaring in full swing.

A picture frame of a heart with an arrow through it fell over. Heartbreaker.

A small silver colored feather on a plaque for a baseball team, that naturally changed their symbol due to association with Ziz, fell over. The Fallen, specifically the Mather Family.

Papers started flying, being carried by a wind blown from a window, scattered around the room, as a bottle of ink fell over, splashing over the papers to draw symbols, or outright spell words for the dangers to come.

Michael had enough.

He clenched his fist, more to mentally hype himself, than just needing to, and with a pulse of prana, he turned the warning system off temporarily.

"You know what," Michael curled his lips in restrained anger. "Forget 'we're going to fight'. Okita!"

"Yes," Okita Alter stood at attention, ready to follow her husband into battle.

"Prepare for war!"

x=

Alice Kazuma felt relaxed. In fact, she hadn't felt this nice and cozy since she last visited his grandma.

"Wake up!"

Her eyes snapped awake. She quickly looked around to see herself in a bedroom of sorts with Michael standing over her.

"What?" She sat up, quickly remember what happened. She had found Majin Saber, been hugged by her, and then...

"Come on," she looked to see the husband of the woman she wanted to threaten walk away.

"What do you mean 'come on'?" Bakuda found she was still wear in her uniform. Her belt with the bombs were removed, along with her boots, but she still had her toe rings, and the belt was on the drawer next to the bed. It looked like they were removed for comfort rather than disarming her.

She noticed Majin Saber there but the Endslayer was closer to the door.

Do they not think of me as a threat? Bakuda snatched belt, and put her hand in one of the pockets to grab a pain bomb. They probably called the PRT, and they were outside ready to take her. But she won't go without a fight. Bakuda didn't stop to think on why they let her sleep in their bedroom, judging by the picture placed around.

"Didn't you want Lung dead?"

The question stops Alice dead in her tracks. She looks Majin Saber just smiling calmly, while Alice was holding a bomb, which when she thought about, really drove the point home, that yeah, right here and now, Bakuda wasn't a threat to them. Alice looked at Michael to see him rolling his eyes, as if being in the same room as a supervillain was just mildly annoying than anything else.

Something which irked Alice, but she supposed with the Endslayer as a wife, it's not likely for him to see afraid.

Actually, how the fuck didn't he give anything away while we were talking face to face? Alice thought. Actually, for a normal, keeping a straight face in that situation, was pretty impressive, when she thought about it. Wait, weren't there points when this bastard was trying not to laugh while I was threatening him. Alice frown, not pouted.

"What are you playing at?" Alice asked while she moved slowly to get off the bed, not making any sudden movements.

"You were out for about two hours, so I guess you still needed time to heal." Michael explained. "In that time, I talked with Edina and after discussing it, to help you. Come on, there is something I need to show you." With his piece said, Michael left the room without waiting for Alice.

"Show me what?" Alice put on her boots, suddenly feeling rushed, as Majin--Edina headed out of the room as well.

"I got Lung knocked out and put in the basement. We thought to ask you on what ends up happening to him." Alice paused, just taking a moment to process that statment. "Don't worry, he's placed under a very heavy sleeping spell, and I cut all his limbs off just in case."

Edina left the room.

Alice wondered if she was turning crazy, then quickly followed because she needed to see this for herself. She held one of her glass bombs in hand just in case.

x=

"Oh my god," Alice covered her mouth as she looked at the state Lung--rather her former boss was in.

Yes, like Edina said, the Asian gang lord was now a quadriplegic. Alice couldn't help but be fucking impressed by the brutality of the woman.

Holy shit, this bitch doesn't play around.

As Alice took in the place, she absentmindedly noticed that the basement might be larger than it looked from the outside. Or maybe that was a trick of the light. Second, Lung's head was surgically cut open.

Bakuda had once contemplated making human bombs, by making people carry bombs in their skulls. So, the professionalism of the cut caught her eye. Another odd thing was, while the room wasn't isolated, it was incredibly sterile.

Most of her attention though was on Lung. The bastard that controlled her life, since she held her college hostage, and was caught by the PRT, was right there. In fact, she could place one of her most lethal bombs right there inside his head, and end him once and for all.

"So," Michael's voice pull her attention out of her daydream. "First, I would like to ask you not to use any of your bombs here, as we're in a closed space, and underground."

Alice didn't flinch in embarrassment, but she did put the hand holding a bomb behind her back.

"I'm not an idiot. Wasn't gonna do so."

"Grumpy?" Edina tilted her head.

Alice looked away. She wasn't grumpy.

"Anyways, can you please not kill him until you hear me out?" Alice turned to Michael, looking at him with laser intensity. "He will die in the end, so you don't need to worry about that, but I have a proposal I want you to consider."

"You know, I thought you were a goody-two shoe." Alice smirked. "And what, you just jump whenever he tells you to?" Alice said to Edina.

"Why would I jump? Is it an exercise?" Edina asked.

"What?" Alice blinked in confusion at the answer. "I meant--"

"Alice." Michael firm voice forced her attention back to him, and put her hairs on end. There was something...dangerous about him. How could she have not noticed it before? In contrast, Majin Saber felt she couldn't harm a fly. "I thought about what you said, and...you're right."

Alice stood straighter, feeling a small smile come to her, while her cheeks and chest felt warm. "Really?"

"Yeah," Michael looked away, and huffed, before forcing back at her. "I don't like fighting, but...sometimes there is no avoiding the fight coming to you. So at that point, it's time to put up your fists and be ready to swing." He gave Lung a complicated look, like that of a scientist studying a specimen. She saw the same one on herself, when she looked at herself in the reflection of her bombs.

"You're a biotinker!" Alice realized with a start. Looking at the place and Lung's state, it was easy to connect the dots.

"Nnnn," Michael tilted his head with a frown. "Not exactly. I mean, it's not no. But...not yes? It's complicated."

"Did..." Alice's mind ran. "Did you upgrade her?" She pointed at Edina. "Is that why she's so bullshit!?"

"No, I make my own bullshit." Edina helpfully supplied.

"Huh?" Alice looked at Edina incomprehensibly. For some reason the dark tanned woman, just threw her off.

"Look!" Michael's raised his voice to get their attention. "This isn't the point. We can discuss the details later, what I wanted to talk to you about was his power."

"Lung's power?" Alice blinked, wondering what Lung's power can do in the hand of someone that could, maybe, make someone strong enough to kill an Endbringer. It was easier to think that a biotinker upgraded a cape to Endslayer levels, than to believe Majin Saber was just an Endslayer on her own.

Alice did her best to hide the shudder of the thought.

"Yeah," Michael continued as she walked around with Alice following him till they reached Lung's head, staring at what Alice was sure was the Corona Gemma. Alice had seen pictures of ones before, but she wasn't sure they should have a subtle glow like the one she was seeing here. It gave her a small headache to look at. "As I said, I'm not exactly a biotinker, but I can act as one in a pinch."

"So you're a grabbag that can switch tinker powers?" Alice asked.

"More like I have an encyclopedia of multiple sciences, and well...it's a bit of a long explanation to say what my powers are. Let's just go with 'general all-purpose tinker' for now."

"Like Leet?" Alice snorted.

"Without the diminishing blueprints, yes."

Alice blinked then looked at the two cape with her to see them serious. "Holy shit, you're not joking." A tinker that can make anything without the video game-themed cape's weakness, would be the mother of all hacks.

"Yes. The point is, after our talk and some of the warning systems I have going off."

"Warning system?"

"Nothing we need to worry about today or tomorrow." He said placating her. "I decided yeah, I should try to fix as much of this world as I can. Starting small of course, and try and do this with Brockton Bay."

"By doing this," Alice pointed at Lung. "I mean, not that I'm complaining, but the white hats don't exactly like that."

"I'm not playing a hero and villain game. I'm treating this as a war to reclaim civilization." Alice felt a shiver...a pleasant shiver at the seriousness of his tone. When he said 'war', he wasn't talking some bullshit, like gangs about to fight. It felt like he meant it in an actual sense. "And the first step to that was to understand parahumans. How their powers work and where does it come from." He gestured at the unconscious Lung.

"People who talk like that tend to get the Birdcage or a Kill Order." Alice said neutrally.

"Not if you get the government on your side." Michael shrugged. "Besides, if I or my allies manage to kill the rest of the Endbringers, I think we can manage to get a lot of leeway from the government on how somethings are operated. Also this is all only in the case that we're openly caught."

He had a point on the getting caught part. No one even knew Michael Chaser was a cape. At least till now. Thought Alice.

"Kill the Endbringers, though? I mean, points for ambition, and with all due respect for Mrs. Majin here."

"Mrs. Majin?" Edina held her chin in deep thought as she mouth the name Mrs. Majin a few times.

"The Simurgh, while the most dangerous because of her mind fucking song, she wasn't the heaviest hitter." Alice said.

"That's where you come in."

"Huh?"

"I want to offer you, as you called it an 'upgrade'." Michael had Alice's full attention. "While you were out, I already finished up with Lung and how his powers work. I can link them to you, and modify them to manifest as the ability to convert energy into matter. You said the biggest limiter to a tinker is the materials they work with, this removes that limit. I couldn't change the power increases in proportion to conflict escalation part as it was too hardwired in the thing. So how it will work is that, you will have this natural source of energy, that you can use just manifest any design in your head. The more conflict you're in, the more energy you have to manifest bigger, and more complex designs."

"..." Alice had no words.

"I also adjusted the power, so that you would have a brute rating like Lung did, even in your base energy levels, and the more energy you have, the more this brute rating rises, but don't worry, you won't change into a dragon, but you might find yourself leaning toward fiery type of bombs, so make a mental note of that.

"..."

"This power will act as a secondary one to your own. So, using your new powers, I want to hire you to make bombs that can kill Behemoth. I'm currently of the idea of making blackhole bombs, with a rocket delivery system. Although ideally I would like it if you can make something to shoot the blackhole effect like a laser, so you can make a blackhole beam."

"..."

"Of course, you can choose to refuse if you want. We'll just kill Lung, and you can be on your way. I'll even pay your travel expenses, and give you some extra money, so you can get a new start somewhere else, without any of this gangs and villains stuff tying you down."

"..."

"So what do you say?"

"..."

"...Is that a no?" Michael was starting to get worried at Alice's prolonged silence.

"..."

"Alice?"

"Mrs. Majin, ma'am." Alice finally spoke.

"I'm Edina out of costume."

"Ms. Edina, ma'am, as the Endslayer, I would like to tell you, you are scary as fuck, and I completely respect you, and I'd never dare think of stealing your man."

"Huh?"

"Of course."

"So, with your permission, may I please french kiss your husband?"

"Say what?"

"Go for it."

"Edin--HMMPH!"

Before Michael could react Alice monkey jumped him, wrapping her legs around his waist, holding his head between her hands, and doing her absolute best to push her tongue down his throat.