19 One Crew Over The... Part 2
After some time racing with the babies, it was time to go back to my work, reluctantly so. But I'm a little worried about the influence the rest of my traitorous maids have had on my baby maids.
Because I don't see how it's fair for me to race without a raptor. Sure I am technically faster than light, but I can't run faster than light, I fly quicker than light, but since when have you heard of a speedster dragon? Not me at least. Speed Force Dragon? It sounds OP for sure, but I'm sure as hell not it.
What would the breath be? Speed Force lightning? Maybe I should write a fan-fic about it, we have DC here so it's not so far-fetched. Sadly the fan-fic movement hasn't spread enough. I'll try my luck next decade.
I came in last place in the race. Although I am a fast runner, I am not as fast as an SDS Raptor, so I should have cheated a little by using my TK. It's very possible that my babies' unsportsmanlike conduct had been taught to them by my maids. This is evident from the fact that my maids usually nerf me to high heaven when we spar.
One time I had to fight them with no TK or Energy Manipulation... Had to fight with my body and magic. In the end, I had to turn to the most despicable tactic... Camping. I'm a decently overpowered dragon and I had to resort to sniping to deal with my servants. Not cool. Not mighty.
Well, it is what it is. At least I successfully developed sniping magic on time and won that battle.
Enough dilly-dallying! I should go and pick my maids. It will look contrasting, maids in the sewers. Maybe it will project an image of an arrogant trust fund baby to the Morlocks, but I don't care enough about what they think of me now, later they will think I'm a god, alien, cosmic terror, or demon.
I had the wisdom of leaving the Morlocks for last. Meaning that I'm just missing the 'humble' mutants! If I'm not mistaken, Callisto is their leader. Hopefully no-... better not tempt Murphy. Miss me with that shit!
"Hi, Girls! Ready for our last recruitment visit of the week?"- I asked my personal maids I found in the gaming room.
"Young master... Do you really want to bring these delicate and refined maids to the sewers?"- Cried the fox after pausing their COD Zombies...
"Do you not have a heart Young master? Are we being punished?"- Added the bunny.
"... .... ... Yelena were you not the widow in training that spent 1 week in Moscow's frozen sewers stalking a target?"
"... *Tsk!*"
"I thought so... Irina, Do you want me to mention your mission in Kolkata?"- At least the shit was frozen in Moscow.
"... So Young master, the last recruitment visit huh? Let's hurry up and not waste time in mindless conversation."- Said the shameless bunny while opening a portal to New York, 'The Alley', at the entrance to the Morlocks' hideout.
Since my maids needed no more persuasion we went to our last appointment of the day. Finally!
The information that we have on the Morlocks points to Callisto as their leader and founder. So that's who we were looking for... well when you have three telepaths it's not much about 'looking for', it's more about moving to their location.
We floated through the sewers to the nearby cluster of pain and suffering. Not a nice feeling. We instinctively withdrew as much of our senses as we could.
These mutants can be considered the second most unlucky group. The mutants captured by Hydra, AIM, Essex, governments, and several other organizations take first place.
Sadly of the approximately 40 million mutants on this Earth, the vast majority belong to groups similar to these. Either people living in hiding, or 'living' under the feet of others.
Not every mutant is a powerhouse.
But the ones that are... those are the type of world disasters waiting to happen that I'm aiming to prevent.
A beyond omega-level reality warper that decided that it had enough under the ministrations of Hydra it's something that I rather not deal with.
We signaled our presence by removing our psionic shields once we were close enough.
"Halt!"- Shouted an intimidating-looking mutant. Like a mix of insect with the leather skin of a rhinoceros. We did as he ordered.
He curiously gazed at our extra-human features, which, in his experience, shouldn't be mixed with our type of dressing. I was wearing a dark blue Dragmani three-piece suit with a red tie, my 'superhero' costume, and my maids were wearing their usual attire.
"... What are you? Caliban doesn't know you!"- He said with clear confusion.- Ugh! This guy talks like Doom.
"Hello, we are looking to have a friendly chat with your leader, Callisto."- It's not like I need to tell him since the telepath mutant present has already informed her of our presence.
"The strangers will wait here. Caliban will wait for her orders!"- Good choice Mister Caliban.
Not long after, under the curiosity-filled glances of Caliban, a group of people protecting a pirate woman arrived.
"Identify yourselves!"- Shouted Callisto. The Morlocks are so different from each other that the only race with a greater variety is the Deviants.
Surrounding Callisto were: Sarah Rushman (Marrow), Maria Callasantos (Feral), Lucia Callasantos (Thorn), Mark Hallett (Sunder), Masque, and Healer.
"Hello, Callisto, leader of the Morlocks. My name is Aragorn, the bunny maid is Irina and the fox maid is Yelena. Nice to make your acquaintance."- Of course when I'm not dealing with mind-rapist or mutant Hitler I can, willingly, show respect and manners.
"... Mr. Aragorn, What can we do for you?"- Indeed, manners are something I miss after dealing with mutant leaders. So refreshing!
"I came with an invitation for you and your people. A mutant country will be established in the not-so-distant future. As a form of rulership, a council will be created. You are one of the mutant leaders selected for a possible position in the said council."- I felt her awe and surprise at this statement.
"In a week, a meeting will happen with all parties involved. One of my maids will come to pick you up then. Beware of who you bring with you, since their actions will be a representation of your will. Otherwise, you can bring as many as you want."- She was surprised, to say the least. I specifically didn't put a limit to the number of plus ones because I don't want them to think that I have a nefarious plan. After mulling over my statement for a few seconds she asked:
"Mr. Aragorn, while that sounds like a great idea, How do we know that this is not a trap? Most of us have had experiences of the sort. Some of us are escapees."- A leader with a leveled head! How rare in Marvel! A miracle! May Aniki bless you!
I lifted my left hand, just for show, and held all of the present mutants in the air. Shouts of anger and surprise were heard for 20 seconds before I softly laid them on the ground.
"It's an understandable question, Ms. Callisto. Yet, as you can see, I don't need help to dominate you and your people."- I little rude on my part in this nice and amenable interaction, but now that I met a mutant leader with the right head, I must have her in the council! So I had to make myself clear.
"You've made your point across... I will be present at the meeting. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for my people."- It's so refreshing! When you don't have to deal with arrogant asses the world can prosper.
For example Callisto, I can feel the myriad of questions in her head, yet, she goes straight to the point, she thinks of her people, she analyzes the situation, she really is possibly the only level-headed leader in Marvel.
"That's great Ms. Callisto! We will leave this for you in a show of good faith."- I pulled a marble from my inner pocket and released the barrier, manifesting a box full of nonperishable goods. Based on Spark's estimates this should last them at least a month.
Yelena opened a portal and we said our goodbyes. After crossing over to Halo I said in exclamation:
"Finally! Next week will be a bigger pain in my bright ass, but, for now, I'm done!"- Spark is monitoring Emma's Clone, Seraph is creating the Krakoan Constitution and Emma is gathering the resources that we will use for infrastructure in Krakoa.
Skynet and Brother Eye have been worked 24/7, either under me or Spark, for the past months locating Hydra bases. So we have already uncovered a few hundred facilities around the globe ready for some raiding.
__________
X-Mansion.
An uncomfortable silence spread around the meeting room. A silence where no one wanted to be the first to break it. All active members of the X-Men were present.
It was late at night and most if not all of the young mutants under the age of 15 were sleeping.
It's been three days since Aragorn last visited, after dropping the news about the founding of a mutant country the X-Men had time to go over the information they received from Spark.
A file containing the general data about Krakoa and an initial proposal about the type of ruling expected.
A file that in no uncertain ways informed the X-Men that said nation would be a reality. With or without them.
The first to break the heavy silence in the room was Jean. Who, after spending time 'playing' with Aragorn, had grown used to the changes around her.
The founding of a nation is not such a big deal in her eyes when compared with all the crazy that she's seen on Halo.
"Why are you all thinking so much about this? The country will happen, so isn't it better to be part of it? Instead of letting Erik hoard all authority, I mean."- To Jean, who was used to the suddenness of Aragorn and who was aware of Aragorn's ultimate task, the idea of founding a mutant country seemed like the healthiest approach that he could take for the current predicament.
With the Sadist Phoenix as her witness, she knew the easier decisions that someone as powerful as Aragorn could have taken. She knew very well that Aragorn could un-mutant the whole human population if he wanted to.
"Jean. Why are you defending him? You should take our side not his!"- Shouted Scott.
To this day Xavier has managed to remove his mental suggestions but not Essex's security initiatives.
In simpler words, Scott is no longer compelled to be Jean Grey's Knight in shining armor but if he meets Essex, Scott will accept any pre-programmed commands that Essex might have left behind.
The problem is that the mental suggestions have been a part of him for years, so if you don't fix the byproduct left, it won't matter if you removed said suggestions or not. You are just removing the cause, not the consequence.
Hence a skillful telepath is needed, removing the consequences of the suggestions is borderline psyche redesigning. If you're not careful enough you'll end up changing a person's being. Xavier was not confident in succeeding in this endeavor, nor did he want his student to do it in his place.
Scott, after being given the choice, preferred to remain as 'himself' instead of changing. So neither of the very stubborn men thought it was a good idea to consult with Jean.
Jean was not very impressed by Scott's repeating behavior.
She looked at Scott with pity overflowing from her cold eyes. Jean is a very patient, and understanding girl. She didn't want to rush her friend; who was a victim of a psychopath that she promised to get rid of; on a procedure that could define who you were going to be.
She understands how scary that can be, so she never pushed Scott into getting 'fixed'.
Jean never thought that someone like the professor, who was so willing to mess with her young mind, wouldn't follow all the way through and fix Scott's clearly messed up head. But she just realized that she's been mistaken, yet again, in her expectations of Xavier.
But it's been more than a year. Xavier promised her to get rid of the brainwashing but so far she has found no difference in Scott's behavior. Even the patience of a girl that didn't kill her mind rapist has its limits.
When Jean got better control of her powers the first thing she did was restrict her telepathy field. She never wanted to read her friends' minds in the first place. This is why she was not aware of the stupid decision that the two of them had made.
But today was enough. She looked from Scott to Xavier and then back to Scott. Jean raised her hand and Scott flew to her. Head first.
"Jean. What are you doing!?"- Asked Xavier in panic.
"Your job."- Said Jean with finality.
Less than a minute, that's how long it took her to get rid of all the directives left by Essex and remove the consequences of years of brainwashing. Scott was left unconscious.
Jean is used to the mental battles with the behemoth known as Aragorn, a little mind-fixing is not something worth mentioning to her.
"It's done, Professor. If you needed help, you should have said so."- She said as she levitated the unconscious Scott out of the room.
No one in the room needed an explanation, no one even attempted to stop Jean. They have heard many times how Aragorn mentioned Scott's problem.
Most of all, they knew that Scott was not getting away from Aragorn 'scot-free', for lack of a better word, the next time they met. So instead of alarmed they felt relieved.
"... Professor, Jean may be a little reactive because Scott's problem was directed at her, but Aragorn would have actually redesigned Scott's mind next time. So I think this was for the best."- Commented Kitty while trying to protect her fiery friend from becoming a murderer. Kitty has been 'besties' with Aragorn for over a year, if there's one thing she knows about him is that he always fulfills his promises.
Kitty knew that if a fight broke out, Jean would have to mop the floor with the professor. Kitty knew that everybody in Halo was used to fighting full of killing intent because their target couldn't be killed. Kitty knew that Jean was not the biggest fan of the professor. Kitty knew that it was better to de-escalate the situation before an accident, just in case.
After the small confrontation, the heavy silence regained its rightful place in the room.
"... I also think it's a good idea to have a mutant country."- Dared Kurt Wagner to say. Earning him the stares of everybody in the room, making him flinch.
"*Sigh*... It's not that I don't envision a future where we can have our very own nation. It's just that a part of me feels reluctant to give so much say about it to a third party. Don't forget that we also don't know where Aragorn's interests lie."- Said the professor while internally asking himself if he even had a choice, given that his old friend would, most likely, accept the offer.
For the past year, Xavier has been subtly trying to steer the X-Men against Aragorn. He has been trying to use his words to make his students know that Aragorn and them do not stand on the same side. But with all of the free propaganda that Kitty, unknowingly, has spread it has proven futile.
After all, Why would you hate the guy who lends you his state-of-the-art gaming console? Why would you hate the guy who created the AI that gives you tips on how to better control your powers? Why would you hate the guy who created 'Airsoft'? These were some of the few benefits that the mutants in the mansion enjoyed thanks to Kitty's friendship with Aragorn.
"If that's what this is about professor... My goddess said that it was only a matter of time before a beyond-omega-level mutant became a victim of the world's society. She said that if a mutant of that level snaps then Aragorn will have to make a drastic move."- Answered Ororo to Xavier's unsaid query.
"That makes sense. Aragorn prefers preventive care over responsive care."- Added Kitty who, in other words, commented about how lazy the dragon was.
"Chuck, We don't have a choice, do we? Aragorn gave his backing to Emma Frost and now she is a freaking space queen. I don't want to imagine what Magneto would do."- Logan was one of the few X-Men, outside of Kitty, Ororo, and Jean, who had a positive opinion of Aragorn.
"... What do you think, Hank?"- Asked Xavier.
"I think that it's best if we join and negotiate for benefits. Aragorn's technology and bio-kinesis could help deal with some of the problems present in most mutants."- It was clear by now that only Charles was reluctant to change. Or maybe it was because he was not the one in control of said change.
For a telepath like Charles, living among mundane humans, control was something that he always had. Yet, this illusion of control was shattered in front of an entity like Aragorn.
His backers (Shi'ar) were no longer as reliable as he saw them before. His prowess was not as impressive. The unquestionable trust and faith that his students' had in him was fractured. Some of the hard decisions that he took for the greater good were exposed. He was no longer the person who knew the most about mutants.
And all of this was primed by the actions of an entity that never placed him in its eyes. An entity that came into his 'controlled life' because of his past actions.
Had he not dared to mess with the entity in Jean, Aragorn would have never intruded in his life... according to him.
The pride of Xavier was further cracked today when his student did something that he had not been able to do for the past year in under a minute.
But in the end, he had to admit to himself, what Logan said was correct. He couldn't allow his old friend to take the position as the leader of the mutants. For Xavier, deep down he believed that he was the only one qualified for that position.
"Very well, Hank and Ororo will accompany me. Logan and Piotr will remain taking care of the kids."
This was the only decision left.
Nick Fury
I had discussed with Aragorn about having a human representative among the people of the council.
It's the sensible choice to take. Not only will it look better once the nation comes out in the open, but it will also help make sure that no mutant supremacist ideologies are born in the nation.
But I was never told that I was supposed to get said person!
I have a week to find someone I trust with the role... Really!?
Bitch I don't even trust my reflection in the mirror!
How am I supposed to find a human that wants to assume a position on a mutant council? And that I trust. And that passes Spark's screening.
Politicians don't grow in trees! For fucks sake! I could easily find a god faster than someone who fits that profile.
I'm not stupid, I have been growing my inner circle since before Carol came back to Earth dragging me into her space problems; I know it's easier to build trust than to find it. But do I have such a person in my circle at the moment? NO-OH! I don't!
I still need time for the members of my inner circle to grow.
Barton is barely a level 3 agent. Maria is doing alright but no future council woman alright. And several other seedlings are just that! Seedlings! Maybe in a few years but not now!
But I'm a spy that understands. A spy that adapts. A spy that grows in adversity. A Sorcerer Spy!
Aragorn has no human friends. He might not know it but he keeps strangers at a distance. Hence... Aragorn knows no trustworthy human, so the responsibility falls on me. That's what I understand!
Emma Frost has cleverly hidden her disgust for Earth, and the maids view Earth as a backwater planet at best. Of course with Aragorn pampering them all the time the little girls have grown conceited. Not that I blame them, after all the horrors that everyone up there has experienced on Earth I would also come to dislike Earth.
So Aragorn has no one for the position.
But what am I supposed to do? Coulson is a capable agent, but a politician? He isn't.
*Sigh* The only person that I know who might be interested is Moira McTaggart. According to her files, she helped Xavier and Erik back in the Cuban missiles incident. She was demoted to a desktop job after her 'poor' performance.
But that was all a rouse because the truth is that the CIA didn't trust her anymore after she came in contact with Xavier. A Telepath, and since she had no memory of the time she spent with Erik and Xavier she became a liability.
It wasn't hard to locate her at a moment of the day when she was alone. After all, I have never stopped spying on her. She was Xavier's old flame, a possibly useful piece. I tend to keep track of those.
... The more I think about it the more I believe that she is the one we need.
Doesn't hate mutants, has a history with both Erik and Xavier, and is not a mutant. Because of her history with both of them, she won't let herself fall under either of their sway, after all, Erik tried to kill her and Xavier mind-wiped her.
I waited for her in her home... Invasion of privacy?... That's not a problem when you're director of SHIELD. Or Nick Fury. Luckily I'm both.
The wait wasn't long, I was sitting in the living room of her apartment waiting for her, in the shadows. Why in the shadows? Well because I'm Nick Fury.
The sound of her footsteps outside the door alerted me of her presence. She entered her safely spied home and closed the door. That was my signal, I turned on the lights, like a total badass, and revealed myself.
Presentation! That's something that, according to his majesty the cosmic shine dragon, me, him, and Megamind have in common. I don't know who this new threat Megamind is, but I do understand how 'presentation' makes us, badasses, different from the rest of the masses, the mundane.
"Hello, Ms. McTaggart!"- She looked at me in shock, and, like a well-trained CIA agent, pulled her gun out and demanded:
"Hands where I can see them!"- Huh! Stupid Girl, I'm a magician spy I no longer need my gun. I arced one of my eyebrows at her and said:
"Really? Can you see them from there?"- I never concealed my hands after all. That's how much more of a badass sorcery has made me.
"... Who are you? and What do you want?"- Hah! She tried to distract me from her stupid request.
"My name is Nicholas Fury director of SHIELD. I have a job offer for you."- It's not exactly a 'job' offer since she will not be working for me.
She lowered her gun after she recognized my badass sight.
*Sigh* I missed this. Only on Earth, I can be badass, up on the Halo the little monsters can hand me my black ass over like a playdate. And let's not talk about the monster maids.
That's why I am enjoying this more than I should.
"Excuse me, Sir, I didn't recognize you at the beginning."- It's more of a surprise that you did at all.
"My face it's not known to many so It's not a problem. I will leave this file here for you. If you accept the position then just let me know. Burn the file after you're done. You have 5 days to make a decision."
I stood up and walked to the door. Along the way, I said:
"I don't think I need to tell you what will happen if you blab your mouth about this, Do I?"- Because even I don't know what Aragorn and Spark would do.
"No, Sir!"
Mission Accomplished! Spark predicted an above 90% chance of her joining our ranks. I've come to know that when Spark or Aragorn talk about anything above 50% then it's a certainty for mortals like me.
Like, Why would you need to account for the possibility of an Alien invasion to predict the weather? What does Thor descending have to do with my question? I just wanted to know if I needed my umbrella or not! A simple question! I didn't need the other nonsense! Just cosmic nonsense it's what it is!
I drove back to my place and did the usual double-checking for bugs and explosives, and the extra step of checking for kidnappers to portal me away. You won't get me twice with the same trick!
Checked my security runes, took a shower, and ate some lobster I got from my personal fabricator. What would I not give to have one of my techs replicate this?! But I know that's a fast way to suicide.
Went to bed to enjoy a night of sweet well deserved sleep. Of course without letting my guard down. I'm Nick Fury, I never let my guard down.
Asteroid-M
"My love, Will we let Anne Marie train under him?"- Asked Mystique to her precog lover.
After Aragorn left a few days went by and Rogue seemed more interested in training her powers under him.
The information left in their servers, by Spark, cemented firmly the idea in the teen's head, that if there was someone on Earth capable of helping her with her powers then it should be the being capable of overpowering the brotherhood like children.
Spark left an introductory file with some benign information about Aragorn's group. That, of course, aside from the information regarding the founding of the mutant nation.
Two days before the meeting Rogue expressed her intention of asking Aragorn for some help. That's why Destiny and Mystique are currently struggling to find the best decision for the future of their teen.
"Raven, I think we should. But not alone, you or me, one of us should be present during her training. At least until we are sure that he has no ill intentions towards our little girl."- In the eyes of Destiny and Raven, Rogue will always be their little girl.
Especially since Raven is more than a century old and Irene has seen a myriad of futures throughout her life.
"But, my love, Didn't you say that he intended to kill me?"- In her voice Raven tried to mask the fear she felt after her lover explained to her what would have happened.
"Now, with a settled mind in my head, I can see how he was not antagonistic towards us. He knew of my powers and chose to show me a 'certain' future to study my reaction and how my powers would operate in his presence."- And right she was. There were thousands of ways for Aragorn to fulfill her prophecies without going through with them.
"The presence that somehow interferes with time. *Sigh* What is he? This would be much simpler if he didn't mess with your powers. At least we would have an idea of what we are dealing with."- They were flying blind, and not for a lack of trying.
After Irene used Aragorn's potion she recovered her young looks and eyesight. As an additional benefit, her body was slightly stronger than before, so she tried to use her powers once more to divine the future.
But whatever future she predicted was blurry, unclear, and uncertain. Something that was happening before she met him, but after trying to see futures with him in them she couldn't see even the little she could before. It felt impossible. Somehow she knew it was.
Like looking out a window and trying to find something that's not outside but inside.
Ever since she first got her 'gift' whenever she tried to see past a certain point, only destruction awaited. It was frustrating, depressing, and nonsensical. No matter what path she simulated all futures ended in destruction of the planetary scale.
Sometimes she didn't even make it until the end.
She fell into depression and her lover, Raven, was the one that helped her out of it. Raven said: "Why not witness the end of the world together? We can plan for the future that's the farthest away and then watch it together, you never know, maybe something changes along the way."
This is what's kept her on the right path so far. But suddenly, the future is uncertain, and it all appears to be thanks to their previous guest. Whether this is for good or bad, she doesn't know, but if the alternative is certain doom then she is willing to go all in for this new budding hope.
"You know him better than I do Raven, What do you think Erik will do?"- Asked Irene to her stressed lover.
"Erik will attend the meeting, but he will bring Cain Marko, the Juggernaut, with him. I also wouldn't put it past him to bring other powerhouses that he knows."
"Can he even control him, or them?"
"*Sigh* I don't know, but I can at least admit that I'm morbidly curious about how the Juggernaut would do against Aragorn."- Commented Raven with a sly smile.
"Well... Aragorn did give us the beating of our lives, pretty badly at that. I also wouldn't be against seeing him under the Juggernaut. But I don't think that it will look good for our side if something happens. He did warn Erik about it."
"Yeah... Maybe we shouldn't go, to avoid any possible fallout."
"*Sigh* I don't think Erik or our little girl will give us a choice. What about Charles? How do you think that he is taking this?"- While Irene has her future knowledge to draw conclusions about peoples' character, Raven is the one who intimately knows both mutant leaders.
She met him when he was a child.
"After the mess in Cuba, we chose different paths, and I haven't talked to him since then. But based on what I knew about him he must be panicking or/and trying to manipulate his students into alienating Aragorn. I just don't know how they met, so I can't tell what's their relationship like with certainty."- Raven said in a thinking pose.
"What I can tell is that since Aragorn is a psychic Charles must be having problems about trusting someone whose mind he can't breach. HAHAHA! Serves him right!"- Concluded Raven mirthfully.
"Well... I guess we have no other choice but to hope for the best. This was a future that I never saw coming. By now we would have been desperately trying to exile or kill the Phoenix girl. But that never came to be. *Sigh*"- Irene can only sigh in relief. For only she will know what Earth looks like after half of it was burned as a parting gift from the exiled girl... If they would have succeeded, if not then everybody and everything would have been vaporized.
"*Sigh* Cheers to that, my love. What would have been the next world-ending disaster? Was it the crimson girl, the sentinels, the crazy reality warper in England, the nuclear baby in South America, the dimensional intervention of a hell lord, the dimensional disaster with the negative zone, the invasion of the Skrulls, the Kree, the cosmic cube personality collapse under AIM, the awakening of En Sabah Nur... Those are the ones I remember."- Said Raven in indifference, when you fall in love with a bad news broadcaster you tend to get used to the world ending.
"Huhuhu You miss a few my lovely girl."- Chuckled Irene at her lover's indifference.
_______________
Days went by and the time for the meeting was here. I spent my time playing around with the tail-*cough* girls after creating a new maid's attire.
Visually it's the same, but it's been nano-upgraded. When I borrowed tech from Earth-Z I didn't have the time to take with me the pym particle formula. And Iron Man was not using his nanotech armor.
So I had to create my version of nanotech and miniaturizing tech. Since I wanted them to have storage space aside from the nanites, nanotech was not enough.
Getting to the nanoscale was not a problem, but storing and blending an energy core in it without losing functionality was.
I based it on the ability of my barriers to shrink space. So instead of downsizing a target with pym particles I isolated a section of space and downsized it.
The problem was keeping the smaller size after removing my barrier. But between Spark and I we created laminal space tech, we placed the shrunken target in a transitioning gap (laminal space) where the target is both present and absent in real space.
Since it's absent in space it can't regrow even if the barrier is released because it doesn't have space, until it exits the gap. Since it's present you can connect to it and take advantage of its functions.
This way we can have a functioning energy core connected with the rest of the suit and storage space at the same time.
So now my maids have attires that can carry energy sources and weaponry undetected. We took advantage of it and now they have virtually infinite ammo and powered protection.
My main aim was the protection, since with portals you can technically have infinite ammo. But before the protection provided by their maid suits was based solely on the properties of the metal in it. Now it has active and passive protection powered by an energy core.
I didn't require this but my maids did. Since we will begin our black ops, hopefully soon, I rather not underestimate a doomed Marvel reality.
Without the powered suit they would have had to protect themselves from a reality warper actively with magic, now the suit can tank most of the attempts of warping.
I can't say it's completely warper-proofed like me, but you need a Wanda-level reality warper to deplete the energy core.
The girls were happy with their upgraded uniform, so much so that they challenged me to another blood feud. Sometimes I think they forget that our energy cores are powered by a void-based energy source. I just bypassed their defenses, held them in underwear in the air, and proceeded to fluff the heck out of them. Ears included.
Needless to say, they were not happy to be publicly reduced to a purring and yelping mess. However, I don't understand how it is considered 'public' when only we were there.
It's not like none of us has ended naked after our fights before. Clothing rarely survives our scuffles, unless you use barriers like me. So we know each other in depth by now. Though I guess with their new suits, unless I bypass their defenses, that would be a thing of the past now.
... Sometimes my genius is a curse...
Subsequently to my realization, portals opened at the entrance of the arcology that we were using for the meeting.
Xavier came with Hank and Ororo. Jean and Kitty were here but they technically were here before so they don't count as part of their group.
Callisto came alone. As expected of a leader who didn't want to put at risk her people... Maybe I am a little biased towards her, but after my other meetings with mutant leaders, I carry some prejudice in my heart.
Fury arrived with the universal reset button, Moira MacTaggert. Not that her powers would work with me around, she would end up hopping timelines instead of resetting them.
Finally, the metal bender came along Mystique, Destiny, Rogue, and the fucking avatar of a dimensional lord. Fucking shit! That, I didn't want. But I guess I did say to bring whoever you wanted. I just never thought he would bring this loose cannon with him.
As I was thinking that, I felt how Cyttorak was trying to influence its avatar. I felt the anxiousness and agitation of Cain Marko growing. I felt the intrigue and curiosity of Cyttorak directed at me. That must be why he is prompting its avatar.
Erik saw how Marko was losing his shit, evident by the trembling of his muscles and the madness in his eyes.
"Juggernaut, behave yourself!"- Demanded Erik.
"I- I need to-"- Said Marko while walking in my direction gaining speed and cracking the floor.
"Stop!"- Shouted Erik.
"I'm t-the Juggernaut! Ain't no-nthin' -- ain't nob-ody -- can beat me! Unstoppa-"- He screamed as he ran at me. But I interrupted him, my eyes switched to red, my presence leaked, and with a shout of my own:
Č̴̬̼̈́̾͌̏̽̉̕ͅY̷͎̮͖͓̣̑̃́̾Ť̴̨̢̧̲̼̟̠̘̖͌̑͂̒̓̒͗͋͘T̴̪̱̠̱̤̫̗̘̊̓Ơ̶̛͍͔͒̆̓̒͗̓͐R̸͇̥̦̲͂A̵̼̳͍͍̝̻̽̂̂̀͗̒͂͘͘ͅͅK̴̻̣̉̊̂͛̄̚/̸̢̛̠̲͕̳̈́̄̇̓͆͛D̶̢̠̥̩͗̐͝Ȉ̶̺̱̖̠͇̦̮̠̣̋̄̄̐͜M̸̛̳͓̐́̊̋̈́̇́̈͘͜E̴̢̧̨͖͈̞̠͉̋́͂̆̔̈́͌̕͝Ń̸̛͚̝̖̤͒͛̆̈́̂̊̃͆Ș̸̼͓̗̫͙̠̗̹͖͝I̵̢̨̫̣͍̟̯̯͓̩̿̑̈́O̷͕̪̣̙̤̣̔͑̾̆̐͜ͅN̸̨͍̭͐̅̌̐̔͐̀ ̸͕̌̕Ļ̵̗̳̲̪̞̺̜̠̒Ö̸̞͍̫́͐͊̈́́̀͝R̴̟̳̳͔̭̀́̈́̋D̷̡̢̺͔̐̓̊̎̊̏̆͛́/̸̧͍̻̥͔͉̅̒R̷̳̳͖̃̋̀̽̒Ã̶̻̪̬̲̔̀̀̓̅͑͛Ġ̷͚̲̫̜͇̻͉ͅI̵̲̳̮̪̲̭̜̝͔͚͂̅̓͝Ņ̶͔̻̮̙͖̔̑͑̌̑̃G̶̬̺͚̀̓͑̀̇͝ ̸̢̲̱̮̻̠̫̔̅̓̏̊̌͝L̴̞̹͙̬͗̃̆̉̎͋͠͝O̴͎͉̰̬̭͉͛̏́̋̉͗̂͘͘͝ͅȒ̵̡͖̙̜̳̩̐͒̎̎Ḏ̴̦͍̪͙̲̩̈́̓/̸̛̤̳́̽̌͊̓̐̏͂̇D̸̛̤̗̰̿̄̽̀̽E̵̢̯̤̼̭͇̥͖̿S̴̘͕͓̰̈́̑̇̅͑͊̓͝Ṱ̸̢̙̔͑͒̈͑̕͠Ř̴̻͕̹͚͙̜͚̽̓͊͌̾̓͊O̵̘͙̱͗̽̓͑̕Y̸̛̯̱̆̀͒͗E̸̢̲͗̾̆̈͛̄̀͘͘R̶̹̾̒́̉͜/̸̧̻͈͈͕̳͍̮̲̐͗̈̃̾͆͋̕L̸̨̝̱̟̻̞͉̳̈́́͋̌͐̑̀̐O̵̮͔̣̳̺̯̾̇̉̄̌͋͋͛R̸̛͈̤̠̩͇̅̓͒̔͝͝D̶̨̛͙̩͎̘͉̜͙̓̎̀̆̍̈̚͝ ̶̺̱͛̃̄̏͂̇͆O̶̧̘̺̮̯̓̐̇̒̕F̶̫̄́̏͑͂̒̒́͠ ̴̨̛̖̪̰̪̝̓̈̊́̒O̸͍̼̭͕͍̣̹̣̪̺͌̓͂́͂̿̀͝B̵͕̫͓̫͕̖̼̪͒L̴̢̮̤̥̟͈̟̻̇̅̍̎̄̈́I̶̫̮̓̓̎̔̾͘Ṿ̸̧̫̘̹͎̔̍̏̎́͆͝ͅI̴̺͙̒̃̾̈́̐̈́O̸̧̩͓̜̩͎͎͓͆̽̂͋͊͂Ǹ̸̨̨͚̦͈̽͂́
M̷͆͒͜Ì̵̦̔͗́̋̿̍́ͅS̴̢̹͉͉̪̹̭̙̪̐̋̔͂͛̌̔̚̕͜B̶͚̗͋͝Ẽ̴̲̖̼͉͒H̶̪͚̺̯̝̱̿͑̽̀́̀̈̑͘͠ͅA̵̡̗̝̥͕̜̪͒̑̅̈͒V̸̙̭͎̳͇̙͇̖͗̎̊́͘Ė̵̖̝̤̳̗̓͊͒/̴̨̤̉̈́͛͋͝M̸̧̦̠̾̐̀̒̅̓̕Ī̸̺̖̱̈̃͂̿ͅS̶͓̈̾C̸̑̀̒̓̔̑̂͠ͅȎ̶͙͔̬̗̪͍̝Ņ̵̞̦̰̣͛D̸͕͉͖̜̖̠͐̍̚͝ͅU̴͙͒͛͊̓Ç̵̯̜͇̰̂́̍̅͌̂̈́͐͆̕T̸̛̬͊̈́̓̐ͅ
Ą̷̮̤̩̤̭̘̣̂N̶͎͓͖̜̪̯̝͂͒̎́͂D̸̲̤̘͓͈̻͚̽͒̈́
Í̶̢̜̙̟̘͕͂̅̈́̕/̷͈̯͊̑̋̓̾͌̊̿͘M̷̢̫̃̀̍́͛́E̴̡̥͔̻̝͆̓ͅ/̷̤̥̝̱͓̜͈́̄͒͠T̷̪̪̐̿̇̆̌̈́̏͝Ḩ̵̛̩̼̟̤͔̓̍̏̌̀͊͆I̵̘̙͖̫͎͂̎͋̔Ṡ̴̢͕̇͂̈́͘ ̸̛̼̭̲̯̫̉̉́̈̆̍́͛̐ͅP̷̧͓̘̰͈̦͕̤͔̅ͅĘ̸̻̫̤͒̋́̕ͅŔ̷̻̫̗̼S̵̢͚̩̗͎̼̤͐͒̔̉͊O̴͖̘̓̓Ń̴͕̰͎̈́̂̓̓/̸̟̱̯̀́B̵̦̭͊͛̋̃̌̍́͘Ȩ̷͎̗̺̐̏̌̏͠Ḯ̵͎̮̺̖̺̈́́̂̌̐͌͆͊̑N̶͇̜͚̳̟̗̭͆̍̄̐̈G̵̡̱͕̀̇̓̇̈́/̴̢̩̫̗̙́͛͠E̴̻͇͕̘̲͔̔͑̾͘̚ͅŅ̸̩͕͚̣̼͖̖̠̈͗̉͆͒͌̆̂̀T̶̛͎͉I̶̭͓̦̥͔̼̍͒̒̽̎̚Ţ̶̢̦̪̱̰̙̗͎̉̀̿̉Y̷̨̭͎͇̟̿/̸͇͇͍̦̱̺̲͕̣̪̉̎̈̊͐̿͘͝Ḋ̸̪͎̹̄̂̃̿̀́R̷̛͇͎̊̔̌̈́̒͗Á̴̼̳͕̻͉̫̒G̴̨̤̰̼̎͒̾͌̚̕O̶̳̘̓̌͘͝N̸̨̢̦̜̜̣͓̠̈̓̽͋̈́̀̊͊̈́
W̴̩͔̻̟̗̣̻̞̌̾͐̃̒̕͝I̴̠̹̦͚̗̲̟̔̒̇́͆̍̓͒̚͝L̷̡̛̹̤͖̈́̃͌̓̾ͅĻ̸̰̼͔̫̬͈̟͓́͛͝͠/̵̹͙͐͗̏Ģ̸̡̛̛̤̣̞̖̰͚̀̒̌̉̃̚U̵̠̲̻̱̼̘̔̑̀̐̑̓͊̂̚̚ͅẠ̷̢̢̲̹̦͔̭̰͓̾̒̒̌̽̅̌̚̚͝Ṟ̷̛͌͐̆̊̿͝À̸͚̟̙͍͉̰̮́̓̀͒̿̽N̵̡̡̡̡̮̦͔͗͗͌̀̈́͆̕͝T̷͚̰͍̀͂͝ͅÉ̸̪̩̹͛̈Ę̷̟̺̞̫̼̄͒̇S̷̡̠͎͕̰̫̩̣̺̞͐̽̆̂̇̄͊̓̈́
Ŗ̸̡̛͉̩̒͒̽͂̇̄Ú̴̜̅̐Ṕ̴͇͚̙̣̓͊̐́̒̈̌T̴̰̦̣͕̳͈͊̀͋̍̈́̍͝Ű̶͎̟̭̱͒̀Ṙ̵̢̼͈̽̂̈́̈́̽͘Ę̵͎̼͊̃̓̏̿͑̐͆̚͠/̸̧̨͈͈̐̓̈̌̚P̵̨̦̖̱͐́̇̂̒̽̉̇̈́͝ͅO̴͓̫͆̔͒̏͌́̕ͅP̴̛̬͚̩̭̥̒̈̔̋͒̕/̶̝̜̖̤͘K̸̨̬̰̤̇͠I̵͔̮̳̯͈̓Ĺ̸̛̪̞̟̜̘͖̓̀̽͛̿L̴̮͉̋͐͝/̵͓̘̲̰͉̠̻͎̟̈́̾͒͛̇̏̏Ḓ̸̫̯͇̣̤̩͗͋̀͒̕͜Ę̷̛͍̜̗̺̰͓̹͉̊̈́͊͂͝ͅS̵̗͗͛͌́͐̚͘͝Ṭ̷̙͖̖̘̜͉͇͉͕͊͐̍͑͐͘R̴̛̬͒̅̎̌́̚̕͜͜O̴̝̹͆̋̀̉̓̽̉̈Ỳ̶͈̮͕̗͠/̶͎̝̺͇̜̀̅̄͊̀͌̈́̎̓͝ͅÈ̶̠͙̤̩̟̫̃R̷̡̫̝̞͉̯̘͓͍͒̔͌̎͂͘̚͜A̵͐̿̊͒̽͝ͅS̶̪͌̀͘͝E̵̛̥̤̊͋͋̇̎̐
Ÿ̴̧͚̝̻͚̲͔̻͑Ŏ̶̪̥̫̤͚̓̓͐Ṵ̶̩̯̻͖̩͙̻̬̐͌͋R̷̡̯͒̏͋̕͝
D̷̨͚̲̪͛̂̀̌Ò̸̡̽͑̕͝͝ͅM̶͍̠̰͎̼̦̃͐Į̶̡͚̩͚̮̪̦̠̪̀̌͑̈́̆̉̔N̴̛̦͔̩͇͂̂̔ͅĮ̴̡̢̝̭̥̺̣̔͋̄́̿̕Ǫ̷͈̮́́N̵̺̼̟̝͕̯̾́̎̉͑̂̌ͅ/̴̯̺̖̍̈́̀͗̐͘̚̚͝͝D̵̡̻̜̗̆̃̉̍̒͝ͅĨ̷̛͎̐̋̓͂̂͛͝M̷̛̻̹͓͎̝̗͔͓͓̒͛́͐̄̐͠E̶͉̩͖̱̪͒̑N̵͔̰͈̥̰̟͆̇̂́͑̕S̵̰̠̠̳̲̠͆̍̾͑I̷͖̰̣̩̳̿̽͂Ơ̵̜͙̱̂͋̈̂͝N̶̺͉̮̥͓̓̐͆͜/̵̖̦͉̙̳̙͙̜͙͂́̆̋̐͂̍͠P̷͓̠̰̭̰̯̆̈̕L̶̨̰̜̥̣̉̎̈́̾A̴̝̭̳̯͚̎̽̔N̸̦̺̮͚͚͂͑Ḝ̴̼̙̰͇̗̤̙͚̣̒̾̇̈͠.̶̺̼̲̮̰́̑̇̊/̴͙͙͚̰̝͑R̷̖̣͇͇̯̉̀́͒̏́͑͆͘͜͝Ė̴̪͇̜̺̠̂͛͒̊̋̉͛̍͠Ǎ̸̖͍̆̄͗̈̔͘Ľ̸̗͈̖̻͎͈̗M̶̡̨̛̬͚̭̭̺̓.̴̨̬̭̙̝̜͌̈́̄̃̃̈́̿̓
Conceptual speech. It is what Noona taught me to use when dealing with dimensional lords. She said that if I make a statement using regular speech I could end up misinterpreted. It would seem that it's a perk of 'outsiders' such as myself.
Something about Aniki making sure his creations don't accidentally end up striking deals, but since I'm not his creation I need to use conceptual speech.
According to what Aniki told Noona, a previous outsider, during the 6th cosmos, had to kill a being of the dark because he meaninglessly said that he would kill it and ended up binding it as a promise, as fate.
My meaning got across Cyttorak and he stopped fanning the flames of Cain Marko, immediately stopping his charging before bursting a shower of blood. Just as Noona said, no misunderstandings. What Noona didn't tell me was that mortals will end up having something close to a mental collapse.
Blood flowed out of my guests' orifices as they screamed before kneeling and holding their heads in pain. Cain Marko took the brunt of it. My maids were doing better as their adaptability and regeneration kicked in before they suffered any significant damage.
"Shit! Are you girls okay?"- I asked my girls.
"Yes, young master. Just a minor migraine, but it's almost over."- Commented Yelena, while my other girls nodded in agreement in the background.
"What was that, young master?"- Asked Irina.
"Conceptual speech. It's what I use to talk to dimensional lords. Cyttorak was trying to cause some problems using his avatar."- I pointed at the downed Juggernaut.
"Are they going to be okay?"- Asked Jean as she moved to help the suffering Ororo.
I observed them with my life and soul sight, just making sure that no lasting effects would torment them... Conclusion: I almost drove them to insanity.
I think that, maybe, it's because of this that eldritch terrors are misunderstood among mortals. Or maybe only the ones blessed by The Void, like me.
"Yes. I stopped before it was too late, luckily. Padawan, Can you shower them with your flames?"- I asked after cleaning them with some magic.
Jean nodded and used her eyes to locate the places where the repairs were needed. A practice that she currently uses to focus her healing, Senior Sister said that once she has full control of her fire she wouldn't need to use her sight.
Jean extended her arms and Senior Sister's beautiful flames flooded out and healed, in under 5 seconds, all the damage I had done. A succinct and bright display.
One after the other they came back to their senses and my maids helped them stand up and get a hold of themselves, they summoned a few glasses of water for the ones in desperate need of one.
"Aragorn he looks healed already, but he is not waking up."- Said Jean as she pointed at Marko.
"He is just unconscious due to the shock. He should be up by the end of the day."
I looked back at the shaken but recovered mass. I directed my attention to Erik and said:
"Don't worry Erik. This was not your fault. Mr. Cain Marko is the avatar of a dimensional lord. Said entity was influencing him into a fight."- Erik looked as shaken and panic-stricken as the rest but I felt how he was already accepting his fate after seeing the mess that was initiated by his subordinate.
"I also apologize for almost driving you into insanity. It was the first time I had to make use of conceptual speech."- I apologized to all of them.
"Aragorn, I will tattle on you with my goddess!"- Said Ororo.
"... Can you not? It was an accident."- I will fuck you up Cyttorak, all of this is your fault.
'Hey, Kitty Vader! Help me out here, I'll owe you one!'- I sent a telepathic message to my unfaltering ally.
'Sure, but when you take me to space I want to ride your dragon form. It's for my growing legend.' And my ally delivered!
'If you get Noona's permission I'm all for it.'
'Heheheh! My shiny friend, I'm ahead of you! I already have her blessing!'- She sent me a memory confirming her claim.
'Damn! Kitty Vader, are you somehow actually connected to 'The Force'?'- Otherwise this makes no sense.
'I'm connected to you if that counts. But I did receive some divine inspiration when sister Gaea told me a story about some dragons that she created some eras ago.'
After our telepathic chat, less than a second in real-time, Kitty said:
"Everybody, let's go inside, Aragorn has prepared a feast for you, you can order whatever you want. You can take this as our apology."- Kitty skillfully diverted our guests' attention to the feast that I just asked Spark to prepare.
My maids guided them to one of the mess halls and Ms. MacTaggert waited a little bit longer before getting closer to me when most of them were already ahead of us.
"Yes, Ms. MacTaggert? How can I help you?"- I asked when I saw that she was having trouble formulating her query.
"...Uhmm Mr. Aragorn, Thank you! I know it was not on purpose, but what you did undid Xavier's mind-wiping."- So driving someone to insanity helps with that?
"You're welcome, Ms. MacTaggert... One question if you don't mind me..."
"Yes, go ahead."
"Why, if you knew from your previous lives, did you get close to Xavier without taking precautions against his unsavory practices?"- She stopped and her heartbeat quickened.
"... How did you know? Nobody knows about that and I was not thinking about it either."- She said after forcing it out of her lips.
"I know of you from different timelines and different universes. Sadly for you, with my presence here, next time you will jump timelines instead of resetting this one."- I continued walking while she processed what I told her in silence.
Eventually, we reached the mess hall and I said:
"Don't get too hung up on it, Ms. MacTaggert. You can live this life like a normal human. Well, a normal councilwoman in a mutant nation. As normal as that can get."
Everybody took their seats as my maids brought their food. I took my seat next to Fury.
"There's no normalcy around you, is there?... ever!"- Said the 'normal' master sorcerer spy after hearing my advice to Moira.
"Well... this is just our version of normal."- This was a first but, as one can see, my maids never lost their composure.
"Well, this was more painful than when I thought it was a good idea to join the girls in their battle against you."
"Hahahaha! Why were you joining them? I thought you knew better."
"Tatiana promised me a lightsaber if I helped her land a hit on you."- I think that was the time when I promised her an individual speed-ship if she landed a hit on me, a type of spaceship for one pilot and no passengers, fully focused on speed.
"You got duped Fury. I don't give them lightsabers until they are 8. You were never going to get one from her."- Fury opened his eye in realization before acceptance settled in.
"*TSK* Motherfucker! Not like it mattered anyway! I got hit on the first meteor shower you shot. I got warped out before I even got the chance to practice my magic. Even with the protection suit on I had to visit the med-bay for about 12 hours."- In other terms he only survived with his life.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! You are tremendously unlucky"
"Worst of all was the look of pity and disappointment Tatiana gave me at the end."
Yeah, she didn't get her speed-ship. Fury and I kept talking through the feast until it was time for our meeting.
The meeting took place in a semicircular conference room that an awesome view of the halo and Earth. Thankfully Spark had the presence of mind to include the fact that the meeting was taking place in space in the information package.
Still, they took a few minutes to appreciate the view before going to their respective seats. My maids had them prepared during the feast.
I was presiding over the meeting with my queen and Spark acting as my assistants. Emma decided to join because she told me that I could only be her and the girls' sugar daddy, for the mutants they would have to pay for my services.
So, she is going to take care of the financial aspect of resources and labor force fees.
"Once more, I apologize for the rocky start. That being said, I gave each of you a file with the preliminary proposal for the nation's creation. Changes can be made over the meeting, raise your hand when you have a question, no powers during the meeting, or I will whisper in conceptual speech. Everything can be negotiated for a reasonable price, but I'm not here for profit and the only thing that I want is stability for the planet."- I carry my eyes over them to make sure that everyone understands.
"Lastly, you're not officiated to the position of councilman or councilwoman until the end when we make things official. Except for Seraph. Seraph you can come in."- When I gave her the name Seraph I had the idea of a guardian angel overseeing the troublemakers. But she chose a body that 'goes better with big brother Spark'. So she doesn't look like a seraph.
Seraph warped to the room in all of her blue glory. Her body is probably on par with the strongest existences on Earth, but she doesn't like combat so she just internalizes and assimilates the info that Spark and I send her.
In wuxia terms, she is a hidden cultivator, you fuck around with her and you get your cultivation crippled and your family vault desecrated.
Seraph walked to my right and looked up at me expectantly. I patted her head and she blessed us with a bright smile.
"This is Seraph. She is the AI in charge of the country. Although she looks like this, she is a baby. She will grow with the nation so your citizens, your actions, and your decisions will teach her about you. Treat her well and she will grow to love you."
"She has the final word in case of disagreements or in case of decisions that collide with her moral values. Lastly, after me and Jean she is probably the strongest being on Earth, so don't get stupid. Seraph is cute but Spark and I have instructed her in ruthlessness."
"No, Master Chief, I'm the cutest!"
"You would be if you had some fluff. But you are in my favorite top 5 if that makes my cute Seraph feel better."- Cortana was also one of my teenage crushes.
Like that, I started the foundational meeting.
{A/N:
Hello readers,
Like I told you, awful at measuring chapters. But here we have it.
The next one is going to be about the meeting itself with different POVs. Hopefully, it won't be as long as this one and the previous one. If the chapter were shorter I could possibly be writing more regularly.
Also, I have been busy with life so I will keep one chapter a week for at least the next 2 weeks. After that, I should be writing with a similar frequency to the first volume.
I'll add some pictures in the comments.}
