3 Chapter 2: 5-year plan part 2
I don't actually have a 5-year plan.
I wish I did. I wish I was the type of person to be able to think ahead and come up with some modicum of a plan. That just wasn't me. I do things as they come to me. Like a leaf on the wind.
Sometimes I get stuck in gutters.
Luckily Oliver was here with me.
"Now," he says, "Let's go over plan B."
"There's a plan B?"
"Always come up with a plan B. Especially with women."
"Oi!"
"Heh. Anyways… I think you could sell the Spider-Man-"
"Le Gasp!"
"-and buy an A.I."
"Oh, what for?"
"Corporate Espionage."
"Wut?"
He sighs. "If I'm right, and I usually am, then I bet your future A.I. can break into anything on this planet and steal untold amounts of data and money."
"It all comes down to money, huh?"
"It usually does."
"Okay, say I accept, what next?"
"Then we could say we're from the future or something and uncover Hydra."
"Hmm. Do you think that would only count as 1 heroic deed?"
"Maybe, I thought you didn't care about power?"
"I wouldn't just run into a burning building without knowing I would survive, and I need power for that."
"I see. Well, it was only a plan B."
"That's alright, I like it."
"Yea?"
"Yea, I think we should revisit it next week. Hopefully by then I have another B rank."
"Sure. In the meantime, I'll go to sleep while you pawn some jewelry. 'Kay?"
"On it."
—
-One day later-
[Rolling…
6x D-rank …sold for 600 credits
1x C-rank: Vandal Savage(DC)
2x B-rank: Crimson Countess(The Boys), Renji Abarai(Bleach)
]
"Ha ha, score!" I say, raising my fists in the air.
We're in a dingy apartment currently, so aside from the thin walls I don't think people will overhear us.
"Care to share," Oliver says.
I tell him, noticing he isn't as tired as I thought he would be. He must be acclimated to long, stress filled nights.
"That's good, we can get an A.I. so it can steal some money from corrupt businessmen," he says, between bites of cereal.
"She."
"Hmm?"
"The A.I. is a she, because if you could only choose one A.I. on the list then it'd have to be Cortana."
[Processing…
Sold Crimson Countess(The Boys) and Renji Abarai(Bleach) for 20,000 credits
Buying Cortana A.I.(Halo) for 12,000 credits.
]
I take out the chip from my inventory and set it on the table between me and Oliver. Immediately after, a holographic projection of a woman appears. She is shades of blue in color, from her dark hair to lighter face, and digital lines flowing vertically down her body.
"Perfect," I whisper.
"Hello, Brian, Oliver," she says.
"Yo," Oliver says.
"Hi," I say, excitedly, "Did you get a memory packet as well?"
"I did indeed, but if I might ask, I'd like to scour the net to get caught up on the current global climate."
"Of course, of course, check out anything and everything." I wave her off.
She nods and disappears.
"Hmm, I wonder why you were able to buy her from the store considering you can't buy summons," Oliver says.
"I think it's because I wouldn't be able to template her. Can you imagine? All that processing power in a tiny brain like mine."
"I see."
It doesn't take long for Cortana to return. She rematerializes and waves her hand to me.
"Welcome back," I say, "How'd it go?"
"Well, I'd say," she claspes her hands together. "I was able to theorize that I could hack into any database on Earth currently connected to the internet without detection."
Oliver whistles.
"Very good," I rub my hands together like a 2-bit villain. "And did you find Zola?"
"Of course. Do you even need to ask?" She hmphs.
"Sorry, sorry."
"That's the Hydra guy that became a computer, right?" Oliver asks.
"Yep," I say, popping the 'p.'
"Well in that case, we may just need to rethink our plans."
"Yea… Let's ask our new companion what she thinks."
We turn towards Cortana, she tilts her head questioningly.
"Cortana," I start, "currently we have very little money, only gained because I can buy precious metals and jewelry from the store and sell them to pawn shops. We have no IDs. The only way for me to get credits is by selling summons that I need heroic deed points for. And my end goal is to save as many people as possible from alien invasions or evil organizations. What do you think we should do?"
"Hmm," she thinks to herself. I can tell she's doing thousands of calculations because the light from the chip brightens. "Well, what do you think about being a leader in business? Help the world through legal actions?"
"Hmm… I could, but I'm not a business type of guy, I think."
"What type of guy are you?"
"Uh… the friendly kind?"
She stares at me, looks over to Oliver who shrugs, and looks back to me. Her eyes are calculating, or maybe that's just her face when she's calculating odds.
"Let's work backwards," she says. "You want to prevent the deaths of untold thousands. We know when and where they will strike. What you lack though is the strength to fight back. But you have a way to achieve that. So the current goal is for Oliver to act as your sword, and I, your shield. We basically just wait for you to get some great summon that you can add to your hero count or use as a template. It's not worth figuring out all the variables that can happen because of your randomness."
"I see," I say.
"Then," Oliver says, "if we're stickin' with the current plan, I'm gonna head off to sleep. Goodnight to you both."
"Goodnight Oliver," we both say.
He walks away, to the single bedroom of the apartment. I stare off into space, thinking.
Cortana waits a bit before asking, "You're not mad, are you?"
"No, I just… wish I could be doing more."
"You're doing good for now. Patience is important."
"Yeah, patience." I sigh.
I look up at the dirty apartment ceiling. The cracks and discoloration are everywhere.
"I'm gonna go sell some jewelry." I grab Cortana's chip and the keys to the apartment.
"You should buy a bluetooth earpiece so we can still communicate," Cortana advises.
"Yea. Too bad it'll have to be a mid 2000s piece that looks stupid."
—
-One day later-
[Rolling…
8x D-rank… sold for 800 credits
2x C-rank: Pomona Sprout(Harry Potter), Gimli(Lord of the Rings)
1x B-rank: Albert Wesker(Resident Evil)
]
I feel like I'm being picky when I say that these are no good. Not bad, per say, but they're not gonna help me. At least it means more money for me.
"Not so sharp there, kid," Oliver says, eating his cereal.
I sigh. "Yea."
"Bad luck?" Cortana asks.
"No, just not what I need."
"Tell us anyway. Could be better than you think." Oliver, the optimist, says.
"Well, I got Pomona Sprout who is a witch and can use magic, but she needs a wand and is not too powerful either way. Then there's Gimli who is a strong fighter, but I don't want to use weapons like him. Lastly is the B-rank Wesker who is definitely tough and has some good powers, but he's also evil and I don't want that to affect me."
"I don't think you have to worry about that," Oliver says.
"Really?"
"He's correct," Cortana says. "The system will only give you the power and knowledge of the character. It will not change your personality. If you choose actions that align with the character you will get a boost of experience, but even if you don't you will still get something."
"A mutated t-virus might help my survivability," I murmur.
"Whoa, hold up," Oliver nearly spits out his cereal. "A what virus?"
"The t-virus was Umbrella corporations idea of a super soldier serum. The affected would gain enhanced strength, speed, agility, and regenerative capabilities."
"But?" Cortana asks.
"The affected could also become zombies."
"Zombies." Oliver states.
"The mutated version helped somewhat, if I recall correctly."
"How?" Cortana asks.
"Well, the person would retain their mind, but also may suffer mutations."
"Like?" Oliver asks.
"If your arm gets blown off you would recover a tentacle."
"Ew," they both say.
"Yeah, maybe I should just sell him."
"Please do," Cortana says. Oliver nods in the background.
I sigh. "One more day."
"In other news, "Oliver says, "I think I found a guy that can get us some IDs."
"That's good."
"He costs a lot though so you may have to buy and sell more jewelry than normal."
"I'll do double the sales for today," I say, gloomily.
"Hey, Brian, look at me."
I turn towards Oliver. "We got a lot of time until we are needed. Don't worry."
"Okay," I say, resolutely.
"Okay." He yawns. "I'm gonna get some zees. You get some money, then after we have IDs we can get proper housing, then maybe a proper job."
I nod.
"The sky's the limit my friend."
