7 Chapter 6: Done Dirt Cheap
-Betsy POV-
Getting everything together was quite easy. Time consuming, but easy altogether. Mostly, it was furnishing the large sixteen thousand square foot home. We hired a lot of furniture and help. It was a good thing Cortana took that money when she did.
After the house was complete, we added security. Cameras, motion sensors, and some future tech monitored by Core 24/7. Only then did we set up the machine to administer the super soldier serum.
"Core, how we lookin'?" Brian asks.
"Parameters are set, vita rays ready, serum in place, vital signs normal… We're ready when you give the okay," Core said, monotone.
"Ready, Oliver?"
Oliver nods.
He volunteered to go first. Said it would be better in case the worst happened.
Brian had looked like he would argue, but didn't. Despite being a novice, he understood the inherent danger of the job. And the responsibilities that were thrust upon us.
"Go ahead, Core."
The serum, a rich blue in color, pushes through the tubes and needles and into Oliver's arms.
"Continue."
The vessel, if I can call it that, slowly molds around his body.
"Vita rays: activating," Core intones. "1%... 10%... 25%..." Pure white light is shining from inside the machine. "50%... 75%... 90%..." We can hear muffled groans. I'm clenching my hands together. "100%"
"Clock." We had decided on 10 seconds at 100% capacity. Anymore and we worried for cellular damage.
"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Shutting down."
Abruptly, the white light turns off.
"Open it. And give me a sitrep."
As the machine slowly opens, Core says, "Vital signs are normal. Elevated heartbeat and temperature is within parameters. Increased muscular density noted."
I ignore the rest of her mumbling as Oliver comes into full view. Whereas before there was a bit of fat on his muscles, now he's all taught and compact. Not smaller by any means, but it's like he is contracting his muscles without flexing.
"You there, Oliver?" Brian asks. "How are you feeling?"
Oliver slowly rouses. He blinks. His breathing is a bit faster.
"Oliver?"
"Yea… I'm here."
I let out a breath I've been holding unconsciously.
"Good. Let's get you set down and we can finish up."
To think, this is what Captain America went through.
—
-Brian Pov-
-1 week later-
Betsy and I went into the machine as well. It made sense for myself of course, I was a scrawny, short man. Betsy, I was surprised by. Apparently she was inspired by us, but I don't know. I thought she was fine as is, but then again I thought the same for Oliver. Now look at us, punching twice above our weight class.
Besides that, I did a lot of Hero work.
[Reporting…
673 deeds completed, 606 being D-rank, 60 C-rank, and 7 B-rank.
600 D-ranks converted to 75 C-rank, 150 C-rank converted to 20 B-rank, 20 B-rank converted to 2 A-rank.
Balance: 11 D-rank, 5 C-rank, 7 B-rank, and 2 A-rank.
Templates Fully Assimilated:
Pietro Maximoff, aka Quicksilver (Marvel: extended mcu)
Thomas Wayne, aka Batman (DC: flashpoint)
Template slotted:
Peter Parker, aka Spiderman (Marvel: noir)]
Not as much as I could be, but enough I think. Mostly, I'm taking the time to be the character I'm slotted as, to get those extra percentage points. Being Batman was actually super cool. I was all like "I am the night," and "Fear me" and stuff. Of course, this version beat people into an inch of their life, so I didn't do that. I did however do cool martial art exercises with Oliver and Betsy during my downtime.
But now it's time for Gacha!
[Rolling…
2x A-ranks: Jefferson Pierce(DC), Lucas Bishop(Marvel)]
Electrokinesis and Energy absorption. I wonder if that means I could absorb my own lighting. Things to try!
"Good news?" Betsy asks me.
I explain my rolls and the abilities.
"I don't think I know a Bishop," she says.
"It was a future timeline where the Sentinels nearly wiped out the mutants."
"How would they do that?"
I explain the events of Days of Future Past, roughly.
"Interesting," she says. "I guess we should be thankful that there are no mutants or sentinels around."
I snort. "For now."
She looks at me questioningly.
"Nevermind all that," Tanya says, plopping down next to me, "You got any more friends that you can bring in?"
"Well, I could roll the B and C ranks if y'all want."
"Yes, please. It is ever so droll with the few of us."
Betsy nods.
"Ok, I'll do three of each."
[Rolling…
3x C-rank: Torbjorn Lindholm(Overwatch), Theodore Knight(DC), Kosuzu(Senran Kagura)
3x B-rank: Zannah of Khera(DC), Bacchus Groh(Fairy Tail), Lei Ling(Marvel)
Balance: 11 D-rank, 2 C-rank, 4 B-rank.]
I explain the list of characters, their abilities, and personality.
"How do you know all this?" Betsy asks.
"Some of it is because I am just a nerd who knows a lot of pop culture knowledge. But there's also a part that the system is telling me when I get the character."
"I see."
"Nevermind that," Tanya says excitedly, "who are we gonna pick?"
"Zannah and Lei Ling," I say. "I'll sell the rest."
"Not gonna template any of them?" Oliver asks.
"No. For the crafters, not only am I holding out for Stark, but also we can just buy anything from the store. Kosuzu ain't no Naruto. And Bacchus requires you to be drunk. So, no, I'm good."
"Let's go, go go!" Tanya says.
"Did you have too much caffeine?" I ask.
"No, why?"
"Nevermind."
[Summoning Hero… Zannah, aka Zealot(DC), and Lei Ling, aka Aero(Marvel)]
Two women of varying height appear before me. One nearly six foot with white hair and red eyes. She is wearing a red knee length strapless dress. She has red horizontal lines on her cheeks, a dot on her forehead, and her expression is one of anger.
The other woman is the opposite. She is my old height of 5'4" with black hair and blue eyes. Wearing a white dress with spaghetti straps. Her expression is serene and calm.
Before any of us can say anything, Zannah steps up to me with her hand out.
"Sword. Give it."
"Uh, what?"
"Angel Breaker. Give it to me."
"Oh, uh, sure." I buy the sword from the shop and hand it to her.
"Mmm." She's like a cat given her favorite toy. Her attitude then changes back, "Don't think anything weird."
"Cheh, more mind readers," I mumble.
"New friends," Tanya hugs the two.
"Yea, hi," Zannah says.
Lei Ling says something in Chinese.
"Oh, wait, I can fix this." I buy translator microbes and inject them into each of us (except Tanya). "This should help."
"Oh, yes, thank you for the assistance," Lei Ling says.
"Great, and would it be okay to call you Ling?"
"Yes, that would be fine."
"Great. Now… what?"
"Ooh," Tanya raises her hand.
"Yes, Tanya?"
"Let's go to Coney Island!"
"We were just there."
"Yea, but Zannah and Ling weren't."
"Did you even ask them?"
"They'd love it!" Tanya gives puppy eyes to Zannah, who looked ready to decline.
"Yea, sure," Zannah relents. Ling nods.
"Woohoo! Let's go, go, go!" Tanya grabs the hands of Zannah and Ling and pulls them along with her.
At the amusement park, I find Betsy alone and ask her if she knows why Tanya is acting differently.
"I'm sure there is more to it than I can say, but I believe she is 'finding herself' as it were."
"Finding herself?"
"She was an A.I., a tool used for only certain uses. Now, she's a real girl. And isn't that just fantastic?"
"Yea." I see Tanya across the way, with her 100 megawatt smile. "Yea it is."
-Someplace else-
-Maria Hill POV-
"You think these are connected?" I ask.
"Yes, ma'am," Coulson says.
He came to me with a theory. An interesting theory, but a theory nonetheless.
"I can't go to him without more proof," I say.
"It's all there, ma'am," he's insistent.
"I can see it from the report, but… It's just not concrete." I put up a hand to forestall complaints. "There's someone in New York, that's for certain. We have the reports from various individuals of someone or thing moving faster than our eyes can detect; someone dressed up as a bat; someone who is possibly impersonating Agent Barton; and now someone in a trench coat that zip away on webs." If I sound exasperated, then I am. "There is something there. But to then connect that to the 1% theft and our satellite being hijacked. I can't buy that, and neither will he."
Coulson sits in silence. He doesn't move. Not even blinking. Just waiting.
*Sigh*
"I'll send you and a team to New York. You have a month."
"Yes, ma'am"
"One month, Coulson."
"Understood."
"Dismissed." He stands, salutes, and leaves.
Now I gotta find a connection between everyone involved in the 1% theft. Pierce is on Fury, who is in turn on me to find out just why someone would steal only 1% from wealthy businessmen. Doesn't help I gotta find about this Red Room as well.
*Sigh*
Maybe I should get my own secretary.
