Tablet of Time 2/3

At the hotel, the Count was waiting for me. After exchanging warm greetings, we settled in the hall, awaiting the guests. I briefed my vassal on the matter, outlining the structure of the future organization. In general, the vampire approved of my line of thinking, offering a couple of useful suggestions such as communication methods and establishing the timetable for the future Council meetings.

And finally, the appointed hour arrived. The doors swung open, and seven vampires entered the hall. This time, they were dressed uniformly – all in dark robes, reminiscent of my Nazgul. And now there were nine of us... before my eyes, an image appeared of nine Nazgul flying across the night sky of New York, led by the Witch-king of Angmar in an iron crown... yes, this sight would leave an impression on the residents for a long time. Hm, why not have a little fun? But first things first.

I stood up, greeting the guests, and they responded with polite bows.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I assume you've discovered something interesting since you were so eager for our meeting," I allowed myself a slight smile. "Poor Count Federico struggled, as I heard."

Speaking on behalf of the gathered Children of the Night was once again Manfred.

"Yes, Lord Mayer, we verified the information you provided. It... concerns us. People and mutants are growing more hostile with each passing year, and sooner or later, this will lead to a war. Both sides are already preparing for it. This war could annihilate all life on the planet. And stopping it won't be easy," the German paused, gathering his strength.

"We understand the necessity of controlling humanity and we acknowledge that, given the circumstances, your proposal is quite reasonable... And we are inclined to accept it... my Lord," the other vampires bowed their heads, agreeing with the statement.

"Well, then let's not delay any further. Federico, bring the cup."

When the vampire returned with the chalice, the surrounding astonishment could be cut with a knife. Although, one could understand them. When your eyes are presented with an object that could buy all of Europe and grab a couple of southern states as change... there's a lot to be impressed by.

And so, the ritual began. Federico recited the oath we had crafted, and the vampires, kneeling one by one, repeated after him.

"I, Federico de Valderrama, swear on my life, blood, and honor to follow Lord Walter Mayer, to serve him with faith and truth, to uphold his interests, and to be the conduit of his will. I vow to safeguard the interests of the Brotherhood, to help my brothers and sisters with my words and deeds to the best of my abilities, and if necessary, to give my life and my blood to the Brotherhood. My honor shall remain with me as long as I uphold my oath. I swear."

The vampires repeated the words one after the other, it seemed I hadn't made a mistake – approval emanated from their emotions. If before representatives of different clans could have been at each other's throats, now the oath prevented them from doing so... unless they wanted to expose themselves and their clan to my wrath, of course.

As the last words of the oath resounded in the hall, tendrils of blood emerged from the vampires, filling the cup. A similar stream emerged from me, I still acted through the semblance, and it was necessary. When the chalice was filled, I took several sips, then passed it around. There was enough blood for everyone... or rather, for the new brothers and sisters. One small detail remained; if I had decided to play the part of the Witch-king, then...

"From this point forward, you are the Council, bearers of my will, my eyes and ears, my family. Accept the promised power and new responsibilities," eight absolutely black rings appeared on my hand. The rings lifted into the air and flew towards the newly formed council. The vampires hesitantly put on the gifts, the rings became covered with crimson glowing symbols (the ability of the mutant who could emit light came in handy, unexpectedly... but was quite useful). ...and all the Children of the Night lost consciousness.

Now, I could relax a bit and catch my breath. It seemed I had said and done everything correctly, and the approval in the emotions of my new vassals confirmed this. But how unfamiliar and uncomfortable I felt, who would have known. Well, never mind, my blood now carried the necessary information within them, the symbiote cells that the rings were made from were also inside their bodies, so I could simply observe the changes in the vampires... well, rather the higher vampires.

The experiments yielded results – there was no longer a need to oversee the process and do everything manually – the blood and the symbiote cells were autonomously managing everything (a similar principle, by the way, was used in the "cure" for Doom, but it was much simpler there, and the symbiote cells themselves were hardly needed – blood was enough).

And now, my ring-bearers had regained consciousness. Now, I could sense them much more distinctly.

"Welcome to the new world, brothers and sisters. Welcome to the Brotherhood of Nod."

We spent the rest of the night celebrating. Nissa and that diminutive Japanese girl tried to get to know me better, but I swiftly put an end to all their attempts. I had Felicia, well... and Rouge, though the latter was still only in my plans.

Anyway, the atmosphere of formality had been broken, and the Brotherhood had been presented as a family. No, the vampires didn't suddenly become buddies in a day, but all those present already knew each other quite well and maintained friendly and amicable relationships, so conflicts were not looming. Well, the rest would be sorted out with time.

Walter Mayer. A couple of days after the "invention."

There were no issues with Doom – he knew what he was getting into. The only thing that raised not exactly outrage, but a knowing smile, was the revelation that the head of the mysterious organization and Walter Mayer were the same person. Though, Victor did express confusion – wasn't this a bit reckless, after all, now he would be watched over.

I had to reassure him, assuring that it was part of a clever plan to establish connections among influential figures (well, I couldn't confess to my freshly-made vassal that I simply hadn't thought about this aspect and had succumbed to the whims of my inner Hamster). He seemed to believe it... and if not, there was nothing I could do about it now... and it wasn't really necessary to worry if you thought about it.

After all, the position of a major shareholder in a corporation like Victor's provided enormous possibilities. In the immediate future, at the very least, it would allow me to avoid conducting covert operations every time and to meet with him quite officially.

Also, I could visit his facilities and collaborate with his scientists. And later on... I think people at the level of Stark would be more inclined to engage with their colleague and, in general, someone they knew, rather than an unknown lab assistant from the New York University.

The initiation went as expected, even somewhat routine – the same cup, the same Council's blood, and the same black ring. The only difference was that I had to work longer on the magnate. In addition to the standard package of a Council member, his unique abilities obtained through radiation exposure remained with him.

It took quite an effort to complete the transformation of his organism logically, all the while, of course, the patient remained unconscious. The snag was the lack of energy and necessary chemical elements for the transition, both of which were resolved relatively quickly. I had to put a lot of work into the "cosmetics," restoring Victor's former attractiveness and concealing the new properties of his organism. If he accidentally scratched himself and found metal under his skin, unnecessary questions might arise. However, given all the changes, it would take quite an effort to scratch him.

I think it's worth saying a couple of words about the new possibilities I copied from Victor. His metal. Oh, it was simply marvelous. Firstly, this material remained alive, and therefore, it could grow. Its strength characteristics might not have matched adamantium and other "godly" metals, but it could definitely compete with titanium alloys.

And the most important thing – by absorbing various types of radiation (and in very small quantities, I must note), this material could generate electrical energy, and in quite substantial amounts. Moreover, the metal itself was a superconductor, which, with a certain design, could allow storing this energy in monstrous quantities.

Hmm, it seemed Doom could drain a lot from the power grid, and he caught lightning... or not? It didn't matter, but the fact that theoretically he could – I could vouch for. Damn, in the past world, any power engineer would have given their soul and right arm for something like this – lightweight, sturdy, self-repairing, and capable of generating power... it was simply a dream, not a conductor.

Here, my Hamster entered a bloody battle with my own paranoia. On one hand, there was a potential for substantial profit, both financially and politically. On the other, I could already picture squads of special forces armed with Gauss guns. No, having such devices myself was possible and even necessary, but making them widely available... maybe only in a "disabled" state and for a very high price and concessions.

Having finished with Doom and providing the first orders to my new vassal (nothing exceptional, just like for all the other Council members – introducing 2-3 deputies, compiling reports on available resources and options for further development; the only difference is that Victor would clearly lean toward scientists/economists, well, never mind, not everyone has to be a warrior, and I planned to keep him in North America where Nissa lived, so the front wouldn't be exposed), I hurried to my own laboratory (or rather, to Curt's).

So, what would happen if I "killed" this marvelous piece? Hm, how do you kill it, with such strength? For a while, I tried subjecting the plate, which I had modified, to every possible poison and acid – to no avail, the cells continued to live as they did before.

Freezing it didn't do any damage either. Well, and melting it, I didn't even attempt – if this thing was capable of absorbing radiation, heat certainly wouldn't pass through. Quenching (rapid cooling after heating) only led to the growth of a metal armor layer.

Its conducting properties were somewhat reduced, but its strength noticeably increased; now, it probably didn't fall behind Captain America's shield, though I couldn't say for certain – I hadn't seen that shield. My joy knew no bounds! Yes! It was done, after so many disappointments and failures, I found it! I found armor for my player!

I did manage to "kill" this metal after all – I just needed to drain all the energy from it, not allowing it to replenish, and, of course, I'm no Rogue, but I managed to "dehydrate" a small piece in lab conditions.

As I hoped, the metal lost the ability to generate electricity, self-repairing, and weakened a bit in terms of strength, but its superconductive properties remained intact. Delightful, simply delightful.

Hmm, I remember one octopus was working on some kind of super-power source, and if I combined these projects at Doom's scientific base. My Hamster lost a few paws and grinned ominously.

Alright, the Brotherhood is gradually getting on its feet, deputies are being selected, a common informant network is being established – they should manage without me for now. The past few days have been quite intense; I think I've honestly earned a little rest. Maybe I should take the girls and head to a theme park, or whatever they have instead of that, Disneyland?

Laura enthusiastically supported the idea – and rightly so. The girl was quite curious, and she clearly hadn't been taken out for fun before, and she had been cooped up inside for a while. Felicia, on the other hand, didn't join in – her mother had roped her into dealing with the foundation's affairs again.

Hm, she's been getting involved in matters quite often lately. Is Mrs. Hardy preparing her successor? Maybe... maybe. Well, even though the girl couldn't join us, she did give her blessing, along with a requirement to go there again later, together with her. No one objected.

The next morning, as usual, after a hearty breakfast, we set off for the amusement park. You know, I wonder if Laura is really that militaristic or if she's just trying to have a little fun. Where am I going with this? Well, her comment that the Ferris wheel is essentially a good sniper position – great view, though there's some tension in terms of escape routes – got me thinking.

And this happened with every ride. At the "Russian Mountains" (or as we call them, the American Mountains – interesting, which is more accurate?), we weren't allowed in – apparently, you had to be above a certain height, although looking at the car flying along the tracks, performing dead loops, skillfully ascending the slopes, and then plummeting down, the girl just snorted disdainfully, saying, "It was more fun when I was riding on your back."

The haunted house... well, I shouldn't have taken someone whose reaction to something scary suddenly appearing around the corner is to stick their blades into it. So that's why... we had to sneak out of the house. Fortunately, invisibility allowed us to avoid explaining to the staff why a little girl had smashed half of their mannequins into the salad. Thank goodness Felicia didn't come with us; otherwise, it would have been awkward...

It was around three in the afternoon, and we sat down to rest on a bench in the green area. Laura was savoring chocolate ice cream, while I sipped on some milkshake, a fairly suitable drink. The wind was pleasantly blowing against my back, tousling my hair. What a wonderful d... my thought was cut short, not having a chance to fully form.

I was sitting there with a bewildered expression and slightly twitching eye. And believe me, there was a reason for it. A colorful group was wandering around the park – teenagers and young adults, ranging in age from 14 to 23-25, and a couple of older guys, or at least that's what I thought, but leading this cavalcade was a cute bald old man in a wheelchair.

Why was I so shocked? Oh, it's quite simple – among the guys and girls was a genuine demon, albeit a young one, but you could tell – he would grow up and become a seasoned beast. Even now, he was quite tall, with a sturdy build, and it seemed like his horns were starting to show (or his hair was styled that way). The picture was completed by a flexible tail and the dark blue skin of the visitor from the underworld. The strangest thing was that nobody was paying them any attention.

"Um... Laura, could you please take a look at that colorful group over there? Do you notice anything strange about them?" I asked, eyeing the indicated group with the predatory gaze of a professional assassin, while still pretending to be a happy-go-lucky child and nibbling on my ice cream.

"No, the only thing – they're from different age groups, but they're together, clearly know each other. Most likely some group with shared interests or something like that," the girl offered her conclusion, "and why do you ask?"

I took another look at my milkshake. No, hallucinogens don't work on me, so this must be something else... psionics? But then Xavier is quite something, messing with the heads of so many people at once and chatting casually about something else.

Hm, or maybe I'm missing something? Could someone else also be capable of imposing illusions, and for some reason, I'm immune to it? Wait! Illusions, of course, if Mysterio could whip up cubes that emitted holograms with full presence effects, why couldn't someone else develop something similar for a specific individual? That would explain why I could see through it – a different perception...

"Well, Walter!" someone tugged on my sleeve, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Hmm? Sorry, got lost in thought..." I scratched my head.

"Yeah, I've been trying to get your attention for about two minutes! But no matter, it seems we have a problem..."

"What happened?" I focused, but no, it's useless; there are too many emotions around, and you won't make out anything specific in this chaos.

"That man with the beastly appearance and black hair over there keeps turning our way too often... and he seems to be sniffing at something..."

Mother... the wind is blowing from us toward them, and the man... yeah, that's right, Logan. Damn it, he noticed my gaze and is coming right over here – how unfortunate... uh-oh. And who's that quietly detaching from the crowd and trying to discreetly follow Wolverine? Yeah, right, Anna Marie. Oh, there's some subversion in her, but right now, while everyone is distracted by the magicians, and the wind is blowing right at her... there's a chance. Oh, something's about to happen right now.

Wolverine. Amusement Park.

Logan accompanied the students through the park, lost in thought. Charles had come up with a good idea with the amusement park – the kids could definitely use some relaxation, especially Anna.

But he didn't particularly fancy being in such a crowded place – after the tranquility of the school, the park with its multitude of people creating a cacophony of noise and smells wasn't exactly comfortable. But for the kids' sake, he could endure it. Speaking of smells... the mutant sniffed the air, something was off.

A gentle breeze carried an almost familiar scent to him, something smelled oddly familiar but not entirely so. Alongside that, there was another scent, dangerous and threatening. Instincts urged him to run or attack immediately. The last time he felt something similar was not too long ago... it smelled like a Nazgul, but where was that bastard?

The man looked around; the wind was coming from the direction of the benches, but there was no one there except for a young guy with a girl. Neither of them resembled the white-haired flyer, but then another gust of wind brought a new wave of scents. Definitely from them. What was he doing here?

Watching the kids, or just Anna? Something needed to be done, but what? Warn Charles? No, he wouldn't be able to do anything, he had admitted as much himself. Then Logan decided he would simply approach and find out, and if necessary, protect the student. Nodding to his own thoughts, he headed toward the seated figures. Engrossed in the impending confrontation, he didn't notice another person following behind him.