CHAPTER - XXIX

Twelve hours had passed since the CHIMERA arrived at the anthill, after its arrival Hank ordered that all the scientists, people, inhumans and wounded to move to the chimera.

Theo helped to transport the heavy machinery with his powers along with some synthezoids that Hank had reprogrammed to be faithful to him.

Cassie did not leave Kamala's side at any time except when she helped move the wounded Inhumans to the Chimera, and then took Kamala to her room when she found out that she has one.

While Derek without knowing that he had slept twelve hours was being stung in the face by Lucy who was trying to wake him up without any success as she was informed by Jarvis that in one hour the CHIMERA would take off, noticing that following towards would not succeed, she controlled the energy of her reactor and sent it to her two front legs causing them to surround themselves with electricity stinging Derek.

"AAAAH!" screamed Derek as he felt the electricity coursing through his arm as he rolled over on the bed, a few moments later he looked at Lucy who smiled innocently through the digital screen on her body.

Derek : "What was that for Lucy?"

Lucy: "You wouldn't wake up, I've been trying to wake you up for thirty minutes. Jarvis informed me that the CHIMERA will be leaving in an hour, all the people from the anthill have been moved to the ship only you are left."

Lucy informed Derek, who was still holding his arm "I understand, thanks for waking me up Lucy, but don't do that again, ok?" Lucy nodded at what Derek said.

(Shit that was enough to increase my Electro (Lightning) Resistance by one level) thought Derek still feeling how the muscles in his arm contracted, he was about to buy a potion to cure his arm but before doing so he remembered the Grimoire of White Magic (Genesis).

(System I want to use my Grimoire, how should I use it)

TING

[ The Grimoire is in your inventory host, take it out and start reading it.]

Doing what the system told him, he took out the Grimoire and opened it, at the moment he opened it a white and magical energy came out of the book enveloping Derek accepting him as its owner.

[ Congratulations host, the Grimoire has accepted you as its owner. ]

Derek was already expecting something like this, without further ado he began to read in search of a healing spell, the words in the Grimoire became blurry for a moment as knowledge began to appear in his head, which were the basics of white magic to be exact.

[ Host you've Learned the basics of White Magic, the White Magic skill has been created.]

*White Magic: Lvl 1

*White magic is magic that is composed of spells that heal and protect as well as being effective against dark beings.

-Effect: (Blocked)

-Effect: (Blocked)

-SPELLS: Scan: Scans the person and gets the information of all wounds on the body or affected parts, Healing: Covers the user's hand with Healing Magic with which he can heal the target by touching it, Arrow of Light: Creates an arrow of pure Light to launch it towards an enemy*.

Derek was surprised by all the information he obtained by reading a single sheet of the Grimoire, in just an instant he learned how to use magic circles and create them by controlling his own mana, deciding to do the test he used Scan on his arm appearing a small magic circle with white runes around one of his eyes seeing how the nerves of the arm had suffered some damage and his atrophied muscles began to heal very slowly thanks to its regeneration, wanting to accelerate the regeneration he used Healing.

Derek looked carefully at his hand glowing with faint white light, pressing it on his affected arm he watched with Scanning as the nerves healed in seconds and the atrophied muscles stopped contracting returning said limb to its optimal state, moving and clenching his arm and fist making sure everything was okay.

Derek : "Awesome with this I can save my stats, recoveries and potions, this spell is very melee when I use status recovery, it only occurs to me that Status Recovery is a high level healing spell."

[ You are correct Host ]

At the answer given by the system Derek smiled as this opens up many possibilities and uses, once recovered he got up, dressed and put all his things away in his inventory making sure not to leave any of his DNA in the room that AIM or Tarleton could use.

Walking through the corridors of the anthill he saw that there were no living beings except for some synthezoids modified by Hank carrying heavy tools and machinery through the portals made by Theo, although he could pass through the portals Derek decided to take his time until he reached the CHIMERA, the moment he entered the ship he was called by Jarvis.

Jarvis: "Mr. Derek, Mr. Stark and Miss Natasha request you to come to the command room."

Stopping to then look at Lucy on his left shoulder "Looks like you'll have to come with me my little one" said Derek.

Lucy climbed down and went up in acceptance one of her legs, heading to the command room he watched as some Inhumans repaired some sections of the ship.

She watched in another group as an Inhuman with telekinesis lifted a projector while the rest installed it to finally reach the door to the command room with a Big A on it and walk through being greeted by Tony and Nat who were looking at the war table on which a hologram of the entire planet was projected showing AIM's activities.

"You're finally here kid, I told Lucy to wake you up two hours ago, what took you so long?" asked Tony with a tired look on his face and without his armor.

Derek : "Sorry Tony and Nat for taking so long, but even with the potions I drank it took my body some time to recover from the damage received by the adaptoid" replied Derek to be seen by Tony looking for wounds, not noticing any he let out a sigh and nodded.

Nat for her part without saying anything approached him and placed her hand on his cheek "Your body is fine, are you sure? ", although a little surprised by Natasha's action

Derek nodded noticing the concern in her look, when he was about to hold her hand she withdrew it and went back to where she was before.

Tony smiled as he saw how teacher and student behaved making Derek a little embarrassed and Natasha for her part undeterred

Tony : "Well boy now to the important thing Natasha has told us that you have a lot of information and compromising names of those who are financing the creation of these Adaptoids, because if you have them I have the perfect opportunity to expose some of this information" said Tony.

Natasha : "The AIM Expo in Manhattan where they will present another group of Adaptoids, it is certain that all the TV networks will go, we could use that to expose much of what AIM actually does, not to mention that it would be the ideal place for a hundred missing Inhumans to reappear" complete Nat instead of Tony.

Derek : "But we must be careful, remember we still don't know where Tarleton has the Inhumans captured from DAY A until now, we don't know if they are still alive and if they are alive I don't doubt that AIM would hide the truth by killing them before risking exposure" suggested Derek remembering everything AIM has done.

Tony : "For that we have Monica the second in command of Tarleton she will tell us where they are being held or what they did with them" smiled Tony as if he was already expecting something like that.

Natasha : "And if she doesn't tell us the easy way I'll make sure she does it the hard way" Nat said it coldly, neither Tony or Derek doubted that she would torture Monica if she didn't talk, as if to make everyone more serious Bruce called them from the interrogation room through Jarvis.

Jarvis: "Sir, Miss Monica is in the interrogation room, Mr. Bruce told me to inform you, o and young Derek Miss Kamala woke up a few minutes ago, Miss Cassie told me to inform you when I get to the CHIMERA."

"Jarvis tell Kamala and Cassie to go to the interrogation room" spoke Tony before Derek who looked at him waiting for an answer, while Nat reacted to what Stark said.

Natasha : "Tony why do you want them to be there too?"

Tony : "Because one of them is the one who has been in charge of bringing us together and even if you don't want to admit it, it's thanks to these kids that we have achieved all this, if it wasn't for Kamala I would still be in the only old rotten mansion that they didn't manage to take me away eating grilled sausages, so I think she, Derek and Cassie deserve to be there with us."

At Tony's answer, Nat could not say anything, Derek for his part agreed although he would have liked Kamala not to see Monica in such a short time with everything that has happened, without further ado Nat was the first to leave the command room followed by Derek and Tony.

They took fifteen minutes to reach their destination, they had to pass two maximum security doors being guarded by trained and armed people from the anthill when they arrived at the last door Nat spoke to the security personnel in charge.

Nat : "Do you guard the exits? Tell me did two inhuman girls get in?"

Unknown personnel: 'Yes agent Widow' replied the personnel in charge to her questions.

Nat: "Good open the hatch once we get in no one else can get in here understood?"

Unknown personnel: 'Yes Ma'am. Initiating hatch lock protocol' ordered the man over the communicator to the people at the previous doors and the door where Nat was with the others opened.

They walked a few meters until they reached a door very similar to a metal door but Derek felt something a desire to devour it, it was as strong as when he first saw Cap's shield although at that time his Metal Dragon Slayer powers were not as strong and the fear of being chased by a furious Hulk counteracted that desire this time it was different.

Derek used Observe on the door, he was surprised to see the name on it.

(ADAMANTIUM DOOR)

The letters were purple implying that it was an Epic Rank item, (The Ranks of materials, items and weapons are: Normal, Rare, Unique, Epic, Legendary and Ex), Nat and Tony quickly noticed the strange behavior in Derek.

"Derek, what's wrong? tell me" Natasha asked, Derek closed his eyes and controlled his breathing as a way to control the desire he had to devour the door

Derek : "I think it has to do with my powers with metal, my powers allow me to devour the element I use except my own metal and fire, for every metal or fire stronger than mine I become stronger, also allowing me to create it was how I created my absorbing metal, the moment I saw this door I had the desire to jump over it my instincts tell me it is made of an incredibly valuable metal" commented Derek surprising them.

Tony had an idea about Derek's powers but this creates many possibilities and he wouldn't lie he now wanted to be Derek's legal guardian more.

Nat for her part walked over to Derek and grabbed him by the face with both her hands making him look at her

Nat : "Derek concentrate on my voice, your powers are amazing, but remember this you control them not them you, follow my voice, breathe in and out, I take rein in them slowly" as Derek looked at her he followed to the letter what she said until he could control himself, that desire to devour was still there but he was in control and without noticing it the bar on Metal's Dragon Slayer ability had gone up another 10%.

"I'm fine, I'm in control" hearing this Nat smiled and stroked his cheek with her thumbs for a moment before heading to the door of which a part of the metal came down revealing a digital display

Nat took off one of her gloves and put her hand on the screen so that it started to take her fingerprints and in a second the door opened revealing Bruce, Hank, Cassie and Kamala who looked a little exhausted but much better since the last time he saw her, Kamala and Cassie when they saw Derek smiled as if they were already waiting for him.

He approached where Kamala and Cassie were, Hank seeing Derek go to the girls looked at him and nodded making Derek respond in the same way to tell him

"I see that you have recovered very well Derek, you know if you think so I would like that at some point you let me analyze those miraculous potions or maybe we could come to an agreement" Hank told him stopping him and making him smile at such a proposal.

"Thank you very much Doctor Hank, first of all I apologize for all the trouble I caused you and Bruce, I would also love to talk about it, I'm sure we could come to an agreement" smiled Derek then apologizing.

"Haa I understand why you did that, believe me if I had been in your position I would have done the same thing" commented Hank at Derek's apology.

"Cough, cough" hearing the cough they looked where it was coming from to see Cassie looking at her father a little annoyed making Hank smile at this.

"Well, I'm not stopping you anymore Derek, go they are waiting for you" Derek just nodded and headed to where Kamala and Cassie were.

When he got to them he looked at Kamala, who was sitting up and squatted down reaching her height "Hey, I'm glad you woke up, for a moment there I was worried you know?"

Hearing Derek she lowered her head, Derek watched as she looked down and small tears fell from her face "Hey, don't cry it's all right now Kamala" he said putting his hand on her chin lifting her gaze

Kamala : "Derek it's my fault if it wasn't for my stubbornness, I wouldn't have been captured, Theo wouldn't have been hurt and you shouldn't have gone to rescue me, I shouldn't have come here I'm no hero."

"Kamala, let me tell you this first of all it wasn't your fault, yeah, this was all planned by that bitch behind that glass, all so she could capture me, if anyone is to blame for this it's me Kamala, it's me who needs to apologize" he said as with his other hand he wiped away her tears, Cassie seeing her like this patted her back reassuringly.

Nat knew she shouldn't get into this, but it bothered her that Kamala said she wasn't a hero and shouldn't be here, so what was it she had to leave Derek without telling him anything to infiltrate AIM and spend three years there alone being able to give information and being able to get in between their security applying some codes without them noticing so she could send information when they captured inhumans, if it wasn't for Kamala along with Derek she doesn't know how much longer it would have taken her to get everything she got in one day.

"Kamala" looking where she was called she saw one of her favorite heroines "Black Widow".

"Hello...look you say you are not a hero, tell me did you see all the inhumans that are on this ship, they saw you when you and I fought that crazy Monica, they don't think you are not a hero, you know we all make mistakes, look around you you brought us together, I am glad to a see us known in Jersey Kamala even though it wasn't one of my better moments" smiled Nat.

Kamala : "You're Tiny Dancer"

"Yes I am, look you are already a hero, you just need to be convinced" she said pointing at her with her finger touching her chest, Kamala looked at Nat, Bruce, Tony, Hank who nodded in agreement, then she looked at Cassie and Derek, who she met when she hacked the AIM servers and has always been there for her "Thank you, really thank you" she thanked them and hugged Derek tightly.

Nat looked at them for a moment and went to Bruce "I think you're the one who should go in first Bruce, you're the one most likely to get her to talk for good measure"

Bruce : "Alright I'll do it"

Nat : "My advice is don't forget she's going to try to manipulate you, you know that right?"

Bruce : "I know that but I think I know Monica well."

Nat : "No, you don't know her Bruce, there are a thousand Monica's, she switches from one to another as if they were just masks"

"I know" said Bruce but Nat didn't leave room for him to say anything "Look all I'm saying is that if you go in with too many expectations she will take you by surprise and I'll just tell you this so you don't have any hope, she has never felt anything for you, but if there was don't hesitate to use those emotions to your advantage"

Bruce : "Thank you Nat, for your brutal honesty, you and Derek are very mated."

Nat : "Thanks for the compliment, don't forget you can and remember we need to know where they are holding the inhumans they have captured since DAY A if we want to ruin their AIM Expo"

Up to here.