NOVEL NEXT Chapter 71
Chapter 71
The Fastest Man Alive
By: BigToFu
Beta: Mink
Susan Blake
Queen Mother of Pandora
Leading Expert on bio-organic compounds
Letting out a sigh, Sue shook her head at the brutal display being carried out in one of the Royal chambers. Turning away from the display, a mental push sent the command to turn it off. She was tired of seeing traitors die, even if she knew that if they had won, she would have had to raise her child without his father.
A hand went down to rub over her stomach to feel the life growing inside of her even if she wasn't showing yet. Already, she knew what the gender of her child would be even if nothing was mentioned to Ben. Smiling from the information that tingled at her fingertips, Sue turned around to look over the symbiote that she was sent a few days ago.
She had plans to look over the final changes to the Primarchs once this was complete, but before she could share her input with that project, the symbiote would have to be first, since there were plans in the works to distribute one to every citizen of the Empire.
The upside of it was that everyone would not only gain an enhanced general fitness level but also standard rapid healing. The downside of it was making sure that the symbiotes weren't sold to those not citizens of the Empire and to ensure they did not gain sentience. If they did, we had to make sure that no one freaked out and didn't create some sort of bio-chaotic entity due to the whole soul question. So here she was, in her lab, ensuring that such things did not come to pass.
With a hum upon her lips, Sue pulled her chair underneath her work table as one of the lab's robotic arms deposited a cylinder upon the table for her.
"Thank you, Athena," Sue idly said as she slid the cylinder over to the examination table. Looking up and around, Sue rolled her eyes at the fact she forgot to activate the holo-suite to her table. Sparkles sprang to life before her over the table as the crystals activate, producing a beautifully crafted hologram of a double helix.
Humming a note her mother used to sing her to sleep, Sue removed the top that held the symbiote within its container. The hologram above the table shifted to show not only the genetic structure but also the outcomes that they were correlated to within the substance.
So far, her Ben had been able to incorporate not only high-speed healing but also boosted strength and agility. So that left it to her to improve the muscular incorporation, blood flow, lactic acid removal, and so much more.
Shaking her head to get rid of distracting thoughts, Sue made sure to double-check her safety procedures while also checking to see if a lab aid was on call. Of course, that wasn't needed when she noticed her guards hovering in their own little corners, acting as if they were ghosts.
Smiling and sending her guards a wave of appreciation, she got to work.
"Athena, can you please project the schematics for the crystal processors," Sue called out with a spark of an idea. The hologram spun to life over her desk, allowing her to give it a critical eye. Humming as her thoughts buzzed around a truly magnificent idea, Sue called out once more, "Athena, let's start with one ounce of nutritional fluid."
With a hand up the symbiote, Sue started to construct crystalline microprocessors on the macro scale that would not only work alongside the nervous system but would also boost the host's synaptic response times, while also giving full control over the symbiote. With a few minor changes to the symbiote, just a minor thought would allow a person to not only change the color but choose how they would like the symbiote to interact with the world.
Honestly, Sue could see this being kept underneath the armors of the Astartes with them only using it to boost their combat efficiency. Yet, that was only one side of it, as she could also see the public using this to enhance their lives.
With how things were set, a normal citizen with fire powers would be able to use a symbiote to breathe underwater, as it would enable them to nullify that weakness, while also working as a rebreather for them underneath the waves.
Smiling at the symbiotes accepting her changes, Sue made a few more improvements before looking up from her lab station. Smiling at what she would call the mark two symbiote, Sue looked over to the hologram display as it crunched the numerous genetic sequences.
Leaning back in her seat, she reached out with an errant hand to pick up the tea offered while her other hand slowly rubbed her stomach. Giving James a smile, Sue turned back to her center council as it released a double beep.
Pausing with her cup at her lips, Sue peered at the golden all-clear hovering over her workstation. Sipping a little of her tea she then placed the cup down before doing a little tappy clap in excitement, "James, can you call my Primarch to the lab, please? And thanks."
Things progressed swiftly after that as Sue vocalized notes to her lab and had Athena sort the data before sending it to her Omni. As all of that was going on, Sue had worked her magic with the symbiote, producing five more. These were based on the one that she had completed but they weren't created by her hands, they were created from the nutrient paste that filled the little work basin upon her work table.
The symbiotes grew out of the nutrient fluid as if they were grapes. Ben had given her the idea a while back, but it was only now that she had put it to work. Placing a finger upon the symbiote blob, Sue smiled as the biological feedback that she received came back clear with no deviations.
Shutting off the nutrient supply, Sue left the main symbiote to use up the rest of the raw genetic material to produce more symbiotes to her specifications. With that finished, she then turned around with one of the already completed symbiote grapes within her hands.
Turning around, Sue's timing was perfect as her spartan came in with her Primarch, Douglas. The man was a powerhouse that stood eight feet tall, lightly tanned skin with golden blonde curls. Since he was assigned to her protection detail, Ben had set him in charge of her fleet of ships while also aligning his powerset to complement her own.
Well, that wasn't just Douglas, but all of the Primarchs were like that, well, that was only for those on protection details. The others that were in charge of protecting the Empire came with different types of power manipulations, ranging from kinetic energy to the elements and beyond.
The large Primarch smiled down at her before giving a bow of his head, "I have come, as you have summoned."
"Oh don't be like that, Douglas," Sue said with a chuckle.
Taking the seat offered, Douglas shook his head before speaking with a voice that rumbled from his chest. "My Queen, I was on a video call with the other Primarchs, discussing the defense of the new planet with the General and other military leaders."
"Well, alright, I guess I won't keep you then," Sue replied before tossing the golden grape the size of her fist towards him...
Catching the golden object in his hand, Sue watched as he removed his gloves before running a finger over its smooth surface. Sue watched as his eyes went wide before she nodded her head at him. "It's safe, but I want a full report after a week's usage and any notable ideas you might come up with for improvements."
"Of, of course, my Queen," Douglas replied swiftly before squeezing down on the symbiote. Sue watched with a smile as the symbiote vanished beneath the surface of the Primarchs skin.
Holding out a hand, she made a motion, and Sue's eyes lit up when he placed his hands upon hers and she discovered his usages of the symbiote. Instead of keeping a layer around his ribcage like Ben had done, Douglas had spread the symbiote through his body and coated his bones with it.
"This... this is amazing, my Queen," Douglas breathed and Sue could clearly hear the reverent tones in his voice.
The smirk on her lips could be heard clearly within her voice, "I try, but this is only the second of the first interactions made. Your brothers and sisters will get theirs soon enough. Oh, and don't spoil the surprise."
"Of course, my Queen."
"Good, now run along and go play with your big guns," Sue replied with a wave of the hand. "Ohh and don't forget, we will be going to Titan soon."
"Of course, my Queen."
With a smile, Sue turned back around to examine the twenty-four finished symbiotes that sat within the nutrient basin.
=]*[=
Undisclosed Location...
Undisclosed Prisoner...
Something was going on and he could feel it. Someone was coming, but with all that they used to obscure his knowledge of the location, he could not be certain. Sighing to himself, he leaned back against the wall and waited. Would this be the time that they killed him or would he be able to see the sun once more?
The stars were one thing that he was used to, he thought with a sigh as a hand rubbed at the scarred X upon the back of his neck. All it took was getting caught once, all they needed to do was catch him once. They had been very clear in their demonstration about the bomb at the back of his neck.
Letting out a sigh, he leaned against the wall: he allowed his fingers to tap against the wall as he waited for what had awakened him. He had lived his life on the feelings that came from his gut. The same way his father did and the same way he taught his daughter as well.
The reason why he woke made itself known as the prison shook ever so slightly. He would never have felt it if the dust hadn't fallen from the ceiling.
Bringing a hand to his face, he made a few motions with his hand as he twisted his prized mustache, even if it was a little more than he was used to. This time, the sound of the conflict was a lot closer he noted as a hand idly twisted the end of his 'stache'.
Letting out a sigh, he slowly rose to his feet before stepping away from his bed. There was another boom that fiercely shook his isolation cell.
Standing back up from where he had fallen, he twisted out of the way on gut instinct as the door to his cell was blasted off its hinges. Eyes wide, he couldn't help but take in the massive armored figure standing in the entryway to his isolated cell.
He heard no words as light illuminated his cell, that could only mean that they were using internal communications. Fixing his prison clothes, he held his head high as he took a step toward and spoke.
"Gentlemen, gentlemen, you wouldn't happen to be looking for little ole me?" He asked with a clear bravado that he did not feel at all.
He watched as the one in the lead tilted his head before speaking. "Are you Walter Hardy?"
His breath hitched but he steeled his nerves before answering in the positive. Those behind the one in his prison cell moved out of the way as the one in the doorway pulled something from behind his back.
"We are here on orders of his majesty to extract you and deliver you to her majesty," The one within his prison cell spoke as he took a step closer. Knitting his brows, Walter had to think of who this royalty was, since the last he checked, he was positive that there were no royals in his back pocket. Yet, those thoughts were shuffled to the side as he watched the man before him activate some strange device.
The device unfolded itself before turning into what appeared to be a flak jacket, but Walter had to ask. "Who is her majesty?"
The man before him brought his arm up before an image sprang forth, "Her Majesty Felicia Hardy, Queen to Pandora."
"Ohh, Kitten, how you have grown," Walter softly spoke as he looked at the image of his daughter clearly in the middle of a heist of some sort. The image then shifted to Felicia sitting on the lap of a redhead, then to that of her kissing a very large well-built man who was holding her up with one hand.
Instantly his fatherly instincts reared its head as a growl; deep, dark, and angry came from somewhere within him. More images scrolled across the floating screen with some information but his mind was already made. Straightening his back, Walter took the offered flak jacket and put it on.
The soldier that was standing there in clearly advanced armor gave him a nod before turning to stand in the doorway. With the flak jacket on, Walter cleared his throat to catch the attention of the people who were clearly here to extract him from his prison.
The one protecting the door to his cell turned around before pressing something upon his wrist. Walter then heard a hum before a blue shimmer rolled over his form. He raised an eyebrow and got a quick one-word answer, 'shield'.
"Understandable, but may I get your name, young man? You do know my own, after all," Walter spoke with a smile that charmed thousands of people over the years.
The guard shrugged, "For now, Spartan Davis will do," Was the reply before he did an about-face. "Now, come along, we are on a timetable to surprise her majesty."
That put a smile on his face more than the prospect of actually getting out of this god-forsaken hellhole. No words were shared as Walter walked forward at an even, sedate pace that was oddly deceptive to the eye. This was something he had perfected and it would not only take him out of here, but it came with a certain level of speed that was just under a jog but also above that of a fast stride.
The gait of the walk that he used made it seem as if he was gliding across the floor, unfortunately, he almost paused in his walk as he got out of his cell and saw the carnage of the prison.
Clearing his throat, Walter turned around to ask a question, but was interrupted as the team that was guarding his cell was suddenly guarding his person. Then before he could ask anything, a fast pace was set as they made their way to the elevators at the end of the hall. As they moved, Walter made sure not to examine the bodies that were everywhere too closely.
Now that he had time to think about it, maybe he should have asked to talk with his daughter. Then again, he could also do that later if they didn't turn out to be who they said they were. It really was no issue for him to escape them once they were out. The only reason why he hadn't escaped his own prison cell was due to there only being one way in and one way out. Hell, he had examined it and even the air reconstitution units couldn't be used as an escape route since they pumped air in through pipelines, not vents.
As they arrived at the end of the prison block, Walter noticed the utterly ruined nature of the elevator, yet his companions never stopped. They all piled onto a platform that was clearly placed upon the destroyed elevator.
Before he got a chance to look around and examine anything, Walter felt a yank underneath his armpits as he was pulled upwards. Before he cleared the top of the elevator, Walter caught a glimpse of his prison cell exploding, then as he got out at the fiftieth level, the whole prison rocked once more as dust came from down below.
No one said anything, no one stopped as he walked past more bodies riddled with bullet holes while some sections of the wall showed clear signs of explosives. Walter felt it strange that they had to walk to the far end of the west side to the prison before they could take another set of odd floating transportation upwards. When they did it a third time was when things clicked for him.
Those uncultured swines had set the stairs in a staggered formation leading upwards. This meant that if you wanted to get to the top, you would have to work your way all the way to the end of a wing to the opposite side before you were able to truly get out.
They performed the tedious task of going from one end of a prison block to the other three more times before they finally arrived at the surface. As they arrived topside, Walter was greeted with the sight of an entire wall blown inwards. He could tell that the explosive force that had made such a thing possible came from the outside due to debris being blown inwards.
This was ignored also as he was bustled forward with some other prisoners that were milling around with a light contingent of guards. Funnily enough, he actually knew a few of them, all here because they were placed in a hole and had the keys thrown away.
Lights illuminated the night sky as a flying craft of some sort settled down as Walter got a small push in the back. Taking it for what it was, he upped his pace to a light jog as those around him also picked up the pace. The other prisoners got onto the flying craft before vanishing while he was stopped upon the back ramp.
He felt nothing as the craft lifted off, but that changed when they gave him a device with a big red button. Ohh, that warmed his heart in a way that no heist ever could and Walter wasted not a moment in pressing that button.
=]*[=
Freshly cleaned and shaved, Walter looked over the spandex crap they called an unstable molecular suit. Face scrunched up in disdain at the thing, he brought up the Omni like he was taught before inputting the command.
The spandex upon the bed shimmered before shifting into his signature three-piece suit. It might be a little vain of him, but he wanted to look his best if he was going to see his baby girl. So much to do, and yet, he had such little time.
As he dressed himself, Walter felt his wrist vibrate with the five-minute warning. Letting out a sigh, it was time to face the music. They had accommodated him by taking the long way, which not only allowed him to take a nap but also allowed him to shower and finish his ablutions. Once his tie was proper, he walked out of the personal cabin given to him, finding Davis standing ramrod straight on the outside, waiting upon his arrival.
"Davis, my boy," Walter called with great cheer as he clapped a hand upon the shoulder of his semi-silent sentinel.
"Mr. Hardy, it will be early morning upon our arrival within New York, breakfast will be an English special where tea or coffee will be served," Davis answered succinctly.
Feeling the low rumble of his own stomach, Walter nodded in confirmation before tossing an arm over the Spartan's shoulders. "I understand that, but come on, when will an old man be able to see his daughter?"
"Upon arrival, we were told by the house's AI that under no uncertain circumstance are we to disturb their time unless the world is ending," Davis replied smoothly. "The punishment for that would be to offer up yourself to the sacrifice that is known as sparring with his majesty."
Walter shook his head, "Ooh, a little exercise can't be all that bad."
Walter heard Davis let out a small sigh but he paid it no mind as he retracted his arm and walked alongside the man. Walking past the cockpit, Walter noticed the skyline to the city as it struck at his heart with nostalgia. He stood there and watched for a time until the scene changed to that of a penthouse with an obvious landing pad on the roof.
Things move rapidly after that as Walter found himself within a penthouse, but he didn't even give a passing glance to the things around as he noticed a picture frame upon the mantlepiece. Within the picture, he saw the smiling face of his daughter. Ohh how she reminded him of her mother.
Just that thought made him pause in his actions as he realized that he would have to figure out a way to contact Lydia. Yet, before he could get very far into planning that set of actions, the walls thumped. Turning to check that he wasn't the only one that felt and heard the bump, Walter was surprised when most, if not all of the guards turned the other way.
It wasn't until the third bump that he made up his mind to go and investigate what might be the cause. Turning around, Walter noticed the guards slowly taking steps back, with a raised eyebrow he waited.
It was Davis who spoke as he stood at the far door in parade rest, "Sir, I would suggest not disrupting her majesty and his highness during their activities."
His other eyebrow raised before he let out a huff, shrugging, Walther then made his way over to the kitchen, wondering if his little kitten still liked her eggs sunny side up. Things didn't take very long once the food started to be cooked and the aroma from the meal made itself known within the penthouse.
As Walter cooked, the news played, which caused him to stop to take a look. The reporter from ABC-News was going on and on about footage from Nasa about a new planet suddenly appearing within the solar system. Of course, good taxpayer's dollars were going to be wasted as they put together a probe and sent it over to check the situation. Shaking his head at it all, his attention shifted as a very audible click could be heard coming from one of the back rooms.
With a flourish, Walter removed the apron from around his person before giving it one hard shake and folding it over. What he saw was different, not what he was expecting, since what came out of the back rooms was a very buff man in boxer shorts holding up a scantily clad female in only what could be described as her undergarments.
Then their eyes met and Walter found himself gripped by the neck and forced up against the kitchen cabinets.
"Who the fuck are you?" Growled the very large black man holding him by the throat. Darkness crept along the edges of his vision as his mind threatened to shut down. Then it all came rushing back as air filled his lungs and he was released allowing him to drop down yet he was caught before he could really kiss the floor below. Then he was pulled out of his brief anguish by sweet sweet words. "Ohh shit, Walter? You should really sue them for a refund."
Walter chuckled as he dusted himself off, standing up. He took that que and made his own comment to smooth over the moment, "Ohh I believe I still look dashing enough, CIA blacksites did wonders for my tan."
"Dad, what in the hell?" Felica yelled more than a little excitedly as she then tried to cover herself to show some modesty.
"Ohh, hey kitten, thanks for stopping the brute," Walter replied with a chuckle, "It's nice to see you too, so glad you have your mother's looks, but ahh, can you please cover up."
"Ohh my god, eww," Felica shook as she went beat red and ran out of the kitchen. The big large brute that was with her just shook his head at the situation before following behind. Letting out a sigh, Walter fixed his collar before sitting at the table. The brute was obviously with his baby girl and was of the mind to attack first , ask questions later.
Letting out a sigh, Walter ate his eggs and ignored the chuckles of the guards.
=]*[=
Benjamin Blake
Father, Husband, Emperor
BBQ God!
Whistling a tune, I stood over the barbeque pit in my patented dad sandals, swim trunks, and a kiss the Emperor apron on. In the background, the music was thumping, but it was all good since we scaled the noise dampers up. This not only brought the music to a nice level at the party but it allowed those at the concert to enjoy the thrill of the bass trying to be their second heartbeat.
Shaking my head at the sick beats coming out of the gigantic portal to the Dazzler concert, I flipped a steak before shifting my head to the side as I heard one of my girls yelling...
"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" Maya screamed as her leg shot past my head.
With a tsk, I snatched her by the ankle before tossing her upwards.
"BENJAMIN!" Someone screamed, making me flinch a little. Turning, I found Ororo glaring daggers at me right alongside Emma.
"What?" I asked, clearly not expecting this.
"This is why Maya acts like a hooligan," Emma huffed looking upwards.
"HAHA, El Macho approves of such discipline. Keeps the young ones on their toes," A massive Lucha Libre-type looking man said with much gusto. I noticed the red spandex with the chest hairs and Lucha mask. Then it clicked that he was calling himself El Macho.
Ororo shook her head at me, "Ben, sweetheart, you will not treat our daughter as if she is some sack of potatoes."
I looked at Emma but the look on her face said that she clearly wasn't going to have my back. So I of course put my foot inside my mouth, "I barely tossed her up fifty feet."
Ororo stilled in her sensual walk, Emma froze, Raven appeared out of nowhere, and even my mother appeared as if from stealth, ohh shit.
"I didn't say that, nope," I popped before turning back around.
"AHHHH!"
My hand whipped out, snatching Maya from the air before she hit the ground and I could only shake my head at the troublemaker. Being able to fly or not didn't matter to the ladies who had a gaze that felt like death hanging over my neck.
"Do it again, again!" Maya squealed clear enthusiasm and excitement coming from her.
There was a flare of red and gold as Jean appeared with Gwen and her parents, "Do what sweety?"
"Daddy tossed me waaaaayyyy up!" Maya stated, excitedly pointing upwards.
Ignoring the gaze of Captain Stacey, I flipped a few burgers before putting the cheese on top. If I let out a cough and if it sounded like 'snitch,' that was purely coincidental. The other troublemaker decided to make herself known as she came flying out of some portal to latch onto my back like a koala bear.
Quickly putting a burger together, I hit it with some ketchup before passing it over my shoulder. Like the little gremlin that she was, the burger was snatched out of my hand before my back became a whole lot lighter.
Since little Illyana had gotten her powers, the girl had been nothing but teleporting trouble. Lucky for her, I was making sure to keep an eye out so assholes like Belasco from the comics wouldn't be able to get their grubby mitts upon her. If all things went well, then I would be able to strike first against him once the new year rolled around. I had to impress upon Selene the importance of taking things slow to get us into Limbo with only minor time dilations. And with the new Primarchs to assist her in her magical endeavors, things should perform far smoother than if she was the only lynchpin to the plan.
The name of the game when playing inside different dimensions was to have multiple lanes to protect against failure. This allowed more than two stable points, which is what happens across all lines of fiction. Yet, those were plots and plans for a later time.
=]*[=
With a chuckle, I took the steaks that Captain America had brought with him as I vanished from my location with a burst of speed. Arriving back at the BBQ pit, I found Tony standing over my prized possession.
"Oye, don't you dare touch that," I squawked before smacking his hand away. The look he gave me was one of pure effrontery.
"Did you just smack me with a spatula?" Tony asked, clearly confused. "Yeah, I think you just did."
"Yeah, I did," I replied while giving him the stink eye, "You don't touch another man's grill."
He scoffed at me before pressing something on his wrist before talking to Jarvis. There was a blip sound before a portal appeared, then out of the portal came a sleek red and gold barbeque pit. Of course, he would have one in his iconic colors.
Looking at him, I shifted the steaks out of his field of view, "Well, I am not sharing."
Tony gave me that put-upon look as he pouted, but I ignored him as Happy came through that same portal with a variety of meats. Tony gave me a cocky smirk before he waved a hand, calling over Peter from the side of the wrestling ring. He had called Riri too, but from what I could see, she was waiting her turn for the ring.
Honestly, when El Macho had gained access to the training rooms, I did see this coming at the time. Then again, when you are a meta-human with a thing for mask wrestling, things happen when you pique the interest of a certain princess.
Turning to take a look at the wrestling ring, I was in time to see the flash of a neon hologram appear above everyone's head as Maya performed one of her signature attacks.
The move was called the Meanie-Toss, Maya picked the hologram monster up by its legs, then started to spin like Conan the barbarian. I watched as my baby girl dug her heels in before tossing the big monster out of the ring. A celebratory sound rang out before the scoreboard lit up with a plus one hundred points.
Shaking my head, I turned around as something called the Princess Stunner was announced as Maya then hit someone with a closeline. Since I was enjoying the entertainment, I decided to just twist the earth that my massive BBQ pit was sitting on around.
"I got ten that Riri hits the high score," Tony commented with a flourish of his hand. Looking at him, I raised an eyebrow before bringing up my Omni, "Athena, have someone bring another wrestling ring."
The cocky smirk Tony gave me was so going to get wiped off his face and I couldn't wait for it. There were, of course, plenty of wrestling rings around and other games across the Empire, but there was only one in our family area.
"Listen up, all you bodacious people, the main man El Macho is here to announce the next great contestant, IRON HEART!"
There was a flash and flare of light as Riri took to the sky, then with a flip, everyone screamed as they watched her come in hard and fast towards the ring. Of course, since we were a family of supers, there was nothing to worry about as she landed in Tony's classic three-point stance as she gleamed red, gold, and purple for all to see.
"Haha, did you see that! That's my girl right there!" Tony yelled excitement evident for all to see and hear.
Rolling my eyes at his antics, I gave my ear to one of the little kids that walked up to my BBQ pit with a plate out. The kid was a pale blue, borderline grey, which marked him as one of the Vodani. Around his neck was a rebreather bubble which allowed him to walk upon the surface since he was still too young for the current gene therapy available. Looking up, I could see his parents at the table behind the massive portal that I had opened in Vodan, my water planet.
There was a portal for Atlantis also and one for the Savage lands of course. Hell, this was one massive mixer and the only way I was able to pull it off was because I was an outside-the-box kinda guy. A few anchor points, some speed force juice, and bidirectional force fields to keep back planet crushing amounts of water was just another Saturday for me. The three crazy mystics of my Empire were stunned with what I had done, but honestly, that still wasn't even scratching the surface of what I was able to do at this point.
With a shake of my head, I ignored how people were taking this time to jump from one portal to the other to explore all that was available to them. Savage landers were amazed since they never saw that much water before, while those from Atlantis were equally stunned discovering a planet made wholly of water.
There were also the Vodani that just floated on the other side of the portal, trying to muster up the courage to come over, but I wasn't pushing anyone yet. Peace was upon us and this was going to be another glorious day for my Empire.
Well, not all of them were stuck with indecision, since a few had mustered the courage to come across. Smiling at the kid, I gave him a patty to go with his bun, algae, and cheese. With a smile, the kid dashed off back towards where I could see his parents look upon us with uneasy smiles. Of course, since the kid was more than a little over-enthusiastic, I had to catch him with some gravity before letting him back down softly.
"Look at IronHeart go as she performs her most famous move, the Heart Pounder," El Macho raved over the mic for all to hear. Looking over at the ring, I watched as RiRi did a double hand smack upon the chest of a massive hologram gorilla. Rolling my eyes, I cast my gaze upon Maya, only for her to perform what was called the Princess Power Bomb.
Okay, maybe they were getting a little too much into this, but one glance at El Macho told me that there was plenty more in store. Red tendrils of hair came down and worked their way around my waist with Medusa following right along. Letting her enjoy the easy feel, I smirked as she grabbed the front of my apron and pulled me in for a kiss. Pulling back, Medusa then waved over her sister, and would you look at that, it's the firebutt.
Johnny Storm, of course, came flying in alongside Crystal, I wonder if she will end up with him or Pietro in my reality. Before introductions could be shared, I was punched in the jaw by Johnny. Flames licked my face, but my head didn't even shift a millimeter from the impact force of about four tons.
Surprisingly, Johnny didn't break his hand, then again, before my reincarnation, I had read somewhere that his flame form was nigh-invulnerable. The only reason why he was hurt half the time was because of his own psychosomatic reactions to attacks. Then there were people like Doom who used bullshit tech that could hurt plasma-based human beings.
With a puff of air, I blew out more than half of his flames while looking at him with a raised brow, "Really, Johnny?"
"My sister is pregnant, you asshole!"
"Ha! That tends to happen after not pulling out," Tony snarked from the side. Half turning, I shot the man a glare.
"Not helping, Tony," I replied with a sigh, then let out another huff that pushed him a little further back with a focused shockwave. Before anyone could speak, I waved off the guards, then answered Johnny. "Tony might be a little crass, but he is right," I shrugged, "Sue is twenty-four, that means she is more than old enough to make her own choices. So she chose to enter my bed," I said, taking a step closer, "She chose to go at it with no protection, even when all it would take is a thought on her end to solve such things," I took another step closer, now I was in his personal space, my power flexing, almost focusing the weight of the world upon his shoulders. Beneath his feet, webs formed as the earth cracked in places, almost buckling from the pressure, "She might be your sister, but she is my woman, and she will carry any amount of my kids that she deems fit and you will never tell her otherwise," I finished with a growl as sweat poured down from his face. And with the way his hands and fingers flexed, I knew that his palms were sweating.
Tension ramped up, nearly snapping, before my face was pulled down, my field of view taken up by blonde before softness covered my lips. My temper that was rising instantly melted away as Sue pulled back before turning around, then leaning upon my chest.
"Johnny, I am sorry I didn't tell you before, but let's not ruin a good day, okay?" Sue asked, smiling at her brother while cutting right through everything, "Now, stop acting like that and introduce me to the cutie at your side."
Johnny's face went all red and bashful after he tried to send a glare my way and Sue stepped in front. Rolling my eyes, I looked at Medusa as she stepped forward to make introductions. I had already met Crystal in passing, and with her coming over some days to have breakfast with the family, but people were of course listening in, and Tony was here trying to bite my dad-mojo.
"Yeah! Kick him in the balls!" Tony yelled, breaking the moment like a sledgehammer to glass. My head, of course, snapped around to catch some hologram monster being launched out of the ring. Riri was in the middle of a kick to high position, with her leg still raised, "Ha! You see that!? That's my girl!" Tony yelled, far too happy as he made sure that everyone in the area knew how much of a proud father he was.
Rolling my eyes at him, I went back to grilling the burgers while also tossing some steaks on. Athena pinged me before bringing up a hologram of an overhead view of the event. Can't lie and say that I wasn't excited, since I was living the life of a Marvel fanboy. My inner thoughts showed as I smiled at the map of my island, Atlantis and her sister cities, and last but not least, the main city on Vodan. Hell, even those on the space station had the day off, since it was the Emperor's decree, of course.
The hologram showed everyone in either a park or at home relaxing since most of the Empire was set to automation so that everyone could enjoy the day. With the amount of wealth that was either being mined from the oceans or asteroids, everyone could be out enjoying the day without any loss to the economy. It also helped with how the Empire was initially formed with citizens receiving stipends. That was never going away since the aim was an ideal mix of Star Trek's Utopian ideals of taking care of the citizens' needs, while also keeping enough capitalism, which allowed companies to form.
Honestly, the whole energy and replicator rations were just a cute lie, since they were able to trade those things, which would then place monetary value upon them, but I digress.
Humming a tune to myself, I watched as a few of the older Vodani floated to the massive hundred-foot portal, brace themselves, then stepped through. Once the new year started, I would have to solve the Vodan issue, such a planet should not have only one city upon its surface.
Currently, there are eight underwater cities beneath the earth's oceans, with Atlantis being the true jewel of the oceans. My little musings were interrupted by the most boisterous person ever, El Macho.
"EL MACHO CALLS UPON MAYA'S POWERS OF YOUTH TO HELP HER SUMMON THE POOOOWWWWAAAAA!"
Ohh by the grace of Stan Lee, why would she mesh so well with a mentor that's the same equivalent of Might Guy.
Turning around, I found the massive Lucha with glowing green flames coming off his person as he started to do a little jig that reminded me of Dragon Ball's fusion dance.
Maya did a twist, rotated her hands in a full circle before having them meet above her head, then with a shout, "PRINCESS POWER!"
There was a flash of light from her wrestling ring as a fluffy flame-red dress appeared upon her person. Standing there, transfixed at my grill, I watched as student and apprentice went through Arnold poses before ending with classic under-arm Arnold flex. Okay, now I had to throw my hands in the air at the fucking madness because her flexing fucking ripped her sleeves. I blinked a few times as that image burned itself into my cornea.
No fucking way, did she just pulled a fucking Maki Oze in the damn ring? My brain short-circuited as the crowd went fucking wild. Maya stood there, holding the pose, all sleeveless with power radiating around her as if she was a Super Saiyan.
"PRINCESS!,"
Maya changed to the triceps pose then clenched, sending out a shockwave of power. "POWER!" Her position changed to then show off her bicep, then held it sending out another shockwave of power.El Macho was at the side of the ring, somehow crying a river that was washing away some of the spectators around him, yelling something about youth, sigh. When did my life turn into a Naruto skit? With a shake of the head, I checked my Omni as a double ping came in.
Looking at the report, a smile split my face, before I then vanished from my location with a burst of speed. Running into the labs, I snatch Peter by the nape of his neck before tossing him over a shoulder. Double-checking to make sure that nothing was going to explode, I then pulled Luara out from the ventilation system where she layed, lounging half in and half out, tsk she is picking up bad habits from Natasha.
Appearing back at my grill, I put Peter in his own apron before putting the spatula that was still floating frozen in time into his hands. Once I was happy with that, I then placed Laura as if she was a July calendar model, posing like she was hanging off his arm.
Taking a picture, I sent one to Tony before myself, then vanished in another burst of speed. Stepping on a layer of air, hardened by ionization, I rocketed my way towards the landing pad. Blitzing forward, I scooped Natasha up into a bridal carry before allowing my speed to lower.
The world started to move once more as the sounds of jubilation slammed into my being. For a microsecond, something very sharp poked me in the stomach before it vanished as a smile lit up Natasha's features. Leaning down, my lips touched hers as we shared a kiss that deepened, our passionate tongues dueling for dominance.
Someone cleared their throats but was ignored as Natasha showed off her flexibility for all to see. She went from bridal carry to having her legs wrapped around my hips.
"Ohh my god, no fucking on the damn runway!" A voice that was clearly female growled at us before a hand tugged on the back of Natasha's UMF suit. Of course, Nat just rolled her eyes before using my shoulders for leverage before swinging herself around.
As she hung off my back like a koala bear, I could feel the smug radiate off of her without even having to look over my shoulder to see the smirk on her face. With Nat out of the way, I took in the people before me. Two of the men were massive, clearly super soldiers or something else, while all fifteen of the women could pass as supermodels.
Even if they looked like delicious flavors of the rainbow, I knew better. These were all Black Widow's that survived the training in the red room, even if they never made it to the big time like Nat did. Then again, she was only famous due to her circumstances, while they were allowed to fade into anonymity.
Giving the fierce blonde before me a charming smile, I reached out for a hand shake, which she examined before taking. "Nice to meet you, sister-in-law," I said nice and smooth.
"NIAT!" Said the large man, who clearly had the build of a super soldier, while the other larger man must be something else, "I do not approve of my little flower marrying anyone!"
"Oh hush, you," Spoke a lady that was clearly MILF with a capital M. Maybe that should be GILF with a capital G. Her voice just oozed sensuality, and the sway to her hips as she walked down the shuttles ramp screamed fox. She was clearly older and reminded me of the actress from the first mummy movie. If that wasn't enough, she barely had any wrinkles, and the few that were on her face gave that stern teacher vibe, matching tasteful touches of grey hair.
Obviously, I made sure to take a step back. You did not get to whatever her age was without being damn deadly. Immortal god or not, I was not about to fuck around and find out. Then there was that faint scent of death that lingered around her.
"Alexie, you will be nice to the kind young man."
Okay, I knew who this was. Yeah, I'm actually surprised that the Iron Maiden is still actually alive. Shit, that was all that I knew about her, other than her name which was Melina something, fuck. Well, when in doubt, fake it till you make it.
With a raised brow, I waved it aside, "That's alright, I've heard much worse, but where are my manners, Benjamin Blake, father, Emperor, businessman, adventurer, unstoppable force of nature once crossed."
"Ohh, I think my little flower found herself a keeper," Melina chuckled, the sound of liquid honey to my ears.
"Urgh, it's like you want me to yack all over myself," The feisty blonde commented with a huff.
A chuckle came from my back as Natasha called out her bratty sister for her obvious behavior, but I was already moving on to another person who was just as important as the beauty upon my back. My son stood tall in his mega-man light armor, at his side was a strange pistol, and on his back was a cutlass that could have passed as a sword.
On the side of his face were a few smudge marks that were clearly lipstick or lip gloss. The thousand-yard stare spoke of so much, but I knew that he would be alright. If Natasha wasn't stressing it, then that could only mean the ladies used light tricks of the trade to get to him.
Smirking, I gave him a little nudge in the chest, "I see you enjoyed yourself off the island."
The way his cheeks colored to my thermal vision was a thing of beauty, and his playing around with the collar of his armor told me that Alfred was extremely lucky that he couldn't blush.
"Alright, go on, get to the BBQ, I'll be there in a bit," I told him as I made a shooing motion towards the party noise.
Alfred looked at me before looking at his mother perched on my back as if she was a deadly koala bear. Even Natasha made a shooing motion for Alfred to leave, "Listen to your father, and save me a plate."
Alfred stayed a little longer before looking back at the other Widows, then he made up his mind before taking a mighty leap into the air. His jet pack activated with a roar, sending him towards the party. When the sound faded, I turned my gaze upon the guests. Something must have been wrong with the feral smile upon my face since they all collectively took three steps back.
The nudge at the back of my head forced me to lower my killing intent, but my kids lived on this island so I had to make sure that they understood the limits.
Reaching behind, I pulled Nat off my back as I slowly floated into the air, "My wife has not only invited you into our homes but has also given assurances of your safety. Her guarantees and assurances are my guarantees and assurances. Do not cross the line and your body won't vanish into the black hole in sector four nine nine of quadrant delta one."
One more pulse of pure death had them all take another step back. Then my face shifted into a smile, "Now, the celebrations are underway, let's go."
Nat gave me that sultry laugh before pulling me into a kiss, ignoring the stiff-backed group of assassins watching us. With a laugh, I had Nat in a princess carry before giving the group of ten a simple wave. We all shot into the air with maybe a scream or two from the group.
As we arrived back in the massive clearing, I noticed someone flying out of the ring. With a swerve, I shifted us out of the way while also turning to take a look. Sigh, Maya had kicked the android unit so hard that she had basically displaced the android unit. With a roll of my eyes, I snagged the android unit out of the air, deactivating it.
Lightly landing beside Peter, I ignored his indignant look as he tried to hand over the spatula. There was a 'snkt' sound, but with a side step and a flick of my finger, Laura went stumbling into Peter, even while her leg lashed out with a toe claw.
"Smooches," I taunted, even as she tried to go all caveman on me. Ignoring the snarl that turned into a moan as Peter pulled Luara into a kiss, I placed Nat down with Rosie and Otto before heading to check on my other girls. Ten feet away, behind the picnic tables, sat Emma, Sage, and the triplets.
Before I went over to see if Emma needed anything, I turned, only to find Melina and Alexie taking a seat with Nat, while Yolena and the other widows blended in with everyone. Before turning back around, I made sure that each of them felt a spike of killing intent. One flash step later, I found myself seated beside Emma as she lazily drank a glass of wine. Without saying anything, she placed a beautifully sculpted leg within my lap.
With a smile, I went to work, my hands pulling a delighted hum out of her. Sitting and enjoying the cool breeze, I pretended as if I didn't notice the smirk sent my way by both Sage and Emma.
"Hey daddy," Phoebe called from where she was seated between her sisters. Of course, she also had a mouth full. Sending Emma a smirk, I vanished from my location and gave each of my girls a kiss upon their foreheads. Then I was back in my location as if nothing had ever happened. Sage's lips slightly shifted into a frown, so of course, she got the same treatment. Just because Natasha hasn't been home doesn't mean she didn't get her own dose of loving.
Her little bouts of jealousy were cute, even if she thought I didn't see the look she gave Emma. This time, instead of getting up, I just applied a little bit of the magic touch.
"Wahh!" Sage squeaked out, startled as I used a translocation spell bringing her to my side. Once she realized where she had appeared, Sage settled down with a faint blush. This time, instead of me moving in for a kiss, Sage took the initiative before sitting back and finishing her work. Funny enough, one of the hologram windows that were open contacted a messenger program. Sage was, of course, talking with Natasha even if she had fifteen different workstations opened.
"So, any word on the business front that I should be aware of?" " I asked as one arm worked its way up Emma's thigh.
"Hmmm, Felicia made a large public deal between Frost International and Vega Industries," Emma hummed while placing down the wine glass.
Nodding my head, I decided to ask about some of the uplifting efforts that I was pursuing for humanity instead of any one nation. "What about NASA? Have we heard anything back from them?"
This time it was Sage who replied, "Yes, we have, the current talks have stalled because the UN wants us to allow nations to buy space."
There was no hiding my grimace, "Yeah, that's not going to happen. They either take what's offered and pay for it, or they don't. Make sure that they understand that this is the only offer on the table, and those who can't agree to work together get nothing."
Both of my ladies gave a nod of the head before things shifted to a checklist that Sage was keeping. Emma was not interested unless it was something that would help us make money. Things progressed pretty rapidly from there as we touched on the diverse agriculture of my nation, to the impact the universal stipends have on the economy.
Emma, of course, felt ambivalent about just giving money away, while Sage had proof of how it helped the economy. The stipends worked as a stabilization effect upon the economy with the amount of rare material we mined from the asteroids in our solar system.
Honestly, the stipends were never going to go away since I had no need or want to boost capitalism to such an extent my people suffered for it.
The heavy topics were thrown around and destroyed before the wind faintly blew. That same wind that took up movement caressed me slowly as it delivered my wind rider herself to my person. We sat and watched as Ororo landed lightly upon the grass. Her hair hung loosely down her back, yet framed by a simple ringlet of gold and flowers.
As she turned and smiled, I knew that it wasn't just my breath that she stole as Emma's hitched at my side. Her back was straight and her smile was intoxicating, but as she strolled closer with that predatory walk of hers, her love and confidence was on display for all to see, and yet, her aura intensified as she held up the large egg before her.
The egg was at least two feet tall, but its size wasn't the most interesting feature of it, no, that would be the cosmic radiance that waffed off its surface in waves. The smile Ororo gave us could put the sun to shame, but it was the words that she spoke that took all of our attention, "My loves, it is time," She said as the egg in her embrace shifted positions.
Our eyes widened with such news and I was already up on my feet: ready, willing, and in motion to make sure that everything went smoothly. Stopping before Ororo, I did a half-turn, making sure that Emma could see my eyes, "Gather everyone, it's time."
Her eyes widened in realization before giving me a nod of confirmation, a flex of her hand brought out the mini Cerebro, refined from our scans of Xavier's own Cerebro. The device looked more like a crown than an oversized giant helmet with twin antennas on the front. The moment she placed the crown upon her head, the center jewel started to glow.
As Ororo and myself were wrapped in the speed force and shot into the air, I knew for a fact that at this moment, Emma was connecting to the island's telepathic relays, spreading the word. Emma was, of course, powerful enough to reach all minds across my Empire, but built in mechanical defenses to protect her soft matter was worth its weight in gold.
Ororo, cuddling closer to my body as we flew through space, pulled my mind from the thoughts of telepathic machines and their uses within my Empire. The arm I had around her waist pulled her closer as we neared the surface of Mars. From our point of approach, a decent percent of Mars's surface was covered by oceans. From the slow movement of the cloud layer, that planetary storm that Ororo started had abated once the weather patterns settled.
With a twist, I rolled us over towards the equator of the planet to bring us down onto the marker for the first city. With a decent sounding whump, our velocity, inertia, and momentum all ceased, leaving us two feet directly off the ground.
With my own light landing, I turned around with my arms outstretched, but Ororo had already beat me to it as she touched down. Her feet sank into the soft ground, toes flexed, showing off a touch of red. She did a motion with her hand that placed the egg to hover.
Smiling at me, Ororo took my hand before leading me east of where our scientist placed the marker to the first city. We walked through the clearing in companionable silence, Ororo led me on a walk that would take us ten miles from the marker but closer to the massive river running down into the ocean. I was giving the river an appraising eye, but before I could do anything, Ororo waved her hand, the Earth shifting as a jut of dirt shot out and upwards. Taking the hint, I also applied my own bit of powers along to what she was doing. As we worked, a beautiful bridge was formed, the first of many I was certain. Once the bridge spanned the entire mile that made up the width of the river, Ororo gave it a nod before kneeling down.
Grass sprung to life around Ororo and the egg as she knelt down. I watched as Ororo put her hands together in the universal supplication of the preying form before half a second later the egg cracked open. At the opening of the egg was when the cosmic equivalent of a nuclear explosion burst up and outwards.
The life energy that burst out of the cosmic egg was like nothing I have ever felt before. The planet beneath my feet churned as life forced its way through its interior and exterior. The cosmic egg pulsed as if it was syncing to the beat of the world.
I watched as hair started to whip around Ororo's head as an oversoul of Gaea and Bast made themselves known. Well, I guess we were hitting all kinds of anime bullshit today. Standing a few feet away, I watched as two of the most powerful Over-Gods of this reality blessed my planet. Standing with my back straight and head held high, I channeled power to my hands as I turned my back to Ororo and the gods as they did their work. They would breathe life into the planet while I would connect it all.
With a mighty stomp, the earth swelled before a giant ring burst from beneath its surface. The ring was modeled after the stargates located on my island, which means that it carried a diameter of forty feet easily.
Both of my fists glowed with an ethereal light as I took a firm stance, and with a solid base, I breathed deep before focusing on what I would like to do next. Then, with a mighty heave I twist the space within the stargate. My mind's eye was focused on where I would like the exit to appear; and that would lead back to my island in the middle of the clearing where the rest of my family waited.
My legs sank into the churning earth as the weight upon my shoulders doubled, tripled, and quadrupled as the warp gate fought back against me forcing a path to earth. The weight of it all forced a knee down, but I would not bow, I would not bend, and I would not allow a planet to conquer my spirit.
Roaring my challenge to the cosmos, I pushed back upon the weight of the world, and for a brief moment, I had the thought of maybe being this reality's superman. That thought was brushed aside as I felt reality itself shift to my bidding as I felt the presence of my island. There was a snap-hiss suction feeling before the middle of the stargate stabilized.
As everything settled, I came to the realization of how much sweat and grime was upon my body. My arms felt as if they were made of wet noodles, but I couldn't deny the sense of jubilation in my chest. A shadow loomed over my shoulder but I paid her no mind as my attention was shifted to Ororo standing at my side.
The smile that she gave me matched my own as we then looked at the rest of our family on the other side of the stargate. Floating cameras came through the stargates, but I paid them no attention as I shifted to look at Gaea. Bast had already left after giving me some sort of nod of approval. Tsk, as if I would need such things. Wakanda was mine, they just didn't know that yet.
Looking upwards at the amazonian beauty, I spoke, "Gaea."
"In less than five years, you have given me two wonderful kids. Are you trying to court one such as I, little godling?" Gaea asked with a raised brow and small smile on her face. In return, I of course gave her an appraising gaze as I looked her up and down.
Then I shrugged, "Infinity is a long time, my lady, and the future has always been uncertain."
"Well spoken," Gaea's voice drifted around the clearing as her figure vanished. Taking that for what it was while also dismissing it, I turned to face not only my family but also the rest of my Empire. Through the portal came Natasha, Raven, and Emma, each carrying the next phase of my plans.
Taking the portal setups from my ladies, I flicked my wrist, sending out both of the new stargates. The system activated as they linked into the main gate in the middle. Then with a massive swirling sound, both portals opened. And with another wave of my hand, everyone was lifted into the air.
Holding a hand out, Raven placed my first super city into my hand. This was built with thousands upon thousands of hours of labor inside of the time chamber. It was of course modeled after the city-ship Stargate Atlantis. Marcus and Alex had made sure that this super city was top of the line with both magic and technology. Each of the pointed city piers styled lotus petals carried not only a shielding array but also defense platform cannons.
All around me, everyone was watching with bated breath as they watched me lower the city-ship. A few commands into my Omni had the city-ship configured to match the massive bridge built below. With the new configuration, the city would not only sit on both sides of the bridge but also along the ocean's coast.
With the configuration finished, the city now looked like two sets of Manhattans, with nothing but vast oceans and countryside all around. Once the border scans came back positive, I then gave the order for everything to expand.
Looking down at the fantastic city that was one part tech, one part magic, I let out one massive boisterous laughter. I heard the ladies share a gasp as they took in the city that I have been hiding. They had the authorizations, of course, but they didn't really understand where I was going with it all until today. Before it was but a dream and a wish, yet I made it all reality.
Tamping down on my exuberance, I brought us back down, but instead of landing in either city, I brought us down at the edge of the river that led out into the ocean. Then with daft hand motions, a massive platform with bridges connecting to each shore formed for all to see.
With more motions, the stargate portals were placed upon steps facing towards the city with the river in the middle, it was time. Taking a horse stance, I decided that it was time to pull a classic dragon ball z. Blast of golden electricity burst out from my body as the wind whipped around and the ocean roiled.
With everyone's eyes upon me, I took off into the air with such force the planet shook with tremors. Ohh yeah, I could see the shock on so many of their faces.
After doing a blitz circle around the planet, I came to a hover in front of the portals that lead to Vodan, Savage Lands, and Pandora.
With a hand outstretched, I gestured to the city behind me, "People of Panora, I not only give you a new planet to colonize as we reach to the stars, but I also give you the jewel of our Empire, the city that will be a beacon throughout the cosmos as we explore and reach for the stars," I spoke, unleashing my godhood and letting it wash over everyone. I almost staggered from the rush of faith energy that my people supplied, but like all things, I pushed through. Then I dug deep once more before adding some power to my voice. With this move, I was more than certain that everyone would be able to hear me no matter where they might be in my Empire.
"I GIVE YOU, AVALON!"
Author's Note :
There was plenty of good feedback with that last status update. Just so you guys know, anything that ends up in DC is gonna end up with Wonder Woman getting the D and the Flash getting his legs broken. That dude messes with the timeline way too much. Might chill out with Superman or something.
Thank you all for having the patience to wait on this chapter since life happens and it took its time to get published.
Let me know what you guys think about the chapter.
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