Chapter 19: New Beginings

The Fastest Man Alive
Chapter 19
New Beginnings

Ororo flew us all back to the X-mansion while Dr. McCoy did his rounds, checking out everyone. Spiral brought her sister up to me to meet. Though from their features, I could tell that they weren’t sisters, though everyone needs family. Sometimes the best family are those you choose one your own.

When Spiral’s sister came closer though I was struck with two separate impressions of her, one, the green skin, vines, and leaves reminded me of POISON IVY from the D.C. universe. The other would be that she reminded me of a red-headed Niece Waidhofer, and that was in itself a crazy sexy and dangerous combination. I was also right in my assessment because she had the same powers as POISON IVY from D.C., but that was cool, the world could always do with more green. When we arrived at the X-mansion, the Professor welcomed everyone with open arms like he always does, but I wasn’t going to stick around.
 
Natasha had her privacy with her demons, and I didn’t need him to be aware of them or what she might have discovered within my BLACK SERVERS. I wonder if I can get Mystique to tell me about the metal Magneto uses for his helmet. There was never a defined break down of the material used in the helmet, but all the crackpots on the internet used aluminum. So there must at least be some correlation to the substance. 

Unfortunately, I can’t do any research until Jean gains her powers to make sure my conjecture works. “Ben, a Mr. Otto Octavius has contacted us in reply to our job offer,” Natasha stated from my back. Well, that was fast, Oscorp just blew up. I thought that they would have at least waited a while before they started to ax their employees. “Thanks, Nat set up an appointment with him on Thursday. Let us make it lunch, also.” I replied to her as we came upon the city’s skyline.

Not even less than forty-eight hours ago, Natasha was ready to end me, and now she is my new highly paid and highly deadly secretary. Man, Marvel could be crazy sometimes. “Keep your hands where they are and you’re going to have to buy me dinner,” Natasha whispered into my ear. For a second I was confused until I realized I was getting a complete handful of that round peach she called an ass. I looked down, and we were in the same position we started with from the X-mansion. So that means I was getting a handful while I was in my head thinking up plans. Natasha had to have done that on purpose because now I was trying hard not to pay attention to what I was holding then, as I shifted her to free my hands so that I can hold her better around her thighs.

Natasha used her knees to keep at my side, locking my hands in place.
With her arms around my neck and her head beside my own, the free ride I was giving her back was quickly becoming torture for me. So as payback, I charged up a finger and zapped her in the glutes.

Natasha left me alone after that, and I was super excited about finally winning one, but as we pulled up onto the roof if the Star Industries building, she tossed me a bottle.
When I looked at it, the title was the motion lotion for help in solving your premature issues. I could only wonder where Natasha even found this within twenty-four hours, and how long had she been waiting to set me up. I heard her laughter coming from behind me, but when I turned around, she was already invisible, damn Black Widow.
After changing it was science time.

I knew Dr. Otto was trying to build a sun to make limitless energy, but we needed a stable containment unit. Then we also needed some solar cells with strong enough absorption that allowed us to harvest energy with one hundred percent efficiency. Our current solar efficiency was only up to twenty three percent and that needed improvements. That meant we needed a Dyson sphere which wasn’t even invented yet. This calls for some severe cheating, and I now know that Darren Cross and Hank Pym have to be the next primary target. It would honestly suck if I accidentally vaporized half the planet with a supernova because I chose to go into this half-cocked.

Well damn, we will also need gravimetric stabilization, non-ferromagnetic metals, and non-conductive metals. We are going to need a new phase quantum harmonics resonator. And since I had to buy a quantum phase harmonics device, it’s best if I also buy the quantum stabilizer and start my research into unstable molecule fabrics and combine that with some secret sauce. Check for those machines on the open market; I got an update on the Baxter Foundation, Alfred had notified me of my invite to witness the dimensional travel device. That, I had to turn down for my health because there was no way I was going to go and get hit with random quantum dimensional energy. Business meeting for the excuse is always a win.

So with that turned down, I retreated to my lab so I can go all mad scientist to cut down half the work for Dr. Otto. I Sent Natasha some orders for her to get Alfred into Darren Crosse’s systems and infiltrate Pym Tech, I came up with the bright idea to model the containment unit after a gyroscope. And I’m back to committing corporate espionage like it was no big deal; but that’s all in a hard days work now I guess. Sending in the commissions to Alfred to get the parts for the containment unit, It was time to figure out the physics of how I’m going to keep all that magnetic disturbance to a minimum. I wouldn’t want to go sending the earth all out of flux, and I don’t see myself as Magneto’s second coming.

I have to figure out how to contain the power of a trillion nuclear bombs within a containment field of a little over twenty feet. So I will start by stripping back down my hologram tech. The conventional hologram is using hard light constructs; oscillation sound waves holding together sheets of light. I can use the sound waves to create a pocket, and with enough around, I can create a stable large pocket. A powerful enough electromagnet can also get the same space, but that will disrupt the suns containment if there was any breach.
I had been at this for a while when someone had shut off the lights in my lab distracting me. I was not happy at all, because I had finally figured out the clean fission situation with heavy ions allowing me to theoretically birth the first man-made star. When I turned around, I found Natasha standing there with a frown on her face holding up one of the new model tasers I had designed for taking down heavy duty Metahumans.

“Why are you holding that up?” I asked Natasha while raising my eyebrows at her. “I am your secretary, and I don’t want you setting off nuclear devices while I’m around. Also its Thursday you have your appointment soon.” “I wasn’t going to blow us up, wait today’s Thursday?” I asked incredulously. Natasha just rolled her eyes at me. “You’re in an Adamantium reinforced lab just short of testing out your Dyson sphere gyroscope thing. And we have fifteen minutes before we are to arrive for our lunch appointment.” Natasha spoke while turning back on the light and leaving the lab.

Maybe she was right. I was so caught up in building this thing. I almost turned it on to try testing it, and I had nothing in the way to protect myself and others at all. Ugh, damit I almost pulled the ultimate mad genius blunder and tested something dangerous without any safety protocols at all. “Alfred set a reminder to put into all lab assistants the job requirements of taser efficacy. We are going to have a lot of mad geniuses on our hands, and I don’t want the building to blow up every week or two.”

With fresh eyes on my situation, I took a look at the massive containment unit I had created. I will need a new lab after this though, the floor and walls were all covered in a new octagonal solar panel I had designed to take in the solar energy that the sun was going to give off. In the middle of the room was a massive gyroscope combined with a Dyson sphere. Most of it was made out of modular designed electromagnets crossed with sound oscillation devices, and outside of it all was the quantum harmonics resonator keeping it all contained.
It was time for lunch though, so I couldn’t go around playing with stars today, I did leave Alfred with commands to overlook everything and make improvements or fix safety issues as he sees fit.

Shutting down my lab, it was time to take a shower and meet the infamous Dr. Otto. But while I was heading up from the sub-basements, I passed the training rooms I had built. In one of the rooms, Ororo was throwing lightning at Spiral while Logan and Laura were in the command deck watching and conversing about how they would approach the situation. That’s a hell of a way to have father-daughter bonding time, and seeing Laura reminded me to check in with Dr. Kenny later to check on the spider serum, and I will also have to track down Jessica Jones and send Natasha after some blood or I have to make a quick pass to get some.

That flight ability that she isn’t using can be beneficial for other people. And having Gwen fly around like superwoman would be nice also. I will also have to find that purple-faced asshole soon, and maybe I can use that to get her on my side. That fucking rapist asshole deserves death, and I might have to send Alfred in to make sure that none of my people get under his control. It might be a good time to put Jerry Hogarth on retainer so I can accidentally meet Ms. Jones. With more plans added to my Black Server through Alfred, It was time to get prepared. 

When I walked out of the shower into my overnight sleeping quarters that were built into the H.Q., I found Natasha holding up a tie and matching them to the suit that she had also picked out for me to wear. “While we were down in the labs you said a few days have passed, how did it go at PYM technologies with Darren Cross?” I asked Natasha while speed changing into my suit while leaving behind the tie.

Natasha smiled at me while picking up the tie that I left behind on the bed. “It didn’t go anywhere.” She replied while putting the tie around my neck. I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at her for that. “He is currently attached to the hip of Hope Pym. It seems he is trying to woo her. So I snuck in the old fashioned way with these new upgrades of mine,” Natasha replied while linting my suit.

“So this is when Hank sent his daughter as a honey trap to get into Darrans inner circle, interesting,” I stated openly. “So, are you going to tell me about that?” Natasha asked while turning around to pick up the rest of her things. “It’s not that I don’t trust you Nat, its that we are riding a fine balance right now. Me knowing is dangerous enough, including you to that list will make you a target for some beings that not even I can fight.” I told her while holding the door for her to enter the elevator first.

“I am surprised no one from the ORDER had shown up to off me before I got old enough because I broke their precious balance,” I told Natasha as we went up in the elevator for the special open cafe I had built on the connecting building. Natasha just raised her eyebrow at me, so I continued for her benefit. “Natasha there is an ORDER of watchers that maintains the balance of time and protects reality, these small waves that I am making in the time stream can call down their wrath. And since they haven’t brought down death and destruction. I’m guessing that I haven’t made too much of an impact in the grand scheme of things.”

I told her as we approached a couple with visitors badges. The couple looked just like Alfred Moline and Dr. Otto and Rosalie Octavius from Spiderman two. Man, it was just amazing to meet another legend. After we made our way to our table, we had a nice small lunch and with the small talk out of the way. It was now time for the real business to start. “So tell me Otto; are you here for a change of scenery or are you finally taking that job offer that I made not too long ago? Or could this be your attempt to escape that nasty board of directors over at Oscorp?” I asked him while chuckling at the look on his face. “Take it as no insult, Otto. I want to understand where we stand.”

“The board of directors would like to sell my life’s work to keep Oscorp afloat. Stark has his arc reactor, but no one else is in the field of renewable energy. You have been the only one that has approached me within the last twenty years about my research. I promise it is viable, and I only need resources to prove that,” Spoke up Otto with the look of a desperate man. Now I could see what drove him to do what he did in the Spiderman two movies. I had to feign the thinking it over part, granted I already wanted his research as my own, but I couldn’t just show my hand yet. I was happy that he laid it all out for me so that a fair point in his favor at least.

Natasha was again looking at me with her silent look, so I gave her my slow lazy smile, “I will consider buying out your research with Oscorp, but I do have a few concessions I need from you. I have heard that you are great with prosthetics and I was looking to combine that with my nanites. This is for the veterans so I will need your full-time focus on this. In return, I will give you access to Alfred.” I told Otto and his wife. “I have made an impressive stride in mechanical engineering. I even have the designs for a harness I was working on to help stabilize the solar project.” Otto started to speak a mile a minute, but even though his wife was smiling. I could tell that she already picked up on something.

“What is Alfred?” Otto’s wife Rosaline asked me, but before I could answer her, Alfred popped up himself using the holoprojectors. “I am Alfred, and I’m a he, not an It, So please don’t mix the two,” Alfred told them while creating a chair to take a seat with us. This time Alfred was taking a human form; he was wearing a business-suit that matched my own with a low fade for his hairstyle. That was interesting because I wasn’t the one to help him pick out his human form.
Otto looked at me in astonishment, “You didn’t,”  “Yes I did,” “But how, that should be impossible.” Otto’s face went from shock back to fascination and then again to shock. Natasha and Rosaline were looking back and forth between the both of us trying to understand what was happening.

“Come on, Otto, if Stark can build his own why can’t I?” I asked him while he was settling down. “He doesn’t sound like a normal A.I., nor does he carry himself as one,” Otto stated while eyeing Alfred. “That’s because I am not a normal A.I. I’m a fully sapient A.I. doctor,” Alfred told Otto, and then a fanatic look came over Otto’s face. “I would love to work here, Mr. Blake. I believe we can do great things together.” Natasha and I excused ourselves while Otto and his wife started to ask Alfred multiple questions about his operational platform and a few other bits I decided to tune out. “Is there anything that you would like to tell me about, Alfred?” Natasha asked while we entered the elevators again.
 
I could only shrug at that question, “That he is on our side and you haven’t done anything to insult and or upset him. SoI would not worry about him. He has my personality matrix, so you probably know more about him than you realize. By the way, I have updated the BLACK SERVER for a certain person that’s going to need to be eliminated. Might I suggest by sniper rifle? He is a mind manipulator so you need to stay at a safe distance. I would also recommend talking Jessica Jones into going along as he is her rapist and I am sure she would like some revenge. You don’t have to get this accomplished now since he will be within the city soon enough.”

After saying that to Natasha, she was silent, not the silence of her usual self. No Natasha was in her deadly silence. I could tell the difference because her natural bio aura she exuded was no longer in its general calm state. There was a raging tide going on within Natasha’s mind she was trying not to show on the outside. That could only mean that the rumors I found out about her old handler and the RED ROOM had some truth to it. Taking into consideration what I know about her past, I just followed alongside her in companionable silence.

When we arrived back at my office, all calls were placed on hold because this was not a time to do business. Alfred can handle everything for now, since nothing was exploding and last I checked Gwen and Jean left for their dance classes. Natasha already knew what I was up to from when I allowed her to have her moment. Taking two glass tumblers, it was time for a drink. Unfortunately for both of us, we couldn’t get drunk. We sat there for a while, just drinking our way through the bottle of Russian Vodka.

“Through training, the Red Room impressed upon us, how to separate the mind from the body.” Natasha started. “It showed early how beautiful I would become, so the Red Room decided to train me early.” Natasha couldn’t go on, but I understood, there was no need for words about what she had to go through. I had already pieced it together with what I knew from the comics and what I was able to uncover with Alfred’s help.

“Nat, you don’t have to explain, not to someone like me.” With that, we just sat in more companionable silence. We went through one bottle after the next, while sitting in our chairs overlooking the city’s skyline.

The silence didn’t last very long though because soon my communicator hologram went off with the spider symbol. And that could only mean one thing that Peter was on the move with Uncle Ben heading into the city. Sigh, why now of all things. 

Couldn’t I have this bonding moment without having to play the hero?

“So, are you going to get that,” Natasha asked while draining the last out of her glass.
“Unfortunately, I have to but do understand your just as important as the person on the other end,” I replied as I activated the comms to watch as Peter and Uncle Ben argue in the car before he slammed the door leaving.

“Natasha suit up, you’re going to be the hero tonight, not me. You’re going to save Uncle Ben, and then I am going to talk to my dense knuckleheaded friend.” I told her while heading for my hidden suit rack.

Pulling a false book, the entire bookshelf rotated revealing my blue, silver, and black suit. Grinning to myself it was hero-time, with a quick change I turned around in time to witness Natasha zipping herself up. “You wore that all day?” I asked her, “It’s not half bad.” Natasha returned as she placed her clothes folded onto the seat she just got up from.

I could only sigh at her, but any progress was progress. The ping went off again, but this time from both of our wrist computers, it would seem Alfred is paying attention to us even though he was still hanging out with Otto. Natasha had chosen to use the half mask to keep her hair down. I would have to check the Twitter accounts later to see what the world is thinking about this new female hero that showed up with LIGHTSPEED the hero of New York.

With the window open, Natasha was the first out swinging into the city with a joyous yell. Shaking my head at her antics, I followed right along behind her. I knew she wasn’t okay not by a long shot, but I was happy to help her move in the right direction. Lucky for me Peter has stuck to the old tried and true trying to woo M.J. right before a big dance, well that and he always seems to get his powers around some bullshit like this.

Then he tried to use his powers to gain easy money, all I had to do was keep track of certain events, and it was easy to figure out his next move. I watched from my perch as Natasha went down to give a mugger a five finger lesson. I chuckled at that. He had no clue who he just survived a meeting with. After Natasha let off some steam beating down some more lowlifes of our beautiful city, we tracked Uncle Ben waiting around the New York Library.

Watching him wait on Peter was a little heartbreaking, how couldn’t Peter see that his Uncle was trying the best that he could. Natasha turned to me while I was within my musings, “Why am I going to save someone who isn’t in danger?” Natasha asked while crouched down next to me. 

How am I going to explain to her that every time Peter gets his powers, his Uncle Ben dies, because that’s the only way this fucked up multiverse decides to teach him a lesson? And that just from this he spends the majority of his years living with the traumatic guilt of the event. “You understand that my powers come with a time element?” I asked her while looking at my wrist-mounted computer screen.

“Yes, I have been able to piece certain things together with what you have in the Black Servers and what you have told me here and there.” Stated Natasha, but I could feel that she was at full attention, even if she was playing it ultra cool.

“Well, I like to cheat to win, so I took a look. Every timeline Uncle Ben dies, I refuse to let that happen If I have the power to save him.” I told her as I jumped off the roof following Uncle Ben’s vehicle.

“How much have you seen Benjamin?” Natasha asked as we trailed Uncle Ben. “Enough and not enough Natasha, everything will go downhill in two years.

Gods will walk among men again, and then the rest of the universe will challenge us to see if we are worthy, but then we still have to survive the culling.” I told her, and that’s when we fell back into companionable silence while trailing Uncle Ben. 

Uncle Ben had parked himself, so I turned to watch the nano-fly feed following Peter. Peter had gone to some underground fighting ring and was wearing a Lucha Libre mask and winning pretty good. Peter couldn’t throw a punch for shit, but he was learning fast and with his spider-sense to help him out he hadn’t lost a match yet. I had a conversation with Jean and Gwen on the phone while we waited for Peter to get done. 

Natasha was chuckling as we watched Peter kick ass for over an hour and by this time it was already dark. We had taken turns to go out and kick some bad guy ass while we waited on Peter to get finished, but as they put more money in his hands, Peter got cockier and cockier. That was when the pro walked out into the ring. When Natasha took a look at him, she frowned.