Wanda Maximoff
"...after the disappearance of Eidolon's clones, things seem to be going back to normal, but there's still so much to deal with…"
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"Law enforcement is still stuck on working on identifying all…"
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"...the overcrowding of jails…"
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"Worry about him overstepping on his actions spread through the world…"
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Wanda Maximoff changes channels constantly, but everyone is talking about the last weekend and Eidolon's actions. In her small room, which is just some steps above a prison, she sits on the bed with the remote in hand."I think this answers that famous question: 'Why doesn't Eidolon do more?'" A guy, probably a guest of the show, talks to the other people sitting at the table "The world simply can't keep up with him."
He pauses to let his words sink in, and Wanda has to nod in agreement.
He continues "The world is infested with criminals and all kinds of troubles, and Eidolon apparently can solve 99% of them, but we are not ready for it. Damn it, there are talks of releasing some of the criminals caught!" The exclaims incensed
"And people complained that his help was just… what is the word? A token?" A woman on the side comments
"Token Help, yes. A lot of people love to say that." Another guy chimes in, "That he was just doing it for fame, for attention… That he doesn't want to make the world a safer place because if he did, he would not be needed." He rolls his eyes
"And he talked about it… There's an interview regarding this weekend that we are going to show later, but in his famous interview some months ago, he challenged… Yes, challenged all governments of the world to work together with him. But first, they would have to accept certain conditions." The host of the show says
"I think it can be understandable that there would be hesitation… many are still apprehensive that only one man has all this power in his hands." Another man rebutts.
Wanda thinks that there's always a Devil's Advocate to make things engaging in those shows.
The contrarian continues "The guy can be everywhere, all the time, invading people's privacy and God knows what more…"
A discussion that she heard maybe a hundred times takes place, doubts about his character, a potential change of heart that he can have in the future, and comparisons with the actual world system.
Wanda still remembered that one guy who said that the world should just surrender control to Eidolon in that sketchy program at midnight.
"You've been busy." Wanda peels her eyes off the TV to turn to Eidolon himself, sitting on a chair close to her bed.
"I'm always busy." Eidolon answers calmly, his voice even, while she stares at her with his colorful eyes, shining in this dimly lit room
"Then why are you wasting time visiting me?" She challenged
"It's not a waste of time." He replies immediately
"..." She rolls her eyes and turns to the TV so that she can hide her emotions, unbelieving that such simple words can affect her 'Gosh, I'm starved for human contact…'
"How are you doing, Wanda?" Eidolon asks softly
"Uh, whatever…" She answers casually.
"Feeling like leaving this place already?" He asks, his eyes looking around the small room.
"I'm good…" She answers without interest, her eyes still glued to the screen. "So, what happened that made you scare everyone?"
"I think they will show the interview of me explaining it now…" Eidolon gives the TV a look and, like he said, the host pauses the heated discussion to show the interview to add more context and more content to discuss.
The image changes, showing a street in some European country, a lot of Eidolons flying around before going back to the original and disappearing.
"Eidolon! Eidolon!" A reporter shouts, going to the original one, the one with a mantle, floating some meters above the ground.
The hero, with his arms crossed, looks down for an instant, before looking ahead again, like he is searching for something… Then he appears to shrug and slowly lands, willing to give the reporters some time.
He is nicer than most.
"I guess you are all curious, huh? That's fair and understandable…" He comments, the same even tone of voice that he always uses "Go on…" he urges
From the reporters that surrounded him, one starts with the obvious question that everyone wants to know. "Why? What made you create so many clones and patrol the world?"
"Are we in danger?" Another adds
"Just the normal danger that we are subjected to all the time…" He comments before getting a little serious "And the reason why I got… serious… well… I guess it doesn't hurt to tell the world. I value transparency a lot, after all."
They watch his left hand appear from one of the slits of his mantle, his palm upwards, and from there a holographic image materializes and floats.
A pale-pale man, with jet black hair slicked backwards, red eyes(all of it, pupils and sclera), thin black lips, and a red diamond on his forehead. It only shows from the shoulder and above, so people can only see that he is wearing dark clothes with extravagant shoulder pads.
"That is Mister Sinister. I know, silly name, but that is where the silliness ends…I was searching for this guy for a long time…" Eidolon explains while the cameras focus on the image of the man. "He is dangerous, not in the destructive way that people like me, Thor, or Hulk can be. He is a slimy bastard who experiments on humans and tries to create artificially strong metas. Yeah, the same kind I have captured for months, but this one is special… When I said slimy, I really meant it in every way, including in the way that he is slippery. He has no morals, no ethics, no decency… He clones even himself and controls them remotely while remaining hidden, his clones and his brainwashed subordinates do the dirt work while he is scared for his immortal life."
"Immortal?" a reporter asks.
"Not in the sense he can't die, just that he can preserve his body for a very long time and hop to another younger one." Eidolon explains
"Is that possible?" A reporter asked, shocked
"Yep, but is very risky. And maybe you will really die… Actual technology can't really manipulate souls, so maybe he is just downloading his memories into another body while his true self already died." Eidolon explains "And he doesn't care! He is more of a cockroach than me, and I can literally come back from hell if I die!" He exclaims
The reporters laugh, but one frowns seriously "Wait, you can really do that?"
Eidolon ignores him and continues to focus on his explanation of Sinister. "I was investigating him and discovered that he even has a Sleeper Agent Protocol, basically, he put himself, his memories, and all that, in other people around the world. They don't even notice it, and if a trigger word is said, his hidden memories implanted in them will awaken and take over, and then they will literally become him. Sometimes he killed the person and exchanged them with a clone of himself. Maybe you guys are him!"
The reporters around look horrified.
"That is how much of aslimy bastard he is… So, as much as I frustrated his plans and projects, destroyed his laboratories, and dealt with a lot of his subordinates… The guy can still be out there, no… He absolutely is still out there." Eidolon sighs, not hiding his annoyance with Mister Sinister
"So that's why you went all out?" A reporter asks
"Yeah, I started stealth, dealing with his hidden facilities around the world, not trying to scare him in hiding, minimizing damage… But then he used the bombs as a distraction, maybe to gain time, maybe to attack somewhere he can hurt me, maybe to make me reveal my powers… So I stepped up my game, and that is the story." Eidolon finishes
"And you said that he escaped…?" A reporter urges for more
"Not escaped, he just left a lot of contingencies to survive. I deal with his 'real' body and the main laboratory." The hero makes quotation marks in the air "But like I said, the chances that he is still out there are very high. Almost 100%."
"It will be dangerous in the future?"
"I repeat, there's always danger… if it's not him, it will be another. But I delivered a huge blow to his life's work; he would need to start from zero. Even if he begins right now, it would take years for him to recover…" The hero appears to smile confidently. "And if I dealt with him once, I can deal with him twice. Don't worry!" He gives the camera a thumbs-up.
The reporters, and even Wanda, feel themselves unconsciously relaxing because of his confident statement. That is how much trust he has built since his debut.
There are more questions about what happened this weekend after they are done with Mister Sinister's business.
"If you are searching for him, why also divide your attention around the world?"
A reporter asks"He is all over the world, and while searching for him, I couldn't simply ignore crimes happening in front of me, can I?" Eidolon answers "I don't like creating copies of myself, it divides my attention, makes me sloppy, so I just focus on the job… Then my copies become robotic… it is cold and emotionless… pragmatic and not heroic. I'm not just a problem solver; I want to genuinely do good. See for myself the good and bad in the world, and make sure the good spreads and prevails." He says with emotion and conviction, his words resonating in all the listeners' heads "But it looked like a good way to deal with Sinister's own clones. He wants to gain time? So I cut the time… You can't be predictable to your enemy and play his game."
It goes like that tills one connects the recent events with things from the past.
"Eidolon… Don't you think that your recent actions give fuel to the call for regulation that some countries have asked for?" A reporter talks, cutting the murmur of the others "The not so recent statement of the US president… Canada's declaration on your unilateral actions…" He points out the recent examples
"Oh, that? I don't care…" Eidolon says dismissively. And it really seems he doesn't care because he is not even elaborating an answer.
So the reporters need to push a little "Don't care? So you are not gonna comply with their demands? Or even address them?"
"No." Eidolon once again gives the best 'I don't give a fuck' look to them.
Wanda and many others must think that is reasonable. The guy is powerful enough to really not care. His mind is different from normal people.
"Can't you say something more?" A reporter asks with a wry smile, and some awkward laughs follow.
The truth is that his "I don't give a fuck" attitude is so strong that even the reporters are scared that he will simply go away and end this interview. He did that a lot already; he doesn't owe anything to anyone.
So every interview is a little battle of pushing things till the limit, but very carefully.
"I see, you want a statement…"Eidolon comments
"Yes, please…" One says humbly.
"Ugh, this will look like a rant, but well, I like explaining things so that misinformation doesn't spread, so okay… First, no one can or will regulate my actions beyond me and the people around me, whom I trust to give me good counsel. I think many would agree that the safest hands are still mine… I, different from many politicians, have no hidden agenda… And that is what scares them, people." He starts
Eidolon looked around. "I already talked about this before. Money is not the strongest thing in the world anymore, and that scares them because that is all they have, that is how they control the world and... you." He points at the camera, to everyone watching "They are not angry at my actions, they are angry that I can't be controlled. They are nitpicking for anything to paint me in a bad way. Trying to fill your heads on how dangerous I am to you all… how I can threaten your privacy, your freedom, your lives… newsflash… They control all of those things too, and you don't even notice. They are angry that now there's a competition… There's a tug of war here, and I'm on your side." he points at the camera. "And they don't like it!" He then points at himself with more emphasis
"I messed with the status quo of the world… I live outside their web of corruption. I can't be threatened or bribed. You guys have no idea how deep the dirty water runs… no idea! What I exposed in the last months is just a small fraction, and they're scared I'm gonna continue going for their heads." Eidolon declares. "They also can't do what they are used to doing… They can't live like modern kings, ignoring the consequences of their actions by buying their way out. They can't drive their sports cars recklessly and kill anyone anymore, or kidnap people, or make their orgies with underage people…" Eidolon says harshly.
He stares at the camera directly, like he is looking at those people in power "You guys are right for being scared… I'm coming for you all. I can't be stopped, and there's nowhere to run. Are you panicking? Are you gonna pressure the leaders of the world to try to sanction me? Good luck with that." He says, his voice dripping with sarcasm "Now the rest of the world has nothing to fear from me, even though many would say otherwise… Even if we bring a lot of cynicism to the table, think a little… What would I gain with all that I am doing that I would not be able to get easily? World Domination? Ugh, stop…" he rolls his eyes "I just proved that I would be able to accomplish that in less than a day. Why go through such a redundant path? Whatever, I will not justify myself… Words are wind. Just keep a critical mind and observe things carefully. Be suspicious of everything, including me.Yes, I will always recommend being even suspicious of me... and take your own conclusions. I have nothing to fear. They have."
He makes a little pause to let his words sink in, and continues in a calmer tone "I can also explain what happened in Canada if you want." True to his words, the guy is keeping things transparent
"Please…" A reporter said
"The new team of heroes of Canada… Notice how many Hero Teams are appearing around the world; they are adapting to the game, and now they want meta-powers to keep their control." He interrupts himself to throw some light on this subject before continuing "The Canadian team of heroes was fighting a magical creature called the Wendigo."
He shows a holographic image of the white-furred monster from his palm before continuing "The truth is that the Wendigo is a threat but at the same time a victim, and the Canadian team was not qualified to deal with it. This…" he raises the holographic image "...is a human cursed. It's even worse than the Hulk, in the way it loses its mind, but easy to cure. So I got control of the situation, stopped the fight - that would create a lot of collateral damage - and went to help the Wendigo with the assistance of a friend well-versed in magic. In the end, everything went well… the person is cured, it's not his fault, his identity is protected, so he will not end up in a hidden facility as a guinea pig - that you guys know that exists - and no one got hurt after I appeared. So… What bad did I do? Hm? Hm?"
"..." It's a rhetorical question, so no one says anything and waits for him to continue.
"I'm all for more people wanting to be and do good, but for now… I'm the most qualified person on the planet. I trained and prepared myself for this. I will help where other heroes can't do much till they are ready… I hope for the day I'm not needed, but for now…"
"They are not offended that I'm acting unilaterally, they are not even offended that I make them look bad… The problem is that their tool of control is slipping from their hands. They don't like me solving those issues and showing how good things can be." Eidolon explains "Look at the most recent event, for example, I arrested a lot of criminals, and you know that a lot of them are being released as we speak?"
"No."
"Why are they being released? It's because the people on top don't want the problems solved. Criminality can be dealt with if punishment really happens. Look, I'm all for second chances, but I could not value a criminal as much as the citizen who respects the law. Criminals should be in jail. In a perfect world, the justice system would fairly judge them to put them in jail, and then fairly judge them IN jail to see if they deserve a second chance. But they don't want to improve that. They want crimes to continue high so that they can instill fear in you, so that they can be needed, and so that they can justify their control over you…" Eidolon reveals "More cameras. More vigilance. More budget in programs that are holes without an end. Making laws more rigid so that they would affect even the good citizens. Those are all band-aids, they are not definitive, and frankly unnecessary… I will give examples of what I'm talking about. Instead of dealing with cyber criminals, they want to regulate the internet… to whom? To normal people, of course. Do you think they can't find people who commit crimes online? Do you think they can't follow money laundering or scammers? Please~ they can discover everything you have eaten for lunch your whole life, they just want a reason to add layers of bureaucracy and control how you move your own money, to censor your voice on the internet. 'For your safety! For the children!' they say. They keep things as they are to control you… Heck, some go as far as siding with crime. Next week I'm gonna expose some politics that are working together with organized crime in South America, pay attention." Now that is sobering.
What he says simply makes too much sense. Even Wanda, with her shallow knowledge of politics, can understand. They keep people sick to sell the medicine, not the cure.
It seems he said his piece, so the reporters started rapid-firing more questions.
"How does this Wendigo appear? Should the Canadians be worried that more can appear?"
"It's a curse of an evil Elder God, it can happen with anyone, so yes, more can appear." Eidolon nods "But aren't you guys happy that I know how to deal with it? If one of you turns into a Wendigo, it will not be the end for you…"
A female reporter suddenly asks in a joking tone "Eidolon! From all those clones of you… Can I have two?"
"..." Eidolon blinks with a face full of amusement while the others laugh. "Don't be greedy, you can't even handle one…" He says to get more laughs and whistles
"That is not a no…" Another female reporter says with a 'gotcha' voice.
Wanda watches those interactions with a roll of eyes and a little smile.
The guy is charismatic.
He is confident without being arrogant, commands respect when he speaks seriously, and is approachable when he is casual. He also exudes honesty by really explaining things no one wants to say to the public.
'Everyone wants to be on his side…' She thinks. In this world full of danger, who doesn't want to have a father/brother figure that they can rely on? 'I bet some women wish to be under or above him too…' She laughs in her mind and sneaks a glance at Eidolon, which is still in her room.
Now she remembers that this is kinda crazy… The same guy on the TV is in her room…
"That Wendigo's magic appears to come from a similar source to your own…" He suddenly says, his voice startling her a little because her thoughts wandered in a weird direction.
"R-really?" Her voice cracked, and she winced because of that, but he doesn't seem to notice or thinks she was nervous because of the mention of her dangerous magic.
"Yes, my friend told me. The one I said that I could introduce you to give you some points…" Eidolon's hand comes from beneath his mantle, revealing that he is holding a sphere.
Wanda's eyes are unconsciously drawn to it. She can see some sort of Mist Beast roaring inside, its red eyes shining strongly amidst all the white.
"What do you think of it?" He makes the ball slowly float to her.
"It's… It feels familiar…" It's all she dared to say, because she wasn't really sure. She raises her hands to grab the floating sphere. "Wha-"
Something unexpected happens, when her fingers touch the sphere, it lights up with a scarlet light, the sphere breaks, and the white mist is engulfed in a red light that pulls it to Wanda's body.
It goes through her head orifices in an instant, leaving her surprised and with her pupils shining scarlet.
Even Eidolon is suddenly on high alert.
"Are you okay?" he asks, immediately activating the All Seeing Eyes of God to check on her.
He saw the Ancient Curse of the Wendigo travelling through her body and… being consumed by her soul. It was quick and merciless.
For an instant, he was worried that the curse would take over, but no… He should have worried about the poor semi-sentient curse. It had no chance. Like gasoline being thrown into a raging fire. It only added more fuel.
"I… I think 'im okay… I don't feel different…" Wanda says, still as a statue "Please, don't tell me I'm growing fur."
Eidolon chuckles a little "No, as beautiful as always." He says so naturally that Wanda needed to do a double-take on him, thinking she heard him wrong. "It seems your magic really has some compatibility with the curse… nothing seems to have changed. I mean, some effect should happen, maybe an increase in your magic power… But this we can only discover in the future."
"..." She is still staring at him with a blank face.
"I guess you have a higher authority than a simple curse." He says and reaches his hand into the air, his whole forearm disappears into the void, and he pulls some pages from thin air. "Those are notes about the Wendigo's Curse. If anything goes sideways… Well, you can call me, but it would be good for you to be prepared."
"Okay." Wanda accepts the notes still a little bashfully "Ahem By the way, about what you are talking about… You are really serious about changing the world or whatever, huh?" She decides to change the subject.
"Yes, the plan is to change the world and whatever." He smiles in amusement.
"Shut up."
"Huhu~ I know that it sounds crazy, but I have a feasible plan… the world will change naturally, I just want to put in the right trail. The Good Future." After a laugh he talks a little more seriously, his eyes distant like he can see the bad futures that he wants to avoid. Then his eyes focus again... on her. "That includes you… You know, answering your question, why I come here." He gives her a warm smile
"..." Wanda avoids eye contact to not blush. "I don't need your help…" She whispers, barely audible
"Do you want to help?" Eidolon asks like he didn't hear her.
"What?" She turns confused
"Do you want to join me? The SCP, and help make the world a better place…" He asks, his tone serious
"Are you serious?"
"Absolutely. Don't you want to do something more than just stay holed up in this room? Don't want to put your powers to good use? To make a difference?" He asks "If you are unsure of what direction your life is heading… You can simply create a direction yourself. Give yourself a goal, or you can follow me for now. Wanna help make the future I envision a reality?" He says, full of charisma.
"I-I don't know." Her voice trembles, a million thoughts going through her head.
"It's okay, it's okay…." Eidolon smiles and pats her head while she is still. "Just an offer that you can take any time, no need to feel pressure."
"..." Wanda is kinda overwhelmed now. He is patting her head. 'What the fuck.'
"If you don't want to commit to such a big cause… Why not start a little small?" He says with a light smile "Wanna do something for me?"
"??"
"What do you think of therapy, Wanda?"
........................….
Third Person P.O.V.
New Jersey
Chaos quickly erupts from a building; one can even say that it happened at the speed of light. The reason is the sudden debut of a villain that one day will be called Living Laser, but for now he is just Arthur Parks.
On the top floor of the building is a fancy restaurant, now in a bad state. The view of the city that should be possible only because of the glass walls is now unobstructed because of the destruction of half the floor.
Customers and staff alike are running while the ground gives in, but a couple at a table can't do that because the villain is focused on them.
"Lucy… You can come back to me now…" Arthur says, while slowly approaching a pretty blonde woman with her hair cut short.
But the woman just screams hysterically while crawling away from him.
How could she not, even if one ignores how he just appeared, destroying the side of the building, Arthur's appearance is not something that she can recognize, even if they used to be lovers.
Right now, Arthur is just light materialized in a humanoid shape. A purple construct of light that is being held together by his consciousness.
"Lucy…" Arthur's voice echoes, seeing her reaction, even without features, one would feel that he is heartbroken. The two dots on his face are trembling before gaining a sharp edge, and he turns to the man who was on the table of Lucy. "YOu! It's wAs YoU thAt toOk HER from mEE!"
He raises his purple arm at the terrified and confused man, from his wrist till the tip of his fingers, and a bright light appears. It's obviously not a good signal.
"DIE!"
ZiinWhoosh
It happened in an instant, at light speed, his arm was slapped away, the energy blast leaving his fist, shooting out the destroyed wall and disappearing into the sky. At the same time, a dark figure appears in front of Arthur.
"What a surprisingly powerful but unknown villain that suddenly appears… Marvel really has too many characters." Eidolon says calmly while standing between Arthur and the couple, then he looks over his shoulder, to the woman, and sighs "A simp is a simp even if they gain awesome powers…"
"Out of my way!" Arthur shrieks, raising his two arms to shoot lasers at an Eidolon.
Boom
Eidolon obviously doesn't allow him and literally bitchslapped the guy out of the building. Arthur became a purple streak of light that is about to hit a taller skyscraper, and Eidolon obviously can't allow that either.
He calculated his trajectory from the beginning, and also in a streak of light followed Arthur. The white streak of light arrives at the point of contact before the purple one, Eidolon rematerializes himself, already kicking down, timing perfectly…
Bam
Arthur is kicked straight down, hitting the concrete of a very empty plaza. He goes straight through the ground, creating a hole, not a crater.
He doesn't look that hurt when he emerges from the whole, but looks dizzy and lost.
"How… How can you hurt me?" He asks while shaking, the people around him taking even more distance from the battle, but at the same time, pulling out their phones.
"I just willed to hit you." Eidolon says slowly while hovering down. While Haki doesn't work as perfectly on people like him or Sandman, as it would work in logias in the One Piece world, it still works. Eidolon's higher stats compensate for the difference a little.
And even if neither of the two knows, one of Arthur's weaknesses is Chi, a life force power system, a little similar to Haki. It makes him a little more compatible than other logia-like metas.
When the hero's feet touch the ground, it's as if someone rewinded time, and the hole created by Arthur closes. "Now, I'm gonna ask you to not make things worse for you… By a miracle, you didn't kill anyone. Stop now and turn yourself in. There's still time to take a lighter sentence and be able to start again in some years…"
"You don't understand!!" Arthur shouts
"To tell you the truth, I understand… Already investigated during our little altercation." Eidolon says "That was Lucy Barton, so you should be her ex-boyfriend, Arthur Parks, a scientist who disappeared a week ago… Gave yourself powers to try to win back your girl? Dude… She left you for a richer guy. She is for the streets."
"SHUT UP!!!" Nothing cuts a fragile ego than an inconvenient truth, so Arthur answers with violence.
Eidolon sighs while watching Arthur once again raise his two fists to attack. 'Such a waste of a good power… pathetic.'
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Arthur screams while punching the air, each punch releasing a blast of energy. His fists have no weight, so they become a blur on how quickly he punches the air, like a laser Gatling gun shooting hundreds of attacks at Eidolon.
"..." Despite the barrage of attacks, the hero stays completely still, his mantle moving slightly in the wind.
The attacks arrive, but he still hasn't moved a muscle… Then the hundreds of light blasts miss.
It's like they are avoiding him on purpose, but it's just a clever use of a Light Refraction power and force fields that bent the air around him. He became untouchable by Arthur's attacks.
"If you put something extra on those light-based attacks, I wouldn't be able to deal with them this easily." He schools the villains, while light appears to dodge and bounce off him.
A hand of Eidolon appears from a slit in his mantle when the attack moves away from him; he will not allow collateral damage just because he is acting cool.
His hand and forearm are wrapped in misty darkness. When he opens his fingers, a dark vortex emerges from his palm. The whole area gets a tad darker, like a big cloud has blocked the sun.
The attacks of light that are moving in all directions suddenly stopped and started being sucked into the vortex. It happened in an instant, it can even be considered pretty… The way the lines of light coalesced on his palm before disappearing when he closed his hand in a strong grip, like he caught hundreds of fireflies.
"Such a lack of emotional control…" Eidolon says, his voice as dark as the showcased power "You're a specific kind of dangerous, Ligh Simp." He suddenly remembers that Balder also has light powers… He chuckles darkly at the coincidence, suddenly respecting Kizaro a little more. 'At least the guy doesn't lose himself for pussy.'
Eidolon starts walking toward Arthur, his left hand also appearing from the other slit of his mantle.
"Now, you want me to beat you up with a similar power or with your natural counter?" he asks. Darkness engulfs one hand while the other shines brightly in a white light.
"..." Arthur doesn't answer, but he gives some fearful step back
"Ah, now you remember who I am? Is reality hitting you hard now?" Eidolon chuckles darkly "But I will hit harder." He decided to use both light and darkness.
Whoosh
He appears in front of Arthur in an instant, his light fist already moving for his usual uppercut, to take his enemy off the ground and minimize damage to the surroundings. Not everyone can fight in the air, too.
"Have you been punched at the speed of light?"
Bam
Arthur is sent flying when he is about to cross the city skyline. Eidolon raises his dark fist and pulls him back to him. His light fist was ready again…
The world's most complex and painful paddleball play is about to happen.
.......................
Shego
Suddenly, Shego shot out of her couch, where she was lazing around, enjoying her good life.
"I'm feeling like I am being put aside." She exclaims, only to herself.
It's a dumb feeling. She meets her man and her friends every single day. What would be the reason she would feel left out?
She pauses and thinks…
"Maybe… maybe it's because I'm not as involved in his things as the others." Shego stands up in her oversized shirt that she stole from Hector.
She starts pacing around, unconsciously mimicking her boyfriend with her chin between her fingers.
"Even that clown bitch is involved in his schemes with that whole therapy thing…" She says without any heat, just an observation. "And now with that new green bitch…"
Shego starts to ponder… Helena, Cassandra, Saeko… All of them are involved in Hector's big plan in some way. Helping here and there.
Her? She barely does one patrol every month, mostly to hang out with Helena.
With the increase in the people around Hector, the less he needs her to be an "extra muscle" in a mission. Not that she blames him for not calling her, she said that she doesn't like playing the hero. He is respecting her wishes.
"That can't fucking stand!" She shouts to the ceiling, green flames licking her hair and hands while she clenches her fists.
She would never allow herself to be sidelined!
She quickly goes to put on her costume and asks for a portal to the Space Station; she knows that there's always one of Hector's bodies there. So she is sure she will meet him.
She passes through the security check and finally steps on the Space Station, her steps purposeful while she walks to his lab, where she knows is where he is staying because she asked Cortana.
"Does he think he can sideline me? Me? I am his goth mommy. Just because now he has that nazi bitch and another green avocado slut… Hmpf!"
She finds him exactly where she is expected, on his Hector persona, but wearing an Eidolon suit that still looks really good on him, even without Eidolon's adult muscles. Lean and sexy. The white lab coat also combines well with the look.
He is holding a half ball of crisscrossed lines, electrical wires… His eyes have a shadow of focus and concentration that is pretty cute, but she is not here to be swayed. She is gonna show where she stands. Mark territory.
He sees her before she can announce herself, his stoic and impassive face easily morphing into a happy one, eyes brightening up just by seeing her…
He went from Doberman to black Labrador in a second, and is simply too cute.
Okay, she immediately forgot everything she wanted to do here.
"That is a rare sight." He pulls her into a one-arm hug and says after kissing her head, not removing his lips from her hair "Do you need something, my love?"
"...nothing. Just want to see you." She just hugs his torso and rests her face on his neck. Forgetting what she came here to do.
"That makes me happy." He says genuinely and raises her chin with his fingers to kiss her.
Shego grabs his face and turns the chaste kiss into a full-blown make-out session, practically devouring him for several minutes.
She finally releases him to take some breath. "What are you making?" She asks, leaning her back on him while looking at the items on the table. She has no clue what any of those wires and batteries can do together. Probably something bigger.
"Well, you know that I recently went back to that universe where I became stranded as Spider-Man to test Multiversal Travel, and there I found my variant…" he starts
But she interrupts him "The one that is banging Invisible Woman."
"...yes, that one." He chuckles after giving her a flat stare "He is a pretty capable researcher of the medical field. Gave me some ideas." he grabs that half ball of wires again. "This is a prototype helmet that would stimulate the brain and heal neurologic diseases like Alzheimer's and Dementia."
"Okay, that is big…" Shego gives a look at the thing, now seeing that it goes on the head "Is this one of those things where you can do easily with just a touch, but want to give to the world?"
"Yes, no real and solid progress will happen if I do everything." Hector nods
"But at the same time, you still can't give all this new technology…"
He sighs "Yes, I need to wait at least two more years… Then I can start revealing my genius while in College."
"Oh, so you decided to be important, huh?" She smirks a little. Hector was always torn between staying in the shadows forever or stepping into the spotlight.
"Yeah, with so many geniuses in their respective fields, another one will not stand out that much. My variant did it." He shrugs "I will not hold back in helping the world just because it will inconvenience me a little… I don't even know how long my identity will remain a secret." He mutters her last part in a low voice.
But Shego heard it "With your paranoia… forever." She scoffs, making him laugh
"I wish! So many things are out of my control… You have no idea." he says before hugging her.
"Are you busy?" She asks
"Well, this body, yes… I still have to finish things here in the lab, then I'm gonna summon a certain someone, and later meet with Mirage… She is still the proxy of the game company that I'm establishing." he answers.
"... is this certain someone a woman?" She asks while narrowing her eyes
"...a spider. But yes, it's a woman."
"Hmm." Shego narrows her eyes more. "Try not to fuck her first things first. And now that you are busy, teleport me to your 'Eidolon Body'. I wanna do some heroic things with you."
"..." That double surprised Hector.
One, Shego wants to do heroism; and Two, she didn't linger too much in the potential harem member. Every girl that he brings is a potential harem member to her.
"Okay… It will be nice." He says and does just as she asked. With two bodies in different points working together, the teleportation is seamless and quick.
.....................…..
Third Person P.O.V
Now alone, he stays still for some time to think about this whole interaction, then he laughs. "Hahaha, so silly!" he gets it quickly. "Gonna find some villains so that she can vent a little…" He shakes his head
Then he paused again, "Do I even leave any villain after flooding the world with my copies?"
"..."
"Pfft, what am I talking about? There's always more villains."
.....................…..
Xavier Mansion
"Hehehehehehehehehehehe~" Kitty is staring at her phone, laughing creepily before she explodes in raucous laughter "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"What the heck… I'm afraid to ask, but… what are you laughing at?" Jubilees asks cautiously.
"Hehehe~ Just a newly uploaded image… It seems Lady Jade is teaming up with Eidolon right now, and she took a fan's phone to take a selfie and posted it on the fan's page with a funny caption." Kitty then turned her phone to Jubilee and the others
On the screen, it shows a selfie of Lady Jade with a flat look. In the background, Eidolon is talking with some police officers, a villain at his feet.
The caption crosses the screen inside a grey box: "He just blew my back out and now he is saving the world SMH."
"..."
"...is this for real?"
"Yep." Kitty answers, still laughing
"But is she serious or just joking?" Rogue asks, very interested.
"Who knows? Half-half maybe… The comments of the people that are there said that she posted it in a joking tone."
"Hmm, that is kinda hot to imagine." Paige says slowly
"Lady Jade is such a diva… giving us meme material." Kitty shakes her head.
At that point, some coughs to draw their attention
"Ahem People, we are talking about something important here…" Sooraya Qadir says while gesturing at Jean with her eyes
"Oh yes, sorry… Where are we at? Evil guy tried to play cupid with Jean and Scott, right?"
"Kitty!"
"What man? He failed! Relax!" Kitty raises her arm while some of the girls glare at her
But Jean defends her "Kitty is right… It sounds and… Well, it really is a lot of invasive, but I never felt anything, so it doesn't matter much."
"What about Scott?" Rogue asks
"Well… He didn't take that well…" Jean says slowly
The girl nods with an awkward face. "I can imagine."
"The Professor is gonna help him and then check if anyone here is also affected." Jean explains
"That would be fucking scary…" Paige comments "Luckily, I don't love anyone."
"Maybe you are programmed to love someone when you meet them." Illyana comments
"Don't put things in my mind!" Paige says, a little worried now
"Maybe Sinister already did…" Illyana replies while smiling evilly
"Hey!"
"I don't think you all need to worry… On the notes Eidolon showed me, it's an experimental project. A shot in the dark." Jean says, ignoring the two girls bickering, "It failed with me…" She shrugs her shoulders
"But it worked with Scott." Tabitha adds, and a lot of the girls wince.
Jean stood up slowly. "I am gonna to bed earlier, I have a little headache…" She says without even looking at anyone before walking away.
"..." No one says anything or even questions the possible excuse to just become alone.
Who knows what is going through her head? They can give her some space.
Jean reaches the room she shared with Kitty and the others and goes straight to the bathroom. She grips the sink while staring at her own reflection.
She really has a mild headache, something she hasn't experienced since Eidolon helped her to have better control over her telepathic powers.
Some questions fly to the forefront of her mind… How did she break free of the subtle programming? It's really just because she has telepathic powers and hence has more resistance?
Something is trying to tell her that there's more to it… Did something happen with her mind… She remembered her accident… When her childhood friend Annie died.
Flashes bombard her mind, and she winces.
"Ugh…" Lines appear on her forehead while her eyebrows tremble, her telepathic abilities get a little out of control, and she can hear everyone's mind again, like before… Like she just awakened her powers. She can even hear a cry of a bird far away…
The pain increases, it's like her brain is burning… She is feverish…
Suddenly it peaks, she swears that she shouted, but she didn't hear anything… then it's over.
She is looking at her own reflection again, sweaty, red hair glued to her forehead, breathing hard…
But at least her mind feels light again, no headache… But she is sleepy, dizzy, lightheaded…
She decides to really go to sleep. It would be better if this day ended quickly.
While she is removing her clothes to take a bath, she frowns…
She could swear that for an instant… When she looked at her image in the mirror, there was fire in her eyes…
..................…..
Hector
Becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy… That is what should scare everyone who peeks into the future.
I know that.
And I think I fell into this trap… It's not that bad though, but it happened...
Far back, when I first met Jean, I used Foresight to peek into Jean's future. Don't saw much, but I remember very well the wings of fire in my vision.
I controlled foresight to only show me one year, which is why it came like a chopped movie.
So… I saw that in a year, the Phoenix Saga is gonna happen.
That was at the beginning of the year, and we are already in the last trimester. It's close…
I revealed Sinister's plot to gauge her reaction to such manipulation, to see if she can control her emotions better.
But I think I triggered some self-defense mechanism in her… She is aware of manipulations… her unconscious mind can be fighting it right now.
But not Sinister's manipulations, no… Xavier's one.
The manipulation that probably overwrote Sinister's own manipulation and prevented her from falling for Scott.
She is gonna discover the truth. Quicker than it should be… Before the year ends.
Layer by layer, the seal of her memories will be eroded.
I sigh "Let's hope my preparations are enough…" Walking to a glass wall of the Space Station, I watch my beautiful planet. "I have faith in you, Jean…" The future can change, maybe already did… I even have some Fate Defying Characters assimilated.
I really don't want to kill her, even with the 90% chance that she will come back.
And let's be honest… The Phoenix Force is above my pay grade now.
"Not that I would lose." There is a big difference between the Phoenix Force and someone using it.
...........
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