Third Person P.O.V.
In an isolated place underwater, dozens upon dozens of Atlanteans are being treated by war criminals. They are forced down on the seabed by the immense pressure of the people looking down on them.
"Not as diverse as the ones in the One Piece world…" Eidolon says to himself while taking a good look at them, biology, DNA, and all.
Different from the fishmen and mermaids of the worlds of pirates, the sea people from here mostly change only their skin color. He can still see that there are different tribes between them, but not like they evolved from different races of fish. No, it's more like they lived in different regions around the globe, evolving differently, like humans, but then united on Atlantis.
"...but that doesn't matter. I will make good use of all of you." He continues "After all, you all just tried to end the world in a genocidal plot. You can't blame me for anything that I will do with you in the future."
Eidolon is ready to call the day, he can't spend his time doing nothing, but something unexpected happens… unexpected and dumb, so dumb that it caught him off guard.
Warlord Krang suddenly shoots up at him… to try to take him hostage.
"..." He watches everything in slow motion 'So that is what happens when I don't show off…' Because he stayed on the sidelines, he - the less physically impressive of the group - was assumed to be the weakest despite being obviously the leader.
So Krang, in all his unwillingness and pride, went for a last-ditch effort to turn the tables on those who came from the surface.
Eidolon has one second to decide what to do while Krang's hand approaches him.
Swish
He decides to just cut his wrist off.
Krang pauses, a scream of pain and anguish leaves his mouth, together with many bubbles of air. Eidolon's gaze behind the floating blood and hand is piercing enough for him to notice that the missing hand is the least of his worries.
THUM
A muffled sound echoes when Krang's face hits the seabed. He didn't even notice when or how, but Eidolon now has his foot on his neck, forcing him to grovel on the ground.
"You should watch the news…" Eidolon almost laughs "And control yourself, King Shark." He suddenly turns to the side because King Shark is shaking a little because of the blood in the water and the display of violence.
The hero's glare is enough to stop the killer machine in his tracks to whatever the intrusive thoughts are about to make him do.
Turning back to look at Krang, Eidolon continues "Now you, be ready to spill all secrets of Atlantis that you know."
"Ugh! Grr! I would never say anything to a surface-dweller!!" Krang spats rabidly, talking big even though he is in a very bad position.
"It is surface-dweller supposed to be a slur or something?" Eidolon asks, genuinely curious before spoofing and laughing, "Whatever, I will discover in a minute… After all, you don't have a choice on this matter." He says menacingly
No one will ever know what happened with this group.
...…
Isabella
The governess of Hector's household is up early every day. The first subordinate summoned by Hector initially had a lot of work and responsibilities, but it became less and less as time went on, and he brought more people. Before Cortana, she even was the one keeping an eye on the many cameras he put around the city, now the blue AI is Hector's personal helper, while Isabela can focus on taking care of his home.
It's an easy job now, but appreciated and rewarding. Hector once asked if Isabella didn't think she was a little overqualified for what she is doing, but she doesn't mind. After a lifetime of mentally exhausting duties, to say the least, she is enjoying the simple chores and routine. And again, Hector always makes sure she feels appreciated and respected.
She even receives a hefty salary, which she never uses because Hector provides for everything she needs, even her hobbies of consuming music, movies, and books from this world are facilitated by him.
Isabella leaves her room after tightly tidying her hair in a low bun. It's the weekend, but she still wakes up early to make sure things are organized for her master. Knowing his routine, he will allow himself a small break during this time unless something big happens.
He must have slept with some of his women, so she wants to have things ready to at least welcome him with a clean house and breakfast.
Unfortunately, Hector almost doesn't sleep. When she enters the kitchen, Isabella finds him, breakfast ready, and he is feeding the pets.
"..."
"Good morning, Isabella. Slept well?" He asks, turning to smile at her, even though from his crouched-down position, he continues to pet and caress his animals. Each one vying for his attentions, climbing on his thighs, biting and scratching. Even the pigeon Hattori is on his shoulder.
"I did, master. Thank you for asking." She nods, her face calm.
"I need to know… I still feel a little guilty for dropping Power on you." he laughs.
Power… The devil girl has been… a challenge, to say the least. Isabella raised and took care of many, many children. Toddlers even… But Power... It's worse than all of them combined.
If Isabella were asked to describe the horned woman, she would have nothing but bad things to say about her. With the exception of her appearance, of course, she is still cute despite not taking care of herself, and Isabella needs to almost force her to shower every day.
"She is making progress…" It's the nicest thing Isabella can say about her right now.
Hector gives her a knowing smile, but doesn't press the issue. "I just got a new maid to help you. Don't worry, she is capable. I will bring her out later."
"I see… Thanks, but I barely have any work, so I think we would be overstaffed." She replies
"That's why I didn't bring her immediately." He says while stroking his pet's fur, alternating between them. "But at some point, you are gonna need to be the 'Head Maid', better start feeling your authority when we are overstaffed than understaffed."
"Head Maid?"
"Well, if you want…" Hector gives her a look. "In my mind, one day I will have a whole battalion of maids, huhu. And you are the one who was with me the longest… Except for this one here." He raises Cathulhu to show her, the alien cat meowing slightly in protest. Hector is the only one who can manhandle him like that.
"I'm a little surprised, but I guess it's expected." She finally says
"The natural progression… if you want, of course." Hector says nonchalantly while standing up, Cathulhu still in his hands "Wanna eat? I already prepared breakfast…" he points at the table
She has noticed. The reason why her job is so easy is that Hector is very independent and competent; she only needs to cover for him when he is busy. And being fair, that is most of the time, but even so, taking care of only one house is very easy for her.
Isabella took care of a whole school and… a farm, with dozens of children. With her new abilities, she barely needs to put any effort.
"I should wake up Power." She says
"Let her sleep for now." Hector waves dismissively before sitting on the table, signalling Isabella to do the same. He has both Caerbannog and Cathulhu in his lap, each on a thigh; he is the only one capable of having both so close without them trying to kill each other.
Isabella does as she is told and sits to eat.
"With more and more people, I always feel like I am neglecting you and the others a little… Like, I need to give a little more attention to the newcomers while you all are pretty much established already…" He speaks
"That is inevitable and understandable." Isabella replies "And I bet all the others like Shego understand too."
"But even if it is excusable, it's still not a good thing." he completes. "I'm just making sure to remember you and the others, that you are all very important to me." He finishes with a serious face "Come at me for anything, even if it's silly… Even if you just want to watch a movie together."
"...alright. I will keep that in mind." Isabella eventually nods. But internally, she doesn't plan to do that. How could she take his precious time for silly things?
"..." Hector seems to notice that and sighs "That is why I need to do this more often…" He shakes his head.
Now she noticed… If she acts in a way not to disturb Hector, he is gonna get disturbed anyway and come for her. Now she is in a dilemma. Maybe she should really start seeking him out sometimes if she feels lonely…
And then she notices again… He had already convinced her. With a few words and understanding, he already put her to doing what he wants. A little emotional blackmail.
"You are very devious, master." She compliments "I will keep in touch if I need anything…"
He smiles "It's just that communication is easy between smart people."
"Try not to use your powers for evil…" She makes a small joke.
"Me? Do you really think I would step on the evil path?" He asks sarcastically
What happens next is exactly what Hector wants. He spent the morning with Isabella, talking about the books she was reading, helping her with chores, being a hard-ass with Power, playing with the pets…
She obviously knows that this is just one of his four possible bodies. Isabella doesn't think so highly of herself to dream of having his whole attention for a whole morning, but it is more than enough.
"...yesterday I watched helplessly a marriage between a 12-year-old and a plus 40 dude. The parents, the whole town… No one saw anything wrong with that…" Right now, she is listening while he is ranting a little "I swear to you… Some places on Earth make me want to go full tyrant."
"Did you do something?" Isabella asks
"...non-officially..."
"Heart attack?" She asks, making him turn to her with a laugh, his annoyed face gone.
"You know me too well~" He chuckles. "I investigated the bastard and apparently he has a taste for… young flesh. So he made the cut…" Hector doesn't always go full 'Divine Justice' on people, but when the law is flawed and the person is obviously evil, he can put the mantle aside and act as 'Hector'.
Isabella knows he doesn't like it… It's not in his nature, he takes no enjoyment, and also because it doesn't change much the great scheme of things. People will never attribute what he does behind the scenes as justice; it can't even be a warning for people to be better. It's just taking out the trash.
But it still needs to be done till the world is a better place. A patchwork of some sort that has no effect on the great scheme of things, but it can protect a small number of people.
"You will not receive any praise for it, but you are still doing what is right, master." Isabella says
"Hmpf, more like hiding my evil actions to hypocritically pose as a paragon of virtue." He scoffs with a self-deprecating smile.
"You don't do those things for yourself."
"Yeah, yeah… I know that. I also know that if the public discovered what I do secretly… About all the rapists, serial killers, and pedophiles that slip through the cracks of the system, but not between my fingers… Many would praise me even more." He laughs at the irony "But I'm doing this for the kids. Evil can't build anything, only destroy… To inspire the next generations, I need to act like a good guy. Fake it till I make it… In truth, I think my karma is positive, but I don't have a Karma Meter."
"..." She wanted to say that he is good, better than most… But he heard it before, and knows and believes in that.
The thing is that he knows that he is equally evil. And as much as Hector takes pride in the good he does and even fakes bragging about it, he also mocks his evil side as much as he mocks the villains. Maybe it's therapeutic, a way to keep it in check… Evil should be mocked.
They talk a little more, despite seemingly not having much to talk about, the conversation flows smoothly, Hector is simply that charismatic.
"You can leave Power 'education' for me right now. Thank you for trying to teach her common decency…" He says with a smile.
"...understood." Isabella nods with a little hesitation. After all, she didn't feel like she did a good job with the Devil Girl, she is not satisfied with it, but Hector can assume from now on.
"Now that your schedule is open, do you want another job to keep yourself busy. I did not come to talk with you only because I want something, by the way." He jokes.
He knows that boredom can be a problem, so she doesn't mind.
"Is this about the quintuplets?"
"Yes, my step-daughters…" He confirms, speaking slowly like he is tasting the word 'step-daughter', finding it weird to be saying "My daughters." he corrects himself."
"I see, I would love to know them."
After she said that, Hector suddenly grabbed her hand. "Are you sure, Isabella? If you want to keep away from children…" He says, looking at her with a little worried gaze.
She instantly knew what he was talking about. She has… bad memories of raising children. He fears that taking care of the quintuplets can make them resurface.
"I'm not so fragile, Master." She assures him. It's the opposite to her, she fears that he would not want her near his children ever. She wouldn't be able to blame him for it.
"Okay. Wanna go meet them?"
"Now?"
"As good a time as any… Frost is at home at this time." He says with a shrug, and that's good enough to convince her. "Don't worry, I will assign Yor to take care of them too."
Isabella gives him a side glance. "As a bodyguard, right?"
"Of course. I know Yor have the best intentions, but she has no real experience in taking care of kids and…" He chuckles "The right job to the right person."
"Her cooking is a biohazard too…"
"C'mon, be nice…" Hector holds a smile. One day, Hector asked the Yor woman to cook. Isabella only discovered later that it was because he was curious if it would be as bad as he imagined… It was worse.
"Still true."
...….
One teleport away, Isabella follows Hector - now Eidolon - to a mansion. Looking around, she can easily say that it is old money, a family with generational wealth, probably since before the Second World War. It is surprisingly empty. She can guess that he warned the owner beforehand.
She follows Eidolon's confident steps, knowing exactly where to go. Isabella right now is on her Mist Form, still wearing her high-quality maid uniform, but her uncovered hand and head are dark purple mist to hide her identity.
"What a coincidence that there's someone called Caretaker… She can also make portals." Eidolon comments "Tell me if you want to change your codename."
"I will think about it." Truthfully, she doesn't mind. If one day he decides to change her codename, she will not object.
They finally arrive in a big living room, as big as the entire floor of a middle-class family.
"Papa!" Five voices say in unison, too similar to be distinguishable from each other.
"Hello, princesses." Eidolon smiles and goes down on one knee to receive the five little girls who are watching a cartoon on a wall-sized TV.
'Well, that is new…' Isabella watches her master acting as a father for the first time.
She has seen him interacting with children, and with people that he loves… But that is the first time that the two terms are joined in fatherhood.
"How are you all? Behaving?" He asks softly, taking care to look at all of them.
The image of him crouched down and caressing his pets previously overlaps with now; it looks like a bad comparison, but Isabella thinks that is a compliment. She knows how much he loves his pets.
"Oh, Eidolon…" A woman's voice greets him.
Emma Frost, the owner of this house, telepathic meta, and the gene donor of those five little girls, stands up from the couch she was sitting on and walks to them.
Isabella instantly noticed her choice of attire. "Choice" because it is obvious that her master warned beforehand of their visit, and the blonde woman still welcomed them in a "not so proper" way.
She is wearing a bathrobe, a number or two too small, Isabella would say. The bathrobe is so short that it ends in the middle of the woman's, admittedly strong, thighs. Her bosom is a little too exposed, too… And Isabella saw the way she subtly rolled her shoulders to make it even more open.
'Another one…' She thinks in the confines of her mind.
While she is judging Emma Frost, the other woman is obviously taking the measure of her too. She not-so-subtly looked at Isabella up and down, focusing a little too much on the maid's breasts.
But that is only because her figure is the only way to say that she is a woman in her Mist Form.
"Emma… Bad time?" Eidolon says, just once, looking at the woman's state of undress, before focusing his gaze above her neck.
"Don't mind it. Yesterday I simply crashed on my bed after arriving late, so this morning I took a long bubble bath while I read some reports. I stayed long enough for my fingers to wrinkle, only leaving when you confirmed you would visit." Emma Frost says dismissively.
Isabella doesn't believe her, not even for a second. She also noticed that Eidolon calls this woman by her name… A rare thing. His gaze is also a tad friendlier when compared with when he interacts with women outside his inner circle.
'It seems that being the mother of his adoptive daughters gained her some points with him.' Isabella can't say that she is surprised. Despite him always saying otherwise, her master is a softie.
"I see… do you remember the thing we talked about? The girl's education…" Eidolon ignores Emma Frost's provocative clothes and stance.
The woman's gaze zeroes in on Isabella with much greater focus now. "So she is the one that you vouched for." A very protective mother, it seems…
"Yes, I can vouch for her. The Caretaker is incredibly capable in child development, and I trust her immensely." Eidolon doesn't hesitate.
"..." Isabella is a little touched by the vote of confidence, but none would be able to tell by her misty features, so she only bows slightly in thanks and as a greeting to Frost.
"If you are saying, who am I to doubt her…" Emma comments, not taking her eyes from Isabella, "I don't know your group has maids…" She ended up saying in a strange tone.
"My group has all kinds of people… She personally takes care of the affairs of my own home, so you should understand how much I trust her. The girls will be in good hands." Eidolon assures Frost "She is also a very strong, but I also plan to put a bodyguard with the girls, but that is for later… Let's talk about the arrangements. Caretaker can teleport, so she can come every day."
"Teleport? So convenient… Can I use her too?" Emma turns to Eidolon
"You need to ask her." Eidolon says back
"I would mind helping occasionally." Isabella speaks finally
"I don't mind paying for any extra service." Emma says, then smiles mischievously "If you want, you can leave this guy and come work for me full-time. I bet I can give you a better offer…" With the exception of the five kids, everyone in this room knows that this question is just a test.
So Isabelly politely bows again and answers in a calm voice "That will never happen."
Isabella Grace
Relationship Loyalty - (10/10)
....
Third Person P.O.V.
Later, after arranging the specifics of Isabella's visits, Eidolon leaves Isabella to get familiar with the quintuplets, resisting the puppy eyes of his daughters. Unfortunately, he has things to do, and someone is rampaging in an urban area.
"Why" "Can't" "We" "Read" "Mind?" The quintuplets ask together.
Isabella patiently crouches down and answers "Every member of your father's group has protections against telepaths. Mine are particularly strong because I'm privy to many secrets… but do you five know that it is not right to read someone's mind?"
"We" "Can" "Not" "Control" "It" They say
"I can imagine… What do you guys think about working on it? I bet it will surprise your father and make him proud. He likes it when people are respectful of others' privacy, you know that?" Isabella continues in a calming tone. She is making them interested by mentioning Eidolon. A boring chore like training can become exciting if the reward is enticing enough.
As proof of that, the five nod eagerly.
"Good… We can include your mother if she has the time. I bet she has a lot to teach you." Isabella turns to Emma, who was watching the exchange like a protective mama.
"I can do that… I just thought that they were too young." Emma says "And I don't know if I can be a good teacher… I was kind of a natural on that."
From the three famous mutant telepaths, Jean is the one with the greatest raw power, Xavier is the most experienced, but Emma is probably the one with the greatest talent. She got her powers relatively late; she is still young, and is as good, or even better than, Xavier.
"We can aim for a simple way to turn off the passive Telepathy. Eidolon has books about it that I can get without him knowing, keeping the surprise." Isabella says to the excited girls
"It seems that you really have his trust if you can sneak into his things like that." Emma comments, then she decides to probe again "Any chance I can get some juicy gossip from you?"
"It's not that books are guarded under lockers. And no." Isabella answers flatly
"Ah, c'mon… Not even a harmless thing like his favorite food? Or on what pyjamas he sleeps?"
"Anything and Anything that he is wearing. He almost doesn't sleep." Isabella continues to answer flatly.
"Well, it is a start…" Despite the answers giving really no answers, Emma can take it… After all, it confirmed one thing.
This woman, the Caretaker, is very close to Eidolon… To know how he sleeps? Very close, indeed… The type that he lowers his guard with. It doesn't matter if she answers her or not, Emma can discover things about Eidolon from her.
It seems not only her daughters that will be learning with the Caretaker.
...…..
Eidolon moves quickly through the sky, and his destination is a city in Canada.
In no time, Eidolon arrives, taking a second to assess the situation. The said city is of a medium size, isolated in a snowy area with a huge forest nearby. And it is being destroyed by the rampage of a white-furred beast.
"The Wendigo…" Eidolon says. He remembers reading about this creature in the library of Kamar-Taj.
Well, less than a creature, more like he read about the curse. The Wendigo Curse is something that afflicts someone who has eaten the flesh of another human being in a certain forest in the north of Canada. The Elder Gods will curse anyone who commits this taboo by becoming a massive fur-covered humanoid, condemned to roam the wilderness like a mindless beast.
Hector once talked about taboos with Saeko and Cassandra. He was explaining how all the acts that someone does forge their lives, and are imprinted on their soul. Using the example of the act of killing being used to increase someone's bloodlust, and even weaponizing it.
Taboos can be used in nefarious ways for empowerment… Murder, sacrifices, rape, incest, cannibalism, bestiality… All of this taints the soul, it's evil… But it can also be the source of power.
There's a reason that so many evil sorcerers torture, kill with cold blood, rapes virgins, and commit all sorts of nefarious acts during rituals. But it is a path of no return… Even killing is taboo, being even more grave if committed against family members.
But Hector explained that all of this comes from belief… A religious person will be tied to the taboos of that religion. He explained to Saeko and Cassandra that if they have a strong belief in themselves, their souls will not be tainted even if they commit nefarious acts. It will be hard for evil gods or whatever to use the cracks formed by their evil actions to corrupt them.
It is impossible to erase what you have done. Hector can understand why Superman has a no-killing rule; it taints the soul. He has already killed billions of sentient beings; maybe someone will one day try to use this fact to corrupt him. Then, it will be a battle of wills and belief.
And the Ancient Curse of Wendigo came from that. The taboo of cannibalism is poorly seen by the Elder Gods, even in the frozen north. Inadmissible and punishable, even if the person has no other choice but to resort to that act to survive.
Well, the Elder God who created this curse is not any paragon of virtue… So, less than being a punishment, it's more of an exploitation to sow evil on Earth. The one who committed the taboo opened a door to be corrupted.
"This can become a problem…" If he remembers well, the curse can fall upon another if the person is scratched or bitten by a Wendigo and survives. But he also remembers that there's a limit to Wendigos existing simultaneously, so it will not become a "zombie apocalypse" situation.
The reason he still hasn't acted is that the local superhero team is already on the case. Not that well though…
Eidolon is having flashbacks of the first time he met the X-Men. The fight is very balanced, the heroes are not losing per se, but…
"The collateral damage…" He sighs "At least they evacuated."
He focuses on the battle once again, taking notes of the heroes' fighting style.
The Canadian hero team is called Alpha Flight. Right now, five members of the group are fighting the monster villain.
The first and most noticeable hero is the Sasquatch, basically a brown version of the Wendigo. Eidolon read that the Curse came from a similar source to the sasquatch, one of the Great Beasts from the Realm of the Beasts, Tanaraq.
It seems the Elder Gods made the Wending use the "template" of Tanarag to create a corrupted version as a punishment. Unfortunately, it seems the copy surpasses the original, because Eidolon watched the Wendigo grab the Sasquatch and drags his face in the concrete.
"One still has his reason and the other is purely animalistic fury… Like a really angry Hulk vs Professor Hulk." This comparison is very adequate because the Sasquatch is also emitting Gamma Radiation. "Another Hulk Variant."
"..." Eidolon narrows his eyes while looking at the Sasquatch. Despite the Great Beasts being a group from another dimension that tries to take over the Earth constantly, Eidolon doesn't think he has to act against the Sasquatch now, but he will keep an eye on him.
The same eye that he keeps on everyone who receives powers from a Superior Being that is hostile to humans and their dimension in general, like the Hulk, Juggernaut, Ghost Rider, and others.
Another creature attacks the Wendigo, stopping the beating that the Sasquatch was receiving. An unusually big polar bear tackles the beast, allowing two fast streaks to grab the Sasquatch and take him away.
The Wendingo recovers his balance fast, razors, and goes to attack the polar bear, which suddenly turns into a white bird to dodge.
The one with a power a little similar to Beast Boy is called Snowbird. Narya is an attractive blonde woman, wearing a white bodysuit with some details in light blue, together with a cape. The only odd characteristic is the fact that her sclera is black while her iris is white.
She is a very ancient demigod, daughter of an Inua goddess and a human male. She has the ability to turn into any arctic animal, but she can't leave Canada because of a spell cast on her.
"A demi-god with a worse power than Beast Boy…" Hector shakes his head, seeing that she turns back into human form before turning into a giant white moose and attacking again.
His attention changes to where the Sasquatch was dropped by the two blurs. With his vision, he can clearly see that the ones moving at super-speeds are the Beaubier twins.
Jean-Paul and Jeanne-Marie are meta mutants with very similar powers, they have a set of brick power, being able to move and fly super fast while still being able to generate concussive blasts of light.
It seems the brother is more physically based, while the sister leans more toward the attacks of light. The two are attractive, with pointy eyes and dark hair, wearing white and black.
They are the reason the place is evacuated, using their super-speed to carry the people fast.
"They need to be together to use their powers? This is some Super Twins shit." Eidolon observes, chuckling a little "At least the brother is not useless and turns into things like a water bucket…"
The smile didn't leave his face when he saw the last member of the Alpha Flight present.
"Major Mapleleaf, really?" He laughs "And is Junior too…"
The "Captain America" from Canada is the Guardian, but Major Mappleleaf is just as important as a symbol, maybe even more.
Major Mapleleaf has no powers, not even a super-soldier serum, so Eidolon respects him for standing up against villains. But guts can only take him so far…
"He is gonna die…" It only needs one hit from the Wendigo for him to become a smear on the ground.
That is when he acts… His future sight shows exactly the image of the Wendigo's big hand going through the Major Mapleleaf's torso.
Thunk
Eidolon suddenly appears between the two and stops the swing with a hand on the Wendigo's forearm.
"Are you alright?" Eidolon looks at Major Mapleleaf, who just saw his life flashing before his eyes
Both the Alpha Flight and the Wendigo stopped when he arrived, for different reasons, of course.
"Is that Eidolon? Wow!" Jeannie-Marie, also known as Aurora, exclaims. She and her brother Northstar, are on the young side, so she reacted a little more excitedly than the rest.
Snowbird, Sasquatch, and the major only stare at Eidolon in some sort of wary awe.
On the other hand, the monster Wendigo paused because his animalistic instincts are screaming to him that the news arrival is dangerous. He assessed the situation, removing his hand quickly and growling and roaring at Eidolon.
He moves like a gorilla, advancing a little and retreating just as fast, trying to intimidate.
"..." Seeing that Major is still shell-shocked or too surprised to react, Eidolon finally turns to Wendigo. Hero and villain lock eyes, the fight is about to start…
BamSwish
But the Wendigo suddenly turns around and starts running.
"..."
"..."
"...."
Alpha Flight is bewildered, even Snowbird's eyes widened, Northstar and Aurora's mouths are agape.
"That's rude…" Eidolon jokes in an even voice
"Did that monster really run away just because you appeared?" Northstar asks, still shocked
"Well… That happens more often than you can imagine." Eidolon says before slowly starting to move "I'm not gonna let it escape…" And he disappears, blinking away from their sight.
He reappears just above the future point where the Wendigo will be on his escape route, he goes down and makes a chop attack that hits the creature perfectly in the neck.
WhamBoom
The Wendigo is forced down and creates a scar on the concrete because of the momentum, but it rises pretty quickly.
"That is some Thor-level durability." Eidolon praises "You are magic in nature… is the curse protecting you against Hax. As expected of anything that came from an Elder God…" Not only did he hit the monster with enough strength to chop a skyscraper in half, but he also used the stand power Sticky Fingers to separate his head.
And only a one-centimeter-wide zipper appeared in the back of the monster's neck. That's why he doesn't always use those powers, many are resistant, so it would be better just to hit them with strength to knock them out.
"RAAAARGH!" Now that running is not an option anymore, the Wendigo finally faces Eidolon. Roaring and opening his arms, making itself big to intimidate him.
"..." The hero is not impressed. The roar moves his mantle, but he doesn't even blink, waiting for the inevitable move.
He is better at counters, and even if the Wendigo decides to turn around to run, it will be good because now he will be a little more merciless. But the Wendigo chooses to attack this time, the monster starts to crazily swipe his claws in front of him to hit Eidlon.
The hero dodges them by an inch, barely moving from his stop, after-images of the monster's arms and the black clad hero appear.
The Wendigo is pretty fast, but Eidolon will never fear a simple Brute. Despite the flurry of attacks that almost has no opening, he is calm… And after a particularly long swing, Eidolon stepped back a little and put his hand forward.
He doesn't say the name of the attack, but the circles start leaving his fist and harmlessly hit the monster. He just used the Noro Noro no Mi, the slow-slow fruit, a very overpowered ability that he keeps hidden as a trump card.
It has some weaknesses, like the attack being slow by itself, but the Wendigo does not even think about dodging. He is hit by the full blast, enhanced by Eidolon's own power, much stronger than anything the previous use of this power could do.
The monster visibly slows down, he is still fast to the human eye, still faster than a normal human, but if compared with before, he is now in super ultra slow motion to Eidolon.
"Too bad it doesn't stack…" The hero comments, the fist comes at him as fast as the punch of a professional boxer, but the Wendigo could very well have warned him beforehand with a formal letter.
Eidolon puts his left foot forward, his right hand behind him, his wrist rolling like he is charging a punch…
BOOOOM
An uppercut strong enough to sound like a ballistic missile was delivered, and the monster was sent into the sky as fast as a ballistic missile because Eidolon deactivated the Slow powers, hitting the clouds in just a few seconds.
"Now it's over…" Eidolon follows immediately.
He once again arrives above the flying monster, following its trajectory, and then sends another wave of Slow powers… The attack hit the monster, and now even the flight of the Wendigo is in slow motion.
"So easy…" Eidolon pulls his arm back. "Sorry, I did nothing in Atlantis, so I'm a little antsy… And your durability is almost teasing me."
BOOOOOOM
The clouds disappear in a radius of a dozen miles after this next punch hits the monster. Because of the Slow powers, the monster reacts slowly, even though his torso is forced back and his mouth is open in a dragged, pained groan. He barely moves, too, completely helpless.
"I'm gonna do some tests with you, the first one will be how tough your skin is…"
BOOOOOOOOOM
...…
Jessica Drew
Jessica Drew, also known as Spider-Woman, can glide. She discovered this ability when she miscalculated a jump from a roof to another and she stayed in the air for far too long. Initially, she thought she could fly, but no… Only glide.
She doesn't think the other Spider-Persons can do that, like how she can't create her own webs.
This discovery is what ultimately made her accept Eidolon's help and allow him to make tests on her. She is still wary of that, but if she can't trust Eidolon, who else would she trust?
The fear of developing some kind of super-cancer is also a factor.
So that's why she is now jumping from roof to roof, sometimes gliding a little, in the direction of Mutant Town, or how Eidolon called: Meta Town.
She grabs the card that she gave to him and looks at the back, a map showing her destination, and she as a beeping point. Jessica is surprised by the technology, like the thinnest smartphone in the world.
She is close, finally entering Meta Town…
"It's not that bad…" She comments, stopping in a crouched position at the edge of a building to look down.
People demonize this place like some sort of anarchist hellscape, but it looks pretty normal from what she is saying. It is obviously a "bad neighborhood" but people are just going on with their lives. It's just that they have strange appearances.
Once again, Jessica thanks her luck for not mutating into a half-spider, half-woman monster.
"People on the internet call Super Power Lottery, I guess I won that." She is even fitter and healthier than before. More beautiful too if she is allowed to say.
She goes to move again, now closer to her destination… But then she notices something. No… The back of her head tingles a little and makes her notice it… The other Spider-Woman, who is called Silk to differentiate from her, is also approaching.
It seems that the other also noticed her, and their gazes met. They nod at each other, a little glad because they will have someone in the same situation as them.
The two landed on the designed rooftop at the same time.
"Hey." Jessica greets her
"Hi…" Silk looks like the reserved type.
Looking around, they notice the small bulkhead with a door to the inside of the building. The place is unassuming, but there's a card locker a little out of place.
"We should do this, right?" Jessica pulls her card and touches the locker with the flat surface. A ping later, the word "Wait" with three dots appears on the screen. She noticed the small camera, too.
Not even two minutes later, the door opens and a woman… a female humanoid lizard greets them with a smile.
"I was waiting for you." Maybe Jessica and Cindy should use a full mask to hide their expressions because the lizard woman seems to notice something. "Scared?" She shows a smile filled with sharp teeth.
"No… No, no… I don't mean it…"
"We are just surprised…"
"Hahaha, okay, girls. I understand. My appearance is different, I know that… I'm the one who did this to myself, you know?" The lizard woman talks confidently, filled with a certain pride. "It was just a small price to pay for those girls here…" She pats her two legs. "And I kinda like it." She passes a scale hand through the fin in her head, which looks like a mohawk.
"You are rocking the look." Jessica praises. Looking attentively makes she notices that the woman is not ugly, just different.
"Thanks. Melati Kusuna, by the way, but I go with the codename of Komodo." She extends her hand to them "No need to tell me your real names."
"Spider-Woman."
"Silk."
The two shake the extended hands respectively.
"Eidolon told me about you two. He put me in charge of doing the procedures. Don't worry, I am a scientist… Didn't get my PhD, but I can do the tests. Nothing invasive, too." Komodo explains
"I thought Eidolon would be here…" Jessica comments
"He thought that it would be better if a woman took care of everything… You know, if you wanna talk about anything a little embarrassing." She gives them a look so that they can say or confess to any "particular" change.
The two say nothing, so they just enter the building to start.
"We are gonna divide the tests into three, more or less…" Komodo explains while the two look around the surprisingly spacious and high-tech floor "First, the easiest of all, it will be a complete scan. You will just stay still in Eidolon's MRI and CT machines so that we can check for any irregularities in your body. Second, it will be physical tests… We are going to test the limits of your abilities in a safe environment. Don't worry, it will be fun, you will be able to destroy a lot of things." She jokes
"Couldn't I do that alone?" Silk asks
"Well, if you have a safe place to do that, but here we have better machines for accurate measurements, and no one will see you." Komodo explains
After Silk nods, the lizard woman talks again "The last one will be a little invasive, but I will ask you to provide me with bodily fluids and other samples… Sweat, pee, blood, hair, etc. Don't worry, Eidolon instructed me to destroy any sample of your DNA afterward; we have an incinerator for that."
"Why do we need to provide all that?" Jessica asks, genuinely curious
"Well, our transformations, including mine, changed us to the DNA. We are not Meta Mutants, with extra abilities, we are Meta Mutates… Almost another species. Example: if we had children, there is a high chance they would inherit our lizard and spider physiologies. It changed all of our bodies, maybe in places we didn't see and are hard to notice… Your sweat could very well be poisonous, or radioactive."
"That is worrisome." Silk says
"Right? Let's hope not, but if it is, it will be for the better that we discovered this earlier on. Eidolon can help. He helped me."
"Is that how you met him?" Jessica probes
"Yep, I was too eager… I recovered my legs but got turned into an anthropomorphic lizard, so you can imagine that my life turned upside-down. I worked at Oscorp with Dr. Connors. I was luckier than he; I kept my mind at least."
"It must have been crazy." Jessica says
"It was a calculated risk… I knew where I was getting myself into, and I even calculated that Eidolon would help me. I was ready to leave my older life behind, trading it for being able to walk again." Komodo says with a smile "After receiving a scolding for my recklessness. Eidolon kinda hired me to look out for the people here… There are not many highly educated people in Meta Town, you know?"
"Glad it worked for you." Silk says
"Right?" Komodo does another toothy grin. She looks genuinely unbothered by her appearance, with a positive attitude. "And it's only temporary, I believe that one day I will be able to walk on the 'normal' places again without the strange looks." She makes quotation marks around the word "normal".
"Because of Eidolon?"
"Yeah, I believe the guy is gonna change the world." She keeps the toothy smile
"That is a lot of confidence in one person." Silk comments
"It's because he is taking it seriously."
At this point, they are walking into a hall when a portal appears on a wall, and Eidolon appears, dragging an unconscious white-furred monster by the head.
"Oh, girls… Came to do the tests? Don't mind me, I just wanna use the extra durable machine in the basement." He says with a calm voice
"What is that? Or who is that?" Jessica corrects herself because maybe she is being rude to someone
"Don't feel bad for calling this 'That'. It's really a monster, a curse that afflicted someone… I'm gonna try to make a cure, and I need to get some things here before transporting him to the edge of the Solar System. Good luck with the tests." Eidolon doesn't waste time with any more time talking with them and goes on his way.
"..."
"So it is normal for him to just appear, dragging Bigfoot around?" Jessica asks with some amusement
"You would be surprised… people don't know half of what he does." Komodo laughs, "Okay, girls. This way! I hope you guys don't have plans tonight. We are gonna make sure that you don't end up transformed like that Bigfoot there."
"Now I see the appeal of these tests… Imagine how much it would cost to wax all that?" Jessica jokes, making the others laugh
"That is a problem that I don't have anymore with those scales." Komodo also jokes before giving them a sly smile "But is this a change that happened with you two? What kind of spiders are you guys? The hairy type like tarantulas, or the smooth ones, like a black widow?"
"Is this pertinent to the tests?" Cindy raises an amused eyebrow
"Maybe, any change is pertinent… and sharing that can create a bond moment between girls… I apparently have all the equipment necessary to lay eggs, you know?" Komodo pats her lower belly.
"..."
"..."
"Too much?" She asks them with a wry smile
"Too much." Cindy nods
"But thanks for sharing, I guess." Jessica completes slowly
It's a weird conversation, but their lives now are weird… It's good that they can talk about weird stuff normally. Komodo shared an "embarrassing" thing about her new biology so that they don't feel embarrassed to do the same.
"If the test says that I'm gonna lay eggs… I'm going full celibate, I swear." Jessica murmurs under her breath. Now she really wants to make those tests, for her peace of mind.
....
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