5.4
"I think you should leave, Uncle Danny."
"Why?" He asked in a hushed tone. Armsmaster and Velocity were still tense, guarding the door and ready to strike if they thought I'm going to do anything.
"She probably wants to talk about something classified."
"I can sign an NDA. I'm not leaving you alone, Adam." Danny insisted, and I had to force myself to not sigh.
"Try telling him that you're not the one in danger, but him."
But he'll still be in danger if he stays in the PRT.
"Do you have the power to do something about that?"
That gave me pause. Do I?
"Adam?"
"Where's Lisa?" I asked Armsmaster.
"She's in custody and will be released soon."
"You should meet up with Lisa first, Uncle Danny." I decided, "Can you bring her back to our base? I need her to coordinate tonight's stuff."
"Oh, are you talking about…" Danny shot the heroes a glance before looking back at me, "Are you sure?"
"Yes. It's urgent, and we can't waste any more time. Please, Uncle Danny."
Danny didn't agree immediately. He seemed hesitant, but eventually, he still nodded. He crouched down and gave me a hug, but not before whispering in my ears that gave me goosebumps.
"We need to talk after this."
I didn't say a word as Velocity escorted Danny away, and Armsmaster still eyed me cautiously.
"Follow me." He recited like a machine and walked out of the interrogation room.
We didn't talk as we walked through the corridors and elevators. There was nothing for us to talk about.
"I thought you would say something to spite the man already." Ming voiced, "Don't you despise the man?"
I look down on him as a hero, I replied, but I have to admit that he's a good Tinker.
"Ah, yes. He is acknowledged as one of the world's best Tinkers, isn't he?"
Maybe not the whole world, but definitely in North America. If he and I worked together, along with Dragon, we might be able to fight an Endbringer with zero casualties.
"It is unfortunate that he refused your olive branch, then."
…Yeah. Whatever, I don't need his help. I can do it by myself.
We stopped in front of a non-descript door, where it promptly opened.
Alexandria, in her all-time iconic costume, sat inside with her hands on the table.
I took the seat right in front of her as Armsmaster closed the door, and I debated if I should speak first to take the initiative.
"Don't." Ming chastised, "She's the one that wants to speak to you, not the opposite. Let her say what she wants, you're the one to decide if you're going to humor her."
So I stayed silent. I stared into her matte black mask that hid her eyes perfectly. Was this a body double speaking as a puppet? Or the real deal?
My glasses took a quick scan. This was the first time I've come face to face with someone that has stasis powers, maybe I can get something useful from this.
"Good evening, Adam Danvers." She spoke first, though I focused more on the scan than her words. I wasn't worried about being read, since I reactivated my surface cloaking system the moment Armsmaster turned his back to me. If it can scramble Lisa's read on me, it will definitely work against Alexandria.
I remained silent, leaning back in the chair and crossed my arms. I know Alexandria's power is some form of stasis over her body, but the theory behind it eludes me. How is it a stasis when Alexandria's body is clearly in motion? She's breathing, digesting, metabolizing, that's not 'stasis'. Is Alexandria's power actual stasis? Or is it a myriad of effects on top of each other to achieve the illusion of stasis?
"I believe it to be the latter." Ming added his two cents into the discussion, "Her power must be a combination of several powers together. Stasis doesn't give you flight. Motion is the antithesis of stasis, in fact."
I know people with personal force fields that grant them flight. So Alexandria has a force field?
"The force field is what grants her super strength and flight, I believe. Underneath the force field is another ability, one that rewinds her body in what it recorded as her prime condition. A form of biological stasis where the ability to regenerate and replenish cells were thrown away in exchange for the permanence of remaining cells…interesting."
I don't think she can heal from wounds, if she had any. She lost an eye years ago and it never healed.
"So I was right. While it looked sound to exchange the ability to heal for invincibility, it clearly wasn't worth it. A coward's power, like a turtle shell."
A turtle shell at Mach 6 can still kill people.
"True, true."
"I'm here because we would like to employ you as a contractor, to supply the PRT with your drones."
"No." I gave a curt refusal. "I'm not going to sell my drones."
Alexandria did not seem dissuaded with my blatant refusal. Instead, she continued. "The PRT has seen the effectiveness and efficiency of your drone designs in law enforcement, but we understand if you feel hesitant to sell them. Instead, we would like you to mass produce drones for search and rescue, for Endbringer battles."
"Then there's no need for you to buy them." I cracked my neck."I will attend future Endbringer battles, and I already plan to have my drones to do search and rescue. Unless the PRT plans to obstruct my efforts, there's no need for you to buy my drones."
"What about during other S-Class disasters?" refuted Alexandria, "Every second matters for search and rescue, and we can't wait for you to bring your drones when disaster strikes. The faster we can deploy your drones, the more lives we can save."
"That's true." Ming agreed, "But the drones aren't what she really wants. It's up to you to accept or refuse this deal."
"What are you offering in exchange?" I asked.
Alexandria handed me a file. I took a glance, and it was a list of essential requirements that they would like to see in my drones. Control algorithms, coordination per unit, effective area of operations, list of sensors, user friendly interface. I already have these in my drones. In fact, I can do them better and include stuff they never thought possible.
"We would only purchase your drones if they can meet these requirements." Alexandria explained, "In exchange, we will pay you higher than market price for these drones, provide contacts and connections to bleeding edge research and industrial facilities for materials at a friendlier price."
Now I began to read the contract in detail. I need better materials for my drones, after all. My money isn't endless, even with Lisa and Dinah gaming the stock market, and I can't keep recycling scrap metal if I want to make better suits.
I noted the main points of the deal, before saying, "The drones won't be armed," I paused a little to debate further, before continuing, "and I'll allow your Tinkers to study my drones."
As advanced as they are, Tony's drones are just that. Drones. Outside of B.A.R.F, Earth Bet might be able to naturally develop the technology needed for these drones in about…a decade or two. The algorithms, electronics and batteries were all cumulative efforts from scientists and engineers in the MCU. The drones weren't designed from scratch by Tony, evident with how Beck and his misfits produced them on their own.
Letting this tech be distributed might benefit Earth Bet's society more in the long run. I can let that happen.
"How long do you need to design and produce the drones to match our requirements?"
"A week," it will actually take me an hour at most, but I want Lisa and Danny to look over the contract in detail. "Depending on the contacts you give me, I can produce the first batch by next week to meet your orders."
"Very well, our lawyers will discuss the details of the contract tomorrow." Alexandria nodded, "Next, we would like to purchase your anti-Thinker defense system."
"Aah, so this is what she actually wants." Ming's words gave me some clarity, "The drones are just the icing on the cake. This is the cake itself."
"I don't have that." I met her next request with curt denial. Sneak & Shoot is one of my trump cards. There's no way I'm giving it to Cauldron, no matter how much they offer me.
"We know you have a tinkertech capable of obstructing Thinker powers, and with a wide area of effect."
"You can't prove that." I denied again.
Alexandria remained as still as a statue since this conversation began, with her mouth being the only thing moving. "Think Tank and Watchdog have been facing troubles trying to read Brockton Bay. Precognition and postcognition powers stopped being able to perceive Brockton Bay around the time you fought Lung, and this same effect was also detected when you visited Boston, the same day Accord was killed."
I shrugged. "So? What are you talking about?"
"We know you have it." Alexandria remained steadfast. "In addition to money, what we offered earlier, the PRT has agreed to grant you higher leeway in Brockton Bay in exchange for this tinkertech."
"Assuming I even have such a device, what are you going to use it for?" I probed, "The Protectorate and the PRT are supposed to be a government organization. That means transparency, which is already low on supply. What are you trying to hide?"
Alexandria stayed silent for a few seconds. To me, this looked like she was trying to build up suspense instead of actually being hesitant. I know how she thinks, and it won't work on me.
"Do you know what happens every time someone is about to bring an advancement that will make the world a better place?" She asked.
"The Simurgh attacks and turns them against the world." I answered.
Hmm, yeah. This is actually a plausible excuse.
"In some ways, the Simurgh is the most dangerous and powerful of the Endbringers." Alexandria continued. "It does not attack with any force of nature, but humanity itself. We never know what the Simurgh has buried in our future after every attack. Its plan could be months, years, or even decades in motion. It hangs over humanity like a cloud. We were not allowed to think higher in fear of catching the Simurgh's attention."
"Like a blade of Damocles." Ming mused, "If it attacks you, that means what you're doing is worthy, and your reward is insanity. If it doesn't, that means you're unworthy. A passive, yet active force against positive change. Dissuades anyone who tries and punishes anyone who succeeds."
While that was true, Alexandria's speech didn't move me. I knew about that already, more than she did. The technology level on Earth Bet is all over the place. So many technologies that I was familiar with weren't developed by real scientists and inventors, but 'derived from Tinkertech'. Tinkers, along with worse academic and economic conditions in general, have changed society from investing in science to investing in Tinkers. For a civilization, this essentially meant we gave up fixing our broken leg and replaced it with a borrowed crutch.
And Cauldron probably pushed for all of this.
And now they are here, asking something from me.
I smirked in irony, though she wouldn't be able to see it.
"Your tinkertech can create an opening for us to focus our efforts and develop Endbringer countermeasures in earnest. This might be the key to saving the world." She stood up from her chair and loomed over me while emphasizing the last sentence. "I'm asking you on behalf of the Triumvirate, please. The world needs your tinkertech."
Consciously, I commanded my illusion to produce signs of nervousness. Dilated pupils, light sweating, slightly quicker breaths, a single gulp. "If this tinkertech is so important, what makes you think the Simurgh isn't coming for me already?"
Alexandria sat back down on her chair and resumed putting her hands together on the table like before. "All PRT Thinkers and analysts believe that just like other precog Thinkers, the Simurgh cannot predict or anticipate trigger events. It may be able to stimulate the conditions for it, but it can't intentionally design or cause one. We checked your history, and believe that you triggered after the last Simurgh attack. There's at least half a year before it attacks and sets plans in motion again, and this is your window of opportunity to blind the Simurgh as much as possible."
"Is that true?" Ming asked, "That the Simurgh cannot see trigger events?"
I don't know. I don't remember that being clarified anywhere. I confessed. Truth be told, I've been operating under the same assumptions as well, that my window of safety is until the next Simurgh attack. That's why I'm rushing stuff. If it was wrong, I would either die on the first day I came to Brockton Bay, or I will turn villain in the future.
"Hmm, I suppose it doesn't matter. You're still alive, so you need to act no matter if the Simurgh is looking at you or not. Living under paranoia will just cause stress that diminishes your performance anyway."
What should I do? Should I accept it and share the technology with her? Do I even have the choice to refuse her?
"What is your end goal? What are the lines you wouldn't cross to achieve that goal?" Ming asked, "As long as you can answer that, you will have no problem making decisions."
…Thanks.
"I agree to sharing that tinkertech." I said, "But in exchange, I want the PRT and the Protectorate to do better. Actually improving society, not trying to build an army of useless parahumans with your social experiments. You can stop your vial production, too."
I do not have the soft power to improve Earth Bet at a global scale, at least not yet. But Cauldron does. I don't need them to start uplifting society or solve global hunger, just stop making things worse. That will make my goal much easier.
"Vial?"
Hacked off pieces of the invading alien, it can either give you a power or turn you into a disfigured monster.
"Alien…flesh?" Ming repeated, "Interesting. Where can we find this?"
It's at their home base, on an alternate Earth. I paused. Of course Ming would be interested in Entity samples. He has already worked with supernatural creatures and even an alien species in his original world before coming here. He even made an alien clone for Hitler's resurrection. If there's anything I could dangle in front of Ming, it would be a power vial.
There was no visible reaction from her, not even a twitch. Alexandria remained as stiff as when the meeting began. "What do you know about us?" She asked.
"All of you have been doing things wrong." I stood up from my chair and left the table. "You can turn every human across every Earth into parahumans and you still wouldn't stand a chance. There's no silver bullet, and there never will be. You think you're making the hardest decisions, but you're actually just taking the easy way out."
"You talk like there's alternative solutions." She shot her argument behind me.
"Have you even explored alternative solutions?" I retorted as the door opened, "Do you think you really have no choice?"
I left the room without looking back, and fortunately Alexandria didn't follow. Maybe this was just a body double after all. Maybe Doctor Mother told her to stay back. Maybe chasing me wasn't worth it.
It doesn't matter. I have Nazis to hunt tonight.
"Why?" He asked in a hushed tone. Armsmaster and Velocity were still tense, guarding the door and ready to strike if they thought I'm going to do anything.
"She probably wants to talk about something classified."
"I can sign an NDA. I'm not leaving you alone, Adam." Danny insisted, and I had to force myself to not sigh.
"Try telling him that you're not the one in danger, but him."
But he'll still be in danger if he stays in the PRT.
"Do you have the power to do something about that?"
That gave me pause. Do I?
"Adam?"
"Where's Lisa?" I asked Armsmaster.
"She's in custody and will be released soon."
"You should meet up with Lisa first, Uncle Danny." I decided, "Can you bring her back to our base? I need her to coordinate tonight's stuff."
"Oh, are you talking about…" Danny shot the heroes a glance before looking back at me, "Are you sure?"
"Yes. It's urgent, and we can't waste any more time. Please, Uncle Danny."
Danny didn't agree immediately. He seemed hesitant, but eventually, he still nodded. He crouched down and gave me a hug, but not before whispering in my ears that gave me goosebumps.
"We need to talk after this."
I didn't say a word as Velocity escorted Danny away, and Armsmaster still eyed me cautiously.
"Follow me." He recited like a machine and walked out of the interrogation room.
We didn't talk as we walked through the corridors and elevators. There was nothing for us to talk about.
"I thought you would say something to spite the man already." Ming voiced, "Don't you despise the man?"
I look down on him as a hero, I replied, but I have to admit that he's a good Tinker.
"Ah, yes. He is acknowledged as one of the world's best Tinkers, isn't he?"
Maybe not the whole world, but definitely in North America. If he and I worked together, along with Dragon, we might be able to fight an Endbringer with zero casualties.
"It is unfortunate that he refused your olive branch, then."
…Yeah. Whatever, I don't need his help. I can do it by myself.
We stopped in front of a non-descript door, where it promptly opened.
Alexandria, in her all-time iconic costume, sat inside with her hands on the table.
I took the seat right in front of her as Armsmaster closed the door, and I debated if I should speak first to take the initiative.
"Don't." Ming chastised, "She's the one that wants to speak to you, not the opposite. Let her say what she wants, you're the one to decide if you're going to humor her."
So I stayed silent. I stared into her matte black mask that hid her eyes perfectly. Was this a body double speaking as a puppet? Or the real deal?
My glasses took a quick scan. This was the first time I've come face to face with someone that has stasis powers, maybe I can get something useful from this.
"Good evening, Adam Danvers." She spoke first, though I focused more on the scan than her words. I wasn't worried about being read, since I reactivated my surface cloaking system the moment Armsmaster turned his back to me. If it can scramble Lisa's read on me, it will definitely work against Alexandria.
I remained silent, leaning back in the chair and crossed my arms. I know Alexandria's power is some form of stasis over her body, but the theory behind it eludes me. How is it a stasis when Alexandria's body is clearly in motion? She's breathing, digesting, metabolizing, that's not 'stasis'. Is Alexandria's power actual stasis? Or is it a myriad of effects on top of each other to achieve the illusion of stasis?
"I believe it to be the latter." Ming added his two cents into the discussion, "Her power must be a combination of several powers together. Stasis doesn't give you flight. Motion is the antithesis of stasis, in fact."
I know people with personal force fields that grant them flight. So Alexandria has a force field?
"The force field is what grants her super strength and flight, I believe. Underneath the force field is another ability, one that rewinds her body in what it recorded as her prime condition. A form of biological stasis where the ability to regenerate and replenish cells were thrown away in exchange for the permanence of remaining cells…interesting."
I don't think she can heal from wounds, if she had any. She lost an eye years ago and it never healed.
"So I was right. While it looked sound to exchange the ability to heal for invincibility, it clearly wasn't worth it. A coward's power, like a turtle shell."
A turtle shell at Mach 6 can still kill people.
"True, true."
"I'm here because we would like to employ you as a contractor, to supply the PRT with your drones."
"No." I gave a curt refusal. "I'm not going to sell my drones."
Alexandria did not seem dissuaded with my blatant refusal. Instead, she continued. "The PRT has seen the effectiveness and efficiency of your drone designs in law enforcement, but we understand if you feel hesitant to sell them. Instead, we would like you to mass produce drones for search and rescue, for Endbringer battles."
"Then there's no need for you to buy them." I cracked my neck."I will attend future Endbringer battles, and I already plan to have my drones to do search and rescue. Unless the PRT plans to obstruct my efforts, there's no need for you to buy my drones."
"What about during other S-Class disasters?" refuted Alexandria, "Every second matters for search and rescue, and we can't wait for you to bring your drones when disaster strikes. The faster we can deploy your drones, the more lives we can save."
"That's true." Ming agreed, "But the drones aren't what she really wants. It's up to you to accept or refuse this deal."
"What are you offering in exchange?" I asked.
Alexandria handed me a file. I took a glance, and it was a list of essential requirements that they would like to see in my drones. Control algorithms, coordination per unit, effective area of operations, list of sensors, user friendly interface. I already have these in my drones. In fact, I can do them better and include stuff they never thought possible.
"We would only purchase your drones if they can meet these requirements." Alexandria explained, "In exchange, we will pay you higher than market price for these drones, provide contacts and connections to bleeding edge research and industrial facilities for materials at a friendlier price."
Now I began to read the contract in detail. I need better materials for my drones, after all. My money isn't endless, even with Lisa and Dinah gaming the stock market, and I can't keep recycling scrap metal if I want to make better suits.
I noted the main points of the deal, before saying, "The drones won't be armed," I paused a little to debate further, before continuing, "and I'll allow your Tinkers to study my drones."
As advanced as they are, Tony's drones are just that. Drones. Outside of B.A.R.F, Earth Bet might be able to naturally develop the technology needed for these drones in about…a decade or two. The algorithms, electronics and batteries were all cumulative efforts from scientists and engineers in the MCU. The drones weren't designed from scratch by Tony, evident with how Beck and his misfits produced them on their own.
Letting this tech be distributed might benefit Earth Bet's society more in the long run. I can let that happen.
"How long do you need to design and produce the drones to match our requirements?"
"A week," it will actually take me an hour at most, but I want Lisa and Danny to look over the contract in detail. "Depending on the contacts you give me, I can produce the first batch by next week to meet your orders."
"Very well, our lawyers will discuss the details of the contract tomorrow." Alexandria nodded, "Next, we would like to purchase your anti-Thinker defense system."
"Aah, so this is what she actually wants." Ming's words gave me some clarity, "The drones are just the icing on the cake. This is the cake itself."
"I don't have that." I met her next request with curt denial. Sneak & Shoot is one of my trump cards. There's no way I'm giving it to Cauldron, no matter how much they offer me.
"We know you have a tinkertech capable of obstructing Thinker powers, and with a wide area of effect."
"You can't prove that." I denied again.
Alexandria remained as still as a statue since this conversation began, with her mouth being the only thing moving. "Think Tank and Watchdog have been facing troubles trying to read Brockton Bay. Precognition and postcognition powers stopped being able to perceive Brockton Bay around the time you fought Lung, and this same effect was also detected when you visited Boston, the same day Accord was killed."
I shrugged. "So? What are you talking about?"
"We know you have it." Alexandria remained steadfast. "In addition to money, what we offered earlier, the PRT has agreed to grant you higher leeway in Brockton Bay in exchange for this tinkertech."
"Assuming I even have such a device, what are you going to use it for?" I probed, "The Protectorate and the PRT are supposed to be a government organization. That means transparency, which is already low on supply. What are you trying to hide?"
Alexandria stayed silent for a few seconds. To me, this looked like she was trying to build up suspense instead of actually being hesitant. I know how she thinks, and it won't work on me.
"Do you know what happens every time someone is about to bring an advancement that will make the world a better place?" She asked.
"The Simurgh attacks and turns them against the world." I answered.
Hmm, yeah. This is actually a plausible excuse.
"In some ways, the Simurgh is the most dangerous and powerful of the Endbringers." Alexandria continued. "It does not attack with any force of nature, but humanity itself. We never know what the Simurgh has buried in our future after every attack. Its plan could be months, years, or even decades in motion. It hangs over humanity like a cloud. We were not allowed to think higher in fear of catching the Simurgh's attention."
"Like a blade of Damocles." Ming mused, "If it attacks you, that means what you're doing is worthy, and your reward is insanity. If it doesn't, that means you're unworthy. A passive, yet active force against positive change. Dissuades anyone who tries and punishes anyone who succeeds."
While that was true, Alexandria's speech didn't move me. I knew about that already, more than she did. The technology level on Earth Bet is all over the place. So many technologies that I was familiar with weren't developed by real scientists and inventors, but 'derived from Tinkertech'. Tinkers, along with worse academic and economic conditions in general, have changed society from investing in science to investing in Tinkers. For a civilization, this essentially meant we gave up fixing our broken leg and replaced it with a borrowed crutch.
And Cauldron probably pushed for all of this.
And now they are here, asking something from me.
I smirked in irony, though she wouldn't be able to see it.
"Your tinkertech can create an opening for us to focus our efforts and develop Endbringer countermeasures in earnest. This might be the key to saving the world." She stood up from her chair and loomed over me while emphasizing the last sentence. "I'm asking you on behalf of the Triumvirate, please. The world needs your tinkertech."
Consciously, I commanded my illusion to produce signs of nervousness. Dilated pupils, light sweating, slightly quicker breaths, a single gulp. "If this tinkertech is so important, what makes you think the Simurgh isn't coming for me already?"
Alexandria sat back down on her chair and resumed putting her hands together on the table like before. "All PRT Thinkers and analysts believe that just like other precog Thinkers, the Simurgh cannot predict or anticipate trigger events. It may be able to stimulate the conditions for it, but it can't intentionally design or cause one. We checked your history, and believe that you triggered after the last Simurgh attack. There's at least half a year before it attacks and sets plans in motion again, and this is your window of opportunity to blind the Simurgh as much as possible."
"Is that true?" Ming asked, "That the Simurgh cannot see trigger events?"
I don't know. I don't remember that being clarified anywhere. I confessed. Truth be told, I've been operating under the same assumptions as well, that my window of safety is until the next Simurgh attack. That's why I'm rushing stuff. If it was wrong, I would either die on the first day I came to Brockton Bay, or I will turn villain in the future.
"Hmm, I suppose it doesn't matter. You're still alive, so you need to act no matter if the Simurgh is looking at you or not. Living under paranoia will just cause stress that diminishes your performance anyway."
What should I do? Should I accept it and share the technology with her? Do I even have the choice to refuse her?
"What is your end goal? What are the lines you wouldn't cross to achieve that goal?" Ming asked, "As long as you can answer that, you will have no problem making decisions."
…Thanks.
"I agree to sharing that tinkertech." I said, "But in exchange, I want the PRT and the Protectorate to do better. Actually improving society, not trying to build an army of useless parahumans with your social experiments. You can stop your vial production, too."
I do not have the soft power to improve Earth Bet at a global scale, at least not yet. But Cauldron does. I don't need them to start uplifting society or solve global hunger, just stop making things worse. That will make my goal much easier.
"Vial?"
Hacked off pieces of the invading alien, it can either give you a power or turn you into a disfigured monster.
"Alien…flesh?" Ming repeated, "Interesting. Where can we find this?"
It's at their home base, on an alternate Earth. I paused. Of course Ming would be interested in Entity samples. He has already worked with supernatural creatures and even an alien species in his original world before coming here. He even made an alien clone for Hitler's resurrection. If there's anything I could dangle in front of Ming, it would be a power vial.
There was no visible reaction from her, not even a twitch. Alexandria remained as stiff as when the meeting began. "What do you know about us?" She asked.
"All of you have been doing things wrong." I stood up from my chair and left the table. "You can turn every human across every Earth into parahumans and you still wouldn't stand a chance. There's no silver bullet, and there never will be. You think you're making the hardest decisions, but you're actually just taking the easy way out."
"You talk like there's alternative solutions." She shot her argument behind me.
"Have you even explored alternative solutions?" I retorted as the door opened, "Do you think you really have no choice?"
I left the room without looking back, and fortunately Alexandria didn't follow. Maybe this was just a body double after all. Maybe Doctor Mother told her to stay back. Maybe chasing me wasn't worth it.
It doesn't matter. I have Nazis to hunt tonight.
