Superhero-but-Not Quest

[1gnit3]

[X] After Stark's visit. The sun was setting.

Azmuth decided to put off Ben's situation until after Stark's visit. After all, dealing with Tony Stark was said to be a taxing endeavor. He would need beauty sleep.

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The next day...

Taxing was certainly one way to describe Tony Stark. He was flippant and carefree, cracking jokes as often as giving insightful technological principles. Still, Azmuth bore with him, and they soon got to the meat of the meeting.

"Okay," Stark said. "Just to be clear, what you want is permission to rebuild the races of the Galvan system on Earth?"

"On Earth? No," Azmuth replied. "This planet is already crowded enough. What I want is permission to terraform several of the other celestial bodies in your system, so I may rebuild my and Malware's people there."

"Well," Stark sighed explosively. "That certainly makes things easier; after all, no one's laid claim to Mars yet. Although the way this world is going crazy, it's only a matter of time."

Azmuth's eyes narrowed. "So you can do it?"

"Of course I can do it, who do you take me for, Justin Hammer? Especially with Rhodey's help. The thing is, the governments of the world are going to want something in return, probably in the form of some advanced technology."

Azmuth shook his head. "If they want weapons, they can forget it. I don't make weapons anymore."

Stark sighed. "I was afraid of that. I feel you. In that case-"

"You didn't let me finish," Azmuth scoffed. "I will not make weapons, but I would be willing to share technology meant for the civilian sector."

Stark paused. "Actually, they'd probably be okay with that. Some generals there sometimes forget that military isn't everything, but I'm sure Rhodey and I can make sure that cooler heads prevail."

90% chance that all of the world leaders accept this deal!

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Azmuth and Stark exchanged their experiences in advanced technology. Stark seemed particularly excited at Azmuth's designs for nanotechnology. Azmuth, for his part, found Stark's particle weapons, such as the repulsors, mildly interesting, but what really seized his attention was the ARC Reactor. That it was a self-sustaining energy source was already a topic of note, but it could sustain itself for extremely long periods of time; years, for the bigger ones. Tony Stark was truly exceptional. Still, Azmuth knew better than to simply tell him.

Stark left after a long discussion about the applications of the Mechamorph nanotechnology. It was then that Azmuth sought out Reed about Ben's problem.

When Azmuth brought it up, Reed looked distinctly ashamed. "The cosmic rays changed us all, but only Ben received a downside. I still haven't found a way to get him his own body back."

Bring up your genetic expertise? You will have to reveal the Omnitrix.

[ ] Yes. Reed has shown that he is trustworthy.

[ ] No. Humans aren't ready for the Omnitrix.

 

[1gnit3]

[X] Yes. Reed has shown that he is trustworthy.

Azmuth sighed, but his choice was made. The Fantastic Four were good people, scientists and explorers. If any human could be trusted with the Secret of the Omnitrix, it was Reed Richards.

"Reed, I feel that now is the time to trust you with one of my secrets. My greatest invention." Reed's eyes narrowed. "Follow me to the Vault."

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Azmuth stopped by the sphere that Reed had asked about before. He wordlessly pressed a button on the orb, and it opened. The Omnitrix floated in the center, revealed in all its glory.

"What is it?" Reed asked.

Azmuth lifted the Omnitrix in his tiny hands. "It is the only hope for my species. And any other sentient race that is ever wiped out. This is the Omnitrix, a portable genetic library containing the complete genome of every possible sentient species in the known universe. Its primary function; I think you would refer to it as Noah's Ark. But it also has a secondary function. This device can allow its bearer to walk a mile in the shoes of another life-form."

Reed's gaze sharpened. "It can be used to cure Ben?"

Azmuth shook his head. "Cure? No. Because Ben's genome is merely altered, not damaged. But it is not outside the realm of possibility to create a similar device, which could allow Ben to deactivate and reactivate his mutation at will. However, one piece of the puzzle is missing. That is where you come in."

Reed, who had been listening avidly, snapped out of it and said, "How can I help? Anything to get my friend his humanity back."

Azmuth smiled. "What I need is a complete strand of Ben Grimm's DNA untouched by the cosmic rays. Physical or digital form will do. But I absolutely need that if this is to work."

Reed began pacing. "That won't be easy. It's been over a year since the incident which gave us our powers. The chance of finding a strand of his unaltered DNA isn't very high. We could try to take a piece of his DNA now, but to reconstruct it would take..."

The two scientists shared a smirk, then said in unison; "A true genius."

Reed Richards regards you as a valued colleague and partner in this endeavor.

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The next day...

Roll for the government's responses to Azmuth's proposal... 70+25(Rhodes)=95! Artificial critical hit! The government regard this as a great arrangement for all parties concerned. They are willing to lease everything beyond the Moon to the Galvan races. That is, Mars and everything further from the Sun.

Stark visited the Baxter Building the next day, Bruce with him. They brought wonderful news. The governments of Earth were willing to lease Mars and beyond for the purpose of rebuilding the Galvan races in exchange for Azmuth's civilian technology and insight to Earth's civilian sector.

Azmuth's eyes, despite his self control, grew slightly misty. "Thank you. I can't begin to say how much this means to me."

The space required to rebuild the Galvan races has been leased to you!

AN: Quite the roll, eh? No choices this time, guys. Just relax and bask in your victory.

 

[1gnit3]

Azmuth stood on the nightstand of Malware's bed as the newly complete Galvanic Mechamorph stirred, waiting patiently for Malware to wake.

"Azmuth?"

The alien scientist focused on Malware even further. "Yes, Malware. I'm here."

Malware held a hand to his head. "Like fog lifting. I am whole now?"

Azmuth nodded. "Yes."

If Malware was capable, Azmuth was certain that he would be crying tears of joy. "Thank you, Azmuth."

Azmuth coached Malware on all of his new abilities. He would need them on this dangerous planet. Malware practiced his new abilities on the medical machines in the sickbay. Eventually, Azmuth deemed Malware sufficiently recovered enough to leave the sickbay.

"But take it easy," Azmuth emphasized. "I don't want you ending up back on that hospital bed." Malware silently nodded, wanting to introduce himself to the Fantastic Four.

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It turned out the Fantastic Four were in trouble. They had stranded themselves in the Negative Zone, an alternate dimension that Azmuth's people had also discovered and named the Null Void. Only, the Galvans had thought the Null Void empty. According to Reed's distress signal, the Negative Zone had a ruler calling himself Annihilus, who constantly pushed to break free of the Null Void and conquer other dimensions. They needed help. Unfortunately, there was no time to build a Null Void Projector to simply pull the Four out of the Negative Zone. Malware wanted to go in after them.

What do you do?

[ ] Wear the Mechamorph Armor and join Malware to save the Fantastic Four.

[ ] Take the Omnitrix into battle; against an inter-dimensional warlord, the Mechamorph Armor won't cut it.

 

[1gnit3]

[X] Wear the Mechamorph Armor with Malware by your side, but take the Omnitrix as insurance in case something goes wrong.

Azmuth fastened the Omnitrix around his waist. He might need it against Annihilus. He then activated the Mechamorph Armor, which enveloped his body.

"All right, Malware," said Azmuth. "Time to go save the humans."

Azmuth and Malware leaped through the portal.

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The Galvan pair trekked across the Null Void in search of the Fantastic Four. It didn't take long. Unfortunately, they were trapped in energy cages. Annihilus above them was gigantic, easily big enough to hold Ben in one hand. He was... talking at the Fantastic Four?

No, no, this is what Johnny spoke of the other day. The Supervillain Monologue, Azmuth thought.

Regardless, the Fantastic Four needed to be freed. Azmuth turned to Malware, pointing at the source of the energy cages; four technological spheres, one for each hero.

"Malware, I'll distract Annihilus; you free the Fantastic Four." Malware nodded and began stealthily making his way the the energy cages.

Azmuth focused his armor's energy beam, aiming for Annihilus' head.

(Roll: Element of Surprise... 97. Wow. You guys are so lucky. Be glad you got such a good roll, though. Annihilus is a big deal.)

By sheer, one-in-a-million chance, the armor's weaponry tagged Annihilus in his left eye. He howled in pain, falling to one knee. In the same moment, Malware deactivated the energy cages imprisoning the Fantastic Four. Malware led them to where Azmuth was, and the six of them bolted through the portal. Annihilus was too injured to follow.

It seems you much help Reed refine his Null Void Projector technology.

How do you spend the rest of the day?

[ ] Untangling Ben Grimm's mutated genome with Reed.

[ ] Repairing your ship with Malware.

[ ] Helping Johnny learn the limits of his power.

AN: I hate you all. You know, I had planned this massive Kaiju battle with Humungousaur and maybe even Way Big. But no, you had to get a near-perfect roll that immediately won you the fight befor it even began. I don't actually hate you all, by the way. I just face-palmed at your roll.

 

[1gnit3]

[X] Untangling Ben Grimm's mutated genome with Reed. (Roll... 88. You make quite a bit of progress. You're not done, far from it, but it no longer seems to be an impossible task.)

Reed wiped the sweat from his brow. If Azmuth's biology perspired, he would do the same. Even for such geniuses as First Thinker Azmuth and Reed Richards, Ben Grimm's genome was nearly indecipherable. The key word in that sentence is nearly. That being said, it was mentally exhausting and time-consuming.

Reed let out a breath. "It's extraordinary, what we've been doing today. Even ignoring the issue with Annihilus, we can cure Ben!"

"We're far from finished," Azmuth chided. "This will take several more days of work, a week at most. And to ensure that we make no mistakes, we need sleep."

"Wait... what time is it?" Reed asked tremulously.

Azmuth gave him a flat look. "It's tomorrow."

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The next day....

It was a quiet and uneventful day, and Azmuth could help Reed with Ben's DNA with time to spare. (Roll... 99. You and Reed make even more progress. At this rate, Ben will be cured within the week.)

But how do you spend the rest of your time?

[ ] Working with Johnny on his thermal abilities.

[ ] Helping Susan synthesize a form of Adamantium, apparently the hardest metal known to humanity, with absolute tensile strength(as far as they can tell).

AN: I'm really sorry for my prolonged absence, everyone. I had a lot going on, and with school starting up again, in a manner of speaking, the spark abandoned me for a while. But I'm back now. By the way, in order to cure Ben, your total points rolled must equal or exceed 250. As for the choices, I can't spoil anything, but I really think Johnny could use some insight on his powers and their limits.

 

[1gnit3]

[X] Working with Johnny on his thermal abilities.

The day began with Azmuth and Reed spending some time untangling Ben's DNA. (Roll... 63. Today was more challenging, but not without progress.99+88+63=250! They've cracked the code!)

With a cry of joy, Reed leaped from his seat.

Azmuth looked at him quickly. "What is it?"

Reed's grin stretched from ear to ear. "I've got it! The way cosmic rays mutated Ben in comparison to the rest of us! Look here!" He pointed at a section of Ben's DNA, highlighted by the computer they were working from.

Azmuth peered at it, and then his eyes widened. "There is the living rock component! I recognize it from Petropia!"

"Petropia? Is that a planet?" Reed asked.

Azmuth nodded. "Home of the Petrosapiens and Crystalsapiens. They are much more crystalline than Ben appears, but the DNA is similar here."
He pointed to the place Reed had indicated.

They both were silent for a moment, basking in their achievement. Then Azmuth snapped Reed back to business.

"Well, what are we just standing around for? I need some technology from my ship to begin constructing the device for Ben! Let's finish this task!"
Azmuth and Reed spent the morning putting together an Omnitrix analogue with Ben's original DNA as the setting. By noon, it was ready."

=

Reed called a meeting in the planning room. With everyone gathered, Ben included, Reed burst out:

"Ben, I got it!"

Reed immediately had Ben's full and undivided attention. "Stretch, when you say IT, do you mean…"

"Yes," Reed answered joyfully. "Azmuth has encountered aliens quite similar to your current form, and the new perspective allowed us to create this. I call the Bitrix"

It was a watch-like device, large enough to fit around Ben's massive wrist. It was blue at its base, with black and white accents.

Ben stared at the device, hope and disbelief warring in his eyes. "What does it do, Reed? How does it work?

"In principle, it's simple enough," Reed began. "It allows you to deactivate and reactivate your powers at will with the touch of a button. In practice, it's quite a bit more complicated, but Azmuth and I took care of the genetic part of the problem. That being said, there is a limitation." Reed gestured to the device. "You'll need to wear that on your wrist at all times. No matter what. It's pretty sturdy, but be careful of it in a fight."

Ben took in a deep breath, then let it out. "First, let's see if this works." He lifted the Bitrix in his right hand, then fastened it to his left wrist. "Okay, what button should I push?"

"Press the blue button on the side," Azmuth said. Ben did so, and the dial sprang up with a beep. "Now press that down."

Holding his breath, Ben pushed the dial back down. Blue light flashed from the Bitrix.

The change felt gradual to Ben, but it lasted only a fraction of a second, in truth. Once the light faded, The Thing was gone. In his place was a tall, broad, unmistakably human man. He had brown hair, and his blue eyes matched The Thing's.

Ben Grimm looked down on his true form for the first time in years. Tears began streaming down his cheeks. He tackled Reed in a hug, making all of his gratefulness known. Susan joined in, and so did an uncharacteristically silent Johnny, making it a group hug.

Johnny reached out to Azmuth and Malware, saying: "C'mon, guys. You get in here, too."

Azmuth sighed, but he and Malware complied.

AN: No voting here. I wasn't expecting you guys to get Ben cured quite so fast, I guess I underestimated the early dice rolls. Anyway, you have the eternal goodwill of the Fantastic Four. Congratulations! Azmuth will help Johnny research his powers next update, given how important this one is. I didn't want to distract from this event.

 

[1gnit3]

[X] Working with Johnny on his thermal abilities.

After the group hug ended, the Fantastic Four took the entire day off to celebrate Ben receiving a cure. Reed, Susan, and Johnny were all delighted for him, but no one was happier than Ben himself. He kept reading books and arm-wrestling with Johnny, just because he could. Ben's celebratory cheer would last for weeks to come.

=

The next day, Azmuth and Malware struck up a conversation with Johnny. It turned out, Johnny had never actually shown them his powers.

The trio relocated to the Fantastic Four's testing room. Johnny was more than happy to have Azmuth study his powers.

"Reed always said," Johnny shared, "that I need to be really careful with my powers. If I really cut loose, after all, I might accidentally set the atmosphere on fire!"

Azmuth narrowed his eyes. "I encountered a species quite similar to your powers."

Johnny looked mildly interested. "What were they like?"

"They were called Pyronites, and they uniquely evolved upon a star rather than a planet. Picture a being of molten rock and ignited plasma," Azmuth explained. "Most notably, they could project heat and fly, much as you can."

Johnny smirked. "The more, the merrier. Flame on!" He ignited and shot into the air.

Then he hit his head on the ceiling and fell back down to the floor. Thankfully, Malware caught him.

Malware shifted. "Jonathan Storm, perhaps your flight skills could use some practice?"

Johnny leaped out of Malware's grip and said, "I know! This flying thing is a lot harder than it looks."

Azmuth made a pensive expression. Perhaps... No. That was best tried outdoors.

Instead, he indicated a block of wood that Malware had brought with them. "We can work on that later. For now, set that on fire."

Johnny smiled. "Easy as pie." He pointed his hand and ignited the wood.

Azmuth nodded. "Wonderful. Now take it back."

Johnny's smile disappeared. "What?"

Azmuth pointed to the small blaze. "Many Pyronites have displayed the ability to siphon fire and heat into themselves to bolster their own power. Try it. Look at the flame. That is yours. Feel the heat. Yours also. All you need to do is bring it home."

Johnny's eyes were wide. "I never thought of it that way." His expression turned thoughtful. Then he lifted a hand to the blaze.

As Johnny's face screwed up in concentration, the fire seemed to bend toward him. With more effort, the fire crossed from the wood to Johnny's hand, where it was absorbed.

Even further, once Johnny was done, the charred wood had a light coating of frost.

Johnny spotted the frost on the wood. "Cool! I can hardly imagine how much this'll come in handy!"

What to do now?

[] Begin repairing your ship. With Malware's help, that is no longer impossible.
[] Study the planets that Earth has leased to you. Find out who should live where.

 

[1gnit3]

[X] Study the planets Earth has leased to you. Find out who would live where.

Azmuth and Malware spent the day studying the planets of the Sol System. Mars seemed.most fitting for terra-forming. However, it lacked enough liquid water for a stable Galvanized population. It would fit the Mechamorphs better, though a denser atmosphere would mitigate the problem.

Susan entered the room to check up on the two aliens, asking, "What are you two doing today?"

Malware answered her. "We are searching for suitable planets in your star system for Galvan colonization."

Susan hummed. "That's right. The governments of Earth are letting you colonize the outer planets. Well, there's not much to say about Mars. It's a barren world of iron dust. You might want to look at this moon orbiting around Jupiter, though." She indicated the moon designated Europa. "It's been theorized to have liquid oceans beneath sheets of ice."

Azmuth narrowed his eyes. "If I could warm the moon up a bit, Europa would make an excellent homer world for my race. Our amphibious nature demands a humid habitat. But Mars is too dry. The Mechamorphs need little nourishment, though. They lived on Galvan Primes barren moon, Galvan B. Mars will suffice for them."


It's been decided! The Galvanic Mechamorphs will settle on Mars, and the Galvan will live on the moons of Jupiter, starting with Europa.


AN: All that's left to do is repair your ship, fly to Mars, use the Helix on Mars, fly to Europa, terra-form it, and use the Omnitrix to build a Galvan biosphere. You're on the home stretch, guys!

 

[1gnit3]

The ship was repaired. It was time to take to the stars once again. Azmuth and Malware had worked on the ship with a particular fervor. They knew where their new homes would be, and now both were eager to establish them.
The Fantastic Four met the two workers shortly before takeoff.

"Good luck with your new planets," Johnny said.

Ben held up his left wrist, which held with Bitrix. "And thanks for this gizmo. I can't ever thank you enough."

"Don't forget to visit sometimes," Susan reminded.

Reed shook Azmuth's amphibious hand. "It's been a pleasure, First Thinker. I hope we can invent together again."

Azmuth nodded to each member of the family in turn, then said, "Farewell, Fantastic Four, and here's a piece of advice; know yourselves, know your limits, and you need not fear knowledge of any sort."

Azmuth and Malware stepped up the ramp as the ship took off, and then rocketed into space. Mars was relatively close to Earth, so they went there first. Azmuth donned a space suit. As Azmuth stepped onto the rusty soil of Mars, Malware carried the Helix.

"All right, Malware. It's time. Put the Helix... here." Azmuth indicated a spot directly on Mars' equator.

Malware placed the Helix where Azmuth pointed, then backed off. Azmuth pushed a few buttons on the Helix, then activated it. The lines on the Helix lit up and cracked with energy. The black and green color of the Helix spread to the planet below it, and grew to encompass the entire surface. Mars was terra-formed.

The lights on the Helix dimmed. Azmuth frowned. "The Helix needs time to recharge. In the meantime, let's head to Europa. We can swing back around once we're done with that."

Malware hesitated. "I want to be with my brethren when they are born."

Azmuth paused, then understood. Malware missed his race dearly, and wanted to be there when they began.

"Very well. I'll heat up Europa and plant the Galvan seeds, and I'l come back for you and the first Mechamorphs."

Malware nodded, then turned his gaze back to the recharging Helix. Azmuth stepped into the ship and took off, heading for Jupiter.


At Europa, Azmuth used his ship's tetras forming module to add more heat and atmosphere. Then, he readied the Omnitrix, loading up the entire Galvan ecosystem. The Omnitrix condensed the genetic information into a single vial.
Azmuth stepped out onto the ramp of his hovering ship and poured the genetic information into the now-tropical oceans of Europa. Soon enough, he knew, the genes would propagate, turning parts of Europa from seas into saltwater swamps, perfect for a Galvan biosphere.

Azmuth eyes grew misty as he imagined little Galvan tadpoles growing up on their new world, learning the secrets of the universe and rebuilding their society.

It was done. The thought hit him like a hammer. The Galvan races were returning from extinction. The work was done.

Still, he was Azmuth, First Thinker of Galvan Prime. His work was never done. First, he would have to check up on Malware and the other Mechamorphs, then make good on his promise to Earth; medical and civilian technological data. By that point, the Galvan races would be well on their way to standing on their own two feet. But the Kree were still worth worrying about. And the countless supervillains present on Earth. And-.

Azmuth cut across his own thoughts. They were for the future. Now, he could spare a moment to watch his new world be born.


THE END