Chapter 93: The Weight of A Soul
Harlem, New York
"This new ward," said Legal catching the attention of his boss, "another mutant? He handed a stack sign documents to to a mail-room employee.
Cole stood and walked toward the window, peering across the city. He could clearly hear sirens, first responders in a frenzy, a common occurrence, he could feel and taste the fear that spoiled the atmosphere. He grimaced as his shadow stretched beneath him, unnoticed by the two others in the room.
"Ah. Yes. I didn't mention her, hadn't I?"
"Nope," the lawyer responded. "The doctor caught me up. Is she safe? Her psychic abilities seemed a tad dangerous at this stage."
"Never know with psychics. I'm also working on a method to block them, but it is mainly only sustainable with me alone, but where there is a problem, there is also progress."
"I can't lie and and say I'm not surprised." Legal admitted earnestly. "If I didn't trust you explicitly, I wouldn't have signed up. I read the after-mission report. Do you think it was wise to antagonize them?"
Cole didn't think but acted out of defense. Xavier was the one being antagonistic to him.
"Xavier isn't who I thought he would be."
"You had another impression of him that came out false." Stated Legal wisely.
Cole thought for a moment before nodding, agreeing. "His paranoia will do more harm than good for mutant-kind than what he perceives I could do."
"Hmmm."
"Is that possible? Could they hold you?"
Cole's shoulder rose and fell, even though he was unsure. "For a moment, yes," he answered honestly.
"You haven't admitted to it, but are you, in fact, a mutant? Or is it meta-human now?" Legal asked, cutting his eyes over to the silent woman, Jenifer Watters.
"This information is highly restricted," Cole replied. He understood the need for transparency but wouldn't spill what he presumed he was to everyone. He knew some suspected things; he eluded to being a mutant, which he was.
"Ms. Walters, please contact me if you have any questions; if nothing else, excuse us."
"She may remain. I trust Jenifer understands the NDA was only a physical barrier; if anyone breaks my trust, may god be with them." Two of the three inside the room swallowed hard, and fear spiked so extreme that Cole could latch on to it.
'Oh. My. God. He's The Red Hood.' Jenifer had deduced that only after the meeting and the files she had clearance for. He wasn't used to this version of She-Hulk; from his knowledge, she was headstrong and belligerent sometimes, but maybe that was after her exposure to her cousin's blood.
Legal nodded, his eyes glimmering, sparking as silent clicks emanated inside the office.
Cole summoned his armor and smirked. "Isn't that fascinating?"
Legal chuckled, head down into another file or another. "I, of course, suspected you could do something like that—Marvel of what you accomplished. I'm also grateful that you deem us worthy to share some secrets. Isn't that right, Ms. Walters?"
"Yes, this is a lot to take in. I'm still trying to catch up," Jenifer admitted.
Cole said. "I chose you for a reason, Jenifer. Trust me, one day I and possibly anyone will rue the day they challenge you in and outside the court."
Legal and Jenifer looked at me with questions, but neither asked; they are great lawyers. Don't ask for affirmation that you can't handle. He was sure Legal had suspected some form of Clairvoyance. Legal had worked with several people, namely Kingpin; the latter was the most secretive, but the teen before him had secrets that could shake the world.
"You are correct. I am a mutant, and yes, meta-human is a proper designation to combat false information that has muddied the water."
"So are we using enhanced human|mutate for others like Poindexter?" Cole nodded. It was an internal designation. He had no reason or need to change what the government used to describe the next step in human evolution.
"I need to change the necessary file designation so the employees know how to react." He muttered, making a series of notes on a pad to the left of him.
Legal looked back up, his eyes on my back; I was still facing outside the window, tracking the brewing storm clouds. 'Interesting. I had suspected my chi network had grown, especially since using jutsu techniques. It wasn't too far-fetched; Cole had recalled the notion of the 'GAMER' designation in novels of his old world; he had something similar, just extremely vague and overly detailed at odd Intervals.
'It's possible that practicing Handseals will evolve my core further than I've been doing. This is something I needed to look into.'
"Earth to Jeremy?"
Legal words brought me from my mind, even more, clouded as the overcast above his tower. Cole explained to him about Inhumans, Enternals, deviants, and even the proto and External mutants.
"This is a lot. Why didn't you include this in the previous presentation?" Cole took a moment to think about that answer before replying.
"I have already upturned their worlds. Immortal mutants walking amongst us, secret plots of the world's most individually powerful, and Deviants and Enternals, two cosmic-powered groups hell-bent on eradicating the other, Enternals were the kings and queens of our worlds, I imagine, Genghis Khan, Gilgamesh, possibly the Pharoah's to name a few."
"And What would let them know that a race of humans that were experimented on to be foot soldiers are on the other side of the moon."
Legal head shot back up. "What! What are their intentions for us? How-
Cole raised a hand, halting Legal. Hardlight cubes expanded in the room—an expansive city displayed in its glory.
"This is the Afterlife; normal humans live here with inhuman ancestry. This is on the Earth."
"These individuals are products of experiments? By who." Jenifer asked.
"Kree, the race mentioned earlier, was created to battle the Skrulls. I'm assuming here, but I think the project was deemed a failure, and the Kree left." The hardlight was restructured. "This is Uranus; the decommissioned Kree base is supposedly still here. I'm unsure if the Royal family knows of this, but this is also where we could get the Terrigen mist."
Eyes widening, Jenifer hesitantly asked. "You want to make more?"
"Make? No. Inhuman DNA tampering is possibly more widespread than celestial tampering with the gene that makes mutants."
"You want an army!" stated Legal.
"We need it for what's to come. I'm not under any illusion that Earth will get itself together for what's come. The division is growing, race, religion, social economics," He signed loudly. "If we must do it alone, we will, we can, and I'm sure as hell not about to live my life in fear and bow to a mutated deviant or a creature that consumes planets."
He snapped his fingers. "Speaking of Galactus, how had the Baxter Building Cosmic research program been going, Alfred." Cole sub vocalized.
"Reed Richards hasn't solved the instability in the portal matrix. Will you not Interfere?" Alfred responded inside his ear as he continued to answer more questions on the outside.
"I've thought about it but have no reason to meddle in their affairs. The Fantastic Four are integral to many events. But set me a meeting with Victor Von Doom."
"He's a red-level threat. Do you mean to take him off the board?"
"I do not. I want to recruit him and, if not, work alongside him. Doom ideals may clash with mine, but the man is good at one thing I respect."
"And that is sir," Alfred asked in curiosity.
"Conquering."
"I understand. Updating a file now, sir."
Cole mentally nodded. "If I can advance his timeline and point him in the right direction. Off-world, perhaps, he could be a great defense against the greater threats. The problem is his insatiable need to procure more power. If he even suspects me of having anything remote as the system, he would attempt to obtain it or, if not, control the controller, which would lead to my death."
"Perhaps remove the insane need to one-up his best friend and greatest rival in all things Reed Richards. Sue is the linchpin, but she is already dating Reed." He wasn't sure about their enmity now, but this could be different; this isn't Earth 616, but 9592; maybe Doom is more reasonable here." He had a lot to think about.
It was sudden, and he didn't anticipate it, but dread had suffused him, and he shivered and cut his eyes toward the area. He made a step, the window opening for him.
System Message: ATC Operative Lance Xu York (Contracted) Soul has been lost. The host hasn't claimed a plane of his own….[Redacted] The soul of the signatory is lost to another- Tyanon. Reward(s): Amulet Of Anubis
....
... Reward: $35.900
System Message: ATC Scientist...….. Reward: Light M3 Stuart Tank
Cole stared dumbfounded at the weight of the loss. What? He had lost souls and been rewarded. The system loomed over him as he shivered involuntarily. He didn't know how he felt about this. This was Marvel, after all. He knew his power was potent, but this was surely demonic. His impassive face blanched, and he took a few steps back as his pulse rocketed.
He scanned the others and felt a pang of loss. He didn't get anything noteworthy before he closed his eyes and thought. That was wrong, but what would have been the issue if they had died and he had been rewarded? They knew the risks; at least he didn't force this group.
He had obtained a tank and had no idea what to think. He held the cape and now the amulet. He had worries, but it seemed the system had made some vanish. The biggest concern was the system's mission, which flashed next.
System-Generated Mission: The Weight of Souls: The Host has learned much since his impromptu arrival, but some things still elude you. You have sent a minion to commune with a Chaos Entity and have paid the cost of losing a soul, one with great potential. Rescue Lance York. He's your cousin, a bastard, but still.
Tyanon, a pseudo Class 3 chaos-borne Demoness, has taken from you. Reclaim the souls by defeating, Capturing, Banishing, or Subordinating Tyanon.
Rewards(s) Variable
Souls 0/6
"Fuck!" He reread the prompt. His cousin had joined his teams. How had he missed that? He opened the tab, noting the fewer operatives. He read down the list, finding his cousin's name. Shit! That was a glaring loophole he hadn't thought of. He would get relationship notifications but didn't read them without shifting his face.
He slapped his forehead. He didn't think this would happen. He had bitten off more than he could chew.
"What's wrong?" Legal asked, hopping from his seat and waiving the screen away.
"A cousin has somehow joined one of the teams subjugating the townhouse—the one secretly haunted by a demon that plagued the land for hundreds of years or more. Also, Kaecillus may need me. I think I underestimated this demoness."
"Demoness, female?" Jenifer asked in shock. He turned toward her, "Jenifer, this is why we're here. I've already gone over aliens and galactic empires, so why not demons?"
"No…no. I completely believe everything. I didn't expect this. So, does that mean?"
"Jesus?" Cole laughed at that. Oh, man. Only if you all knew what clustered mess all that was.
"That's a question I think we all are searching for in some form of fashion. Ms. Walter's. But let me ask you, if he did exist, what would that mean for the other 'gods?'
Jenifer's mouth opened and closed, and her brows knitted together. Legal also contemplated the answer.
"I don't require an answer now or later. Just remember, keep an open mind and believe everything you know as fantasy or fiction is possible." He finished. He tapped at the screens before him, sending boas to the area; he might need more firepower.
"Now let me see what's going on with Kaecilius." Cole opened the connection and immediately was bombarded with….. RAGE
Kaecilius had lost himself. The mandate was an area-of-effect thing. He leapt from the window, and the doors opened as his body dropped; Leech, Annalee, and Miranda entered as his body propelled skyward into the fuming clouds of an incoming storm.