DATE:21th of March, the 70th year after the Coronation
LOCATION: Concord Metropolis
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While We were still going through the busy streets of I Decided to take another look through the camera's gallery. At first I wanted to see if the girl had deleted the photos, but honestly I wouldn't remember any of them even if she had done that. These look so generic, the fact that a professional like her is so impressed is beyond me.
I was scouring more than at the funeral, and at some point I decide to enter the folder mode. I got bored of the computer backgrounds. There, the last one caught my attention, "personal". In it were pictures of people, though I didn't recognize them. I stopped at one with a man and two children, one about 5 and the other 15. It appeared much older than the rest. This didn't look like something the prop department would add.
"Ah, I remember this photo. I saw it at Kevin's house, although his copy was much more aged."
"Yeah? Kevin had one too?" So UltraMan is in it. So if "I" had it, I must be the younger one in the photo. I am about 10 years younger than him.
"I remember your mother took it with an old camera you got for Christmas. Kevin said you loved it so much!" Passionate since you huh.
I went to the next, this one an autoportret, probably made with the timer function. It was "me", standing with a diploma, supposedly in photography. He was alone.
"I find it a real shame how your father is so narrow-minded."
"Yeah." This is probably also why William junior ran away. I kept scrolling, all of these were too personal.
Then a cold realization hit me. This wasn't a prop camera. This was Carter junior's actual camera. Those prop team ops! Such balant laziness. The tired effort of a sad thought tried to come over me. I stole this man's unrealized, pathetic life. He is dead, or barely hanging in a mafia prison. Who do I fool, he is most certainly dead. A man who ran from all relatives to pursue his dream, no doubt inspired by the fact that UltraMan did the same with his wrestling, but he was an above man, and this William simply didn't match. Was this what you would call a dark mememto? The camera was expensive, so he must have worked his bones tirelessly for it. And still, He traveled the world just to make wedding and computer background photos. I am almost sad, but I just can't care.
I have enough issues as is.
Perhaps it is this passion that attracts Alice to this "idea" of "Carter". Someone like her who spends so much time imagining about her fantasy of superheroes could relate to the struggles of a man who fought the whole world. Too bad that man is not me.
For now I need to keep their trust. Either that or to find a good time to run away. But where? The Donn could find me anywhere if he cared for it. Do I assume he thought I died? It's not like he knows me personally. Heck, I am not even his best assassin.
When I took this job 6 months ago, I should have thought more about it. I suppose greed makes the worst of men, but the Donn has a reputation of keeping his word. So then why kill me? Was being labeled a liar worth the chance to bomb UltraMan's family? For me it would have been, but I think he is smart enough to know he can't hurt them with a simple bomb.
So then was it to get rid of me? Why exactly?
I know I did the impossible, something none of his treasured( but mostly ignored) minions managed to do, but it was the gun that killed UltraMan, not me.
Or was it that he thinks it was me? He tried to kill UltraMan with that same rifle or weaker versions of it, but he always dodged, or even if the shot landed, when he stood as a shield to sacrifice himself, he wasn't pierced.
But even that, it was the bullet made of Astantine that killed him, not my hand.
Or, was it all of that combined? Did he fear the fact that I even managed to fire fast enough to hit the great hero? Or did he fear how I managed to implant the The Plausibility Negator in front of all of those superpowered individuals?
I say that my Bullet Time is nothing compared to a real power, but he may not think like this. My only direct comparison is the hero Blazer. I can only use it once or twice per day, and the duration is only a few seconds. Blazer has no such limits. But I am sure that I saw a similar looking red haired man at the funeral and he couldn't even react when I looked back at the crowd when planting the device. Heck, not even UltraMan reacted.
Blazer could have also planted the device, but here comes another difference. When he goes faster than a human's speed, fiery blazes follow. I don't create any such noise or light. It is a perfect silence.
Did he fear I could kill him if I did so to his greatest enemy? I think I understand the logic, but it is extremely stupid. How could I ever reach the Donn's well defended chambers even with such a power? I only succeded because of the other operators preparation in enabling me. I am a team player!
Am I overthinking it? Probably. Trying to kill UltraMan is a monthly occurrence. I am sure he had many other plans and it just so happened that I out of all the fools he hired, succeded. He may have ordered my execution out of surprise for the results. Perhaps fear for the consequences. I wouldn't put that past him. The Donn may have just wanted to clean any loose ends. He may have tried to avoid the ire of the remaining heroes. I am sure being in the crossfire of so many people would be too much even for him.
In that regard I did help him avoid any involvement. Hopefully he doesn't divulge I am impersonating William Carter until I can run away. The best way to avoid that would be to not let him know I am alive. With my back blown open, he probably thinks I died. It should stay that way as long as I don't mess up.
I need "The professor" to let me go quickly. Time is of the essence.
We arrived at his laboratory at around noon if my camera's clock was correct. It was a giant facility outside the metropolis. I think it was in the direction of the Heart farm, but much further away 200 kilometers from it? So about 300 from Concord itself.
All of these are roung estimates, but I found them useless ever since I saw his compound.
It was an underground base, camouflaged and heavenly guarded. I wouldn't be able to escape from here even if I had cocaine.
We parked somewhere underground and went by foot through many identical white corridors. If there weren't signs places everywhere I am sure this place could have been a maze. Add a crazy doctor and you have the whole haunted house experience.
There weren't any people inside the laboratory. I thought the guards were human, but Alice eagerly informed me that they were in fact expertly made androids. How can she be so cheerful about things so horrific? With robots so advanced I would say that clones would be more ethic. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he had a basement full of them.
Apparently this Mr. Roboto has an allergy for human skin. Upon seeing me so repulsed at the machinery John went into detail over the many bad things that happen to him in an insterile atmosphere. Never heard of such a condition. You'd think it was from a movie.
We didn't go to his main research room, but a ...clinic? You'd think it was a room stolen out of a hospital with a simple bed, a mirror and many drawers.
We waited there for the doctor, while John took a blood sample from me. I hope they don't run tests on my blood connection to UltraMan, that would be bad.
At some point the doctor also bothered to come in, just as I was starting to get bored of Alice mumbling about all of his supposed creations. "He cured cancer!" "He created replacement arms and legs for people in need!" "He created hearts and other internal organ replacements!" "His robots help save lives at natural disasters, or go in when the human risk is too big!" "The professor is so great!" Blah blah, you'd think she was his biggest fan, not UltraMan's. Did She act like this with all heroes? This professor seems too perfect. I sure hope he isn't secretly evil! Probably not...
Anyway, he fit the description of his condition. On his own feet, he wore a high tech hazmat suit with a large vizor to reveal his face. An old man, big mustache, he wasn't unique in appearance. I thought he needed the support of his android servant, but the Professor came with none. Quite strong for his age.
"Hello, William Carter? I am professor Paradox Mundi. Doctor Jonathan informed me of your peculiarity"
" What do you mean? I don't think I am anything special..." The black man shrugged.
"No need to be embarrassed. We just need to confirm how your power works." It doesn't seem like they are listening...
" I remembe, on the phone you said he can teleport?"
" I am not too sure. He did manage to dodge an explosion he wasn't aware of."
"So then it could also be some kind of reflex ability, or superspeed."
They were very serious in this conversation, and shifting my site from one of one to the other, I didn't know how to intervene. It would be really bad if they actually discovered I had a power.
Still seated is near Alice she bumped my shoulder. I think it was supposed to reassure me? I don't really get hard gestures but I also suppose she doesn't know my circumstances.
" William come with me, while the blood sample is analyzed, I want to do a brain scan."
" You want to scan my brain? Why something so complicated?" What kind of technology does this old man have to get any useful information from a brain scan. Don't tell me it's mind reading! Although with the sentience of the Androids, I wouldn't be surprised.
" There's no need to be scared. You see dodging the explosion meant your body acted in a way that is not placed into the limits of a human man. With my machine we can know if it was your body that got you to safety or an outside force. Just a confirmation." Ah, I see. So it basically is mind reading. Not like I have much of a choice.
I followed the professor to this special room, with John and Alice close behind us.
As I walk into the room, it feels both clinical and modern, with clean, white walls and a faint antiseptic smell. No, this wasn't unique. The whole laboratory smells of antiseptic and alcohol. The lighting is bright but not harsh, creating a calm and focused atmosphere. In the center of the room is the brain scan machine—a large, sleek piece of equipment that blends advanced technology with familiar medical design.
The machine itself resembles a high-tech MRI scanner but more compact and streamlined. It has a smooth, rounded body made of polished metal and plastic, with a large opening at the front where a patient would lie down. The headrest is padded, and above it, a series of small, intricate sensors and cameras are carefully arranged to capture detailed brain activity without the need for bulky attachments.
There's a faint hum of electricity in the air, the sound of the machine idling in standby mode. Around the room, a few monitors display brainwave patterns and other real-time data, ready to light up once the scan begins. Professor Mundi would likely operate the machine from a nearby console, where he can adjust settings and monitor the scan's progress.
The room is quiet, except for the soft clicking of buttons and the occasional beep from the machine's diagnostic systems. Everything feels efficient and precise, built for the delicate task of mapping the brain's complex functions in minute detail. Though clearly advanced, the machine feels like a natural evolution of existing medical technology—futuristic, but grounded in the present.
I sat in it while Mundi calibrated the device. When it started, a tingle went through my whole body. It was a light one for the safety test, but the actual examination was quite painful. It felt like somewhere between a police electric interrogation and an execution, but it wasn't anything I hadn't felt before. Professor Mundi said this "mode" would be the fastest. He was surprised I agreed to it, and warned me to scream if it got too much, but the thought of possibly wasting more time kept me going.
Unknowingly, my lack of patience had just committed the greatest mistake of my life.
It took about thirty minutes until the machine stopped. I just about hear that Alice was concerned about me in the distance. How touching. I was so numb from the zapping I couldn't make out what was actually said, even if they were just give metres away.
She came to me distressed, but I couldn't really make what she was saying. Dragging me out of the scanner, the doctor put me onto a nearby chair and started inspecting me for.... I actually am not sure. He thought I was passing out? I could see him clearly, just that my body was numb.
I took out my tongue and managed a half smile. It seemed like that calmed him down. He thought I was dieing? In a minute or so I started to hear again, and Alice was berating Professor Mundi? Something like that.
"-Can't just put his safety at risk like that. What if he wasn't actually a superhero!" Glancing at them from John, Mundi was searching the data, completely ignoring the delicate girl. They say you should never meet your heroes, though I doubt this is their first encounter.
And what is why all this "superhero" talk? Do they see themselves as a different species? Does she mean that she would have taken the zapping with no issues? How close was I to actually die? So many thoughts all at once.
The professor came to me, followed by the girl.
"I... Honestly expected you to say something.... I was prepared to stop it at anytime. In any case, your pain tolerance is extremely attuned. Because of this I have just completed one of the best quality scans of my carrier so we will know for sure of your situation." Fuck. You tell me I did all of that and it was the bad choice? I threw myself into the lion's jaw with this one.
"And what does it say?" Anxiety filled my strained body. What exactly did he find with that scan? Could he knows I killed UltraMan?
"The results are astounding, I am in fact so surprised. I have managed to reconstruct your cerebral state from about the time of the explosion." He gestured towards a corner of the room and a small robot came out. When I front of us, its compressed body stretched out, forming a screen on wheels. On it was a graph composed of my level of brain activity.
"So this is before it happened, and the results are completely normal, but-" he pointed at a mostly constant line, followed by a big spike. A giant spike. It went outside what the display could show.
"This is your cerebral activity right after the explosion." He tapped a few times, zooming out, but the line kept on going. Eventually, when we finished it, the original one was barely a few pixels on the large display.
"These kind of results have been unseen until now. To place it into perspective, Blazer, the fastest man alive, can only reach up a third of this speed at his fastest"
He clicked a button on his own and the screen started playing the "Century competition". I remember the event. It was meant to decide who is the fastest man alive.
"Of course, this does not mean you have superspeed, even if you had such a reaction. No, these lines are not just fast, they are distorted. It is as if multiple cerebral actions were recorded one onto another, at the same time."
" Mundi, could it be a fault with the machine?" At least John was skeptical.
" No, there is no better scanner currently on the face of the Earth. And even if there was, my machine can individually mark every neuron activation when placed into the "forced" mode that Carter wished to use. Considering this effect was only active for about a second, I have just one theory that can explain it. You have a time stop ability." Great, just great. What did I do to meet a genius?
" No, a time stop it is an exaggeration professor, otherwise how could the machine even process his reactions?"
" You are right on that, what makes more sense is that it is a 'time slow-down' ability. I believe I even know how it is activated." Come on now! I messed up so bad...
He made another click and a graph I couldn't read appeared.
" It seems like a high concentration of Central Nervous Sistem stimulants, combined with complete focus, drives the hosts brain into overdrive. These "powered -up" nerves then direct the rest of the body into moving at speeds they usually aren't supposed to.
Human bodies may sometimes react in a similar, although much smaller scale way when under adrenaline, in a case of extreme stress. I have heard that it is sometimes called in the countryside "The hunter's instinct". " What the hell is this man? An encyclopedia?
" I believe that in the past, you used cocaine to unknowingly achieve this effect, right?" Is this what was said on the scan, or was this a theory of the professor's? I really can't tell.
" Wait, then this is how you took all of those perfect photos. It makes so much sense!" And what brought you to that conclusion? I feel sorry for how the original Carter is doubted, miss fan.
" In any case, the potential of such a power is astounding. It could be an essential help in critical situations." Hold on, he isn't trying to say what I think he is...
" B-but I can only use it for a short time. An-d the adverse effects are clear! I pass out! This isn't something that is useful..." Damn that Mundi, what the hell is he getting me into?
"No, I am sure it is just because of the lack of experience. Many people hurt themselves with their own powers before they train." I was beginning to scream internally.
"The professor is right William, the people at the training school can help you out." Seems like John was on the professor's side, no doubt impressed by all that data.
" And Him threatened your life. You can't go out there before you can defend yourself!" Added Alice. Of course she was beaming when thinking about it.
"Look, I just got an idea, I will keep you company there. That way you won't be alone!"
"Uhhh, I don't know. I am kind of old to be going to some training school."
"Aren't you 28? I am sure you will be fine. Come oooon!" Where did she get that idea? I think my skin care was working a little to well on her if she believed we were the same age.
" It will be fun!"
I looked around, but of course my bum self had no support in that room. Tired, I surrendered myself before these marketable, action sized figurines.
"Alright, I suppose I am in..."
Alice jumped and gave me a hug, but I almost jumped myself at her surprising strength. Even now I don't get how her body works like this...
This whole ordeal has become so annoying so fast....
Off to the Hero school I go!...