When I was a child, I loved sweets, especially candies and jam cooked by my grandmother. I ate them so much that the next day my teeth hurt. In the future, this was a source of frequent dental problems by the age of twenty. Not to say that I fell out of love with them, but bills from dental clinics discouraged all the desire to eat so many sweets. And looking at this whole mountain of chocolate, in many variations piled up on a glass coffee table, I mentally returned to my childhood. I divided the sweets into a few days so that there would be no problems with teeth and stomach again. Although the symbiote claimed that now such "trifles" as pain in the stomach and teeth do not threaten me. And the faster and more I eat chocolate (or human brains), the faster it will regain its strength and strengthen me. Or maybe the First one just wanted to eat chocolate? But I didn't rush with it. I just didn't know what to do with this "happiness" that fell on me. Both literally and figuratively.
I felt the changes in myself on the third day, after my meeting with the symbiote, when the first batch of chocolate had already come to an end. The scar on the face has decreased, and it is unlikely that Peter himself would have noticed this small change. It was too inconspicuous, and he had already got used to the scar. My appetite has increased a lot, and now I ate five or six times a day. I even had to go to the store for new products, and two days later one more walker (I also bought chocolate). But instead of starting to gain weight from such a change in diet, on the contrary, my muscles slowly began to grow. But the main changes occurred a week later.
I got up early now. The symbiote really changed the body of its carrier on a physical level, so I needed only five or six hours a day for normal sleep. Morning motion was left behind and breakfast was ahead. I haven't eaten as much as the previous days, but it's still enough. Taking the mug, I looked at it with surprise. A clearly visible crack passed through the entire vessel. As soon as I put it on, a solid piece fell off the mug.
"Be Careful, Carrier. Strengthened. A lot, but not as much as possible. You are already much stronger, faster and more hardy than ordinary people. Even those who have devoted themselves all their lives to strength exercises and loads."
Hummed, but still checked. The broken piece of the mug crumbled in my hands without difficulty. I easily lifted a heavy wooden dining table, but after that there were clearly visible traces from my fingers in the tree. Hmm, it's better not to check your capabilities and abilities at home, otherwise you'll have to change all the furniture in the apartment after such experiments
- So you've regained your strength?
"And yes and no. I can already use most of my abilities, but not yet for maximum efficiency. I think it will take another week to fully restore your strength and maximum opportunities."
The changes were really noticeable. The scar on the face almost completely disappeared, and the body acquired relief outlines - the arms and legs no longer looked like matches, the chest and stomach became toned. The face looked healthy, the eyes sparkled. Apparently, first of all, the First focused on my modernization and improvements rather than on its restoration. Or maybe these two things were inseparably linked? Better for me, it's better for her, and vice versa.
- Can you already prove yourself? Like the costume, like other symbiotes?
"Yes."
- Hmm, well, - I took a deep breath. - Then let's try it right after breakfast.
The symbiote didn't answer, I just caught his emotions - impatience and pride.
***
Standing in front of a large mirror, in which I was reflected in full height (having closed all the windows before), I was excitedly waiting for what was about to happen.
- And... how is it done? - asked the First, tilting his head to the side. - Do I need to say the activator word or take a special pose?
"No, Carrier." - there was fun in the voice of the symbiote. I think he liked the joke. "Just imagine. You're the carrier, almost all the control is on you."
- Practically?
"I can show myself outside in moments of danger. Unexpected attack from the back or from above. To catch on something during a fall. Take you ahead of the line of attack."
- Why can't you act by yourself all the time?
"Carrier, you are a dominant person, your actions and thoughts are paramount. Independent actions distinguishable from your will are very costly."
And I remember that symbiotes were sometimes very independent and had a good impact on the thoughts and mind of their carriers. Or was the First one created less dominant on purpose? Or maybe the symbiote is just lying to me?
Imagine, right? I have a clear picture in my head of how a symbiote covers my body like a suit. I even closed my eyes to make the picture in my head more detailed. A chill ran through the body, and there was a clear feeling as if you put your hand in the jelly. The process of wearing a symbiote was... unsightly. It looked like something resembling fuel oil was flowing out of every pore of the skin, but very quickly. Literally three seconds later, the First one had already completely covered my body. I began to study myself with interest, the symbiote was...
- First! I can't breathe! - I shouted in panic, and the "symbiote's mouth" opened with mine, exposing rows of needle-shaped white teeth and a long, pointed tongue.
"Peace, Carrier, don't be afraid and panic." - the symbiote sneated from my face, and I sighed frantically and deeply. There was enough air in my lungs, but I panicked. "When I cover your body, I can absorb oxygen through my skin, feeding your blood directly. This method is much more effective than yours. I withdraw carbon dioxide in the same way. In addition, I can also protect your body from most harmful substances: poisons, pathogens, microbes, viruses and everything else in the environment."
- Why didn't you warn me about this feature earlier? - I asked First incredulingly.
I didn't think it was so important." - the symbiote felt shame and regret.
- Next time, talk about such "surprises" in advance.
"Okay," the stranger said succinctly.
- Did you say something about invulnerability to poisons? - I asked as soon as my heart calmed down a little.
"Yes. As long as I'm on you, I can provide immunity to harmful substances in the air. Or get them out of the body as soon as possible."
- All?
"No, only those to whom I developed resistance during imprisonment in white-robes. They liked to test more and more poisons and pathogens on me." - anger was heard in the voice of the symbiote. "I didn't want new pain. We had to adapt, evolve, but the white-robed people found more and more ways."
I just nodded. It's good to know that you're immune to most of the above nasty things. I think now it will be almost impossible for me to get drunk. The first one will simply remove alcohol from the body as soon as it gets there.
"Let's try again, Carrier? The main thing is not to be afraid - killing you is stupid and irrational."
I nodded briefly after a minute of reflection. I was very upset the last words of the symbiote. A second later, my face was covered with a symbiote tissue again. Venom had black flesh, Carnage crimson-red. The first one was dark purple, without any stains or patterns. Only the eyes were just turning white. They were not huge magnifying glasses, like other symbiotes, only twice as large as mine and passed exactly through my eyes, rising and narrowing to the temples. The top of the eye was absolutely smooth, but the lower part looked like a leaky paint. I couldn't see the mouth, but as soon as I started talking to me, it appeared along with sharp teeth and a long tongue narrowing towards the end, which was also white. I almost didn't change in size - the First covered my body very tightly, like a latex suit. But there were no inconveniences, I moved, I looked like a symbiote on me was my second skin. Even the clothes he covered was not felt at all. I tried to breathe in several times - it didn't work. There was a rather strange feeling: not to breathe through the mouth or nose, and at the same time not to feel the lungs burning from lack of oxygen. The fingers on the hands ended with some kind of claws. The feet of the feet were completely covered and slightly stretched out, like a sharp toe of men's shoes.
"How are you feeling?"
- Good, - I nodded to the question of the symbiote, stretching my arms and legs, - as if I became...
"Stronger, faster, more hardy. Better." - I just nodded. "Feelings have also worsened."
Tilting my head to the side, I listen better - I didn't hear the neighbors watching TV or water flowing through the pipes. I think I'll feel the difference with time.
- Since you've recovered, can I communicate with you mentally now?
"Only when I'm in this state. It hasn't fully recovered yet."
"Hmm, once, check the connection," I said mentally.
"I hear clearly, Carrier." - there was fun in the voice of the symbiote.
"It's convenient. Can you read the thoughts of the second one?"
"No, Carrier. The other one is already too weak, I almost don't even feel his emanation. He almost disappeared."
- And how long does he have left? - I already asked by ear.
"Two or three days."
- Well...
I didn't know what to say to that. I felt sorry for the guy, but I couldn't do anything.
"Try your strength, Carrier," the First suggested, after a minute of our general silence. I nodded in agreement - I wanted it myself.
But you need to do it more carefully. I didn't want the neighbors or security guards to run away at the noise, and I felt sorry for the furniture with the apartment. Approaching the wall, I took a deep breath (to no avail), gathering my thoughts and put my fingers and toe of my right leg to the wall. I tried to pull up and crawl up. It turned out surprisingly easy, but when I was already on the ceiling, things went a little worse - it was difficult to perceive the environment, hanging head down.
I spent about three hours on the initial development of my new abilities. I crawled on the walls and ceiling, walked on them, tried to "stick" on different surfaces - metal, glass, plastic, wood, everything was successful. Although the grip with wood was a little worse, but with metal and glass it was better. I could create antennae from the costume - both small and quite large. I could manipulate small ones like fingers - I tried to take a kitchen knife with them and cut a cucumber. The knife was shaking as if I was drunk, and the vegetable was cut into three unequal pieces, but I hoped that over time I would learn such subtle manipulations. I could cling to the surfaces with the big ones and even move with their help. I managed to overcome several meters on the ceiling with their help - it was much more difficult to move in this way than with the help of arms and feet. Not physically, no. Very good coordination and concentration were needed. Massive pieces of furniture, such as a table, sofa, bed and refrigerator, were lifted easily (and with great care). With whiskers too, but here I needed a lot of concentration. Like Carnage, the First could also transform its flesh into various variants of stabbing weapons, I was even able to create something like a hammer, but I decided to check the effectiveness of this weapon not at home. It will be necessary to find a quiet place where I can't be disturbed, or buy home various pipes, bars or something like that. In general, things that will not arouse suspicion and that can be easily thrown away.
- The first one, tell me, - I was spinning around the mirror again, pickingly looking at myself, - can you take a slightly different form? Well, build up muscles on the arms, legs or the body itself? Make your hands or legs a little more authentic?
"I Can, Carrier. But it will be irrational. I took this form as the most suitable for your physical shape. The volume of my body is limited and if I change my physical shape, there will be less mass for weapons and tentacles, they will become less effective."
- I see. Try to build up a little mass on your chest so that from the outside it looks like... ahem, women's breasts, - the symbiote made a silent question. - You see, in this world almost all superheroes and villains are women. Rare men who go among them attract a lot of attention and the excitement around them practically does not subside. Even among the long-known ones. The Internet is filled with their photos, thousands of forums dedicated to them and the like. And now imagine - we declare ourselves, new heroes and villains always attract a lot of attention, and if it's a man... We won't have peace!
"Reasonable, Carrier." - the symbiote gave up and two elastic hemispheres appeared on her chest, and at the same time, on her own initiative, she slightly changed her waist and hips to make the figure more feminine.
It... looked pretty embarrassing. We'll have to think carefully about this idea. It doesn't seem to be bad, but... Somehow it was embarrassing. Considering the female version of the carrier First, I found a miscalculation in my plan:
- And the voice is still masculine, - I sighed heavily, causing the "chest" to rise and fall.
"I can help with that too, Carrier."
- Yes? How?
"When you people speak, air passes through the larynx, causing the vocal cords to vibrate. That's how the voice appears. During your conversation, I can vibrate around your throat, slightly changing the frequency of your own vibrations, thereby changing your voice."
- Wow, can you do that too? You're a real find, First! Well done! - the symbiote responded to the praise with happiness and embarrassment.
- Let's try, - silent consent from the alien. - One-two-three, - the eyes of the suit slightly widened reacting to my eyebrows crawling up with surprise. The voice sounded completely new - lifeless, without emotionally, as if synthesized, but not so disgusting. Perfect!
It always seemed strange to me that by saving their friends or relatives, superheroes remain unrecognizable. After all, people you have known for several years and communicate closely with them can be easily recognized by their voice. What can I say about relatives with whom you live under the same roof.
- Okay, First, let's go outside. We need to buy something and check our capabilities.
"And chocolate!"
- Okay, chocolate too, - I smiled and mentally told the symbiote to come down.
(Guys, read this, I'm Russian and for this I describe the main character as Russian, I've been to America many times and because of this I know English well, but if you find mistakes, then the words you don't understand, I would be glad if you wrote me about it. Thank you)
As a Russian person, I used to wear different clothes at home and on the street. The set of street clothes that I wore all the days before went safely to the laundry. I approached the closet, which had several sets of new clothes, and now I could choose much more than two T-shirts and a pair of jeans. But as soon as I opened the closet, I put my palm to my face loudly when my eyes came across the three-piece suit. Alicia! I wanted to call her and find out if she solved her problems with her work and if we could continue our date, but because of the symbiote I completely forgot about it! After stuffing in my pants pocket, I quickly found a piece of paper with Alicia's number, where her name was also written and a small heart was drawn. You should call her. I won't do it now, I'll never do it.
The beeps were long, I was about to drop the challenge, when suddenly a tired voice answered me:
- Yes, who is it?
- Alicia? This is Peter, Jessica Richter's younger brother, do you remember?
- Peter? - the connection was not very good, but even through a small interference I clearly heard surprise in her voice. - Yes, of course I remember! But I thought that you had already forgotten about me and it was stupid to hope for a call, - and now there was undisguised sadness in your voice.
- I'm sorry, I really forgot. Suddenly, a lot of things happened, and I was busy all these days. - I almost didn't even lie. - I remembered our unfinished date only when I saw my suit. That's why I dialed your number right away. I would like to continue it.
- Really? - Why did it seem to me that the woman began to put herself in order?
- Of course, your sister praised you as a smart, cheerful and beautiful woman. And I saw it for myself.
- Oh, well, I would also like to continue our acquaintance, but... - Alicia replied in an apologetic tone.
- Are you still dealing with emergency at work?
- Yes. So no. I mean, not really. We solved the main problem, but here are the consequences...
- Hmm, what are you and your sister doing?
- I'm sorry. You know, Jessica and I have signed a non-disclosure agreement. I can't say. Sorry.
- No need to apologize, I understand, - memory has long suggested that the older sister worked as a leading specialist in one pharmaceutical campaign called "LifeCorp". And as a leading specialist, she signed a paper on non-disclosure. If the authorities found out about the violation of this contract, she would not only be fired immediately, but even left without severance pay. She could have been punished - from a large fine to a real prison term. - In general, this is my number. When you figure out the work, call me, I'll be waiting.
- I'll definitely call! - Alicia answered quickly and passionately. - Bye, - the woman added after a short pause and added embarrassedly, - I'm glad you remembered me.
- Me too. I'll be waiting for a call back. See you soon," with these words I turned off the phone and put it aside. Suddenly it became very interesting what Jessica and Alicia are doing, and what consequences of the emergency can be solved for more than a week? Accident at work? Industrial espionage? Something else?
Okay, I don't think I'll ever find out about it.
***
I decided to get materials for checking my First abilities in a large store "All for Home", namely in the building materials section. Pipes - plastic and metal, tiles and metal coating for the roof, wooden panels, tiles - tile and stone, even marble was found. I bought all this in a couple of pieces. It shouldn't cause any suspicions, well, who knows, maybe you've started repairs, so you're buying "probes" to see how this or that will look. The girl consultant, seeing that I was buying such things, practically stuck to me and chirped something about the fact that it is unworthy for a man to do such an inappropriate activity as repair himself. And seeing that there is no wedding ring on my finger at all, I smiled and flashed my eyes, starting to praise herself, you see if she can not only consult with the selection of necessary materials for repair, but also inspect the house or apartment, calculate and calculate, and maybe even call her sister, and they will take care of all the repairs, and take nothing. There was no obvious hint from the First (it was possible to dissuade her from this), but here you could guess what they were ready to accept the payment. Politely refusing and thanking for the offered help, I still promised that if I decide to take up the repair seriously or need help or advice on this issue, I will contact her. The girl was sad in an ommot, but didn't say anything.
Returning to the apartment, I continued to test new abilities - swords, claws created by the flesh of the symbiote, blades like axes or scythes and the likeness of spears, all this dangerous splendor with the same simplicity cut and pierced both plastic and metal with stone. The forces with the manifestation of the symbiote were enough to tie a metal water pipe into a knot and crumble the marble into small stones in the hands. With the symbiote, the physical strength was much less - the pipe simply bent without tying into a knot, and the marble only broke, but did not crumble. A couple of hours later, only small chopped and mutilated pieces of the purchased building materials remained, all this went to the garbage chute.
***
As a child, when I was still a child, even before I went to the first grade, I liked to watch cartoons and movies about superheroes, and after them I ran out into the yard and played these very superheroes with the boys I knew. I imagined that when I grew up, I would have a colorful suit, a raincoat and a mask. That I will patrol the city and fight villains and criminals. But time passed, I grew up, and the realities of adult and real life made themselves felt. I became more cynical, worked and calculated my budget. Heroes who do not receive money for their life-threatening occupation began to seem to me not romantics following their dreams or beliefs, but fools ruining themselves. Do so much for others and almost nothing for yourself? No, I couldn't understand it. It would all remain just a childish rethinking of my ideals, but another world and the symbiote changed everything.
I got the strength, which, according to the First, has not yet reached its peak. I had money that my father, or rather one of his accountants, consistently transferred to me every week. But the worldview remained the same. I still considered it stupid and inexpedient to patrol the city day and night and fight ordinary criminals and real supervillains, or rather supervillains. Of course, this did not mean that I would pass by a person who was in mortal danger - to push him away from the car, to help the injured people in an accident before the ambulance arrived or something like that - that's what I was ready to do. But to deliberately wander around the city in search of injustice or adventure - no, fire me. I didn't want to become a villain either. I considered robbing, stealing or even killing wrong and below my dignity. In my past life, I knew what it was like to be tired of earning every ruble, saving and denying myself a lot. And I wouldn't make the life of ordinary ordinary men even worse. So, I closed the way to heroes or villains for myself according to my own convictions. Therefore, there were only two ways left - firstly, to just continue to live quietly with easy money, and secondly, to become an anti-hero and a mercenary. But the first option would be just blasphemy, especially when the strength and abilities themselves fell on me in the literal sense of the word. The second one was more acceptable - know what you want, within the law, of course, and it will be easier to work with people if they think that you need and are only interested in money.
Okay, for now we'll stick to the last plan, but first we'll have to go out to the city and practice, because everything I did at home can't be called a theory. In a good way, it should have been done in a day, or better two, but I was shaking with impatience. That's why tonight I decided to go out to the test of my strength in the field, so to speak.
***
The dark color of the symbiote's flesh was ideal for night outings - it was almost impossible to notice me with ordinary vision against the background of the night sky or dark buildings, if my eyes had not yet turned white on this body. Jumping from one building to another, when there are dozens of meters under you, hard asphalt and full of moving cars, is quite scary. Even if you believe the words of the First that the fall will not kill me, most likely. I couldn't let the web out, so I was content with thick tentacles that could stretch for a couple of tens of meters, and strong legs that could throw me from one roof to another.
A-a-a! - no matter how much I tried not to scream, but I didn't succeed. Willy-nilly, you will scream flying over the street with busy traffic at a height of fifty meters.
My legs literally plunged into the roof covering of another tall building and by inertia I slipped forward a couple of meters, leaving clear traces behind.
"It's getting better and better, Carrier." - the symbiote cheered me up, to which I nodded in agreement. The first tries to overcome the distance between the houses were very deplorable, although I chose buildings that were separated by only a couple of meters. The first time I braked sharply just before the jump - I changed my mind, which caused me to fall from the fifth floor straight into the garbage container. In the second, from the fear of a new fall, I jumped with all my might and flew over one narrow building, crashing into the wall of another house behind it, after which I fell to the ground again. These were not the last falls, fortunately, except for sensitive bruises, I didn't feel anything, and I could break the bones. And the First claimed that such falls would not be able to kill me and the bruises with bruises from them will pass the next day.
Okay, that's enough for today," I commented on my last jump and so for almost three hours I had already jumped in length and height, I already wanted to make the First one melt, but her voice stopped me:
"Back in the same way!" the symbiote cheerfully advised. In general, as I just began to master our common capabilities, the First began to behave like a gas station coach. Strict, but fair. "The faster you get used to it, the stronger we will become!"
I sighed, but internally I agreed with the alien. First right - the faster I train in all these jumps, control of tentacles and creation of weapons, the better it will be. Training of abilities and capabilities is an integral part of all newcomers in the superhero and villain community! Next time you will need to take your phone and headphones with you to jump and jump between buildings was not so boring.
- Yahu! - I shouted again when I once again pushed away from the edge of the building with my feet and four large tentacles at the same time, which sent me to my longest jump. - Fuuuuuck!
I cursed loudly in Russian when I realized that I had made a mistake again and did not calculate my strength, I again almost jumped over the building on which I wanted to land, and it had as many as forty floors, and not five as in the previous one and how I will feel after falling from it I was not going to check. Having landed loudly, I lost my balance and rolled my cubar to the edge, losing orientation in space, I was so turned away. With some wild effort, spurted by the desire to live, I was still able to transform both hands into oblique-like blades and drive them deep into the roof of the building. I was dragged a couple of meters and thrown over the edge of the roof, or rather I just knocked it down, and then hit the panoramic window with force, which was clearly audible crunched from such barbaric actions towards myself.
- Ouch, - I commented on the situation, and then added doomedly: - Well, fuck your mother!
The fact is that the light was brightly on the other side of the window and there were a dozen people who were now looking at me in all eyes. Young girls and one guy obviously decided to relax and hang out, as soon as the owners of this apartment left and left their offspring alone. A bunch of beer cans, both empty and full, pizza boxes, and a guy who squeezed with three girls at once made it clear. We looked at each other for a few long seconds and then the teenagers, at the same time, rushed to their phones and aimed at me with an enviable speed, I didn't even have time to get up, I had to urgently pull up to the roof away from prying eyes and gadgets. Lying on his back, he made the symbiote fall off his face with his thought and inhaled slightly cool night air into all his lungs.
Yes. Murphy's law in all its glory - it lit up not even on its first exit, but during training! I could hope that they didn't really have time to take a picture of me.