-RANGGG!!!!
A boy with messy black hair, pale skin, a nasty scar and a trench coat snapped his bright green eyes open, veins bulging heavily on his neck, his body convulsing as if he were being electrocuted.
No, that wasn't right.
They weren't veins, but more like circuit lines, running up his neck.
"KHRM!!!"
Ronan spat, his mind instantly focusing to push back the Technobane that rapidly coursed up his body.
And in a few seconds, his body relaxed as his breathing calmed.
He pushed back the Technobane, as evidenced by the retreating circuit lines.
Taking a deep breath, Ronan blinked a few times as he sat up, the sound of city noise, such as cars and distant chatter entered his ears.
The glare of the sun caused him to raise his forearm before his face, instantly checking his body.
'I'm really in a new world. But which one? Marvel or DC?'
He patted his pockets, realising the phone and necklace he had were gone.
Additionally, the logo of the League of Hydra on his trench coat was no more, seemingly disappearing as if it were never there to begin with.
'Is it because the League of Hydra isn't supposed to exist in this world? Is all information about my world censored?'
With this thought, Ronan addressed the searing pain shooting through his mind as he rubbed his head.
'That'll never be less painful…'
However, as he looked around, Ronan paused as he found himself in the middle of a large green park, everyone around him frozen as they stared at him.
They didn't say anything, but Ronan could tell they had just seen his small seizure.
"Kid, are you okay? Would you like me to call someone?"
A skinny man with glasses and a simple shirt, his wife and child behind him also staring, was the only one to voice his worry.
"No, thank you. I'm better now."
Ronan made it to his feet, popping out the colour of his coat.
Before the man could say anything more, the boy walked away.
"Maybe it's for the best. For some reason, something's wrong with my phone." The wife mentioned, seeing her phone glitching.
"It's the same with mine. Maybe the signal…oh, never mind. It's better now."
***
Ronan walked through the busy streets, navigating his way through the dozens of individuals that crowded the sidewalk.
'Where exactly am I?'
He took a moment to look around, witnessing the tall skyscrapers, heavily jammed roads and the countless large screens on the buildings.
He knew he was in a new world yet it didn't look much different from his own.
He tried to see if any of the landmarks were familiar, however, he paused as he finally acknowledged something he'd tried hard to ignore.
'Is this the Technopathy?'
He asked, looking around.
Every phone, every piece of technology running through the ground, into the buildings and hell, even the signals darting through the sky like electricity, he noticed them all like they were a bad stench.
Among this all, he stuck out like a sore thumb.
He was like a sun among a few headlamps.
The Technobane in his body made him seem like he was nothing more than a powerful robot, at least to him.
"In a stunning display of heroism, the Avengers have reunited to confront a new global threat that has emerged from the shadows. Reports indicate that a powerful villain…"
Ronan turned his head, looking up as he stared at the news anchor showing poor-quality videos of a man in a red and yellow metal suit shooting through the air.
"He's a menace! How many times must I say this…"
Ronan turned his head once again, this time staring at a man with a goatee and slicked-back hair.
He fashioned an unpleasant expression as an image of a red and blue wall-crawling figure lay in the corner of the screen.
'This is…'
Everything he's ever hoped to see.
He was no longer reading pages of a book, but seeing it with his eyes.
[Verse: Marvel]
He was soon able to remember the last few messages he'd seen in the dark void.
And witnessing the world with his own eyes, something rose from within him.
It caused his eyes to widen and his heartbeat to quicken.
He didn't know what this was.
Excitement? The same kind a child got when he met someone they adored?
No, that wasn't right.
This was different.
He hadn't realised it, but he'd moved so close to the public TV screen that it started to glitch.
"Hey!"
Someone in the dense crowd had their head pointed upward, pointing at the sky and drawing everyone's attention.
"It's Spider-Man!"
This time, he was able to draw the attention of all those who initially ignored him as they all looked to the sky.
Ronan, hearing this with his eyes still wide, also looked up as these words rang in his mind, feeding into whatever it was perpetuating inside him.
As he did, he witnessed a figure with red and blue spandex, black lines running along the suit like spider webs, shooting a white substance out of his wrists that stuck onto the tall buildings.
With this, he swung, flipping in the air occasionally, travelling at great speeds as he showcased impressive feats of acrobatics.
But most notably, Ronan could feel…technology on the figure. Around his hands.
The same place he was shooting his webs out of.
And in that moment, this feeling grew more powerful, he could feel a thread being created between him and whatever was on the wall crawler's wrists as he imagined a light switch turning off.
"Huh…what's going on?"
"Is he…falling?"
Despite asking this, the people refused to believe it.
They saw Spider-Man flick his wrists a few times, but the usual substance didn't shoot out, causing him to descend quickly.
But this was Spider-Man.
"Of course, he isn't. That's Spider-Man."
Someone voiced the opinion of the masses.
Spider-Man didn't "fall"…right?
Therefore, they all watched the man, his descension quickening as his body curled around his hands as if he were fiddling with something.
Among the crowd, a boy with wild and green eyes stared, his lips slowly curling…
-RAAANGGG!!!
"GAH!!!"
-FWIP
"There he goes." A man sighed as he watched Spider-Man shoot a web in the last second before hitting the ground, and swinging away.
Everyone else nodded in satisfaction upon seeing this, continuing with their day.
However, amongst them, a boy was crouched over, clutching his chest with one hand and his head with the other.
Blood trickled out from his nose as he controlled his breathing, focusing as circuit lines around his neck retracted.
'What…am I doing?'
Ronan asked, the searing pain he'd just felt somewhat subsiding as he straightened himself, the people around him ignoring him, some even mumbling, "Another crackhead." under their breath.
Ignoring this, Ronan rubbed his forehead.
He recalled how he'd lost himself, his powers automatically…acting.
However, when he did, a familiar searing pain ran through his body.
'I see. I'm using my Technopathy to push back the Bane. But when I use Technopathy for other means, it causes the resistance on the Bane to lessen.'
Perhaps it was because his proficiency at the skill was so pitiful, however, Ronan stood up straight as he grumbled in dissatisfaction.
'Everything is a mess.'
From his Scenario to his crippled body, nothing was going Ronan's way.
[Quest: Extinguish the Mutant-kind]
Ronan didn't even know what a mutant was.
In this unfamiliar world, he was by himself.
To keep going and even hope to complete this scenario, he needed two things.
'I need to gain control over my body and attain knowledge.'
Whether it was to cure himself or to improve his abilities, Ronan needed to be more than he was at the moment.
Additionally, knowledge was arguably far more important.
With it, he'd at least be able to get an idea of where to go from here.
And looking to the side, staring at the tall tower where Spider-Man was coming from, Ronan knew exactly where to start.
'There.'
He nodded inwardly, exhaling as he walked toward the tower labelled "Stark".
As he left, one figure, an old man with slicked-back white hair, a white moustache and large sunglasses, still stared at where Spider-Man was once falling.
"He ought to be careful with that. He could hurt his back or something."
***
Ronan walked into an empty alleyway, looking around and making sure he was alone before taking a seat between two large dumpsters.
Looking up, he stared at the building that towered over him.
'If there's a place to get information, it's here.'
There were a few reasons Ronan knew this.
Firstly, Tony Stark was such a prominent figure that there wasn't a person on his earth who didn't recognize the name.
Secondly, there was a prominent figure that boosted Ronan's confidence.
"My Legend is Tony Stark, the Iron Man."
Zoey Vanheart.
A member of the Illuminati, a group that overlooked the entire I.A.
She was famous before everyone learnt of her Legend, but her popularity leapt to new heights when she revealed this in a press conference before dozens of cameras.
Ronan knew if Tony Stark was anything like her, he wouldn't leave this alleyway empty-handed.
'Now, let's get this over with.'
Ronan closed his eyes as he fell into deep concentration.
Rather than trying to ignore this new sense he possessed, he accepted it, diving in.
And with his eyes closed, the world around him faded into darkness.
However, in the next second, it was replaced with a vibrant tapestry of light and sound within his mind.
If he didn't know any better, he might've tried to squint his eyes to block out the brightness.
But no, despite his eyes still being closed, it was like he could still see.
He felt his consciousness expand, stretching out like tendrils of energy reaching into the digital ether.
'This…is the realm of Technology.'
Technology wasn't just a collection of circuits and wires; it transformed into a sprawling metropolis of data.
Streams of glowing code flowed like rivers, twisting and turning through a neon-lit landscape.
Each line shimmered with potential, a complex web of information just waiting to be unravelled.
They were like paths moving in a fixed sequence, and he stood in the middle of it all.
'It's amazing.'
There was…so much.
Ronan had only ever learnt of computers and the world of technology through pages on a book, but never had any practical practice.
But seeing it all now, he knew he was missing out on a whole world.
However…
'Tch!'
Ronan clicked his teeth, feeling a burn running through his torso.
'I'll need to get this over with quickly.'
With this thought, he turned, looking up as he stared at the mountain-like monument of code cascading upward.
'The Tower.'
He noted, his body floating upward with a thought.
He sensed the heartbeat of the tower, a rhythmic pulse resonating in sync with his own as he neared it.
He could almost hear the whispers of the machines, their voices merging into a symphony of electronic murmurs.
It was as if the tower itself was alive, a sentient being inviting him to explore its depths.
As it lay before him, he reached out his hand, attempting to…
-ZAP!!!
'Damnit!'
Ronan cursed, the wall of code zapping him as he pulled back his hand.
'It rejected me.'
He understood. And as the seconds passed, he facepalmed himself as he realised something.
'I'm merely an intruder. Of course, it wouldn't let me in. To it, I'm just malware, a virus.'
With this ability, came understanding.
He understood this tower was a far greater challenge to him than anything else around him. It was like comparing a hike up a hill and Everest.
He also understood there was no way for him to "Slip Past" the firewall without being noticed.
But he did know one thing he could do.
'Well, that's too bad. But I can't turn back now.'
He couldn't wander around aimlessly in this world, wondering what a mutant was or hoping he ran into the rest of the Inheritors in this world.
No.
He's always been by himself. He wasn't afraid of taking this challenge head-on.
Therefore, he focused, shutting his eyes as circuit lines ran up his neck, his skin paling further until…
-SNAP
-CRASH!!!
Ronan snapped his eyes open as he raised both hands, tearing down the wall of code before him as he tore to pieces, ignoring the searing pain he felt.
'If I can't do this quietly, I'll brute force my way through.'
With an opening, he breathed heavily, his nose bleeding and his eyes red.
'They've already noticed by now. I don't have much time. And there's this as well…'
[You will die in 2 minutes and 34 seconds]
The pain Ronan was feeling was almost as bad as when he was first infected with this illness.
Except this time, his mind was stronger.
He could handle pain better and because of that, he could keep going despite neglecting his Technobane.
'Gotta go fast!'