At the peak of night, a small bridge stretching over a small river lay, its arch creating a tantalizing pathway on its peak.
However, underneath was the complete opposite.
With the illumination of the moon mirrored by the river and the shimmering moonlight dancing on the surface of the water, it completely disappeared once under the bridge.
Darkness prevailed while some mould and a clear indication of age formed on the underbelly of the bridge.
The unpleasant scene wasn't helped by the pale boy with ragged clothes and a dirty trench coat stumbling, his hand pressing against the wall as he supported himself up.
His bright green eyes were the closest thing to a light source as the glowing circuit lines branching off the scar running up his neck also added to this.
However, he wasn't up for long as he soon dropped to his knees with a THUD, his body curling forward until…
-BARF
-SPLAT
The boy hurled whatever food was in his stomach, which wasn't much, the components of the vomit mostly being blood.
"Aw shit," Ronan mumbled, slumping back as he rested on the wall, finally enjoying this moment of respite.
He'd pushed himself so hard the pain was taking its time to subside.
Even with it somewhat quelling, the longer the Technobane was in his body, the more he could feel his bones, flesh and very nerves poison.
Despite this all, Ronan was happy.
Not only did he gain priceless knowledge, but he was also able to mock the great Tony Stark despite the odds being stacked against him.
Was it petty?
Yes.
Was it somewhat stupid to take such a risk?
Maybe.
But was it worth it?
'Absolutely.'
To him at least.
For once in his life, something didn't feel so…boring.
The feeling he got from besting Tony after he'd underestimated him…well, it was a feeling he didn't even know how to explain.
However, he did know one thing.
'Tony Stark, or rather that Iron Man suit, was on a completely different level to the Tower.'
Simply hacking into the minimap was harder than the Tower in its entirety.
Though he wouldn't be able to do that this morning, something had changed.
And it wasn't just the information Tony used to mock him which turned out to be useful.
No, rather two things.
The first was something he liked to call "Stark's Science 101".
The last information he used to extract from the tower was miscellaneous information about advanced science.
Science that was responsible for creating that suit.
Science that partly made this world so special.
And Science which Ronan has always adored.
Besides Inheritors, it was the only thing which he actively took time to participate in.
Soon, once diving into this information and the innovation he gathered from Tony's junk projects, he'd be able to become so much more.
The second reason was something Ronan was eager to look at.
'Status.'
[Name: Ronan Hale-Zara
Race: Human
Renewal: Vincent Von Doom (Dr Doom)
Status: Sick (Infected with the Technobane)
Fables: N/A
Perks:
Psionics (Mastery: 3.4%)
The ability to influence one's own thoughts and the thoughts of others, shaping perceptions and realities through sheer mental strength.
Sub-abilities under this perk include:
Technopathy (Mastery: 2.1%)
The Ability to understand and control the minds of Technology.
Arts: N/A
Stats (Human):
Strength: D
Agility: C-
Endurance: F
Charm (Zara): D-
National Treasures: N/A]
At first glance, nothing much had changed. However, to Ronan who knew what he was looking for, he could instantly tell.
'My Psionics and Technopathy skills increased. I guess pushing myself had it improve more than 1%.'
Additionally, for not only keeping his sanity through all that pain, but also keeping a level head and managing to escape had his mental strength increased, or in other words, his Psionics.
'I remember I entered a lull state where I ignored all my pain for a minute. If I can increase my perk, perhaps I can replicate that.'
He thought, remembering how useful it was to keep his focus solely on escaping.
He was quick to realise his current worst enemy was the Technobane.
Therefore…
'I need to get this shit out of me as soon as possible.'
Not that he had a choice. He only had a week left to live.
Closing his status, Ronan's mind couldn't help but linger on everything he'd learnt.
He'd be having a splitting headache from the surplus of information in his mind if he didn't have his Psionics perk.
But it was because of this surplus that Ronan was closer to completing his quest.
'No, scratch that. I know how to complete my quest.'
And it all started with the X-Men.
A team of mutants that rivalled the Avengers themselves.
It wasn't just them. It was the words of Jarvis that rang in his mind like a broken record.
"You'll have powerful people after you so I suggest you confess and turn yourself in."
Though the context and meaning behind what Jarvis was speaking of meant little for Ronan's plans, the former half of the sentence stood out to Ronan.
He'd have powerful people after him.
See, at the moment, he didn't need to be strong.
No, that would take too long and there were easier ways of doing things.
Rather, he needed everyone to hate him.
He needed the world to resent him.
More specifically, those already with power, like the kind that was after him today.
The Avengers.
After all, there was a member of theirs who was Ronan's main asset.
And with all that Chaos behind him, he'd take it all to the Mutants.
'I just have to be a Martyr. And with my sacrifice, I'll be sure to take the mutants with me.'
Simple right?
No. Far from it.
His plan wasn't perfect and was more of a rough idea.
But there was one figure that made this all possible.
Charles Xavier.
He was the key to this all.
'I just have to somehow fake being a Mutant…'
With this thought, Ronan's eyes grew heavier as his head hung forward.
His eyelids shut and his breathing grew rhythmic as…
-RANGGGG!!!
Ronan shot his head up as he instinctively knew to push the Technobane, his heart racing at the sudden surprise.
'I can't even fucking sleep? Do I have to be doing this shit 24/7?'
He asked but didn't want to admit he knew the answer.
At this point, Ronan feared he'd die before his timer even ran out.
However, Ronan simply exhaled as he straightened his body, his legs crossed and hands on his lap.
'Psionics is all about the power of the mind, right?'
Thinking this, Ronan closed his eyes as he solely focused on the Technobane.
'It's like how Non-Inheritors can achieve perfect memory recall and Pain Tolerance from training.'
To Ronan who had literal superpowers to aid him, he should be able to achieve something like making his Technobane resistance a reflex, like breathing rather than having to do it consciously, right?
However, after a few seconds…
-RANGGG!!!
Ronan shot his eyes open as he quickly subsided the pain, controlling his breathing.
'This isn't going to be easy.'
And so, he tried again, entering a mode of complete zen as he let go of all conscious thought…
-RANGGG!!!
The same result occurred as Ronan took in a sharp breath, clasping his chest.
However, this time, Ronan's efforts weren't completely fruitless.
[The Sub-Perk Technopathy has increased +0.1]
'Good. This is a nice hobby while I get prepared for the start of my plan.'
***
Ronan sat on a grassy plain before a large and wide river in the middle of the city.
With his eyes closed and his legs crossed, he breathed rhythmically as his eyelids finally moved.
'I can go a few minutes. It's better, but still not enough if I want to have a good night's sleep.'
Thinking this, he raised his hand as he revealed a fine delicacy in the form of a sandwich.
It had only been a few hours since the bridge and dark circles had already started to form around his eyes.
But he wasn't focused on this.
'ATMs are far easier to hack than the Tower.'
However, he could do without having to stand a distance away from the ATM so his Technobane wouldn't interfere.
He had to wait until there was no one near so they wouldn't take free unguarded money.
Though, for now, he didn't need to worry about money.
He made sure not to go overboard and only withdraw small amounts.
Additionally, though he did make sure to cover his tracks unlike last time, it seemed as his Technopathy grew stronger, it would naturally take care of these menial matters.
'Speaking of Technopathy…'
[Technopathy (Mastery: 2.6%)
The Ability to understand and control the minds of Technology.]
'It's only been a few hours yet I've already increased half a percentile.'
Unfortunately, this training method was solely focused on Technopathy. Therefore, Psionics had only increased 0.1%.
Yet, he was still able to feel the difference. His mind felt slightly sharper and he was less distracted.
Additionally…
'With this progress, I should be ready for next time. But for right now…'
Ronan looked up, and though it was still dark out, he could still see the black aircraft moving through the air like a boat on the sea.
It was bulky as if there were an expansive space hidden underneath, which Ronan knew there was.
After all, this was one of the last useful things he'd learnt in the Tower.
That aircraft belonged to SHIELD.
And it was necessary for his plans.
Though, he was letting this one go for good reason.
'It's a decoy. Once a month, Stark Industries ships out tech to SHIELD.'
Three aircrafts left Stark Tower at the same time, each moving away from each other in a triangle formation.
The aircraft Ronan was looking at was one of them.
'But SHIELD are paranoid.'
Truthfully, six aircrafts left the tower.
The real one was camouflaged behind the decoys. If something were to happen to the visible aircrafts, they knew to turn back.
But this didn't bother Ronan. No, instead, he simply looked straight up and stared at what appeared to be a clear sky.
But he could sense it.
He could sense the large Aircraft almost identical to the decoy that had passed.
'Finally, it's been long enough.'
There were two reasons Ronan chose this specific Aircraft for his plans.
The first was Hydra.
'So the League of Hydra from my world was based on the group in this world. Though, I still don't know what the significance of the "League" is.'
But more importantly, Hydra in Marvel had infested itself into Governments, regular civilization and even SHIELD.
In fact, there was a member on that Aircraft.
'But of course, Tony knows this too. After all, I only know this because he does.'
He and SHIELD were planning to use this Hydra member to lead them back to the bigger fish.
But Ronan didn't bother himself enough to go into detail.
The fact that a Hydra member was on that aircraft was only a bonus, anyway.
His main reason for what he'd do next was for the Tech.
He knew what was on that aircraft and he couldn't complete his quest without it.
And so, he rose to his feet, dusting off the crumbs from his lap as he breathed in.
It all started now. After today, nothing would be the same.
After today, Ronan would be a Murderer.
'But the ends justify the means, right? After all, this is a Hydra member we're talking about.'
What about the rest of the people on the aircraft?
'They're SHIELD agents. They understand that every day on this job could be their last.'
Thinking this, Ronan raised his hand as he pointed it to the invisible vehicle in the sky.
'Besides, this isn't just for me. I'd be saving dozens of other Inheritors in this world with me after completing this Quest. So this makes my acts okay, right?'
Though Ronan inwardly justified his actions, his body language didn't show any hint of resistance.
His heartbeat stayed steady, his green eyes locked and wide like a cat ready to pounce as his arm pointed at the sky.
To him, this is how the world worked.
From the things, he'd learnt of SHIELD in the Tower to even regular people like his adoptive parents.
Everyone for themselves.
If this was false, why was he always alone?
Why did adults turn a blind eye when he arrived at school with bruises on his body?
Why the hell was he even put in such a horrible position?
It was simple.
No one cared about an Orphan who was just taking up space.
Perhaps that was the reason he could easily justify Alexander's death.
Till now, Ronan didn't feel even a hint of guilt for what he did that night.
And now, breathing in, Ronan mumbled softly.
"Explode."
-BOOM!!!
The engines of the aircraft exploded, its BOOM echoing through the night sky as a soft shockwave travelled through the air.
The orange flames lit up the city below as if the sun had suddenly risen.
The explosion was so powerful it made the river before Ronan ripple and fall into a slight frenzy while the Aircraft's camo glitched, failing.
Ronan, wiping the blood that dripped down his nose, stared at this, his expression never changing as he watched the vehicle descend from the sky, catching fire as his eyes followed it until…
-CRASH!!!
-SPLASH!!!
It crashed into the river, sending high waves shooting outward.
-FISHH
The fires were instantly put out with a loud FISH as the aircraft began to sink.
But Ronan didn't wait as he quickly undressed himself till he was left with his underpants.
And in the next second, he breathed in as he dived into the river.