Chapter Text
I woke up groggy, headache building. It was a dream, right? It had to be a dream. I mean I lived a whole life, with work, bills, friends, family, and… no powers… Not like I have powers here; but there it was… only fictional. It had to be the most vivid dream ever. Even partially faded like an old memory it was still so damn real.
Dragging my aching body out of bed and into the bathroom, I stop and stare. That face… it’s the face from the dream. My face. Why… why can’t I recall if this has always been my face? And this damned headache is making it so fucking hard to keep my thoughts straight!
My knees buckle as I sink to the floor, heart hammering in my chest… as I watch my hands turn into metal. A silvery-white like freshly cast steel creeps down my arms; spreading from my chest. Heavy… I feel heavy… I could just… take a… nap… right here…
I wake later, unsure of how long it has been; but I have flesh for hands again at least. Part of the dream?
No; the semi-transparent window hanging in front of my face makes it abundantly clear that was not part of my dream. ‘System set up complete. Enjoy your Gamer System, and good luck!’
I drag myself back to bed, the first rays of the sunrise peeking past the edges of the curtain. I sit there, reading, absorbing and scrolling through every bit of this System now attached to me. Each stat, each state, each feature I can get it to tell me about.
I can become metal, absorb it and augment or repair myself with it; and then there is the System. HP, MP, resistances, a thankfully bottomless Inventory and skills… There is a skill tree solely for my power. I’ve one for martial combat. Another for languages. I get the feeling it will be expansive and complicated…
-
It’s been a week since that night, a week since I’ve started to experiment and test my new self. And a few days since I’ve finally accepted a probable truth on how I got here: I lived a whole life, one I recall as my true self; the me I see looking back at me in the mirror. I died and got sent or ended up here somehow. Then the life I lived here, in Marvel, till today.
There are two things that I consider to be the most prominent in this new life of mine:
First; I work for Fisk as a thug, henchman, goon; generic bad guy for the hero to beat up. Yes, that Fisk. Spider-Man’s villain Fisk. Looks like he ate a fridge Fisk. Least he pays the medical bills.
Second; and arguably the more important; is that I’ve a little sister here. She sends me monthly letters, handwritten monthly letters. I’ve re-read all the ones I have, which seems to be every single one she’s ever sent me… from when I was in prison, to during my parole, to now. She is utterly adorable and sweet as honey. Yet, one tiny, probably insignificant detail… is that she is… Rogue. Rogue from the X-Men. Anna-Marie. The bombshell southern babe. White streak in her hair and powers that let her absorb life and energy from anyone she touches. Yeah, that one…
Memory says I write her back, and that our relationship is… distant but decent. Guess that happens when you’ve spent a lot of your life in prison. Got caught and jailed while she was still in highschool; during which her powers manifested. She visited me every single week. Never ever missed a single visitation. Though she’s up at that school and I’m here in New York. Too far for me to go visit, close enough that I can get her letter the same day she wrote it.
Not that Fisk is all that great about personal time off anyway. Case in point…
I’m pulled from my musing thoughts by the hammering at my apartment door. Probably Hank if I had to bet. I answer the door to find a rather annoyed man.
“Man! Do you not know how to answer your damn phone?!” Hank growls as he stomps past me into the kitchen/living room. Ah, my best friend I guess.
“Well hello to you too mister grumpy.” I answer with half a smirk as I close the door. “And while I do know how, I lack the phone to answer.”
Hank frowns at me. “What? The boss gave us all those new phones last month.”
“Yeah. But after Scarlet busted the gambling ring I was helping at last week, mine has been in pieces thanks to her kicking me in the chest and webbing me to the fucking ceiling. Only thing I still have is the cracked rib.” I gesture to my right side, looking at him rather annoyed.
In truth, I healed that same day. Regenerating HP for the fucking win! Slow sure, but it means I don’t need to go to the hospital for some bruises or even a cracked rib. The phone in question had been in my jacket pocket; cracked in half when she kicked me across the room. Taught me to instead keep most of my shit in my Inventory whenever possible; hence my currently empty closets.
Oh, and that’s the other big thing I noticed: there are a few gender-bent heroes and I’m guessing villains here. It ain’t a one-to-one copy of Marvel canon. Not that I’d know what that canon is anyway; my comic book knowledge is fragmented at best. The movies didn’t help.
In this case it is the Scarlet Spider; a female Spider-Man. Who I think is Mary Jane Watson… as I found one Peter Parker working as a photographer and journalist for the Bugle when I tried to look into it. Yet not Mary Jane; not as an actress or journalist or anything. They swapped roles? He’s the love interest and damsel; and she’s the one with powers?
“Right. Shit.” He sighs a little as he rubs his forehead. “Sorry, forgot you were there.” He looks at me, at my right side and then up at my face before taking a deep breath. “I need help.”
“What did you do?” I can’t stop the smirk forming on my face as I cross my arms, awaiting his plea.
“Adam was supposed to help me cover my shift tonight; but as you might know… He kinda got arrested for that drunken brawl yesterday.” I do recall that; and the earful Fisk gave us all about operational integrity. “So I kinda need someone to fill in for him.”
“Where?”
“A high rise in the financial district. Security for a VIP meeting the boss is attending.”
“When?”
“In like… 3 hours.” Hank grimaces.
“And you didn’t think to… I don’t know; look for someone a little sooner?” I frown at him.
“Dude I thought Adam would make it. But he’s still fucking wasted and in lock up.” He sighs deeply.
“Fine. We leaving now?” He nods and makes for the kitchen. “Sure; help yourself, I’m just gonna get dressed.”
“Wear the really nice suit.” He quickly adds. “And bring your gun.”
Stepping into my room, I switch out my clothes and equip my gun. A simple pistol; standard M9 Beretta. Standard issue for one of Fisk’s goons. The suit too is something issued to us from Fisk’s coffers. Can’t go around in bullet-proof vests and t-shirts everywhere.
-
The high rise is full of penthouses and expensive apartments; all filled with luxury and opulence. Jeez, what’s the rent on this? Whatever, not the point. Hank and I are standing guard; and have to walk the VIP from the helipad to the meeting itself. Wonder who Fisk is meeting?
A white helicopter lands on the building’s helipad; with only a single blonde woman getting out of it. The heli takes off and she looks at Hank and I like we’re something she stepped in. The white suit she’s wearing fits her really well; long well fitted pants, some kind of light blue blouse and a white vest. A diamond necklace rests in her prominent cleavage, as her long blonde hair is rustled by the winds up here. A pair of radiant blue eyes settle on me a few moments of silence later.
Her name occurs to me in the same moment I’m sure she is reading my mind like an open book. Emma Frost. The White Queen of Hellfire. Mutant telepath and able to become diamond at will. Intelligent and ruthless.
A very dangerous woman just appeared in front of me…
Hank however does not seem to understand who he is about to escort to meet our boss; so he smiles his attempt at a charming smile and even goes as far to offer her his arm. “My lady, shall we walk?” Then seems to just… freeze in place.
“You.” Emma immediately points at me, walking right past Hank as if he isn’t there. “Explain.”
“Miss Frost, we’re with Fisk’s security detail. We’re meant to escort you to the meeting in this building.” I state the obvious I guess.
“You know that isn’t what I mean.” She narrows those dangerous eyes at me. Fuck. And here I was hoping to keep my powers quiet for the time being. She pegged me the moment she saw me. Well she is a telepath; and I don’t have any kind of defenses against that. “Why can’t I read your mind?” Her question firm, pointed and almost like a poke in the chest via her tone alone.
Wait… what? I don’t have any kind of mental defenses. Unless… a passive defense from the System? I do not recall something like that in the help section…
My thoughts are interrupted by her diamond hand reaching for my throat; my instincts kicking in as I grab her hand; stopping her in place. Which surprises us both… Yeah, I’d invested the very few levels I gained so far into STR; but I didn’t expect it to make such a difference.
Quickly she rips her hand free of my clumsy grasp and hops back her form shifting from diamond to human; only for Hank to turn and pull his gun on me.
“Woah woah! Wait a moment!” I yell, holding up my hands. “I don’t know, ok?” I slowly shift my hand from flesh to metal, letting her carefully observe. “Woke up last week with a killer headache, my heart feeling like it wants to climb out of my chest and boom… My body turned to metal. Took me like a day to figure out how to turn back.” I confess a bit.
Emma Frost carefully watches me, then lets Hank put away his gun. “A mutant perhaps…” She mutters mostly to herself. “And you know me by sight.” She steps closer once more, her eyes still narrowed in suspicion. “Your fellow here does not know about your abilities, nor does he know of any plot against me.” A tense moment of silence, only the wind tugging at everything up here. “We will talk. Later.” She basically commands, then steps past me into the building.
Hank caught up, a little confused, but ultimately seemed to have just brushed off whatever didn’t make sense in that moment. We walked Frost to the meeting, and then stood outside till she either leaves or Fisk tells us otherwise.
Thankfully I don’t need to physically scroll through the System’s menus; so I immediately dig into the help section to see what the fuck could block her telepathy. Huh… not a feature of the System itself, but an… effect, I guess… of two lifetimes worth of memories sorted by the System. So while there isn’t a perk or skill or something directly blocking her; the sheer density of information means she can’t see my thoughts. At least not quickly or directly. So given time she will be able to crack her way through and into my head.
Not foolproof, but good enough to stop her from digging around without proper reason and a decent time investment.
Now for the burning question: Why the fuck is Emma Frost meeting with Wilson Fisk?
I mean I know she isn’t exactly squeaky clean, but an in-person meeting with a crime lord? What could be worth that kind of association? I vaguely recall something about the Hellfire club, or group or whatever they are called. The underground group she… runs? Is a part of? Whatever her association with them, they have fingers in a lot of pies; including crime. So maybe that is why she’s here? Fisk is working with the Hellfire group.
Or is she here as Emma Frost of Frost International? A massive company’s CEO personally meeting with a crime lord also isn’t really legal probably…
They could also just be fuckin… I mean he’s a big guy. She has needs. Or something of the sort… I glance at the door just behind me, thinking of putting my ear against it to maybe hear what could be happening inside. Nope. Nope, don’t want to know if my boss is fucking Emma Frost.
A good half hour later I hear Fisk yell for Hank from inside the room. He promptly steps inside; then comes out and motions for me and the two others in the hall to come into the room.
Well… this place is fucking nice. That view of downtown Manhattan, the sunken couches and massive TV; an island counter dividing the open space between the large living room and the kitchen. Jeez, the living room itself is bigger than my entire apartment.
Also… no odd smell… Both Miss Frost and Fisk are looking presentable. Okay, they probably not fucking then.
Oh right, I should probably be paying attention to what they are saying.
“…reliable.” Fisk gestures at the four of us standing by the door, all lined up and professional like.
“I only need two.” Frost answers, looking at us. Her eyes narrow at me again. Or maybe the guy to my right. “Him and him.” She points at me and Frank to my left; then looks back at Fisk. “You’ll get back whatever is left in… say a week.” She gets up, obviously not expecting him to say anything. And given that she just implied we might not be coming back… Fisk is oddly quiet about that. The man is not one to waste assets, which most prominently includes his people.
We quietly follow her back to the roof, where we wait but a few minutes till her chopper lands again. Inside and in flight I note just how damn quiet it is in here. No more than you’d experience in a car on the highway I’d say. Wow, what kind of sound insulation is that; some kind of Stark tech or something?
Emma snaps her fingers over her shoulder, one of the pilots up front closing the small window between us and them. She glances at Frank, waves her hand and he slumps in place. She loves putting people to sleep like that, damn. I mean… Frank is a buddy, but seeing him just slump like that is unnerving. The man has a heart of gold. Oh, he’d still beat the stuffing outta you; but he’d apologize for it or something.
“Now we can talk privately.” A tiny smirk on her cyan lips.
“I don’t know, Frank has always slept like shit.” I try to joke a little, only to get a pair of narrowed eyes in answer. “Right… What would you like to know miss Frost?”
“Firstly, what is your ability?” Right to the big stuff, I see.
“I can become metal. I can also absorb it to an extent, using it to heal myself for example.” I explain, already knowing I will not be telling her about my System. Too many questions on where it came from I couldn’t answer, nor have any wish to answer anyway.
“Your mind is… dense, much like trying to cut through metal with my fingers.” She smirks a little, just a tiny bit of admiration perhaps. “You did not know of this aspect?”
I shake my head. “Nope. Didn’t think my mind was effected at all till… well you.”
“I see.” She nods a little. “Maru?” She asks to be sure of my name, so I nod to her. “Please tell me about yourself then.”
Alright… let’s leave out the sister, no need to hand her any leverage over me. Also, no mention of another life. “Born in Jackson, Mississippi. Grew up in a commune with my folks. Mom’s dead and dad’s… missing? Gone? Don’t know, don’t care.” I shrug. “Ended up on the wrong side of the law early on. Prison for a while, worked a job here and there; which is hard as a convicted felon.” I half-chuckle to myself. “Eventually needed something more long term, and I knew Hank’s brother from prison; so I reached out to him. Hank got me the job with Fisk’s outfit. Been here for… little over a year now I think.” I explain, Emma nodding along as she listens.
“Do you know why I am here? Dealing with Fisk more specifically.” I shake my head. “I am going to tell you, for two reasons.” She holds up her index and middle fingers. “First, your abilities. You clearly desire to keep them quiet, so I could out you if you talk.” Leverage; sensible. “And…” She just smirks, a rather unnerving smirk but one full of confidence; her hand returning to her lap. Right, she is a powerful mutant in her own right as well.
“The group I represent wants to control New York’s crime. Fisk has the best chance of achieving the largest possible control at this time. So he has our backing.” Ah, explains where a lot of the money is coming from. I had wondered how he could afford the guns, armor and tech we use. Not like we’ve big rackets or drug deals I know about.
“Figures. We have mostly been cleaning out competition so far. Rare few things we established ourselves, mostly just took over another group’s crap and whipped it into shape fit for Fisk.” I comment.
“Yes, but lately it has crawled to a halt. Fisk is waiting for something; planning and preparing.” She sighs a little, as if fed up with the whole situation. “He has become increasingly resistant to our control.” She sees me clearly want to ask the obvious. “We need a pawn, not a puppet; nor do I wish to personally sit beside him to micro-manage all his actions. Hence why he was given so much freedom.” She explains. “While I could just read his mind, he has… learned to make doing so incredibly annoying and pointless. Denying himself knowledge and thinking in circles. I’d need to sit down and dig through his mind to find what I’m looking for; which he would most certainly notice.”
“And in turn whatever he setup outside your knowledge would go into play; possibly hurting your group’s position in New York?” I suggest, following her line of logic.
“Yes.” She nods. “He’s dug himself a nice little foxhole to hide in.”
“Why us though?” I jab a thumb at the sleeping Frank slumped in his seat next to me. Thank fuck he doesn’t snore.
“An opportunity has presented itself, and I need expendable people to strike.” She smirks at me, as if daring me to take offence.
Instead, I shrug. “Fair, it is where I am in the totem pole.”
She is quiet for a moment, then smiles properly. “I think we could work well together, Maru. Provided you return of course.”
“About that, mind telling me what we’re doing?” I ask, curious about what she’d need to pluck people out of another organization for.
“Later. I’d rather only explain once, and we are gonna land soon.” Frost answers. Frank wakes up with a start next to me, and Frost turns away indicating clearly that this conversation is over.
-
A few minutes later we land at a large mansion surrounded by green fields. Looks expensive even from the air. Frost walks ahead, Frank and I marching in turn to keep up.
Fucking hell man, stop looking at her ass! But it’s so plump and just seems to be begging for a spank that’d set it wobbling~ I want to pin her to a wall, sink my hands into her ass, kiss her neck and fuck her hard enough to leave a dent in the wall.
Jeez… why is my libido so charged up recently? My powers? Whatever, get it under control!
Thankfully, there is a lot to look at on the walls and along the way as we walk. Frost steps into a room that has this solid metal table with a holographic display atop it; the room ringed with screens and people operating them. A quiet settles into the room when Frost arrives; only ablating when we stop at the table. She takes a few moments to navigate its menus before a truck traveling along a winding road appears.
“You are going to steal this truck’s cargo.” She states as fact, an 18-wheeler on the holographic road.
“Well easy enough. We can run it off the road, and just drive off with another car afterward.” Frank immediately suggests. Only to have Frost shake her head.
“It is delicate. You have to stop the truck carefully. And it is guarded.” She explains. “Any other ideas?” She asks, clearly letting us indulge as she most certainly had a plan already.
“We could pose as cops. Pull it over and quietly deal with the guards.” I suggest. “Dump their bodies and just drive off with the truck.”
“It’s monitored. You’ve a max of five minutes before their reinforcements show.” She helpfully informs us.
“Then pop it into the cop car. Or is what we’re stealing too big for that?” I ask, Frank frowning as he looks at the display.
Frost shrugs. “It shouldn’t be too big, but they are using this truck to transport it.”
I could just pop it into my Inventory… but I’d rather not make its existence known like this.
“What kind of protection are we dealing with?” Frank asks.
“Two in front, driver and guard. Maybe one in the back.” Frost answers, sounding annoyed at not having more information.
“Did you have an idea for how to stop it, miss Frost?” I ask her.
“Nope. That is why you’re here.” She answers; even as I get the feeling she has suspended her own plan in favor for ours for now.
“We can do the cop thing then. A pair of uniforms and a car. Pull it off the road. Pop the guards and secure the loot. If it is too big we take the truck with a police escort. If not, we just leave in the cop car.” I suggest, Frank nodding in agreement.
“And the reinforcements?” Frank asks me.
“Be quick about it.” I shrug a little, to which he just scoffs and smiles.
“Who are we stealing from anyway?” Frank asks.
“Not for you to know.” Frost answers coldly.
“Fair.” I add quickly before Frank can get nosy about it. “Can you get us the uniforms and car?” Frost nods. “Then when would you like this done?”
“Tomorrow. You’ll sleep here for the night.” Frost answers, stepping away from the display and getting a cute mousey looking girl to show Frank and I to our rooms for the night.
-
Quest Gained!
Red Robbery
You’ve been recruited by the infamous Emma Frost for a robbery. What exactly you are stealing, from who and why are all mysteries for now.
- Deal with the truck’s guards. (0/3)
- Steal the truck’s cargo.
- Deliver the stolen goods to Emma Frost.
Reward: Cyberware [Cyberdeck]
The quest window floats in front of me as I sit down on the bed. I frown at it. That is new. A rather unique item as a reward. I’ve gotten cash and System points before; or just the XP for completing quests; but such an item is a first. Would I need to find a ripperdoc to install it for me? Does this mean there is a bleed over from Cyberpunk into this world? Would I need to look out for Johnny Silverhand nuking a tower somewhere?
Nice that it tells me there are 3 guards I need to deal with though.
For now I’m just gonna grind some XP; still got that instruction manual to read through.
Yeah, a lot of things give me XP thankfully; otherwise I’d still be at lvl 1 for sure. My title ‘Criminal’ allows me to get XP from doing illegal things. Been jaywalking everywhere; and the tiny bits that have been adding up.
--
-Elsewhere-
“You’ll be in the back, guarding the cargo itself.” The woman explains, the massive metal-plated rhino of a man just staring at the screen. “We expect the transport to be robbed; so you’re free to use whatever force is needed to ensure its delivery.”
“Very well.” Aleksei groans in answer, annoyed by the woman’s constant prattling.