White Vision.
They had reassembled him.
They were programming him now.
I looked at the dashboard clock. 3:15 PM.
"I have time," I muttered.
I got out of the car. I walked into the grocery store.
I walked down the aisle. The fluorescent lights hummed. The air smelled of floor wax and cardboard.
I picked up a bag of coffee. I smelled it.
"And oranges," I added. "Vitamin C."
I moved to the produce section. I selected five perfect oranges.
While my hands were squeezing fruit, my mind was five hundred miles away.
Analysis: The facility is underground.
Scan: Tyler Hayward is at a briefing in D.C.
Scan: The scientists are in the control room. The White Vision is in the containment chamber.
They were about to wake him up.
"Excuse me," a lady said, reaching past me for a lemon.
"Go ahead," I said politely, stepping aside.
I am not a violent man. I am a doctor. I took an oath to do no harm.
I put the oranges in my basket.
But I am also a Reality Bender. And my oath to Wanda supersedes my oath to Hipocrates.
I walked to the bakery section. I found the chocolate croissants.
If I let them wake him up, he might come here. He traumatizes her. She relives the grief again. She might break.
"No," I whispered.
I stood in the checkout line. The cashier beeped at my items.
Beep.
Beep.
I reached out with my mind. I grabbed the concept of the White Vision's power core. It was an unstable matrix of ARC energy.
I can feel your confusion. You're wondering where the Chaos Magic went? Think for a second. No Hex means no residue for Hayward to scavenge. Without that spark, the idiots at SWORD had to settle for a Stark knock off reactor to jumpstart their doll. It's an outdated substitute and much easier to turn into a firework.
Beep.
"That will be $24.50," the cashier said.
I tapped my card.
Action: Destabilize core.
Action: Remove safety protocols.
Action: Expand energy output to infinity.
"Receipt?" the cashier asked.
"No thanks," I smiled.
I walked out of the store.
[Perspective: Lead Scientist Dr. Miller, SWORD Facility]
"Energy levels at 90%," Dr. Miller announced, his fingers flying over the keyboard. "Neural pathways are integrating. Weapon systems online."
The lab was buzzing with excitement. They had turned the most sophisticated synthezoid ever created into a sentient weapon.
On the table, the White Vision's eyes flickered. A pale blue light.
"He's waking up," a technician whispered.
"Initiate control sequence," Miller ordered.
Suddenly, a warning siren blared.
Whoop.
Whoop.
Whoop.
Miller looked at the main screen. A red bar was spiking.
"What is that?" he snapped.
"Energy surge!" the technician yelled. "Core stability is dropping! He's... he's overloading!"
"Cut the power!" Miller screamed. "Shut it down!"
"I can't! The manual overrides are locked out! It's like... it's like something is holding them open!"
On the table, the White Vision began to glow. The vibranium was emitting a high pitched hum that cracked the glass of the observation deck.
"It's going critical!"
Miller stared at the screen.
"Evacuate!" he screamed. "Run!"
They turned to the doors.
The doors slammed shut. The locking mechanism engaged with a heavy thud.
Miller pounded on the glass. "Open the doors! Override!"
"Computer is unresponsive!"
He turned back to the room. The White Vision was now a blinding star of pure white energy. The light was so intense it was erasing the shadows.
Miller covered his eyes.
"What is happening?" the technician wailed.
The hum reached a frequency that shattered teeth.
And then, the light consumed everything.
BOOM.
The facility was atomized. The blast wave expanded outward, vaporizing concrete, steel and flesh in a microsecond.
A mushroom cloud of dust and energy rose into the empty desert sky. A silent monument to the arrogance of men who thought they could control gods.
[Perspective: Aryan Spencer]
I put the grocery bags in the passenger seat.
I sat in the driver's seat. I closed my eyes for a second.
I felt the ripple. A distant thud in the fabric of reality.
"Rest in pieces," I whispered.
I opened my eyes. I looked at the audience.
"I know what you're thinking," I said, my voice calm. " 'Aryan, you just killed people.' Yes. I did. Scientists who were building a murder bot to kill innocent people for their agenda. Scientists who were dissecting the corpse of a hero."
I started the engine.
"I don't do 'villain of the week'. I don't do 'recurring threats'. I am the editor of this story. And I just cut a subplot that I didn't like."
I backed out of the spot.
"Hayward will be pissed," I mused. "Good. Let him wonder what kind of force could wipe out his secret base without leaving a trace."
I drove home.
The sun was shining. The radio was playing soft rock.
I pulled into the driveway.
"Honey, I'm home," I whispered to the steering wheel.
I grabbed the bags and walked to the front door. I unlocked it quietly.
I walked up the stairs.
I pushed the bedroom door open.
Wanda was still asleep. She looked like an angel.
I set the bag down on the dresser. I took out a chocolate croissant.
I walked over to the bed.
I sat down. I brushed a hair from her face.
"Wanda," I whispered.
She stirred. Her eyes fluttered open.
"Aryan?" she mumbled.
"I'm back," I said. "And I brought chocolate."
She smiled sleepily. "You were fast."
"I told you," I said, leaning down to kiss her nose. "Just minutes."
"Did you get everything?" she asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
"Everything," I said.
I broke the croissant in half. I handed her a piece.
"Eat," I said. "It's still warm."
She took a bite, her green eyes heavy with the remnants of her nap. "Mmm. Chocolate."
She moved the croissant toward my mouth, her gaze expectant.
I leaned in and took a big bite.
Wanda smiled, taking the next bite for herself, and we shared the rest in a quiet rhythm until only the buttery crumbs were left on the duvet.
PS: Here is the first bonus chapter of this week. Let's see how many bonus chapters we can unlock with Power Stones this week, haha.