Veyric stood, still clutching a handful of chocolate bars.
"Let's see what else is operational."
They stepped out of the food storage room and began exploring the dim underground fortress.
Most of it was off-limits.
Armory... Red light... Locked.
Medical Bay... Red light... Locked.
Laboratory... Red light... Locked.
Communications Center... Red light... Locked.
"Everything's sealed." Peter's shoulders slumped.
Veyric pressed his face to the glass window set into the Medical Bay door. Shapes of surgical equipment were barely visible inside, but the room was pitch dark. No power.
"The system must've shut down all non-essential areas automatically to conserve what's left," he said.
At least the life-support sections were functional.
The rest area held six small private bedrooms. The lighting was dim, but the beds were clean, the blankets thick and warm. The bathrooms had working showers and toilets, and the water heater hummed along. The kitchen had basic cookware and a refrigerator that buzzed with quiet determination.
"Livable, at minimum." Veyric surveyed the cavernous main hall, running calculations in his head. Once the power issue's sorted, all these locked areas open up. And then...
"Veyric, come look at this."
Peter's voice carried from the central control platform, tight with something that wasn't good news.
Veyric walked over and found him staring at the only display screen still lit on the entire console. Red warning text pulsed across it:
[WARNING: PRIMARY POWER SOURCE DEPLETED]
[Current Status: Life Support Mode]
[Remaining Charge: 1%]
[Estimated Time Remaining: 2 Days]
[Notice: Restore base power to unlock all functions]
Veyric's brow furrowed.
"Two days? That's nothing."
"Looks like Fury designed this place as a short-term shelter." Peter tapped through the console, pulling up more detailed logs. "The main power source is an Arc Reactor... and it was already nearly drained when it was installed."
"An Arc Reactor?" Veyric's eyes sharpened. "That's Stark's proprietary tech."
"It is." Peter nodded, scrolling through the records. "According to this, the base is equipped with a third-generation Arc Reactor, model designation Mark-III-ARC."
He looked up. "If we want full functionality restored, we need a replacement energy core. Same model."
Something complicated crossed Peter's face. "The nearest one would be in the underground storage levels of Stark Tower."
Veyric's stomach dropped. "That's Avengers Tower. The zombie supers' nest."
"In theory." Peter scratched his head. "But like I mentioned before, most of the Avengers left to hunt offworld. Mr. Stark took one team looking for aliens, Captain America took another to the far side of the galaxy..."
"So the tower should be empty?"
"I wouldn't bet on it." Peter shook his head. "There could still be guards. Or people trapped inside who couldn't get out. I don't know the exact situation in there. We should plan for the worst."
Veyric stared at the angry red "1%" on the screen. He took a long breath.
"We don't have a choice. We need to move on the tower as soon as possible. If we don't solve the power problem, this base goes completely dead. We won't just lose the Medical Bay and the Armory. We'll lose lighting. Running water. Everything."
"I agree." Peter nodded. "But charging blind into Stark Tower is suicide, especially in the shape we're in right now."
"Then we rest tonight and leave at first light." Veyric clapped him on the shoulder.
Peter looked at him, seemed about to say something more, then thought better of it. "Alright. I'm going to grab a shower. You?"
"I'll sit for a bit first. Go ahead."
Once Peter had gone, Veyric found a quiet corner, settled against the wall, and reached inward. The familiar translucent blue interface shimmered into view.
[Character: Veyric]
[Current Status: Healthy]
[Talent: Blood of Light]
[Available EXP: 1]
[Intelligence: LV.1 (Unremarkable)]
[Strength: LV.1 (Couldn't Hurt a Fly)]
[Speed: LV.2 (Fleet-Footed)]
[Durability: LV.2 (Built to Last)]
[Energy: LV.1 (Flatlined)]
[Fighting: LV.1 (All Flash, No Substance)]
One measly experience point. He turned it over in his mind.
Tomorrow meant Stark Tower, and Stark Tower meant danger on a scale he couldn't predict. Peter and Venom would have his back, but who knew what might be waiting inside?
Fundamentals first.
He dumped the point into [Strength].
[Ding... Upgrade successful]
[Strength: LV.1 (Couldn't Hurt a Fly) -> LV.2 (Vigorous)]
That familiar warmth flooded through him again. His muscles tightened, denser somehow, and his bones felt like they'd gained an edge of iron. He clenched his fist and felt the difference immediately, the swell of his forearm noticeably larger than before.
A few experimental punches at the air produced a satisfying hiss of displaced wind.
"Should be able to take a few more hits now, at least."
Satisfied, he flipped to the [Talent Shop].
The same two icons sat waiting on the shelf:
[Spider-Sense (LV.1)] ... 10 EXP
[Telepathic Link] ... 3 EXP
His gaze drifted to a newly unlocked entry:
[Daywalker Physique (LV.1)]
[Cost: 10 EXP]
[Description: Acquire Blade's Daywalker bloodline. Grants vampire-level strength, speed, and regeneration without vulnerability to sunlight, holy water, or garlic.]
"Another ten points..."
He glanced at the zero sitting in the corner of the display and shook his head with a dry smile.
One EXP per cured superhero. The system was absurdly stingy.
Even if he maxed out affinity with Spider-Man, Venom, and Blade, that was only three bond rewards total. And knowing how tight-fisted this system was, each reward might only be worth a single point.
"Progress is glacial..."
He sighed and dismissed the interface.
The math was obvious. Getting stronger fast meant curing more heroes. But the zombie heroes out there were each more powerful than the last, and at his current level, self-preservation was already a stretch. Actively hunting them down was out of the question.
One step at a time.
He got up, headed to the bathroom, and stood under water hot enough to scald.
Back in the rest area, he picked a bedroom at random and stepped inside.
Small but clean. A single bed, a little desk, a lamp that cast the same tired amber glow as everything else down here.
Veyric lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
Two days. He'd been in this world for two days, and he'd already been chased by the undead, bitten by a zombie Spider-Man, had his hand chopped off by a zombie Blade, and taken a chunk out of his shoulder for good measure.
Saying he wasn't afraid would've been a lie.
But in those same two days, he'd won over Spider-Man and Venom. Maybe Blade too, given time. He'd secured a hidden base and gained a system with limitless potential.
"Not bad. A hell of a lot better than being alone."
"Who are you talking to?"
A weak but clear voice rose from his chest.
Venom's little black head poked out from his collar, eyes fixed on him.
"Venom? You're awake?" Veyric grinned. "How do you feel?"
"Better. Not about to pass out every second, at least." The symbiote yawned. "That chocolate was incredible. I want more."
"You're worse than a dog begging for scraps. Tomorrow." Veyric flicked the little head with one finger.
Venom responded by nuzzling against his neck with shameless affection.
"Veyric, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about."
"What's that?"
"The future of this world." Venom paused. When it spoke again, the usual irreverence was gone, replaced by something rare and serious. "Do you think... we can really save everyone?"
Veyric went quiet. Something shifted behind his eyes.
"Honestly, Venom? I don't know."
"I've had a lot of hosts," the symbiote continued. "Eddie, Peter, others you've never met. They all had their own ideals. Some wanted to save the world. Some wanted to burn it down. Some just wanted to survive."
A beat of silence. Weariness crept into its voice. "Most of them failed. Not because they weren't strong enough, but because... this universe doesn't care. It's cruel by design."
Veyric said nothing. He listened.
"But..." Venom's tone pivoted, and that familiar grin split open, rows of tiny white teeth catching the lamplight. "You're different from all of them."
"How so?"
"You have this... I don't know how to put it. You make people want to believe in you." The little head tilted. "It's like when Eddie told me he was going to protect San Francisco. I chose to believe him then, too."
A thin black tendril extended and tapped Veyric's chest, right over his heart. "So I think... you really can save all of us."
Veyric looked into those earnest white eyes.
Veyric laughed softly, reached over to switch off the lamp, and let sleep take him.