10 reviews = bonus chapter
500 gems = bonus chapter
Advanced chapters at:
patreon.com/FanFictionPremium
***
With heavy thoughts, I teleported over to Aki. We hugged each other and kissed each other on the lips.
- Kai, what's wrong? - Kai asked, catching my mood.
- Instead of one Distortion, there are three," I said tiredly. - Okay, we'll talk about that later. Are you ready?
- Almost. Five more minutes.
- Mm-hmm.
Aki dashed off to her room, and I sat down on the couch and closed my eyes, wanting to get some rest. Yeah, that was a hell of a fight. It was a good thing we ran into each other. It was a good idea to assess the potential of those omega mutants in a more or less safe environment. Now that I had the data I needed, I'd be able to perform better in future battles (and there would be battles, I had a strong feeling). Besides, the Morlocks had seen some unknown type roll up famous mutants without any problems. And the fact that it was a battle at half strength on both sides would be of little concern to anyone. It will be a visible proof of the superiority of mankind... Stop, I'm going somewhere wrong. Just visible proof of my strength. In turn, I hope it will encourage the Morlocks to make the Contracts.
Yes, strong mutants will definitely come in handy, I thought, looking at the small vial of Exodus hair. Now I'll have to find the most faithful of my subordinates. Hmm, as long as this initiative doesn't turn into an Ecclesiarchy* in the future.
- I'm done! - announced a cheerful Aki as she jumped out of her room. - Let's go to the black one!
Nodding, I hugged her and teleported to Gerda's house. I felt like I was breaking through some kind of veil. Maybe it was Victoria's fault? She has a spatial ability.
We found ourselves in the hall, where the Wright family was waiting for us. After saying hello, I kissed Gerda, causing the girl to feel pleased with her emotions with a small smile on her face. Her mum, on the other hand, had a sense of nostalgia, joy for her daughter and a twinge of sadness. After that, I introduced Aki. Victoria had seen the girl at school assemblies, but they had never spoken before.
- Gerdochka has told me a lot about you, Akiko. And I must say, there are few people she thinks as highly of," the woman said with a smile, glancing at one girl and the other.
- Mum!" Gerda said indignantly.
- Well, how about that! - Aki said cheerfully, grinning toothily and looking at her rival friend. - And I thought she only said bad things about me!
- She does," Victoria confirmed, stirring her tea with her spoon. - But in my daughter it is incredibly combined with admiration.
- Mum, keep such speculations to yourself!
- Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! I'm surprised to hear that! And call me what everyone else calls me, just Aki, Miss Wright.
- All right, Aki," the woman agreed with a smile. - And you, in turn, call me by my first name. After all, we won't be strangers in the future.
- Okay!
Next, the woman started asking Aki all sorts of questions. The lady took it very seriously and found out a lot of details, some of which even I didn't know. I think the elder Wright wants to know who her daughter will live with in the future. And judging by the emotion with a visible attitude, Aki was able to put the woman at ease.
- You've got a good family Gerda," Victoria said to her daughter. - You won't get bored with them.
- I won't even argue with them.
- By the way, is it just me or are you in a position Miss Victoria? - I asked the woman, feeling a certain ambivalence.
- That's right," she replied, stroking her belly gently.
Gerda threw off her frown after these words and began to be phoned with joy for her mother. Still, she loved Victoria very much.
- Oh! Congratulations! - Aki said expressively.
- I join you.
- Thank you, my darlings. And to you Kyle especially, for this wonderful opportunity.
- You're welcome. As they say, you're welcome.
The conversation continued in the same jokingly positive vein. Victoria made Aki promise to visit her home again. We said a warm farewell to the Wright family.
Retreat.
- What do you think of the red one? - Gerda asked, squinting her eyes and folding her arms across her chest.
- A beautiful girl," said the woman, and, adopting a dreamy expression, continued. - Eh, if I were younger and Aki were free, then ugh!...!
- Wuh what? Don't tell me that...
- Exactly. You're a very lucky girl. Aki, as the youth say, is very cool. Where are my 18 years? I had a lot of fun with my sweethearts back then! We tried all sorts of things. Like sex on a stuffed bear. It was so much fun when it fell apart!
- Mum, don't destroy your bright image in my head by telling me things like that! - Gerda asked indignantly.
- Ha-ha-ha-ha! All right, I won't. But know that you are lucky, my dear," Victoria said, performing a tactical manoeuvre to catch her squirmy daughter in a hug. - Both with Kyle and with Aki.
- I never thought red was my luck," Gerda said grumpily, realising there was no escape.
- And you shouldn't. You'll remember my admonition with a good word.
- That's what I'm afraid of....
End of retreat.
After bringing Aki home, I teleported to another dimension where Benji was. The guy was intently reading something on his tablet and didn't immediately notice my appearance. I coughed, drawing my friend's attention. He looked at me in surprise, nodded, and started looking for something.
- So, the video. It's from a place where there's underground bare-knuckle fighting," Benji began to explain. - It's not just ordinary people fighting, but supernaturals. Mages, mutants, victims of all sorts of experiments, that sort of thing. The spectators, of course, are very rich and powerful people who can afford such entertainment. And that's where this trio appeared.
- Why? - I asked, when the boy interrupted.
- I have a few guesses, but it's better to see once than to hear a hundred times," he quoted a saying I often repeat.
- That's right. Switch it on.
And I started watching. The camera was able to capture the appearance of Carmen and two of her mates. The first was a quiet, tall man, with a sturdy build. There was nothing special about him, except for his white fringes and his eyes, which had a fanatical expression that could be caught even on the video.
The second was a rather beautiful girl dressed in a white dress along with the same white gloves up to her elbows. Truthfully, for the people of this world, even this appearance was not something completely unattainable. Her gold-coloured eyes, too, stood out a little, glittering with a kind of unhealthy expectation.
For a while, the man and the unknown girl just watched the two mutants beat the crap out of each other in the ring while Carmen talked to one of the local bosses. What the conversation was about, I didn't know, but I could roughly guess, as Reed's companion jumped into the ring after the conversation and fight was over. After showing off a little to the crowd, she waited for her opponent. Next came out a big female fighter, who in musculature and height was even bigger than the rhinoceros men.
The parties exchanged tense glances. The massacre began... The fight began. Boy-babe began to hammer on the girl in white, with a few blows turning her into a chop. As Carmen's companion fell to the floor, I turned to Benji in surprise. This was the problem he was talking about? But my friend pointed to the monitor, and I watched again.
As the referee counted down the ten seconds, the girl began to regenerate and somehow, at the eighth second, got to her feet. This time she was able to last longer, taking some of the blows and dodging some of them. Once again the girl fell, and the countdown began again. Now she only needed five seconds. And then it began to move. In the third round, Distortion was able to fight with the mutant almost on equal terms, causing the crowd to roar with delight, but at the end she fell again. True, her rival was also hit.
But only this time the girl got up for the sake of a satisfied smile to immediately pierce the boy-babe through. At the same time, this unkillable person withstood, albeit with difficulty, a direct blow to the face. Having won, with a satisfied smile she licked her fingers, stained with the blood of her opponent.
The audience was ecstatic at the end of the bout. More fights followed, following a similar pattern. But now Distortion, with few exceptions, fell once each. From there, the fate of her opponents was sealed. Fire, poisons with acids, electricity, magic, some incomprehensible energy effects and a bunch of other stuff had been overcome by this girl. Overcame to become even stronger. And this, despite the fact that the subsequent opponents tried to finish her off without any sentimentality. True, Warp wasn't allowed to kill left and right. Along with the first broad, she took down another mutant, just breaking the rest of them badly.
Fuck. Fuck. It's fucking Doomsday with tits. I really want to be wrong, but what I saw left no room for other interpretations. And Carmen brought her to this club to pump resistance, in gamer terms.
- That's great. The only thing I need to be happy about is an adaptant," I said tiredly.
- What are we going to do? - Benjamin asked, adjusting his glasses.
- First, I'll summon all the deputies.
Half an hour later, all the people I had informed were gathered in the conference room.
- So, gentlemen, I have some unpleasant news for you.
- Is the auditor coming to see us? - Sandra asked with a smile.
Look how good she is. Not everyone knows foreign classics. Yes, it's still hard to get used to the fact that Russia is now a foreign country.
- If only. He could have been dealt with. That girl, Carmen Reed, decided to do Distortions," he explained the purpose of the meeting. That's when Anna started phoning in the guilt. - Miss Stone, I don't blame you for what happened. You shouldn't worry about what happened. It's better to focus all your energies on fixing this problem. Now, please watch the video and give me your thoughts.
At first, those present were surprised, and even wanted to calm down. But the realisation that I wouldn't have gathered them for nothing kept the subordinates in suspense. And by the end, it was clear to everyone that we really had a serious problem.
- Who is she waving at? - Amelia Williams asked the question.
Carmen in the video, before leaving, turned exactly to the camera and, smiling, waved her hand.
- 'To us,' I replied, voicing my thoughts.
- But how did she know we'd be watching?
- You'll have to ask her, Dr Williams.
- That girl in white adapts and when the enemy can no longer harm her, she wins," Sandra said, thinking hard.
- The Head and I came to the same conclusion," Benjamin said.
- We need to find out what her limits are. Maybe it's not as bad as we think.
- You know, Miss Williams, there's only one law that works in this universe, and perhaps in all others. The law of meanness. If something bad can happen, it's bound to happen. So we have to count on the fact that this Warped One may not have any limits at all.
- And these guys aren't stupid to let her adapt to anything. That's not a good outcome for us. I had a case of eliminating a mutant with that kind of power in my last job," Evans admitted. - It took a lot of work and eight people lost. We need to find it as soon as possible and destroy it before it's too late.
- Speaking of finding it," Anna joined the conversation. - Can Mr Hokma find any information on the three of them?
- Alas, no," Benji said sadly, shaking his head. - All the information in that place seems to be blurred. And it was done on purpose. Hmm, how can I explain it? Imagine a shoe print on the ground. That's a very simplified visualisation of how I interpret the presence of information in a certain place. Now, imagine that footprint being thoroughly mopped up. Yes, you'll see that someone has walked here, but it's hard to know exactly who and when. And there's a lot of information in this club because of the large number of people. And mutants with their abilities overload the background, so the search is ineffective. I found this video by accident by hacking into the money bag's computer, which is interfering with our activities.
- It feels like the enemy is outrunning us by a dozen steps! - Anna said irritably, pounding her fist on the table.
- It's just a feeling. I think they're having a hard time themselves. But it doesn't make our job any easier," I said. - In general, bring this information to all your subordinates. Under no circumstances are our advanced lethal weapons to be used on the Adaptant. Or anything that affects the body in any way, such as devices that knock her out. At least until we know the limits of her power. If any of our fighters engage her, we should use quick-setting foam to restrict freedom of movement and other such technology. And report back to me immediately. I'm afraid if the three of them continue to reinforce the Adaptant at this rate, only I will be able to kill her. Is that clear?
After waiting for everyone to confirm their understanding of the situation, I continued:
- One more thing. There are now three Distortions. So tuck in the tails of your subordinates. We need to start acting more proactively. We're running out of time. And send some men to that club. See if you can find out anything, but don't go too hard. Chances are the trail will just end halfway through. One last thing. I'm counting on you. Now you can go.
- Now what? - Benjamin asked when everyone else had gone.
- Now we have to think. All right. Try to dig up something else, but don't be fanatical. Your abilities may be needed elsewhere at any moment.
- Got it.
After I let my friend go, I went after the Neo-Yakuza. They had already completed their tasks in New York for a couple of days and were resting, waiting to be sent to Japan. And now the moment had arrived.
Teleporting to their base, caused a revival in the ranks of relaxed subordinates. Everyone immediately jumped to their feet and bowed in Yakuza tradition.
- Hello, Boss!
- Good day to you, too. Well, boys, are you ready to conquer the expanses of little Japan? - I asked them cheerfully.
- Yes!!!
- What's going on? Boss? Hello!
A few more people came into the room with Ren Yamada herself. The woman had changed her style somewhat and now looked similar to the rest of the Yakuza. She was dressed in a black kimono with a grey sash and a frivolously open black kimono, exposing her bare shoulders, Iredzumi, and a good portion of her ample bust. And it had to be said, there was a lot to see. The mole on her left breast was particularly eye-catching. On the strength of it, he tore his gaze away. Ren's hair was gathered in a bundle, fastened with two spokes with a strand on the left side of her head. The sword I had given her was also in her hands.
- Hello Ren," I greeted the Japanese woman who was leaning over me.
In the last few days she had managed to show herself as an excellent fighter and a good leader. All this was complemented by Virgil's level of motivation, resulting in a killer cocktail. That's why it was decided to put her in charge.
Since the guys were already packed and ready for teleportation, I sent them to Japan. They had received information, weapons and all the necessary equipment, so now it was time to put it into practice.
Backtracking.
-So where are we? - Sora asked Ren, looking around the mountain temple they had been teleported to using spatial burst technology.
Turning to the tall Japanese man, the woman replied:
- We are not far from Tokyo. A liaison from the Igarashi clan should meet us here.
- Igarashi? Isn't that by any chance those who are called red-haired demons? - The man asked in surprise as the other yakuza scattered around the temple grounds.
- 'Perhaps,' Ren replied indifferently.
- And who are they? - One of the non-Japanese Yakuza turned to Sora.
- This clan is a legend! - A short girl interjected. - For almost half a millennium of their existence, these dudes have done so many things that they have written themselves into history! That's why they're called red-haired demons!
- Why are they called that?
- They all have natural red hair and are very powerful! Some even believe that they have intercourse with Oni, the demons of Jigoku, from which they have acquired such an appearance with a power worthy of the heroes of legends! - Reiko continued in a sinister tone. - It is also said that they can run through water and air, know sorcery, and taught Muramasa how to make cursed katanas!
Almost all the yakuza crowded in front of the girl, listening and laughing at some points. Only a few did not relax and watched the surroundings.
- Who are you talking about? - A pleasant female voice sounded from somewhere above.
Most of the Yakuza turned to the source of the sound, except for a few who remained vigilant and saw a petite Japanese woman of pleasant appearance, comfortably perched on a tree branch. And her short hair was a deep red colour.
- Holy shit, it's Igarashi! - Reiko whispered and immediately continued with a strained smile on her face. - Just telling funny stories to my mates! Ha-ha!
- Yeah? Okay. You're just not very good at surveillance. If I were the enemy, I'd eliminate up to half of your squad without much trouble," the red-haired girl said mockingly, jumping down from a three-metre height without even noticing it.
- If you were the enemy, I'd take you down in a heartbeat with this baby," Gilsa, aka Carla DeWitt, parried in a husky voice, stroking her Singularity-enhanced sniper rifle and other Refractive technologies.
- Well, well, well.
- Are you our contact from the Igarashi clan? - Ren asked, ignoring the red-haired woman's statement.
- That's right.- I am the head of the Kurakumo clan**, Yamada Ren.
- My name is Marisa, but you can just call me Mari," Igarashi introduced herself, standing close to Ren.
- I'd like to station my men and get information on our enemies so I can get to the task at hand as soon as possible.
- Hmm, the shelter is already prepared and so is the information, but I have some doubts," the red-haired woman said, tilting her head to the side.
- What kind of doubts, Mari-san? - Yamada asked, squinting her eyes.
- To be honest, I was expecting someone more impressive. I don't think you'll be much help against the Hand.
- Who's the Hand? - Reiko was asked in a whisper.
- Another of Japan's sinister legends," Reiko replied quietly, while Yamada was trying to clear things up with Igarashi. - Except I always thought the Hand was a fiction.
- What were you listening to the briefings with? - Gilsa said indignantly. - We were told that after the Yakuza had been cleansed and subdued, we'd be dealing with the Hand.
- Oops!
- ...Then there's only one way to settle this disagreement," Ren stated, clutching her katana. - Sparring.
- And who will it be from you?
- I'll fight in person.
- Well, good. Let's see what you're worth. And you can use your weapons. I don't think it'll make much difference to the outcome of the fight.
- Whatever you say, Mari-san. Look, don't regret it.
Mari snorted derisively and stepped back, taking off her jacket and hanging it on a nearby post. Ren in turn unsheathed her katana and handed the scabbard to one of her closest subordinates. The two women stood in stances and froze a few metres apart.
This went on for a full minute, which, according to the subjective feelings of those around them, stretched out several times, so tense was the situation. But then, out of nowhere, both Japanese women simultaneously rushed forward. Ren, using most of her power, began to throw a series of swinging punches, trying to force Mari into certain conditions.
- Wow, what an interesting sword you have! - Igarashi exclaimed, using her Qi to playfully dodge the katana whose blade left a trail of greyish smoke behind it. - Magic?
- Technological! - snapped at Yamada.
The way events were unfolding, the woman was fine with it. The opponent decided not to test her fate and stayed away from the inversion traces left by the katana. At the same time, she kept dodging as if probing the ground. But Ren decided to set herself up for a counterattack afterwards and delivered an overly broad chopping blow.
Mari, after some hesitation, took advantage of her opponent's blunder and attacked with an open palm filled with Qi. It was enough to knock out even a bear, let alone a human. But all Igarashi got out of the yakuza was a stifled exhalation and a retaliatory strike that came dangerously close.
- You're strong and fast," Mari gave her opponent some respect. - But if that's all, then let's get this over with. I don't want to waste valuable time for nothing.
- I think I'll pass.
Yamada attacked Mari again, but with more caution. The nanotattoo had allowed her to withstand that attack, but she didn't want to get hurt again. However, now Igarashi was no longer giving up the initiative either, exploding into a whirlwind of blows. Periodically, she even took a blade to her hands, which shimmered a pale red colour. Even though the Yakuza had weapons and reinforcing tattoos, Mari was able to use certain techniques with her Qi control to confront Yamada as an equal.
Thus, the confrontation was somewhat protracted. Both Japanese women were roughly equal. Using her clan's martial arts, Igarashi tried to take out this strategically gifted opponent, but it was impossible. She was too strong. Each blow that could crush rocks only caused a muffled curse and the glow of a strange tattoo. In addition, the skill with which Ren used her abilities was great. It was annoying and admirable at the same time.
Yamada, in turn, wanted to kick the little bugger, who, with the help of Qi, sometimes seemed to be breaking the laws of physics in the most unthinkable ways and/or ignoring inertia. And these energy barriers with attacks that felt like they were stirring up the body were extremely unpleasant.
But it couldn't last long and Ren managed to be the first to catch the Alovlaska. The Head's subordinate managed to hook the blade around Igarashi's neck, leaving a bleeding scratch. Though the ladies were able to exchange a dozen blows, they had never injured each other before.
- First blood is mine," the woman said with satisfaction, jumping back and trying to catch her breath.
- ...It's true," Mari said in surprise as she put her fingers to her neck and saw the blood on them. She was also tired, and she wasn't sure she could continue the fight at the same pace. - Well, I give up. I apologise for my prejudice.
Having said that, Igarashi bowed low.
- ''I don't hold a grudge Mari-san.- You're not the only one with such capabilities, are you?
- All of my subordinates have high-tech weapons and amplifiers as good as mine. And they're not lacking in skill either.
- Hmph, then indeed, you could be a good ally for my clan.
The rest of the audience began to mull over what they had seen, while the recent rivals discussed the next steps. The red-haired girl made a phone call and arranged for several cars to take the new allies to the base. As she was leaving, Mari turned to Reiko:
- And yes, my clan doesn't have intercourse with Oni, can't run through the air, doesn't possess sorcerous knowledge and doesn't create cursed swords.
And turned around and went to meet the summoned vehicles.
- Shimatta***! She heard everything! - The girl exclaimed fearfully. - Oh, I think I'll be cursed or killed for being disrespectful!
- Nothing will happen to you," Yamada said. - Just keep your mouth shut next time and you'll be happy. And the rest of you, except for the three of you, should be more vigilant. You must have put too much faith in your new powers. Next time, you'll be punished!
- With a whip?! - a female voice asked hopefully from behind the line of shamed fighters, eliciting a few stifled laughs.
- And her, too. All right, girls and boys, it's time for us to get busy conquering Japan, just like the Head ordered! Are you ready kids?!
- Yes, boss!
End of retreat.
And so, another thread has been woven into the fabric of my Plan. Hmm, well, that's poetic. Well, it won't be long before I can relax with my friends in the countryside. And there's something else I need to do. And for that, I need Ben. Teleported over to him and saw the guy sitting in lotus position, using his E.G.O.. If you don't know better, you'd think he was just meditating. However, he isn't. Right now, Benjamin is running streams of information through him, trying to find Carmen and co. But judging by the frown on his face, it's not going well. I decided to wait for him to finish on his own, so as not to pull him out of such a state. Luckily it didn't last long, and a tired Ben opened his eyes a dozen minutes later while I was distracted.
- Kyle?
- Yo, Benji. Didn't work out, by the look on your face?
- Yeah," the guy replied with a self-deprecating grin, adjusting his glasses. - I'm sorry, I didn't make it.
- Why should I forgive you? You've already done so much for the Plan that it's scary to imagine. Don't worry about it. We'll nail her today or tomorrow, and then I'll take care of it myself. All right, Benji, now we need to turn our attention to another task. Which is to find Moira Mactaggert.
- No problem. Just who is she?
- She's a mutant with the ability to roll back the universe at death and be reborn in the womb with memories of lives lived.
- Really? - Ben asked incredulously. - Roll back the entire universe as if she were a character in a computer game?
- Exactly. I'm surprised at the existence of such power, albeit limited, but I can't help it. I'll recruit her and hide her in the deepest bunker and protect her with everything I can. I don't want to have to start all over again because of one lady's death. Moreover, she is actively interfering in the story and it may well turn out that next time we will not be friends or will become enemies.
Or maybe I'll be gone. Benjamin flashed with fear at my words, but he was able to calm down quickly.
- All right. (Sighs) I'll find her quickly.
- Don't be so quick to jump in. Get some rest and then you can start," I advised my friend, getting up from the chair. - I doubt anyone wants to kill her right now. Besides, don't forget about the picnic. Aki said she'd make something so delicious we'd swallow our tongues. I'm quoting her now, if you're gonna quote her. If you start looking hard for information now, I'll have to drag you to the picnic.
- If that's what Aki said, I'll get ready to swallow my tongue," Ben said with a smile.
Digression.
Alan Graeme was bored at the Mutant Community base. A couple of days had passed since the battle with the Head's subordinate. The leadership had started looking for information on Pluto, trying to figure out who he was. The mutants who were not involved in the fight were already able to find out details. This caused individuals to speak out in favour of turning to Pluto. Many were willing to serve him, in exchange for wish fulfilment and good living conditions. And Alan, knowing that this would benefit the Refraction, gave several of them Pluto's business cards. For he knew that all promises were pure truth and wished all his unfortunate comrades well. Too bad Magneto is too narrow-minded to realise all the perks of working for the Chapter.
As he thought about it, he noticed that Irene Adler, who was sitting across from him, suddenly froze and clutched her head, her whole body shaking. He even had the idea to kill her before she came to her senses. Destiny was a danger to the Plan, and the mutant's continued existence was undesirable. But the realisation that he couldn't do it cleanly, and the old bag could see it coming, stopped him.
- Hey, blue old woman! - shouted Alan, calling out to Mystique. - Your old lady lumberjack is dying here!
- I'll deal with you, you little shit! Irene, love, what's the matter with you?! - the metamorph asked, instantly arriving at Adler's side.
- I'm... I'm fine now..." the seer whimpered, still holding her head.
- What happened? - Graeme asked, stepping closer to the sweet couple. A crowd of mutants had gathered in the hall where they were.
- The future... The future had just changed again.
- And who changed it? - Magneto turned to Destiny.
- I don't know. I can't trace the culprit.
- Is the change positive or negative?
- It's hard to say. It's like light hitting you in the eye. It's hard to see any worthwhile information. But one thing I realised for sure is that a lot of probabilities were cut off. And there are new ones that I can't quite see. But as soon as I regain my strength, I'll start looking at the future and try to find patterns... ****.
This is definitely something the Chapter should recognise!
End of Retreat.
Commentary on Chapter #42. Unfavourable news
** Ecclesiarchy-Church of the God-Emperor.
** Kurakumo-Black Clouds. The name is related to Iredzumi just in the form of these very clouds.
***
Don't forget to donate gems.
And subscribe at:
patreon.com/FanFictionPremium