3rd POV:
Born 1996 in August, one year has passed since Bell was born.
His mother, Melina, was a neurosurgeon and his father, John, an archaeologist. Thanks to father inheriting a modest fortune they could allow themselves to take parental leave and watch over him as well as spend time. Lord knows the American Government would not sanction them a parental leave otherwise.
Cute, right?
No.
It was unfair to them, but he was an adult. He would never think of them as his mom or dad. If nothing else he will still address them politely as such, for being good parents.
Bell opened his mouth and he suffered the indignity as mother pushed a small spoon of fruit puree in his mouth. She cooed at Bells serious look and wiped a small spot on his face from puree.
Kill him. Someone, please.
He had to endure a lot in his previous life, but nothing would top this. A bold claim, but a true one all the same. He would prefer hell to this.
It was monotone. It was an indignity. It was boring. His stupid body didn't obey half the time.
Bell gave a mental sigh.
Still. Reality Warping.
He sat a little on the matter for the past year. But now it was time to plot and make a decision.
It opened way too many possibilities.
And 'entertainment' did not exactly provide a guideline.
In other words, he did not know where to begin.
Bell supposed he could begin with training, except he was a babe and he was constantly under watch.
He could start with something small. Maybe? A gust off wind. Maybe bring something telekineticaly over, when his parents left him alone for just a few minutes with his toys. Try to bring them over, even if they are only removed one meter and not farther?
Bell did not know.
ROB said his powers were limited by his imagination. Then there was the other thing. 'Devouring all unending', that is how ROB described the void. He made it sound as if he would have more powers then reality warping, with void mind being just one of them.
What did this mean?
No clue.
It was not like his powers came with an instruction manual. Clearly by design, as ROB wanted him to explore and found out for himself.
Was it like a search engine? Tell the magic what to do and it just does it? He doubted it. That sounded like a recipe for a catastrophe.
Or was it like learning to ride a bike. Familiarize one self with the feeling of balance (magic/energy) and then move 'the body with the intent to pedal the bike and achieve momentum'? He hoped it was this one, even if this one required more work it sounded as if it gave him more control.
He had no clue and he needed to train to see how his powers actually worked. But he would not be doing anything of the sort as he was constantly under watch. He could reveal some of his powers, but he has no idea how they would react and he always preferred keeping his cards close to his chest anyway. No man or woman was ever too close to him to know any intimate details. Not after the draft anyway and certainly not after becoming Supreme Imperator.
Fuck. He was just talking in circles.
Never mind, it seems that he still needed to wait a few more years until he could truly plot.
Bell opened his mouth again for another spoon and chewed.
...
...
Bell blushed furiously.
He just pooped his pants.
His mother picked him up and began, cleaning his butt and changing his diapers.
Stupid baby body and its lack of control.
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The honeymoon phase was over. Bell was four now.
''Look, Bell. Daddy needs to go to work for some time. Try to be a good boy for your mom. Can you do that little one?,'' John asked kneeling down, though still not managing to be at eye level with his son.
''Yes, father. Take care to stay safe,'' Bell replied, making John chuckle and ruffle his hair.
Both parents loved how super serious their baby was trying to be.
Bell made sure not to display too much intelligence at once, but he would not lower himself to talking like an actual baby, within reason. In a way his parents must be thankful for that, since he was a 'quiet babe' not prone to frustrating them. At least Bell assumed so. Not like he could read anyones mind yet.
''Of course I will. I promise to try and sneak you a souvenir from my expedition,'' John promised.
''Not if it gets you in trouble,'' Bell denied, making Melina chuckle now. She wiped her eyes a little. They were a little watery, but drops had yet to fall out.
''True. I guess, papa is lucky to have us to remind him not to get into trouble. A shame a child is more mature than him,'' Melina pondered.
''True that. True that. I am a lucky guy. Come here,'' John kissed Bell on the top of his head and then kissed Melina on the mouth. Bell turned his head, not wanting to invade their privacy.
''If all should go well, this expedition will end in 5 months. More or less. I will call you. And you two... Don't miss me too much. Ok? Ok.,'' John instructed them and then walked away through the door with his coffer. Melina and Bell stepped outside and watched as he entered a taxi that would drive him to the airport. They only had one car and it was going to stay with them.
Melina waved after him and when he finally left their view she burst out crying.
Bell looked at her startled. Geez, woman, you knew what profession your husband worked before you two married, at least Bell would assume so. She should be accustomed by know on this matter and prepared for it accordingly.
Melina picked him up and hugged him, continuing to cry.
---
Bells mother was also going to return back to work. A perfect opportunity for him to begin practicing all by his lonesome in the house.
In retrospect, it should have been obvious that Melina was going to arrange for a babysitter to watch over him.
Bell followed her down the road a few houses removed from their own in New York, Queens.
Bell looked at the doorbell and spied the name 'Parker' on it.
Either it was pure coincidence or ROB had a sense of humor.
''Melina! And you must be little Bell then. It is good to finally meet you,'' a woman greeted them after opening the door. She bowed a little and waved her hand in front of him. Bell just nodded, hiding his annoyance.
''May. Again, I can't thank you enough for taking care of Bell while I'm away,'' Melina thanked her again. Clearly they have some history and talked about this matter for a while, Bell deduced. Why else would she entrust him in Mays care.
''I told you it is no bother. If anything I should thank you. I'm sure Peter would love the company. Maybe if we are lucky, they can even become friends,'' May said.
''May, I'm still going to pay you. You won't weasel yourself out of this,'' Melina deadpanned.
Ah, so it was that kind of spiel. Bell already fought in a war. This was not his war and he had no reason to join it. Let the woman sort this between themselves.
Melina bowed down to talk close to Bell ignoring Mays expression.
''Now Bell, remember...'' Melina began.
''Don't talk to strangers. Listen to aunt May. Don't leave her house. You told me a thousand times,'' Bell interrupted making May look a little surprised at how sophisticated this four year old talked.
Melina swallowed and then wiped her eyes before hugging him and giving him a kiss on his head. Bell patted her back a little, hoping for her to let him go quickly as this was awkward for him.
''I will come back as quickly as possible. OK? Don't miss me too much,'' Melina said letting go and slowly walking away backwards.
Bell wanted to tell her that she should not drive faster then the speed limit, but suspension of disbelief only went so far and a four year old had no business knowing about laws and charges yet. He was always mindful with what he was exposed to and what he said, like that.
Bell turned around to look at May when Melina was far enough away.
''Oh! Forgive me, please come in,'' May told him and sidestepped so he could walk through the door. May closed the door behind them.
''Peter, come down here. We have a guest,'' May talked towards the stairs.
A boy peeked from behind the corner and then quickly hid again. So he was shy then. Good. Bell didn't feel it was really right for someone to be too close to him.
''Peter! Forgive him, he recently experienced a great loss. One moment please,'' May excused herself walking up the stairs.
Great loss? Bell, contemplated some things. He did not know much about Marvel, but Spider-Man and the Avengers were popular enough that one just picked things up, even in passing. Bell was not entirely sure, but he assumed that 'great loss' was his parents. Poor kid.
May and Peter climbed the stairs back down. Peter was hiding behind Mays legs.
''Peter. Come on. Don't be impolite,'' May chastised him. Bell suppressed a scoff, just a moment ago May told him about Peters great loss and now she was giving him grief for wanting to be left alone or however else he was dealing with his pain.
''Hello. I'm ...Peter,'' Peter told him.
''Hello. I'm Bell,'' Bell decided to greet him in turn.
''Why don't you two go upstairs and play a little. I was about to make you two food and it should not take too long,'' May suggested.
Bell and Peter went to Peters room and began playing with wood blocks. Jenga to be more precise. They did not talk much. Peter because he was grieving, Bell because Peter could do with better friends then him. He did not want Peter to get too attached to him.
Still Bell could not risk being too unprepared. He had no idea how many dangers lurked out there. It was a risk, but a calculated one. As he was pulling blocks, Bell searched for his magic. He wasn't completely idle and went through the trouble of at least finding his magic. It was located in his void mind.
Something simple would do for now. Any single step, no matter how small, would help him in getting better with his powers. Bell was trying to make the wood blocks more stable and sturdy. He succeeded with some minor results as the Jenga tower no longer immediately collapsed early on into their game. Their bodies not really possessing enough control or strength to play the game for too long.
It was not much for now, but it was honest work.
It also answered Bell the question of what type of system his magic was operating under. He needed to guide the magic and manually control it with intent and purpose. Good. He was hoping it would work like that. But it also meant he needed to be emotionally stable, else he could do something foolish in his rage.
And practice. A lot. To familiarize himself with guiding his magic/energy.
No time like the present then.
He was getting better at guiding the blocks and making them stick together.
Admittedly he also never liked losing, so conveniently the tower stopped collapsing less and less when it was his turn.
Naturally Peter took his losses with the grace any kid would do and began crying.
May burst into the room and asked what happened as she was attempting to comfort Peter.
''We played Jenga. He keeps losing,'' Bell shrugged shamelessly.
''Oh, Peter. There is nothing wrong with losing, so long as you learn from it and pick yourself back up having learned from your mistakes. And aren't you my brave little warrior?,'' May asked him.
Peter wiped his tears and nodded confidently, his previous sadness forgotten.
Bell chose not to address, that the snot on his face was not instilling confidence in others. Children were disgusting.
May took a tissue from her pockets and began wiping his face.
''Well, you can't be my brave little warrior for long, if you lose your strength from not eating. Come you two, I made you wheatcakes,'' May guided the two of them to the kitchen.
The food was delicious.
...
''And? Did you make friends with Peter?,'' Melina asked after she came to picked him up and fought with May to give her payment.
Bell shrugged:''I suppose.''
Melina looked a little disappointed at his lackluster response.
On the bright side, Melina removed the baby camera and walkie talkie from his room. And he could sleep without feeling as if he was in 1984 now.
Bell snuck into the kitchen and stole a glass, before sneaking back to his room. He could still not train as much as he wanted, but he would sneak any training in that he could. He was already blind, no reason to be unprepared as well and he tarried long enough already.
Come the next morning the glass was filled with some droplets of water.
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Ding.
Ding.
Ding.
Ding.
Ding Ding Ding 13x.
''What?,'' Bell asked as he opened the door to Peter. Both were seven now. Soon they will start first grade and by now Melina trusted Bell enough to leave him alone in the house. Or with May and Ben. Though he was still not permitted to wander too far.
Understandable, but still a pity, as he hoped to train in the sewers. Not like he hasn't experienced worse smells or sights. Unfortunately while he has progressed in acclimating himself a little with his abilities, he didn't do so to the point of being able to teleport. It would solve him a lot of issues if he could.
''Aunt May said that there is a new kid in the hood. We should introduce her to the gang,'' Peter shared with him.
''Is that what she told you?,'' Bell mused.
''Nooooo. She told us that there is a new girl our age and we should see if she is lonely. And if she is, then we should befriend her,'' Peter admitted reluctantly. Bell rolled his eyes. Peter wanted to be part of the 'hood' and to him the two of them were the leaders. Bell did not bother to understand how he arrived at such a conclusion. He supposed the fact that they were the only ones around their age, did not help. Most people saw this as just children being children.
Wasn't Peter supposed to be shy or socially awkward? Whatever. Bell knew he was gonna grow out of this phase soon enough.
Hopefully.
''Well, good luck then,'' Bell promptly closed the door in his face.
Ding 3x.
''What?,'' Bell said opening the door again.
''Don't be lazy. You have to make friends with her too,'' Peter admonished with all the gravitas off a 7 year old.
''I thought we were only meant to befriend her, if she is lonely?,'' Bell reminded him.
''Course she is lonely. All she does is kick her ball by herself in her front yard most days,'' Peter told him.
Really? He was surprised her parents allowed her to do such a dangerous activity, unless they were too busy. Not that Bell knew what the girl was up to. Most days he was keeping to himself not wanting to get to close to anyone.
''Come on, Bell,'' Peter began dragging him after him and reluctantly followed.
...
''Hi, I'm Peter and this is Bell,'' Peter introduced themselves as they approached the girl.
''Uhhh... hi. I'm Gwen Stacy,'' Gwen introduced herself.
''See, we are the one in charge around here and you must pay the toll like any other. If not there are con-se...quences,'' Peter warned her. Bell sent him a deadpan look. He definitely watched too many movies.
''No. My father is a police man. He will arrest you, if you ex...,'' Gwen looked uncertain at the end.
''Extort,'' Bell provided and Peter sent him a betrayed look.
''Yes, thank you. He will arrest you, if you extort me,'' Gwen told him confidently, believing her father to protect her always. She was after all his little princess and princesses always had knights to protect her.
''You don't even know what the toll is,'' Peter complained.
''Well, what is it?,'' Gwen asked him.
''You must play with us and become our friend,'' Peter told her.
If she was lonely. Right? If she was lonely? Right?
Bell rolled his eyes at Peter forgetting Mays instructions again. Though Bell doubted Peter actually cared and just wanted more friends. He was probably getting bored and frustrated with Bell. Putting up with him only because he was his only option.
That served Bell just fine.
''Hey, you too!,'' Peter grasped him and pulled him back, when Bell turned around intending to walk back home.
''He is lazy, but a good friend. Aunt May said so. Don't mind his laziness,'' Peter warned Gwen conspiratorily. She nodded seriously and then threw the ball towards Bell.
''Kick it you lazy bum,'' Gwen ordered.
Great. There were now two, instead of one.
Bell kicked the ball back towards Peter.
---
''Gwen have you been out the whole day?,'' George asked her, when he returned back from work. He caught her with two boys, looking the same age as her and all of them dirty from head to toe.
''Yes, mum is already inside. This is Peter and this is Bell. They are my friends now and we played with my ball the whole day,'' Gwen told him. Bell hid his amusement at the little demon acting all sweet now with her father. Turned out she was more of a terror then the two of them.
''Really? In that case, I invite you two and your family to dinner on this weekend. But for now you should return home, or your parents might worry. And you, little princess, need a good wash. Say goodbye to your friends now,'' George told her amused. It was starting to become dark. He was surprised Evelyn let Gwen play outside for so long.
''Bye you two. Come to dinner or I'll be sad and will NEVER forgive you,'' Gwen turned her nose and walked back inside without waiting for them to say anything.
Who was extorting now whom, Bell mused to himself amused. George seemed to find her behavior funny as well as he was chuckling.
''Listen, you two. Thank you for playing with my daughter. I would appreciate having an answer tomorrow to my invitation. But for now you should really return home,'' George told them. He watched as the boys nodded and departed in two opposite directions. Ah, so it seemed they were residing in between their two homes then.
There was no need for a baby sitter with Gwen. Evelyn was a nurse and he a police man. They made their shifts so that, Evelyn would go in the morning to work and he at noon, arriving back from work in the evening. Gwen was only left for one hour by herself. But he always locked her inside and then Evelyn let her out when she came home.
Unfortunate, but not worth hiring a babysitter over. especially since Gwen proved to be a smart girl.
George came in and immediately went to the kitchen. He kissed Evelyn.
''She already went up to take a bath,'' Evelyn told him and George nodded.
''Did you meet the two boys? What do you think of them,'' George asked her.
''No. I didn't want to disturb their fun. But she is less lonely now, don't you think?,'' Evelyn told him. George nodded again. She certainly looked as if she had a lot of fun.
''I invited their family to dinner on the weekend and requested the boys to have an answer by tomorrow,'' George informed her. Evelyn hummed.
''Well, it didn't take long for us to make new friends here at least. Assuming we get along,'' Evelyn remarked.
''True. True. You want my help?,'' George asked, even if he was tired as well.
''Not this time. Go take a bath. Food should be ready soon,'' Evelyn told him.
Well, George had to wait for Gwen to be done first, he thought to himself as he sat down and began reading the newspapers.
---
The boys did give George an answer the next day and they all would be having dinner on the coming weekend.
It also happened that John returned just in time from his expedition too. He was tired, but he chose to come to the dinner anyway.
''And where will your children go to school?,'' Evelyn asked. John, George and Ben were making barbecue in the Stacys backyard. The women were talking amongst themselves, ready for the men to be done and then add the finishing touches to the table. And the children were being forced by Gwen to do ballet.
''Beacon School of Excellence, it is a good public school, I heard,'' May answered.
''Mine too, I suppose if Gwen goes there as well, then the three of them can continue being friends,'' Melina remarked.
''It's in Brooklyn, so it is a little far away, but yes, Gwen will go there as well. I'm just a little worried,'' Evelyn sighed.
''I suppose we all are. Our little birds are leaving our nests,'' Melina told her.
''Does Gwen have any desire to become a ballerina or something?,'' May asked suddenly, watching as Gwen was demanding Bell to do a cartwheel with more enthusiasm.
''Absolutely not. I heard how toxic the work environment can be. I will encourage it as a hobby, nothing more. What of Peter and Bell?,'' Evelyn asked.
''Peter loves tinkering with stuff and experimenting. I suppose it is highly probably that he might become a scientist one day. Both his parents were one,'' May supplied.
''I ... actually don't think Bell has a hobby. Or at least not yet. I have tried to encourage him to try some stuff, but he seems to prefer to be left alone most of the time. I sometimes worry,'' Melina admitted.
''Maybe he is just very introverted? In any case, I have told Peter that I believe Bell to be a good friend and he should not get frustrated if he doesn't show too much enthusiasm for something,'' May assured her, receiving a thankful nod from Melina.
''Some people may need a little time to find themselves. He is still quiet young. He may yet find something to enjoy. I do have to ask though. His eyes. They are red, is it because of a mutation or something else?,'' Evelyn asked curiously.
''We actually had his blood analyzed. It seems to be just a mutation. Like green eyes or blue eyes,'' Melina replied.
''He is going to be quiet the heart breaker when he grows older,'' Evelyn theorized with some conspiratory whisper. Melina and May chuckled.
Bell was not good enough in controlling his magic, to the point he could enhance his body quiet yet. So no super hearing for him. He was however adept in reading lips and he was facing most adults. He rolled his eyes at where their conversation was going. The men were talking about their job and sport and women were talking about ... they were gossiping about everything.
Gwen gave him a kick in the shins, thinking he was rolling his eyes at her and demanded that he pay attention to how one would do a flip. Bell supposed the earth was soft enough that he had no reason to fear for their lives.
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''Bell. Bell. Bell!,'' his elementary teacher grabbed his shoulder and shook him out of his trance. They were currently in art class and , since they were to young to understand anything about art theory quiet yet, were just allowed to draw something thematic. The teacher tasked them with drawing any animal. And Bell chose to draw a horse.
Gods...
It ... has been an age since he touched drawing. Not since the draft at least. Same with music.
It looked a little crooked, probably because his body lacked the motor function to perform some of the smoother movements necessary. Still, muscle memory was strong. A beautifully drawn and shaded horse was starring back at him.
''Bell, are you alright? After you drew your horse you stopped moving,'' his teacher asked, the other students starring at the situation with curiosity.
''Yes, Ms. Evengarde. I was just thinking about how I can make my picture more pretty,'' Bell told her.
''Well, with how intense you looked at it I was starting to worry. I have to say, you have a talent for art. If you want my suggestion. Try to draw a simple landscape. A plain grass field, maybe some fences as well. With how ... in the middle the horse is, it is clearly the focus point. You should further enhance that effect,'' Evengarde eagerly suggested at seeing him have used the golden ratio.
Bell nodded and she walked away to help someone else. He would dispose of it at the first opportunity.
---
He did not get to dispose of it at the first opportunity. His teacher sang her praised to his parents.
''Ms. Evengarde said that you drew a beautiful picture. Why haven't you told me you can draw. We would have supported your interests,'' Melina asked him, John nodded along.
He did not manage to dispose of the drawing. Ms. Evengarde requested the drawing and after that point it was outside his control. Things spiraled from there and she informed his parents.
''I didn't want to give you money trouble,'' Bell gave a lame excuse.
''Bell, unlike your friends family we are rich. Well, relatively speaking. Of course we would have supported you,'' John said passionately. He received a sharp elbow from his wife. He looked startled, but upon seeing her expression, he quickly began explaining.
''I mean, we are well off. Perhaps don't mention what I said to your friends. That is sure to sour our relationship with them.(*He chuckled a little nervously*) Still, do you want us to buy you some crayons ... or other equipment?,'' John gave him an open offer.
''I shall think about this some more. Some people are good at things without really enjoying them. I am done with my food,'' Bell told them, put the dishes in the sink and walked upstairs to his room. His parents watched him helplessly, not knowing what was going through his mind.
---
Bell was laying in his bed, starring at the ceiling.
It... felt good.
Drawing.
It felt really good.
He has missed it, perhaps more then he would like to admit.
...
Bell thought some more about ROBs task.
'Entertainment'.
A piece of work that will keep the viewers attention while the plot unfolds, either through suspense, pleasure, delight, comedy, tragedy or drama.
His training was progressing nicely, not as fast as he desired or wanted, but it was progressing sufficiently. Though he still needed to train, until he was confident enough in his abilities.
Bell stood up and checked if his door was closed then closed the rafters to the windows silently. Afterwards he began letting three small dense fireballs dance in the palm of his hand. The goal was to moderately increase the speed and never let the balls touch.
He knew what his longterm goal was now.
Hell is not real, heaven is not real either. As a semi religious person, that stung. One was cleansed of all and then chucked in a baby apparently.
No repentance.
That was unacceptable.
Actions had consequences.
If he could not repent in hell, then he can repent in continuing his work from his previous life. This time much better. Much, much better.
Bettering the lives of innocents.
Forcing enablers and complacent people to move their ass.
Exposing puppets.
Playing a game of cat and mouse with the leeches,burning down their empire around them and force them to helplessly watch as their precious luxury disappeared in front of their eyes. And then snuff their life as well.
A god was sure to like that. Seeing the arrogant fall. Seeing a herculean task being overcome.
And with this place being filled with powerful people, they may be yet a good fight or two.
ROB gets what he wants and Bell can cleanse his conscience at the same time.
But for that he needed information. Lots of information.
And more time.
Until such a time where his guilt was fully absolved he had no business enjoying himself or being close to people. Though granted he did fail in that at times.
The problem was that his focus was split. He had ideas on what to do.
Souls Games or the Fate series as well as a lot of other media is where he drew his creativity from. But his control over his energy was not yet good enough to do these things.
Nor was he smart enough to create for example, the fusion reactor from his previous world. He had entrusted scientist for that, while he fought a shadow war with the fossil fuel mafia.
He may have photographic memory, but comprehending that stuff was another matter.
He simply lacked the processing power to understand that stuff. But for all that he was a good software engineer, it was not like he could switch the CPU in his brain and then comprehend things faster and more. Much as he wishe...
...
...
'The imagination is your limit, the world your oyster'
Bell snuffed the flames and then facepalmed. Well, if nothing else he now had a long term goal and a short term goal one.
Enhanced processing speed was sure to solve pretty much most of his glaring and most immediate issues. It would also allow him to pick up some scientific knowledge, maybe even give him other ideas along the road. He could use these to dominate the market.
Perhaps he could already start disrupting the industry, by taking over the entertainment industry. Well most of it anyway. He knew it would be the easiest to disrupt.
No. No.
Now he was getting ahead of himself.
First, familiarize himself more with his energy so that he has the control to give himself that upgrade and then ... Well, he will see from there.
In that case, his drawing and capability to play music may come in handy as he recreates some of the movies he remembers from his previous life. He did become a little rusty after all.
Bell sighed.
Here he was being a hypocrite, when just a few moments ago he didn't want to touch anything that gave him joy.
Well, what else was new.
He felt unhappy, but knew he had to do it.
---
''Mother, Father. About last night... I wish to take you up on the offer. I also want to try my hand at music,'' Bell politely requested of them the next morning during breakfast.
Both John and Melina stopped eating, starring at him, before bursting in huge smiles and began immediately making plans to go with him on the weekend to a store in the city.
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It was not easy, getting the control on his energy to accomplish that, but after a year, he managed to do it.
He was 8 years old now and in second grade.
Bell was forced to actively stop his ability several times. Thoughts came and went way too fast, both fancy flights and actual ideas. It was not that he didn't comprehend it, it was just that the speed of thinking was unfamiliar and made his head spin around. That said, he now knew where every object in his room was down to the millimeter, thanks to both it and his photographic memory. Well, until he displaced the objects.
If nothing else it made it easier to plot and scheme, as well as gain control over his powers.
Good. Good.
Now....
''Noooooooo!!!,'' Melina screamed from downstairs. Bell immediately bolted downstairs arriving at the living room.
''What happened?,'' Bell asked her.
Her face was hollow and she painted at the TV.
Bell looked at it.
Oh.
It was his fathers plane. There was an accident.
---
Bell sighed softly a the funeral.
John was a good man.
...
He should take this as a lesson. Once he is better in his control, he should have a manner of watching over Melina. He felt he at least owed them that much. As he concluded several times, they were good parents, just not his parents. He knew if they could know his stance on them, they would weep, desiring nothing more then his unconditional love.
A shame, for they would not get that.
But he will at least ensure their well being. For Bell the matter was settled.
Melina pulled her son close to her as the casket was being lowered and the hole began to be filled with dirt. The priest was reciting the funeral rites.
She cried, Bell looked impassively. He was used to death around him. All once could offer the departed was fond memories of bygone times. The funeral itself was for the living , not the dead.
''Are you ok?,'' Gwen asked as she and Peter came over to him.
''I'm fine,'' Bell told her.
''It is alright to cry. If you need help we are there for you,'' Peter offered him.
''Ok,'' Bell replied frowning.
They were good kids. He was undeserving of them.
---
Bell supposed that calling themselves well off was no longer an accurate assessment. Melinas income was enough to put food in their belly, pay for the house and buy some clothes. But one hiccup and she ran the risk of going into debt.
In that case it was time to put his enhanced processing power to good use.
''This is more then we agreed to,'' Bell told an elderly woman a few houses removed from his own. Melina was working a little longer now and he used some of his time after school to gather money. It is not like any of the school material is actually challenging to him.
Not to save, but to invest.
''Take it. Take it. Dreadful what happened to your father. You are a good son, trying to help your mother,'' the elderly woman praised him. He was tasked with tending to her backyard and planting some flowers in her front yard.
Word got around, Bell supposed. It was 2004. People still had a sense of community. He doubted mother actually talked with this woman once in her life.
''No. A deal is a deal. Take this money back. I will only take what I am owed,'' Bell told her again.
''Oh, pish pash. I'm old. I'm going to die any day now and I have no grandchildren. Take the money young man or I will be cross with you,'' the old woman insisted.
Bell starred at her for a few seconds and then smacked his lips.
''Very well. If you are that happy with my work, I will take your generosity. Thank you,'' Bell said and pocketed the money.
The woman suddenly stroke his cheek tenderly.
''You poor boy. Forced to mature before your time. You will grow into a fine man one day,'' she said. Bell acted a little bashful.
''Thank you. But I have to go now. Please take care of yourself,'' Bell said his goodbye.
''You too. Come visit me again sometimes. I regularly bake cookies,'' she said.
''Maybe I will,'' Bell said as he walked away from her.
When he was far enough away from her, he scoffed. Fine young man, his ass.
Bell would not return there again.
---
Bell counted the money and sighed. It was only a partly 900. He still could not afford a PC. Then again he did make this money in two months. For a boy his age, this was a lot of money.
Still, now he had the PC in their home more often to himself.
Stark Industries.
Fisk Industries.
Oscorp.
Xaviers School for Gifted Youngsters.
Hammerhead.
Frost Pharmaceutical.
The most known names in the world, aside from the same as in his previous world.
All and one leeches.
It has been a high time coming looking up names like theirs. Not that he could do anything now. At least he now knew his enemies.
Then again, Xaviers school was a bit of a weird one. There was talk about some form of doctorate work published by him, but upon looking into the matter, he came upon nothing.
Clearly the government was involved.
He could hack them, he was a software engineer after all, but a) he did not have the right equipment and b) technology was a little bit all over the place. They already had plasma TV recently introduced, even if they haven't really quiet caught on yet. They were also a little expensive, but still reasonable affordable. Bell had to assume anything he found on the market would always perform less then their equipment. And be mighty expensive.
He could circumvent that if he proved a little creative with his powers.
Still, plasma TV. Nice.
Surely, there was a more advanced reactor to the public making electricity cheap or advanced waste disposal methods. Or a cure to cancer.
No?
Oh, shame ...and predictable.
While he was now progressing much faster in his training and ideas constantly springing forth and being worked over, it still took time since he had to do one task at a time.
He found a easy solution for that. Puppet clones or clones. That was the next thing he was currently working on. Though he was more inclined for puppet clones, trusting to have the processing power to use two bodies. He saw too many cartoon of clones developing their own conscience.
For a moment he contemplated using those clones more actively, but he quickly discarded that idea. Those puppet clones were only going to be background tools, easy to use and not making themselves too noticeable as their task was monotonous. Using them more actively was just ... too weird for him.
Way too weird.
So background tools they will remain.
Once he has the puppet clone ability down, he can begin looking into technomancy. He looked into some animes here, though he noticed that they are severely lacking in the entertainment department, so it should be even easier to take over the industry.
He can use those ideas, to both spy and spread his influence. It should be easy then to look more properly into those names once he was able to do that.
It was foolish after all, to engage in a war without intel.
Bell sighed. He could not wait until he had enough money saved.
Ding 15x.
Bell closed his eyes and hid the money in his drawer.
''What?,'' Bell asked after he opened the door.
''Come play with us,'' Peter demanded.
Bell sighed.
Gwen kicked him in the shin.
''Mommy said you need some fun. We will make you laugh!,'' Gwen told him and dragged him out. He stood his ground, but reluctantly followed after them when Peter began dragging him as well.
''I'm having fun by getting kicked in the shin?,'' Bell asked them.
''Well, if you wouldn't be so lazy, we wouldn't have to kick. Simple. No?,'' Gwen explained to him.
''We? There is no we! You are the only one that beats anyone up,'' Peter complained.
Preach brother, Bell nodded along. The two of them should rise in rebellion and fight against her oppression. Strike down her tyranny!
''Well, daddy said, you are not supposed to beat girls,'' Gwen defended herself.
''Excellent argument. Can't argue against that,'' Bell mused. How did she consider that an appropriate defense for her action, Bell did not know. Peter shot him a betrayed look.
''Well, that is done then. Tag. You are it,'' Gwen touched Bell and then ran away. Peter as well.
Bell sighed. He was not getting rid of them that easily, huh?
Bell began chasing after them.
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When they were all 9, Evelyn contracted cancer. Bell was the first to pick up on it. He has progressed massively, though there is always more room for improvement. And more to pick up. The cancer did not develop far enough to be dangerous or make themselves noticed. He promptly removed the cancerous cells.
It did raise the question of how far, he would go to help the innocents and in what manner.
In the end he determined not to run around like a desperate hound thirsting for his bone.
If he stumbled upon someone in need of help, he would help them as best as possible. Otherwise, it was systemic and cultural change that bring the most help to the people. That was the best way to affect almost all people.
He did not reveal this knowledge to her, for he sought neither praise or acclaim. Nor did he deserve any.
There were countless unsung heroes in the annals of history, whats another one to the list.
---
Still a few months after that, the Stacys moved out. George has gotten a promotion. He was now a police captain and would get paid more money. But it did mean he had more duties and needed to be closer to his work place. It was also closer for Evelyn to her work place.
Gwen and Peter weeped and acted like the world was ending. Bell watched the drama from the side.
They were still hanging around together at school, but it was no longer the same. The boys grew a little distant to Gwen and Peter was getting more frustrated with Bell.
That suited Bell just fine.
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Bell watched the news and considered the past three years. He was 12 now. It was over. He was no longer friends with Peter and Gwen. Well, not that they made it official and said it outright, but they drifted apart. Peter stopped coming to his house to pester him at least.
Things are just as they should be now.
Two years ago he went to his mother and asked her to buy him a PC with the money he saved. She would not buy it until one year later, thinking he was too young to have a PC.
Still, once he had the PC he immediately got started with technomancy.
Enhanced brain processing power OP. Pls don't nerf.
Just to have an idea of how powerful that ability was, Bell was sure that given enough time he would have come up with the string theory himself. Though unlike Einstein it probably would have taken him much, much, much longer. Even with his ability. There were still limits to this ability, but still.
He picked technomancy up quickly and got to work.
He did not immediately hack all the names he looked up when he was younger, much as he wanted to. There was danger involved in that and Bell was cautious enough that he wanted more practice and experience with his abilities before he was confident enough that his chances of getting caught was zero.
No, instead he chose to create a YouTube account in 2007. Raezen. After some deliberation he created a puppet clone to lurk in the digital space and recreate movies from his past life.
It was only poetic that the first series he will publish was a critique on capitalism, so he released 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners'. It received some success, but from there on out he published more and more and he was getting better and better in his ability.
He even released some games too on Steam, Dark Souls 1-3 and many other games.
His popularity only grew and his audience growing day by day, though it will take some time until he can actually damage the entertainment industry.
Still after 1 year of that he was confident enough to hack the names. Which he did recently.
He find out nothing that he didn't already suspect.
But he did find Xaviers doctorate work in S.H.I.E.L.Ds servers. Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. Tasked with safe guarding the earth by accounting for dangerous individuals and potential containment.
Bell scoffed when he found out about them.
Cute.
They were just another government body, that was only there to further the leeches interest.
Still, S.H.I.E.L.D was aware that there were people called mutants, people possessing the so called X-Gene, that granted one a random assortment of power. They even had tier levels ranging from Epsilon class all the way to Omega class. They have worked to keep the public ignorant about them and largely succeeded in that.
Fascinating people, really.
He doubted S.H.I.E.L.D has kept them secret out of the goodness of their heart or to 'avoid social strife and civil war'. There was probably a lot of nefarious experiments going on. Hard for the public to raise protest when one was unaware of someones existence.
There were also the X-Men as he found out by hacking into the 'school' servers. Though calling it a school was a disservice. It was more like a fortress.
Hm?
Bell smiled in amusement as the news reported Tony Stark to have been kidnapped by terrorist in Afghanistan.
The death of a leech. What could be more amusing. Granted there will still be the board of directors, but still.
Bell hoped to hear the good news of his death.
---
''Effective immediately I will shut down the weapon and manufacturing devision...,'' Obadiah Stane came to say something in the microphone and interrupted Stark. False assurances or whatever.
Bell scoffed.
So the rich boy, has seen what his weapons have bought and now he has a guilty conscience and wants to make up for it.
...
Wait, that sounded familiar.
Bell scowled.
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''Hammerhead is holding a presentation to demonstrate his Iron Legion. Can we go Aunt May? The tickets are not expensive,'' Peter asked her.
May looked at Ben.
''I suppose we could. We should invite the Stacys and O'Quinns as well. It has been some time since we all gathered around,'' Ben relented.
''Well, it is settled then. Peter go invite the O'Quinns. We will call the Stacys,'' May instructed him. Peter nodded, though he was not enthusiastic.
---
DingDingDing.
Bell opened the door and was surprised at seeing Peter.
''Hello Bell. The three of us plan on going to Hammerheads presentation. The Stacys may come as well. Do the two of you want to come as well?,'' Peter asked him feeling a little awkward.
Before Bell could answer, Melina came to the door as well.
''Peter! It is good to see you. It has been a while. What brings you here young man?,'' Melina asked him.
Peter recounted his proposition.
''Of course we will come. Bell and I would be delighted to. I will call Aunt May to has out any of the details,'' Melina quickly accepted and Peter walked away thankful to be done after this awkwardness, after saying his goodbyes.
''Must we really go?,'' Bell asked her. It was just a leech peacocking. And with the one sided rivalry between him and Stark, it was essentially just a dick measuring contest between them. He had no interest in that.
''Yes, Bell! We will go. End of discussion!,'' she replied heatedly. She was starting to really worry about her son and would love for the three children to reconciliate.
Bell kept his mouth shut.
---
Bell should have shut it down immediately when he noticed that the robots began getting hacked. In his mind he hoped the leeches would die from that, though that was no excuse.
He became too bloodthirsty again.
Bell threw his hoodie over one robots head who was just about to shoot Peter. It just so happened to shoot into the sky, destroy parts of the ceiling and the falling rabble destroyed the robot in turn. As well as a lot of other iron legions alongside it. No human was harmed.
Since the robots 'malfunctioned' he may as well interfere further. The iron legion began shooting at each other. Or into objects that would come to destroy them.
And it just so happened that more iron legions focused shooting at Iron Man as well. Strange that.
Bell slapped the shell shock Peter.
''Get a grip. We need to find Gwen and the others. Get up, follow me and give me your hoodie,'' Bell instructed. Peter got out of his shock and did as he was instructed, trembling, terrified out of his shoes.
Peter began following after Bell, ducking behind rubble and watching as the Iron Legion harmed each other more then they did anything else.
...
Eventually, rather quickly, as Bell knew where everyone was at all times thanks to his senses, they found Gwen. The adults were pushed outside, but they still being small were more able to slip in between the cracks and gaps.
Bell scowled at seeing Gwen cover as a robot was about to stamp her. What was with everyone freezing up in critical situations. He knew about the fight or flight response, but still.
Bell jumped on the robot, delivered a kick to the back of its knee and pulled him with the hoodie around his face into a rebar, impaling it.
Bell grabbed Gwens arm and began dragging her after him, Peter following him.
...
Once they were outside it took a while for them all to find each other again. Melina bolted and hugged her son, the other guardians mirroring her gesture with their own charges.
''Where is daddy?,'' Gwen asked afraid to hear the answer.
''Easy, Gwen, easy. Your father is fine, but he has returned inside to look for you as well as restore order. The police has arrived recently,'' Evelyn explained to her.
''Are you all fine,'' May asked. Peter nodded quickly after swallowing.
''Bell saved us. He was like a hero,'' Peter suddenly burst.
''Don't mention it,'' Bell quickly intervened, before anyone could recount what happened.
''But...''
''Seriously, don't. It is not worth mentioning. In any case, none of us is harmed and we all had a crazy day. We should return and let our mind and body rest,'' Bell shot his objection down and then swiftly turned around and walked off. Melina followed him quickly after saying her goodbyes and well wishes.
---
Once they were home, Peter went to the living room and slammed his head softly on the desk and groaned.
''Peter? Peter? I thought none of you were harmed!,'' May asked hims worried, quickly coming to check on him. Ben calmly closed the door behind them, recognizing what the true issue was.
''No, aunt May. It is not that,'' Peter murmured.
''Then what is it, Peter,'' May continued to ask worried.
''The boy has a guilty conscience, May. He did not take our words to heart about Bell being a good friend,'' Ben told her, sitting opposite Peter.
''Peter!,'' May exclaimed shocked,'' You told me two were still good friends.''
Peter groaned again.
''What is your justification for abandoning him?,'' May began tearing into him.
''He is frustrating! He never initiates any interaction, the two of us have to do that constantly. And then, when he does participate it is always with reluctance. He hates us!,'' Peter raised his head and told her heatedly.
''Peter, I told you some people have difficulty with showing their love. That doesn't mean he doesn't possess love for you and Gwen. Maybe he does not have the same interests as you or does not share your enthusiasm for them. The fact that he participated in the activities anyway is telling enough. It is not like you three tried out a lot of things,'' May patiently explained, feeling frustrated.
''Well, he could have spoken up,'' Peter dismissed rudely.
''Peter!,'' May exclaimed,''That is not how I raised you.''
''Let me speak to the boy a little, May,'' Ben held up his hand placatingly.
May huffed, but took a seat next to Ben as she looked at Peter with some disappointment.
''You know, Peter, you father was much the same as Bell, when we where younger. God he could be frustrating at times. It was hard to know what was going on in his head. But i knew he loved me. You know why? (*Peter shook his head*) Whenever it counted the most, he was the first there to offer support. People show their love in many ways, but the best way to observe it is through actions. Telling and making gestures is not enough, you must act on that love. Tell me of how Bell saved you two and think about how he acted,'' Ben told him.
Peter looked at the table a little ashamed.
''He could have just walked away... Gwen and I were terrified and yet he looked completely calm. it was ... It was like his only concern was our well being and he moved with that singular purpose. If anything we were a burden to him,'' Peter said with a small voice.
Ben nodded.
''There were many adults and you were yet children. Practically teenagers, but children still. None of these people stopped to help you and pushed us away from you. You are right, Bell could have walked away, if he was as calm as you say. But do you know what I think? (*Peter looked at Ben*) He was just as terrified as you were. His love for you two, gave hims strength to move.... It came so naturally, that he did not even want your thanks. As if his actions were self explanatory.
Peter, love is not a fairy tale of sunshine and rainbows. Love is wonderful, but it hurts more than anything else.
Think on that will you. Bell was right, you should go to sleep. We all had a crazy day. Hm?,'' Ben nodded towards him and Peter reluctantly piked himself up, going upstairs.
''I'm surprised you haven't instructed him to become friends with Bell again,'' May remarked when they heard the door close.
Ben put her hands in his reassuringly.
''Bell is a good child. He just has some difficulties expressing himself. We can't force the three of them together if they don't try to be friends in earnest. May, I know you want whats best for them, but right now we can only wait and hope,'' Ben told her patiently. May was still worried, but eventually nodded.
---
''How is she?,'' George asked when he came home from work.
''Sleeping off her scare, but otherwise fine. Bell was the one who saved the two, but Bell walked off before Peter could recount what happened,'' Evelyn told him making him a small meal.
''Well, in that case I'm grateful to him. But I still want details. From Peter or Gwen. No reason to trouble our little hero,'' George sat down and released a sigh.
''George,'' Evelyn warned him.
''I'm not mocking the boy. I'm thankful to him. Truly. Sorry if that came off as sarcastic,'' George explained the misunderstanding. Evelyn gave a sharp nod.
''With the situation resolved, I can only assume you already have the headcount. How many dead?,'' Evelyn asked apprehensively.
''None. Not even a single critically injured person. Only 7 people had some minor injuries,'' George shared with her. She starred at him surprised.
''I know, right. I am as surprised as you. But no, I'm serious. We are talking about a miracle here. If nothing else, Hammerheads reputation is in complete tatters now,'' George further told her.
Evelyn slacked in complete awe.
''I'm sure you must like that. As a nurse you probable dreaded going to work tomorrow, what with all that workload,'' George joked.
''I have been wondering why I have not been called in as an extra pair of hands to help. Huh,'' Evelyn blinked. George put his hand over hers and clenched it a little.
''I'm glad you two are safe,'' George sincerely told her.
''Now you know how we two feel every now and then,'' Evelyn joked, but clenched his hand back.
...
Gwen hugged the blanket to her chest.
He was ... so cool and heroic.
And a small part of her admitted, even cooler then her father.
She buried her face in her pillow.
---
A few days later school began again.
Bell closed the cabinet mirror and starred at himself. And at his face. He sighed.
Hopefully thinks have returned to normalcy as things should be.
...
He spied, Gwen and Peter at the schools entrance. They spied him in turn and quickly ran up to him. He observed them. They were now all 14... and they talked animatedly to him. With an eagerness and resoluteness that was not there before.
Oh.
Bell sighed mentally.
He was no longer going to get rid of them, was he?
A small part of Bell like the fact that he had friends again.
He immediately squashed that feeling and replaced it with disgust and guilt for himself.
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Now 15, he began training earnestly and with a fervor and zeal not seen or possessed before. Melina now fully trusted him. And whenever he was not hanging out with his friends, much as he felt like scum for doing so, he went to the sewers and trained.
Sometimes he even went at night, sneaking out and about to sneak into the sewers. There he trained, acquiring excellent control over his energy. Now it was only a matter of manipulating it to a greater degree seen up till now.
And knowledge. That he also needed a lot off. There was never enough knowledge for one. One could never have enough of it.
Lifelong learning after all. There was always room to grow. but know he felt confident enough to engage in fight at least.
Today he did not sneak out into the sewers. He was returning home, choosing to forego teleportation and walk through the city.
Some times it was nice to walk with ones face in their phone and take in the scenery.
Hm?
Bell stopped a little, observing across the street into 'Papi's Pizzeria'.
He recognized that face. How could he not. Everyone recognized Stan Lees face, even if one was not a comic fan. He did after all create the most popular hero, even if not the most iconic. Bell knew about Stan Lees cameos. And that he was supposedly someone very powerful in the marvel verse. A god maybe.
Hm.
Bell resumed his walk back home.
No.
Whatever the case, it was not right for him to indulge his curiosity. Not until he repented. He was already indulging too much, what with having two friends and now somewhat earnestly participating in activities.
For all that he was thankful for that, he felt dirty.
Bell sighed and kicked a pebble.
His thoughts were all over the place.He was a mess, wasn't he?