NOVEL WEB Chapter 6 Checking up on someone and finding the Morlocks
Chapter 6: Checking up on Someone and Finding the Morlocks
I look through a window of a store. I can see her. She's running the cash register. She has the shift in the latter part of the day. Nobody could normally tell that there was something wrong, but she's my sister. So I can. I took a risk coming to check on her. And also, place a marker on her with [Search]. I may be mostly a different person, but I'm still Axel. And I would have to be a monster to let something happen to her. So I'll keep an eye out for any threats. Also, her circumstances are special. The main reason I was even there in the alley when 'It' happened, was because I was doing something for her. She had asked me to run an errand, and I had. But I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And I ended up getting framed. We both know that, and she feels awful about what happened. But it was something we couldn't tell our family because it was something that we couldn't say that we were doing...
I don't know the situation with the victim, but I should probably find a way to contact her. There's probably a reason that she testified that I was the one and not that smug piece of **** that was the one who actually did it. Maybe he has something on her. I should be aware of every variable before I make my move. I plan to wait a month or two, maybe more, before making any big moves. I'll wait to figure out for sure what is going on with what happened when the explosion happened and I and the other prisoners disappeared...
"..."
I sigh as a thought comes to mind. And I realize my stupidity. I could have framed it as a more believable accident by making their bodies burn up in the explosion. Well, too late now. That was six days ago. I need to focus on the future instead of the past. But it's good to learn from my mistakes.
Going back to the guy who framed me, I plan on making his life a living hell. I am a nice person, Both Axel, (The person this body originally belonged to) and me. But he did something truly awful. And pinned it on me. And even made that girl say it was me. And all that hate is doubled because of Axel's situation, and mine. Axel was framed and most of his family practically disowned him. And when I awoke I was in the body of someone who would be in prison for a long time because of an awful crime. But to add insult to injury, he was innocent!
Looking back at her, I sigh. I'll reveal myself to her in the future, but that's later. Much later. If I do it now, there'd be trouble. I think about my situation again and feel slightly guilty. I had essentially taken over the body of someone she knew. I think. I'm not sure. I have their memories and my own, but I'm more me than Axel. So I don't think that my memories were suppressed. So that means the real Axel is probably dead...
I sigh again and leave. I'll come back when I'm ready to.
.....
I found them. I placed a marker on some people with powers in the hopes they would lead me to the Morlocks, and I was right. I have been focusing on the people with markers. Combined with [ConsciousnessControl X-gene] I am able to place more markers and get a better understanding of where they are, what they are doing, and what they feel. After getting the X-gene from that guy I ran into, I realized that I was only barely using [Search] to its full potential. I also realized that the combination of the two means I'm close to having a quirk awakening. The only reason I haven't is because I only just got this quirk. I haven't used it enough.
So [Search] is already at the point where it wants to awaken, but being the cheat I am, I skipped the requirement everyone checks first. Training the quirk. I only just got it, so it'll take time for it to awaken.
Using my greater ability to get a sense of the location of people with whom I've placed markers, I was able to feel when one of them moved underground. I kept my focus on them and was almost sure that they were a Morlock. So when he went back up to the surface, I followed him. He bought food, water, and basic supplies, then went back underground. He didn't know, but I was following him.
I've been thinking about how I should introduce myself if they find me. I needed to come up with a believable excuse. And I decided that my story would be that I followed them because of my powers. I've decided my power will be a combination of [Search] [Scanning] and [WarpGate]. I can see who's a mutant, track people, and teleport me and others. A very useful power. I have kept tracking the guy whose power I originally stole, and he hasn't made any noticeable moves. I kept an eye on him after he was found collapsed in an alley, and from what I've heard, he has memory loss. He is also extremely unlikely to be a member of the Morlocks. So I should be safe.
I follow behind him until we reach an alley. He then opens a manhole cover and crawls down. Then he closes the top. I wait for around two minutes before following. Since I can track his location, I can track his movements. I watch what tunnels he goes down, and I follow a great distance behind. I don't want to be discovered. I look down the pitch-black tunnel with the flashlight I got from the store I robbed. It's pitch black. Eventually, he stops. I wait, then eventually he continues moving. I'm cautious that maybe something alerted him, but it's probably nothing. I continue until I eventually get to a large opening. It's a huge underground room. It looks like an old bunker. Probably from the Cold War. I look around with [Scanning]. It's not night vision, but I can see people's energy, even in the dark. So if there's someone here...
I look around and see no one. Absolutely no one. But that doesn't mean no one's here. I decide to walk further into the tunnel network. I continue to follow the guy until I hear voices. I look around the corner and see him talking to four others. One of them is obviously a mutant, with large deformed arms. I take the opportunity and place markers on them. Deciding that I've got a good enough Idea about where the Morlocks are located, I turn around and walk back down the way I came to go back to the surface.
.....
After finding the Morlocks location, I should find other points of interest. But right now, I need to get stronger. Training my powers is a good start. But I have an intelligence-enhancing quirk, why not use it? All For One let his doctor friend do almost everything related to science for him, but I won't do that. I have a system to aid me, so I'll learn everything myself. I may get help in the future, but it's best to learn everything myself.
After thinking things through some more, I decided that I should read books as a start. And have the system analyze it. The system itself started out with knowledge about basic stuff, but not as much as I would have liked. But with the system, I have a form of photographic memory. So books. Not the public library, but somewhere else... A thrift store? Not the one I robbed, but a different one. They should have some books there.
.....
After finding and buying books, I head back to my 'lair' and begin researching. After nearly the whole day had passed, I had a breakthrough. I was able to use [Overhaul] to create and separate alloys. I already knew the basic idea, but even with [ConsciousnessControl] I needed practice. It's honestly a miracle I'm even able to use [WarpGate] in the first place. It's a complicated quirk, but admittedly not as complicated as [Overhaul] is. But I guess I'm a natural.
I had been trying to separate elements from each other, but I finally succeeded when I split steel into carbon and iron, with a small amount of other materials left over. I succeded when I was able to see what their atomic structure looked like. I found a book that showed all the elements and what their atomic structure looked like. After that, I was able to separate Iron and Carbon and put the leftover random metals on the side. I'm unable to split molecules right now. And I seriously doubt I can split atoms. But who knows, I may be able to destroy the world on a whim in the future with a power I started out with. Without the need to steal powers from the X-men and Brotherhood of Mutants. Or maybe even Apocalypse.
After my success, I wonder how this can be used. Can I get pure gold? Even the purest Gold naturally has impurities. But can I get near 100% pure gold? Maybe even 100% pure? It's a possibility... Maybe I can in the future. And can I make a metal with no impurities? Maybe a blade with no imperfections?
The idea makes me smile. The more I think about the possibilities, I realize something. Adamantium. Would [Overhaul] work on it? It's nearly indestructible, but would it work on it? Maybe. Adamantium is nearly indestructible to physical forces. It doesn't do so well with heat. And in the comics, I remember Magneto tearing the adamantium right off of Wolverine's bones. So mutations can affect it. [Overhaul] directly manipulates matter, to deconstruct and reconstruct it. So the possibility not only exists, but it's high. Wait, can it affect Thor's hammer? Maybe. Most likely only the Deconstruction part would effectively work on it. I might be able to shatter his hammer as Hela did in the movies. Just imagining the look on his face if I did that makes another even bigger smile appear on my face.
After training almost the entire day, I go to the back room and eat some canned food that's in the crates I found in the warehouse. It's still good surprisingly. (Probably didn't get sick because of the Healthy Body quirk)
After I finish eating, I go lie down. I smile as I make future plans. I won't do anything major in the next month or two. Maybe three. But after that, I'll start making my first moves...
.....
A/N
I figured out that there are more possibilities for MC's growth thanks to the comment section. I plan to incorporate some of it in the future. And if anyone else has any ideas, just leave a comment.
I have decided to post this chapter a day early. I'll post the rest tomorrow. I have also made a new cover for my fanfic. It took a total of... 3-6 minutes. Turns out I don't suck at editing images in MS Paint. I posted this chapter early to get opinions about the new cover. The original cover kind of sucked. So I made a new one. If it's not there, it should be in a few hours.
[Minor Spoiler]
I have plans that when the MC gets to a certain point in the story, he'll find out about something. Every villain must have an arch-enemy. And he finds out about his. Any theories?