As soon as taxi with John drove away, light, playful atmosphere between two girls evaporated, replaced by icy tension. Fake smiles disappeared, and postures became harder.
"You have gotten quite sloppy, little sister," Natasha said in icy tone, her voice losing all warmth. "Damsel in distress? Such a hackneyed cliche."
"It worked, did it not?" Yelena snapped back. "Unlike your dramatic entrance, as if you are filming motorcycle porn commercial. What, by the way, does your director want from this guy?"
"Not for Valentina's lapdog to ask about that," Natasha parried. "Do your orders still include 'liquidate in case of failure due to ugliness and emotional range of plank'? Or has CIA gotten smarter?"
Air between them seemed to crackle with static electricity. Few more seconds and they would have clawed at each other's throats right in middle of street. But both were professionals to bone. Personal conflict, whatever it was, should not interfere with mission. Measuring each other with final, poison-filled glance, they silently walked away in different directions.
Of course, already within couple minutes leadership of both girls would learn about competitors' work. But this would not affect mission goal. On contrary. Now this turned into personal rivalry. And neither of them intended to lose.
Sitting in taxi that carried me to university, I reflected on fateful meeting that just occurred. Brain under NZT still worked at limit, analyzing every nuance.
Natasha Romanoff. SHIELD. This is good. I attracted attention of predictable, bureaucratic monster. Clear that primarily because of fake Fisk, but this is temporary. Soon they will learn about "Proteus," and then my value in their eyes will grow exponentially. Mountain came to Muhammad itself.
As for CIA, Yelena and her boss... This option I did not even consider. They work too dirty, Project Sentinel alone is worth something. I am practically certain that Yelena has order for my liquidation in case of failed recruitment. SHIELD in this regard looks much more adequate. They prefer to collect assets, not create martyrs.
Worth perhaps considering terms of working with them. What I can offer, what I definitely will not reveal... But let them marinate for couple days. I have things to do. Needed to channel thoughts into more constructive direction.
I closed eyes, disconnecting from streets flashing outside window, and opened system window. Balance of 1150 OP pleasantly warmed soul. Time for risky game. I clicked on already familiar option: "Forge Reality!" From my account 650 OP was immediately deducted, and notification appeared in return. I eagerly stared at description of dropped information package.
[Obtained information package (common) - Entity Crafting (Wakfu). (Unlocking information package costs 500 OP)]
Ancient craft allowing extraction of essence and energy from natural components—monster parts, rare plants or minerals—and weaving them into weapons, armor and artifacts. Key principles:
Principle of Inheritance: Created equipment directly receives key properties and abilities of creature or material from which it is made. Armor from hide of fireproof monster will resist fire; weapon from claw of superfast predator receives bonus to attack speed.
Principle of Essence: Quality, durability and strength of final item directly depend on power of source material. Stronger and rarer creature was, more powerful will be equipment created from it.
Principle of Synergy: Skill allows intuitive understanding of how best to combine various components. You can combine organic materials with each other or, using your scientific knowledge, connect them with modern technologies (alloys, polymers, electronics), creating unique techno-organic hybrids.
Yes. Finally. Skill that fully justified system name "Celestial Forge"! Crafting skill, but still with nuances... This is something completely new. Not just science, but... alchemy. This will not make me full-fledged blacksmith, but potential of this skill is limitless. Every exotic enemy, every monster I might encounter now becomes not just threat, but walking treasure trove.
And not enemy either... My brain, already working at limit, now operated in completely new categories. Take, for example, conditional Groot. Borrow small splinter from him, process it, extract "essence" and with help of this skill weave living fibers into structure of composite material, same "Proteus." Will it be possible this way to create active self-regeneration? Will bullet hole in armor overgrow in several minutes, drawing energy from light and moisture in air, like living tree bark?
And Frost Giants from Jotunheim? Fragment of their bone or piece of skin is unique material, natural thermoelectric converter absorbing heat and generating cold. Create gloves from this material, integrate system of miniature heat exchangers into them, and output can be artifact that not just protects from cold. At my command it will be able to actively extract heat from environment, concentrating it and releasing directed stream of absolute zero. Instantly freeze anything, create ice barriers, cool overheated equipment. Passive property of material will turn into active, controllable weapon.
I am not even mentioning what can be created with symbiote. By the way, will need to definitely ask Peter about his parents, because there seems to be no son of J. Jonah Jameson returning from space in this world. And somewhere here exist also dragons, even if this is connected with Asian arc. Exotic alien races... even vampire blood theoretically can somehow be used!
And most importantly, if this is really crafting skill, will I finally be able to proceed with work on unique ores? Uru, adamantium, vibranium... They are too valuable and have been lying idle too long. According to skill description, unlikely, it is more about organics. But even so, this is excellent foundation that will allow me to work with unique materials in future.
Price was high for common skill, but potential is limitless. I have exactly 500 OP. Unlock!
Headache, despite package being "common," turned out noticeable. Different. Not like from loading pure science. This was like migraine from rewritten laws of physics. My brain desperately tried to reconcile thermodynamics with concept of "essence" and "inheritance." Not surprising, since this is essentially first skill allowing me to interact with mysticism. Together with previously obtained scientific knowledge and principle of synergy, its effectiveness should grow many times.
Where now to obtain unique materials... Another coin in piggy bank of interaction with SHIELD. They definitely should have something interesting in their storerooms.
Speaking of SHIELD. Interesting, do they know about alien civilizations? If they knew, they would hardly have let Reed Richards go on his space expedition. But Hyperion already exists on Earth, so people already have questions. However, why guess. When brave five explorers return to Earth, no longer quite human, everything will become clear.
Pushing away thoughts, I noted that taxi just pulled up to university. Texting Gwen, I got out and stood near building, waiting for her.
She came out in about seven minutes. In white laboratory coat that surprisingly looked absolutely harmonious and even stylish on her. I constantly forget that in this world Gwen Stacy is not just spider-girl waving fists. She is also brilliant biochemist. Another plus that she will become part of our team. Our small scientific collective was becoming more and more balanced. Peter, genius of biochemistry and idealist. I, pragmatist engineer. And she, ideal bridge between our worlds. Each of us covered blind spots of others.
"So what? Decided where we will have wedding? I am for Maldives. Paris is too hackneyed," I greeted her with wide, disarming smile.
Actually I was not completely hitting on Gwen. Well, maybe only partially. Just after brief meeting with two sexy spies wanted to channel my turbulent young energy in communication with girls. Gwen was already going through difficult period: she lost father, recently killed people and desperately searched for her place in world. She clearly had no time for relationships. But nothing prevented me from lifting her and my mood.
"Very funny," she rolled eyes, but I noticed how corner of her lips trembled in smile. "Let us settle on format where we are just colleagues in... um, team?"
"We will return to that too. But first I have important news," I looked around, making sure no one was paying attention to us, and lowering voice to half-whisper, continued. "Fisk is alive."
"Fuck!" Gwen cursed, her face instantly became hard. "But how?! We personally..."
"Meta-mercenary who took his appearance. Details not important. Question is that problem is not solved."
"And? What will we do?" fire flashed in her eyes.
"We will not get involved in this. At least not headlong," I said firmly.
"But..."
"Yes, I know. Revenge for father. Your motives are clear. And considering blood already on hands, you crave just retribution. But there is another person for whom Blade started this purge."
"Frank..." Gwen guessed correctly.
"Exactly. His entire family was killed. He himself was tortured almost to half-death. He miraculously survived, and if not for my medicine, unknown when he would have come out of coma. He has more rights to this revenge than all of us combined."
"Medicine... capable of curing that?!" she looked at me in shock. "I... you... Ugh! Each meeting with you amazes me more and more."
"Thank you for compliment. You are not bad either. But back to business. Fisk most likely will be handled by Frank. Blade, I understand, plans to leave country. And they can seriously come after you and me. More precisely, they already came after me..."
"What? Everything is so serious? Can I help somehow?" sincere alarm sounded in her voice.
"Mmm, I do not think so. Just do not stand out for now. And," I looked directly into her eyes, "do not agree to dubious offers if they do not come from me. Understood? Now memorize Base address and how to get there. In coming days I will constantly be there."
Having transmitted all necessary information to Gwen and notified her that my phone would be unavailable, I headed to buy burner number and phone.
Then stopped by home to leave my old device there. Entering apartment, I froze. Subconsciousness, sharpened by recent NZT intake and attention to details from master watchmaker, sounded alarm. Book on table lay at different angle. Chair was moved by centimeter. Barely perceptible trace of foreign antistatic hung in air. There were guests here. Obviously installed wiretap, and possibly cameras. Staying here was suicide.
Ordering taxi again, I returned to Base. Only Blade and still unconscious Frank were there.
"Your buddy went off to family," Blade explained Peter's absence. "Says he worries about uncle and aunt. But he did a lot of good, worked from heart. Whole shelf of pills and stimulators prepared."
"Understood. He, by the way, is now not only comrade on team."
"Oh? Spider-girl could not resist your charms, and you lured her into your web?"
"If only. Rather, she just does not know where to go now, so clings to whatever meaning of existence."
"Quite grandiloquently you put it," Blade chuckled. "Say simply: wants to continue kicking bandits' asses, wants revenge for father and at same time have support behind back."
"Well, that is what I meant. Speaking of revenge..."
"Revenge..."
Voice that sounded in silence of base was like scraping of gravel on metal. Blade and I sharply turned. Frank Castle opened eyes. He jerked, immediately trying to sit up, and his gaze, full not of surprise but cold fury, bored into us. He was in unfamiliar room with other people. And his first word was promise.
"Brother, lie still, do not jerk!" Blade rushed to Frank, gently but insistently laying him back on couch. "You are still in most active phase of healing potion from John. Body is reassembling itself."
"Watchmaker..." Frank rasped, his gaze focused on me, then on my watch. He nodded to his thoughts.
"Well, yes, his watch is fly. But now we are talking about you. So, here is situation..."
To measured, heavy breathing of Frank, who listened with emotionless face, which was much more frightening than if he was fountaining with rage, Eric told him everything. About Kingpin, about Fisk, about how we "killed" him, but in reality, not him.
"And in end, we sort of avenged you and your family, exposing our asses, but in fact, no. So all this mess now will have to be sorted out by you."
"Thank you... both..." Frank said dryly, again immersing in his thoughts. "I will handle rest myself."
"Clear that yourself. I am leaving country tomorrow already. But do not despair. Just know that I am always ready to help. And John already became one of us. Think he will not refuse to solve question or two."
"Will not refuse," I nodded in agreement. Establishing trusting relationship with specialist of Frank Castle's level was worth a lot. "Weapon modification, suit creation, combat stimulants and healing potions supply. Contact me, Mr. Castle."
"Right-right, he is brainy guy!" Blade nodded. "He even has his own club forming here."
"Yes... True, they can squeeze both me and club at any moment," I destroyed moment, scratching back of head.
"In what sense?" Blade frowned.
"Well, remember I said hunt for me might start? So... Seems it started."
"What makes you think so? Notice something?"
"Yes. Today at exit from lawyers ran into two girls. Blonde and redhead. Blonde has unnaturally dense muscle corset. Level of weak super soldier."
"Fuck, redhead..." Blade groaned. "Most likely this is Romanoff from SHIELD! Always all problems from redheads! And then what? You ran into them, and they?"
"Well, we chatted a bit. I laughed at absurdity of situation, told them creepy joke and bailed."
"Actually yes, really turned out funny," Blade chuckled. "One from SHIELD, and second, apparently, from other agency. But you by the way got lucky. They want to recruit, since they sent Natasha. She is from their top league. Would seduce even eunuch-impotent-gay."
"I think same way. And most likely will cooperate with SHIELD, but on my terms."
"Oh, this is sound thought," Eric nodded approvingly. "I like also cooperate with one agency, MI-13, British analogue of SHIELD. If you represent something, then essentially your life does not change much. Just more resources appear, and they will blow dust off you."
"Exactly. Small matter remains, to start representing something," I answered with sigh.
"No-no, kid, no self-deprecation!" Blade sharply interrupted me. "You built me magic suit in one night and brewed miracle medicine. You think Stark capable of something similar? You are asset worth hundreds of billions, trust my eye!"
"Hah, thanks, you encouraged me. Will think in general what to do."
"And what is there to think? Offer them your miracle fabric, and they will flow from your awesomeness!"
"I also think in this direction. Preliminary patent already sent, waiting for them to swallow bait. But I need more technologies. I do not want to stop at just one fabric. I want to be in their eyes asset level of Tony Stark and Reed Richards combined. And I also need personal strength so they do not kill me before recruiting."
"Oh, will you craft something now?" Blade asked with interest.
"Yeah. If anything, I can now go 'into flow,' so shake me if something is needed," I answered, heading to laboratory and already scrolling through blueprints and formulas in head.