Thanks to the teleportation of Code: Electro, also known as Mr. Alternating Current, Ritsuka's group was able to safely return to the Resistance headquarters.
"The plan to eliminate the Celtic queen reached me too late," said the man who saved them. "I trusted them, but I didn't expect them to fail. Apparently, that so-called Mad King still bothered me."
His body was half-hidden by golden armor, along which – justifying his codename – barely noticeable electrical discharges ran.
"Thank you for the rescue, Mr. Alternating Current. I didn't think there was a magical device capable of transporting people whole. It would have been much easier to deliver the wounded to the rear with its help."
Nightingale thanked him on behalf of the exhausted Mash. Tesla, in response, merely laughed with overwhelming arrogance, as if he had done a trivial thing.
"For a genius like me, saving those in distress is a matter of course! That cat-headed idiot with his direct current wouldn't even have shown a sign of wanting to help. Only I can do this. Even mediocre mages from the Clock Tower couldn't replicate this! Hahaha!"
"[Although our ley-shift system is working properly, we... will probably leave that aside...]"
Romani, listening to Tesla's boasting, preferred not to remind him that Chaldea had even more advanced technology.
Watching Code: Electro badmouth "direct current" and "cat head," Romani's suspicions about his true identity were confirmed. His real name must be...
"Nikola Tesla. They say he was rivals with Edison. Edison's 'direct current' versus Tesla's 'alternating current.' In the modern world, the effectiveness of Tesla's system was recognized, and it became the world standard. The father of electricity and the genius of the century who dared to transmit the power considered divine to humanity..."
Despite her magical exhaustion, Mash was able to provide an explanation without difficulty.
"So, wait. You're the guy who invented the electric chair?" Deadpool chimed in.
At the mention of the infamous execution device, Tesla's face contorted, and sparks danced on his golden arm.
"That's the invention of that cat-headed scumbag, created only to slander me!" he exploded. "He lied and spread panic, claiming that my ideal and efficient alternating current could only serve such sinister purposes! That damned scoundrel! But if you look at it differently – only my current has the power sufficient to carry out divine punishment! Fools. Let him mess with his 'direct current' for eternity! He could never escape his narrow cat-like thinking!"
Enraged, Tesla immediately changed from anger to mercy, resorting to sophistry, arguing that even such a horrific device proved the superiority of his alternating current, and continued to mock his rival.
"Wow. Just like me and Cable," Deadpool chuckled. "Ready to tear each other's throats out, but can't forget about each other."
While Tesla was enthusiastically scolding Edison, Mash, having recovered, approached him with Ritsuka.
"Is it true?" she asked, looking at him with worried eyes. "That Geronimo and the others... that the plan to assassinate Queen Medb failed?"
No matter how narcissistic Tesla was, he was still a Servant of the Resistance, and the death of his comrades couldn't help but affect him.
"It's true. I found out when I was fighting the mechanized legion. But it was too late. If I had been there, we would have succeeded! However, I must admit: the Mad King's power probably surpasses mine."
Mad King Cú Chulainn. He was behind it all. Queen Medb and the Mad King. Self-proclaimed monarchs leading the Celtic army to conquer North America, destroying and slaughtering everything in their path. Would they be able to reclaim the Holy Grail fighting against such monsters?
"I was just mentioning them," Tesla continued. "But grief must be hidden deep in the heart. We must immediately find the next move."
Tesla remained the only Servant in the Resistance ranks. No matter how great he considered himself, the remaining forces would not be enough to defeat the Celts. He had one option, but he hesitated to voice it aloud.
"You have an idea, Doctor Tesla?"
"Of course! But I will never say it out loud! If I say it... I feel like I'll hear that cat-head laughing from right here."
His reaction made it easy to guess what the plan was.
"[Well, of course!]" Romani's voice rang out. "[The great Tesla would rather swallow his tongue than suggest uniting with the King-President of the American Empire – his eternal rival and sworn enemy. After all, Edison for him... Oh! It burns!]"
"Cowardly upstart from another space! It seems you want to taste my alternating current!"
It's unknown how Tesla's discharges reached Chaldea, but Romani, rubbing the affected area, hurried to escape the scientist's wrath.
"What tactlessness on the part of that coward," Deadpool sighed, imagining Romani panicking somewhere in the depths of Chaldea. The plan was clear, all that remained was to act. But a problem arose.
"King-President... will Edison cooperate?" Nightingale doubted. "His motto is: 'Let's make America great – and only America!' He even drives unfortunate refugees into his workshops, exhausting them with hard labor."
Tesla frowned displeasedly.
"That's the whole point of the cat-head: he can't do or know anything else. But the assassination attempt failed, and the Mad King could show up here at any moment, having learned our coordinates. As much as I hate to admit it, we have no other choice."
"And it's too late to surrender, right?" Deadpool added his two cents.
Tesla exploded in a cry: he would rather die a hundred times and turn to dust than stoop to such baseness. The proposal was rejected.
"To convince him... Hmm... If you think about it, the King-President... he seemed ill," Nightingale said thoughtfully, recalling their meeting at the "White Castle" of Junkie Denver, where Edison fanatically insisted on creating a world "only for America."
"Ill?" Ritsuka, supporting Mash, asked.
Nightingale rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
"I'm talking about his beliefs. It's not even faith, but rather an obsession. I was bothered by this strange desire for prosperity only for his country, no matter what happened to the rest of the world. And then I thought about how exactly the King-President was summoned to this world."
Nightingale's words made everyone recall the story of Edison's appearance.
When the Celtic invasion began and Washington fell, America began to rapidly lose territory. The front line receded, the entire East Coast and half of the central states were captured. Finding themselves in a desperate situation, the nation resorted to extreme measures: to summon a powerful Servant, they united the bodies and souls of all the US presidents – from the first to the last – into a single entity. Thus, King-President Edison was born.
"Oh!"
Ritsuka seemed to realize something and raised her hand.
"That's right, Master. Great President Edison was summoned as a kind of concentration of obsession of all past presidents with the idea of 'protecting America.' That's why his mind became distorted, turning into a fanatical desire to create a world 'only for America.'"
Everyone nodded in agreement, listening to her explanation. Everyone except Tesla.
"I knew that cat head was capable of something like this! Ha! I am the genius of the century and the great father of electricity, I can manifest myself. And this worthless cat, this insecure thief, passing off others' work as his own… If the presidents had to sacrifice their lives for his summoning, then there's nothing to even talk about!"
Tesla's self-praise became more unbearable with each second. Nightingale, unable to stand it, slapped him, snatched her pepperbox revolver, and poked the barrel into his face.
"Silence. You talk too much. Do you want me to issue a referral for amputation due to a mental disorder? Or do you wish to undergo psychotherapy on an electric chair powered by your 'alternating current'?!"
Tesla was angered by such insolence, but impressed by the nurse's sternness and unwavering resolve, he merely raised his hands in silence.
"Alright. I'll try to restrain myself until I see this cat-headed guy in person."
The tension subsided, and the plan finally took clear shape.
"We'll break through to White Castle at express speed and fix Edison's mental state. If necessary, I'm ready to perform a brain transplant. After all, it's unlikely this uncouth beast's stubbornness can be broken otherwise."
The words sounded eerie, but the essence was clear: negotiate with Edison and make him cooperate.
"Excellent!" Tesla exclaimed. "If it were up to me, I'd teleport us to White Castle instantly, but this device is just a prototype. If I show it to the cat head, he'll steal it all again and pass it off as his own… In short, we need to find a way to get there at maximum speed."
Tesla was about to get worked up again, wanting to insult his rival, but upon meeting Nightingale's gaze, who was already fiddling with a bone saw, he immediately cooled down and jumped out of the tent.
"Henry! Henry! Sergeant Henry Ford! Where have you disappeared to?!"
Ritsuka's companions hurried after him, wondering whose familiar name he was shouting. Soon, at the arsenal, they found a soldier tinkering with some kind of carriage.
"Sergeant Ford! What are you doing?!"
"Ah, Mr. Tesla… " Ford said sheepishly, demonstrating his creation. "You see…"
"It's a horseless carriage," Ford continued. "But within this 'engine' lies the power of dozens of horses. I want to call it a 'horseless carriage.' What do you think? This is just a prototype for now…"
Tesla had already heard that they had once tried to ride such things in France. However, this specimen looked much more elegant, swift, and effective than anything he knew.
"Curious! And what does it run on? Is there a foal hidden inside?"
"No… You see… I haven't decided on the fuel yet."
Ritsuka's arriving group stared wide-eyed at the carriage.
"A car?" Ritsuka was the first to react.
"Henry Ford… Hmm… Henry… Ford… Oh! I think I understand who this is," Deadpool's face lit up with realization, but he didn't elaborate. Mash, though she had heard the name, saw the car for the first time and looked at it as a miracle.
"I'm taking it, Sergeant Ford! I grant you the honor of providing the prototype for my tests. And I'm promoting you two ranks at once."
Ford almost jumped for joy. Most impressive to him, of course, was the immediate promotion…
"Now, immediately gather the resistance forces and retreat to the second headquarters. The Celts will be here soon."
Despite the cramped space, six people, including Tesla, managed to squeeze into Ford's "horseless carriage."
"Uh… But there's no fuel…"
"Fuel is alternating current!"
Tesla sent a discharge through his golden armor, and the car miraculously came to life. There was a loud bang, as if something had exploded, but the prototype worked perfectly.
"Drive. Hurry."
"Yes, sir!"
Lieutenant Ford hurried off to gather the resistance fighters.
"Listen, this is kind of strange," Roman said. "As far as I know, Henry Ford and Edison were best friends. Edison even said that Ford was the only person, besides his wife, who truly understood his dreams… Ow!"
As soon as Roman chimed in, Tesla, whose nerves were on edge at the mention of Edison, scorched his rear end with an electromagnetic wave that overcame space and time itself.
"What do I care about this coward's words! Time is running out! So, who will drive?!"
Tesla had no idea how to operate this contraption, so they needed a driver. And he, of course, was found.
"Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the 'Deadpool Express.' Our destination is White Castle in Denver. Travel time… well, let's say, one hour. No stops, so if anyone needs to go, hold it or go in your pants, it'll dry itself. For those who get motion sickness – here are the bags. Have a pleasant trip!"
Deadpool, who had somehow changed into a clean uniform and white gloves, with a "Safe Driving" ribbon across his shoulder, pressed the gas pedal of the carriage, brought to life by Tesla's current.
Vroom! With a guttural roar, like a clap of thunder, the car shot off. Deadpool shifted gears, and the carriage, like a mad locomotive, cut through the resistance base, heading straight for Denver.
"Wade-e-e-e-e! Too fa-a-a-a-a-a-st-t-t-t-t-t!"
Ritsuka screamed at the top of her lungs as the oncoming airflow literally pressed her face into her skull.
"Hahaha! Now this is what I call a real 'Initial D'! Déjà vu!"
At breakneck speed, the car raced across the deserts of North America, leaving fiery tire tracks behind.