Chapter 18: The Hammer Effect By Reidrain/Rain Reid
Rated M
Synopsis: Power, Power, Power. Everyone wants it. No one wants to lose it. It corrupts, It performs miracles. It causes untold devastation. Power, the aim of all madmen. The thing that allows them to enable their impetus. I want power, and with where I'm going, I'll need it to ensure my survival, after all there's much of it up for the taking.
Words: 74k
Platform: Webnovel, Scribblehub, Fanfic.net
Chapter 1 - The Beginning - 2.2k Words
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"Welcome," the hooded figure said politely, like an experienced salesman. The room was a stark white without a hint of blemish or imperfection, it was - unnaturally - serene. And it was apparently endless judging from the lack of boundaries or borders of any kind. "Could be kind enough to come this way" the figure gestured me forward. I followed without much thought.
"Thank you for being so cooperative, I'm sure you must have realised where exactly you are. But if your still in denial, then allow me to remind you. This is the soul section, Limbo the dimension outside of spacetime and matter, the in-between where dead souls with enough karmic accumulation get sent" It explained. I realized that it's voice was disturbingly genderles. But still I nodded to show my understanding. "I see" I said. I was aware of my death, it was nothing noteworthy. I won't dwell on it, I mean I had just died, so what was I to do? Scream or maybe beg to get my life back? No, I deserve this.
"I admire your composure. It'll make things easier," the figure praised me, without a hint of genuine substance in its voice. To its left, a wheel appeared. Like one of those wheels on game shows, fortune wheels. "This is the Nirvana Wheel. Every soul from your dimension with enough karmic accumulation, gets to spin it once to decide it's final fate"
I closely observed the wheel, spotting various locations and a large variety of abilities, ranging from fictional ones to mundane enhancements. There was even Heaven and Hell on it.
"Allow me to make you a rare offer, not because you're special or unique, none of you are. I am in need of some karma, the ones you have in your possession to be specific. I will take half of them from you, and in return I will allow you to choose your destination, retain all memories of your past life and send you directly into the adulthood of your reincarnation body. Doing away with the tedious infantile and childish years."
"Are you able to let me choose my reincarnation body?" I asked. I didn't want to get reborn as an insect or an animal, not if I can help it.
"I cannot." it answered swiftly. Dashing my hopes of a secured human body.
"Are all the words you have said here, in honesty?"
"Yes, we are in our most fundamental forms here, it is impossible to lie. And I have no reason to do trick a mortal soul" Strangely I could tell that it spoke the truth.
"Very Well, I accept your offer." There was no reason not to. I wanted to leave this place and hurry on up to my new life.
"You have made a very wise choice. Now please spin the wheel to obtain an ability, skill or enhancement for your reincarnation body." it directed.
I placed my hand on the oddly warm but almost intangible wheel and spun it with as much might as I could muster. I watched in trepidation as various abilities flew past the needle point. From Superior Kryptonian abilities, to expert goat herding of Hanonra. The wheel began to slow and it looked as though the needle would point to the Master Combat prowess of Imhotep as an ability. But looks can be deceiving. The momentum made it rotate just millimeters, and the needle's edge nearly pointing straight at godly janitorial skills before finally pointing to Supreme intellect of Leonardo D. Vinci. Saying I was ecstatic did not begin to remotely define just how good I felt.
"You seem to have quite the bit of luck on you. It's almost sad that it's all gone now along with your karmic accumulation. Moving on, tell me where your preferred destination and we should be done here."
"Send me to, T. …"
"Excellent choice. I wish you a miserable existence, die sooner mortal soul, so the fires of hell might feast on your wretched soul." It's voice displayed a sick sadistic glee, the first hint of real emotion it actually made.
"Well, Fuck you too"
"Goodbye, You will remember nothing of this realm neither of the things that transpired within."
"Don't need to"
*. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *
New York City - America.
October 14th, 2010.
"I am Iron Man". The words rang in my skull like the sound of thunder. I sat, reclined in a comfy luxurious office seat - that was doing wonders for my spine - and I looked to the flat screen plastered on the wall, watching Robert Downey Jr, call himself Iron man. Nothing special, nothing shocking, it's been a scene I have seen about a hundred times now. Just an - amazingly good - actor saying his line….
Except he wasn't. This wasn't RDJ, this was Tony Stark. The billionaire playboy CEO of Stark industries, and resident super genius. This was no longer a character in a movie, this was an actual living person, in his own world.
How am I so sure? Even if I were to act ignorant and embrace denial like a flimsy cloak for protection against the flaming truth, the facts were before me. The Super spy agency called SHIELD. The massive skyscraper that was currently under construction, the Stark tower. The fact that a man called Steve Rogers was the most patriot of the nation and the world's first super soldier.
I myself was living proof. As I stared at the screen, I was visually taking apart the electronic device in my head, like A CAD simulation, each individual piece was laid bare before my eyes, how each component would compliment another, how various settings would work better than the rest. Thousands of ways to improve the TV. Not only that, but the flaws in my chair, how I was actually wrong in thinking that the seat was helping my spine, how it's angle of elevation would do much wonders.
I was seeing the structure of things and how to make them better. The connections between vastly different fields, the solutions and problems dancing around in my head. How to build what my imagination projected. Some were working models, others were just illustrations, pieces of the puzzle missing, pieces of advanced math equations, scientific understanding, anatomical information and much more, needed to fill the gap, knowledge required for me to properly construct the operational models, to build them in the real world. I needed more knowledge, I didn't know what I didn't know. You can't fill an empty cup with air - unless you compressed it- and expect it to be heavy, it needs something of valid substance - essence. I needed knowledge to fill the gaps in the machine, the right gears to make it operate well.
I had no idea how I became this way. I was never a genius or a prodigy, I wasn't stupid but I wasn't prodigal either. I had a good head on my shoulders with a more than average amount of common sense. Now, I'm a walking supercomputer. And that's not even talking about how I'm still alive. My death, I remember d-
"Sir, is something troubling you?" A heavily accented but clear cultured voice roused me from my thoughts. I gave the speaker a good look ; A forty-three year old man, with slightly graying hair, his facial features amiable but stoic, dressed in a pristine black suit, his posture straight with a minute bow, arms folded behind him. He was Jack, trusted personal assistant and Butler of I, Justin Hammer.
That's right, Justin Hammer, sole CEO of Hammer industries, business rival and unsuccessful copycat and second rate enemy of Tony Stark. Well actually business was booming, courtesy of Stark Industries dropping out of weapon productions, allowing Hammer industries to be one - if not the only - main weapons, and primary systems contractor of the DoD(Department of Defense) and the military. 'Still can't believe I'm in the Marvel verse, will have to find out if it's the MCU, don't wanna run on assumptions'
"Sir?" The Butler queried again, a hint of worry in his tone. He probably thinks I'm distraught at Tony's revelation, after all Past-Hammer was constantly working his as off to match him in anyway he could, and he had been failing miserably. I should stop getting absorbed in my thoughts.
"Jack, my good man. Have I ever told you how much I appreciate your presence in my life? Without you to lend a helping hand, I would be a mess, my business would be a mess." I said with a smile, reaching for my phone. Ain't no harm in praising your employees when they knew of your deepest secrets and you would need them to know much more.
"Why, thank you very much for your praise sir. I'm just doing my duty, it fills me with joy watching you grow all these years into what we have today."
"How long have we been working together? How long has it been Jack"
"Sir, it must have been fifteen years by now." he nodded with nostalgia in his tone. "Aye, you were young, much younger than you are now. I must say you matured beyond expectation sir" We both laughed.
"Jack, I appreciate your loyalty. Very much, you deserve a double raise," I stood from my seat and approached the man, slinging my somewhat flabby arm (need to start working out, I was already drawing up workout programs) over his broad shoulders, I gestured for us to exit the office. "I'll need you more than ever in the times to come, old friend. Things are going to get… interesting. I know I've never said this, but I see you as the only family I have. So, Jack can I trust in you for more years to come?"
The man's eyes widened in surprise, and then a bright smile blossomed on his face" Of course sir, till these old bones can't go on anymore, and even then you'd have my well wishes"
"Thank you, Jack." I extended my hand for a shake. He reciprocated "No, thank you Sir"
We went on to speak of the old days. Me learning more history of the body I now inhabited. And when he was done, I gave him the orders for the night : To renovate one of the floors into a fully dedicated gym. I already had workshops which would double as labs, personal ones in the company building.
And secondly to get me books. Books on a variety of subjects. Text books, journals, magazines and whatever reading material I could get my hands on, and I could get my hands on a lot. And then all the company records, contracts, meetings and everything concerning Hammer industries. And a lot of sweets, I needed the sugar.
I miss my smart phone. The year was 2010, they were smart phones but not as smart as the phones of the 2019 era. Not mentioning the newly discovered quirk that I enjoyed tapping on the small hard buttons - it's going to get old real soon- the phones had. Touch screen capabilities were too slow for what I needed. I was already drawing up mental plans for other technology my company would be involved in (my newfound intelligence assisted heavily) , creating branches from the main weapon focus of my company.
I entered the bathroom. Almost flinching away upon meeting my reflection. A reflections strikingly different from the one I had known for the past twenty-four years. Brownish blond hair in a business but unfitting style, clear black eyes with slight myopia corrected by the metal framed glasses. This guy cannot have moustaches at least not with this kind of care. Beard gang people. I laughed silently at the joke, my brother would've done the same had he witnessed it. I pulled the glasses off and washed my face, feeling the flesh beneath my hands. This wasn't a dream or a hallucination, this was really happening. I felt all over my body, resting my hand over my beating heart — a sure sign of life. And silently stared at the reflection again.
Who the hell are you? I am a guy who's in way over his head with a healthy dose of self doubt and a grand aim just budding in his mind. Acting confident, hoping and planning it all works out. I need to work so the hope becomes a reality. I don't know how I got here, - it's beyond me and I can't dwell on that- but I know what I can get here, I can get powers, I can become more than just human, I can have immortality!. There's even Magic! I can obtain much, it will take handwork, Lies, ruthlessness, deceit, bravely, courage and my new found intelligence. But I CAN do it. I CAN! and I WILL!
I slapped my chest loudly to motivate myself after the mental speech/self hypnosis session. Reminding Jack to find me a new stylist via text, I just realized that 90% of app and Internet content provider companies I knew back in my world didn't exist here. I saw business opportunities.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone