One Week Later
The sun slowly dipped below the horizon, casting a warm, amber glow over the sprawling grounds of the secure safe house.
The once-serene estate now resembled more of a rigorous training facility, as Maxim pushed Wanda and Pietro to their limits, training them ruthlessly.
Although he was nice to them, when training, he needed to be serious, pushing their limits constantly to improve their abilities under his guidance.
The courtyard, previously adorned with neatly trimmed hedges and decorative fountains, had been transformed into a formidable training ground.
Pietro stood at the starting line of an obstacle course that stretched across the estate, created by Maxim specifically for him. Being a speedster was not only about running fast, he had to be flexible enough to change direction and objective without losing too much pace.
Pietro's chest heaved with deep breaths as he adjusted the weighted bracelets around his wrists and ankles. They were designed on the fly from Maxim with some Cosmic Power imbued in them, dynamically adjusting based on Pietro's speed and momentum.
~SWOOSH~
Pietro flashed forward, beginning the harsh obstacle course, dodging most of the obstacles with ease as he moved forward. Soon, he reached another obstacle, a wave of high gravity pressing down on him, like an invisible hand crashing onto his body.
Another test by Maxim, which meant even the slightest misstep could send Pietro crashing into the ground or one of the many obstacles set along the course, walls, poles and narrow beams.
Pietro's muscles were strained as he forced himself to keep moving. They had been doing this for hours every single day, all with the goal of holistically improving his abilities, and this didn't count the hand to hand combat training Maxim gave him and Wanda.
Although to Pietro, it was less training and more Maxim beating them down ruthlessly over and over, but he couldn't argue with results. His improvement over the past week had been too noticeable to ignore, so he pushed onwards.
"Come on, Pietro!" Maxim's voice rang out, calm yet commanding, "You're relying too much on brute speed. You need to adapt, adjust your trajectory, anticipate the shifts before they happen!"
Pietro gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowing as he leaped over a towering wall. The moment his feet left the ground, Maxim increased the gravity again, pulling Pietro down faster than expected.
The speedster twisted mid-air, barely managing to land on the narrow beam just beyond the wall, his feet skidding dangerously close to the edge.
"Faster!" Maxim barked, his voice carrying a hint of impatience. He knew Pietro could handle more, needed to handle more, if they were to stand any chance against what lay ahead.
MCU Pietro was honestly pathetic, and Maxim couldn't accept that. Compared to other Speedsters from Alex's memories, Pietro in the MCU might as well be called a Snail, and Maxim would fix that.
"If you can't predict these shifts, you'll be vulnerable. Again!"
Pietro didn't respond verbally; he didn't have the breath for it. Instead, he sprinted forward. Instead of arguing, he had learned the best argument was his own improvement.
The world blurred around him as he dodged and weaved through the next set of obstacles, his movements growing smoother, more refined with each repetition.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the courtyard, Wanda stood in front of a series of targets, her hands glowing with a familiar crimson light.
Unlike Pietro, her training wasn't focused on physical prowess but rather on expanding her control and creativity over her Chaos Magic.
Wanda slowly controlled the objects, lifting them upwards, sideways and dropping them back onto the floor, refining her control and power levels.
As she continued, Maxim approached. With Wanda's training, it was more of getting her to the level of Multiverse of Madness and beyond.
For the majority of her time in the MCU, Wanda was wasted potential. She could only influence minds, do some energy blasts and had some form of Magical Telekinesis, when the entire time she had massive magical abilities capable of warping reality.
Thus, he had challenged Wanda to explore the true nature of her magic, using some tips and hints from Alex's knowledge of various fictional Magic systems to dig deeper and see what lay beneath the surface of her abilities
"Wanda," he called softly, drawing her attention, "You're holding back. I can feel it. You're relying on what you know, not what you could know."
Wanda frowned, her brows knitting together, "What do you mean? I've been doing everything you've asked. I'm hitting all the targets, aren't I?"
"Magic has no limits, Wanda. It's only bound by the limits of your mind." Maxim's voice was calm as he spoke, "Stop thinking in straight lines. Think of your magic as an extension of yourself, a part of you that can be anything you want it to be."
Wanda hesitated, glancing at her glowing hands. The crimson energy pulsed and flickered, reflecting her uncertainty. "I… I don't know if I can do that."
Maxim stepped closer, his eyes never leaving hers. "You can. And you will. Close your eyes."
She obeyed, taking a deep breath as she felt the familiar warmth of her power thrumming beneath her skin.
"Now, imagine the energy inside you. Don't just see it, feel it. It's more than just power; it is chaos magic. Let it flow through you, let it guide you."
Wanda's breathing steadied as she followed Maxim's instructions. She pictured the crimson energy as a living, breathing entity, coiled deep within her core.
It was wild and unpredictable, but also familiar, a part of her very being. Slowly, she reached out to it, not with force, but with a gentle, curious touch.
The energy responder to her touch, it was chaotic, wild, untamed, but Wanda sharpener her will and tried to use it, intricately weaving the Magical energy around her fingers.
Maxim watched, his expression inscrutable, "Good. Now, without opening your eyes, I want you to reshape that energy. Turn those objects into swords, or wrap your energy around them and use the objects as weapons. Remember, your energy is a brush, and the world is your canvas."
Wanda's brow furrowed in concentration. She felt the energy shift again, responding to her thoughts. The energy wrapped around the objects, and Wanda moved her hands.
Some of the objects turned into knives, some into full blown swords, but they weren't perfect, some of them were already dull, some not as sharp as a new weapon. Wanda still needed training on refining her control.
In one week, she had massively improved, and learned transmutation, so she was already shaping up to be an absolute powerhouse as long as she had more time. This wasn't even considering her potential psychic abilities.
A smile spread across her lips, and she opened her eyes, marveling at the sight.
Maxim nodded approvingly. "That's it. Now, take it further in your training. These shapes… they can be anything. Weapons, shields, constructs, whatever you need. Don't just react; anticipate, create, control."
Wanda nodded, her eyes gleaming with a newfound determination. Every time she trained, she thought of Sokovia, of her home entrenched in a war funded by Hydra, and she grew angry, annoyed.
Her emotions fueled her power, her desire to train and become stronger, and the more she trained, the more Wanda felt her power being unlocked, the potential being fulfilled.
~SWOOSH~
Meanwhile, Pietro had finally reached the end of his obstacle course, his body trembling with exhaustion. He collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath, but there was a satisfied grin on his face.
"I… did it," he panted, looking up at Maxim, "That… last gravity shift almost got me, but I… managed to dodge it."
Maxim chuckled and responded, "Why are you so happy? When you break the sound barrier, then smile. There's still room for improvement.
Pietro groaned, rolling his eyes. "Of course there is. You're never satisfied, are you?"
"Not when it comes to your potential," Maxim replied evenly. "You both have power that can change the world. But power without control, without mastery, is a double-edged sword. I'm pushing you because I know you can handle it, and because I know you'll need it."
Pietro sat up, taking a couple more deep breaths, "Yeah yeah hot shot."
"Well, if it makes you feel better, I ordered Pizza. Just one more lap and I'll give it you ya." Maxim said with a smile, and Pietro flashed off of his feet, immediately beginning another round of training.
Maxim just chuckled and continued his training, smiling as he thought of their future potential. Once he was done training them, they'd truly become powerhouses, and he couldn't wait to see it.
The echoes of laughter and conversation faded as Maxim descended into the cool, dimly lit basement of the safe house. As he moved into the basement, the air turned from the scent of pizza to the faint hum of machinery.
Dinner time was over, and now it was time for Maxim to return to his relentless pursuit of power. The basement had been completely transformed over the past week. It was now a high-tech laboratory brimming with advanced technology and equipment.
The walls were lined with shelves holding various small gadgets and materials, some recognizable, others not so much.
In the center of the room, a large, metallic sphere pulsed softly with a blue glow, the vibranium he had obtained, suspended in a containment field, awaiting its fate.
Maxim moved to his work-desk, a sleek, custom-built workstation outfitted with a triple monitor setup. The screens were alive with data, graphs, schematics, and lines of code scrolled rapidly across the displays.
He took a deep breath and sat down, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the tasks at hand. He had dozens of different plans, different ideas that he was all working on simultaneously, so he had no time to lose.
Every day was a constant stream of training and work. He was running on 2 hours of sleep every day, because that was all he really wanted. He didn't need to sleep at all, but he still wanted to enjoy the little things in life.
Focusing up, he looked towards the first monitor, which displayed detailed molecular structures and simulation results for graphene and vibranium composites.
Maxim had been experimenting with different combinations, trying to find the perfect balance between strength, flexibility, energy conductivity and Cosmic Power. Vibranium was useful, but Maxim didn't have unlimited quantities, so he needed to be smart.
Researching various materials, Maxim came up on Graphene. In Killjoy and Alex's world, it was an extremely famous material, the basis of many technological advancements, but to Marvel world, it wasn't explored at all as of yet.
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice, and had many uses. It had approximately 200 times the strength of steel, making it exceptionally useful.
It also had properties such as a high electrical conductivity, which could be useful in creating gadgets, thermal conductivity, transparency, and it was flexible and lightweight, meaning it didn't restrict movement whatsoever.
This made Graphene the basis of many of Maxim's technological advancements, since he couldn't rely on his limited amount of Vibranium for everything.
Vibranium would be for the most important things, with Graphene being a supplementary material and main material in less important innovations. That was what Maxim came up with.
Switching to the second monitor, it was filled with complex code, the code for an AI system that he was developing to manage his plans, Madripoor and help him with all of his work.
The third screen was filled with blueprints for various designs, from intricate weapons such as Chamber's HeadHunter and Tour de Force in Valorant, to tight fitting specialized combat suits for the future Black Widows Maxim was planning to recruit.
~CLICK~CLICK~CLICK!
Maxim reached over and tapped a few keys, bringing up a detailed 3D model of his planned Super-Suit. It was a masterpiece of engineering, sleek, form-fitting, and layered with hexagonal plating that shifted in color depending on its function.
The Suit was built almost entirely out of Vibranium Nanotechnology, since that would provide the most power. Vibranium had the ability to negate physical damage on a molecular level as kinetic energy would be absorbed
With Nanotech, Maxim could carry this Super-Suit with him at all times, and it could also repair itself constantly mid battle. It also meant the Suit could have a variety of functions one wouldn't expect from looking at it.
Maxim designed the suit to absorb all the kinetic energy and pulse it out when he wants, similar to Black Panther in his own movie.
He also added in various features like Sound Nullification, and a Communication System that he'd match up with his allies and future AI in the design.
The Suit would also be imbued with Cosmic Power from Astra, which would allow it to conduct higher level energies and regulate Maxim's power, alongside improving all of the suit's base capabilities.
However, Maxim needed to make sure the design was absolutely perfect, as it wouldn't be easy imbuing Cosmic Power into a suit.
This Suit would be a culmination of all of Maxim's knowledge, perfect tool for combat, in both offense and defense, perfect flexibility, capable of handling any environment and enemy.
But there was still more work to be done. The vibranium core needed to be integrated seamlessly, and he was still refining the nanotech weave that would allow the suit to repair itself in real-time.
Maxim's fingers flew over the keyboard as he adjusted parameters, rerunning simulations and analyzing the results. His mind was a whirlwind of calculations and possibilities, each adjustment bringing him one step closer to perfection.
This would be a-lot easier if he had finally finished his AI, but that would take a bit longer, maybe two or three weeks before it was fully perfected, but Maxim had time.
It was currently early December, and there was still 6 months give or take unless the battle of New York.
Maxim's plan was to take the December - January period to finish his suit and AI, and begin planning for New York.
He needed to take the Mind Stone and Tesseract at that time, and he also needed to begin planning for the Red Room, and Madripoor since all those plans would begin right after the NYC battle.
He brought up another window on the third monitor, this one displaying a list of equations and theoretical models for weapons and combat gear.
The concept he was considering wasn't entirely uncharted territory, there were hints of similar ideas in some of Alex's memories, from various sci-fi universes and fictional materials.
As he worked, the hours slipped away unnoticed. The basement lab was a environment of silence and focus, the only sounds the quiet hum of machinery and the occasional click of keys.
Finally, he paused, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. The initial setup was complete, the parameters defined, and the simulations ready to run. He took a deep breath and hit the Enter key.
The monitors flared with light as the simulation began, a cascade of numbers and graphs filling the screens.
Maxim watched intently as the virtual experiment unfolded. The vibranium and graphene particles collided, their atomic structures interweaving in a complex dance of energy and matter.
The process of using them to create Nanotechnology was begun, alongside the infusing of Cosmic Power into their very cores, the simulation continued onwards as every piece moved together.
Maxim's heart raced as the simulation completed, the final readout appearing on the screen. He leaned forward, his eyes scanning the data.
The results were incredible, exceeding his wildest expectations.Its tensile strength was off the charts, its energy absorption capacity nearly limitless and it can redistribute kinetic force perfectly and efficiently.
The Nanotechnology was perfectly made, and according to the simulation, the imbuing of Cosmic Power went extremely well, enhancing the suit's already outrageous abilities.
He leaned back in his chair, a rare smile spreading across his face. It wasn't perfect yet, but it was a breakthrough. With this, he could build a suit that was not just durable, but almost indestructible, a true extension of his will and power.
He stood, stretching his arms above his head, his muscles stiff from hours of work. The lab lights flickered softly, casting long shadows across the floor.
Tomorrow, he would begin the simulations and work on the actual fabrication process, and continue working on his AI and the designs for various weapons, but for now, he wanted to rest.
As he headed back upstairs, his mind was already racing ahead, visualizing the next steps. The suit, the weapons, the AI, all the pieces were falling into place.
The future was his for the taking. And Maxi intended to seize it with both hands.
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