Blake Elliott has been abused since he's had memories.
his only release was the freedom he felt when talking to his only friend about comic books, he loved reading about the superpowers heroes running unobstructed through life doing what they were born to do.

until one day when he and his friend are crossing the street talking reading a Spiderman comic when he hears a loud honk and instinctually shoves his friend backwards.

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Since the old woman was in the hospital for her treatment, she rented the whole room to the agent. The agent, who was around thirty, was not a local, and following the company's requirement, he wore a white formal shirt every day. He was polite and kind.

However, that was hiding a broken man. He was an unlucky man. No matter what he did, he would fail for some reason. Other than that, weird things kept happening to him like having nightmares that his wife had been chopped up and shoved into drawers. It would haunt him for the whole night, and then he woke up in the morning, realizing he did not even have a girlfriend.

When he left home, the sun was shining, but the moment he stepped out, it started to pour. His shirt was soaked, and he decided to stop at the nearby shop to have breakfast. After breakfast, he realized that he had left his wallet at home. This meant that he could not call for a taxi. He walked to the company and was scolded by his boss for being late. He lost the client because he was late to the appointment, and when he returned home, he realized that a burglar had broken into his home.

Such a day of tragedy was an everyday occurrence for the man. However, compared to these things, the real despairing event was the realization that his own house was haunted!

He stayed in the old house alone, and whenever he wanted to relax at night by watching the television, before the punchline, someone would laugh behind him. There were many similar things. In the middle of his shower, someone would pass him the shampoo, and when he was trapped on the toilet without paper, the toilet paper would roll in on its own.

He had once been a firm non-believer, but the many things he had experienced inside the house changed his worldview. To prove that he did not suffer from a mental illness, he bought a camera and started to record his own home. One week later, he realized that there was indeed a ghost inside the home, and it was hiding inside the drawers!

The agent used wooden planks to seal up all the drawers and dressers, and the ghost stopped appearing. However, his bad luck seemed to worsen. About one month later, he was fired from his job, and on his way home, he died in a car accident.

After he died, the agent realized that a malicious ghost had been following him, and it was the spirits inside the home who had been helping him. After he sealed up the drawers and dressers, the malicious ghost had stopped being affected by the spirits, and it eventually took the agent's life.

The main character of the fourth story was the old landlady. The tenants who rented her place had all died from accidents. Her heart was wrought by guilt, thinking this was all her fault. Slowly, the old lady's mind twisted. She had this feeling her own son and the two tenants had not left the room and had stayed to accompany her.

She asked the neighbors, but those who knew about the home's past gave her a wide berth. They thought that she was a tragic woman. Some even moved away like the old lady would curse them. The tenants in the building slowly decreased, and the old lady retreated into herself.


Slowly, there were rumors that the old residential area was haunted, and the old lady was equated to the source of these stories. Everyone stayed away from her, and no one wanted to interact with her.

This went on for a long time until the old lady met a poor artist under the bridge. The man's face was wounded like he had just been in a physical altercation. The old woman pitied him and asked the artist to draw a portrait of her dead son.

Initially, she just wanted to find a reason to give the artist some money so that he could eat, but the finished portrait was not just similar to her son—he managed to capture his presence, aura, and gaze. The old lady treasured the portrait and hung it in her house.

To her surprise, there was someone who came to ask her about the rental the next day, and the newest tenant was the artist. The artist was surprised that the landlord was the old lady. He went through the old residential area and found the cheapest room.

Life was constructed by many coincidences. The artist found his first fan in his life, and the old woman found someone who was not afraid of her and wished to talk to her. The artist became the home's latest tenant. The old lady took the rental from him in a symbolic manner. She treated the artist like her own son, and her favorite thing to do was talk about his dreams and wishes.

One month later, the old lady found something weird about the artist. He would converse with his drawings, and every night at midnight, there would be weird noises coming from his room.

During the third month, the old lady finally followed her curiosity and sneaked into his room when the artist was out. In the end, inside the artist's drawer, she found a homemade comic made from a sketchbook. It had four stories.

The creepy drawing style and scary stories brought the characters to life, and the most surprising detail was that the first three stories matched the old lady's son, the English teacher, and real estate agent perfectly.

The more she read, the more afraid she became. Then she turned to the fourth story. To her surprise, she was the main character of the story, and it was telling the events that happened after she met the artist. The fourth story ended there, and it was the last story.

The fifth story was very short—it felt more like an epilogue. The main character was a comic artist. He did not look extraordinary. He was just like a normal middle-aged man.

The comic introduced his daily life. He woke up at 5:20 am and gave himself a pep-talk in the mirror. Then he started working. He would work until 8:20 am. He arranged his draft and personally went to Jiujiang's local publisher to recommend his story to the editor.

Alas, a month's hard work was denied in less than fifteen minutes. He left the office like a walking dead. He held the draft and sat by the road. He looked at the cars that zoomed past him and only returned home when the sky was dark.

He walked through the busy city and into the darkened staircase. He pushed the door open to Room 304.

The warm light fell on his body. The landlady cooked him dinner and said that she had seen the painting that he drew that morning. She told him it was a masterpiece. The artist could not remember how many times he had been rejected already. He apologized to the old lady and promised he would not pick up the paint brush again.

He hid himself in his room and locked the door. Hugging his knees, he curled up in the corner of the room. He looked at the drawer full of rejection letters and buried his head in his chest.

He had failed once more. He crumbled the rejected script into a ball and tossed it inside the dustbin. He kept complaining, saying that he had no talent, and decided to give up everything. He would jump from the building before he continued drawing. He talked to himself until midnight, and the tired artist fell asleep on the mat.

The lights in the room flickered before going out completely.

The draft in the trashcan floated out on its own, and it flattened itself out. It was placed carefully into the box under the bookshelf, and the table was carefully arranged to a tidy state.

The last panel of the comic was black and white. In the small room, the artist was already asleep, but there were several 'people' floating around him.

The first was a thin man; he used his remaining right hand to cover the artist with a blanket, grumbling how worrisome the man was. Beside him was a woman whose body seemed like it was going to collapse anytime soon. The woman's beautiful face was locked in a deep frown. She carefully taped the torn drafts together.

On the other side of the table was a man in a black shirt. He was using a pen to correct and edit the comic artist's draft.

The night passed by just like that. At 5:20 am the next morning, the alarm rang punctually, and the comic artist woke up from his dream. He turned off the alarm and looked at himself in the mirror. He smiled and gave him the daily pep talk. "A new day has begun. Give it your best shot! At least you're alive. One day you'll make it!" 
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When you spend too much time inside your own head, you get to know yourself better. However, what you think and what you feel gains strength. This wouldn't normally be something to worry about. But for Liam, this was a life-or-death problem. He was a lonely guy, so to speak, which meant that he spent a lot of time inside his mind, thinking and questioning himself more than an eighteen-year-old guy normally would. His mom had always been sure that his brain was different; it was special. He had what scientists call eidetic memory. The ability to recall an image in a brief period of time by seeing it only once. In summary, he was scientifically unable to forget. And this was the problem.
            You're emotionally attached to your memories through feelings. The more you remember about something, the stronger is the emotional bond you get with that event. And for someone who could remember even my credit card number by just seeing it with the corner of his eye once, you already can imagine how his feelings toward past relationships were. 
            From the girl who first held his hand in kindergarten to the one who took his virginity. He was able of recalling every single moment with all of them. And every single breakup too. That's how he became a lonely guy. His phone only ringed for three single reasons. To wake him up, to notify him about the newest book in the library or when his best and only friend texted him. And even though you can think that having only one friend is sad, to Liam this was more than enough. Alina was what you could call a sunshine tornado. She brought happiness wherever she went and was always encouraging Liam to get out of his comfort zone, despite she didn't get the same treatment from him. But positivity from friends wasn't something Alina actually cared that much about. Not as much as Liam, to be honest.
            So, there he was, standing next to a bookshelf arranging novels from the thriller section. The own smell from the environment brought a feeling of ancientness with a bit of calm, similar to that mix between paper and dust. Held between his hands, there was an expensive collector's edition of 11/22/63 by Stephen King. It was wrapped by a thin plastic coverage that meant the book was new. Each of its 849 pages had been just printed and had never been touched by any human's hand. This sort of virginity was something Liam found attractive in a book. He had never seen that in a girl. It was something he desired. Someone whose first love was him. He caught himself thinking about something that childish when he realized it was almost time to close the store. It was Wednesday, so he had to stay late cleaning the second floor and placing all the new stock that had just arrived. 
            The store wasn't that big but still was big for a bookstore. The entrance had a door made out of wood with small glass windows that allowed the outsiders to look at what was inside until something caught their attention. A small bell ringed every single time a customer entered or exited the store. It was a sound that Liam found particularly annoying since it meant that he would have to leave whatever book he was reading to help his customer to find the latest manga that we all know was already leaked online for free.
On the first floor of it, you could find all kinds of pocketbooks, comics, manga, and even magazines. It was what Liam liked to call The Adds Floor. Several shelves, posters, and advertisements were placed here and there, along with the cash register, which Liam hated to manage when he had to, despite it was impressively easy to him —which probably was why he thought it was boring—. This is the floor that people like you and I would normally visit, looking for the newest novel of our favorite writer, or for the last volume of some comic that we like. However, it wasn't the floor Liam liked the most; both because it was very visited and its content wasn't really constructive to him. 
All the surface of the first and the second floor was covered by a dark grey carpet, which was soft enough to mitigate the sounds of nearby footsteps. Deep inside the first floor, on the right side of the store, were these almost unnoticeable snail stairs, made of black iron that, mixed with the darkness of the area and the mahogany of the walls, seemed to be hidden in purpose. Next to them, there was a small sign that claimed:
 
COLLECTOR'S EDITIONS UPSTAIRS
---->
 
            The second floor was Liam's sanctuary. Literally, nobody went there. The place was certainly nicer than the first floor. It was calm, silent —even for a bookstore— and had several seats and cozy couches where you could sit to enjoy your favorite books. White shelves with glass stands were the home of the most expensive novels from the store. A large balcony with a wood railing at the edge of it shined with the light that entered the room from the huge picture windows with a nice, gold, and gothic design on their border. When you first walked upstairs, your feet noticed a softer surface beneath them. The carpet from the second floor was less used, which was as soft as it used to be when it was new. On the left side, close to the railing, were three white leather poufs around a low glass table with several books over it —pocketbooks, obviously—. Deep inside it were thirteen shelves right next to the wood walls. Each of them full of hardcovered books organized by genre —apart from the classics, that were all on a gold shelve right in the middle—. One of those shelves hid the door to enter the employees' room —which was most of the time only visited by Liam since the rest of his coworkers didn't even know about its existence—. On the right side of the second floor, was a big circled glass table with 6 chairs around it. It was something that Liam liked to call Arthur's Table. Knights were never close to use it, though. It was something so expensive that just Liam had the owner's permission to study there after the store closed.
            In summary, it was nothing but a perfect and sacred literary space. Somewhere where you could read as much as you wanted because for sure you would never be bothered —or at least that's what Liam thought—. The only problem was that, to gain access to that floor —according to the rules that the old owner had established almost two decades ago— you had to buy at least one collector's edition of any book from their stock. The only condition was that it had to be a collector's edition; those were the most expensive books in the store, and clearly had fewer sales than the rest since just book maniacs or actual collectors bought them. This is why you can imagine how weird it was to see this smiley teenage girl with colorful clothes and curly pink hair walking upstairs.
            Alina wasn't exactly a book fan. However, her mother did was. She went there because she wanted a collector's edition of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen as a present for her mother. It wasn't an expensive gift, to be honest. Paying 50 bucks for a hardcover collector's edition was a very good deal for anybody. However, Liam didn't quite like Alina's choice when he first met her on that second floor. But he was obliged —by contract— to agree with everything she said about the book since the moment she walked inside the store. 
            —I'm looking for the collector's edition of Pride and Prejudice.
            —I see… —he replied with a sigh— You can find it in the classics section. It's that gold shelf over there.
            —What's wrong? —she asked.
            —Nothing. What do you mean?
            —You sighed at me. Why?
            —Don't mind me, I just didn't think you actually were a fan of Jane Austen.
            —Are you even allowed to use sarcasm with a client about a book that's selling in the store where you work?
            —Oh sorry, that's not what I meant.
            —No, no. Don't worry! —she said, almost laughing��. It's not for me, anyway. You're honest, I like that. The book is actually for my mother's birthday. I would normally just stay on the first floor looking for romance books or manga.
            —I hope you didn't get a bad first impression of the second floor. I tend to be the only one here —he said while putting the new collector's edition inside a plastic bag for her—, you can pay for it on the first floor. And this card allows you to stay on this floor as much as you want without needing to buy another collector's edition.
            —Thank you! And don't worry. It's the first time I found someone of my age inside a place like this. I'll make sure I visit this floor more often. I'm Alina, by the way. 
            —Nice to meet you, Alina. I'm Liam —he said with a short smile upon his face, repeating that new mantra that he promised himself to think about whenever he forgot that he had to avoid catching even the slightest feeling.
            —Nice to meet you too, Liam. I hope to see you around soon again.

After being heartbroken more times than your fingers can count, Liam finally gives up and starts thinking about a way to avoid falling in love again. The only problem, his girl best-friend won't make it easy for him.

Amber's "Talent"



  Manchester, NH

  Despite having no contact from Beth besides a $300 child support check, and the custody agreement hearing when Amber was only 3, life as a single dad wasn't too bad.

    When he heard about Amber's skill if you will, he was open to it, Saying to her "Well, that makes sense. You do like going out when it's sunny." 

    A year after he broke up with Beth, He finally developed a plan. Or at least a form of a plan. After a few months of dating someone, he would introduce whoever he was dating to Amber, and she would see what she was all about.

Most of the women he dated (online or otherwise) that was told about Amber, They understandably didn't understand or believe him. But it became common for him that he shrugged it off.

His newest interest was Samantha or Sam as her friends called her. They met online and He hinted Amber's "talent" as to Sam.

"Is she like X-23?" She messaged.
"You could say that haha. If she was I would have gotten a call from her school principal  by now"
"Haha, little girls always have a hidden talent. Mine was collecting Beanie babies when those were a thing."
And that was that for the time being.

2 weeks later

It was finally time for Sam and Derek to meet. They decided to meet at a Barnes and Noble in town. 
Derek had to bring Amber overdue to Amber wanted to look at books anyway.  Amber was completely fine with dad dating. 

When Derek and Amber got there, they naturally split up. He went to the Cafe and she went to the Young adult section. 

Derek bought himself an iced coffee and looked back and forth between Amber and the front door. Amber wasn't paying attention to him. She was looking at a book. When he noticed this, Sam walked in.

Sam was wearing a light red knitted sweatshirt and some fitted jeans. Derek was too distracted making sure Amber was ready. He threw on jeans and a sweatshirt. It made Derek feel better that she wasn't that dressed up.

They shared a brief hug and they both sat down.

"How'd you know it was me?" Derek asked.
Sam pointed to the hot coffee. An earlier text message said he'd be drinking a large one.

*So what's the secret?"
"It's not earth-shattering…."
"Just tell me."
Derek sighed. " Just don't tell anyone. I mean it. No social media. Not even to your friends."
"Ooook."
"Remember how I said Amber gets hot A Lot?"
Sam nodded. 
"It's got nothing to do with her having fever issues.."
Sam turned her head slightly to the side. "So it was a lie…."
" A white one."
"How?"
"The Sun"
"What...does she has a skin condition?"
"Not exactly."
" You're not exactly scoring points here"

"I know. There is a reason for that."  He looked over to Amber. She was looking at another book. It was about Saturn. She had a report due.

"Well...she's ...well it's like you said, she's like a comic book character. But she's getting it from a…." He sighed " Sun goddess. I looked it up. The name is Hathor. It's kinda fitting.

Sam sat back in her chair. "Huh." 
"I know…"
"Can she control it?"
"It depends. When it's winter, She has a heat lamp. Girls get cold easily so it makes sense."

"So is she possessed?"
"That's a good question. I wish I knew. But what I do know is that I have to figure it out."
Amber walked up to them. She held out the Saturn book. "Can I buy this?" "It's not at the library?" Sam asked.  Amber pulled out her phone. "Guess it is. Thanks. Who are you?"
"Amber."
"Sam. Nice to meet you." They didn't shake hands but shared a smile.
"Do you like Saturn?" Sam asked.
Amber's voice raised a bit. "I like Neptune better but it got taken from another girl." Amber didn't mention that it was Sara who took it from her.

Amber looked at Derek. "Library?"
"Library."
Amber walked back to put the book back.

Sam looked at her phone. "Gotta go." 
They both stood up and hugged. 
"Thank you"
"For what?"
"Believing me. Don't get why though."
Sam just smiled and walked off.
Derek sat in disbelief.  wasn't for long though, when Amber walked back to him.
"You like her?" He asked.
"I guess"
"Amber and Derek hugged." She won't be Beth, ok? here... "Derek handed over the last if his iced coffee. 
That cooled her down. enough to get rid of the orb for the time being.

Soon after her 13th birthday, Amber soon discovers that she can summon plasma from the sun at will. She must learn to harness before it expands and collapses like the sun itself.


Meanwhile, her estranged mother lives secluded life miles from the Canadian border. Until an acquaintance starts showing up unannounced. But Beth has secrets and a mission of her own: to reclaim Amber or burn everything down trying.

(This is a work in progress. things may be changed. And changed again)

When Max Black got super-powers and became Quantum, he thought he'd be living the life of his comic book heroes…fighting evil, saving damsels in distress, that sort of thing.
Not sitting in a room with no windows, listening to the hologram of the President of the United States discuss energy policy with an eighteen year old genius girl.
<A Plasma Fusion Reactor can be assembled from scratch in about a year; converting an existing power plant can cut construction time in half if handled properly. I estimate that twenty reactors can cover the energy consumption of the whole country.>
<As well as cut our dependency from foreign oil?> the President's hologram asks.
<You would also need to overhaul the infrastructure, but yes. Null Technologies would gladly oversee the project, but for the moment it seems I no longer speak for the company.>
Quantum lifts a hand, interrupting the President before he can add anything else.
<I'm sorry, you kinda lost me there. Did you just invent clean energy!?>
<Of course not. I did it eight weeks ago> Noriko answers, with a proud gleam in her silver eyes.
<During you absence, it seems that Leiko Tanaka of Scion Corporation stole the reactor blueprints> the President explains <We have already started talks with her, as have the governments of many other countries such as China, Russia and of course Japan. Except the Scion Corporation claims that it will take at least ten years to assemble a reactor.>
<She's taking it slow. I don't think it's a good sign> Noriko says.
<It may be a good motive to kill you, miss Null. Officially, you sold the patent to the reactor to miss Tanaka, even though I understand she staged everything with the help of your holographic technology. It may be her way to kill the competition.>
<Possibly. Where is the Heart of the Universe?>
Despite the artificial quality of the President's image, Noriko can notice he's very tense when she asks the question.
<In a safe location. When you disappeared, your father feared for his life and turned himself into custody…together with Heart. We have the best scientists in the world working on it.>
<You've also had the Talos for months. How many technologies have they been able to extract?>
<They are having…technical difficulties with it.>
<Of course. None of them is Null.>
<Ωηατ αβοθτ τηε βλθε?> Kari asks.
<What about the Blue?> the N-Phone translated from Myridian.
<Good question. I understand using them as weapons, since there're less easily traceable than professional killers; for someone who isn't Null, at least. But why infiltrate them in several governments?> Noriko asks.
<And what is she doing with my comic books?> Quantum adds.
The room falls silent.
 
Triton, Neptune's largest moon
The Twin Dragon, Demeter's old mothership, is still on this ice world. Kari Zel, or more clearly one of her duplicates, is carrying a tray with a bottle of water and emergency rations.
On her way, she comes across a dozen other duplicates. Many more are working on the other decks: they're all extremely busy mapping every inch of the spaceship, down to every screw and bolt, as per Noriko's orders.
Finally, Kari reaches her destination: the prison. Talas Khanos is still in his cell, guarded by two Kari duplicates who pass the time playing cards.
 Kari says, creating another duplicate to which she handles the tray. The two Kari playing cards wearily acknowledge her presence.
<He's not going anywhere…we're in dark space and he doesn't have any powers without his godstone. Just look at him, he's fine.>
The former Oracle is standing in his cell: at seven feet, he almost touches the roof. His eyes are closed and he's holding the palm of his hands upwards.
<What's he doing?>
<Praying, I think. Check this out, sweetie: Full Hydra> Kari boasts, placing the seven cards on the table. Her duplicate slams her fist on the table, shouting:
<That's not fair, we agreed we wouldn't cheat this time!>
<Oh yeah? Well I saw you deal from the bottom!>
<Girls, not now, please> the third Kari intervenes, touching both players with her hands.
The duplicates disappear, transferring all of their memories to her. 

Talas Khanos doesn't answer, but his sharp breath indicates how frustrating he finds the girl.
<Well? No speech on how you're gonna murder me for my sins against Demeter? Careful, we might take your godstone back if you don't gloat about how awesome you are, like all Oracles. Oh wait, we already did that!>
<Do you want to know why I became an Oracle, child?>
<Not really.>
<The gods don't deserve to rule the galaxy. They are much more powerful than mortals, yes, but far more stupid and immature. Demeter thought turning me into an Oracle would make me a slave, but she made a mistake. The same one Null did…she gave me time.>
<Time for what? Rot in prison? You better go back to praying…I have a feeling you'll need it.>

Something opens the steel doors with enough force to crush them like cardboard. Kari gets ready for a fight, but her body is lifted and slammed against the wall by an unseen power.
Since this is a duplicate, the impact makes it disappear. Before she does, however, she instantly creates more duplicates; they are pushed aside just as easily.
What's keeping them at bay is a violet jewel floating in the air: a godstone. It quickly flies through the prison bars, embedding itself into the throat of Talas Khanos.
<Godstones transform brainwaves into telekinetic power. I've had one for years; you think I wouldn't find a way to activate it from remote?>
Kari falls, no longer pinned against the wall. She gathers her strength, ready to summon an army to attack the prisoner. But her body disappears when Khanos telekinetically snaps her neck.
<That, my dear, is why I am Talas Khanos.>
 
New York City
Agent Warden places the tray on the table, next to the pile of discarded circuits. He takes the large cup of coffee, while Torn grabs the can of beer.
<Isn't it a little early for that?> the agent asks.
<Would it have a different taste later in the day?> Torn asks, sincerely puzzled by the question.
<Well, no, but…>
Torn doesn't simply open the can; he cuts off the top with an energy dagger, then drinks from it like from a normal glass.
<Where did you find this guy!?>
<That's classified> Noriko answers, drinking the first espresso without taking her eyes from what she's building. She drinks the other four in a row, before Warden has the time to drink his own coffee.
<That can't possibly be good for your health, you know that right?>
<Try six weeks on another planet without caffeine, then we'll talk about health. Torn, another godstone filament, please.>
Still drinking his beer, Torn gestures towards the godstone on the table. It's already been cut in half, but the energy swords created by Torn's mind now slices it in tiny strings. Then he burps loudly.
Noriko takes her eyes off the device in front of her, to look the red skinned man into the eyes.

<We don't have beer on my planet> Torn answers. If she didn't know Torn, Noriko would've thought he was sarcastic.
<And what planet would that be?> Warden asks.
<That's classified too> Noriko answers, before Torn can say anything.
<Cute. You really expect the CIA to keep an eye closed when you bring two aliens on Earth?>
<No, I expect you to try and fail to gain intelligence from me> she clarifies, using pliers to carefully place the godstone filament inside the ring-shaped device she's been building for the past hour.
<If this is about the NSA trying to infiltrate your servers…>
<Agent Warden, when I became the smartest person on the planet I had a limitless number of options to make money. Do you know why I decided to use my talent on a quiz show to gain my first million dollars?>

Noriko's silver eyes flash intensely; while she doesn't show other signs of anger, Warden knows he's touched a nerve.
<It was the best way to amass a large sum of money without owing anything to anyone. Now that Scion Corporation has the Plasma Fusion Reactor, after I regain control of Null Technologies I will own most of my fortune to them. But it will be the last time. Nobody steals from Null; not Scion, not Tanaka, not even the United States government.>
<Is that a threat?>
<A promise. We are allies now; but try to cross me, and Null will destroy you.>
The ring-shaped device is now complete. Assembled with parts cannibalized from the room's holographic projector, the N-phone, the Mark II Genius Gun and the godstone.
When Noriko wears it on her left wrist like a bracelet, it lights up to show the circuitry of godstone filaments. And it talks.
<N-Watch activated. Psychic broadband connection established.>
<Done. This will give my brain remote access to the Tower's systems.>
 
Outside the door, Quantum and Kari are taking a pause from the endless debate.
<So, still thinkin' my planet is awesome?> he asks.
<Ι ηατε τηισ τρανσλατιον τηινγ> she answers with a weary tone.
 the N-Phone says with a monotone artificial voice.

<Υοθ ηαδ σεξ ωιτη μυ δθπλιcατε. Ωηατ'σ τηερε το δισcθσσ?>
<You had sex with my duplicate. What's there to discuss?>
Of course, Noriko chooses this exact moment to come out of the room. She glances at Kari, then at Quantum while raising an eyebrow disapprovingly.
<What?> he asks defensively.
<Nothing; this doesn't even make it to the top one million things on my mind at the moment.>
<Any chance that list includes the theft of my comic books?>
<Don't push it. We'll discuss it after we've taken back the Tower.>
<Not that I mind some action, but why exactly do you need us? Can't you just use your newest thingamajig to waltz right through the front door?>
 Torn says, puzzled by Quantum's words.
<Jοιν τηε cλθβ> Kari adds.
<Join the club.>
<The N-Watch has a limited range; I need the Vanguard to get me past the Nullbots.>
<"Nullbots"? You mean the Tower has actual robots!?> Quantum asks.
<Killer robots> Noriko clarifies.

Noriko Null was a seemingly ordinary Asian-American teen, until the goddess Athena decided to make her Earth's first line of defense against the impossible.
Now armed only with superhuman intelligence and instant access to all of humanity's knowledge, Noriko will have to solve the world's problems, face the secrets behind her transformation, and fight Greek gods in space in her spare time.
Will the world's smartest girl be able to defeat the all-powerful gods?

With the cash and watch in tow, the group drove off in their car.
Li Du kept the watch in little bug's black hole. He had the real deal, why would he wear
a fake? He could not bear to dump the imitation watch, but could not derive any
happiness from keeping it either.
They stayed another night in a hotel and the next day, they started their journey back to
Phoenix.　　
Amengda Mountain in South Africa had been purchased successfully, and Li Du was
free to go over to develop the area any time he wished.
However, Li Du wanted to let Carl arrange for the diamond inspection team to conduct
their checks first. He was not in a hurry to begin the development and was keener to get
an evaluation of Amengda first.
For now, he wanted to go and resolve the bet he had made at Harry Winston, Inc. He
had to obtain Carlston Fritz's shares!
Sophie had returned to the villa first, and the five little ones had set up their own base in
the spacious backyard. Each of them drew out their territory.
Little Flathead, Ah Meng, had the largest territory. The four little ones were unwilling to
provoke Ah Meng. The hounds were clever enough to notice the wariness of their four
bosses, and were even more cautious around the new family member.
The truck entered the villa's grounds, where Big Quinn's wife, Rosalind, was waiting for
him with their three children. Seeing their father, the children climbed onto Big Quinn
and hung onto him like monkeys.
It was a heart-warming moment: Godzilla brought his gifts over to Victoria, Brother Wolf
went to see his recovering daughter and Lu Guan was reunited with his Golden
Retriever.
Hans wanted to take the opportunity to leave as well, and said, "I miss my sister very
much. I want to visit her."
"No, the two of us have to organize these books," Li Du said firmly.
Hans instantly lost his enthusiasm and said lifelessly, "We have to do all that work?"
Li Du said, "What if there are valuables in this pile of books? We have to look carefully."
Big Ivan took the initiative to bring down the books from the car. Hearing Li Du's words,
he took out a comic book that had been preserved in pristine condition. He passed it
over to them and said, "That's right. Look, this book seems like it could be valuable."
With a smile, Hans took the book from Big Ivan. His eyes widened.
Hans held the book in one hand and his phone in another. Then, seeing that his mobile
connection was too slow, Hans yelled at Lu Guan, "Let go of your stupid dog and bring
me my laptop! Hurry!"
Li Du stepped over, took a look at the book and said, "Aren't you being too dramatic?"
The comic book looked like it had been around for some time. The red cover page had
turned dull. On the front cover, Spiderman carried a little boy and was about to swing off
a skyscraper. There were shadows of cars on the streets below him.
The top right corner of the comic book carried the numbers '1962', and the bottom left
corner was labelled '12 cents'. The word Marvel was neatly printed above Spiderman. It
was a Marvel book.
Hans said, "Dramatic? I am beside myself. This seems to be the first Spiderman comic
book from 1962. If it really is, this is very valuable."
"More than ten million dollars?" Li Du asked expectantly.
Hans rolled his eyes, "How can that be? But it might fetch a few hundred thousand or a
few million."
Once he laid his hands on his laptop, Hans quickly made an internet search. Then, a
piece of news flashed on his screen. There was a picture of their comic book on the
news website.
The headline was, 'Spiderman' Snapped Up At Paris Auction. Comics Connection Pays
1.2 Million.
The news article described the story of that comic book. At an auction in Paris last year,
that first issue of Marvel's Spiderman comic was brought out, and Comics Connection
bought it for 1.2 million. It was actually exhibited in its town hall!
After reading that piece of news, Hans carefully removed the packaging to examine the
comic book more closely.
Having read the publishing details, he could not help but pump his fist in the air. He
yelled, "Yeah, yeah, yeah! This is awesome! It's this book! One million and 200,000 !
One million and 200,000 US dollars!"
Shocked, Li Du asked, "Really? Someone would actually fork out over a million for a
comic book?"
The most expensive books that Li Du had come across were the set of National
Geographic magazines he kept. They were priced at more than ten million.
However, that was ten million for more than a thousand magazines. Besides, most of
those were the only existing copies in the world. Also, from his perspective, National
Geographic magazines represented parts of history. It belonged to the narrative of all
humankind, and was not something that comic books could compare to.
Now this comic book disrupted his understanding and knowledge of magazines and
their value. A comic book, one that was published only fifty odd years ago, could
actually be worth more than one million?
A million was not the most they could earn from the comic books, however. As they
continued to organize the stack of comic books, they found a few more that were as
precious or even more so.
One of those was the first issue of Superman. On the front cover, Superman was
wearing his iconic red cape, blue spandex top, and red pants. He was running away
from a storm, looking as cool as ever.
In the middle of the front cover were the words 'Action Comics #1'. This meant that it
was the first issue.
Hans caressed the dated comic book and said, looking punch-drunk, "This is history.
We are looking at history. Buddies, this was the start of it all, the birth of American
heroes! We are looking at a baby photo of an American hero!"
Li Du asked, "Is it very valuable? Run an online check, how much can it fetch?"
Hans said, "There are no trading records online. At most, there are only ten copies of
'Action Comics #1' in the entire world. Even DC Comics Company don't have it… oh,
they had it previously, but it was stolen!"
Li Du was optimistic, "Then it should be worth a lot, right?"
"Let's put it this way, don't talk about money, brother. This book is priceless!" Hans
exclaimed. "There are no trading records of the original copy of this comic. However,
the re-released copy was sold for 1.8 million US dollars!"
Li Du was shocked. "A re-release version can fetch such a high price? Are those comics
collectors crazy?"
Hands said, "The high price is due to the main character. Superman is iconic, it is the
first superhero in human history!"
Li Du shook his head, "At the time of the Ming dynasty, we already had a superhero
named Sun Wu Kong in China. This is the first superhero in our history."
Hans called out, "Who cares who came first? Anyway, this comic is very valuable. It is
very, very valuable!"
Li Du carefully took the book out of the wrapping paper.
There was a price indicated on the front page. The comic was published in June 1938,
and its selling price had been ten cents.
As Hans continued to call out, 'careful, careful', Li Du checked the information related to
that comic book. 　　
The first issue of Superman comics, 'Action Comics #1', was the holy grail in the comics
industry. It was said that there were fifty copies of it in the world, but there were less
than ten registered on the official records. They were sitting either in huge publishing
houses or in the hands of billionaires.
Besides, Li Du also found a hand-painted copy of the 'Fantastic Four' that had Stan
Lee's autograph on it. That comic book was also worth a lot. Comic books hand-painted
by Stan Lee were typically exhibited in the gallery of Marvel Comics. Few of them were
found in the possession of individuals.


They love gold, and they love silver. Even more so, they love gems that dazzle, like stars across the skies. 
Firearms, jewelleries, and precious metals; A collector’s world will not be complete without antiques.  
Storage auctions, old goods trade, re-estate sales and gold-digging. But the truth is, if one wants to make money, then the supreme way is through searching for the legendary treasures. 
Holding the fort, there’s an ocelot, a wolf, and an Andes condor. At the side, there’s a loyal hound, an irascible ape, and an African honey badger. Who said that you can only rely on humans when treasure hunting?! 

Ivory and Viper resided in the living room. Viper was spending her free-time watching a movie while Ivory was on her laptop, obsessing over a pair of shoes.
"Viper, look," Ivory turned over the laptop. Viper observed the black cut-out boots. "Aren't they nice?"
"Oh, Ivory, those shoes scream your name," Viper put a hand to her ear. "I can hear them."
The two laughed.
"How did going back to the strip club work out?"
Ivory looked up from her laptop, remembering what Chris told her. "Oh, the man couldn't help me. He told me to not go against Blue."
"That's strange. Well, it looks like we're back to square one."
"Not exactly. See, his name is Chris, and Chris knows something about Blue. He might come back," Ivory smiled quietly, remembering the phone that he gave her.
Viper looked at the time on the television. "I'm going to go to bed."
"Right now? It's only six o'clock. And your favorite show is on: Criminal Minds."
"I'm not feeling good. Besides, I have to clean my room," Viper then left.
Ivory thought about what just happened. Ivory knew that Viper was hiding something. Ivory closed her laptop and took out her first every credit card from her wallet. Blue gave her a blue, shiny, credit card. Ivory had been working hard, and she was happy to start making some money. Ivory didn't want to use her money recklessly.
Ivory heard Red calling her from the hallway, and she followed him into the vast dining room. She guessed it was dinner time. She was content; giant growls ruptured from her stomach. Everyone but Viper was grabbing pizza, talking, laughing, and pouring drinks. Ivory took a seat by the corner and ate her slice of pizza in silence. She heard someone sit next to her, the sudden movement causing a breeze. She glanced to see Spike but said nothing to him.
"Where do you think Viper is?" a maid asked another.
"Who knows, but Harley always tells me that Viper's nothing but trouble," the second one said.
Ivory knew that the one that had just spoken was Harley's maid.
"Maria," Harley called her maid over, and the maid made her way over to Harley.
"Ivory," Spike said, and she faced him, "Where's Viper?"
"She told me that she was going to bed."
"This early?"
Ivory shrugged, "I can't help you, Spike, I just hope that she isn't breaking any rules."
"Why would that be a problem for you?" Spike raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I don't want to get into trouble."
"Viper has free-will. If she gets into trouble, you won't."
Spike then got up to get more pizza. Ivory saw Blue and Hawks talking in the corner, and Ivory could tell that the conversation was serious. Hawks quickly glanced but said nothing as Blue handed him something. Hawks put the item in his pocket.
Ivory felt that Blue and Hawks were gossiping about Viper, but she wasn't too sure.
***
After a while, the gang members slowly left the room until only a few people were left. Viper eventually showed up, which caught Ivory's attention because she said that she was tired and had to clean her room. Viper really was acting out of character. Viper was able to eat pizza but had to wash all the dishes.
Viper was grunting to herself about all the dishes and was obviously annoyed.
Ivory volunteered to help her but was stopped by Blue.
"Go in the living room," he ordered her, "and stay in there. Hawks and Lucky will be watching you. Where Hawks goes, you follow. Got it?"
"Yes, Boss," Ivory raised an eyebrow but didn't question Blue demand. He'd been extra snippy for the last couple of days, but no one seemed to notice for some strange reason. It was only directed toward Ivory and Viper, really.
"And Viper, I want those dishes done in ten minutes, so hurry up! Quit complaining. You're lucky I even feed you!" Ivory heard Blue bark at Viper. Ivory jumped in fright at the booming voice.
Ivory saw Hawks and Lucky sitting by the couch, with cigarettes, a couple of wine glasses, and a red wine bottle. She sat toward the corner, hoping that they didn't speak to her.
"Ivory," Hawks grinned ear to ear like the Cheshire cat. He took her arm and pulled her over. He picked her up and sat her by the couch's end crease, trapping her between Lucky and him.
"Why do you always do that whenever I sit on the couch?"
"Does it annoy you?"
"No, Hawks, it doesn't," she replied sarcastically. "I love it."
"Don't be sarcastic, dear," he took a puff from his cigarette. Ivory covered her nose with her hand. "I do it because you hate it."
"And it's easy to pick you up, the other girls are taller," Lucky chimed in. "And stop covering your face, all you have are two holes for that excuse of a nose."
Hawks burst out laughing as Ivory blushed. Lucky followed Hawks' lead as the dark-haired-boy poked the tip of her nose. She swatted his hand away as if he were a fly.
"It isn't my fault that my nose is small," Ivory defended herself.
"I never said it was," Lucky peered into the kitchen, seeing Viper rush to get everything done. "Look, Hawks,"
Hawks turned to look into the kitchen. "She's been productive," he turned back around, "for once," he took a puff from his cigarette before discarding it.
He and Lucky snickered.
"Making fun of her isn't helping."
"Gosh, Ivory, you're so uptight," Hawks said. "You need something to wind you down a little bit."
"Yes, Hawks, something to calm her down and loosen her up," Lucky picked up a glass and poured wine into it. "Here you are," he placed it into her hands. "Don't drink it too fast, you'll get drunk. It is your first drink."
She stared at him, wide-eyed. "You're no older than me, and you're drinking wine?"
"Whiskey," Hawks corrected.
"Bourbon to be exact," Lucky said.
"Bourbon?"
"Besides, I've done worse," Hawks shrugged.
"Really? Like what?"
"I don't think you're ready for my stories, Ivory. I'm one of Blue's favorites for a reason, Little Lady," Ivory didn't take a liking to Hawks' tone of voice. He also never referred to her nickname.
"Is it just you and Red?"
"Harley and Red and his most trusted," Lucky said.
"Yeah, they seem to know things that others don't."
"That's because they do. I wouldn't trust those two, Ivory. Whatever you tell them goes straight to Blue," Lucky whispered.
Ivory could tell that Lucky disliked Red and Harley.
"So, what would we be considered?"
"His top workers."
"Blue has connections everywhere. His top and most trusted workers —but Viper— stay here," Hawks said. 
"I'm not part of the gang."
"Yes, you are," Hawks said.
"I wasn't at first."
"Your proved yourself trustworthy."
"But how come Viper hasn't?" Ivory asked.
"You really need to stop asking questions," Hawks said, his light eyes slowly glancing into the kitchen as Viper quickly disappeared.
"Hey, Hawks, I got the newest Playboy in the mail today."
"Oh, really? Did you?"
"You know what Playboy is, Little Lady?"
"Yes, I do," Ivory said. "The older boys' at the foster home used to sneak them in and look at them."
The two boys chuckled but said nothing further as they drank and smoked in silence.
After about five minutes, Hawks stood up and looked at Lucky. "I have to go. Remember your job."
Ivory wondered where Hawks was going.                                                    
"I remember, Hawks," Ivory went to follow, Hawks, but Lucky put his arm out, stopping her. "Hold your horses, Little Lady. Where do you think you're going?"                          
"What horses? And if you had ears, then you would have heard Blue from the kitchen earlier, but then again, who really knows what goes on in that small brain of yours?" she insulted.
Hawks turned away, trying not to laugh as Lucky sent her a light glare, but said nothing.
"Move out of the way, Joker," she snarled, "Hawks is in charge, so I'll pretend to be his puppet since that's what he and Blue want."                                          
"About that," Hawks turned to her, after rolling his eyes to her remark, of course, "I have some errands to run, so Lucky's in charge of you until I get back."
Ivory sat back down on the couch, sighed, and crossed her arms. "Why does he have to watch me?"                                              
Lucky looked at aghast like she offended him.
Hawks turned to face her. "Because I said so."
Lucky smirked. "Yeah, Little Lady, maybe we'll get to know each other a little more."
"Nah, I'm okay."                                                        
Lucky seemed hurt, but he just rolled his eyes as Ivory smirked in victory. Hawks stood there with his usual stoic expression. "Tell me if Ivory behaves, which I'm sure she will,�� Hawks said to Lucky, changing the topic. He turned to Ivory, "Just listen to Lucky. I'll be back at around midnight."                                                                  
Ivory wondered where Hawks was going; he was never out late.
"Bye, Hawks," Lucky dismissed, and Hawks walked downstairs.
Lucky took a seat next to Ivory and picked up a book. Ivory turned away and thought about why Hawks' been extra sneaky lately.                                                                      
"Where's Hawks going?"                                                      
"It doesn't matter"" Lucky said, not looking up from his book.                     
Ivory sighed. She knew that sooner or later, she'd figure out what's going on. That is when an idea hit her. What if Viper had been with Roxie because she was trying to leave the gang? It would make perfect sense since she wanted Ivory to go back to the club with Swindle H — the reason behind that was because Swindle H is sneaky. No one would suspect her. Since Ivory was told by Chris, the man at the club, to not tell anyone of the cellphone he gave her, how exactly did he know that she would come back? But what about when she was injured, and Viper was acting strange?
What if they planned this ordeal all along? Blue must know about it, but it wouldn't make sense as to why he would allow it to occur. Then again, he never liked Viper, to begin with. Swindle H must have caught on and played along — which may be why Viper recommended her. It would also make sense why Swindle visited Ivory in the computer room and willingly took her to the strip club. It all puzzled together.
Ivory knew that Viper would never succeed, but if she did, the Blue Dragons would never fall. The gang had ties everywhere. The Blue Dragons were a mafia gang, they will make sure they stand.
If Ivory as correct, she would be angry. Ivory knew that Viper wouldn't change her mind because Viper was reckless. If Viper said that she was going to do something, she'd do it.
Leech crawled into the blonde's head, and she wondered where he came from and why he was around one time. Ivory didn't trust him, but it seemed that the Blue Dragons felt the same way. Ivory rolled her eyes because no one ever told her the details.
Ivory broke out of her trance and looked at Lucky, who seemed to be reading very slowly. She could have sworn that she saw him try to hold his laughter. Why would he laugh over a romance novel?
"Lucky, why is it taking you forever to finish a page?"
He looked at her. "It isn't."
"Yes, it is," Ivory eyed him suspiciously and stood up. "Give me the book."
Lucky stood up and held the book high in the air. Ivory jumped up, trying her best to reach it, but Lucky being around six feet tall didn't help.
"Lucky, you're not reading," she accused.      
"Yes, I am. What makes you think otherwise?" He raised a brow.                                        
"You've been on the same page for about five minutes. It takes me about a minute to finish two pages, come one now."                                                                
"Hey, Little Lady, everyone reads at different paces."
"Okay, but you're laughing. Romance isn't funny."
"It's corny," Lucky shrugged, throwing the book onto the couch.                                         
Ivory grabbed the book and saw what he was looking at. Why was she not surprised? "Lucky, really?" she picked up the comic strip that was between the pages. "A comic book?" 
Lucky grabbed it out of her hand. "They're funny."                                                               
"Next time, try to be original with your jokes."                                                          
"Being the Joker is hard," he pouted.             
"Then don't be Joker, be Batman," Ivory said sarcastically. "I mean, it's not like you're funny anyway," she said.                                                   
He rolled his eyes. "I'll need a pair of batwings, which I don't have," He said comedically, ignoring the insult.
Ivory sighed and sat back down.
All of a sudden, Blue walked in, "What's going on here? I can hear you both from the other room."
"Well, I just figured out that Lucky reads comics instead of real books," Ivory said.
"Hey, I do read books. Its comic strip hour, that's all," Lucky sounded insulted.                  
"At ten o'clock at night?" Ivory asked, not impressed. "Wow, no wonder why you're always hyper."                                             
"I have nothing else to do," Again, Lucky ignored her insult.                                                
"You could read a real book."
"Ha — a real book?" Blue scoffed. "Please, we all know that Lucky isn't the smartest person on base."                  
"...Hey!"
"Besides, you could recommend books to him. You know that I have a... wide selection to choose from," Blue smirked.
Blue knew that Ivory was in the library.
Ivory narrowed her eyes, wondering if Blue was in the library, or if Hawks was. Maybe Hawks happened to bump into her, but if that were the case, why was he in the basement? Perhaps Hawks was searching for something.                     
"Comic strips are way cooler," Lucky argued back, missing Blue's condescending remark.                                                                                                                         
Ivory leaned back on the couch and sighed. Arguing with Lucky about comic strips wasn't fun; her intuitive psyche warned her that something terrible would happen. Ivory was nervous and had nothing nor the knowledge of what would take place.
That was when a thought came to her. Ivory saw Lucky follow Blue out of the room, proving that he was actually smart while Blue ignored him. Ivory made sure that no one was around or would sneak attack her, and slowly took the phone out of her hoodie pocket. Ivory flipped the phone open and saw a random number, realizing that it was Chris'.
She sent him a quick but urgent message: "Roxie's taking my friend out. I think the two of them are going to tell on the gang," sent.
Ivory wasn't sure that she could trust Chris, but she knew he was her only chance.
***
Meanwhile, Viper made sure that no one watched her, opened the back door, and snuck out. The young rebel hopped into a car and drove off, not knowing that someone was following her. The person stepped out from the bushes and unlocked their own vehicle. The person was about to get in until they realized that someone was with them.
"Geez, Spike, you scared me," the voice said.
"Sorry, just want to wish you good luck."
The voice let out a sigh. "Thanks."
"You don't seem happy about doing this job," Spike said as the light from the upstairs window hit his face.
"It's not that I'm not happy to do it. It's Ivory —"
"Ivory? What about her?"
"Blue is having me follow Viper because he thinks that she is going to the police."
"The police?"
"Yes. And if those accusations are true, I hope that no one blames Ivory. Blue had Harley spy on them, and he even had Harley spy on Ivory, but Ivory hasn't been doing anything except explore the base."
"Explore the base? Oh, I see."
"Harley doesn't see Ivory as a threat, so Blue isn't worried about her. Blue's purposely keeping Ivory busy. Ivory's smart; I know that she'll eventually figure out what's going on, and if she does, just make sure she doesn't leave. Look, I have to go. Just make sure that she's safe, okay?"
"You got it. I'll make sure nothing happens. Lucky seems to be doing well with that at the moment."
"He's my best friend, but he isn't the strongest. So, if something happens, make sure you're there."
"I catch your drift. Don't worry about Ivory, she's fine. Go — you have a mission to complete."
The voice nodded and hopped into his car. He sped off, hot on Viper and Roxie's tail.
The person was curious to know if what Blue assumed about the two was accurate. Roxie hasn't been her cheerful and docile self. The man was ready and couldn't wait to find out the secret Viper, and Roxie kept from everyone. The man knew that what they were conspiring wasn't beneficial. Like Blue, he also had the feeling that it was about the gang, but the man wasn't sure why. Blue sensed that Roxie never liked the connection she had with the group and didn't want the two orphans living a dangerous life. Roxie had her regrets and perhaps didn't wish Viper and Ivory regretting anything. Red added that Roxie's rebellion may be toward Fox.
The man turned the corner and found the familiar car and smiled because the women didn't know that he was touting them; the man was excellent at sneaking around. The man was finally going to find out what Viper and Roxie were hiding. He felt a smirk crawl onto his face; he smelled victory.
The man was like a hawk, indeed.

I. Bonded: Ivory McKay and Viper Lehmann are two orphans who are kidnapped by the most dangerous mafia in New York City. The leader of the Blue Dragons has a reason why he is interested in these girls, and he has a lot of secrets that he doesn't want them to uncover. When Ivory realizes Viper's true intentions of betraying the gang, Ivory is stuck in between a vicious gang and her only friend. Will Viper and Ivory be able to save themselves or will their flaws lead to their downfall? 

(Complete) 

***
II. Double-Dealing (Currently Writing)

Milton Graves grew up a happy child, at least for the first few years of his life. His parents, Todd and Lucy, were hard working but they spoiled Milton to no end. They loved him and he loved them and their days were filled with love, happiness, and prosperity. Milton was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with his parents.
They shared with him their love of comic books and thus he was introduced to a whole other world. A world full of people and otherworldly beings with amazing and frightening abilities, skills, and gadgets. The happiness that came from having the comic books and sharing those worlds with Milton made Todd and Lucy the happiest they had ever been. However, the world isn't all sunshine and fucking rainbows.
Lucy had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer around the time she had become pregnant with Milton. She had been asymptomatic for years, but the symptoms started to appear after a few years and her health went on a decline. Todd attempted to stay strong for Milton's sake and even looked at getting Milton more comic books to read.
Then, the time had come for Lucy to go. Milton was heartbroken, but Todd...
Todd was destroyed due to losing Lucy.
He drank bottles upon bottles but he never touched Milton. Milton was a smart kid and he knew that if he didn't fix his dad then he would lose him too.

"Dad, I need to talk to you."

Milton got his father's attention away from all the booze and TV.

"Hey sport, what's up?"

Milton took a deep breath and with all the air in his lungs he yelled with all the courage he could.

"Get up of your lazy ass and do something with your life you deadbeat piece of shit!!!!!"

Todd was taken aback by what his 8 year old son had said. The first thing that caught him off guard was that his young son had used such profanity and the second thing was that he had no idea how to respond to those words. He thought for a minute and came up with a response.

"Milton, where did you hear those words?"

Milton looked at his dad and without skipping a beat he replied with.

"Xbox Live."

Todd muttered under his breath, 'Those damn video games.' He then looked back at his son and asked what he had in mind on how to occupy his time.
Milton ran to the office and came back pushing a large box with some numbers written on the side. Todd saw the box and recalled what was in it, the start to his comic book collection.

"Well dad, since you love comic book why not open a store?"

Todd thought about the idea for a sec and realized that with all of the new games that had been surfacing in various game stores. He also knew that the nearest game store was about 600 miles away. The town they lived in had a decent sized population and there were a few other towns nearby that had moderate populations. So Todd put down his bottle, cleaned up his act and showed his son the idea for the gaming hub that would reach thousands.

Todd and Milton began looking for the perfect place to host their shop. After looking at a few different locations, they settled on a larger space that had many unsuccessful businesses. The landlord was hesitant to make a deal with Todd as the other businesses had been more common place and had failed to prosper so what hope did a game shop have. Luckily, Todd had been a businessman and convinced the landlord to let them stay for a year and if they failed then they would move out. 

Todd made sure to get all of his documentation in order and began to order their inventory and decorations. Within three months, Todd and Milton had successfully opened their store, the Graveyard. The Graveyard had a slow opening but as word spread of the game store people flocked to it from all over the county and even some from other counties. 

"Wow dad, we did it. People can enjoy all their hobbies and we can share our hobbies with other people."

Todd hadn't seen Milton smile so much since his wife had been alive but he knew that if it wasn't for Milton, he would never have been so lucky to have this dream come true. The piece de resistance for the store was a comic book that was put in a special shadow box for all to admire. The comic was old, almost 100 years old, but it was the most expensive item in the store because of how rare it was. Many customers had offered to buy the comic but Todd had all turned them down.

Milton was told long ago, "No matter what happens Milton, promise me you won't ever sell that comic. It's very important to me and one day it will be yours. That comic is the only one of its kind."

Milton never forget those words as a kid and he remembered them into his teens. The popularity of the Graveyard also grew as Milton had and he soon felt the effects of it on the town. The last name Graves was well known throughout the town, the county and even the state. People had poured so much money and time into the Graveyard that many businesses even paid Todd to advertise some of the businesses in the shop. 

Todd, being the businessman that he was, couldn't say no and this allowed for more funding to be brought into the Graveyard which allowed for events, like MtG tournaments and charity events, to take place. Milton also became popular in the store because puberty had hit him pretty hard. He had always been on the taller side as well as being built like a twig but his love of comic books inspired him to be look like a super hero. He started training intensely and he grew taller, by his senior year of high school he was 6'5" and around 240 lbs. 

"Hey Milton, are you gonna stay after school and play some rugby on the pitch?"

"Nah, not today. I gotta go help out at the Graveyard."

"Alright, catch ya later Tombstone."

Tombstone, the ever so popular nickname that the students had given Milton due to his association with the Graveyard and his size. Milton had become well liked by his peers and he had learned about business from helping his dad run the store. The store had been expanded three times and almost covered an acre of land. Milton had become somewhat of a poster boy for the store and had even dressed up as some superheroes for kids birthday parties. He had never mind it because he knew that he was spreading joy and laughter to those around him.

While Milton had been an athlete and got good grades in school, he always knew that he wanted to help his dad run the store full time. The store was successful but it had a few issues. The store was in a very prime location to build a large business office on and many CEOs had come to Todd and offered him large sums of money to buy the store and all the land it came with. However, Todd made a promise to himself, Milton and his deceased wife that he would never sell the store to anyone. Milton had taken the same oath and swore upon his mother's grave that he would never sell the store. However, there was another issue with the store in the form of a comic book. 

Actually, it was the comic book. That rare comic book had been discovered a plethora of collectors who wanted it and tried many different ways to get it. Todd has poured a lot of many just to protect it and collectors had stopped for awhile but he knew one day that they would try to get it. The last issue was a man named Stick. Stick had gone to pawn shops and several book stores to buy comic books and then try to flip them at the Graveyard. However, Todd and Milton knew if a comic book was worth any money and Stick would always complain about how unfair they were. Stick was a notorious drug addict and he always tried to make enough money for his next fix.
A/N: Sorry for using this troupe but you know the story goes.
One day Stick was over all the bullshit that Todd and Milton had put him through and he decided enough was enough. He came in one day with a stack of comics and what looked like a game books. 

"What can I help you with this time Stick?"

"Oh nothing much, say did I ever tell you how I got my nickname?"

"No, I don't thin-"


Todd made the classic comic book mistake of never reading between the lines as Stick had stuck Todd with a butterfly knife. Milton wasn't at the store yet as he was on his way from school. As Stick hopped the counter to break into the cash register he heard the door chime.

'Ding ding'

"Hey dad, I'm here. Did we get that new pack of Yugioh cards yet?"

Milton then saw the scene that was ripped straight from the comics he loved. His father was lying on the floor bleeding out and Stick was trying to open the register. Then, all Milton saw was red and sprinted towards the register. His massive hand went for Stick's throat and Milton pulled him over the counter.

"You sick fucking little piece of shit. What did you do to my dad?!"

"H-hi M-milton, I-i was just trying to sell some comics."

"Don't play that bullshit with me. If he doesn't make it through this, then you're gonna change your name to Thomas Wayne."

Milton let the druggy go and called 911. While Milton was trying to save his dad, Stick ran out the back, down the side alley and was never heard from again. Sadly, Todd succumbed to his wound at the hospital and the whole town closed down to mourn the loss of the man who had strengthened their community. The landlord cut a deal with Milton that the rent would be taken care of and the other store owners in the town had actually pitched in to help support the store. Milton had been offered a free ride by many colleges for his academics and athletics but he turned them all down so he could run the Graveyard.

7 years later...

Milton had graduated high school and took over the Graveyard. It certainly hadn't died in popularity and while the customer base had changed a bit it was still a hangout for many comic book lovers.

"Harley Quinn is the best supervillain in Batman's rogues."

"Bitch please, Catwoman is the best. She would easily beat Harley Quinn."

Both of the young boys, Julius and Thomas ran to Milton in order to settle their argument.

"Milton, who's better Catwoman or Harley Quinn?"

"Well boys, its actually a suggestive question. It's really a matter of who you think is better. Plus other people's opinions about your favorite things don't mean shit."

"Wow."

"But you're both wrong, Poison Ivy is the best."

Before both boys had the chance to argue, Milton pointed to the live sized cardboard cut out of Pamela Isley aka Poison Ivy. The boys looked at each other and found the owners logic quite sound. 
'Oh the naivety of children, how I miss it.'

Milton had managed to stay strong and persevere in maintaining the Graveyard for the past 7 years on his own. He hadn't hired any employees because he found it hard to trust people and he wanted to maintain his father's legacy. He had put on weight since he had graduated and taken over the story but he was still plenty strong. However, there was someone watching the store. Watching and waiting for the perfect moment.

Later that night...

Milton was closing up the Graveyard for the night when the door chime went off.

'Ding ding'

"Sorry, we're closing up for the night."

"You can't even stay open for an old friend?"

'That voice, it can't be.'

"Stick, you finally showed your little rat ass back here."

When Milton turned around to face the murderer something caught his eye. A glass bottle with a rag sticking out of it in one hand and a lighter in the other.

"Stick, put that fucking bottle down now or I will break your neck."

"C'mon Milton, you think I didn't learn anything from all those comic books? Whenever the parent dies, always make sure to kill the kid so they can't take revenge."

While Milton didn't look athletic anymore, he was plenty fast and he rushed Stick. However, Stick was smart and flicked his lighter. The next thing that was seen was the glass bottle with a flaming rag go up in the air and Milton slamming Stick into the ground. It all happened so quickly but Milton was strangling Stick with his bare hands as the bottle fell to the ground. When Stick's breath finally stopped, Milton was too late as the bottle hit the ground and the store started to burn. The fire extinguisher was in the back room and by the time Milton had gotten it, the fire was far too big to extinguish. The only thing he could think of was the comic. Milton scrambled to get his drill and remove the shadow box from the wall. 

When the comic was finally free, Milton turned towards the door but the fire had gotten so crazy that there was no escaping through the front doors. Milton ran towards the back door but he forget that he had already locked it. The only Milton could do was go to the ground in the fetal position and clutch the shadowbox waiting for the smoke and fire to end him. For a second, he felt the burn of the fire on his skin and smoke in his lungs and then everything faded to black.

The Graveyard had burned down in the night and when morning came, the town could only see the horror that had befell the store. Stick's body was recovered, tagged and put into a grave but the remains of the Graveyard had been cleared and the lot had become a memorial to Milton and his parents. The town had gone silent and it slowly began to fade off the map. Although the town slowly began to die, the memorial still stood to honor the Graves and what they had done.

Somewhere else...

Milton suddenly awoke in an alley surrounded by old cardboard boxes and trash. He still had the shadow box albeit a little damaged from the smoke and fire. He tried to get a bearing on his surroundings but a loud crash had broken him out of it. He ran towards the noise even though he knew that was a fucking terrible idea and he saw something he never thought he'd ever see in his life.

He saw...

Milton Graves grew up in his dad's comic book store and eventually took it over. After a fire burned his shop to the ground and smoked him out, Milton awoke to find himself in the middle of the street. Before he could even think, two beautiful women with emerald skin were fighting. He recognized as comic book characters, but they were from different companies. How is this possible?

    "Anyways," Gu Shenmi scratched his head sluggishly as he spoke. He looked at Long Xian with an indescribable expression. It felt as though he was looking at a vegetable being sold at a market.




"What?" Long Xian suddenly felt anxious and uneasy. 




      Gu Shenmi abruptly snapped his fingers. A pile of dusty comic books appeared beside him out of nowhere and he picked up the first manga and waved the book. Long Xian was unable to perceive the comic's title due to the dust and cobwebs that had accumulated on it. However, she found the comic familiar... Her brows arched questioningly at the old ghost.


Gu Shenmi smirked somewhat innocently.




"Since you want me to help and I'd love no better task than doing so, this is how it's going to be, Xiao Xian," he pointed at the comic book cover. "Using my ability, I'll transport you into this comic book for some training."




"What did you just say? Is it me or you who's demented?"Long Xian suddenly felt as though she had gone nuts. Well, that would be no different to her current situation though...




"No, no, no. Nobody's demented. I'll transport you into these comic books one by one until you've successfully gone through each plot's storyline up to the endings. Get it?"




      Long Xian almost puked blood at this ghost's shameless words. However, he seemed to have prepared beforehand... 

Long Xian looked at the pikachu pajamas despisefully but, at the next moment, a maelstrom had formed at the comic book cover in Gu Shenmi's grasp. It was originally the size of a single fingertip but it gradually grew bigger and was sucking the energy around it crazily. 

Long Xian was greatly affected as her body became imbalanced, being pulled towards the raging maelstrom. However, Gu Shenmi remained unperturbed and was as immovable as a mountain in front of the madly swirling vortex of blackness.




"Hey! Wait a...!"Long Xian instantly vanished from the space as she was sucked into the comic book.




"Okay, done with that."Gu Shenmi languidly rubbed the dust off the comic. However, when his eyes randomly fell onto the large bold characters of the book's title, his bluish-purple eyes widened in astonishment. "Oh. Well...this is bad..."

•

•

•

•

Internationally Renowned Idol still has it easy in another world? Of course!

I'll breathe new life into this world and turn it into an entertainment haven; but, wait a minute... my whole family was already murdered one month ago?

The only person I can now call family is my grandfather?

A bunch of old chaps are suppressing my household? And, what's this? Some 'loan sharks' and 'land grabbers' are swarming over my family property?

This isn't right; there is definitely something wrong with this world!

Forget about changing the world, I'll declare my sovereignty over it!

James Crosby wasn't an athlete, a scholar or even a guy with any real achievements under his belt. He just really enjoyed comic books. After he graduated from high school he only worked to fuel his comic book buying habits. Every six months his moment to shine came at the big comic book convention that came to town. He was a wizard at finding bargains and predicting the next big comic books to collect. Many of the shop owners would seek him out for his opinions at the shows. Other collectors even started to take an interest in what he was buying in order to sniff potential winners. That's why it wasn't surprising when in a dark corner of the winter comic convention a completely unknown new comic startup with a single title desperately waved him over to have a look. 

James smirked at the comic. He picked it up and started to flip through the pages. In a haughty voice, he commented, "The cover isn't bold enough to draw attention, the splash page was boring and the action is bogged down by the simplicity of the villains. Your heroes are too weak to protect the people, it makes them seem less like heroes and more like regular people trying to fight crime."

The man running the booth frowned and then said, "But the idea was that it was a world that would evolve over time. The heroes would grow stronger as the villains adapted to them."

James shook his head and frowned, "I don't know man, I'm sorry but I think you started this out too slow. The art is pretty good, and the story seems decent enough, but it needs a bigger start to really draw enough attention to blow up. I might check in again once you build the world up. It's just not one I'd follow as it is." 

The man running the booth said, "Alright, I thank you for taking the time to look. I'll take your ideas and run with them, take that book on me as payment for helping me make a better story."

James smiled and said, "I will, maybe at the next con, you'll have the book that really shocks the con."

After hearing James slam the book, most of the big time collectors completely ignored the man's booth. He only managed to sell a couple of his books as a result. The man seemed to stare daggers into James all day any time he passed by. 

James managed to buy a few dozen books at a decent price and felt as if he had won the lottery as he looked through his new found treasures. He stood at a friend's comic book booth and started to talk up what he found. "Look, dude, I got a copy of X-men number two sixty-six out of a guy's twenty-five cent box in mint! Not only that, I found a second print copy of TMNT for two hundred and fifty that's at least high mint. The guy was just trying to cover his cost for attending the show and took half of what he was asking originally."

His friend Matt was a tall lanky man with sunken cheeks. He had a slight belly and wore a Wolverine t-shirt and khaki pants. He blinked his eyes and said in a shocked nasal toned voice, "Two-fifty! I'll give you five hundred right now if you'll let it go, I can put that up in my shop for eight at least!"

James looked at his friend for a few long seconds and then nodded and smiled, "Alright, Matt, you got it. But throw in a copy of Batman number six oh nine and you got a deal!" 

Matt raised an eyebrow and then asked, "You know something about that issue you aren't telling me, dude? It's not a high-value comic."

James just shrugged and said, "Just liked the cover."

Matt frowned and then traded books with James and grumbled, "Every time we do deal I feel like you are ripping me off, even though I am supposed to be the one ripping you off."

James laughed and then gave a wave as he took the money and his bag of treasures and made his way to the exit. He was leaving with the same amount of money he walked in with and a bag of comics that left a huge grin on his face. He felt like he was the king of the world as walked past a line of people dressed as their favorite superheroes. James shook his head at them. He always found the costumes to be wrong somehow like they were trying too hard to match the look of the comic instead of the idea behind the suits. His mind began to wander as he imagined how he would make a super costume if he was a hero. 

James got into his car, a peach-colored 1982 AMC Eagle station wagon that was too ugly for words. The floors of his car were littered with fast food trash and empty soda cans. He set his new comic book treasures on the passenger seat that almost never saw a body occupying it. James made the short trip from the convention center to his studio apartment in record time. He was too excited for words as he managed to grab two comics that would fill gaps in his collection basically for free thanks to his wheeling and dealing. Walking into his apartment all that could be seen were rows of stacked white comic book boxes. On another wall was an array of Batman comic books with a single hole in the middle which James walked over and thumb tacked the new book into the hole with a satisfied sigh. 

James laid down on his bed and picked up the new books he bought and then for some reason the book he had been given for free grabbed his attention. He decided to give the story a proper read now that he wasn't distracted. Aside from the things he brought up at the show he felt like the story was somehow more compelling than he thought at the time he skimmed it at the show. It was a story about people who woke up to find that they could level themselves up by doing things. The idea was that each time they completed an action they would notice a small number pop up in the corner of their vision. After a while, they would start to notice that their skills and abilities were growing fast. Eventually turning them into what could only be described as a superhero.

James snorted in disbelief and then shook his head. He thought about all of the superheroes he followed, most of them either had genius intellects or teachers who trained them to be superior warriors. They weren't just regular people. He thought of what it would be like for him to have that kind of ability. He shook his head and laughed, saying out loud, "If I had a system like that I wouldn't stick my fucking neck out to help people that's just bat shit crazy."

James couldn't get the idea out of his head, it was running through his mind like a virus. He just wanted to sleep but it was killing him that the comic he read was so flawed he didn't know exactly what the flaw was so he kept rethinking it over and over. It wasn't the skill itself, it was the motivation. Just having skill and ability wouldn't motivate a hero. He thought of Batman and how his parents were killed causing him to seek vengeance. Or how Spider-man had to see his Uncle killed to motivate him. The Punisher lost his family. The mutants from the X-Men were all trying to save their kind from extinction and build up a good impression from regular people. Superman lost his entire planet. The characters in this comic book he was given were just regular people who had no motivation to be more than who they were. 

James eventually drifted off to sleep. A voice in the blackness spoke softly, "Initiating transformation. Power system loaded. Experience system loaded. Character creation successful. Motivation system progress 1%. Starting wake-up mode in ten, nine, eight, seven. The voice grew softer and softer until James saw daylight once again. He shook his head and thought, "What an odd dream." He yawned and stretched out he swiftly turned his head as he thought he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. A small red number "+1" hung in the corner of his vision for a split second. He shook his head again only to see another "+1" drift off. He moved his arm wildly and another "+1" appeared. That was when he noticed something off about his apartment. The comic books on the wall had changed. The familiar names were gone and replaced with names that similar yet different.

He shouted out, "Alright real funny, I don't know which of you it is, but I want my real collection back and if I find even a single damaged book you are getting sued!" 

Once again a "+1" popped up in the corner of his eye.

James shook his head and frowned, he checked the time and knew it was time to get to work, he didn't have time to play around with the jokesters. He quickly showered and dressed in his uniform and then sped off to work. The little "+1" that kept popping up was very annoying to James, but he did his best to ignore it. When he got to work he felt something was off as the name of the restaurant on the sign was spelled oddly. He looked up and frowned, "Burger Kang? Is this part of the joke?" He looked across the street and noticed that the place across from them had a different sign as well. He blinked and rubbed his eyes and asked, "MacRonalds?" 

He walked inside starting to feel confused. He recognized all of his coworkers but the menu boards were all changed subtly so that at first glance it was normal but things were just slightly named differently. Instead of a whopper they now sold a whapper. He noticed a newspaper no longer said New York Times, instead, it had New City Times written at the top of the page, he grabbed one of his coworkers and asked, "Dude, is it just me or does this place look different today?"

His coworker laughed and said, "Yeah man, those graveyard shift bastards didn't mop, Ralphie threw a fit this morning. You got mop duty bro, wouldn't slack it off today. He's in that kind of mood." 

James grabbed the mop and started to do his job. He noticed that as he worked his level of skill with mopping rapidly improved to the point that the floors looked like they were being professionally cleaned. The manager came out of his office and stared in amazement as James mopped effortlessly but cleaned the floors back to a new like appearance. He grinned broadly and said, "Great work Jimmy. Thanks for busting ass on these floors. The rest of you bums should take your example from Jimmy."

Everyone stared daggers at James who could only smile and shrug. It went like that all day, anything he worked on would become incredibly easy to him if he did it long enough. All the time the "+1" would appear. By the time he was done with his shift, his coworkers were no longer speaking to him because he had raised the bar for every job in the restaurant to the point they felt like they could no longer meet expectations. Even Ralphie the manager started to feel insecure about his position. 

James went to start his car and of course, it wouldn't start. He popped the hood and climbed out hoping he could figure out what was wrong with it. When he opened the hood he was shocked to find the entire motor missing. It was as if it had been completely torn out. He spun around looking in all directions as his heart pounded, he suddenly felt very unsafe. He thought about his work today and decided to try running home, maybe he would get better at running if he did that. 

James ran as if someone was chasing him, and just like with his work today he slowly improved at running until it was effortless for him. He managed to run the four miles back to his house in half an hour. For a guy who hadn't done any running in years, he felt like he had accomplished an impossible feat. In fact, he knew for certain that was the furthest he had ever run and when he got home he felt the same way he did at the end of his workday. Slightly tired but still capable of doing more. He looked across the street at the twenty-four-hour gym and decided to find out if the thought scratching at the back of his head was real. 

After he went home and changed, he walked over to the gym and then up to the counter and asked the girl there, "Hi, I was wondering what it costs to get a membership here?" 

The girl smiled happily and said, "Well, why don't you try out the gym first and see if it's what you need. After you work out, we can talk about our membership plans." 

He smirked and nodded, "Thank you, I think I will." He walked inside and started doing a circuit through the gym. Just as he thought each machine became easier and easier the more he exercised on it. He looked in the mirror and noticed that his body was slowly but visibly changing. When he walked into the gym he was still the same skin and bones scrawny looking man that he had been since he graduated from high school years earlier. But just an hour in the gym and he already had started to appear like someone who had been working out for years. James stared in disbelief at the image in the mirror. He looked down at his arms and could see defined musculature. He looked at the machines and suddenly found himself obsessed with them. He would use each machine until he was at its maximum weight and then move to the next. By the time he completed a full circuit of the gym he looked like a bodybuilder. He was staring in awe at the image of himself in the mirror, his clothes were stretched to the point of nearly ripping. He noticed that the sun was starting to come up and realized he had spent the entire night at the gym.

When he walked up to the counter the same girl was yawning and stretching while saying to another girl, "I had a skinny guy come in last night I haven't seen him leave yet, I hope he didn't hurt himself."

He walked up in front of her and said, "Hi, I tried out the gym here, it was ok, but I think I need a gym with more weights. Thank you for the trial though." 

She looked at him like it was the first time she had seen him and asked, "I'm sorry, but did we already speak? I don't recall when you came in." 

He chuckled and said, "Skinny guy that you were worried would hurt himself." 

She stared in disbelief as he walked out. The girl next to her snorted derisively and said, "Girl you need to lower your standards. Not every guy can be as big as a powerlifter. That guy was totally ripped."

James walked to his apartment and sat down on his bed. He suddenly felt his adrenaline kick in as he searched for the comic book he picked up at the con. He found it and immediately opened it only to find that the pages were all blank. The picture on the cover changed to a picture of himself lifting weights and growing stronger. The splash page changed to a picture of him mopping at Burger Kang. The next page showed him running after finding that his car had been sabotaged. Then it was him lifting weights in the gym rapidly building his body by doing each exercise. He stammered and said, "Fuck this, I am not a hero, I have no motivation to be a hero!"

He tossed the comic off his bed and collapsed back on it with a sigh. Maybe he could call in sick, he only had four hours until it was time to work again and he still hadn't slept. He closed his eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

The story of a Comic Book Collector who is brought to a world where he finds out that he is one of the special people who can earn experience and level up to become a superhero.

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There is definitely something wrong with this world![1]

Comic Book Guy!

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