บท 112: Chapter 112 : Helping out
Author note : Hi, everyone ! Hope you're all okay ! New chapters and… well, it's official ! I'm putting an end to this story… or maybe it'll be on hiatus for an unknown amount of time. I've been increasingly dissatisfied by this story,growing detached from the MC and having a hard time writing the chapters. Frankly, the passion was gone for a while and all that was left was some misguided sense of duty… it felt like a chore. So, yeah… there'll be still be the last 10 chapters posted here (one every week) as always and this will be it.
In other news, I have other stories in mind. One I've already wrote a few chapter : Reborn as Lex Luthor. Starts off with Smallvilles's meteor shower but instead of having a good immune system, his meta power is knowledge based. He'll be a good guy, mostly… I think.
The other one is about Dragon Ball, a Tuffle picked up by Tights and raised by the Brief family. Still writing notes about it but it'll probably be a crossover with other elements.
I hope you enjoy !
P.S. : I forgot but we'll… you know the drill : check out my Patréon page ! Cathbel out !
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The invisible ship tore through space amidst the field of silent explosions. The attackers, mindless though they were, were relentless and coordinated in their assault. Yet, the metallic bodies were pierced, blown up and blasted one after another.
For the first time in weeks, the team of heroes had encountered the threat predicted by Ned Stark. It happened when they weren't expecting it. They picked up a distress call mentioning an attack by forces unknown. Thinking they would discover yet another pirate attack, they were very surprised to find out that those who requested the help… were actually pirates. And it wasn't a trap, either.
The pirate fleet, despite its rather impressive size, was gradually decimated by an enemy they could do nothing against. Their energy weapons, torpedoes and even more unconventional weapons did nothing against them. Meanwhile, the humanoids moved through space unimpeded by the void, the cold and the radiations, they launched themselves at the ships with no regard for self-preservation and tore through the hulls with their sharp clawed hands.
The distress call also mentioned a bacteriological attack… And when the team arrived within a few hundred thousands of kilometers, their sensors gave them a better picture of what was actually happening.
The only reaction before they went into combat mode belonged to the Dark Knight :
« So… It's true. »
While Ned was slightly annoyed by this reaction, he didn't say anything and simply donned his armor before heading for the airlock. While he could simply send it out and command it remotely, he headed out in order to make use of his technopathy. Out there, there was a forming graveyard of ships and other pieces of technology. While he was confident that his own technomancy was at the forefront when it came to Earth tech, space was a new frontier, filled with hundreds, thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands sapient races, much further ahead than their blue marble. If his mind could simply make contact with these… new horizons would open up to him !
If the Third Army was the most imminent threat, Ned never forgot the fact that, among DC's roster of threats, it wasn't among the worst. Even the Guardians, despite the fact that they ruled this region of space for eons, were not the ones he was the most fearful of.
Idly, as he waited for the oxygen to be sucked up from the airlock, he wondered if becoming a tech spirit hadn't dulled his emotions or changed his mindset. He never felt like he was a hero… Never believed it, even for a second. All he did was just so he could protect himself and his family.
This particular threat, was still far off from his home on Earth, and according to his knowledge and memories, the Green Lanterns, aided by the some of the other lantern corps, and by Kyle Rainer, the White Lantern, would come out on top of this conflict. And the Organic Interface wasn't actually planning on getting involved in the conflict, so he doubted the outcome would change. All he… it wanted to do was to gather information about the Third Army and the method with which they took over the bodies and minds of sapient races.
Therefore, his involvement was not very rational. Was he trying to pursue his body in order to retrieve the original Ned Stark ? Perhaps…
« I'm heading out ! » Ned spoke as the doors opened.
In the distance, he could see Superman already fighting. Once again, he noticed how the man of steel was fighting smartly and not only relying on his vaunted invincibility. It was a good thing too, since Ned knew that Willpower could actually harm the Kryptonian. It probably had to do with the fact that magic was involved in the creation of the central battery. Or simply, it had to do with the fact that the electromagnetic emotional spectrum was one of the driving force that gave birth to the Multiverse, hence being an energy much more powerful than even his god-like physiology could withstand.
Faced with these zombie-like opponents, a single scratch would mean the loss of their lives. They couldn't afford to be careless. Which was also why none of the others in the ship had come out.
« Too bad… » Ned muttered as he thought of Steel's new armor. Unlike the former bulky armor, this one was form-fitting to the point that it embraced J.H. Irons' features. The reason behind this was because it was composed of some kind of organic metal. Ned had really wanted to see how it worked… However, his curiosity wasn't worth the price of this brilliant man's life. He would have other opportunities…
Ned Stark put his game face on and he resumed scanning the battlefield. Large scale battles in Comic book worlds was more akin to science fiction battles between interstellar nations that standing armies facing each other with rifles, swords and shields. Therefore, it was a little difficult to find somewhere to direct his forces in order to make the most damage.
Being only one man… Tech spirit, but who cares ? He couldn't exactly turn the tides by attacking willy nilly. Unlike the Kryptonian, his powers weren't endless ! So, he scanned the battlefield in order to try and find pieces of technology he could make use of in the immediate future. Of course, if the pirates' weapons had been any good, they wouldn't be getting their asses handed over to them… However, there was a possibility that the numbers had simply been too great compared the effective weaponry.
Soon, the Army spotted him, silent and immobile in the void of space, his dark blue and silver armor almost like a beacon to these mindless drone. Zombie was a term that fit quite well, Ned thought at the moment. Despite the fact that they didn't have mouth or nose, the way they rushed towards him like a swarm, it was as if they hungered for his flesh…
« Too bad… » Ned repeated, this time with a playful smirk on his face hidden by the face-plate. « … for them ! » He continued before springing to action.
With a wide sweep of his opened hand, the focus in his hand lit up in a violet light. This particular enchantment, he had added during the flight. It had been inspired by a dark magic spell used by Death Eaters during the war… Was it Sectumsempra, or something similar ? He had only heard it used once and from afar… Also, he was human at the time, so he couldn't exactly trust his own memories.
Anyways, it was a dark magic spell meant to cut your opponent and prevent him from healing naturally. He was pretty sure that it would be useful in this situation. And the next moment, his assumptions were validated when the violet light flew and cut a couple of drones in two like they were pieces of flying tofu… Except the tofu were spilling their innards out in space, their guts and bloods floating away like the contents of a lava lamp.
Ned watched in fascination as the two drones continued moving even despite suffering from obviously fatal injuries. It was fascinating and gross at the same time. They were still intent on killing him, or converting him, since he wasn't sure they knew what he was. But it was also clear that they were slowly losing their strengths. Already their flight abilities had become much weaker. Soon, they no longer moved and the eery light in their eyes was extinguished.
« Rest in peace. » Ned muttered. Despite their status as mindless killing machines, they had been people before this. Remembering this fact, he felt anger well up within towards the guardians. They wanted his parents, his sister, his friends to suffer the same fate because what ? In their madness, they decided that feelings were overrated ? That they knew better ?
Even if they purged their emotions, he would do his damndest to instill fear back into them ! The foci on his armor lit up and Ned started a killing spree. He weaved between the ranks of the Third Army like a needle in the hand of a master craftsman working on a tapestry. He no longer bothered to think strategically and only moved, and mowed, forward. At least, until his sensors picked up a different energy signature. An energy signature that belonged not to his allies, the surviving pirates or the Third Army. An energy signature that showed a significantly higher power level…
« There you are ! » He shouted as he rushed towards it.
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