Disclaimer - I don't, and have never claimed to, own Marvel or its Intellectual Property. This is all just so that I can take my maladaptive daydreaming and turn it into something so that it does not ruin the rest of my day.
DoorMan #51
Red Hearth, Mars[February 4, 2008]
–Colin Baxter–
"Alright then, let's go wake them up, then?" He half asked half stated as he stood up to go to the lower levels, the ones that Bruce could not access. Bruce never really asked about them but then again, he hadn't really been here all that long anyway. Those lower levels were mostly empty, save for some trinkets that Jin'Ya collected from Earth and some that the Ancient One wanted off the planet but also wanted within reach just in case.
Mostly magical stuff that might spell doom for a small city if used improperly. The problem with mystical enforcement on Earth being so strict, especially under the Ancient One was because of the whole secrecy around Sorcery being a thing.
A small artifact or so in the wrong hands might only affect a couple thousand or tens of thousands of people, which was significant but in the grand scheme of things? Irrelevant. What made that single isolated incident so much more dangerous than it had any right to be is because of the connected nature of the world these days and how quickly it might steamroll through any effort to actually hide Sorcery.
"So," he looked back as Bruce began speaking, "I assume we are going to wake up the scientist first?"
He nodded, "Yup. I am thinking of letting you both speak once I am clear explaining everything to her about the new circumstance and once you are comfortable with Extremis and how it works, we can see about letting the other guy off of sedatives. Don't worry, I will have something suitable to hold him within a couple of days, tops." He hastily added after sensing Bruce's hesitation with keeping a man unconscious for an indefinite period of time.
"Okay but if your words are correct, J.T. James has a very weak power which is what forced him to street art so why are you acting so cautious towards him? If my calculations are correct, he would need to generate a fire of high enough temperature to make most metals red to seriously injure you." Bruce blurted out.
He paused, as the elevator began descending to the lower floors, "Well, for starters, my paranoia won't let me underestimate someone who could do some serious damage before he was put down and secondly, you performed some calculations on me? I might have to include you in my power scaling docs then. Remind me to give you access."
Bruce whispered to himself, "Power scaling docs?"
He nodded, "Oh, yeah. That is a document I have created of known beings and their rough power levels along with confirmed as well as rumoured feats of strength, intelligence, esoteric abilities, etc. I think you'll like the data density in those. Word of warning though, there's some stuff of nightmare in that book, so read it at your own risk."
After that ominous warning, he stared straight ahead as the elevator finally dinged as they reached one of the lower floors, housing just two people in what was a medical prison since what else would you call being suspended in bio fluid in a medically induced coma?
"So you even have this built already," He noted the impressed vibe in Bruce's voice and mentally projected a middle finger to Jin'Ya who told him that this was completely unnecessary and Jin'Ya could have just as easily shut down their consciousness to the points of stasis within seconds.
"Yes, I knew someday this might happen so I was prepared in advance. They can stay in this state for another week before any intervention might become necessary."
"I see. Yes, this is off the shelf stuff but of very good quality. I assume it becomes harder the more advanced the medical equipment is?" Bruce mused out loud as he began inspecting all the equipment in the medical prison.
He nodded, "Yup, it gets increasingly harder to source stuff not because it is expensive or hard to get but because it gets–"
"Harder to hide where the stuff is going. Yeah, I get it." Bruce said as he whipped out a notebook and began writing stuff after going through all the machines currently attached to the two patients in the room.
Medical stuff, even one that is readily available to anyone with money on the planet, was weirdly more advanced than he had expected it to be. Like real life, semi-stasis pods with all the nutrients required being absorbed through skin was something that he expected to be hoarded by SHIELD or organisations of similar goal/size but apparently, there was a vendor in China who could provide this stuff, legally.
International Shipping and everything. He shipped one to Egypt, paid off a local guy to take delivery (after intimidating him obviously), and then brought it here once he confirmed nothing could be used inside for tracking.
Seemingly satisfied with what he was seeing, Bruce closed and placed his notebook on the stand nearby and began pressing the buttons on the bed in the exact same way as the manual suggested to begin the draining process.
"What?" Bruce asked defensively at the look he was giving him, "I had a lot of time cooped up in my room with internet access so I read all I could get my hands on."
There were crickets in the room as he slowly replied, "And instruction manuals were the thing that you read to stave off boredom?"
"...Yes."
He shook his head at that, not noticing that Jin'Ya had abruptly disappeared in the middle of their meeting.
____xx____
Kamar Taj
–Ancient One–
She stood in the subspace between pocket dimensions, arms crossed behind her back, waiting for the Psionic refugee. She had sent out the call out signal a moment ago and the next, there was a subtle disturbance in the small subscape she had carved out for herself. The disturbances began increasing in both frequency and magnitude before Jin'Ya found himself right in front of her.
She frowned as he righted his form and assumed his true draconic form instead of the tamer one that Colin was most familiar with.
"Why have you called me here, Guardian of the Nexus?" The displeasure in his voice was evident because he did not like dealing with her, certainly not after she bound him to terms most disadvantageous to him.
Colin…he was like family to her, something she never thought she would find again in her life. Colin didn't know what the Psionic refugee truly was and just how dangerous these Dragons could be and so, in her wish to protect Colin from something truly horrifying and someone who could wipe out planets if he so wished, she made sure that the Refugee knew his place and used the full might of her position to actually bind the Dragon to Colin, providing an almost unbreakable defense for Colin and consequently, Earth.
Instead of answering the Refugee's question, she asked one of her own, "How is the body working out for you? I assume you haven't surpassed the limits of it, given the immaculate condition." And there was a reason she'd put that as one of her conditions for the Refugee to live in the material world.
It needed a body to live in and she made sure that she made it with the best materials possible but with an added kill switch. While aware that such a trick would not work on beings as old as the galaxy but it should be more than enough to banish it back to the Astral Realm which was as far as she could do, on her own power.
The Vishanti would not lend her their power for such trivial tasks and as such, she was limited to relying on small tricks for insurance.
"Well, it is a little stifling but I haven't yet seen anything on this dirtball that would need me using more of my powers." The Refugee's voice boomed in the subspace as she raised an eyebrow and quickly erased the cracks that had begun showing due to the weight of the Refugee's soul.
"I will ask again, why have you called me here? I was in an important meeting with Colin." She shuddered internally at that. Colin….really did not know what he was and what he had, how valuable it was, and how most beings in the Astral Realm would riot the moment they heard someone like Colin exists.
They were really lucky that this Refugee was the first one who came searching for the disturbance in the Universe and was on his last legs when they met. She had met him earlier on and had summarily dispatched him once she was sure that he meant no harm to Earth and was simply here on a voyage.
Even then, after knowing the nature of this particular Psionic Dragon, she was quick to act and made sure that he would be bound to Colin until either one of them dies.
"I felt..something. A disturbance in Colin's future. It was in flux before but now, it is still not clear but I can see that some possibilities have been outright deleted." And that was yet another thing that was unique to Colin. Her inability to map out the future of Colin Baxxter.
"Oh, that. Yeah, the brat was confused about some of his actions, about the morality of them and I had to summarily remind him that you have to be alive to exercise your morality."
She nodded at that. "Alright, that helps somewhat but I would like to remind you about one of the clauses of–"
"Yes, yes, I know. No exerting undue influence with the intent to malign or otherwise alter Colin's core personality and decision matrices with or without magical processes or manipulation with words. I remember all of it, it is effectively written on my soul, you know?" There was no outright hostility but she noted the slight anger and resentment at that. That was fine, she could take that. If she was the focus of that anger, Colin would be spared from it, especially since she knew that Colin was actually growing on the Refugee as the days went by.
Maintaining the stoic face, she said, "Very well. You may return now,"
She sighed as she felt the subspace crack and break as the Refugee left with a tail swat at the whole thing, which might as well have been a sledgehammer to the last remaining pillar of a building.
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