61 – Frank and…SHIELD?
Floating behind the counter, half an hour before I was to open the store, I honed in on the daily news of three separate cities. The three cities to my cafe had an entrance.
"This just in: the Hell's Kitchen's Midnight Killer has returned. Four bodies were found in an alleyway behind Papa Jesus's Pizzaria on Numan's street and were identified to be mbers of the Triad. Eyewitnesses on the scene identified the attacker to be the Midnight Killer along with an unknown companion."
"Kyle really has a hate boner for the Gangs in Hell's Kitchen," I comnted, noting Kyle's new nickna, and watched the footage nearby people recorded, showing Kyle gun down several n while an Eyebot floated not far behind him.
Obviously, several videos quickly appeared on social dia platforms, questioning what the Eyebot was, who created it, and what its purpose was. Kyle's Eyebot would undoubtedly get the attention of so organizations. Hopefully, he wouldn't do sothing stupid and get caught, though if he was smart, he could always offer his services to so of the organizations, though he'd likely lose a lot of his freedom in the process. He certainly has the technical skills to be accepted in many institutions as well, though it was clear he had so vendetta against the criminals of Hell's Kitchen, so it was highly unlikely that he would willingly leave the cri-filled district until he fulfilled his vendetta.
Moving on, I focused on Gotham's news.
"We are at an all-ti record low for Holess. Dozens, if not hundreds, of the holess have been disappearing from the streets of Gotham and reappearing hours or days later; here's Ashley Cunningham with one of them now," She motioned over to a nearby screen, which showed another newswoman standing next to a man with an unkempt beard and unkempt clothes.
"Thank you, Trish; I am here with Ian, a man who has been living on the streets of Gotham for over a decade. Tell , Ian, do you know what's going on? Do you know why people are disappearing from the streets at night and reappearing hours later?" The blond woman asked the vagrant, moving the mic closer to their face.
"Uh...you outa ask the boss," The man deflected.
"Boss?" The reporter asked.
Suddenly, a loud bang echoed from the surroundings as a nearby sewer gate was ripped open by a clawed reptilian hand.
"He's talking about ," A rough and nacing voice growled out as a figure rose from the sewers.
"Killer...Croc," The reporter stuttered in fear.
"Sorry for frightening you. Hey Ian, how's your section? Are the heaters doing okay? Is the terminal still working? How are you guys doing on food? Blankets?" Waylon, Killer Croc himself questioned, a small smile on his face as he looked at the holess with a friendly smile.
"We're doing fine, Waylon, though Mindy says she still feels cold at night, even with the heaters," Ian fondly replied.
"I'll get her a heater blanket," Waylon inford the man, "I'll get it to her before it gets dark."
Focusing on the reporter, Waylon spoke, "Apologies. I am aware my form...frightens others, as well as my past history, but I can guarantee your safety; I will not touch a hair on your head, nor will any harm co to you while within my presence," Waylon spoke, showing a surprisingly eloquent and gentlemanly interior underneath his scales.
"W-Wha-" The reporter started only to interrupt, "What and why, I presu? Many may not know, but I grew into this. I was quite human when I was but a boy. Now? I am only a monster because society deed fit to make one. I may not be proud of the things I did in my past, but I am a changed man. Just ask those who sleep in the streets and beg for change so they won't starve, or are you asking about what Ian and I spoke of?"
"Wait...you weren't always like this?" A different voice asked from behind the cara.
"Like a monster? Correct. I was born with a rare genetic disorder that has slowly turned into what you see before your eyes. From my own personal research, everyone else who was born with my condition did not make it past a year in age, making one of the few or likely the only living human on Earth who has lived as long as I have with this condition," Waylon answered.
'Is he smarter? He certainly seems more...intelligent since he first ca to my store,' I thought to myself, confused as I listened to the news.
The more I thought about it, the quicker I ca to a realization.
'Well...hot damn. I think he managed to recreate ntats, a sort of drug that enhances the intelligence of those who consu it. It makes sense, seeing as he was noticeably dumber not that long ago. The question is, would he have to worry about the drawbacks of taking the drug due to his...physique?"
'Curious...I wonder what else Waylon will create if he ends up making ntats of all things. Will he manage to create Stimpaks? Radaway? Psycho? Jet? In Fallout, there are plenty of drugs and dicines that would be a godsend for this Earth, as so were potent painkillers, addiction fixers, and so much more that would change the lives of many on Earth.'
anwhile, on tropolis News, a male news reporter was reviewing footage of an unidentified hero seen flying with Superman over the city; that figure was feminine in shape, which could only be a few notable figures from my mory.
Only one such figure fit the criteria for who it could be, especially with Superman's absence, that strange teor, and the fact that he hasn't returned to try and arrest yet.
Of course, it could only be Kara Zor-El, Superman's cousin. However, it was possible to be so other female heroine, though unlikely in my opinion, given how few there were who could fly and would make Superman stop harassing criminals for a week.
Getting lost in thought, I was suddenly interrupted by the loud sound of knocking as soone pounded on the glass sliding doors.
Looking over, I was certainly surprised to see a bloodied and beaten Frank leaning against the glass door in Hell's Kitchen, saring blood all over it.
"God damn it, Frank," I sighed, floating down from the air, landing softly on my feet.
Stepping around the counter, I calmly walked over to the sliding door and opened it with a ntal push.
Once the door slid open, Frank fell to the floor, but with a simple swipe of my hand, purple energy coalesced around his body and forced him into a standing position.
"Wow, look at you; soone certainly did a number to you. Where's the Assaultron?" I asked, examining the extensive injuries on him.
"...Scrapped. Was...jumped by so military-looking guys," Frank forced out, clearly in pain.
"I see, well. I guess that's to be suspected. They still have it?" I asked.
"...Y...Yes," Frank answered.
"Well...that's bad. Well, co on, hard to talk to you when you're in this state," I told the veteran, making him float up into the air as I turned around and began walking over to the counter, his body floating behind .
"Cash or Karma?" I asked, gesturing towards the Stimpaks on display.
Getting only a ragged breath in reply, I cheerfully added, "Karma it is. Let's make that a Super Stimpak while we're at it," I floated over the counter, confirming the purchase.
Seeing the confirm in purchase, I checked the man's Karma balance.
[18,983]
'He certainly has used up quite a bit of his Karma on dicine and alcohol,' I noted.
Grabbing a Super-Stimpak, I calmly floated back over the counter and, with no hesitation, jabbed it into his arm and pumped the syringe's contents into his body.
Tossing the used syringe into the trash, I let the man go, letting him fall to his feet, where he stumbled to a nearby chair.
I watched with fascination as the smaller injuries began to heal at a visible pace while the larger injuries seed to be having more trouble.
"Do let know if you want to buy another," I told him, floating back behind the counter only to hear a loud 'Bang' slam into the sliding doors.
Turning around, I was t by n in black suits with small sidearms raised at the door.
"Are they stupid? Who sees sothing like and shoots first? Well, I guess I would, but still, it's very rude of them."
Without a care in the world, I cast a simple spell, and behind the two n, a small portal opened, releasing multiple dog-like Eldritch Abominations that tore the three n apart before disappearing back through the portal.
Shaking my head, I looked over at Frank, "No worries, no harm will co to custors in my store, after hours or not," I inford the man with a shrug, going back to watching the news.
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