Torch Bearer 4 (Raw)

The Torch Bearer

A/N: Kisara Lawson gets dropped in Marvel by a ROB with some changes to her body and soul, a Green Lantern central power battery, a portable power battery, the Maltusian technological database in her head and a power ring. Chaos ensued.

Possession:

• Central Power Battery
• Portable Power Battery
• Power Ring
• Maltusian Technology and Science

Abilities:

• Indomitable will
• Genius level intellect

# # #

Part 4

Back with Kisara…
September 3rd, 1999
Cygnus Industries building

Cortana reported to me what she had divined from the analysis of the genome enhancer we stumbled onto one week ago. It's a solution called the Super Soldier Serum, created by a Jewish scientist named Abraham Erskine, born in Germany.

The serum has multiple side effects, it actually changed the chemical makeup of the brain, it amplified the personality of the user, the good and the bad. No thank you. That's why I was reworking it, keeping the good stuff it did and discarded the bad. I won't use it before it becomes way better than the original version from the 40s.

Today was the day I met Kitten's dad, inquisition. I had put on my most smart and beautiful business suit. My arm was still in a sling, and it was still painful to move around as the bones were fusing again.

I used my good arm to draw the omni-gel dispensers and the Healing droids. A broken arm slowed my grind and my work as I was preparing to become too powerful for the bullshit that Marvel would throw at me. The incident with Rhino and Electro forced me to be more proactive with the threats around me.

Cortana and I have started to build a large dossier on everyone I remembered being a villain or who ushered the end of the world in the Marvel continuity, it was all about their powers, abilities, contacts, and motivations.

Knock. Knock. The door to the lab opened, revealing Felicia in a white ruffled top showing a lot of neckline with short sleeves; tight black pants with a golden buckled Gucci leather belt, and black ankle boots.

“Sara, you're still here? My dad is about to arrive.” She asked with an impatient tone.

Turning to her, I saw how nervous she looked, she really wanted this meeting to go well it seemed. “Oh sorry, kitten. I was lost in a project.”

Felicia walked up to me, and looked at the 3D model on the screen of a boxy robot suspiciously looking like EVE from WALL-E.

The healing Droid has an ergonomic shape white in color, it was equipped  with a scanner, a hovering function and morphable fingers to mimic human dexterity in manipulating objects. For now I wanted to build the medical equipment separately of the Droid and later integrate the tech inside a new chassis.

The Artificial Intelligence would also be a specialized one; physical therapy, surgery, it will be able to do it all.

“Huh, a robot Doctor? It looks… cute.” Felicia said as she looked at the design of the Droid.

“I know right?” I said with a smile, no one will know that I am trolling them with the design.

Felicia guessed my plan rather fast; she knew me too well at that point. “Sara… You really didn't like the bills served to you by the hospital…”

I narrowed my eyes and said with a tone full of spite, “Yeah, Healthcare should be free, those vampires won't get any money from me anymore.”

“So your answer to that is to undercut their business entirely? Wow you can be so vindictive.” Felicia hugged me, kissed my cheek and purred in my ear. “I like it.”

After this I locked my workstation, and I was led to the ground floor where I was still building the reception area. The floor was being worked on, I have chosen linoleum to protect the concrete, the walls were covered in plascrete, as I intended to armor the building up. Felicia was helping with the decorations, each sketch she showed me was getting better as I worked to have a Solar-punk feel to the room.

Felicia intended to encase a bunch of aquariums in the walls… I guess I will have to come up with some kind of enclosed life support system for the future fishes. Urgh, my kitten was adding more work for me. It was good though to see Felicia’s face light up with happiness when she saw her father.

“Dad!” She hug/tackled the older man.

Walter Hardy was a tall blue eyed and white haired man, wearing a black suit that would mark him as a men in black if I didn’t know better. I knew that he was a thief and a criminal, but… I will let it go, because I’m dating his daughter. Not that I was seeing the world in black and white like that Mega Karen, Brandish, from Worm.

The older man patted her on the back while chuckling. “Hahaha. Hello, kitten!”

He let go of her and then he finally noticed my presence and froze for a moment, I don’t know why. Then he turned to his daughter who was smiling at him as if she was the cat that ate the canary. “I know she’s gorgeous.”

I rolled my eyes, I wasn’t that pretty… Felicia was the most beautiful woman I’ve seen. When compared to Emma Frost, Jean Grey or Rogue,  I am sure that I look plain. Walking up to mister Hardy, I extended my hand to him. “Heya, sir. I am Kisara Lawson, Felicia’s girlfriend.”

“Enchanté, Miss Lawson. Please, call me Walter.” The old man put on the charm and kissed my hand without his lips touching my skin.

He didn't let go of my hand as he said while gazing into my eyes, "You know… I thought that I would have to warn boys away from my little kitten, but I discovered that as always she found a loophole and got a girl instead. She has always been clever like that.”

Felicia separated our hands by swatting them away. “Daaaaaad! Please, don't embarrass me in front of Sara!”

I laughed and went to wrap my arm around Felicia’s waist. “Kitten, your dad is hilarious.”

Walter was still smiling when it was time to speak. But the shift in his body language that he meant business.

“So, my daughter told me what happened to you.” He subtly looked at my broken arm. “She said that you wishes to have a home gym.”

With a sigh, I said, “Pretty much, with all those criminals who don't care about the people and collateral damages, it's dangerous outside.”

I wasn't about to go out without at least my armored car and some fabrics made to stop high caliber bullets. I just need to find some sample of Vibranium to replicate it. Titanium or Vibranium mesh turned into some kind of undersuit for protection would be cool right now.

Walter nodded firmly. “That’s a pretty good reason, it also makes Felicia safer, so I will help you set up the Gym. What's your budget, then?”

Felicia briefly turned toward me, she had a Cheshire cat-like grin on her face as she pulled a quote out of her pocket and handed it to her dad. The old man's eyes widened and he wiped his forehead with his free hand.

“W-well, this should be more than enough…” Walter looked at the quote again, gulped hard. “Yeah… ten million dollars is more than enough.”

I nodded with a smile. “We agree on that, Walter.”

Felicia added, “My girl is rich, dad.” She wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

Walter looked somewhat afraid. “Don't tell your mother, kitten…”

Felicia stiffened, looked at me and said, “Ah yeah, right.”

I frowned at that exchange between them. “Is there something I should know about your wife, sir?”

Was the man's wife a gold digger or something? I wasn't going to write checks to someone like that or anything, there was a reason that Cortana was the one in charge of finance and making it grow. The man put on a tired expression and said, “Yeah, you see…”

# # #

(Anna-Marie aka Rogue)

Kisara's Laboratory

September 6th, 1999

Anna deactivated her power inhibitor, the feeling of being constrained inside her body slowly fading as her power filled her again. She really didn't like that sensation at all; Kisara, bless her soul, was working on a better inhibitor which could be worn without secondary effects.

Currently, she was inside Kisara's lab; and Anna was going to train her absorption power. Kisara, her savior, told her that she should be able to siphon energy or give it back at will by touching someone.

Anna looked at the synthetic humanoid body which is a perfect representation of a biological battery that Kisara has made for her with cloning technology. It was brain dead, there would be no guilt about killing it by accident.

It still baffled Anna how far Kisara was willing to go to help her; cloning? Who could prepare such a thing on a whim? She was a mad scientist, pure and simple, a hot looking one… *No, wait. Calm down, Anna. She's already taken and Felicia is territorial…”

The body laid on the lab table was living, its chest rose as it was connected to a life-support device. Putting her hands on her biological test dummy, Anna started absorbing its life-force. As usual she felt a rush of energy and it flowed from her arm and settled into this ‘core’ that she felt she had at the center of her being.

Anna could somehow feel that the energy she was siphoning was bland, with no texture. It was like eating tofu or one of those fake meat sausage. Usually, there were memories, skills and other things that she could feel through her powers. But with a brain dead clone? There was nothing there.

It was the perfect tool for training; it was helping, as well as talking about her problems with Felicia who was slowly helping her break down her mental block.

As for Kisara, Anna wasn't sure that the woman had an ethical mind. Kisara had grabbed the DNA of some random drug addict and used it to make the clone. But she wore her heart on a sleeve, so Anna decided to close her eyes and let herself be helped. There was also the fact that she had her own spacious apartment and was sure to land a future job as Kisara's assistant.

The woman thought about sending her to school once Anna masters her power. But public school won't do it for her, Kisara planned to send her to some muckety muck high-school.

Anna took her hands off the clone’s torso, having absorbed enough energy. Breathing in through her nose, Anna held her breath for some seconds and then exhaled through her mouth. She continued that practice until she felt calm and relaxed.

The point of this training was to be able to give back the energy she had taken. Anna felt that she could do it, channel the energy she has and let it circulate back. She knew that she could do it, Kisara was certain that she could do it, Cortana as well; because they analyzed her power and know what she's capable of.

Anna felt the pressure, she didn't want to disappoint her savior. That is why she touched the skin of the clone and willed herself to give back what she took. Anna didn't feel it at first, just the normal absorption of energy.

But… Slowly but surely the flow of absorption reversed and she was giving it back.

# # #

Back with Kisara…
September 10th, 1999
California
Los Angeles
09:23 AM

I landed on the road with my antigravity armored hover SUV, the cloaking system disengaging. The GPS of the onboard computer showed me that I was near Ascot Hills Park. I stopped the car for a bit at the side of the road and let Cortana do a diagnostic on the engine.

This was the third vehicle that I've built, it combined everything that I've made so far; anti-gravity, my cooling system, my Cygnus Industries Two Thousand Microprocessor to house the Virtual Intelligence that me and Cortana came up with, Tri-Helical Plasteel, a combination of a Fusion reactor and my liquid-cooled hydrogen-injected ICE . The true achievement was still the closed system of the car, it could drive itself if I was in danger; and the laminated armor and the ablative gel were added to the hull just in case I needed the vehicle to go in orbit.

Shame that I couldn't test it yet in the orbitals; I have no time between my research, Felicia, and training Anna-Marie. I was also working on a synthetic body for Cortana, but I needed someone who knew biology more to help me. Someone like Susan Storm… I already got into contact with her via email. She was interested in a partnership.

Anyway… Today I am meeting Toni Stark.

She better be there and not drunk, because if she is… I am going to take my business to Emma Frost at Frost Technology. As I drove toward the Headquarters of S.I. I found myself liking the climate here, but… I was still stigmatized by the specter of the Woke and the bullshit politics from my previous world.

As I arrived before the HQ, I drove into a security check manned by a bunch of armed men. They looked military and well trained; not the kind of rent a cop I expected to see. Stopping the armored car, I opened the vertical door.

“Good morning.” I greeted the three men wearing body armor over their uniforms with the S.I logo and the security word written behind them. They held service weapons and rifles as well as tasers and something I guessed was some kind of hypodermic gun.

The youngest one looked at me with a strange gaze, the same gaze I saw in Anna or Felicia’s eyes when I showed myself. Was that lust?

Gulp. He swallowed his saliva with difficulty. Did I look bad? The poor young man seemed to be at least two years older than me.

“G-good morning.”

I tilted my head and spoke to the older man next to him, the one who stoically looked at me. “My name is Kisara Lawson, I have a meeting with Miss Stark at 9:45.”

“One moment please.” The man consulted the computer in the security box.

Meanwhile the second oldest approached the younger security guard and said, “Two steps verification, newbie. Don't forget.”

The young man perked up and stopped drooling. He said with a warm tone, “Ah, ma'am can you step out of the vehicle?”

With a sigh I realized that I will have to exit my car. “Very well.”

I exited the vehicle, my white pantsuit crinkling; with a hand on my jacket, I smoothed out the wrinkles gained in my flight toward L.A. it was custom made and used the nano-fabric that I came up with; it didn't stain, could clean itself and was slashproof.

My eyes took some time to adjust to the Sun's glare. I really created an hermetic cockpit inside the car, the life-support system was truly doing its job.

The three men stopped moving for a moment; only the younger one's reaction was different. He made a cross gesture and said “Madre de Dios…qué mujer más hermosa. Muy Bonita.”

*What did he say?* I frowned at the man.

Cortana helpfully translates for me: Mother of God…what a beautiful woman. Lovely.

*Thank you, Corti.* I said in the privacy of my thoughts that… Cortana could access, somehow.

Why were my girlfriend and companion so invasive and controlling? Was it because of me? The young security guard pulled me out of my internal monologue and extended his gloved hand to me, “ID, please?”

I fished my ID from my handbag and handed it to him. He looked at it, handed it to the man behind him who had a handheld device. He put the card inside and stared at the screen. “It's a genuine Driver License, hmm, Kisara Lawson, hmm, the name check out.”

As the young guard gave me back my ID, he asked me, “Ma'am, are you single?”

The guard standing next to him dope slapped behind his head, “Newbie! Be more professional!”

This made me giggle as I took back my card. “Sorry, I'm taken. I got a really jealous partner.”

The guy sighed heavily. “I figured. No way that someone that hot would stay single for long.”

Huh, why? I wasn't that special. Felicia and Anna acted the same way, as if my shit didn't stink. The security guard at the computer interrupted us. “HQ confirmed that Miss Lawson has a meeting with the big boss, let her in.”

I waved at them goodbye and climbed back into my armored car. “Thank you.”

The door slowly lowered and the barrier raised and the roadblock lowered into the ground to allow me to pass. The security seemed sub-par to me, no forcefield? Just simple guards to secure the entrance? This entire place was a soft target.

As I drove toward the parking space before the administrative building, Cortana reacted to my critics of Stark's security measures. “Kisara… you shouldn't judge everything to your standards.” Cortana warned me.

I rolled my eyes at that. “Corti… we're living in a dangerous universe. I won't allow myself to be taken off-guard again. One broken arm was enough for me.”

The Smart AI harrumphed. “Fair enough.”

I parked my car in an empty slot available; Cortana surprised me with an offer as the engine turned off. “Do you want me to take more defensive measures for our future endeavors?”

More defenses? Or security protocols? “Yes. Please, it would be lovely.”

The car's door opened and at the same time I took the huge suitcase on the backseat. It contained the documents and prototypes that I wished to present for my offer of partnership to S.I. This was a suitcase made of my own design with spatial folding, it was well armored as well and protected by a password and handprint scanner.

The heavy suitcase was made to roll with the wheels under it after I locked up the car. I saw someone coming toward me, accompanied by a muscular guy in a black suit. The man was a brunette with a rugged appearance; the woman next to him though… she is a redhead with green eyes and her height was at least 160 cm. She was wearing a black dress covered by a white coat; her jewelry and makeup looked rather punkish.

“Shit, she's hot and my type.” I said out loud.

The woman smiled as she must have heard me; fortunately, I am used to other women because Felicia had no sense of boundaries when it concerned me.

“Good morning, Miss Lawson. My name is Virginia Potts, I am Doctor Stark's personal assistant, but you can call me Pepper.” She said in a warm tone.

She held her hand to me, and I quickly gave it a squeeze. “It's nice to finally meet you, Pepper. I particularly liked our conversation on the phone.”

Her smile shifted from a warm one to a cold one as she said reproachfully, “Well, it's not everyday that I get hacked to set up a meeting… your modus operandi is suspiciously similar to my own boss.”

I had the decency to look down as I defended myself. “I'm sorry, but I am kind of in a hurry as I sit on sensitive technologies that I've developed and someone could want my life for them.”

Pepper frowned, crossed her arms and asked in a dubious tone, “You want to meet Doctor Stark because you're in a hurry?”

I have the perfect argument for this, “It's Doctor Stark or I go to Frost Technology.”

I knew of their rivalry with Emma Frost, the woman a disciplinarian compared to Antonia Stark. Pepper flinched back as if I had slapped her. “Oh no, you won't! Not to that bitch, Emma!”

Emma Frost must have abused her power because she has stolen multiple military contracts from Stark Industries. Contrary to the comics, this world wasn't self-contained between each character until it was time for a team up and crossover.

Hammer Tech, Pym Tech, Frost Technology, Oscorp and Stark Industries, those corporations and businesses were vying for supremacy. I chuckled, the redhead acted just like I expected.“Well, I did send her an email, but she never replied.”

With a venomous tone, Pepper added, “She's a stuck up snob. Emma Frost ignores anyone she sees beneath her, and her staff reflect her shitty behavior.”

I nodded to her, Pepper must have met Emma before. She's one of my heroes from Marvel and up there with Felicia in hotness, but I thought about the saying “never meet your heroes” and decided it might be best to not meet her unless I am in a position of power.

Pepper calmed down, straightened her coat and smiled back with warmth at me. “Follow us, Miss Lawson, we will bring you to Doctor Stark. Please, don't take what she says to you rudely when you two meet.”

I stopped moving and asked, “Why do you say that?”

Pepper sighed again and took on a pleading expression. “Please don't sue us for sexual harassment if the boss try to get… handsy with you. you're quite… attractive.”

“Oh…” Toni Stark was lesbian?.