At first I wanted to make the famous super soldier serum inspired from Marvel, well there's not too much to inspire really beside the name, if it was ever mentioned then I never watched or read how the serum was made specifically, I just know Erksin shoved Cap in a veta-ray chamber pumped him with the serum a little pain later and you have peak human or above.
Serums are a thing here too and I refuse to call them venom or kobra-venom so I'm sticking with sss for now.
Now the 'Venom' is not a legitimate serum in itself or it would have caused a lot of sensation around the world armies it's better to call it temporary muscles booster or steroids without much side effect, which is doubtful.
Then came the kobra variant and with a little bit of tweaking and correction and the serum will instead of turning the injected to some monster-abonimation it will boost the person beyond human peak. I didn't put much effort into finding Slade to see if he had his own type of serum yet so till then...
Honestly how can someone take this 'venom' or the blockbuster one like Desmond did willingly and be happy about it is beyond me, but meh to each their own.
After much experiments I was able to make different variants of the serum, like the ones I gave Wally and Superboy. Those didn't really boost anything and only did some correction to their cells and genetic dna with the help of smart atoms.
In Wally's case his body may indeed get stronger and his mind faster but that only because his power demanded so, as for Superboy one can say he was sick and the serum cured him of his disease that's what the serum did, removed the weakness his hybrid dna did to him by making them adapt or accept each other.
From this idea I realized something I discarded before or like it slipped my mind as not important really.
I want to make a serum to push Serly and whoever will come under me to beyond peak what they are and it's pretty much doable but, what will happen if they already were at peak state normally and then took 'a' serum?
Generally a human body, because I lack any 'alien' subjects to experiment with beside the flaxans, is flawed in nature. No human is born perfect so to say and some are even born visibly disabled. It can either be through inherited dna sequence or any other reason.
For example researching someone's family tree it can be found that the person can inherit his parents, grandparents or even grand-grandparents illness. It can be minor thing like crooked nose or bad eyesight or even baldness at early age. But it can also be a mental illness or cancer cells.
So what if I worked at correcting these genetic imperfections first and then administrated the serum?
Yes the sss does that too but there's a difference, it's a matter of hidden potential and talent I am speaking of.
It will take longer time and specific research for every person for sure but I believe it is worth it for my closer ones like Serly.
Then come the question of how to boost them, a normal serum should just push what exist to beyond its limit, but what if we added other stuff to the mix? Like with Spiderman for example, or the Lizard without the lizard thing?
A lot of variations and option and add the reworked power potion we made in [CS] to the mix. I'm curious if these variations will affect the awakening of powers.
I already have all the basic serums for now, and started experimenting with the animal variants though it is yet to be seen what happen when meta power comes to the mix...
Yeah the two universes despite their many similarities are schockingly not comparable in physiology. Did you know they had their hearts slightly to the right and not to the left like it's supposed to be?
Anyway to not arouse any suspicions I didn't kidnap anyone for experiments yet. Those that match the profile I am looking for will be noticed and that's not the problem but the Justice League discovering it is.
I didn't do it in Invincible universe and the Flaxans are aliens so that's that.
But it's okay, all in due time and I know there will be a lot of participants who won't mind in the future.
"It's fine don't stress yourself about it just make sure not to be discovered"
I smirk at my advanced Ai trying and succeeding in showing her emotional development after all this time and upgrades.
"How is the synthetic Kryptonite doing by the way? Last time I checked there was a breakthrough"
Reading the research Amy is displaying infront of me on the advanced holographic screen I can only nod my head in satisfaction.
That was another difference I found in the Syndicates universe, the different periodic table of the elements.
Thankfully the difference was minimal and it was generally easy to find the alternatives so it didn't present any problem on that front. No difference when it came to physics and biology beside the heart thing too.
Either planet earth in that universe was exposed to something that shifted the scientific discovery sometime in the past or the humans evolved simply in a different direction.
"Good, keep the good work" Honestly the only use I have for Kryptonite is to use as a deterrent against Superman. Sure I can take him and easily at that but I am not worried about my universe Superman in particular but about other bullshit variants of his.
I am not familiar with his comic versions and their strength but even I heard some of their feats and just in case Kryptonite still work on them in the worst case scenario then why not?
The blue Kryptonite power boost is not really that important or even enticing unless I have one the size of the sun or at minimum the moon so I am trying to see if producing some condensed and thick entwined threads in clothing can do anything to me.
The real kick behind the research is the other variants actually in particular the platinum one that can grant even normal humans permanent Kryptonian super-powers.
If I can figure out how to put it in a bottle with other powers or serum and give it to Serly then I will have less worry about her safety, not that it will stop me from worrying as even Superman can die or be erased alongside whole universes in some cases.
"Speaking about deterrent, it's time to get serious now. Open the contingency folder please there's some stuff to add."
Eyes retina.... confirmed.
Energy readings... confirmed
Dna parts... confirmed.
.
.
Full scan... confirmed>
Bunch of tests, codes and password puzzles later I was finally sitting and reviewing everything I have wrote and gathered so far.
Am I paranoid to put so much effort to open one folder on my super advanced quantum system, situated on my flying vip-only access island on my private planet hidden behind an invisible protective shield?
Nope. Not even a bit. I still remember that episode when Batman's hideout was breached under his nose and all his contingency were stolen and used against the League.
I am not going to take any risk here.
<[General contingencies]
[Justice League]
[Justice League Variants]
[Gods]
[New gods]
[Magic]
[Hell and Demons]
[Angels]
[Cosmic beings]
[REDACTED]
[REDACTED]
.
.
[REDACTED]>
Looking at all the files about different beings and threats I have to be careful about, wary off or outright prepare to face wether I want to or not for one reason or no other I start to add what I learned over my time in Syndicates universe.
I didn't spend all my time copying power, training and doing experiments and building afterall. I also asked Superwoman what she knows about magic and gods who apparently don't interfere much and live in a higher dimension called the sphere of gods.
Something I didn't know about before. So probably these gods are not a joke like I thought. I also studied her Lasso obviously and whatever metals she could bring me and I am already having those useful in production or integrated where suitable.
I asked Dr Chaos, Dr Fate's conterpart for his magic and knowledge too. The guy was fun, not at the beginning ofcourse but after a beating I told him about the magic tower and all he can do he got excited and started to listen.
I wanted to try his helmet, but apparently it's not like Nabu's one. This one can't be taken off unless the host dies and even then the helmet work on corrupting the user and it lash at anyone nearby doesn't matter if they have affinity for it or not.
Unlike Order, Chaos is more prominent in most beings.
Since I wasn't desperate about it, and Chaos had it for a while I didn't kill him for it. I learned what he and the rest of the magical community there had anway and the computers are continuing to record and upgrade what can be in the magic tower like it was made for.
I got from him some magical components and stuff too. All dangerous of course. He seemed impressed nothing bad happened to me so I impressed him with another beating.
As if I will touch anything an evil magician will give me like that, it was a copy ofcourse.
Neat powers I got there. I got several actually like illusionary clones and hard-like construct replicas. These one disappear after certain time or after their objective was done, some have the ability to think for themselves but know they are clones and I get their knowledge after they disappear like the shadow clone from Naruto.
They can't use my power manipulation ability sadly, they are also not as durable as me and can at maximum have like one twentieth of my strength for now and can't hold much of my meta-abilities too so they are more convenient for errands.
There were couple useful powers there along with some interesting ones and some not worth mentioning. But I didn't find anything earth chattering or amazing so to speak.
No pure technopathy, no gravity or magnetism manipulation, no advanced psychic abilities.
I think Dc or this universe and Syndicates one in particular have some kinda rule or limits to Meta-humans. Nothing like marvel with their reality altering or planet buster powers.
A shame but I will keep working on it maybe I will find something or make my own power stronger.
Sadly that will take time unless I branch out more in this multiverse or outside it. I studied how powers work and their advancements and the results were disappointing.
Like there is literally a ceiling that can not be broken without serious external factors and side effects, pushing the body can also push the power but nothing drastic, the serums help a little more.
For example there are multiple travel/transport abilities like teleportation but nothing touching pure space manipulation.
Even the basic four natural elements stumbled me a bit!
Sure I can control water but no matter what I do I can't control other liquids like blood for example, unless I have that power ofcourse.
Powers are not like a skill or bending where with mastery I can advance similarly like the earth element with metal control, I am still far from reaching control over the concept of an element and didn't find anyone who have it or could do it sadly.
That aside I am also trying to, I don't want to say limit but there are some powers I don't want to use much like clones/duplicates for example.
Which sound dumb but hear me out.
Duplicates ara a hard subject to talk about. If I was crazy, power hungry or in a pinch I would have spread infinite amount of them across every universe available to me and make them adapt to challenges. Sending them to battles, to space or to some unknown be it planets or dimensions and let them just survive with no information or preparation.
Once they are done they come back and merge with me and I receive everything back. Make a new duplicate, send it somewhere new. Rinse and repeat.
I still need to know if a duplicate die, would I and the rest of the duplicates adapt to what killed it? Across space, dimension and worlds? Does it work like that?
I don't think so.
I want to test it but I am not really eager to die. I mean it's not like I am afraid of dying, I'm but very hard to kill after all but here is where the problem come. I will become reckless, lazy and arrogant.
The thought in itself is arrogant as there already are beings capable of just erasing me with a snap not to mention those who I don't even know about.
Just send a duplicate, Just make one for this and make one do that, yes they are all me and we share a hivemind connection but still when they are formed they are not part of me till they merge with me again.
Kate could feel and experience the death of her duplicates but after they die, that's it. They are a corpse ready for disposal. They don't vanish in a mote of light and return to her.
That why I suspect when a duplicate of me dies, I don't think I adapt to what killed it. That why I don't adapt or receive power of whatever the duplicate gained until they merge back. This one I tried.
There's also another concern of mine like imagine a duplicate or copy of mine adapted and became separate from me, I share a hivemind with the duplicates and other clones/copies are too weak to affect me but...
What if? How strong is my adaptation? Do they get part of my acausality?
So for now I only use duplicates to 'watch over' things for me. Like the [SU] until they don't need to be watched anymore and can receive orders from afar or Ai. And one hiding in the core of the planet in case anything were ever to happen to me or the planet if I was not here for some reason and I was needed.
I also have one hidden and adapting in the shadowverse that I merge with and reproduce every other time.
Maybe one day when I evolve or have an enlightenment or something I will use them with no restrictions but for now I prefer to do thing myself directly.
Mental powers like telepathy, emotion or pheromone control are also a problem. Yes I used telepathy to copy knowledge of those who had it and yes I mind controlled the upper brass of the Flaxans, but I don't peak at peoples memories, I don't search every nick and cranny of their brains nor do I want to know every personal details about them.
And the Flaxans were mad warmonger so that's a pass. And their dimension was too useful to let go.
And here exactly is another problem. I deemed them a pass because I saw and knew what they are and because I could benefit a lot from them. Will I do the same to every other too? Why don't I just mind control the Joker to become a saint? Go mind control the leaders of earth for peace and efficiency?
It's a very easy way to solve problems. But where do I stop? It's better than killing no?
It's a matter that make one asks: Why? And why not?
You'd be surprised which side is winning.
I don't know if this is my morality speaking, my brain telling me it's not worth it or if my body saying it's a lot of work so let it be.
So for now let everyone live in their illusion of free will and what not. I don't like nor care about forcing people to my whims anyway, that's why I built this planet of mine, here only what I want have to be and no one else has a say in that if they want to stay here in the future.
———
Even though Zane acts like a paranoid most of the times, despite all his over preparedness and measures he always tried to have and show an optimistic view on life despite not really feeling it.
He experienced enough pessimism in his past life and he doesn't want that here.
But deep down Zane is not that carefree as he shows others, deep down he was always wondering about his existence in this world not in the existential way but why is he here?
How? Who gave him this chance and wishes? Are they stronger than the Presence or am is this some sort of experiment for some higher being entertainment purpose?
Zane doesn't believe that someone just gave him 3 wishes out of the goodness of their hearts.
It's ridiculous to think like that, so he didn't ask for much. If someone knows and hears what he is thinking they may look at him with weird eyes, nothing much?
Well think about it, Acausality makes him invisible. That's it, no one will discover him if he doesn't show himself it doesn't give him luck or keeps him out of trouble just because he is not seeking it. And Zane is sure if some higher being is watching this universe they will know something is different, they won't know what but they can pinpoint it with some time.
Even power manipulation is not really that big of a game changer, give it to any normal being and they can't do much at the beginning. What is the chance of a simple human meeting superpowered beings and having the time or opportunity to copy or steel their powers?
Zane could have asked to be a pure kryptonian, but what if he was born directly before the destruction of krypton? Not everyone is lucky like Superman. Even his wish to be martian/doomsday was not that sure, Zane didn't know if Doomsday existed here but apparently he did and it worked.
It made sense you know, it was logical and was not out of the world maybe there was some minor reality warping at play Zane doesn't know but it was not a big deal in the great scheme of things.
He tried asking for a lot of thing before that like being a god, being born a lot earlier, reality manipulation etc..
There was a limit to what could be given, he was that close asking for just a healthy body and mind but he decided to try anyway.
Zane knows all those nigh-omnipotent beings out there, maybe not all, there's definitely more that he doesn't know about.
And just like how the past him couldn't imagine what he can do now, the him of now also can not imagine what they can do.
Zane have absolute trust in his Acausality, after all he can feel it deep inside his soul but he still can't help but wonder sometimes.
Zane also questioned himself back then when he travelled to Invincible world but he shoved it under Technological and magical accident and those happen often. But what about now when he is actively traveling and opening portals between worlds?
So after checking with Amy for the nth time after his return that everything is alright he relaxed a bit, even if only outwardly.
This trip was good for him but if he ever wants to relax more he needs more to feel better.
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Author: we are going back to Invincible for a chapter or two after this and I am contemplating what to do about alternate Invincible universe.
Should I just brush it off as done and over thing or have a chapter with more details?
What universe will you like Zane to visit after all this is done?
Before that what do you think should zane change in the YJ universe now after 2 years of being absent?
Let me know your thoughts.
Peace.