The Protagonist System

265 Coming Together

Betty Ross looked at her fellow researcher and wondered why they were both hired and their labs were connected. Their specialties had nothing to do with each other, with hers being radiation and Pamela's being botanical. The equipment they were given also surpassed their previous jobs, hers at the university and Pamela's at a private research firm.

“Thank you both for meeting me here.” Susan Storm said and sat across from them at the small table in their private lounge. It was filled with various potted plants that Betty couldn't identify.

“It seems our mutual boss is trying to lure me into his bed and I only just started working here.” Pamela said with a bit of a sneer and motioned towards one side of the room. “Why else would he bring in plants that only grow in the most remote areas of the rainforest?”

Susan sighed and reached into the small pile of papers she had in her arms and pulled out a manila envelope with '2-B' written on it. “He said to give you this when you accused him of that.”

Pamela looked surprised and leaned back without taking the envelope. Susan dropped the envelope onto the table and smiled knowingly, making Pamela's surprise fade and change to a glare. Betty didn't comment on it and waited for Susan to explain why she was there.

“I wanted to introduce you to each other, because both of your expertise will be needed to collaborate on a side project...” Susan started to say.

“I refuse.” Pamela interrupted and stood. “I was told I could research whatever I wanted and I didn't have to answer to anyone, except Mister Kent, and only then during the monthly check-ins.”

Susan took out a green envelope from the pile and dropped it onto the other one. “If you won't even bother to listen, then take both envelopes and lock the connecting door between your labs. You will be left to your own devices and no additional contact will be made or offered.”

Pamela frowned at the immediate dismissal. “How dare you dictate...”

“I am the assistant to the CEO of Atlas Incorporated, Miss Isley. I am in charge when he is not here at the base facility and my order stands.” Susan said, her voice firm and her gaze steady. “Feel free to quit if that is not to your liking or you can sit down and hear me out.”

Pamela gave her a glare as she thought about it, scooped up both envelopes, and walked away. The door to the lounge closed and Susan sighed.

“He warned me she would be confrontational. I just didn't think she would try to fight over such a simple thing as working with someone else that wasn't a dedicated botanist.” Susan said and sat back on her chair. “I'll let the boss know this was a bust.”

“What was?” Betty asked.

“Testing to see if gamma radiation could enhance the growth of genetically modified plants to increase their yield, viability, and health.” Susan told her.

Betty was shocked to hear that, especially after what had happened with Bruce Banner.

“The rare plants are dying out around the world, since their environments are being destroyed as we speak. If they could be adapted to grow anywhere, then infused with gamma radiation, who knows what kind of discoveries could be made with ready access to them?” Susan asked her. “New medicines, new food crops, maybe even find a cure for mental illness.”

Betty suddenly realized her new boss had much bigger plans for her research than what she had thought he wanted it for, namely to recreate the accident that created The Hulk.

“The biggest thing we wanted was to find a cure for Mister Banner.” Sue said and Betty gasped. “You see, with enough experimentation on plants and seeds, we're sure we can figure out how to remove any adverse effects that the radiation might produce, like mutations or genetic damage.”

“I'll do it.” Betty said.

Susan took out another manila envelope and set it in front of her. The large '4-B' didn't hint at the contents. “All I can do is wish you luck and tell you to contact me if you become stuck.”

Betty picked up the envelope. “Will I be working on this by myself?”

Susan shook her head. “With Pamela adamant's refusal...” She said and handed her a blue envelope. “You have permission to hire a staff, even previous students if you wish. Also, Mister Kent and myself will be available to answer any questions you might have.”

Betty nodded and stood. “What about any military assets? Can I hire the same assistants I had back at the college?”

Susan smiled and took out a red envelope. “You can, as long as you try to distance yourself from your father after you read that. He's not going to be having a good time dealing with the fallout.”

Betty's face lost some color as she gripped the envelope. “How can I trust...”

“It's being handled.” Susan said and stood as well. “Mister Kent has a lot of experience dealing with things like this.”

Betty stood there and watched Susan leave the small lounge. She looked around the comfy place, felt a lot calmer than she thought she should be, and left the lounge to return to her lab. She sat at her desk and ignored the other two envelopes as she opened the red one.

“Project Gamma Pulse?” Betty asked as she looked at the supposedly highly classified military documents that showed the experiments and human rights violations they committed, and were going to continue to commit, to recreate the Super Soldier serum that produced the World War Two hero named Captain America.

When she reached the end of the file, she saw the notice from Atlas Incorporated that stated they had found the crashed super-plane that Captain America had crashed in the Arctic Circle.

“They found him.” Betty whispered and let the papers drop to her desk.

*

Lex Luthor smiled as his father was arrested on embezzlement charges and hauled out of Luther Corp headquarters. He was sure the evidence would be discovered later as being planted, since that was how his father had escaped charges before. It didn't matter however, since he was now in charge and the board gave him emergency powers to bring the company through this crisis.

He strode into his father's office and ordered it to be stripped and replaced with everything from his own office that was several floors down. He would need a few more things brought in to make up the difference, since the scale of both offices were quite different. That didn't bother the new head of Luther Corp as he stood and looked out the window of the office and admired the view of the Metropolis skyline.

*PTTHIIPP! Tink!*

A small hole appeared in the glass in front of Lex's face and his eyes widened. He reached up and wiped at his forehead, only to see blood. He felt faint and closed his eyes before he slumped to the ground. Several screams came from the workers and a call was made for an ambulance, only it was for naught.

Several blocks away, a costumed villain chuckled and put the sniper rifle away. He always loved seeing the shock on his target's face when they realized they were dead. He wasn't called Deadshot for no reason. Before he could set the demolition charge to destroy the murder weapon and hide the evidence he was there, he fell through a portal and was surrounded by muscular demons.

“You have played with fate one too many times, Mister Lawson.” Doctor Fate said.

Deadshot laughed. “That's rich, coming from you.” He said and looked at the demons surrounding him. “So, what's with the grandstanding and sneering at me? I know you're not going to kill me.”

“Kill you?” One of the demons that looked like a gargoyle asked and Deadshot shivered at the amused look on its face. “There are many more horrible ways to deal with someone like you than simply killing you.”

A stone-like fist was the last thing Deadshot saw before everything went dark.

“Are you sure we can't just take his soul?” Harshan asked as she levitated the unconscious man into a storage pod.

“I believe it's better to build up a reserve for us to use as negotiating tools.” Doctor Fate said and waved her hand. A glowing ball flew out of the Luther Corp building and out of the portal above their heads. “Clark was right about this soul being corrupted as well.”

“You're not going to restore him?” Polundara asked.

“No. We were too late to stop the assassination after hearing about it.” Doctor Fate said and didn't tell them about the terror that Lex Luthor would have become later. “Sometimes, fate can work in our favor without our interference.”

“It's actually him and not a body double or a clone?” One of them asked.

“How do you know about that?” Doctor Fate asked and performed a quick spell on both Luthor and Deadshot to confirm it was actually them and not replacements.

“Father gave us a general knowledge transfer on our one month birthday.” The young male demon said as his tail flicked happily. “Our skills in Minor Telepathy needed a boost, too.”

“Father is the best, isn't he?” Harshan asked and blushed as a few of her siblings laughed.

“You're going to have a difficult time finding someone to breed with if you don't stop obsessing over father like that.” One of the other males said.

“I can't help it, okay? I saw him in all his glory and it was glorious.” Harshan said to defend herself.

“Having a large block and tackle shouldn't be the only qualification a mate needs.” One of her half-sisters said. “Although, that does help.”

“That's not...” Harshan stopped herself before she explained, since she didn't want to convince any of them to become her competition or tried to vie for her father's attention. The warm smiles he gave to her were the only things that made her happy and she didn't want him spreading them around. They were hers, dammit!

“Let's grab that evil woman's soul and head home for supper.” Dimetara said and all the kids cheered. They all loved the food their master made and couldn't wait to have it again.

A quick portal stop in Amanda Waller's office had the woman fall asleep, her soul extracted, and her body had a heart attack. Never again would she hunt down super-powered individuals to have them perform unsanctioned missions for the government. Her SHIELD credentials also let Doctor Fate access her files and revealed more HYDRA Agents that Clark didn't know about.

The demons cheered when they learned they had even more work to do. Doctor Fate mentally shook her head at their reaction, mostly because she knew she had to allow for their mostly childish reactions to everything. They had almost no practical experience with the world, even the older demons, so she felt responsible for them and sometimes had to act more like a mother than a leader.

Doctor Fate couldn't tell you why she was okay with that as she herded her charges through the portal to go home. That was how she felt and no explanation was needed, then all thoughts seemed to flee her mind when Clark appeared at the same time as them and he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, then he thanked her for taking good care of his family.

Oh, that's why. Doctor Fate thought and kissed him back passionately.

*

Veronica Cale, an up-and-coming pharmaceutical genius, was paired with a recently graduated Harleen Quinzel from an extensive psychology program. They unexpectedly hit it off and became an incredible team, with their expertise in their respective fields combining into some of the most effective drugs to ever be patented and released on the market. The profit sharing also made them quite rich.

The theoretical physicist named Harrison Wells was hired away from Central City and he and his wife lived happily in a quaint farmhouse at the edge of town. His work was praised by his fellow scientists, including Martin Stein, and they both had a great time doing what they loved and having a family to take care of.

*

The plans to set up Thanos and Darkseid to clash went off even better than anyone had expected. Apparently, there had been tensions between them for decades already and they only needed a small spark to set them off upon each other. They soon became so focused on each other that the rest of the universe seemed to release a sigh of relief.

*

I was sitting at my desk, going over the technology release plans Susan Storm had set up, and mused about how great she was. She was a genius in her own right and I was glad to have her as my assistant and running everything for me.

Also, she had a fantastic body to match her brain and she loved having access to Kryptonian technology that she could rub in Reed Richard's face whenever he made a discovery and she could show him a better version of it.

I tensed when I felt something start to form behind me and I slowly turned my chair around to watch whomever it was. I felt my danger sense tingle and it was only a mild feeling, so there was danger but not immediate. That meant it could grow or disappear, so I had to be careful as the world went grey and paused on its own.

A seemingly young woman faded into view and she had medium length black hair that seemed to shimmer. Her goth-like appearance seemed fitting and she looked like she needed to eat a lot more.

“Don't knock the thin look, Clark.” The embodiment of Death of the Endless said when she finished forming.

I chuckled and created a chair behind her. “I was only thinking you need to eat more, not that I didn't like seeing you like this.”

She sat down on the chair like she was on a throne and crossed her legs.

“Leather instead of denim?” I asked and she smirked at me. “Ah, it's shiny and draws the eye.”

Death reached up and tapped the Ankh hanging from her neck. “I thought you'd like it.”

“I do.” I admitted without shame and let my eyes roam a little. I knew this was only a representation of Death and could make herself look however she wanted; and yet, this was the most attractive and personable version of herself.

Her thin top barely hid anything and her pants were painted on, so I pretty much had a full view of her body. I didn't even have to cheat and look through her clothes, either. Her smirk changed to a genuine smile and she blushed a little when our eyes met again.

“Let me guess. I've changed a bit too much?” I asked and she nodded. “Am I being booted out completely or is a dimensional clone going to continue living my life?”

“It's your choice.” Death said, seductively.

I didn't have to think about it, considering how my existence had ended in the last world. “Clone, please. At least I won't be leaving my friends and family alone and lost without me.”

Death smiled and snapped her fingers. My mind was filled with decades of memories as everything I had planned for came about. All of the major threats had been reduced and in most cases nullified.

Some heroes were still created, since there was almost always a need for them, and all in all, the world was a much better place and many souls were saved and sent on to a higher plane as they were traded and exchanged with evil ones.

“Thank you.” I said, gratefully. Seeing how everything turned out was a balm to my own soul, even as I ushered humanity into a golden age of prosperity and into a time where they didn't need someone as powerful as myself watching over them. Retirement was such an odd thing to experience that it made me chuckle.

“You are welcome.” Death said and slowly stood. Her clothes fell away from her body without her touching them and revealed herself completely.

I grew hard for her as my own clothes faded away and she climbed onto my lap.

“You know what you have to do now.” Death whispered as she sat down on me and squeaked at the intrusion, then she moaned and settled down with me completely sheathed inside of her.

She shivered as she came and gave me a look that said she wasn't disappointed after waiting so long for this moment. Her arms wrapped around my neck and she kissed me passionately as eternity stretched out around us and the current world faded away.