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Still Defiant! SI [Marvel/DC] 60: Must I accept this fate?
🕑 Added 2025-03-06 05:35:22 +0000 UTC60: Must I accept this fate?
Handshakes, greetings, and friendly introductions were followed by enthusiastic smiles and almost irresistible offers.
Only fifteen minutes had passed since his presentation ended, and Daniel had already made many new acquaintances.
Of course, fifteen minutes weren’t enough to meet all the people who wanted to talk to him. If this were an open space, he would no doubt have been engulfed in a suffocating crowd. Fortunately, Dr. Storm and his panel of judges managed to calm the waters and give him some breathing room, preventing him from feeling overwhelmed.
“Man, that was awesome!” Johnny exclaimed, having finally found an opportunity to approach him again. Daniel was glad to see him coming; with all the commotion, he hadn’t had much chance to talk to him before being intercepted by the foundation’s judges.
Of course, the verdict had been clear—he passed with total success.
If he wanted, he could join the Baxter Foundation and negotiate a highly lucrative deal that would help fund his "research" and the commercialization of V-Fiber. But of course, he wouldn’t do that—because that had never really been his goal.
"I told you it wouldn’t be boring," he replied with a smile as he finished putting the suitcase with his fabrics into one of the lockers at the stand.
"Maybe it'll be the most fun thing I'll see all day," Johnny sighed a little as he said this.
“Don’t lower your expectations so quickly, my friend. Who knows, there might be something else that will completely surprise you," he said confidently while patting the young blond man on the shoulder. It wasn't empty comfort because Daniel knew it wouldn't be long before it was Reed Richards' turn
"You say that as if you're sure there will be," the new voice slipped into the conversation naturally, catching the attention of both. Daniel turned, meeting the sight of an attractive blonde girl walking toward them with calm steps, her pair of blue eyes looking at him with open curiosity.
Although he had already seen her up close before, he was still surprised by how beautiful she was compared to other women. He didn’t know if it was because of his enhanced senses or simply because heroines in this world had some kind of secret beauty privilege granted by reality, but every time he encountered one, it was like looking at shining gold.
Susan didn’t even have powers yet, and she was already more dazzling than most. The world was certainly unfair to those ordinary people who had to go about their daily lives being… well, just normal.
"You could say I have a lot of faith in my peers—I believe there's great potential here."
Of course, Daniel wasn’t the kind of guy to be stunned just by seeing a beautiful woman. He would like to say it was because he had a lot of experience with different types of women, but in reality, it was more because he had built up quite a bit of resilience from spending so much time around Carol.
"You see, Sue? That's how you give a guy hope. You should learn a thing or two from it," Johnny joked, making his sister roll her eyes.
With Susan’s arrival, the atmosphere became more lively almost immediately. Daniel genuinely started to enjoy himself, talking with both of them while also learning more about them.
Johnny, for instance, was the expressive and extroverted type, always saying what he thought without filters and without fear of offending anyone. That frankness, rather than making him annoying, actually made him surprisingly easy to get along with.
Susan, on the other hand, had a more measured approach. Though nearly as honest as her brother, she chose her words more carefully, always expressing herself with politeness and tact. At first glance, this could make her seem reserved and even a little shy, but once she got comfortable, she would let out a much more lively and playful side.
Both of them seemed to assume that his joining the Baxter Foundation was a given. It was a bit unfortunate that he would have to tell them he actually wouldn’t be joining, but he wasn’t so cruel as to crush their enthusiasm so suddenly. So, for now, he didn’t mention it and simply took the opportunity to get to know them better.
Maybe at this moment, they were still just "normal" people, but in the future, when that changed, they would undoubtedly be important allies in his mission to protect the world. Daniel really had no reason not to get along with them.
"I hope I'm not interrupting your lively conversation, but I would like to have a few words with young Daniel."
The three of them turned at the sound of the voice, seeing Dr. Harvey and his student, Victor, approaching.
As soon as Johnny saw the man coming, his expression quickly turned far less friendly. Susan wasn’t far behind— the small smile that had been forming at the corner of her lips disappeared almost immediately, replaced by a more serious and professional expression. Her displeasure was hidden but still noticeable in her sky-blue eyes.
"Victor. Dr. Harvey," Daniel greeted them, neither too enthusiastically nor too coldly, completely ignoring the tense atmosphere.
His gaze lingered for an extra second on the dark-haired, green-eyed boy.
'He’s not even looking at me,' he thought with some amusement, noticing how the attention of what could become one of the most dangerous villains in the world was entirely focused on the blonde girl beside him.
At least that part of his memories seemed accurate—this guy was well on his way to becoming a full-blown simp.
Well, he couldn't blame him entirely. Even though her modest clothing concealed much of her allure, it was undeniable that very few women in the world had a figure or face comparable to Susan’s.
Still, the boy could learn to be more discreet when staring at a girl; otherwise, he’d just come off as the creepy type you don’t want to get close to.
'You’re not getting the girl that way, buddy,' clicking his tongue inwardly before deciding to stop paying attention to him and turning his gaze back to Dr. Harvey.
"How can I help you, Doc?"
"I know Dr. Storm and his scientists have told you a lot about the foundation, and I won’t deny that it’s a great place for young minds. But I believe the potential of your creation—and your own potential—could be better directed elsewhere."
His words made Susan and Johnny frown. Of course, everyone knew other institutions would be making offers, but it was rarely done so blatantly, let alone in front of members of the Baxter Foundation.
"Whatever you need, STAR Labs won’t hesitate to provide it."
With that said, the man pulled out a business card with a contact number on it and extended it toward him.
Daniel didn’t rush to take it. If it were any other moment, it wouldn’t have mattered as much, since he had nothing against Harvey. But the fact that he was doing this in front of Susan and Johnny was a clear lack of respect, not only toward them but also toward their father and the Baxter Foundation as a whole.
And if he played along and took it, it would be like spitting in their faces right when they had been treating him like a friend.
A more inexperienced young man might have taken the card without considering this and, in doing so, unknowingly harm himself.
It wouldn’t have been an irreparable stain, but it certainly would have been a bitter start if he did end up joining the Baxter Foundation.
‘Cunning old bastard,’ He didn’t like these little games of intrigue, nor was he interested in playing them.
"I’m sorry, Dr. Harvey, but I must decline your offer. I believe the Foundation can provide me with everything I need.” Upon hearing his words, Harvey’s ‘friendly’ expression changed, discontent beginning to fill his face.
"I suggest you reconsider, or you might end up regretting it," he said almost through gritted teeth. It was curious for Daniel to see how quickly people’s attitudes changed when you didn’t do what they wanted.
"Is that a threat?" he asked without changing his expression.
"Just a warning."
With that, the man abruptly turned on his heel and walked away, following the panel of judges as they moved on to the next stand.
Victor, who didn’t seem the least bit affected by the conversation, simply nodded at them in farewell and silently followed his mentor.
"What an idiot," Johnny snorted as he watched them leave. He would have said something earlier, but Susan had stopped him. The girl knew it was better not to create unnecessary conflict and give a bad impression.
On the other hand, the foundation had a strict non-interference policy regarding what participants chose to do with their projects. As long as they hadn’t officially joined, everyone was free to decide what they believed was best for them.
If Daniel had decided that Harvey’s offer was what he was looking for, although she would have felt deeply disappointed, she wouldn’t have said anything. Fortunately, he had made his decision clear, which left her feeling relieved.
"Don’t let his words get to you. It’s obvious he just wants to stir up trouble," Daniel said, brushing off the encounter before pointing toward the group moving on to the next stand.
"Maybe we should follow them, or we might miss something."
"Of course." Susan nodded in agreement, but before leaving, she turned to look at the assistants who had been helping to pack up the equipment Daniel had brought with him for the tests. After all, they couldn’t leave those things lying around in such a crowded place without supervision, or they could cause an accident.
"Make sure to pack everything together and store it in the lockers so Daniel can pick it up when the event is over."
With her instructions given, the three soon set off as a small group, engaging in a bit of light conversation along the way.
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"Are you okay?" Ben asked upon noticing the contemplative look on Reed’s face. His friend had been unusually quiet for a while—ever since that guy, Daniel, had given his presentation on that incredible indestructible fabric. Though they hadn’t left their stand, they had been able to see and hear everything thanks to a nearby screen.
"Why didn’t I think of that before? Something like this would be much easier to commercialize and could open up a more…" Reed murmured before shaking his head, cutting off those thoughts, and turning to Ben with a calm expression.
"It’s nothing, I just didn’t expect there to be someone else here presenting something so interesting. But that’s not a bad thing—it actually makes me more excited."
Reed knew he was intelligent—far more than most people, even other geniuses—but he wasn’t so blinded by arrogance as to believe he was the smartest person in the world. At least, not yet.
The appearance of this guy named Daniel had been a small surprise, but not an entirely unexpected one. In fact, it encouraged him to do an even better job to avoid being overshadowed—though, of course, that wouldn’t be easy.
His invention was, at its core, something far more specialized. It had great potential, sure, but unlocking that potential would require significant time and effort.
On the other hand, he didn’t have an overly elaborate sales pitch either. He firmly believed that facts spoke louder than words, and once he demonstrated what his machine could do, he wouldn’t need to convince anyone that it was an incredible breakthrough that could change the world.
"Come on, it’s almost time. You remember what you have to do, right?"
Ben nodded, giving him a thumbs-up.
"Hand out the safety goggles, set the ball in place, and press the button when you give the signal."
It seemed like they had everything ready.
“…And have the fire extinguisher on hand,” Ben added after a few seconds, earning a flat look from Reed before he sighed and nodded.
"And have the fire extinguisher on hand."
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"I can’t believe they actually managed to create a completely synthetic bacterial genome!" Susan exclaimed excitedly as their group moved away from the last stand they had visited. There was a slight bounce in her step, making the ponytail in her hair sway with each movement.
"I don’t get why that excites you so much. I didn’t even understand half of what they were saying," Johnny grumbled, though his mood wasn’t as sour as before. Having Daniel around for light conversation had made the subsequent presentations feel less tedious for him.
Hearing her brother, Susan rolled her eyes. Of course, he wouldn’t understand. Johnny had always had a talent more inclined toward mechanics and robotics, while she preferred the biological sciences, specializing in biomedicine.
For a moment, she thought about explaining it to him, but it would probably go in one ear and out the other. Still, she wanted to share some of her excitement with someone, so she turned to the other boy accompanying her, ready to ask his opinion. But before she could, Daniel looked at Johnny and started talking.
"Acutally, it's something quite revolutionary, you know? Maybe they were a bit too technical when they explained it, but if we had to summarize it, this breakthrough means that we no longer depend on natural evolution to create new forms of life. If this keeps advancing, we'll be able to program biology as if it were software."
Daniel remembered hearing about this achievement in his previous life due to an assignment given by his science teacher, except that in his old world, this had been accomplished in 2010 by an established research center.
In this world, not only had it arrived two years earlier, but it had also been achieved by three young adults still in their early twenties as a project for a science fair—an important science fair, of course, but a science fair nonetheless.
Of course, it was possible that such an advancement had already been made long ago but kept hidden from the public. That’s how strange science was in this universe—where some were already playing with the genetic structure of humanity while others were only just beginning to take their first steps.
For her part, upon hearing his brief explanation, Susan nodded enthusiastically.
"That's right! With this breakthrough, we could design microorganisms that produce biofuels, clean the environment, or even manufacture medicine inside the human body. The potential is almost limitless!" As she said this, her eyes seemed to almost shine, then she turned to Daniel with curiosity.
"I didn't expect you to understand it so easily. I thought your specialization was polymer science," she said, eyeing him with intrigue. In fact, with every stand they had visited, she had noticed that he seemed to have a remarkably diverse and deep knowledge of different subjects.
In response to her question, Daniel simply shrugged.
"I just have some basic knowledge, nothing really important."
At that, she raised an eyebrow, giving him a look that clearly told him she wasn’t buying it. Even so, she didn’t press the matter further, and soon, the three of them rejoined the larger group, finally arriving at the stand Daniel had been waiting for all this time.
‘So this is the so-called smartest man in the world,’ he thought as he saw the young Reed Richards in person for the first time.
If he had to describe him, he would say he was… simple. Unlike Tony, who could command a room full of people with just a few gestures, the boy in front of the stand was clearly much more inexperienced, awkward, and with a somewhat stiff posture born of nervousness.
It was a bit difficult to associate him with the image in his memories, but not entirely impossible. Perhaps he didn’t yet have the physique of a superhero or the aura of confidence of a renowned scientist, but deep within his eyes, almost hidden, he could see that fire of ambition and courage—the kind that belonged to the person he might one day become.
‘Well, if women have beauty, men must have spirit, right?’ he thought with some amusement before shifting his gaze to the second most interesting thing at the stand—the device at its center.
"What do you think that thing is? It looks a little… homemade," Johnny asked, changing his words at the last second as he felt his sister elbow him in the ribs.
"Well, it's a bit… rudimentary. You can tell that components of all kinds were reused, but even so, it's pretty well assembled. If I'm not mistaken, this must be…" Daniel began explaining but suddenly fell silent halfway through.
His sharp gaze analyzed each component with growing interest.
‘Why does this feel so familiar?’
It didn’t take him long to realize what it reminded him of. Some time ago, when he had still entertained the idea of using the Phantom Zone as a prison, he had taken a quick look at the information stored in the Fortress about interdimensional travel technology.
He hadn’t gone too deep into it, but he had seen enough to get an idea of what he would need if he ever decided to create a Phantom Zone projector
This machine… though clearly very different, in some way reminded him of some of the blueprints he had seen back then.
‘Could it be…?’
He wished he had X-ray vision like Carol to confirm his suspicions.
"Are you okay?" Susan asked with some concern, noticing his sudden silence.
"Hm? Oh, sorry, I got a little distracted," Daniel snapped out of his thoughts and smiled as if nothing had happened. Placing his hands on their backs, he gave them a slight push forward, urging them to move.
"Anyway, it's about to start, so let's get a little closer."
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Seeing the large crowd in front of him, Reed had to take a deep breath to calm the sudden nerves that threatened to overwhelm him. He thought this wouldn’t happen, but it seemed he had underestimated what it meant to be the center of attention for so many people.
‘Don’t panic, you can do this,’ he tried to convince himself, and somehow, the numbness that made him feel like a poorly oiled machine began to fade.
Adjusting his posture as best he could, Reed wiped the sweat from his palms on his lab coat and finally took a step forward, trying to project as much confidence as possible.
"Hello, everyone. It’s a pleasure to be here today to present to you the most important project of my life—something I’ve been working on diligently since the fifth grade." With all eyes now on him, Reed gestured toward his machine.
"My dimensional matter teleporter."
Almost immediately, his words sparked curiosity and enthusiasm among the crowd.
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‘Dimensional teleporter? That’s a little different from what I thought.’ From his spot at the front, Daniel couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the name of the machine.
"Wait! Did he say a teleporter?!" Beside him, Johnny almost shouted, his previous disinterest vanishing in an instant.
Susan was also surprised, though she didn’t get carried away by the excitement. After all, she had attended too many of these science fairs to believe everything right away. She knew that many participants tended to exaggerate when describing their projects, and the only way to know if something was truly what they claimed was to see it proven with facts—just as Daniel had done.
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Reed continued his presentation, briefly explaining the origin of his idea and how he began creating his machine. However, he avoided going into too much detail, knowing that what would truly impress the audience was a successful demonstration.
Proving that his invention worked.
"With all that said, I’d like to get to the important part and what everyone’s been waiting for—a live demonstration." With those words, he nodded toward Ben, who quickly hurried to distribute safety goggles to the judges and some of the closer members of the crowd.
Once he finished, Ben returned and grabbed the basketball that had been Reed’s constant test subject over the past two days. As he placed his hands on it, he felt a slight tingling sensation and saw a blue spark flash briefly between his fingers.
Ben frowned but wasn’t too alarmed, thinking it was just some static electricity.
Paying it no further attention, he walked toward the machine and placed the ball in its center, making sure it wouldn’t roll away… again.
Once everything was ready, he gave a thumbs-up to Reed, who nodded in thanks and cleared his throat to continue with his presentation.
"Alright, for those who don’t have safety glasses, I advise you to close your eyes when I finish counting to three." With that small warning given, Reed stood next to Ben and began the countdown.
"One, two… three!"
As the count reached its end, Ben pressed the activator button in his hand, causing a nearly blinding flash of blue light to flood the booth for a brief second.
It might have been almost impossible for anyone else to see, but Daniel noticed how a semi-transparent dome of blue energy covered the ball for a brief moment before it vanished from the face of the earth.
Then came the consequences. Daniel could feel the tremor beginning slowly—a nearly instantaneous fluctuation in space-time, yet one that still significantly affected the surrounding area.
Acting quickly, he placed a hand on Johnny’s and Susan’s backs, using himself as an anchor to prevent them from being too affected.
On the other hand, the others weren’t as lucky. Although many managed to stay on their feet, there were still some who ended up falling to the ground.
“It’s gone,” Susan said, her eyes widening in amazement as she saw that the ball had disappeared. Beside her, Johnny was also stunned, his mouth hanging open. Only Daniel remained silent, his brow furrowed.
"It’s not a teleporter," he murmured under his breath without realizing it, catching Susan’s attention, as she was close enough to hear him.
But before she could ask what he meant, Reed spoke again, drawing the crowd’s attention back to him.
"Alright, now we’ll begin the retrieval process. In one, two, three!" Without waiting for anyone to say anything, Reed gave Ben the signal, and he pressed the button once more, bringing back that nearly blinding light.
And with it, another tremor.
When everything settled, the basketball had returned to its place, a small streak of blue energy flickering across its surface for a brief moment.
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Seeing the people beginning to look at him in awe, Reed couldn’t help but smile broadly—everything had worked perfectly.
For a moment, he had feared that his machine would fail, but it didn’t. And thanks to that, everything was about to change.
"Of course, I understand that some may have doubts," he said, addressing the nearby judges and scientists, "so if permitted, I would be more than happy to let you test for yourselves the authenticity of my creation."
Originally, he hadn’t been too sure about letting others test his machine, but when he saw Daniel’s presentation, he realized it was actually a great idea and cast aside his doubts.
His invention worked, and he was confident that everything would turn out fine, no matter what kind of tests it was put through.
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"I'm not gonna miss this!" Filled with enthusiasm, Johnny rushed forward, pushing his way through the crowd and shamelessly following his father’s group, completely unfazed by the sharp looks he received from other scientists and onlookers.
Dr. Harvey, one of the people Johnny had pushed past, couldn’t help but click his tongue, feeling deeply offended.
'He’s neither a judge nor a renowned scientist, and yet they let him take part in such important tests? Franklin, Franklin… your son does nothing but stain your name,' he thought with disappointment.
"Come on, Victor, let’s move in closer. I want to see for myself if this machine is real or just a well-crafted fraud." After those words, the student and teacher quickly entered the stand, closely following the main judges from the Baxter Foundation.
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For his part, Daniel didn’t rush to move from his spot. Instead, he remained lost in thought, staring at the machine in the stand, until Susan waved her hand in front of his face, snapping him out of it.
"Aren’t you going to join the fun?" Seeing that he had come back to reality, she stepped aside and gestured toward the small crowd that had gathered inside the stand.
"I think there are already enough people in there," he replied with a shrug, then looked at her curiously.
“What about you? Why didn’t you follow Johnny?”
Susan narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before asking a question that caught him slightly off guard.
"What did you mean when you said it's not a teleporter?"
She had heard that?
“About that… I was just thinking out loud. Don’t pay too much attention to it,” Daniel waved his hand, trying to downplay it, but Susan didn’t seem very convinced.
“Really? I don’t know why, but something tells me there’s more to it than that.”
"Oh? Is that the famous female intuition talking?" Daniel joked, making her huff and cross her arms.
"I call it scientific intuition," she said, leaning slightly toward him with an evaluating look.
"I like trusting my instincts about people, and so far, you’ve given me the impression of being extremely intelligent—someone who doesn’t just speak for the sake of speaking. I guess I’m just curious. What did you mean by that?"
Daniel considered how to respond without seeming too suspicious. Fortunately for him, the perfect opportunity arrived in the form of a blue light and a tremor.
Susan nearly fell, unprepared for the sudden jolt, but luckily for her, she was close enough to Daniel that she ended up bumping into him instead of hitting the ground.
"A teleporter shouldn’t cause space-time to shake, If I’m not mistaken, what’s actually happening is that Reed’s machine is opening a small crack in space with each of its ‘transports.’ Even though it might resemble conventional teleportation, the reality is that it’s more like using temporary wormholes.”
And it was very easy to mistake one for the other if you didn’t have the necessary tools to probe the effect on space-time with the required precision.
Daniel wondered if Reed was aware of this or if he had simply ignored it, assuming that the tremors and light were just byproducts of the absurd amount of energy his device consumed.
Hearing his explanation clarified some things for Susan, though she could barely pay attention—mostly because, due to their height difference, she had ended up with her face pressed against his chest. Almost immediately, she tried to pull away, but a second tremor only made her cling to him even more to avoid falling.
Being so close to him allowed her to catch the natural scent he gave off—an aroma very similar to sandalwood mixed with a slight hint of musk. Almost unconsciously, she took a deep breath to take in the pleasant smell better, but as soon as she realized what she was doing, she quickly pulled away, trying to hide the blush creeping onto her cheeks.
“W-well… if what you’re saying is true, doesn’t that mean every time he uses his machine, he’s weakening the fabric of space? Isn’t that… dangerous?” By the end of his words, Susan momentarily forgot her embarrassment and instead began to feel concerned.
“Yes, dangerous, but not too much. If space were that fragile, we’d have wormholes popping up everywhere.” Seeing the concern forming in her eyes, Daniel quickly reassured her.
Honestly, if he had thought it was truly dangerous, he would have intervened by now.
As long as the machine continued functioning without interference, there shouldn’t be any problems. And even if something did interfere, the chances of something going terribly wrong were still fairly low…
Before they could continue discussing it, the sound of agitated voices caught their attention.
Within the small crowd that had gathered inside Reed’s Stand, a commotion began to become evident, drawing quite a bit of interest from the people nearby.
Susan frowned and, without hesitation, started moving toward the disturbance to see what was happening. Sensing trouble, Daniel decided to follow her, but before he could take a step, a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
Frowning, he turned to look at the person who had suddenly stepped into his path, only for his pupils to shrink upon meeting their gaze.
“You…”
A tense silence settled between them despite the bustling crowd around them. Daniel felt the once-blurry memories start to return—fragments of recollections attempting to reconstruct an incomplete puzzle with pieces that barely fit together, making his thoughts feel sluggish and clumsy.
“…Sorcerer,” he murmured, uncertain, and the woman took another step closer, releasing his shoulder and standing directly in front of him.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Daniel. Or… would you prefer I call you Defiant?”
“I’d prefer not to have the Sorcerer Supreme standing in front of me,” he replied dryly.
Why was she here? Why hadn’t she come sooner? Why now? His mind scrambled for an answer, but before he could find one, he saw a faintly apologetic smile beginning to form on the woman’s face.
“I’m sorry—I’d love to answer your questions, but I’m afraid that will have to wait for another day. This time, I’ve only come to steal a bit of your time.”
…What?
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A few moments earlier, at Reed's stand.
"Admit it, Franklin! We both know that Star Labs is the best option for young Richards. I mean, just look at the state of the foundation—a place that lets trash like your son keep taking advantage of his connection to you to do whatever he pleases is clearly in decline, one that won’t be able to support a genius of his caliber," Dr. Harvey nearly shouted, as if stating an irrefutable fact, causing murmurs to spread among the gathered crowd.
In front of him, Dr. Storm frowned deeply, clear discontent in his gaze.
"Enough! I've heard enough of your bullshit, old man! I don’t care if you have something against me, but leave my father out of this!" Johnny shouted, trying to lunge at Harvey, only to be held back by his father.
"This time, you've gone too far, Harvey. While the Baxter Foundation has a policy of non-interference when it comes to the decisions young minds make, trying to sway Reed's choice with malicious accusations like these is too low, even for you."
At his words, Harvey scoffed in amusement.
"Malicious accusations? I'm just stating the truth, Storm! Just look at your son! Trying to run at me like a rabid dog—he’s nothing but a criminal you won’t be able to keep bailing out of prison forever! So put a leash on him while you still can and keep him from further tarnishing your family’s name!"
This time, it was Franklin who looked ready to lunge at Harvey. No matter who it was—there was only so much a person could take before their patience ran dry, and Harvey had completely exhausted his.
Though furious at being insulted, the moment Johnny realized what his father was about to do, it felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head, instantly cooling most of his anger. Without hesitation, he grabbed his father’s arm, stopping him from moving forward.
His own reputation didn’t matter—he had already accepted that it was beyond saving. But if his father were to be dragged down because of him, Johnny wouldn’t be able to accept it.
"What the hell is going on here?!"
That was when Susan finally pushed her way through the crowd. She hadn’t been able to hear everything, but she had heard enough to know that Harvey had once again insulted her brother.
And judging by how dark her father’s expression was, she knew the man had finally gone too far.
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On the other hand, caught in the middle of the whole argument, Reed and Ben could only exchange a helpless glance. Reed, in particular, hadn’t expected things to escalate like this just because he had decided to let Johnny test his machine first.
This was the Baxter Foundation’s science fair—wasn't it obvious that someone from the foundation should be the first to try his invention?
Apparently, Dr. Harvey hadn’t agreed with his reasoning, thus starting a debate that also doubled as a very poor attempt to convince him to consider joining STAR Labs.
Reed didn’t want to join STAR Labs. His goal had always been the Baxter Foundation, and he didn’t think he would change his mind about that—especially not if there were more people like Harvey among the institution’s scientists.
“I don’t think a fire extinguisher’s gonna put this one out,” Ben muttered.
“Shut up,” And Reed scolded him.
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"This time it wasn’t my fault, Sue, I swear. This guy is just provoking me," Seeing the fury in his sister’s eyes, Johnny quickly tried to explain himself. He didn’t want their relationship to sour again, especially now that they were starting to get along well again.
"Lies! I’m just stating the facts! Everyone knows the blatant favoritism that Doctor Storm has been showing you!" Harvey roared as if he were outraged at being accused of causing trouble.
"Doctor Harvey, I would appreciate it if you kept your unpleasant comments about my brother or my family to yourself. This is not a drama hall, and if you continue to make a scene, I will have you escorted out."
Deciding to put an end to things quickly, Susan firmly delivered this warning.
In truth, she would have loved nothing more than to kick Harvey out herself, but doing so would put the foundation in a difficult position. STAR Labs wasn’t a small organization, and since Harvey was representing them, they couldn’t simply get rid of him.
It was frustrating, and one of the many reasons why bureaucracy caused so many problems for those caught in it.
With Susan’s intervention, it seemed like the matter would finally be resolved, but unexpectedly for everyone, Harvey didn’t seem to get the message.
"My apologies, young Susan. It seems I got a little carried away. It’s just that, as a former member of the foundation, it’s hard for me to watch the rot that’s infecting it. But seeing you now has reminded me that not all is lost. At least with you here, I know that the legacy your mother left behind will remain intact."
At the mention of her mother, Susan furrowed her brows sharply, clenching her fists. But to say she was the most affected would be incorrect—Johnny, who had been trying to stay calm, suddenly ignited like a tree struck by lightning.
"Don’t you dare talk about my mother," he said through gritted teeth and in response, Dr. Harvey smirked provocatively.
"Or what? Are you going to keep tarnishing her legacy? Just look at yourself—I can’t even imagine how disappointed she would be if she could see you now. After all, she was a woman of principles, of honor. I don’t think she would have been able to bear the shame of having a son like y—"
“Shut the fuck up!”
This time, no one could stop Johnny. With his anger clouding his mind, he closed the distance between himself and Harvey in an instant, grabbing the man by the collar of his suit.
Feeling suddenly threatened, Harvey didn’t even stop to think about the situation. In total panic, he raised his fist—and to everyone’s surprise, he was the one who threw the first punch, his knuckles crashing directly into Johnny’s face.
The boy, who hadn’t been prepared at all for the attack, stumbled violently to the side, his body falling with all its weight onto Reed’s active machine…
.
At that same moment, back with Daniel.
Faced with the cryptic words of the Ancient one, Daniel could only furrow his brows, feeling confusion and doubt begin to flood him.
Dozens, maybe hundreds of questions assaulted his mind, but before he could even attempt to answer a single one, he felt the ground beneath his feet start to tremble.
‘This isn’t good!’ His pupils shrank as his gaze quickly darted toward Reed’s stand, seeing a blue light begin to form out of nowhere, followed by uncontrolled energy surges that started wreaking havoc.
Without a second thought, he moved toward it.
Seeing his action, the Ancient One stepped aside without saying another word. Without her interference, Daniel easily pushed past the people in his way, but it still took him an extra second to reach the stand.
An extra second that was enough for everything to go wrong.
.
Johnny’s collision with the machine triggered an instant reaction. A wave of energy exploded in all directions, followed by a swarm of blue lightning crackling through the air. The arcs of electricity struck the surroundings indiscriminately, reducing to ashes in an instant those unfortunate enough to be caught by them.
"Johnny!" Susan screamed, her voice filled with horror as she watched her brother get flung through the air, engulfed in flames. She wanted to rush toward where he landed, but before she could even try, Daniel shoved her to the ground.
"Don’t rush in!" he shouted. But before she could even ask what he meant, she saw one of the machine’s wild bolts of energy strike him directly, sending his body flying into the distance.
"Daniel!" Her heart lurched, her mind struggling to keep up with the chaos unfolding around her.
She tried to get to her feet, but before she could manage it, a wave of energy slammed into her, freezing her in place.
In the blink of an eye, an ethereal blue energy dome engulfed the entire stand. Those outside it were suddenly blasted away by a shockwave, while those still alive within found themselves inexplicably frozen, as if space itself had trapped them.
The fabric of reality began to ripple, and a sound like tearing echoed through the air.
The last thing Susan saw before losing consciousness was wave after wave of ethereal blue light crashing against everything around her, over and over again.
.
.
.
‘What a fucking disaster!’ Daniel growled to himself as he struggled to get back on his feet, arcs of blue energy streaking around his body like shimmering streamers, making his muscles threaten to seize with uncontrollable spasms.
The only reason he wasn’t completely naked right now was that all his clothing was made of Element V. But even with that, the spot where the lightning had struck was scorched, leaving a massive hole in his shirt and exposing the reddened skin beneath.
‘Why did this have to happen on the same day I decided to start my textile empire?’ He could only curse his bad luck.
‘And as if that wasn’t enough, my mask is ruined too,’ he thought with slight bitterness, pressing a hand to his face and feeling the thin, semi-transparent layer that altered his facial features start to slip between his fingers, as if it had melted away.
Moving was torture, like a million needles piercing every single cell in his body at once. Even his core was struggling to heal him, as the strange energy that had struck him still lingered inside, wreaking havoc.
‘This is nothing like electricity.’ He knew because he had been struck by lightning before—natural lightning, born from storms—and none had ever been this fast or come close to hurting him as much as this one had.
Now he understood why the people hit by it had turned to ash in an instant.
Taking a deep breath, he unsteadily got to his feet and looked toward the enormous, semi-transparent ‘dome’ of blue light that was enclosing the entire stand, realizing that, out of all the people who had been inside, only seven were still alive.
"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Daniel wondered if the universe was trying to tell him something with this. Just… what were the odds?
Was this why the Ancient One had decided to appear before him?
‘No, don’t think about that now.’
At this moment, Daniel didn’t have the energy to dwell too much on the strangeness of the situation. Instead, he focused on the center of it all.
Where Reed’s machine had once stood, there was now also a spatial rift that was beginning to grow larger and larger.
From it, the strange blue energy continued to spread in nearly omnidirectional waves, creating the illusion of an expanding dome.
‘What’s inside it isn’t moving, but everything else is starting to be forcibly repelled.’
If this continued, the entire place could collapse. Hundreds… no, thousands would die. He needed to find a way to stop it.
‘But first, I have to get them out of there,’ he thought, turning his gaze once more to the seven unconscious people trapped inside.
‘Is this what they call destiny?’ Had he unknowingly interfered with the event that, in this world, would give birth to the Fantastic Four? Or had he done something to make it change?
Honestly, he would’ve preferred the damn space travel.
‘Maybe it’ll resolve itself. If this is the universe’s doing, then somehow, it’ll fix itself, right?’
Despite considering the possibility, his feet had already started moving, carrying him forward, step by step, toward the stand.
Truthfully, Daniel wasn’t naive enough to leave things up to "chance." Even if there was the slightest possibility that everything would sort itself out somehow, he wasn’t going to gamble anyone’s safety to find out.
Because if he was wrong… if he did nothing and someone got hurt because of his inaction, then it would be entirely his fault.
And he hadn’t become a hero just to stand by and do nothing while others were in danger—destined to happen or not.
‘Fuck you, universe. I’m not playing along with your damn whims.’
Gritting his teeth, he pressed forward, feeling the repelling force hit his body with increasing intensity.
It almost felt like fighting Graviton all over again.
When he finally reached the very edge of the dome, Daniel paused, swallowed hard, and with determination, allowed the expanding waves of blue energy to reach him—engulfing his entire body and pulling him into the 'eye of the storm.'
.
.
.
Note:
A little over seven thousand words.
Okay, I don’t have much to say that I haven’t already mentioned in the previous chapter’s note. Writing this whole little "arc" has definitely been complicated, and I probably won’t try something like this again anytime soon (but knowing myself, I probably will if I think it’s necessary, hahaha).
Anyway, just… leave your comments and suggestions. I’ll be reading them.
Comments
OrganicMeat(2.0)
I was thinking more aquatic life than land based life (Or maybe semi-aquatic) tbh Even ragnars need to drink and I can’t imagine they’d be good swimmers. This would allow the MC an extended breath time in space even for a viltrumite of his particular age group. I was also thinking of adding additional abilities gained from his alien side, similar to Oliver who grew rapidly from a young age.
EmmaCruzader
The idea of a son of Conquest isn't bad, but I'm absolutely sure it's impossible for any other life apart from Ragnars to exist on their homeworld. Well, some minor species for sure, but something intelligent? Ragnars are too strong to allow any kind of civilization to develop, at least in my opinion, but if you can make it work it would surely be something fun to read.
Jon
You should try and write it I'll give it a read
OrganicMeat(2.0)
What about a rewrite with MC being the son of conquest. Had an idea in my head where the MC is born when conquest is nearly killed during the scourge virus and his mother is an alien from the same planet the Ragnars are from as we never really got a detailed explanation on the intelligent life or local fauna on the planet, so it’s entirely possible other intelligent life exists there.
Feliprins
The Maker is the Ultimate Reed evil version, as in universal genocide kind of evil, this version also never truly ends up with her, the same way Louis Lane in this universe is likely to stay single
Morg535
Man I think Defiant is my favorite story of yours.
EmmaCruzader
I'll see what I can do, these are some delicate topics and if they are written poorly then it could feel quite bland, likewise I don't like to copy and paste things that other people have already written as I feel it would look fake.
Chan Myae Aung
Hello...I am new sub here...and I think if our MC is trying to follow superman foot steps why don't write something(superman thing) like stopping abusive father from superman Vol 1 705 and stopping suicide from superman 701.... I loves your work...and I also want MC to be Sunny positive superman. Thanks...hope you entertain my humble request.
Jon
That sucks, it's a good story
EmmaCruzader
I wouldn't say it's abandoned, but I honestly can't find any inspiration to continue with it. I'd rather not write by force, since not only would I waste time, but I would also produce weak/bad writing.
Jon
Why did you drop Almost Invincible?
7_Night
No one considers Holly jokers girl
EmmaCruzader
It could actually happen, I don't think it will be soon, but at some point there will be one or another trip, maybe I will do them in the form of omakes so that they don't interfere so much with the main story, although if I think it is important, of course they will be in the main story.
genny
Ok, but can I know if, in the future, he will travel to universes that are not Marvel or DC, like *Invincible* (comics or TV series) or any other series or film?
EmmaCruzader
Although technically it stopped being the same story a long time ago, I don't like spoilers hahaha,
genny
my comment was deleted?😭
Feliprins
Multiverse would a swell place to train his body, getting immunity by being exposed to all the radiation one can find, learning how to open wormholes with his muscles alone would be fun to see... Muscle Wizard is a go!
French Deadpool
Susan and Harley... Carol is definitely going blonde xD
Asura
Yes! Love this.🔥 Thanks for the chapter 👋
SteelBone16
just wondering who were the seven people who survived the Cosmic Radiation expslosion
Ugly Bastard Tag
Susan is a top tier waifu, don't let her slip through his fingers!
TUSF
And Harley is Joker's girlfriend. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
7_Night
Well the moment between Daniel and Susan felt really uncomfortable for me since she’s reeds wife
James French
Can’t wait to see how the meet up between the Ancient One and Daniel goes after this.. wonder if he’s a blank or not 👀
