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Still Defiant! SI [Marvel/DC] 59: Element V
🕑 Added 2025-02-18 21:45:33 +0000 UTC59: Element V
Two days can go by very quickly, Daniel thought as he admired the view of New York City, more precisely the Manhattan area.
In his previous life, he wasn’t really very familiar with this part of the city since he rarely found himself nearby. Of course, that changed in this life, not only because he occasionally patrolled all of New York as Defiant but also because of the time he spent living in Harleen’s apartment.
That time, although not too long, was enough to give him a certain level of familiarity with the place, making him feel a bit nostalgic every time he passed by.
"At least Graviton's attack didn’t mess things up too much around here."
There was certainly some collateral damage here and there, but compared to other areas of the city, one could say that Manhattan was barely scratched.
"Harleen really had terrible luck," she and everyone else who lived in the same building.
He wondered where she would move now. That day, after testing everything they could with her powers and failing to discover much more than they already had, they talked a little more about her living situation. Daniel had recommended she look for a new place away from big cities.
This, of course, was because he knew that in the future, large cities and highly populated areas would suffer greatly due to the rise of more heroes and villains.
In addition to possible invasions, because surely, at some point in the not-so-distant future, some alien species would decide that Earth was a nice place to try and conquer.
Of course, he wasn’t so explicit in warning her about the dangers. He simply pointed out that it was very likely that other incidents, like Graviton's attack on the East Coast, would happen more often than anyone would like.
If she didn’t want to lose her home again, it was better for it not to be near the line of fire. These were also the reasons why he still hadn’t left his farm—besides Carol and the privacy that a rural place like Smallville provided.
Naturally, having the option to live in a more remote place was only possible because Harleen now had fairly versatile powers.
Daniel had helped her master her ability to fly to a level where she wasn’t at risk of accidents. And although she wasn’t as fast as him or Carol, that didn’t mean she was slow. She could decently travel several times faster than the speed of sound in the air, and that was enough to give her mobility that any New Yorker would envy.
She seemed to have taken his warning and recommendation very seriously. After all, no one liked being left homeless in an instant, let alone risking it happening more than once.
Even so, he didn’t know if she would actually listen to him or choose to take the risk and find another apartment in New York. In the end, it was her decision, and he didn’t insist too much on convincing her.
"I guess I’ll find out in a few days." Right now, he had something more important to focus on.
That is, the Baxter Foundation’s Scientific Innovation Expo.
"There are way more people than I expected," he told himself as he watched the huge crowd that had begun to gather outside the place where the big event would take place.
Most of them were spectators and journalists, but he also spotted people from other institutions.
In a way, that was expected. Even though the event was mainly funded and presented by the Baxter Foundation, everyone knew that many other renowned organizations would also be present.
After all, the Baxter Foundation had a limited number of spots—Not all the young participants presenting at the science fair that day would be able to secure a place within the foundation, and that’s where others saw an opportunity to lend them a hand.
Of course, those who did secure a spot would also receive some very enticing external recruitment offers. It was a classic talent poaching scenario, something everyone was aware of but no one had any intention of stopping.
Whether the Baxter Foundation could retain the young talents presenting today depended entirely on its ability to offer them the best possible conditions.
If another institution made a better offer… well, everyone was free to choose their own path.
Glancing at the watch on his wrist, Daniel noticed that it was almost time, so he stood up and gazed at the city streets from his position atop one of the buildings.
Approaching a nearby reflective window, part of the adjacent building, Daniel looked at himself for a moment, checking his appearance.
This time, his disguise had changed. Originally, his costume consisted of a face somewhat distant from his true one, but as time passed, he realized how uncomfortable it was—not just for himself but also for the people close to him who knew his real identity.
For that reason, he had finally decided to adopt an appearance much closer to his real self, albeit with slight changes so that they could still be distinguished. After all, there were many people in the world who resembled others. As long as it wasn’t a hundred percent identical, even if people thought, "This guy looks a bit like Defiant," it would still be fine.
With this new disguise, his hair had grown slightly longer, and its original black color had turned brown. His eyebrows had become a bit thicker, and the blue in his eyes had shifted to a darker gray.
There were a few other minor differences, but nothing too remarkable or noticeable. Even so, if he were to place his real face next to his new false one, people would recognize a resemblance, but at the same time, they could say they were different—like looking at a pair of siblings or close cousins.
It was a bit risky, but as long as he kept his civilian life clean and unrelated to Defiant, everything should be fine. Besides, as Daniel Warren Evans was an orphan—with no parents, siblings, or close relatives—
Even if someone suspected he might have some connection to Defiant, once they investigated him, they would realize there was nothing to find.
Overall, it was a pretty decent disguise. But to make it even more secure, Daniel had prepared an infallible secret weapon.
"With this, I should be completely covered," he said as he pulled out a case and opened it, revealing a pair of classic-looking black-framed glasses, which he proceeded to put on.
"Not bad," he thought as he looked at his reflection. They gave him a scholarly air that certainly distanced him even further from his appearance as Defiant.
Plus, they were going to be quite useful for what he was about to do.
Originally, he had planned to attend the event as just another spectator, with the goal of meeting interesting scientific minds. But after giving it a lot of thought and reflecting on it, a new idea came to him.
"I can use this to start my business career."
For a while now, he had been planning how to introduce Element V to the world. And what better way to do it than by showcasing it at one of the most important scientific events?
Not only could he gain some fame within the scientific community with his civilian identity, but he could also make important connections with all the institutions that would be present.
Above all, the legitimacy that would come from demonstrating the properties of Element V in front of numerous scientists and spectators would make things much easier for him.
Of course, he could have used his friendship with Tony, as well as the man's influence, to accomplish all these things and speed up the process. But this was a personal project that he preferred to try to build on his own. Naturally, he couldn’t manage it entirely by himself—he still needed to find someone for that—but at the very least, he could get it started.
With this new goal in mind, Daniel had registered as one of the participants and had "coincidentally" secured a good spot to showcase his "creation" to the world.
Turning around, he prepared to leave, but before doing so, he gave himself one last look, frowning slightly.
"Maybe I should get a lab coat?"
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"The biggest gathering of nerds in the world! I never expected to witness it with my own eyes!" Johnny Storm exclaimed with exaggerated enthusiasm as he watched the numerous stands being set up.
For now, the venue had yet to open to the public, but it already felt quite packed with all the young scientists running back and forth, preparing for their presentations.
Johnny even spotted a few girls who didn’t look bad at all and decided to honor them with his delightful company. But before he could take a single step, a hand grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks.
"What do you think you’re doing?" Susan Storm, who had noticed her brother’s intentions from the side, quickly intervened to prevent him from causing trouble.
"Hey! I haven’t even done anything yet!" Johnny complained, watching with disappointment as the cute girls disappeared into the distance, heading who knows where.
"Look, Johnny, I don’t have time to babysit you. I know Dad wants you here, and in part, so do I, which is why I really need you to behave," Susan said seriously, with a hint of pleading at the end. After all, this was a very important event for the Baxter Foundation, and therefore, very important for their family.
'I don’t even want to be here,' Johnny thought, but he didn’t say it out loud. Instead, he just sighed and nodded.
"Alright, Mom, I’ll behave," he said, barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
Hearing that, Susan scoffed and shot him a sharp look, but soon she relaxed and smiled.
"I know you don’t like this stuff, but just hang in there this time, okay? After this, I’ll make sure Dad leaves you alone for a while. Maybe we can even get your car back." It wouldn’t be easy, but Susan was confident she could convince their father.
"You know where it is?!" Johnny asked excitedly, but then he remembered who he was talking to and frowned. "Of course you know where it is."
It was really annoying—being treated like a little kid by them. But deep down, he knew this was partly his own fault.
He… hadn’t exactly behaved well since their mother died. While his sister and father had buried themselves in their studies and research to cope, he, on the other hand, had leaned more toward going to parties and participating in not-so-legal car races.
To everyone, he was the black sheep of the family. The immature one. The failure.
And Johnny couldn’t even argue against it, even if he wanted to. After all, it was his own choices that had led him here.
And trying to change that wasn’t easy. But he was trying.
"No… I don’t need the car back," he finally said, though it was clear it took a lot of effort.
Susan raised her eyebrows at him as if he had just said something completely baffling.
A brief silence settled between them, but it didn’t last long. Susan didn’t know everything going through her brother’s mind, but as long as he wasn’t getting into trouble, she had no reason to make things harder for him.
"Alright. If you don’t want the car, we can figure out something else. For now, help me check if there are any issues with the booths. Maybe a quick inspection?" Of course, there were already people in charge of that job, but Susan figured giving Johnny something to do would help keep him distracted.
Johnny shrugged and nodded. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do besides looking at stuff, so he might as well be useful in some way.
"Okay, Boss! I’ll do a check-up!"
Watching Johnny walk away, Susan let out a small sigh of relief before putting on a serious expression and refocusing. Anyone looking at her wouldn’t have thought that, in reality, she was completely on edge.
The reason wasn’t just that she had far more responsibilities in planning the event this time, but also because she would be one of the main judges alongside her father and other renowned scientists from the foundation.
It was a lot of pressure, but she knew this was her father’s way of preparing her for even greater responsibilities in the future.
And she had no intention of letting him down.
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"Is that a flamethrower?!"
Daniel blinked, stopping what he was doing, and turned in the direction of the shout, seeing a familiar blond boy approaching.
"I’d say it’s more like a high-powered industrial burner, but calling it a flamethrower isn’t entirely wrong either," Daniel said, patting the device.
"So, you nerds can use stuff like this in your exhibits now? Looks like this won’t be as boring as I thought."
Johnny hadn’t had very high expectations for the event before. After all, the first few times he had been to one of these science fairs was when he was still a child. Back then, everything had seemed quite boring and technical, which eventually led him to stop attending. But seeing this booth made him start to reevaluate his previous opinion.
Approaching Johnny with a friendly smile, Daniel extended his hand in greeting.
"Well, I can’t speak for the others, but I can assure you my presentation will be anything but boring."
Seeing Daniel’s face up close, Johnny somehow felt it was very familiar. Had he met him somewhere before? He tried to recall but couldn’t quite place it. So, without overthinking it, he brushed it off and shook Daniel’s hand, returning the greeting.
"Now I’m even more excited to see it."
Johnny then looked around. There were many other interesting instruments besides the flamethrower at the stand. He didn’t know what they were going to be used for, but he assumed it would be to test them against something.
"Do you need anything else? I'm kind of like a supervisor or something now, so if you need anything, just let me know and I'll get it for you."
This might be the only interesting presentation of the day, so Johnny decided to show some support. He just hoped he wouldn't end up disappointed later.
Daniel looked around his booth before shrugging. He didn’t actually need anything—he had finished most of his preparations a while ago and was now just double-checking everything.
"Well, I think I’ve got everything sorted here, though maybe those guys could use some help."
Daniel pointed toward a group of young people in the distance who seemed on the verge of an argument.
Seeing where he was pointing and what was happening there, Johnny frowned. He hadn’t expected to actually have real work to do. Sighing, he glanced at Daniel and said his goodbyes.
"Damn, looks like I gotta deal with that. Catch you later, man, Looking forward to your presentation!"
Watching him walk away, Daniel wondered if the guy would still be smiling at him like that if he knew he was Defiant.
"Having a secret identity is actually kind of fun."
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Not too far away, at another stand.
"Are you sure it has to be there?" Ben asked doubtfully, eyeing the spot where Reed had placed his machine.
"Everyone should be able to see it, Ben. It needs to be clear and completely irrefutable—I don’t want to be accused of pulling some trick. After all, simple minds sometimes struggle to believe the extraordinary," Reed said, recalling the expressions people had made throughout his life whenever he talked about his great invention.
especially his teachers, who dismissed his ideas as fantastical and impossible.
"I believed you," Ben muttered, frowning at Reed’s words.
Reed smiled and patted his friend’s shoulder.
"And that, my friend, is why you’re different. Come on, stop worrying so much. Nothing exploded in the tests we ran these past few days—everything will be fine."
Besides, science always carried some risks.
Of course, Reed didn’t say that part out loud—he didn’t need Ben getting more paranoid. Instead, he looked at their booth with a mix of complex emotions.
He was finally here, it was finally the day.
Just thinking about it made him a little nervous, but not too much—he had confidence. Of course, he hadn’t been able to run all the tests he would have liked since he didn’t have the equipment for it, nor a way to obtain it. But once he had the support of the Baxter Foundation, all those questions he had once asked himself would finally have answers.
Like, for example, 'where do the objects he teleports go?' He knew, at least in theory, that the destination had to be another dimension. It couldn’t be anything else. But what kind of dimension or place was it exactly? That was still one of the greatest mysteries.
Along with that strange residual energy that remained in objects when they were brought back.
That last discovery was recent—after all, it was only a few days ago that he had managed to bring back what he had sent. Maybe he didn’t have the best equipment, but even with what he had, Reed had run some tests on the basketball, just to make sure there was nothing dangerous.
Among those tests, Reed used a homemade radiation detector he had built when he was younger to measure radiation on the basketball. To say the resulting readings were strange would be an understatement.
At first, he was alarmed. While he had always been willing to take certain risks for the sake of science, accidentally giving himself and Ben super cancer from another dimension was still something he wanted to avoid.
Fortunately, nothing bad happened. The ball had spent such a short time in that other dimension that the amount of anomalous energy it brought back seemed minuscule. At the same time, it was also different from radiation. Exactly what those differences were escaped his current understanding, but he had no doubt it would be something extraordinary to study once he obtained the necessary resources and equipment.
'I’m going to change the world,' he thought—not for the first time.
But before he could keep getting lost in his thoughts, Ben’s voice interrupted him, pulling him back to reality.
"Hey Reed, looks like they’re about to start."
"Eh?" Reed seemed confused. How long had he been distracted?
"Shall we take a look at the other presentations?" Ben asked, somewhat curious, seeing that the crowd was starting to gather near the first stands not far from them.
"No, I don't want to leave my machine alone. I'll stay here and check if anything is missing. If you want, you can go take a look, but make sure to come back quickly when my turn is near," Reed said, but Ben quickly shook his head.
"It's fine, I'll stay with you. Besides, I don't understand much about these things anyway." That wasn’t entirely true—Reed knew that his friend was actually quite smart when he put his mind to it. He just hadn’t found anything that truly inspired him.
'Maybe I should encourage him more to pursue his old dream of becoming an astronaut once the science fair is over.'
Ben had given up on that dream due to his family's financial situation, but Reed was confident he could secure some funding with his future inventions. Helping his friend pursue his dream at that moment would be the least he could do, considering how much Ben had helped him achieve his own.
Without a doubt, the future for both of them would be fantastic.
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"Alright, it's about to start," Daniel said to himself as he saw how the crowd at the site had greatly increased.
'Reminds me of those conventions I used to attend… just without the weird smell.' God knew more people should start using deodorant when attending large events.
Fortunately, science folks seemed to understand that pretty well. Well, most of them. Daniel still caught a few unpleasant odors, but he was able to quickly ignore them without much trouble by breathing much more shallowly.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the small crowd of judges in the distance—Johnny among them—chatting with who he assumed were his sister and father while gesturing in the direction of his stand.
He probably wanted to see his presentation as soon as possible. It wasn’t a bad thing, but at events like this, everything followed a pre-established order.
Luckily for the kid, Daniel had pulled a few tricks to make sure he was one of the first presentations of the day.
"Looks like it's time to reveal myself to the world... for the second time." He had already done it as Defiant—now it was time to do it as Daniel.
Approaching the briefcase he had brought with him, he opened it, revealing a long piece of black fabric made of Element V, along with several smaller pieces, which he left untouched for the moment.
The large fabric measured two meters by two meters, and he quickly mounted it onto a metal frame with wheels that he had prepared beforehand. The thing looked somewhat like a clothing rack, but Daniel had designed it so that each side of the fabric could be stretched tightly like a canvas.
He then moved the frame to the center of the stand, which wasn’t too difficult since each participant’s space wasn’t very large—unless they had specifically requested extra room for a demonstration that required it. Clearly, he didn’t need that.
Not far from the frame, Daniel set up two side tables holding the various objects he would use for his demonstration.
And just to make things a bit more dramatic, he slipped on a pair of black gloves and straightened his white lab coat. After all, a scientist has to look like a scientist for the cameras, right?
Speaking of cameras—given the size of the crowd, each stand had three massive screens above it, linked to three cameras that could be positioned according to the participant's preferences.
Daniel wasn’t too picky about this. He placed one camera in front of the frame, zooming in on the fabric directly. Another was positioned to the side, capturing the entire stand, including himself, his tools, and the frame with the fabric.
Finally, the third camera was set up at the back, focusing on the rear of the fabric and the frame in the same way as the first.
This should cover the angles he thought were necessary.
Although he wasn’t sure how well it would work on the other screens—the ones beyond the three above his stand—he knew there were many more. The venue was far too large for everyone to witness each exhibition in person, so the Baxter Foundation broadcasted every evaluation in real-time across multiple screens distributed throughout the entire place.
Daniel even spotted some of those screens in the outdoor area.
‘The people controlling them remotely will probably choose the view that shows most of the stand.’ Daniel didn’t know exactly how well-organized this place was, but if the person in charge was smart, they would likely switch between the three viewpoints as he presented the features of the Element V fabric.
‘Now, all that’s left is to wait.’
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"That sucked," Johnny said almost out loud, earning a few disapproving looks from those around him.
Susan, who was walking nearby, frowned, ready to scold him, but their father spoke first.
"Don’t dismiss the work of others, Johnny. Maybe creating bioplastics from fruit peels doesn’t seem spectacular to you, but the intentions with which those kids started the project are very noble and shouldn’t be dismissed."
Not only did it not seem spectacular—listening to the explanation was like taking a damn sedative! But Johnny kept that honest opinion to himself and simply nodded reluctantly, not wanting to argue unnecessarily.
This was the third stand the panel of judges had visited—and Johnny’s third disappointment of the day.
Which, really, was kind of normal if you thought about it. Even in a world where the impossible seemed to become more possible every day, it was still rare for a science fair—especially one aimed at young people between 18 and 25—to showcase revolutionary or crazy inventions that could change the world in an instant.
No, the usual thing was for most of the projects displayed today to be small technological improvements to existing ideas. Low-cost devices to optimize energy consumption, autonomous robots with specific functions, new medical or biotech applications, scientific studies exploring everyday phenomena, or software designed to make life easier.
Things that certainly interested scientists and, to some extent, a portion of civilians with a passion for science, but which could also bore very quickly those who weren’t deeply involved in these subjects.
Although lately, there had been a trend leading more people to take an interest in the technological and scientific world, which was why the science fair was much more crowded this year compared to previous ones.
Of course, that trend was born the moment Tony Stark built a suit of armor that allowed him to fly through the skies and fight against monsters
At this point, everyone knew the story; the man had not spared many details when he spoke to the press.
"If he was able to build something like that in a cave and with a hole in his chest, then why can't I do the same?" That was what many thought, embarking on the study of various scientific fields in the hope of becoming the next Iron Man.
Unfortunately for them, they were not Tony Stark.
"Save your words, Franklin. I doubt your ungrateful son cares." The one who said this was one of the scientists who did not belong to the foundation, and upon hearing it, Johnny clenched his teeth, giving him a fierce look that only made the man smirk mockingly.
"I decide how I spend my words, Dr. Harvey," Franklin replied curtly to the man with whom he had never exactly gotten along.
If it were possible, Franklin would have preferred never to run into the man he had fired months ago again, but the foundation did not discriminate, not even against its former members.
Watching Franklin’s back as he walked away with his children, the so-called Dr. Harvey clicked his tongue and shook his head. Then, looking to his side, he spoke in a more polite and dignified voice to his most cherished student.
"Do you see that boy, Victor? He is a clear example of failure. Born to extraordinary parents and with an incredibly intelligent sister, he is the only one in his family who has turned out to be disappointing, and it is all because his father spoils him too much. If it weren’t for young Susan, I fear the Baxter Foundation would have fallen into inept hands." shaking his head again, Dr. Harvey began to walk, closely following the group of foundation judges.
"He is also a clear example that success does not come from your origins but from your efforts. Remember that, Victor." The boy named Victor nodded at his teacher’s words, though he mostly ignored them because he had been unable to take his eyes off the beautiful blonde young woman walking ahead of them.
'Is her name Susan?' His intense green eyes gleamed for a moment as a smile appeared on his face.
He wondered if it was too late to join the Baxter Foundation.
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"I think you just got yourself a new fan, sis," Johnny said mockingly, making his sister look at him in confusion.
Then, he discreetly pointed behind them, making her glance out of the corner of her eye until she met the gaze of a young man with dark hair and green eyes. It was a bit too intense for her liking, so she quickly looked forward again.
"Focus, Johnny. The next one is the stand you were so eager to see." At her words, Johnny suddenly stopped paying attention to the strange guy who wouldn’t stop staring at his sister and instead focused with much more interest on Daniel’s stand, which was already nearby.
"Oh God, please let this be good," he prayed under his breath, and soon the whole group was there, with Johnny quickly rushing to the front.
Seeing that the crowd was starting to gather, Daniel stood firm in front of everyone and greeted them enthusiastically as he prepared to channel a bit of his inner Tony Stark.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to meet you. Let me introduce myself: my name is Daniel Warren Evans, and I am here to change the world."
His slightly arrogant words earned different reactions from the crowd. The judges didn’t mind too much—it was in the nature of scientists to have a bit of an ego. Of course, whether that ego was deserved or just empty boasting depended on his abilities and what he was about to present.
"I see why you like him," Susan whispered to her brother, glancing at the stand and the man with some interest. She was curious to know why Johnny was so excited about this.
Daniel approached the metal frame, gesturing with both arms toward the fabric on it.
"What you see before you may seem simple, but it is the result of a major breakthrough that will mark an unprecedented revolution in macromolecular science. Its name is V-Fiber, and it was made from a new type of synthetic polymer created by me, which I call Element V."
Choosing the name for the fabric hadn’t been too difficult; he hadn’t wanted to overcomplicate things, so he went with something simple and easy for everyone to remember.
Of course, his words sparked murmurs throughout the crowd.
Daniel then walked over to one of the side tables and picked up a 500-milliliter flask filled with a thick, dark blue liquid, which he raised into the air so everyone could see it clearly.
"But today, I am not just here to present you with a fantastic new material, but also a solution to real problems that affect our society and our world every day. What you see here," he said, pointing to the dark fabric, "is capable of withstanding all kinds of extreme forces more effectively than any existing steel!"
“Bullshit!” one of the scientists present scoffed, drawing several looks.
Daniel, of course, had expected such a reaction. In fact, he was sure that almost everyone present thought he was making outrageous claims.
"I understand the doubts, and personally, like many of you, I believe in science based on evidence."
Daniel then took an ultra-thin steel knife from one of the tables and, using his own white lab coat as the first target, made a quick and long cut in it, taking the crowd by surprise.
"So, I’m going to show you what my creation can do." He smiled confidently before quickly approaching the V-Fiber and attempting to make a long cut in it.
But as expected, the knife’s edge didn’t even leave a mark on the fabric, making the people exclaim in surprise.
"Of course, it wouldn’t be fun if I kept all the excitement to myself, right? So, if the judges allow me, I’d like a couple of volunteers to join me to partially verify the legitimacy of the tests."
Daniel then directed his gaze to Dr. Franklin Storm and the judges beside him.
And without even waiting a moment, Johnny quickly raised his hand and looked at his father with puppy-dog eyes.
"Let me do it!"
Franklin almost sighed. He looked at his colleagues, but they only smiled and shrugged. Whatever he chose, no one would question him… well, except for those who didn’t belong to the foundation.
"Franklin, you need to think this through. No offense, but I don’t think your son is sufficiently qualified," Dr. Harvey said, stepping closer to the front.
‘This guy!’ Johnny clenched his fists, his good mood starting to sour.
"And who would you say is sufficiently qualified, Dr. Harvey?" Dr. Franklin asked, frowning at the man.
"Well, I didn’t come alone today. As the second representative of STAR Labs, I have also brought my young and promising student, Victor Von Doom. I believe he is more than qualified to assist with these tests and determine whether young Daniel’s claims are true or false."
At his words, Victor stepped forward, giving a polite greeting to the judges, his gaze briefly resting on Susan before turning to the V-Fiber with extreme curiosity.
"If you allow me, Dr. Storm, I would be delighted to offer my help."
"Hey! I got here first!" Johnny couldn’t take any more of the bullshit talk and looked at Victor and Harvey with irritation.
"Although I do not doubt that young Victor has the capabilities, you seem to have forgotten that my daughter Susan is also here, Harvey."
Hearing this, Harvey was momentarily at a loss for words. He could say a lot about Johnny, but he certainly had nothing to say against Susan.
Daniel and the nearby crowd watched the small drama with interest, but he was here to give a presentation, not to be a spectator. So, stepping forward, he interrupted the conversation without hesitation.
"Although I said I might need a couple of volunteers, I have enough tests to allow all three of them to take part—if all parties agree, of course," he said before shooting Johnny a knowing look, who quickly gave him a thumbs-up. Then, he set his gaze on Susan, who seemed thoughtful.
"That sounds like a good arrangement," Franklin quickly agreed, not wanting to continue arguing pointlessly with Harvey.
Victor did not wait for his teacher’s response and stepped forward, entering the stand almost at the same time as Johnny, who had taken off as soon as his father spoke.
Sighing a little at her brother’s behavior, Susan exhaled and moved forward as well.
"Well, now that I have you all here, there's no time to waste!" Daniel said, skillfully maneuvering the knife in his hand and extending its handle toward Susan.
"The beautiful ladies first," he offered courteously, making her smile as she took the knife. Then, to some people's surprise, she grabbed her own white lab coat and, just as Daniel had done, made a long cut in it. the edge passing through the fabric easily
"Whoa! Be careful with that, Sue!" Johnny said, taking a small step away from his sister.
"The knife’s edge is definitely real," she said loudly enough for everyone to hear. As a scientist, Susan knew there were ways to fake certain things, so without hesitation, she ruined her own clothing to prove the legitimacy of the tool she was about to use for the test.
Then she looked at the fabric and approached it, first attempting a slow, wide cut. She put a lot of force into it, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make the material suffer any kind of damage.
'This is amazing,' she thought as she tried cutting from different angles—with zero success.
"As you can see, V-Fiber is capable of resisting cuts with extreme effectiveness. Think of industrial safety clothing, construction workers, or those handling dangerous tools. This material could prevent hundreds of workplace accidents each year—not to mention, of course, our police forces, who face criminal threats every day."
Daniel looked at the crowd, who were becoming increasingly enthusiastic.
"And since we can't forget anybody, let's talk about fire—one of the most devastating threats humanity has faced throughout history. Think about firefighters, pilots, and workers exposed to high temperatures. What if their clothing were practically immune to fire?"
With that said, Daniel grabbed the 'flamethrower' and looked at Johnny, who widened his eyes before almost jumping forward.
"Oh yeah, baby!"
With the flamethrower in hand, he didn't hesitate and stepped up to the fabric. Of course, before anything else, Daniel quickly explained how to use it while placing another item he had brought behind the frame.
Then Johnny aimed, and at Daniel's signal, he pulled the trigger, releasing a powerful and intense flame that completely engulfed the fabric.
"This custom-designed flamethrower was built to release flames at an intensity of 1,500°C. And as you can see, V-Fiber is not only capable of withstanding this scorching heat, but it can also effectively protect any material covered by it," Daniel said, pointing to what he had set up earlier—a tall plant that was practically touching the back of the fabric, showing no signs of damage whatsoever.
Johnny continued spraying flames for a few more moments before stopping and placing the flamethrower in a safe area, a satisfied smile on his face.
Meanwhile, Susan approached the plant and began examining it carefully.
It was slightly warm to the touch but otherwise in good condition, despite being less than a centimeter away from the intense flames.
'This could really change the world.'
At first, she had thought Daniel’s words were a bit arrogant, but now they seemed quite fitting. A growing admiration for him was beginning to take hold.
"But if you think this is already incredible, let me show you something else."
Daniel then took a tank of liquid nitrogen along with a pair of gloves and offered them to Victor.
The young man smiled and calmly took the items, quickly understanding what Daniel wanted him to do.
"Extreme cold can be just as devastating as heat. To further demonstrate V-Fiber’s resistance, I'll let the coldest substance known on Earth—liquid nitrogen—test its ability to withstand the extreme temperatures of the poles or the harsh conditions astronauts face when exposed to the vacuum of space during space travel."
At his signal, Victor stepped up to the fabric and, with careful precision, emptied the liquid nitrogen tank over it, causing a thick white cloud to begin forming around it.
Soon, everyone could see ice crystals forming across the surface of the fabric until the area was completely covered.
Daniel picked up a hammer from one of the tables and handed it to Victor. The young scientist gripped it firmly, testing its weight. Then, without hesitation, he swung his arm, bringing the hammer down against the "frozen" fabric, sending shards of ice flying in all directions.
Like a shattering mirror, the ice broke apart and fell, but the V-Fiber remained intact—without a single crack or sign of damage—proving that the ice had only formed superficially without actually affecting it.
Daniel was quite satisfied with this outcome. Of course, he would have loved to bring a high-caliber firearm to further test just how useful his fabric was for protection, but doing so in a place like this was complicated. That was something he would likely have to arrange when speaking with the military or law enforcement.
But those were matters for the future. Right now, he needed to continue with his "speech." Turning back to the crowd watching him, he spoke with confidence and conviction.
"With V-Fiber, many of the limitations humanity has faced can be overcome. This is not just a scientific innovation—it is an opportunity to transform the way we interact with the world, a way to prevent tragedies, to save lives."
Daniel paused briefly before continuing.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a new era."
With those final words falling, the place erupted into thunderous applause, and the crowd roared with enthusiasm.
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Note:
Almost seven thousand words…
Alright, to be honest, I think this got a little out of hand. I said it in Super Soldier, and I’ll say it again now—I really hate writing speeches!
On the other hand, this chapter is more of an experiment than anything else. Originally, I planned for everything to last at most around three thousand words before moving on to the important part. But as I kept writing, I wanted to add more, test more, until I ended up way outside my comfort zone in certain areas.
I know it might be a bit heavy to read—it wasn’t easy to write either. I’m still not sure if I like what I did or not. Maybe I could have approached it better, I don’t know.
Your opinions would be really welcome—I seriously need to hear what you think.
With that said, I’m signing off. I haven’t slept much, so I’ll take this chance to pass out for a bit and come back in six or seven hours.
Comments
7_Night
The author said he will take some inspiration from ultimate Reed Richard so I doubt he will never become the maker also, Carol is an OC so the Author can do whatever he wants Harley Quinn I could see her in a relationship with two people, but Susan storm no
joshua foster
Also lets not forget its the authors choice if he wants to write harem he can if he doesn't he doesn't and I highly doubt your gonna stop reading if he does your 59 chapters deep you don't just up and quit after that long and if you do he probably has 4 readers for every 1 he loses
joshua foster
But also remember he's trying to be better in this life after following his mothers awful advice for years so I feel a harem will form naturally around him I'm not saying for him to go out looking for one but with his charisma and his personality he already has carol and harleen eating out the palm of his hand with no effort on his part also this is ultimate reed Richards yeah that one I doubt Susan would fall in love with him and even while they where married she divorced him
Lucas Harvey
I don't think a harem would fit this fanfiction at all. We're 59 chapters in and the main character is primarily just a goofy guy going about his life the way he wants with some general goals of protecting the world and having fun getting stronger and exploring the science behind superpowers. Its a nice, cozy story of a guy gradually progressing through his life and reaching milestones now and again. Throwing in a harem at this point would feel like a departure from that in my opinion. On the other hand, two women isn't necessarily a harem. It's not super common, but there are people in real life who have open relationships like that. So... I guess I'd be fine with Daniel having two love interests as long as the author makes it believable. Any more than two though is definitely too much. Maybe other fanfictions could make it work but it'd feel out of place in this one. Or at least that's what I think, doesn't mean I'm right, just my opinion.
7_Night
I already hate harems because they often feel shallow, with characters falling for the main character for no reason. You might as well remove the romance tag. Harems are especially hated in fanfiction because characters that would never be part of one are forced into it, acting completely out of character just because the author wants them to. People dislike some comic books for the same reason—characters acting out of character. For example, Injustice everyone hated wonder woman because Wonder Woman’s portrayal didn’t feel like her at all.
James French
Wonder if this whole meeting w/ the pre-4 will affect them down the line 👀
Morg535
The speech seemed fine to me. Also can we get a moment of silence for my boy Reed, since he's clearly going to lose his girl to Big D
Asura
Let’s go!!!!!🔥💥👏🎉 Thanks for the awesome chapter👋
Kevin L
Awesome introduction of his civilian identity to the world. And the speech 🎤 portion I felt was done well too.
joshua foster
Faysai XV your the only one complaining about a harem no one else
dishitian
reed/the maker?
7_Night
Come on, bro we only want two like I said before A large harem ruins Fanfiction i’m pretty sure I explained why in the previous comment also Susan is literally in the only relationship and Marvel that will never break for long don’t make read suffer like the other characters suffer Through the dating life in comics
Dark B3rry
Thank you for the chapter!
EmmaCruzader
I'll have to look for it, I did it a year or so ago and since then I've changed some of my equipment, I remember that I had it on my old cell phone but... well, that one was stolen from me hahaha, if I'm lucky maybe it's on one of my USB drives or on my old hard drive
EmmaCruzader
Who knows, (very likely) but if I could play marvel rivals I would definitely spend some of my savings on the best skins of her ;D
genny
can you post it?
EmmaCruzader
Don't forget the Saiyans, or the Celestialsapiens, the Anodites were also an option, as well as other races that I no longer remember exactly, I made a fairly extensive list at the time (which not only included races but also powers/abilities, some strong, some weak)
Sif
Susan Storm is going to trip into their coven, isn't she?
genny
I'm just curious about the other options if you didn't give him the royal Viltrumite bloodline
genny
I've always wondered what other options there were for powers you could give Daniel because, aside from Martians, Viltrumites, Daxamites, Asgardians, and Czarnians, I can't think of any races capable of competing against gods (old and new) and Kryptonians.
