Chapter 133 - My SI Stash #33 - Technomage by Delkatar (DCUXWorm) (1/2)

-Now this is just a SI-ception. A SI in DCU that got SI to Worm~ Recently revived fic, (was dead for 2 years!)

Sypnosis: ???

Rated: M

Words: 88K

Posted on: forums.spacebattles.com/threads/technomage-dc-worm-crossover-si.367786/#post-20045469 (Delkatar)

PS: If you're not able to copy/paste the link, you have everything in here to find it, by simply searching the author and the story title. It sucks that you can't copy links on mobile (´ー｀)

-I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)

Prologue 1-6

Part 1: A new beginning

=TM=​

May 27, 2014

Location Classified

Earth Bet

”You promised to tell me the truth!” the blonde teen confined to a hospital bed pouted at me.

”It's a long story.” I muttered.

”So? It's not like either of us is going out of here anytime soon. Unless they let me fix us?” she fluttered her eyelashes at the camera in the upper left corner of the room.

”Nope. Making puppy eyes won't help. No matter how good you've become at it.” A pleasant woman's voice came from speakers masterfully concealed in the walls. ”Until we are sure you aren't compromised neither of you is going to be doing anything funny.”

”You are no fun.” Riley pouted. ”Plweease?” Her lower lip trembled, giving her an adorable look that should be classified as a Master effect.

”On the contrary, dear. I'm lots of fun. And the answer is still no.” The woman on the screen chided gently.

”What did I do to deserve this?” I whispered.

”Don't get me started. Besides, you promised me explanation too. So start. I have whole day.”

”Yeah. The joys of multitasking.”

”That's on your head too.” Came the smug response.

”Enough mister!” Riley glared at me. ”You promised!”

”I know when I'm outnumbered.”

”Good.” another woman's voice sounded from the walls.

”Ah. You too, dear. This is unfair.” Really, what did I do to deserve this inquisition?!

”Now, dear, don't be cotrire and start talking.” The second woman said in that deceptively sweet voice I've learned to be wary of.

Smiling at the camera, I conjured a white flag and waved. ”I surrender! Where do you want me to start?”

”The fun parts!” that was Riley, naturally.

”At the beginning!” two voices came simultanieously from the speakers.

”You are clearly outvoted.” I smirked at Riley who threw one of her pillows at me. ”OK, the beginning. It wasn't glamorous. At least from my point of view. Though I later learned that the fella who engineered the whole thing had a much more exciting time, the bastard.”

”Language!”

”Yes, dear. Now where was I?”

=TM=​

02:50, December 9, 2015

My apartment

How it all began, you ask? Well I didn't really know. Not at that time anyway. First, let me tell you my side of the story. It all began on what appeared to be a normal December's night. Rather cool, with a lot of fog outside. I couldn't see the other side of the street from my bedroom's windows and that was less than fifteen meters away. At least there was no snow, yet.

Why that's important? Well, it was at the time. You see, the local government tended to be rather surprised by the snow. Every damn year and rather slow on the uptake with cleaning up the streets when nature inevitably surprised them. Before I got a flat near a metro station, sometimes during the winter it's been impossible to reach work on the first couple of days after it started snowing. But, I'm starting to ramble. Don't mind me, I got nostalgic for a moment. Where was I?

Ah. I fell asleep early and awoke a bit after midnight. After surfing the net for a bit and checking for a MMO to try, I decided on DC Universe online. So I set it up to start downloading and went to take a shower and shave. Just ordinary stuff, you see.

No, sweetie, no need to make such a face. As I said, it was a perfectly normal night as far as I knew. Yeah, go on. Giggle at my expense. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't so adorable, munchkin.

Yes, the story. I shaved and was about to prepare for a hot shower, when my normal night became anything but. My first clue was tingling all over my skin. It was like static electricity, but not quite. I couldn't explain it at the time. After all, it wasn't like I had felt magic before. The hairs on my skin stood up and I felt a buzz in the back of my head.

The next thing I knew I was falling through a formless void...

=TM=​

Time: It has no meaning here

Location: Somewhere between the universes

I screamed. It took me at least few minutes to figure out that I wasn't about to go splat right now. It didn't help much. Did I mention that I had fear of heights?

It was cold, but at least there was no wind. No real air resistance either, though I figured that much later. Just the head rush of falling, of gravity pulling you down. It was both awesome and terrifying. The fact I expected to end as a stain on the ground once I reached the bottom wasn't helping my mental state. My heart was hammering within my c_h_e_s_t so fast I wondered if I was going to get a heart attack as a bonus. Before you know, becoming a pancake.

I lost track of time and just tumbled through the void.

What I remember from that journey... Even now I shudder. They say that if you stare at the abyss for long enough, it looks back. Curiously no one even whispers about what happens when you fall through it, and the beings there look at you. Being in that... place, it alters you on the fundamental level. Both body, but more importantly, Soul.

You could say that the middle aged man who fell in the crack between dimensions back on my Earth and the one who appeared on that spaceship, they were radically different beings. Oh, mentally I was mostly the same. For the time being anyway. My mind was my own, so if I met someone I knew, they wouldn't consider me a stranger after chatting for a bit.

I know, it's not a good comparison, especially with all the ways to mind-controll or inpersonate someone.

I knew nothing of that at the time. That's it, until I landed.

The Void shifted. A light formed below me and I was rushing towards it at terminal velocity. I saw a portal, a rift in the Void. That was the source of the light, a clear circle cut into the nothingness, showing a dull, metal floor.

”Oh. Fuuuu...”

=TM=​

03:33, December 9, 2015

High Orbit over Earth

”Well, this is new. I must be dreaming. Yeah. The alternative...” Nonono. Nope. It's not happening. ROBs, Space Bats and other such things, if they are real, must have no interest in little old me. None whatsoever. Nuh, uh.

Its a dream. Right. A dream. Otherwise, I would be a stain on the floor right now. Right?

I took a deep breath, trying to calm down my heart, which was doing its best to tear a hole in my c_h_e_s_t and run away. At least I was dreaming. That was the logical explanation. A vivid, dream but dream nonetheless. People didn't just fall through a suddenly appeared hole in their bathroom, straight through a formless Void that stares at you and then through a circle leading into a weirdly designed metal room! Not in the real world!

I patted myself on the back. Bloody dream, it nearly gave me a heart attack! Ah, denial. Sometimes I wished it would have lasted longer...

At least now that I was aware, I could have a bit of fun before awaking, right? I smiled and looked around. I was in a rather big room, made of orange tinted metal. There were some kind of consoles flashing alien symbols. So I imagined being on a space ship of some sort. Plus flying, or floating above the ground to be more precise. There was a door to the left, what you could imagine for a sci-fi setting. All glowing metal and it looked like that it folded in the walls.

Hmm… It was familiar. Ah, DC Universe online. The game I left downloading before ending here. Huh, I must have fallen asleep while browsing the Space Battles forums. No matter, let's see where this dream goes.

I looked at myself. I was wearing a costume, black and forest green, mostly green. I had a cape too. Green with midnight black trim. A hood, which should have been obvious, but I guess my mind wasn't particularly sharpish while I slept. Gloves and boots in the same motif, rather comfortable ones too. My pants were black with some strange arcane symbols overlaid upon them. Huh. I almost recognized them.

The door slid open with barely a hiss, revealing a single robot, which stalked towards me. Cool!

I tilted my head looking it all over. The detail was incredible. Further it wasn't like what I've seen from the game. Instead, the way it looked, the texture… It was rather lifelike instead a computer generated model.

The machine looked at me and I could swear that its crimson eyes glared at me. Was I expected to fight it or something?

Then I was on the ground and my jaw hurt. The robot was striding towards me, murder shining in its eyes.

”The hell?!” I exclaimed, scampering backwards.

This was a dream! It wasn't supposed to hurt, damn it!

The accursed machine tried to cave in my ribs with a kick, but I was able to roll away in the last moment. What the hell was happening?!

”Can we talk about this?!” I shouted.

F_u_c_k. I rolled straight into a corner. The machine came at me c_o_c_king a metal fist. ”Hold on! This is some kind of mistake!” I raised my hands in the stop gesture. The robot swung my way then two blue energy beams emanated from my palms and promptly blasted the machine away from me.

The android hit the floor hard, tumbling few times before stopping at the far end of the room. I glared at it. Of course it landed in front of the door. And to no one's surprise it wasn't down for the count. Then it hit me. I just used some kind of energy attack! I looked at my palms, being careful not to point them at my face. There were circular indentations in the fabric of the gloves, looking suspiciously like the repulsors build in Iron Man's suit.

The robot stood up shakily. There were two deep gorges in it's c_h_e_s_t plate and they were glowing slightly. Wow, I melted whatever it was made of. Wasn't that cool?!

It started shambling my way, obviously the damage was worse than appeared. Now how the hell I shoot it again?! I punched in it's direction with open palm.

Nothing happened. I did it again and again as the robot came towards me. He was nearly in grappling range when another blast of light struck it, this time grazing its head and melting half its face. It gave a loud electronic shriek, making me cover my ears, before crumbling to the ground.

I starred at the pile of scrap, willing myself to awake, though I didn't harbor much hope that it would work. Not after that punch. Damn, it was starting to dawn on me that I was the newest plaything of some kind of omnipotent being. F_u_c_k it all!

=TM=​

A short time later, after I most certainly didn't freak out, I was thinking constructively again...

If this really wasn't a weird nightmare, I needed to get out of here. Now.

At least the door wasn't sealed. It neatly folded in the walls, letting me leave the room without any fuss. I made my way down the corridor, trying to be sneaky. Then shook myself for an idiot. As if I could sneak past robots. Who knew what kind of sensors those things had not to mention that I was sure that there were cameras tracking my movement.

Soon I reached the end of the corridor, a corner leading left. Well, let's hope that there isn't someone ready to blast my stupid head away. I carefully leaned around the corner and glanced down the hall. Ah. Shit. There were three more robots and few big metal boxes in front of the only door I could see.

This was going to suck. There goes nothing. I walked around the corner, my hands extended in front of me. The machines were already sprinting my way.

”Shoot damn it!” I exclaimed. In the next moment whatever weapon was integrated in my gloves activated. Bright azure light shone from my palms and I could hear a pair of loud clangs indicating I hit something.

A second later, a freight train collided with my c_h_e_s_t and threw me on the metal floor. The impact drove the air out of my lungs. There was something straddling me. My eyes focused just in time to see a metal fist flying at my face.

=TM=

Part 2: Awakening​

03:41, December 9, 2015

Unit 531

High Orbit over Earth

”F_u_c_k!” Smash. ”Damn it!” Punch. Slam.

Each strike rattled my teeth. By now my brain should have been turned into mush. Strike that, my head should have caved in. This was a robot punching me in the face after all.

The damn machine was doing its best to smash my head through the floor. It's punches bloody hurt… Though not as much as expected. By all rights the machine should have killed me already. Hell, the fist robot that hit me in the face should have let me with a broken jaw at the very least, damn it! Instead, it had my right hand in a hold, keeping my palm away from itself and my left was on my c_h_e_s_t under its pelvis.

All the while, it was using its free hand to try bashing my head in. It f_u_c_k_i_n_g hurt. It struck me again and again.

I was helpless, unable to use my weapons on it. I was going to die here…

NO! F_u_c_k this whole f_u_c_k_i_n_g situation and the horse it rode on! The god damned thing that sent me here too! I won't die here, murdered by a f_u_c_k_i_n_g tin can! Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I struggled to point a weapon at the robot. He ignored me and raised a fist for another strike, when we both heard metal screeching. It tilted its head and looked at this left arm. The elbow joint was slowly grinding away from its socket as I forced its hand away.

Under different circ_u_mstance I would have been amazed at the feat. There should have been no way for mere flesh and blood to overpower the machine. Instead, I grinned when my palm aligned with the robot's face.

”Go to hell!” I roared.

A rod of azure light blazed from my hand and the machine froze.

When my eyes readjusted few seconds later, the headless body of the robot stood still, its right fist raised for a blow that never came.

Getting out from under it proved a bit of a challenge, because the machine had locked the moment its head was gone. It took me couple of minutes to worm my way out. The first thing I did after I was back on my feet was to check my face. My lips were a bloody mess and so were my cheeks if what I could feel with my fingers was any indication. The only surprise was that My whole face wasn't wasn't bleeding. I shrugged. It was a problem for later. I needed to get away.

=TM=​

Naturally, my woes were far from over. Mr. Murphy was acting strong tonight. First, it appeared that I might make it out. I faced few scattered robots, but got lucky and shot them before any of the machines could get into range. I should have known better.

My only way forward led to a large, semi open area. It was a junction with at least half a dozen doors leading in different directions. There were many consoles, all of them running either what appeared to be LCD displays or honest to god holograms, as well as a lot of the metal containers I saw earlier. They were stacked near two rows of half a dozen columns.

Then there was IT. Some kind on unholy hybrid of a Giant, with capital G, brain and insectoid robotic body. When I entered, it was skittering towards the far end of the compartment, but it immediately turned around and charged me.

Well, f_u_c_k. I jumped away, just in tame to avoid being squashed by the damn thing. The moment I was back on my feet, I snapped a hand its way, sending an energy blast at it. It was good that I already figured out how my weapons worked. There was some kind of mental component combined with a motion that triggered them. Probably a safe feature so the wearer won't shoot himself by accident.

That left the question who made them and gave them to me. No to mention my bizarre costume. However, none of that mattered until I was somewhere safe. Besides, it wasn't like I had much time for pondering. The supper bug screeched as I shot it, leaving an angry scar at its side. The damned thing was tougher than it looked like.

It charged me again. I rolled away with ease. My body was responding much better than I was accustomed to – I wasn't particularly athletic before ending up here. Another thing to shelve for a latter examination. And why did my mind go on a tangent again and again while I was roleplaying a matador while a bizzaro brain-bug tried to squash me?!

This time I didn't bother standing up and blasted it from my prone position. The two beams criss-crossed it's side, leaving lines of half molten metal in their wake. The beastie tried to turn around and slipped, because one of its legs wasn't working properly.

Neat. Before it could recover, I rained shot after shot at it. Aiming at its apparently vulnerable legs. Thirty or so blasts later, it was crippled and unable to move. During my bombardment I noticed that some kind of shield protected its main body. It became visible only when one of my beams was visible and it was apparent that my shots weren't particularly effective on the force field. Oh, they could punch through but the damage that they caused on the main body was more or less comsmetic. I frowned at the cyber monster. I wanted the damn thing dead. It tried to kill me, just as everything I met ever since stepping foot in here. Wherever this place was. Unfortunately my only weapon was far from effective.

I frowned wondering how to take it out. I didn't want to leave it behind. For all I knew it could repair itself and come after me. In the worst possible moment of course. Damn, I needed stronger blasts.

When I thought that, my hands snapped on their own volition. My thumbs and index fingers touched each other and I spread my palms. Blue light flashed between my hands and a single, much thicker beam lanced at the crippled cyborg. It speared through it's shields and bore a hole into its body. The hybrid twitched a few times while I was too busy gagging at the smell of cooking flesh.

At least that thing was gone.

=TM=​

May 27, 2014

Location Classified

Earth Bet

”That's all very interesting, but how did you get here in the first place?!” Riley exclaimed.

”Well, I'm not a hundred percent sure. Let me tell you, it was an accident.”

”I'm not surprised. Just to be clear, no more experimenting in the bas_e_m_e_nt. Like ever.”

”Nothing dangerous, I promise! Just the odd...”

”NO! Or once you are out of quarantine, you'll be sleeping on the couch.”

I grinned. I had goood memories of that place. Hell, the first time we...

”Alone.”

Ah. Right. ”No experiments in the bas_e_m_e_nt or anywhere near home. I hear you loud and clear, dear.”

”You are so whipped.” Riley giggled.

”Shush, you.”

”That goes double for you, young lady. Do you think I don't know about your lab?!”

”That's not fair!” Riley shrieked.

”Fine. Let's see. My ill_u_s_trious arrival in Brockton Bay. And I thought that Metropolis and Gotham were bad...”

=TM=​

22:41, January 11, 2011

Winslow High School

Brockton Bay

This time I found myself face full with tiled floor. Well, pieces of shattered tiles if you want to be punctual. I rolled on my back and whistled. There was a hole in the ceiling above me. In the one above it too, all the way up through the roof. I could see the stars twinkling merrily through my makeshift entrance.

”Ouch.” I muttered. If it wasn't for my supernatural durability, I'd be dead right now, smeared all over the rooftop. Instead, I was down here.

I looked around, wincing as my neck clicked. I was all right. If you discount that I felt like a giant bruise. Again.

My surroundings were dark, something I solved by calling a ball of eldrich light to float above my head. Huh. Tiled floor, empty hallway, and a row of lockers down the corridor. Going by just that, I could be anywhere. From a military base, to hospital, factory or even school. Though the fact that there were no alarms or cries of distress, first couple of options were likely to be out. I stood up, groaning. I extended my senses, both arcane and technological, trying to figure out where was I. Huh. There was the tiniest spark of magic coming from the lockers.

Part 3: Shattered skies

=TM=​

22:43, January 11, 2011

Winslow High School

Brockton Bay

I don't believe in coincidences. Ending in a building containing something magical after the accident that brought me here, no matter where here was, made me wary. So the first thing I did was to manifest my dual shields, both the tech one and the arcane. Next on the list was accessing my storage pocket dimension. All it took was tapping one of the crystals embedded in my left glove and feeding it a bit of energy with particular frequency. Plus the mental component that made magic do what you wanted. The space over my left shoulder warped and my multipurpose drone was there, hovering on its anti-gravity drive.

”What's up, boss?” the Ana, it's AI asked.

”Get me a broadband scan on the area and tap any wireless networks and comm channels you can. I want to know where we are.”

”On it.”

Her sensors lit up, their energy washing over my arcane senses. While she was doing as instructed, my attention was focused on the locker in question. A simple spell later and I got some more information, that made me frown. One human life sign, rapidly fading away. That and a lot of much smaller ones, probably insects. I strode towards the locker, dreading what I was going to find inside.

However, that didn't stop me from scanning for traps or ambushes. This whole thing felt off.

”Well boss, what do you want first? The good news, the bad one or the worst?” Ana chirped. It wasn't in her usually cheerful tone either.

I felt a shiver of cold running up my spine.

”I'm not going to like it, am I?” What mess did I find myself in this time?!

”Nope. So what's going to be?”

”Give me the good news first. I think I'm going to need it.”

”We are in the States, Eastern seaboard, a town near Boston, one I have no information about in my databanks.” Ana informed me.

I waited for the other shoe to drop. ”The name of this mysterious town?”

”Brockton Bay.”

”Bugger me sideways.” I knew that name. I couldn't be that unlucky, surely?

”You are not my type, boss. Besides it would be icky.” My AI companion chirped.

”Cheeky brat. We are in deep this time if this is the same place I think it is.” I muttered. Brockton Bay. F_u_c_k_i_n_g Worm, and I thought that the DC universe was bad with all it's cosmic horrors. At least back there, well we had the people with enough raw power to stand up to almost anything that came at us. Not to mention that when the Heroes finally got their heads out of their collective posteriors, the world finally started becoming decent place. All it took was the latest alien invasion and few notable Villains going out of all bounds to force everyone's hands.

”So, a mostly empty building. One life sign in a locker. In Brockton Bay. Bloody hell, why do I always end in such situations?!”

”Boss, you aren't making much sense.” The drone turned so its weapons were pointing my way. ”You aren't going to go on the deep end again, right?”

”The local date.” I bit off.

”January eleventh, 2011. 22:43. Huh. We are back in time, too.”

”And few dimensions away. Is 911 still the emergency number here? If so patch us up.” I sighed. Worm. F_u_c_k_i_n_g worm, god damn it!

”I'll need a bit of time to establish connection.” There was a frown in Ana's voice. Hardware incompatibility?

I headed for the lockers now aware what I was going to find. I wasn't going to admit it to anyone, but finding myself here after the accident? It didn't pass my smell test. Was this what she meant when she told me I might eventually find redemption after what happened? A chance to save this hellhole of a world, to do a difference, after I almost caused the apocalypse?

I shook my head. That was food for later thought.

When I got near, the first thing that hit me was the smell. There was no way in Hell that it went unnoticed. Oh, I had much stronger senses than baseline human, but that stench? Anyone with working nose passing through here should have been nauseous. This was beyond simple negligence.

I frowned. As far as I was aware, Taylor didn't spent that much time in there at least in the original story. So I couldn't just assume that this was canon Worm. That by itself wasn't much of a shock – I knew that multiple alternatives of any world existed. The downer was the simple fact that my knowledge of the place was now suspect until proven otherwise. Joy.

Channeling my power through my left hand, I manifested five tendrils of purple energy and used them to rip off the locker's door. A small, filth covered body fell out and I caught it with my magic, gently laying it on the floor. My magelight was enough to see the mess.

Huh. She was shorter than I imagined, probably would barely reach my shoulders without heels. She was wearing jeans and dark green jumpers, which were torn in places and soaked with both blood and a lot of filth. She was covered with ripe film of filth from the crown of her shoulder length brown hair down to her shoes.

So, beyond the given mental trauma she was guaranteed to have a whole list of nasty infections too. But that wasn't what got my attention in the fist place. I could feel it clearly now. There was a spark of magic in this girl. It was draining off her, even faster than her life force and that wasn't right.

Not knowing what was causing it I decided not to risk healing her with my power. Instead, I placed a stasis field over her, freezing her as she was.

”Ana, now it would be good time for that call to go through.”

”Yep. And I'm ready.”

”911, what is the nature of your emergency?” a cool woman's voice sounded from the drone.

”I found an injured girl who needs immediate medical attention. I'm not sure of the location, some kind of school I think.”

”Sir, I am tracing the call. Please give me more information.”

”She is covered with infected wounds, mainly on her hands and legs. Someone apparently stuffed her in a locker filled with filth. Used female tampons and other assorted garbage. I have no idea how long she's been inside. I placed her in suspended animation until help could arrive.”

There was a pause.

”Sir, are you a Cape?”

”Cape? You mean do I have powers, right? Then yes.”

”That's fine.” her voice became soothing. As if trying not to provoke the unknown meta human. ”I'll inform the PRT immediately so they dispatch a team. I'm forwarding you to their line sir. It will be just a moment.”

”The kid needs an ambulance first. I'm unsure how long I can keep her under stasis.” I could see why they would want to sent someone qualified to deal with metahumans before the ambulance just in case I was a villain or something, though it was irritating. This was bloody Brockton bay after all.

”I'll see what I can do.” there was a digital tone and a new voice joined the conversation. ”Hi. I'm Vista. What's the problem?” a young and full with energy voice sounded over the com. While the 911 operator filled her in, I wondered who in their right mind, let a kid, how old was she again, twelve or thirteen be on the hot line. Oh yeah. PR reps. I shook my head in exasperation.

”That's terrible.” Vista muttered.

I could hear her taking a deep breath before remembering her training. At least I hope she had received some.

”Can you tell me how you found her? And if it's not terribly imposing please tell my your name. Oh. Your Cape name I mean!” She stammered the last sentence in super speed.

”Ah. I suffered an accident while working on a teleportation array. The next thing I knew I was on the floor after apparently crashing through the roof of this building.” I smiled sheepishly though I knew she couldn't see me.