Chapter 616 - Material (1/2)
”Where are we?” Nik's eyes suddenly widened as he ducked to avoid Benjamin's wide swing, not fearing the sudden realization by the force of the attack that Benjamin was far stronger than him physically. This fact only served to amaze Nik as he patted on Benjamin's forearm and blasted it with a shockwave of compressed space, surprisingly, only making a tiny piece of the rock break off but Nik instantly stored the piece of Benjamin's body into Lola's world while jumping away. ”Calm down, genius. I just saved you from pretty stuck up cops shooting at you. It would be like annoying flies buzzing around you, the gunshots, I mean.”
Nik's words did calm Benjamin a bit, the man failed to realize slight changes in the empty plot that served to comfort Benjamin unconsciously as Nik continued to use his abilities and keep Ben from panicking. ”Oh...” Ben mumbled while Nik focused on Benjamin. He was in close contact with the man for a single moment and while the strange entity posed the wildest threat Nik had faced after Lucifer, he did got a pretty basic understanding of Ben's body. The dude was rock hard, everywhere. Miraculously enough, his body was layered with different structures of rock of the same color which denoted as his muscles. Rock muscles.
”I'm... sorry for swinging at you,” Ben grunted before sighing deeply and sitting on the ground. ”No harm, no foul. So I take it that you... cannot return to being normal?” Nik inquired as Ben rubbed his head with his four-fingered hand. ”I wish!” He scoffed, ”I can't taste any food. I find rocks tasty. And... my fiancee isn't willing to even look at me.”
”What does a pebble taste like?” Nik inquired while sitting in front of Ben.
”... like meatballs. Swedish.” He smiled before looking at Nik, ”Thanks, that did cheer me up.”
'I didn't have that intention but sure...' Nik continued to let Lola process the sample while Nik decided to lead Ben along.
”They taste like meatballs?!” Gwen seemed appropriately shocked.
”You're not a New Yorker?”
”I shouldn't really be talking about this. I've got one jerk of a... partner that pointed out that I don't have ears and it just snapped me.”
'Oh, wow... I did not notice that one explicitly,' Nik stared the sides of Ben's head for a few seconds.
”Interesting,” he uttered, ”So you have a partner that isn't afraid of you. That is good news,” Nik smiled.
”No, it isn't,” Benjamin shook his head. ”Anyways,” he looked around, ”Where are we?”
”This plot was used as a buy-off grounds for the four mafia gangs. It's said that the body of the founder of the large group which eventually split into four is buried right beneath us with his dying will. Turns out that Mafia's kids are usually not trustworthy,” Nik shrugged as Ben looked at his crossed legs with his mouth gaping.
”That's... amazing.”
'Also a lie,' Nik chuckled to himself, 'Lola, is this going to take long?'
”Yes,” Lola replied, ”The 'skin' is mutated from substances with rare matches within my database. So, I am not comparing the simulations with changes once the radiation of the skin is allowed into your body and compiling results. It will take a day, most probably.”
'That's good news. I can feel you smiling,' Nik replied to which he got a prompt return.
'I don't smile at results. These are facts.'
”Anyway, you want me to drop you off somewhere, Ben? I'll even meet up with you every few days if you want to. Getting permanent mutations like these can be rough.”
”If only there was a Get-help group for people like me,” Ben sighed, ”But if you can help me move silently, one of my partners purchased the Baxter Building. You can drop me off there.”
”A building?” Nik looked impressed, ”Sure, which floor?”
”The top one,” Ben replied.
---
”Richard, this is bad. First Nick Fury, and now the hero codenamed Vanish,” Susan shook her head as Reed took out the locater from the pocket of his lab coat. ”Vanish, that name sounds so—”
”Amazing? Jaw-dropping? Some good pick-up material? Hey, let's vanish from here?” A sudden voice interrupted the duo's moment of Panic as Nik waved at them while sitting on a small chamber in the middle of the living room. Ben had already destroyed the couch but still held a few pebbles in the bag of ch.i.p.s, a courtesy from Nik while the two turned instantly with Ben waving at them, his tone disinterested, ”Guys, I'm back... ugh,” and a tone of disgust when he found the two human-looking friends of his.
”This container is amazing, by the way,” Nik pointed at the box beneath his butt, ”Able to contain an astounding degree of temperature. I mean, the materials are completely illegal, too,” Nik appraised as he gave the laboratory/house stuffed with military-grade research tools a casual glance. ”The view, ooh, that is the best. I have to admit, despite seeing my neighbors active on the balcony is a sight to make fun of, you guys have a real beauty here,” Nik pointed at their balcony while giving Susan another glance of interest.
”V... anish,” the man termed as 'Richards' spoke up. Of course, Nik knew him as the Reed Richards and Susan Storm, the topic of conversation between Mary and Natasha the other night, and now Nik knew that the hard monstrosity with a surprisingly soft heart is a man known as Benjamin Grimm.
”In the external flesh,” Nik jumped down from the container. ”Hmm, I have to ask,” without giving them the time to process the situation, Nik continued, ”Did you really punch Tony Stark?”
”Say, what?” Gwen gasped as Nik waited for an explanation while allowing Gwen to understand everything by communicating with her telepathically.
”I did,” Reed processed that quickly while Susan seemed more embarrassed than anything else. Nik knew this look. This was the look when every single one of his partners would admit that they enjoyed the fact that they didn't have to bear his physical needs all by themselves. They felt guilty and embarrassed!
”Wow,” Nik commented, ”Anyway, I brought Benjamin back due to the lack of... strange events in my life. I now have to run off for lunch.” Nik nodded as Ben hurriedly stood up, accidentally stomping on the floor and cracking it, making Reed extend his arms towards his study, surprising Nik once again as Ben grunted, ”Eat with me! Not stones, of course, but you helped me. Can't let you go without a proper hosting... er, without a proper thank you lunch,” he corrected himself while Nik waited for Reed's arms to return as he held a notepad in his arms alongside a pen. ”Reinforce the flooring design of the building,” he mumbled while writing.
”Amazing,” Nik muttered as he felt strange, minute undulations from Susan when Nik stared at her. ”You can do some stuff, too, right?” He inquired while she nodded silently.
”Do you guys eat rubber and some other strange things, too?” Nik continued as Susan finally spoke up, ”Oh, no, that's an understandable misunderstanding.”