POV Rio
As soon as my real self teleported back to the Watchtower, I got a system notification.
[System Bug Detected... Beginning Patch Download.... Done...]
The download was really fast, but I waited to see if there were any noticeable changes; I didn't detect anything. That was until I opened the system assimilation menu, and a pop-up showed all the changes as well as an explanation for what happened.
The changes were very small; they just patched the time inconsistencies and added a clock to the system that would not only allow me to keep track of time but also prevent time manipulation from interfering with the template assimilation. This was a good and bad thing, as apparently, I could have exploited a bug to make assimilation stupidly fast. But I didn't really lose anything. I did, however, gain something. My template was automatically finished as a reward for discovering the bug. I was given slightly better odds for my next template, which gave me a really good one.
[Kowalski: 100%]
[Getting New Template]
[New Template Found ---> Thanagarian]
[Thanagarian: 7%]
I got a Thanagarian Template. The powers were pretty good. They weren't that strong, as from what I can tell, they were a decent amount stronger than Batman, but not by much. This wasn't some ultra-powerful warrior like Hawkgirl; they were an engineer who worked on the hyperspace bypass generator.
The knowledge of the hyperspace bypass generator was fascinating. The device was built to, as the name suggests, bypass hyperspace entirely, thus allowing you to use a route that would previously be impossible. If you ignore the knowledge, then they come with the ability to fly and some pretty great durability. I could probably take a blaster bolt with only some burns, or if it were a really strong blaster, it might be able to burn me badly. It would still hurt a whole lot, but I wouldn't die from it. But the real prize was the gear. It came with an Nth metal sword.
The sword gave me a variety of abilities. First was that it negated gravity. Not just for flight, but also I could vary the gravity of objects near me. Like I could grab a massive boulder and reduce its gravity while I was carrying it and then drop it, allowing it to turn back to its original weight. It also allowed me to survive in any envoirment not matter how harsh, even the deepest reaches of space. It negates magic. Yes, NEGATES magic. Now I do require physical contact to do so, but it was still a super broken ability. The only thing I wished was that this were the comic version, as then I would truly be nearly unstoppable.
Then again, most comic things are broken beyond all belief. But I won't complain, as what I got was still a massive boon. While the physical abilities of the template weren't that great, I was overall very satisfied with what I got and would be getting as I assimilated it more. Though it might take a while to assimilate, as new species always seem to do so. Overall, while the Template didn't increase my power massively, it did give me equipment and knowledge that more than made up for it.
But that could be saved for later, as I already had some plans. First was something that I had been attempting to do for a while but never managed, as my knowledge was too limited. My time with the Infinity Machine taught me a lot about time, space, and reality, and how they interact with each other. With that knowledge, I was able to ascertain several methods that I could use to locate the pocket dimension that the Reality Stone was currently sealed in. In fact, I was now extremely confident I could locate it without detection from Asgard or anyone else, for that matter. But for now, I want to go home and spend time with Lucy. It has been a chaotic time since I was gone. But interestingly enough, I was only gone for a little over 30 minutes from when I left Maveth.
POV Shift Natasha Romanov
BOOOM
"You know I'm starting to think they don't like us," Clint jokes.
I flip up and shoot down a few agents that Dreykov sent after us. I still wasn't sure how Dreykov knew we were coming, but he had been sending all sorts of assassins and agents after us. Even several Widows were sent, but thankfully, I was able to capture them instead of killing them. But that came at the cost of a few broken ribs and a black eye. The current agents had intercepted us as we tried to transport the captured Widows to a safehouse.
Boom
A distant boom is heard, and everyone pauses to understand what the sound was. And when the agents realize it wasn't on their side, they start making a run for it. But by then it was too late.
"Now now, don't run just cause I showed up, you'll hurt my feelings," Tony mocks as he hovers above the battlefield.
The agents hesitate, but then their eyes glaze over, and they bite a cyanide pill and start frothing at the mouth. As they drop to the ground, Tony shoots them with lasers to prevent them from activating the deadmen switches they had installed. Then Tony comes over and lands in front of us.
"So you get fired, and now you decide to cause chaos in Russia?" Tony jokes.
"We're here on personal business, no need for the Guardians to get involved," I reply calmly.
"Yeah... no can do. We were okay letting you go and do your little revenge mission without any help, but you've both taken too long and caused too much chaos to be ignored. And Dreykov got us involved by working with the Russian Mob. Seeing as they are on the Guardians' watchlist, we're getting involved now," Tony says firmly.
I want to argue with him, but Clint grabs my shoulder.
"Let him help. We weren't making much progress on our own. And you're injured. Not to mention we still don't know what to do with the Widows," Clint says calmly.
"Sigh. Fine, you can help," I relent.
"Great, now, we should get out of here, as in less than a minute, missiles will annihilate this area," Tony says as he starts gathering the injured Widows closer to him.
Then, as I was wondering what he was doing, we suddenly got teleported away to a base that made me think of my time with Shield.
"Welcome to the Hall of Justice, or whatever it is they want to call it; it's our base on Earth," Tony says calmly while gesturing to the building around us.
POV Shift Makan'Ke
I panic as I hear the sounds of my defenses being destroyed. I fumble as quickly as I can with the controls of the communications device.
"Lord Talos, I have learned what became of my fellow operatives. They were hunted down just as I am being hunted down as we speak. Whatever it is... It's not human. I've never seen this creature before. Don't come to Earth, it... It's absorbed our abilities," I report with growing dread as I hear the steps of the monster.
"It's here, by the ancestors, it's here..." I say as I turn back and spot the monster that devoured my kin before me.
I pull out a laser gun and fire at it with trembling hands. The shots hit the creature, but the lasers don't even seem to burn the creature's clothes. The creature frowns, and its arm elongates into a tentacle that pierces right through me and into the console behind me, severing the connection. Then I feel the draining weakness that comes next.
POV Shift ???
"Ah, finally, the last bit of these creatures," I comment as I start shifting my arm back into a humanoid look.
With each Skrull I had devoured, I had gained better control over their abilities. But I was most interested in the information those spies held. Said knowledge brought a smile to my face.
'Atlantis, huh? More DNA to bring me closer to perfection.'
I had worked hard to get various forms and powers, and so far, I had been quite happy with the results. I had obtained the DNA of Xenomorphs by mere luck, an egg that had been stolen for some reason. But just that small amount had awoken in me a desire to evolve and adapt further to eventually become the perfect lifeform. For that reason, I had scrounged the work for various species and DNA. There were my kin from the Arctic that I absorbed, or the Eternals that used to hunt us that I devoured. I had even managed to find the corpses of a few of them. Unfortunately, I would never get the full set. I had managed to absorb a creature known as an Ettercap alongside some other magical creatures. Now it seemed my next target would be the Atlanteans.
'Soon I should be strong enough to devour those Mutants.'
The knowledge I had absorbed from those I devoured taught me enough about Mutants to know that they are not to be underestimated. But I would never give up on absorbing them. Their powers would make me unstoppable if I could only get to them. The issue was not only their power but the fact that they stayed together in a large, well-defended group. I could defeat one or two by myself, but an entire group would be beyond my power. But there were a few I could target that were isolated. All I had to do was be patient.
'All good things come to those who wait.'