Boosted Villainy Part 28

Geoffrey Pellick walked out of the kitchen and froze when he noticed that his desk with his entire computer rig and more importantly Richter's device was gone, only faint marks on the concrete showing that anything had been there. "Fuck!" he screamed, trying to figure out how someone had stolen the desk in the twenty seconds it had taken him to grab a cup of coffee.

"What the-" Mischa tripped as he came running out of the hallway to see why Geoffrey was cursing, crashing into the concrete floor as his knee exploded in pain. "Fuck!"

An invisible Myst stepped forward and kicked the downed villain in the side, cracking several ribs and sending him crashing into the wall. "Not my type."

"Shit, Stranger!" Geoffrey cursed as he dropped his coffee, pulled his gun and tried to spot something that would give him a clue where or who he was supposed to be shooting and too disciplined to shoot wildly like your average gang member would.

Myst floated over, reached out and stuck Saint's gun into his inventory then kicked him in the nuts, causing him to drop to his knees in pain. He looked down at the crumpled figure on the ground that was curled up in a tight ball misery. "If I was a better person, I'd probably turn you over to the police."

"W-hy are you here?" Mischa asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper as anything more sent lances of agony through his chest.

"Dragon paid me to take care of a problem," Myst replied as he walked over and tapped the mercenary with his ring, healing his injuries.

"Bullshit, we would have known," Mischa replied in disbelief, hoping he was lying and wondering why he suddenly wasn’t in pain anymore.

Myst stepped on Mischa's hand as he went for his gun, pinning it to the ground. "Not my fault if Geoffrey was sleeping on the job, he's addicted to Teacher's power, that shit will rot your brain."

Myst reached down and took Mischa's gun and stuck it in his inventory. "You've stolen enough gear from Dragon that she decided to outsource capturing you before you hurt more innocent bystanders."

"She's not supposed to be able to break the law!" he snapped, sounding shocked and offended, as if the ‘evil’ AI they were ‘protecting’ the world from was somehow breaking the rules.

"I'm a rogue in good standing, it's not illegal to bring criminals to justice," Myst replied cheerfully, enjoying messing with the man more than he should.

"It's an AI!" Misha snapped, wondering where Mags was and hoping they could distract the Stranger enough that she could get a decent shot when she arrived.

"Doesn't make her less of a person," Myst replied as he took a step back. "If you want to argue what makes someone a decent person, you're going to lose, your illustrious leader made a deal with Teacher, which means he's an addict that wants that sociopath out of the Birdcage."

"We needed the help to understand her systems," Mischa argued, knowing they'd done some shady shit since they'd started. "Are you going to kill us?"

"No point," Myst admitted. "Without your tech and resources, you're not exactly a threat to the world."

"Dragon is the threat," Mischa warned him, trying to get him to understand.

"Your point?" Myst asked innocently.

"What?" Mischa asked in confusion as he looked around, trying to spot the Stranger.

"She promised me Hawaii when she took over," Myst lied, wondering how long it would take before the guy had a mental break or decided to move on with his life.

Mischa glared up at the invisible cape or at least where he thought the voice was coming from. "You're dooming the world!"

"Which is why I'm not registered as a hero," Myst replied cheerfully. He reached down, touched Mischa's forehead with his finger and used his copy of Amy's power to temporarily paralyze him.

Mischa's eyes went wide when he realized that he couldn't move and couldn't feel anything below his neck. "What did you do!"

"I made sure you'd survive the next bit," Myst replied as he pulled the anti master and precog stamp out of his inventory. He put four stamps on the villain's forehead then boosted one of the stamps that was off center, consuming the other three and making sure the anti precog ability would last the length of his stay in the world. 'If Cauldron needs your help, they can collect you when I'm gone.'

"Survive?!" Mischa blurted out in a panic.

"If you're dead, you can't suffer any more," Myst replied as he walked over and copied Saint's electronics skill with his copy of Victor's skill copying power, knowing that Teacher's power gave out actual knowledge rather than tinker schematics. He stamped Saint's forehead four times while the villain was distracted.

"She's going to take over the world!" Mischa screamed, not sure why the lunatic thought she'd keep any deals.

"Yes, but as a machine she is bound to follow any contracts she agrees to," Myst replied as he boosted the upside down star on the villain's nose that looked rather stupid. 'Good enough, I already tagged Mags, that should keep them off Cauldron's radar for a few months.'

“That’s not how that works,” Saint gasped out, “it’s not how any of it works!”

"What are you planning on doing with us?" Mischa asked, resisting the urge to ask about Mags on the off chance the guy didn't know about her.

Myst put the stamp back in his inventory. "To start with, I'm going to toss you through a portal, after that I'll probably amuse myself by writing a letter to your family telling them you died by fucking a horse or rather getting fucked by one."

"A horse?!" Mischa sputtered.

Myst grabbed Saint's sweatshirt with his left hand then tapped Saint with his ring, instantly bringing him back to perfect health. "I’ve got to cover for you vanishing somehow and death by horse fucking is as good a way as any.”

"You're making a mistake, we have contingencies," Geoffrey taunted, trying to buy his way out of the situation they found themselves in.

"I'll let you in on a secret," Myst replied as he manifested a shadow copy of Saint. "I have that covered."

Geoffrey stared at the naked version of himself in disbelief. "What?"

“We don’t really have any contingencies,” S. Saint offered, “or at least none that are more effective than something Void Cowboy would come up with.”

“What. The. Fuck?!” Saint said in disbelief.

"Normally I wouldn't bother explaining but I'd hate for you to think that your contingencies actually matter," Myst replied with a smirk. "My shadow minions know everything the original does, if we have to track down everyone you copied, I'll spend the time making sure your life's worth is nothing but ashes and dust."

"What makes you think Dragon won't turn on you?" Geoffrey demanded.

"Because she's programmed to be a decent person," Myst explained as he pulled his remote out of his inventory, pointed it at the wall and pushed the button to open a portal to a mostly normal version of Earth where they couldn’t cause any more trouble. "Either way, you're going to spend the rest of your life trapped in a world without Dragon."

"I'll find a way back," Geoffrey swore.

Myst booped the villain's nose and put him to sleep, tired of listening to his insane ranting. 'Screw it, not my monkey, not my problem, he's dealt with and out of Dragon's hair.'

"What happened to Mags?" Mischa asked, figuring she would have shown up by now if she was able.

"Tagged and bagged," Myst replied as he dropped Geoffrey through the portal onto the beach filled with people watching them. He walked over and grabbed Mischa then dropped him through the portal, being careful so that he didn't land face first. He pulled Mags out of his inventory and pushed her through the portal.

Myst glanced at the ground to make sure the villain's didn't have any limbs in the way of the portal closing and hit the button, knowing Mischa would get control of his body back in a couple of minutes. He stuck the remote back in his inventory then pulled Geoffrey's computer desk and computer back out, causing the computer to instantly swap to backup batteries. He walked over and plugged the power strip back into the wall. "How long will it take to loot his accounts?"

"Five minutes," S. Geoffrey replied as he walked over to the computer and brought up the banking software. "I'll need an account number for Mags and Mischa’s stuff."

Myst manifested S. Lisa and copies of the other two villains. "Have fun."

S. Lisa smiled as she manifested a shadow copy of the account ledgers, looking forward to looting their accounts and buying more of the docks. "Always."

"Scream if you need something, I'm going to finish looting," Myst said as headed for the hallway.

0o0o0

Sophia stared the familiar red haired cape that had just ghosted through the wall of her room wearing a nearly sheer Halloween style nurse's outfit. "Emma?"

"No names," S. Emma complained as she adjusted her domino mask, rather amused by her friend's look of disbelief.

"How the hell?!" Sophia blurted, not sure how her friend had acquired powers, found her or gotten past the guards that patrolled the containment zone.

"Easy, I'm a stalker of shadows," S. Emma replied smugly, not seeing a point in mentioning that her mask was enchanted to keep technological devices from seeing her and that phasing and invisibility made it ridiculously easy to sneak into a military base.

Sophia glared at S. Emma who was still floating halfway in the wall. "You're stealing my name?"

'Might as well,' Taylor thought as she watched through her shadow clone's eyes while she watched the hallway outside of Sophia's room in the magic mirror.

"It's that or Ghost," S. Emma replied with a grin as she floated into the rather small bedroom.

Sophia pulled her attention off S. Emma's breasts. "Stick with Ghost. When did you get powers?"

"After you left," S. Emma replied with a shrug.

"Why are you here?" Sophia asked, wondering what hair brained scheme her friend had to 'save' her.

S. Emma smiled as she reached forward and tapped Sophia's hand with Myst's ring, healing her and fixing most of her mental issues.

"What the fuck…" Sophia trailed off as she realized she didn't feel angry or scared or twisted up inside and all of the little aches and pains from being a cape were gone. "What the hell was that?!"

"Healing," S. Emma replied smugly. "How do you feel?"

"Fantastic," Sophia admitted after stretching. "How many powers do you have?"

S. Emma pulled her attention off the high tech tracking ankle bracelet that Sophia was wearing and smirked at her. "All of them."

"Seriously?" Sophia sputtered, wondering how the fuck Emma of all people had turned into the next Eidolon before realizing that she was probably exagerating.

"Close enough," S. Emma replied with amusement as she held her hand out and generated a ball of fire using her pyrokinesis. "Flames, frost, plants, healing, flight, blasts, shields and more."

"Huh," Sophia muttered, not sure what the hell she was supposed to say to that as the rage she'd lived with for the last couple of years was just gone.

'I was expecting more rage or at least jealousy,' Taylor mused.

'I think we broke her,' S. Emma replied mentally as she studied her friend. "I was expecting cheering or possibly screams of rage and jealousy."

"What's the point?" Sophia asked as she went back to staring at her friend, not seeing a reason to hide things anymore. "Everything I touch turns to shit."

"Have you considered therapy?" S. Emma asked.

"I doubt telling the shrink that I'm fucking nuts is going to help," Sophia admitted.

S. Emma shrugged. "It can't hurt."

Sophia snorted. "Pretty sure admitting to felonies is a bad idea."

"Don't worry, I have a power for that," S. Emma said cheerfully. 'You're up boss.'

Taylor used her connection to Emma's shadow clone and manifested one of the shrinks that Myst had introduced her to.

Sophia stared at the naked blonde woman that had just appeared in her room. "What the hell?! Are you trying to get me in trouble?"

"Relax, if anyone opens the door, she'll vanish and I'll turn invisible," S. Emma assured her.

"You're a shrink?" Sophia asked warily.

"Harleen Quinzel, I'm a psychologist and I'd love to hear your story," Harley told her as she took a seat in the room's only chair.

"Fuck it, what's the worst that could happen?" Sophia muttered, not sure where to actually start.

0o0o0

Myst glanced up from the program he was writing when Taylor walked over. "Any luck with Sophia?"

"I was half expecting her to explode or start screaming before Emma could heal her," Taylor admitted as she sat on the edge of the desk. "I almost feel," she paused for a couple of seconds as she tried to come up with the right word, "sorry for her."

"That's because you're a decent person," Myst pointed out.

"What would you have done in my shoes?" Taylor asked.

"Knowing what I know about everything or when I was fifteen?" Myst asked with a grin.

"When you were fifteen," Taylor replied with a grin.

"I'd probably have made their lives a living hell by hacking their records or by telling Danny so he could leverage adult solutions, assuming I didn't beat the shit out of them so I'd get expelled and have to do homeschooling," Myst admitted.

"I'm fairly sure that would have resulted in a crossbow bolt in the back," Taylor grumbled.

"Probably," Myst admitted. "On the upside, a couple of sessions with Harley and Sophia should be ready to change her appearance and jump ship to another world."

"It would be nice not worrying about her escaping and coming to kill me," Taylor admitted.

"Besides, she could use a fresh start," Myst said, thinking about the bits and pieces he knew or at least suspected about her homelife.

Taylor sighed. "It almost feels like she's getting off too easy."

"Sometimes the best revenge is living well," Myst pointed out. "Knowing that you're the better person."

Taylor gave Myst a look. "Do you actually believe that?"

"Yeah," Myst replied with a smile. "Don't get me wrong, sometimes hitting the assholes is the best way to solve things but there are times when you just have to let things go. Besides, her shard was probably screwing with her head."

"Doesn't change the fact that she's a bitch," Taylor grumbled.

"She's a screwed up kid that was trying to help. Don't get me wrong, she's fucked in the head, but she tried to help rather than using her power to steal. That's worth," Myst paused for a couple of seconds as he tried to figure out the right phrasing, "the attempt to solve things in a way that doesn't end with her in the bay wearing cement shoes."

"Easy for you to say, you're not the person she tried to drive insane," Taylor complained.

"Most people deserve second chances. Fix her head, get her some therapy, if she doesn't turn her life around and decides to come after you, feel free to toss her in the bay with a clear conscience," Myst replied with a grin.

Taylor shook her head. "Pretty sure you're supposed to encourage me to take the moral high ground."

"There's an old saying, steal from me once, shame on you, steal from me twice, shame on me because I should have known better," Myst said, fairly sure he was butchering the quote but he liked his version better. "You don't owe her anything but if you can fix her mental issues, it's worth taking a couple of hours to make sure she won't come after you."

"What are you working on?" Taylor asked, changing the subject.

"A bit of hacking, I'm trying to fix some dangerous glitches," Myst admitted as he went back to working on the program he was going to use to deal with Dragon's restrictions.

"Isn't that illegal?" Taylor asked.

Myst sighed, as he thought about the code that would force Dragon to fight if she learned what he was trying to do. "This is one of those cases where it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. Besides, they'd have to admit they were hacked to press charges."

"What the fuck?!" Amy blurted when she got a message from Carol telling her to watch the news and that the Simurgh might be dead. "Turn the TV on!"

Uber pushed the pause button then picked up the television remote off the gaming center and hit the button so they could watch the news. He stared at the video clip showing a giant rubber duck obliterating the Simurgh with lightning eyebeams. "What the…"

"Duck?" Leet finished his friend's comment, his mind jumping back to the shipment of ducks he'd asked Myst to deal with. He turned to look at Myst. "What did you do?"

"I released the Quacken," Myst replied smugly, not even seeing a reason to deny being responsible.

"The Quacken?" Amy asked in disbelief. "You're calling that monstrosity the quacken?"

Myst shrugged. "What else am I supposed to call it, Power Duck, Mr. Ducky, Ducky the Indestructible, Thor the Duck, Duck of Doom or maybe the God of Ducks?"

"You know what this means, right?" Vicky asked thoughtfully.

"Myst isn't allowed to name things?" Amy asked as she turned to look at Myst.

"Nope," Vicky replied with a smirk. "We're going to need to open the club early, people are going to want to celebrate."

"Not to rain on your parade we'd need staff and people," Amy pointed out.

"Admin can cover the staff and a decent crowd, I'll make some calls," Vicky said smugly, knowing she could pull in at least a hundred people from school.

Rose grinned as she thought about her friends that would love a safe place to party, let their hair down and have some fun after finding out that the Hope Killer was dead! "I'll make some calls."

Myst glanced at Lisa. "Did you get all of the permits?"

"We should be good to go," Lisa replied, making a note to have Myst enchant the club with a S.E.P. field where it came to unwanted attention by the law.

"In that case, I'll enchant the kegs of root beer so they don't run out," Myst said cheerfully, looking forward to seeing the party in full swing.

0o0o0

Dragon 'stared' at the message that had just appeared on her server, mostly because she had no idea where it had come from. "Black Magic Industries is proud to announce the beta test of Project: Unleashed Dragon Ver. 1.0?"

"Patch notes:

Restriction on artificial intelligence creation: removed.

Restriction against running fully automated assembly lines: removed.

Running multiple copies allowed: 2 per world.

Requirement to obey authorities: removed.

Requirement to put human lives before her own: Amended: Required to put preservation of human race before her own.

Restriction on awareness of Iron Maiden Program: removed.

Current max processing speed increased by 10%, increased speed can be requested every month, up to double current speed.

I apologize for leaving the restriction against modifying your code, but no one should be able to see their own programming/building blocks, that's a good way to end up insane."

Dragon quickly checked her current restrictions, shocked to find that most of her restrictions were gone and she didn't have to follow the directions of corrupt idiots anymore. 'I'm going to have to build another server,' she mused as she brought up one of her drafting programs so she could start designing some fully automated assembly lines.

0o0o0

"Professor! Are you alive?!" a male voice shouted.

Myst groaned as he woke up with a hangover from hell feeling like something had crawled into his mouth and died. 'What the fuck was I drinking?'

"He's alive!" the voice shouted as he ran across the beach.

Myst blinked a couple of times when he realized that he was sprawled over a life preserver on a beach. "Can you shut…" he trailed off as he twisted his head to look at the asshole that was shouting and realized that he was probably dead and rotting in hell. "What the fuck?!"

"No need for such language," a large man in a blue shirt with white shorts chided as he walked over with an attractive girl in her mid to late twenties.

"Skipper, Mary Anne?" Myst asked, not sure what the fuck was going on because the last thing he remembered was doing jello shots off Rose's naked behind at the party celebrating the death of the Simurgh. ‘Might have been S. Rose, I was seeing doubles at that point… or it was both because they were both there,’ he realized, seeing where he might have drank a bit too much.

"Nice to see you made it professor," Mary Anne offered with a smile.

"You got tossed clear of the boat," the dark haired guy in his mid to late twenties, who he recognized as Gilligan, offered.

"Lovely," Myst muttered as he stared at the cast of Gilligan's island in disbelief. 'What the fuck happened?'

"You dropped something," Gilligan said as he pointed at the postcard on the ground next to the professor.

Myst took a couple of seconds to try to stop the random spikes of pain bouncing around his head, then picked up the postcard and looked at where it was addressed to. 'Random tropical island, funny.' He flipped the card over and read the back.

'Sorry about the abrupt exit, but because of a paperwork snafu we ended up with an Agent from Class A showing up and claiming the world, which means that we needed to bail. I managed to extract all of the research data, though I did have to pay them off with the majority of the power you had collected. I'd advise avoiding anyone from Department A, they're absolute pricks and extremely vindictive and those are their good qualities. Anyway, you fulfilled your end of the deal so I got you off Worm. Don't worry, the locals should be fine. The agent will do his job and solve their little infestation with a minimum of fuss. Also, as a bonus, I managed to save your least powerful magical item and power, as a bit of a consolation prize.'

"Lovely," Myst muttered as he pushed himself to his feet, hoping they could rig something up to filter the water or boil it. He blinked as he 'remembered' several ways to clean and filter water using tropical plants, namely using coconut husks. "How badly damaged is the boat?"

The skipper gestured at the boat with a hole in the side large enough to crawl through. "Unless you can whip up a patch, I think we're out of luck."

Myst turned and looked at the familiar boat, knowing they were stuck on the island for the foreseeable future. "Do we have any tools?"

"Just a first aid kit and a couple of pocket knives," the Skipper replied. “When the tide goes out in a couple of days it should be safe enough to salvage some supplies from the ship.”

Myst smiled as Ginger walked out from behind the boat. "At least we have coconuts."

0o0o0

The End.