[Sama in the MU] Part 18
Added 2025-03-30 04:11:41 +0000 UTC“There are three major issues dealing with you being who and what you are, Vision,” I told him calmly.
“Please elucidate.”
“The first is that, being a synthezoid, there are special forms of attack which can neutralize you almost instantly, simply because of who and what you are. You should be aware of these and how to neutralize them.
“The second two issues are psychological. The first is that you are an imprint of Simon Williams, Wonder Man. You know this, even as you know you are a separate person, but you are drawn to Wanda Maximoff regardless, despite there being literally no way to truly consummate your love and desires.” He stiffened despite himself. “Ergo, you need a family to satisfy that need you have, and it should be a family of your own kind. Barring that, you should be looking at getting a transfer to a human body by one means or another, so that you can actually engage in a true relationship, instead of man and machine.”
“Your meddling in my personal affairs is not welcome,” he said in a stiff artificial voice.
“Probably not, but since others are going to be preying on this weakness of yours, I’m going to point it out to you and let you know it exists first.” He clenched his hands despite himself. “The third point is that fact you are using the body of the original Human Torch, and it is entirely likely that his entire memory set is locked away inside you. It would behoove you to be in your own body, not borrowing that of another, and grant freedom to you both.”
He looked at me, his face trying not to change, but doing both regardless. It was a long minute before he replied, “And you could help me with both of these problems?” he asked softly.
“Yes. The synthezoid technology is advanced, but not easily within bounds to duplicate. As for a human body, cloning technology has been around for some time, and there are at least a dozen means of mental transfer. Alternatively, making a synthezoid with Wanda’s brain patterns is an alternative, with her approval.”
He looked at me with glowing eyes, and thought deeply...
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“I know you are Tony Stark. You have both verbal tells and physical movements who betray who you are. You have been losing to me in online chess for nearly two years. Don’t insult me by thinking you have fooled me. Also, Captain Rogers and Natasha noticed it long ago, but were both amused and nice enough not to say anything.”
He paused for a moment, regarding me, and probably having an inkling that he wasn’t the only smart person in the room.
His visor rose, and Tony Stark looked out at me from inside his high-tech toy. “Well, that started differently then I imagined.”
“You were probably thinking of comparing tech one-upsmanship with me? We both have better ways to use our time. And yes, I know you’ve been trying to buy my company on the sly, and I’m not selling. Stop trying. If you don’t, I might sell twenty percent of your company off to von Doom, and see how you deal with having him on your Board of Directors.”
He stared at me, suddenly a lot of caution in his eyes. “Well, you are rather frugal with your licensing,” he finally admitted.
“Especially when you want to leap ahead of the tech curve and I’d sue your ass for stealing my foundational technology as you do so? Please, Stark.” I rolled my eyes. “Do you really want me breaking down your tech and selling the fundamentals off to all the firms out there in small, easily digestible bits? The only reason your tech isn’t all over the world is that most people can’t understand the foundations that it is built on.
“I can. Moreover, I can dumb it down so it could be replicated. You pull shit on Rantha Tech, half the world is suddenly going to be producing Stark tech, and we’ll see what that does to your bottom line... and the competitiveness of that suit you’re wearing. I’m sure Doom would love to upgrade your engineering... or Egghead, or the Wizard, the Leader, Octavius, blah, blah, blah.”
His smile was a bit forced. “This is a little more hostile than I intended it to be,” he observed.
“Because you wanted something from me I’m not giving you. I’m here for other reasons.” I rolled my eyes as I sat back and looked at him. “To be frank, I’m rather disappointed in you. You are the picture of a scientist-adventurer, but the help you’re giving your team and teammates is horrendous. You are the perfect support person, capable of realizing the weaknesses and strengths of your companions, building on them, and turning them into something new.
“I think all you’ve done is equip the mansion and make some new arrowheads for Hawkeye.” I rolled my eyes at him. “Do you know how many people on my team can fly? ALL of them, by one means or another. If they can’t, we equip them so they can, up to and including Hercules and the Juggernaut.
“Your team, this current build less than half of them can, and two of them only at miniature size. Captain America, the most skilled melee combatant on the planet, has no enhanced way to get into a fight, and is still walking around in chainmail and padding, like some doofus soldier from four hundred years ago. It’s not even plate!” I threw up my hands in disbelief. “Come on, Stark! There’s a reason my team has been getting a lot more press then yours! I know you love tinkering with your suit, but for the Avengers to be strong, the Avengers have to be strong, not just your power armor!”
He was a little red. “A little constructive criticism, goldilocks?” he snarked, and I just lifted an eyebrow at him.
“I’m not gonna tell you how to build a better suit, Stark. You’re fully capable of burning out your own brain cells to do that.
“Could I make it better? One hundred percent yes. Could you duplicate how I would make it better? One hundred percent no. Is it worth my time to do so? No. Is it worth yours? Given how you change suits, also no.” I tossed up my hands. “Since we’re not going to be talking about Iron Man Repulsor Rays +5, that leaves everything else.
“Your team can’t pay you back. Yes, they’re a money pit as big as your Iron Man armor. I’m totally and painfully aware of the money behind super-hero team finances, the logistics, the legal teams at work, and so on.
“If you want to have a discussion about that stuff, fine, we’ll talk about that instead, although I doubt I’m going to show you much you don’t know, although some of it you can’t do because you don’t have the same degree of teamwork and camaraderie as the Champions do.
“So, I’m going to open it up to the floor, Stark. Start talking me like an equal, although I know that is very hard for you to do. There really aren’t very many people in the world as smart as you.” I crossed my very nice legs on the table, he noticed them absently, as he was meant to. “I am much smarter than I am good looking, and I am world-class good looking.”
His lips pursed.
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“To be honest, you need a new training regimen, Mr. Maximoff,” I told him kindly. “I can tell you are bored already, and that’s unsurprising. When you live at fifteen times standard mental speed, the world kind of goes by like jello.”
That got me some attention. “You have enhanced speed?” he asked quickly, fishing for someone with the same problem.
“I have ten thoughtstreams going at twenty times human standard speed 24/7, as I don’t need to sleep,” I informed him smoothly. He gawked, I waved my hands. “Sitting and talking is leisure time.”
“How do you stand it?” he had to ask. “The boredom?”
“I am never bored.” He stared at me. “I always have something to do... always have more to do then I can handle at one time, actually. Actually, reality lags so much that I’m always starting things, coming back to them, maintaining, adjust, building... would it surprise you to know that I’m carrying on a dozen conversations with others telepathically while I’m talking with you?”
He stared at me, not quite knowing what to say. “Telepathically?”
“The speed of thought easily keeps up with speed of reflexes. If we were talking telepathically, the two of us could get hours of conversation done in minutes.”
“And then the same repetition and boredom sets in, does it not?” he asked.
“It depends on how you think about it. If we were talking for hours, think of how many stray ideas and thoughts waft past you, how many new things get sparked... and then you lose track.
“I don’t lose track, Mr. Maximoff, and I go off exploring all the tangents. This is the information age, Mr. Maximoff. There is more knowledge being created then even a super-speedster can digest.”
He stared at me intently. “Can you teach me to do that?” he asked, finally.
“Better. I can teach you to slow down, if you like. I saw you had a copy of The Power of Ten.” I flicked up my mindclaw. “As a speedster, you are uniquely equipped to explore all the psionic avenues that are open, as the speed of your mind can match your body. While it doesn’t help you regain psionic power any faster, the amount of practice you can get in for other applications and avenues far exceeds that of normal people.
“Furthermore, by directing the power of your Core from your speed to your psionic development, the boredom issue takes care of itself. Managing your Core is about managing mental serenity, after all.”
“I would like to learn how to do so,” he admitted eagerly. “What do you require of me?”
“A proper telepathic link, if you are willing...”
