Chapter 102: H.Y.D.R.A & Demons

Joseph Lorenzini awoke confused. His vision blurred, and his mind a mess of conflicting memories.

He remembered getting shot and the insane doctor finding him and offering 'healing,' but that was conflicting with his rise in the crime syndicate known as the maggia, which were the true masters and bosses of the four families.

He recalled The Hand's arrival, their deceit, and his family's eventual defeat at the hands of their superior forces. Even a feared man, Hammerhead hadn't fared well against their people.

He seethed in rage and wanted to throttle whoever led them. Nobody crossed Hammerhead without paying; not even Kingpin had dared without paying a heavy cost.

Unlike other mob bosses, Hammerhe-. He paused. His name was Joseph Lorenzini. He was once a made man, his former boss, and he was gunned down.

Before he could unwrap those thoughts, a mature woman in scrubs stood near him, her hands tapping at a paper-thin tablet with a logo he didn't recognize stamped on the back.

He reacted and flexed his muscles to escape his confinement.

"Mr. Lorenzini, welcome back; your operation was a success." Said the nurse.

'Operation,' he thought in alarm. 'The Hand had caught him? How and when?'

"Can you acknowledge you're aware by a yes or no?" The nurse's eyes were still on the thin tablet.

He growled and spread his arms out more, applying more strength.

"Growling isn't acknowledgment." The nurse looked toward his prison and tapped at buttons atop the pod.

Alarmed and trapped, he shouted. "No."

Her French-tipped, manicured fingers stopped dancing across the clear surface.

There was an instance of befuddlement when the lid slid back, and he was helped from the pod, which is the appropriate name for the upgraded version of the casket.

His head throbbed, and his bones felt funny.

He blinked, clearing his spotted vision.

"Who are you?" He croaked.

"Who me?" The nurse as she spun around from the mobile station she sat at.

"I'm nobody, a person the big man upstairs picked up," she gestured upward, "a stray like a lot of us, like you, if you work out; if you have any questions, save them."

Hammerhead stared at her, his memories returning.

The Nurse continued onward. "The operation had worked. Your skull had been replaced but because of the special qualities of, in your case, detriments of your mortality." she paused and smiled. "That means your human and the adamantium poisoning had not only saved you but kept you in a fugue state of being, a 1900s mobster shtick in your case. In any case, you have been upgraded, but that comes with stipulations."

"Red Hood?" Hammerhead announced calmly.

She nodded.

"You know who he is? The boy," he asked.

"Everyone here does. He's Jeremy York. Now, don't think you can use that to your advantage. The contracts are way more than just lawfully binding."

He remembered. Reese. The young woman that defeated him had said something about contracts.

"He's after The Hand, right?"

The Nurse nodded.

"I work in the medical wing. I'm not part of the technical teams, but I assume that. Now, enough, I've told you no questions. Let me check your vitals, and you remain comfortable.

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Host-Generated Mission: Your Abbott false guise has become an almost folk hero in Manhattan. Action has consequences; even good deeds bear strange fruits, and yours has led you into the path of a mother trying to escape a crazed maniac who will do anything to see her suffer. She has requested your help hiding away from her mysterious assailant to protect her children.

Choice-Hero: You could retire the cowl and embrace another mask. The mother has pleaded for you, The Abbott, to help her, pulling at your heartstrings. See to it that the mother is protected and reunited with her children—Reward (s): $1,00,000, x10 Alignment Shift, Unknown.

Choice-Neutral: For the children to survive, the mother must vanish. You have been startled by what it is to be a hero, yet your convictions lie elsewhere; you have the means now to assist the mother in changing her identity and hiding away from her would-be killer. Reward(s): $800,000. Victor Fries (Earth 19) Cryo Suit. Unknown.

Choice-Villain: This isn't you. You have claimed not to want to be a hero, yet you have placed yourself and your plan at risk. The mother wishes to vanish, so why not just get rid of her? Put a bullet in her head and be done with all of this. The Hand awaits. Reward(s): $50,000. Sword of Night. Unknown.

Cole's eyes blinked as the mission was pushed from his subconscious mind to the forefront. He read over it again, having waited long enough. He had to decide or be forced into something by remaining passive.

The mother sat before him, her eyes worried as he regarded her.

"It's been hard to set up a meeting with you." Laura Boggan said with a hint of accusation. Her anger was palpable to his senses. He had noted that Xavier's excursion in his mind had affected him in ways he wasn't unaware of. He had a measure of telepathy, but that could also be a lot of reasons for that; his still-updating physique was one, his mind broadening from one persona to another.

His lips turned upward, almost smirking. "I'm quite busy. Tell that you need of me?"

She stiffened. "I need help."

The teenager leaned back, his eyes closing. "Everyone needs help, and those around me ask it of me. Tell me," he straightened in his chair, his legs landing atop his desk, "what makes your situation better than those others?"

Laura remained quiet, her mind turning over every detail she knew and what she suspected.

Time had passed as the two sat in silence. Cole allowed it but glanced at his wrist, insinuating that times were up by his body language.

Laura inhaled and exhaled audibly before speaking. She explained her situation. Her choices and the reason she was in her predicament. He listened, kind of; he was hoping a mission wouldn't pop up, but all he was getting was the live relationship changes and constant updates; the most notable was the Department of Defense (D.O.D). His time was up, and the government was prying its craft. The synth-muscle and Bio-Contacts were paltry items, but to a standard human, or better yet, a vision or body autonomy-impaired soldier, was a godsend.

As expected, Legal had emailed him. He partitioned his mind again, gladly enjoying the increased mental acuity, and read and responded. Some older men on the capital hill had learned of his inventions. His family had been contacted, and promises had been made on their hand.

In quote: Should we rest control of the company from his heir-apparent, all his technology with military applications will be handed over. Other things can be discussed.

Jeremy rumbled inside him at the notion of their things being taken, but he settled down with the cooling effect of Cole's placating mind.

'Let them try. He had already been awarded the junction. And he was already pinpointing the location of interest. Hammerhead was a wealth of knowledge.'

In the span of a thought, Cole had handled business that needed his immediate attention.

Laura cleared her throat. He pried himself from his work and levied a weighty glance at her.

"Are you even listening?" she said, her face contorting in rage.

He sighed; he mentally grabbed at her rage and took it away. It was a human amount, but I still felt the tinge of invigorating energies.

'Is this what Banner or The Hulk feels.' He thought but doubted it. Nothing he read said anything about invigorating energies. This must be unique to him, and the synergy between his ring, the original, and his newest persona rage empowerment.

Laura blinked rapidly and exhaled and coughed, sputtering before she went to stand, fear radiating from her.

'Interesting. It seems she detected my pry. That wasn't very good of him. In her case, it was removing a person's autonomy to rage. He had seen where it was going and knew neither she nor him would like the outcome.

"You-." she started.

He Interrupted, of course. "Be silent and sit, Mrs. Marshall." Had she thought he hadn't known? Did she think he would wantonly assist her against her husband and his organization?

His genetically painted black nails extended to sharp points resembling Sabertooth's mutation. His nails tapped at the mahogany of his desk in a rhythmic melody reminiscent of a dark thrumming of a drum beat.

Laura tensed at his use of her name. She started, but he stopped tapping and levied a weathering gaze behind her. A hand landed on her shoulder. Laura turned and grimaced.

'Miranda. The lady who wanted to escape and use her had switched sides when offered whatever they afforded her.'

"Please, Laura, don't make me hurt you," Miranda said.

Cole beamed. He and her had gotten along well once he appraised her of the futility of her little guild. There was also the point that she had no means to return without her death.

If he had to have guards, why not pretty ones? His cousin hated the idea, but what would he do about it? He was lucky he was allowed in his fold.

His eyes roamed over the woman. Like all his ATC security personnel, the Tuxedo she wore made her stand out the most, especially as she was a woman. His eyes roamed over a few years older woman.

"He's in my mind! He's in yours, too, probably." Laura accused. Cole scoffed, enjoying the scene.

Miranda sighed, not even looking at her new boss.

"No, he's not," she said matter-of-factually.

As the women argued, Cole brought up the ring enchantments, wanting to refresh his memory of more of its ancillary abilities.

Rage Absorption: The Red Power Ring can absorb red energy released into the air of a world, absorbing another's rage if the person being absorbed is not wearing a Red Ring. This enchantment made him wonder about the Hulk. Could he take the rage away? Was that even possible? If so, he could make the Hulk impact Inconsequential if the beast ever went against him.

Rage Infection: The Red Power Ring can infect others with the rage of the Red Lantern, leading to them being converted to the Red Lantern Cause. Mental manipulation was a power he hated, but it was nonetheless his.

Rage Transformation: All Red Power Rings bring about an odd transformation within the host being, and every change varies from wearer to wearer. The transition can be as menial as a simple costume change and as dramatic as a full-on biophysical metamorphosis. He recalled two transformations in Red Lanterns: Rankorr and Judge Sheko.

He really should transform. Whatever it may cause to occur was bound to be under the system's purview, and so far, nothing drastic occurred besides his pal complexion and black nails, both of which could be hidden if he wanted with Clark KentsGlasses.

Rage Empowerment: the Red Lantern ring is unique in that its base of power, Rage, can be manipulated by the ring user. A Red Lantern can detect the rage in the hearts of others and, by connection, the heart that pumps that blood. The anger and hatred of an individual red lantern empower their abilities and the rage and hatred of others. It gives an even more passive boost. He was sure he could, and he pluses in all his stats.

Rage Telepathy: As learned by Judge Sheko and taught to Guy Gardner, the ring can be used, on contact with a particularly rage-filled individual, to discern the motivating factor behind said rage. More skilled users can read the minds of anyone with or without rage and judge them accordingly.

However, it takes a strong mind to handle the rage of specific individuals, so the user may be overcome if they are not careful. That at least assists him in The Hulk area. He was sure his mind wasn't strong enough, but he should have been able to shave off his power.

Blood Portals: A unique quality of the Power Ring is its capacity to open portals out of the red lantern's plasmoid blood. He was enabling the wielder in question to traverse interstellar distances instantly. He had two portal abilities; one was odd, if he was honest, as he had to haunt the place, which meant nothing to him outside the system input. He marked the location with his ectoplasm that may occur. His poltergeist-like abilities were yet to be seen.

Haemopotent Replication: It has been said by Atrocitus that should a Red Lantern consume the blood of another Red Lantern possessing particular abilities unique to themselves, i.e., creating energy constructs, they too will gain the ability said blood source possesses. He would love to try this one but needed a ring on the proper individual.

Rage Mind Control: Through the red light, Atrocitus can warp the psychological state of anyone who comes in contact with it, making them both slaves to his will and their mindless ire, whether the affected are wearing a red ring or not. The more powerful the underlying anger within the subject, the greater the chance of succumbing to its influence. Moreover, the exceptionally powerful manipulated who succumb to it are more prone to calling a Red Power ring to them.

"Take a seat," Miranda growled, pushing the woman back down and drawing him from his interface.

"Thank you, Miranda."