Getting accustomed... or not

"Sir, please retreat! I'm going to provide you a cover!"

"Damn it, Adam! I am not leaving you here with these cocksuckers! You go back, and tell them they are compromised, now!"

"But sir, that'd go against the third protocol—!"

"Fuck that. This is an order! Move your ass out of here and relay what you know to the White House immediately. They already dismantled your base, so you have one life left. Anything happens to this core, and you are as good as—"

At one moment, they both heard a booming gunshot. Then a second later, the blue core, which was built into the middle of chest the armored suit, exploded into pieces, along the very source of power for the entire suit.

"—dead..."

Widening both eyes, Wilhelm watched his armored suit plummet to the hard ground with an audible thud amongst countless gunshots, metal hitting concrete. The helmet fell flat on the ground. Yet with the little remaining power it had left, it tilted to Wilhelm; its glowing blue eyes flickering.

"Please run... sir..."

Wilhelm did not remember much after that. Everything was a blur, a fever dream of sort. But if there is one thing that he was aware...

...the nanomachines went out of control, horribly so.

=

Wilhelm cannot help but groan as he unshuts his eyes, feeling the soreness uncomfortably take over his body, the unpleasant tingling seeping deep into every corner of his bones and muscles. Although, the nanites quickly get to work. Soon he breathes a sigh of relief, before finding himself currently on a couch, lying across the soft material, in a living room he has never seen before.

The yellow of the early morning sun shines through the broad window, bathing him pleasantly. His nose then picks up a scent, coming from the kitchen. 'There are noises,' Wilhelm notes as he gets up from the couch. 'And this smell. Could it be—!'

An accustomed aromatic, and herbal, scent of pork-based broth, along the fresh fragrance of greens and herbs. There is no mistaking it.

With hurried steps, Wilhelm strides towards the kitchen, his heart filled with anticipation. A-And that hum too! It has to be him! It must be! Yet, how is it possible? When they infiltrated the damned site, Wilhelm is sure those bastards destroyed his A.I's bases, effectively cutting down the Adam's many lives to only one. Basically put, Adam was prevented from creating another copy of himself, so when he fell, he was dead, gone, no longer operational... no longer alive.

Yet, here Wilhelm is, slack-jawed while gaping at the sight of his armored suit happily stirring a huge pot of simmering soup, all the while wearing an apron. The blue eyes on the helmet blink, then the suit turns to face him. The eyes now transform into a pair of crescent moons, smiling eyes of sort.

"Good morning, sir," Adam greets cordially with his slightly-robotic voice, acting as though nothing happened. "You're finally awake. Please wash yourself. Breakfast will be ready soon."

In response, Wilhelm just stands still for a moment and slowly approaches the armored suit.

"You..." Wilhelm starts before trailing off, then chuckles. "You look like crap, old friend."

The state of the armored suit leaves much to be desired. One missing arm. Main power source needs to be replaced. Some joints have to be manually repaired. And that huge gash across the chestplate, which took away a big portion of the armor. Not to mention he and Adam are unable to synchronize, and him unable to connect to the suit's system either. Still, they matter very little at the moment.

Adam takes a quick scan at the suit and scratches the helmet's cheek sheepishly. "Well... it certainly appears so. I've been trying to find parts for replacement, but the search yields little to no result. On top of it, this is a whole new world where I have yet to establish a solid presence. And—"

Adam suddenly stops as Wilhelm wraps his arms around him, pulling the A.I into a tight hug.

"Thank God," Wilhelm whispers. "I really thought I lost my last friend over there... Damn it, Adam. Why did you not go when I told you to, you overly loyal A.I?"

Adam hugs him back, patting Wilhelm's back with his remaining arm. "I'm glad to see you already took the liberty of getting accustomed to your new home, sir."

Wilhelm laughs wholeheartedly. His heart feels at ease. Being alone in a completely new world—one that is similar, yet different to his old Earth---with no one he could trust is unsettling. With somebody who is trustworthy and can look after his back, though, life in Earth 2.0 may not seem so bad.

The two break out of the hug, with Wilhelm sending Adam a fond grin.

"You know me. I do have a tendency to attract troubles everywhere I go. Though, how did you find me—oh, right. Surveillance cameras. Wait, to more important questions. Where have you been? And how come you are in the suit? I remember donning it far until those cocksuckers pulled out the red portal; but it was nowhere nearby when I awakened."

"That sounds perplexing," Adam muses, rubbing the chin earnestly. "I was already like this, when I rebooted. As for where I've been, a base is needed to get myself into the local network before even thinking of tracking you. Hence this nice and cozy place I bought for an agreeable price."

Wilhelm hums and scans the floor, which consists of a large airy living room and a l-shaped kitchen, both merrily furnished and illuminated by wide Victorian windows. The fragrances of freshly-cleaned floor and aged wood mingle surprisingly pleasingly together.

"I see you have been keeping yourself busy," Wilhelm remarks. "I can tell I already... like this place. Feels somewhat like home—minus the lacks of dangerous toys, and booby traps. Still, how on Earth did you manage to buy a house so fast?"

"Details, details..." Adam answers with his eyes flatten and grins like a cat, along with a dismiss wave of his hand, causing Wilhelm to eye-roll. "If you really want to know, the seller wanted to rid of this building promptly. Everything afterwards was quick. I also figured you'll be needing new identities here. Your papers and documents are being processed as we're speaking. They all should be ready once you finish breakfast, sir. After a shower, of course."

Raising a brow, Wilhelm brings his left arm to his nose and takes a sniff. "Yeah, I smell like shit."

"Bathroom is right there." Adam points at a white door. "I already got you new clothes. Downstairs and upstairs are unfortunately unavailable, since I haven't cleaned them yet."

"All right. Good work, Adam." Wilhelm nods, then intent gaze at the A.I. "And, Adam. Try not to... die on me again. Please. You are not just simply an A.I. You are my irreplaceable friend too."

With that, Wilhelm smiles and makes his way to the bathroom. Watching the man close the door, a visible smile adorns across the helmet. Adam shakes his head, chuckling to himself.

"Rest assured, sir. You worry too much. I always know."

At the sound of running water, Adam turns to the pot and continues preparing breakfast.

=

"Wait. So let me get this straight." Wilhelm swallows a piece of broth-soaked potato down his broth, looking to Adam with curving brows, who is sitting opposite of him with a laptop in the front. "You are telling this Earth is supposed to be a fictional Earth that comes from comics and movies? Are my ears deceiving me, or did I really hear that?"

"I did a thorough scan, sir. Your current body is at its prime. Your senses are working fine." Adam's eyes moving side to side, concentrating on the laptop screen, before turning the device to face him. On it, an article of sort with a photo of a man wearing sunglasses while being surrounded by sensual-looking women. "Does this look familiar to you?"

Wilhelm squints his eyes, whilst rolling the grey shirt's sleeves up to his elbows. "Right. 'Tony Stark has been kidnapped during his tour in Afghanistan. His whereabout is unknown. What will the Stark Industries do in the worst-case scenario?' That name, Tony Stark, does ring a bell; and that big green guy I fought side-to-side yesterday, Hulk, right?"

Closing his eyes, Wilhelm attempts to recall where he has seen them before. It does not take long as he reopens his eyes, and deadpans, utterly so.

"Sir...?" Adam cannot help but worried ask as he sees the face Wilhelm is making.

Wilhelm takes in his breath deeply. "Of course. Mar-fucking-vel," he grumbles. "Honestly, of all the Earths that we could have ended up in, why must it have to be a place which is filled with individuals who have enough power to destroy the whole world if they wish to? Why can we not get a nice and peaceful world for once?!"

Unbeknownst to Wilhelm, however, he has yet to realize there is more to his power than turning into a flaming charred skull-head with supernatural strengths.

"You're familiar with it, sir?"

"Not entirely." Wilhelm shakes his head with a breath, having another piece of potato into his mouth and sipping some deeply-flavored broth. "I only read some random Marvel issues from the hospital's waiting room back I was still in 'Nam and watched Iron Man 1; and that was like... ages ago. Other than that, I know next to nothing about Marvel. How about you? Anything?"

Adam shakes his head. "Regrettably, no."

"Figured." He chuckles. "Well, what I do know is this Earth has some really heavy-hitters... and folks called mutants—" Suddenly, he realizes something. "Bloody hell. Mutants. Imagine most of them are powerful in their own rights, some are capable of levelling an entire city. Next, imagine they someday decide to band together to form an army, and decide to take over Earth, for some reason. That spells trouble. Lots and lots of troubles. Fuck me sideways."

"Coincidently, there've been talks in dark web that a group of mutants led by a man named Magneto is recruiting other mutants," Adam adds as he turns the laptop back. "Apparently, rumours said that their goal is to wipe out all humanity, with their belief mutants are superior in every way."

"So, basically a bunch of Nazi 2.0. Noted."

"With that out of the way, we should probably address the elephant in the room," Adam points out, which Wilhelm bobs his head in agreement. "Excuse my language, but WHAT. THE. FUCK?"

Wilhelm blinks, stunned. That is the first time he has seen Adam this panicked.

He chuckles understandingly. "Two words, old friend. God's Vengeance."

"...I'm not going to pretend I understood it, sir." Adam deadpans. "I'd like a clarification, please."

"No, seriously. God's Vengeance is the spirit that is dwelling inside me, which in turn allowed me to turn into whatever that was last night. You saw in the cameras, did you not?" Wilhelm pauses, for a moment, before he resumes. "Now that I think about it, are you going to possess me?"

His question sounds more curious than any actual concern, nor fear.

"Uh, sir?"

"I am talking to the other guy."

'When the danger you face is more than what you can handle... However, it will be a while until the time arrives... Your experiences and your sets of skills in your old life prove invaluable here, specially in exterminating demons and wicked supernatural beings...'

Adam looks alarmed. "...Did you hear that, sir?" he inquires with visible uncertainty.

"I suppose he chose to speak out loud this time. Anyhow, an introduction is in order." Wilhelm grins and takes in his breath sharply. "Partner, this is Adam, one of my longest friends, who also happens to be my personal butler. A really dependable and trustworthy one."

"I'm unworthy of your praises, sir," Adam says, visibly delighted with a slight bow of his head.

"And Adam, this is my newest partner. He is the reason why I was able to transform into... whatever I was last night to fight and defeat that damned monstrosity."

"A pleasure to be your acquaintance, sir." Adam bows again. "I'd like to thank you for the assistance you provided my sir last night. And please forgive me for my earlier outburst. What I witnessed was, needless to say, bizarre beyond everything I saw."

'The apology is accepted... The reaction was to be expected... Your friend is polite, partner...'

"That he is. Just like his creator." Wilhelm chuckles fondly. "Oh, how I wish she was able to see how much you have grown, Adam. Her joy and pride, indeed. Either way, I cannot just call you partner or the other guy. What is your name?"

'I do not have one, nor shall I ever have a need for one... But you may call me what you wish...'

"Then, how about bone daddy—" Wilhelm holds back a laugh, hearing a growl.

'An appropriate name...'

"In that case," Wilhelm resumes, composing himself and clearing his throat, "I shall be calling you... Bones. It should fit your whole theme."

"Regarding last night," Adam interjects, getting Wilhelm's attention, "every photo and footage which contains you before your transformation are blurred. What do you wish me to do about your other form, sir?"

"Nothing. It is not like those who have not seen my face may connect me to the guy who stared at that abomination into submission." Wilhelm shrugs nonchalantly. "Although, I cannot say the same about live witnesses. They may be able to link the dots here and there. Leave them be. Give it time and they will probably forget me... I hope so?"

"I'm not too positive. But as you wish, sir."

"Forgot to ask earlier, but where exactly are we right now, Adam?"

Adam appears confused, but he says nothing and answers instead.

"Queens, New York, sir. And for you information, you were at Harlem last night."

"New York?" Wilhelm snorts. "Huh. That certainly explains that 'unique' odour. Remind me to find parts to fix your core, old pal; should not be hard to come across them if we know where to look to. And parts to repair the suit as well."

Wilhelm yawns as he finishes his breakfast, stretching his upper body and rolling his shoulders with a contented sigh. Simultaneously, Adam gets up from his chair and takes Wilhelm's dishes, heading to the sink where he starts thoroughly washing them.

"I should check downstairs and upstairs." Wilhelm rises to his feet, glancing at the backyard through a window; a lone tree standing and providing shade for the bench next to it. "By the by, I know you work fast, but buying a house in one night really is something else."

"Actually, it took me two and half day to buy it."

"Two days?" Wilhelm knits his brows. "Hold your horses. Adam, when did you arrive here?"

"Three days ago, sir." Adam replies, pausing and tilting to Wilhelm. "Is there... something wrong?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I only woke up last night."

The two share a look, not for long, before they both shrug.

"Another mystery to add, I suppose," Wilhelm remarks casually. "Nevertheless, what is down there, and up there?"

"The ground floor was used as an antique weapon shop. Swords, spears, shields; and weapons from WW1 and WW2 era," Adam answers, though there is halt in his voice before he continues. "As for the upstairs, it is the reason why I was able to buy this house quickly with unbelievably cheap price. According to the seller, the floor—no, the house is allegedly haunted."

Staring at Adam with a raised brow, Wilhelm contemplates and snorts. "Granted what I turned into and the shits I did last night, that does not seem so far-fetched. Still, there must be more than simply an unproven rumour that caused someone to want to sell a house that quickly."

"You're correct, sir. When the old owner died, their antique shop became an easy target for thieves while the house was going through the probate process."

"And...?"

"There've been reports of murders inside the shop. Although, the police could not find any suspect. A number of witnesses also claimed they heard sounds of metal clashing, some even saw the weapons flying, during the period of the murders. Moreover, the bank tried to sell the weapons to pay off the former owner's debt. However, they're all reported to reappear in the shop the very next day."

'This is most likely the work of a soul who cannot enter the afterlife... Something about these antique weapons is binding them to this realm... We need to investigate, partner... I am sensing a very faint presence up there...'

"I am with Bones," Wilhelm agrees, narrowing his eyes. "Whatever this is, we should solve it before it turns into a long-term problem."

"Then allow me to accompany you, sir."

With a wordless nod, with Adam just finishes cleaning, he and Wilhelm begin ascending. The stairs creak softly under the weights of both of them. Each step they take is careful, expecting some dangers to approach. Thankfully, nothing happens, as of yet, as they reach the upper floor.

Empty. Just a long hall with several doors, with tiny bits of dusts go flying everywhere and illuminated brightly under the sunlight. Worn-out wallpapers covering the walls, ripped and torn in several spots to unveil the darkened green moss and... scratch marks?

Cautiously, Wilhelm approach the marks and touch them. "Fingernails," he notes, before spotting a trace of some darkened... blood. His senses go full on alert, as he rips off the wallpaper. His eyes go wide, as he promptly rips the wallpaper off the entire section of the hall wall.

"Dear Lord..." Adam whispers hollowly.

The entire wall behind the wallpaper is painted with a big 'HELP!' with blood. Wilhelm, on the other hand, says nothing, only stares at the word in silent.

'Partner... The soul is behind that door... It is crying of injustice... wrath... vengeance...!'

Wilhelm narrows his eyes and lowers his brows. Gesturing to the door at the end of the hall with his eyes, which Adam plops his head, Wilhelm and Adam steadily make their way to the door. Grabbing the doorknob, Wilhelm tries twisting it slightly; it is unlocked.

With a nod shared between the two, Wilhelm opens the door, with both of them swiftly step inside, and scan the room, only to meet with darkness. There is a faint sobbing, somewhere within the room, putting Wilhelm on edge. Adam notices a switch placed near the door frame. He promptly turns on after deeming no immediate danger from the scan. The sole bulb of the room lights up.

'...Someone has been attempting to summon an Archdemon...'

Strange symbols scatter and fill the entire windowless room, in every nook and cranny. In the middle of the wooden floor, among countless illegible words and languages, a drawn pentagram summoning circle with a candle placed on each point of the star-shape. And everything here is written and drawn in blood. Already dried, yet the color remains the same sickening red. The stench here is unbearable, even for him. The sobbing again, drawing Wilhelm to the circle.

He unconsciously curls his fingers into fists, before loosening, revealing the white-flesh. At the same instant, the nanomachines emerge and submerge, dancing uncontrollably on his skin.

"...What are you seeing, sir?"

"A crying soul," Wilhelm says, borderline snarling. "A crying soul of a child."

Taking in his breath sharply, Wilhelm calms himself down, pinching and kneading the bridge of his nose with a quiet grunt.

"It hurts, mommy... It hurts a lot... Please stop... It hurts... I'm sorry... I've been a bad boy..."

Seeing Wilhelm being way too quiet, Adam places his hand on his shoulder. "Sir. Is everything okay there? You look..."

"Pissed?" Wilhelm finishes the sentence for Adam. His eyes glimmer a dark red, and sparks of flames spurt out of the tiny cracks that are forming across Wilhelm's face. "Yeah, I am pissed."

=

In another place, deep within the earth, a woman abruptly tilts her head. Her slit eyes narrow, they glowing in the darkness, as she closes them, humming. A smile soon creeps across her face, revealing a pair of pointy fangs.

"Finally... a worthy sacrifice for my Lord," she states with glee before stroking the hair of the girl who is sleeping peacefully on the bed. Yet with a closer look, the said child is no longer alive; she is only a well-preserved corpse. "Soon, my child. Soon, we'll be a whole family again. Soon, they shall pay for what they did to us! And I'm gonna enjoy every second of their suffering~."

As the woman continues stroking the child's hair, she let out a twisted giggle, blushing, before a pair of ghastly bat-like wings emerged from her naked back.

"Oh, my beautiful Lord~. The Mistress of the Devil joins the hunt tonight~!"

=