Chapter 84: Lawgiver

Something about sitting at a large desk overlooking a compact, beautiful city did something to the body; at least in his case, his extraordinary abilities shifted into gear as he felt the toxins leave his muscles and the residual injuries he had taken in his battles weaned. 

"Now, let's clear these notifications." He said aloud but soon got a ping from one of the robotic dogs, and In walked Leech quickly followed by his minder.

"He was adamant about seeing you. Please forgive the intrusion." The empath stated that her hand was rubbing against the inhibitor on her wrist, which was pilfered technology that he suspected was derived from a sentinel program. 

Leech beamed. "Mr. Jeremy, hey!" 

Cole chuckled and leaned forward, unlatching his hands. "Young master, Leech, how may I assist you?" he said in a British accent—an eerily perfect British accent. 

The young Morlock giggled and rubbed the robotic dog's head. "I was wondering if I could keep him."

His minder quickly explained, but Cole ignored her and eyed the young Morlock. He was still peeved at the lady for her slights and needed to sequester the boy, but he relented to allow some normalcy. 

"Oh yeah," he shouted excitedly, "Can Leech go out and play, too?" 

The empath paled and hurriedly admonished the boy. The room quickly chilled, and Cole focused on the lady as she stood ramrod straight. 

It winked out as soon as it started, and Cole felt his power suppressed. His eyes enlarged before he refocused on the boy. 

"Please, don't hurt Leech granny." 

"Ever the hero, Leech." Cole thinks about it and decides to allow the boy some normalcy. Could he do some for his appearance? He probably could. They had the technology, hardlight was capable of that, and more. 

He eyes the Doberman robot and decides what to do. He browses the shop and finds what he needs. He removes a blue item with the ATC logo on it. 

"Come over here, Leech." He asked. 

The young, innocent boy looked at his granny, who nodded, still quiet, her heart palpating; she reeked of fear, too. 

"I want to make sure you're comfortable, you understand?"

Leech nodded, eyes locked onto Cole excitedly. 

"Leech hears."

"Good, kid, now you're aware of your circumstances?" 

"Leech is hideous; Leech must hide face." He excitedly answered. 

The light dimmed inside his office, and his shadows spread outward. Cole's back straightened, and he had to close his eyes to stop the manifestation of the entity that resided in his shadow, something he still didn't quite understand, but it was his nonetheless. He looked at the woman whose heart was thumping in her chest. 

"Annalee." 

"Ye-ss." She said shuttering. 

"You're aware of what I'm saying without having to say it right," he said slowly, annunciating every word. 

Leech had looked around before noticing the shadow, and Cole felt his power activate. Cole resisted out of anger but then decided to experiment out of necessity. Leech was still a wild card, and he was dammed if anyone would get their hands on him like they did many times in the comics.

"I…do.. sir," Annalee replied, her eyes struggling to remain ahead as she, too, no doubt noticed the shadows.

"Granny, okay?" Leech asked, not noticing the blade edge surrounding his beloved grandma. 

Annalee attempted to smile, but it came out strained and false. Cole nodded and refocused. He stared at the Morlock. His heart went out to the boy; he cared little for the others but knew their condition wasn't genetic but by design. Not only does he have to deal with Sinister, but also with a dimension-hopping Beast, or Darkbeast, as the variant went by. 

"Leech, you're not hideous but unique. Understand?" He stood from his chair and squatted before the kid. The kid Morlock nodded, not quite understanding, but hearing it was still good for him. He beamed back at Cole. 

Cole placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and swiftly transformed his outfit. A child should have colors in their life. A duffel bag appeared next to him, which he tied around the Doberman's neck.

"Mr. Jeremy is a magician!" 

Leech spun excitedly, rubbing his three fingers against the fabric. He ran to Annalee and showed her before coming back. 

"Granny, too?" 

Annalee went to argue but shut her mouth soon afterward. Cole stood and slowly walked toward Annalee. He observed that the time here had been good to her; her aging appearance had regressed some, giving her a more mature look than the traditional grandma look she had in the comics. 

Annalee was aware her continued existence was because of Leech. She had done terrible things, and she knew her misery wasn't to be pushed on others, but she dearly missed her children and hoped they were alive. 

She had an idea: what if they were alive? She knows the Marauders captured Morlocks for a reason, more than likely someone else, and they could be alive. 

She met Jeremy York's eyes and opened her mouth to ask but quickly shut it as a strong hand grabbed hers. 

'I'm aware of what occurred. I understand your grief; believe it or not, I'm sympathetic to that. Yet, I won't tolerate harm to children! Do we have an understanding?' 

Annalee almost feinted from the influx of noise. She had forgotten about the quietness she had been experiencing. She nodded, wincing. 

'Your gift more than what you have been using it for. In the future, I'll allow you access to train. For everyone's sake, keep the bracelet on.' She nodded, feeling a flat item appearing between their palms. 

'My children!' She transmitted back, barely controlling her grief. Cole had changed her outfit to suit her age and look. He also recommended three additional bags and additional Dobermans to carry them. 

Cole stared into her eyes as if he could see through her. 'Marauders are on the agenda, but if you want to make headway on that front, I'll offer you what I offer everyone: be my person, and I'll help you in any way. Also, one big favor is allowed: use it wisely. 

She understood. She nodded, her eyes tearing up. He turned back to Leech, their dialogue unnoticed by the young kid. He ushered the kid over, squatting to be at eye level. "Do you want a natural dog instead? Leech shook his head and pointed at the Doberman. 

Cole smirked. "Well, they're good dogs, too. The dog is yours," he said, clamping a badge on the boy's chest.

Leech looked excited. "Leech hired?" Cole laughed, created another one, and handed it to Annalee. She did not have to say the rope that was slackened and the chance that she had to act accordingly. 

"Oh yeah. You're my new executive." 

Leech scratched his head. "Executive, Leech not understanding, Leech not so smart." Cole's heart dropped at the boy's words. He hated this world. 

Leech was a child forced to stop schooling young because of his mutation. Cole had decided that he would take the child under his wing. "You're a smart kid. That means you are second in command! And you get to monitor all the dogs.

'Alfred start project Transformation."

'Project Transformation started. Eyes only or company-wide?'

'Company-wide. I need it to be placed as a priority. I want to see this kid enjoy his life.' 

'Worthy goal, sir."

"May I make a request?" 

Curious, he entertained the growing artificial intelligence. 

'Sir, I find myself bored sometimes. Monitoring the projects and the staff has become simplistic; I need more stimulation.'

Cole's eyebrows rose. 'That's called stagnation. Alfred, you have my permission to do whatever you need."

'I'm glad to hear that, sir, but I want to be solely responsible for the newest project. I'm interested in the notion of altering a sapient species.'

Those words would have scared Cole to the moon without the system's backing. He couldn't help but think of hundreds of cases where an artificial intelligence decided to play God or change humanity.

'I expect regular updates from you. Use any funds that you deem necessary and hire whoever you can properly vet.' 

'As you say, sir.' 

"And play outside?" Leech responded that Cole's conversation with Alfred had occurred at the speed of thought. 

Cole let out a throaty laugh at the child's exuberance. Sometimes later, finally alone, he ushered the first notification to the forefront. 

System message: Amped Omega Level Mutant Plan Thrawted. Relationship: X-men-Angered. Reward(s): $350,000. Lawgiver MK ll

Cole hummed at the notification. A Judge's weapon was all he needed to administer the law in a dystopian world. The weapon resonated with his foundational Persona, making him eager to try it. 

Each Lawgiver has a sensor on its grip that is programmed to recognize the palm print of the authorized user registered to the weapon. If anyone else, including another Judge, attempts to use the gun, it will self-destruct in the user's hand, leaving them severely crippled or dead. However, recognizing that this feature may interfere with a Judge performing their duties in the field, the Justice Department maintains instructions on bypassing the security feature. This information is only accessible by Senior Judges and above and was demonstrated by Judge Dredd when one of his partners was killed during an investigation.

He summoned the MK ll into his hand. It immediately recognized his palmprint and became genetically locked to him. He peeped at the system store and was relieved that only the MK ll cost was exorbitant. He sent a message to Anne, but the girl had been handling her issues the last few days; he was still awaiting her request, knowing her it would be an undertaking. 

Not wanting to wait and wanting to share his excitement, he messaged Angelica, being sure not to add that she was the second person he wanted to tell. 

Angelica had mirrored his excitement, and he ordered the cache of MK Il, depositing them inside the bat redoubt for her inspection. He was almost sure the burgeoning tech genius would glean more from the weapons than he would with his rudimentary system information. 

The MK II gun is a significant upgrade from its predecessor. Unlike the MK I, which had several small magazines, it features a bulk magazine that stores all the ammunition. The ammo types are now given number designations (ranging from #1 to #6). These can be manually selected using the dial on the side of the gun, which replaces the velocity dial present in the MK I, or through a voice command. Additionally, unlike the semi-automatic MK I, the MK II gun can fire automatically.

The Lawgiver MK II is capable of firing the following different types of ammunition:

Standard Execution (SE) ammunition is used in response to generic situations. Armor-piercing (AP) ammunition deals with robots or lifeforms wearing body armor. It is also powerful enough to penetrate cover or multiple unarmored perpetrators. Ricochet (R) ammunition is made of rubber titanium and used to shoot around corners and behind cover. It can be used in standoff situations to allow Judges to shoot around hostages. Incendiary (I) ammunition is partially explosive chemical rounds that ignite whatever target they hit. High-Explosive (HE or Hi-Ex) rounds can be used when a situation calls for a forced entry into an area, and there isn't time to wait for heavier reinforcements. Heatseeker (HS or "Hot Shot") rounds lock on and seek targets by their body heat. They can be used in combination with Incendiary rounds. Gas Rounds are optional. A more giant clip-on Fragmentation grenade shell has replaced the Grenade bullet. PSI Division Exorcists carry Exorcism rounds instead of Heat-Seekers.

He placed the Lawgiver on the desk and pulled the other onto the forefront. What had appeared before made his breath hitch, and his heart beat faster. 

Indeed, fighting was the surefire way to progression. What was the Sytsem trying to say or accomplish? What would another do in his situation? A battle manica or a true villain? Or should he say an evil person would excel far faster? Wanton destruction had to be the most lucrative and ideal way to grow extremely fast.

He latched his hands, leaned back into his boss's chair, and propped his feet on his desk. Oh, he did vanish the shoes. No self-respecting CEO would put boots on mahogany. 

System Message: Milestone Achivement-Integral Individual Charles Xavier was defeated 1/2 times. Relationship: X-men-Angered. Reward(s).......