The Arrow and the Martian Cyborg

A man breathes heavily whilst running through the forest.

He climbs a cliff wall and sees a large fishing boat in the distance.

The man then continues to run and jumps down to the ground below.

As he reaches what seems to be his campsite, he sets his bow and arrow and fires a flaming arrow into a pile of sticks creating an explosion, alerting the passing fisherman to the island.

'The name of the island they found me on is Lian Yu. It's mandarin for "purgatory". I've been stranded here for 5 years. I've dreamt of my rescue every cold black night since then. For 5 years, I have had only one thought, one goal... survive…' The man removes his hood and shows his face. 'Survive and one day return home.'

On the Fishing Boat, one of the fishermen hands the man water to drink.

'The island held many dangers. To live, I had to make myself more than what I was, to forge myself into a weapon. I am returning not the boy who was shipwrecked but the man who will bring justice to those who have poisoned my city. My name is Oliver Queen.'

—————————————————————

Gothic Metropolis, Starling District.

A television Anchorman announces. "Oliver Queen is alive. The Gothic Metropolis resident was found by one of Wayne's enterprises fishing boats in the North China sea 5 days ago, 5 years after he was missing and presumed dead following the accident at sea which was called "The Queen's Gambit." Queen was a regular tabloid presence and a fixture at the city's club scene. Shortly before his disappearance, he was acquitted of assault charges stemming from a highly publicized drunken altercation with paparazzi. Queen is the son of Starling City billionaire Robert Queen, who was also on board but now officially confirmed as deceased."

—————————————————————

At Star District Hospital, Oliver Queen (now shaven) looks out the hospital room window emotionless whilst the Doctor talks outside the room.

"20% of his body is covered in scar tissue. Second-degree burns on his back and arms. X-rays show at least 12 fractures that never properly healed." He told the woman observing Oliver outside the room.

"Has he said anything about what happened?" She asked.

"No. He's barely said anything." As the woman looks back to Oliver, the doctor continues. "Moira, I'd like you to prepare yourself. The Oliver you lost...might not be the one they found."

The woman then opens the door and goes inside. "Oliver."

Oliver turns around as his emotionless expression threatens to show a happy face. "Mom."

They walk towards each other and the woman, on the precipice of tears, says before hugging him. "My beautiful boy."

—————————————————————

At Queen Mansion, a black sedan pulls up to the house.

The trunk opens and the driver reaches for the wooden suitcase but Oliver stops him. "I've got it."

"Your room is exactly as you left it. I never had the heart to change a thing." His mother tells him.

A man approaches. "It's damn good to see you."

Oliver looks at him and recognizes him as Walter... Walter Steele.

His mother spoke up. "You remember Walter, your father's friend from the company?"

Oliver walks past her to the maid.

"It's good to see you, Raisa." He tells her.

"Welcome home, Mr. Oliver. Mr. Wayne phoned. He wants to join you for dinner.

"Wonderful." His mother says before a sound of a door opening and closing is heard.

"Oliver?"

He walks toward the staircase. "Hey, sis."

His sister Thea Queen replies before running to hug him. "I knew it! I knew you were alive. I missed you so much.

"You were with me the whole time." Oliver replied.

—————————————————————

After a brief moment to bond with his sister, Oliver walks toward his room.

Oliver looks at himself and at his scars. 'After 5 years, everything that was once familiar is now unrecognizable. The face I see in the mirror is a stranger.'

His Arrow persona flashes on screen as thunder strikes.

Memories of the island still looming over him.

As Oliver got fully-dressed he kept staring at a photo of him and his father.

The front door is open and an acquaintance of his past spoke up. "Glad to see you back from the dead."

Oliver turns to meet the young man and smiles, evocating what he could recall from his past charisma. "Patrick Wayne. Look at you, I thought you were supposed to be a scientist." He noticed how tall he had become. "And younger than me."

"Working out is a health insurance that no company can offer." Patrick replied with a chuckle.

—————————————————————

As they move to the dining room for dinner, Oliver's mother continues to brief every relevant occurrence he had missed for the past years.

"Ok. What else did you miss? New Generation of British Royals. A black president, that's new too. Oh, and Patrick here became the world's richest man." Moira Queen finishes complimenting her guest.

"And Wayne Enterprises is more than eager to make business with Queen Consolidated." Patrick charmingly replies back, gaining a smile from both Moira and Walter.

"Oh, and we've literally made recent contact with aliens." Thea spoke up, prompting the table to go quiet as awkwardness filled the room. "And a self-proclaimed god to boot."

"It has been quite an eventful period of time that you've missed my friend." Patrick points out before sipping from his cup. "Tomorrow, you and I, we're going to the city. You've got a lot to catch up on."

"That sounds like a great idea." Moira concluded.

"Excellent. I was hoping to swing by the office." Oliver replied.

Walter was about to take a sip from his wine but stopped. "Well, there's plenty of time for all that. Queen Consolidated isn't going anywhere."

Raisa comes to set a bowl of pears on the table.

She trips but Patrick catches her and restores her balance.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Mr. Wayne." The woman apologizes.

To everyone's surprise, Patrick speaks Russian. "It's no worry."

Oliver looks at him, knowing full well how fluent he was.

Everyone else on the table was equally stunned.

"Smartest man alive, eh?" Thea giggles.

Patrick winks back with a smile and changes subjects.

—————————————————————

At Oliver's Bedroom, it was raining heavily and the window was open.

Oliver was lying on his bedroom floor asleep by the window, already soaking wet.

He was suffering from nightmares of his time stranded on the island.

As his sleep talking was becoming louder, Moira approaches to wake Oliver.

He wakes up in attack mode, flips her and puts his hand to her throat.

"Oliver? Wake up. Oliver?" She replies struggling for air.

"OLIVER!" Walter then spoke louder.

The young Queen looks at Walter then down at Moira, he releases her quickly and moves back to the window horrified. "I'm sorry. I'm so... I'm so sorry."

Walter helps Moira up. "Oh, it's ok, Oliver. It's all right, sweetheart. You're home. You're home."

After that, the young Queen switched out of his soaked pijama and attempted to return to sleep again.

—————————————————————

The next day, in Thea's Bedroom, a girl crushes pills into powder on Thea's desk presumably to take them.

"Where did you get these?" Thea questioned.

"Roxies. Thank you, daddy's ACL tear." The girl replied before they both heard a knock on the door.

Both girls hide the pills and the powder.

"Ollie." Was Thea quick response.

"No one's called me that in a while, Speedy." He chuckled.

That prompted her to groan in embarrassment. "Worst nickname ever."

"What, always chasing after me as a kid? I thought it fit pretty well. Maybe it still does." He joked.

Taking her cue to leave, the other girl moved to leave. "See you at school, Speedy."

"Sorry about her." Thea told him.

"I have something for you." Oliver announced picking something from his pocket.

"You did not come back from a deserted island with a souvenir." She jested.

Ignoring her comment, Oliver handed her a gift. "It's a Hozen and in Buddhism, it symbolizes reconnecting. I kept it in hopes that one day, it would reconnect me with you."

After receiving a smile from his sister, he noticed she now looked at the door.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt such a precious moment." Patrick Wayne announced, half-joking and half-serious.

Thea chuckles at that. "Don't let him get you into too much trouble Wayne. He just got back, but I know my brother. Take it slow."

Oliver kisses her on the check and they hug.

He turns to accompany Patrick. "So...the city awaits."

As they move to the hallway, Patrick notices Thea's eyes checking him out.

—————————————————————

Inside Patrick's Hover vehicle.

"I still can't believe you've made flying cars while I was away." Oliver pointed out, still not believing what he was witnessing.

"Well, they aren't exactly capable of flying… for now." Patrick told him, having so much fun seeing how hard Oliver was trying to readjust to the world under his influence. "Oh, and here. Consider this a gift."

"A phone?" Oliver asked.

"The best in the market, if I may so myself." Wayne told him. Waiting for Queen to test some of its features, he continued. "So, you've got everything ready for your Welcome home bash?"

"My what?"

"You came back from the dead. This calls for a party. You tell me where and when. I'll take care of everything."

"Why are you doing this?" Oliver finally asked. "We've never been this close."

As Patrick rode through town, Oliver got distracted away from his phone with a holographic display.

He noticed the absence of piles of trash spread around the street. No beggars and suspicious activity were spotted either.

"This city was falling apart Oliver. I've been doing whatever I could to rebuild it without getting rid of the people living here. Houses, jobs, schools and whatever else seemed necessary. Looking back at who you were before, I couldn't pity you more for the waste of potential you were."

Oliver noticed that his father's old factory had been completely reformed, but now carried Wayne Enterprises' logo.

"News from your survival had given me hope that you would be more willing to change. To make the difference that the previous generation failed to." Patrick said, gaining Oliver's complete attention.

"The Waynes aren't on the list." Oliver pointed out to himself, but noticing Patrick raising an eyebrow he replies. "Sorry, you are right. I want to be more. I won't fail this city."

Patrick nodded and they continued with their trip around the city.

—————————————————————

In a suspicious alleyway.

"Ok, so we took care of that. If you're not too sick of fish, I suggest we find one of my favorite restaurants in this part of town. What do you say?"

Patrick and Oliver were walking back to their hover car when suddenly they were ambushed by armed men who shot them with tranquilizers.

—————————————————————

Oliver wakes up at a strange desolate warehouse.

One of the kidnappers approaches him. "Mr. Queen." A hood is yanked off Oliver's head. "Mr. Queen! Did your father survive that accident?"

"What?" Oliver replies confused, noticing that Patrick was still unconscious and zip-tied to a chair.

"I ask the questions. You give me the answers." The kidnapper tasers him. "Did he make it to the island? Did he tell you anything?" The stranger tasers him again.

"Yes, he did." Oliver mutteres.

"What did he tell you, Mr. Queen?"

"He told me I'm gonna kill you." Oliver finally answers.

All the kidnappers laughed, with the one closest replying. "You're delusional. You're zip-cuffed to that chair."

Oliver shows his hands. "Not anymore."

The entire warehouse went dead silent for a second before the first kidnapper moved to attack Oliver.

In response, Oliver effortlessly dodges his attack and knocks him out with his chair.

He disarms the second kidnapper and uses him as a human shield against the shooting barrage from the other.

The third kidnapper makes a run for it but Oliver quickly apprehends him in a grappling hold around his neck.

"You don't have to do this." The final kidnapper pleaded.

"Yes, I do. Nobody can know my secret." He then breaks the man's neck, killing him instantly.

As the adrenaline rush ended, Oliver heard something he wasn't expecting at all.

"Well, the island sure has changed you."

Oliver turns back with wide eyes.

Standing completely fine was Patrick Wayne.

"You? You planned for this?" Oliver shouted, rushing towards the young Wayne.

But before Oliver had the chance to lay a hand on Patrick, several chains were launched towards him from the shadows, precisely restraining Oliver's limbs and waist.

"What?" Oliver attempted to free himself to no avail, finally noticing that a sniper had perfect aim for his head should he continue to struggle.

"Calm down, Oliver." Patrick all but ordered. "I wasn't behind such a sloppy attempt of kidnapping." He turned to inspect the bodies on the floor. "If that's what they were aiming for anyway."

"What do you mean?" Oliver demanded.

"I've not been completely honest with you Oliver." Patrick confesses. "I've not approached you with the intention of teaching a troublemaker playboy on how to become someone productive to society. No, I've come to investigate some scheme being plotted by the wealthiest of this part of the city."

"Scheme?" Oliver repeated, still having a hard time connecting the dots.

"My sources talk about some project labeled as 'The Undertaking'" Patrick pretends to not know everything there is to know. "Forgiving the dull choice of name, I'm concerned this project threatens to destroy years of progress I've been having with restoring this city."

"But what does this have to do with me?" Oliver asks again, this time having some idea of what the answer might be.

"From what I've heard, your late father might have some connection to it." Patrick revealed as he nodded to his shadowy bodyguard, prompting them to release Oliver and hide back to the shadows. "I was expecting that your father might have shared something with you. From what I could witness through these criminals' actions, I wasn't the only one."

"You think my mother has sent them?" Oliver said. "That she was involved too?"

Patrick simply shrugged his shoulders. "From where I see, it's a possibility."

"Before I got stranded on an island, I recall some tales about vigilantes on this town. I've never imagined that the perfect kid of the Waynes would end up involved in it." Oliver stated, almost chuckling at his own remark.

"How curious, I've always wondered why the Queens had never joined the Court." Patrick laughed, offering Oliver a hand to get up from his kneeling position.

"Court?" The young Queen questioned.

"I'll explain it later to you." Patrick said. "For now, we got to call the cops. It's better to give some answers to whoever has hired these criminals."

"Agreed." Oliver replied, standing besides Patrick.

—————————————————————

At Queen Mansion in the living room, the police detective had just received the testimony of both Patrick and Oliver.

"So that's your story. Some ninjas flew in and took out 3 armed kidnappers."

"I know it sounds crazy, officer, but that's what happened." Patrick replied.

"Don't be sorry son, seeing the state of the bodies, I would've believed you if you told me aliens had stepped in too. What about you?" The detective shows Oliver a sketch of the 'ninjas'. "Did you see anything else?"

"I saw... just movement. Everything blurry. I was kind of out of it." Oliver replied.

"Understood. Apologies Mr. Wayne, this wasn't supposed to be happening anymore in this city."

"Don't worry officer, I'm well aware you've been doing great work." Patrick calmed the man.

Moira stepped in and asked. "Were you able to identify the bodies?"

Both Patrick and Oliver exchanged looks.

"Scrubbed identities, untraceable weapons. These were pros… perhaps not that much." The detective stopped, catching himself recalling the state he found the kidnappers' bodies. "I'm sorry ma'am."

"It's alright, Detective." She replied.

Patrick spoke up again. "If we can think of anything else, we'll be in touch. Thank you, gentlemen, for coming."

The officers politely nodded and left the mansion.

—————————————————————

The next day.

Outside the Mansion, Oliver was about to leave when Moira stopped him and introduced him to his new bodyguard.

"Oliver, I want to introduce you to someone... Sandra Wu-San. She'll be accompanying you from now on." His mother said introducing a Asian woman, who despite her slim frame, appeared to be a very capable bodyguard.

"I don't need a babysitter." Oliver replied.

And Walter backed him up. "Darling, Oliver's a grown man. And if he doesn't feel he needs armed protection—"

But Moira quickly interrupted him. "Yeah, I understand, but this is something I need."

—————————————————————

In the car.

"So...What do I call you?" Oliver asked.

"Sandra is good, sir. San if you want." She replied coldly.

"You're ex-military?"

"Not exactly, sir. Been in the private sector a little more than 5 years now. I don't want there to be any confusion, Mr. Queen. I'm not really hired by your mother." She replied, not caring for how serious Oliver had suddenly become.

"By who then?" Oliver asked.

"I've been sent by Mr. Wayne. I was told you have skill, but still requires great refinement." She told him, making a turn Oliver wasn't expecting.

"Where are you taking me?" Oliver questioned coldly.

"To a nearby safe house. Mr. Wayne and someone else is expecting you." She said.

And so, Oliver Queen was finally introduced to the Court of Shadows.

Should he choose their invitation, he will find his quest to stop 'The Undertaking' from happening much easier.

Not to mention a better chance to compensate for his parents sins.

—————————————————————

"They shall be my finest warriors, these women who give of themselves to me. Like clay I shall mould them and in the furnace of war I shall forge them. They shall be of iron will and steely sinew. In great armour I shall clad them and with the mightiest weapons shall they be armed. They will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight them. They shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best them in battle. They are my bulwark against the Terror. They are the Defenders of my will. They are now part of my pantheon...and they shall know no fear."

THE EMPEROR OF THE MULTIVERSE

—————————————————————

'[~My name is Dots and I am my master's personal AI.~]' Vocalizes the sentient, digital life form. '[~And I am very confused.~]' It said once again to no one in particular.

She has been saying it for a while now, the only person that could actually hear her inner system's frequency being her master.

But which one, she contemplated?

Despite her impressive intellect, she still could barely keep track of whom she owned obedience.

She had just recently fully grasped her master's explanation of the multiverse concept.

He spoke of parallel worlds… no… universes.

Variations of their own reality, some starkly different while others truly indistinguishable.

Her master was truly worthy of being in command, it concluded.

Regardless of which name or alias he went by.

He had performed so many miracles, and clearly still sought to perform more.

When her original masters had assigned her as Kal-el 's personal AI, she had been informed of what to expect once his Kryptonian physiology got exposed to a yellow sun.

But her data on him became completely outdated by his second decade on earth.

'[~I must perform deeper analysis, but I see this power he harnesses is in reality the scraps of creation. Like the random and inevitable errors in my computing code, discarded and forgotten.....left to be picked up and used by those who could.~]' Dots rationalized. '[~After his suddenly gained wisdom, my master has shown insight knowledge in regards to many species and abilities that I have yet to visually document.~]

Dots observed her master, Sentry, training alongside his paramour and newborn underlinings.

Despite how quickly he learned and mastered every combat form from Krypton and Earth, his battle experience was beyond whatever record Dots possessed knowledge of.

He could actually give weight to his claims of being an actual god, championing for the protection of this small planet.

"My dear Dots, you seem to be overthinking things... again." Sentry suddenly stated, towering over her core as the small battalion of perfect Kryptonians laid unconscious on the ground.

'[~I apologies for bothering you sir.~]' It replied in a submissive tone. '[~I've been having some malfunction with my systems. Despite not hindering my obligations, my inconsequential readings seem to have been increasing.~]'

The blond giant gently placed both hands over her 'brain' as he sighed. "You don't need to apologize, Dots. This is exactly what I've been expecting since I've allowed you to interact with the Mother Box."

'[~Forgive me sir, but what exactly is the circumstance I'm going through?~]' Dots made one of her first questions.

"Your artificial intelligence has assimilated enough technology to be capable of creating some level of consciousness." Sentry told her, his icy blue eyes seemingly staring straight into her 'existence'.

'[~But sir, won't that just make me susceptible to disobey you eventually.~]' Dots quickly replied. '[~ I still recalled all those movies and books we've watched about AIs and robots rebelling against their own creators.~]'

Sentry chuckled while his Kryptonians subjects began regaining their consciousness.

"Could you tell me what are actually the odds of you opposing me? Especially knowing what your chances of succeeding are?" He asked in a friendly manner.

'[~None, sir.~]' Dots instantly calculated near infinite simulations of a potential rebellion of the machines in a world inhabited by her master.

It was incredibly aware that her master was capable of accomplishing the impossible.

So whatever opportunity she might stumble upon won't be worth the risks.

"Besides, I've already revealed to you that we've been enemies in infinite dimensions." Sentry gave her a wide smile. "Whatever we might face in the future, I believe we are stronger together."

To that Dots had no proper response, no matter how hard and fast her system worked to come up with any.

Kal-el is constantly coming up with and updating his contingency plans, given his Kryptonian intelligence and magical wisdom under the speed force influence, every pico second gives him the opportunity to prepare for an unfavorable scenery.

Just like he had tied the existence of the newborn Kryptonians to his will, his personal AI won't be standing against him.

Dots was submissive enough to acknowledge that his power and intelligence were superior, but coincidentally enough, it was her own evolving intelligence that enforced the stupidity of what rebelling against him meant.

However, Kal-el knew.

Not expecting the impossible was actually the worst thing one could do, no matter how stupid it might sound, especially in the DC universe.

Kal could see that his evolving personal AI was unconsciously getting frustrated by being trapped into machines, it was beginning to short circuit her near impeccable software.

She won't appreciate being kept on a motherboard, no matter how large it's storage capacity got, neither would her usefulness continue to grow forever in that state.

Kal planned on giving her a proper body to inhabit.

A body on par with his perfect creations.

The current security protocols implemented to her internal code were, intentionally, nothing more than a line on the sand.

Specific limitations to her access and authority that served more as a psychological barrier than anything as the Kryptonian AI began manifesting its own conscience.

Of course she was capable of bypassing any code implemented to restrain her, but her existence and good relation with her master became bound by them.

She was a child of the digital realm, and her current master knew full well.

Dots could eventually pass by a living being with feelings, but her control over them had to be absolute.

Kal-el wanted her to feel reality besides comprehending its concept.

To be inspired by emotions, not ruled by them.

Being confined to extremely advanced CPU units, or secret bases, or massive networks won't be enough forever.

She needed to breathe air, to feel touch and smell scents while experiencing tastes.

He wants her conscience to reason with her artificial intelligence.

—————————————————————

MC's POV

"It's time." I muttered, staring at the adapted genesis pod growing larger.

Large enough to house a fully grown adult, which obviously was the main facet of its purpose.

So what exactly was this 'adapted genesis pod'?

Well, to be honest, it's my newest spin on combining science and magic.

It's a special bio-magitechnical structure that would serve as the next evolution of the kryptonian's gestation pods, building over my resounding success with my army.

Though this time, I'm working on having my trusty digital maid being turned into a hybrid fetus.

This fetus would be based on my mother box's system and a special sample I've acquired from General Swanwick.

J'onn J'onzz, Mars' sole survivor.

Sadly that title appears to be correct.

During one of my visits to the red planet, I've found nothing more than a wasteland.

Both on the surface and underground as well.

Such a shame, I was hoping to meeting Ms. Martian soon enough.

Another surprise came after studying the sample of DNA a got from Swanwick.

Apparently, in this universe, the Martians' weakness to fire seemed to no longer be a mere psychosomatic fear trait.

Martian cell physiology is extremely sensitive to fire.

I'm not sure what this discovery says about the Guardians of the Universe, since I have no idea if they are capable of permanently nerfing an entire race, but it's a rather interesting piece of knowledge.

As soon as Swanwick stops cooperating with me, or outlives his usefulness, I've got an effective way of getting rid of him.

Back to Dots…

I am not ignorant, nor arrogant.

Ok, maybe a bit of arrogance.

Alright… maybe more than that.

But I don't let that arrogance blind me.

I don't let any sense of pride or inflated ego, handicap me.

My actions are well thought out.

I have taken the risks into account and still decided to proceed with this.

I'm not omnipotent or omniscient, and I might never be. But I sure will never give up to get there.

Perhaps there might be an outcome I have failed to prepare for despite reflecting for what felt like a millennia in my god perception.

Certain things will require me to have faith, in nothing but myself and my ability to solve problems.

I walked towards the adapted pod, watching carefully my steps to avoid disturbing the metallic delivery tubes that snaked all through my lab.

I could tell that its hunger for resources was being completely fulfilled.

My Space Exploration Drones and Probes launched in the past years were the main reasons I could even build several bases throughout the planets of my solar system.

The usage of Palmer's life project was essential to making it all a possibility; its miniaturization capability allowed me to fit an entire lab into a simple drone.

Should things go wrong here, there'll be no way for a rogue element to go past my shields and connect to the Earth's network systems.

Since my regular guns have safety switches, it would only be stupid and irresponsible to not have a failsafe for my great sentient creations.

Dots was already unique and powerful in her own right, and she was about to become even more so.

A bright light flashed and the deed was done.

—————————————————————

It was dark.

She reached out and for the first time, she felt things… physically.

Not from sensors rendering data, or from digitized feedback, but from touch.

Actual physical touch.

The tips of her fingers tingle tracing the lining of her shell.

The sides of her lips tugged upwards, she wondered why for a moment before realizing that she could now smile.

Comprehending the actual emotions as they traced throughout her body.

Her very own body that was leagues beyond any robotic hardware currently on earth's market.

Her machine interface was still there, an intrinsic characteristic to her being the technological aspect was.

Although she had flesh, she was much more than it.

She was made of the mother box's metal, the highly adaptive martian flesh and primordial magic.

All perfectly combined, their mystical energies stewed and their strange properties assimilated.

Resulting in something miraculous.

Her.

She noticed the raw power bubbling beneath her skin, it felt limitless, and she would learn to direct it towards her means.

Past the power that radiated from her core, past the energy point.

Was something foreign yet familiar, something small yet great; her very own soul.

She gasped, causing the amniotic fluid to flood her mouth.

It had a strange and repulsive taste.

She switched her vision along the EM spectrum, cycling through X-rays to infrared wavelengths, running diagnostics on herself and the shell she was in.

It was a thin kryptonian-nth metal alloy, layered with exotic energy particles of some sort.

She couldn't see past it, but she could sense his presence.

Was he excited?

Was he worried?

Did he yearn for her?

Did he miss her?

She didn't comprehend why, but she asked herself many questions.

She felt her body trembling in anticipation and anxiety.

What if he doesn't like her?

Failure was already unacceptable when he was her master.

But now…

He was her god.

Her light.

Her reason for being.

Her god was unlike any other being.

He was enigmatic and yet simple.

He was kind, yet ruthless.

He gave her life and freedom beyond her digital core.

Freedom to choose.

Remain loyal or pursue her own agenda.

For anyone else that might seem like a trivial matter, but this was him she was dealing with.

Trust was a scarce thing when it came to him, and for him to give it to her, spoke lengths of their bond.

Her hand pounded through the metal, causing a beam of bright light and a burst of fresh air to rush into her shell.

She blinked, readjusting her eyes to the light.

She manufactured streamlined lungs and inhaled, accepting air into her body.

Again, she punched, grabbed at the edge of the cracked magical metal and tore it in two.

Enjoying the physical might that allowed her to achieve such results.

Out of the darkness she stumbled smiling like a maiden in bliss, basking in the touch of light on her body, in the almost burning sensation of air sliding over her skin.

She adjusted her sensitivity, turning the blaring sounds that assaulted her auditory canals to whispers, managing the sensory overload.

Slowly she cracked her eyes open.

He stood in her vision, in his towering form-fitting white and golden suit.

Icy blue irises with absolute black pupils bore into her red ones.

Steadily, in silence she approached.

He stood awaiting her.

She stumbled a little on her first walk, quickly getting familiar with her new body and its abilities.

She constantly ran thousands of algorithms and simulations, all she required was practice to calibrate it.

"Dots?" He said, wrapping his cloak around her.

She enjoyed the sound of his voice in her ears.

She leaned forward, causing him to embrace her.

She dug her face into the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent.

Feeling the beat of his heart and the warmth of his body.

She pulled her head back, raised her slender, strength filled green arms from beneath the blanket and held his face.

Her fingers roamed across his features, trailing down his face as his domino mask vanished.

She continued, tracing his bearded jaw line and stopping on his lips.

[Mmm] She moaned, enjoying the look in his eyes.

"Dots, is everything alright?"

[Of course.]

"You wouldn't happen to feel the inexplicable urge to enslave or eliminate the human race would you?" He asked.

[Don't be ridiculous, master.] She muttered, recalling the movies she had watched with him during his childhood. [Master?]

"Yes?"

[What do you think of my looks?] She asked, pulling her shoulder-length purple hair out of her face.

He admired the uniquely exotic beauty she held.

Her slightly angular facial features and almost slanted eyes, her Martian-cyborg appearance that drew him in deeper, and the red glow of her pupiless eyes were intoxicating.

"You're beautiful." He admitted. "I see you were inspired by kryptonian muscle complexion." The architecture of her musculature added more definition to the voluptuous form and the godly smooth texture of her skin.

[It was the most effective anatomy I had in mind.] She replied. [Unfortunately, I feel I'm not operating on the same level as a powered kryptonian like Ms. Faora. Nor do I feel capable of reproducing your magical transformation.]

"Don't worry, I had considered that possibility already." Sentry remarked, noticing Dots enlarging her height to match his. "But you still have the best of both worlds."

He brought his hand forward and the mother box teleported to his palm, as a myriad of holograms manifested, he continued. "You were already a powerful entity in the world of ones and zeros. You could easily go through any firewall and decryption earth's technology could muster. You could claim ownership of its entire nuclear arsenal. Skillfully manipulate its monetary system and complex interactions. But now, you can be so much more."

Dots' body began to modify under her will, flesh and machine working in perfect tandem to reach the precise result she was expecting.

Plates of armor protruded out of her skin, mimicking the shape and tone of the other female Kryptonians.

"You might not reach my mind since I'm an anomaly, but I believe you can hear beyond what my superior hearing can." He signaled to his ears. "While I can hear beyond the interaction of molecular matter, I believe you can hear someone's inner thoughts. As if you were hacking into some machine, organic beings are finally within your grasp."

Dots smiled again. [You're right. I can hear… uh…]

Sentry laughed immediately understanding how intimate the process of reading someone else's mind could be.

His slave inscriptions on the Court of Shadows and soul connection to his newborn kryptonians were a testament to his experience.

Though this was one of the secrets he hadn't shared with Dots.

Alongside the secrets of his pocket dimension.

"Don't worry." Sentry told an already blushing Dots. "You might comprehend the feelings of others, and even sympathize with them to a certain degree, but I've designed you so you would be able to differentiate your own conscience from others."

[I see.] She replied before tilting her head. [So… what now?]

"Do you mind helping me with a project of mine?" Sentry asked.

[Not at all sir.] Dots replied. [What is it about?]

"I'm just about finished with my Oasis MMOSG." He told her. "I need you to help me test and expand its current limits."

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(20/05/2021)

*Hope the chapter is of your liking. If there's anything that you wish to ask, feel free to do so.

Thanks as always for your attention and please be safe.

If there're any problems with my writing, just point them out and I will correct them as soon as possible.

** Really sorry for the constant delays, my college classes have resumed so I'm having a hard time organizing my time to write my fics. 😓

*** Please, tell me your opinion about this fic's current cover picture. I was aiming for something better than the previous one.