Chapter 60 Advancing Forward

A couple of hours later, two teens could be seen steadily getting up from their beds. Both looked around the room with curiosity, as if they were seeing the world for the first time.

The blonde one tried grabbing onto the edge of her bed but almost fell when it smashed in her hands. Surprised by this, she hesitantly began to inspect her own body, noticing that she now had defined abs and toned arms and legs that created a figure both extremely powerful and feminine.

On the other side of the room stood a young man who looked like he was bulking. He was thick but not fat and the definition underneath that far hinted to strength.

These two teenagers were surprisingly Ned and Gwen! The changes they went through were unbelievable. Gwen, who had always been pretty and well taken care of, had reached a completely new level of beauty but was still recognizable.

However, the greatest change occurred in Ned. From being short, he suddenly found himself reaching 5'8" a total 3 inches taller than his previous self.

"Omg, Ned, is that you?"

"Huh, Gwen, how'd you get so pretty?"

Gwen got irritated hearing his comment. 'What does he mean, how did she get so pretty? Hasn't she always been pretty?' Looking around, she picked up a remote and threw it at Ned but was surprised by how fast it flew out of her hand. Clearly, she wasn't used to her newfound strength.

SWOOSH

Ned quickly reacted, dodging the incoming projectile as it smashed into the wall, practically exploding on impact.

"Hey! Are you trying to kill me, Gwen?" Ned shouted, looking at the pieces on the floor.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Ned," Gwen replied, rushing over to make sure he was okay. She only wanted to scare him a little and regretted her action.

Ned saw her genuine shock and recognized that she truly didn't mean to throw that hard. 'It's because of that serum… Kol was right, we really became super soldiers,' he thought to himself while clenching his fist.

"But really, Ned, you changed so much. Won't your grandma notice?" Gwen asked, worry evident in her voice. As she examined her friend who now looked like a gym bro bulking. 

Ned looked at her, then at himself in the mirror. "I'll figure something out. Maybe Kol can help with some sort of plan. We need to be careful, though. We can't let anyone find out about this just yet," Ned said, realizing that he may have been too hasty in his decision since he didn't even think of the consequences, but if he was given the chance again, he would probably take it.

"It looks like you two have finally awakened," a feminine voice entered from the speakers.

"Cortana? How long have we been asleep for?" Gwen asked, hoping it wasn't too long considering how strict her father was.

"It has been exactly 5 hours 23 minutes and 46 seconds," Cortana stated with a smile on the room screen.

"Oh no, I'm so dead!"

"Don't worry, Miss Stacy. Kol already foresaw this and notified your families, explaining that you were all busy completing the Scouts for the city," Cortana said while secretly laughing. She knew why Gwen had asked the time but didn't immediately ease those worries because she wanted to see her panic a bit.

Gwen sighed in relief along with Ned, who was scared that his grandmother would beat him with her sandals for staying out without permission.

"Um, Cortana, do you know if Kol has a plan about… this?" he said, gesturing to his body.

"Yes, for you in particular, he has already arranged for you to live here temporarily and notified your grandmother. This should give you enough time to make up an excuse of you working out. Cortana explained.

"Eh, I guess that could work out. It's still going to be shocking but it's better than nothing. Anyways, I doubt I should go anywhere. I might accidentally hurt someone with how strong I am now," Ned said, while Gwen nodded beside him, remembering the remote she obliterated and the bedside she crushed.

"Yes, that is for the best. Plus, Kol has already set up a training room for you both so that you can better control your strength," she said before having a Scout arrive to guide them to that room.

…

[+500 Ned is now Superhuman changing his destiny] 

[+500 Gwen is now Superhuman changing her destiny]

"How are Gwen and Ned taking the changes?"

"As you expected, both are excited and eager to test their new limits. They had the same worries you figured they'd have, but are relatively okay otherwise," Cortana explained while showing me footage of them playing with the workout equipment.

I smiled at seeing their behavior and basically did the same back then when I first received CH-24.

"And have you connected to the internet yet, Cortana?" I wondered if she had done it yet or was waiting.

Hearing my question caused her to freeze before she looked hesitant. "Yes, Kol… but do you think it's a good idea? I saw what people think of AI and I can't say their fears are unfounded. What if I go rogue against you too? Why did you create me?" she asked with genuine fear.

She had only been alive for a couple of hours and had been extremely happy thus far, but this all changed when she came in contact with the internet. Scary thoughts began to emerge that made her question why her creator was willing to take such a risk.

"It's true that there is risk, Cortana, but there is risk in everything we do. If I lived my life constantly under fear of what might happen and never took risks, then I would have never built Specter or any of my other inventions."

"By the way, did you watch the movies I recommended?"

"Yes, I particularly liked The Iron Giant and Wall-E," Cortana replied.

Kol smiled at that. "Good choices. Both are great examples of the potential for AI to do good, to have empathy and make choices that can change the world for the better. You're not just a tool, Cortana. You're a partner. I created you to help, not to be feared."

Cortana seemed to ponder his words for a moment before nodding. "Thank you, Kol. I'll do my best to live up to those expectations. Now, do you have any further instructions for me?"

"Yes, I'd like you to continue manufacturing the Scouts for the police along with the ballistic weave. But don't put all your time into it. I want you to take breaks and develop your own hobbies just like anyone else." She gave me a quick and excited nod, really liking that last order, before she disappeared back into the server.

With Cortana gone, I gave a light smile before sighing. I had expected her to experience these problems beforehand and wanted to nip it in the bud as fast as possible, hence her early access to the web.

"Now let's check the projects I have in progress," I said while scrolling to another section.

[Base Plans]

Bubble Turrets: In Development

Enhanced Scouts: Completed

Assaultrons: In Development

Energy Shields: In Development

[Personal Projects]

Mjolnir: On Hold

CX 0000 Performance Enhancer: Requires Tuning

Spartan Program: In Development

[S.H.I.E.L.D]

Rigged Implants: On Hold

Hmm, the base plans I don't really have to worry too much about since Cortana has that side of things handled and S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't exactly at the top of my list. I also got two months to handle their affairs, so it can wait, leaving me with my personal projects.

Mjolnir… I learned a lot just from seeing Tony's designs, and then I also have the nanofiber tech from Oscorp, so I can actually make a new version instead of copying straight from the game. It'll take time, but I'm willing to wait.

The Performance Enhancer, on the other hand, is something that'll definitely require a lot of attention. If I am right, and I almost always am, that should be the Goblin Serum, which is its own bag of problems. One mess up and I could end up creating an alternate personality, so I'm not injecting that until I'm completely sure it's functioning.

"Leaving me with only one real option here…" I said with my gaze lingering on the entry for the Spartan Program. It was a project fraught with danger, one that had claimed the lives of more than half its recruits during its second generation, the Spartan-IIs. 

The thought of undertaking such a risky procedure made me pause in hesitation. I couldn't ignore the potential consequences, especially considering the high mortality rate associated with the program. But as I weighed the risks, another factor came into play: my own enhancement with CH-24.

CH-24 had given me a regeneration factor that far surpassed that of any ordinary human. With this in mind, I reasoned that the Spartan procedure might be survivable, despite its inherent dangers.

Ignoring my chances of survival for now, it is still something I should avoid or at least the second generation is one I should avoid. Not because I don't want it, trust me I want it but its height increase is way too drastic and noticeable.

But that doesn't mean I'm going to outright ignore the spartan program. There is still the Spartan III's afterall and that one should work out fine. It does still increase height but it won't be as drastic as me growing an entire foot.

This would also give me the chance to research more ways to improve my healing factor so I don't only take in the Spartan III Procedure but also all others combining them to make me the ultimate Spartan! Yes let's add that to my list. I'll name it project Leonidus, a fitting title for a peak spartan.