Marvel: A Tale of Shadows

Come Check patreon.com/Platwolf for extra content and several advanced chapters of this fanfiction. In addition my original story Space Odyssey: Spectre is now a contracted work check it out if you are interested in a story with a mix of mecha, space battles, and superhumans with systems! 

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Ethan sighed as he stretched his neck. He was just sitting through a university class doing absolutely nothing since he already knew everything that the teacher was talking about. He wishes he could just take a test and get another degree. Maybe he could, he would look into it later.

"Bored?" Felicia asked as she sat next to him at the cafe. It was a popular meet up point for university students. Ethan found it was easier for science and engineering school students to meet up then any others. Because it was closer to those buildings where their classes were located.

"Extremely, I spent an hour and half making sketches and alterations to codes. I think I am almost complete with my little project. How about that thing you were working on? I know you were having a bit of trouble." Ethan asked, glancing at Felicia to see her smirk.

"Done, I got an idea with my class." Felicia explained as she pulled out her computer and showed him. "It should disperse after five minutes and turn into a mist that acts like pepper spray. Harmless but annoying, it cost some of the original explosive impact to alter but that is fine."

Ethan chuckled and nodded, "looks good. Actually tomorrow I am meeting up with your father to help him. Then I will be putting the final touches on the project but that will take all day."

"You really are jumping from thing to thing. First it was successfully removing The Rhino's armor. Now it is this little project of yours. What will you work on next? Weapons, armor, heavy construction equipment?" That list was a jab at her insight into his plans.

"Yes… to all three." It might have been a sarcastic question but he gave a serious answer. "I imagine it will be a whirlwind of projects. I have many things to do and so little time to do it all."

Felicia looked at him and sighed, "our schedules are already a mess. When is the next time you go see the old fox?"

"The day after tomorrow. It is actually supposed to be my last day, then I graduate. He also wanted some extra help with setting up his retirement job." Ethan explained as he checked the time, "I have to run. I booked most of my classes for today."

He then moved away to go to his next class.

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Ethan walked into the warehouse where they were set up to meet. Inside was a clean room with all the equipment they could need. Walter, Felicia's father, was sitting at a table looking through his microscope.

"Welcome in, pull up a chair and join- What's that?" He switched gears as he noticed the box that Ethan walked in with.

"It is a blood simulation device. We should be able to simulate all abilities that your daughter could get using her blood and a serum sample." Ethan explained as he set it up. "So what are we working with? Oscorp Serums?"

Walter raised an eyebrow and looked at Ethan with suspicion, "how do you know about those?"

Ethan shrugged, "because I am just that good. From what I understand you only managed to develop two Serums both of which were too dangerous to use."

"Actually only the first one was too dangerous to use. The second one was viable but I did not want Osborn to know that. So I 'scrapped' it before I ever made it. Making the project a failure. Now the only version they can use is one that causes the user's mind to deteriorate." Walter with a smug attitude explained.

Ethan just nodded, "cool. So what are we modifying the second serum into?"

"We are modifying Serum B. Which I already took. It causes strength, agility, and endurance to increase. But it also causes arthritis, as a side effect of being able to manipulate bone and muscle density and shape on a small scale." Walter sighed as he rubbed his hands together.

"Okay, so we definitely want to remove arthritis. We can also modify it so her abilities increase the more she works on them instead of just a one time increase." Ethan explained as he pulled some files out of the box he brought. "Then let's add something else onto it, how about… night vision?"

Walter frowned and took a file out of his hand and started looking over it, "how did you get these." He looked at Ethan and saw his raised eyebrow and shook his head. "Nevermind, yeah let's start there and see what we can do from there."

They immediately dived into their work. On the other hand Ethan had already finished his robot prototype; he just needed to start it up and name it. Not necessarily in that order.

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Ethan kept switching between several names as he looked at the robotic form that was standing in front of him. It had a large form that was almost two meters in height. Its skeleton was visible at the moment but when it was completely done it would have armored plating instead to hide its hydraulics.

The head was a vertical diamond with a flat bottom and top instead of a pointed shape. It had three cameras that were all 360 degree cameras. Most of the parts were replaceable or modifiable. But once it was complete it's core systems could not be modified and nor could they access the internet.

The core was an adaptive intelligence with the capacity to learn and understand. Eventually it would be able to even learn from itself. It was one of the things he saw during the stream of memories, and it really stuck with him. An AI confined in a body, it would learn and eventually understand why humans are the way they are.

It would change the world as they knew it. But for all they he knew, he was struggling to create a name for it. He couldn't call them Ultron units like they were called in his memories. He had to think of something else. Something that oddly fit but still sounded nice.

He should just go with something simple: Artificial Intelligence Robotic Unit. Now he just needed to add his own spin to it. But he could not put his company's name attached to it. He would attach his own family name instead. So Hilt Artificial Intelligence Robotic Unit or H.A.I.R.U. as a shorthand.

He typed it in and loaded up the system. As the central core began powering on the entire body started going through a system check. A few minutes passed before it began looking around.

It spoke in a robotic voice as the lights on the cameras powered on, "Hilt Artificial Intelligence Robotic Unit has powered on and is running a diagnostic on all internal systems. This unit lacks a designation and a name."

"I have not created designations and a name will be created once you find your place." Ethan explained, "I will think of a designation once the diagnostic has been completed. What errors do you have?"

"This unit does not have the ability to access the internet. In addition I am struggling with movement. It appears the hydraulics on my limbs were calculated incorrectly." It then rotated its head side to side then up and down. "Correction, my observational unit appears operational."

Ethan sighed and nodded, "I see." He coughed, hiding his embarrassment. "It appears I have screwed up. Mechanical or programming failure?"

There was a moment as the unit went quiet, "both, it appears they are out of synch. It will take some time to properly adjust them. I believe the error occurred because you never tested the functionality of this unit's limbs."

Ethan smiled, "I will take that under advisement. Let's get your limbs adjusted."

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"What is that?" Felicia asked as she looked at the robotic figure sitting at the couch who was switching between channels.

"That is the Hairu Prototype, I have not come up with a designation nor a name for him." Ethan explained as he set out a plate of leftovers.

"Okay… what is it doing?" Felicia asked with suspicion.

"Learning," Ethan answered with a shrug. "It is an Artificial Intelligence that cannot directly interface with the internet. Instead it has to indirectly access the internet, like humans have to do. Hence the television surfing."

"Ah… I thought it was just a robot. I did not think you would program complex intelligence. Is this legal?" Felicia asked in surprise.

"Ehh…" Ethan shrugged, "it is a gray area. For now it is fine. But I will have to register my creation when I make my company building in New York."