“Mom, look, I picked up a bodyguard!” Alina exclaimed as soon as she got home while Katelyn guided an impassive Jason through the large oak doors of a large mansion. The mansion, Jason noticed, was from the early 1900s long before WWIII, making it a possible heritage site were it not private property.

Mrs. Sage, Alina's mother, had a strange expression on her face after hearing Alina and she noticed Jason whom her daughter was pointing at. She turned to look at Katelyn and then the head of security, Mr. Blake, with an inquisitive gaze in her eyes. The two explained the events quietly, causing her to frown more deeply before she turned to Jason with a grateful smile.

“I am Diana Sage. Thank you for saving my daughter,” she said politely while looking at his ragged state. “I can see that you've had some … difficulties. Why don't you freshen up and we'll discuss things over brunch?”

Jason nodded at her request and followed a maid up to the second floor while Alina skipped after him and Mrs. Sage looked at Katelyn and Blake carefully.

“What do you think?” she asked after some time.

“He's dangerous that's for sure,” Blake thought for a while before answering carefully. “But I doubt he's trying to get in our good graces. From my understanding, he was just at the wrong place at the right time.”

“And you, Katelyn?” Mrs. Sage nodded before asking the maid offhandedly.

“He's protective of Alina,” she answered stoically. “When he first saw her he was surprised like he saw her or someone like her before. She's the reason why he helped. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if he was with Morta.”

Alina, who was actually sneakily eavesdropping on their conversation silently snorted before tiptoeing away.

So what if he's an assassin? She thought. He likes me, and he's so strong! I'm definitely keeping him, hmph!

An hour later, Jason came down the stairs stunning everyone who saw him. His mane-like hair was still dripping wet, giving him a refreshing glow and he was dressed in Mr. Sage's old clothes. His brown skin and strong jaw made him look like he was a relative of theirs, shocking Mrs. Sage as she sent him a complicated gaze.

“Please, join us,” she said while gesturing at the table filled with an assortment of food.

Jason sat down next to Alina and looked at Mrs. Sage who was opposite of him.

“You have questions?” he asked, his gravel voice attracting the nearby maids that were in standby.

“Yes,” Mrs. Sage answered while Katelyn placed a plate full of sandwiches to Jason. “For one, why save them? It wasn't your concern that my daughter was in danger.”

“I was paid,” Jason said slowly after a considerable amount of time.

“I'm sorry?” Mrs. Sage asked as Katelyn froze and Blake who was standing behind her placed his hand on his gun.

Jason released a chocolate wrapper from his hand and placed it on the table so others could see it. It was the candy that Alina gave him in the park.

“She paid me,” Jason said. Alina had starry eyes as everyone else silently contemplated what he said.

“I see …” Mrs. Sage answered, unconvinced. “Am I to understand that you wish to protect her? And how am I to trust you?”

“I always complete my tasks,” Jason who hadn't touched his food said coolly. “On my word as Fenrir.”

The table fell silent as those who understood felt cold sweat drip down their backs.

“Fenrir? The Fenrir? The unannounced number one killer?” Blake whispered.

He looked at Jason fearfully, immediately understanding why he was so skilled in fighting. The rumors started a few years ago, of a solo merc that killed assassins. Eventually, this mysterious being, who always wore a wolf mask or helmet, started taking other jobs. Soon, he was bounty hunting, protecting clients as a bodyguard, and even hunting for treasures in Eastern Asia. And the influential knew him by the codename he gave himself: Fenrir. A freelance agent with no association to any killer organization.

“Forgive me, but are you really Fenrir? You seem … younger than I imagined,” Mrs. Sage asked hiding her surprise as she tried to look composed.

Jason looked at her and then pulled out a gun. Blake drew his own but Jason merely placed it on the table and gestured at him to look at it. It was a futuristic gun that looked like a cross between a revolver and a desert eagle, with a large barrel.

“That's …” Blake wiped the sweat from his face as horror crept in.

“Yes, Fenrir's … my ... signature gun. The only operational handheld railgun in the world,” Jason finished for him before looking at Mrs. Sage. “Does this prove my identity?”

Mrs. Sage turned to Blake, who nodded in confirmation at its authenticity after realizing that it was a real gun.

“Mr …. Fenrir,” Mrs. Sage hesitated on what to call him.

“Please madam, my name is Jason,” Jason said, his voice unintentionally full of charm.

“Mr. Jason. I doubt I can afford you but are you willing to protect my daughter?” Mrs. Sage asked with a small smile, appreciating his politeness.

“That's why I'm here,” Jason answered affirmatively.

“Splendid!” Mrs. Sage said with a cheerful tone. “Right now, I suspect there will be more attempts at her life so we must provide a cover for your identity.”

Mrs. Sage looked back and forth at Alina and Jason for a while before clapping her hands, a deviously mischievous smile on her face.

“I know! We'll make you an adopted child of ours!” she exclaimed.

Jason who was listening to Alina and trying a sandwich ended up choking on his mouthful while Blake who was walking back to his position tripped on his own feet. Katelyn, who was pouring some tea, slipped her hand nearly scalding herself with hot water, surprise gracing her features for the first time.

“I … uh, what?” Jason asked through deep gasps as he shot a bolt of energy to heal Katelyn's hand and grabbed a cup of tea to down.

“We'll say you've been adopted into our family,” Mrs. Sage continued nonchalantly, ignoring the incredulous stares aimed at her. “Of course, due to your appearance, rumors of you being an illegitimate child will no doubt surface. But that will only blur the truth and end up serving our purpose.”

“So he's my brother now?” Alina asked quietly causing everyone to look at her. Jason expected her to object, but the next second she jumped up with glee. “Cool! I have a brother!”

“Well, that seems to settle it,” Mrs. Sage had a look of approval when she saw how happy Alina was before turning to Jason. “Unless you have any objections, Jason?”

“Won't your husband object?” Jason asked but noticed the joyfulness in the room lessened at his question.

“I doubt my husband would even notice your arrival,” Mrs. Sage snorted. “Even if he did, he'd probably believe the rumors himself, considering how unfaithful he is.”

Jason looked at Alina who was looking back at him hopefully. It was obvious that she was waiting for his answer.

“Alright, I'll do it,” Jason caved in at her relentless look of expectation and Alina cheered. “Although, I'm not sure why it's necessary.”

“Dear, don't you know?” Mrs. Sage asked with a small laugh. “The rich live a complex life full of deceit. How could you possibly protect her if you're not allowed to enter a ball because you're a mere bodyguard?

With your identity as an aristocrat, you can protect her more easily while drawing all the dangers to yourself. A more effective means of completing your job, no?”

***

“We're here.”

Alina shook her head, breaking off her reminiscence of the past when Jason called out to her softly. Looking through the window, she saw that Jason stopped at a side of the RogueTech building, a subsidiary of Rogue Industries.

Jason tapped a few buttons into the holographic keyboard that popped out of his holo-watch and soon a hidden entrance opened up. He slowly drove the car in and the entrance closed, shutting all light in the room for a sec before the lights came on after detecting life signs. The two exited the car after parking in a corner of the garage. Jason then led Alina to the elevator and pressed a button, sending it speeding upwards.

After a few minutes, the door opened to reveal a large room beyond the elevator. The large office had a large desk and behind it was the glass window, giving the owner a gorgeous view. Slightly ahead of the desk was a reception area, where several recliners and a small desk with alcohol was situated for private meetings. What held Alina's attention though was the holographic name jutting from the corner of the desk: Selena Mintz, Acting CEO of RogueTech.

“Uh, this is the CEO's office,” Alina said.

“Yep,” answered Jason as he walked to a cabinet and pulled some whiskey out. “Mmm, ‘95 vintage Glendronach … good choice Lena.”

Jason pulled a glass and poured a small amount of water into it. Swirling it, he froze the water, turning it into ice that circled around the glass. He poured a generous amount of whiskey into the glass and sniffed it while letting it breathe.

“Hmm … a fruity aroma followed by toffee with a spicy hint of … cloves … nice,” he muttered before taking a small sip. “Ohh, mmm … sweet sherry with a dose of spiciness mmm … cinnamon … tch, now that's a real kick.”

Jason smacked his lips and occasionally clicking his tongue as he looked down at the glass.

“A good aftertaste of espresso for a finish. Not bad. Oh, there's a taste of oranges … quite subtle. Not overpowering,” Jason said as he swallowed the rest.

“Uh … are you seriously rating a drink that you just stole?” Alina asked stupefied.

“I didn't steal it. It's right here for anyone to drink,” Jason said while lifting the glass. “Want some?”

Uh huh. Yeah, right, give a kid a drink, why not? Thought Alina sarcastically. And who the fuck would just waltz in and start drinking?!

“Wait a minute, don't you hate drinking?” Alina asked.

“Cut me some slack,” Jason replied while gesturing at his wounded shoulder. “It's for medicinal purposes, ok.”

“Yeah, right. Of course it -”

Voices came from the door surprising Alina and she considered bolting and hiding somewhere for a second. The door opened, revealing two women that were discussing a meeting's arrangement. The leading woman was dressed smartly in a tight office outfit with a blazer and dress pants, while the second one, who was listening while holding coffee, had a white blouse and skirt.

The leading woman stopped when she noticed Alina, who was in a pose that screamed thief, then her eyes found Jason who was pouring himself another drink.

“Excuse me, who are you? How did you get in?” the second lady, no doubt the secretary, asked.

“Shut up,” the one in front said. “Cancel my plans, and don't let anyone in.”

“I - yes ma'am,” the secretary said as she exited and closed the door behind her.

“You should try this, Lena. It's a real gem,” Jason said as the woman, Selena, walked towards him. “Honestly, I'd come here sooner if I knew -”

Selena punched Jason with a right hook, stopping his sentence and sending his face sideways. She then screamed silently while shaking her hand and jumping up and down, but stopped and acted all dignified when Jason turned to look at her.

“I probably deserved that,” he said after some consideration.

“Oh you deserved much more, asshole,” Selena said while grabbing his glass. She downed the whiskey in one shot while rubbing the iced glass on her bruised knuckles and muttering under her breath. “I can't believe you have the gall to show up after …

“Why are you here, Jason?” Selena finally asked seethingly while sitting in her chair.

“Yeah, why are we here? Don't tell me you're here to introduce me to your ex?” Alina chimed in, interrupting the two. Selena's eyes fell on Alina and they both stared at each other curiously.

“Ahem,” Jason cleared his throat before introducing them to each other. “Alina this is Selena, CEO of-”

“Acting CEO, you're the one who's supposed to be sitting here,” Selena interrupted.

“Selena, this is Alina. My sister, also, the real CEO of RogueTech,” Jason finished after a pause.

“WHAT?!”

Both of them screamed at the same time in sync with each other while Jason winced and backed off slightly from how enthusiastic their voices were.

“Easy, whoa there, lemme explain,” Jason said with raised arms in an attempt to calm them. “Selena, this is Alina Sage. The Alina Sage.”

“Sage? We thought - your parents were - you're alive!” Selena couldn't complete her sentence from utter shock which was followed by joy. “We thought you were dead! It's good to see you, Ms. Sage.”

“Uh … what's going on?” Alina shifted uncomfortably when she noticed how respectful Selena was to her.

“Well, as it turns out, you're related to the Rogue family. From your mother's side,” Jason explained. “Her father, your gramps, was kicked out because he decided to marry another woman instead of the engagement his family had for him, so they disowned him.”

“Just … for that?” Alina asked incredulously.

“Well, that … and she was his maid,” Jason said. “Not to mention they were racist and hated her for being an African immigrant. Rich people, am I right?”

Alina sent a knowing stare at Jason, silently reminding him of how he did the same when he was masquerading as her brother and was in a dalliance with her personal maid Katelyn. Jason shrugged his shoulders implying that it couldn't be helped and Alina snorted at his response.

“Unfortunately, by the time Sir Rogue regretted it, your grandfather was long gone,” Selena added. Alina lowered her head and didn't speak for a long time. Both Jason and Selena remained silent, waiting for her to process this information.

“So then … dad?” Alina asked while raising her head.

“Yeah, he probably figured it out, hoping that he could get a share from Rogue Industries,” Jason said quietly. “But when he realized it wouldn't happen …”

“Ok, but what does this have to do with me?” Alina asked.

“You're uncle, Mr. Eason Rogue, had been searching for your family for a long time,” Selena said while looking at Alina gently as tears formed in her eyes. “We only just recently discovered your parents' whereabouts from your cousin Katherine, but we … were too late.”

Selena's voice was cracked with emotions as she continued. She grew up with Katherine and therefore felt that the Rogues were like a part of her family.

“I'm sorry for your loss, but I am glad that you're alright,” Selena then turned to glare at Jason. “And you. You have a lot to answer for.”

“What, no thank you? You're welcome,” Jason said sarcastically as he drank the whiskey straight from the bottle.

“How did you even know about her?” Selena asked. “You also bought all the available stocks three years ago. Did you know what would happen to her family?”

“The answer to both your questions is quite simple,” Jason sighed. “I accidentally met Alina years ago when she was a kid and I was hired to protect her by Mrs. Sage. Then I was … pretend adopted into the family.

“Mrs. Sage knew about her heritage and was worried that Alina would be targeted, and rightly so. Luckily, I was there to save them that night but Mrs. Sage refused medical treatment,” Alina turned to look at Jason with tears in her eyes; Jason had never told her about this, he was constantly avoiding the topic every time she asked. He turned to look at her and continued gently.

“I could only save one, and she chose you. She loved you very much, Alle.”

Alina closed her eyes and turned her head while Selena sighed.

“It's providence that you were there, thank God,” Selena muttered. “So I'm assuming Mrs. Sage asked you to buy the majority of RogueTech?”

“Nah, that was me,” Jason said. “I needed your R&D Department so I poured my entire life savings into buying it out. It was pure luck that I found out that Alina was to inherit it.”

“But you just said … ?” Selena began but Jason interrupted her.

“Did I not say she's my sister? ‘Course she'd inherit it,” Jason snorted as he talked. “Besides, I'm not into business. It's why I ditched everything to you and ran away. You need someone shot dead? Call me up. You need someone to crunch numbers? Kill me instead.”

“Hm, good point,” Selena said. “Now that I know, I'll have to tell the boss. You know that, right?”

“Katherine? The party girl?” Jason scoffed. “Isn't she in Egypt right now? Why would she care about a distant cousin?”

“She really wanted to see Alina for some reason,” Selena frowned as she answered. “It was almost as though she felt guilty or something.”

“Uh, is no one gonna take my opinion?” Alina asked after being lost for a while.

“What do you mean?” Selena asked.

“As in, what if I'm not interested in running a company?”

Both Jason and Selena were silent as they exchanged incredulous looks.

“You sure, kid? It's your legacy,” Jason said.

“No, it's not. It's the Rogue's legacy and I'm a Sage just like my mom,” Alina answered. “You once told me that you would never force anything on me, that you'll let me be free. Then why are you deciding my future?!”

Jason remained silent, surprised at her outburst. He slowly began speaking after careful consideration.

“Alle, I only wanted what was best for. But -but,” Jason stopped Alina from interrupting as he continued. “If you don't like this, then I won't force it. I'm only asking that you give it a chance. Just a chance, kid. That's all I'm asking.”

Alina nodded sulkily as Jason patted her head to soothe her. Selena cleared her throat to get their attention and Alina looked at her.

“I'm curious Ms. Alina, which career are you interested in?” Selena asked.

“ … Being a bounty hunter doesn't sound bad,” Alina hesitated and looked at Jason for a moment before answering in a careful voice.

Jason's eyebrow shot up in as anger clouded his face. He turned his head to Alina abruptly as he jutted his lower mouth out while his jaw tensed.

“No,” he said forcefully with a half-snarling sneer. “Absolutely not, Alina. Never.”

“But-”

“I SAID NO!” Jason slammed his fist on the desk shattering a chunk of it while Alina finched and Selena jumped back.

Jason, upon seeing their reaction, calmed down. He then stood up and began pacing, while steadying breathing. Finally, when he cooled down, he looked back at them.

“I'm sorry,” he said to both before fixing his eyes on Alina. “But no, Alina. I can't, I won't, let you become a bounty hunter or … or a mercenary. I won't put you through the pain and suffering that I had to go through.”

“You taught me!” Alina stood up in anger as well. “You taught me how to fight, how to kill! Why would you do that if you won't let me-”

“I taught you how to defend yourself! To protect yourself and the people around you! Not to become a glorified butcher!” Jason replied in equal rage.

“Enough, you two!” Selena stood up and said. Though her voice was lower than theirs, her authority was prominent, forcing them into silence. “Jason, no offense, but don't preach what you can't follow. It's obvious that she would follow your footsteps and considering that you raised her, it shouldn't come as a surprise. And Ms. Alina, please reconsider. Killing is not as exciting as it sounds. And make no mistake, should you choose that profession, you will have to kill.”

Jason turned away while placing both his hands on his head while Alina looked the opposite direction, both had literal steam coming out of their heads.

“There's no point in arguing,” Selena continued in a neutral voice. “Jason, she won't make an immediate decision. Isn't that right, Ms. Alina?”

“It's just Alina,” Alina said while nodding and Jason have a noncommittal grunt. “And you're right I won't make a decision until I turn eighteen.”

“There. That settles it,” Selena said while clapping her hands. “So, back to the matter at hand. Why did you come here, Jason?”

Jason hesitated for a moment. He looked at Alina cautiously before biting his lower lips.

“I need a new suit,” he finally said through gritted teeth.

“Ah,” Selena realized why Jason didn't want to discuss this. Right after denying Alina's dream to become like him, Jason was asking for armor and equipment which was hypocritical, to say the least.

“Do as I say, not as I do,” muttered Alina scathingly. Jason who heard her looked as though he was constipated as he raised a finger before putting it down. He was defeated, unable to say anything in response to her comment.

“Right. Well then, follow me,” Selena said while gesturing at them with a finger. The two followed her to the private elevator that they entered from previously. Jason raised a hand and was about to tell Alina to wait but both the latter and Selena glared at him, causing him to fall silent.

***

Emily opened her eyes and groaned as she lifted herself up. Seeing the luxurious room she was sleeping in surprised her for a moment before she removed the needle connected to the IV bag. Groaning in pain again, she sat up and pulled the robe aside to check her wounds which were bandaged.

Oh right, I remember now, She thought. There was a fight, then-

The scene of the explosion, the ringing that nearly shattered her eardrums, and pain of shrapnel piercing her overwhelmed her mind as she held her head which felt like it was being rattled. A light green glow surrounded both her hands, helping her calm down.

This … this is my ability! Emily looked at her hands on shock when she noticed the glow. I leveled up? I'm a level one now.

Emily closed her eyes and focused on the internal injuries that she had. She willed the green energy to flow downwards and focused on healing herself.

If only I was stronger … She thought. Strength, what I need is to be stronger! But how? How can I … be like them? Like her?

Emily thought of her friends, especially Alina, and a pang of helplessness stabbed her. She didn't want to feel jealous, and she admired Alina for being strong. But she desperately felt the need to be stronger, not to protect others, but to fill that empty void inside her.

Wait, Thought Emily as she paused her healing. There is way … but …

Emily pictured all the hardships that occurred to her since she was born. Flashes of how her birth parents abandoned her, how she was sent to foster care, into a crumbling family, the bullying, and awful attraction that her beautiful but powerless face brought her. Emily's hand tightened into fists as her eyes gleamed with determination. To her, there was only one path.

It doesn't matter what happens. I need to get stronger, An image of a Jason smiling flashed through her eyes. So that they- no, so I can accept myself.

***

“So … why didn't you just go down here in the first place?” Alina asked after a few tense minutes of waiting on the elevator which seemed to go on endlessly.

“Probably because he knew I wouldn't let him go this time,” Selena smirked as she answered. “Good call, by the way. If you did go down, there’d be hell waiting.”

The elevator stopped and the door opened revealing a dimly lit room that was the size of the entire floor. Several prototypes of fighter jets and ground vehicles were placed in a corner with a tarmac lying over it. Beyond it was a firing range with several weapons arranged nearly in a drawer. Opposite of the garage were several displays full of armor and equipment and just before that stood a fully operational AKEERA, an exo-mech that was over ten feet tall.

“Whoa,” Alina said as she took a step forward. She turned around while looking everywhere, her eyes glowing with awe as she took in the room. “This is cool. It's like the bat-”

“Don't say it,” Jason said with a raised hand covering his face. “It's embarrassing enough that it's a lair.”

Alina ignored him and started running around, touching everything as she did. Luckily, most weapons were locked so she couldn't fire them.

“Hey! See see, no touch!” Jason yelled at her when he saw her grabbing a pair of vibrational katanas and swinging them around while making Kung Fu noises.

“Look at her, she's like a kid during Christmas!” Selena smiled wryly when she how Alina was reacting.

“That's what I'm worried about,” Jason said as he looked at Alina fondly. “I wanted to bring her here knowing she'd like it here. But if I knew she wanted to be a merc …”

“There's nothing you can do if that's what she decides to pursue,” Selena guided him to the armory as she spoke. “All you can do is guide her and pray for the best. Besides, like I said before; you raised her. What did you expect?”

“What are you trying to say, Selena?” asked Jason with narrowed eyes. He knew what she meant but he wanted to hear her say it.

“That maybe you weren’t the right person to raise a kid?” Selena answered bluntly. “Face it, Jason. Your life was never normal. And trying to raise a kid wouldn’t change that.”

“That is not why I took her in,” Jason said in a low voice. He turned to look at Alina while he spoke, making sure she couldn’t hear them. “I promised Diana- hm...”

Jason stopped with a grimace and looked down as Selena sent him a sharp glare.

“I promised Madam Sage that I would take care of her,” Jason finished.

“Sounds like you had a complicated story with the Sages,” Selena said stiffly, her expression impeccably hard to read. “But I digress. As I said before, this is her decision. If she decides to be a mercenary then I will fully support her … and I expect you to do the same.”

Jason grunted in disagreement but said nothing. The two walked up to a box and Selena pressed her thumb at an opening at the side of the top. After the box identified her DNA sequence, it prompted for Jason's, who touched the other corner of the box. The box opened itself, turning and unfolding into a three sectional display, each with a layer of equipment.

“Now then, the new armor,” Selena explained expertly. “The under-armor is the first of its kind. It's made of hydrogel created with the same structure as a lobster's membrane and reinforced with borophyne, meaning it's flexible but tough.” [1]

Selena knocked on the armor that looked like a second skin.

“It's also reinforced with spider silk that's threaded into a graphyne based nanotube which is gathered together and weaved into chainmail. That's what makes it look like fish scales, hence the dragon-like scales all around it,” Selena proudly continued as she handed it to Jason. “All in all, not even a mortar shell can pierce this armor but whether the flesh inside can survive such an impact and the shockwave along with it? Hah, that's another story all together.”

“I'm impressed,” said Jason with raised eyebrows. “This is decades ahead of its time.”

“Yep, and it's all thanks to you,” Selena said. “Now the armor pieces. The chest is a complete plate so it's not flexible, but it's made from solid carbyne and reinforced with dragonite metal; it'll handle anything you throw at it and unlike, the under-armor, it can absorb the impact of a tank round without pureeing your insides.”

Selena then pointed at the shoulder plates. “These pauldrons have two pivoting grapple launchers that are connected to a harness inside the plate armor. And no, it's not some ridiculous grapple gun.”

“What's wrong with a grapple gun?” Asked Jason, offended at her scoffs.

“Hmm, let's see,” Selena pretended to think while rolling her eyes. “First, you'd dislocate your shoulder if you tried to lift yourself up with no harness with the G's and the speed of climb rate your arm would experience. And if you want to use a gun design safely, you'd still need to attach the cable to your harness. In other words, more unnecessary movements that this baby here eliminates.

“It's can shoot at 270° all-round: 90° vertically, 180° horizontally, and anything in-between that. Originally, it was designed for military use. A soldier could launch the pivot grapple by aiming with his helmet and pressing a special trigger. They could zip up a wall or building while aiming and shooting a rifle. Basically, it'll get you up in the air handsfree. Useful for someone like you who always has his hands full.”

“Yes, that's a, uh, ‘handy’ feature,” Jason said jokingly while Selena smirked. “I'm assuming there's a button for this launcher?”

“Usually, yes. But I designed this one with your telekinesis in mind so it'll be faster than pointing from your helmet and firing,” Selena explained and Jason nodded. “Just use your mind to move it and press this little trigger here.

“Now, my favorite part,” Selena pulled out the gauntlets and boots. “Notice anything interesting?”

Jason took the gauntlet in his hand and turned out around. The outer facing part of the gauntlet had a blade near the wrist that curved outward.

“This blade helps for deflecting melee attacks?” Jason suggested.

“Move your hands away from the sides,” Selena grinned while instructing Jason, who did what she said. “Now press that small groove on the opposite side.”

As soon as Jason pushed it, the blades shot out and rotated a full 180°, the curved blades stuck out of elbow region.

“Oh? This'll make my attacks more lethal,” Jason commented with admiration. Alina who saw what the two were doing, approached them in time to see this. She gasped with awe and looked at the gauntlet lovingly.

“The boots have the same feature, making your kicks and knee attacks just as lethal as the elbow. Also, if you're in a bind, you can shoot the elbow and knee blades. The only downside to this is that they're only accurate in short distances. If the enemy is too far out the trajectory of the blade might change due to them being curved,” Selena explained while activating the knee and toe blades. “And that's not all.”

“There's more?!” Alina asked with surprise. “You trying to make my brother into Ultraman?!”

“The gauntlets have two small nozzles that are packed for a flamethrower and a freezesprayer,” Selena said. “You can also change the compressed containers to hold anything. So, poison or sleeping powder works too.”

“Oh great, now he's a Mandalorian,” Alina muttered and Jason winked at her.

“Anything else?” Jason asked, ignoring the rest of Alina's mutterings.

“Just the helmet,” Selena said while grinning. “You'll love it.”

Selena pulled out a ferocious helmet from the display and handed it to Jason. The upper part of the helmet looked like any other superheroes mask. The bottom half, however, was a breather shaped like a wolf's snarling jaw. The silver teeth-like exterior that covered the jaw from one side to the other made the helmet look more feral.

“The eyes are holographic, made to scare anyone who looks into it with those strange eye thingy. Don't ask I'm tired,” Selena waved her hand at Jason's raised eyebrows. “There's a built-in sniffer in the breather, it detects any scent in the air such as explosives. Not to mention, there's also enhanced audio sensors at the side to help your sensitive ears.”

“What do you mean?” Jason asked.

“Your inhuman hearing abilities are impressive, you could hear a fly buzzing from a kilometer with little focus. But that's also a disadvantage, especially since you can't control what you hear,” Selena explained. “So a sonic grenade or a simple background noise can hinder your hearing. But these audio sensors can help you filter what you'd like to hear. Of course, such a complicated task requires an advanced algorithm to operate it and that's where your AI comes in.

“The helmet has a direct connection to your AI,” Selena added as Jason placed the helmet on. “She also controls the HUD that's connected to your holo-lens.”

“Hmm, how do I look?” Jason's gravel voice was distorted by a modulator, sounding more animalistic with a low electronic echo that made his voice growl.

“Feral and … murderous. Like Fenrir,” Selena said as she looked away, the cold blue eyes looked much more frightening now that Jason put it on.

God, what have I created, Selena sighed as she listened to Jason chuckling, his distorted laugh promising to haunt her dreams tonight.

[1] Better, stronger version of borophene, new material recently created. Considering the fact that they found graphene then made a better version called graphyne, I wouldn’t be surprised if they created borophyne years later.