The apartment was silent. Empty. Mike was sitting on the couch, wearing a pair of jeans and a hoodie, no mask or suit. Just him and holographic displays covering the walls.
The displays showed blueprints for all his past scenarios and a wall of all his creations, along with others he hadn't quite finished yet. In their infant stage.
His room was bland and boring, with no decorations or photos. No shelves filled with books, just the bare minimum, like a hotel room.
Mike stared at the displays with his mind elsewhere. He thought about his life since he was transported into this world and all his friends and loved ones in a different universe. The Mike in this real world had no connections.
His only real connection as Mike was the barista at his SunBucks. He would enter, she would smile and ask about his day, and then leave with his coffee. He didn't know her name, and he didn't need to know. Hawkgirl was a technicality; she usually spent the entire time trying to arrest him, and she was more of a connection to Sophist, not Mike.
His mind drifted to Satanna, not in the romantic sense but to their time spent together. He liked being around her; she filled the empty space in his life in a way.
Now she was gone, back to her new sanctuary. He had no reason to visit; their partnership came to an end, and she had no need to terrorise again. So now he was alone again.
He stood and moved towards the holographic displays, pulling up Hawkgirl's files with a gesture. Five months of data and work appeared on the screens.
She passed his final exam and was now stronger than ever and no longer depressed. That was something not involved in his plans but was a nice little bonus, though he knew it would complicate things. How would she react to a supervillain giving her advice and the will to live when he comes back with another scheme?
He should've felt satisfaction with his achievement and pride in his well-executed plan, but all he felt was nothing. Just absence and an empty apartment.
Reality rippled, and Mike didn't even flinch; he already knew who it was.
The being appeared and occupied the space behind him. "Hawkgirl was a success."
"Yes, she was," he replied, still staring at his files.
The being paused. "What are you going to do now?"
"I've been thinking about Martian Manhunter," Mike said, his fingers moving across the displays and pulling up new files.
The being tilted its head. Mike presumed it was his way of showing curiosity. It was hard to use body language on what was an entity engulfed with black smoke all the time.
"J'onn J'onzz, better known as Martian Manhunter. He believes he's the last Martian alive, the only one to survive the mass genocide. The issue is that he's a telepath. Can't exactly play the villain when the hero can read your mind and hear you think about your real intentions. His ability to phase through matter is also a pain in the ass to plan against. He may not have had a big comic run like Batman or Superman, but that bastard has cheat-level abilities. I still can't find a way to stop him from getting inside my head, so I'll have to plan for someone else instead." He gestured at the data, turning to face the being every now and then.
The being stayed silent for a while. "I can help. Complete mental immunity. No mind reading. No messing with your head. Permanently. That'll help you deal with Martian Manhunter, correct?" The being offered.
Mike's expression didn't change, but his posture shifted, showing interest. "What's the cost?"
The being's form flickered. "Plausibility. Every dimension has rules. Structure. Intervention, however, is possible at times, but to give you complete mental immunity strains the plausibility of this universe."
"Meaning?"
"I will be unable to assist you in any way for around a year. After this you will be completely alone, while the plausibility is given time to recover, like a wound. If we strain it too much, the entire reality will collapse, and if I'm in it when such an event occurs, even I will cease to exist; you'll be alone," the being replied.
Mike didn't answer immediately. He turned back to the displays and stared at the displays, concepts for scenarios written down but not yet fully complete.
His next project. More time spent alone in this apartment planning his scenarios. Alone, again.
"Figures," he muttered. It wasn't an answer, just acknowledgement of what would happen next.
"I need time to think about it," he said.
The being inclined his head. "Take your time, but understand I can't intervene mid-operation, and it'll take time to make sure what we do cracks the plausibility."
"I understand," Mike replied.
The being faded away; Mike now sat alone again. He remained there for an hour, just sitting and thinking. He stood and went towards the display, creating a new file titled TARGET 2: MARTIAN MANHUNTER.
He started to gather data, taking small breaks. Just looking at his empty apartment. Hoping that maybe his family would walk through the door or even a friend. Just someone he could talk to about all the weight and burdens he now carried, besides an entity who holds no understanding of his mere mortal emotions.
His next target was now chosen, and Mike started to type out plans for his scenarios, the screen reflecting in his eyes. Mike was alone again, spending all his time planning for heroes who kept trying to send him to prison without knowing the reason behind it all.
Mike couldn't help but be curious as to what this almighty threat would be.
ANOTHER DIMENSION
Derek Dick woke up in Gotham City with a blue screen glowing in infront of him.
[WELCOME TO THE OMNI-SYSTEM]
[QUEST UNLOCKED: FIRST STEPS]
[REWARD: +5 EVERY STAT, $10,000]
He'd spent most of his life reading novels with this exact premise. Isekai. Transmigration. He'd died in a car accident, run over by a truck while running away from someone's boyfriend. He was caught taking pictures up her skirt. Now he was in another universe with a system that would make him unstoppable.
Not just a random world, but a DC universe. Derek laughed; the sound echoed through his apartment. It was perfect. Every woman he read about was now real. He could finally build his harem and gain god-like strength and be mega-rich.
Derek smiled. So many women to conquer. They weren't real anyway, more like NPCs in his story. Only the main character gained a system anyway, and it had chosen him.
To him the game had just begun.