Assassins' League Headquarters
Smith Doyle returned directly to the headquarters and headed straight for the lab prepared for Bulma. He found her in the middle of assembling a machine and called out:
"Bulma."
Hearing her name, Bulma paused and turned around, spotting Smith as he entered.
"Smith, big bro!"
"Oh, right! Here's the Dragon Radar you asked me to build—I just finished it."
"I replicated it exactly based on the original version, but without the Dragon Balls in this world, I can't confirm if it actually works."
Smith was impressed by her speed. Still, since the Dragon Balls had just been used to grant a wish, they had turned to stone, meaning the radar couldn't be tested.
Taking the device from her, Smith explained:
"The Dragon Balls have a one-year cooldown. They just granted a wish recently, so they're stone for now and undetectable."
Bulma nodded in understanding.
"Then the radar should be fine. Once the balls recover, it'll be ready to use."
Smith pocketed the device and asked:
"Have you done any research into the healing pods?"
Bulma thought for a moment.
"Healing pod tech is really advanced. A lot of its components aren't from the Earth I know. I'm not sure if this world has the right alternatives."
"As of now, I can't replicate a second one. The materials and tech here are way behind. I can't even find the right tools to buy."
"But John Wick did use it once. His recovery was amazing—even some old, chronic injuries healed. His body's in top condition now."
Smith nodded. It made sense. Bulma was the daughter of the richest company founder in her world—Capsule Corp. She had access to tech the League could only dream of.
Even though Marvel Earth had its share of advanced tech—some companies were loaded with sci-fi-level inventions—the Assassins' League wasn't exactly connected to those resources yet. Wakanda, powered by vibranium, was one of the exceptions, with incredibly advanced tech.
Smith made a mental note: He needed to find a way to get some vibranium from Wakanda. If Bulma got her hands on it, who knew what she might invent? As for other companies, maybe cash could open some doors.
John Wick's recovery didn't surprise him—what he really wondered was whether John's strength might increase even further... and maybe, just maybe, whether he'd be able to sense ki one day.
With that thought, Smith said:
"Since duplicating the pod isn't possible for now, don't focus on that. Instead, compare the tech differences between our two worlds. Figure out what equipment and materials are available here—you'll need them for your experiments anyway."
Bulma nodded.
"I've already started looking into local tech and material science. The gap is pretty big in some areas."
"Oh! And about the gravity chamber you mentioned—I did some digging. Turns out this world has been researching gravity manipulation since the last century."
"Several places even have hypergravity labs using centrifugal force. With the current tech and materials here, building one is definitely possible."
"But the space required isn't small."
"If we're using it for training, this location is way too cramped."
That caught Smith off guard. He hadn't expected Earth to have hypergravity labs since the 1900s—but thinking about it, Howard Stark had already dabbled in anti-gravity tech back then.
Bulma's comments made it clear: if they wanted to build one, they needed more land and money.
"You're right. I'll have Fox get started on buying property and building a proper base."
Bulma gave a satisfied nod but then her eyes lit up.
"Smith, big bro, I want to go explore this world—to see what makes it different from ours!"
She was deeply curious about this strange new Earth, but she'd been stuck inside the Assassins' League base since arriving.
Smith thought for a moment.
"If I have time, I'll go with you."
"Or maybe I can send Pool, Fox, or even John to show you around."
"But we've got a lot going on here too, so you might not be able to go far right now."
Bulma was thrilled. She latched onto his arm and gave it a happy shake.
"That's fine, Smith! I don't need to go far—I just want to see the neighborhood first."
To her, it was bizarre that a single planet had fractured into 193 countries. In her world, one global government ruled everything, dividing the Earth into 43 regions.
---
Elsewhere
Inside a Rolls-Royce en route to a press conference, Tony Stark sat with a curious look on his face.
"Pepper, when you asked Smith Doyle for help... what exactly did you promise him?"
Pepper Potts turned to Tony and calmly replied:
"I agreed to purchase $100 million worth of scientific equipment and materials for them. Here's the list they sent."
She handed over a tablet showing Fox's itemized list. Tony glanced through it—nothing too difficult.
"These are all pretty simple. Just get them delivered ASAP."
Pepper nodded and added:
"I also promised them a batch of weapons. And... access to Stark Industries' weapon supply channels."
Tony blinked.
"Wait—what? The weapons are fine, but access to our supply channels? That's not something we usually hand out—especially for the big toys the military restricts."
"And who the hell is Smith Doyle anyway?"
Pepper paused for a beat, then revealed everything she knew—including that JARVIS had pulled a full report on Smith and stored it on Tony's home computer.
Tony was stunned. This was not what he had expected.
He now understood why Pepper had made those promises. Given Smith's background, those tools—and even weapons—might actually be necessary.
But thinking about his upcoming plans, Tony sighed. He might have to breach the contract and let Smith down.
Still, maybe he could offer a substitute—have Stark Industries act as their exclusive supplier of scientific gear. That might be an acceptable trade.
---
—End of chapter—
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