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Seeing that old Gary was about to launch into another long rant, Henry quickly cut him off.
"Hey," he said, "why don't you come over for dinner tonight? I've got to clean the place and pick up some groceries. This evening, you can fill me in on what's been happening around L.A. this past year."
Gary thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, we'll talk tonight."
"Tonight it is," Henry replied with a nod.
Once his flamboyant landlord had finally left, Henry rolled up his sleeves and began cleaning.
Despite spending over a year traveling the world as Audrey Hepburn's assistant, Henry had occasionally snuck back to Los Angeles. When he did, he'd tidy up the apartment and upload data or programs online under his hacker alias—CK.
The computer he'd taken to Switzerland was his first build: a Stark i486 with an old-fashioned CRT monitor.
One reason he'd never given up this rental apartment was that his self-built, server-grade computer setup needed a place to stay. Aside from the sound system, it was the heaviest and most important equipment he owned.
It wasn't a supercomputer funded by some corporate giant, but Henry had faith in his machine. In raw performance, it was generations ahead of anything commercially available—easily powerful enough to last well into the next century.
This hand-built system was designed as a prototype environment for his own ecosystem—a platform for multitasking, experimentation, and development. It had four CPUs installed, with room to expand.
The hardware side was easy; Henry just followed the known trajectory of future tech and reverse-engineered what he needed. When he hit a bottleneck, he planned to tackle quantum computing. There was no rush—this was all groundwork for later.
The software side, however, was where the real magic lay.
Ever since Apple's Lisa in 1982 had introduced the graphical window interface, Apple had managed to survive against IBM's brute-force dominance. Then in 1992, Microsoft released Windows 3.1, running on top of DOS.
And in just two years, Windows 95 would completely change the face of personal computing—ushering in a new era of accessibility.
Henry had no intention of competing for that massive market windfall.
Because the truth was, no product ever succeeded simply because one genius came up with a clever little idea and sat back to collect checks.
Behind every success were unseen forces—investors, politics, competition, and predators waiting to take their share. To survive among wolves, you needed more than genius; you needed strategy.
As Edison had said, "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."
And that "perspiration" didn't mean sweating over experiments like some fairy tale for schoolchildren. It meant building connections, negotiating in boardrooms, defending patents in court—the real kind of work that separated the powerful from the dreamers.
Only teachers told the feel-good version: "Edison tested a thousand materials before finding tungsten for the lightbulb filament."
That was the bedtime story. The truth was, the powerful preferred people to keep believing such tales—so they'd stay satisfied with small cleverness, never daring to challenge the system.
Hence the old line: "If you're gold, you'll shine eventually."
What it really meant was: "Maybe next lifetime, kid."
But here's the thing—this was the Marvel Universe, full of mutants, aliens, and superpowered maniacs.
So why should a Kryptonian waste time playing mind games with bankers and tech tycoons in Silicon Valley or Wall Street?
Playing an extra in Hollywood at least had some charm—it could be called "life experience." But fighting over stocks and patents with Wall Street sharks? He'd rather rob a bank; at least that'd be more honest.
Instead, Henry had another plan:
He wanted to push forward the Linux graphical interface, making it user-friendly years ahead of schedule. He'd optimize it for low-performance hardware, making Linux accessible to ordinary users.
In short, he wanted to break the system.
And why? Simple—because it fit CK's image: the mysterious, altruistic hacker who never showed his face but changed the world.
Would that sabotage the profit plans of countless up-and-coming tech corporations? Absolutely.
Did Henry care? Not in the slightest.
Keeping the peace wasn't his job. Maintaining the system wasn't his responsibility.
The fact that he wasn't using his hacking skills for chaos was something the world should already be grateful for.
Still… even with his super-speed, cleaning was boring. And since technology was meant to make life easier, maybe it was time to develop a household robot or two.
He could raid a junkyard for parts and materials, then process them using Kryptonian-level engineering. After all, that's how he'd built his server in the first place.
It wouldn't need advanced AI—just basic automation. Like a Roomba, but more capable. No need for humanoid designs or dancing robots—just something simple that could handle chores while he was away.
Then, his ultimate goal could be achieved:
> For a Kryptonian to live the perfect slacker's life.
Admittedly, that goal sounded ridiculous. But Henry didn't think achieving it would be hard.
What he didn't have, however, was a clear plan for his day-to-day life now.
And as he reflected, he realized there was one lingering regret—something he'd learned during his time with Audrey Hepburn:
Even Kryptonian strength couldn't defeat death.
He could save lives from accidents or attacks if he acted quickly enough—but against illness and aging, he was powerless.
He hadn't watched Audrey slowly grow old, but he had seen her decline from health to sickness, and finally to death.
That was a process even he couldn't stop.
So… should he study medicine?
He already possessed immense theoretical knowledge, but no clinical experience. To attend medical school, he'd need to earn the equivalent credentials—go through years of study, internship, residency…
By the time he became a specialist, he'd basically have relived a mortal's working life—all over again.
Too much time wasted. And it wasn't what he wanted.
Still… was there a shortcut?
That question began to form quietly in Henry's mind.
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