The Axiom cycled through another simulated morning, soft sunlight blooming across the artificial dome sky.
But Denji barely noticed.
He had work to do.
---
The Pioneer Initiative
In the early decades after humanity left Earth, Buy n Large established a rarely-used protocol called the 'Pioneer Initiative'. It was a fallback measure—a bureaucratic remnant for those brave or foolish enough to consider returning to the homeworld.
With time, the initiative faded into myth—overshadowed by consumerism and digital escapism.
Denji had scoured through archives, legal memos, and BNL documentation during his system's cooldown periods. The role was still valid, albeit buried under layers of forgotten permissions.
To qualify as a Pioneer, one had to:
1. Be of legal age (16+).
2. Submit a formal application to the captain.
3. Demonstrate mental stability and purpose.
4. Undergo equipment and mission briefing.
Upon approval, the Pioneer would receive:
A compact one-person lander pod with reentry shielding.
A standard-issue Compact energy rifles, EMP batons (non-lethal and lethal settings).
A multipurpose survival suit (environment-adaptive).
Basic food printer with 30-day nutrient cartridges.
One EVE-type Survey Bot for scouting and sample analysis.
One M-O class Maintenance Bot for cleaning and repairs.
It was a stripped-down kit. Just enough to explore, but it could lead to issues the longer they remained on Earth, especially with the growing needs of the players.
But Denji had his own plans.
The players entering through the Morphogenetic Field would experience this world via consciousness avatars. And just like any game, they'd want freedom, immersion... and media.
Denji had once agonized over how to transfer audio-visual data between worlds. Recording through consciousness projection wasn't straightforward.
After testing dozens of ideas, he settled on this:
The VM Watch.
Short for Vital Monitor, the VM was a wearable device provided via a sign-in reward. Originally designed to track player vitals in high-combat simulations, Denji had reprogrammed its features.
Now it served as:
A personal UI panel
A status display for health/stats
A navigation device
A Scanner
A high-res camera
Players could use it to take screenshots, record short video logs, and even upload gameplay clips.
The catch?
Media files could only be uploaded via: Spawn Point Uplink Terminals in there player Personal Pods.
Once uploaded, players on Earth could log in to the official game page and download their captured footage.
As for livestreaming, that was far trickier.
The solution?
Special Contact Lenses.
A premium reward designed only for the first beta testers.
Each lens contained a miniaturized relay core that could transmit data via the consciousness channel in real time, syncing with a secondary relay hub on Denji's Verse Computer.
It wasn't scalable—not yet.
Future players would need to buy the lenses in the game shop using in-game currency.
But the idea was simple: reward early adopters. Let them become influencers. Word-of-mouth marketing from another dimension.
And as for the last piece of beginner gear?
The Axiom Suit.
A customized version of the red-and-blue leisure suits every passenger wore. Denji had tweaked it into a standard-issue starter outfit:
Black base with soft carbon mesh fibers.
Auto-adjusting temperature regulation.
Padded for mild impacts.
Pockets for VM and lenses.
_______
One month after initializing the clone pod, Denji lay half-asleep on his bed when a distinct BEEP echoed from his holotab.
[Clone Pod 01 - Maturation Complete. Subject Ready for Extraction.]
Denji sat up immediately, eyes narrowing. "So... he's ready."
He slid out of bed and walked briskly across the lab, which had fully replaced the original living quarters. Monitors lined the walls, blinking with vitals, data logs, and projections. Cables snaked across the floor. At the center stood the Clone Pod—tall, sleek, filled with softly glowing nutrient gel.
Inside, suspended like a relic in amber, was a young man.
Blonde hair floated around a sharply defined face. His build was athletic but not exaggerated, proportioned like a well-trained soldier in his late teens.
Denji tapped on the display beside the pod and read the DNA profile summary.
"Looks like the combination of those genes really made him, huh..."
The clone's physical template had been assembled using high-quality genome samples pulled from the ship's Family Kiosk archives. Those kiosks—usually used by couples wishing to start a family—ran deep diagnostic algorithms to identify the healthiest, most compatible genetic combinations. All embryos underwent rigorous screening for disorders, defects, and instability.
Denji had gamed the system.
He'd cross-referenced gene profiles that aligned with a memory—someone iconic.
Captain America.
Of course, the result wasn't an exact match. He wasn't building a Hollywood doppelgänger. But the physical similarity was uncanny. Clean-cut. Strong jaw. Broad shoulders. The symbol of leadership, courage, and resolve that he needed for a soldier.
"You will now be named Steve Rogers," Denji murmured, a smirk tugging at his lips.
He waved toward the corner, where a squat, boxy robot stood waiting.
It looked old—part janitor, part nursebot. It had once cared for Denji during his early years aboard the Axiom.
"Inject the sleep serum," Denji instructed. "Move him to the surgical table in Lab Sector 2."
The robot beeped in acknowledgment. A retractable injector hissed as it sedated the clone, and mechanical arms carefully extracted the body from the pod. Still unconscious, the clone was laid on the surgical table, wires snaking from the ceiling to connect to the monitors.
Denji moved quickly, rolling in the prep cart.
Neuralink first.
Then the chips.
Each neural memory chip was marked and categorized. Skills, knowledge, personality frameworks.
He selected:
Tactical Combat Memory v2.1
Military Leadership Protocols
Moral Decision-Making: Heroic Mode
First Aid & Field Triage
Hand-to-Hand Combat: Multiple Styles
Loyalty Binding Sequence (personalized)
There was even a chip based on Denji's own curated data: a psychological personality overlay modeled after his interpretation of Captain America across comics and cinema.
He placed the chips into the port beside the Neuralink core, letting the system compile them into a single pulse pattern. Then, using a surgical tool provided by the system three weeks earlier, he began the delicate implant process.
Wires snaked into the clone's brain. The implants integrated seamlessly.
Once done, Denji stepped back and let out a breath.
"Man... I feel like a mad scientist creating a Frankenstein."
But there was pride too.
The clone would remain unconscious for several days, possibly longer. The mind needed time to integrate and personalize the foreign data. Memory rejection was rare with system-approved chips, but Denji didn't want to rush it.
While he waited, he opened his system.
[Sign-In Available]
"Let's see what you've got for me today..."
[Sign-In Successful.]
[Reward: Blueprint - J.A.R.V.I.S AI Core (Marvel Universe)]
Denji blinked.
Then grinned.
It was happening. Piece by piece.