What are the changes in Supergirl? The DEO part of SHIELD? Will any of the changes actually matter to the story?
Bronze Mettle (MCU/DC SI)
- Thread starter Xavier Bronze
- Start date
Xavier Bronze
The Avatar
- Location
- Metropolis
1) Mostly compatibility stuff. All the major backstory events are the same. 2) SHIELD is United Nations. DEO is United States. ARGUS and the ATCU are branches of the DEO. 3) Depends on how long the story goes on, and where it goes. But probably.
Harold Rossou: Interlude
Xavier Bronze
The Avatar
- Location
- Metropolis
Harold Rossou: Interlude
"What are they talking about?"
My partner rolls his eyes at me, "Knock it off, Harry. If Coulson wants us to leave her alone, we leave her alone. She won't try to pull anything with Barton there. She wouldn't try to pull anything anyway. You know that."
I squint to try and get a better view of Coulson's lips, "You give her too much slack."
"And you need to get that stick looked at. Can't be healthy for your ass."
The girl, Jane, asks, "'Harry'? I thought his name was Ike?"
I give a frustrated groan while she listens to 'Mike', "She calls us Mike and Ike. Not sure why, exactly. But whenever she does or says something we don't understand we usually just assume it's an Earth Prime thing."
I can't make out what they're saying. Something about a Phoenix? Coulson is doing that thing he does whenever he doesn't want to laugh at his own joke. Why would they be talking about mythical fire birds?
Jane asks, "Have you done any tests on her to see if she's different from the people in our universe? A deep molecular tissue scan, maybe? Have you checked vibrational frequency? There could be a quantum foam residue depending on the-"
My partner shuts her up, thank goodness, "Look, we're not scientists. We're operatives. I hit things until they stop killing people. Harold's an investigator. We don't know what tests they've done or not, but I do know that they haven't found any biological or genetic difference between her and your average Joe. Nothing about her being from another Earth and nothing about her fire."
Oh come on, man. Just because we know they know doesn't mean you can let them know that we know, or let them know that we know that they know! That's a rookie mistake.
The old man speaks, "She's one of them. Like the Hulk. An enhanced human."
I can hear my partner sweating. So much for his carefree attitude about protocol, "I'm not at liberty to discuss-"
The girl interrupts him "-I know they exist. I've known my whole life. My grandfather fought Hydra in World War 2. I've heard the stories."
Hydra! I saw Barton say Hydra! Phoenix and Hydra? Why are they talking about Greek mythology?
"...Yeah. Okay. She's a super. We don't know how she got that way, but yeah." That's a big stack of paperwork you just earned yourself, man. "Was your grandad a Howling Commando? You must have grown up on stories of Captain America vs the Red Skull."
...Well now they're just talking about Harry Potter. Oh fine, it's probably nothing. I sigh and rub my eyes as I turn back to our circle of outcasts.
"He actually never technically enlisted. His job took him overseas a lot, and he sort of happened across a Nazi operation. The details from there are a little fuzzy, but he came back, and they didn't."
My partner gives a hearty laugh, "Well shit, if your grandad did that that makes him a hero in my book."
Doctor Selvig reminiscences, "I met him a few times. I'm something of a family friend. He was always the biggest man in the room, even at age 85. He was best in his field."
I ask, genuinely curious, "Was he a hitman?"
My partner hits me upside the head, "What's wrong with you? Why would you ask that?"
Ow. I rub the stars off the back of my head, "What? I wanted to know! It's not like we can arrest him!"
He shakes his head and chuckles, "Leave the man alone! Whatever Xav's been doing, she's done now. Come on."
I look back over and see Xavier waving us back over to the picnic. We all start heading back to finish our holiday.
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Chloe Sullivan
Subdefective
- Location
- 1630 Revello Drive, Sunnydale CA
okay i know there is a reference in there but i am missing it.
Xavier Bronze
The Avatar
- Location
- Metropolis
Someone'll get it. Or not. That chapter was pretty much the biggest hint possible without giving it away.
For a second there I thought she was going to say something totally unexpected like her grandad was Captain America or Howard Stark or something like that but then saw Jane and Eric mention that he returned from the war alive and was still around for the both of them to meet fairly regularly decades later.
Could be a DC character from the WW2 era maybe? Was the Justice Society a thing in this universe?
Could be a DC character from the WW2 era maybe? Was the Justice Society a thing in this universe?
Xavier Bronze
The Avatar
- Location
- Metropolis
Not publicly. Hourman showing up in the finale of Legends of Tomorrow means they do exist. Whether that's in the future, on another Earth, or just in secret, Alex hasn't decided yet. So, yes, but pretty much no. That's not where Jane's heroic heritage is from. Good guess, though.
Xavier Bronze
The Avatar
- Location
- Metropolis
If she were Steve Trevor's daughter she'd be like 70. If she were Diana's daughter she would've been part god, and Thor would've noticed.
Not completely unrelatedly, the next chapter is the last filler before the next Arrival kicks off a new arc. If you get sick of speculating about Jane you can guess where the next arc is gonna be. It's somewhere that's been mentioned a lot.
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The Envoy
Xavier Bronze
The Avatar
- Location
- Metropolis
In the last few days since the 4th, we established a code for talking about the Order of the Phoenix. Clint told me he brought Natasha into the fold. Coulson recruited Hill. Even if she wasn't supposed to Hill's probably reported to Fury, which means who knows who all knows by now. I've been watching my back, but I know if Hydra knew I'd be dead already.
In my last lesson with Mike, we switched to offensive training. After a few hours of dedicated effort, I eventually actually made him deflect a punch instead of just dodging it. He literally double front-flipped straight over my head at one point, which was a solid reminder that humans are a lot stronger here than back home. I don't know which standard my new body is built to yet. It would suck if I was stuck with Earth Prime muscles. I'm stronger than Alex was, but he wasn't exactly the pinnacle of the human form.
I'm walking through the compound on the way to the shooting range when I see a new vehicle in the hangar. It's a dark violet motorcycle with pink highlights, darn near spotless. Whoever's it is obviously does a lot of upkeep. It's beautiful. I walk over to take a closer look.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. She doesn't like being touched by strangers."
I turn around and see a man around my age with dark hair and a pointy face. He's wearing casual clothes like me, but walks like an agent.
He crosses the room and introduces himself, "Agent Darby. I'm stationed here for the next week while the techies get my next alias in place."
I shake his hand, "Xavier. Consultant."
He nods, "What clearance level?"
I shrug, "Level 1. Selective Level 1. I've only been with SHIELD a few weeks." I've only been in this universe a few weeks.
He smiles, "Level 1 in a few weeks is impressive progress. Either you've done something right or someone likes you."
I laugh, "The second one, definitely. What about you? What's your level?"
He gives a sly eyebrow, "You don't have the clearance to know."
I snap my fingers, "Damn. Forgot about that. Well, if you're high enough you can read my file. But you might want to get high in more ways than one before you do. It's a bit out there."
He leans against his bike, "I live 'out there'. Not much surprises me anymore."
"Bet you ten bucks you're wrong."
He climbs onto the motorcycle and latches his helmet, "I was about to go out for a ride." He tosses me another helmet, "Wanna come?"
I smirk, "I'm probably not supposed to. I'm technically not supposed to know where the base is. Besides, I thought your bike didn't like strangers?"
He shrugs, "She seems to like you alright. And as far as the rules are concerned, I can take full responsibility if you decide to jump off a speeding motorcycle."
He could be Hydra. This could be it. This could be the "accident" they organize for me. Oh, she just fell off. I don't know what happened. She was wearing a helmet. These things happen. Was she important?
But on the other hand, cute boy! ...But that's what Skye thought too. Urgh. All the best ones are either taken, gay, or Hydra. He's pretty clearly hitting on me, which means he's probably not taken, and he's not outwardly gay.
...My fucking libido is gonna be the death of me.
I smile and climb aboard, "Alright then." I don my helmet and wrap my arms around his waist.
And fucking hell is this guy a great driver. He knows this bike inside and out. Turns on a dime in the triple digits. He handles it with such ease, it's almost like he's not even doing anything. The bike just follows his commands. It's amazing. Besides the party a few days ago It's the most fun I've had since I switched Earths.
We get back probably fifteen minutes later. We climb off, and my hair is a mess. He looks at it and chuckles, "Well you should probably get back to whatever it is you were going to."
I nod, "Yeah." Oh wait! "I just got my SHIELD issue phone. It can only call other SHIELD numbers, and a few others I got authorized." Jane, Selvig, "Do you have a SHIELD number?"
He nods and takes out his phone, "Yeah. Right here."
We trade numbers. That makes seven numbers in my directory. I feel popular.
I jokingly salute on my way out, "Agent Darby."
He calls out, "See ya 'round the base."
The next day, an envelope appears at the foot of my door with ten dollars in it.
In my last lesson with Mike, we switched to offensive training. After a few hours of dedicated effort, I eventually actually made him deflect a punch instead of just dodging it. He literally double front-flipped straight over my head at one point, which was a solid reminder that humans are a lot stronger here than back home. I don't know which standard my new body is built to yet. It would suck if I was stuck with Earth Prime muscles. I'm stronger than Alex was, but he wasn't exactly the pinnacle of the human form.
I'm walking through the compound on the way to the shooting range when I see a new vehicle in the hangar. It's a dark violet motorcycle with pink highlights, darn near spotless. Whoever's it is obviously does a lot of upkeep. It's beautiful. I walk over to take a closer look.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. She doesn't like being touched by strangers."
I turn around and see a man around my age with dark hair and a pointy face. He's wearing casual clothes like me, but walks like an agent.
He crosses the room and introduces himself, "Agent Darby. I'm stationed here for the next week while the techies get my next alias in place."
I shake his hand, "Xavier. Consultant."
He nods, "What clearance level?"
I shrug, "Level 1. Selective Level 1. I've only been with SHIELD a few weeks." I've only been in this universe a few weeks.
He smiles, "Level 1 in a few weeks is impressive progress. Either you've done something right or someone likes you."
I laugh, "The second one, definitely. What about you? What's your level?"
He gives a sly eyebrow, "You don't have the clearance to know."
I snap my fingers, "Damn. Forgot about that. Well, if you're high enough you can read my file. But you might want to get high in more ways than one before you do. It's a bit out there."
He leans against his bike, "I live 'out there'. Not much surprises me anymore."
"Bet you ten bucks you're wrong."
He climbs onto the motorcycle and latches his helmet, "I was about to go out for a ride." He tosses me another helmet, "Wanna come?"
I smirk, "I'm probably not supposed to. I'm technically not supposed to know where the base is. Besides, I thought your bike didn't like strangers?"
He shrugs, "She seems to like you alright. And as far as the rules are concerned, I can take full responsibility if you decide to jump off a speeding motorcycle."
He could be Hydra. This could be it. This could be the "accident" they organize for me. Oh, she just fell off. I don't know what happened. She was wearing a helmet. These things happen. Was she important?
But on the other hand, cute boy! ...But that's what Skye thought too. Urgh. All the best ones are either taken, gay, or Hydra. He's pretty clearly hitting on me, which means he's probably not taken, and he's not outwardly gay.
...My fucking libido is gonna be the death of me.
I smile and climb aboard, "Alright then." I don my helmet and wrap my arms around his waist.
And fucking hell is this guy a great driver. He knows this bike inside and out. Turns on a dime in the triple digits. He handles it with such ease, it's almost like he's not even doing anything. The bike just follows his commands. It's amazing. Besides the party a few days ago It's the most fun I've had since I switched Earths.
We get back probably fifteen minutes later. We climb off, and my hair is a mess. He looks at it and chuckles, "Well you should probably get back to whatever it is you were going to."
I nod, "Yeah." Oh wait! "I just got my SHIELD issue phone. It can only call other SHIELD numbers, and a few others I got authorized." Jane, Selvig, "Do you have a SHIELD number?"
He nods and takes out his phone, "Yeah. Right here."
We trade numbers. That makes seven numbers in my directory. I feel popular.
I jokingly salute on my way out, "Agent Darby."
He calls out, "See ya 'round the base."
The next day, an envelope appears at the foot of my door with ten dollars in it.
TheLurker
Random Omnipotent Lazy-As-Fuck Being
- Location
- The space beyond the stars
Travisplo
The Necromonsieur
Ok, is it just me, or is this starting to seem like Judge Mental levels of multicross? Definitely not there yet, but it's starting to creep up in my mind as a possibility.
If Agent Darby's first name is Jack, well, TF Prime would fit, most definitely.
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Xavier Bronze
The Avatar
- Location
- Metropolis
Is there another Darby with a violet and pink motorcycle somewhere in fiction? You guys got it. SI just met her first Robot in Disguise, even if she doesn't know it yet.
To expand on that, Alex wanted something in SI's world that she wouldn't know almost anything about. Which meant something we didn't know when we started writing this thing. So we watched the whole darn thing of Transformers Prime and suffered through the first season of the supposed sequel series Robots in Disguise, so that we'd know the lore well enough to write about it. Prime was fun, at least.
I'll say right now it's not a direct integration of Prime. It's an adaption. For one thing, they aren't called Transformers, or Cybertronians. But Prime is the basis for any knowledge that didn't come straight out of a wiki.
And, when speculating about future crossovers, the general rule is that we're only adapting classic childhood favorites, if not ours, necessarily. All but two are franchises that had a well-known comicbook run. So it all comes from the same place. At least on Earth XSI-1.
Also, it probably won't be central to the plot for a while. I wanted to drop some early hints, and apparently I made them too big. SI's gonna be busy with other stuff for a a few months. And yes, that means I have a plan now. At least until the end of the year. But I wouldn't have introduced it if I didn't think it might go somewhere eventually.
Arrival: Metropolis
Xavier Bronze
The Avatar
- Location
- Metropolis
Everyone's out on assignment. H.O.M.E. looks like a ghost town. Even Mike had to go off and do something, so some other douchebag is taking over alongside Ike as my babysitter for a day or two.
They've had me practicing my fire at an underground shooting range ever since I got here. I can now actually set fire to selective large swaths of floor. So, mildly more useful, I guess. Control is still an issue. And I always get really hungry after an hour or two of training. Not sure why. I can't actually be burning calories.
I'm at the shooting range when my earpiece beeps to let me know I've got incoming orders. I tap to receive and start my way back toward the locker room, "Yeahp. What's up?"
An agent I don't recognize says, "Your file says that Earth Prime had movies and comics about Superman. Do you have outside knowledge on Superman?"
I've read a fair amount about the Man of Steel on this Earth in the past week or so. Debuted in 2002. He stopped conventional crime in Metropolis completely in under a month. Not a small feat for a city across the state line from Gotham. Of course there was outcry, and panic, and all that bad stuff. But after a few months to chill out people realized that Metropolis was better off and shut up. At least, most of them.
He mostly stays in his city. But on occasion, when there's an ongoing situation that gets heavy news coverage, he'll make an appearance and help out. A lot of people accuse him of not working hard enough. A lot of people accuse him of interfering too much. Basic superhero controversy bullshit.
There was a brief scare in 2004, when he showed up at a UN conference. But, turns out they were just discussing an issue he was interested in, and he wanted to watch. So, after clearing it with a few dozen militaries, they let him sit with the press. Since 2008 he's even had a "Krypton" representative's seat that mostly stays empty. But he'll show up if it's something big or important enough, something he's interested in, or something that has to do with him directly.
He doesn't seem nearly as strong as most versions. Even though he looks like Tom Welling, he doesn't have that much in common with the Smallville version either. The most I can find record of him lifting is a 10,000 ton cruise liner, and the fastest he seems to be able to fly is a little over Mach 2. Although, his acceleration seems to be near-instant. As far as toughness, he dodged tank shells one time. So he might be injured by something like that. But there's definitely plenty of accounts of him being bullet and knife-proof.
As far as his alter ego, Clark Kent, born 1979 in Smallville, Kansas. Went to Smallville High and worked for the school paper. Interned at the Daily Planet before moving to Metropolis in 2000 to work there full time. Published his first solo article in 2004, to much success and acclaim. Since then he's been one of the biggest names in journalism, alongside his fiance of three years, Lois Lane. Apparently there's still no date set for the wedding.
But, to answer the call, "Yeah, I do. What'do you need to know?"
"Report to the hangar bay in five minutes."
I finish changing into my SHIELD blues and head over. An older overweight black man meets me at the hangar entrance and walks with me over to a plane, "Do you know Superman's secret identity?"
Well this is interesting. I look at him kind of suspiciously, "Yeah? Do you?"
"It's part of SHIELD's agreement with Superman that we not pursue that information. So no. No SHIELD agent does."
Bull. Shit. Even if they're not supposed to know, they know. There's no way they've let Superman stay anonymous and effectively unsupervised for this long. They just can't have me knowing that they know, "So if you don't have information, and you don't want information, what do you want?"
He walks up onto the plane and I follow, "Superman hasn't been seen for almost 72 hours. If you know who he is, we need you to assess his situation. Your tracker implant has been temporarily disabled." He turns and addresses my agent shadows, "You two are not to put Superman's location or identity in your report, or tell anyone. Even your superiors. To do so would place you strictly and legally under Kryptonian jurisdiction. Superman would be able to do with you as he saw fit."
So we fly to an airfield just outside Metropolis. They take an extra flyaround, but it still only takes a few minutes from takeoff to landing, so it's painfully obvious where H.O.M.E. is. Since I'm not actually representing SHIELD, I change back out of uniform into my civies.
Metropolis is beautiful. It's called the City of Tomorrow, and I can see why. It's a city of juxtaposition. Towering skyscrapers intermixed with suburban-styled houses. The street grid is the straightest and most consistent I've ever seen. But the buildings are as varied as they come. Some take definite international influence. Others are massive archways that stretch over the roads and even over other buildings for several blocks. It's like someone built a brand new city in the 90s, and every five years they've just built another city on top of and around the last one. Many buildings have different architecture for every floor they go up.
It's not hard to find the Daily Planet building. It takes up four blocks and towers over the already impressive city skyline. Not to mention the giant spinning globe on top. It's one of the most memorable buildings in the world, with many people calling it a modern World Wonder.
I walk through the intimidatingly huge and well-decorated lobby, feeling completely outclassed in my red flannel. I ask the front desk, and they say Clark works on the 98th floor. I see a plaque on the wall. This building was built in the 50s? Dang. I step into the elevator and input the floor number via keypad. I guess eventually it gets annoying to have individual buttons for each floor.
The door dings open not two minutes later.
...What? The elevator can't possibly be that fast, can it? I step out and, sure enough, there's a sign telling me I'm on the 98th floor.
After talking to two more desks, I find Clark Kent and Lois Lane's office. As basically the biggest celebrities in the business, they get a lot of nice stuff from the company. It occurs to me that one of the only reasons I've gotten this far into the building is probably because they think Ike and Dike are my bodyguards, which makes me some kind of bigshot too.
Just as I'm thinking that, someone steps between me and the office door, "Can I help you?"
"Yeah, I was looking for Clark Kent?"
The woman tells me, "Mr. Kent is home sick today. But you could make an appointment for Thursday?"
Well he's not doing what he's usually doing when he takes a sick day, "No thanks. Could you tell me his address?"
She frowns and shakes her head, "I'm calling security."
Shit. I didn't think how that might sound. I guess I am kind of stalking him, aren't I.
Ike grabs her arm as she's leaving and flips out his SHIELD badge, "Mam, we're with SHIELD. Do you have his address?"
She looks at the badge and gets all flustered. Ha! You just tried to arrest government agents. She nods quickly and walks around us into the nicest office I've ever seen, "Yes, I can get that for you. Just one minute."
So, another half-hour, and I'm outside an extremely generic and low-key apartment among hundreds of others just like it. I guess job benefits don't necessarily correlate to a high income. Ike and Dike agreed to stay downstairs, so it's just me when I knock on the door.
And Clark Kent answers the door, "Yes?"
And this is Clark Kent. It may sound stupid, but in person it's a pretty compelling disguise. His hair is unkempt. His clothing is too big for him, so he looks slightly overweight. He slumps and shifts on his feet.
And, right now, he's also very obviously actually sick. His eyes are bloodshot. His hands are shaking. He's sweating like a madman, and he's got a box of tissues in one hand.
And he forgot to put on his glasses before coming to the door.
I'm actually kind of worried about this guy now.
I give a little wave, "Hey Superman."
They've had me practicing my fire at an underground shooting range ever since I got here. I can now actually set fire to selective large swaths of floor. So, mildly more useful, I guess. Control is still an issue. And I always get really hungry after an hour or two of training. Not sure why. I can't actually be burning calories.
I'm at the shooting range when my earpiece beeps to let me know I've got incoming orders. I tap to receive and start my way back toward the locker room, "Yeahp. What's up?"
An agent I don't recognize says, "Your file says that Earth Prime had movies and comics about Superman. Do you have outside knowledge on Superman?"
I've read a fair amount about the Man of Steel on this Earth in the past week or so. Debuted in 2002. He stopped conventional crime in Metropolis completely in under a month. Not a small feat for a city across the state line from Gotham. Of course there was outcry, and panic, and all that bad stuff. But after a few months to chill out people realized that Metropolis was better off and shut up. At least, most of them.
He mostly stays in his city. But on occasion, when there's an ongoing situation that gets heavy news coverage, he'll make an appearance and help out. A lot of people accuse him of not working hard enough. A lot of people accuse him of interfering too much. Basic superhero controversy bullshit.
There was a brief scare in 2004, when he showed up at a UN conference. But, turns out they were just discussing an issue he was interested in, and he wanted to watch. So, after clearing it with a few dozen militaries, they let him sit with the press. Since 2008 he's even had a "Krypton" representative's seat that mostly stays empty. But he'll show up if it's something big or important enough, something he's interested in, or something that has to do with him directly.
He doesn't seem nearly as strong as most versions. Even though he looks like Tom Welling, he doesn't have that much in common with the Smallville version either. The most I can find record of him lifting is a 10,000 ton cruise liner, and the fastest he seems to be able to fly is a little over Mach 2. Although, his acceleration seems to be near-instant. As far as toughness, he dodged tank shells one time. So he might be injured by something like that. But there's definitely plenty of accounts of him being bullet and knife-proof.
As far as his alter ego, Clark Kent, born 1979 in Smallville, Kansas. Went to Smallville High and worked for the school paper. Interned at the Daily Planet before moving to Metropolis in 2000 to work there full time. Published his first solo article in 2004, to much success and acclaim. Since then he's been one of the biggest names in journalism, alongside his fiance of three years, Lois Lane. Apparently there's still no date set for the wedding.
But, to answer the call, "Yeah, I do. What'do you need to know?"
"Report to the hangar bay in five minutes."
I finish changing into my SHIELD blues and head over. An older overweight black man meets me at the hangar entrance and walks with me over to a plane, "Do you know Superman's secret identity?"
Well this is interesting. I look at him kind of suspiciously, "Yeah? Do you?"
"It's part of SHIELD's agreement with Superman that we not pursue that information. So no. No SHIELD agent does."
Bull. Shit. Even if they're not supposed to know, they know. There's no way they've let Superman stay anonymous and effectively unsupervised for this long. They just can't have me knowing that they know, "So if you don't have information, and you don't want information, what do you want?"
He walks up onto the plane and I follow, "Superman hasn't been seen for almost 72 hours. If you know who he is, we need you to assess his situation. Your tracker implant has been temporarily disabled." He turns and addresses my agent shadows, "You two are not to put Superman's location or identity in your report, or tell anyone. Even your superiors. To do so would place you strictly and legally under Kryptonian jurisdiction. Superman would be able to do with you as he saw fit."
So we fly to an airfield just outside Metropolis. They take an extra flyaround, but it still only takes a few minutes from takeoff to landing, so it's painfully obvious where H.O.M.E. is. Since I'm not actually representing SHIELD, I change back out of uniform into my civies.
Metropolis is beautiful. It's called the City of Tomorrow, and I can see why. It's a city of juxtaposition. Towering skyscrapers intermixed with suburban-styled houses. The street grid is the straightest and most consistent I've ever seen. But the buildings are as varied as they come. Some take definite international influence. Others are massive archways that stretch over the roads and even over other buildings for several blocks. It's like someone built a brand new city in the 90s, and every five years they've just built another city on top of and around the last one. Many buildings have different architecture for every floor they go up.
It's not hard to find the Daily Planet building. It takes up four blocks and towers over the already impressive city skyline. Not to mention the giant spinning globe on top. It's one of the most memorable buildings in the world, with many people calling it a modern World Wonder.
I walk through the intimidatingly huge and well-decorated lobby, feeling completely outclassed in my red flannel. I ask the front desk, and they say Clark works on the 98th floor. I see a plaque on the wall. This building was built in the 50s? Dang. I step into the elevator and input the floor number via keypad. I guess eventually it gets annoying to have individual buttons for each floor.
The door dings open not two minutes later.
...What? The elevator can't possibly be that fast, can it? I step out and, sure enough, there's a sign telling me I'm on the 98th floor.
After talking to two more desks, I find Clark Kent and Lois Lane's office. As basically the biggest celebrities in the business, they get a lot of nice stuff from the company. It occurs to me that one of the only reasons I've gotten this far into the building is probably because they think Ike and Dike are my bodyguards, which makes me some kind of bigshot too.
Just as I'm thinking that, someone steps between me and the office door, "Can I help you?"
"Yeah, I was looking for Clark Kent?"
The woman tells me, "Mr. Kent is home sick today. But you could make an appointment for Thursday?"
Well he's not doing what he's usually doing when he takes a sick day, "No thanks. Could you tell me his address?"
She frowns and shakes her head, "I'm calling security."
Shit. I didn't think how that might sound. I guess I am kind of stalking him, aren't I.
Ike grabs her arm as she's leaving and flips out his SHIELD badge, "Mam, we're with SHIELD. Do you have his address?"
She looks at the badge and gets all flustered. Ha! You just tried to arrest government agents. She nods quickly and walks around us into the nicest office I've ever seen, "Yes, I can get that for you. Just one minute."
So, another half-hour, and I'm outside an extremely generic and low-key apartment among hundreds of others just like it. I guess job benefits don't necessarily correlate to a high income. Ike and Dike agreed to stay downstairs, so it's just me when I knock on the door.
And Clark Kent answers the door, "Yes?"
And this is Clark Kent. It may sound stupid, but in person it's a pretty compelling disguise. His hair is unkempt. His clothing is too big for him, so he looks slightly overweight. He slumps and shifts on his feet.
And, right now, he's also very obviously actually sick. His eyes are bloodshot. His hands are shaking. He's sweating like a madman, and he's got a box of tissues in one hand.
And he forgot to put on his glasses before coming to the door.
I'm actually kind of worried about this guy now.
I give a little wave, "Hey Superman."
Xavier Bronze
The Avatar
- Location
- Metropolis
You read this far in and still thought SI would be tactful? There was no-one else in the hallway, so no-one knows now who didn't before. All she did was let him know that she knows. In the quickest, simplest, and funniest way possible.
Xavier Bronze
The Avatar
- Location
- Metropolis
Clark's twitch reflexes don't include immediately killing or horribly maiming people who say his name, in or out of costume. For several good reasons. But the biggest is that Superman doesn't kill people. Period. Even if he weren't almost naively ethical, he's smart. He knows how powerful he is. If he abuses that power, he knows the world will turn against him faster than he can say Uncle. So he stays in line. That's why there's been no Sokovia Accords equivalent even after nine years. That's why SHIELD tolerates him as much as they do.
Meet Clark Kent
Xavier Bronze
The Avatar
- Location
- Metropolis
I'm inside the apartment, the door is shut, and his hand is to my throat before I even see he's moved, "Who are you?"
I try my best to stay calm. I run through all the accounts of his heroism in my head. In almost nine years of activity, he's never killed anyone. No missing persons cases. Nothing. The most he's ever done is break the wrist of a serial bomber, and that was an accident. This isn't like Loki. He's not going to hurt me. I just need to make sure he knows that I'm on his side.
I choke out, "You forgot to put on your glasses before you answered the door."
He blurs for a moment, and then he's wearing his glasses and my neck is freed. The threat in his eyes isn't gone, though. We both know he could snap me like a twig if he wanted to. Even if he is shivering in a very unnerving way.
I keep talking, "I'm Xavier Bronze. I know you're Superman. I know you're Clark Kent. I know your father was Jor-El and I know your cousin is Kara Zor-El, or Kara Danvers, here. Your Kryptonian name is Kal-El. And I'm here to help."
"How do you know all that?"
I swallow, "I'm afraid that's classified." His fist tightens, "But as far as I know, no-one else does. You don't have to worry about me telling anyone. The last thing I want is you as my enemy."
He takes a slow step back, expression still deadly serious, if slightly less fearful, "Why are you here?"
"You vanished. People have been wondering where Superman is. I needed to make sure you were okay. It's pretty clear that you're not."
He backs off a little more and sighs, resting against the back of a couch behind him, "I'm sick."
"Have you ever been sick before?"
He shakes his head, "No."
Shit. "Any idea what's causing it?"
He leans his head back, obviously exhausted, "No. I haven't fought anything alien or magical in months. I don't know what it could be. I stopped a meltdown in Dakota City last week, but that shouldn't have had any side-effects." He looks back at me, "Who do you work for anyway? The DEO?"
There's a DEO here. Good to know. "SHIELD"
He stands back up, but I can tell every movement is a strain right now, "I thought we had an agreement. I don't investigate you, you don't investigate me."
"SHIELD doesn't know who you are. I do. I'm a consultant. They called me in because they thought I might be able to contact you. They were right."
Technically true. But misleading. Fury would be proud.
I ask, "What was the last hero work you did before you got sick?"
He shrugs, "I don't know. I saved some miners from a cave-in. I caught someone who jumped off a building, and someone else who jumped off the cliffs. I busted an Intergang cell. The police had me x-ray a building to see if there was a bomb under it. I do a lot."
"Sounds like it." Hmm. That makes things hard. It's basically up to me and Clark to solve this thing. I look around the apartment a little, daring to move for the first time.
And that's when I see the vividly green metal statue of a dragon on a tabletop.
I point to it, "What's that?"
He looks to see what I'm pointing at, "It's a gift, from the Latverian embassy. Lord Dyne gave it to me himself after I did a piece on the environmental cleanup he's been spearheading in eastern Europe and Russia."
Fuck, does he not know? "And it never crossed your mind that it might be Kryptonite?"
He blinks at me, "What's that?"
Fuck! He doesn't know! I walk over and pick up the small statue. It's about a foot tall. But I think it's hollow, because it doesn't weigh very much. Or maybe that's just because it's made of Kryptonite, because that's what this fucking is.
I hold it up, "We need to get this out of here as fast as possible. Can I go do that real quick?"
He starts to stand up, "I'll go with you-"
"No. That defeats the whole point. We need this thing to be far away from you. You… go up to the roof. I'll meet you there in five minutes."
I walk out, and he doesn't stop me. And I know he can. So I go downstairs and give the statue to Ike and Dike before heading up to the roof.
Clark is up there, so I guess he listened. He looks a little peeved though, "What's going on? What was that? And why are we up here?"
"You need to sunbathe to get the toxin out of your system. Take your shirt off."
He looks confused, and still looks annoyed, "How do you know so much about my species?"
I know it's completely reasonable, but I'm getting a little frustrated with his attitude, "I'm the closest thing to a Kryptonian specialist that exists on this planet." It's time to explain, "That statue was Kryptonite. It's a radioactive mineral from your homeworld." His eyes widen in surprise, "I don't know if Doom gave it to you intentionally, or if it was just an accident. But either way, we have to assume from this point on that he knows who you are, and he knows what that stuff can do to you."
He's beginning to understand, "Who's Doom? Why would they want me disabled?"
Oops. Wrong name, "Dyne. Sorry, they call him Doom where I'm from. Victor Dyne. He gave you that, right?"
He nods, "You're saying he gave me the statue to test me. And now he knows that that material weakens me."
"And if he didn't before, now he knows your secret identity too."
...Is he looking at my boob?
Next thing I know I'm flying backwards off my feet. I hear two gunshots, then I fall to the roof again. I see Superman on his knees, and blood pooling below him. A red light flares from the window of a building behind him, and I jump behind an airconditioning unit as cover.
I try my best to stay calm. I run through all the accounts of his heroism in my head. In almost nine years of activity, he's never killed anyone. No missing persons cases. Nothing. The most he's ever done is break the wrist of a serial bomber, and that was an accident. This isn't like Loki. He's not going to hurt me. I just need to make sure he knows that I'm on his side.
I choke out, "You forgot to put on your glasses before you answered the door."
He blurs for a moment, and then he's wearing his glasses and my neck is freed. The threat in his eyes isn't gone, though. We both know he could snap me like a twig if he wanted to. Even if he is shivering in a very unnerving way.
I keep talking, "I'm Xavier Bronze. I know you're Superman. I know you're Clark Kent. I know your father was Jor-El and I know your cousin is Kara Zor-El, or Kara Danvers, here. Your Kryptonian name is Kal-El. And I'm here to help."
"How do you know all that?"
I swallow, "I'm afraid that's classified." His fist tightens, "But as far as I know, no-one else does. You don't have to worry about me telling anyone. The last thing I want is you as my enemy."
He takes a slow step back, expression still deadly serious, if slightly less fearful, "Why are you here?"
"You vanished. People have been wondering where Superman is. I needed to make sure you were okay. It's pretty clear that you're not."
He backs off a little more and sighs, resting against the back of a couch behind him, "I'm sick."
"Have you ever been sick before?"
He shakes his head, "No."
Shit. "Any idea what's causing it?"
He leans his head back, obviously exhausted, "No. I haven't fought anything alien or magical in months. I don't know what it could be. I stopped a meltdown in Dakota City last week, but that shouldn't have had any side-effects." He looks back at me, "Who do you work for anyway? The DEO?"
There's a DEO here. Good to know. "SHIELD"
He stands back up, but I can tell every movement is a strain right now, "I thought we had an agreement. I don't investigate you, you don't investigate me."
"SHIELD doesn't know who you are. I do. I'm a consultant. They called me in because they thought I might be able to contact you. They were right."
Technically true. But misleading. Fury would be proud.
I ask, "What was the last hero work you did before you got sick?"
He shrugs, "I don't know. I saved some miners from a cave-in. I caught someone who jumped off a building, and someone else who jumped off the cliffs. I busted an Intergang cell. The police had me x-ray a building to see if there was a bomb under it. I do a lot."
"Sounds like it." Hmm. That makes things hard. It's basically up to me and Clark to solve this thing. I look around the apartment a little, daring to move for the first time.
And that's when I see the vividly green metal statue of a dragon on a tabletop.
I point to it, "What's that?"
He looks to see what I'm pointing at, "It's a gift, from the Latverian embassy. Lord Dyne gave it to me himself after I did a piece on the environmental cleanup he's been spearheading in eastern Europe and Russia."
Fuck, does he not know? "And it never crossed your mind that it might be Kryptonite?"
He blinks at me, "What's that?"
Fuck! He doesn't know! I walk over and pick up the small statue. It's about a foot tall. But I think it's hollow, because it doesn't weigh very much. Or maybe that's just because it's made of Kryptonite, because that's what this fucking is.
I hold it up, "We need to get this out of here as fast as possible. Can I go do that real quick?"
He starts to stand up, "I'll go with you-"
"No. That defeats the whole point. We need this thing to be far away from you. You… go up to the roof. I'll meet you there in five minutes."
I walk out, and he doesn't stop me. And I know he can. So I go downstairs and give the statue to Ike and Dike before heading up to the roof.
Clark is up there, so I guess he listened. He looks a little peeved though, "What's going on? What was that? And why are we up here?"
"You need to sunbathe to get the toxin out of your system. Take your shirt off."
He looks confused, and still looks annoyed, "How do you know so much about my species?"
I know it's completely reasonable, but I'm getting a little frustrated with his attitude, "I'm the closest thing to a Kryptonian specialist that exists on this planet." It's time to explain, "That statue was Kryptonite. It's a radioactive mineral from your homeworld." His eyes widen in surprise, "I don't know if Doom gave it to you intentionally, or if it was just an accident. But either way, we have to assume from this point on that he knows who you are, and he knows what that stuff can do to you."
He's beginning to understand, "Who's Doom? Why would they want me disabled?"
Oops. Wrong name, "Dyne. Sorry, they call him Doom where I'm from. Victor Dyne. He gave you that, right?"
He nods, "You're saying he gave me the statue to test me. And now he knows that that material weakens me."
"And if he didn't before, now he knows your secret identity too."
...Is he looking at my boob?
Next thing I know I'm flying backwards off my feet. I hear two gunshots, then I fall to the roof again. I see Superman on his knees, and blood pooling below him. A red light flares from the window of a building behind him, and I jump behind an airconditioning unit as cover.
Xavier Bronze
The Avatar
- Location
- Metropolis
How many of you would be interested in a weekly or biweekly Quest that takes place in this setting? It would start at the site of the particle accelerator explosion, Central City, December 2013. You would command an OC that your early choices would help define the personality and powers of. And Alex's world, which let's be honest is why most of you are still here, would be your sandbox, just like it is mine.
That sounds fairly interesting.