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Bronze Mettle (MCU/DC SI)

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Earth One
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    • I almost leave it there. But on the other hand... torture.

    "A few of them are about you guys."

    Maria looks entirely unamused, and Clint voices her concern, "If this doesn't start making sense soon-"

    "I'm from another earth. Let's call it Earth Prime. I dropped through a wormhole late last night and found myself here. On this earth. Let's call it Earth 1."

    Agent Hill looks down at the green dot on my chair that says I'm telling the truth, "Another earth."

    I nod, "Yeah. Ever hear of the many worlds hypothesis?"

    She groans, "That's not how the many worlds hypothesis works."

    "Well whatever it is, it's real. I'm from a different earth, and that's how I know what I know."

    Barton asks, "And how exactly does that work?"

    I take a deep breath, "See, on Earth Prime, all the big events on Earth 1 are pieces of fiction."

    Maria sighs, looking once more at the green light "Fiction."

    "Movies and tv shows. I recognized all of you because you look exactly like the actors who played you back on Earth Prime. My friend Alex was a big fan of your movies, and he showed me pretty much all of them. Took me a while to realize where I was, but it helps that we're smack in the middle of one of those movies right now."

    Clint questions further, "And what do you mean by that exactly."

    "I mean there was a movie about someone landing in the desert of New Mexico. They met Jane Foster and Erik Selvig. SHIELD found a hammer that gave off wacko energy readings. The whole shebang. Except in the movie it wasn't me."

    He asks, "Who was it?"

    "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. But that hammer you found is his. If things stay on script a big magic alien robot is due to arrive in the town near here sometime tomorrow, and the guy who was supposed to fight it off isn't here. I have pyrokinetic abilities, and if you help me figure out how to use them, I might be able to beat it. But I can't do you any good strapped into this goddamn chair. So cut me loose and get me a punching bag or at least call in some reinforcements. This thing was forged by the gods, it's pissed off, and if nothing changes it's coming whether you're ready for it or not."

    Ok, so maybe it's not coming. But maybe it is. Considering the circumstances it might be better for me if it is, so that's what I'm gonna tell them. And if I don't think about it too much I can even believe it myself.

    Maria puts her head in her hands, "What reason do we have to believe any of this?"

    I look down at my restraints, "Because this chair seems to think I know my shit. And you know I'm not crazy, because I know Director Nick Fury used to be the Sergeant of an elite group called the Howling Commandos, and that you have in your possession an object called the Tesseract that the Red Skull used to create Nazi superweapons. And I know you're working on the exact same thing, or at least planning on it."

    The two of them look at each other and shuffle on their feet for a bit.

    I look between them, "I could keep going. Tell you about the illegal human enhancement AIM is doing, or the story of how Agent Romanoff was recruited into your service. Where is Romanoff anyway? Is Vanko keeping her busy with his Hammerbots?"

    Maria smirks at me, looking for all the world like she just checkmated Bobbie Fisher, "You don't know as much as you think."

    I meet her eyes, "Maybe so. The movies are a bit vague on some points, and I don't remember them perfectly. But I do know that there's an invasion coming in 2012, and you aren't ready for it. The movies are very fucking clear about some things. The Tesseract isn't a toy, and there's a much bigger, weirder world out there that you just invited to come play. The battle of New York ravages Hell's Kitchen and kills Agent Coulson, even with the efforts of Stark and Banner and a literal divine intervention."

    Hill is obviously thinking very hard about something, "He mentioned what you said about the invasion. He also said you claimed to be artificial."

    "I never said I was artificial. I said I was created. And I was. No parents, no real childhood. It's complicated to explain, and frankly unimportant. I'm here now."

    "You said you have "pyrokinetic abilities"? We ran a blood test. You're human, as far as any of our instruments can tell."

    Time to prove my word, then. I think about how annoying it is that they don't believe me, even though they drugged me and hooked me up to this stupid chair. I think about how they stole all of Jane's equipment, even though she was the best possible person to use it. I think about my friend Jordan, and how I'll never get to talk to her again. And I think about Alex, and how fucking lost he's gonna be without me there to keep him on track.

    Nothing happens. Huh.

    I look back at Agent Hill, "I don't have enough control over it to show you, but you can ask anyone who was at the diner this morning. They all saw it. My hands caught fire and weren't burned at all after. I don't know how it works either."

    Maria nods, "We could do that. Or there's a faster way to check your claim. Agent Barton? If you would."

    She holds out her hand. Barton pulls an arrow out of his quiver that immediately ignites.

    ...Well crap. This is gonna suck.

    Maria takes the arrow and walks back over to me. My hands are locked into a bracer type thing on the armrest, so there's nothing I can do to stop her when she presses the arrow against my skin.

    It hurts. It hurts a fuckton. Fucking hell that hurts! It didn't hurt at all at the diner!

    She takes the arrow away and looks at the severe burn on the back of my hand. I stop screaming. Not sure when I started.

    In between panting breaths I speculate, "I guess I'm only immune to my own fire. Better to learn that now, I guess. Still… Fuck you. That was a dick move. You've already got me on a lie detector. And if your truth serum is finished yet I'm guessing you have me on that too. Besides, who'd make this shit up? It's weird as fuck."

    Maria Hill and Hawkeye are both silent for a few seconds. I'm still recovering from the torture that I thought I had told them everything to avoid. Agent Hill is glaring at the chair's green light again like she can fix reality through intimidation, and Clint… looks a little bored.

    Maria faces me again and states very officially, "We'll be back."

    She gestures and Clint follows her out the door. The mirrored door shuts behind them and…

    There's a god standing three feet from me. And I'm tied to a chair.

    Loki looks at me with utter contempt,

    "Where is my brother?"
     
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    • Uh oh. How well can you bluff the God of Lies and Mischief?
     
    Xavier Bronze said:
    Because I'm reckless and impulsive. Alex is usually the one who talks me out of doing something stupid. SI doesn't have him there anymore, and she's not thinking about the torture. She's thinking about how awesome it is to be a giant living unknown to one of the most knowledgeable people on the planet. Plus, Jane needs a distraction to steal any of her stuff back and this keeps Coulson totally focused on something else.

    Basically it's one of those things that made perfect sense at the time...

    I'm trying to write SI as doing what I would do in the moment. Not the optimized solution based off the quarter-hour I can spend on writing and editing a chapter. Don't want a Strategist Sue, do we? So unless she has hours to think about it too, whatever the first response that pops into my head is, that's what she does.
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    This is shit I see Tattletale of the Wildbow's Worm do. Don't worry if you've never read it. Seriously, that girl mouthed off to the leader of a band of raving murderhobos and got away with a Glasgow smile for her trouble.

    Now you're poking at Coulson, Fury, and Hawkeye combined? You should be dead. This story should have ended by now. This story should be over soon.
     
    Malbutorius said:
    You don't.

    Personally I'd answer "Literally anywhere but here, I'm serious. He could be picking a fight with an alternate version of himself over who gets the last slice of ham."
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    Loki opened his mouth... and closed it as he considered the value of these words. Grudgingly, he conceded the point as though it caused him terrible agony.
     
    Loki: Interlude
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    • Loki: Interlude​

    Thor shouts at our father, "You are an old man and a fool!"

    I keep my smile hidden under the strongest conjuration I can manage. I could have never dreamed that disrupting his coronation would lead to such glorious recompense. Thor's avarice and hubris finally shine too brightly for Odin to ignore.

    Odin responds, "I was a fool. To think you were ready."

    Time to show support for my beloved brother, as is expected of me for my future king, "Father, I-"

    The bellow that comes from the Allfather's mouth makes it clear my words mean still less than I could have hoped. After centuries of boundless praise, my father finally sees Thor for all he is.

    Odin speaks in much more than sound. I can see the words in their true form as they reshape the energies of the universe to fit their will. The breath of life speaks in concert with him, "Thor Odinson, you have betrayed the express command of your king. Through your arrogance and stupidity you've opened these peaceful realms and innocent lives to the horrors and desolation of war!" His staff slides into the centerpiece of the Bifrost and the room around us writhes into action, "You are unworthy of these realms. You are unworthy of your title. You are unworthy!" I see the last word brand onto the bones of Thor's soul, "...of the loved ones you have betrayed."

    The sweet irony falls lost on all but myself.

    "I now take from you your power. In the name of my father, and his father before, I, Odin Allfather, cast you out!"

    I… I never expected this. I knew great magics were at work on this day, but I never once would have dreamed he would go as far as to banish Asgard's most loved prince. The shock that graces my features has no need to be fabricated, as I watch my brother cast through the Bifrost, stripped of all the divine and mystic might he once personified.

    "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."

    The technicality is of course clear to my eyes. Thor need not be the only one to be worthy of his power. If someone else claims the hammer, Thor has but a century at most to live.

    Odin throws Mjolnir through the portal into Midgard, and my greatest obstruction to the throne is removed by command of the king, my predecessor.

    But then, I turn my glance toward Thor, and find… nothing.

    I look again. I look near Mjolnir, where the Bifrost opened, across the seas in the land he once lauded his divinity, and everywhere else I can think of. I search for magic, only to remember that it won't work, because he's mortal now. I read the messages that the humans cloud their air with, and see nothing beyond images of his hammer falling.

    I turn to the Allfather, "Father, something's wrong. Thor is-"

    He walks out of the Bifrost chamber in a storm that invites no further discussion of the matter, "Thor is no longer my concern."

    I relocate to wherever Heimdal is, "I need you to find Thor."

    Heimdal pauses sharpening his sword for a moment, "Thor is no longer within my sight."

    "Is he shrouded the same as the Frost Giants were?"

    Heimdal stops and bows his head, "No. Your brother is gone. Where Odin sent him is not in the Nine Realms, days past, present, or yet to come. He is beyond, whether in the void or simply elsewhere I do not know. But his place is not mine to know."

    I grow angry. The impertinent apathy of his actions and tone offend my brother's memory, "Does this not bother you as it does I? Even the realms of death are within your sight, and yet he is somewhere even more distant."

    "Indeed it does bother me. But I can no more summon him back from a place I cannot see than I can change the Allfather's mind and reverse his banishment. There is nothing to be done."

    I leave him, and go to my own chambers to contemplate. Thor is banished. More than banished, he has been removed. I didn't even know that it was within Odin's power to do. I've always dreamed of having Thor gone, but never had I thought it may come to pass. And now I find myself wondering if it was ever what I truly wanted at all. There's a part of me that the mask I wear is based on, that sincerely regrets his loss. And there's another part wondering why father would go to such extremes to punish such a small infraction. And there's a yet larger part that doesn't care, and simply revels in the glory of inevitable kingship.

    I summon the materials I need, and prepare to scry the place and time of his banishment. After a few moments of setting the stage I gaze into the events once more, from a greater perspective.

    Again, the sheer power wielded by the Allfather is a terrifying happening to behold. I see all of Thor's power removed and implanted in a seal on Mjolnir. Thor flies through the rainbow bridge and…

    ...is gone. The scry ends.

    I reset and make the attempt once more, this time focusing not on him, but on the gateway itself. The Bifrost was certainly directed at Midgard at the time he was sent through.

    I watch the path itself, carving its way across dimensions of time, space, reality, and mind. The scry struggles to comprehend it at the marvel of Asgardian engineering in play. But it holds, and I see everything. I see the bridge, Asgard, Thor, Mjolnir, and Midgard, all at once. I see Thor enter the Bifrost stream. I see him fly toward Midgard, at both dizzying speeds and at once slow enough for a safe landing. I see the other end before him.

    And I see something else land in his place.

    Thor is gone.

    I see it again. He travels through the Bifrost. But he never arrives at Midgard. Something else, something that never entered the rainbow bridge, suddenly… is, right on the threshold of one realm to another.

    This thing, is from Beyond. This must herald from where Thor is now. I reset the scry, with a new target at hand. This creature that dares enter my Nine Realms. It carries two spirits, one much mightier than its host. Its power pales in the shadow of a god. But I also see within it a great connection to something vast and dangerous. This    ... violation cannot be allowed to stand!

    The humans have forgotten the might of Asgard, and it is not their time to be conquered yet. I can be patient. I will wait until the abomination is alone, and then I will rend the answers I need from its soul if it will not give them willingly.

    But first, I must go to the Casket of Ancient Winters, and uncover an illusory deceit older than my deepest living memories. On this day or the next, I will find the answers I seek.
     
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    • So...what? Loki is suffering from an "ONLY I AM ALLOWED TO KILL YOU" moment? So, Loki perceives your arrival from our world which he refers to as the Beyond. What could he do to you? For all he knows he kills you, Thor dies along with you.

    This will be interesting (not for you of course)
     
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    Seed00 said:
    So...what? Loki is suffering from an "ONLY I AM ALLOWED TO KILL YOU" moment?
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    This is Loki as of the beginning of Thor. He had centuries of pent up resentment and anger, but he wasn't as crazy as he was in Avengers, yet. He's suffering from a lot of crap, including that, and a case of not knowing how much he actually cared. It's vaguely implied that he'd been tortured and possibly brainwashed for a few months by Thanos, and that's why he was so kill-crazy in Avengers, so most of my characterization is based on the Thor movies. He mostly just wants to rule Asgard.
     
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    Let us not forget that Thanos sent Loki out with the Mind Stone as a tag along to keep him in line. I doubt that Loki knew what he carried, and I strongly suspect that it's influence was one of the holds Thanos had over him.
     
    Duquette7 said:
    Let us not forget that Thanos sent Loki out with the Mind Stone as a tag along to keep him in line. I doubt that Loki knew what he carried, and I strongly suspect that it's influence was one of the holds Thanos had over him.
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    Loki used the Mind Stone to brainwash Hawkeye and Selvig, and it's also possible that he made Banner lose control and Hulk out even though he'd "solved" the Hulk issue at the end of his solo movie. (Remember Banner subconsciously picking up the Scepter?) There's a whole theory around the Gamma tracking algorithm that Banner was running, which we never saw the results for. So, Loki probably knew what it was he was working with. You're right that that doesn't make him immune to it himself, though.
     
    Clint Barton: Interlude
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    • Clint Barton: Interlude​

    I follow the Deputy Director out of the room. She's on edge. This whole situation has everyone waiting for the other shoe to drop. And if this new mystery woman's telling the truth, that's due to happen sometime tomorrow.

    The soundproofed door barely closes behind us before the Deputy Director is on the comms, "I need verification that the EKG and micro expression readers in the containment room are operational." She turns to me, "Do you think she's telling the truth?"

    I shake my head, "I think those toys know better than I would. But if you're asking… yeah. She believes it, at least. She's scared out of her mind of whatever she thinks is coming."

    Honestly, nothing surprises me anymore. In my years with SHIELD I've seen things most people would outright deny were happening in front of their eyes. Saw a few things before then, too. After the Hulk, Pym's old tech, Hydra's old tech, SHIELD's new tech, Stark's new tech, a few run-ins with the League, giant reptiles in the sewers of New York, plus whatever happened to that couple in Central City, not to mention the guy in blue… It's a long list that adds up to a crazy world. And if someone tells me that a magic alien robot is gonna fall out of the sky, I'm inclined to believe them.

    The Deputy Director opens comms again, "Someone get me an advil." She turns back to me again, "Ok, better question. Do you think she's been brainwashed, or do we actually call in reinforcements for something we don't even know exists yet?"

    "You know everything I know. It's your call, Agent Hill."

    She growls for a second, "I don't know what to think. I'm asking you. SHIELD has been earth's first line of defense against the things no-one wants to know about for over fifty years. But could there really be other earths out there? She registers human, but there are no records of her except the falsified ID she had on her."

    Someone gives her a pill case with a few low-level pain killers in it. I shrug, "Coulson's report said she mentioned synthezoids. She could be that, or some kind of clone. Doctor Dyne could be behind this. Implanted memories maybe. There are a lot of things she could be, but I don't think crazy is one of them."

    "We need to think about this objectively. Risk assessment: How likely is it that something is going to happen tomorrow?"

    Why is she asking me? I know she's stressed, but there are a lot of other people more qualified to advise her right now. Like Coulson. I could tell her to go talk to him. I could, "If someone put the memories of those movies in her head they did it for a reason. If someone's behind this, they wanted her to tell us. So either the warning's genuine, or it's a diversion. Either way the threat is real."

    The Deputy Director nods and stares at the door, "I'll tell Fury to keep an ear to the ground."

    "Sir, we may need more than that, if what she's saying is true."

    "If what she's saying is true, we're gonna need more than we've got."

    I fiddle with my new quiver, pushing the buttons on my glove that rotate between arrowheads. Ever since I got it a few weeks ago the sound of it clicking from one arrow to another helps me think. I'm not quite used to it enough for active combat yet, but I'm getting there, "Maybe not. Do you know where Project Icarus is?"

    She gives me a look, "Project Icarus is still under construction-"

    I interrupt, "Icarus has been 'still under construction' for the last two years. Do you know where it is?"

    She meets my eyes and we have a quick silent conversation about protocol and clearance levels and plausible deniability before she responds, "Yes, I do know where it is."

    "Then it might be time to call in a favor."

    She squints at me, "Do you really think she's telling the truth?"

    I think about it for a moment. After years of service, all I've seen. I look at that girl, Xavier. I see fear. I see the same fear in her that I had a long time ago. She's trying to stay afloat, but she doesn't know the water. She's dangerous. But in the same circumstances, who wouldn't be? She's not a spy, she's not a killer, and she doesn't want to be either. That makes her worth protecting, and that makes her an ally. Doesn't mean we have to trust her, but it does mean we can listen.

    "Yeah. I do."

    She stands there and thinks for a few seconds. And then, "Agent Barton, take a walk."

    So I do. I go up and watch over the hammer for a bit. I watch the hustle and bustle of a bunch of people smarter than me doing things I barely understand. Maybe if this girl's right there'll actually be a reason for someone like me to be here.

    My comms buzz alive and the Deputy Director calls me back, "Agent Barton, report to the containment room."

    I head back and see her getting off the phone with someone, presumably Fury. I nod to her, and she nods back and we get ready to go back in.

    I stop her just before she opens the door, "Hey, Agent Hill, mam, go a little easier on her. Coulson recommended you play Good Cop, remember?"

    She nods again, "Yeah. Thanks, Barton."

    Then she opens the door and we go back in.
     
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    • Well now, this is intresting. First thought of the fire+great power+marvel makes me think phoenix.
     
    HioH said:
    First thought of the fire+great power+marvel makes me think phoenix.
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    If you really wanna know something about the world SI's in, or her powers, ask me directly. But if you'd rather speculate spoiler-free, that's cool too. Don't know what's gonna be important later, so I can't filter for what the biggest spoilers would be. Just ask at your own peril. (I'll put answers under spoiler tags.)

    ...Unrelatedly, for anyone who wonders why SHIELD puts up with SI and doesn't just kill her, here's a quote from Coulson about Skye in the tv show pilot.

    "She's an asset. We don't know anything about her. Do you appreciate how often that happens? That never happens. We need what she knows."
     
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    I'm So Screwed
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    • I almost try to form another fireball, but realize real fast that it wouldn't do any good. Fricking Asgardians. Literal gods or ancient aliens, either way they're overpowered as fuck. And if this is anything like when he visited Thor, he's probably invisible and intangible right now anyway, assuming he's even really here and not in a tea shop in china or something. He's got indestructibility, teleportation, illusions, mind control, fucking magic and whatever all else that can do. I've got fire I can't activate or control, and I'm tied to a chair. I'm not fighting my way out of this.

    I make a point of looking him right in the eye, "I assume you heard everything I just said."

    His lip jerks upward in a sneer, "Yes, that you're from another world. That none of this is real. What did you call it? Earth Prime? It's a nice story."

    "It's the truth." That's really all I have to work with now. I'm hooked up to a SHIELD brand lie detector, probably with some kind of truth serum in my system, and the God of Deception is standing right in front of me. Lying now would be basically suicide.

    "I know it is. You don't have what it takes to lie to me."

    He stares at me, into my eyes. I feel thoughts that aren't mine and for the briefest moment I think it might be Alex. But it's not, of course. It's Loki. I know I can't stop him from reading surface thoughts, but I try to steer the juicy stuff out of his sight, like any movie he's in, or any movie that hasn't happened yet. On second thought I just try not to think about the movies at all. I focus on Loki's shoes, examining every detail. Those things can't be practical...

    He cackles, "A fine effort, but meaningless. Even if I can't enter your mind directly, I know the truth in every word you utter, and if you refuse to speak I can make you."

    The only reason my defenses are so good is because I'm used to having other people in my brain, and I know exactly how thought sharing works. Lucky thing. I think about smiling, but don't want to die, "Or you could just ask. I'm in no position to deny you, and I know it."

    He repeats his question, "Then where is Thor?"

    "If I could tell you, I would. Frankly, you terrify me. But I don't know where he is. I can tell you he was supposed to be where I am now. I can tell you anything you want about Earth Prime."

    I don't have to fake my fear at all. On the screen he was silly as bubblegum shit, with the giant stupid hat and the poor man's LotR dialogue performed with all the ham Tom Hiddleston could serve. But in person… I know SHIELD is watching, and I know they can't see a damn thing because he doesn't want them to. He's a god. He's a fucking magic god. He could be stark nude with cheese on his head and there would be nothing funny about it. He could kill everyone in this facility, and the town nearby, and there's nothing anyone short of Iron Man could do to stop him.

    He waits for a few seconds. I can feel him poking at the edges of my headspace a few times, almost testingly. I'm not thinking about anything dangerous, so a surface scan won't get him much. I'm too focused on not panicking like a cockroach when the lights just turned back on. Funny, that being scary is actually working against him.

    Loki becomes more… where he is, like a probability field collapsing into a particle. And I think briefly that that may actually be what just happened. He finally asks, "You really don't know where he is."

    I shake my head, "Sorry. All I know is that he was supposed to land in that desert instead of me. He might be back in Earth Prime. But he could be anywhere. If you're here I'm guessing Heimdal couldn't see him, which means we have to consider that he might be dead."

    I expect an outburst, and I see him react to that last word. But being still alive a second later is nice too.

    He asks, "This… Earth Prime. How did you get here, from there?"

    I laugh a little, "I fell asleep? I'm pretty sure whatever did it came from this side, or somewhere else completely. I don't have the kind of power to open breaches like that. I'd guess whatever dropped me here probably took him away too, though."

    He smirks, "No, you don't have enough power for that. But you do have power. I can see it in the dual nature of your soul, and the tattered corners of your mind. Is this the normal state for people whence you came?"

    I freeze. Can… he see Alex? Or is he just seeing the spot where Alex used to be? Urgh! Stupid ominously vague Asgardian phrasing! Just say what you fucking mean! "No, it's not normal anywhere, as far as I know."

    He tilts his head, "It surprises you that I can see, what you are, what you were. How can one achieve such clear essence of self without even the most basic study of psychic practices?"

    I sigh. Better tell him what's up, "Can you see how old this body- my body is? Not biologically or anything. How old the actual body is, in time."

    His gaze is more than sight. I can feel it penetrating every layer of my body, like a really fucking cold wind somewhere north. It's like if x-rays were done with knives, thin enough to not leave injuries, but sharp enough to go through anything. It's extremely offputting, and makes me want to take a shower.

    He says what he sees, "This isn't your natural form. You were encased here, when you traveled to this realm. The stitching is expertly done. Nigh perfect, such that I didn't see until now what had been done." He turns off his god eyes and looks up again at my face, "What were you, in your own realm? Not human, I think."

    "You think wrong. Human. As human as human can be, here or there. Just a little newer than most. Do you know how the Allfather created the rest of the gods?"

    Loki sneers, "He didn't create all of us. But he possesses in his being the breath of life. He can grant life, and further divinity to anything he wills, with a simple touch and a word of power."

    I don't remember that from the comics, "While that's interesting and all, it's not as useful as I was hoping in describing how I was made. And I can't reference Harvey, because you're from a different planet and I don't even know Harvey exists in this universe. Tell you what, just read my mind."

    He's surprised at that, but quickly complies. I feel him, like a pressure. I think about Alex, and how he made me, and the years when he supressed me, and the weeks when he didn't. I think about what we read, about what I am. I think about the feeling of familiarity I had when we first saw descriptions of others like me, like getting a joke months after its been told. And I think about waking up in the desert, without him, with my own body, and how wrong it felt.

    I feel Loki leave and he smiles, "You are a parasite of the mind, given form in a new world. Be thankful that he is rid of you."

    My hands clench and I glare, "I'm a person. I've got the same right to brain and body as any other person. And since I've gotten here, I've managed to get hit by a truck, catch on fire, twice, get arrested by the most dangerous organization on the planet, and piss off probably your whole fucking pantheon of gods. If I had to guess, I'd say Alex isn't doing too hot without me either. We take care of each other… Or at least, we did." Who would ever choose to inhabit this bleak world alone?

    We just sort of stay there and stare at each other for a few seconds. I have no idea what's going on in his head, and that scares the shit out of me. Metaphorically, anyway.

    I talk first, "So are you gonna kill me?"

    He opens his mouth to answer, and then smiles and he takes a step back.

    The door opens again and my two agents come in.

    And of course Loki's gone. Stupid Asgardian teasing cockbite.
     
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    • Google Is Your Friend
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    • Maria addresses me, "We've decided that the mysterious circumstances of your appearance merit increased security measures."

    I grin, "You're listening to me."

    Hill tenses up, "We think there is a likely danger to this region. We've called in additional assets in case of future complications."

    I laugh, "Haeo! You can't fool me with all that political jargon crap. You're taking my advice! You believe me!"

    Barton looks at the floor between his shoes, "Don't push your luck, kid."

    "If I didn't push my luck I wouldn't exist now. It's part of my charm. Don't fuck it up."

    He smiles. Ha! I knew it! SHIELD likes me. Well… they're not gonna kill me, at least. That's something to start from.

    "Are you gonna let me out of this fucking chair now?"

    They share a look, and I can tell Clint is my advocate. She turns back to me and pulls out a little garage-clicker-thingy. The chair beeps and my right arm is free!

    ...And my left arm isn't. It's still hooked up to the lie detector. But my legs are free too. After testing a little bit I figure out that my left arm is the only thing still strapped in. I stand up as much as I can. I try and lift the chair a little, but that's not going anywhere. Hill's gotta bench a dozen eggs to throw it around like she did.

    She hands me a tablet, "This device is heavily monitored. At the slightest attempt to access the SHIELD database it will tase you into unconsciousness and alert every agent in the compound. Read only, so don't try to contact anyone either."

    I smile as the two move to leave the room, "Thanks."

    I know they're just doing this so they can see what I do. Every word I type, every site I visit, can be put on some kind of watchlist, to figure out what I know. And maybe more importantly, what I don't. But I really don't give a damn. Heck, I'd write them up a report if they asked for it. I've got a few years until Hydra makes their move, and until then, SHIELD are the good guys. More pressingly, they're powerful, and I'm not smart or talented enough to oppose them. So I might as well work with them.

    Maybe I can even get on the Avengers. If fucking Hawkeye can do it…

    Back on topic, I'm in a new world that I know only a few pretty specific things about. I'm alone, outmanned, outgunned, and locked up. But SHIELD just handed me one of the most powerful weapons in the universe.

    Google.

    Time to get to know Earth 1.

    Takes me a minute to figure out the SHIELD OS. Very blue. Lots of unmarked buttons. I think it's designed for holograms more than touchscreens. But eventually I find the browser, and that's pretty similar to what I'm used to.

    Starting with the basics, let's look up a bunch of people. Peter Parker, obviously. Stephen Strange. James Howlett, or Logan. Charles Xavier, Jean Grey. Reed Richards. Victor von Doom. What was Goblin's name again? Oz… Osborn! Harry and Norman. Johnny Blaze, I guess? I need to figure out who all exists here, and I'm guessing copyright from Earth Prime doesn't reach this far out.

    Peter Parker is eleven years old. Guessing he hasn't been bitten yet. His parents are already dead, so that sucks. Father, Richard Parker, worked for Oscorp in R&D. Looks like pretty secretive stuff, whatever it was. Both Osborns are still around. Harry is Peter's age. Norman looks normal, I guess. So he might not be Goblin-ated yet. Oh fuck, Otto. Robotics expert. Also Oscorp. Looks like the Ultimate setup, then. Let's hope the explosion doesn't happen anytime soon.

    Strange is, as far as I can tell, a completely ordinary physician. He's got a wikipedia page, so he's gotta be pretty well known. His accident hasn't happened yet. Don't know any of his villains that might have civilian identities.

    Doom. No results on Victor von Doom. What was the country he ran again? Latveria. Let's search for that. Got it! Eastern Europe. Way eastern. Basically surrounded by Russia on three sides. I don't know Europe well enough to know who's territory from Earth Prime it's carving into, but I guess it doesn't matter. Latveria is largely considered the wealthiest monarchy in the world. Monarch… Victor van Dyne? What happened to van Damme?

    Wait, where else have I heard van Dyne? Relatives… Janet van Dyne is his sister. Doctor Doom and Ant-Man are brothers in law? I don't remember that from the comics. Says Victor vanished in '87, not long after she died. He was declared dictator of Latveria in '99. Who knows how he managed that.

    Oh, what year is it? I forget when Thor came out... 2011. First of June, 2011. 8:37 PM. Well that's useful, though I'm not sure entirely how yet. Do I remember stocks well enough to get rich? I guess investing in Stark is probably never a bad idea. At least until he decides to make Ultron.

    No record of a James Howlett or Logan. Figures. Charles Xavier is a professor of neuroscience at New Troy University, in… Bridgewater, New Troy. Fuck, the states are different? Time to look up a map.

    ...There's a huge island off the coast of California. That definitely wasn't there in the movies. There are 66 states in the US of A. Puerto Rico finally made the cut. Texas is in six pieces. Looks like bits of Canada and Mexico have been shaved off. And probably a few other things. I didn't know the states all that well before, but I'm pretty sure Penn State, New Troy, Keystone State, Columbia, Springfield, and West Florida are all new.

    Where was I. Right, Jean Grey. Hundreds of results. Generic name. None that go to NTU, so I'll move on. Reed Richards is a fourteen-year-old transfer student at Baxter University in Latveria. That's different. Baxter University is owned by Franklin Storm, father of two. There's three of your future Fantastic Four right there. Can't find Ben Grimm. Johnny Blaze doesn't exist.

    That's all the names I can immediately think to look up. What else? State of the world? News. Let's check reddit.

    Everyone's flipping out about Stark. r/stark and r/ironman are the two top subs. I wonder why Superman movies are so much more popular here. Or maybe Smallville is still on, since the pictures look like Tom Welling. What season would it even be on now? Wikipedia, Smallville…

    What...
     
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    • And then she realizes she's not on Earth 1, she's on Earth 20972.

    Actually, canon MCU has a listed universe number somewhere.
     
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