Drifter Adrift [X-Men/MCU][Psyren!SI]
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- psyren fusion self insert
- Location
- los angeles
I always thought Psyren was ok,never really got into it but you had me at this being an X-men/MCU self insert,nobody ever seems to do those it's always Dc so congrats on being a pioneer
I'm surprised, I always thought Psyren was one of those manga everyone universally considered to be pretty good.
What were your problems with it, if you don't mind me asking?
- Location
- los angeles
I just never really got into it. I liked the story and the characters but it was just never a story I reread much after I finished it I just moved on and read other things, it was still a cool story and the whole idea that you can just randomly be transported Back to Psyren at any random moment was a great aspect,it's definitely in my top 10 favorite manga but it's not my absolute favorite
I dunno. I just didn't really find it interesting, I guess. Keep in mind, this was, like, a decade ago. I don't exactly remember my reason for disliking it.
It's a good manga among hundreds, it's above average but not 'one of the greats'.
So while it is enjoyable when you read it and there are a few scene that stay with you, overall it's forgettable in my opinion.
So while it is enjoyable when you read it and there are a few scene that stay with you, overall it's forgettable in my opinion.
TW33K
Generic Title
- Location
- where the wild things aren't
huh...?
"eh.. it's ok, you know, only one of my top 10 favorites"
I agree with the original post though, here for the marvel cross not the psyren part. I personally thought psyren was mediocre (average). while I enjoyed reading it, I didn't finish it. didn't even really remember it very well until I started reading this fic.
- Location
- los angeles
I've always wondered why no one uses marvel/X-men for self inserts,if anything with all the characters from alternative timelines and universes like Rachel Grey and Cable you could skip over one of the usual tropes with self inserts say "I'm from another universe" and almost everyone would believe you
- Location
- United States
I always wondered that to. There are more DC fics then Marvel. Its like most fanfic writers either hate Marvel or something.
- Location
- los angeles
I'm not sure,I've been trying to come up with a self insert story which is basically a regular teenager getting thrown into the marvel universe before civil war with dr.Manhattan/Captain Atom's powers would anyone be interested in a story like that?
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- PR
And that is even considering if there are any mutants in the MCU universe of this Shield.
Remember its a crossover with Xmen and MCU. There is also the fact that having visited Psyrens future his blood may be irradiated with something to his eyeballs making it impossible to detect any abnormalities, outside the irradiation.
Ridiculously Average Guy
I'm you, but stronger
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Because of cartoons mostly.
The DC universe has had cartoons and cartoon movies for ages. Before the MCU, Marvel hadn't had a show in over a decade (besides Spider-Man). Which means there wasn't a coherent universe easily accessible to the public.
So most Marvel fics you would get would be Spider-Man.
Chapter 6
AN - Sorry it's been a while, guys, but school has started back up, so I've got a limited amount of time to write. I am trying to do some each day, though! Anyways, here's Chapter 6.
"What makes you think you're a mutant, Adam?" Coulson asks, arms folded and a focused look on his face. I raised an eyebrow.
"My... Superpowers...?" I replied, hesitantly. I couldn't tell if he was asking seriously, or just testing me. Was this some secret question that all real mutants knew the answer to?
"Could you give us a demonstration?" Coulson responded, not missing a beat. He was still wearing the same stoic, slightly amused, but highly-focused expression he had been since entering my little cell-slash-interrogation room. "Just don't hurt anybody. Or damage anything."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not an idiot, Agent." With my free hand, I made an elaborate - and totally unnecessary - gesture above the surface of the now long-empty plate, and lifted it into the air with my telekinesis. I raised it above my head, had it do a few orbits of Coulson's head, then had it come to rest on my lap once more. "Satisfied?"
"Telekinesis, then." Coulson said, and I was sure someone on the other side of the mirror was furiously typing away exact observations and analyses based on what they just saw. "I'm surprised. Most mutants wouldn't be so blatant about their status, especially after what happened in '83, not to mention the bad name the Brotherhood gives you."
I paused. I was tempted to ask just what the hell he was talking about - it sounded like I'd missed a lot between my ventures with the Hellfire Club in 1962 and... Whenever I was now. But... That ran the risk of revealing to Coulson just how out of place I was. For all I knew, those were things everyone knew about- common knowledge, and my asking about it would just expose me as a stranger to this world. I couldn't take the risk, not yet. Maybe once I had access to the internet...
Wow. That was something I had missed. Internet. It had been... More than a month since I'd been on there, where before I used it practically every day. Janos had taken up a lot of my time with his training sessions - same for Emma - but I had still felt the loss, as much as I'd avoided thinking about the time before I arrived here.
Speaking of which.
"Look, I gave you a show of trust by telling you about my powers. I could've broken out of here at any time, but I didn't, because I don't want to start a conflict." I looked Coulson dead in the eyes. He stared back, unflinching. "Could you reciprocate? Give me a show of trust by letting me out of this room? Or at least telling me where I am?"
There was a silence for a while. Almost a minute. Which didn't sound that long, but trust me, when all you're doing is staring at each other in total silence, it feels like ages.
"Fine." I silently celebrated as Coulson broke first. He gestured to someone outside the door, which bore admittance to a young blonde woman, hair pulled back in a tight ponytail and an even more severe look on her face than Coulson. Wow. I didn't think that was actually possible. This place is full of surprises. Coulson nodded to the woman, who walked around behind me and unlocked my cuff. "This is Agent Decker. She'll be your escort and handler for as long as you're here to make sure you don't go anywhere you're not supposed to. You are to follow her orders at all times if you want to stay out of a cell. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir, Agent Coulson, sir." I offered him a sloppy salute and a lopsided grin. "Are you going to tell me where I am, now?"
"You're in the Helicarrier, a state-of-the-art, top secret SHIELD base, currently hovering above the Atlantic Ocean." Coulson raised an eyebrow. "I can give you exact co-ordinates, if you want."
"I... Don't think that'll be necessary." I chuckled, nervously, then cleared my throat. "And, um, the Helicarrier is-"
"A giant, flying aircraft carrier, that's right."
"Oh." Just a little bigger than a plane, Adam.
"Now, I have some reports to attend to, so feel free to walk around the places you are free to walk." Coulson smiled. It was fake. "Agent Decker will let you know where that is."
I nodded, smiling tightly as Coulson shot a glance at my babysitter and left. We both watched the door slide shut as he left, and remained in another awkward silence - lot of those going around today - until I finally stood up.
"Right then." I brushed my legs off, just for something to do, and stretched my arms above my head. "I wanna go see the bridge again. I... Can go to the bridge, right?"
Decker nodded, already striding over to the door and scanning a keycard over a panel of wall indistinguishable from the rest. Going for the silent and stoic routine, huh? Can't say I blame you, it's the easiest way to seem like a badass, but you're not getting anything past me. I will bug you until you break, lady.
Decker gestured for me to go first, and I rolled my eyes. "Too suspicious to let me walk behind you, Decker?" I strolled out of the door, hands in my pockets, aiming for over-the-top casualness to annoy her as much as possible. "I have to tell you, this really doesn't make it harder for me to get out of here, you know? If I wanted to that is." Phase 1 - self-aggrandizement.
"Makes it easier for me to shoot you, though." Decker's voice was surprisingly husky. I had not expected that.
"Agent Decker!" I spun around with a faux gasp, walking backwards and with an exaggerated look of shock plastered over my face. "Was that a threat!? Why, I'm insulted! How dare you!"
"Keep moving." Decker replied, remaining impassive. I rolled my eyes but turned, making my way towards the stairs I'd seen earlier. I didn't actually want to go to the bridge- no, I was far more interested in the research labs, and I was hoping I could convince my handler that I could be allowed to see them.
I took the stairs two at a time, hopping up with a sudden burst of speed to force Decker to jerk forwards at a run to keep up. I made sure to chuckle extra-loud so she knew I was doing it on purpose. Still, she remained impressively unmoved, keeping that same tight, severe look on her face.
I strolled down the hallways passing by the various laboratories, observing them without disguising my interest.
"Hey, you think I could have a look in one of these?" I asked, turning a corner away from the bridge and deeper into the maze of rooms. I was trying to sound casual, in order to keep her from thinking I had a serious interest and therefore deciding to keep me out. If she had thought I was just randomly interested in having a quick look inside, she might have been more willing to let me.
That logic sounded more logical in my head.
"I..." She was hesitating. That either meant that Coulson hadn't said anything and she didn't know whether she was allowed to let me in, or she was allowed to let me in and didn't think I should be. If Coulson had said no, she wouldn't have hesitated, she would have said no immediately. So I have a chance?
"Hey, it's just personal interest. We didn't have anything this advanced where I was from." I smiled at her, starting to regret the mockery I'd utilized before. The only thing it would do now was make her less likely to let me in. "Why isn't any of this stuff in commercial spaces, anyway?" I kept wandering through the halls, looking for somewhere Decker wouldn't object to letting me in.
"It's... Prototypes are rolling out, but SHIELD isn't looking to make profits, and it's too risky to put something like this out in the public. Someone could use the common link to gain access to our data." Decker was clearly wearing down. I was just a victim of circumstance, and obviously Coulson would have specified if there was somewhere I wasn't allowed - so I was allowed in here, right?
At least, that's where I imagined her train of thought was taking her. "Right." I said. "Makes sense. Hey, what's going on in here?" I had caught sight of a slightly larger room than the rest. Only one guy inside - most of the rest had at least two, more often three and four. If there was just one person working on it - not even in a lab coat, I thought - surely it wasn't that important?
The door had two panes of glass, but it was mostly thick steel. The windows were barred, much like every other lab on the ship, and there was a hell of a lot of high-tech machinery inside - basically, identical to every other lab in this block. Interestingly, though, it was set into high windows at the back, facing out into some kind of hangar, presumably where other planes docked. The man himself was focused on some display in front of him, flicking his hands over a holographic image of various graphs and charts. It looked... Complicated. And high tech.
"Um, actually, that's-" Decker started to protest, the first sign I'd seen of her mask really breaking. Interesting.
"Harmless?" I grinned. "It's just one guy in there, and it's not like I'd have an opportunity to actually do anything - you could have your gun out and a bullet in my back before I could say, 'Agent Decker, I'm going to do something bad somehow, even though I have no resources, no listening devices, and no method of escape.'" I raised an eyebrow. We kept up a staring match for a tense few seconds before she sighed, pulled out a card and pressed it against the lock.
The doors slid open, and the guy looked up in surprise. He had a mess of dark brown hair, graying slightly at the temples and short, quickly-shaven stubble. He was wearing simple, wire-frame glasses and a dark blue shirt with the top two buttons undone.
In short? Kind of a mess.
"Uh, sorry, what are you...?" He started, sounding tense and uncertain. His eyes had already acquired a nervous, panicked look, one that I new well. It was the same look I'd had, facing down that creature back in Psyren. Don't dwell, Adam. Get some information about what's going on around here, maybe you'll find a way to convince Coulson to you're honest.
"Hi!" I started out jovial, trying to build a rapport. "New arrival here, not that I had much choice in the matter. Can you believe I just appeared on the bridge, threw up right on Eyepatch's shoes?" I smiled, even as tall, dark and messy let out a startled laugh. "Adam Frost, nice to meet you."
"Bruce. Ah, Bruce Banner." He leaned over the enormous workstation to shake my hand. He has a... Surprisingly weak grip, for a guy his size. "Did you, uh, say Eyepatch?" He was smiling lopsidedly, looking relieved. "I think you meant, uh, Director Fury."
"Ooooh, Director. Sounds important." I paused. "Have I screwed myself, with the whole..." I paused, then pretended to stick two fingers down my throat. "Y'know?"
"Ah, Fury might be a little... Stern, but he can forgive. I should know, he-" Bruce paused, glancing at my handler. I turned with him.
"Oh, that's just Agent Decker, my babysitter." I gave her a little wave, then turned back to Bruce. "She's just here to make sure I don't break anything."
"Right." Bruce said, smiling a little more tightly now. He turned his attention back to the workstation, stuttering a glance up to me briefly, before adjusting something on the monitor in front of him. Well, he clammed up all of a sudden.
"So." I said, hopping up to sit on the desk. "What are you working on? Wait- are you allowed to tell me? Is it top secret info? Huh?" I grinned conspiratorially and gave him an exaggerated wink.
"Uh..." Bruce didn't seem to know what to do. He once again turned to Decker. This time I caught the shake of the head.
"Wait, it is top secret? Huh. Guess these things are more likely than you'd think." I grinned despite my disappointment. "Well, anyway, what can you tell me? What are you doing on this ship, huh?"
"I..." He paused again. Damn, what is with this guy? Is his whole life a fucking secret? "I... Damaged... Some things, and... Fury told me if I... Took a short job here, he'd look the other way." Bruce seemed uncertain, searching for words and being deliberately vague. Definitely not the whole story.
Still, I was surprised. Nervous, messy Bruce was... What, some hacker? He got into something he wasn't supposed to, SHIELD gave him an ultimatum? I'd heard cases of things like that happening with CIA and FBI type organisations, but I'd never thought it actually happened. Huh.
"So, um, anyway." Bruce spoke up, catching my attention. I smiled at him, waiting for a continuation. "You said you, uh, 'appeared,' on the bridge? What, what does that mean?"
"Basically exactly what it sounds like; one second I was on a boat in Miami, next thing I knew I was on the bridge of this place, blowing chunks on Fury's boots."
"So... There wasn't a, uh, trigger? Just... Out of the blue?" If anything, Bruce looks even more confused.
"Exactly." I replied. "In fact, I-"
What the fuck?
"Adam, you... You alright?" Bruce asked, hesitant.
No, seriously, what the fuck? What is that?
"You..." I breathed, eyes unfocused, my mind entirely in my PSI. "You don't... Feel that...?"
In the distance... It's like nothing I've ever sensed before... This is...
"Adam, what is it?" Decker asked, harsh and worried.
"It's... Incredible, I..." My mind was reeling. There was a presence, a mental one, like nothing I'd ever felt before. Emma was a speck in comparison, her immense mental power paling before the sheer force of this thing's... This thing's... Mind?
No. Not a mind- much, much more than that. Its more like... The idea of a mind, its every aspect personified and amplified and... And... And holy fuck what is this thing!
"Adam, step away from the window." I turned slightly to see Decker, one hand out and the other behind her back, presumably resting on her gun. "Right. Now."
I looked down- my feet had carried me away from the workbench and towards the windows that served as the back of this room, looking out onto the hangar. I'd been looking right out into the middle distance, where... Huh. I could see a light rapidly growing larger - a ship coming to dock, I guess. Along with whatever the hell that thing is.
"Adam! Now." Decker said, sounding a hell of a lot more tense than I'd been expecting.
"Yeah, uh, yeah, sure." I mumbled, backing away from the window, stumbling slightly as I went. Still, my eyes remained transfixed on that ship, as the... Oddly-shaped jet came to rest, just out of sight below the bottom of the windows. Finally, I snapped my eyes away, back towards Bruce- whose brow was now furrowed, brown eyes focused intensely on me with a strange emotion I couldn't quite decipher.
"I... I need to sit down." I stuttered out, my voice shaky and cracking.
"Yeah..." Decker said, sounding puzzled as well. "That sounds like a good idea."
I gave him a slight wave and a tight smile from my position on the floor, my back leaning against the workstation, trying desperately to ignore the massive presence pulling at my attention, this constant pressure just sitting behind me. It's being moved.
"I'm sorry, you are?" He asked. He had a kind voice, understanding and compassionate, but also strong. A hero's voice, I thought sardonically.
"Adam Frost," I grunted. Hang on. I stopped for a second, my mind racing. I can use this... This thing, to my advantage. I put my hand out, gripping onto the edge of Bruce's workstation and pulling myself to my feet. Wow, this guy is huge. "You must be...?" I trailed off slightly, not actually having any idea what this guy's name was. Clearly, he was a big deal - he was the one in the bright, colourful costume, but other than his probable status as superhero, he was a mystery.
"St- ah, Captain America." He offered me a smile, and I leaned over to shake his hand. Well, if the name doesn't confirm it, I don't know what does. ... Firm grip. "I'm sorry, I feel like I'm missing something here- what is a kid doing on the Helicarrier?"
"Hey!" I protested. "I'm an adult! ... Nearly. Anyway, it's... Kind of a long story." I shook my head. "Someone else can tell it. For now..." I winced. That thing isn't getting any weaker... If anything, it's... Growing stronger? What the fuck...? "Are you going to talk to Director Fury?" At the Captain's nod, I heaved a shaky sigh. "Okay, good. I really need to talk to him. Like, right now."
"Adam-" Decker started, but I turned to her immediately.
"Agent Decker, I realize I'm probably still on some cautionary- probation- thing, but this is really important. I need to see Director Fury. Alright?"
Decker sighed, brow furrowed. She looked on the verge of refusing me, but then-
"He'll be surrounded by some of the most powerful people in the world. The Captain. Stark. Plus, nearly a hundred SHIELD agents." As one, the three of us turned to stare at Bruce. "... What? I was just pointing it out..."
"It should be fine, Agent." Captain America reassured her. "Like the Doctor says, we'll all be there. Stark and Thor, too. And this - whatever this is - sounds urgent."
"It is," I cut in, then winced. Goddammit, this thing is really pounding at my head... I feel like someone's been shouting right in my ear, constantly, for hours... It's getting closer.
I looked up. It was close now. Way too closer, far closer than it should be. It was- coming right down the hall? Right here?! Fuck, fuck, fuck, ow, ow, fuck, ow! Finally, it came into view- a long, rectangular steel box, but... Inside... The presence. Oh, god.
A black jumpsuited agent was pushing it along, the box itself set on a large trolley of some kind, like those wheeled contraptions used to carry piles of boxes. Only this box contained... Something I couldn't comprehend. As the agent came to our door he slowed, then stopped, and scanned his card on the panel. No, don't bring it in here! The final vestiges of separation between me and the object were finally gone, and as the agent deposited the box beside Bruce's workstation, something... Happened.
I stared in horror. Silver tendrils seeped out of the tiny gaps in the seal, tumbling out like so many strands of hair, like the tentacles of an anemone, waving and searching out... What? They looked just like my Trance cords but... More, silvery and glowing impossibly bright, almost blindingly so, but- those weren't vision spheres on the end. Instead, they were twin-pronged, like tuning forks, the ends sharpened to a deadly point. What the fuck is going on? One of the tendrils wandered ponderously over to Agent Decker, worming it's way through the air blindly, before pausing as it neared her, then- stabbing out directly at her forehead!
"Okay!" I yelled, suddenly. Decker jumped and stood up, and the fork of Trance bounced harmlessly off her jumpsuit. "We need to go so Fury. Like now. Right now. Let's go, let's go, let's go!" I bustled everyone out of the room, flicking my hands at Decker in a shooing motion. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and walked over to the door.
"Fine." She said, serious. "But this better be important."
"Oh, it is." I replied. "It's very important."
I shook my head. Seriously, there's a potentially catastrophic psychic thing just twenty feet behind you, and you're wondering whether you finally completed your fucking homework!? Get a grip, Adam!
I looked up. We were rounding the corner that lead to the bridge, now, and I could already see the conference table that dominated the area behind the main platform. There were more people sitting at it than I'd expected - that same redhead that had shown the Captain to his gear, before, and a blond man in... A remarkably odd set of armour. Another dark-haired, jumpsuited agent stood off to the side, hovering near Director Fury. She was muttering into an earpiece, but her piercing gaze locked onto the four of us as we entered. So did Blondie's and Redhead's, Blondie getting up from his seat as we entered.
"Agent Decker," Fury started solemnly, as we entered. "Could you please tell me what in the hell our uninvited guest is doing on the bridge?"
"Director Fury," I grunted out, feeling the pulse of my migraine tapping a rhythm in my temple. "I understand that you probably have very important things to attend to, but it is vital you hear what I have to say."
"Wait, is this the guy who gave Fury a footwear makeover?" Another voice, slightly faux-incredulous, but relaxed .Coulson accompanied him, directing the man towards the conference table with an exasperated look on his face. He had a dark goatee and brushed back hair, along with a - slightly ruffled - blazer and tie. Polka dots, I thought absently. "I thought you'd be taller. Huh." Goatee strode past me, clapping me on he shoulder as he went. "Tony Stark, though I'm sure you already knew that name, nice to meet you."
I nodded in reply. "Adam Frost. Nice to meet you." Goatee- Stark, continued on to lean against the panels of info, briefly resting his hands on the metal rims before crossing his arms.
"What is a child doing on this battle station?" Blondie asked, turning to Fury, who sighed. "We hold a dangerous prisoner aboard this vessel, the presence of this child is an unwise danger."
"Not a child," I protested. "And anyway, this is important. Director, please."
"Go ahead, Frost." The man said, almost daringly, crossing his arms imperiously.
"Okay." I heaved a shaky breath. "It... Is my understanding that you brought something back from... Wherever it was you just were. Someone dropped it off in Bruce's lab."
"A staff," Captain spoke up, looking worried. "Loki was using it to shoot blasts of energy... A lot like a HYDRA weapon."
I disregarded the namedrop of some other clandestine organisation and a Norse god, apparently, for the moment, and forged onward. "Okay, sure, but... That staff is a hell of a lot more dangerous than you realize."
"We know that it was somehow used to turn countless people into Loki's personal servants." Redhead spoke up. "Even people with a lot of training against typical brainwashing techniques."
"Well, whatever that thing is, it's not using 'typical brainwashing.'" I replied, turning slightly. "It's something a hell of a lot more powerful than that." I paused, then heaved a heavy sigh. "Director, I... Told a little white lie about my powers, when I came aboard. My mutation isn't just telekinesis, it's... Telepathy. Or at least, it should be," I hastily qualified as multiple agents around the room straightened in their seats and shot our area of the room worried glances. "I haven't quite got the hang of it yet. But! I can sense the presence of other telepaths, and..." I let out a shaky breath. "That staff, somehow, contains a mind within it. A mind capable of telepathy- and, presumably, mind control." I shook my head. "This thing, whatever it is... It's far more powerful than any other telepath in existence. It's... It's like someone took the concept of a telepathic mind, amplified it a hundredfold, then stuffed it inside that box. I wouldn't be surprised if just being in the presence of this thing would begin to turn you."
I lapsed into silence, my frantic tirade done. The pounding in my head from the pressure of the staff was even stronger, now - the effects didn't seem to be lessening over time. They was growing stronger.
"That, Mr. Frost," Fury finally spoke up. "Is quite the bombshell." Looking around the table, I could see at least some worry on everyone's face. "Fortunately, SHIELD's job is to prevent these objects from getting out into the general populace. It'll be safe here."
I let out a painful breath, relieved. Thank fuck for that, at least.
"Coulson mentioned that, too." I started, before hesitating. "I, um, wasn't the best in History Class... Coulson mentioned some incident in 1983, and something about the Brotherhood?" I hesitated again. "Could you... Uh... Explain?"
"Seriously?" Stark glanced at me briefly, one eyebrow raised. "Alright, well, uh, the Brotherhood came before '83, so lets start with that." He paused momentiarily, collecting his thoughts. "So you probably know that in 1962, the US had that little issue called the Cuban Missile Crisis." Oh, shit, I thought. That's when that was!? And Shaw was talking about nukes... What the fuck did I get myself into?
"While the US and Russia were squaring up to each other about nukes, neither side knew that the whole thing was actually engineered by a mutant. A powerful one, too." Shaw, I thought. Was he behind that this whole time? Was that what all his meetings were about?! "The whole thing came to a head in October, when ships delivering nukes to Cuba where stopped by US forces, and they reached a stalemate. Tensions built, both sides got a little more aggressive, until eventually shots were fired, triggering a full barrage from both sides. That's when the mutant steps in." Stark shook his head. "Turns out, this whole thing organised by the guy just to, 'show the power of mutants, and to demonstrate that they would no longer be oppressed by humanity.' Basically, this is the stepping off point for when he starts up the Brotherhood of Mutants."
At my still-confused look, he elaborates. "Wow, you really are oblivious to World Events, huh? I guess I can get a little caught up in my work, too." Stark flashes me a quick smile. "The Brotherhood is basically a terrorist organisation, they recruit mutants and attack various operations throughout the world, looking to disrupt anything they deem anti-mutant while at the same time benefiting themselves. They've been... Thwarted, a few times, over the years, by various groups, but as long as the leader is around, they succeed." I raise an eyebrow at his deliberate vagueness. "Right, sorry. He's done a lot of... Not very nice things, so some people don't like mentioning his name." He smiles wryly.
"Guess you're unaffected though, if you've never even heard of any of this." Stark smiles again. "They're still lead by that same guy as before, the one who set up the Crisis in the sixties.
"No one knows his real name, but his moniker for the past fifty years has been Genesis."
"What makes you think you're a mutant, Adam?" Coulson asks, arms folded and a focused look on his face. I raised an eyebrow.
"My... Superpowers...?" I replied, hesitantly. I couldn't tell if he was asking seriously, or just testing me. Was this some secret question that all real mutants knew the answer to?
"Could you give us a demonstration?" Coulson responded, not missing a beat. He was still wearing the same stoic, slightly amused, but highly-focused expression he had been since entering my little cell-slash-interrogation room. "Just don't hurt anybody. Or damage anything."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not an idiot, Agent." With my free hand, I made an elaborate - and totally unnecessary - gesture above the surface of the now long-empty plate, and lifted it into the air with my telekinesis. I raised it above my head, had it do a few orbits of Coulson's head, then had it come to rest on my lap once more. "Satisfied?"
"Telekinesis, then." Coulson said, and I was sure someone on the other side of the mirror was furiously typing away exact observations and analyses based on what they just saw. "I'm surprised. Most mutants wouldn't be so blatant about their status, especially after what happened in '83, not to mention the bad name the Brotherhood gives you."
I paused. I was tempted to ask just what the hell he was talking about - it sounded like I'd missed a lot between my ventures with the Hellfire Club in 1962 and... Whenever I was now. But... That ran the risk of revealing to Coulson just how out of place I was. For all I knew, those were things everyone knew about- common knowledge, and my asking about it would just expose me as a stranger to this world. I couldn't take the risk, not yet. Maybe once I had access to the internet...
Wow. That was something I had missed. Internet. It had been... More than a month since I'd been on there, where before I used it practically every day. Janos had taken up a lot of my time with his training sessions - same for Emma - but I had still felt the loss, as much as I'd avoided thinking about the time before I arrived here.
Speaking of which.
"Look, I gave you a show of trust by telling you about my powers. I could've broken out of here at any time, but I didn't, because I don't want to start a conflict." I looked Coulson dead in the eyes. He stared back, unflinching. "Could you reciprocate? Give me a show of trust by letting me out of this room? Or at least telling me where I am?"
There was a silence for a while. Almost a minute. Which didn't sound that long, but trust me, when all you're doing is staring at each other in total silence, it feels like ages.
"Fine." I silently celebrated as Coulson broke first. He gestured to someone outside the door, which bore admittance to a young blonde woman, hair pulled back in a tight ponytail and an even more severe look on her face than Coulson. Wow. I didn't think that was actually possible. This place is full of surprises. Coulson nodded to the woman, who walked around behind me and unlocked my cuff. "This is Agent Decker. She'll be your escort and handler for as long as you're here to make sure you don't go anywhere you're not supposed to. You are to follow her orders at all times if you want to stay out of a cell. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir, Agent Coulson, sir." I offered him a sloppy salute and a lopsided grin. "Are you going to tell me where I am, now?"
"You're in the Helicarrier, a state-of-the-art, top secret SHIELD base, currently hovering above the Atlantic Ocean." Coulson raised an eyebrow. "I can give you exact co-ordinates, if you want."
"I... Don't think that'll be necessary." I chuckled, nervously, then cleared my throat. "And, um, the Helicarrier is-"
"A giant, flying aircraft carrier, that's right."
"Oh." Just a little bigger than a plane, Adam.
"Now, I have some reports to attend to, so feel free to walk around the places you are free to walk." Coulson smiled. It was fake. "Agent Decker will let you know where that is."
I nodded, smiling tightly as Coulson shot a glance at my babysitter and left. We both watched the door slide shut as he left, and remained in another awkward silence - lot of those going around today - until I finally stood up.
"Right then." I brushed my legs off, just for something to do, and stretched my arms above my head. "I wanna go see the bridge again. I... Can go to the bridge, right?"
Decker nodded, already striding over to the door and scanning a keycard over a panel of wall indistinguishable from the rest. Going for the silent and stoic routine, huh? Can't say I blame you, it's the easiest way to seem like a badass, but you're not getting anything past me. I will bug you until you break, lady.
Decker gestured for me to go first, and I rolled my eyes. "Too suspicious to let me walk behind you, Decker?" I strolled out of the door, hands in my pockets, aiming for over-the-top casualness to annoy her as much as possible. "I have to tell you, this really doesn't make it harder for me to get out of here, you know? If I wanted to that is." Phase 1 - self-aggrandizement.
"Makes it easier for me to shoot you, though." Decker's voice was surprisingly husky. I had not expected that.
"Agent Decker!" I spun around with a faux gasp, walking backwards and with an exaggerated look of shock plastered over my face. "Was that a threat!? Why, I'm insulted! How dare you!"
"Keep moving." Decker replied, remaining impassive. I rolled my eyes but turned, making my way towards the stairs I'd seen earlier. I didn't actually want to go to the bridge- no, I was far more interested in the research labs, and I was hoping I could convince my handler that I could be allowed to see them.
I took the stairs two at a time, hopping up with a sudden burst of speed to force Decker to jerk forwards at a run to keep up. I made sure to chuckle extra-loud so she knew I was doing it on purpose. Still, she remained impressively unmoved, keeping that same tight, severe look on her face.
I strolled down the hallways passing by the various laboratories, observing them without disguising my interest.
"Hey, you think I could have a look in one of these?" I asked, turning a corner away from the bridge and deeper into the maze of rooms. I was trying to sound casual, in order to keep her from thinking I had a serious interest and therefore deciding to keep me out. If she had thought I was just randomly interested in having a quick look inside, she might have been more willing to let me.
That logic sounded more logical in my head.
"I..." She was hesitating. That either meant that Coulson hadn't said anything and she didn't know whether she was allowed to let me in, or she was allowed to let me in and didn't think I should be. If Coulson had said no, she wouldn't have hesitated, she would have said no immediately. So I have a chance?
"Hey, it's just personal interest. We didn't have anything this advanced where I was from." I smiled at her, starting to regret the mockery I'd utilized before. The only thing it would do now was make her less likely to let me in. "Why isn't any of this stuff in commercial spaces, anyway?" I kept wandering through the halls, looking for somewhere Decker wouldn't object to letting me in.
"It's... Prototypes are rolling out, but SHIELD isn't looking to make profits, and it's too risky to put something like this out in the public. Someone could use the common link to gain access to our data." Decker was clearly wearing down. I was just a victim of circumstance, and obviously Coulson would have specified if there was somewhere I wasn't allowed - so I was allowed in here, right?
At least, that's where I imagined her train of thought was taking her. "Right." I said. "Makes sense. Hey, what's going on in here?" I had caught sight of a slightly larger room than the rest. Only one guy inside - most of the rest had at least two, more often three and four. If there was just one person working on it - not even in a lab coat, I thought - surely it wasn't that important?
The door had two panes of glass, but it was mostly thick steel. The windows were barred, much like every other lab on the ship, and there was a hell of a lot of high-tech machinery inside - basically, identical to every other lab in this block. Interestingly, though, it was set into high windows at the back, facing out into some kind of hangar, presumably where other planes docked. The man himself was focused on some display in front of him, flicking his hands over a holographic image of various graphs and charts. It looked... Complicated. And high tech.
"Um, actually, that's-" Decker started to protest, the first sign I'd seen of her mask really breaking. Interesting.
"Harmless?" I grinned. "It's just one guy in there, and it's not like I'd have an opportunity to actually do anything - you could have your gun out and a bullet in my back before I could say, 'Agent Decker, I'm going to do something bad somehow, even though I have no resources, no listening devices, and no method of escape.'" I raised an eyebrow. We kept up a staring match for a tense few seconds before she sighed, pulled out a card and pressed it against the lock.
The doors slid open, and the guy looked up in surprise. He had a mess of dark brown hair, graying slightly at the temples and short, quickly-shaven stubble. He was wearing simple, wire-frame glasses and a dark blue shirt with the top two buttons undone.
In short? Kind of a mess.
"Uh, sorry, what are you...?" He started, sounding tense and uncertain. His eyes had already acquired a nervous, panicked look, one that I new well. It was the same look I'd had, facing down that creature back in Psyren. Don't dwell, Adam. Get some information about what's going on around here, maybe you'll find a way to convince Coulson to you're honest.
"Hi!" I started out jovial, trying to build a rapport. "New arrival here, not that I had much choice in the matter. Can you believe I just appeared on the bridge, threw up right on Eyepatch's shoes?" I smiled, even as tall, dark and messy let out a startled laugh. "Adam Frost, nice to meet you."
"Bruce. Ah, Bruce Banner." He leaned over the enormous workstation to shake my hand. He has a... Surprisingly weak grip, for a guy his size. "Did you, uh, say Eyepatch?" He was smiling lopsidedly, looking relieved. "I think you meant, uh, Director Fury."
"Ooooh, Director. Sounds important." I paused. "Have I screwed myself, with the whole..." I paused, then pretended to stick two fingers down my throat. "Y'know?"
"Ah, Fury might be a little... Stern, but he can forgive. I should know, he-" Bruce paused, glancing at my handler. I turned with him.
"Oh, that's just Agent Decker, my babysitter." I gave her a little wave, then turned back to Bruce. "She's just here to make sure I don't break anything."
"Right." Bruce said, smiling a little more tightly now. He turned his attention back to the workstation, stuttering a glance up to me briefly, before adjusting something on the monitor in front of him. Well, he clammed up all of a sudden.
"So." I said, hopping up to sit on the desk. "What are you working on? Wait- are you allowed to tell me? Is it top secret info? Huh?" I grinned conspiratorially and gave him an exaggerated wink.
"Uh..." Bruce didn't seem to know what to do. He once again turned to Decker. This time I caught the shake of the head.
"Wait, it is top secret? Huh. Guess these things are more likely than you'd think." I grinned despite my disappointment. "Well, anyway, what can you tell me? What are you doing on this ship, huh?"
"I..." He paused again. Damn, what is with this guy? Is his whole life a fucking secret? "I... Damaged... Some things, and... Fury told me if I... Took a short job here, he'd look the other way." Bruce seemed uncertain, searching for words and being deliberately vague. Definitely not the whole story.
Still, I was surprised. Nervous, messy Bruce was... What, some hacker? He got into something he wasn't supposed to, SHIELD gave him an ultimatum? I'd heard cases of things like that happening with CIA and FBI type organisations, but I'd never thought it actually happened. Huh.
"So, um, anyway." Bruce spoke up, catching my attention. I smiled at him, waiting for a continuation. "You said you, uh, 'appeared,' on the bridge? What, what does that mean?"
"Basically exactly what it sounds like; one second I was on a boat in Miami, next thing I knew I was on the bridge of this place, blowing chunks on Fury's boots."
"So... There wasn't a, uh, trigger? Just... Out of the blue?" If anything, Bruce looks even more confused.
"Exactly." I replied. "In fact, I-"
What the fuck?
"Adam, you... You alright?" Bruce asked, hesitant.
No, seriously, what the fuck? What is that?
"You..." I breathed, eyes unfocused, my mind entirely in my PSI. "You don't... Feel that...?"
In the distance... It's like nothing I've ever sensed before... This is...
"Adam, what is it?" Decker asked, harsh and worried.
"It's... Incredible, I..." My mind was reeling. There was a presence, a mental one, like nothing I'd ever felt before. Emma was a speck in comparison, her immense mental power paling before the sheer force of this thing's... This thing's... Mind?
No. Not a mind- much, much more than that. Its more like... The idea of a mind, its every aspect personified and amplified and... And... And holy fuck what is this thing!
"Adam, step away from the window." I turned slightly to see Decker, one hand out and the other behind her back, presumably resting on her gun. "Right. Now."
I looked down- my feet had carried me away from the workbench and towards the windows that served as the back of this room, looking out onto the hangar. I'd been looking right out into the middle distance, where... Huh. I could see a light rapidly growing larger - a ship coming to dock, I guess. Along with whatever the hell that thing is.
"Adam! Now." Decker said, sounding a hell of a lot more tense than I'd been expecting.
"Yeah, uh, yeah, sure." I mumbled, backing away from the window, stumbling slightly as I went. Still, my eyes remained transfixed on that ship, as the... Oddly-shaped jet came to rest, just out of sight below the bottom of the windows. Finally, I snapped my eyes away, back towards Bruce- whose brow was now furrowed, brown eyes focused intensely on me with a strange emotion I couldn't quite decipher.
"I... I need to sit down." I stuttered out, my voice shaky and cracking.
"Yeah..." Decker said, sounding puzzled as well. "That sounds like a good idea."
--------------------
"Hey, Doc, the Director needs- huh." I looked up, to see Mr. Stars-and-Stripes standing in the doorway, staring directly at me, a slight frown pulling at his forehead.
I gave him a slight wave and a tight smile from my position on the floor, my back leaning against the workstation, trying desperately to ignore the massive presence pulling at my attention, this constant pressure just sitting behind me. It's being moved.
"I'm sorry, you are?" He asked. He had a kind voice, understanding and compassionate, but also strong. A hero's voice, I thought sardonically.
"Adam Frost," I grunted. Hang on. I stopped for a second, my mind racing. I can use this... This thing, to my advantage. I put my hand out, gripping onto the edge of Bruce's workstation and pulling myself to my feet. Wow, this guy is huge. "You must be...?" I trailed off slightly, not actually having any idea what this guy's name was. Clearly, he was a big deal - he was the one in the bright, colourful costume, but other than his probable status as superhero, he was a mystery.
"St- ah, Captain America." He offered me a smile, and I leaned over to shake his hand. Well, if the name doesn't confirm it, I don't know what does. ... Firm grip. "I'm sorry, I feel like I'm missing something here- what is a kid doing on the Helicarrier?"
"Hey!" I protested. "I'm an adult! ... Nearly. Anyway, it's... Kind of a long story." I shook my head. "Someone else can tell it. For now..." I winced. That thing isn't getting any weaker... If anything, it's... Growing stronger? What the fuck...? "Are you going to talk to Director Fury?" At the Captain's nod, I heaved a shaky sigh. "Okay, good. I really need to talk to him. Like, right now."
"Adam-" Decker started, but I turned to her immediately.
"Agent Decker, I realize I'm probably still on some cautionary- probation- thing, but this is really important. I need to see Director Fury. Alright?"
Decker sighed, brow furrowed. She looked on the verge of refusing me, but then-
"He'll be surrounded by some of the most powerful people in the world. The Captain. Stark. Plus, nearly a hundred SHIELD agents." As one, the three of us turned to stare at Bruce. "... What? I was just pointing it out..."
"It should be fine, Agent." Captain America reassured her. "Like the Doctor says, we'll all be there. Stark and Thor, too. And this - whatever this is - sounds urgent."
"It is," I cut in, then winced. Goddammit, this thing is really pounding at my head... I feel like someone's been shouting right in my ear, constantly, for hours... It's getting closer.
I looked up. It was close now. Way too closer, far closer than it should be. It was- coming right down the hall? Right here?! Fuck, fuck, fuck, ow, ow, fuck, ow! Finally, it came into view- a long, rectangular steel box, but... Inside... The presence. Oh, god.
A black jumpsuited agent was pushing it along, the box itself set on a large trolley of some kind, like those wheeled contraptions used to carry piles of boxes. Only this box contained... Something I couldn't comprehend. As the agent came to our door he slowed, then stopped, and scanned his card on the panel. No, don't bring it in here! The final vestiges of separation between me and the object were finally gone, and as the agent deposited the box beside Bruce's workstation, something... Happened.
I stared in horror. Silver tendrils seeped out of the tiny gaps in the seal, tumbling out like so many strands of hair, like the tentacles of an anemone, waving and searching out... What? They looked just like my Trance cords but... More, silvery and glowing impossibly bright, almost blindingly so, but- those weren't vision spheres on the end. Instead, they were twin-pronged, like tuning forks, the ends sharpened to a deadly point. What the fuck is going on? One of the tendrils wandered ponderously over to Agent Decker, worming it's way through the air blindly, before pausing as it neared her, then- stabbing out directly at her forehead!
"Okay!" I yelled, suddenly. Decker jumped and stood up, and the fork of Trance bounced harmlessly off her jumpsuit. "We need to go so Fury. Like now. Right now. Let's go, let's go, let's go!" I bustled everyone out of the room, flicking my hands at Decker in a shooing motion. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and walked over to the door.
"Fine." She said, serious. "But this better be important."
"Oh, it is." I replied. "It's very important."
--------------------
Those were definitely Trance cords. There was no mistaking it- and the immense mental presence I could still feel from that thing, even now? Yeah, there was no mistaking that. There was - somehow - a mind in there. A mind with telepathy, or mind control, or something. I'd never seen those cords with Emma - but then, this thing was infinitely more powerful than any telepath in existence. It was possible that that correlated with the visibility of the cords, right? If that was the case, though... What the hell were those things on the end? Prongs... It was trying to stick those two sharp parts into Decker's head, but why? Was it... Was it trying to access her mind? It was Trance, after all, and it had the cords, but... A different end. Was that what a telepathy cord looked like? My cords only had the spheres, but if I tried to put those forked spikes on the end, would it finally allow me to use telepathy?
I shook my head. Seriously, there's a potentially catastrophic psychic thing just twenty feet behind you, and you're wondering whether you finally completed your fucking homework!? Get a grip, Adam!
I looked up. We were rounding the corner that lead to the bridge, now, and I could already see the conference table that dominated the area behind the main platform. There were more people sitting at it than I'd expected - that same redhead that had shown the Captain to his gear, before, and a blond man in... A remarkably odd set of armour. Another dark-haired, jumpsuited agent stood off to the side, hovering near Director Fury. She was muttering into an earpiece, but her piercing gaze locked onto the four of us as we entered. So did Blondie's and Redhead's, Blondie getting up from his seat as we entered.
"Agent Decker," Fury started solemnly, as we entered. "Could you please tell me what in the hell our uninvited guest is doing on the bridge?"
"Director Fury," I grunted out, feeling the pulse of my migraine tapping a rhythm in my temple. "I understand that you probably have very important things to attend to, but it is vital you hear what I have to say."
"Wait, is this the guy who gave Fury a footwear makeover?" Another voice, slightly faux-incredulous, but relaxed .Coulson accompanied him, directing the man towards the conference table with an exasperated look on his face. He had a dark goatee and brushed back hair, along with a - slightly ruffled - blazer and tie. Polka dots, I thought absently. "I thought you'd be taller. Huh." Goatee strode past me, clapping me on he shoulder as he went. "Tony Stark, though I'm sure you already knew that name, nice to meet you."
I nodded in reply. "Adam Frost. Nice to meet you." Goatee- Stark, continued on to lean against the panels of info, briefly resting his hands on the metal rims before crossing his arms.
"What is a child doing on this battle station?" Blondie asked, turning to Fury, who sighed. "We hold a dangerous prisoner aboard this vessel, the presence of this child is an unwise danger."
"Not a child," I protested. "And anyway, this is important. Director, please."
"Go ahead, Frost." The man said, almost daringly, crossing his arms imperiously.
"Okay." I heaved a shaky breath. "It... Is my understanding that you brought something back from... Wherever it was you just were. Someone dropped it off in Bruce's lab."
"A staff," Captain spoke up, looking worried. "Loki was using it to shoot blasts of energy... A lot like a HYDRA weapon."
I disregarded the namedrop of some other clandestine organisation and a Norse god, apparently, for the moment, and forged onward. "Okay, sure, but... That staff is a hell of a lot more dangerous than you realize."
"We know that it was somehow used to turn countless people into Loki's personal servants." Redhead spoke up. "Even people with a lot of training against typical brainwashing techniques."
"Well, whatever that thing is, it's not using 'typical brainwashing.'" I replied, turning slightly. "It's something a hell of a lot more powerful than that." I paused, then heaved a heavy sigh. "Director, I... Told a little white lie about my powers, when I came aboard. My mutation isn't just telekinesis, it's... Telepathy. Or at least, it should be," I hastily qualified as multiple agents around the room straightened in their seats and shot our area of the room worried glances. "I haven't quite got the hang of it yet. But! I can sense the presence of other telepaths, and..." I let out a shaky breath. "That staff, somehow, contains a mind within it. A mind capable of telepathy- and, presumably, mind control." I shook my head. "This thing, whatever it is... It's far more powerful than any other telepath in existence. It's... It's like someone took the concept of a telepathic mind, amplified it a hundredfold, then stuffed it inside that box. I wouldn't be surprised if just being in the presence of this thing would begin to turn you."
I lapsed into silence, my frantic tirade done. The pounding in my head from the pressure of the staff was even stronger, now - the effects didn't seem to be lessening over time. They was growing stronger.
"That, Mr. Frost," Fury finally spoke up. "Is quite the bombshell." Looking around the table, I could see at least some worry on everyone's face. "Fortunately, SHIELD's job is to prevent these objects from getting out into the general populace. It'll be safe here."
I let out a painful breath, relieved. Thank fuck for that, at least.
--------------------
"Y'know, most mutants wouldn't be so blasé about their status." Stark told me, as wandered back down to Bruce's lab, where even now the staff was being carted off to some deeper room within the Helicarrier, walled off on all sides and studied from afar. "You guys don't have such a great rep, anymore." Seriously, what the fuck happened since I left the boat in 1962? Mutants were practically unknown there. Dammit, I have to get more information.
"Coulson mentioned that, too." I started, before hesitating. "I, um, wasn't the best in History Class... Coulson mentioned some incident in 1983, and something about the Brotherhood?" I hesitated again. "Could you... Uh... Explain?"
"Seriously?" Stark glanced at me briefly, one eyebrow raised. "Alright, well, uh, the Brotherhood came before '83, so lets start with that." He paused momentiarily, collecting his thoughts. "So you probably know that in 1962, the US had that little issue called the Cuban Missile Crisis." Oh, shit, I thought. That's when that was!? And Shaw was talking about nukes... What the fuck did I get myself into?
"While the US and Russia were squaring up to each other about nukes, neither side knew that the whole thing was actually engineered by a mutant. A powerful one, too." Shaw, I thought. Was he behind that this whole time? Was that what all his meetings were about?! "The whole thing came to a head in October, when ships delivering nukes to Cuba where stopped by US forces, and they reached a stalemate. Tensions built, both sides got a little more aggressive, until eventually shots were fired, triggering a full barrage from both sides. That's when the mutant steps in." Stark shook his head. "Turns out, this whole thing organised by the guy just to, 'show the power of mutants, and to demonstrate that they would no longer be oppressed by humanity.' Basically, this is the stepping off point for when he starts up the Brotherhood of Mutants."
At my still-confused look, he elaborates. "Wow, you really are oblivious to World Events, huh? I guess I can get a little caught up in my work, too." Stark flashes me a quick smile. "The Brotherhood is basically a terrorist organisation, they recruit mutants and attack various operations throughout the world, looking to disrupt anything they deem anti-mutant while at the same time benefiting themselves. They've been... Thwarted, a few times, over the years, by various groups, but as long as the leader is around, they succeed." I raise an eyebrow at his deliberate vagueness. "Right, sorry. He's done a lot of... Not very nice things, so some people don't like mentioning his name." He smiles wryly.
"Guess you're unaffected though, if you've never even heard of any of this." Stark smiles again. "They're still lead by that same guy as before, the one who set up the Crisis in the sixties.
"No one knows his real name, but his moniker for the past fifty years has been Genesis."
--------------------
- Location
- los angeles
so either in this verse Cuba went very differently and Erik and Raven stayed with the X-men while Adam took over the brotherhood or Adam somehow made Magneto accept him as a better leader for the brotherhood
- Location
- Sweden
Alright, color me intrigueder.
Psyren time travel works by having the N+1th future "visit" show the result of the Nth return, right?
No self-fulfilling prophecies, so if Adam goes "haha, nope, not gonna be a terrorist", there's a good chance he won't become one?
- Location
- Ireland
Interesting. Very Interesting.
So first thought that comes to mind is. Is he in his future? Or is he in a future that continued along as if he never left? Cause if the second he is literally able to meet up with present Genesis and learn all that happened to him. If the first the genesis here is still visiting 40 years in the future. But everything we do will change an already changed future. Because the Future genesis has already visited this time. And changed things accordingly in his past. I think this makes sense. Ask if anyone is confused.
But very twisty. I love it. Have to get that Mind Gem. But will you conquer it? Or will it conquer you?
So first thought that comes to mind is. Is he in his future? Or is he in a future that continued along as if he never left? Cause if the second he is literally able to meet up with present Genesis and learn all that happened to him. If the first the genesis here is still visiting 40 years in the future. But everything we do will change an already changed future. Because the Future genesis has already visited this time. And changed things accordingly in his past. I think this makes sense. Ask if anyone is confused.
But very twisty. I love it. Have to get that Mind Gem. But will you conquer it? Or will it conquer you?
Ridiculously Average Guy
I'm you, but stronger
- Location
-
Simple answer. Shaw took on the name genesis.
Technically not. In Psyren, time travel is kinda... Messy - once you're in the future, it's as though that's the future you die in, and you never return to the past. However, given that things have already gotten pretty messed up - we're in an alternate dimension, and Nemesis Q's attempt to return Adam to Psyren failed - anything is possible. Maybe he also failed to affect the past?
That's true! It is potentially possible that the events described by Stark here never come to pass, and in fact Genesis never becomes the name of the Leader of the Brotherhood. That doesn't necessarily mean it won't, though.
Of course, this is also a possibility.
Chapter 7
Apologies for a short chapter today, some issues with school and such so I might not get much writing done, and I wanted to put something down to tide you over.
Plus, this felt like a pretty natural place to break.
Stark, Bruce and I were in an observation room, looking in on Loki's staff from behind a thick layer of reinforced glass, while SHIELD agents in biohazard suits - or whatever the hell they were wearing - ran scanners over the thing, reporting every little change and shift in temperature, radiation levels, light refraction- anything Stark and Bruce could think of. The two of them could adjust simulations and room conditions and such from within the observational lab, and all other personnel were being kept as far away from the staff as possible.
The only reason I was there was because I told Fury I could see when the staff tried to attach to someone's mind. Fortunately, it looked like the tendrils were put off by a physical barrier between it and it's targets, so the workers should be safe as long as they had no exposed skin. The suits had to be airtight, too - there couldn't be the tiniest opening that would allow a tendril to worm it's way under and infect. Fury had had something put together, though, so I reckoned it should be fine.
I'd stopped paying attention a while ago. All I could think about... The only thing I could focus on... Was Stark's words.
His name... Is Genesis.
That was my name. Or, at least, what I had called myself, back in 1962. So... What? Was this the potential future of what would have happened, if I'd never been brought into the future? Had I been on a course towards becoming the leader of a terrorist group?
I meant... I understood the struggle of mutants. Even in the short time I'd been with the Hellfire Club I'd seen just how hateful and terrified people could get of mutants, and the story Azazel told me and shown me just how widespread this opinion was.
So... I could potentially see how that could happen. How... Maybe... That had gotten to me? And... Maybe I'd seen something, in this alternate timeline where I never got transported to the future, that made me want to fight back, establish the Brotherhood, become a terrorist group...
But for the life of me, I couldn't think what. What could possibly have motivated me to, to, to kill people? Enough people that, apparently, most people had lost someone?!
No. Okay, calm down. There are other possibilities, if you just took a fucking second to think about it, moron.
That's right. There were already quite a few people who knew the Genesis name - the whole of the Hellfire Club, for one. Not to mention any number of people who might have found out between my disappearance, and the events of the Cuban missile crisis.
Or even someone who just came up with it outside of my influence. It wasn't like it was a particularly uncommon theme - Genesis meant creation, it had links to the Bible, it was just a word used by anyone. Just because I had taken that name, didn't mean someone else couldn't have come up with it and used it.
Right. That was right. It wasn't necessarily me. It could be any number of people. I should wait until I found out more information.
But the nagging doubt remained... Was I capable of killing- at all, never mind on the level Genesis apparently had?
Once the staff had seen that there was no way it could possibly get to the bare skin of the agents inside, it stopped trying. The cords became docile, falling limply to the side of the scepter before retracting back into the glittering blue gem that topped it. I barely noticed.
Time passed, Bruce puttered about the room adjusting holographic gauges and illusory dials. I remained centered, arms crossed and chewing on a thumbnail, an intense frown deep-rooted in my brow. Every now and then I'd look up, to briefly check the Trance cords hadn't emerged, before returning to my introspection.
I was startled out of these ruminations by a sudden beeping, emanating loudly from a large screen on the wall. It had a map of... Somewhere, on it, and large, white, '95%' next to it, along with coordinates and a bunch of other information.
High techy, I thought. Bruce apparently thought so too, as he seized a panel and unhooked it from the wall, the information relaying onto it easily. Without another word, the man pressed a pad on the wall and slipped out of the room hastily, the door not even half-open before he wormed his way through and set off.
... I should probably follow him.
I exited before the door could slide shut again, jogging after Bruce's fast-disappearing form, as he rounded a corner and re-entered the lab he had originally been in. I sighed in relief as I followed, even this small distance diminishing the unrelenting headache the staff had been tattooing into my skull.
Inside of Bruce's original lab was... The whole crew. Apparently. Stark, the Captain, Fury, even Blondie and Redhead. Thor and Natasha, Bruce had called them. As I slid in behind Bruce, whatever conversation they were having stopped in it's tracks. The whole room turned to face the pair of us.
"What's... Going on?" Bruce asked hesitantly, holographic pad held loosely in his right hand. I inched around him, leaning against a table for support.
"What's going on," Stark replied immediately, his voice unusually tense as he seized hold of a panel attached to the ceiling and swung it round. "Is that SHIELD is planning to use the Tesseract to make weapons."
Fury cursed under his breath and turned away. "What?" Bruce said, breathless with disbelief. I looked aroud innocently, utterly confused.
"Psst," I whispered to Redhead- Natasha. "What's the Tesseract again?"
"Classified," she replied tersely. I blinked, shrugged, then leaned the other way.
"Psst," I whispered to Thor. "What's the Tesseract again?"
"A doorway to another part of space, capable of drawing immense amounts of power through it, to be used for whatever nefarious purpose the wielder desires." Thor said, cuttingly. "It belongs on Asgard."
"Right, yeah, I remember now." I replied, then resumed my leaning position. I glanced over at Natasha. She pointedly looked away.
"... Clean energy, not weapons of mass destruction!" Bruce exclaimed, jabbing his finger at the image of a complicated bullet on the screen. "I didn't sign up for this? Why do you even want them!?"
"Because of him." Fury interjected, loudly and a little - dare I say - furiously, pointing directly at Thor.
"Me?" The blond giant replied, confused and a little concerned.
"Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet." Fury explained, gesturing violently with his hands. "He had a grudge match that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned."
"My people want nothing but peace with your planet." Thor said tersely, teeth gritted and anger on his face, looking directly at Fury with no small amount of anger.
I couldn't help myself. I snorted.
The entire room turned to look at me. "Something to say, Frost?" The Captain asked, the same solemnity and agitation settling over him. There was none of that slight camaraderie and kinship I'd felt last time I was in the same room as Captain America- now, all I felt was the cold certainty that he could put the hurt on me.
While, I can put that same hurt right back on you.
"Yes." I declared boldly. "I cannot believe we're having this conversation."
"Thank you!" Stark sighed, relieved, and turned away, throwing his hands up in the air.
"No, I agree with SHIELD on this one." Everyone's eyes narrowed. And I do mean everyone's, turning to focus on me once more. Stark, in particular, spun with such force he nearly knocked some tools onto the ground. I continued before any more interruptions could erupt, throat drying up now that I had everyone's attention, but determined to say my piece. "Thor, your people may not want war, but they certainly don't care about peace. To the Asgardians, humanity is a particularly large anthill, teeming with insects that don't matter and can't hurt us. Last year, Odin tossed you down to Earth without even the slightest care about where you might land, what consequences you might bring, how dangerous you could be. He wouldn't have cared of you had crashed into the middle of New York City and had the Destroyer decimate the place! You don't care, you're not even trying to care! So yes, if there's a chance that we ants can get ourselves a gun that makes you - at the very least - not toss your highly dangerous trash into the midst of our most vital cities; yes, we should build the damn gun!"
There was silence. My throat was dry and tight, and I felt my cheeks burn at the lack of reaction.
"How..." Thor asked, approaching me slowly. "How did you know all that?" He asked.
"... What?" I replied, dumbfounded. What the hell does he- Wait...
"There is no... Conceivable way you could have possibly known about all that." He continued, voice dropping to a low and dangerous tone. "So answer me carefully, Child of Frost- how did you gain that information?"
"Let's all calm down here, alright?" Fury cut in, interposing himself between me and Thor.
"I..." I looked down at my hands. How the hell did I know all that? I hadn't even been thinking about it particularly hard, I'd just... Once I got going in my rant, it all came flooding out. I hadn't even consciously known that stuff, how on earth had I just blurted it all out like that?
"You need to-" Thor started, his stony gaze growing more heated as he ignored Fury totally, before he was cut off by another loud beep from Bruce's pad.
"We've got the location of..." He started before trailing off.
"Bruce?" Natasha spoke up, sounding concerned. "What's going on? Did you find the Tesseract?"
"Oh my God..." He breathed, then glanced up with an expression of intense panic seared into his eyes. He opened his mouth to call out something, but-
Noise, force, pressure and heat, bearing down from all directions.
I'm not prepared, I'm not ready, and this fucking staff has been giving me migraines for the past two hours.
I'm too slow to reach for my powers, and as the explosions roar in the distance, I feel enormous weight slam into my chest and pin me against a wall.
The chaos fades.
Plus, this felt like a pretty natural place to break.
--------------------
Stark, Bruce and I were in an observation room, looking in on Loki's staff from behind a thick layer of reinforced glass, while SHIELD agents in biohazard suits - or whatever the hell they were wearing - ran scanners over the thing, reporting every little change and shift in temperature, radiation levels, light refraction- anything Stark and Bruce could think of. The two of them could adjust simulations and room conditions and such from within the observational lab, and all other personnel were being kept as far away from the staff as possible.
The only reason I was there was because I told Fury I could see when the staff tried to attach to someone's mind. Fortunately, it looked like the tendrils were put off by a physical barrier between it and it's targets, so the workers should be safe as long as they had no exposed skin. The suits had to be airtight, too - there couldn't be the tiniest opening that would allow a tendril to worm it's way under and infect. Fury had had something put together, though, so I reckoned it should be fine.
I'd stopped paying attention a while ago. All I could think about... The only thing I could focus on... Was Stark's words.
His name... Is Genesis.
That was my name. Or, at least, what I had called myself, back in 1962. So... What? Was this the potential future of what would have happened, if I'd never been brought into the future? Had I been on a course towards becoming the leader of a terrorist group?
I meant... I understood the struggle of mutants. Even in the short time I'd been with the Hellfire Club I'd seen just how hateful and terrified people could get of mutants, and the story Azazel told me and shown me just how widespread this opinion was.
So... I could potentially see how that could happen. How... Maybe... That had gotten to me? And... Maybe I'd seen something, in this alternate timeline where I never got transported to the future, that made me want to fight back, establish the Brotherhood, become a terrorist group...
But for the life of me, I couldn't think what. What could possibly have motivated me to, to, to kill people? Enough people that, apparently, most people had lost someone?!
No. Okay, calm down. There are other possibilities, if you just took a fucking second to think about it, moron.
That's right. There were already quite a few people who knew the Genesis name - the whole of the Hellfire Club, for one. Not to mention any number of people who might have found out between my disappearance, and the events of the Cuban missile crisis.
Or even someone who just came up with it outside of my influence. It wasn't like it was a particularly uncommon theme - Genesis meant creation, it had links to the Bible, it was just a word used by anyone. Just because I had taken that name, didn't mean someone else couldn't have come up with it and used it.
Right. That was right. It wasn't necessarily me. It could be any number of people. I should wait until I found out more information.
But the nagging doubt remained... Was I capable of killing- at all, never mind on the level Genesis apparently had?
--------------------
Stark left at one point, after an alert beeped insistently at him from his phone. Bruce and I looked up briefly, but we quickly turned back to the tests going on in that room. With no one to discuss the science of the thing, Bruce lapsed into silence, and I was too absorbed in my own thoughts to even attempt keeping up the conversation.
Once the staff had seen that there was no way it could possibly get to the bare skin of the agents inside, it stopped trying. The cords became docile, falling limply to the side of the scepter before retracting back into the glittering blue gem that topped it. I barely noticed.
Time passed, Bruce puttered about the room adjusting holographic gauges and illusory dials. I remained centered, arms crossed and chewing on a thumbnail, an intense frown deep-rooted in my brow. Every now and then I'd look up, to briefly check the Trance cords hadn't emerged, before returning to my introspection.
I was startled out of these ruminations by a sudden beeping, emanating loudly from a large screen on the wall. It had a map of... Somewhere, on it, and large, white, '95%' next to it, along with coordinates and a bunch of other information.
High techy, I thought. Bruce apparently thought so too, as he seized a panel and unhooked it from the wall, the information relaying onto it easily. Without another word, the man pressed a pad on the wall and slipped out of the room hastily, the door not even half-open before he wormed his way through and set off.
... I should probably follow him.
I exited before the door could slide shut again, jogging after Bruce's fast-disappearing form, as he rounded a corner and re-entered the lab he had originally been in. I sighed in relief as I followed, even this small distance diminishing the unrelenting headache the staff had been tattooing into my skull.
Inside of Bruce's original lab was... The whole crew. Apparently. Stark, the Captain, Fury, even Blondie and Redhead. Thor and Natasha, Bruce had called them. As I slid in behind Bruce, whatever conversation they were having stopped in it's tracks. The whole room turned to face the pair of us.
"What's... Going on?" Bruce asked hesitantly, holographic pad held loosely in his right hand. I inched around him, leaning against a table for support.
"What's going on," Stark replied immediately, his voice unusually tense as he seized hold of a panel attached to the ceiling and swung it round. "Is that SHIELD is planning to use the Tesseract to make weapons."
Fury cursed under his breath and turned away. "What?" Bruce said, breathless with disbelief. I looked aroud innocently, utterly confused.
"Psst," I whispered to Redhead- Natasha. "What's the Tesseract again?"
"Classified," she replied tersely. I blinked, shrugged, then leaned the other way.
"Psst," I whispered to Thor. "What's the Tesseract again?"
"A doorway to another part of space, capable of drawing immense amounts of power through it, to be used for whatever nefarious purpose the wielder desires." Thor said, cuttingly. "It belongs on Asgard."
"Right, yeah, I remember now." I replied, then resumed my leaning position. I glanced over at Natasha. She pointedly looked away.
"... Clean energy, not weapons of mass destruction!" Bruce exclaimed, jabbing his finger at the image of a complicated bullet on the screen. "I didn't sign up for this? Why do you even want them!?"
"Because of him." Fury interjected, loudly and a little - dare I say - furiously, pointing directly at Thor.
"Me?" The blond giant replied, confused and a little concerned.
"Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet." Fury explained, gesturing violently with his hands. "He had a grudge match that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned."
"My people want nothing but peace with your planet." Thor said tersely, teeth gritted and anger on his face, looking directly at Fury with no small amount of anger.
I couldn't help myself. I snorted.
The entire room turned to look at me. "Something to say, Frost?" The Captain asked, the same solemnity and agitation settling over him. There was none of that slight camaraderie and kinship I'd felt last time I was in the same room as Captain America- now, all I felt was the cold certainty that he could put the hurt on me.
While, I can put that same hurt right back on you.
"Yes." I declared boldly. "I cannot believe we're having this conversation."
"Thank you!" Stark sighed, relieved, and turned away, throwing his hands up in the air.
"No, I agree with SHIELD on this one." Everyone's eyes narrowed. And I do mean everyone's, turning to focus on me once more. Stark, in particular, spun with such force he nearly knocked some tools onto the ground. I continued before any more interruptions could erupt, throat drying up now that I had everyone's attention, but determined to say my piece. "Thor, your people may not want war, but they certainly don't care about peace. To the Asgardians, humanity is a particularly large anthill, teeming with insects that don't matter and can't hurt us. Last year, Odin tossed you down to Earth without even the slightest care about where you might land, what consequences you might bring, how dangerous you could be. He wouldn't have cared of you had crashed into the middle of New York City and had the Destroyer decimate the place! You don't care, you're not even trying to care! So yes, if there's a chance that we ants can get ourselves a gun that makes you - at the very least - not toss your highly dangerous trash into the midst of our most vital cities; yes, we should build the damn gun!"
There was silence. My throat was dry and tight, and I felt my cheeks burn at the lack of reaction.
"How..." Thor asked, approaching me slowly. "How did you know all that?" He asked.
"... What?" I replied, dumbfounded. What the hell does he- Wait...
"There is no... Conceivable way you could have possibly known about all that." He continued, voice dropping to a low and dangerous tone. "So answer me carefully, Child of Frost- how did you gain that information?"
"Let's all calm down here, alright?" Fury cut in, interposing himself between me and Thor.
"I..." I looked down at my hands. How the hell did I know all that? I hadn't even been thinking about it particularly hard, I'd just... Once I got going in my rant, it all came flooding out. I hadn't even consciously known that stuff, how on earth had I just blurted it all out like that?
"You need to-" Thor started, his stony gaze growing more heated as he ignored Fury totally, before he was cut off by another loud beep from Bruce's pad.
"We've got the location of..." He started before trailing off.
"Bruce?" Natasha spoke up, sounding concerned. "What's going on? Did you find the Tesseract?"
"Oh my God..." He breathed, then glanced up with an expression of intense panic seared into his eyes. He opened his mouth to call out something, but-
Noise, force, pressure and heat, bearing down from all directions.
I'm not prepared, I'm not ready, and this fucking staff has been giving me migraines for the past two hours.
I'm too slow to reach for my powers, and as the explosions roar in the distance, I feel enormous weight slam into my chest and pin me against a wall.
The chaos fades.
--------------------
Emizaquel
What is a self?
Most likely, the Staff gave him enough information to allow Frost to make his own opinion of the situation known.
