Chapter 2 Quantum Leap

The university laboratory hummed with the sound of high-tech equipment as Indra made his way through the maze of workstations. It was just before 10 AM, and anticipation thrummed through his veins like electricity. Whatever Dr. Agarwal wanted to show him, it had to be big.

He found his former professor hunched over a strange device at the far end of the lab. It was unlike anything Indra had ever seen before—a sleek, cylindrical object pulsating with a soft, blue glow.

"Dr. Agarwal?" Indra called out. "It's Indra. I got your message."

The older man looked up, his eyes bright with excitement behind his thick glasses. "Indra! Excellent timing. Come, come. You need to see this."

As Indra approached, he noticed the device was surrounded by hastily scribbled notes and diagrams. The equations were like nothing he'd ever encountered, a dizzying dance of advanced mathematics and theoretical physics.

"What is all this, Doctor?" Indra asked, his curiosity piqued.

"This, my boy," Dr. Agarwal said, gesturing to the glowing cylinder, "is what I believe to be a breakthrough in quantum entanglement. A device that can potentially manipulate the very fabric of reality."

Indra's eyebrows shot up. "You mean..."

"Yes," the professor nodded, barely containing his enthusiasm. "I believe we may have stumbled upon a way to access parallel universes."

For a moment, Indra was speechless. His mind raced with the implications. If this was true, it would redefine... well, everything.

"How does it work?" he finally managed.

"That's where you come in," Dr. Agarwal said. "The mechanics behind it are... complex. I've been trying to develop an algorithm to control it, but I've hit a wall. I was hoping your unique insight might shed some light on the problem."

Indra nodded, already immersed in the equations scattered across the workbench. His fingers itched to get at a keyboard, to start translating these abstract concepts into workable code.

"May I?" he asked, gesturing to a nearby computer.

"Please, be my guest."

The next few hours passed in a blur of intense concentration. Indra's fingers flew across the keyboard, weaving lines of code like a master artisan. Dr. Agarwal hovered nearby, occasionally offering insights or clarifications on the more esoteric aspects of the device's theoretical underpinnings.

It was nearly sunset when Indra finally sat back, his eyes burning from staring at the screen for so long. "I think... I think I've got something, Doctor."

Dr. Agarwal leaned in, scanning the complex algorithm Indra had constructed. His eyes widened. "This is... remarkable. You've accounted for variables I hadn't even considered. If this works..."

"Only one way to find out," Indra said, a mix of excitement and apprehension in his voice. He pulled a small flash drive from his pocket and inserted it into the computer. "I'm going to load the algorithm onto the device. Are you ready?"

The professor hesitated for just a moment, then nodded firmly. "Let's make history."

Indra connected the device to the computer and initiated the file transfer. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, suddenly, the cylinder's glow intensified, its soft blue light growing brighter and brighter.

"Is it supposed to do that?" Indra asked, a note of alarm creeping into his voice.

Before Dr. Agarwal could respond, a high-pitched whine filled the air. The cylinder began to vibrate, shaking so violently that it nearly fell off the workbench.

"Indra, I think we should—"

But whatever the professor was about to say was cut off as the device emitted a blinding flash of light. Indra felt a wrenching sensation, as if every atom in his body was being pulled apart and reassembled. He might have screamed, but he couldn't hear his own voice over the roaring in his ears.

And then, as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped.

Indra blinked, disoriented. The lab was gone. Instead, he found himself standing on a busy sidewalk, the cacophony of city life assaulting his senses. Towering skyscrapers reached toward a clear blue sky, and the air was thick with the smell of street food and exhaust fumes.

"What... where am I?" he mumbled, staggering slightly. A few passersby gave him odd looks but continued on their way, as if randomly appearing men were just another quirk of city living.

He spun around, trying to get his bearings. The architecture looked New york, but there was something off about it. The buildings seemed... shinier, somehow. More futuristic. And was that a holographic billboard?

A newspaper stand caught his eye, and he lurched toward it, ignoring the vendor's suspicious glare. His eyes locked onto the date printed on the New York Times, and his knees nearly buckled.

May 4, 2012.

"This can't be happening," Indra whispered, his mind reeling. "I'm dreaming. I have to be dreaming."

But even as the words left his mouth, he knew it wasn't true. The sensory input was too vivid, too immediate. The chill of the morning air on his skin, the distant wail of sirens, the smell of fresh bagels from a nearby cafe—it was all too real.

A high-pitched chime startled him out of his thoughts. It seemed to be coming from... himself? Frowning, Indra patted his pockets, wondering if his phone had somehow survived whatever the hell had just happened. Instead, his fingers brushed against something that felt like a thin tablet.

He pulled it out, staring at the device in confusion. It was sleek, almost transparent, with no visible buttons. As he held it, the surface lit up with a holographic display.

"Welcome, Indra Srivastav," a pleasant, genderless voice emanated from the device. "Initializing Luck-Based Reality Interface. Please stand by for calibration."

"Luck-Based... what?" Indra sputtered, nearly dropping the thing. "Who are you? What is going on?"

"Calibration complete," the voice continued, ignoring his questions. "Current luck level: 10. Status: Disoriented but unharmed. Location: New York City, Earth-616, May 4, 2012. Would you like a brief tutorial on system functions?"

Indra's mouth opened and closed several times, no sound emerging. His razor-sharp mind, usually three steps ahead of any problem, seemed to have short-circuited. Earth-616? Wasn't that...?

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," he finally managed, a hysterical laugh bubbling up in his throat. "I'm in the Marvel Universe? Really?"

The device chimed again. "Affirmative. You have been transmigrated to the primary continuity of the Marvel Multiverse, colloquially known as Earth-616. Your arrival has triggered the activation of the Luck-Based Reality Interface, a system designed to aid interdimensional travelers in navigating unfamiliar realities."

Indra leaned against the newspaper stand, ignoring the vendor's indignant shout. His mind was racing, trying to process the impossible. He was a man of science, dammit. He didn't believe in magic or parallel universes or... or whatever the hell this was.

And yet, the evidence was right in front of him. Unless he was having the most elaborate psychotic break in history, he had somehow been transported into a fictional universe. A universe filled with superheroes, villains, and world-ending threats on a semi-regular basis.

"Okay," he said slowly, forcing himself to think logically. "Okay. Let's assume, for the moment, that this is real. That I'm really... here. What exactly does this 'Luck-Based Reality Interface' do?"

The device's screen shifted, displaying a series of icons and graphs. "The interface allows you to influence probability in your immediate vicinity, effectively granting you 'good luck.' Your current luck level of 10 is relatively low, but it can be increased through various actions and achievements. Higher luck levels grant greater influence over events and outcomes."

A wry smile tugged at Indra's lips despite the absurdity of the situation. "So, what you're telling me is that I'm a video game character, and this is my HUD?"

"That analogy, while simplistic, is not entirely inaccurate," the device replied, and Indra could have sworn he detected a note of amusement in its synthesized voice.

He took a deep breath, straightening up. Panic and disbelief weren't going to get him anywhere. If he was really stuck in this situation—at least for the time being—he needed to adapt. To understand the rules of the game.

"Alright then, tutorial mode it is," he declared, his voice steadier than he felt. "Show me how this luck system works."

As if in response to his words, a commotion erupted further down the street. People were pointing and shouting, their faces a mix of awe and fear. Indra turned, following their gaze upward.

And froze.

A massive, shimmering portal had opened in the sky above Manhattan, and through it poured... creatures. Alien-looking beings on flying chariots, armed with energy weapons that looked like they belonged in a sci-fi movie.

"Probability of Chitauri invasion: 99.9%," the device chirped helpfully. "Recommended course of action: Seek immediate shelter."

But Indra barely heard it. His eyes were fixed on the sky, a mixture of terror and exhilaration coursing through him. Because he recognized this. Any Marvel fan would.

This was the Battle of New York. The day the Avengers first assembled.

And somehow, impossibly, he was right in the middle of it.

"Shelter," he muttered, tearing his gaze away from the unfolding chaos. "Right. Good plan. Let's do that."

As Indra began to move, seeking safety amidst the growing pandemonium, a small part of his mind—the part that had dreamed of adventures beyond his computer screen—couldn't help but think:

"Well, Indra. You wanted excitement. Looks like you've got it in spades."