Power Is Blind

With a grunt of annoyance, I shifted my body around. The cold hard surface I lay on wasn't the most comfortable of beds.

A cooling breeze swept over me. Gone was the familiar scent of blood. Replaced with the smell of fries, burgers, and from my scarily accurate food-guessing abilities, bacon.

Truly, the greatest of God's creations.

I was in a realm of content. Unbothered by the struggles of life. My senses came back to me, no longer dulled by the approaching feeling of death. I could nearly taste the food in my mouth.

It felt great to fantasize about. Amazing, even. I almost felt… alive.

Alive… alive…

"Alive?" My voice came out surprised. My eyes shot open to confirm what my body was slowly trying to tell me.

A blue sky. Covered by smoke, but pretty all the same. Tall buildings surrounded either side of my body. An alley, much like the one I had been in when I…

Died.

'Or at least I think I did?'

My questioning thoughts did nothing to help me understand my situation. So with a heavy exhale I pushed my obese body off the floor.

"Maximum effort. Ughh"

Balancing myself was an achievement all on its own, but when you've lived like this for as long as I have you learn to maneuver around your weak points.

Garbage bins were strewn all around me. I breathed in deeply to catch my breath but couldn't smell a thing. Their undoubtedly disgusting stench was overpowered by a much more pleasant alternative.

Food.

Like a trained dog I allowed my nose to direct my movement. Out of the alley and into the big wide world.

And a big world it was.

A bustling city. Familiar red brick buildings loomed overhead, their fire escapes zigzagging up the sides. Exhaust fumes hung in the air. Smoke that once blocked my vision cleared as I walked along my way. The distant sound of car horns honking and sirens blaring echoed through the maze-like streets.

I could see the early morning sunlight filtering through the tall buildings, casting long shadows that danced along the pavement. The alley opened up into a narrow street, lined with brownstones and small shops. A faded mural painted on the brick wall depicted a City skyline, one I couldn't name with the amount of decay hiding the intent of the artist.

My eyes scanned the area, searching for any sign of food. A nearby street vendor was just setting up their cart. My nose did not lie. Freshly brewed coffee and bacon. My stomach growled in anticipation as I made my way toward the tantalizing smell, navigating the maze of streets I tried ignoring the gnawing hunger that consumed me.

I passed by a local deli, its neon sign flickering above the entrance, advertising an array of sandwiches. The sight of fresh bagels piled high behind the counter made my mouth water. At this point, I really could eat anything.

Attempting to distract myself from the pain I looked around me to gauge where exactly I was.

The neighborhood was a mix of residential and commercial buildings, with rows of brownstones and small apartment buildings interspersed with corner stores and bodegas. The streets were lined with parked cars, and the occasional cyclist whizzed by, navigating the narrow roads with ease.

As I turned a corner, I spotted a community garden, with neat rows of vegetables and herbs growing in raised beds. My heart skipped a beat as I approached, my eyes scanning the lush greenery for anything edible. I spotted a few tomatoes that were ripe for picking and quickly plucked them, the juice dripping down my chin as I bit into the succulent flesh. It was absolutely disgusting, but I really couldn't last much longer without a quick meal. Anything to stave off the hunger till I got to the main course.

Temporarily sated, I took a moment to observe my surroundings once again. This was a diverse and vibrant neighbourhood, with a mix of cultural influences I could see in the shops, street art, and people walking about their daily lives. The streets were lined with trees, their leaves starting to change colour as it got ever closer to autumn.

Despite what had happened to me, there was a sense of resilience and community in the air, as people talked with their friends, navigating the streets with purpose. For the first time in a while, I felt a bit sad. Maybe if I had tried harder, friends would have been something I could've also experienced.

Noticing the vendor had completed his setup I quickly got over my sombre thoughts. Walking towards his cart I could see him already starting up his work. The bacon sizzled as it was heated to perfection.

Reaching across my shoulder I panicked as my hand grasped air. I forgot about my satchel. With no idea where I had initially woken up I held in a shout of frustration and opted to ask the man some questions instead.

If I couldn't get a meal I might as well get some answers.

"Excuse me, sir? See anything you'd be interested in?"

Almost as if on cue the shop owner decided to start the conversation himself.

"N-well yes actually. Just wanted to ask a c-couple of questions if you don't mind."

"You're not from around here I'm guessing haha." The man chuckled to himself in realization.

"How'd you know?" I asked, my right eyebrow raised.

"Most people who come down these streets are Hispanic. I'm a Latino man myself if you couldn't tell. It's not hard to catch an unfamiliar face, and no offence, someone of your… size would be recognizable."

I couldn't fault the guy. Can't get angry at the truth.

"Yeah… you're right I'm not from around here… where is here, exactly?"

The man's arm stopped all motion. It had been steadily controlling his pan. Intent on not burning his product by accident.

He gave me a puzzled look. One I could understand seeing as how the question wasn't asked often I presume. It was odd to ask if I was being honest.

"A few streets from the heart of Ridgewood kid. If you're lost, go northeast to the central line and take the Forrest Hill train to Grand Central."

There. The information dump I needed to figure out my situation.

Grand Central Station. That's in New York. Which makes no sense. I'd lived my whole life in North Carolina. Besides a couple of trips here and there. It just doesn't add up. Makes even less sense if you factor in the… alley…

Damn, it. I forgot about the alley.

"Hey... you don't look too good. I got some water in the back if you need it?"

My heart rate was off. I could almost hear it trying to jump out of my chest. Its repeated rhythm is like a battering ram to my ears.

Focusing myself, I looked at him once more. The look of genuine concern softened me up. It gave me something else to think about.

Calm down. Focus. Be practical.

"D-Do you know anywhere I-I could sit down to relax? A public area? Preferably with internet a-access?" I stuttered out.

"Umm." The elderly man hummed as he scratched the side of his head.

"Not really off the top of my head, no. If you're just looking for a quiet place to sit down I'd say the library is probably your best call. It's a few blocks down from here. Just go straight down this road, take a left after Palmetto, straight for a couple more blocks, take a right and then follow the signs for 20-12 Madison Street. It'll be right there pal."

Grateful for the helpful advice I thank the man and start my trek through the neighbourhood. The time gave me a moment to catch my breath and mourn the loss of my satchel. Without it I'd be lost for money and more importantly, my phone. The library might just be the perfect place for me to get myself back together.

Following his instructions to a T, I was happy to find myself in front of Queens Public Library. The Ridgewood branch of it at least.

Ding-ding

The doorbell rang out as I welcomed myself in. An old lady sat at the counter. She gave me a quick smile and went back to talking to a customer.

The place itself wasn't too big. It gave off a nice community feel. I could see high school or college students chatting with their friends in hushed tones. The building had two levels. The bottom floor had no real privacy so I headed upstairs instead.

Just like I guessed, the second floor had more corners and spots for single-study use. Opting to pick one, I sat down in seclusion somewhere in the far back. As far away from the entrance and any people I could get.

There was no avoiding it now.

I felt the soft texture of my chubby hands as I tried rubbing the confusion off my face.

North Carolina and New York weren't a walk away. What happened in that alley couldn't have been a dream. I was many things. Lazy, dull, slightly pessimistic, and some would say pathetic, but crazy was something I'd never admit to.

With all my stuff gone, it'll be almost impossible to get back home. My best bet would be to call the police. It'll be hard to explain but surely this wouldn't have been the craziest thing to happen…

Mulling over my options (or option, singular) I reach into my pocket hoping to get lucky with a few bucks I might've forgotten.

"Yes!" Excitedly I pull out the dollar I could feel scrunched up in my tight Jean pocket. With a bit of effort and contortionism, I was able to pull out my saviour.

"Huh?" My brows scrunch up in confusion. Instead of the heavenly colour of green I was hoping to see I find a white piece of paper crumpled up in my palm.

Feeling disappointed and hopeless I tried throwing the piece of paper away in the direction of a nearby bin.

Key word being: tried

A feeling of extreme foreboding took hold of me every time I attempted or even thought of letting the paper go.

It was more than just stupid superstition. It felt wrong. Or at least it made throwing the paper away feel wrong.

Same difference.

Freaked out beyond belief, I decided enough was enough. Grabing the paper with my hands, I was ready to rip the damn thing into pieces. The only thing stopping me were the words on the note itself.

𝓣𝓸 𝓐𝓵𝓮𝔁𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝓜𝓮𝓻𝓬𝓮𝓻.

Written in stylized cursive was my name. What made this a little more confusing was why someone would take a small piece of paper and address it to me. I dont know anyone. Not anyone who cared enough to send me letters at least.

Unwrinkling the note was a process it seemed. My fingers were too stumpy to work with the thin material without struggle. Eventually though, I was able to get it open. And what greeted me was a paragraph from an unknown source.

𝓐 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮. 𝓓𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮 𝓲𝓽. 𝓞𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓱𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓮, 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓷𝓸 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮. 𝓡𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓪𝓵 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓼 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷. 𝓕𝓸𝓻 𝓲𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷 𝓾𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓫𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭.

𝓕𝓻𝓸𝓶 - 𝓨𝓸𝓾'𝓵𝓵 𝓯𝓲𝓰𝓾𝓻𝓮 𝓲𝓽 𝓸𝓾𝓽. 𝓔𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂𝓭𝓪𝔂 𝓲𝓼 𝓪 𝓷𝓮𝔀 𝓪𝓭𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓮, 𝓪𝓯𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓵𝓵.

"… new adventure, after all." I whispered out as I finished the note. Placing it down on the table I pondered the message.

'Starts from within?'

Maybe I had lost my mind? The simplest answer would be that I'm on some kind of sick game show. A televised squid game where the end result is me going insane.

I could give it a try? As insane as it sounds the worst it would do is make me look like an idiot. Which is low on my list of things to care about right now.

Closing my eyes I focused… within myself? I guess? I'm not really monk material.

Focus. Focus. Focus.

What's that thing they do in the movies? 'Ah-uu-mm, Ah-uu-mm, Ah-uu-mm, Ah-u-wait wasn't that for yoga? '

Through my small lapse in concentration there was an opening. A moment where I wasn't stressing over my current dilemma. Thinking about how ridiculous I must've sounded inadvertently pulled me away from the things clouding my mind. And without the cloud, I didn't have to go searching anymore.

𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦.

Darkness.

The library was gone. Startled I stood up in a rush, only to realize that I couldn't really "stand". Well, I couldn't really do anything in the state I was in. I looked down at my hands and watched in amazement at my translucent form. My fingers encased in golden light. My body had no features. Instead, I was a form of energy. Golden, see through, and completely frozen in place.

At that moment the dark backdrop of the world hagan to change. It was as if God had summoned light from nothing. I looked to the sky in wonder as stars flew across. Shooting at speeds I couldn't fathom. Just a few steps from me light exploded from the ground as golden liquid flowed from its gaps. I watched as a river was created with this golden water. More and more of these explosions rocketed the area around me. The gold elixir joined with the rest, and soon what looked like veins of gold spread around me. They could be seen far and wide without end.

It sparkled. Everywhere numerous glittering lights filled the pools flowing around me. They were connected, almost like nodes. A system that were linked through something deeper.

I noticed something else. The lights had finally given me a chance to see what had always been there. Six pots surrounded me. I use the term "pots" loosely. They were large, nearly surpassing the height of my knees. On each one a stylized sideways C could be seen.

'Now that I think about it,they kinda look like 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘴…'

Placing that thought away for later, I thought back to the end goal of all this. What could it mean? If there was something I was meant to do, why not just tell me upfront?

I looked towards the cauldrons around me. Common sense would dictate that I was possibly meant to put something in them. Maybe the light? Problem is, I couldn't move.

'What if I'm thinking about this the wrong way? The water is golden, the world is filled with darkness, and the sky is literally full of moving stars. Maybe common sense isn't the right answer here?'

Finally coming to a decision I reach out towards the golden light. What if trying to move doesn't work in a physical sense? If this was my inner world, then wouldn't the mind be the answer?

A hand. Not my hand, but a hand all the same. It materializes in front of me. Just like me it was golden in nature, but unlike me it was opaque. Solid in form. I pushed it forwards by visualizing it's movements. It followed my thoughts exactly. Moving over the cauldrons and reaching into the river itself.

It was only now that I realized the truth. The hand cut into the river, and instead of seeing the motion of liquid I saw the sporadic burst of energy instead. Light exploded around the hand, spreading around and flying into the sky. Realizing that I couldn't hold them I opted to grab ahold of the various nodes instead. The sparkling lights of varying sizes that flowed within the golden power.

My hand grabs ahold of a small one. I mentally reeled it back like a fisherman and watched as the nodes connected to the one I had caught broke away and returned to their journey. Bringing forth the node, I took a moment to pray before testing my luck. My hand hovered over the first cauldron. A tense silence overtook the world until finally, I grew a pair and dropped the node inside.

𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦. 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨.

As my eyes closed in my inner world. My eyes in the library had opened.

𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦. 𝘈𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯…..

Like the text in those terms and agreements forms my brain was flooded with data. I was processing everything that was shoved into my brain at incredibe speeds. Instead of being lost in the process it was almost like I could instinctually understand what I was being told.

And I didn't believe it.

My hand was shaking like a leaf as I moved to grab the piece of paper I had left on the desk. Holding it up in the air I tried, and failed, to stop my body from vibrating with anxiety.

I knew how to do this. The node didn't just give me the ability but served as a guide. I wouldn't have the experience but I would know what to do. I was like a virgin about to go at it for the first time.

I might've spent my whole life watching porn, but that didn't make me Johnny Sins.

It takes years of practice to become a master, young padawan.

Using my body as a focal point, and feeling for the space inbetween worlds, I pulled on our link before finally releasing the paper.

The result? The paper disappeared in midair.

My eyes bugged out of my head. I bet I looked like a comic book character. Over exaggerated and out of his mind.

No longer shaking and finally coming to the realization that what was happening might be real, I slowly reached into the open air and pulled back.

The paper materialized from thin air as if it was pulled out from a pocket. Which is exactly what had happened.

𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 my power told me.

Or what anyone else would call it, a pocket dimension.

I could feel my face split open into a massive grin. The note. The weird cryptic message. It sounds batshit insane but I figured it out.

I threw the paper into the air. Willing it to return, and got giddy as I watched it slip straight into an invisible pocket. I could still sense that the paper existed in my "inventory". I just had to pull it out when I wanted to.

Now that fun time was over the real question was, what am I going to do now? Why even give me this power to begin with? I'm sure there's someone else out there more worthy to get the only superpowers on the planet. So why me? And that's just assuming they didn't hand out powers to anyone else.

"Sir?"

"Yes?!" Looking toward the librarian who had snuck up on me. I took into account that I could still feel the paper in that other dimensional space. I could almost sense the cauldron and the node that granted it power burning with energy within me.

"Nothing's the matter dear. I just wanted to let you know we'll be closing in the hour. It's a Thursday so we close a bit later at 8:00 but just be careful to mind the time."

"Oh ok. Sorry you gave me a small scare haha." I chuckled awkwardly. I really needed to work on my human interaction skills.

"Aww sorry. Hope I didn't cause you trouble." She smiled brightly at me. Maybe there really were some nice people in the world.

"If you don't mind me asking, where do you think the best place to find cheap living would be?" While money was still an issue, it's still important knowing where to go after I secure the bag.

"Cheap? Hmm... let me think." The elderly woman cocked a hip and drummed her fingers across the table.

"Ridgewood isn't known for too much trouble so it'll be hard finding a place here with this short of a notice."

Damn. I assumed that was the case but still... I was out of luck.

"Don't look down sweetheart. Why don't you try Harlem? It'll take you a bit to get there but prices are a lot better."

"Really? You think the prices will be low enough? I'm in really bad financial shape right now." Wasn't exactly a lie. It's not like I had access to any of my finances right now.

"Most definitely. Haven't you checked the news? A the whole neighborhood was wrecked a while back."

That's weird. Harlem damaged to the degree she's making it out to seem like definitely would've been on national news. The place was known for crime but for the whole neighborhood to get caught in it?

"That's sad… I wish there was something I could do. Thanks for the help. I'll definitely look into it."

She grabbed me by the shoulder and gave me a comforting squeeze.

"Don't you worry. I'll keep you in my prayers. God willing, you'll find a place." She gave me a bright smile as I nodded at her kind words. She pulled back her hand and turned to leave, but not before saying a few last words.

"And please don't be too sad about it. A lot of people wish they could help. It's not your responsibility. Personally? I blame Tony Stark. That suit and his gadgets. You'd think the man would try and help out. Now he wants his own building?! The nerve of some people…" I could hear the frustration in her voice, but I had all but stopped listening to her speak.

Tony 𝘞𝘩𝘰?

A suit?

The puzzles started forming an image. Tony Stark and a suit. His own building in New York. Harlem being destroyed…

'The 𝘏𝘶𝘭𝘬. Oh shit.'

Faster than my body had any right to move I wheeled my chair to face the monitor. Utilizing true pc no life gamer skills I booted up the computer and brought the search engine up within seconds.

I thanked God (or god here? Small g?) that Google was still a search engine. Typing in a couple letters I looked up the person's name that would change everything about today.

𝘞𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢: 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘌𝘥𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘳.

I read the first line and slowly moved on. The next addition all but confirming reality.

𝘏𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘌𝘖 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘔𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩…..

Looking at pages upon pages of information on the man himself I was convinced. A quick search for the non existent (in this world) Robert Downey Jr all but confirmed that this wasn't a trick.

I'm in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Now logic dictates that in situations like these the correct course of action is to freak out. Deny reality, get mad, be depressed, and or try and plead with whatever higher power to take you back.

However an absolute moron, I was not. Skipping the 5 stages of grief bullshit I headed straight for acceptance and took my new environment in stride.

The paper had said enough. This was a chance. Out of my boring life, out of the shadow of people I could never compete with, out of the unimportant existence that was the average person.

Brought to the MCU? With powers of my own? I'd have signed on the dotted line myself if I had been given the choice.

'Well, that solves my first issue.' Standing from my chair I bounce back down the steps of the library. I could hear everyone near me startle at the thunderous thuds that echoed at my descent.

"Oh my? You look rather happy don't you young man." The librarian said, surprise written on her face.

"Much better than before I'll tell you that. Thank you for the help ma'am, I'll make sure to keep it in mind." Flashing her the least awkward smile I could muster, I exited the library and was met by a cool breeze and the view of a setting sun.

Where was I going exactly?

I had no money. No place to live. And my stomach was growing increasingly painful by the minute.

The positives?

I'm in 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘭. In arguably the most crime ridden city by continuity standards. And guess what?

I had goddamn superpowers.

Granted, I didn't know what they were, but I'm robbing some bad guys! If Robinhood taught me anything, it's that stealing from criminals is A-OK.

Moral compass satiated, I started by walking around the absolute worst areas I could find. History often repeats itself. Enough that completely different civilizations could have eerily similar sayings or proverbs. And well, I was following possibly the most famous quote of them all.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁.

And I was looking for all the smoke.

Dusk swiftly approached. The longer I walked the less occupied the streets became. The night was reserved for those who knew its dangers. It wasn't everyday you'd find someone actively looking for trouble.

However, contrary to what the librarian had told me, Ridgewood was anything but a safe place. I couldn't really blame her, when you've spent your entire life around danger, you tend to think everything isn't so bad.

While the neighborhood was great by New York standards, that didn't mean it wasn't without its faults. I could hear police cars in the distance. Far enough that I couldn't see them but close enough to guess something had happened in the area. Knowing that I didn't want to involve the cops with what I was about to do, I headed away from the sirens.

It wasn't too long until I saw a group of men huddled near the side of a building. Nothing abnormal per se... but I could smell something oddly familiar in the air and knew I had a situation on my hands.

Weed. Or Atleast the odor, and I could almost see them passing the damn thing between themselves.

Did I hate weed? No, not really. While I held a grudge against my college roommates who stunk up the place with its scent, I had nothing against the ones who chose to find an outlet through the substance.

That didn't mean I couldn't use it to my advantage.

See, in my world I distinctly remember the drug being legalized in New York. However, the current date had been 2023, and legalization hadn't happened until rather recently. Even if I were to assume the worst and say my memory is off, I'm nearly convinced it wasn't any time before the mid 2010s. When I had Tony Starks profile, it mentioned his reveal of being Iron Man but nothing about an alien invasion. Put two and two together? We were pre 2013.

I was about to serve some federal charges.

Metaphorically of course. If they weren't gangbangers or criminals then I'd obviously let them go. Weed isn't the be all end all of someone's character.

Never judge a man on what kind of drugs he consumes.

Got that one from my dad! Right before he threw back a shot of Hennessy….

Movement.

One of the three men had changed his posture. He noticed me approaching and decided to get a good look at me.

Not like I would scare him. I was tall, I knew that much. My height was enough to look over most people I met. What wasn't so impressive was… everything else. My hair was greasy and unkept. I could almost feel the dirt brown hair clinging to my forehead. It had been light blonde when I was younger. Years of neglect altering its colour.

The amount of walking I had done today did nothing for my hygiene. My face was red from all the exercise. My chubby cheeks made me look like an oversized tomato. Discounting my face, I wore simple gray plaid work pants and a smart button down shirt that was stretched to its absolute limit. You could almost see the seams giving up whenever I moved around too much.

It was the biggest size they had…

"You want something Cabrón?" Generic npc #1 spoke out. Nearly startling the shit out of me. The darkness is really messing with my nerves.

"Huh! M-Me? No I'm goo- I mean yes! Yes I do indeed want something." What the hell was I saying? Why did I sound like a buddy of shakespeare? Why the hell am I internally monologuing?!

The guy who had initially talked to me turned to his friends, almost in question.

"You uhh, you lost amigo?" One of them took his turn to talk. We'll call this guy npc #2. 1 and 2 both had the same style. Gray and black outfits that hid them perfectly in this dark environment. However, instead of answering his question I chose to talk to the third man instead.

"Excuse me, sir. You're not sticking to the background characters' unified color scheme, so you must be important."

Wow. Don't know where the confidence for that one came from. 'Maybe Spiderman was right? Quips do make handling stressful situations easier.'

"The fuck did you say?" #2 shouts back at my remark.

"Chi-i-i-ll Güey. This guy must not know who he's talking to." Yes! Cmon, say some stereotypical thug speak that'll give me the moral strength to fight you!

"Hey vato. Look, Imma let this disrespect go one time. So move the fuck along before I show you what the Latin Kings are about." Hook, line and sinker.

Ladies and gentlemen, we got 'em.

I reached within myself once again. I could sense the five cauldrons. One of which was already occupied by a power. I'd ignore it and keep the pocket dimension. Utilizing the golden hand, I tried pulling a node towards another cauldron. This was all psychological. It was less an actual action and more of me visualizing my powers. I didn't have to do this one at a time. I knew I could pull out multiple nodes in a single moment.

However, I noticed something off this time. The pull was weaker, noticeably. I knew that it wasn't a problem, but it was a cause for concern. Something I'd have to experiment with later on. Reaching into my well of power I tried getting a node of equal size to the pocket dimension. Weirdly, I didn't have to search at random. It was like the power came to me. Something I needed. Something for the situation…

It shined. Not like the others. Brighter, more tempting. Like it wanted to be used. Needed to be chosen amongst the rest. I allowed it to happen, to take up another spot within me.

And 3 more followed along.

What? Why only fill up 1 slot when I could do all 5? Taking a single power and hoping for a miracle is just asking to get fucked over. Leave nothing to chance and you'll never be surprised.

Instantly my mind opened. Perception was tied to your physical senses, sight and hearing being the most important for judging the physical universe. What if you could see beyond? Leaving the 3rd dimension and entering the 4th? Our eyes were limited to 2D, the illusion of depth is the phenomenon created when both our eyes worked together. Which is why people with a missing eye can't interpret height correctly. Seeing in 4D would hypothetically mean being able to see all sides of a 3D shape.

Or at least that was the basic information I was getting from my power. Or powers to be more correct. The first power gave me an awareness of all space around me in 35 meters. A pseudo Byakugan. Great for tipping me off if other gang members decided to swarm the area.

The second was much the same, but very limited. A 5 meter reach, which In comparison seems pretty weak. That was of course, if you discount the other ability tied to it.

Matter displacement. Anywhere within 4 meters. It came with a delay, but that was nothing compared to the fact that I could LITERALLY TELEPORT.

I thought I understood my powers. I initially assumed they were tied to space. The perception and teleportation supported my findings, but the other powers I felt completely disproved my hypothesis. Again, experimentation for later.

"Did I make myself cle-huh?" He paused mid sentence. I couldn't blame him. I was gone, nothing left but empty space.

I appeared next to npc #2. The ability was instantaneous with no buildup necessary. The only negative was a small cooldown time. Short enough not to be a problem.

I put my fist into a classic boxer pose. As clumsy as I looked I knew it wouldn't matter. My fourth power would cut the slack for me.

With a long windup I let my fist go and felt as it landed directly on his jaw. I both heard and felt a loud snap as he was sent back a couple feet.

It was a weak ability. A very small node, but with a great effect. The power to double any one of my bodily attributes. I chose strength, and inadvertently gave myself the strongest punch on the planet. Maybe only matched by a heavyweight boxer on steroids.

"Dimas!" Npc #1 was frantic. He just saw his friend get flatlined. His concern was very understandable.

Soundlessly my body disappeared. The lack of light made it look as though I blended into the darkness and just ceased to exist. Like a phantom…

𝘞𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘩

The sound of an object cutting through wind followed my hand as I buried my arm into his gut. I could see his eyes bulge out of their sockets as all the air in his body was pushed out of him.

"ghah-ughhhh" he dropped to the Ground clutching his stomach. I almost felt bad… almost.

Having powers felt 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨. I felt more 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 than I'd ever been. After this? I was hitting every would-be gangster in the city. These punks were nothing but garbage… absolutely worthless 𝘣𝘶𝘨𝘴 I could 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘴𝘩 one by on-

𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗚

My eyes widened. Lost in my power trip I forgot to utilize my expanded senses. The only thing that allowed me to even react was my last power. An ability that let me react to any stimulus instantaneously. Coupled with three times the reaction speed. It was a node considerably more powerful than the rest.

It wouldn't be enough to save me.

The cool down for my teleportation was a quarter of a second. I didn't need a genius intellect to know the bullet would reach me faster than It would be available.

It was over. Before I even had the chance to start. Make something of myself.

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦

In that instant, the bullet left the chamber and traveled the distance between me and the last thug. There was no time to react. I knew this was the end. Pathetically, almost to mirror my first death, I just gave up.

..

…

….

…..

"Huh?" My eyes opened. I felt the cold ground below me and realized I had fallen on my ass. Looking up I saw the smoking end of a gun. Tightly gripped in the hand of a shaking figure.

I was alive.

Looking down I noticed a bullet on the floor. It was in perfect condition. No damage that I could see. Like it hit something and just lost its ability to move.

Then my power 𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦.

I had been saved. My power didn't give me something related to space. It gave me 𝙖𝙣𝙮 power I needed. Something that was necessary for the situation. In my moment of fear I had dropped all my slots and my power had picked something for me instead. I looked at my hand and awed at the golden hexagons covering my body. A force field that absorbed any form of energy.

I stood up abruptly. I took a bit of pleasure watching him take a step back. If he was shaken before then I couldn't imagine what he was feeling right now.

One step. Two steps.

𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗚

That was the second bullet. The information given about my power gave me a vague understanding of how to use it.

Three more chances. I reached in myself once more and pulled for a physical boost. A node I was familiar with came to me. Smiling at the memory, I forget my strength this time and decide to double my speed instead. My legs bent and I rushed forward with a quickness a little bit below that of an olympic sprinter.

𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗚 𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗚

I could hear sharp chimes as bullets dropped to the ground. He was ready to pull the trigger once more but was cut short when I grabbed him by his hoodie. I brought him toward me and looked the man who almost ended my life in the eyes. I could almost smell the fear on him. Being able to tank bullets really must put the fear of God into some people.

𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬

I spared a glance to the side and saw the gun pointed at the side of my head. My forcefield glowed at the point of contact.

"Since you were kind enough to do it for me, I'll return the favor. Give me all the money you have and I'll let you walk away."

I could see him contemplate the idea. It was great. He didn't go to jail, and all I got were a couple hundred at most. That might seem like a lot but trust me, prison was a lot worse. Knowing that, I thought I had scared him enough to accept the deal. Untill I saw a small glint of defiance spark in his eyes.

"Go fuck yourself pendejo!" I felt his body tense up as he steadied his grip on the gun and pulled on the trigger.

Big mistake.

The bullet hit the force field, and we both watched as it lost all motion and dropped like a pebble. Unlike the last few times however, the field around me began to change. The hexagonal shaped tremored with uncontainable energy. The near transparent barrier grew brighter as golden light bathed the area around us.

"Tried to warn you." With a smile I set my feet before preparing myself for the show.

You could hear a low hum reveraabrate in the space around us. My golden glow could probably be seen all the way from Manhattan if I continued at this rate, but I'd have to end it here.

".…. 𝘚𝘬𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘩."

𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗠

The force field shattered and became… well, force. Npc #2 with a broken jaw flew out into the street followed quickly by #1 who had passed out from the lack of oxygen from my punch. Debris and trash flew in every direction while I stood at the center as the origin point. The man who had been in my grasp was sent flying forward and hit a car that had been parked near the sidewalk. His body crashed into its door. His head breaking into the window, shards of glass flying onto the interior seats. Among all the chaos, I stood still staring at my hands in absolute wonder.

That was… so damn cool.

Or at least it was, until the noise. Several cars around me began blaring out. Alarms tripped by the force of 5 bullets compressed into a single burst of kinetic force. I saw lights turning on inside of the numerous houses that lined the streets. To make matters worse, the iconic ear piercing sound of cop cars was a lot closer than before. If I was lucky I had a full minute before I really had a situation on my hands.

Quickly I ran to all three downed men and searched their pockets. My initial plan was to go out tonight and rob criminals to make money. Now that I had gone through a near death experience, my superpower post-nut-clarity had finally kicked in. Why use the physical aspect of my powers without utilizing the mental? I hadn't even tried figuring out what my powers even were before deciding I was going to go out and start waging an all out war on anyone unlucky enough to cross my path. Gang politics and power vacuum dynamics? I hadn't even factored in the Marvel Universe aspect. What if I had accidentally pissed off Fisk? Or worse, the Hand.

I wasn't worried about myself, of course. I at-least had powers that could help me. But the people in this city? The neighborhood? I needed to make sure I had the resources and public pull before putting the average person in a situation they couldn't just bulletproof their way out of.

Most importantly though, S.H.I.E.L.D. I needed to make myself as well known as possible. Big enough to where I couldn't just suddenly "disappear". Like hell I'd trust a Nazi regime. Samuel L Jackson or not, anything that organization says has to be taken with a grain of salt. Less than a grain, if I knew what was good for me.

𝙒𝙀𝙀~ 𝙒𝙊𝙊~ 𝙒𝙀𝙀~ 𝙒𝙊𝙊~

Shit! I finished looting the guys and stood in front of the three approaching cars. I made sure to keep my fingerprints away from anything they would ask their forensic scientists to search, like a gun.

The regrown shield glowing around me dissipated into light as I dismissed the power. I needed to leave, get out of here immediately. I waited as another power took its place. Equally as large a node as the last. I read through its function quickly. Understanding it's concept I closed my eyes and focused on the library. I imagined the interior. The smooth, wooden chairs that were too small for me. The bookshelves stocked to the brim. The beige walls that reflected the sunlight.

The more I pictured, the clearer the image became. Within seconds I felt an unusual pull on my body, as if I was being sucked through one end of a tube and being thrown out the other. Finally, with a 𝘞𝘏𝘐𝘗 I disappeared from the street. Nothing left in my place but a near invisible floating scar. Pure energy seeping from within. As the police approach the scene, wisps of golden light flow back into the scar as the tear in space closes shut.