*Ding*
The elevators dinged in unison, all four doors sliding open at once. A couple dozen SHIELD agents filed out in formation, full black tactical gear on and assault rifles.
Commander Brock Rumlow stepped forward at their head, his scarred face set in a hard line. He held up a digital tablet displaying an official order. "Doctor Storm. We have reason to believe you're harboring a fugitive. This grants us full access to search the premises."
Franklin moved to intercept. "You can't do this. This violates at least three federal statutes on private research facilities. I'm calling Judge Harlan. He'll shut this down."
Rumlow did not break stride. He shouldered past Franklin with a rough shove that sent the older man stumbling to the floor. "Save it for someone who cares."
That did it. Johnny's eyes blazed. "Flame on!" Fire erupted around him, his body igniting in a whoosh of heat that made the air shimmer.
Every SHIELD agent snapped their weapons up, red laser sights dancing over Johnny's flaming form.
"DONT YOU DARE TOUCH MY DAD!!!!" Johnny shouted, flames roaring higher. "I'll melt your faces off!"
Sue rushed to her father's side, helping him up. "Dad, are you okay?"
Franklin clutched his head, wincing. "My heads pounding... feel like I got hit by a truck."
Ben stepped up beside Johnny, his massive frame blocking Sue and her father. "You heard the kid. Back off, or we start the barbecue."
Sue stood reyinh to calm everyone down. "Everyone, stand down! This doesn't have to—"
"BACK DOWN NOW!" Brock shouted as he reached for his weapon. The rest of his agents did the same and the arguing continued until the agents looked ready to shoot.
*Ding*
Before a shot could ring out, the elevator dinged again.
Everyone froze their heads turning as one.
Everyone watched as the elevator passed each floor and then stopped at their floor.
The doors opened.
Much to everyone surprise Colleen stepped out, and when she saw the scene her face morphed into one of complete confusion.
But she was not alone.
Following her was none other than Mark who followed, in casual in jeans and a jacket, his expression shifting from relaxed to angry as he took in the scene.
"What's going on here?" Mark said, stepping forward. His eyes locked on Franklin on the ground, clutching his head, then swept to the agents. He recognized the insignia immediately.
SHIELD.
The atrium went silent, the agents shifting uneasily, weapons still raised but now uncertain. They all knew who Mark Grayson was and what he could do to them. If he wanted everyone in that room dead then there would be nothing that could stop him from making it so.
Mark walked straight toward Rumlow slowly letting his footsteps make loud intimating sounds against the floor, making all the agents jump with each one. No one even attempted to get in his way they all just watched him.
Rumlow held his ground. "We have reason to believe the Baxter building are harboring a fugitive. We are breaching the building here on lawful orders." He thrust the tablet forward again. "See for yourself."
Mark took the device, glanced at the order, he scrunched it into a ball with one hand, the metal crumpling like foil, and tossed it over his shoulder. "I asked what you're doing here," he repeated, staring Rumlow dead in the eye.
Rumlow scowled, his face twisting in barely contained rage, "Not everyone's afraid of you, Grayson. You may push your weight around now but one day you'll get what's coming to you."
Mark grinned, but there was no humor in it. "When that day comes, it won't be SHIELD who does it."
Mark's hatred for SHIELD bordered on fanatical. After everything—Natasha's betrayal, the constant surveillance, the attempts to control him—it festered like an open wound. He could not forgive it, no matter how he tried. In moments like this he even lowered himself to bullying with his powers, channeling something dark, something he hadn't seen in anyone but one person.
His father.
He pushed Rumlow hard in the chest and the agent flew back, slamming into the ground with a grunt, skidding several feet. Rumlow reacted immediately, rolling to one knee and drawing his sidearm with shaky arms, the barrel pointed at Mark's chest.
"I guess you're not one of the people who isn't afraid of me," Mark replied with a mocking smile. He jolted forward suddenly, a feint to scare him.
*Bang*
The shot echoed through the atrium. Gasps rippled from the group. But the bullet did not hit Mark. To everyone's shock, it hovered suspended between his thumb and index finger, caught mid-air like a pesky fly.
Mark examined it for a second, then flicked it back casually. The bullet struck Rumlow's bulletproof vest dead center, the impact knocking the wind out of him in a whoosh. He collapsed, gasping for air as he tried to breath.
That broke the standoff. A dozen SHIELD agents raised their rifles, safeties clicking off in unison.
Mark's expression darkened. He inhaled a large breath, then shouted making his voice louder with his enhanced vocal cords: "PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN!"
The command boomed like thunder, a sonic wave that rattled windows and made their ears ring. Nearly all the agents dropped their guns instantly, some clutching their heads and falling to their knees. A few staggered back into the elevators.
Mark strode forward, grabbed Rumlow by the collar, and hurled him toward the elevators. Rumlow crashed into the wall with a crack of plaster, slumping in a heap.
"Get out of the building now," Mark said. "Or you'll be leaving the express way."
The agents scrambled, dragging Rumlow into the nearest elevator. As the doors slid shut, Rumlow managed a final scowl his eyes burning with hate as he looked at Mark.
The moment the doors closed, Mark's tension eased. He turned back to the group, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to crash the party."
Everyone was shocked into silence.
Johnny was uncharacteristically silent.
Ben didn't say anything either he just looked around.
Sues eyes were simply locked on Mark.
Darcy just raised her eyebrows as she looked at everyone else es reaction.
No one said anything until Colleen broke the silence. "What the hell is happening here?" she asked. "We walk in and it looks like a standoff at the OK Corral."
That opened the floodgates.
"Mark? What are you—" Darcy started.
"You look familiar," Johnny cut in.
"Yeah, like that guy from the—" Ben added.
"Who is this?" Franklin demanded.
"Colleen how do you know him?" Sue asked.
Mark held up both hands, trying to quiet them. "Whoa, whoa, one at a time. Please."
Darcy pushed forward first. "What are you doing here?"
Mark blinked, equally surprised. "Me? What are you doing here?"
"This is the lab I work at," she replied, gesturing around. "You know, the one I told you about? High-tech, super science, all that jazz."
He did remember, but to be fair to him, she had been sucking him off at the time so to say he was listening would not have been accurate. "Oh yeah right..." he said a little sheepishly.
Johnny and Ben exchanged a glance, then leaned in closer. "Hold up," Johnny said. "You look really familiar. Who are you, man?"
"Yeah," Ben rumbled. "I know that face from somewhere."
Mark rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously, a nervous grin spreading across his face. "Uh, yeah, about that..."
"Invincible," Sue blurted out unintentionally, her hand flying to her mouth a second too late.
Johnny, Ben, and Franklin froze, their expressions shifting from confusion to dawning realization.
Johnny's eyes widened. "Wait... the superhero? The guy who pulled us out of the Marriott?"
Ben snapped his fingers, the sound like cracking rocks. "That's it! The blue suit, the flying guy, the hero. You saved our asses!"
Franklin straightened fully now, piecing it together with a nod. "The Marriott... the one who got us clear before the worst happened. I remember."
Mark sighed, not really having a choice anymore. "Yeah, it's me. Guilty as charged."
Sue stepped closer, still in shock. "Why are you here? And why with Colleen?"
Colleen jumped in smoothly. "Mark and I are good friends. We've known each other for a while now."
Mark nodded. "When I first arrived in this city, she actually stopped me from being mugged. Tough as nails, this one."
Colleen laughed at that, crossing her arms as she remembered. "Yeah, you looked like a lost puppy. Couldn't let those punks ruin your day."
Sue shook her head, still not understanding. "But... why here? Now?"
"Colleen invited me," Mark replied. "We were hanging out this afternoon and she mentioned she had to head here to see a friend and extended the invite on the way. Figured I'd tag along, see the place." He paused, glancing around. "I can go if there's a problem. Don't want to impose."
Sue shook her head quickly. "No, no, stay."
Ben chuckled, his voice booming. "Kid, if you can get rid of SHIELD like that, you're welcome to move in. Hell, take my room."
Johnny chuckled and agreed, slapping Ben on the back. "What he said. That was badass."
Franklin dusted himself off fully, regaining his composure. "Absolutely. Stay. We're actually going to celebrate today, we have a project that is basically finished. We can do it all together. The more the merrier."
Mark smiled gratefully. "Thanks. Appreciate it."
...
Franklin ushered them into the lounge while he showed Mark around, pointing out the incredible amount of high tech they had in the building; integrated holo-displays, the automated climate controls, and the hidden panels for emergency gear. "State-of-the-art," Franklin said proudly. "We spared no expense."
Mark appreciated the high tech, his eyes lighting up as he examined a console. "This is incredible, Tony would love it here. It's all very impressive, I mean the quantum processors alone! How did you stabilize the qubit decay? Cryogenic shielding with adaptive fields?"
Franklin paused, surprised at the keen mind on display. "Exactly. You're sharper than you let on, son."
The conversation into science continued until Johnny completely interrupted, grabbing Mark by the shoulders enthusiastically. "Okay, enough nerd talk. Where can I get a superhero suit like yours? That thing's bulletproof, right? Fireproof? Spill the beans!"
Franklin sighed and shook his head. "Johnny, don't be rude."
Mark waved it off with a laugh. "It's okay. I made my own suit, actually. Started with a base polymer, a high-density polyethylene mixed with carbon nanotubes . Then I infused it with a custom aramid weave, baked at 500 degrees under pressure to cross-link the fibers. Added a shear-thickening fluid layer for impact resistance, it turns solid on hit but is flexible otherwise."
Franklin leaned in, very interested. "Ingenious. The fluid integration, did you use colloidal silica suspension?"
"Yep," Mark confirmed. "With a graphene additive for conductivity."
Sue appreciated it too, chiming in. "You could improve the thermal regulation with aerogel inserts. It's extremely lightweight and traps heat without bulk."
Mark hummed thoughtfully. "That's a good idea. Hadn't considered aerogel, but have you considered—"
Darcy, Johnny, and Colleen coughed in unison, muttering "Nerd" under their breath.
Mark laughed and shook his head. "Alright, alright."
Johnny grabbed the phone with a grin. "Let's call some pizzas and get this party started."
With a single phone call and the delivery of a dozen or so large pizzas the party kicked off in earnest. Johnny turned the music on and even brought out his supply of alcohol which usually would've earned his father's reprimand, but in this case he accepted it and even partook. The sound of the party starting had allowed Mark to meet Reed properly as the scientist wandered in from the lab, wondering what the sounds were. "Reed Richards," he introduced himself, shaking Mark's hand.
They grabbed drinks and dove into conversation with Sue joining seamlessly, mostly talking about science but quickly changing the topic to the subject of Cosmic Radiation and what actually happened to all of them.
"Cosmic rays altered our DNA at the quantum level, but the question is how do we reverse it. Targeted retrovirus to rewrite the sequences?" Reed speculated.
Mark nodded. "Could work. Or harmonic resonance to destabilize the bonds and then vibrate them at the right frequency to snap them back."
Sue leaned in. "We've tried something similar. Issue is the energy bleed-off. Too much and it cascades."
Johnny, meanwhile, tried flirting with Darcy and Colleen across the room, leaning against the bar with his best smolder. "So, ladies, ever dated a guy who can literally light up your life?"
Darcy rolled her eyes. "Pass. I prefer my men so... skinny."
Colleen smirked. "I think the word you're looking for is twinky."
Darcy's eyes widened and nodded her head. "You're right, yeah sorry I'm not into twinks."
Johnny persisted, undeterred. "Come on! I'm not a twink!"
Colleen deciding she wasn't done annoying John yet glanced at Mark, a mischievous glint in her eye. She sauntered over, sliding an arm around Mark's waist and pressing close. "Hey, handsome. Miss me?"
Darcy laughed and joined in, draping herself on Mark's other side. "Yeah, roomie. You free later?"
Mark chuckled, playing along. "Ladies come on not here," he said tapping both their hands.
Johnnys jaw almost hit the floor at the sight. "I need to be a superhero..." he said to himself.
"What you need to do is start bulking at the gym," Ben commented as he had almost half a pizza at once.
Johnny growled before downing his drink.
Sue felt a little jealous watching Mark with the two worn, ir caused a twist in her chest she did not expect. But she said nothing, sipping her wine and forcing a smile, before they continued their conversation.
A few hours later the party rolled on with ben and Johnny commandeering the karaoke machine, belting out a duet of "We Will Rock You".
Sue and Mark ended up talking on a couch, as the conversation turned from less science related topics to something more personal. "I've been wanting to get in touch with you for a while. Never got the chance to really thank you for the Marriott, for saving us."
Mark smiled softly. "It's what I do."
Sue smiled back Mark had saved her entire family and two people she considered her friends now. She owed him much more than just a thank you, but she honestly didn't know what else she could do. It didn't help that inwardly she felt guilty. Natasha was in the building, pregnant with his child, and he did not know. The secret weighed like lead, her mind grappling with whether to tell him. It was not her place, was it the right thing? The moral thing?
She finally decided to say something, opening her mouth just as Mark glanced around. "Have you seen Darcy?"
Sue looked too, shaking her head. "No. She must've gone to the bathroom or something, listen I—"
Mark frowned. "She's been gone a while now. I'm gonna go look for her. Be right back."
Sue nodded, but felt a little sad as he went, the moment where she could finally be honest with him slipped away.
Mark left the lounge, weaving through corridors, calling Darcy's name. The building was massive so he considered using his super speed to search it but it seemed he didn't need to; as he was walking down the corridor she grabbed his hand from a side room doorway and pulled him inside, slamming the door shut and started kissing him immediately, pressing him against the wall.
He kissed her back, surprised but responding, his hands on her waist. "What are you doing?" he murmured against her lips.
"What, I can't kiss my roommate?" she replied, grinning wickedly.
"Lucky we're only step roommates," Mark joked around.
Darcy giggled and pressed closer. "I want to fuck. Right now."
Mark tried to pull back gently. "We have to go back to the party—"
"It'll be quick," she insisted, kissing him roughly again, hands tugging at his shirt.
He gave in, the alcohol and her insistence winning out. But as they kissed, he felt something strange... a disconnect, like her rhythm was off, he didn't know how to describe it but it still made him pull back. "Darcy, wait—"
She pulled him back and kissed him again, wrapping her legs around his waist, grinding against him.
Mark talked into her mouth. "Wait, something's—"
She kept on kissing him her legs locking tighter, with her hands in his hair.
Mark felt that something was wrong, a prickle at the back of his neck. He freed himself with a gentle push. "What the hell are you doing?"
Darcy looked at him her expression shifting from playful to something else, something colder. It was the first time he'd ever seen her making an expression like that.
Mark had the bad feeling again and looked behind him. A beautiful blonde woman stood there watching them without saying a single word. "Who are you?" Mark asked, his whole body tensing as he clenched his fists.
She did not answer.
"I'm really sorry, Mark. I enjoyed our time together. But I can't afford to let myself be entranced by a traitor."
Mark turned around in confusion only to see Darcy's skin ripple like water, shifting and reforming into someone familiar. The visage was unmistakeable as he'd only seen the picture that morning in his workshop.
Mystique.
Marks mouth hung open as he looked at what he thought was Darcy. He was completely shell-shocked, standing frozen as the pieces slammed together. He did not even react when she pushed off his body with both feet, using the momentum to roll backward over the table she had been sat on, landing gracefully on the other side.
Mark snapped out of it eventually and grabbed the table and threw it to the side, smashing it against the wall in a splintering crash. "Where's Darcy?" he shouted, demanding to know as he launched at her, hands outstretched.
However, a portal opened in front of him and he went straight through it, tumbling into a strange place. Mark could only describe what he saw as looking like hell, it was dark and rocky and full of lava and smoke. Mark landed hard on jagged rock, heat waves distorting his vision. He scrambled up, angry, shouting for them to reveal themselves. "Show yourselves! What the hell is this?"
A small portal opened, only the size of a fist, hovering in the air. Mystique's voice echoed through. "This is the Limbo dimension Mark, a realm completely separated from your own, full of demons. We brought you here because you're too powerful to fight directly. I'm sorry but this was the only way."
Mark was angrier than he had ever been in his entire life his fists clenched so hard his knuckles whitened. "I'll get out of here," he snarled. "I will escape."
Time works differently Mark. You'll likely live out your entire life in the next hour for us, you won't escape," Mystique added.
"Mystique!" Mark growled as he looked at her venomously.
Mystique's tone softened slightly. "I'm sorry again. But rest assured, your legacy will at least continue with my child."
That shocked Mark. He stood there, mouth agape, as the portal finally closed with a snap and he was left there alone. After a moment he tried to teleport to Midgard but he couldn't, he then tried Asgard, but nothing as well. In fact none of the realms responded to his power. Mark theorized quickly that the dimensional gap between this place and normal space must make it too energy intensive to teleport. He needed more energy than he had stored.
*SCREECH!!!*
Before he could think further he heard a loud screech and immediately was tackled by a large creature.
(AN: Damn looks like Mark got trapped in limbo, I'm sure it isn't too big of a deal, he's the MC right? Anyway hope you enjoyed it.)
Support for more.
Patreon.com/captainalfie78works