After realizing which world he'd landed in, Mario frowned slightly.
The X-Men were definitely part of the Marvel universe, that much was certain. But the real question was whether this parallel world was purely mutant-focused, or if it was a mixed bag with all the usual Marvel chaos.
If it was mixed... well, things were about to get very interesting. Mutants, Inhumans, superheroes, sorcerers, vampires, an entire lineup of superpowered beings all crammed into one reality. They probably wouldn't even need an alien invasion to tear themselves apart.
Though that gave him an idea.
"This world could be useful. At minimum, I can collect X-gene samples. Get Karen and Banner to study them back home. Maybe we can artificially create super soldiers with mutant abilities."
The thought of X-gene enhanced vampire hunters made him grin. That would be something to see.
Vrrm...
The sound of an engine starting broke his thoughts. The car he'd been watching pulled away from the curb and disappeared into traffic.
He glanced at it briefly, then dismissed it. He had more important things to handle. Moving toward a nearby alley, he checked his surroundings. No outdoor cameras in this era, one of the few advantages of being stuck in 1962.
He pulled his staff from his inventory and cast two basic spells.
"Invisibility. Muffle."
His figure vanished on the spot, and his footsteps made no sound as he moved. He headed straight for the Hellfire Club, slipping past the doorman who'd rejected him earlier. The poor guy never even glanced in his direction.
Inside, the club was larger than he'd expected. Two floors, the upper level filled with private rooms, the lower level housing a casino where "successful gentlemen" in suits crowded around gaming tables, their attention fixed on cards and chips.
His attention shifted to the row of curtained booths on the lower level. One of them supposedly contained the entrance to Sebastian Shaw's private chamber.
He approached the first curtain and lifted a corner to peek inside.
Well, that's educational.
Definitely a place that needs some moral guidance.
The second booth produced sounds that made him pause, a woman screaming. Concerned someone might actually be getting hurt, he lifted the curtain and took a longer look.
Oh. That kind of screaming. Carry on, then.
He continued checking booths until he found the one in the center, empty, but with its curtain still drawn. He walked straight in and pressed a button on the table. The entire room began to rotate.
A new chamber appeared before him. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with leather-bound volumes. A desk sat in the center, but Shaw himself was nowhere to be seen.
He's gone? Makes sense. Guy's got a teleporter on staff.
Shaw had Azazel under his command, the demon who could dimension-hop at will. If he wanted to disappear, he could be anywhere on Earth in seconds.
Mario ran his hand along the wooden bookshelf and checked his mini-map. The place was completely empty.
He walked behind the desk and sat down in Shaw's chair, testing the leather. "Not bad. Could use better lumbar support, though."
Picking up a metal ornament from the desk, he examined the room's décor. The gold and red color scheme screamed "supervillain with taste."
"Since he isn't here... I could just borrow a few things. Wait, no. If he's gone, why bother with borrowing? I'll just take ownership of the whole damn place."
He stood and headed into another room. This one was spacious and elegant, decorated in the same gold-red motif. The center featured a small dance floor surrounded by plush leather sofas.
In the middle of the dance floor stood a metal pole running from floor to ceiling.
"Why would a perfectly good dance hall have a stripper pole in the middle?"
He didn't think twice. He pulled out his pickaxe and knocked the pole down without hesitation, then placed a waystone where it had been. The three-meter-tall obelisk fit perfectly in the center of the dance floor, barely noticeable in the large room.
He reached out and activated the waystone. The runes carved into its surface began glowing white.
His figure vanished.
---
In the quantum tunnel laboratory, researchers busied themselves recording data streams. Selvig stared intently at the traversal device, completely unaware that Mario had appeared directly behind him.
"Erik!"
Mario's sudden voice nearly gave the focused scientist a heart attack.
Selvig jolted violently, clutched his chest, and spun around. Only after seeing Mario did he finally sigh in relief.
"How did you get back? The equipment didn't register anything!"
Seeing Selvig's dramatic reaction, Mario felt a bit guilty. "I used spatial teleportation to return. You sure your health is fine? If not, we could enhance your body a bit. I'm planning to establish a biological research division to study super soldier development."
Selvig, who'd just calmed down, frowned at the mention of super soldiers. He was an expert in astrophysics and energy research, biology had never been his field.
"Super soldiers? Like Captain America?"
"Something like that. Here's what I'm thinking: everyone on our team should have physical capabilities surpassing Cap's. Then we add special abilities like Inhumans have. Then Ivan's technological armor. And your mini-teleportation tech based on the Tesseract. That way, nobody can mess with our people."
Selvig: "..."
He'd seen the New York operation. Those armored security personnel and researchers, the hundreds of heavy combat suits... it was already a miracle they weren't the ones doing military campaines.
"Did you discover something unusual in the new world?"
Selvig suspected Mario must have been traumatized over there. Otherwise, he wouldn't come back with ideas this extreme.
"Yeah. Very interesting world."
Mario recalled the mutants and their incredible abilities. Some of them were absurdly powerful, like reality warpers, telepaths who could kill with a thought, beings who could manipulate the fundamental forces of nature.
After thinking for a moment, he pulled out his phone and called Anna.
"Anna, buy all the equipment needed for a biological laboratory. And pick up specialized blood-drawing syringes."
"How many? As many as you can get."
Just then, Banner walked through the door with Obsidian following behind him. The massive alien clearly feared Banner... or rather, the Hulk inside him.
Seeing Banner, Mario's eyes lit up. Speak of the devil.
He'd just been planning to establish a biological research division, and the perfect person for the job had shown up on his own.
As Banner approached, Mario broke into a bright grin. "Congratulations! As of today, you've officially joined the ranks of working professionals!"
While organizing the specialized syringes that Anna had delivered, devices that automatically drew blood the moment they pierced a vein, very convenient, he briefed Banner on his expectations.
"I'll leave this to you. If you need supplies, contact Anna. She'll handle it."
Banner was arranging newly delivered equipment in the lab. "I will. But I'm going to need assistants."
Mario nodded. He already had someone in mind , Beast from the X-Men would be perfect.
"Don't worry. For now, work with Karen. She has deep expertise in biology, especially vampires. I think she'll pick up mutant research quickly."
After organizing his materials, he grabbed four shulker boxes. He planned to collect plenty of samples during this trip.
Saying goodbye to Banner, he returned to the mutant world. Everything looked exactly the same as when he'd left.
---
"Looks like Shaw really hasn't come back."
Mario shook his head and used his pickaxe to retrieve the waystone. Leaving it here was too conspicuous.
He reinstalled the steel pole, reactivated his invisibility and muffle spells, and left the club.
Outside, the sun blazed overhead. "Already afternoon? Time moves the same in both worlds."
He already had a plan forming.
First, head to Cambridge University and see if I can find a young Professor X. If not, I'll track down Shaw. If I remember correctly, he'll be on a yacht off the coast of Miami soon.
Knowing the plot in advance was incredibly convenient. As long as he kept tabs on Shaw, Professor X, Magneto, and the others would all show up eventually.
He wanted to deploy his small aircraft, but pedestrians and cars filled every available space. "No wonder it's the gambling capital. People everywhere."
He wasn't worried about being seen, Ivan's aircraft had optical camouflage. But invisibility wasn't the same as nonexistence. Without an open area, he couldn't deploy it from his inventory.
Wait. The rooftop.
"Perfect spot up there!"
He jumped easily onto the club's roof and pulled the aircraft from his inventory. Through his eyes, the air seemed slightly distorted, he could barely make out the vehicle's outline. Once airborne, finding it would be nearly impossible.
Piloting the craft upward, a sudden thought hit him. Where is Cambridge University? I've never been there. Do I seriously have to go down and ask for directions like some tourist?
Thankfully, the ship had an intelligent navigation system. After just over ten minutes, the AI announced their arrival.
Mario opened his eyes and looked down through the holographic window. "That was fast."
He'd barely rested for a moment, and already they'd crossed from America to England. The aircraft's planetary travel speed was impressive.
Finding a suitable landing spot, he touched down, stored the craft, and stepped out into a light drizzle.
"Excuse me, do you know Professor Charles Francis Xavier?"
Mario stopped a passing student.
The boy looked puzzled and shook his head. "Sorry, I've never heard of him. What subject does he teach?"
"Biogenetics."
The boy thought seriously for a moment, then shook his head again. "Sorry, I haven't heard of him."
He walked away, leaving Mario frowning. This was taking more effort than expected.
Maybe I should ask at administration. If Cambridge even has something like that.
Just as he prepared to stop someone else, a figure holding an umbrella walked straight toward him.
"Who are you?"
He turned. "Why do you care who I... oh."
It was the woman from last night. Today she wore a beige trench coat that showed off her legs. His gaze was drawn to her figure involuntarily.
She's here for Professor X too.
"Sorry, I didn't recognize you at first with clothes on."
Her expression froze, then her cheeks flushed. She was clearly a regular CIA agent, nowhere near Natasha's level of professionalism. If it were Natasha, she might have unbuttoned her coat right then and made it a teaching moment.
"Are you following me?"
"No, not at all. You're overthinking it. I'm just here to find Professor Xavier. My name is Mario. What's yours?"
"Moira."
Moira stared at him, clearly unconvinced. But this was the UK, and she had no evidence. Glaring was her only option.
Mario shrugged. "Ms. Moira, you flew overnight from Las Vegas to London. What are you here for?"
He paused dramatically. "Wait... now it looks like you're the one following me. Lusting after my rugged Italian charm. Don't tell me you're also here to find Professor Xavier."
Moira's eyes widened in shock.