Oh, hey there. Welcome back.
The night I was finally released from confinement and introduced to the team was the same night Thor had stumbled into my little heart-to-heart session with the bathroom mirror.
Now that we're all caught up, the radiant morning sun streams through my window, marking three days since I arrived here.
So far, I haven't stepped on any toes and seem to be on reasonably good terms with the team. Especially Thor, who seems to genuinely enjoy combat. Maybe it's the Viking blood, or maybe he's just itching for a sparring partner he can actually fight without holding back.
I still don't get why the god of thunder made me fly out with him to some deserted highland yesterday just for a duel.
I'll admit—he's strong. Though I have more abilities than him, which are versatile and give me a serious advantage in close-quarters combat, he fights like a seasoned warrior.
He makes up for his lack of superspeed with power and instincts he most have honed over countless battles as a norse god.
I've been living as Captain Marvel for the past few days, and while it's definitely cool staying in this transformed state, I can't help but wonder when—or if—I'll get a chance to live as Billy Batson again.
To do that, I'd have to reveal my identity as a teenage kid to the team. Especially since I'm still under observation and not allowed to leave the building on my own. I wouldn't want to keep blasting lightning through the tower every time I transform back and forth.
As much as I'm reluctant, I know I'll have to tell them eventually. Only then will I get to experience and explore what this new world has in store for Billy Batson.
Staying in the tower gets boring fast—except for that little escapade with Thor—so I could definitely use a bit of drama.
This morning, while everyone seems busy with training or other activities, I decided to entertain myself with some TV in the lounge. The space has a pretty sizable screen mounted diagonally from the bar counter—perfect for some downtime.
A little cartoon would do for now. Without much effort, I found the remote and got the TV turned on.
First thing I did was lower the volume—no need to alert anyone—and then started flipping through the channels. That's when I stumbled across a channel airing an anime that looked pretty interesting.
They also have anime? Thank goodness. I shudder to think what a world without anime would be like. With a promising show in sight, the only thing left was to make sure I was alone.
A quick glance over my left shoulder, then my right, confirmed it—I was alone. I leaned back, ready to enjoy the episode.
Or so I thought.
"Didn't take you for someone who watches anime."
A figure rose from behind the couch over at a corner. He'd apparently been napping there, and the sudden voice made me flinch slightly. If courage weren't one of my blessings, I might've jumped clean out of my skin.
"Sure, I enjoy a good anime," I replied to the inquisitive archer, Clint. Yeah, I'd been caught in the act—something that might not be aligned with my persona as Captain Marvel.
But I didn't care. I refuse to bow to public opinion that labels anime watchers as weirdos. I'm not denying my love for something that got me through some of the toughest times.
"Then you're in luck. This episode's really good—it should get you hooked," he said with a grin.
No way…does he—?
"How would you know? Unless you're a fan too," I asked, not wanting to jump to conclusions without hearing him openly declare his loyalty to the culture.
"Of course," he replied. "And this just happens to be one I'd recommend."
Okay…this guy really does watch anime. I've got to admit, Clint just earned a lot of cool points in my book.
"Hopefully I don't run into shows that are just knock-offs of storylines from my world," I said.
"If you do, let me know," he replied. "Maybe I can hear a version that's even better than the ones over here."
He briefed me on a few things as we watched the episode, but then an announcement came through the lounge.
"Avengers, meeting at the briefing room. Now." Tony's voice echoed off the walls. "You too, Captain Sparkles."
Clint couldn't hide the chuckle that escaped him, Tony didn't have to add that part. I noticed I couldn't even pinpoint the source, there was no speaker in sight.
I'm certain the call went out to every active room in the building. Missing it would have been impossible.
"This way," Clint said, snapping me out of my thoughts, gesturing for me to follow him.
By the time we reached the briefing room, the wizard was already there, seated opposite Tony. Steve entered next, a towel draped around his neck and a water bottle in hand, dripping sweat from what had clearly been a workout.
Natasha followed close behind, similarly glistening with sweat and holding a pair of training gloves. Okay, maybe it wasn't just a workout—it looked like some form of friendly sparring.
I'd love to watch one of their sessions. No offense to Natasha, but my money's on Captain Blondie. From what I saw that day, Natasha might give him a run for his money, but Steve's more likely to come out on top.
While I was lost in my thoughts, weighing who would win between the two, everyone took their seats and the meeting officially began.
"Turns out our ugly—and not-so-friendly—friends popped up again last night," Tony said, hitting the nail on the head as he gestured for Bruce to fill in the details.
Clearing his throat, Bruce adjusted his glasses before beginning.
"A similar case to the sudden swarm of monsters we battled a few days ago was reported late last night in Westchester County, just north of the Bronx," he started.
One thing I've noticed so far is how laid-back the Avengers are compared to the Justice League. The start of the report had me wondering if there were other heroes capable enough to have handled it—I mean, could a city really be under attack while a team of heroes remained cozy in bed?
"Fortunately, they were held back and dealt with by the team of mutants known as the X-Men."
Now that's a new one.
I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and stroke my chin as if pondering a curious thought, then decided to speak before Bruce continued.
"Did you say… X-Men?" I asked, earning a look from everyone—especially Tony, who raised an eyebrow, clearly wondering where I was going with this.
Except for Thor, who seemed to share my confusion at the controversial name. "For a second there, I thought my ears deceived me," he added.
"Like a team made up of eunuchs?" I pressed, trying to clarify.
"Not the word 'ex' as in a former girlfriend or previous state, but the letter X," Clint interjected, and I nodded in understanding.
"I see, like a special military team that handles missions normal soldiers can't. Which reminds me of those other guys. What are they called again? Uhm… S.H.I.E.L.D."
No one interrupted Thor's off-the-rails interpretation. Either our dear god of thunder needs to lay off TV for a while—or maybe such a team really exists.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
That's quite a badass name.
"Well…wrong again, genius," Tony broke the brief silence that had followed Thor's puzzled comment, then gestured for Bruce to explain to both me and our dear god of thunder, who just shrugged off Tony's jab.
"The X-Men can be considered a team of heroes, yes, but their members are all mutants. They don't really involve themselves in certain matters, and neither do we usually interfere with theirs," Bruce explained.
"Though I do have a friend who's an X-Men," he added casually as a side note.
"So they were able to hold off those monsters?" Natasha asked, showing that she had some knowledge of the mutant team.
"Yes, but just like we saw before, the monsters—including those defeated—were sucked back into the dimensional rift they came from," Bruce continued.
"Disappearing again without a trace," Tony added, gesturing toward the wizard.
"Though I'm still very much in the dark about what's truly happening, my observations so far suggest magic is involved. This definitely wasn't the result of a failed experiment alone," the wizard remarked.
"If magic is involved, could it be that our friend here was somehow summoned into this world?" Natasha asked, gesturing in my direction, tossing the idea out for everyone to consider.
Her theory sounded plausible.
"If magic is indeed the cause, can't you trace its origin? You know, follow the residual magic back to the source—as the powerful wizard you are, and even more so as the Sorcerer Supreme," Tony pressed, his eyes on the wizard.
"There are spells and safeguards in place to keep certain powerful entities out, preventing them from fully crossing over or manifesting on this plane. Such dimensional magic portal can be opened in this city without triggering a red flag at the Karma-Taj," the wizard explained. Oddly, his words felt less like an explanation and more like a subtle brag about their magical defenses.
"So you'd normally be able to detect magic at the scale needed to open these portals and summon waves of monsters," I said, keeping a neutral but firm expression with my hands clasped together on the table.
"Yes. When you appeared here out of nowhere, you radiated so much magical density that it caused for alarm. I had to investigate—that's how I found you." His words confirmed my suspicion: he didn't stumble upon me by chance; he actively sought me out the moment he stepped through his magic circle that day.
Wait—if that's true… "I see. Then you should be able to notice when and where these portals were opened."
"Normally, yes."
"But…?" I could sense the 'but' coming from a mile away.
A brief twitch in his facial muscles betrayed that I'd hit a nerve. He exhaled, letting it go, before continuing.
"But not this time. It's as if the magic itself was cloaked—well enough to open the portals without detection."
"I don't know much about magic portals, but could it be that the real purpose of the dimensional gap experiment was to mask the activation of the spell itself?" I theoritical question had Tony's eyes narrowed as he mulled it over silently.
"Technology working alongside magic? That's unlikely," Bruce mused aloud.
"If by some chance it's true, then what exactly is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s motive here?" Steve added, his voice ending the brief silence of their little brainstorming session.
I had nothing to brainstorm as regards the matter, I only just heard about the organization, S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Nothing S.H.I.E.L.D. does gets past Fury. He approves everything and would never go along with something like that." From my seat, I could tell Tony had more on his mind than he was letting on. I was guessing this Fury guy must be the top brass of the organization.
"That's true," Clint added, backing Tony's comment.
"None of this adds up," Bruce muttered, his eyes narrowing in thought. That's when the wizard shifted his gaze toward me.
"Has he told you how he got here?" the wizard asked, looking directly at Tony, who shook his head.
"Now that we're on the topic, you might as well tell us all how you made the trip here," Bruce added. Tony had previously asked me about how my team planned to send a message back in time. I'd told them about my time-traveling friend—the speedster—so they didn't press further.
But when it came to how I actually fell crossed dimensions to arrive here, I had been less forthcoming. I told them I wasn't entirely sure, only that I remembered falling into what looked like an abyssal void. But for some reason my story about flyjng into a dimensional gateway which so happened to appear out of nowhere, did not sound plausible to them.
Might as well make use of this opportunity.
"Before that," I began, standing from my seat and taking a step back, their curious and suspicious gazes fixed firmly on me.
"If we're going to build any kind of relationship on trust, I might as well be transparent enough to earn it." To do that, I had to push aside the what-ifs and finally introduce Billy Batson to this new world.
"I… I don't even know how to say this." My mind blanked, searching for the right way to deliver it.
"Don't tell us that with all that power, you're actually…an homosexual," Clint bluntly interrupted. "Or that it comes at the cost of being a eunuch."
The room went silent as everyone shot Clint a look first, then slowly turned their eyes to me.
"What? No?" I blinked, caught completely off guard. "It's nothing like that."
"Oh, if it was… I'd say we've got more pressing matters than whatever gives you a hard-on," he added with a shrug, clearly trying to justify himself.
"Then what is it?" Steve pressed, bringing the conversation back on track.
"This… might be a little awkward, so just try to keep an open mind." I could see their eyebrows arching, all eyes on me, waiting for what I had to say.
I struggled to find the right words to prepare them for what was about to happen. But really, all I needed was just one word.
"SHAZAM!"