Chapter Two: Project Geo Base – Mojave Desert –
2012
Donned in his high-tech Iron Man armor, Tony Stark
hovered near the structure of the mysterious geodesic sphere, scanning every
inch of it. Down below, situated just fifteen feet across from where the sphere
was nestled, Bruce Banner and Erik Selvig worked through an open laboratory and
followed the readings off a heads up display from Stark’s helmet as they
came through the high-definition screens near them. Standing with the two
scientists in the lab were Natasha Romanoff (a.k.a. Black Widow) and Clint
Barton (a.k.a. Hawkeye), two heavily specialized agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. sent by
Nick Fury to oversee progress; so far, it appeared to them that Stark, Banner,
and Selvig had everything under control.
(Marvel Note: Following the events of The Avengers, Erik Selvig suffered after-effects of Loki's mind control, as seen in Thor: The Dark World. Because this story was written before the release of the sequel, Selvig's mental state can be considered "unaffected" at this point.)
“Not getting any radiation levels.” Stark notified.
“With a hull as thick as that, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Selvig stated. “The radiation must be inside of it – contained by the metal
alloy that makes up the sphere itself.”
(Authorial Note: Livingston took advantage of the opportunity in scientifically exploring the Sphere in this sequel, having left much of its design a mystery after the climax of World of Disney.)
Gazing through the readouts projected in holographic form
before his face, Stark studied the sphere’s structure without the assistance of
his onboard computer; he was then struck by a bold idea. “I’m gonna breach
through the hull.”
Stark’s idea was met with negative reaction from the
people below him, particularly Bruce Banner. “Uh, I don’t think that’d be a
good idea, Tony. We don’t know what might come out of that…”
“I’m feelin’ hungry, Bruce. I’m gonna crack this eggshell
one way or another.”
Following on those words, Tony reached out with one arm
and directed his metallic fingertips toward the top of the sphere. Lasers
suddenly shot out from them, cutting a perfect circle into the steel
structure. At first it looked as if the lasers from the Iron Man suit had no
effect on the hull, leaving just a smoking outline of a circle over the
structure; but, with a single, powerful repulsor blast, Stark busted through
the structure and created a hole perfectly suitable for him to enter through.
(Authorial Note: Livingston envisioned the armor Tony Stark uses through the story as a repaired version of the Mark VII armor he wore from the Battle of New York in The Avengers. This armor was eventually destroyed in the events of Iron Man 3.)
Watching Stark enter the sphere, Widow shook her head.
“Always the risk taker.”
“One of these days that’s gonna end up being the death of
him.” Hawkeye added.
“Are you reading any radiation leakage, Bruce?” Selvig
inquired while studying readouts from Stark’s HUD display.
Banner checked a lab-based computer and answered in
surprise of what he had seen on the readout: “There are zero levels. There’s no
radiation coming out of that sphere at all.”
“You guys still there?”
Stark’s voice sounded over the speakers, prompting Bruce
to put on a headset to respond to him. “Tony, where are you in the sphere right
now?”
“Check the screens. I’ve got J.A.R.V.I.S. to put on the
night vision. It is seriously dark in
this thing.”
They looked to screens to find Stark moving through what
appeared to have been an empty corridor. Between the night vision from Stark’s
helmet and a distortion in frequency, there was a slightly fuzzy contrast on
the screen, making it somewhat difficult for them to pick up on the details of
the corridor; from what Bruce could make out, it was alien in design. “There’s
nothing on earth that could’ve structured that type of interior,” he deduced.
(Narrative Note: Being only a short time after the Battle of New York, the Marvel characters use the word "alien" with strong precaution, their fears of another invasion still fresh.)
“I’m not picking up anything through J.A.R.V.I.S.” Stark
notified. “It’s not titanium, vibranium, adamantium…none of it. It’s like some
new brand of metal that just doesn’t exist on this planet.”
(Marvel Note: Stark mentions titanium and adamantium, both of which are references to alloys found in the Marvel Universe. One of Iron Man's adversaries goes by the name "Titanium Man," due to the suit of armor he wears being made of titanium. Adamantium is an alloy as rare as vibranium and the known metal that the X-Men member Wolverine's skeleton is made of.)
“Or this dimension.” Selvig quietly said.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier Base – Pacific Ocean –
2012
Lying on the flatbed was beginning to take its toll on
Gigi, who was left staring up at the ceiling for hours after her interaction
with the young man who looked like
her son, Sean Thomas. The entire exchange stuck in her mind ever since,
wondering how so much had changed in the years she had been gone – if it even
had been years and not days or weeks. Judging from how young Sean appeared in
their interaction, it seemed like no time had passed at all. Meeting her son
had left her missing the rest of her family – her three daughters (Kimberly,
Ciciley, and Meagan) and her cousin Tracy; between missing them and having Sean
completely unable to recognize who she was, Gigi never felt so alone her whole
life.
(Narrative Note: With the exception of Ciciley, this is the only reference made to the other members of the Thomas family in the story, as they do not play as vital of a role in the story or have counterparts that are featured.)
Despair was soon replaced with hunger as Gigi felt and
heard the pit of her stomach gurgling from starvation. Ever since she woke up
in the Mojave Desert and came across S.H.I.E.L.D.’s top secret base, she had
not received any sustenance for this new body of hers. She looked down to her
stomach, which was covered by the black sleeveless shirt she wore beneath her
red robe. As she looked, Gigi noticed something peculiar: a faint glow in her abdomen. Pulling up her shirt halfway up, Gigi
realized that her entire abdomen was
glowing; there was a faint golden hue emerging through her peached skin
while her stomach continued to gurgle.
The confused look on Gigi’s face told the fact that this
experience was entirely new to her. She watched as the golden hue continued to
swirl and glow around her stomach, outlining the organ. Gigi could feel the
strange light in her, giving off a rather peculiar sensation that was slightly
discomforting yet satisfying. After spending some time in her stomach, the
light traveled upward through her esophagus and finally through her mouth. What
happened next to Gigi would be commonly known as a belch, but this one emitted
the strange energy that had been swirling around inside of her, escaping from
her mouth.
(Character Note: This ability is one of many that supplies self-care for the reincarnated body the Guardian takes on, not just in terms of nutritional value but hygienic and health-wise as well. Guardians cannot suffer from foul body odor, bad breath, tooth decay, or gingivitis. They cannot suffer any illnesses like strep throat or sinus infection either.)
Well…that was
different, she thought with amusement.
After the strange occurrence, she heard the holding cell
door slide open. Sitting up and turning her head towards the door, she saw Sean
enter with a tray of food. “Hey,” he said with a smile. “I brought you
something.”
Gigi smiled while watching him bring the tray over to her
flatbed and sit it down beside her. Although she was heavily grateful that he
brought her two slices of pepperoni pizza and a liter bottle of Dr. Pepper, the strange bodily effect
that happened to her prior to his arrival appeared to have erased the hunger
from her body; it was as if it knew she was hungry and fed itself through some
bio energy. Rather than choose to refuse such a delicious meal, Gigi still
accepted it with much delight.
“Thanks, Sean.” She remarked before taking a bite out of
one of the two pizza slices.
“So, uh…I was thinking about what you told me earlier,”
Sean began, “and I…I actually believe you.”
Gigi swallowed her first bite both instinctively and in
surprise of what he had said. “You…do?” She saw him nod in reply with a smile,
which brought warmth in her heart. “I’m so glad to hear you say that. I knew
you’d believe that I’m your mo—”
“I’m not admitting to that.”
Sean quickly clarified.
The warmth in Gigi’s heart was suddenly dispersed. “Oh…”
“I believe that you broke into the Mojave Base without
being detected…and I want you to try and do it again.”
His request caught her by surprise. She looked to the
surveillance camera, remembering that Fury and the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents
were observing everything that took place in her holding cell. “Aren’t ya gonna
get in serious trouble with your boss
by asking me that?” She asked in a whisper.
“Don’t worry. I shut off surveillance before I entered.
The only footage Fury, Hill, and Cap are seeing right now is you sleeping.”
Gigi grinned. “Clever.”
“Can you really do it?”
She paused for a moment, taking another bite from her
pizza before answering his question. “I can…but I’m gonna need my hat in order
to do it. It’s the source of my power.”
Sean raised a curious eyebrow. “Power?”
“I suppose since Popeye isn’t eavesdropping on us it’s
safe to tell you this – I’m a sorceress.” Sean’s eyes widened with interest. “I
wasn’t always one, of course. That machine – the sphere – it changed me
biologically, turned my genes around to give me the power that’s necessary to
do the things that I do…and I can do a
lot.”
“So the magic…is in your blood?”
Gigi nodded. “Some things are still new to me – like how
my appearance changed after I died. I think my magic reincarnated me…possibly
wanted me to continue on my journey as a sorceress.”
“If it’s literally in your blood to create magic, then
why do you need that hat? Couldn’t you just teleport yourself to the base right
here and now?”
Gigi shook her head. “I wish it were that simple, hon.
The hat grants me the extra boost I need. Without it, I could risk permanently
damaging myself.” She smiled brightly and added, “If you can retrieve it for
me, that’ll do me a huge favor.”
(Spoiler Note: As it is proven later in this story and others, the reincarnations of Sean Thomas have learned to rely less heavily on Yen Sid's hat and more on their own genes to perform unimaginable feats that they would need that "extra boost" from the hat in like teleportation. Despite this achievement, some are depicted to still wear it, but only for decorative purposes.)
“Hey, anything I can do to help.”
Just after the young agent uttered that last word, the
holding cell door slid open once more, allowing two armed S.H.I.E.L.D. agents
to enter and aim their guns directly at Gigi, who immediately stood up and held
her arms in surprise and confusion. She looked to Sean, who she hoped to get
some answers from to explain this unexpected scene; but, seeing the serene look
on his face upon the sight before him, she immediately suspected something.
“You lied,” she realized. “They were listening the whole time!”
“We were indeed,” said the voice of Nick Fury, who
entered the room and stood in between the armed S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. “But it
was for good reason.”
“Really?” A disbelieving Gigi uttered. “And would that
reason be…Oh, I dunno…to study me?
Run disgusting tests on me to see how I tick? Because I’m gonna tell you right
now, man, that ain’t gonna happen!”
“There was only one test…and you passed with flying colors.”
Fury responded to the immediate bewilderment of Gigi. “You’re the only one on
this earth who knows anything about that sphere. Whatever knowledge you possess
about it could be valuable to us and the rest of the world.”
“What do you intend to do with it?” Gigi queried.
“Destroy it or use it for personal gain? I can personally tell ya that the
first option would be the smartest.”
“All we want to know is what it is and how it got here. Whatever happens after that…is up
to you.”
Fury said the last part of his statement with a hint of
frustration. It was obvious to Gigi that this was not an idea of his own, but
someone else that managed to encourage it in him. Curiously, Gigi asked, “This
was your idea?”
The S.H.I.E.L.D. director groaned. “No, it was his.” He gestured to Sean, who looked to
Gigi and smiled. “Unlike the rest of us, Agent Livingston actually trusts the
fact that you could be a great use to our objective. He’s a good judge of
character, which is why I put so much faith in this idea of his. Me, on the
other hand…let’s just say that if you even think of betraying my agent’s trust,
then you can kiss your butt goodbye!”
Glaring at Fury, Gigi turned her gaze to Sean, who seemed
hopeful of her accepting the request. Even though she was incredibly thankful
of the fact that he truly did trust her and the knowledge she possessed, she
was still disappointed in him for baiting her into revealing her secrets to
S.H.I.E.L.D. Despite the disappointment, there was no way she would refuse to
help after her son made such a bold move in front of a tough-as-nails authority
figure like Nick Fury. Gigi was just about to voice her approval until…
“Sir!”
All heads turned to the doorway just in time to see Maria
Hill rush in with a look of urgency. “Barton and Romanoff just contacted us
from the Mojave Base – they say that we have a problem.”
“What kind of
problem?” Fury demanded to know.
Hill swallowed hard before answering him. “It’s Stark,
sir. He’s…disappeared.”
(UP NEXT: Time for a field trip!)
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