"…talks regarding Mutants and their place in society continue as the President…"
"…all right, class, let's go over last week's subject. Now then, the Howling Commandos, led by Captain America, is a team formed during World War II from various Allied P.O.W.s after they were rescued, along with 394 other soldiers that were held prisoners…"
"…on most recent news, Tony Stark's large Arc Reactor is rumored to be the future of the world's energy. But some criticize its current use…"
Within Wyatt's mind, a whirlwind of memories sprang forth, causing him to hold his head in pain.
These memories were limited and sparse due to the younger Wyatt's disinterest in anything to do with rich billionaires, long dead super soldiers, and the existence of mutants. He already had several of his own problems and concerns to focus on.
"Mutants? Do they exist here? So is this the MCU or not?" Wyatt shook his head to remove the cobwebs and turned the television off. He was getting tired of listening to Tony Stark hype himself up to the world.
There was a knock on the door before he could rummage through his limited knowledge on anything else. Wyatt watched as Dr. Patel walked in with an unhappy expression. Before Wyatt could say anything, two police officers walked into the room.
"I'm sorry, young man. Unfortunately, these fine officers have some questions for you." Dr. Patel frowned as one of the officers, Officer Bradshaw, pushed past him, handcuffs in hand.
"What is this?" Wyatt asked as he stepped back.
"When you arrived at this hospital, you were covered in blood, but you had no visible injuries. I shouldn't have to explain how that appears. This is clearly a serious misunderstanding, and you will have the chance to clarify everything at the station. I advise you to cooperate, as it will make this process much smoother," Bradshaw stated firmly as he moved behind Wyatt to secure a pair of handcuffs around his wrists.
"What? Look, I didn't hurt, and most importantly, kill anyone! I'm also in a hospital gown! Don't I get any clothes first?" Wyatt argued as the two officers began leading him out of the hospital in full view of everyone.
For a moment, a simmering, angry heat erupted in his chest out of nowhere. Surprising him.
What was that? Wyatt thought before refocusing on the officers.
"Aren't you guys also missing a few steps? You haven't even asked me for my name yet?"
"Listen, kid. We'll try to find you something to wear later. Just be quiet and move along. And don't worry, we'll find out exactly who you are when we get to the station." The other officer, Officer Gomez, said without much care for the looks and reactions Wyatt was receiving.
"Geez… how nice of you. Can we at least go back to my hospital room? I think I left my dignity in there."
Wyatt's comment earned a stifled chuckle from a nearby nurse as they exited the hospital.
A few bystanders on the sidewalk turned to stare as Wyatt was escorted into a waiting police cruiser. His state of dress earned him several whispered and odd looks.
"Take a picture! It will last longer!" Wyatt yelled, causing a few of the observers to actually take out their phones to take pictures as he was placed in the back seat. "No! I was kidding!"
The two officers entered the cruiser and began heading through the busy New York streets. Wyatt frowned and turned away from the officers to stare out at the big city around him.
"Yonkers." He muttered the name of the city he was in.
As he looked around, he couldn't help but be amazed at all the molecules and atoms within the world. Every building, every vehicle, and everything in between was lit up with its inherent molecular structure. Wyatt was seeing the world with new eyes. It was exhilarating.
Let's see. If I get taken into the station, I don't really have anything I can say to prove that the blood I was covered in was my own. So they'll most likely lock me up for suspected murder. Wyatt thought as he turned to the officer driving. In normal circumstances, I'd be boned. But now, I'm essentially a reality warper with the ability to transform matter into anything I want. Now then, let's give these new powers of mine a go.
"Sorry, officers. But I'm not built for the slammer."
"What?" Officer Gomez said as she turned back. Her eyes grew wide as she watched Wyatt raise his hands up as the cuffs around his wrists were now somehow made up of Legos.
Wyatt grinned like a child at his creation before raising his hands out. The police cruiser's wheels briefly flashed and transformed into solid square blocks of concrete. The officers yelped as the vehicle jerked forward and slowed to a stop. Wyatt chuckled, pushed open the door to his right, and stepped out. As he did, his hospital gown flashed.
Pulling the hood of his sweater over his head, Wyatt watched as Officers Bradshaw and Gomez tried to open their doors. Unfortunately for them, the front doors had been seemingly removed from the vehicle's construction, leaving them trapped inside to pull on the handles uselessly.
"See ya!" Wyatt grinned and ran off down the street, leaving behind several onlookers to stare at the altered police cruiser and trapped officers.
••o••o••o••
"W-whoa! Easy! Okay… I think I'm getting the hang of this!" Wyatt waved his arms around as he glided through the air on a flying reddish-pink disk made from his powers. The night sky hung above him as he traversed over the rooftops of Queens. "This should be far enough from Yonkors. Maybe?"
With a mental command, he glided down and landed on a rooftop. After dismissing his creation, he walked over to the edge of the roof to look out at the borough of Queens and gave off a whistle. "The home borough of Spider-Man! Wait… It's 2008, Spider-Man doesn't exist yet. Or does he? With the existence of mutants in this world, who knows if this world is going to follow the MCU timeline or not?"
Releasing a tired sigh, Wyatt sat down and looked over to the loose brick. Grabbing it, he moved its molecules around until a box of steaming pepperoni pizza sat in his grasp. Taking one out, he took a hungry bite and watched the streets below.
Yup. Still weird.But tasty. He thought.
"Let's see, where to go? Can't go to my old group home, I got kicked out of there, and the place I used to crash in is full of my past would-be gang members who watched me get shanked to death. So I'm essentially homeless." Wyatt frowned and took another bite of his food. Lifting his left hand, sparks of his power flashed. "I'm glad I listened to my parents when they told me to become an engineer. Now I can build stuff with my powers without having to worry about shit crashing over me."
Standing to his feet, he used another flying disk made up from concentrated solidified air to glide up into the sky—this time, with much smoother precision.
To stay out of sight, Wyatt transformed the underside of his flying disk black to match his black clothes. "Now then… where to build my Minecraft house?"
Wyatt spent the next half hour meticulously searching for the perfect spot to build his new home. After weighing several options, he finally decided on a secluded location beneath an isolated overpass, far removed from prying eyes. He envisioned a secret passageway that would lead to a spacious, two-story underground home, carefully designed to offer both comfort and security.
As he mapped out his plans, he imagined the home enveloped by walls made of lead, two feet thick, serving as a formidable barrier against anyone attempting to locate him with advanced technology. This precaution was essential; Wyatt knew that in a world dominated by surveillance and high-tech tracking equipment, anonymity was his strongest ally.
Inside, he pictured open spaces illuminated by soft, ambient lighting and cozy corners designed for relaxation. Each detail was crafted in his mind with devotion, from the layout of the rooms to the underground garden he envisioned fostering with soft, artificial light.
The hidden passageway lay shrouded in secrecy, almost invisible to the untrained eye, revealing itself only to Wyatt, whose unique powers granted him access by undoing the front layer of concrete from the elevator doors.
With a subtle wave of his hand, an elevator door materialized seamlessly within the sturdy embrace of one of the thick concrete columns of the overpass, a hidden portal to his underground sanctuary.
Once inside the compact elevator, designed to accommodate a maximum of three people, the descent was smooth, the walls echoing a faint hum as they traveled deeper beneath the bustling city. At the bottom, Wyatt's underground home awaited, a haven filled with every necessity and comfort he could imagine. Equipping the space had posed quite a challenge; Wyatt had initially struggled to create the essential appliances from scratch.
However, his ingenuity led him on a quick detour to a local appliance store, where he utilized a deep molecular scan to analyze the designs and mechanisms. This intelligence allowed him to reverse-engineer the items, making their replication a simple task.
For the essentials of daily life—internet, electricity, and water—Wyatt's approach was both clever and cunning. He tapped into the city's utilities at various points, skillfully navigating the labyrinth of pipes and wires hidden beneath the bustling streets above.
While he had aspirations of developing a more sustainable energy solution for his subterranean retreat—dreams of harnessing solar or wind energy—tonight, fatigue weighed heavily on him. After a long day filled with construction and creation, he decided to put off those lofty plans until tomorrow, allowing himself a moment of respite in the comfort of his new home.
"Not bad, not bad. If I put this place on Airbnb, I'd make a killing." Wyatt smiled as he looked around his new home.
After taking a long, hot shower to wash away the events of the day, he threw himself onto what could be considered one of the most comfortable beds in the world.
It didn't take long for Wyatt to fall into a deep sleep.
••o••o••o••
Amidst Kissena Park's lush, emerald expanses, Wyatt perched beneath a sprawling tree. He sat apart from the scattered groups of midday visitors, an intense expression etching lines across his forehead.
Before him, a plump squirrel busied itself with the nuts and walnuts Wyatt had generously scattered on the grass, its tiny paws skillfully cracking the shells. Wyatt raised his hand, its fingers trembling slightly, and closed his eyes, summoning all his concentration in an attempt to perceive the intricate molecular structure of the lively creature before him.
"Become… a chicken!"
The squirrel perked up and turned to Wyatt. After a second, it lost interest and continued eating its snack.
"Why? I understand why Atom Eve couldn't mess with living beings, but why can't I? Do I have some hidden mental block I don't know about that's holding me back, too?" Wyatt said with annoyance as he tried to recall anything that could work as a mental block. "Fuck. My memories are still a jumbled mess. I can't think of anything. So much for being OP from the get-go."
With a sigh, he stood up and waved his hand in front of the squirrel. The small pebbles beside it flashed, and a pile of acorns was revealed to take their place, much to the squirrels' happiness.
"For your troubles."
With his experimentation over, Wyatt wandered around the park. As he did, he took in the sights with an easy-going smile, only for it to vanish as he thought back to the events from yesterday.
He had essentially been arrested for suspected murder and had escaped captivity. Was he now essentially a wanted man? Even if the police officers didn't get his name, Wyatt was sure they would pull up security camera footage to get a picture of his face and find him in their system. They shouldn't take long to figure out his name and identity.
"Should I have just let myself get taken in? I'm sure if I explained to them that the blood was actually mine and not someone else's, then maybe they would have let me go?" Wyatt said to himself as he sat on a bench looking out at Kissena Lake. "No. I doubt they would. There was just too much blood on my shirt and no evidence of injury on my body. Shit, I wouldn't have believed me. What a mess."
The idea of leaving New York popped into his mind, but he wasn't sure if he should. Despite being very early in the timeline, he was at the heart of the universe's main events.
Wyatt was sure he was brought to this world and given these powers for a reason. And whatever or whoever had combined two completely different lives into one must have had a reason for placing him here in New York.
"Or maybe this was all one big accident and I just got the short end of the stick." Wyatt leaned back and lost himself in the blue sky above. "I hope my family is okay."
In his other life, in the older Wyatt's universe or timeline, he had two loving and supportive parents and an annoying little brother. At this point, they would most likely have already heard about his other body being found dead in his dorm room.
He couldn't help but imagine his family's devastating expressions and cries upon his passing. The image of their tear-stained faces made his heart hurt.
"Are you alright, young man?"
Wyatt blinked and noticed that he had been crying. After quickly wiping off his tears, he saw a kind-looking older man in his late forties or early fifties. He looked vaguely familiar to Wyatt, but he couldn't quite place where he recognized the man.
"Ah, yes. I was thinking about my… family." Wyatt admitted. He had tried to lie, but the truth had slipped out. "They were… taken from me. A long time ago."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Do you mind if I...?" The older man pointed to the spot beside Wyatt.
"Sure, go ahead." Wyatt nodded and slid over. Giving the man space to sit.
"I have a nephew whose parents were taken from him, too, when he was a small boy. He had to grow up without them, and I could see the pain in his eyes each day as he grew up. Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Ben, Ben Parker." Ben held his hand out with a friendly smile.
Wyatt's eyes widened slightly at the name, but he quickly schooled them. He may be amazed that he was sitting next to the man who would one day define Peter Parker/Spider-Man's entire ideology, but the ache in his heart quickly melted away any excitement he could have. Reaching out, he shook the man's hand with a smile.
"Wyatt Wilkins. It's nice to meet you, sir."
Ben nodded, and his eyes landed on a duck leading its ducklings over the lake's surface. "The pain of losing one's family never goes away. But I find that thinking back on the good memories from when they were around helps alleviate the hurt. Even if it's a little."
Wyatt nodded and thought back to the younger Wyatt's parents. They were good and kind people. His father was brave and held onto strong beliefs of morality, while his mother always extended a kind hand to anyone who would need it. They didn't deserve to have been killed because a thief wanted a few extra bucks.
A simmering rage began to build within him; these powerful emotions had pushed the younger Wyatt to act out and try to join a gang. He didn't notice it until now due to the crazy revelations of his new powers and sudden placement in the MCU, but Wyatt had an unreasonable rage buried deep within him. Eager to be released.
The very same rage that had peaked out from within him when the officers from yesterday dragged him through the hospital in cuffs. Humiliating him for all to see.
So that's what that was. Wyatt thought.
Closing his eyes, Wyatt dug deep and did as Ben said. He thought back to the good and happy times he had with his parents, from both lifetimes.
Ultimately, he focused on one memory from the younger Wyatt's life.
It was of him and his parents having a fun day together at Coney Island. He could still vividly remember his father's amused grin and his mother's loud laugh as they rode the rides and played the games.
Slowly, a small smile grew on Wyatt's face, and the pain in his chest subsided slightly.
"That worked. Thank you, Mr. Parker," Wyatt said.
"Don't mention it, Wyatt. Just happy to help. There's a saying my wife likes to say, When you help someone, you help everyone." Ben said with a loving smile.
Ah, I see it now. He looks like a much older Tobey Maguire. Wyatt thought as he finally realized why Ben seemed so familiar to him.
The two sat in silence and watched the ducks swim around the surface of the lake for several minutes before Wyatt stood up.
"Thank you for your advice, Mr. Parker. And for sitting with me… It was nice." Wyatt said with a smile. Ben shook his head with a smile of his own.
"Don't mention it, Wyatt. I'm just glad that my words were able to help you."
"Have a nice day, sir."
"You as well, young man."
With nothing more to say, Wyatt walked off. Before he got too far, he turned back and saw Ben continue to watch the lake. He had a tranquil expression, as if lost in thought.
I just talked to one of Marvel's most iconic characters. But it didn't feel that way. It was as if I were talking to a regular person, not someone from a comic or movie. This world I'm in… it's very real. Not just some comic come to life. Wyatt thought. This world is my reality now. I have to figure out where I fit in it.
Looking down at his shoes, Wyatt sighed and then left the park.
----
AN: I'm sorry, but due to work commitments, I don't have as much time to write as I would like. Therefore, don't expect updates to come too frequently. However, I will try to write at least three chapters a week for this story.
Thank you for reading, and I'll see you next time!