Ad Infinitum File 1 - A New Dawn by Justin Anderson
January 1st, 2004. Arizona, 1:22 PM Cletus Kasady had dragged himself out of the small farmhouse stranded in the desert. After a winter of ringing a charity bell, so people might throw change into a red metal bin, he was ready to thaw. He was somewhere on the highway, parked at a desert gas station, fueling his Harley Davidson. He had no idea where he would travel. Just pick a direction. Madness in all directions these days, every road seemed to lead to the same place. And the Nevada border wasn't far off. He saw the three by the side of the building, one kicking another on the ground. Drawing his gun, he ran. "HEY!" The first two ran off. The third, seeing the gun, sprinted away after his friends. 'What was that all about?' he thought, looking down. It was an old glove. Filthy. Picking it up, he wiped it off. Metal, a golden color. Still covered in dust and mud. On the knuckle, a small stone. The tiny orange object fell off. Picking it up, he slipped it in his pocket. The glove was thrown into the saddle on his bike. Los Angeles, 7:46 PM A McDonald's on the edge of the city would do for dinner. The drive through was packed, but inside, few people. He stood in line, inspecting the small stone while he waited. An orderly "yeah, I'll take what's in the register!" snapped him back to reality. In front of the line, a gun pointed at the cashier. 'Oh, great, this guy's not only got a gun, but he's dumb enough to rob fast food!' Cletus thought, planning his next move. A quick tendril line should grab the gun. What happened next was even more bizarre. Around him, the world turned several shades of gray. Everyone was frozen in place. He shouted, "HELLO?" He was still his usual color. even outside, the world had taken on this unusual appearance. Cars frozen, pedestrians as statues. He still had the stone in his hand. Walking up to the robber, he grabbed the gun. It was easily removed from the man's hand. Suddenly, the world resumed. Except he had the gun. Without a second to think, he pistol-whipped the robber, sending him to the floor. Everyone was staring. Popping the clip from the gun, he sat it on the counter. Holding the pistol with both hands, he snapped the .45 knockoff in two, setting both pieces down. "As you were." He left before anyone could call the police. Driving away, he found a quiet area under a bridge. He held the stone in his hand, the glove in the other. It was a golden left-handed glove, made of some sort of metal. It was incredibly light. 'So, what do we do with the rock?' It was his symbiote. 'How should I know?' he replied. 'Well, we need to take it to SOMEONE! I think Dr. Strange would be the person to ask.' 'Someone in my position doesn't just walk up to Dr, Strange and ask questions. I don't even know what this is. But I do know who I might ask...' January 2nd. Latveria, 1:11 PM Victor Von Doom entered the meeting room. "Cletus Kasady. I take it you've entertained my offer of becoming a General under my command?" "No." Von Doom showed no expression, even though his mask hid his face. "You have never visited Latveria before. You have made several trips to Genosha," Doom commented. "Especially when the own prodigal son of the X-Men, the clone, died... how sad. He never even had a chance to live. A year is not close to a lifetime. And the ones responsible are no doubt laughing." "Actually, I was hoping you could identify this for me," Cletus said, pulling the glove from the bag he kept it in. "The Infinity Gauntlet! Where did you find it!" Doom demanded. "Arizona desert. Kids fighting over it, probably gonna sell it for drug money..." "Yes, most likely... but why bring it to me?" "This," Cletus said, slamming the stone on the table. "The world froze yesterday. Now, the odds this didn't have anything to do with it do not exist!" Cletus shouted. "Hrm, yes. The Infity Gem of time itself... I believe I know what happened to you. You held it?" Doom asked. Cletus replied, "yes." "There are six Infinity Gems. Each has a specific attribute, you have the Gem of time. You were hyper-accelerated in time to the point that a second to the rest of the world would be a hundred years to you. Of course, At such a speed, your perceptions slow so you can understand what is happening. This is why the world froze!" Cletus put the glove away. "Before you pack that, might I suggest you instead leave it with me?" "...no," Cletus replied. He grabbed the Gem of time. "I have to return to Arizona." Doom watched him leave. Turning on his video monitor, he dialed Genosha. In minutes, he had a connection. "Latveria, this is Genosha, why are you calling this vid-line?" "This is Victor Von Doom. I demand to speak to Magneto immediately!" "Please wait," the mutant on the other end responded. Magneto's face appeared on the monitor in short order. "This had better be important!" Magneto said. "The Infinity Gauntlet has returned to this world," Doom explained. "OH? And you have it?" Doom answered, "... I do not. Cletus Kasady has it, as well as the Gem of time. He did not even know what he had with him." "And I suppose you tried to convince him to give it to you?" "Such baseless accusation!" Doom shouted. Magneto simply stared. "... very well. Yes, I attempted to obtain it. In the hands of someone like Cletus Kasady, sane or not, it can not live up to its potential, even with the one Gem!" "Do not think for a second your intentions are good, Von Doom! Both you and I know you would force a world rule," Magneto chastised. "You wouldn't?" "Yes, I would... even tempted to use the Gauntlet for good, we would still lead the world to ruin. Even after September Eleventh, we are still not in a position to hold such power over the world. You would forget, and I would no doubt extinguish the life of every human on Earth... the power would overwhelm us, turning us into what we were, and what we still are. "I've heard this before," Doom said. "You sound like the wizard from the novel. And what do you suggest we do with the gauntlet, leave it in his hands?" "Cletus Kasady is certainly no Frodo Baggins... but perhaps we should. I do not believe his finding the Gauntlet was mere oddity. Something that powerful no doubt found him." "Hmm... yes, leave it with him, for now. If he fails, we can always take it. But the Watchers may be after the Infinity Gems as well," Doom said. "Thanos and the others can try to take them back. They're in the hands of a dangerous man now. If they arrive, let them die from their own greed." Notes: Set within the Marvel universe, I will be using my own continuity, mixed with new characterizations for some established characters from Marvel's story universe. These stories are a sequel to my fiction series Maximum Carnage. Cletus Kasady, Carnage, and others are copyright Marvel Comics. Jack Arden, Raicaak, and others are copyright myself. Other characters appearing may be owned by separate parties. I make no claim of copyright on any character I do not own, only on these stories and those I do own. Characters used without permission/not for profit. These are strictly fan stories. Permission to reprint extends to placing this text, unaltered, elsewhere online. It may not be altered, and especially NOT TO BE SOLD, unless Marvel wishes to license this series from me.