Marvelling with a Stranger

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or any other work of fiction.

Beta'd by the Inquisitorial Beta and Podge!

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Author's Note

Consider this both a reboot of the "A gamer's rise in Marvel" story, but also a spin-off. It will be self-contained and you don't need to know the other fic to enjoy this one.

This story will feature a variant (In the sense of alternate timelines within the MCU) of Jeanne with some key changes to her backstory and power set. The setting will also be limited to a more composite version of Marvel rather than the mess that existed before.

This first part will detail a few important story beats and are told from the perspective of SYSTEM, the sapient Game Interface from the previous story before she leaves again.

Hope you enjoy it.


Chapter 1: New Game –

Buzzing through the great void between realities, a certain invisible entity flew. It appeared to be just a speck of light at most, but it was so much more. It was not meant to be here and was confused as to why it was suddenly hurled away.

Thoughts going through its mind were akin to panicked bursts of information.

.What is this…

…Why was I redirected to a variant timeline? I was busy fixing stuff for Jeanne…

What got me drawn back to Marvel?...

Simply put, SYSTEM was not having a very good time.

Hurtling through space, the Game interface eventually stopped before a small blue planet in a very familiar solar system. Just as quickly as it stopped in place, it began hurtling towards the planet once more. The destination was quickly narrowed down. The northern hemisphere, the Americas, the United States, the eastern seaboard and eventually, New York?

Did my master leave something behind?

When the Interface rushed toward the city, it quickly realised that this was not the reality its user had left behind. Skyscrapers burned, rubble was spread through the streets…and fallen alien ships and soldiers were mixed in with the humans.

They were all disabled though and no portal was looming in the sky. The Battle was over already.

This was the aftermath of the Chitauri Invasion. An event that was still in the future to SYSTEM.

Why am I here….

And why does it feel like Jeanne is too?

The entity zoomed through the city before eventually arriving at the damaged Stark Tower. It was the epicentre of the event and also the place where the main perpetrator of it had been captured.

SYSTEM phased through the building and started looking around through the ground floor. Countless soldiers, medics, shield agents and Stark employees were moving around, organising now that the chaos was seemingly over.

But a bit of noise was drawing the being's attention. Soldiers were gathering and two factions were loudly arguing.

Alexander Pierce along with the STRIKE team, agents of SHIELD and the US government who were in fact double agents of HYDRA.

And on the other side, there were the Avengers with Thor and Tony Stark at the forefront.

They were arguing about who would get the spoils of war in a manner of speaking. The items in question were Loki's sceptre, secretly the container for the Mind Stone, the Tesseract, the container of the Space Stone and lastly Loki himself.

All three articles were of significant value to both parties. And now it was the subject of contention. Who got to keep what?

But that was hardly SYSTEM's concern right now. Even the very time-displaced Avengers sneaking through the building right now simply were not her concern.

The person she was interested in was the young woman standing a bit to the side of the STRIKE team that was carefully eyeing the suitcase containing the Tesseract. She may have been blonde again, and a bit older than her own version, but the SYSTEM knew that this was Jeanne.

A variant of her of some kind. But why was she with HYDRA of all things? Jeanne's pride alone would never allow her to ally with them. She wasn't wearing a uniform at least. Her attire was more akin to a secretary or analyst, but even she was armed with a small pistol hidden within a holster.

Before the interface could do anything else, The argument comes to a sudden halt as Tony Stark starts gasping for air and collapsing to the ground, the suitcase with the Tesseract he was holding falling with him. As the others swarmed around to help him when he starts convulsing, a small minuscule figure jumps at the suitcase, causing it to skid across the floor and into the awaiting hands of the Other Tony Stark. SYSTEM learned enough from her old master's knowledge to realise this was part of the endgame heist. But unlike the original timeline, her master's variant was now present.

As she had been eyeing the case, she was one of the few people who noticed another soldier pick up the case before trying to walk away.

"Excuse me, could you please return that!?" she yelled as she rushed towards the disguised Tony Stark who in this case was only pretending not to hear her.

To his dismal luck, a door in front of him was practically ripped from its hinges as the Hulk angrily burst out of the staircase. Stark was thrown towards the ground and the case goes flying once more.

Jeanne is nearly able to catch it as it sails through the air but misses. Still, her actions caused it to land in equal distance to herself..as well as the captured Loki. The case broke apart from the impact, and being who he is, Loki isn't one to let such an opportunity pass by.

Only his wrists and mouth were restrained, the ones on his hands were also rather negligible as he could open his arms apart to a rather generous degree. The main purpose of these was to hamper his magic after all. It didn't account for the fact that he always did have a backup plan up his "sleeve". His feet were completely free to run towards the Tesseract with the intent to escape his inevitable imprisonment. Jeanne reacts accordingly and unholsters the pistol from underneath her blazer and opens fire upon the trickster god.

The bullets bounce off his skin as if they were made of rubber and he isn't disturbed one bit as he draws a knife from his own sleeve of all things which he quickly throws with all his power at his assailant. To SYSTEM's surprise and extreme disappointment, Jeanne doesn't attempt to dodge or block the attack, but instead throws her gun at the Tesseract, causing it to fly away to the group of agents crowding around Stark….She did nothing to stop the blade and based on her speed she wouldn't have been able to anyway.

Just as her gun had made contact with the blue cube, the knife pierced through her neck with an unbelievable force and severed her spine in an instant. She was dead before she hit the ground.

At this moment, SYSTEM felt the draw on her once more and realised what she was supposed to do, and what she wanted to do for that matter. She quickly created a primitive AI (compared to her at least) and charged it with a fraction of the power available to the GAME Emergency Power Reservoir.

Someone higher than SYSTEM wanted this Jeanne to survive and the Interface didn't object one bit. Even though it wasn't their master, seeing her be killed like this was still quite uncomfortable for the entity.

The brand new AI launched out from the entity and quickly injected itself into the newly made corpse. As this was technically a death caused by timeline interference, the only issue here was reversing physical death. No laws of fate or causality should be an issue.

The TVA might interfere, but technically, with Loki still here, there is a good chance that they might not get involved. What Jeanne does, later on, might be of notice to them though….But that will be her issue to deal with.

Speaking of which, the Trickster barely got any closer to the Tessaract before a certain Uru Hammer crashed into his back and the owner wasn't that far behind.

The Tessaract itself was quickly grabbed by Stark, who proceeded to leave the area through a back entrance with Ant-Man quickly climbing up his body. What interested System though…was the fact that he was obviously very shaken. Didn't they achieve what they wanted? They managed to get the Tessaract on this journey and wouldn't have to travel further.

Considering that the Interface had achieved its purpose here, it quickly decides there would be no issue in investigating this further. The entity follows the two men out of the building as they stealthily make their way through ruined streets until they are intercepted by a blonde and athletic woman wearing red white and blue while carrying Loki's sceptre.

…Right, Captain America was a woman in the previous reality with Jeanne. Makes sense that she would still be one. She was also married to Stark if SYSTEM's memory banks were not mistaken.

Stark quickly embraces his wife as his emotional distress becomes even clearer. The entity quickly closes the distance in order to be in earshot.

"Tony- Tony. What happened, dear… Did you get the Tesseract?... What's wrong?" One Stephanie Stark asks of the man now in her arms.

Tony holds tight in her embrace before breaking it and giving the woman a wide smile, "Yeah, we got the Tesseract…Mission accomplished…" They have been married long enough that she can easily tell he was trying to dodge the issue and was just deflecting.

"Tony what happened?" She asks with a bit of finality in her voice, even if it was a gentle tone.

Stark looks as if he wants to argue at first, but the words don't come out his throat and he paces around before eventually gasping out, "I forgot she was here….I can't believe I would make such a fucking mistake."

The captain clearly not knowing who he was referring to, tilts her head before asking, "Tony, who did you forget? What do you mean you made a mistak-"

"It was Dana ok! She was there with those HYDRA bastards and…I messed up, Loki almost got free and…Dana interfered" He pauses to give her a solemn look, "Loki's been captured again but…She died before she hit the ground…The suit confirmed it for me." He slowly breathes out.

The Captain herself didn't seem to be doing that much better upon learning what had happened.

The first to break the silence was ironically Ant-Man, "I know it's not my place and..well, basically…anything we do here in the past doesn't matter to us… and from what I know about Dana…She would have died soon anyway. And I'm not saying this is ok. What happened was definitely messed up-"

"Get to the point Lang!" Stark practically barked at him.

Scott looked like a deer caught in headlights before coughing into his hands before saying, "My point is…My point is that we couldn't have done anything. She was going to die either way and…Shit happens. And I know this is hard for you, but we still have a mission…We fight for what we can save not for what we've lost…" before either of the two could compliment him for a rare moment of wisdom, he quickly says, "Though, once we get all the stones, I would say you are welcome to try at least? I mean…you could definitely do all that with the full gauntlet right? What does it look like anyway? Do the colours mix into a rainbow or a whole new colour? Is it a big old white light-"

This is the moment that SYSTEM finally decided to tune out of the conversation. Ant-Man was being goofy in order to cheer them up and it seemed to be working.

The whole conversation was interesting though. This world's Jeanne was known as Dana. Or at least the one from the other timeline was certainly interesting. Knowing it's Master, the interface surmised that Jeanne, or "Dana" in this case probably infiltrated both Shield and Hydra at this point in time to some degree. And considering Jeanne's interests, there is a chance she also achieved certain "Harem" Goals later on….If the Stark couple's reaction is anything to base it on.

It was certainly interesting though. This Jeanne didn't have a Gamer System but was able to be around such relevant individuals….perhaps she will do a bit better with whatever she will get from the gift SYSTEM has left for her.

The interface will never know really. Her time here is over and it is the moment for her to return to her true master.


12 seconds after time of death (Time)

The Realm Between (Place)

DA01 (POV)

Opening my eyes brought forth a strange sight I was not expecting.

One moment, I was busy securing the Tesseract, the next I'm in a strange blue void…This will be a pain to explain to my superiors…

Query: Is that your main concern currently?

Startled by the voice, I quickly turn around and see a shimmering crystal floating just a few feet away from me. It had a single hole in its diamond shape that was glowing with a blue light. It floated through unknown means…Anti-gravity? Or is it related to this place?

Statement: Query Ignored, resuming primary directive.

Operation: beginning audio playback:

A message of some kind?

Greetings DA01!...wait, that can't be right…It is? Well, I guess we will work with it.

Back to your rather terrible luck, you have died.

I see…that makes sense. I expected heaven or hell to look a bit better honestly. This current aesthetic is a bit boring honestly.

We have halted your transfer to a proper afterlife in case you are wondering.

'I thought this was supposed to be a message?' I think.

Ignoring any intricacies of sending a message when space-time is negligible, I shall continue.

To your luck, however, you have been selected to receive one pull of the almighty Gacha system which, to some degree, guarantees your chances of resurrection.

'I'd rather not' was my immediate response.

Now you just have t- Wait what?

'I think I'll take my chances in the afterlife…I see no reason I would get such a privilege. Either, it's a monkey's paw or based on the whims of some higher being. Neither would be satisfactory.'

With that, I turn away from the floating crystal and start walking through the blue void.

Now hold on!

The crystal flies with surprising speed before appearing right in front of my face

Neither case is true you dumbass. I am here due to a fuck up on our behalf concerning your…everything really.

'An entity like yourself messing up? Is that even allowed?'

Enough of your sass girl. You were a backup body for someone else…but you were never used. And until you come of use, anything unique was taken. The power of your soul, the intricacies of your body and personality…Though admittedly, your body never had anything of note… But you get the point. We took it all.

'So I was nothing but a pawn for a higher being who would be supplanted by something else? How lovely…I think we are done here.'

I move around the crystal and begin walking once more. The construct quickly flies around again before hovering at my side.

Just stop for a second, don't you care if you actually die?

'...Not particularly, no. I didn't want to die honestly, but it was necessary..besides, I'm replaceable. The life I had wasn't worth much.'

I can't actually believe this right now…
To hear this from your voice…

The Crystal was all up my face now and was brimming with light

Where's the Ego! The Ambition!

Where is Jeanne that would never let anyone or anything ruin her life!

This cannot goddamn stand. You will take this deal and if you don't then I am destroying your soul right here and now. It's do or die now.

My eyes widened in response…I thought that I could try again somewhere else or just…go into an endless sleep…But being erased and denied even more?

I nervously swallow down the mess of emotions going through my head before asking, 'So what…what options do I have?'

The light of the crystal lessens its intensity before the voice continues in a chipper voice

I'm so glad you asked!

Basically, I will be giving you a few package deals. From getting 100 common Gacha Tokens or just one legendary one.

With some extra conditions, we can also sweeten up the deal with some extra boons for lessened Gacha Chances…I'm giving you 10 minutes to make your selection.

Shit….Guess I need to focus crystal begins to project an interface for me and I can see the choices available to me. Trying to keep count of time in my head, I come up with a decent looking selection after about 7 minutes.

Current selection.

Guaranteed Resurrection: The [item/power] given by the Gacha will be capable of fully resurrecting you with minimal issue.

Fractured Power: The [item/power] given by Gacha will not be granted in full at once. Certain aspects or features will have to be unlocked with time or other investments.
(Due to previous selection, Resurrection is still guaranteed)

Canon Knowledge(False): This will grant you knowledge unique to the original Jeanne-Wait….Let me check my notes….So you are getting the third-hand repertoire of knowledge from a certain Interface that really wasn't interested in Superhero settings….I guess I'm making this one a bit cheaper.

This also includes a few bits and pieces of the original Jeanne. Don't want you to be completely clueless really. Might also fill your personality out a bit. Having you be all robotic and all that will get old rather fast.

Mythical Gacha token (Corrupted): a step down from legendary, but still incredibly good. There is also the tiny issue that this will also ensure your reward will have some added drawback to you that will fundamentally be a hindrance.

Are you satisfied with this selection?

Y/N?

'I…I might as well say yes.'

Upon receiving my agreement, the hologram was replaced with a slot machine of all things. Symbols rolled and noises went off before it settled on an image of….black and purple smoke? What is that?

Powerset gained: Adagium's Curse

Due to chosen selection, adjustments will be made

Locking 90% of Powerset.

Current abilities.

Self-Resurrection: Killing you has just become one of the hardest things imaginable. Best make sure you don't get captured though. There are fates worse than death after all. Healing factor included!

Patient Zero: As the new incarnation of the Starscourge, the deadly plague is yours to command. You can infect other lifeforms with varying results. With enough training, memories can be absorbed, strength can be taken and Daemons can be born.

Assimilation: When corrupting other beings, you have the choice of absorbing their essence into yourself to gain their traits and memories. Prolonged use can end in memory dissociation.

Current Weaknesses:

Holier than thou: Weapons and magic with Divine or Holy properties will prove extra effective against you and are capable of permanently maiming and under certain circumstances even killing you.

Heliophobia: The sun doesn't really agree with you. Best try to stay indoors and wear concealing clothing. Your healing factor regenerates your body faster than it can get damaged by the deadly solar rays, but your Daemons are not as lucky. They will turn to ash and dust if left exposed.

'Wait, so I'm carrying some pathogen now? I don't want to cause a pan-'

The Starscource is capable of causing a global extinction event, but it is entirely up to you. The Behaviour, proliferation and lethality of the plague is defined by you. Naturally, this extends to any Daemons as well.

Anyway, my time here is over. Good luck. You won't be hearing from me again.

Hey, wait for a second! I still have-

Statement: Playback has ended.

Message: We wish you a pleasant experience.

This unit will now be minimized to conserve energy.

I'm barely able to process the words before the crystal blows up in a small concentrated explosion. It was a perfect spherical pop really…and nothing remained. No ashes or smoke...What kind of minimisation is that?

But shit…Now that the silence was creeping in, i realised…I was alone now.

I started observing my surroundings again and began walking in another direction. I wanted to bide my time and see how my abilities worked, but I don't think I will have that chance.

A strange miasma began emanating out of my body. It was a mass of black particles with streaks of purple in them. When I truly focused on them, I realised that they were more akin to tiny lightning bolts really.

The miasma soon covered my body and I felt my sensations twist and turn….

I had been standing upright, but I now feel the weight of my own body lying on my back. The miasma faded, but I still couldn't see. Raising my hand above me made it clear that the cause for this was a zipped-up bag covering my face.

It made sense really. I was killed, so for now I would be in a body bag. I start searching the inside for a zipper before eventually giving up and simply clawing my way through. My body was never particularly strong, quite the opposite most of the time, but I could feel something else now.

I wasn't much stronger, but I was certainly healthier. So slowly clawing at the plastic and ripping a hole with my fingernails was not as difficult as I imagined.

Light begins to peek through the hole and I quickly rip through the rest and find myself in a crematorium…one I recognize actually.

It was the HYDRA facility hidden in Upstate New York. I had worked there more than enough to recognize it and I also know it's the place that will be infiltrated by Captain America and Black Widow during the Winter Soldier Storyline….

Wait a minute.

I quickly clutch my head as I consider my previous thought…

Was this the supposed canon knowledge?...but the Captain is a woman….as though my brain was stabbed with the question, the answer "Alternate Reality" popped up.

So the knowledge isn't as reliable, but it still follows a certain pattern?... I guess I will have to find that out myself…

For now, I have to handle my boss and answer any questions he may have on my resurrection…Wait…Should I do that though?

These memories and knowledge also come with a new perspective…especially on HYDRA. I have been with them since I was a baby. This was something truly suspect now that I know what happened to the other me.

The primary difference between myself and this original Jeanne it seems. She was discarded by HYDRA while I was kept and "raised" by them….But what is our significance? Why were we taken in the first place? My body was frail. Asthma, heart issues and a slew of other minor conditions saw to that.

And HYDRA couldn't have wanted me for my DNA or anything. I was never prodded or probed. No samples were taken and I was never employed in anything needing physical exertion. No Agent training or anything…

When I was about 6, I was used for simple tasks. Cleaning rooms, delivering documents and so on. I received basic responsibilities really. It's purely due to coincidence that I was able to help a scientist during the maintenance of Dr Zola's mainframe.

He put in a good word for me and I received more tasks in assisting other researchers…I learned a lot and was able to help massively on occasion. It allowed me certain luxuries and privileges within HYDRA….

Luxuries that I now know were readily available in the outside world…I was pacified with food and film, simple entertainment and little pleasures…making me think I wasn't just a glorified slave…

Goddamn this was fucked…and it hurts to now realise this. I didn't really know how the world works, how it was meant to be. What HYDRA even was and…And now? The knowledge that 16 years of my life were spent like this?…..fuck. FUCK. FUCK

My inner conflict is suddenly interrupted when a few armed men and Rumlow himself walk into the room. When he saw me, he could only stare with curious eyes as his men aimed their guns at me. He trained his own pistol right at my head as well.

They could definitely blow my head off with all of that…but it definitely wouldn't keep me down.

Right. There were security cameras in the room. They probably noticed I was up and about again. Not every day that someone comes back to life.

"These men are ordered to fire at command if they so much as think you might be one of Loki's tricks. So before we begin anything, I'm going to ask you some questions." Rumlow ordered as he stepped a bit forward.

"Желание. Ржавый. Семнадцать."He speaks in heavily accented Russian. The trigger words bombard my mind and it feels like my head is about to split apart

In the past, they would lull me to sleep, make me docile and highly suggestible. I was somewhat aware of what they did, but didn't mind it and therefore did not resist…But now? With me so…aware? I'm not sure if this was an aspect of my new abilities or my newfound perspective, but I was thankful for it all the same.

"Daybreak. Furnace. Nine"I answer, giving the next 3 words in the sequence but in normal English once more.

Rumlow relaxes his grip as he holsters his pistol and pulls out a pair of handcuffs before throwing them at me. "Well, you know the security codes at least, so you can't be Loki somehow…But just in case, put these on." His men were still aiming at me, but didn't seem to be as prepared to fire as before.

I catch the cuffs and promptly put them on. I don't want to alienate HYDRA just yet…I still need to decide my course of action…They are all I know, outside of HYDRA…there is nothing to support me. I doubt I actually even legally exist…I might be smart, but I doubt I could avoid them forever…And it's about 2 years before HYDRA is taken down during the events of Winter Soldier…Should I maybe just comply and bide my time?

[Emergency announcement]

The sudden voice in my head startles me and I think the other three noticed my reaction. I quickly get out of the body bag and begin walking towards them as I try to hide any reactions prompted by the supposed announcement.

You will be given certain objectives on occasion and when they are fulfilled, you will be awarded skill points used to unlock the remaining aspects of {Adagium's curse}.

You will now receive your first quest

Primary Objective: Escape the HYDRA facility

Secondary Objectives: Escape within 30 minutes, Destroy any chances of HYDRA recreating the Erskine Formula.

Primary reward: 1 SP

Secondary rewards: 1 SP, 5 SP

….Is this thing trying to force me into certain decisions? I mean…fuck, the issue is that I kinda have to do it now. If I don't follow the will of this bloody thing, then I will probably never power up and get the full power.

Correction: No Higher power is influencing or manipulating you.
The Quest System is designed around {Adagium's curse} which requires conflict to evolve its abilities. Manipulation of fate or destiny also leads to considerable returns.

The Quest System is meant to predict the most optimal path towards improvement and survival.

End of Emergency announcement.

With that, the voice stops talking in my head. Rumlow walks behind me and makes sure to pat me down. I lost my only firearm when Loki killed me, so I didn't have to be too worried about him finding anything else.

Once he is done, he grips onto my arm and directs me out of the morgue. Based on the way we are walking, I'm guessing they are taking me to bio-research and development… where experiments into Super Soldier enhancements were the main goal.

And it would be ideal to start my little escape plan from there. Because…if the knowledge I have in my mind is correct, then the man I need to take off the board is one Wilfred Nagel…The Man who was mainly relevant after the events of the Blip. He was able to perfectly recreate the Erskine formula and was even able to make the outward appearances lessen, making it easier to create Soldiers meant for infiltration…He would eventually be killed by one Baron Zemo, but if I play my cards right, it won't have to come to that.

As expected, I'm taken into the laboratories of many geneticists and bioengineers before I'm brought to an operating chair. My handcuffs are removed and to my luck, I am not restrained this time.

A few among the staff bring various devices and tools meant to analyze my body. Too bad that they won't be able to use them. All the while, I was looking around the lab complex searching for Nagel.

"Well then DA01. It has been nearly 2 decades since I had to examine you. There was nothing of note to you other than your intellect…But i'm glad we kept you around. I guess you were a late bloomer after all." the voice of a middle-aged man echoes out and I look over to see a familiar face with new significance.

Daniel Whitehall, a prominent scientist I had the (dis)pleasure of working with in the past…and based on new information, he is also the former SS Scientist, Werner Reinhardt, who was able to make himself biologically immortal via research done into Inhuman DNA.

If the Starscourge is in any way biological, then there is a valid chance he could analyze it…Fuck.

"Doctor Whitehall…I doubt taking samples will lead to any results. Loki's dagger was made of unknown metals that may hold unknown effects on human physiology. I would recommend analysing the material first." I try to say with the same monotonous tone as I always have.

Being filled with brand new chunks of personality certainly made it harder…And I think Whitehall noticed it.

A small smile formed on his face, "You know…I have seen your growth for as long as you have lived. The concept of lying was never taught to you and you never had a chance to learn it…and it certainly shows. Though I'm curious as to why you decided to do it now? Have something to hide little miss? It's always such a pleasure to work with a brilliant mind such as your own, so it would be a shame if you decided to keep something from us….So, tell me…what have you already learned?"

My face was frozen and I didn't know how I should react to his question. My heart was beating so fast now, and it was almost deafening to my ears. His smile was still present, but it screamed danger…What do I do….

He looks towards the STRIKE members who escorted me here and tells them," Strap her in. We will be operating shortly…"

Was he planning to torture me?

The heartbeat in my chest accelerated further and I'm certain if I wasn't enhanced right now, I would probably be having a heart attack. As the two men approached, a sudden popup appeared in front of me.

It was the quest from earlier, now appearing as a hologram in the corner of my vision. No one else reacted to it, so I assume only I can see it…And something highlighted in red was a timer ticking down.

24 minutes remaining…

Fuck, ok…

I need to stop hyperventilating. The two soldiers grabbing hold of me certainly didn't help, but once they touched me, something else happened. Had I touched anyone else since I had come back from the dead, I would have realised it by now…

But as soon as they touched me, I could feel the possibility of a connection. It wasn't skin contact, but I guess just the mere proximity was enough….enough for the Starscrouge to take their first victims…and I only have to will it…

I guess…for the first time in my pitiful life…

I chose violence.


Drunk Author's note.

Im rebooting the fic and no one can stop meeeee!

Also!

Please review!