Peter 1

"Scuse me, sir. Would you like a paper?" a paperboy offered me a London Times.

"Thanks, but I'm trying to save money."

It was still a few hours before departure, but I knew there was a British ship waiting in the River Thames for us to board. From London, we would sail into the English channel, go south until we reached the Southwestern coast of France.

Then we would travel to Marseille and from there, we would join other Allied soldiers in Italy.

It would take an entire week, maybe more if we ran into some heavy fighting.

"I've also got some science magazines." the paperboy said. He pulled out a Scientific American with Albert Einstein on the cover. This kid knew how to lure me in.

"I'll take it." I said a little too eagerly.

I pulled out enough British pound sterlings. I offered it to him.

"Sorry, sir. That ain't enough."

I fished out more coins.

"You know, back home, you don't have to pay for magazines. You can just pull articles up on google or-"

I stopped myself. One of our big rules on this mission was don't tell people we were from the future.

"What? The kid said like Harry Potter.

I shook my head. "Never mind."

Our commanding officers were letting us mingle at an outdoor marketplace that was close to the docks.

Even though there was a war going on, people still managed to set up their wares and find enough stuff to sell.

Some people were even selling rare goods like butter, sugar, and leather, but for outrageous war prices.

Others wanted to cater specifically to the American soldiers and nurses that streamed in here.

They offered Wrigley's gum, coffee, beer, and posters of stars like Judy Garland and Bob Hope. Yes, I know who those people are. I may be Gen-Z, but I do my homework.

"So how's your first time in London?" I asked Peter 3.

He managed to tear away from a determined street vendor who was trying to sell him chocolate. Our uniforms made us stand out and some sellers were trying to cheat us.

"Great. London's just like in the movies." he grinned. "Gray and cloudy."

"Yeah, but no double decker buses." Peter 2 said regretfully.

"And no Beatles." Peter 3 added.

I laughed. I've only been to London once to fight Mysterio's Elementals. I didn't get to see much except for the London Bridge. But I also kissed MJ on that bridge too.

And I haven't been able to go back because after Beck revealed my identity, the UK government banned me from ever stepping on their soil again.

But being here in the 1940's felt like some strange dream. It was still hard to believe that my timeline was destroyed.

Now I was here. A fresh army recruit, ready to brave the evil Nazis.

I could look the part of an American WW2 soldier, but it was hard to act like it. In fact, for all six of us, it was hard to blend in.

I showed the two Peters the Scientific American.

"I thought I'd get some research in." I said.

"Careful, some of that stuff's gonna be a little outdated." Peter 3 cautioned.

"But you studied Einstein's work."

"Yeah. But Einstein barely scratched the surface on what there is about Einstein-Rosen bridges and all the theories he created."

He saw my face fall slightly, so he smiled. "Either way, it should be a good read."

"Hey, you know people can hear your conversations." Wanda said, walking up to us.

"What's the worst that can happen?" Peter 2 asked. "They'll just think we're crazy."

"I think the preferred term is mad." I said.

Suddenly, a high-pitched whir rang through the air.

Even though this was my first time hearing it in real life, I'd watched enough war movies to know what it was. An air raid siren.

I saw the color drain from Wanda's face. I knew her parents were killed in a bombing. For Wanda, this was memory lane in a bad way.

People screamed and scattered.

"Get to the shelters!"

"Alice, where are you?"

"Go, go, go!"

I thought I heard somebody from our regiment shout directions to the nearest shelter, but his words were drowned out in the chaos.

Wanda grabbed me by the arm and led me through the swarm of panicked people.

I thought we had at least a few minutes to get to a shelter, but then I remembered this was London's eastside.

The planes would come here first.

I dared to glance upward.

Sure enough, they were there.

Four bombers coming in like black hawks searching for their prey.

My stomach dropped. I had seen this before. When I was eight years old. They came from a blue portal and shot at us and there was nothing we could do except run.

Doors on the belly of the planes opened and their payloads dropped out.

I ran faster, not wanting to be anywhere near those things when they fell.

I lost Wanda in the crowd. I couldn't find the others.

I had no choice but to keep running.

I saw a little girl that was on the ground with a skinned knee.

Her mouth was wide open. She had to be screaming, but I couldn't hear her over all the chaos.

I pulled her back on her feet.

"Get to the shelters now!" I screamed over the noise.

People were moving so fast now that it was like a stampede. I got knocked over. I tried to get up, but I was hit again.

A bomb landed only a few feet in front of me.

Adrenaline kicked in and I shot up. But there wasn't enough time to escape.

I heard a small click and the bomb went off.

The blast lifted me off my feet and hurled me through the air.

I landed on my back and something hit me in the head.

It had been a beautiful Spring day in Manhattan. Until a bright beam of light shot up from the Stark Tower and it created a portal.

The aliens streamed out like swarms of wasps. We were being invaded.

I looked up at the tower in horror. There was a man standing on the balcony. With a golden helmet and a golden spear…..

"Peter!" someone shouted. "Peter!"

Someone was shaking me awake.

"Peter! Wake up!"

My eyes snapped open. It was Loki.

Great. The last person I wanted to see right now.

He yanked me to a standing position.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

He still had a tight grip on my arm. I brushed him off.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked.

Other than some dust here and there, he looked ok.

"They're safe. It's been thirty minutes since the air raid started. Are you sure you're okay?"

I felt the back of my head. A little bit of blood, but I wasn't going to complain.

"I'm fine." I said more forcefully than I meant it.

"Come, they're counting the regiment to make sure we have everyone."

He led me through the rubble and debris that covered the street.

Half an hour ago, this place was alive with shoppers and vendors.

But the only signs that it had been a marketplace were the goods scattered on the sidewalk and wrecked stands.

There were a few civilians and soldiers out. I guess more people were still in the shelters.

"They just gave the all clear sign before you came to." Loki told me.

"We just survived an air raid and they still want us to leave at the same time?" I asked.

He gave a dry chuckle.

"I know. You'd think they'd have a little more courtesy."

Suddenly, we heard a cry for help.

A crowd was gathering at a nearby flat. The entire building had caved in from a bomb. A woman covered in dust was standing in front of the flat.

She was trying to get into the destroyed apartment, but another woman held her back.

"My children! They're still inside!" she cried hysterically. "Ben! Wendy!"

I started towards the flat, but Loki stopped me.

"It's not safe. We need to wait for a response team."

Since when did he care so much about my safety? I dashed towards the building.

"Peter!" he shouted.

I pushed my way through other people.

Wanda was already talking to the woman.

"Where do you think they are?" she asked.

"I-I don't know...Our flat is in the center of the building."

The bomb had landed right in the center. That wasn't good. The main entrance had also caved in. If anyone wanted to get in, they needed to climb through the rubble.

Wanda and I shared a look. She was going in.

This chapter was difficult to write, knowing that situations like this actually happened during the 1940's and now in the Middle East and Ukraine.

I mean no disrespect to any people who have had to experience this.