This had been an unusual day for Adrian Toomes. He hadn't been "Blipped" the first time, but his wife and daughter had been. In a strange way, he had been lucky that time. Five years of his sentance over with, and five less years of his family's life he had to miss. But now, something had happened, he wasn't sure what exactly. Apparently another blip, and a new prison. He tried to shrug it off, hoped the food was better in this prison. But as Adrian spoke with the guards, the other incarcerated men, noone seemed to know him, and he didn't recognize any of them. What was even stranger, noone seemed to know what the "Blip" was. It took him awhile to figure it out, but eventually Toomes did. This was another universe, how exactly had he been transported here? That he still needed to figure out. There were some definite advantages to this change of scenery. One was that this new public defender seemed to think she could get Toomes released. Adrian was careful in his description of his old world, only saying that he "Allegedly" was a black market arms dealer. But even if he admitted his guilt in the old world, he hadn't committed any crimes in this new world, they had no reason to hold him. On the other hand, he wanted to get back to his family, even if that meant incarceration. The police brought him to the courthouse for this hearing, but before the hearing he was brought to a secret meeting, with Nick Fury.
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Fury: Hello mr Toomes.
Adrian: Who the hell are you?
Fury: Nick Fury, director of SHIELD.
Adrian: I've heard of you, or at least there's a version of you in my world.
Fury: Rumor is, your Earth was invaded. Call it fate or blind dumb luck, you ended up with alien technology. You then turned this technology into weapons, which you then sold to various gangs and individual criminals.
Adrian: Allegedly.
Fury: Right, "Allegedly."
Adrian: From what I hear, your world hasn't had many alien attacks. Rumors of some alien vigilantie who wears all black, and possibly a vampire, that's about it.
Fury: I wouldn't say that. For all I know the Nick Fury of your world was very good at covering up crash landings in the corn fields, but an invasion that decimates much of New York, I couldn't cover that up either.
Adrian: Let me guess, you're also good at covering up crash landings in the cornfields.
Fury: Very good. In my experience, most of the aliens living here are just refugees fleeing violence from their home planets.
Adrian: Most? How many...?
Fury: I've always believed in hoping for the best, preparing for the worst. I want to be prepared in case there is a massive invasion. We have the technology, and we'd like your help.
Adrian: I just want to return to my home world and see my family.
Fury: Perhaps we can help each other on that.
Adrian: And if I refuse, you'll make sure I stay in prison?
Fury: No, that's up to the judge. I believe he'll release you. Even if you confess your guilt in your world, you've committed no crime in this world. We have no reason to keep you incarcerated. But there is a downside to that. I'm guessing you were paid 20 cents an hour to fold prison laundry.
Adrian: 25 cents, and it was the prison mess hall.
Fury: But because you weren't incarcerated you don't even get that. You have no support system to help you. There is a Salvation Army hostel three blocks from here. They'll help you, if the economy is good and people feel charitable, you might get three meals a day and a steady bed.
Adrian: And if I join your group?
Fury: Guaranteed housing, food, health care. Standard military housing, so not exactly a palace.
Adrian: But it does sound better than the alternative.
Fury: I would hope so.
Adrian: And if my work on this alien technology leads to my way home?
Fury: The loss of you would be a setback for our side, but we would be able to manage without you.
Adrian: What the hell, I'm in.
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One year later.
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Adrian Toomes had been working on this alien technology for SHIELD for about a year. The situation wasn't bad, but he still missed his family. He had helped create these weapons for the american military. He had already gone through trial and error in his own world, so it took him far less time here. He even rebuilt his old vulture suit. During this time he read about others, Venom, the vampire Morbius, but many here thought these were just tabloid fodder. Apparently this world had far fewer strange incidents than his world.
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One day, Toomes went to see a screening of "the Godfather." It was a relief that a masterpiece like this existed in both worlds, and raised some interesting ideas. Toomes always saw a little of himself in Vito. he wasn't a villain, just a man who provided for his family and refused to be the fool whose strings were pulled by big shots. Yeah there was a man he admired. After the movie Toomes was driving back to the base, he was on the Brooklyn Bridge, when another car nearly drove off it. Toomes got out to help, when the driver got out. She seemed a little dazed from the crash, and she went closer to the edge. Toomes raced to save her, he got there just as she jumped off. By instinct he jumped in after her. She seemed unconsciouss, but Toomes was able to swim her to safety. By the time they got to dry land an ambulance was already waiting for them, someone must have called for help. At this point Toomes realized who this woman was, it was Wanda Maximoff, or at least this world's version of her. They had never met in the old world, but it was still nice to see a familiar face.
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When Wanda regained conscioussness she asked to see the man who saved her, Toomes obliged.
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Wanda: Thank you for saving me.
Adrian: Yeah, well you reminded me of someone who helped me once.
Wanda: What did she do?
Adrian: Saved half the universe, including my wife and daughter.
Wanda: You mean from Thanos?
Adrian: How do you know about Thanos?
Wanda: He succeeded in my universe. Despite our best efforts, I was blipped. The other Avengers reversed it, and I helped kill Thanos.
Adrian: And I am grateful. Are you from my world?
Wanda: Yes. After this battle, I made some mistakes, and innocent people were hurt. It's complicated, but basically I just wanted my husband and sons back.
Adrian: If it was for that reason I really can't throw stones. But how'd you get here? And how can we get back?
Wanda: This body you see, it was this world's version of me. I wanted to be in a world where my children were alive. But I ended up here. This version of me was trying to kill herself, because her sons were killed by an idiot drunk driver. I can't go back to our world because my body was destroyed.
Adrian: I guess that means I can't go back either, at least not that way. I also don't know how to get you to a world where your kids are alive, but maybe I can help you here.
Wanda: How?
Adrian: Some friends of mine would be interested in your abilities, we could do some good in this world.
Wanda: I'm listening.
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With Wanda's help, she and Toomes were able to find some associates, particularly Eddie Brock and Michael Morbius. Toomes spoke with Morbius, Wanda spoke with Eddie and venom. The five of them agreed to meet, and hear what Toomes had to offer.
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Toomes: Thank you all for coming. I always considered myself to be just a businessman, willing to do whatever it took to provide for my family, and not be the fool who dances while some big shots pull his strings.
Eddie: So you're quoting from the Godfather?"
Toomes: Yeah, it's a classic in any universe.
Morbius: Agreed.
Toomes: My point is, I've been seperated from my family for over a year, and for five years before that. I've had time to think. I want to be the kind of man my daughter can be proud of, even if she never hears about it. Right now I work for SHIELD, which is a part of the clandestine U.S. intelligence agencies.
Venom: Eddie, I thought he said he wasn't the puppet.
Eddie: I'll ask. Venom has some reservations about working for any government agency.
Toomes: Fair enough. I would like to work with you on a case by case basis.
Wanda: Like eliminating "hostile" targets?
Toomes: Exactly. We research a target, and we decide whether or not to go after them. Some of SHIELD's enemies are unquestionably evil, others are just dissenters against America's allies.
Morbius: Still, I'm not sure going after these guys is heroic.
Wanda: None of us are heroes, we're anti-heroes at best. I've fought against heroes, and with them. Spiderman, professor Charles Xavier, they believe in the consistent life ethic far more than we do.
Toomes: Exactly: People like Spiderman, they have their place in the world, saving innocent lives and all. But sometimes what the world needs is someone willing to do what others can't. Now, who's with me?
Eddie: We can walk away from any job we don't like?
Toomes: Absolutely.
Venom: Then we're in.
Morbius: If I'm a real vampire, I could live forever. It's best I can live with my actions, I'm in.
Wanda: I don't know how long it will take me to find a world where my boys are alive. But until then, I'm in.
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The five of them thus became a team of anti-heroes. Whatever the future might hold for them, for now at least they were in it tigether.