An Avenger of Steel A/N: Hey all,
For anyone wondering, don't panic, this is not me giving up on Harry Potter: Iron Magician. I'm about half way through writing the latest chapter. Problem is, with all the important events that need to happen in that chapter, I'm stuck trying to get it to a point where I like it enough to post it, so I've kind of done a GRRM and wrote myself into a bit of a corner. I have my own version of a Meereenese knot over getting that one done.
In the meantime, I decided to write down this, the start of a story that's been in my head for a while. I though before I do though, it would be a good idea to provide some
backstory for it. First of all, it might help to know that on the whole Marvel VS DC debate, which I find a little silly, I love them both, but I prefer DC, at least in terms of the comics. Whilst there are about an equal amount of DC and Marvel heroes in my
top 10 superheroes (6/4), there are more Marvel characters than DC in the top 20 but I enjoy DC stories more and the way they approach heroes more than Marvel. That
said, this story, or at least its main character, is an OC created for a Marvel universe 3rd edition Mutants and Masterminds game (a deeply enjoyable TTRPG, with a lot of
variety for character creation). The character was easy to make for the game, because it was my first game in a long time where I was a player, not a DM/Narrator. I took
advantage of such a rare opportunity, and made the character by basing them off my favourite hero (favourite fictional character, period, actually) that being Superman. I really wanted to play a character who started out as an immature teen who was only performing heroics for the thrill of it, rather than altruistic reasons, and eventually grew into the role of a superman-style character. Unfortunately, at the last minute, I didn't get to play when the DM had to withdraw, so I ended up giving control of the character to a new player, who took it in a different direction. Still enjoyable, just
different.
So, long story short, I thought it could be fun to write out the story of how I would have liked to see that character play out. I'm not too worried about reception; this is
mostly for me, but I figured there may be people who get a kick for it. I may also consider taking suggestions for future OCs over PMs if anyone is interested in that.
To my regular readers, thanks for indulging me. For new readers, welcome all.
1 - Power from the Skies
21st December 2007 Thomas Ranch, upstate New York 2:14 AM
As two of the three souls within the Thomas Ranch slept, a blazing crimson light illuminated the night sky, burning a path across the heavens. Although almost no human would ever know it, that light represented an ancient and powerful alien force that - for better or worse - would come to shape the destiny of one young man, and through him the fate of humanity itself.
Rubbing his eyes as he slowly padded up the stairs back to his room, glass of milk in hand, ten year old Nathaniel Thomas gasped and gripped the bannister tightly as the entire house shook violently. Gazing at the nearby window outside, he could see a faint plume of smoke rising into the air near the back of the property. Tilting his head back, he listened intently to see if his father or Alexis had been awoken by the commotion. The only sound in the house was the faint snoring of Steven Abrahams. Nathaniel rolled his eyes. It fit that one the one night something interesting happened, his step father slept through it.
On any other night, he would have followed the other man's lead. He might have gone back to bed, pulled the covers back, and dozed off once more, content with his milk, and forget about this new incursion. Years later, he would never be sure why he made the choice he had. Perhaps it had been idle curiosity, or the goose pimples running down the back of his neck as he gazed out the window. Some strange sense of foreboding that compelled him to do what he did next.
"VIOLET?" he whispered, to gain the attention of the rudimentary AI he had developed as a project with his Stepfather after his mother had suggested they get to know one another better. The project had been fun, though it had done little if anything to lower their guards around each other. Nate sensed that Steve was often confused by what his wife's adopted child prodigy was saying, and Nate himself, although he tried, had no interest in real estate, Steve's chosen profession.
"Yes, Nate?" The stilted robotic voice responded. Nate grimaced. One of the next things he'd need to update was her audio, so she sounded more human.
"Anyone else in the house awake?"
"No Nathaniel. We are the only individuals aware at this moment". He nodded. Rushing quietly down stairs he opened the back door and crept out into the paddock. He shivered in his pajamas as the cool night air struck him. He could see the Smoke more clearly now, and smell a rusty burning scent in the air. He followed it to his destination.
Nate let loose a gasp as he took in the sight before him. Buried in a deep crater on the edge of the property was a small metallic object, about the size of a large refrigerator. The metal was a sleek silver and red. On the front, which based on the thin metal handle jutting out, now twisted and broken in the crash, could only be a door was engraved a shield like crest in a shape vaguely reminiscent of a diamond, the outer lines of which were a sharp black. The inside of the diamond was dominated by a black S, surrounded by a dark blue field.
He stepped forward carefully, and reached out a hand. He frowned when he felt none of the expected heat coming off the metal, despite the faint fires around it. He slid down further into the crater, and approached the artefact, which even at this close proximity still refused stubbornly to radiate heat. Cautiously, he gripped the twisted Metal handle and pulled with all his strength. He fell back into the dirt, rubbing his back as he sat back up. The door, which was as cold as ice despite the heat all around it, refused to budge. Gritting his teeth, he stepped up and grasped the handle once more. He pulled, slowly at first, and incrementally increasing the pressure. He would know what was in the fallen artefact he vowed to himself.
He had come this far. No point in turning back. After a few long moments struggle, the door popped off the container, and he fell back as it gave way.
He bit his tongue to keep from screaming out in shocked horror as he stared at what Lay inside. It was a woman, slumped forward, with only a pair of frayed straps keeping her from falling out of the container now the door had been removed. A thin line of silver ran down her face from her nose, and a cut in her forehead. Her shoulder length red hair, which no doubt would have once cascaded over her neck and framed her face, now hung in a tangled mess. Once piercing green eyes now stared blindly out into an alien world they would never gaze upon. Her skin was a pale light shade, contrasting with her fiery locks. She wore a black suit of some kind, probably designed to provide protection and life support.
He cautiously stepped towards the dead alien, and slowly reached out a hand to remove the straps so he could move her body. As he did so, his hand brushed against the suit. It shimmered and rippled under his fingers. With a startled help, he stumbled backwards. He groaned and hissed as he hit the ground, the wind knocked out of him.
He slowly sat up and peered at the crashed ship. The alien, which had previously been clad in a tight bodysuit, was now wearing a simple white gown, like the ones his mother occasionally wore for date nights with Steve. A thin, oily black substance slowly slithered it's way down the surface of the alien vessel, moving like a worm crawling across stone. He watched, repulsed and fascinated in equal measure as it cautiously made its way onto the snow. It wriggled back and forth, as though testing it's footing. Finally with a near imperceptible thud, it landed on the snow before once more unfurling into a near straight line and resuming it's slow march in his direction.
Even as the thing made its way towards his spot in the snow, he somehow understood not to run. Instead he slowly stood up once more, his robe and pajamas now blanketed In a thin powdering of snow. He crouched low for a better view and still the thing inched towards him. The thing was close enough to touch now, and still coming closer. He waited, warily placing his hand out.
The substance slowly raised a thin tendril off the ground, inching towards his outstretched fingers. Both moved cautiously, as though feeling one another out, or perhaps to offer the other a way out. None was taken.
The outstretched tendril brushed Nate's finger tip lightly, before engulfing his entire hand. A sharp jolt shot through his entire body, clenching his jaw and warming him against the cold night air. He watched in fascination as the black substance spread first along his arm and then across the rest of his body. A second shock jolted him, this one stronger then the last. He staggered, fell back onto the ground, and knew no more.
–AoS– It was still night when he came too. He was lying in the snow, where he had fallen. The ship, now no longer burning, and sealed once more, was floating in mid air about two feet off the ground. Stunned, Nate leapt to his feet and rushed forward, even as the ship, which must have somehow used the time since he fell unconscious to repair itself, soared off towards the upper atmosphere and away from earth. He frowned. Perhaps the strange black
substance that had attached itself to him had been a defensive mechanism deployed by the ship itself. He wondered what the strange substance had done and where it had gone once the ship was no longer in danger.
He raised his hand to run it through his hair, and did a double take. His entire body from the neck down - including his hands - were covered by a skintight black bodysuit. The torso area of the suit was a maroon shade of red, and a cape the same colour hung off of chains attached to his shoulders. Pride of place on his chest was a black diamond with a black S inside the diamond, surrounded by a field of maroon colour.
He leaped back in shock, and felt himself fly through the air. Glancing around him in horror he realised he had jumped so high he was above the roof of the house. He hyperventilated and bit down upon his tongue to keep from screaming as he fell back to Earth. Breaking into a run, he ran towards the barn. Despite the distance normally taking several minutes to clear, he was at the barn door in less than a second.
Pulling the barn door open, he pushed it closed and rushed towards his work bench. Panicking, he began to scramble through boxes of tools and scientific instruments he had placed on the bench and left there. Tossing several aside, he retrieved a pair of pliers, which he attached to his finger to try and tear off the suit. The martial shimmered and rippled before settling once more on his skin.
"VIOLET" he called, panicked, "can you help me get this suit off?" For several long moments his AI companion was silent. The silence was deafening, gripping his heart in a cold terror. Finally, she responded.
"Initial preliminary studies of the suit indicate that it is some form of alien Nanotech sir. With a device to contain the nanites, I believe I can hack through the suits computerised systems and remove it, yes."
He nodded. Tearing through the boxes once more, he retrieved a battered watch, which he fastened to his wrist.
"See if you can do anything with that, Vi". The watch beeped several times in a row, before the suit rippled and dematerialised, leaving him standing in his sweat covered pajamas. He ran a hand through his hair.
"Sir?"
"Yes, Vi?"
"If you wish to keep the suit, it has bonded to your DNA, based on my scans. As you saw, it also greatly enhanced your physical abilities. I believe that between the two of us we can determine how to use this suit efficiently."
Nate nodded, although he knew she could not see him.
–AoS– Nate - along with VIOLET - spent the rest of Christmas break developing his understanding of the suit and it's capabilities. He determined that while using it, he was able to lift weights in excess of at least five tons, run at speeds of up to 300 miles per hour, and leap great distances. He and VIOLET discovered through their studies that the suit acted by altering his DNA as he wore and used it. The species that had developed the suit to wear, presumably the same race as the now dead alien who had crashed the ship and had been wearing the suit before him, had a drastically different cellular structure to humans. Not only did their cells reproduce far faster than humans, but in addition the suit was altering his DNA from a double helix to quadruple helix system. The pair theorised that as his DNA continued to mutate further as time went on he would eventually no longer require the suit to call on his new powers.
In addition to the other differences, the cells of the alien race which were now slowly being produced in his body had a powerful photosynthetic property, allowing them to draw in energy from the sun. Through trial and error however, they determined that rather than simply absorbing solar radiation, his cells could absorb many different forms of energy, although they were not sure yet on the limits of this ability.
As well as learning as much as possible about the suit and his new powers, by reverse engineering some of the technology from the suit and what little he had got a glimpse of in the ship himself, Nate was able to upload VILOLET into his brain, allowing her to share his body. In return his senses were greatly enhanced, and within a few days of her initial upload, he found he was able to enhance his senses to the point that he could see, hear, and smell out to an effective distance so vast as to cover the entire globe. In addition he learner - to his shock when he greeted his stepfather and sister at breakfast the morning he was to return to school - that he could see through solid substances as well as view microscopic particles.
–AoS– He walked towards the main building of Midtown elementary. Alexis waved over her shoulder as she ran off to meet her friends. Nate smiled as he watched his younger sister so happy. It hadn't alway been so, and he'd vowed after their biological mother had left them at the orphanage that he would always have her back. Standing on the path towards the main entrance, he was pulled from his train of thought by a familiar voice calling his name.
He grinned as he turned around. Running towards him, her shoulder length hair kept from falling into her eyes by a black snap on headband was his best friend. Climbing out of her father's silver hatchback and running towards him, Gwen Stacy leaped forwards and threw her arms around his neck. Nate made sure to make it appear as though he staggered slightly as he caught her. Gwen was his best friend since the day they had first met, and one of his favourite people in the world. She was also the first - and only - person he thought of when deciding who he would tell about his new suit.
They had been friends since the day Gwen had first transferred to Midtown a year ago. Gwen was his rock, one of the few people in the school who could even remotely keep up with him, and the only student who didn't view his intellect as "freaky". She was - beside his sister - his first and only friend and the only person in the world he trusted with his newest secrets.
Glancing around to make sure no one was listening, he pulled her to one side. She blushed but smiled as he did so.
"Are you ok?" She whispered, as ever concerned first and foremost about him. He smiled to reassure her and noded.
"There's something I have to tell you. What are you doing for lunch today?"
"Packed lunch. Mum and dad said I shouldn't buy on the first day back after break." He nodded.
"OK then. Meet me in Mr McArthur's classroom at lunch today. No one ever bothers us there." If she was confused by his sense of urgency and need for secrecy, she didn't show it. Gwen shrugged, grabbed his hand, and the two friends joined the crowd of students filing into the school.
A/N:
Well, there we go. I hope someone else gets enjoyment from this other than me. I'm planning on a chapter a week, though I may occasionally get more done.
PM me if you're interested in creating an OC to be added to the story.
Each time a new character(s) gets introduced, I'll add an actor who I picture playing them in my head, to help get an idea of what they look like. If you want, feel free to substitute them with your own.
Nathaniel 'Nate' Thomas / Sentinel Age 9-12 (2007-2010) - Jackson Robert Scott Age 13 (2011 - ) - Lucas Adams Sentinel (when wearing suit; physical appearance altered by VIOLET's technical abilities) - Luke Mitchell
Alexis Thomas Age 7-12 (2007-2012) - Quinn Copeland Age 13 (2013 -) - Troian Bellisario
Gwen Stacy Age 9-12 (2007-2010) - Morgan McGill Age 13 (2011 -) Dove Cameron