Victor's first sensation of the "Marvel Universe" was chaos, but not the kind you could ignore. Skyscrapers flickered like glitching video game textures, street signs warped mid-letter, and a taxi driver suddenly found himself upside down—literally floating above the road—before rights itself again.
"Yeah… this is totally not normal," Victor muttered, gripping the hood of a parked car for balance. His voice echoed in the multiverse anomaly, but no one seemed to care as they had theirs to face.
AETHER's voice cut into his head, dripping sarcasm.
"Normal is relative. By the way, Victor, that bullet that killed you? Defying physics isn't a fluke and it was damn funny. Welcome to my playground and you are going to love it.."
Victor groaned. "I didn't sign up for this. I was buying flowers. And maybe a gift card. Why does my life have to be physics-on-steroids now, oh wait I could just die and go back?"
"Huh try it boy I promise you won't get a generous offer as this Because," AETHER said dryly, "you're chosen. Which is basically a fancy way of saying, you're screwed in style try not to die again and don't do anything stupid.
---
A streak of red and gold suddenly streaked across the skyline. Fire trailed behind the armored figure like a comet's tail.
"Is that—" Victor froze.
"Tony Stark," AETHER said. "Iron Man. Do not annoy him. He's part genius, part ego, and mostly dangerous, don't let him overwhelme you, remember you got me by your side."
Victor blinked as Tony landed on a nearby building, holograms flickering in his helmet. "I said do not annoy him. That includes staring, thinking, and, unfortunately, existing in my airspace."
"I… uh…" Victor stammered. His internal monologue screamed: Don't die. Don't die. Don't die. But his sarcasm had to escape. "Nice suit. Very… pointy."
AETHER snickered. "Oh, this is going to be fun. Tip: he doesn't like jokes about his fashion sense."
---
Before Victor could recover, a hulking green figure smashed through a building across the street, debris raining like confetti from hell. The Hulk roared. Cars swerved. Pedestrians screamed. Victor instinctively ducked behind a newsstand.
"This is my new normal but crazy life?" Victor yelled into the empty street.
"Yes," AETHER replied. "You've graduated from ordinary. Take notes."
---
Victor realized that staying put wasn't an option. His curiosity overrode fear, and somehow he navigated the debris to a high-tech lab humming with energy.
"Tony Stark's cave," AETHER whispered. "And yes, he's going to notice you. Enjoy the chaos."
Inside, holograms floated above workbenches, blueprints projected midair, and a robot assistant beeped at Victor suspiciously. Victor blinked at the displays. This is like every Iron Man montage I've ever watched combined into one insane loop.
Tony's voice cut through the air, sharp as a scalpel:
"You're trespassing." He turned, jaw tight, eyebrows raised. "Unless… wait. You have no idea what you're doing here, do you?"
Victor opened his mouth. "Uh… no? I mean, yeah? Okay, not really—"
"Perfect," AETHER said, his voice almost gleeful. "Let the chaos begin."
---
Before Tony could respond, the floor shook violently. A flickering pulse of energy tore through the city streets outside. Victor instinctively jumped toward the window, eyes wide.
"Multiverse fragment anomaly," AETHER whispered. "Your first test. Don't die. Try not to embarrass me, because if you do prepare for punishment."
Victor blinked. "You're… actually enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Absolutely. Watching you panic is entertaining, beside I got nothing else to do than watch your little playful antics."
---
Victor stumbled onto the street as chaos reigned. Spider-Man swung past him, quipping mid-flip:
"Hey kid! Watch the debris! Also—uh, new guy? Who let you out?"
Victor waved awkwardly. "Uh… physics violation survivor?"
Spider-Man tilted his head. "That explains… a lot."
Then came Natasha, with her signature cool demeanor, silently assessing him like a predator sizing up prey. She raised an eyebrow. "You're either very stupid or extremely lucky."
Victor's meta-aware brain screamed: Both. Definitely both.
"Uh… hi?" he said, giving the vaguest wave imaginable, as his heart threatened to burst out any minute.
Hulk roared again, stomping closer, but Steve Rogers stepped in front. "Careful, kid," he said, placing a hand on Victor's shoulder. "We don't know who—or what—you are yet."
AETHER muttered: "Step one: survive introductions. Step two: survive the city. Step three: survive you."
Victor sighed. "Step four: survive my life. Probably impossible, right now because I am surrounded, oh where's Hawkeye and vision."
AETHER muttered: idiot you are supposed to be looking for a way to save your life.
---
The fragment anomaly was now fully visible—a swirling rift hovering above Times Square. Victor's stomach churned. Through it, figures shimmered, some humanoid, some… indescribable. Energy pulsed, warping reality in waves.
"Go check it out," AETHER said casually. "Or stay. Your choice. But spoiler: staying isn't safer."
Victor groaned but approached, heart racing. Spider-Man shot a web to stabilize a nearby lamppost, giving him a visual cue. Natasha flanked him silently, while Steve whispered tactical instructions under his breath.
Victor's first instinct? Panic. Second instinct? Use AETHER's interface. A holographic menu appeared in front of him: fragments detected, energy readings spiking, potential reality disruption imminent.
"Touch it and die. Or don't. Honestly, your call," AETHER said.
Victor's hands hovered. "This is… definitely above my pay grade."
Before he could react, a figure emerged from the anomaly—a shadowy, distorted humanoid shape with glowing eyes. Its presence radiated wrongness, bending reality around it.
Spider-Man yelped mid-swing. Natasha readied her weapons. Steve braced for action. Hulk… well, Hulk was Hulk.
Victor swallowed. "Okay. Yep. Definitely above my fu..ng pay grade."
AETHER chuckled. "Good. Fear is healthy. Embrace it."
---
The anomaly pulsed again, and Victor instinctively activated AETHER's fragment manipulation module. Energy coalesced around his hands, bright and buzzing. He felt power, yes—but also absolute terror. One wrong move and reality itself might collapse.
"Hey, genius," AETHER teased, "try not to blow up the city on your first day."
Victor took a deep breath and extended his hand. Light arced from his fingers toward the shadowy figure, warping the space around it. The figure shrieked, a sound like metal scraping glass, and staggered back into the rift. The anomaly flickered violently.
Spider-Man landed in front of him. "Whoa… what did you just do?"
Victor shrugged. "Uh… improv magic?"
Steve groaned. "Kid, we have a lot to talk about."
Tony Stark appeared behind him, eyes scanning every display. "You just… touched a multiverse fragment? Do you know how impossible that is? And why are you still alive?"
Victor raised his hands. "Honestly, no clue. AETHER's doing… something. Probably better not to ask."
AETHER smirked in his voice: "Exactly. Chaos management: step one."
---
The climax arrived with a final pulse from the rift. Victor stumbled, almost losing balance, and glanced around. Every hero was watching him—Spider-Man suspicious, Natasha unimpressed, Hulk impatient, Tony calculating, Steve cautiously intrigued.
Victor muttered under his breath: "Okay… maybe staying home and buying flowers was easier."
AETHER's final commentary echoed in his mind:
"Welcome to the Marvel Universe, kid. Don't get comfortable. The multiverse is watching, and it already hates you."
And somewhere above Times Square, the anomaly pulsed again. A new, unfamiliar presence was emerging.
Victor's stomach dropped. "Oh, great. Someone else."
Spider-Man shot him a grin mid-air. "Lucky first day, huh?"
Victor closed his eyes. Shut up spider.