When he got to the motel he almost turned back the motel was the 1 star reated ones the werst kind it was dirty and clearly poorly mentend, but considering he had no money or identity he just went in hoping the inside would be better which was not.
The receptionist didn't look up at first.
She was an overweight, slightly grimy woman with a cigarette dangling from her fingers like it had signed a long-term lease there. Smoke curled lazily around her head as she squinted at Eli over the counter.
"Name?" she grunted.
"Eli," he said quickly. "Just one room. For one night."
She leaned forward, eyeing him slowly. Too slowly.
"Well now," she said, exhaling smoke sideways. "What's a pretty young girl like you doing out this late?"
Eli blinked. "I'm not a girl."
She tilted her head. "Mhm. And I'm the Queen of England."
"I'm serious."
She ignored him completely.
"Running away from home?" she continued. "Boyfriend trouble? Don't worry, sweetheart, I've seen it all."
"I. Am. A. Boy."
She narrowed her eyes, studying him like he was a suspiciously decorative lamp.
"Well you've got long white hair," she said, pointing her cigarette at him. "And those pale blue eyes? And that little scar over your left eye? You expect me to believe you're not some tragic backstory heroine?"
Eli sighed. "It's not tragic. It's mildly inconvenient at best."
She snorted. "Sure it is."
"Can I just get the room?" he asked, gripping the counter. "I'll pay in advance. No drama. No tragic heroine arc. Just sleep."
She tapped ash into a tray that had clearly given up on life.
"You're not being chased, are you?"
"No."
"Not secretly royalty?"
"No."
"Not planning to summon a demon in the bathtub?"
"…No."
She stared at him for a long moment.
"Shame," she muttered. "Would've livened this place up."
Finally, she slid a key across the counter.
"Fifty pounds. Room 12. Don't touch the vending machine. It bites."
Eli froze. "It… what?"
"Long story."
He took the key before she could ask another question.
The room, unsurprisingly, looked like it had survived several minor wars. The wallpaper peeled like it was trying to escape, the mattress made a sound of protest when he sat on it, and the window refused to fully close.
But it was dry and it had a door that locked and most importantly, it wasn't the cold night outside.
Eli dropped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.
"For fifty pounds," he muttered, "I think I overpaid."
Somewhere downstairs, the receptionist coughed loudly and shouted, "I heard that!"
Eli blinked.
"…Of course you did"
Eli rolled over on the motel bed and stared lazily around the small room.
The place was cheap, very cheap.
The wallpaper looked older than Captain America, the carpet smelled like regret, and the bed springs squeaked every time he moved.
But it was a roof.
And for £135 stolen from muggers, he wasn't complaining.
As he stretched his arms behind his head, his eyes landed on something in the corner of the room.
A broken standing fan.
The plastic grill was cracked and the blades were slightly bent.
Eli tilted his head "Huh."
A curious smile appeared on his face.
"I wonder what I'd get from smelting that."
He rolled off the bed and walked over.
The fan was clearly dead, but one of its plastic buttons was sticking out slightly.
Eli crouched, "Well…"
He pressed a finger against the button then he focused.
The button dissolved into faint smoke and flowed into his hand.
The now familiar static sensation ran through his body. Then the information appeared.
[Powers Gained: Aerokinesis (Control air currents), Flight (Propel body using air pressure), Cooling Wind (Lower surrounding temperature), Pressure Generation (Create powerful wind blasts)
Eli blinked.
Then blinked again.
His eyes widened.
"...Flight?"
His face lit up instantly.
"Oh that is awesome."
He walked to the middle of the room and lifted one foot experimentally.
A soft swirl of air lifted him a few centimeters.
Eli immediately grinned.
"I can fly."
He slowly floated up toward the ceiling.
"I can actually fly."
He gently lowered himself back down.
"Okay. That alone makes coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe worth it."
He rubbed his hands together excitedly "And aerokinesis too…"
He flicked his wrist slightly.
A small gust of wind blew across the room and rattled the cheap curtains.
Eli nodded approvingly.
"So basically… I now have a built-in ranged weapon."
He looked around the room again.
Then his eyes landed on the mini-fridge beside the bed.
The tiny white appliance hummed quietly.
Eli stared at it then a slow grin appeared on his face.
He walked over like a kid spotting candy.
"This place is basically a power buffet."
He crouched down and pulled off a small rusted metal panel from the back.
"Sorry little fridge."
He smelted the piece.
The same static sensation spread through him.
Then the information arrived.
[Powers Gained: Cryokinesis (Generate and control cold), Preservation Field (Halt decay and aging temporarily), Energy Efficiency (Store energy internally)]
Eli whistled.
"Oh wow."
He held out his hand.
Frost spread lightly across his palm.
He waved it toward the table and a thin layer of ice formed across the surface.
"Okay that's extremely useful."
He walked back to the bed and flopped down.
Then he began mentally reviewing everything he had gained so far.
He raised his fingers and started counting.
"Alright… current power set."
He ticked them off one by one.
"Physical powers."
He flexed his hand.
"Ant strength that should be around ten thousand kg-level lifting potential."
He tapped his arm.
"Beetle durability Basically walking tank armor."
He wiggled his fingers.
"Spider reflexes and agility, Plus claws, wall climbing, and webs."
He lifted slightly off the mattress.
"And now flight and air control from the fan."
A cool breeze swirled around the room.
"Plus environmental stuff."
He held out his palm again.
Ice formed briefly before melting.
"Freezing things from the fridge."
He thought for a moment.
"And preservation… which is weird but probably insanely useful."
Eli leaned back and stared at the ceiling.
"If I had to guess…"
He shrugged slightly.
"I'm probably somewhere between high superhuman and low Skyfather tier potential."
He scratched his head.
"Eventually."
Another pause.
"Definitely not there yet."
He rested his hands behind his head.
"Alright… time to organize the plan."
His expression became thoughtful.
"So."
He began counting again.
"First… timeline."
He stared at the ceiling.
"As far as I remember, the big events are:"
He raised one finger "The The Avengers invasion in New York."
Second finger "Then Avengers: Age of Ultron."
Third finger "Then Guardians of the Galaxy one and two."
He thought a moment.
"And I heard rumors before I got here that another Avengers movie was coming."
He chuckled.
"Something about infinity stones and a purple guy named Thanos who was on most of all the Marvel movies I watched."(FYI he is from 2017 before infinity-war)
He stared at the ceiling again.
"Second… life plan."
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"I'm going to enjoy this."
He stretched comfortably.
"Maybe become an Avenger for a while."
He pointed at himself proudly.
"Eli: Professional superhero."
He laughed softly.
"And maybe meet the Guardians of the Galaxy."
His grin widened.
"They seem fun."
He thought again.
"So step one… make a big entrance during the New York invasion."
He lifted a finger dramatically.
"Save a bunch of civilians."
"Punch some aliens."
He smirked.
"And maybe smelt one of those giant flying whale things."
He snapped his fingers.
"The Leviathans."
His eyes gleamed.
"I wonder what powers those would give."
Then another idea hit him.
"Oh!"
He sat up.
"If I can convince Thor to give me a ride…"
"I could visit Knowhere."
His grin turned slightly crazy.
"That giant Celestial head."
"I wonder what happens if I smelt a piece of that."
He laughed.
"And while I'm at it… maybe check out Ego the Living Planet."
He slowly lay back down again.
"...Okay that might be suicidal."
He stared at the stained ceiling.
"But still tempting."
After a moment he sighed.
"But before all that…"
He rubbed his face.
"I still have to do the museum heist."
He thought back to the building he saw earlier.
"The weapon probably isn't even heavily guarded."
He shrugged.
"If I remember correctly, the biggest problem is the laser sensors."
He glanced toward the motel window.
Then narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"...I wonder."
He lifted his hand slightly and looked at it.
"If I smelt the glass…"
"Do I gain transparency?"
He stared at the window for a moment.
Then shook his head.
"Nah."
He yawned.
"I'll experiment tomorrow."
He rolled over and pulled the thin blanket over himself.
"Step one tomorrow… steal the Wakandan tool."
Another yawn.
"Step two… try not to accidentally become London's most wanted supervillain."
His eyes slowly closed.
"...Step three… maybe get better pillows."
Within minutes, Eli was asleep.