Earth: New York City-Queens, Date: September 22, 1988
Turns out, Midtown High was much easier to find than expected. The park was right next to it.
'Some things have clearly been setup for me. Not sure why, but you work with what you have.'
His student counselor meeting was brief and boring. She gave him a student ID, a meal card for lunches, his class schedule, and the combination to his locker. He was going to start classes tomorrow on Friday, and that meant he would get at least one lunch before the weekend.
She did however confirm if the address they had on file was his correct place of residents. Mark had never heard of the location before, so naturally he said yes.
He hoped something was there and not just an empty lot, he really wanted to have somewhere to sleep at least. Mark would need to check the location first thing. He would also likely need to solve everything else from now on.
All his connections to this world have been through or connected to the school. There was unlikely to be any more beyond this little start he was given.
While he considered his situation, Mark checked his locker and found a backpack and the textbooks corresponding to his class schedule. Everything really was taken care of.
'So, what is my actual plan?' Technically he still needed to confirm if this really was the Marvel world and what version he was dealing with. There are all manner of horrible things that can happen to someone in Marvel and he needed to be ready.
Mark decided he would need to focus on training and laying low until he was stronger. Also if Peter was already Spider-Man then SHIELD could already have the school under surveillance, and Mark did not want Nick Fury's attention this early. Or ever really, but you cannot have everything.
Furthermore, if he was noticed and captured early by someone from Hydra, or any of the other villain/crime groups, he was probably worse than dead.
He checked his character screen again.
Name: Mark Smith
Race: Human
Age: 17
Equipped Template:
-Aragorn: Equipping, 6+ Days Remaining
Traits:
-None
Powers:
-None
Disciplines:
-None
Skills:
-None
Items:
-None
'Damn. 7 Days of waiting.'
He made sure to drink some water and use the bathroom while he could and left to find 'his' new home address.
---
Several hours later:
Mark did not know what he was expecting.
All the houses on this street looked somewhat run down, and a few looked abandoned. This one was of the abandoned variety. Though it did look intact, and may even keep the rain out.
'It's fine. Not ideal, but as long as it is dry and there is a mattress in there, I can accept this.' He knew what was possible in this world. If he had to start his journey at the bottom then so be it. But he swore to himself, this would not last, that he would not accept the Peter Parker treatment from this world.
The doors to the house were locked of course, but after checking every window he found one unlocked that he was able to crawl through.
The place was empty but for a few pieces of furniture and everything had a layer of dust. The living room had a couch, and nothing else. One chair and no table in the dining area next to an empty kitchen, no appliances at all. And nothing in the bed rooms. No mattress.
'Die once and your sleeping on the couch.' He thought. It did not really cheer him up but if he had to choose between comedy and depression...well he thought it was funny.
The house did have water and power surprisingly. Maybe the city lost the paperwork, and they forgot about the house. He really had no idea if they would notice him in the next 9 months of high school. After that he would be gone, and hopefully much, much sooner.
9 months, or 3 shop restocks. A lot was dependent on the shop right now, and how many points he could earn. He earned points by getting stronger. The stronger he gets, the more powerful the powers that he can survive equipping or using, which then become available in the store.
The best way to grow stronger was using templates, but he was not clear on the details yet. It would probably make sense after his template was equipped.
Of course he could always just exercise but saving his energy until he could get more food then from school lunches seemed the prudent choice.
Thinking about energy he reflected on his current state. Fortunately he was not hungry now, but there was something. Mark realized a strange feeling had been slowly growing throughout the day. Maybe the alterations the template was doing to his body, but it was unsettling. Like every cell in his body was being agitated constantly.
It was also irritating. A constant buzz in his body.
Just then a sudden wave of fatigue washed over Mark. He quickly made his way to the couch, and almost immediately passed out.
---
Meanwhile...
Peter Parker P.O.V.
Peter had just gotten home from high school. His school had organized a field trip to a public science expo today. While the public exhibition demonstrating the safe handling of nuclear laboratory waste materials was taking place, a spider irradiated by a particle accelerator used in the demonstration bit Peter Parker on the hand. Instinctively jerking his hand, the spider was flicked somewhere into the crowd of other students.
In a bit of a daze he absently made it through the day before getting back home.
He told his Aunt May he was not feeling well and went to bed early.
---
Gwen Stacy P.O.V.
Gwen had just gotten home from high school. Her school, Standard High, had organized a field trip to a public science expo today. Gwen and her friend Cindy Moon were watching the public exhibition demonstrating the safe handling of nuclear laboratory waste materials, when a spider bit Gwen on the ankle. Before she got a good look at it, the spider had disappeared somewhere.
She had felt a little strange and out of sorts ever sense.
Home at last she went straight to bed.
---
Harry Potter P.O.V.
In a cupboard under the stairs, in a perfectly normal house at number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging Surrey, an 8 year old Harry Potter was thinking about his summer. Life had been much harder for Harry ever sense the heroes started appearing.
At first his uncle Vernon had dismissed the Fantastic 4's existence as nonsense. But after the appearance of Iron Man and Thor soon followed, the normal world in the newspaper began to change. A very unwelcome change that the Dursleys did not like one bit.
Harry had been fascinated. He tried to learn as much as he could but Vernon was not having it.
"Don't stare at that rubbish, boy. People will believe anything these days. Just costumed idiots and publicity stunts. It's nothing to do with you."
They had somehow found even more chores for him to do, and tried to fill his time with normal, proper things. They were also much stricter when it came to all things freakish.
But the part Harry could not get out of his head was that the world was calling them heroes. He had never seen anyone celebrate being unusual before. So seeing people who were openly extraordinary, admired instead of punished, and called heroes, it felt almost magical to him.
When he tried to ask about the heroes though, Vernon's response was, "Heroes? Don't be stupid. Heroes don't smash up cities and frighten decent people. Whatever's happening out there, it's got nothing to do with us, and it's certainly got nothing to do with you. I don't want to hear another word about that metal man or those… things on the news! This is what happens when people stop behaving properly, freaks crawling out of the woodwork!"
Harry was locked in his cupboard and had not gotten dinner that night.
He was not allowed to like the heroes, not openly. But secretly listening to news reports or reading the paper, Harry imagined what it would be like to meet them.
Harry knew that he was not special like the heroes, but had always felt like he did not belong. He was afraid he would always be alone, a freak.
The world's acceptance of these amazing people had changed something however. The world felt different now. And somewhere deep in his heart a new spark of hope was lit, that maybe, just maybe he could be accepted and valued too. Someday.