Shaking off the flood of thoughts racing through my mind, I made my way up the metal landing ramp, wincing slightly at the bite of cold steel against my bare feet.
Looking down, I finally registered the obvious, I was completely naked. What little remained of my hospital gown had likely been incinerated when I tore through the atmosphere at those ridiculous speeds.
The hallway lights flickered to life one by one as I moved forward, bathing the narrow metal walkway in a sterile bluish-white glow that reflected faintly off the polished surfaces.
Two hallways branched off in opposite directions ahead. After a brief pause, I turned and headed down the one on the right.
A short flight of stairs led upward, the metal steps echoing softly underfoot. At the top, the corridor bent sharply, revealing a narrower passage that ended in a cylindrical glass airlock. A door sat on either side of the hall, flush with the walls.
Mounted beside one of them was a blue, square interface screen, its surface glowing faintly. On a whim, I pressed my hand against it.
"Identified, Edward." The same calm, masculine voice echoed through the hall.
An A.I., then. Just how advanced was Viltrumite technology? The comics had never really gone into detail, just glimpses of massive warships and the towering, pristine architecture of their homeworld.
The door slid open with a soft hiss to reveal… a closet.
Huh.
Inside, one of the cabinets held several neatly arranged suits made from some kind of dense polymer weave.
I recognized them immediately from both the show and the comics, the standard Viltrumite uniform, complete with the Empire's insignia stamped boldly along the outer shoulders and sitting proudly in the center of its chest.
Nearby sat an emergency med kit, stocked with neatly organized medicines, rolls of gauze, and several strange translucent sprays whose purposes I could only guess at.
Resting on an upper shelf was a small crate containing several blasters of varying sizes, sleek in design and much more advanced then the only other energy weapons I had witnessed an hour prior.
That made me pause.
What would a superhuman capable of tearing through flesh and bone like paper need with a gun?
Stepping back into the hall, I crossed to the opposite door and opened it, revealing the ship's cockpit.
It was packed with layered consoles, holographic displays, and unfamiliar controls, yet as I stepped inside, it only took a few moments for the systems to start making sense.
That, more than anything, caught my attention.
The speed at which I was processing everything felt fast… almost too fast. In my past life, I had been smart, an IQ around 135, comfortably above average.
But this? This was something else entirely. Information clicked into place almost instantly, as if my mind had been upgraded to handle it.
I wasn't on the level of Reed Richards, T'Challa, or Tony Stark… but I definitely was no slouch.
Still, I had no intention of taking the ship out for a test run just yet, so I moved on.
The rest of the ship was compact but efficient. A small bathroom, a combined living and sleeping area, and another sealed room housing the engine core and warp drive.
Actual hyperspace technology, just sitting here like it was nothing.
That alone was insane.
Eventually, I reached a larger chamber tucked toward the rear of the ship. It was filled with secured storage crates, a dedicated computer station, and a circular pod set into the center of the room, its surface lined with a ring of embedded controls.
Something about it immediately drew my attention.
I moved to the computer station first, fingers brushing across the sophisticated interface as I began searching through the system.
I didn't even know exactly what I was looking for, anything about Viltrum, about my parents, about what the hell had happened.
It didn't take long.
A single file stood out with my name on it.
Hesitating only briefly, I selected it.
The lights dimmed instantly, the room falling into a softer, muted glow as the circular pod hummed to life. A moment later, two holographic figures flickered into existence above it—my parents, rendered in faint, translucent light.
"Edward. If you are listening to this, it means that we are likely dead, and have enacted our final failsafe to ensure that you are able to live to fight another day," my mother began, her voice steady despite the weight of her words.
"It has been nearly three hundred years since the Great Purge—since our Empire's enemies wiped out our race by engineering a virus capable of specifically targeting the Viltrumite immune system," my father continued, his tone measured and grim.
"We do not know how many of us remain scattered across the universe. What we do know is that whoever targeted our race has been systematically hunting down all who survived. It is only a matter of time until they find our location. And while we will never go down without a fight… we understand there is more than pride at stake."
"All those years ago, we never expected to have a child to protect. Yet when you came into our lives last year, everything changed. It is difficult for a grown Viltrumite to exist in the universe unnoticed, but a child?" My mother's expression softened. "For you, it will be much easier."
"Within this system, you will find recorded lessons, our history, our technology, and the knowledge you will need to master your abilities. Everything required to become the greatest warrior Viltrum has ever produced."
"You are the grandson of Emperor Argall, the purest of all Viltrumites."
"You are our last hope, my son. The Last Son of Viltrum. Make our people proud… and when our enemies come for you—"
My father's gaze hardened.
"—show them what it means to be a Viltrumite."
The message ended, the holograms flickering as the room slowly returned to its normal lighting.
I stood there in silence, a single tear slipping down my cheek before I wiped it away.
Seeing Viltrumites like that, open and emotional was a bit shocking.
I knew it happened later in the comics, after they integrated with Earth, but this? This was different. The near-extinction of their species had clearly changed them in ways the original story never explored.
Which only raised more questions.
Who did this?
There had been no mention of the Betrayer, of Thaddeus, anywhere in the recording.
So was this something else entirely? An outside force?
Was I in the Invincible universe merged with Marvel?
Or was Viltrum the only piece that had carried over?
I needed more information, and I needed it quickly. Now that I knew there was some force in the galaxy hunting Viltrumites down to the last, I had to be prepared for the inevitable.
I also needed to learn more about the world I had ended up in. From the mention of adamantium in the prison, was it possible that this was some kind of fusion between Marvel and Invincible?
Did this ship even connect to the internet?
I wasn't sure, and honestly, guessing wouldn't get me anywhere. I needed to know what I was dealing with, so I decided it would be best to head to the nearest city and gather information directly.
Unfortunately, the ship had landed at the top of a mountain in the middle of a national park, and the nearest town was, well, who knew how far.
Fortunately, I could fly faster than the speed of light.
A sharp crack of displaced air echoed through the sky above the forest as I shot forward toward New York City. A trip that would have taken five hours by car passed in mere seconds at the speed I was moving, though I made sure to slow down as the city came into view.
Seeing as I was still naked, and the only clothing on the ship consisted of Viltrumite one-piece suits, I was left with little choice but to commit a small crime.
Though… was it really a crime if you left the money on the counter?
Dressed in a comfortable dark blue hoodie and gray sweatpants, I opted against flying through the city and instead made my way to the library on foot.
It wasn't that late yet, with the sun still lingering near the horizon, so the New York Public Library was still open for business.
Making my way over to the computers, I immediately noticed how much more advanced they were compared to the ones that had been in this same library in my old world.
Sleek in design, with the Stark Industries logo stamped across the back of each monitor. Even the search speeds made me whistle in quiet appreciation.
Though when the occupants of a nearby table hissed at me, I sheepishly rubbed the back of my neck and muttered a quick apology.
Right. Library.
After that, I got to work, searching up any and all names I could think of to figure out just where the hell I had ended up.
Good news, my theory about Viltrum being the only thing carried over from the Invincible universe seemed to be correct, so at least that simplified things a little.
Bad news… or maybe just complicated news. I was in some strange blend of the MCU with several other movie universes, along with a few comic elements thrown in for good measure.
Stark Industries existed, and Stark Tower was still under construction in Midtown, though it looked close to completion.
Tony Stark looked exactly like Robert Downey Jr., which gave me hope that this might lean more toward an MCU-only universe.
[Insert Image of Tony Stark Here]
His most recent headline covered his fight with Whiplash in Monaco, which had happened only a few months ago. That meant I had arrived sometime during the events of Iron Man 2.
That was when the bad news really started to stack up. Oscorp was a thing, headed by Norman Osborn, who looked exactly like Willem Dafoe.
[Insert Image of Norman Osborn Here]
The Fantastic Four existed as well, though to my surprise, they didn't resemble their usual movie or comic appearances, instead looking exactly like their designs from Marvel Rivals.
Holy fuck, Susan Storm was thicc.
[Insert Image of Fantastic Four Here]
To my surprise, Spider-Man was active, though still relatively new. His latest clash with Shocker was all over the internet.
From the photos, he was wearing an early, homemade-looking suit, which made me think that Tom Holland might actually be under that mask.
[Insert Image of Spiderman Here]
Charles Xavier existed. Patrick Stewart's bald head stared back at me from the screen, confirming it beyond any doubt.
[Insert Image of Charles Xavier Here]
Which meant that Magneto was out there too, most likely looking like Gandalf and planning his mutant uprising.
[Insert Image of Magneto Here]
Doctor Doom existed. Which… yeah, I wasn't even going to begin unpacking that. Viltrumite physiology or not, I had no intention of messing with that man unless absolutely necessary.
[Insert Image of Doctor Doom Here]
Honestly, I didn't know how to feel about all of this.
On one hand, I had been handed powers that many people would kill for.
Whatever force had dropped me into this universe hadn't done so for me to sit around and waste it.
My ship alone was filled with technology that could change the world. Clean energy, though Stark would likely handle that soon enough, once he got his head out of his ass.
Advanced medicine, weaponry, and armor.
Hell, I had access to literal warp-drive technology, and not to toot my own horn, but give me a few months to a year in a lab and I was confident I could reverse engineer it.
The problem was that I was a bit young to be taken seriously.
Sure, super geniuses in this world had achieved incredible feats at even younger ages, but unveiling warp-drive technology as a seventeen-year-old's first invention? That was a bit much.
I'd have to start small with my inventions, building credibility before working my way up.
There was also the issue that I quite literally didn't exist in any database in this world.
I was a ghost.
I'd need to hack into global systems and forge an identity for myself, something solid enough that it wouldn't raise questions at first glance.
I mean, really, the first person I encountered on this planet had kidnapped me as a baby and kept me in an underground facility for nearly two decades to run experiments on me.
Not exactly a great start.
I cleared the history on the computer after that and made my way out of the library, stepping into the city that never sleeps.
I had six thousand dollars to my name, a non-existent identity, and a spaceship hidden on a mountain.
Not to mention that if anyone had survived from that lab, they were likely hunting me down at this very moment.
Looks like I had my work cut out for me.