Two days later.
Los Angeles.
Mario adjusted his black suit, the standard uniform for lower-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and glanced over at Skye in the passenger seat. They'd been sitting in the car for the past twenty minutes.
"Why are we dressed like this again?" Skye asked, tugging at her collar.
Through the car window, Mario observed Daisy Johnson sitting on a bus stop bench, not-so-subtly watching a black man who was reading a newspaper at a nearby café table.
"It adds a certain gravitas to the moment, Agent Alistair," Mario said with complete seriousness.
Skye reached over and smacked his arm. "You're such an ass."
"Fine. I was bored and wanted to have some fun." Mario grinned. "Hey, you know someone named Miles Lydon?"
Skye paused, then nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know him. Never met him in person, but we've worked together online. He's a computer guy, pretty skilled. He's got a decent reputation in the Rising Tide community. Why?"
Mario pointed at Daisy, who was now moving to follow the man. "He's her boyfriend."
Skye's expression shifted slightly. "I just know Lydon from online work. We haven't been in contact for a long time."
Mario turned to look at her properly, reaching out to gently cup her cheek. "Hey. I'm not worried about some guy from your past. He's her boyfriend, not yours."
Skye relaxed and smiled, then looked back at Daisy. "Is she seriously tailing that guy? Because if she is, her surveillance skills are... wow. That's impressively bad."
"Yep. Even you can tell she's following him, which tells you everything about her skill level." Mario opened his door. "Come on. Let's go watch this trainwreck up close."
Skye pulled out a specialized mask from the glove compartment and placed it against her face. The S.H.I.E.L.D. tech adhered to her skin seamlessly, instantly transforming her features into someone completely different. Agent 33 had made this technology famous within the organization, instant disguise with no visible seams or imperfections.
They followed Daisy into a cozy little café with only a handful of customers. The woman walked straight up to Mike Peterson's table and sat down across from him without invitation.
Mario and Skye took a booth nearby, close enough to overhear everything.
"Pretend we're talking!" Daisy said in what she probably thought was a whisper but was actually clearly audible to half the café.
Peterson, who'd been scanning job listings in the newspaper, looked up with confusion. "We... are talking?"
"Yeah, but act natural. Someone might be listening right now."
Mario had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing.
"I don't even know who you are," Peterson said bluntly.
"I'm Skye. And I know who you are. You're the Hooded Hero."
More and more people were developing special abilities these days, and Peterson was one of them. Daisy had clearly been tracking him for a while.
"You're not seriously going to keep using 'Hooded Hero,' are you? Because that's—"
"I'm just a factory worker," Peterson interrupted.
Daisy leaned forward, her smile getting brighter. "During the day, sure. But I've seen what you can do. You're a hero. A real superhero."
"Okay, that's pretty cool, but—"
"The girl at the hospital was really grateful to you," Daisy said with a knowing look. "Maybe even that kind of grateful, if you know what I mean."
Mario snorted into his coffee. This universe's Skye was absolutely terrible at this. She had no idea how to negotiate, establish leverage, or do anything except gush like a fangirl.
Time to intervene.
He stood up and walked over to their table, sliding into the booth next to Peterson without asking permission.
"'That kind'? Care to elaborate? I'm very interested in that kind of thing."
Peterson's expression darkened. A pretty girl being pushy was one thing, but some random guy just inviting himself to the table? "Hey—"
"I can offer you a job," Mario said. "Ten thousand a month. Includes housing, meals, weekends off, and a company car."
Peterson's anger visibly deflated.
Mario pulled out a thick stack of cash and set it on the table.
"Advance payment for the first month." He smiled pleasantly. "Any questions?"
"N-no. No questions," Peterson stammered.
Mario could see the calculations running through the man's head. He was unemployed with a kid to raise. His situation was desperate. Saying no to this offer would be insane.
He picked up the cash and tucked it into Peterson's jacket pocket. "Good. Write down your phone number. For now, your job is to sit here quietly and finish your coffee."
Peterson nodded immediately, already pulling out a pen.
Mario turned his attention to Daisy, his smile never wavering. "Hello there."
Daisy's instincts were screaming at her. She started to stand, but Skye materialized behind her and placed a firm hand on her shoulder, pushing her back down into the seat.
Months of training with Blade had given her strength that this version of herself simply couldn't match. Daisy found herself pressed firmly into the booth cushions.
She looked up at Skye's disguised face. "Who are you people?"
"You've been poking around where you shouldn't," Mario said calmly. "You're coming with us for a chat."
---
Daisy's "mobile office" turned out to be a beat-up van parked in a Los Angeles alley. The same kind of van Skye had once used. Apparently, the past years hadn't been particularly profitable for this universe's version of her.
The van's interior was crammed with computer equipment, cables running everywhere. Skye climbed inside and immediately started going through the data. Passwords might as well not have existed, both versions of Skye had identical hacking habits and methodologies.
"What you're doing is illegal!" Daisy protested from where Mario had positioned her outside the van.
He looked at those expressive eyes. This version still had a touch of innocence that hadn't been worn away by experience yet.
"Go ahead and call the police," he said mildly.
Before Daisy could respond, he reached out, plucked her phone from her pocket, and dialed 911 right in front of her. Then he handed it back.
Ring...
A phone rang. Daisy's eyes widened as Mario reached into his own pocket, pulled out a phone, and answered it.
"Hello, Ms. Johnson," he said into his phone while his voice simultaneously came through hers. "How can S.H.I.E.L.D. help you today?"
Tony had hacked Daisy's phone before they'd even left New York. Standard precaution.
Daisy: "..."
---
Crack. Crack. Crack.
The sound of a leather whip striking flesh echoed through the room.
Mario wielded a specially made whip, bringing it down on Loki's back. The material was limited, though, even with his full strength, all it could do was leave faint red marks on the god's skin.
"I will kill you," Loki seethed. "I swear on every realm, I will kill you for this."
Mario smiled, completely unbothered by the empty threat. "What exactly gives you the impression that you'll ever have the chance to take revenge?"
"You wouldn't kill me! I'm Odin's son—"
"Wait." Mario paused mid-swing, frowning. "Weren't you adopted?"
Loki: "..."
"And besides, why should I care about the All-Father? I'm from another universe, remember? Worst case scenario, I kill you and leave. And hey, there's an Odin in my universe too, one who likes me."
Loki's eyes widened. If Mario really had a good relationship with his universe's Asgard, then even if this Loki died, Odin wouldn't abandon an entire realm just to cross dimensions for revenge.
Crack.
Another strike. His body twitched, and he suddenly realized that having such a resilient godly constitution wasn't necessarily a blessing in this particular situation.
"You know," Mario said lightly, setting down the whip, "I actually like you. You've got potential. And I have a way for you to gain complete control over Asgard. Interested?"
"What would I have to do?"
"In the countless parallel universes, there are countless versions of you. But some of those versions are quite... different."
"I know of a Loki who killed Thor. A Loki who fled Asgard forever. Even a berserker Loki and a crocodile Loki. But there's one Loki I can never forget."
Curiosity killed the cat, as the saying goes. Despite the growing unease in his chest, Loki had to know. "Which one?"
"A female Loki."
Loki immediately grasped the meaning and began struggling violently against his restraints. "NO! Never! I'd rather die, throw myself off the Bifrost, than agree to your insane plan!"
Mario just shrugged and released Loki from his bindings. Thanks to the small restraint device Kaecilius had crafted, Loki retained his physical strength but was completely unable to access his magic.
From his pocket, he pulled out a photograph, one he'd had commissioned based on his memories. It showed Lady Loki from another timeline.
"Think about it," he said, tossing the photo onto the table. "The decision is yours."
He didn't know what Loki would choose, but he was certain of one thing, the God of Mischief's mind was already racing through possibilities.
Loki picked up the photograph, initially intending to tear it to shreds. But when he actually looked at the woman in the image – himself, yet not himself, his hand froze. He stared at her, lost in thought.
"Well then," Mario said, heading for the door. "That's all for today's lesson. I'll see you tomorrow, Loki."
---
Mario's current location was a luxury villa in New York, a generous gift from Stark. When he entered the living room, he found Skye busy at her laptop.
He walked over. "Find anything useful?"
"Nothing. S.H.I.E.L.D. in this universe keeps information about enhanced individuals just as locked down as ours does."
Mario nodded. What S.H.I.E.L.D. did was, in a way, protection. Sometimes ignorance really was bliss, especially when you had no power to change anything anyway.
Knock, knock.
A knock at the door. He checked his mini-map, saw the friendly white dot, and went to answer it.
Romanoff stood on the doorstep holding two metal cases, her expression completely neutral. Because of Mario's actions in this universe, she'd died once. That wasn't an experience she had any desire to repeat.
"Mr. Mario," she said flatly. "Director Fury asked me to deliver these to you."
"Thanks." Mario took the cases from her. "I appreciate it. Oh, by the way, calling me 'Mr. Mario' is weird. My last name is Argento, but I prefer if you just call me Mario."
Romanoff gave a small nod. "Understood, Mario."
He closed the door in one smooth motion and returned to the living room. He wasn't familiar with this universe's Black Widow. No need for small talk.
Outside, Romanoff cast one last glance at the closed door before turning and walking away.
"What's that?" Skye asked curiously as Mario set the cases down.
"This is the key to your awakening. The Obelisk," Mario said with a smile.
He opened the first case. Inside lay a metallic object covered in intricate alien carvings. He reached in and lifted the Obelisk carefully. Just as expected, it had no effect on him, and the object itself showed no reaction to his touch.
"So this is what you've been looking for?"
Skye reached out to touch it, but Mario gently tapped her hand away. "Don't. We're going to test it on our... volunteer first. Make sure it's safe."
Even if the canon story said it was harmless, reality demanded caution.
Skye nodded and headed to the guest room, returning moments later with Daisy in tow.
The woman's eyes immediately found Mario. "This is kidnapping! Illegal imprisonment!"
Mario tossed the Obelisk from one hand to the other. "Should I help you call the police? We've been through this."
They stared at each other for a long moment before Daisy finally gave up and flopped onto the couch like someone who'd accepted their fate. "What exactly do you want me to do?"
Mario held up the Obelisk. "You've been trying to uncover the truth S.H.I.E.L.D. is hiding, haven't you? All those conspiracy theories about enhanced people, about aliens, about hidden powers?"
"Then here's your chance. Pick this up, and you'll see a whole new world."
Skye, standing off to the side, felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Why did that phrasing sound so familiar?
Daisy looked at the Obelisk, then back at Mario. "Fine. I don't care what happens, as long as you let me go afterward."
Without further hesitation, she reached out and took the Obelisk from his hand.
The moment it left Mario's palm, the carvings on its surface began to glow with an inner light. Daisy gasped as she felt something shift inside her body, like someone had just flipped a switch she hadn't known existed.
"What's happening? What is this thing?"
Mario smiled. "That, Daisy Johnson, is the Obelisk. Welcome to the world of the Inhumans."
---
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50 Advance Chapters!