Location: New York City
Date: Friday, January 6th, 1989
Mark POV:
The scene from the Forward Unto Dawn had vanished and Cortana's data crystal chip appeared before him in a small flash of light. Just as it started to fall he reached out and pulled it to his hand with the Force.
Cortana's familiar hologram was projected from the device and looked around, "I love what you've done with the place." she said, as she took in the old room and its peeling paint.
"It's temporary..." he replied, looking at the data chip with a slowly growing realization, "Cortana, how long can your chip last before running out of power?"
Her hologram vanished instantly, "If I stay in the lowest power state, approximately 48 hours. Less then that the more I speak."
He could not help but let out a sigh, 'Nothing was ever easy. Though, this does reveal something important.' he thought.
Everything that came from the system was exactly as advertised, exactly. So of course Cortana came to Marvel via her data chip. He was just glad for his caution with the X-Gene when it was in the store. This basically confirmed to Mark that it really would have just been the X-Gene, meaning a totally random mutation.
He would need to consider the potential drawbacks from everything he bought, or risk screwing himself with one dumb mistake.
Cortana interrupted his thoughts when she said, "You will need to make a charging port for my chip. I can provide the specifications, but to save power I have blocked all input processing that does not start with the keyword 'Cortana'."
'Well, one problem at a time.' he thought. Mark had some cash and there were plenty of places he could buy what was needed.
'Actually, I think Peter used the tools at school to make his web shooters right? If I get everything I need I could do the same. Though, school is out for the weekend...'
He quickly went over everything he could remember regarding the school's security. The main entrance was best avoided. Worst case he could open a window with the Force, and he had his mask if there were cameras.
"Cortana, tell me what I need."
-----
Location: New York City, Midtown High
Date: Monday, January 9th, 1989
Peter Parker POV:
The lunch bell jolted Peter awake, leaving him staring blankly at the desk in front of him for a few seconds before reality finally clicked back into place, 'School, right.'
He had fallen asleep in class, again. He gathered his papers slowly, glancing around the classroom as the rest of the students packed up in groups, laughing, talking.
Peter rubbed his face, trying to force the exhaustion out of his eyes, but it didn't really help. He had only gotten two or three hours of sleep most nights for the last several weeks.
Night after night of patrols, emergencies, and weird villains crawling out of the woodwork had left him exhausted and it was starting to show. He did not need a mirror to know he looked terrible.
The dark circles under his eyes had become permanent fixtures, and his face had a drained, hollow look.
At least his grades hadn't completely collapsed, yet. But lately even that was slipping. Assignments missed, quizzes he should've aced but didn't, late submissions stacking up in a way that made his usual excuses feel thinner every time he used them.
And Aunt May had noticed. The last thing he wanted was for her to worry about him, especially with everything else since Uncle Ben...
Peter slung his backpack over his shoulder and stood, moving toward the front of the classroom with the rest of the students filtering out. That was when he noticed someone he hadn't really paid attention to before.
The transfer student, 'Mack or Mark I think...'
Peter had seen him around in passing, hard not to with that height. He was quiet, focused, and always a little apart from everyone else. But something about him was different now.
While everyone else was packing up and heading out, Mark was still at his desk, working on what looked like three times the homework of everyone else.
Peter slowed without meaning to.
Books were spread out neatly across the desk, along with worksheets, study guides, and what looked like a stack of practice exams. It looked more like someone preparing for something specific rather than just keeping up with class.
Peter stared for a moment longer than he meant to before glancing at the clock. Class was over and everyone else was going to lunch, but Mark didn't seem to care.
Curiosity won out before Peter could talk himself out of it he said, "Hey."
Mark looked up, "Hey."
Peter nodded toward the desk, "What's all that?"
"Early graduation material."
Peter blinked, "You're serious?"
"Yes."
"You're graduating early?"
"I'm trying to."
He had been so distracted that he never would have thought to do that. Peter just stood there for a second, staring at him, as the idea settled in.
Graduate early.
He could do so much more with the extra time. He could help Aunt May pay the bills with a part time job before he went to college, he would have more time to rest, and he would have more time to be Spider-Man.
No more dragging through classes half-asleep, no more teachers giving him that look when he turned in something late again, no more trying to balance homework with everything else that kept pulling him out of bed at night.
Maybe that was it.
Maybe that was the answer.
His eyes drifted back to the stack of books, 'If Mark can do it, maybe I can too. I mean, how hard would it really be if I actually focused?'
The idea was tempting, "What kind of grades do you need?" Peter asked.
"You need enough school credits, and the knowledge to pass the Exams." he replied.
Peter let out a short, tired snort. "Yeah, thanks. That clears everything up."
Mark gave him the faintest hint of a smile. "I can give you the details if you're interested."
Peter looked at the materials again, really looked at them this time, and for a moment he let himself imagine it: getting ahead, finishing early, having a little more time, maybe even sleeping for more than a few hours at a stretch without something exploding or someone getting hurt.
Almost like the universe was listening to his thoughts, Peter heard a police siren in the distance and felt that pull to act.
He knew he could help, and if he didn't, someone might die...
-----
Mark POV:
The last bell of the day had rung and Mark was at his locker when a pretty girl, probably a senior, walked up to him. She didn't smile, just stopped a few feet away.
"Hey. I'm Jessica." she said. "I heard your were trying for early graduation. Is that true?"
Mark looked at her, sensing the tight knot of nerves under a carefully blank expression, "Hello Jessica. And yes, the exams are in about two weeks."
Something flickered across her face, quickly pushed down, "Oh." she said, her voice going flat for a second, "Cool. Congrats, I guess."
"I still need to pass. Until then nothing is decided."
"Right." she shifted her weight, glancing away. "Well… good luck."
Mark studied her for a moment. She looked like she wanted to leave and stay at the same time, "Thanks. So, do you usually keep to yourself? I do not remember seeing you around the school before."
Jessica's shoulders tensed. "…I've been out of school for a while."
"I take it you were not on vacation?" he asked, more serious now.
"No." She stared at the lockers past his shoulder. "Car accident."
The grief coming off her was heavy and raw, obvious even without the Force. He did not need to ask anything more, "Well, I am glad to see you are okay." Mark said quietly.
Jessica gave a small, tight nod, still not quite meeting his eyes. The silence that followed threatened to become uncomfortable, so Mark steered the conversation toward safer ground, and landed on the talk of the school.
"It has been a strange year for that kind of thing," he said. "Accidents, people getting hurt, and then all the powered people started showing up."
That got her attention. Her eyes came back to his, sharper now. "What do you think about them? People with powers."
He slightly raised an eyebrow at her quick change, "Well, I think the world will be forever changed. The powers are... interesting. But the people as individuals, that's what I believe is actually important. Some people will, and already are, using their powers selfishly or to hurt others. And some are using their powers to help."
Jessica was quiet for a few seconds. Then she gave a small, almost reluctant nod. "That's… actually one of the better answers I've heard."
She looked at him more carefully now. "Most people act like anyone with powers is automatically something else. A hero, or a freak, or a disaster waiting to happen. But they're still just people, right?"
There was a searching edge under the words, as though his answer mattered more to her than the conversation suggested it should.
"That's how I see it." Mark said.
Some of the tension in her posture eased, though she still looked ready to shut down at any moment, "Good."
'Interesting.' he thought, 'Does she have the X-Gene perhaps?' but decided not to go there.
"What about you?" he asked. "How do you feel about the heroes?"
Jessica looked down the hallway before answering. "It's a lot. Six months ago everything was normal. Now there are people flying around and punching robots in the street." She shrugged one shoulder. "Some of them seem… okay."
"Have you had the chance to see them in action?"
"...I saw Thor pull someone out of the river once." She said it casually, but her eyes flicked away.
"Thor huh? I have not got the chance to see him yet. Other than Susan Storm I have only caught glimpses of other heroes." Mark decided not to mention the X-Men.
Jessica's attention instantly locked back onto him, "You got to see her in action?"
"No. I got to talk to her though."
She stared at him for a second, clearly trying not to look too interested. "What was she like? Actually."
"Is it that big of a deal?" he asked, a little curious to see what she would say.
Jessica gave him a look. "Yes."
He waited.
She exhaled through her nose. "She's Susan Storm. The Fantastic Four, Magazines, TV, the whole thing. Most famous woman on the planet. Of course it's a big deal."
Mark considered her words. Nothing she said was much of a surprise, but if he was going to be a hero then he would have to deal with the same stuff. The thought was not very appealing.
Fame and glory were not the same and what he experienced from Marvel fiction in his world was the glory, the excitement, and triumphs of the heroes. Simply being famous or a celebrity was not very interesting to him.
Her words did sent home just how much of a celebrity the heroes really were in this world though. He had come here with the expectation of them, so they were basically normal for him. But if heroes had appeared in his old world, people would have probably freaked out even more.
"So what was she like?"
Her question pulled him from his thoughts, "She was... kind, intelligent, composed."
Jessica watched his face. "Was she actually nice?"
"Yes."
"For real?"
"Yes, Jessica."
That pulled a small, reluctant almost-smile out of her. "Okay. Good."
Mark tilted his head slightly. "You seem pretty interested in her."
"I'm not," she said too quickly. When he just looked at her, she muttered, "Okay. Maybe a little."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Jessica glanced toward the clock, her expression shifting slightly, "So…" she began, hesitating. "You said you're leaving in two weeks."
"Assuming I pass."
"Right." she said, then hesitated before forcing the words out, "Maybe we could talk again sometime." she said, then walked down the hall.
'Strange girl.' he though.
---
It had been a long day.
The teachers had really started to pile on the homework. It was not that hard, but is was time consuming. And boring.
The science teacher, Mr. Warren was particularly heavy with the extra work. Though, having a strong science foundation in a world like Marvel could only ever be a good thing, so Mark could not complain, much.
He had been able to make a crude charger over the weekend for Cortana that would keep her data chip functioning, but he needed a more permanent solution. At the moment her situation was not much different than being stranded on the ship.
With a tired sigh Mark laid down on the couch that would hopefully be a thing of the past very soon. Trying to sleep, he was not sure if it had been minutes or hours when his eyes snapped open.
A warning in the Force had woken him. Mark remained still as he reached out, seeking the source.
Someone was approaching the house, 'No, more than one... from several directions.' he realized, quietly sitting up and getting dressed.