Jack opened his laptop. He had one big question from the start: how close was this world to the MCU he remembered?
First search: Tony Stark. Thousands of results came up, with photos, articles, and videos. Tony at press conferences, Tony at parties, Tony winning awards. Same guy, same energy.
"Good. Timeline confirmed."
Next: Captain America. There were old news articles about World War Two and a famous soldier, but not a single mention of the Super Soldier Serum.
"Of course the government wouldn't announce that."
Next: Bruce Banner. A few science papers and some university records, nothing else. No Hulk, no incidents. Not yet.
"Still early then."
Jack leaned forward and typed one more word.
Mutants.
The results came back mostly empty. No reports, no sightings, no debates about mutant rights, no X-Men. Jack let out a long breath.
"Thank god."
Because if mutants existed, Professor X existed. And if Professor X existed, a powerful mind-reader might notice a guy carrying memories from another world.
"I really don't want some bald psychic going through my brain."
He closed those tabs. Then one strange article caught his eye.
Headline: Green Monster Spotted in Harlem.
Jack clicked on it. It was an old article from a few years back. Witnesses reported a large green creature destroying a street before disappearing, with no official explanation.
"Hulk already?"
That didn't match the MCU timeline he knew, which meant one thing: this world was not a perfect copy. Some things happened earlier, some later, and some might not happen at all.
"So I can't use my future knowledge like a cheat sheet."
Jack closed the laptop. That should have worried him, but honestly? He had the Omnitrix and the system. That was more than enough to work with. He looked at the watch on his wrist.
"Alright. Enough research."
As he closed the laptop, he felt hungry. He checked the fridge. Empty.
"There's really nothing!" he said, disappointed. He looked outside and saw it was already late. He was surprised, since he hadn't expected to spend most of the day in his room.
He grabbed his coat and headed outside. Queens at night was calm, with the streetlights on, a few cars passing, and people walking home after work. He pushed the door of the grocery store open.
Ding.
It was almost empty inside, with just the cashier and one other customer. Jack grabbed a basket and picked up the basics: milk, bread, eggs, instant noodles. He was almost at the counter when it happened.
"HEY! Nobody move!"
Jack turned his head slowly. A man in a ski mask stood by the cash register with a gun in his hand, pointing it at the cashier.
"Give me the money! Right now! Hurry up!"
His voice was shaking. Jack looked at him carefully. He was young and nervous, moving too fast, and the gun was trembling in his grip.
First-timer.
Crime in Queens wasn't unusual. Jack had been robbed twice in this neighborhood himself. Most people just stayed still and waited for it to end, and he was about to do the same. But then something appeared.
[ Heroic Action Available ]
[ Stop the Crime — Reward: 10 Hero Points ]
[ First Hero Action — Bonus: New Alien Unlocked ]
Jack stared at the floating text. Then he looked at the security cameras on every corner of the store. Using the Omnitrix here was out of the question, since an alien on camera would bring SHIELD here by morning.
"Guess I do this the normal way."
Luckily, getting robbed twice meant he had picked up some basic self-defense. It was nothing professional, just enough for a nervous first-timer with shaky hands. The robber was fully focused on the cashier, with his back half-turned. Jack set his basket down quietly.
One step. Two. Three.
He moved. Jack grabbed the robber's gun hand and twisted hard, and at the same time he kicked the back of the man's knee.
"WHAT—?!"
The robber lost his balance, and the gun hit the floor and slid away. Jack pushed him down and pinned his arm behind his back.
"Stay down."
The robber struggled once, then gave up. Outside, sirens sounded. Someone had already called the police. Two officers ran in.
"POLICE! Freeze!"
The robber went limp immediately. The officers cuffed him, and one of them looked at Jack.
"You held him down?"
"He wasn't very good at robbing."
The officer laughed once, short.
"Good job, kid."
After a quick statement, Jack grabbed his groceries and walked out. The moment he stepped outside:
[ Heroic Action Confirmed ]
[ Hero Points Earned: +10 ]
[ Hero Points Total: 10 ]
[ First Hero Action Bonus — New Alien Unlocked! ]
KRR-CHAK!
The Omnitrix vibrated on his wrist, and a new hologram appeared. It had a sleek body, blue and black, with a long tail and a dinosaur-like shape. And instead of feet, it had wheels.
Jack's eyes went wide.
"...XLR8."
[ Species: Kineceleran ]
[ Home Planet: Kinet ]
[ Ability: Extreme speed — one of the fastest species in the known universe ]
One of Ben's most iconic aliens, built for pure speed. Adult Ben had once used XLR8 to circle the entire Earth in seconds. Jack looked at the watch, then at the quiet Queens street around him. All it took was stopping one small robbery, and now he had super speed. A slow smile spread across his face.
"Okay."
"Maybe this hero thing isn't so bad."