Author's Note: Welcome to the world of tomorrow.

I was having a terrifying time, just after finishing studying for my Leaving Cert exams that were coming up at the end of the month, when suddenly I had strangely found myself laying down on some blankets in an alley, it looked like I was in a city now, not my small town where I had lived my whole life, one that was foreign and cold to me, which given the number of cities I have been in my life, said absolutely nothing because I have only been in one before this.

I found myself in an alley that was covered in grime, and what looked like abandoned cardboard homes. My fascination with my new surroundings ended when a snicker wrapper slapped me in the face. There was a man beside me chuckling away with all the noise of a blowhorn.

"What's such a clean young man doing in the dirty alleys of this city?"

I threw the wrapper into my pockets, compulsion taking over me for the moment as I attempted to calm down my breathing. Soon I started to shake from anxiety, my leg twitched up and down at an accelerated pace.

The man I had assumed was beside me took hold of my shoulder and sat down next to me. He was telling me to breathe, take deep breaths, all I had to do was calm down and everything was going to be alright.

"You okay now, kid," the man told me, in measured even tones, as if not to frighten me.

"Yeah." I took in some shallow breaths. "It was just anxiety."

"You have a lot of anxiety attacks?"

"Just in unfamiliar places," I stood up to take another look at my surroundings. There were no lights in this alley, the only light source came from the street just a small walk down. The buildings beside me were made from a reddish brown brick and the cars that could be seen. "I don't recognize where I am."

"How you get here then?" he asked me in a soft tone of voice.

"Don't know," I slammed my hands together, stringing them into weird forms and figures in an attempt to stop any more anxiety from popping up. I sat back down with the man. "Where am I?"

"In the grime of New York City," I finally took a look at the man, he was a black man, wearing a plaid shirt with a matching tie and brownish jacket. "What's your name? mine's Ben"

"Peter"

"Where you from?"

"Ireland"

"I thought I could hear the accent," He stood up next to me. "You Irish have a unique way of talking," I could see that he was looking me up and down as he took out a phone. "You been in America for long?"

"I don't remember getting here," I told him, my voice quieting down with each syllable.

"Don't worry about it," He started tapping phone's screen "I'll just call the cops, they can get you the help you need to get home"

"What's the date?" I asked him as I took a look around the area, noticing the frost that was setting in. The last thing I remembered it was summer unless climate change is worse than I thought it shouldn't be cold enough at that time of year. "Last time I checked it was summer"

"Summer?" Ben's face went noticeably paler. He licked his lips. "What was the year?"

"2012?"

He looked at me with even more concern than before, taking the phone from his ear and looked at me, scratching the back of his head. Ben looked me straight in the eye as if trying to ensure me that he was about to tell the truth.

"It's December 2014" His hand ran through his scalp. "This is bad," He put his phone to his ear again.

"Drop the phone" I heard a voice from behind say in a low growl. I turned quickly only to find a dark hooded figure with the glint of silver in his right hand. Ben looked to me and then to the newcomer, after gently lowering his phone to the ground the man with what I assumed was a gun pointed to it and waved to himself. Ben took this to mean kick the phone over so he did.

"Now empty your pockets" Ben did as the armed man said but it wasn't enough, the man then noticed that I wasn't doing the same. "You too, ya skinny fuck!"

I jumped, ramming my hands into my jeans pockets only to find that all I had was lint. Since I didn't want to be shot, I put my pockets inside out. Hoping that it would be enough.

"What man, you stick your wallet in your shoes?" He pointed down at my feet. What the hell is wrong with this guy, who would even keep their wallet in their shoes. I would be uncomfortable as hell with something that big in my shoe.

"I ain't got anything in there"

"Take them off!" The man was screaming at me now, shaking the gun up and down he walked forward towards me with menace in his steps. "NOW!"

"No," I told him, my frustration with my newly found situation was something that I feeling through my bones. I shook from both that and terror at the obviously vicious man in front of me treating my life. I was not going to take my shoes off, that was stupid as hell. "Are you thick as your ugly," I told him, shaking my foot up and down to showcase the lack of money in there. "See nothing there"

"Smart fucker aren't you," He told lowering his gun. The mugger then looked to Ben's wallet on the floor, when he quickly reaching down to grab it with his other hand back up pointing at me, I knew that I didn't have a chance of getting that gun away from him but I had to do something.

"Bet you won't be so smart with your brains on the outside," With that, it was if his next move was in slow motion. The gun's muzzle flash in such a way that it appeared more like a flashlight than a firearm. The bullet appeared out of the flash like a slideshow, this I thought must have been what people might that time slows down when you die.

Slowly the bullet came at my head, I feel the heat from as it started to rise towards my forehead, homing in on what I considered my best feature. My eyes closed in waiting for the impact, and the resulting bang thundered my ears, causing me to sway slightly.

"Hey are you okay," Ben's voice came through the thunder, as he held my shoulder to stop me from swaying. "Peter, everything's going to be okay"

"Yeah," I told him in a haze, my eyes were still shut. "He must have shot right past my ear"

"Peter, open your eyes"

"What?"

"Just do it!"

I open them like I was instructed, only to find that my assailant was knocked on his back to the floor. His hand was a gory mess, covered in red with the only remaining digits being the pinkie and his thumb.

"Oh god," I covered my mouth, hoping to keep whatever puke that would come up down. "What happened"

Ben stood looking at me as if trying to deceiver some secret. He shifted his standing position to look closer to at my forehead, he rapidly peered down at the mess of a hand the man below had now. Ben sighed loudly picking up his discarded Phone from earlier.

"I think...," He licked his lips and sweat started to pour from his skin, as if strangely scared of what he found out about me. "I think that the bullet bounced off you and back to the gun"

"What?!" I yelled kneeling down and rubbing my forehead while peered down to look for the attackers gun. Not finding it, the blood oozing out of wound started to worry me. There was no way that this man would survive this injury if he didn't get any help soon. "Call an ambulance?"

"What?"

"Get help, I don't think this guy will make it," I took off my light jumper, wrapping around the wound hoping to pressure it. "Hurry!"

"Right," And with he quickly got to work ring the emergency services for both the police and the Ambulance. If I was lucky then this poor man would at least survive the night. When Ben was finished then he bent down to take over for me.

"You know," He spoke up after a few seconds of our injured attacker's groaning. "Not many people would be worried about their mugger's life?"

"I…" I stumbled out with all the grace of infant speaking their first full sentence. "I can't just let him die, not when I could do something," I scratched the back of my head, digging into the skin there. "I don't think that I could live with myself if I just let someone die"

Ben nodded, no doubt trying to showcase his understanding. He turned his head to me at that point. His brown eyes gave off the look that he was thinking about what to say next with the greatest of care. "Get out of here"

"Why?" I asked him. I didn't leave the poor man to explain what I didn't even understand, never not knowing anything about the city I had found myself in. I wouldn't even know where to go for some shelter.

"Listen, you're a foreigner, with no documentation, absolutely no idea how you got here," He took a breath. "And you're enhanced, with the way things are right now, you're better off running," With a free hand he reached into his wallet and threw to me a wad of bills and a business card. "Head to this address, ask people for directions if you have to, I don't expect anyone to be able to give you trouble, wait outside for me and I will meet you there when I am done with this"

"Right," I nodded panic raising at the thought of entering New York late at night by myself. It was properly not a rational fear when I just deflected a bullet with my head, but I could never overcome the fear that I felt in unfamiliar places.

I ran out of that alley like the devil himself was there, boosting down the path with unmatched speed. At least unmatched by anything that just had legs. Never before had I experienced such a feeling before now. Never mind slow motion, the world went past me as if it was moving and not I.

Cars leisurely driving to the destination were out ran with little fan fair, I leapt across entire roads instead of waiting for a crossing light, I could tell you if people could make out what I was as I blurred past their vision. I felt as light air, but as solid as steel.

I thought reached me then, it should have the first thing I decided on. But my nerves caused me to run when I hadn't needed to, where was I going? I stopped, dusting the streets with all the dirt that my wind trail had gathered. The coats of the few people on this street late at night blew up. I looked down, staring at the card given to me by the kindly Ben.

It read Ben Urich, Reporter, New York Bulletin, then listed off an address that no doubt was either the Bulletin itself or the perhaps the man's apartment. I wasn't sure how it worked, I had designed cards during courses but I was unsure whether Ben worked from home and therefore had his personal address or worked at the office which would mean that this was the Bulletin's written on the card.

It didn't matter either way I suppose, we going to meet at this address. If it is his workplace then I will just wait for him out of sight. If it is his apartment building then I will wait by the front door. After all with what I was just doing, it's not like I can be forced to move by anyone. I walked around a corner. Gulped down my nerves and went over to the elderly couple.

"Hello," I greeted them as kindly as possible, but nerves were showing through because I tell that my right leg was shaking like tickle me, Elmo. "I-I'm sorry to bother, Mister and Mrs, but I am afraid that I am new to the city and have lost my way"

"That's too bad!" The old man yelled, shaking his fist as if to match my leg. "Go back to your own county then"

"Oh," The elderly lady sighed. "Herald, don't be rude, the boy only wants directions" She gave out to what I can presume to be her husband.

"That's the issue with the youngins today, Janet, all they want is directions," Herald tiraded at the two of us, much to my confusion. What had brought this on? "In my day, we knew what we wanted and went for it"

"Sorry about him, dear," Janet told me, leaning over to project her voice over Herald's own. "Do you have an address"

"Yes miss," I handed her the card Ben gave me.

"That's about two blocks down that way," She pointed behind the two of them, which was the direction I was already heading in. "Just head straight down that street, the building has a sign that says its name, it's massive, can't miss it"

"Thank you," I told her honestly relieved at the quickness that she had for speech, it meant that I wouldn't have to listen to her husband too long. "It's nice meeting the two of you, goodbye"

"Goodbye." The two told me as I briskly walked off at the pace that matched the greatest power walkers. I didn't really understand how far two blocks were, but with my new found fitness I imagine that it at least won't take much off me physically to do.

I took this moment to check on my body. No doubt in mind that the increase to my muscle to cause bullets to deflect would mean big gains. I look down on my bare arms, expecting to see said gains. I found my old sticks. It was then the mugger's words came back to me.

"Ya skinny fuck"

At least no one would expect someone as skinny as me to be a Luke Cage. This invulnerability would be very useful for my nerves while dealing with tough looking guys.

My running speed though, my speed was nothing short of tremendous, I had no doubt that I was the fastest man on earth right now. I couldn't help but wonder what level of strength in my arms had if that was what my legs could do.

There was now an confidence to my stride that I never had before, I started to imagine what I would now achieve. Perhaps enter the movie world at the stunt level, with the level of durability I would never need to worry about injuries ending my career. Big money, little risk.

I can't imagine what everyone back home will think. It's 2014 now, I'm in New York, does anyone know that I'm here. I can't understand how I missed two years of my life. Graduating from secondary school, my first drink, well legal drink. The College opportunities I missed. It was then that I made my biggest discovery of the night. Not another new found Super Power like flight, no instead what I saw was a TV inside a bar. On that TV was footage of Tom Hiddleston as Loki.

Not what I expected on in a bar, but soon that footage got weirder. It turned into a news report, reporters talked on screen about reconstruction that was being done. To repair the damage done in that attack on the city. I was so engrossed in what was on the screen that I didn't notice someone walking up to me.

"Hey," I jumped slightly in fright from the voice behind. It was a young woman about the age I am now. She was a blonde, in a silverish top and pants. "What are doing outside the bar," Her voice was light, displaying the humorous tone she was going for. "If you want a drink, you need to go inside"

"Right." I chuckled nervously, then leaning against the wall. "I can't," I shook my head, my uncut hair shifting left to right. "I'm meeting someone else further down the street, it's just the tv caught my attention"

"Oh," She winced. "Yeah, the loss of life there was awful," Her head bowed down. "It's so depressing" There was something about her tone in that phrase, it was odd as if she was only paying lip service.

"You didn't know anyone who..."

"No," She denied. There was an awkward silence now, I should take this as my time to leave but before I could give me goodbye she spoke up again. "I'm Sam, by the way, Sam Swan,"

"It's Peter, it's a pleasure to met you but I do have to get going now," I started to turn around and leave but not without saying one last thing. "If you come here often then I am sure that we will run into each other"

"Looking forward to it!" She yelled at me walking down the street. The sad thing was, that was the best conversation I had since my ex-girlfriend broke up with me. Which would have been about two years ago now? Damn Memory, how dare it lose two years of my life, I should get a new one.

I settled into a brisk walk as the New Bulletin sign came into view. I decided the best place for me was the car parking lot, so I sat at the edge, on a bench under what would become that shade of a tree. I waited, and waited, and waited until my eyes began to droop. Soon my mind found the same feeling and drifted shut.

Next thing I knew, I was being pushed and pulled until I awoke once more. I was Ben, he had a more withdrawn look than even the last time I saw him in that alley. Sitting next to me on the bench, he folded his arms and sighed deeply.

"That man who tried to mug us," Ben shallowed. "His name was Tom Reynold," Wait he was named Tom, did he mean. "He died on the way to the hospital"

My chest restricted, it felt like my heart was in a vice. I could feel my stomach shoot up as if it was in my throat. My left hand squeezed the corresponding arm of the bench. Its cheap construction started to show as the arm became thinner, as it screeched under the force I was putting it through.

"Hey," Ben stood back from me, waving his hands in a placating manner. "Breath, it's not your fault," He told me. "He was the one to shot you, not the other way around," I took deep breaths and loosened my hold on the bench's arm. "You did nothing wrong"

Ben stood up then and took me by the arm, he started me into the building with a gentle pace, perhaps trying not to upset me further than I already was.

"I spend a lot of late nights here," He told me as if to explain why it isn't odd for him to have someone in the office this late. "No one will question me bringing in someone late for an interview"

"What interview?"

"The one we're going to say we're having"

"What." I let a confused noise at the end of that word. "What interview?"

"The one we are going to have right now," Ben explained gruffly. "Don't worry it will be completely off the books, it's just that I want to know everything"

"Know what?"

"Are you an alien?"

Author's Note: This is an upload of a fic that I am working on over at Spacebattles, it was inspired by DesertChocolate's work that I read over the years, like Saiyan in Brockton, Adorable Murderbeasts and most recently Dial. But not just DC but also Fulcon and his Pyrocalsm story. I remember one of them mentioning that there weren't enough MCU fics on Spacebattle, so I tried my hand. I hope people enjoyed it.