[Video] Arrival

[mysteryhero]

[A caped man appears on the video. His outfit is bold and bright, all gold and red and lit up from within. He speaks with a sense of urgency as if of an imminent danger.]

I want you all to listen to me. I am Mysterio, one of The Avengers.

There appears to have been a rip in time and space and I have found myself unexpectedly dropped into your world.

But I cannot stay here. I need to go back and save the Earth. This is imperative. Anyone, if you can hear me, show me the way or portal to leave this world. The sooner I can leave, the more lives can be saved.

Comments

[video]

[bigbadrose]

It's nice not to be stuck to codenames. My first intro here, I thought I still had to, told everyone a vague fairy tale about the Big Bad Wolf -- 'cause Bad Wolf is my codename and all, yeah? Took me ages to get used to not bein' back between 'verses.

Got a preference? Quentin, Beck, both?

[mysteryhero]

I was seen as a heroic savior, yet a mystery, which is how I was given the name of Mysterio. My true name was never an actual secret. But codenames can be a good sort of shorthand sometimes.

Beck is fine.

How did you earn your codename?

[bigbadrose]

I had to keep mine secret. Flubbed it a few times at start, messing around with timelines and dimensions, risked collapsing some, so that was the only way to be safe.

It's kind of... a long story. [Face palm.] Basically it was something I knew I'd recognize and scattered it through my own timeline as a warning, and a trail of breadcrumbs to myself. Had to be a fairy tale, because it had to be something I'd latch onto even as a kid, but it had to be something sort of innocuous so no one else would change it, yeah? They'd just think it was a cool reference or meme.

And both in the 3 Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood... the bad wolf isn't the hero or anything, it just... huffed and puffed and ate its way through what it wanted. And that was the message to myself. To stop worrying about what was in my way, and just try anything, do something, that there was a way, and I wouldn't destroy myself or the universe; or the message wouldn't have come into being, yeah?

If that sounds completely nonsense... don't worry, like I said, it's from myself to myself... and specifically coded so that it can't be hijacked by enemies.

[mysteryhero]

It sounds like you've been living an eventful life, Rose.

[His tone is congenial; politely curious.]

[bigbadrose]

[Grins.] They keep tellin' me that, but honestly, not really. Nineteen years it was the most boring thing; I was out of my skull about it. It's just... the Doctor freed me, yeah? Saw how trapped I felt, and accidentally or on purpose, couldn't tell you which, he opened the door and set me free. And it's only been a few years since then, but every day with him is an adventure one way or another, even if he forgets sometimes.

[mysteryhero]

The doctor? Were you sick?

[The only Doctor he's met here, above, gave his name as the Professor so he has no clue who she may be referring to.]

[bigbadrose]

[Yeah, it's a bone of contention between the two of them, but 12's already said he doesn't want Rose calling him anything else unless necessary so ffff, confusion ahoy!!!]

No, just trapped. He helps people get better by helping them become their best selves. But yeah, just the Doctor is the most confusing name. Especially when there's five of him and even a lady version running around, and other Doctors with names. Everyone's always, "which Doctor?" and then you have to describe them by ridiculous traits. Luckily, he's always ridiculous, so there's that.

[And you thought you were mysterious and your life was confusing...]

[mysteryhero]

[Nowhere near as confusing as life with the Doctors. But Beck's now confused himself. He won't even ask for clarification. He thinks that may make it worse.]

So, did you? Become your best self?

[A less confusing question, he hopes.]

[bigbadrose]

[Yes, bless you Beck, 100% correct.]

[Rose nods, no doubt about it.] Absolutely.

I wouldn't even be alive if he hadn't saved me. And vice versa, to be sure. But it might mean more to me. And he gave me more than just my freedom.

[mysteryhero]

And where is he now?

[bigbadrose]

[... There's a mess of a question.]

[She's getting a headache even trying to figure out how to navigate into explaining it intelligibly. So she'll just... explain it nonsensically, but truthfully.] Two of him are here. Both of him work with me. One does inventions and science, and the other teaches and does rock'n'roll. Meta's in my parent's universe with my parents and me. One of him is a her in his... her own future timeline; in a universe separated from me, but happy. And good. Brilliant, as always.

[DEEP BREATH.] The rest are memories which I guess is the way it's supposed to be...

[Supposed to be... doesn't mean she likes it.]

[On a scale of 1 to 100 how much do you regret asking?]

[mysteryhero]

[His mind settles on the only thing that remotely makes any sense to him, based on something she herself mentioned.]

Are you talking about more clones?

[bigbadrose]

[Head shake!]

Only Meta. The one in my parents' universe.