[Video]

[mysteryhero]

[Upon his arrival, Mysterio was in full costume, looking like Thor, Dr Strange and Iron Man rolled into one. Now he appears on the network in regular clothing - a brown sweater and tan trousers - looking elegantly casual.]

Hello again.

I have had some time to to explore and familiarize myself with this world and I'm impressed with the technology here - at least in Nova City. It's far beyond what I've seen before yet it's also lacking. That's why I am going to work for and with Aster Technologies and we can combine our knowledge to do great things.

Now, I know, I introduced myself as Mysterio when I first arrived and that is indeed a name I am known by but let's have a proper introduction now, shall we?

My name is Quentin Beck.

Comments

[made_up_names]

[ Are you trying to make him hate you, Beck. Because you're doing a fantastic job. ]

How are you gonna do that? Put up a job posting?

[mysteryhero]

[He's just reveling in the fact that he could be one of the only superheroes around - at least one of the most visible and soon-to-be-well-known. And what can Peter even do about it if he wants to keep his own secrets? And for Beck to keep his mouth shut where and when it counts.]

I don't have time for that.

[Besides, a team would take away attention from just him. It was fine with the team he had - they were all behind the scenes and he could be the showman. Real heroes would attract a real spotlight.]

I have other work to do. I have many plans, Peter. Most are in their infancy, but they're all up here.

[He taps the side of his head.]

[made_up_names]

[ He's got his suit. He ... doesn't really want to pull it out and use it though - he was serious about maybe going back to high school and trying to live a normal life. Or getting a job and trying to live a normal life. Either way. ]

If they're big enough plans, they're gonna attract attention. Maybe you'll run into someone by accident.

[mysteryhero]

[Meanwhile, Beck has plans of upgrading his own suit and making his tech even more powerful.]

Oh, they'll attract attention. That's the point.

[made_up_names]

That sounds suspiciously like showing off.

[mysteryhero]

I just call it being the best.

[made_up_names]

I mean, I guess you're gonna find out. If you attract enough attention and other superheroes show up to prove you wrong.

[mysteryhero]

Prove me wrong, how? Are you trying to say they'll be stronger? Faster? More heroic?

[made_up_names]

[ He hates you so much. Also he can't actually bring himself to claim he'll be better given ... uh, everything that's happened recently. ]

I dunno, it's just a comic book thing, right? Rivalries and stuff.

[mysteryhero]

[Of course Peter has more and better super powers but Beck has his own talents, which work pretty well. At least, up to a point.]

Team rivalries?

It's a shame the Avengers were so very unavailable when I was on Earth-616. Maybe I could have found out for myself.

[made_up_names]

Yeah, well, they were all mostly dead. Or busy.

[mysteryhero]

Too busy to save the world.

Such a shame...

Which is why Earth only had me to save it.

[made_up_names]

[ He grits his teeth, choking back a knee jerk reaction. ]

Busy with important things. Or dead because they gave their lives undoing something that killed almost four billion people.

[mysteryhero]

Noble.

[He pauses, tilting his head to give Peter a searching look.]

Do you wish that you could have done more to help? Even as an ordinary, normal teenager?

[made_up_names]

[ Goddammit Beck. He winces with real pain, unable to meet his eyes over the feed. ]

Of course I do. You don't grow up with people like them and not wish you could've done more when they die. Iron Man saved my life when I was like six.

[mysteryhero]

So he means a lot to you.

[Despite the soft tone, Beck's eyes have hardened at mention of Iron Man.]

Or meant, sorry. Past tense.

[made_up_names]

[ Yeah, he caught that. He glares. ]

You don't know a damn thing about it.

[mysteryhero]

No, I didn't know him the way you did.

[So much underlying meaning in his words. Peter had definitely seem more positives in his time with Tony than Beck had.]

[made_up_names]

[ Which Peter knows, objectively, but. It still rankles so hard. ]

I knew him better than you did. Or what, did you have some kind of AU version of him in your world?

[mysteryhero]

Not that I know of. He mustn't have amounted to anything there.

[Yeah, he could have said anything he liked there, but being irrelevant he felt was the worst thing to put onto somebody.]

[made_up_names]

[ Wow. That actually is pretty insulting. Tony would definitely have hated yet. ]

Yeah, well, he's the greatest man I've ever met.

[mysteryhero]

[There's a pause; considering.]

Tell me, what was it that you admired about him?

.... If it's not too difficult to talk about.

[made_up_names]

[ How much does he actually want to share with Beck, that's the question. He wants to defend his mentor, but can't bear having this asshole tear him down more. ]

He was smart as hell. A colossal dick about it, but he was almost always right.

[mysteryhero]

Almost doesn't really excuse all his behavior, does it?

[As if Beck has any right to complain about dickish behavior.]

[made_up_names]

[ Yeah, uh. That gets a look. ]

No. It doesn't.