[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

[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.

[mysteryhero]

So he mentored you in... science? Technology?

[made_up_names]

I had an internship at Stark Industries. Yeah. He was busy, so I didn't always see him, but he cared.

[ Admittedly, more than Peter realized at the time, but. ]

[mysteryhero]

It's good that you had someone there for you.

[It is very hard to tell just what his true emotions are on that. He's keeping the calm, quiet voice going, his face now mild in its expression.]

[made_up_names]

[ He doesn't trust that that expression is true. But he'll take not being mad. ]

Yeah, well. That's done now.

[mysteryhero]

I know. And now we're here.

I think it means something that you and I arrived here nearly simultaneously.

Us. And nobody else from our time.

[At least, that he's aware of.]

But we know each other and that's gotta count for something. We need to stick together, Peter. You know that, don't you.

[made_up_names]

[ Gwen doesn't quite count, admittedly, and if there are any other MCUs he hasn't seen them either. He kind of hates the fact that Beck is the only one he knows from home. ]

I mean, for now? Sure. Just because there's no choice.

[mysteryhero]

I know what people say. Anyone can arrive here suddenly from any world and from any point in time. If you see anyone like that, you'll inform me, OK?

That means any threats by villains that I'd need to handle - or any superheroes, especially any Avengers. I'll need to know.

If your friends arrive... Well, I'm sure that would be nice for you.

Anything's possible, right?