Chapter 1
one
Armani glanced across the bus aisle at the young boy wearing an Avengers t-shirt and smiled. She could still remember when she and her family went to see the movie in theaters. She was about 13 when it came out. No, she was 12; That’s right, it was exactly a decade ago. She remembered sitting next to her sister as she watched the movie, and her smile grew as the thrill of it all began returning. That was the day that her marvel obsession began. It was actually this obsession that pushed her towards pursuing a degree in biomedical engineering. There was something fascinating about Tony Stark creating a device that not only saved his life but powered a suit that thrust just an ordinary human to the status of superhero. Then there was Captain America, a physically un-remarkable man given strength and abilities through medical procedures that anyone else could only dream of.
Coming back to reality, she turned her attention back to the frosted bus window and focused on more immediate concerns. It’s November, and Thanksgiving was just a couple of days away. She wouldn’t visit anyone this year; she would stay in her small Detroit apartment and enjoy the holiday. Armani was grateful for the break. On top of studying to complete her degree, she works part-time as an on-campus bio lab technician. If one could even call working 50+ hours a week a part-time job. As much as she missed her family, her busy life was taking its toll on her, and she desperately needed a break. After all, thought Armani, she would be seeing them in a few weeks for Christmas.
The bus came to a stop. Armani shouldered her bag, held the books too big to fit inside, and shuffled out onto the snow-covered sidewalk. After taking a moment to simultaneously appreciate and dread the early afternoon sunset, she began the long trudge home.
Amani quickly turned the key to her apartment and shouldered open the door before depositing her belongings on a nearby chair and dropping to her knees with arms spread wide. Moments later, a furry missile zoomed into the room and launched himself into her open arms. Armani laughed and dug her fingers into her dog's curly yellow fur.
“Hey Thor, how are you? Do you need to go to the bathroom?” she asked.
Of course, he didn’t respond, but his energetic dancing and tail wag were answer enough. Armani attached his leash, grabbed her key ring, and headed out.
“I have the day off tomorrow.” She said to Thor as he rooted around, looking for the perfect indistinguishable pile of snow to do his business.
“Maybe we could go to the park? We both need the exercise.” Thor indifferently squatted over where the flower bed should be.
“Or…” She thought. “I’ve been wanting to visit the local art museum. They’ve recently expanded their Greek and Roman exhibit.”
Armani reminisced about the last time she visited. She spent hours looking at all the pottery fragments with depictions of battles and heroes with superhuman abilities accomplishing incredible feats.
“It’s crazy to think that after hundreds of years, we have so much in common with our ancestors.” Thought Armani.
Thor sat down next to her. Apparently, having done what he came out to do, he was ready to go back in. As she was about to move, a red glint caught her eye. In a depression, next to her foot was a polished red gem.
“Way too big to be a ring. Maybe a necklace?” She mused.
Armani leaned down to pick it up. Just as her fingertip touched the gem, there was a blinding flash of red light. Rubbing her eyes, she noticed the snow had disappeared from the yard. She realized she wasn’t in the yard at all! Was she in a…workshop? It was the most expensive and high-tech workshop she’d ever seen, but undoubtedly a workshop. Complete with dozens of screens displaying various read-outs and schematics, piles of scrap metal, and tools she couldn’t even name hung on the wall in front of her.
The shock of the situation left her short of breath and her heart hammering against her chest. Armani’s head swam as she tried to process what was happening. Behind her, a man covered in various machine byproducts and looked like he hadn’t slept in days poked his head out from behind a monitor.
“Who the hell are you?” He asked, rightly sounding surprised and a little annoyed.
Armani opened her mouth to speak, but at that moment, the limitations of the human mind to process extraordinary situations decided to rear its ugly head. Overwhelmed, Armani promptly and inelegantly passed out.