Jacob felt like he was floating. His consciousness was groggy, almost as if he were dreaming. While in this state, he heard a familiar voice that sounded as if it had to travel a great distance in order to reach him. Jacob recognized the voice, it was the old man he just met, the 'Arbiter of Fate'.
"You need… understand…your new reality is… has laws… you…?"
Jacob could barely make out what he was saying, quickly becoming frustrated as he felt that it might be important. He shook his head and focused, fighting against the haze of his current state. It seemed to work, as he could make out the old man's voice much more clearly.
"The body you inhabit will change itself accordingly."
"It will take on characteristics that will enable you to make full use of your new abilities."
"This will happen in five stages and after it is over… you will be a very different being."
"There is not much more to say other than… issue this final warning."
"Jacob Brant… dead."
"From this point… are Grant Ward."
"… not forget."
"Powerful beings exist there and you… regret… unwanted… to yourself."
Jacob cursed, he could not make out any more of the Arbiters message, or maybe that was all there was. Regardless, he had heard enough to understand. His body would adapt upon arrival, and he should avoid bringing to much attention to his prior life because his new reality also had beings that watched for such things.
Feeling his mind become groggy again, Jacob could only thank the old Arbiter in his heart. At least now he knew what to expect and more importantly, what he should avoid. Not long after, his mind went completely blank, but if Jacob could see his surroundings… he would be shocked. His astral self was hurtling towards a vast starry space, within which were endless universes, each making up a part of a colossal entity.
If Jacob where to see this entity, he would recognize it from the comic books he had read. He was hurtling towards one of Marvel's most powerful beings, the literal manifestation of the Marvel Multi-verse… the 'Abstract Entity' known only, as 'Eternity'.
As if noticing his arrival, Eternity reached out one massive hand, taking hold of Jacob's small and seemingly fragile soul. Peering down at him with an unfathomable expression, Eternity took Jacob's soul into its body, guiding it to where it was meant to go.
---
"Where…!"
Jacob awoke with a start, immediately noticing that he was lying down, taking a deep breath, he slowly calmed himself. With a small bit of apprehension, perhaps in the hope that everything that just transpired had been nothing but a dream, he reached up, feeling his face.
The angle of his jaw was wrong, while his skin had become smooth… too smooth. It didn't feel like the face he was familiar with at all. Sighing, he looked up at the ceiling, taking notice of a rounded mirror that allowed him to see the entirety of the room he was in. But more importantly, it allowed him to see face staring back at him in the mirror.
"So… it was real."
"And I really am Grant Ward… a young Grant Ward."
Getting up from where he had been laying, while beginning to come to terms with his new circumstances, Jacob walked closer to the mirror. He saw a young man of maybe seventeen or eighteen staring back down at him. He was tall, with short dark hair and brown eyes.
There was a slight contusion on his right cheek, and he was wearing a two-piece, maroon-colored uniform of some sort. Lost in thought, Jacob… or rather Ward, ran his hands over his clothing as he looked around the room, he was in.
Grey brick walls that measured around six by eight feet, a small window on the far wall, and one metal toilet/sink combo, that wasn't far from the small white mattress he had awoken on. Turning to look at what he highly suspected would be there, he saw a barred door.
"Sigh… I'm in prison, aren't I?"
Shaking his head, he tried to recall when in Grant Wards life he would have seen the inside of a prison cell. He didn't get very far however, as within seconds, he found himself on his knees. Every cell in his body was on fire, his muscles felt like they were being repeatedly torn apart, while his nerves were practically jumping around beneath his skin.
"Agh!"
'The old man could have warned me about the pain!'
"Ahhh!"
Worst by far however, was the pain coursing through his head. It felt as if some creature was crawling around in his skull, gnawing on his brain. All he could do was curl up on the ground and whimper. Luckily, it didn't last any longer than fifteen minutes.
'The Arbiter mentioned something about stages, didn't he?
"Damnit!"
'I have to go through this more than once?'
With the pain finally subsiding and through no small amount of willpower, Ward managed to crawl towards the bed that was bolted onto the wall. His whole body shaking, covered in sweat, he weakly pulled himself up atop the mattress. Once there, he passed out.
Coming to nearly three hours later, woken up by the sound of someone shouting at him, Ward got up. Upon rising from the bed, he noticed that his body felt energized and unbelievably powerful. Now standing, Ward flexed his arm muscles, then looked towards the door where the sound of shouting had intensified.
"Inmate two-two-seven, Let's go!"
"If I have to tell you again…?"
Seeing Ward walking towards the bars, the guard which had been shouting at him calmed down a bit.
"Hurry it up two-two-seven… you got a visitor."
As Ward reached the bars, the guard could swear that the kid had gotten bigger since yesterday. Shaking his head, he told himself that it was only his imagination, that people didn't just grow overnight. Closing the cell door behind them, the guard then proceeded to escort Ward through the expansive network of hallways, and finally, marched him up to a set of double doors.
As soon as Jacob saw the doors, he immediately understood when and where he was regarding Grant Wards timeline. His mind now working at a speed that was impossible for humans, he instantaneously recalled the relevant information from his previous life.
In 1999, Ward had been incarcerated at the 'Plymouth Juvenile Secure Unit', a detention center in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It was there that he had met his future 'father figure' for the first time. And Ward knew that this was that moment.
Keeping that last part in mind, Ward brought himself out of his musings. This was not the time for it… he needed to focus. Moving forward through the doors, there he stood, coffee cup in hand… John Garrett, the shittiest of all father figures. Looking in his direction, Garrett was the first to speak.
"Grant Ward?"
"My name is John Garrett."
With Ward having walked over to him and after seeing that he was paying attention, Garrett kept speaking.
"Quartermaster at your old military school is an old buddy of mine."
Coffee cup still in hand, Garrett motioned towards a metal table with accompanying stools, just behind where he was standing. Seeing that Ward didn't wish to sit, he spoke again.
"Told me about a pissed off young cadet, with off the chart hand/eye coordination…"
"Who went AWOL, stole a car, drove over a thousand miles back home…"
"Only to try and burn the place down."
Smiling gleefully at this point, Garret continued.
"I must say, I find a young man like that… intriguing."
Motioning again for Ward to sit, which he accepted this time, Garrett joined him before he continued with his 'speech'.
"I'm curious, did you know your brother was in the house when you set it on fire?"
Meeting Garretts inquisitive gaze, Ward answered in an even tone.
"No sir, I did not."
Garrett smiled at his response, then put his coffee cup on the table.
"I was a pyro as a kid too."
"Ended up making a pretty good living at it."
Garrett paused at this point, soon continuing in a sterner tone.
"I'm here to make you a one-time offer, so listen up."
"Your family's lawyer is going to be here in about twenty minutes."
"Not only are your folks' pressing charges against you for arson and attempted murder…"
"But your brother is petitioning the court to have you tried as an adult."
Garrett paused yet again, most likely to let the impact of his words sink in.
"Now, you can spend the next few years locked up in a cage…"
"Blaming mommy, daddy and mean older brother for your problems."
"Or… you can let me get you out of here and let me teach you how to be a man."
When Garrett saw that Ward was hesitant, he leaned in and whispered.
"I work for a secret organization that's always looking to recruit young men like you."
Pausing, Ward questioned.
"And why should I trust you?"
Garrett responded in the most serious tone that Ward had heard him use yet.
"You shouldn't."
"Don't trust anybody, ever, especially not me."
Garrett smiled at his own statement.
"Let me be clear, going with me will be the hardest thing you've ever done."
"But… on the other hand, no one will ever screw with you again."
Noting Wards hesitation, Garrett pushed a little harder.
"Say yes, it'll be hard but fun."
Garrett attempted one last push, checking his watch, he spoke.
"Ten seconds and I walk out that door… say yes!"
Ward had been playing his part up to this point, and he knew that if he went with Garrett, he could leave this prison immediately, as the original Grant Ward had done on the 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' tv show. But this wasn't a tv show and he was not the original Grant Ward.
He was no frightened child, worried over his future. Nor did he need some father figure to 'teach him how to be a man', he had that covered. From this point on, he was Grant ward… and this was his life. And he fully intended to make the most out of the second chance he'd been given.
Sighing to himself, Ward considered simply refusing Garretts offer. But after thinking on it further, he saw no reason not to make use of a tool that had been so conveniently placed in front of him. The entire time they had been speaking, or rather… the entire time Ward had been listening, he felt that his body wasn't the only thing that had been drastically changed.
Ward had begun hearing voices midway through Garretts speech, and though it took him a few minutes, he realized that what he had been hearing were Garretts thoughts. And the more time Garrett droned on; the more Ward felt that he had a better handle on it.
In fact, unlike his body, which he was even now having some trouble controlling, his newfound ability to hear the thoughts of others felt… natural. Almost like he'd been born with it. Ward quickly ran through all the abilities that he could recall Darkseid possessing. Realizing that he should be able to do more, Ward spoke.
"That was a wonderful sales pitch John…"
"But I'm afraid that I must refuse."
Garrett let out a slightly exaggerated sigh before speaking.
"Well, I tried."
"Good luck kid."
Smiling at him, Garrett got up and started to walk out. As he was almost to the door, Wards eyes filled with an ominous red light. Then… time stopped. Or at least, that's what it looked like to Garrett. The guard who had been midway through opening the door for him, had frozen mid-movement.
"What the hell?"
Looking around, Garrett saw that other people in his vicinity had gone still in odd positions, as well. Garrett had seen his share of odd things in his time, but something about this didn't feel real to him. He was slightly taken aback at first, until he heard a familiar voice call out from behind him.
"You have excellent survival instincts John… and your right to trust them."
"This isn't real."
Turning around, Garrett saw the same young man he'd just been speaking with moment before. The kid was standing behind him with his hands in his pockets, staring at him with eerie red eyes. His handcuffs were gone, and his prison uniform had been replaced with a pair of loose-fit jeans alongside a black t-shirt with an overly large Greek letter printed on it.
"Real or not..."
"I brought you here to make you a counteroffer, of sorts."
Wards eyes glowed an even more ominous shade of red before he spoke again.
"Come work for me instead, John."
---
After Garrett had finally left, the guard at the door motioned for Ward to get up. Following the nonverbal command, he rose to his feet and walked back out through the double doors, quickly being escorted back to his cell.
When the guard shut the door, Ward dropped to his knees. He had been fighting against the same pain that assaulted him a few hours before Garretts visit, it started up again midway through the walk back to his cell. He kept himself from letting it show, although it took a great amount of effort to do so.
Ward mainly didn't want guard asking to many questions, but without any further reason to hide it, he stopped fighting it and let the change come. Crumpling up on the floor, his senses began to overwhelm him, as his body again underwent the same painful process it had experienced before.
Every cell in his body was on fire, his muscles, yet again, felt like they were being torn apart, his nerves were jumping around beneath his skin. But again, the worst part was the pain in his head. This time however, the pain was accompanied by overwhelming noise and horrid smells, as his vision seemed to cycle through different viewpoints.
Sometimes he would see spectral shapes inside the cell with him, other times he would see what he could only assume were microscopic organisms of various kinds. The changes to his vision made him feel nauseous at first. Luckily, his vision cleared after a few minutes.
It took fifteen minutes total until the pain subsided, with Ward managing to stay conscious this time around. Covered in sweat for the second time in one day, he slowly, but steadily rose to his feet. Walking towards the toilet/sink combo, he washed his face off.
Hearing footsteps, which he determined where coming from the hallway leading to his cell, only for him to suddenly hear an airplane some seven miles away, Ward quickly shook his head, desperately trying to control his new abilities.
Taking a deep breath, he looked up and out the barred off window, then laughed at what he saw. He sight had enhanced to the point that he was peering into outer space; he could clearly see four different satellites in orbit around the earth.
"Yo!"
"Do you not hear me calling you?"
Ward quickly covered his ears, looking towards the door to his cell with unmasked displeasure, he grimaced at the guard who took him to meet Garrett. His family's lawyer must have finally arrived. The guard gave him a 'are you about to start some shit' look, before speaking again.
"Look kid, would you just come out of there already."
"Some of us don't have all day."
Seeing that ward didn't answer, the guard shook his head, while sighing.
"This is my last time saying it nicely two-two-seven."
His senses finally quieting down, Ward walked slowly out of the cell door. The guard couldn't help but to scratch his head as he passed by. The guard could swear that Ward looked wider in the shoulders than he remembered. The man sighed even more deeply, swearing to get his eyes checked by the centers doctor as soon as possible.
With his eyes closed as if resting, Ward soon found himself sitting alone in a quiet room with his hands cuffed to a table. The guard had told him his visitor wouldn't be along shortly, so he sat waiting patiently. After roughly five minutes passed, a man in a sleek blue suit walked in.
"Mr. Ward."
Ward opened his eyes at hearing his name called. It took all his effort to focus his eyesight on the man standing in front of him, rather than the countless microscopic organisms crawling all over the man's skin. His strong gaze seemed to startle the man, who felt like Ward was looking through him.
"Ahem."
Clearing his throat to hide his discomfort, the man spoke.
"My name is James Madrox, your family's attorney."
"I am here to inform you…it…?"
Ward couldn't make out the rest, as he heard loud explosions instead. Though, he couldn't make out where the noise came from. He was also caught off guard by the man's name, it was familiar, and considering where he was, potentially important.
"That's enough."
Speaking a little loudly, Ward shook his head, stopping the man from continuing.
"Mr. Madrox, let me save you some time."
"I am only guilty of setting fire to my parents' home."
"I admit to that."
Ward knew that the original Grant Ward was indeed guilty of arson. It was a crime he couldn't run from.
"Though, I didn't know that my brother… that Christian was inside at the time."
"It was a foolish, not to mention, desperate attempt to remind my parents that I will not be silenced."
But Ward had no intention of running. Instead, he would use 'OG Wards' crime as a pretext to attain his freedom and punish those truly responsible for OG Wards prior behavior. His parents. They were the root cause for OG Wards lifetime of dysfunction, though being taken in by Garrett certainly hadn't helped.
"Yes Mr. Madrox, my parents will soon understand…"
"That the lifetime of abuse my siblings and I suffered through will no longer be ignored."
Seeing that Mr. Madrox was listening, Ward kept going.
"If a jury of my peers decides that I should serve time for what I did, then I will."
"I let my anger control me and Christian nearly died because of it."
Ward was a bit upset. He hadn't asked for this and he certainly wasn't okay with 'inhabiting' a young boy's body, but he had to put those feelings aside to deal with the matter at hand. Arson was a serious crime, and it carried with it a severe sentence. Of course, it wasn't really 'his' crime, but as this was now 'his' body… the blame ultimately fell upon his shoulders.
"I may not like my elder brother very much…"
Ward remembered one scene from the tv show that made him intensely dislike his new older brother.
"But I don't wish him dead… despite what he's done to me in that past."
Christian had made OG Ward throw their younger brother into an old well. The young boy had almost died. OG Ward had wanted to pull him back up, but his fear of Christian stopped him from acting on that want. It was a terrible situation, one driven by Christian's jealousy towards their younger brother. Seeing that Ward had gone quiet, Mr. Madrox, who had sat down, steepled his fingers and then spoke.
"You'll plead guilty to arson then."
"Is that what you're saying?"
Amused, Ward clarified.
"No."
"I will agree to stand trial for arson, but nothing else."
"My parents and Christian can kiss my ass…"
"Especially if they think I'll simply play along with the rest of their bullshit."
Madrox stifled a laugh at that.
"You should also inform them that I will be filing my own charges against them."
That got the lawyers attention.
"Like I said earlier Mr. Madrox, the lifetime of abuse that my siblings and I suffered will not be ignored."
Nodding his head, Madrox wrote down any relevant details, then got up from his seat.
"I'll pass on what you've said to my clients…"
"But I highly doubt they will change their minds, if that's what you're hoping for."
Ward laughed at that… because he was counting on it. Seeing Madrox turn to leave, Ward called out to him.
"Before you go, could you pass a message to siblings?"
Frowning, Madrox seemed to think about it before responding.
"What's the message, and I remind you Mr. ward, I am in your parents employ."
"Anything you say could be used against you, if you're not careful."
Ward was slightly startled, a lawyer with a conscience… what where the odds?
"I appreciate the warning, especially since you didn't have to give it."
Smiling appreciatively, Ward continued.
"Tell them that I'm sorry for my own part in their hardships."
"That I promise to become a man worthy of one day asking their forgiveness for the things I've done."
"And… that I hope they won't allow themselves to be defined by the life they've lived so far."
Madrox raised his eyebrows at hearing Wards words, which was a good sign… for Ward, that is. One of the biggest factors to winning any battle, was to take away the enemy's ability to fight. If he could sway Madrox or his siblings to his side, even minutely, then the coming fight would become that much easier.
---
Six months later, Ward walked out of a Plymouth County courthouse a free man or… more accurately, a free teenager. Having only Wards body and none of his memories, he found out that his new birthdate was January the 7th of 1983.
It was now September the 15th, 1999, that made him only sixteen years of age. So, as an afterthought during his trial against his parents, he also filed for emancipation. With the charges he levied against his parents and the unexpected aid of his eldest brother Christian, who spoke of his own experiences, he received it.
Turns out, his words held greater effect than he anticipated. Shocking, since the only one Ward had truly expected to throw off their game, was his parents' lawyer. Even more shocking was the fact that Christian had come to see him in prison. After a handful of such visits and many hours of conversation, Christian apologized to him.
Meanwhile, his parents were jailed for a litany of crimes, their estate was then forcefully divided between their four children. Very much so against their will. And Christian, his eldest brother was given state supervised guardianship over their younger siblings.
While ward wasn't necessarily comfortable with that, he'd be keeping an eye on things from afar. He could do that now. His powers had manifested up to the 'third stage'. He still had trouble controlling them, but he was getting there with practice and persistence.
At least he wasn't accidently blasting 'Omega Beam's' anymore. He had a hell of a time explaining that one to the guards, but he managed somehow. Mainly by making them forget that they saw anything. It was not ideal, but it was progress.
Walking down the courthouse steps, he heard a shout from behind him. Turning around, he saw his brother Christian beckoning him over, he sighed and slowly walked towards him. He still didn't like the man, but he was willing to give him a chance. It was the least he could do for 'family'.
"Grant."
"Thomas, Elizabeth and I were going to grab a bite to eat."
"Would you care to join us?"
Listening to Christians heartbeat, Ward was surprised that he wasn't lying. He really did want ward to go along. Well, with his new abilities, he didn't really 'need to eat', but if this was an olive branch… then he might as well take it. Seeing his other siblings walk up, both lost in their own thoughts, he smiled.
"After nothing but prison food for six months, I think could use a good meal."
"Lead the way, big brother."