15th March 2000
"How is it looking out there, Optima?" Cerion asked as he floated close to the wreckage of his ship on the moon's surface.
"Many of the ship's thrusters, life support systems, landing gears, anti-gravity thrusters and hall-thrusters are all damaged. There are structural defects that will take almost a year to patch up. That timeframe may even be pushed back since we can't access a docking bay."
Cerion let out a disappointed sigh at Optima's analysis. Just as he feared, it would take forever to rebuild the ship without a resourceful dockyard and a building bay. With the limited resources at his disposal, it was already going to take a year to restore all drones to working conditions. Then, there was the power source to consider. The Phantom Drive had completely demolished the power source and engine. He would've had to build the entire thing from scratch, which was a huge problem.
To power up the ship, he needed to reinstall the power source, which was better said than done. Kryptonian ships worked on enriched nuclear fuel, and he doubted SHIELD was going to just hand over nuclear fuel to him. Besides, he didn't really want to depend on SHIELD too much. If they realised that he was in desperate need of nuclear fuel, they would squeeze him out for everything he was worth.
Of course, he could go full-on big bad alien way to get things done, but that would only create unnecessary enemies. Stealing Uranium or Plutonium was the next option, but that was a stupid idea. Every single intelligence agency in the world would be keeping an eye on nuclear fuel. A theft like that would only attract too much attention, and he won't ever be able to steal again. The third option was to mine the Uranium from asteroids, which was a waste of time. Even if he somehow managed to mine the bloody thing, he would still need to enrich and process the fuel, which he can't do on the moon.
So that left the fourth and final option, which was to completely remove the power source and create a new one. Fortunately, he knew just where to get such a power source. It was also one of the reasons he chose to openly cooperate with the US govt. It gave him easy access to their communication systems and access to a whole lot of valuable data legally.
"Do work on restoring those drones, Optima. I have some unfinished business on Earth."
Having said that, he flew away from the moon straight to Earth. It took him two months to properly set up a power-generating station on the moon using solar panels from old satellites and other space probes floating around in space. That was a temporary solution because sooner the drones would require large quantities of energy for longer hours of work.
*****
The immediate outer space of Earth was a junkyard filled with used up rockets, old satellites and other kinds of solid waste. But along with this junk hundreds of working satellites spun around in fixed orbits. These satellites were the key to almost all information ever recorded in the history of the human race.
For Cerion, it was a goldmine he needed to fulfil his needs.
That's why he built a stealth drone on the moon and sent it barrelling straight for a satellite owned by Stark Industries. While he could've taken anything he wanted from Earth itself without much fuss, using the satellite was a cleaner way. Also, he felt a bit queasy about stealing stuff using his own hands, like a common thief. His moral senses tingled less when he was using Optima to do his dark deeds.
'I'll have to look into that little mind block. It might not be a healthy way of living.' Cerion thought.
But desperate times called for desperate measures.
He had thought of the pros and cons of this plan. The Arc Reactor was something that would be an answer to his energy problem. Now, he could've extracted that information from Anton Vanko in Russia. He suspected both father and son might be under surveillance by Russian intelligence agencies or even the CIA, and he was not going to underestimate humans like some cliché villain. He had come this far by careful planning and meticulous execution of those plans. He was not going to suddenly throw away years of vigilance just because he was in possession of superpowers.
As the stealth drone slowly made its way towards the satellite of Stark Industries, he waited patiently at NASA's research facility in West Virginia. SHIELD thought it'd be beneficial for NASA and SHIELD to work on a new project. The project was to develop a Quinjet that worked on anti-gravity technology for propulsion. From what he understood so far, the US Air Force and NASA had done several projects together to develop the same technology, but all ended in failure. Even Howard Stark, the resident genius who propelled the USA into the next millennium, failed in gravity manipulation. The man did manage to perfect Maglev with the limited technology he had access to. All the humans lacked was an essential component to truly understand gravity, and with that, they would have mastered the last fundamental force of the physical universe.
"Many have tried in the past, Dr. Vex, but all of those attempts ended in failure. What makes you think that you can succeed? For that matter, why does SHIELD think you can succeed?" asked Daniel Hoffman, the director of NASA.
"All previous attempts failed because of the lack of an essential component for understanding gravity and its effects on space-time." said Cerion, facing the director and other scientists that NASA had called into the meeting room. Even a few among the SHIELD research team were present in the room. While most of the SHIELD team was filled with researchers, there was one glaring exception, and that was Maria Hill. She posed as a programmer slash astrophysicist, but he knew that she was here to keep an eye on him.
"And what would that component be?" asked the Director with some healthy scepticism. The guy had no idea that he was speaking to an alien.
"Negative mass."
His answer garnered a scoff from the collective scientists in the room. Cerion noticed that the SHIELD scientists refrained from doing that, and he deduced they were in the know of his origins.
"Negative mass is an impossibility, Dr Vex."
"Only according to Einstein, but according to me, it is possible."
"And we should believe you because…?"
"Because negative mass can be created if one can master electron compression. You don't have to take my word for it. I can prove it to you." said Cerion before he placed a small box on the table. Opening the box, he took out a small black disc the size of his palm. He activated its energy core, and the disc floated harmlessly in the air, to everyone's shock.
"As you can see, this small disc can defy the gravity of Earth. Now, while it is simple to defy Earth's gravity, it is quite another thing to control propulsion through anti-gravity technology. I am, of course, talking about vessels inside the earth's atmosphere. It will get more complicated once outside of earth's atmosphere."
It was not considerably complicated to make anti-grav thrusters that can function in outer space but he didn't say anything of that sort to the crowd before him. He didn't want SHIELD and, in lieu, HYDRA to gain space superiority until he had properly come up with a plan to deal with the Nazis hiding in plain sight. He needed a plan to smoke them out and destroy them. But he was also mindful of the local politics involved on Earth. The balance of power was currently enforced through nukes. He didn't want any new tech to radically change that status quo because of his actions.
So, his plan was to string them along for as long as possible until he came up with a viable plan to ensure his tech didn't fall into the wrong hands.
"How did you…? Why haven't we heard of you before?" asked a completely flummoxed Director of NASA.
"Probably because of SHIELD." Cerion just shrugged. Let them come to their own conclusions.
He began to distribute the written paper on electron compression and how to synthesise the negative mass in the physical plane. It was a long explanation, and he had to study all the technical terms used on Earth to properly present the paper, but in the end, the project got full permission and funding. The project would start within the next two months. A new crew of engineers had to be allowed, and then the necessary equipment had to be procured. After two months, he was going to be locked inside the facility. So, he guessed that he had two months to procure the arc reactor technology.
The ride back to his apartment went without any major incident. The only complaint he had was the companion he was forced to take the ride with.
"What mode of transportation do you use in Krypton, Dr. Vex?" Maria Hill asked as she drove the car through Henry Street in Willowdale.
The woman was a sponge and gathered intelligence using whatever means necessary. So, he had his game face up and never gave anything substantial away.
"They are mostly speeders used by the common people. If you are rich, then there are advanced hovercrafts that are basically spaceships, but they will not be able to go beyond the planet's atmosphere."
"Why use other modes of transportation if you can fly?" Agent Hill asked curiously.
That question from Agent Hill was a tricky one. He had not yet explained that his powers only worked in the presence of a Yellow Sun, and he never will. He was not foolish enough to give SHIELD or mankind information regarding his powers.
"We had several restrictions on using our powers. Not everyone is skilled enough to fly around on our planet. Krypton's gravity was much stronger than that of Earth. This also factored into the increased reliance on vehicles for transportation."
"I see." Agent Hill hummed as she turned the car around a corner and slowed down before stopping before an eight-storied building.
"Well, my stop has arrived. Would you like a cup of tea?" he offered as he stepped out of the car into the street.
"Some other time Doc. Call me if you need anything, Dr Vex."
"I will, and thank you for the ride, Miss Hill."
"Call me Maria."
"Then I insist that you call me Cerion."
"See you soon, Cerion. Take care of yourself." said Maria as she shook hands with him and then drove off.
Cerion got to admit the woman was a good spy. The entire conversation felt normal, which was sort of what the SHIELD agent was angling for.
He fastened his side bag on his shoulder and slowly made his way inside the building.
"Back in early, Mr. Vex?" the security guard asked as he held open the door for him.
"It's not early enough to see my favourite TV show, George." He joked lightly, but as he stepped into the lobby, it was filled with couches, cardboard boxes, some light furniture, and numerous appliances.
"Who…what is this, George?" he asked in surprise.
"You've got a new neighbour, Mr Vex." said Geroge, and that worried Cerion.
"That's great." He said as he made his way for the elevator.
He worried that an agent was being drafted to keep a close watch on him. He knew that two agents were keeping an eye on him from across the street. SHIELD had learned not to install monitoring devices in the building after he systematically destroyed them in the last two months of his stay. From then on, they had only kept an eye on him through the agents in the opposite building, which was a shame. he enjoyed the cat-and-mouse play and the hunt for monitoring devices. It had become a recreational activity for him.
As he stepped out of the elevator on the fourth floor, he expected the Black Widow, Hawkeye, or some other agent of SHIELD. Contrary to all his expectations, he was staring into Natalie Portman's face.
The surprise only lasted for a few seconds before he regained his beatings.
"Hi. I am Jane Foster. I just moved in here. Are you by chance Cerion Vex?" she asked with a bubbly persona.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Foster. I am Cerion. How do you know that I live here?" he asked as he shook hands with her.
It took a considerable amount of effort not to address her as Miss Portman. As a Star Wars fan, Natalie Portman was someone that he held in very high regard.
"My friend is Janet Cornell. She told me about you."
"Ah! The lady running the café a few blocks from here?"
"Yes." Jane smiled brightly, "She told me about you, and I needed an apartment close to my University."
"You study in Culver?" he asked, and it was then that he remembered that Jane Foster was an alumnus of Culver University.
Come to think of it, there are a lot of interesting individuals in Culver right now. He shook those thoughts away to listen properly to what Jane Foster was saying.
"I am studying under Erik Selvig. Of course, I know that you are an astrophysicist," she said with obvious excitement.
"How do you know that?" he asked, flummoxed.
He certainly had never divulged what his profession was to her or her friend in the café.
"Before moving here my father looked up the people of this whole block. He is paranoid that way. Sorry." she looked a little bashful now.
At least he could somewhat be less wary of Jane Foster. He was sure she was not here on SHIELD business. She would make a shitty spy but he was still on guard.
"I guess you are welcome to the neighbourhood."
"Thank you."
Good God, the woman had a beaming smile plastered on her face. If it weren't for his experience with dealing with this kind of shit, then he would have gone full fan-crazy on her. That'd have been disastrous in so many ways, and that thought kept him anchored to reality.
"You need any help with those things down in the lobby?" Cerion offered.
"Oh, no need. The guard outside offered his help."
"George is getting on his years, Miss Foster. I think it would be better if I helped. Just wait a little bit."
"You can call me Jane."
"Ok, Jane. Call me Cerion." he smiled,
Having made a new friend, he was in high spirits for the rest of the night. He left his bag inside his apartment and started to help move everything up into Jane Foster's apartment.
When he returned to his apartment, Optima was waiting for him with all the data that he would need from the satellite. Just as he was about to activate Optima and study the data she gathered, the space before him warped, and what looked like see-through crystals suddenly began to form.
"Greetings to you, Mr Vex. It has been many centuries since I've seen a Celestial face to face."
A voice spoke from his back and he turned around to find a bald woman dressed in a golden silk robe. The only thing going through his mind was, 'Oh fuck!'.
****
The Ancient One lounged on a bright red couch. She wondered whether she could add a couch like this one to Kamar Taj. Truly, this couch was better than what she had back home. Some paintings would also not be remiss, as many masters had complained about a lack of colours in the sanctum.
"Tea." Cerion offered, and she took the drink with a customary thank you.
"You know this is the only peaceful conversation that I have ever held with a Celestial. Usually, it devolves into outright threats and then a full-blown fight," she said as she took a sip of the tea.
She had to admit that she preferred her own tea, as this one did not meet her taste buds' expectations.
"You repeatedly call me a Celestial, but I am not one. My race is known as Kryptonian."
"Truly?" she raised an eyebrow.
The fact that the Time Stone was not at all able to predict Cerion's future was clue enough that the being sitting in front of her was a Celestial or at least on par with a Celestial.
"Yes."
"I am sorry to say that your lies will do you no good with me. You may fool the humans, but I happen to know that there is no Krypton in this vast Cosmos."
She was alerted to the moment when a powerful presence was brought inside Earth's atmosphere. The only reason the shields projected by the sanctums allowed Cerion entry was because humans were the ones to bring him to Earth. The magical shield that enveloped the Earth was specifically designed to keep the prime bodies of Celestials out from Earth. There are ways around the shielding, but she had plugged those gaps after one Celestial managed to breach through the shields some twenty years ago.
"I am telling you no lie. You just assumed that Krypton was a planet in your universe. I never said that I am from your universe."
Now, that piqued her interest.
"Are you claiming to be from another universe?" she asked with a healthy dose of scepticism.
"Yes, and before you ask, most of the people in that universe do not exist here. It took me some time to put that together properly."
Now, that was unexpected but not the strangest thing she had heard in her lifetime.
"Please do elaborate." she prodded.
"Most of the people here have a very different profession and names. For example, the Director of SHIELD was an actor on Earth. The same is true for Jane Foster, who has moved in recently across the hall. Even your alter ego was an actor on the Earth I knew. In my home universe, there was no Captain America or Super Soldiers in general. There was an intergalactic policing force called Green Lanterns in my home universe, but here, nothing of that sort exists. There are a trillion other differences between our worlds, and I have not even scratched the surface."
"I see. So, you are an outer being like Dormammu." she muttered to herself with a perplexed look.
"Who?" asked Cerion with a baffled look.
"Dormammu is an outer being like yourself. This explains why you have been absorbing the life energy of the universe like a sponge." she explained patiently as her mind raced with thoughts.
"I did what now? What are you talking about?" he asked in surprise.
"Oh, dear. You have no idea what you have been doing all this time?" she was now genuinely shocked and that happened rarely.
"I flew around a little bit, and I did some corporate theft. Other than that, I've never done anything that could threaten this planet."
She couldn't find any lies, and the Cerion looked honest enough. Now, what to do? The Ancient One frowned thoughtfully at the alien being before her.
"What do you know of magic or dimensional energies?" she asked, leaning forward with a sense of urgency.
"Next to nothing other than the fact that they are supposed to be a fundamental force that governs the Universe."
"If you know nothing of magic or dimensional energies in general, then how are you absorbing the humongous energies at a rate that even baffles an experienced Celestial?" she asked in surprise.
"My powers come from absorbing the Yellow Sun's radiation impinging on this planet. Kryptonian genes absorb any and all radiation, especially gamma radiation."
"I am afraid you are not just absorbing radiations from the Sun. You are absorbing a huge amount of dimensional energy. This universe has an abundance of varying energies because of the unique way it took birth. These energies have already made a wide variety of changes in your body. I think you have not noticed this till now because your body has yet to reach its limit in absorbing these energies." she explained patiently.
"What changes?" Cerion asked with a flummoxed expression.
"Your cells are no longer dying out, Mr Vex. It is one of the prime reasons that SHIELD has yet to procure a dead cell from your bed sheets or garbage. Essentially, your body has become immune to time."