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### **Chapter 1: The Fall and the Flame**
Jordan couldn't breathe.
He couldn't see anything except a dizzying swirl of light and shadow, his body pulled in every direction as if he were caught in the eye of a cosmic storm. There was no ground, no sky, no sense of up or down. Just the endless sensation of falling, his screams swallowed by the deafening roar of the void.
And then, it all stopped.
The silence was so abrupt it was almost painful. Jordan opened his eyes—or at least he thought he did—and found himself floating in a vast expanse of stars. A golden light flickered in front of him, growing brighter by the second. It was warm, almost comforting, like a fire on a cold winter night.
"Jordan Carter," a voice echoed, deep and resonant, as if the stars themselves were speaking.
Jordan's head whipped around. "Who's there?!"
"You have been chosen."
"Chosen for what?" he demanded, his voice trembling. "What's happening to me?"
The light grew blinding, enveloping him in its glow. For a moment, he felt weightless, his fear replaced by an overwhelming surge of power. It burned through his veins, his skin tingling with energy, his heartbeat pounding like a drum.
And then, everything went dark.
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**The Streets of New York**
Jordan's eyes snapped open, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. He was lying face-up on the pavement, the sky above him a bright, unbroken blue. For a moment, he thought he'd woken up from a nightmare. But the screams brought him back to reality.
Panic flooded his senses as he pushed himself upright. The scene around him was chaos: people running in every direction, cars honking, and the sound of something massive crashing in the distance. Smoke billowed from a collapsed building, flames licking at its edges.
"What the hell is going on?" he muttered, his voice hoarse.
Jordan staggered to his feet, his body aching as if he'd just been in a car crash. He looked down at himself, expecting to see cuts and bruises, but his skin was flawless. Not even a scratch.
*BOOM!*
The explosion shook the ground, nearly knocking him off his feet. Jordan spun around, his heart hammering. In the distance, a hulking metallic figure towered over the city, its eyes glowing red. It looked like a cross between a robot and a tank, its massive arms firing energy blasts that obliterated everything in their path.
"Oh my God," Jordan whispered, frozen in place.
High above, a streak of red and gold shot through the sky, colliding with the robot in a shower of sparks. It took Jordan a moment to realize who it was.
"Iron Man," he breathed, his eyes widening.
This wasn't possible. Iron Man wasn't real. None of this was real. And yet, here he was, standing in the middle of what could only be described as a Marvel movie come to life.
As if to confirm his suspicions, a blur of red, white, and blue streaked past him, Captain America's shield ricocheting off a lamppost before slamming into the robot's knee. The metallic giant stumbled, letting out a mechanical roar.
Jordan's legs finally decided to work, and he stumbled backward, his mind racing. He needed to get out of here—away from whatever this was. But before he could take another step, the robot turned, its glowing eyes locking onto him.
"Oh, come on," he muttered.
The robot raised its arm, the cannon charging with a high-pitched whine. Jordan braced himself, his heart pounding so loudly he thought it might burst.
And then it fired.
The energy blast shot toward him like a comet, and Jordan threw his hands up instinctively. The world seemed to slow as the blast neared, the heat singing the air around him. But instead of being vaporized, Jordan felt something else.
The power surged through him, raw and unrelenting. His vision blurred as the energy flowed into his body, his skin glowing faintly with a golden hue. The ground beneath his feet cracked, a shockwave rippling outward. When the light faded, Jordan was still standing.
The robot, however, was not.
Its entire arm had been ripped clean off, the metallic limb lying in a smoking heap a few yards away. The crowd, which had been fleeing moments ago, stopped to stare, their expressions a mix of awe and terror.
"What… just happened?" Jordan muttered, staring at his hands. They were shaking, but not from fear. He could feel the power coursing through them, wild and untamed.
"Hey, kid!" a voice shouted.
Jordan turned to see Captain America running toward him, his shield slung over his back. Up close, the man was even more intimidating, his steely gaze locked onto Jordan with laser focus.
"Are you hurt?" Cap asked, stopping a few feet away.
"I—no, I don't think so," Jordan stammered, still trying to process what had just happened.
"What was that back there?" Cap demanded. "How did you take out that arm?"
"I don't know," Jordan admitted, his voice trembling. "I didn't even mean to. It just… happened."
Cap's eyes narrowed. "You're not enhanced?"
"Enhanced? What does that even mean?!" Jordan's voice cracked, panic creeping into his tone. "I don't even know where I am!"
Before Cap could respond, Iron Man landed beside them with a metallic *clang*, his suit scorched but intact. The faceplate lifted, revealing Tony Stark's familiar, sarcastic smirk.
"Well, well," Tony said, his eyes scanning Jordan. "Looks like we've got ourselves a little Superman wannabe."
"What?" Jordan asked, his brow furrowing.
"You took a direct hit from that thing and walked away without a scratch," Tony said, gesturing to the smoldering robot. "Care to explain how?"
"I don't know!" Jordan shouted, his frustration boiling over. "I didn't ask for this! I don't even know how I got here!"
Tony and Cap exchanged a look, their expressions unreadable.
"Listen, kid," Tony said, his tone softer now. "You're obviously not an ordinary civilian. Whatever just happened, we need to figure it out—preferably before the big guy over there decides to grow another arm."
As if on cue, the robot let out a guttural roar, its remaining arm beginning to glow.
"Move!" Cap shouted, shoving Jordan out of the way as the ground exploded beneath them.
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**The Awakening**
They regrouped in an abandoned building a few blocks away, the walls barely holding up under the strain of the ongoing battle. Tony paced back and forth, his suit partially retracted, while Cap stood by the window, his shield at the ready.
Jordan sat on the floor, his head in his hands. The adrenaline was wearing off, and the reality of the situation was starting to sink in.
"Okay, kid," Tony said, crouching in front of him. "Time to spill. Who are you, and what are you doing in the middle of a warzone?"
"My name is Jordan Carter," he said quietly. "I don't know how I got here. One minute I was… somewhere else, and the next, I woke up in the middle of all this."
"And the powers?" Tony pressed.
Jordan hesitated. "I don't know. I've never had them before. I didn't even know they were there until—until that thing shot at me."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "So you're telling me you just woke up with laser eyes and invincibility? Sounds like a fun Tuesday."
"It's not funny!" Jordan snapped, his frustration boiling over. "I didn't ask for this! I don't even want it!"
Cap stepped forward, his expression calm but firm. "Tony, give him some space. He's clearly overwhelmed."
Tony held up his hands in mock surrender. "Fine. But we're going to need answers sooner or later."
Jordan sighed, running a hand through his hair. He could still feel the power inside him, a simmering energy that threatened to overflow. He didn't know where it came from or why it had chosen him, but one thing was clear: his life would never be the same.
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Let me know if you want me to continue, add specific scenes, or adjust the pacing!