The Strangest Feeling | Earth-56: Pilot part 1

Stephen

Sunset on the planet brought lengthening shadows creeping out of fallen buildings and strange metal ruins. The orange-tinted clouds began to clear, revealing patches of blue-black sky flecked with stars. Parker had given a valiant effort at stifling his yawns, but he had clearly been exhausted and Stephen had eventually succeeded at convincing him to get some sleep. They had both stayed close to the ship, and he was curled up fifteen feet away with his head resting against an outcropping of alien rock, mask off, looking very young. Stephen suddenly felt almost sorry for him. He shouldn't have been dragged into this. They were putting the fate of the universe on the shoulders of a 17-year-old. The thought made him reluctant to see what was going to happen to him, but Stephen closed his eyes anyway, opening the Eye of Agamotto with a series of careful gestures. He detached his mind from the feeling of the rock under him, the breeze against his face, the cloak wrapping more tightly around him as the temperature dropped steadily. Black enveloped all sensation. Then an explosion of invisible color, of sight and sound and thought. He allowed himself to be pulled into the first future.

It was difficult to judge time when disconnected from his own reality, but some time later the insistent tugging of the cloak brought him back abruptly. The Eye of Agamotto snapped shut as he opened his own eyes to see dark had fallen almost completely, and with it a sharp chill. He shivered, but it had far more to do with the endless bleak futures than the cold.

The cloak gave a stronger tug, startling him.

"I'm back, I'm back," Stephen muttered, but the corner lifted and reached out, trying to pull him forward and to his feet. He threw together a useless spell purely for the light and allowed the cloak to lead him, drawing him onward into the dark.

His destination was at first only visible as a darker silhouette against the deep blue sky, lit up now and then by a few bright white sparks and a low glow from within. As Stephen neared it became recognizable as a small ship. When's Stark's voice came from inside, Stephen was unsurprised.

"Friday, what if we connected the engines directly to the auxiliary power system?"

Stephen stepped inside the damaged ship, letting the spell go out. The interior was weakly lit by the ship's emergency lighting and, beneath a coating of grime, appeared mostly intact. At the back of the cabin, Stark had pulled the paneling off the walls, baring the pipes and cables of the ship's inner workings. He was focused intently on a tangle of interwoven wires, two of which he was welding together using the gloves of his suit. Other than that, however, he wore only jeans and a hoodie.

"You know it's late, right?" Stephen said softly, trying not to startle him.

Stark turned. He looked unsurprised to see him, but weariness dulled the light in his eyes and shadowed his face. There was a smear of oil and dirt across his forehead where he must have brushed his hair out of his eyes. Stephen fought the sudden, stupid urge to wipe it away, clenching his hand at his side. What is wrong with me?

"Yeah," Stark said with a sigh, already turning back to the wires. "I just gotta finish this..."

"I'm not an expert on mechanics, but messing with wires half-asleep sounds like a recipe for electrocuting yourself."

"Do you know who you're talking to? I invented working on no sleep. And electrocuting yourself."

"Stark, I'm serious."

Stark gave him a vaguely belligerent look but turned away from the wires. The gloves smoothly reformed into a watch, and he glanced around the ship at his handiwork, running a hand through his hair. "God, I wish I had coffee." His eyes landed again on Stephen. "The kid ok?"

"Asleep," Stephen said pointedly.

Stark rolled his eyes. "Wow, it's like you're trying to tell me something."