I couldn't believe what had just happened, I was actually employed by the Avengers. It's not like I didn't know what I was getting myself into, but maybe I didn't think it all the way through. Trying to keep speed from them the likes of which never seen before in this world would be difficult, even more so now that I was moving in. Yeah, that wasn't my proudest impulse decision, but I was trying to look at the silver lining, which was basically having no bills curtesy of Tony, whilst also getting paid for doing less work. I sounded like a mooching freeloader, and honestly it made me feel a bit guilty. I'd have to find a way to make myself useful enough to be deserving of such treatment to get this elephant off my shoulders. Logically speaking, I knew they would find out about my origins and my speed eventually, it was inevitable, but I had no idea how they would react so I couldn't just tell them right off the bat. They probably wouldn't believe me anyway, toss me in a looney bin for enhanced if I said I was from another universe without proof.
I chuckled to myself, finding the thought amusing, as FRIDAY dropped me off outside my apartment. "Would you like a ride tomorrow?" FRIDAY asked.
"No thanks, FRIDAY, I could use the cardio." I joked as I got out of the car. "See you bright and early!" I waved at the car, uncertain if FRIDAY could see it or not but it felt right. I always waved goodbye to CASS in my world, why should I do different here?
I had built up quite a lot of nervous energy on the ride back into the city and I felt the need to go running. I located a blind spot in the network of surveillance cameras and activated my suit, I really didn't feel like replacing singed clothing, and burnt shoes were kinda difficult to explain.
Grinning, I set a playlist that had been especially sped up just for me, and took off, a sonic boom sounding after my sudden takeoff. In five minutes, I had stopped the robbery of an armored truck, put out a building fire (by smothering the flames), and stopped for coffee at a big chain cafe. A little girl stopped me while I was waiting in the pickup line and asked, "are you an Avenger?"
She looked so hopeful, it almost made me regret crushing her dreams, almost. I snorted my laughter and smirked down at her, "now why would I want to be an Avenger?"
"Because they're the best-est ever in the whole world and they stop bad guys!" The girl flashed a smile with a hole where her front two teeth should be.
"But can the Avengers do this?" I had gotten tired of waiting in line, so I did the unthinkable; I went behind another barista's bar space! I know, such blasphemy, may the coffee gods strike me down where I stand! Needless to say, I sped along their production . . . not of everyone else's stuff, just mine. They can work for a living.
I reappeared carrying my drink and donut and the little girl gasped at me. "You just cut the line!"
"Yeah? So what?" I took a long drink from the straw in my iced white mocha and looked at her expectantly, waiting for an answer that was worth my while.
"That's not very nice!" She pouted.
I snorted, "I never said I was nice, and now you know why I'm not an Avenger." A mischievous thought occurred to me, and I turned back to the little child to voice it, devilish smirk in place, "say what, I'll apologize if you can beat me to the door." I raised an eyebrow in mock challenge. Was I picking on a small child? Yes. Did I care? No. And why might that be? She asked me if I was an Avenger. I might have been a little insulted . . . and more than a little petty.
"Like a race?"
"Yeah, like a race, I'll even give you a head start." She started running, I gave her three seconds, then I zipped to the door, turned back to give her a finger wave, and zoomed off at full speed. I think I vaguely heard something about cheating being shouted behind me. Meh, I had never been much for playing fair anyway.
I raced through the streets, on my way back to my apartment when I noticed something a tad peculiar. Looks like the Avengers had come out to play, most of them I had only noticed after doing a double take and making a sharp u-turn. Auntie Wanda was sitting at an outdoor café with a baseball cap and sunglasses on, Steve was walking down the street with the White Wolf, looking at street vendor's merchandise, Clint and Natasha appeared to be window shopping, and Tony . . . was signing autographs in the middle of the street, needless to say he had been the one to catch my attention. Why did that not surprise me? Like, at all.
They didn't come into the city very often after moving their main base upstate, but the tower—to my knowledge—was still active, so I guess it was possible that they were just here for leisure. Or they might've caught word that I was running about at super speed saving people. I mean there was that spiderboy in Queens that worked with them occasionally, so they could be here to see the kid, but I didn't think it took more than one Avenger to do that.
In my world, the Wolf Spider was a teenage mercenary for hire who worked under the White Wolf to keep organized crime in line on the east coast, but they didn't involve themselves in word-saving—or ending—endeavors. The White Wolf of this world appeared similar in that way and was clearly still dangerous, but was far more reclusive, I had even heard he had woken up from a two year long coma a couple months ago after being severely injured during his African posting but hadn't really been seen or heard from since. As for this world's Wolf Spider, I hadn't seen or heard much of him aside from the fact that he appeared to be a few years younger than me, was not a mercenary, and sometimes appeared on the local headlines for walking grannies across the street or stuff like that. But jumping universes messes with your sense of time and my aging had never been quite normal to begin with so it was hard to determine my own age, let alone compare it to others, I figured I was about twenty two in this universe.
Now it was decision time. Do I reveal myself again? Should I approach while wearing my suit? Should I let them see my suit? Ah shit, this was harder than expected. I shrugged to myself, why not? My impulsiveness was feeding on my curiosity about how they would react to seeing me in my suit, encouraging me to show off . . . and I could feel myself giving in more by the second. When in doubt, follow the impulse. That way at least something gets done, even if it wasn't well thought, instead of remaining stagnant. I couldn't stand things that didn't move, or didn't move fast, and I certainly refused to be one.
I hopped in the group by Tony asking for autographs and when he finally got to me, he paused but then took it in stride. "Cosplayer, right? Trying to one-up my suit, are you? Trying to be a cooler version of me?" He chuckled as he signed an Avengers poster and handed it to me.
I laughed along with him, vibrating my vocal cords so that my voice couldn't be recognized, "there is only one version of you that is cooler, and that's only 'cause he's evil." I could see a note of wariness creep into his eyes. "What's the matter, Tony? Don't want to hear about Superior Ironman? You shouldn't worry too much, he doesn't have the ability to travel between universes."
He cleared his throat, a false lightness in his voice as he asked, "what was your name again?"
"Didn't I tell you already that you can call me Rush? Thanks for the autograph!" I winked and ran off, hearing him curse behind me and shouting for the others. Ooh, did we have a chase on our hands? I did love a chase, but there was no way they could keep up without a speedster. I made a loop around the block and casually joined their huddle, which they didn't seem to even notice until I spoke up, "sooo, too fast for you? Should I slow down?"
Before they could react with anything other than surprise, I moved with lightning speed, literally running circles around them. If I slowed down, I was sure that Widowmaker—no, Black Widow, wrong universe—would (try to) put a bullet in me, and I wasn't gonna give her that opportunity. Of the Avengers present, she and Auntie Wanda were the only ones whose weapons were remotely fast enough to be effective, and I was counting on Wanda being too shaken up by my speed to do anything about it. "Oh come on, slowpokes, if you wanna catch me, you gotta do better than that! I'll even limit my speed to 300, whaddaya say?"
Steve looked to Tony and asked, "do you even have a car that can go that fast?" Tony shook his head.
I paused in my running, arms crossed and pouting. "I miss Velocity, she might have been evil and trying to destroy the world and all, but at least she could keep up."
"Who the hell is Velocity? Did I miss something?" White Wolf asked Steve.
"Oh right, wrong universe, I've been in this one long enough that you'd think I'd be able to keep it straight, but differences in doppelgängers are a real pain in the ass to keep track of." I leaned back so that I could make eye contact with Wanda, well, the best I could through my mask, and wiggled my fingers at her in the Maximoff fashion, "Hey Auntie!" Turning back to the group, I smirked, "you didn't see that coming?"