I never thought when I began writing Slate that it would reach the point that it did. I never believed that people would love it the way they did and do, I never believed that people would love Lottie the way they did and do, and I just didn't think we'd ever get here.
Slate has created a universe. Your love of Lottie and her story is what drove the creation of Audelia, which drove the creation of Lydia and Eleanor. Their stories are coming, but it's more than that. Their stories lead to so much more, an entire new story that has been building in secret since the early chapters of Slate.
In honor of 200K, I give you all the prologue of...Bridge to the Multiverse
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"It's okay Nat, mommy is here. There's no need to cry,"
A sigh tumbled from Charlotte Rogers lips as the cried of little Natalie Rogers rang out through the room lit by just a single lamp in the corner. Blowing a piece of hair out of her eyes, Lottie bounced her newborn daughter up and down in her arms, trying to calm her cries that were quite loud in the dead of the night.
Her feet maneuvered over to the window, lifting it open with one hand as the cool breeze and the sound of the water against the shore floated through the air, little Natalie's cries softening at the sound as she cooed, burying herself into her mother's arms as a smile crossed Lottie's lips.
Leaving a lingering kiss to her forehead, Charlotte laid her now sleeping daughter back in her crib, locking the railing in place as she looked down upon her with a sad smile. Her blue eyes were so reminiscent of those that she had loved her entire life. Every time she said her name, though, memories flooded through her head that she tried so desperately to ignore.
Bare feet pattered along the wooden floors of the cabin as Charlotte crept her way down the dark hallways into the kitchen. She sighed once again at the time on the clock; 4:47 in the morning. She placed herself down at the dining room table, a small candle lit in the middle as she returned to the pile of papers in front of her, listening to the sound of the lake just outside.
Paper after paper she flipped, reading through the information on each as her frown deepened every single time.
CAROL DANVERS: OFF WORLD, LOCATION UNKNOWN
PETER PARKER: IDENTITY COMPROMISED, LOCATION UNKNOWN
SAM WILSON: ACTIVE, LOCATION KNOWN
STEVE ROGERS: INACTIVE
NATASHA ROMANOFF: DECEASED
TONY STARK: DECEASED
She closed the file on the table, that name flowing through her head as she swallowed the lump that appeared in her throat. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes at the sight of the Avengers logo stamped on the front of the file, memories flashing through her head of the world that used to be her life, the world that was torn away from her in an instant.
"You know, I didn't know retirement required work at almost five in the morning,"
The raspy morning voice of Steve Rogers flowed through the air as Lottie looked up at her husband, the love of her life. He was leaning against the doorway, arms crossed in front of him and eyebrows raised, the softest and sleepiest smile on her lips as Lottie gave him a sheepish, tired one in return.
"It's not work," she told him, looking back down to the table as she grabbed her coffee mug, taking a sip as Steve took the file from it's place before her. "Just some stuff that Maria kindly asked me to have a look at, that's all."
"Yeah, is that why your paperwork lists you as an active consultant?"
Lottie swore under her breath, looking up at Steve as he held her own paperwork out to her, her dainty hands taking it from his and placing it on the table in front of her.
"Look, I'm retired I really am. I'm focused on you and Natalie, completely. But who is left, Stevie?" her voice came out in a whisper as she looked to her husband, as the super soldier had taken a seat beside her at the dining room table, taking her hands into his own. "Sure, Thanos is gone, but he's not the only threat. There were plenty before him. Our team...they're all gone now, and who knows if anyone left is going to step up. Someone has to do it, someone has to look after everyone, just like Nat did all those years."
"We haven't had a single issue since Quentin in London, Lottie," Steve tried to reason with his wife, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. "That was months ago now. When the time comes, if they need us, we're here. But you know that T'Challa has been keeping an eye on everything, and Carol is out there somewhere watching over the entire galaxy. Tony wouldn't want you to do this."
"No, he'd do it himself so no one else had to,"
The pair shared a laugh as Steve opened his arms, allowing Lottie's smaller frame to crawl into her husbands. Steve wrapped his arms around his love, tucking her head into his neck as he held her tight, his eyes trailing down to the open file on the table as he saw those two names sticking out to him just as they did to his wife.
"Not going to lie to you," Steve told her as he ran his hands up and down her back. "I'm missing them quite a lot lately. The longer they're not here, the more it feels weird."
"I just wish they were here," Lottie whispered back, pulling backwards to look into the blue eyes she loved so dear. "Or, at least, I wish I knew they were okay. They deserved to live their lives."
"They did, love,"
"Well, they deserved better ones,"
The pair sat in silence in the dark of the night as the clock struck five on the dot, the red lights of the numbers being the only light off in the kitchen. Lottie's forehead rested against Steve's as they sat in silence together. They never had to say a single thing, they always knew what the other was feeling. The love was obvious, it didn't have to be said.
It only took a split second for the candle light to flicker out and the glass on the table to rumble. Steve and Lottie pulled back, rising to their feet as their instincts kicked in immediately.
The foundation of the house shook, glasses on the kitchen counters falling to the ground and smashing to pieces as the lights above flickered. Steve and Lottie stood on opposite sides of the dining room, staring at one another with wide eyes as they couldn't pinpoint the cause of the rumbling.
In a flash, the room glowed white for just a split second, like a wall of lights moving over them and a rush of energy flowing through Charlotte's body before it was gone. The room returned to normal, the glasses stayed where they were on the counters, the floor stilled. All that was left in the remnants was the swinging light above the dining room table and the hair of Lottie's arms standing tall.
The alarm on the car outside began to beep incessantly as Natalie's cries echoed through the night once more.
"Was probably just a small earthquake," Steve told Lottie, sensing the discomfort the event had caused her. "It can happen anywhere. I'll go grab Natalie and clean up the glass if you want to go deal with the car. Lord knows I still can't work it."
"Okay..."
Lottie's eyes stayed locked on her husband as he left the room to tend to their daughter. Her hands ran up and down her arms, her senses going haywire as she slipped on her shoes, grabbing the car keys and walking out the front door.
The headlights of the car were flashing light crazy, the alarm blaring as she neared it, hitting the alarm button as it finally turned off. But she stayed in place, chills running down her arms as she looked around at the surrounding trees. Something felt off, like there was a strange energy hanging in the air around her.
"FRIDAY?" Lottie spoke, the bracelet around her wrist lighting up as the AI came to life for the first time in months.
"Yes Ms. Rogers?"
Lottie swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to rid herself of the picture of her best friend flashing in her head at just the sound of the AI's voice.
"Give me a scan of the surrounding area, both the air and the objects. Show me any abnormalities,"
A red light shone from the bracelet as Lottie moved it in a circle around her, allowing FRIDAY to get a full scan before the light turned off.
"Energy levels within the air have risen 135% in the last ten minutes, but the levels are slowly dropping back to normal," the AI explained. "All objects in the area possess an irregular amount of kinetic energy, indicating the car alarm being triggered."
"Any ideas on a cause? Could it have been a natural occurrence?"
"Unfortunately, no. There are no natural occurrences that can cause this amount of an energy level spike,"
"So definitely not an earthquake," she woman whispered to herself, tapping her bracelet as FRIDAY returned to her dormant stage.
Lottie couldn't shake the feeling she had, the one telling her that something was wrong, that this was something much more than it seemed to be. Every part of her was screaming that there was something more that she didn't know yet, that this was something beyond her control right now. This was serious, even if she wanted to believe it wasn't.
Dialing the familiar number into her cell phone, Lottie brought it to her ear, waiting as the line rang three times before she heard the familiar voice on the other end.
"Go for Hill,"
"Didn't peg you to be a morning person," Lottie shot back at her friend, looking back to her home as she saw the kitchen light flicker on inside.
"Hard to sleep when your home is suddenly rocked by an earthquake,"
"Good to know Steve and I aren't the only ones that felt it,"
"Rogers, I'm pretty sure all of New York felt it," there was shuffling on the other end, followed by silence from Maria Hill for just a moment. "I'm guessing you've got a hunch about this one?"
"Not a hunch, just a feeling. Any emergency calls to the NYPD yet?" she questioned, leaning back against the car as she could see Steve moving through the house, little Natalie in his arms.
"A couple, mainly reporting it as an earthquake and complaining about it, but nothing too serious. Why?"
"I can't explain it, but I know there's something more. This wasn't an earthquake, Maria," Lottie tried to explain to her friend. She couldn't explain how she knew, she just did. "Look, I had FRIDAY do a scan of the area. Energy in the air rose 135% during the event, and every object in the surrounding area is still packed with an unusual level of kinetic energy. This wasn't an earthquake and I know it."
"...I've got a small team on speed dial. I'll have them monitor calls for the rest of the early morning and do some scans throughout different sections of New York, see if data matches up everywhere," Maria paused for just a moment. "Charlotte, do you have any idea on what this might be if not just a natural occurrence?"
"No, but I need you to trust me on this," Lottie told her, biting her bottom lip as she looked around once more. "This wasn't normal, and I know it."
"...Keep your phone close, I'll give you updates as they come,"
"Thank you,"
The call ended with the familiar beep as Charlotte slid her phone back into her pocket, closing her eyes she she tilted her head to the sky, opening them to peer upon the moon as it hung high above her.
Charlotte Rogers wasn't sure what lied ahead of her in just a few hours. The only thing she knew was that she had a feeling, and her feelings were never wrong.