Chapter Five, Newfound Knowledge.

"So what do we do now?" Ben asks me.

"I mean, right now I don't know about you but I want to sleep. Later, we'll clean up the rest of Doom's robots, and repair what's broken."

"I meant about hiring scientists. That's the third incident in the building, no one would be crazy enough to come work for us. Even if you call it a gas leak, there's no way everyone would believe it…"

"Sh*t, you're right… I don't know for now, like I told you, I'm a bit tired, and a good sleep will help me think better. I'm gonna go, see you later Ben…" I say, going to my room. Arrived there, I take off my shoes and lie on the bed, taking Sue in my arms and falling asleep.

« — I am Iron Man. — An ant has no quarrel with a boot. — On your left. — Star-Lord, man. Legendary outlaw. — You didn't see that coming? — Baskin Robbins always finds out. — We don't get to choose our time. — I'm exercising my blood right to challenge for the mantles of King and Black Panther. — Oh, my God. The hammer pulled you off? — I'm so touched you think I'm the World's Greatest Grandma. — Hear me, and rejoice. — »

*Gasps* I wake up, sweating, look around in the dark, trying to find where I am and what happened.

"Reed, Reed, are you okay?" I hear, feeling a hand on my back. I turn around, and see Susan, still in her dirty clothes from the fight last evening. "It's alright," she says, "it was just a nightmare. You're alright now." She whispers, pulling me in for a hug. I can't possibly tell her that it wasn't a nightmare, can I? But it would, for sure, help out a lot.

What I saw was the entire MCU timeline accelerated, but with a few changes here and there, maybe to accomodate for the Baxter Foundation's presence. One of the changes was that Captain America was found and thawed from the ice a bit sooner. Of course, I wasn't in any of those accelerated ...memories?, but things are different than what is known as Earth-199999. Now that I'm here, things are going to deviate a lot from what I know, since I fully intend to change the future.

"I-I… I think I just saw the future." I tell her. "The cosmic storm, perhaps. I'm not entirely sure."

"What did you see? No - wait. Don't tell me. Or can you tell me? How does that work?"

"Well, I think that since I know, and intend to change things, it doesn't matter if you know a few things as well, right? I hope?"

"I'm going to take a shower, tell Alfred everything you can remember, and then you'll tell me what I need to know. After you're done, take a shower as well." she says, scrunching her nose when passing by me.

"Alfred, prepare to take some notes, there's a lot of intel coming."

"Ready, Sir."

"Create folders for each event. Call the first one 'Iron Man'"

"Iron Man, Sir?" I detect some disdain for my naming sense, but I'm too tired to care.

"Just do it…"

Fifty minutes later, I went to take a shower as per ordered by the mistress. After said shower, we talked about a few events that were really important in my mind, but I left out Thanos and the snap. I didn't want to overwhelm her, especially since I know that I won't be able to prevent it easily, or know who will be gone...

"There might be a lot of variations, since we know about some events, but it would probably follow this timeline to an extent, I think." After a moment thinking to herself, she looks at me.

"We could help Stark, right?" Sue asked. "I mean, since we know he's going to get palladium poisoning, there has to be something we can do?"

"Well, he's going to find a new element to replace Palladium in his reactor, which will cure him, so-"

"Yes, I know, I wanted to say that we can lessen his symptoms and make him owe us one. We could use an oxidiser and…. I'm going to check it out." She said, storming off. I know that she's a bit put off by all the information I dumped on her, and research helps her focus on one thing and not overthink the rest. Even if I remembered what Fury used on Tony, I don't think telling her that would help her. I think she needs a bit of time.

For my part I went to find the team to inform them about a few key events, so that we're all prepared. The big event to come being the Chitauri invasion, which we can't realistically prevent by ourselves.

"What can we do if we can't prevent the portal from opening?" Ben asks.

"I'll burn everything coming down from that wormhole. I'll burn them to cinders," Johnny says.

"Well, we need to make a number of plans, but the most important thing to do is train. I'm sorry to say that, but at the moment we won't be of much help. Johnny, your flames are hot enough, but if you can't hold them for long enough, it won't matter. So we need training. The thing is I'm a bit scared that the training provided by SHIELD will be exchanged against using us as weapons on Hydra's battlefields."

"Why not ask Fury to put us off his database and that the person training us must be Captain America? There's little risk that he'll be Hydra, right?" Ben proposes.

"And we can add that we won't leave New York, so that at least if we are sent somewhere, we know it won't be on an actual battlefield." Johnny says.

"I hadn't thought of that." I say, impressed.

"We're a team for a reason you know." Ben smiles.

"I'll try to negotiate with the superspy then…"

"Oh! Oh! Hey! Ask him if he can send a hottie to train us as well. You know, to resist temptation and shit." I grin, and can't help but think about Black Widow, she would most probably definitely eat him alive, when he inevitably flirts with her.

"I'll ask. No promises." Hiding my smile from Johnny is probably the hardest thing I've done all day. "In the meantime, we should do this everyday, talking about our problems and interrogations, so that others can give their points of view, and help you out if possible. How about during lunchtime?" I ask, and the nod. "Great. I'll go see Fury, talk to you guys later."

Alfred informed me that a lot of the questions we received by mail was to know if the car was actually real and working, or if it was just a publicity stunt, so I decided to take it for a spin to talk to SHIELD. Starting it up, I flew out of the building, low enough so that people see it, but high enough that the repulsors don't do anything bad. I mean, even if we have limiters and a power dampener on them, they create a bit of wind and warmth. Not high enough to burn anything, but it could cause concern to the uninformed passerby, so let's avoid that.

The effect is immediate, with people looking up and shouting about a flying car, so that "publicity stunt" mark should go away pretty soon. The set of laws we proposed hasn't been adopted yet, since the car isn't commercially available, so technically, I'm not breaking any traffic/air rules.

Seeing the Triskelion building from a distance, I figured that I'd better put the car down, or they'll be likely to put it down themselves. So I take to the road and do the last stretch like in a normal car. Arriving at the security checkpoint, I thought I would be inspected, but instead the guard looks at me and asks me to open my window.

"Director Fury is waiting for you. There's a parking on your right at the end of the bridge. Take a pass at the entry desk before you go any farther in the building, or you may get escorted out." With that, he opens the barrier, and I pass through. Following his instruction, I park Johnny's car, and go to the office desk just by the entrance. Again, I don't have to say anything before a woman hands me a badge.

"Hello, Mr. Richards, Director Fury is expecting you. Put this badge on or you will be seen as a liability," She looked at me to add in her mind 'and shot to kill', before continuing. "Stephany here will escort you to the Director's office. Please follow her, and do not wander around. Have a good day" she says, as I put on the badge on.

"Hello, I'm Stephany. I'll be taking you to the Director." she says, and starts walking. "In the security booth, you'll be asked to leave any electronic device in a basket, which you'll be able to take back once you'll leave. Weapons are prohibited to that point to non personnel or guests. If you carry one, you'll be asked to inform the security officer that will check you before he does so. Please tell him what weapon you carry, and where you carry it, and do not try to take it out, he will take care of that. If you do try, it will be interpreted as an attack, and you will be apprehended. Do you understand?"

"I do. I don't have any weapons."

"Good. If you …" and she continues listing all restrictions accompanying my quality of guest until we arrive at the security booth, a huge wall with X-Ray machines, metal detectors and a number of patrol guards. Leaving my phone and car keys, I pass through the multiple checks. Stephany goes through an employee specific walkway, with noticeably less checks. Finally, we take a glass elevator, in silence, as all the attempt I made at conversation were shut down by Stephany, as she looked deadpan at me without saying anything. We arrive at Maria Hill's desk, with the spy looking at me, and nodding at Stephany. While Stephany leaves, Maria Hill inspects me from top to bottom.

"So how did you know he took something from the robots?" is the first thing she asks me.

"Umm… I'm sorry. What?"

"Director Fury. Apparently you knew he had taken something when you weren't looking, and you asked him to leave it. How did you know?"

"Oh, that." I can't tell her that I didn't and was basing my hunch on my preexisting knowledge of Fury's character, so I instead came up with a quick lie. "I asked my AI to catalogue and monitor every piece of technology from the robots, one camera picked up Fury taking one with him and the AI informed me." That should be enough, but I'm not entirely sure my acting was on par with the lie. I laugh nervously.

She squints. "You can go in." she says, leaving her desk and opening the door for me. "Have a nice day."

"You too," I reply, walking in Fury's office.

"I thought I told you I would contact you, Mr. Richards. And yet, here you are the very next day, taking your flying car to a secret government building which you're not supposed to know about. You mind explaining it to me?" Oh, right. I forgot he'd said that. Well, for my defense, I just glimpsed at the future, and 13 years of it as well, so…

"Things have changed since then."

"Since yesterday night?" he asks, sternly. "Please, do tell, what has changed so dramatically that you had to risk going to prison for revealing government secrets to the public by flying into one of it's most classified buildings?" he exaggerates.

"I did not fly here, I touched down a good ways away. And I have new information."

"..."

"..."

"I'm listening…" he says, annoyed.

"Well, my team agreed to have training, but we refuse to leave New York for any future SHIELD mission. We want training by men and women that are the most loyal to you. Not to SHIELD, to you directly. We want to be out of SHIELD's database as well."

"All I'm hearing right now are demands, not much information."

"I can't reveal that information to you until you've agreed to those demands. On paper. Not printed, but hand-written." he frowns.

"That bad, huh." He crosses his fingers in front of his mouth, thinking. "Can you tell me in one word why I should listen to this information?"

I approach him, get down to his ear, and whisper: "Goose is a Flerken." He jumps off his chair, takes his gun out and points it at me.

"Who the hell are you?! How do you know that?!" I lift my hands in the air, slowly back away and sit in the chair in front of his desk. Hill, hearing the commotion, comes in, guns in hands.

"Sir, is everything okay?" Fury calms down a bit, but his gun is still pointed at me.

"It's alright, everything is under control," he says, slowly sitting back down, putting his gun on the desk, and keeping his hand on it. "You can go back, Ms. Hill. Thank you." She leaves the room, intrigued. "Now, who are you. Because only four people in the universe know what you told me. And unless you're "disguised", you're not one of them.

"As I said, things have changed. But I can assure you that I'm 100% Reed Richards from Earth. For the rest, I can't tell you anything unless I have some insurance, in the form of what I asked." This time, I see him really contemplate on my demands. After a few minutes of silence, he takes a pen and a paper, sets the page on a flat glass surface, and begins writing. He finishes, signs, looks for a stamp in a couple of drawers, and stamps it. He turns the paper around, and presents it to me without saying anything. I read it, and it's basically all my demands, and Fury's official approval in his capacity as Director of SHIELD.

I fold the paper and put it in my pocket. He takes a small device from his desk and turns off multiple cameras in the room. He takes another one, turns a knob on it, and sets it on the table. He puts his hands over his mouth, saying that the room was now clear, and asks me to start talking. I put my hands like his, over my mouth, and comply.

"I don't know how or why, but since early this morning, I have knowledge over a number of past and future events. Your meeting with "Vers" included." I say, putting emphasis on the name, to make sure he knows who I'm talking about. "I can't tell you about the future, as it would inevitably affects it, but know that the universe is at stake. Not right now, not tomorrow, but soon. And my team and I need training from the best. Laura Matthers and Capsicle." The pronounced frown on his face tells me that I should give him some incentives, or he'll probably hurt me. "In exchange, I'll give you advance warning on some events, and info on a few subjects that shouldn't affect things too much. For example, Stark is working on a new set of clothes made of iron, but he's not the only one, and Coulson should go check on Potts to know what I mean."

"I need some time to process all of that," he deactivated the devices. "I'll contact you again. And if I see you without me contacting you first, I'll have you arrested. Maria Hill will lead you out. Thank you, Mr. Richards, for this waste of my time!" He shouted, but did a face that I assumed meant that he didn't believe what he said. I could be wrong, he's not the most expressive man, and his eyepatch doesn't help much.

"Thank you Director Fury, and sorry for wasting your time, I was sure I could win a staring contest against you, but it seems that you're unbeatable. I'll make sure to not disturb you again." I left, accompanied by Ms. Hill, which looked pissed, as she heard what I said and seemed to have taken it seriously. Fury will probably keep her in the loop. I hope.

Anyway, arriving near Johnny's car in the parking lot, I see Coulson looking at it. "She has a certain charm. How's the range?" he asks.

"Hi Agent. Why do you ask, I'm sure you know more about it than I do at this point. How's Lola, still flying? What's her range nowadays?" I reply, with a smirk.

"Classified. Have a good day, Mr. Richards," he says, looking at the car one last time before leaving. I smile, as I take it home, first by road, and as soon as I can't see the Triskelion, by air.