Entity

The Multiverse. An ever-lasting expanse of existence. A kaleidoscope of realities all overlapping while keeping ignorant of one another. A hotspot of multi-dimensional irregularities.

Ca-

Multi-dimensional….. That's probably the best way to describe what I'm observing now. It felt so familiar. Like I'd been here before. Like I'd seen this already. Somewhere in the back of my head, I hear the whispers. Telling me that I was right. That this wasn't my first time. Was it yesterday? The day before that? Or every day before then. I couldn't know. Something tells me I never will.

Cal-

I look up. Turning my attention back to the focal point of this… dream? Unconscious reality?

As I question myself, its form twists. I look again at its shape. An existence outside of my understanding. Of my belief of perception. It was a single creature. Floating aimlessly in this blank starless expanse I find myself in. Its form displayed no limitation. No end to its multiversal reach. Its body occupied the same space in multiple instances. Warping reality to allow the impossible. It's appendages fold and unfold in a continuous cycle.

Calv-

It was made of shards. Mirrors and edges, both extreme and simple. Its entwining shape is reminiscent of the Tesseract, a geometrical shape I studied about in high school. A living creature embodying a non-living idea. If I were more lucid I feel as though the paradox this presented would have been humorous to me.

Calvi-

I see fragments drift off the creature. Trailing around it. They paint the blank backdrop of this space with light. Once there was darkness. Now there are stars, moons, and planets. Though they are just minuscule parts of Its form. Of its power. I feel energy reverberate around me. The creature stirred. I watch as energy converges around its form. I feel myself growing anxious. The power surrounds me and I'm quickly reminded of my mortality in front of what might as well have been a god.

I wait for the inevitable. I intruded upon his monastery. And all that was left for me was death.

And then it SPOKE.

Destination. Agreement. Trajectory. Agreement.

Questions followed by confirmations. Confirmations from who, I couldn't tell. I didn't want to think of the possibility that there were more. That this wasn't the only one of its kind.

'Calvin'

It started moving, collapsing onto itself. Focusing on a single point in space. Existing in every universe simultaneously. It's weight far surpasses that of a black hole. Space bends around it. Glowing motes float around at speeds exceeding light. The creature quite literally makes the natural laws of physics It's bitch.

Before completing whatever it intends to do. It turns its gaze on me for the first time. It lingers there. It doesn't ask anything of me nor do I have the strength to question it. All thoughts of why or how I ended up here have been all but forgotten. It glows dangerously. Brighter and brighter until I'm forced to shut my eyes and look away. At the apex of this process, 12 crystals… no shards, split from the creature. They shoot at tremendous speed. All aiming for the same location. As the creature blinks from its location to the next, I feel impacts on my body. They shake me to my core. Everything I am rewriting to fit an ideal, to house something.

For what purpose? I do not know. The creature is gone, multiverses away from where I am. All I can think about is the change. Of what was done. My head aches.

And 12 fragments take root in my brain.

"CALVIN!"

"AAUGH!" I jump up from my seat as I'm scared awake from my dream. I can feel sweat covering my palms. The faded-out grey sweatshirt I'm wearing under my hoody felt wet against my skin. I scan my surroundings. A common convenience store. The same as the hundred other stores that pilfered the worn-out streets of Los Angeles. It was a beautiful city. If you could look past the not-so-fortunate areas.

"So you're finally awake, dorminhoco." I turn my head towards the speaker. A man in his mid-forties. His baggy shirt and jean shorts combined with his kind smile and half-lidded eyes give off the virtuous hobo vibe you'd rarely find in LA. Well, the virtuous part, the homeless occupied this city in droves.

"Chris? I'm really sorry man, It happened again. I promise I'll keep it under control next time." I grimaced as I remember I'm supposed to be on the night shift right now.

"Next time? Minha amiga you say that every time you've fallen asleep on shift." His smile fades away slightly and I can see a bit of concern leak out from his playful demeanour.

I hate that. The pity. I wish he'd kick me out. He's right. This wasn't the first time it's happened. When he found me on the streets 3 months ago with no ID and missing parts of my memory, I thought he must've been so happy to get a guy to run his store for nothing but peanuts and a bag of chips as payment. Then the dreams came, the ones I can't even remember. They kept me awake at night. And got all my clothes stinking to high heaven from sweat. I thought he'd kick me out the first time I dreamt at work. But he just joked about it and moved on. I knew for a fact that it wasn't going to be the last it happened and I had a feeling he knew that too. At least if he got angry I could accept it. Walk away from here without any regrets. I made minimum wage and had to live in an apartment in the worst dump in the city. There really wasn't anywhere to go but up. But now? Now I just feel like a leeching asshole.

"Chris. Maybe it's time you found someone else. Look I appreciate everything you've done for me here, I really do. But let's be honest. Someone could've walked in the store, stolen everything, and walked out with me completely knocked out." I wave my hands towards the exit to highlight my point but to my frustration, Chris just starts laughing like the loon he is.

"Look, Calvin, it's fine. You're being hard on yourself. You're alone here. The sleep? The nightmares? I've been in the city all my life. I've seen it all. You're stressed. Just calm down for a moment, ok?" He walks around the counter and puts his arm around my shoulder. Watching him tiptoe to match my shoulder level almost causes me to laugh. Almost.

"How about this? I give you a couple of hundred extra today. And you take the next three days off. Entendido?"

"What? Chris did you not hear what I said? I'm asking you to fire me and hire someone capable of doing this job. Not give me a holiday and more money."

"Calvin" he shifts his arm off me and moves to face me head-on. His arm comes up and he clasps my right shoulder. "Your special miúdo. I can feel it. You might not see it yet but I see potential in you. You learnt Portuguese in what? Two weeks of practicing and hearing it from me? And I'm being honest when I say this, I'm surprised a modeling scout hasn't walked in here and picked you up kid, you look built for the lifestyle"

He chuckles while I look away with a blush. I wasn't used to getting compliments from people. It was nice, especially from someone I considered a mentor, maybe even a friend.

"Here" he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet. After sifting through some bills I see him grab 3 or 4 hundred and place them on the counter in front of me. "Take it, Calvin. Enjoy your break."

With a sigh, I grab the bills and start to head out. Before I exit through the automatic glass doors I call behind my back, "Thanks a lot Chris, I'll be at 100% when I get back ok!"

"Anything you say, kid. And for the love of everything that's good please say my name fully! Its Christiano ok, C-h-r-i-s-t-i-a-n-o compreendo?!"

"The only man worthy of that name is CR7 Chris, continue sonhando meu amigo!" I laugh hysterically as I run out of the store and wave goodbye behind my back. I can hear Chris's laughter get quieter and quieter as I jog back to my single-bedroom apartment.

The housing complex itself had seen better days. The building was old. Brick and concrete were either cracked or visibly worn out and discoloured. I didn't mind it though. I was living on the streets when I first got here. No family, defective memories and nothing and no one to rely on. This was definitely an improvement.

I walk up the stairs to my apartment. C-12. I took out the keys from my pocket and insert them into the door. Before it opens I stop and look up. The number 12. It resonated with me. I don't know why or how….. but it felt almost instinctual. Like it was supposed to mean something.

Before my brain went on another dream acid trip I turn the lock and enter my less-than-stellar apartment.

It had everything you needed though. A bed, a kitchen, a TV, and a bathroom.

Sure, were they too close together? Yes. Was there way too little space for a guy my size? Maybe. Would inspection services shut this place down for potential dangers? Arguably.

As I walk over to the kitchen to heat some water for some instant noodles I grab the TV remote off my bed and hit the power button.

"Good evening America, My name is Amy Springer with the WFET here to bring you commentary on criminal reports across the US of A. The east coast is currently suffering from multiple murder cases. Most shocking of which occurred late night in downtown New York where an elderly man was shot outside of a convenience store….."

"And it's here at the heart of Gulmira where a story of unbelievable heroism has been said to have taken place. While the Afghani government denies all plausibility the natives of this small town have elected to share their experience of being saved by what they describe as….."

"In other news, the stock market has seen an influx of highs and lows which have completely thrown investors in disarray. Some are calling this a natural part of the market cycle while many point to Stark Industries as a major player in the complete upheaval in prices. On the flip side of things, other conglomerates in their respective fields have seen an incredible boost, the likes of Roxxon, Rand, UnionAllied, Hammer Industries, Osc….."

The reporter drones on as my mind comes back to something I'd been holding off on for the past few months. I stare at the screen at what I knew to be Robert Downey jr. An Actor. Or so I had first thought. While I had forgotten most parts of my life I did remember key elements. Movies, shows, and books. Entertainment. The joys of my childhood. Most importantly though. I remembered the Comics. The epitome of what I considered art in physical form. Marvel comics were special to me. Even with my memories as messed up as they were, that fact remained.

So how could I forget Stark? THE Tony Start.

It didn't feel right. Sure Robert Downey jr. looked the part. But was he really similar enough to the character? To the man who went toe to toe with the universe's biggest baddies and came up on top? Aliens, Monsters, and literal Gods? The universe must have thought so seeing as how it put him in place of one of the greatest minds earth had to offer.

I couldn't find any evidence. Nothing to connect Stark to Iron Man. The man had been kidnapped prior to me getting dropped in this world. I feel like that should be important…

Every time I feel as though the answer is close it slips through my fingers. The amnesia was taking effect in full force.

Shaking my head a stand-up and walk over to the small bathroom in the corner of my apartment. I step inside and I turn on the tap. As water flows out I cup my hands to gather some and wash my face.

My head hurt. The puzzles didn't fit. Companies that I'm sure never existed do. People who really shouldn't exist are staring me right in the face on my TV screen.

Face. I look up from the sink at my face. My new face. It was disorientating getting used to it. It felt right as much as it felt wrong. Chris wasn't lying when he said I could've been picked up by a model agency. I had a great build. Muscles that I feel like I didn't deserve. Blue eyes stared back at me through the mirror. Complete with black curly hair. I look familiar. As I search through my memories something pops up. A movie I'd seen years ago. What was it called? Man of S–

"... we've just gotten reports of what appears to be 2 heavily armoured suits flying through several buildings. The local police force has been contacted by a minor branch of the government. The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division come with the message to STAY AWAY from the Stark Industries energy facility."

I stop the staring contest with myself in the mirror and run back into the room. I stare at the TV and take in the 2 forms on display. A blurry photo that was probably taken from a passerby of metal suits flying together in the distance. Wreckage trailing behind them of broken buildings and dented cars. I felt vibrations beneath me. Sirens going off not too far from here.

Something stirs inside of me. The logical part of my brain was telling me I needed to sit down. That there wasn't anything I should do. That I could do. But something else was calling me… a feeling that told me I had to go. That I was meant to.

I guess logic would have to take a backseat for this one.

I grabbed my keys and ran to the door. Made sure to lock it before bolting down the steps and out of the house.

I could hear them. The sirens and explosions. They were close. Really close.

Even with me only half recognizing the danger I was putting myself in I started running in their direction. Straight for the source of this mess.

The longer I ran the louder it became. After only a few minutes I heard weird whirring noises and loud detonations. I swear I could hear voices too. Automated as if coming from distorted speakers. I reached a road that inclined up to an elevated highway. Dashing forwards I forked my way up and took a straight U-turn back to where I heard the commotion.

And I saw them. A suit in the form of a man. Red and gold. The one I'd read about for nearly a decade. Nostalgic memories flooded my mind. Someone who could and would do the impossible.

He was currently getting his shit kicked in. Pretty terribly too might I add.

He was grabbed from the ground by a metal giant. Similar in nature but completely different in build. This one was exclusively grey and lacked any artistic expression on part of the creator. He took who I presumed to be Tony Stark and slammed him down onto the road. I could hear Starks suit tanking the impact. Sparks flew everywhere and the concrete road cracked under the pressure. The grey metal giant lifts his leg up and slams it down on his fallen opponent.

"I built this company from nothing!"

His leg raised again, posing to stomp on Stark one more time.

That's when it clicked.

Something in the back of my head. Memories of the dreams I've had resurfaced, of an impossible creature and of its fragments. Of its Shards. Of its gifts. The whispers began. Quietly. Speaking to only one listener, and a word that only I would ever truly hear, or comprehend.

'Mover'

The hairs on my body stood on end. My eyes sharpened. I could see the bus behind the iron giant. The kids watching in fear. Hoping that their escape from the vehicle wouldn't be noticed. I could smell metal, ash, and flame. From the cars burning nearly 12 feet away from me. I put my right leg forward and bent my knees. I felt the rush of adrenaline in my system. The sudden lack of fear-inspiring me to act.

I pushed off the ground. The concrete under my feet indented as I flew forward. Straight at the metal giant. My human form blurred through the air. I cocked my arm back, and with no hesitation or second thought.

I punched the metal giant straight in the faceplate.