(Chapter 5)Meet Andromeda

Becoming famous was surprisingly hard, even for a super-genius with tech powers. In theory I could have built some genuinely important invention - Freeware a decade early SmartPhone design and call it a day. But since practically my objective was to achieve that sort of thing without getting brutally murdered by every single government and secret organization, and the possibilities didn't seem great right at this moment, I had to do this the old fashion way. That meant networking.

I never had a taste for parties but at least I got to wear nice suits. This one was at a pink marble and dark wood country club ballroom I associated with the nouveau riche. Of course, I was there at the invitation of the Governor of Louisiana, so I made a point of smiling a little more than the occasion deserved.

Louisiana was still in the grips of the Roxxon blow-up from Cloak & Dagger even half a year after the fact. It seemed to have replaced the gulf coast BP oil spill in this timeline. I considered doing the investigation into that immediately and blowing up Roxxon, but the risks and rewards weren't aligned yet. I didn't want to get attacked by assassins until I could afford real security and I did want at least some of the data from their research into whatever they were drilling for when I destroyed Roxxon. So it was on my to-do list, but not on the top of my to-do list. This was just networking.

"Mr. Trent," said the thirty-seventh woman who'd introduced herself to me that night. Her appearance looked tailored to be forgotten - A boring gray suit, boring brown hair, and a boring professional bearing. It was at least different from the samey low-cut dresses that made up most of the attendees. I grinned politely at her as I leaned up against the bar, drinking a Dr. Pepper and savoring being back in the South. "You know they say your body is a temple."

I decided to be nice. "Well, I hope my stomach praises him with a joyful noise, Ms..."

She smiled, "Andromeda Albertson. I'm the Governor's niece, my friends call me Drama"

"It's a pretty name, feel free to call me Mike." I said, resisting the urge to poke fun at her nickname.

"Do you mind if I ask you a politics question?" she said

"Nothing could possibly be boringer than politics nerds not talking about politics,"

"I wouldn't call these people nerds," she said, giving me a long look. I gave her my best, 'really?' face. "Okay, they're nerds. Why'd you decide on green energy as a focal point for your company?"

"I hope I don't crush your young idealist heart by saying this, but my primary motive was ending NATO's crippling energy dependence on oil companies. Russia, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia, all dangerous oil extraction oligarchies who are fundamentally hostile to American interests. With the right mix of clean energy, domestic oil and coal, and nuclear power, we could bring all three to their knees without firing off a shot." The lie was getting well-worn enough I almost believed it at this point. I had actually chosen clean energy because clean air is great and climate change sucks but the hatred for Russia and the KSA was at least authentic. Venezuela as a sop to the GOP. Kiss a little bit of the fossil fuel industry's butt for taste.

"Saudi Arabia is an American ally," Andromeda said.

One of the benefits of my newly improved social skills is that instead of sneering and saying, "SaUDi ArABiA iS an AmERicaN ally" I instead said the more diplomatic phrase, "Do you know how many of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi?"

"Fifteen," she replied instantly. I was surprised. Most people didn't. "The actions of a few individuals doesn't necessarily reflect the will of a nation."

"Trust me, when some lunatic declares himself Caliph, his recruits will come from Saudi Arabia and the Wahabists they fund will be the rest." It was hard to have the argument ten years and a substantial world variance away from ISIS, but the principle still seemed to be true in this timeline. The KSA funded all sorts of ultra-radical clerical movements, much as the U.S. elite funded prosperity preachers and missionaries in the developing world.

"I think secular revolutionary movements like the Ten Rings are a bigger long term threat to national security than."

"The pan-Asiatic spirit pseudo-messianic beliefs of the Ten Rings isn't exactly what I would call secular, but really I'm just saying that popular dislike for the United States is something that the Saudis foster deliberately."

"The United States isn't unpopular because the Saudis are Wahabists, Mike."

Well, we were both fudging it a little bit, for certain. I couldn't out and out say, 'The United States is unpopular because of its imperial policy.' That would ruin my attempt at becoming a bipartisan green industrialist. I didn't know exactly what she was trying not to say. I just shrugged instead, "Well, it's something to think about. To bringing back American industry and energy independence!" I held up my can of Dr. Pepper in a gesture of peace

"I can drink to that," she said, tapping my can with her glass of white wine.

"What do you do, Andromeda? You a foreign policy advisor on some senatorial campaign?" My abilities give me the rough equivalent to a Google search, but I wasn't getting anything for her. Was it SHIELD?

"I work in the intelligence community for a small office on international anomalous response stuff."

SHIELD. "Anomalous response?"

"There's a lot of weird stuff out there," she said, "Somebody in DC has to look into it."

"You gonna tell me that Skrulls are real next?" I asked sarcastically, knowing that Skrulls were indeed real.

"No comment," she said, laughing at my false wit.

"Look, if you find anything interesting in power production, call me. I'd be happy to serve in any way I can." I said drawing a card from my pocket. I hoped they would tap me for that stupid weapons project with the cube.

"Hmm, can I call you if I don't find anything interesting?" she asked in

I considered not saying yes. It felt weird and kind of gross to maybe indicate more interest than I really had but a contact in Shield was something I desperately needed if I wanted to averted the Snap. And I mean, she wasn't unattractive. "Well, I guess you'll just have to be interesting yourself."