Open | Today is going... swimmingly

[codicies]

Who: Dylan Brock codicies and you!
What: Arrival to the game! Trying to get to the surface WITHOUT having a panic attack.
When: 6/28/22
Where: City of Atlantis, later the Diadem Hotel Lobby
Content Warnings: None (PM me if you need something tagged)

Atlantis

[ The bubble ride over to the underwater city had been... uneventful?

Maybe that wasn't the right word. Waking up underwater and being encased in a magical bubble piloted by a seal was an event in itself, and Dylan would have loved to be able to enjoy it for what it was.

But the bottom of the ocean was so silent. A crushing silence pushing on his ears, punctuated by the sound of his own breath reverberating around the small bubble.

And the ocean outside his small haven was so dark. Just enough light filtering from... somewhere to show just how far the darkness stretched in every direction.

Even given the circumstances... it was so similar to an all-too-recent memory of being alone with Knull in the center of the Symbiote hive.

Dylan spent the bubble ride curled up, relaxing a little when he saw the lights of Atlantis on the horizon.

That was an hour ago. Now he's standing in the crowd of newcomers, waiting to be processed and given transport to the surface. (Thank god he can get to the surface.)

He's a lanky young teenager with a comically large towel wrapped around his shoulders, and someone shoved a watery cup of hot chocolate into his hands that he's been nursing while waiting with the other arrivals. He's a little shaky, and his gaze is distant, but whenever someone speaks to him he'll respond accordingly.

Empaths might be able to tell he's trying to stave off a panic attack. Psychics might get images of being trapped with darkness in all directions, standing alone against... something horrifying. ]

-----

Diadem Hotel - Lobby

[ Dylan's curled up on one of the cushy armchairs in the hotel lobby. A few hours on the surface AND a hot shower have done wonders, but now he has a different problem. Two phones are in his lap: One is the fancy new smartphone he just got as a welcoming present, the other... the Stark Industries brand smartphone that was currently waterlogged and not turning on at all. ]

Come on... come on!

[ It is not, in fact, coming on. ]

This is bullshit.

Comments

[codicies]

A month, huh?

[ He sounds... disappointed, for sure. ]

Don't suppose there's been any successes at getting people home yet?

[ Dylan looks him over. It's probably not a good idea to hand over his phone to a stranger, even if the phone is more or less useless to the man. ]

And... sure, you can see it, but can I get your name first?

[makeanentrance]

Some people have been here a long time so I don't think there's any luck with sending people home.

[He reasons. He also isn't hiding who he is at present so he answers honestly.]

I'm Quentin Beck.

[He wouldn't be surprised to be known, and especially known as Mysterio. He doesn't ask for the boy's name in return, thinking he'll give it if he's comfortable to.]

[codicies]

[ He nods. ]

I'm Dylan.

[ And slowly, hesitantly he offers the water-damaged phone to Beck. ]

[makeanentrance]

[He takes it and inspects it, also noticing the brand.]

Stark Industries, huh? I'm familiar with them.

You said somebody is coming to help you with this? If they have no luck, I can try to take it apart for you. Might be able to retrieve the data.

[codicies]

Normally I'd say "who isn't familiar with them" but apparently the answer is "a bunch of people." They're so ubiquitous back home, it's weird to imagine there's that many worlds without 'em.

[ He gives an exaggerated shrug. ]

And yeah, a technopath's stopping by in a bit to try and transfer the data over. But if that doesn't pan out, I can look you up.

[makeanentrance]

Yeah, there are people from many different universes here.

I guess you haven't experienced the multiverse before.

[He turns the phone over then hands it back.]

[codicies]

[ Dylan looks relieved when Beck hands it back. He really was worried the man might try to steal it. ]

I have once. Before this, I mean.

But it was one of those Butterfly Effect universes where everything's the same except ONE small thing happened differently, and it spiraled into a world that was ruled by an evil dictator.

So there was still a Stark Industries. Or there had been, at least.

[makeanentrance]

Who was the evil dictator?

[A few names spring to his mind but he's merely curious.]

[codicies]

[ Dylan stiffens at the question, and there's a pause that's just a little too long before he answers. ]

Oh, uh, some guy named Codex. He was possessed by the Symbiote God or something. Spawned a bunch of them, used them to take over. It was pretty bleak.

[makeanentrance]

[He considers the name then shakes his head.]

I haven't heard of him.

I have had some experience with symbiotes though.

[codicies]

[ Dylan perks up in interest. ]

Oh, yeah? What happened?

[makeanentrance]

[He hesitates.]

It's a rather unpleasant story.

[codicies]

Was it Knull's invasion?

[makeanentrance]

What? No...

This was... more personal.

I got infected. It made me... stronger. More powerful.

At least for a short time.

[He sounds almost wistful in his reminiscing. As somebody who generally didn't have superhuman powers, it had been eye-opening and for a time he'd revelled in it. Even if some aspects he'd witnessed had been truly horrifying.]

[codicies]

Oh. It doesn't really... sound unpleasant when you put it like that, but I get it.

My friend Normie got infected by Carnage once. I didn't know him then, but it affected him pretty badly. He was just a little kid then.

[makeanentrance]

Um. I kinda... left out the unpleasant details.

[He admits.]

Any friends of yours around here?

[codicies]

...Yeah, that's fair.

[ He pauses to glance at his newer phone. ]

There's some names I recognize, but it's just alternate versions who don't recognize me. Like Eddie Brock.

[makeanentrance]

[At the name, Beck's face immediately lights up.]

Eddie? You know Eddie?

[Then he sombers.]

Oh, but it's not... the Eddie you know?

[codicies]

Yeah, pretty much. He looks a lot different than the one I'm used to, and he doesn't remember ever having a beef with Spider-Man.

[makeanentrance]

I met him here. Cool guy. We watched some movies.

So... you also know Spider-Man. There's so many of them here, I can't even keep track.

[codicies]

Hah. Yeah, even back home there are two Spider-Men. One of them dresses in black and red. And I think there's a Spider-Woman, too? It's hard to keep track.

But here, it's just Spider-Man after Spider-Man. Wonder how the Bugle would spin this.

[makeanentrance]

I'm sure Jameson would have a conniption over it.