Marvel: I'm a Symbiote-Symbiote 0330: Mystic League (1/2)

In Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, the East Road only had a few people on it, most of them locals who were there for something specific. Generally, it would be evening before the tourist traffic gave the road the same hustle and bustle one would imagine from a prominent shopping district in the mountains.

A woman dressed in dark colors was walking around, looking slightly out of place with her sunglasses and backpack. At first glance, her mannerisms and attire screamed solo traveler.

[Are you sure this is going to work?] Laura asked Alex mentally, observing that more than half of the shops in her surroundings were closed, and the open ones only held single individuals who seemed to have zero care about their surroundings and were presumably high.

[In the worst case, I’ll just commit a small crime by hypnotizing someone. He’s in our vicinity.]

Suddenly, someone passed Laura, whispering something in her ear.

[Great …] Laura sighed with a wry expression. [I look like such a tourist that local dealers are offering me drugs now. Do you want to try it with me? I remember hearing about a cannabis plantation nearby. The stuff here should be pretty good.]

She discretely glanced over her shoulder and noticed the dealer standing close by, looking like he was just taking a stroll through the market, and stopped to look around.

[Damn, and here I thought you’d say you want to go on a drug bust, at which point, I would have to dissuade you since a significant chunk of the economy here depends on their illegal marijuana trade for tourists.] Alex said with amusement.

As Laura continued walking forward, she felt a sort of sixth sense acting up, compelling her to look at the dealer once again. As she turned around, the dealer who had whispered in her ear just now was in a conversation with a neatly groomed white man.

“Is that …” Laura mumbled.

[Yep. Peter Parker in the flesh. And I think I might not even need any foul play to introduce you to him. You just need to be yourself.]

[What?] Laura got confused by his words.

Suddenly, the amiable discussion the two were having turned heated as the dealer looked annoyed and pulled out a knife as the harmless-looking early-twenties white guy stepped back with a cautious expression.

“What’s going on here?” Laura quickly disappeared from her spot and appeared in between the two of them. The dealer in front of her was surprised, and she took the opportunity to disarm him and take his knife.

“You okay, guy?” She asked, turning her head a little while keeping her eyes on the frozen dealer.

“Yeah …” the man continued, maintaining his harmless persona. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Laura said before focusing on the assailant. “You. Don’t just pull your knife out on anyone. If they say they will report you to the authorities, then you have to explain the reality to them. Don’t directly attack them. Now leave.”

The terrified dealer didn’t say a single word in the entire altercation and vigorously nodded before stepping away, breaking into a run as he left the scary woman who snatched his knife before he could even react.

“Now, you.” Laura turned around, looking at the man with a scrutinizing look. “Are you dumb? Who just ups and decides that talking to a drug dealer would, in any way, convince them to stop dealing drugs? It’s not like you were talking to a misguided kid. That man was a fully grown adult in their mid-twenties, older than you, probably.”

The man showed an embarrassed smile. “You were very fast.”

“You shouldn’t act so dumb all the time,” Laura continued. “For one, a significant chunk of this city’s economy relies on the illegal cannabis trade. You literally can’t stop it. The authorities, locals, everyone is in on it. Hell, I’ve heard tourists come here specifically to get the good stuff from the plantation. Anyway, I’m rambling …”

“I’m Peter,” the man extended his hand before Laura shook it.

“I’m Laura,” she smiled. “So what’s Spider-Man doing so far from New York?”

[Oh, come on.] Alex mentally groaned at Laura’s abrupt reveal. [Weren’t we going to play things cool this time around? What the fuck kind of espionage did you learn during your time with the X-Men?]

[Acrobatics and sneaking around. I’m not a spy, and I’m too impatient to continue this facade any further.]

At Laura’s words, Peter instantly took two steps back with a cautious expression. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Spider-Man is a fugitive wanted all over the world. You shouldn’t just say things like that.”

“Oh, buddy,” Laura winced. “You’ve got it rough in this reality. Then again, most of you have shitty hands dealt to you and even shitter situations. What brings you to Tibet?”

“I-I think you’ve got the wrong guy, lady… uh, Laura,” Peter tried to play cool. “I’m just here to enjoy the view of the mountains.”

“Don’t worry, Peter,” Laura smiled. “Your identity is safe with me. My friend has already taken care of the surveillance measures around us. See how there’s almost a bubble around us that people aren’t even thinking of approaching? It’s because of my friend.”

“…” Peter’s face grew solemn. “What is your affiliation with Kamar Taj?”

“I was planning to meet the Sorcerer Supreme, but it seems that management has changed recently. Instead of Doctor Strange, I ran into Agatha Harkness. Imagine my surprise.”

“And you’re still alive?” Peter asked skeptically. “She doesn’t leave anyone in her path alive. Ever.”

“That’s only for weaklings. She can’t do anything to me. And I didn’t let her catch me. I just saw today’s recruitment drive.”

“No, trust me. She can do so many things to you that you won’t even know. Her magic is so overpowering in nature that it leaves her opponents completely helpless.”

“So you aren’t Spider-Man, huh, Peter?” Laura teased. “Mind telling me why you’re here, in Tibet, instead of your home state?”

“...” The man in front of Laura showed a hesitant expression before it stiffened into one full of conviction. “He’s going to chew me out big time … But we need all the help we can get. And I feel like you’re here to help us.”

“That I am,” Laura said. “And I’m flattered that you are willing to trust a complete stranger so easily.”

“Some would call that naivety,” Peter said with a reminiscent smile.

“I do call it naivety,” Laura said. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m curious about what you’re doing here. Maybe I’ll help you guys if you make a good case.”

Peter had a foreboding suspicion that his decision was going to trouble him immensely.

…

“How is it that you go out for breakfast and not only get the authorities on your ass but also bring some stranger into our very sensitive and dangerous operation?” Doctor Strange asked with a frustrated tone as Laura and Peter walked in.

“How do you know?” Peter asked with a surprised raising of his brows. “Did you finally get into their surveillance systems?” He then tilted his head toward Laura while gesturing to the man in front, “This is Doctor Strange. A Master of the Mystic Arts.”

“She knows,” Doctor Strange said. “Just like she knew about you the moment you entered your line of sight. Isn’t that correct, Miss Laura Kinney?”

“Smart guy,” Laura smiled. “What else do you know about me?”

“That you aren’t from this Earth.” His words made Laura’s expression stiffen slightly as she smiled threateningly.

“Yeah?” She said. “Why would you think that? There’s a barrier outside this planet, keeping everyone away.”

“Because I am familiar with our version of Laura Kinney. She’s barely ten at the moment. So unless you traveled through time, you have to be from one of the other thirty-nine Earths.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you would play a very nice Sherlock?” Laura said. “You even look like the guy who played him in an iteration I watched with my partner.”

[It’s the exact same guy, Laura. He is an actor in the reality that I picked the show from.] Laura didn’t respond to Alex’s clarification.

“Please answer truthfully; otherwise, I will have to ask you to leave, Miss Kinney,” Doctor Strange spoke seriously. “Why are you here?”

“The truth? I want to know more about your overlord. How her mind works, whom she cares about, why she has modified reality into a magic-focused one that is completely dependent on Chaos energy, and more. That’s who I’m after.”

“Modified reality?” Doctor Strange showed a doubtful expression. “Are you sure you aren’t imagining things? Harkness doesn’t have that kind of power. From investigation, I have understood that many other planets rely on harnessing lightning to power appliances, but our reality has always been this way.”

“You wouldn’t know if reality was modified,” Laura said. “While I’m not completely sure of the system being used here, there are enough holes in it for me to consider this being a forced imposition instead of natural progression. Also, I’m not talking about Harkness. I’m talking about your actual overlord. The woman who currently owns five Earths, as my friend tells me. She is the one responsible for this widespread usage of Chaos energy and magic on this planet.” Seeing the man’s confused expression, Laura understood that he wasn’t convinced. “For example, the banking system. It’s completely flawed. It works, yes, but compared to giving money a real, consistent value, it will always fluctuate. Simply because while it is a currency, it is also a raw resource. I could get into the nitty-gritty, but that would take too long.”

Laura inwardly frowned as she finished her words, feeling like something was off. She didn’t feel like the words were completely hers. Suddenly, a realization made her momentarily widen her eyes.

[You’re putting words in my mouth …] Laura spoke mentally as a stressed breath escaped her mouth.

[Am I?] Alex was confused. [You’re correct. You don’t usually talk so technically. I was deep in my thoughts, thinking about these things. Maybe some of my thoughts rubbed off on you …]

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[I am suddenly a little concerned about you going even deeper with my bond, Alex … You said the next step is the brain and nerves, right?]

[It’s going to be fine. For now, we can focus on this situation. As things proceed, we will decide what needs to be done.]