The announcement was everywhere.
Nirvana. A digital community, open to anyone who wanted to dream, build, or simply learn. A countdown ticking toward the official launch.
It wasn't corporate. It wasn't government. It wasn't SHIELD. It was something… different.
And it was hitting harder than anyone expected.
Queens, New York
Peter Parker adjusted his cracked laptop, waiting for the school Wi-Fi to cough back to life. When it did, the Nirvana homepage loaded cleanly, unlike half the other sites that crawled through the system.
"Woah," Ned breathed, leaning over. "That's… slick. Did Stark make this?"
Peter shook his head slowly. The branding was unfamiliar. The code — from what little he could peek at — was elegant, streamlined, far beyond what high school kids usually touched.
"It's not Stark," Peter said. "But it's… wow. It's like… a whole space just for people like us."
Ned grinned. "You mean nerds."
Peter flushed, then smirked. "Yeah. Nerds."
From the far end of the table, MJ raised her eyebrows over her book. "You two geeking out over a glorified chatroom?"
Peter rotated his laptop to show her. "It's not just a chatroom. Look — they've got groups for open-source robotics, sustainable housing, even—" his voice dropped, reverent "—cosmology discussions. With pros."
For the first time, MJ actually leaned forward, curious despite herself.
"…Okay," she muttered. "That's… less lame than usual."
Cambridge, Massachusetts
At MIT, a young woman named Riri Williams scrolled through her phone between classes. Her brow furrowed, then lifted.
A community for innovators. For people who thought differently.
Riri had never cared much about fitting in, but the way Nirvana was laid out, she didn't have to. She could share, lurk, connect.
She smiled faintly.
"Finally," she whispered.
SHIELD Academy, Secret Location
Jemma Simmons shoved her tablet toward Leo Fitz. "Look at this, Leo!"
Fitz adjusted his glasses, skimming. "Community hub… open-source designs… wait. They're posting full schematics?"
"Not weapons-grade. But the medical innovations… the energy discussions… this is astonishing!" Jemma's voice bubbled with excitement.
Fitz frowned. "It's… also dangerous. What if someone abuses it?"
Jemma countered quickly, "What if someone saves lives with it? You've seen how many walls we hit in the lab. What if this tears some of them down?"
Fitz didn't answer, but the gleam in his eyes said enough.
Across the room, a dark-haired trainee named Skye glanced over their shoulders, already bookmarking the site on her own laptop.
San Francisco
Kamala Khan wasn't supposed to be up past midnight, but when her phone buzzed, she checked anyway.
The glowing green-and-white Nirvana logo blinked across the screen.
Kamala tapped in, and her heart skipped.
There were channels for comic writers. Artists. Dreamers. People just like her, trying to express themselves and maybe do something bigger.
Her fingers hovered before she whispered, "This is it. This is the sign."
She started sketching.
Wakanda (Unlisted Connection)
Shuri leaned over a console, smirking.
"Look at this, T'Challa. An outsider built an app that's attracting half the globe. And it's not garbage code. Whoever this Brendon King is, he's clever."
T'Challa gave her a measured look. "Do you believe he poses a threat?"
Shuri shrugged. "Not a threat. A… variable. One worth watching."
Queens Again
Peter scrolled through posts late into the night. He didn't know who Brendon King was. He didn't know what "Nirvana" was really meant to become.
But he felt something he hadn't in a long time.
Hope.
And across the world, dozens, then hundreds, then millions of others felt the same.
Ripples spreading from a single spark.
And the world hadn't even seen the fire yet.