Chapter 10: Midtown High and the Protagonist's Law
Midtown High School felt like a jarring return to normalcy after the high-stakes, labyrinthine world of SHIELD bunkers, corporate takeovers, and simulated assassinations. The air was thick with the scent of cheap disinfectant and teenage hormones, a stark contrast to the sterile hum of the Stark-Wayne labs. Alex, dressed in a simple hoodie and jeans, walked beside Wanda and Pietro, both looking like they'd just stepped off a European runway—Pietro's silver hair a striking beacon, Wanda's crimson jacket a subtle nod to the power simmering beneath her calm exterior. They were still adjusting to American high school life, but Alex had a different kind of adjustment to make. He was a 14-year-old walking among future legends.
He'd felt the tingle of it the moment he stepped through the front doors. A subtle pull, a cosmic hum that his meta-knowledge identified as the "Protagonist's Law"—the inexplicable gravitational force that drew every major character to the same epicentral point. He knew his instincts were right when they entered homeroom and the scene unfolded before him like a movie cast list.
First, there was Peter Parker, a lanky kid with shaggy brown hair and an earnest, slightly nervous smile. He was sitting in the front row, already engrossed in a textbook, a silent magnet for bullying from Flash Thompson, a hulking jock with a perpetually scowling face. Flash was loudly bragging about his football stats to anyone who'd listen, his eyes darting toward Peter with a predatory gleam. Alex suppressed a sigh. The Flash/Peter dynamic was a classic he knew all too well.
Nearby, a girl with fiery red hair was sketching in a notebook, her striking green eyes focused with an artist's intensity. That had to be Mary Jane Watson. Not far from her, a blonde girl with a quiet grace and an air of intellectual curiosity, was taking meticulous notes—Gwen Stacy, undoubtedly. And in the corner, a girl with a sly, almost feline smile was talking to her friends, her dark hair cut in a sharp bob. Felicia Hardy. Alex's Eagle Vision adaptation, a reward from his recent Assassin's Creed sim, picked up on her unusual agility and the way her eyes scanned the room, missing nothing.
He spotted them all: Harry Osborn, looking lost and overshadowed by his father's legacy, hunched over his desk. In the back, a girl with a perpetually unimpressed expression and a rebellious streak was listening to music—Jessica Jones, her formidable future only a hint of the surly teenager she was now. A few rows ahead, a blonde girl with an otherworldly beauty and a sense of contained power sat alone, her posture too perfect for a mere teenager. That was a big one: Kara Zor-El, a.k.a. Supergirl, still hiding in plain sight.
The heroes, and a few villains-in-waiting, kept coming. Wally West and Billy Batson were locked in a friendly debate near the lockers, Wally's rapid-fire chatter a perfect foil for Billy's boyish enthusiasm. Victor Stone, quiet and intense, was working on a disassembled tablet, his gaze already far too focused for a high schooler. And even more surprisingly, Illyana Rasputina, a girl with a fierce, almost feral look in her eyes and an aura of power Alex could feel from across the room, was tracing something on her hand with her finger, a subtle motion that felt like magic.
Alex felt a small, satisfied surge. His system, ever the opportunist, chimed in.
[Credit Alert!]
[Contact with multiple protagonists and key narrative figures.]
[Credit Earned: 1 (Peter Parker)]
[Credit Earned: 1 (Gwen Stacy)]
[Credit Earned: 1 (Wally West)]
[Credit Earned: 1 (Illyana Rasputina)]
[Credit Earned: 1 (Victor Stone)]
[Credit Earned: 1 (Kara Zor-El)]
[Credit Earned: 1 (Felicia Hardy)]
[Credit Earned: 1 (Jessica Jones)]
[Credit Earned: 1 (Billy Batson)]
[Total Credits: 9]
Alex's mental wallet felt satisfyingly heavy. This was a goldmine. The system's Contact with Heroes/Villains mechanic had an exponential yield, it seemed, when you were in the very epicenter of the story. He now had enough credits to run a major simulation, maybe even one of the high-cost ones from the re-roll menu.
But today wasn't about simulations. It was about being a normal teenager, or as normal as he could be. As the homeroom teacher droned on about school rules, Alex saw Wanda's gaze fix on Peter Parker, a flicker of empathy in her eyes. "He reminds me of Pietro," she whispered, "so much sadness." Alex nodded, knowing the tragedies that lay ahead for both Peter and his own family.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the first period. A chaotic flood of students spilled into the hallways. As Alex navigated the crowd, a hand clapped him on the shoulder. It was Peter, looking a bit bewildered.
"Hey, you're new, right? I'm Peter." He gestured toward Wanda and Pietro. "You guys need help finding your next class?"
Alex smiled, a genuine one this time. "Alex. And yeah, that'd be great."
The game was on. He had to be strategic, subtle. He couldn't be Iron Man or Batman yet. He was Alex Stark-Wayne, the kid with the perfect, well-adjusted parents and the weirdly smart mind. He was a spectator, a puppet master-in-training, hiding in plain sight. But with so many heroes—and so many future tragedies—in one place, he knew his role as a bystander wouldn't last for long. The high school hallways were just the first step on a very different kind of battlefield.