Alex's apartment looked different at 2 AM.
Quieter. Darker. Like the world was holding its breath while he tried to make sense of his new reality.
The study session with Gwen had helped. Sort of. He'd learned enough biology to maybe—maybe—pass Monday's test.
But he'd also watched Peter Parker fumble through chemistry equations and crack awkward jokes, and the whole time Alex couldn't stop thinking:
'That's Spider-Man. That dorky kid who just spilled coffee on his notes is going to become one of the most powerful heroes on Earth.'
Now, alone in his apartment, Alex sat on his bed surrounded by textbooks and a legal pad covered in frantic handwriting.
He'd skipped his restaurant shift. Linda had called three times, left two angry voicemails, and finally texted:
Don't bother coming back.
So that was one problem solved. He was definitely fired.
On the legal pad, he'd made lists. Detailed, methodical lists. It was the only thing keeping him from completely losing his mind.
*WHAT I KNOW:*
- This is Marvel Universe (CONFIRMED)
- Peter Parker = Spider-Man (not yet, but soon)
- Tony Stark = Iron Man (already public, already active)
- Year is 2010
- Avengers will form (probably soon)
- Thanos is coming (years away, maybe 8-10?)
- Infinity Stones exist and are scattered
*WHAT I DON'T KNOW:*
- Exact timeline (comics? MCU? Something else?)
- Which villains will appear and when
- If my presence changes anything
- How much time before everything goes to hell
- If I can even survive that long
*IMMEDIATE PROBLEMS:*
- Rent: Need $1,450 in 3 weeks (now 19 days)
- Scholarship: Need 85%+ on three tests in 2 weeks
- Job: Just got fired, so no income
- Food: $8.50 in bank account, half a box of crackers in cupboard
- Body: Malnourished, weak, running on caffeine and fear
*ASSETS:*
- Future knowledge (tech developments, stock movements, major events)
- Original Alex's memories (academic knowledge, local connections)
- Nothing else
Alex stared at the last line.
Nothing else.
No powers. No system. No golden finger. No convenient cheat that made transmigration easy.
Just knowledge and desperation in a world where gods fought aliens and a purple titan would eventually snap his fingers and kill half of everyone.
'I'm so screwed.'
He flipped to a new page and wrote:
*30-DAY SURVIVAL PLAN*
His hand hovered over the paper. Where can he even start?
Money.
He needed money immediately. Rent was due in less than three weeks. Without income, he'd be homeless.
But he also needed to pass those tests.
Without the scholarship, college was impossible. Without college, he'd be stuck in minimum wage hell forever—assuming he survived the alien invasions.
And he needed to get stronger. This body was pathetic.
Weak.
In a universe with super-soldiers and enhanced individuals and literal gods, being a scrawny teenager with no powers was basically a death sentence.
'Okay. Prioritize. What can actually kill me in the next month?'
Homelessness. Starvation. Those were immediate threats.
Everything else—Thanos, aliens, infinity stones—that was years away. He had time to prepare for that.
Maybe.
Alex started writing:
*WEEK 1:*
- Pass biology test Monday (survival: scholarship)
- Find new job immediately (survival: rent)
- Eat at least one real meal per day (survival: not dying)
*WEEK 2:*
- Pass chemistry and math tests (survival: scholarship)
- Work every shift possible (survival: rent)
- Start basic exercise routine (long-term survival)
*WEEK 3:*
- Make rent payment ($1,450)
- Begin researching investment opportunities (future: wealth)
- Map out Marvel timeline as best I can (future: not dying in apocalypse)
*WEEK 4:*
- Stabilize income
- Improve grades to B average
- Start planning long-term strategy
It looked impossible written out like that. Four weeks to go from broke and desperate to stable and prepared.
But what choice did he have?
Alex flipped to another page and wrote:
*KNOWLEDGE ADVANTAGES*
Technology: He knew which innovations would change the world. Smartphones. Social media. Cloud computing. Streaming services. If he could somehow monetize that knowledge...
Stocks: He knew which companies would boom. Apple. Google. Eventually Tesla. If he had money to invest...
Events: He knew major disasters before they happened. Alien invasions. HYDRA infiltration. Ultron. If he could warn the right people...no take advantage of the situation, the world isn't so kind to heroes.
'So much to do...'
Alex rubbed his eyes. They burned from exhaustion and staring at his cracked phone screen for hours.
The clock showed 2:47 AM.
Class starts at 7:30 AM. That gave him less than five hours to sleep.
He looked at the biology textbook. At the chemistry notes. At the math problems he still didn't understand.
Sleep or study?
'Both will kill me eventually. One from exhaustion, one from failing out and losing everything.'
Alex grabbed the biology textbook and started reading.
He'd been given a second chance at life.
He'd died and somehow woken up in another universe with knowledge of what was coming.
He wasn't going to waste it.
Even if he had no powers. No system. No advantages except a brain full of Marvel comics and movies and the desperate will to survive.
'I'll figure it out,' he thought, forcing his tired eyes to focus on the page. 'I have to.'
Outside, sirens wailed in the distance. Hell's Kitchen lived up to its name even at 3 AM.
Inside, a broke teenager who used to be someone else sat in the dark and studied for a test that would determine if he had any future at all.
The Marvel Universe didn't care about his problems.
But Alex Carter was going to survive it anyway.
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