Fishing the Multiverse

Jonas was relaxed as he fished from the shimmering portal pond. He'd already pulled up a few notable treasures tonight: a flying broomstick from Harry Potter, Geordi La Forge's visor, and even the sword in the stone—stone and all. He tried to pull the sword free, but obviously, he wasn't worthy.

"I wonder if Thor could do it," he mused. "Maybe Captain America."

These three were the big catches for the evening. Now, he was just fishing for the fun of it. But as he was about to call it a night, he felt a tug on his line.

He pulled it in, revealing a strange, elegant dagger.

Curious but uncertain of its origin, he set it aside and cast the line again. Something about tonight felt lucky. What else might the multiverse offer up?

"What's this?" a voice came from behind him.

Without turning, he replied, "Natasha. You found me again. How nice."

"From the tone of your voice, I get the feeling you're not thrilled to see me."

"If you were here just to chat, maybe I'd feel different," he said, finally glancing back. "But I always get the sense you're after something."

"Well, I wasn't," she replied. "I was just bored. Thought I'd see what you were doing."

"How'd you find me?"

"Honestly? I wasn't really looking. I just stepped out, and there you were—fishing. That glowing pool of light wasn't here earlier today, was it?"

Jonas laughed. "Nope. You're very perceptive. That's my fishing rod, and this is the pond it creates."

Natasha looked down at the pool, watching it shimmer like melted stars. "You're not fishing for fish, are you?"

"Right again. I'm fishing... things—from the multiverse. Never know what I'll pull up. A lot of the Nightmare Room's contents came from this pond."

"And these?" she gestured to the items nearby.

"The dagger? No idea. Might just be a dagger. The broom—if I'm right—is for flying. But I doubt it'll work for either of us. And that visor? It's a device for blind people in the future. Neat, even if not useful to us."

Jonas suddenly frowned. He was reeling in his line again—but this time, the hook was gone.

That was odd.

The line was taut, like something heavy was attached, but nothing was visible. He grasped at the end of the line and felt... cloth?

He stood up, gently pulling something unseen from the pond.

"What is it?" Natasha asked, stepping closer.

"I think... It's an invisibility cloak."

"A what?"

He slung it over his shoulders and instantly vanished.

"That's amazing!" Natasha gasped.

He took it off and handed it to her. "Here. Try it."

She threw it on and disappeared as well.

"Where did this come from?" she asked, voice muffled by the magic.

"From a very particular school," Jonas said. "And you may think it's great for spy work, but it was mostly used by a kid sneaking around school grounds."

"Really?" she asked, removing the cloak.

"Well, it could also be one of the mass-produced ones. Depends on the world."

She inspected it. "Can I have this?"

Jonas laughed. "How about no? You're already hard enough to keep track of. Besides, it needs to be scanned to make sure it's safe."

"What could be wrong with it?"

"You'd be surprised."

Natasha handed it back. Jonas reeled in his line and secured the hook. The glowing portal faded.

"That was amazing," she said.

"Fury's going to want a full report," Jonas chuckled as he turned away. "Be sure to give it five stars."

She narrowed her eyes and followed after him. "You think I report everything to Fury?"

"I'm pretty sure you do."

"Jonas, I don't. I know how to be discreet, especially with friends."

Jonas stopped at the TARDIS threshold and turned.

"Oh? We're friends now?"

Natasha hesitated. "I thought so."

"You can't switch that on and off," he said firmly. "We're either friends, or we're not. Friends don't spy on each other. They ask questions. You've tried to hack into my systems—Patch noticed, R2 noticed, even the TARDIS noticed. That's not friendship."

She didn't respond. Jonas gave her one last look.

"So until that changes... I'll just assume everything you do is for Fury."

He descended into the TARDIS, new items in hand.

Natasha stood there, unexpectedly stung. She'd been in the game a long time—long enough that she rarely cared what anyone thought.

But Jonas made her care.

Maybe it was how he saved her, risking his life. Or maybe it was his otherworldliness. Something about him made her feel... like if he thought she was special, then maybe she was.

She shook her head, brushing away the thought, and followed him inside.

A few hours later, others began to arrive.

Strangely, Fury was the first. His strategy meeting hadn't taken long. He brought in the right people and wrapped it up fast.

Tony arrived next, with Pepper and his ever-loyal chauffeur in tow.

Thor appeared next, accompanied by a bright-eyed, curious Jane Foster.

Finally, Clint arrived with Laura and their kids. They took the longest to arrive. Laura had insisted on packing everything from the house. Clint looked like a walking luggage rack until Steve stepped in to help carry some of the bags down.

Soon, they were all gathered once more on the bridge of the TARDIS, still wide-eyed in wonder, especially the Barton children.

"Well," Jonas said, "let's get everyone resettled. Then we'll be off on our first adventure."

Each of them was assigned their room. The Bartons were given family quarters: a living room, kitchen, a bedroom for the parents, and two bedrooms for the kids, plus three bathrooms. Everyone else had standard one-bedroom arrangements, since no one else had brought children.

Happy got his a room. Tony and Pepper shared one, of course. Steve and Bruce each had their own. And Thor and Jane were paired together as well. Even Fury had a room.

Back on the bridge, Jonas clapped his hands together.

"For our first trip together, I thought we'd try something different. Rather than picking a destination myself... I'd like the TARDIS to choose."

"The TARDIS chooses?" Fury asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yes. It's called the randomizer. It sends us to a completely unpredictable location somewhere in the multiverse."

He practically beamed with excitement.

"It's the first time I've used it."

"Is it?" Natasha asked, squinting at him.

He met her gaze calmly. "First time with guests, yes."

Jonas stepped over to the console and activated the randomizer. The TARDIS gave a hum of acknowledgment and locked in a destination.

A strange alien script appeared on one of the screens.

"According to the TARDIS, this trip will take about eleven days," Jonas announced.

"Seems oddly long for a time machine," someone muttered.

Jonas shrugged. "Time is relative. We can arrive and leave whenever we want, but travel still takes time, especially across universes. You've got the highways, the temporal byways, the folds, the inter-universal barriers. Eleven days isn't bad."

He glanced toward the Barton kids. "Gives you a chance to explore the ship."

Then, for some reason, he looked toward Natasha, who squished her nose at him, making a funny face. He smiled. It was unusual to see such a serious person able to be funny.

"If you need to go anywhere," Jonas continued, "just tap your bracelet, say your destination, and the wall lights will guide you. The food court's on the house, and there's an arcade, I think the kids will love."

"We were already planning to check that out," Clint said.

"Well, maybe do that later. Have you ever heard of a place called Disneyland?"

"Yeah!" one of the kids answered.

"Well, there's a planet... not Disneyland, but kind of like it. Full of rides, games, and fun stuff. Maybe your parents can take you."

"There's also a water park," Jonas added.

"A whole planet?" one of the kids gasped.

"Not really," Jonas admitted. "More like... the size of Texas. But exaggeration makes it sound cooler."

Fury didn't say anything, but the kids were already tugging on their parents' arms, bubbling with questions. Even Aunt Natasha got swarmed.

Bruce looked intrigued. Pepper seemed into it. And because Pepper was into it, Tony had to be, too, even though he wanted to explore the multiversal workshop.

Still, Pepper won. Tony would have to find a way to sneak off later.

Fury, who had never taken a proper vacation, decided to tag along too.

Soon, the group wandered off, first to eat at the food court, then to the arcade, and eventually off to the water park of this not-quite-Disneyland.

Jonas watched them go.

Patch approached him.

"You certainly seem... accommodating to this group," the android said.

Jonas smiled. "If we don't give them a break, they'll break themselves. These people have lived through too many disasters, one after another. A long trip gives them what they haven't had in a long time: rest. And I can tell Clint's missed his family like crazy."

"His extended family, apparently," Patch observed.

Jonas nodded. "The way it should be. This group is like a family. Which, I think, is exactly what Natasha is looking for."

"Are you joining them?" Patch asked.

"Me? No. I'm fine doing some reading, enjoying a little quiet. No spies peeking over my shoulder."

"Oh. Sorry to be a problem," came a voice behind him.

Jonas turned. Natasha stood there, eyes uncertain.

"Well," he started.

"No, I get it," she said. "You think I'm intrusive. Just spying. I was going to invite you to come with us... but I guess you prefer not to be around me."

She turned and walked off.

Jonas stood quietly for a moment. "This feels a bit like high school."

"I have no recollection of anything called 'high school,'" Patch replied. "I understand it conceptually, but I've never experienced it. So your comment lacks emotional clarity."

"Yeah... just lots of drama. That's all I can tell you."

Patch tilted his head. "It's strange. A woman who lies professionally. Kills when necessary. Yet she seems emotionally fragile."

"With her past? Is that so surprising?"

"I suppose not," Patch said. "Perhaps you should try being nice to her, Captain."

Jonas looked at the android and smirked. "Sometimes, Patch... you have great wisdom."

"Thank you, sir."

With everyone gone from the bridge, Jonas stepped over to the central console, scanning readings and studying the controls, as he always did.

Once satisfied, he picked up his book and descended to his favorite book nook.

Over the next several days, the Avengers and their families explored the TARDIS as far as it would allow them.

Tony divided his time between the library, the Multiversal Workshop, and Pepper, who, without a company to run, suddenly found herself with an abundance of free time, and no idea what to do with it.

She quickly struck up a friendship with Laura Barton, and together with Natasha and Jane, they formed what might be called the TARDIS Women's Club. They met often, wandered the halls, explored the hidden spaces, and eventually discovered that the food court was part of a larger mall. Like any mall, it had shops, with androids in the guise of various alien races serving as clerks.

Jonas, noticing how massive the wardrobe stores were, had decided: Why not open some boutiques? Along with that, the standard Mall offerings for diverse stores were available.

There was a gag store, furniture store, novelty shops, you name it, the Tardis had it. Even the men visited from time to time. Tony found some interesting doohickeys. 

Sometimes the kids tagged along. When they didn't, they could usually be found in the arcade — their favorite spot besides "Not Disneyland."

The men gravitated toward their pursuits.

Steve spent hours in the library, pulling random books from the shelves and slowly absorbing knowledge. He frequented the café, and when he felt restless, hit the gym or trained in the holodecks — sometimes choosing opponents like Hulk, Thor, or even Clint. He also trained against other aliens like Klingons, Nelvark, and Dark Elves.

One of his more challenging opponents was Clint Barton. Clint, though only human, was deceptively difficult to fight. His bow skills, trick arrows, and unpredictability gave Cap more than enough of a challenge.

Ever the soldier, Steve continued to sharpen his technique. But something unexpected began happening as he read more, walked more, and stopped doing so much. He found himself connecting with stillness, uncomfortable.

He had never been still in his life. There was always a mission, a goal: becoming a soldier, becoming Captain America, leading the charge. But even now, after all he had done... he still felt that something inside him hadn't quite been fulfilled. Or maybe it had — and he simply didn't know how to rest.

Bucky would understand, he thought. He'd been there since the beginning.

Clint, for his part, loved the holodeck's customizable marksmanship ranges better than any SHIELD training room. Targets, simulations, moving challenges — all built for his precision.

Banner and Tony, both scientists, worked on various projects. Jonas had given Banner a lab equipped with multiversal technology and libraries of exotic data. He focused on researching himself, and maybe, one day, freeing himself from the Hulk.

Thor, unsurprisingly, spent most of his time with Jane. When she wasn't around, he'd wander the arcade and break the occasional machine out of sheer excitement. He made friends with a Klingon android, whom he dubbed a fine drinking companion. He had a particular fondness for Klingon blood wine and grand stories of warriors and their powerful fathers.

Natasha kept her distance from Jonas. He noticed and felt awkward about it.

He told himself he should apologize. But pride and uncertainty held him back. He still wasn't sure if he'd been wrong about her. But the more she stayed quiet, the more doubt crept in.

Nick Fury, meanwhile, was a ghost of himself. He read, drank coffee, and wandered the food court. He spoke little. Cap, Natasha, and Clint all noted the shift — but maybe this was what he needed: silence.

Then one day, the call came.

Their communicator emblems, previously styled like a Starfleet badge, but now shaped like a fish on a line, chimed softly.

This is Commander Patchwork. All Avengers are requested to report to the bridge. You may bring your companions. Be warned: we do not know the state of this world. If you have protective gear, get it.

Click.

Excitement buzzed through the ship.

They had arrived.

A new world awaited.

Where had they landed?