I take the time to size up the men wanting to bring me in. If this standoff turns ugly, I at least want to be prepared.
"I promise you, if you stand down now, you won't be harmed."
My first move would be to take out the point man, the chemically-enhanced man with the shield and the star-spangled outfit. That serum has increased his muscle mass and tendon strength, no doubt making him much faster and stronger than a normal man. He carries himself like I imagine Bruce would if he were the kind to go out in the daytime, which suggests that he's an expert fighter. The one thing that Bruce always had to use against me, though, was Kryptonite, which this man doesn't have. One punch ought to do it, about quarter-speed to avoid seriously injuring him.
"Trust me, stranger, it'll be a lot easier for everyone if you do what Cap says."
The man in the high-tech suit would be my second target. X-raying his equipment, I see a lot of what appear to be energy weapons, meaning he's built for taking on heavier targets, but I've dealt with ray guns pretty regularly. His armor looks like it's mainly a mix of different titanium alloys, much stronger than steel. It'll take some doing, but once I get that suit open, he's out of the fight.
Which leaves the man with the big hammer.
"You would do well to heed my friend's words, stranger. We do not wish to harm you, but if we must, then the son of Odin will make his mark."
No signs of high-tech enhancements or genetic tinkering, which means he's either out of his mind or using magic--most likely the latter. I have no idea how powerful he may be, but if he really is some sort of Norse god, then I should prepare for someone as powerful as Captain Marvel. Out of the three, he's the one who worries me the most, since toe-to-toe I've never been that good against magic.
"We won't warn you again--stand down."
Even after seeing what I did to their big green friend, none of the three show any signs of backing down. They've either got the kind of take-on-all-comers cameraderie that I used to see back in the old days of the League, or something up their sleeve that I don't know about.
My brain runs a few hundred different scenarios; all of them involve a real scrape, but just about all of them end in my favor. If I really push myself, I can probably take these guys in a little under two or three minutes.
I close my eyes, take a deep breath....and make my decision.
"Okay....you win. I give up."
Getting into another needless fistfight isn't going to do me any good, burning energy while Zod is still out there. And unlike the Hulk, these guys don't seem to be in the mood for wanton destruction and don't
need to be taken down...at least not from first impressions. I need to know more about this world and how it works before I start throwing haymakers again.
They approach me cautiously, the one with the shield reaching for a pair of handcuffs from his belt. I grin at the thought of me being led away in cuffs; if Lex Luthor were here to see it, he'd never let me hear the end of it.
"These cuffs are pure adamantium," he says as he clicks them around my wrists,
"so don't try anything funny."
"You've got nothing to worry about," I say to him with a smile on my face, and without a hint of sarcasm in my voice.
"I'd just like to know where you're taking me."
"To the one guy who can tell us exactly what you are and what you're doing here," the armored man answers.
"You could've just asked, y'know."
"This is no time for humor, stranger," the oversized blonde man scolds.
"The halls of Asgard themselves trembled as if to herald your coming. We must act with haste before your presence tears the world itself asunder!"
....I have
got to introduce this guy to Diana.
The big blonde and the armored man take me by the arms, the armored man using his free hand to grab the man with the shield, and they take flight with me in tow. I suppose I should help them out by flying myself, but I don't really know where they're taking me, so I'll let them do the steering for now.
Fortunately, our trip is short, since our destination is within the city: a huge skyscraper, nearly as big as the Chrysler Building, with a giant number 4 on top.
We enter through one of the windows, and a man with graying temples and a blue jumpsuit is there to meet us.
"So, you're the one who's been causing all this excitement. I've never seen such a dimensional anomaly in all my life, and not five minutes later, you knock out the Hulk himself! I've got so many questions, so many things I have to try! We've got an awful lot of work to do, so let's--"
"Wait, wait, hold on. I'm sorry, I still don't really have any idea what's going on here. I think I'm a little lost--I'm not on the world I should be, not even the same universe. Before I get into the science, can we just start with everyone's names first?"
"Oh! Of course, of course, I do suppose introductions are in order."
"Reed Richards is the name, and I'm looking forward to working with you."
