Orville: Lost in the Multiverse

Chapter Two: Strangers and Allies

Ed followed Lucy through the debris-strewn streets, his mind still reeling from everything that had just happened. The towering buildings, flashing lights, and chaotic sounds of New York City felt completely alien compared to the quiet, star-filled vastness of space aboard the Orville. But there was no time to dwell on the strangeness of it all—not with explosions erupting in the distance and screams echoing around them.

Lucy moved with purpose, ducking into alleyways and weaving through the panicked crowds. Despite the chaos, she was calm and composed, clearly no stranger to dangerous situations.

“So, Lucy,” Ed called out, trying to keep up, “you said something about Loki and Strange Supreme? I know who Loki is, but Strange Supreme… that’s a new one for me.”

“Yeah, he’s a real piece of work,” Lucy replied, not breaking stride. “He’s a version of Doctor Strange from another universe, but much darker—twisted by power. He’s not here for just Loki’s games. He wants to bend reality itself to his will, and if we don’t stop him, he’ll tear this world apart.”

“That sounds… fantastic,” Ed muttered sarcastically. “And here I thought the Kaylon were bad.”

Before Lucy could respond, an enormous blast shook the ground. They both looked up to see a giant figure hovering over the skyline—Loki, wielding his scepter and laughing maniacally as chaos spread through the city. Around him, alien creatures—Chitauri—swarmed through the streets, terrorizing civilians.

“We’re running out of time,” Lucy said, eyes narrowing. “The Avengers are trying to hold them off, but we need to get to their HQ. It’s not far, and once we’re there, we’ll have a better chance of figuring out a plan.”

Ed glanced up at Loki, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on him. “Lead the way. I’m not exactly equipped for fighting gods and alien armies right now.”

Lucy smirked slightly. “Don’t worry, you’re not alone in that. But we’ll figure it out.”

They sprinted down the street, dodging blasts from Chitauri weapons. Ed felt the heat of the explosions against his skin and gritted his teeth, doing his best to keep up with Lucy’s relentless pace. The city was in ruins—cars overturned, windows shattered, fires spreading across entire blocks.

Finally, they reached a massive building with a glowing “A” emblazoned on the side—Avengers Tower. Lucy rushed to a side entrance, and Ed followed, breathing heavily.

“This place is huge,” Ed said, looking up in awe. “I’ve seen the Avengers in the history files, but I never thought I’d actually meet them.”

“You’re about to get that chance,” Lucy said, tapping in a code to unlock the door. “Once we’re inside, we can regroup and figure out our next move.”

They slipped through the door into a sleek, high-tech interior, a stark contrast to the chaos outside. As they entered the lobby, Ed barely had time to take in the futuristic design before a voice called out to them.

“Well, well, who’s the new guy?”

Ed turned to see Tony Stark—Iron Man—walking toward them, his helmet under one arm. His expression was as cocky and self-assured as Ed had expected from the legendary hero.

“This is Captain Ed Mercer,” Lucy explained quickly. “He got pulled into this universe by Strange Supreme.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Strange Supreme, huh? Looks like we’ve got multiverse problems on top of everything else. Lucky us.”

“Trust me, it’s not where I expected to be today either,” Ed said, shaking Tony’s hand. “I was in the middle of a battle with the Kaylon before I got thrown through a portal.”

“Multiverse issues can be messy,” Tony replied, giving Ed a once-over. “You don’t look like much of a space guy, but hey, we’ve all had weird days.”

Before Ed could respond, another figure strode into the room—Steve Rogers, Captain America himself. His presence was commanding, and even Ed felt a sense of respect surge through him just from seeing the man.

“Tony, we’ve got Loki pushing further into the city,” Steve said, glancing at Ed. “Who’s this?”

“Captain Ed Mercer. He’s from another universe,” Tony replied. “Lucy brought him in. Seems Strange Supreme is making things more complicated.”

Steve nodded, his face serious. “Strange Supreme is a bigger threat than Loki. If he’s here, we need to act fast.”

“We need a plan,” Lucy chimed in. “Ed says he was thrown into this universe by Strange Supreme, which means he’s got some kind of portal or dimension-altering power. We need to figure out how to counter that if we want to stop him.”

Steve crossed his arms, deep in thought. “We’ll need to divide our forces. Loki and his Chitauri are still a problem, but Strange Supreme is the real danger. We can’t let him manipulate the multiverse. If he opens too many rifts, the entire structure of reality could collapse.”

“That sounds… pretty bad,” Ed said, feeling a little overwhelmed by the scale of the threat. “I’m no expert on multiverse stuff, but is there any way to stop him?”

Tony smiled, that confident Stark smirk Ed had seen in countless reports. “Don’t worry, Cap. We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve. We’ll hit him where it hurts.”

Steve turned to Ed, his gaze steady and reassuring. “You’re not from our world, but you’re in this fight now. We could use every capable hand we can get. Are you with us?”

Ed took a deep breath. This wasn’t his world, and these weren’t his people—but they were fighting to protect something much bigger than just one planet. He thought of his crew, of the Orville, and of the galaxy he had sworn to defend. If stopping Strange Supreme was the only way to get home, then he had no choice.

“I’m with you,” Ed said, nodding firmly. “Let’s take these guys down.”

Lucy smiled at him, a look of determination in her eyes. “Good. We’ll need all the help we can get.”

As the Avengers prepared for the battle ahead, Ed couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning of something much larger—a fight that would push him to his limits and test everything he thought he knew about the universe. And somehow, in the middle of it all, he would have to find a way home.

The fate of the multiverse depended on it.