The "Seattle Incident" has received worldwide attention. Numerous government organizations and agencies are looking for answers, along with the mysterious teenager who escaped. One such agency is SHIELD, who might have an interesting proposal for him. Which is how Agent Coulson ends up meeting Matt Garetty and learning the truth behind what happened in Seattle.
This is a one-shot crossover fic between The Avengers (2012) and Chronicle by inkravens45. It can be found right here
. It now has a sequel, right here.
Tropes found in this fic include:
- Actually Pretty Funny:
- Some of the boys' antics, comments, and pranks in their videos were funny enough to make Nick Fury laugh (although he denies it).
- When he met J.A.R.V.I.S. for the first time, the AI's voice scared Matt and caused him to fly up to the ceiling. Tony thought it was hilarious, and Matt later admitted that it was pretty funny.
- After the Battle for New York, Matt used his telekinesis to make Loki slap himself. While Sitwell gave him the stink eye for it, Banner and several agents (including Hawkeye) had to keep themselves from laughing out loud.
- Adaptational Badass: While he had powers just like Steve and Andrew in their film, Matt was portrayed as the weakest of the three, only defeating Andrew because his cousin had lost his mind. Here, he gets over a month to train with his powers while working for SHIELD, and becomes proficient enough with them that he no longer gets nosebleeds from using his powers (unless he's been using them too much for too long). He's strong enough with his shields to come out of the Battle for New York with barely a scratch, and is good enough with his telekinesis that he managed to keep Tony from hitting the ground until the Hulk could grab him.
- Adaptational Expansion: While the boys' powers are an important part in the film, the effects they have on their bodies isn't completely explored. Here, it's shown that Matt has a faster metabolism, can lose control of his powers due to emotions (i.e. levitating when frightened), and his nosebleeds are less frequent the more he practices with his powers.
- Alas, Poor Villain: Both Matt and Coulson clearly feel terrible for how Andrew died. Even with his powers, he was a kid in a bad situation who no one thought to help until it was too late.
- Bait-and-Switch: When Matt says that it would be better to show Coulson his powers than tell him about them, Coulson becomes worried that the teen is about to demonstrate his powers in the middle of a restaurant...only to see Matt pull out a video camera and show him videos of the kids using their powers.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Matt is fairly standoffish when he and Coulson first meet, mostly due to the fact that he's on the run from the government (and because he's reluctant to attack anyone with his powers). However, Coulson is nothing but kind and polite (as well as sympathetic) to the kid, and it's his kindness that wins him over and gets him to join SHIELD.
- Big Eater: Matt was shocked and impressed at how much Cap and Thor can eat (Banner explains to him that they have higher metabolisms than most people, though Matt is still convinced that they have tapeworms).
- The Cameo:
- Fury only truly appears at the end of the story, watching Matt's video from Tibet.
- While all of the Avengers from 2012 make an appearance (or are at least mentioned), Adjusting focuses mostly on Matt and Bruce Banner.
- Commonality Connection: Bruce and Matt become close because Bruce knows how it feels to have your life ruined because of developing superpowers.Bruce: If it was that hard for me, I can't imagine how hard it was for you and your friends.
- Cursed with Awesome: What Matt seems to think of his abilities now. Yes, his telekinesis, shields, and flight are incredible powers...that got both of his friends killed, tore apart Seattle, hurt/killed who knows how many people, and have sent him on the run from numerous government agencies.
- Due to the Dead: Subverted. Because of his powers and his attack on Seattle, Andrew's body was being held by the government. His mother, however, was given a proper (albeit private) burial.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Poor Matt has lost everything after the "Seattle Incident", and has been living in a cave for over a week. By the time Coulson finds him, he's clearly starving. By the end, he's able to make peace with what happened to Andrew and Steve, and has a new home/job with SHIELD, who'll help him use his powers to do good.
- Flight: Matt, Andrew, and Steve all have/had this power.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Yes, Andrew's father is a terrible person who deserves jail time for what he did to his son (and tried to do). And yes, it's terrible that Andrew lost his mother (who was probably the only adult to give him regular support/unconditional love). But that doesn't excuse the fact that he was ready/willing to destroy Seattle and everyone in it.
- Gentle Giant: Thor, as always. When he learns that Matt lost both of his friends, he gives him a huge hug.
- Growling Gut: When Coulson asks Matt how long it's been since he's eaten, Matthew's stomach answers for him.
- Heavy Sleeper: Matt was this before his SHIELD training started. Now he instinctively gets up early (which annoys him). Tony's implied to be this as well, as the other Avengers know that he wouldn't get up early for anything short of an emergency.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: How Andrew died.
- Intergenerational Friendship: Dr. Bruce Banner becomes a friend and mentor to Matt, as he understands what it's like to have your life drastically changed after gaining superpowers.
- Internal Reveal: A good portion of the fic is dedicated to Matt telling Agent Coulson about the events of Chronicle.
- Irony: Tony finds it funny that Cap, a war veteran, lost to a teenager at Halo.
- It's All My Fault: Matt blames himself both for Andrew's descent into madness and his death (even though Coulson tells him that he had no choice).
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: How Matt sees Tony.
- The Joy of First Flight: Second-hand. Coulson notes while watching the footage of the boys learning to fly that Matt seems to enjoy that video more than the others.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: All three boys could create invisible shields around themselves that made them impervious to physical attacks, as shown when Andrew stabbed at Matt with a fork in his video...which resulted in Matt's hand being undamaged while the fork was bent beyond repair.
- Manly Tears: Subverted. Matt is still grieving for both of his friends, and cries once or twice during the fic.
- The Mentor: Bruce Banner acts like this towards Matt, as he feels they have a lot in common. He gives him advice on his emotional pain, and reminds him that he isn't alone.
- Mind over Matter: All three boys developed telekinesis.
- Mundane Solution: How is it that Matt Garrety has never heard of the legendary Steve Rogers, despite the fact that many people (including SHIELD agents) fanboy over him? Simple: he was never very interested in history and thus either didn't study or didn't remember learning about Captain America and his Howling Commandos.
- Mundane Utility: Once they discovered their powers, the three boys mainly used them to play pranks, build Lego sets, play football while several hundred feet in the air, mess around, take trips to Tibet, and impress the whole school at the talent show. Even after he'd trained as an Avenger, Matt uses his powers to do things like hold hot coffee mugs and clean up broken glass without touching it.
- Mundane Made Awesome: Matt teaches Captain America how to play Halo. Cap takes it a little too seriously...as does Banner.
- Named by the Adaptation: In Chronicle, Matt says at the end that he'll become a superhero, although the details of his superhero career are never seen. In Adjusting, he not only works with the Avengers for SHIELD, but SHIELD has given him the alias of Cyclone (due to his flight and telekinesis) because he's still a minor and they refuse let him use his real name until he's twenty-one.
- Not So Above It All: Coulson could have sworn he heard Fury laughing over some of the boys' pranks in their videos.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome:
- Agent Sitwell managed to convince not just the Seattle police department, but all government agencies to stop their manhunt for Matt with a few phone calls.
- Matt (under his SHIELD-issue alias of Cyclone) took part in the Battle for New York.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted; in Adjusting, Matt mentions his deceased friend Steve in passing. Bruce is confused and asks if they're talking about Cap. Matt quickly clarifies.
- Past Experience Nightmare: Matt admits that he's had nightmares about what happened in Seattle. They got better after he started talking with a therapist.
- Power Incontinence: In the sequel, when Matt starts panicking over a flashback, he loses his telekinetic hold on his mug and causes it to crash to the floor. Also, when he met J.A.R.V.I.S. (aka when the AI talked and scared him), Matt activated his flight powers and pinned himself to the ceiling before calming down (Tony thought it was hilarious).
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Coulson and Fury. Coulson realizes right off the bat that he's not dealing with a super villain but with a scared, starving kid who somehow got powers. He buys him a meal and lets him calm down before he questions him. Fury is willing to let Matt take a trip to Tibet and sees out his conditions for joining SHIELD (as all of them were minor requests and easy to fulfill), although he did give him a bugged camera and a backpack with trackers in it (just in case).
- The Runaway: Matt had no choice but to flee Seattle, as his powers had not only been exposed and filmed, but he and Andrew had destroyed a good chunk of the city and Matt is now wanted by several government agencies. He can't even contact his parents or Casey in case the government would go after them, too. Hence his living in a cave.
- Scars Are Forever: In the Seattle fight, a cop shot off part of Matt's finger when he was distracted. Seeing as how all he had to treat it was a first aid kit, he'll forever be without that part of his finger. He takes it fairly well, though, probably because the emotional pain he got from the battle was worse than any physical pain.
- Seen It All: After his years working with SHIELD, Coulson has seen so much that he's ready and willing to believe that three teenagers developed telekinesis and flight after touching a strange rock. His only reaction to it is to make a mental note to tell Fury and get a search team to that area.
- Spared by the Adaptation: In the sequel, it's mentioned that the doctors managed to get to Coulson in time and that he'd make a full recovery.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Coulson found Matt's cave when the kid wasn't there, so he simply waited in there for him. Cue this happening when Matt arrives and Coulson scares him to death by speaking.
- Surprisingly Mundane Reason: Downplayed. One might wonder how Matt Garetty, a teenager who (in this continuity) grew up in the MCU, doesn't know anything about Captain America and the Howling Commandos. The reason why? He was never very good at history, and either didn't study that portion of World War II history or didn't remember doing it.
- Tastes Like Friendship: Matt is (understandably) scared of Agent Coulson, as the teen is wanted by numerous government organizations. Coulson manages to earn his trust by promising he only wants to ask him a few questions and (after correctly guessing that the kid hasn't eaten in a while) buying him lunch. After eating, Matt willingly answers his questions.
- Technologically Blind Elders: In the sequel, Captain America has never played a video game before. This leads to Matt utterly destroying him at Halo...and then Matt getting destroyed when Widow joins the game.
- There Are No Therapists: Averted; during Matt's training with SHIELD, it was arranged so he could talk to a counselor about what he's been through. It's implied that this is helping.
- They Would Cut You Up: Invoked then averted. Matt wants the help of SHIELD's scientists to discover how he got his powers, but he doesn't want to be dissected. Coulson promises that won't happen while thinking to himself that while SHIELD's scientists are enthusiastic, none of them are crazy enough to dissect a teenager.
- Touched by Vorlons: While Matt still has no idea what gave him and his friends powers, Coulson instantly thinks of this trope and makes a mental note to tell Fury about it later.
- Tragic Keepsake: Matt has two of them in his cave. One is the Lego set that Andrew telekinetically put together in the film. The other is a snapshot photo of Matt, Andrew, and Steve.
- Tragic Villain: Coulson seems to view Andrew this way, as the kid only went off the deep end because of his terrible home life and relentless bullying at school. Still, having a sad life doesn't condone his actions.
- The Unseen: Agent Sitwell is mentioned, but never actually shows up. But he's the main reason why the government stops their manhunt for Matt.
- Workaholic: Cap spent the next three days after the Battle helping with SAR. He only stops when Fury orders him to get some rest.
- You Can't Go Home Again: Matt, other than breaking into his bedroom for some of his stuff, hasn't returned to his home ever since Andrew's death. As he's on the run from the police and government, he doesn't want to get his parents or girlfriend involved.
- Your Worst Memory: Matt clearly sees his fight with Andrew this way, as (despite everything Andrew'd done) he was still Matt's friend/cousin. Fighting and killing him left Matt an emotional wreck. Even after months with SHIELD, he's still pretty upset about it.
