He was never sure where the passion had come from. But he’d always been fascinated by the surrounding universe. Why does water freeze from the top down? And is it true that had it been otherwise, there would be no life on the planet? Are there really extra dimensions? Why is the universe not simply a lot of floating gas?
High school was a debilitating experience. He had few friends, and the girls pretty much never noticed him. He took a cousin to the prom. After graduation he attended the University of Tennessee, where he majored in physics and went on to earn a master’s degree. By then he’d read The Double Helix, A Brief History of Time, Shadows of the Mind, and Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! Among numerous others. And he’d come to a painful realization: The tangled complexities of his chosen field left him bewildered. How can the same particle be in two places simultaneously? Can space really be bent?
The truth was, he just wasn’t smart enough.
He pulled out of the doctoral program almost before he’d started. “Just as well,” his father had said. He’d never been happy with all the physics, had been warning Walter from the beginning that a career in law, like his own, would be a much more prudent course. “There’s no career as fulfilling as putting away thugs,” he’d said countless times. He was on the staff of the district attorney.
Walter took a temporary job in Knoxville as a taxi driver, a decision that disappointed his parents. And he launched on a course, he hoped, that would reorder his life. A young woman he’d been dating told him that sometimes you simply had to face reality. A few weeks later she said she wouldn’t be able to see him anymore. No explanation was offered. Walter was disappointed, but not surprised. It was not an uncommon experience for him.
A week later, attending another cousin’s birthday party, he met Diana Carter. She was gorgeous, with black hair, luminous blue eyes, and a dazzling smile. One of those women who take over the room when they come in the door. She’d been at UT also, a psychology major. He took a deep breath, fought down his usual fears, and invited her to dinner that weekend. She thought about it and said yes, and he’d had to restrain an inclination to wave both fists in the air. It went well.
He followed up, several nights later, with a show. She was energetic and smart, but he was cautious not to allow himself to become emotionally involved. It was, he thought, just a matter of time before she’d move on. But she surprised him when, a few days before his birthday, she called him, asked if he had any plans for that evening, and invited him out for a celebratory dinner. “How did you know about it?” he asked.
She laughed. “It’s on your Facebook page.”
“Of course it is.”
She took him to the Old Mill in Pigeon Forge, where he enjoyed himself thoroughly, until he discovered that she was also celebrating an appointment as an advertising sales consultant with Arbuckle Brothers, a major furniture retailer. So the evening was really about her. Still, the night went well, and he was encouraged when, as they pulled up outside her apartment, she invited him in.
“I’ve a birthday present for you, Walter,” she said. A package waited on a side table. She handed it to him and he unwrapped it.
“It’s a Quark-box,” he said, reading the packaging.
“You know what that is?”
It had been all over the networks. “It allows you to substitute yourself for one of the characters in a TV show or a movie.” Walter couldn’t see the point. High Noon with him impersonating Gary Cooper just wasn’t going to work. But he tried to look excited.
“I got one a couple of weeks ago. It provides a whole new experience.”
“So you’ve enjoyed it?”
“Have you seen any movies lately?” she asked. On their two dates they’d gone to a play and a concert.
“A few. Sure.” In fact, that was what he did when he wasn’t driving around in the cab: sat home watching movies and TV shows. He’d reacted to losing his girlfriend by treating himself to a new TV, which incorporated a virtual reality component. It used a sensor to analyze the color, shading, and general appearance of his living room and of the on-screen images. It then blended the two, projecting visuals across walls, floor, and ceiling, creating an illusionary reality that placed the viewer in the center of the action. Walter literally sat on the bridge of the Enterprise with Kirk and Spock. He saw that Diana’s television was equipped with the same technology. “Why do you ask?”
She arched an eyebrow. “Anything you enjoyed?”
He shrugged. “Let me think about it.”
Diana turned on the TV and the screen filled with movie titles. “Have you seen The Avengers?”
“A few years ago, yes.”
“Did you like it?”
“Sure.”
“Would you be willing to try it again? I can promise you a surprise.”
“I’m playing Thor?”
She smiled. “I guess you have me figured out.”
“It wasn’t hard to guess.”
“That’s okay with you?”
“Sure.”
“Good. Now, I need you to stand in front of the television.”
Walter complied.
“Good evening, sir,” said the TV. “Please identify yourself by the name your friends use.” Walter nodded. “My name is Walter Peacock, and I appreciate the very nice birthday present.”
“Excellent. Please smile at me.”
Walter smiled.
“And provide me with some expressions, demonstrating how you might react to different emotional situations.”
He tried to look as if he sensed danger. “This is how I might respond if I hear a strange noise in the house at night.”
“Just provide the expressions if you will, Mr. Peacock. I can manage the interpretations.”
“Perfect,” said Diana. “You want a snack before we start?”
“No, thanks. I’m still full.” The Avengers didn’t seem right for the occasion. Diana just wasn’t the type who’d be a fan of action movies, but he was certainly not going to do anything to spoil the mood.
She tapped a keypad, picked up a remote, and dimmed the lights. “Off and running,” she said, sitting down beside him. The TV screen brightened.
A blue sky filled with white mist appeared. The mist filled the room but was quickly replaced by the Paramount trademark. Then Walter was looking up a flight of illuminated stairs. Far below him, the Earth turned slowly. An ominous voice was speaking, saying that humanity would be able to do nothing but burn.
The stairway vanished and the mist came back, inside a rotating cube. Then he and Diana were adrift in a dark sky, while a helicopter cleared a mountain, descended toward a cluster of buildings, and landed. An evacuation was under way. Someone who looked like a government director walked out to meet the aircraft. Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, climbed out of the chopper, and the two engaged in a tense conversation. They were running out of time.
Walter sat back to watch but was surprised a few minutes later when the Black Widow showed up. She was being played by Diana. He turned and saw her grinning at him.
Despite being tied to a chair and outnumbered by the bad guys, she beat them to a pulp. “Guess I better not mess around with you,” he said.
Walter did not appear as Thor. Instead, he was Steve Rogers. Captain America.
“Beautiful,” he said. He almost fit the part.