MARVEL/DC: DOCTOR IN THE MULTIVERSE

"Who will answer for the more than six thousand people who died in Sokovia?"

"But without the heroes, Ultron's army would have—"

"Would have what?"

"Who created Ultron in the first place?"

"The heroes did."

"They created the crisis, then fought the crisis they had created."

"Thousands died."

"And that's what we're calling protection?"

Lynn muted the television.

He placed the remote on the desk and took another sip of tea.

The debate was becoming repetitive.

He had heard variations of the same argument across almost every international news channel since the destruction of Sokovia.

Heroes had saved lives.

Heroes had also destroyed cities.

Both statements could be true simultaneously.

Lynn set down his teacup and opened an encrypted folder on his phone.

Inside were the documents he had quietly collected over the previous three days.

United Nations emergency-session summaries.

Public statements issued by European governments.

Draft language circulated among diplomatic missions.

Transcripts from closed-door discussions.

And several internal communications obtained through the dark web.

The conclusion was becoming increasingly obvious.

Oversight.

The governments of the world intended to establish a permanent legal framework governing superhuman activity.

The timing made sense.

The Battle of Metropolis.

The destruction caused by Zod and the World Engine.

Then Sokovia.

Less than six months separated the two disasters.

To ordinary civilians, the distinction between "hero," "alien," and "superhuman" mattered very little when an entire neighborhood was destroyed.

People remembered the rubble.

They remembered funerals.

They remembered hospitals overflowing with casualties.

They remembered watching impossible battles on television while wondering whether their own city would be next.

Fear had reached a political tipping point.

Governments reacted accordingly.

The United Nations Security Council had held three emergency sessions in as many days.

The proposed international framework was increasingly being referred to by the media as the Sokovia Accords, although the legal machinery behind it was still being negotiated and the exact wording remained unsettled.

The proposal was straightforward in principle.

Superhuman identities would have to be registered.

Their known capabilities would have to be documented.

International operations would require authorization.

Actions undertaken across national borders without prior approval would constitute violations of international law.

Lynn slowly scrolled through the draft.

Then he noticed something.

He stopped.

The definition of a regulated superhuman focused heavily on individuals possessing extraordinary abilities that could be employed for combat, coercion, or large-scale destruction.

Combat.

Destruction.

Military intervention.

Those words appeared repeatedly.

Medical care...

Barely appeared at all.

Lynn's finger remained on the screen.

His own situation was unusual.

His public identity was unquestionably legitimate.

Dr. Lynn.

Licensed physician.

Registered clinic.

Tax records.

Medical credentials.

A legal business.

A documented history of providing medical treatment.

There was no public evidence connecting that person to the masked figure known internationally as the Transcendent.

There was no documented instance of Dr. Lynn engaging in combat.

No battlefield footage showing Lynn.

No public record identifying him as a combatant.

The people who knew the truth were another matter.

Bruce Wayne.

Tony Stark.

Nick Fury.

And, if Clark Kent's observations were correct...

Superman probably understood the connection as well.

None of them had exposed him.

More importantly...

There was another weakness in the proposed framework.

The drafters were thinking almost entirely in terms of weapons.

Mutants with destructive powers.

Metahumans capable of military intervention.

Aliens.

Vigilantes.

Superheroes.

Nobody had seriously considered the possibility of a superhuman whose principal function was medicine.

A healer.

A surgeon.

A physician capable of treating injuries that ordinary hospitals couldn't touch.

Would such a person automatically become a regulated combatant simply because his biology exceeded human norms?

The draft's wording did not clearly establish that.

And ambiguity...

Was opportunity.

Lynn's lips curled slightly.

He saw the possibility immediately.

Register himself not as a combat operative...

But as an internationally recognized superhuman medical practitioner.

A neutral medical entity.

A protected humanitarian service.

Outside the command structure of both superhero alliances and national militaries.

If the Avengers fought the Justice League...

If governments fought vigilantes...

If heroes fractured into opposing camps...

The injured would still need doctors.

And governments would have little incentive to shut down the only medical facility capable of treating catastrophic superhuman injuries.

A neutral medical status would be extremely difficult to challenge without creating an international political problem.

Perfect.

Lynn locked the phone.

He stood and walked to the clinic window.

Outside...

Pedestrians hurried along Fifth Avenue.

Some carried newspapers.

Others carried bags of supplies.

The anxiety generated by Sokovia had begun to affect everyday life.

People who had never heard the name Ultron before were now discussing evacuation routes.

Lynn watched them for several seconds.

Fear spread more efficiently than any virus.

He returned to the desk.

Opened the computer.

And began drafting a document.

The title appeared at the top of the page:

Proposal Regarding the Establishment of a Neutral Superhuman Medical Observation and Treatment Facility

The body was short.

Precise.

Professional.

No emotional language.

No political position.

No endorsement of either side.

Only medical necessity.

International neutrality.

Emergency access.

Humanitarian protection.

Lynn finished the final paragraph.

Saved the document.

Shut down the computer.

He picked up the wooden Closed sign and walked toward the entrance.

The sign was hung on the door.

The roller shutter descended.

The television continued playing quietly behind him.

The UN Secretary-General's recorded statement filled the darkening lobby.

"...we must establish a framework capable of protecting civilians while addressing the unprecedented activities of individuals possessing extraordinary abilities..."

The roller shutter locked into place.

The clinic became dark.

Lynn stood there for a moment.

Then...

He returned to the reception desk.

Picked up his phone.

Opened Bruce Wayne's encrypted channel.

He typed one message:

I've reviewed the draft international superhuman regulations. Several provisions are badly constructed. Send me the complete version when you have it.

He sent it.

Then placed the phone in his pocket.

Bruce would provide it.

The principle was simple.

Equivalent exchange remained the strongest foundation for cooperation.

Lynn opened a portal.

Golden sparks spiraled into existence.

He stepped through.

...

Three days later.

Miracle Clinic.

Afternoon.

Lynn sat behind the reception desk reading a medical journal.

The front door opened.

Tony Stark entered.

The dark circles beneath his eyes were still noticeable.

His physical condition had improved considerably since the Ultron battle, but his sleep schedule clearly had not.

He carried a paper bag in one hand.

He walked to the desk.

"Just here for a follow-up."

He placed the bag on the counter.

"I also brought the most expensive donuts I could find in New York."

Lynn glanced at the bag.

"Your injuries have already healed."

Tony dropped into the examination chair.

"Doctor-patient confidentiality?"

"You're the one who keeps telling me that."

Tony crossed his legs.

"I just thought I'd check whether my favorite doctor still has an absurdly high opinion of his own billing rates."

Lynn closed the journal.

He stood.

Walked toward Tony.

The All-Seeing Eye scanned him.

Cardiovascular system.

Respiratory system.

Abdominal wall.

Neurological activity.

No abnormalities.

Completely recovered.

Lynn stepped back.

"Finished."

Tony raised an eyebrow.

"That's it?"

"You're healthy."

"Follow-up fee?"

"Twenty thousand dollars."

Tony stared at him.

"You looked at me for approximately two seconds."

"Professional judgment."

"That's robbery."

"You may leave."

Tony sighed.

He transferred the money through his phone.

"Paid."

Lynn returned to his chair.

Tony remained seated.

He studied Lynn for several seconds.

Then finally asked,

"You've seen the draft, haven't you?"

Lynn opened his journal again.

"I've read it."

"What do you think?"

"Poorly drafted."

Tony smiled faintly.

"That's it?"

"I'm a doctor."

Lynn turned another page.

"International politics isn't my field."

Tony's lips twitched.

He disliked that answer intensely.

It always meant the same thing.

Don't drag me into this.

Tony leaned forward.

"You're a doctor."

His voice became deliberately sarcastic.

"But your other identity isn't."

Lynn didn't look up.

"Other identity?"

Tony stared at him.

"Seriously?"

Lynn calmly turned another page.

"Mr. Stark, if you're here for a medical consultation, you're welcome."

"If you're here to discuss international law..."

He finally lifted his eyes.

"...I'd recommend speaking with your attorney."