Chapter 2 - The Beginning of The Beginning
By One Above All
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"To one who says that they have worked hard all their lives to reach a certain point or that one special finish line, they might be the ones to have fame and glory. Then, there are those whose goals are unreachable that it might as well be impossible to accomplish. They are the one to have their names immortalized forever. None are a much finer example than the legendary Leonardo Da Vinci. For in the minds of the historians of the future, they shall only know a portion of the truth. The Great Da Vinci was a shepherd to those who heed his words. He would become the one to give way to the next new realm of science and knowledge seeking for all of humanity.
The earth had prospered under his wisdom, until threats from beyond the stars had made their presence known. Being witnessed to this inevitable threat, he would construct machines that were beyond human comprehension. His inventions were unlike any to be constructed in the years beyond. They were enough to defeat numerous otherworldly creatures that only hell could have created or places worse than that. After long battles that were fought across the world, countries and civilizations all knew that they needed the fantastic machines of the brilliant Italian. At times of despair, all eyes and hands were all over Italy, but later Leonardo had discovered a whole other threat to the earth.
This threat was declared by the Italian inventor to be the Zodiac Celestials. Constructing his greatest mechanism, the most powerful machine on the face of the Earth. It was called the Primo Figlio and upon its activation had thwarted the mighty powers of the twelve celestial titans. Knowing of a possible return of the Zodiac Celestials, Leonardo found a way to obtain their cosmic essences and converted them into twelve artifacts, each representing a different Zodiac.
Scorpio. Aquarius. Sagittarius. Taurus. Virgo. Pisces. Libra. Leo. Gemini. Capricorn. Cancer. Aries.
These twelve celestials had the cosmic power to annihilate our solar systems, but the great Leonardo Da Vinci ended their invasion. Though humanity could never feel or understand just what this cosmic power may be, his genius had created twelve artifacts that hold great power, nonetheless. These relics were placed in hidden areas underneath the earth. These hollow earth locations were constructed by Leonardo himself to keep them away from humanity's greed. This campaign to rid the evidence of the existence of the Zodiac Celestials had taken him his whole life. Before his death, he had written his will a confession of who he really was. In his will, he had written that he was of another existence, another life. He called himself a reincarnate, a man from another living universe. He had decided to allow humanity to have the freedom to search for these artifacts and allow them to fulfill whatever destiny they wish to live in. This destiny is our mission. Our path to venture. These reincarnates that now live after the time of Da Vinci are not worthy to seek the relics, they are not worthy to live in the same existence as us, and they are not worthy to bear their own children. They will have to fight for that right. For now, let them kill each other in their destructive civil wars in Europe. Both SHIELD and Hydra will never know the true value of the universe that their own Leonardo had saved all his life. These reincarnates will either learn their place or place themselves at our sights to be slain. Our brothers in Europe had infiltrated the Hydra force and had gained information to where the first two relics may be. Italy and Finland, those two countries shall be the next step to bringing humanity to obtain the powers of the cosmic realm. It is our destiny for we are the Sons of Da Vinci. Sincerely, Moises Argueta, the Secondo Figlio"
This was the written letter that was hidden within the book that Frank Castle had discovered in the Venetian Noble's hotel in Italy. After the events that had transpired in Italy, The Punisher saw it to himself to begin an investigation on these Sons of Da Vinci. After delivering his report of last week's mission and the now freed Simon Williams, Director Carter immediately joined with her Thunderbolts and Forge to investigate the teenage boy's current conditions and as well as this relic that Frank had brought back.
"Other than the unnecessary body count and lack of following orders, it is safe to say that the mission was a success and the country of Italy is now free from active Hydra influence", announce Director Carter.
"To be fair, it's Frank's fault that we had to do the mission early instead of doing it on schedule", said Barton.
"Nevertheless, good work. The Italian government is now renewed and re-established to fit the needs of its people and land. The Italian citizens can now sleep peacefully knowing that their civil war problem is over. However, as a result we are now aware of a new enemy that had been watching us for a long time. These Sons of Da Vinci had come to make themselves a threat just as dangerous as Hydra. They not only have knowledge on our existence as reincarnates, but knowledge of relics that originates from the essence of the most destructive forces of our original multiverse, the Celestials", said Carter.
"I still can't believe that the Zodiacs got reincarnated as Celestials. They were the foundations of organizations like SHIELD, Hydra, and the short-lived Leviathan. From what Doom's R.C.S. provided, the Zodiacs were once a strong world government until their dissolvement, and any remaining members became the Zodiac Cartel. There were many other iterations after that, but none that mention their involvement with cosmic beings", said Forge.
"You learn something new every day. What about that Simon lad? How's he doing? The last time any of us had seen him, he was sent straight to the medical ward of the Helicarrier", asked Percy.
"The medical team did their best but couldn't figure out what was keeping him in an unstable state. To solve this issue, Forge took it in his capable hands to find a solution", answered Carter.
Forge then projected a holographic screen to show Simon's current state. The screen reveals Simon being on his two legs and wearing a SHIELD uniform that was his size.
"As you can see, I did a pretty good job getting our dear Wonder Man back on his feet. Sadly, it came with some very inconvenient circumstances", said Forge.
"Like what? I thought we secured him while he was alright", said Barton.
"You did, but that condition he was in was only temporary. A few hours later his condition became unstable and the medical team couldn't figure out why. I came into the medical ward and decided to try something else. Instead of looking in a physical perspective, I instead saw it to get a charge. If you think about it, in our original multiverse Simon Williams was an energy being. So, the only reason he would be slowly dying would be that his whole being is going through an Ionic destabilization. I then did some analysis on those twin ionic energy guns that Frank brought back from Italy. In your report, you guys mentioned that Frank wired the guns to the chamber he was in. it turns out that the explosion didn't just freed Simon, it also charged him to be in a stable state. However, the ionic energy that erupted wasn't enough to stabilize his body, but it did for his psyche. The forensic team that analyzed the Hydra tech in Italy gave every detail to what exactly those Hydra guys were hooking up to him. It turns out that Hydra wasn't just experimenting with Ionic energy. They were siphoning it from Simon's body", explained Forge.
"They were draining him dry", said Frank.
"Exactly. Hydra wanted to find a way to create energy weapons, so they started to mess with Ionic energy. The problem was that this earth's tech isn't up to speed with tech we once had in our original multiverse. So, the only way for them to get any Ionic energy is to know of Simon's existence. Thus, the possibility of his brother, Erick Williams A.K.A. the Grim Reaper, had regained his memory through some alternate means and revealed to Hydra everything there is about Simon", explained Forge.
"Well, that's just great. Hydra is getting their own reincarnates. Which begs the question, why haven't we run into any yet? So far, we've just been fighting locals", said Barton.
"Our recent theory suggests that Hydra is planning on one of two things were their reincarnate forces. They'll either save them for when they are desperate or for then they're going to initiate a major assault. Either two are likely. Other than Grim Reaper, we don't have the knowledge of any other reincarnates that appeared on this earth that are working with Hydra", explained Carter.
"Back on the topic of Simon, we may have stabilized his body, but his psychology is another problem altogether. The experiments Hydra did to him had fractured his mind to the point of giving multiple personality disorder. The recent brain scans show that he has a total of 20 personalities, each one with a unique skill set depending on the Ionic ability they are assigned to. Each Ionic ability was once a part of a whole skill set that Wonder Man was able to do as a whole minded person. After undergoing consoling by the medical team, recent data shows that Simon's body will be controlled by a random personality each day. It would have been difficult to tell which personality is which and figure out which power they each have, but fortunately each personality is self-aware of who they are and have given details to what each can do. With the information they provided, I made a list of each Simon and their Ionic abilities. The list can be accessed within your communicators. For now, just rest assured that Simon Williams is healthy and alive", explained Forge.
"The footage you showed us is of last week, so where's Simon now?", asked Barton.
"Although, his multiple personality situation could be considered a disability. He or one of himself was kind enough to inform us that every Simon within his mind has agreed to the terms of joining the SHIELD Youth Department. As we speak, Simon Williams has already joined and has received his position in Yelena's new team. Jimmy Woo has contacted us that U.A. Academy has accepted our terms and has allowed eight extra positions for their first-year hero courses. As planned, Yelena, Simon, and two others will be assigned to Class 1-B", said Carter.
"If that's the case, then where's Simon?", asked Percy.
"He's currently in his first mission with Yelena to recruit Arthur Parks into the Youth Department. Those two are already stationed at Queens, investigating any recent sighting of our reincarnated Living Laser", said Forge.
"With being said, Barton, you and I are to pick up Magneto for the recruitment process for Cain Marko. If we appeal to the fact that the six-year-old Charles that currently in his care needs a much better living condition to be raised in, then we might also be able to convince him with a familiar face", said Carter.
"Right, I'll start up the quinjet", said Barton.
"Frank Castle, seeing how you haven't said anything this whole time, what exactly do wish to gain from today's debriefing?", asked Carter.
Frank stood from his chair and faced Forge. He then unlatched the Scorpio Muramasa sword from his belt and unsheathed the blade.
"Did you run the test on the sword that I brought back", said Frank stoically.
"Well, you're not wrong when you said that the sword was a Zodiac Relic. Scans show that the blade specifically emits an invisible aura of cosmic energy. The handle and sheath are made of a really unique metal not found in the periodic table and actually hold traces of cosmic radiation. Other than that, I say that the weirdest thing about the sword is the fact you only killed one person with it and that the damn thing is stuck to you like Thor and Mjolnir", answered Forge.
It was enough to satisfy Frank's curiosity as he sheathed the sword and latched it back to his belt. He was then about to exit the room until he was stopped by Carter.
"Frank, whatever you planned to do in your investigation in Finland, just make sure of one thing. Whatever the Sons or Hydra would want from that country, be sure to be the first one to retrieve it. None of our enemies should get these relics. It doesn't matter the body count, you must bring back the prize", ordered Carter.
Frank then pulled out his black ski mask with painted white skull from his trench coat. He then puts it on and activated his quirk Evil Eyes. his glowing red pupils emitting from the darkness of the mask's eyeholes. He then turns his head to Director Carter.
"Consider it done", said Frank as he exited the room.
Carter then turns her attention to Percy, the Black Knight.
"Knight, you're free to return to your position in the SWORD headquarters over in Nevada", said Carter.
"Nah, Area 51 is fine without me. Besides, someone must make sure that the Punisher comes back home alive", said Percy as he walked to the exit.
"Be sure to not get too drunk in Finland", said Forge as Percy left the room.
As the Thunderbolts were dismissed to their next missions, four new holographic screens had been emitted in the center of the debriefing room. These four screens displayed video chat from the four teenage ex-villains. Victor von Doom. Erik Lesher. Eddie Brock. Victor Creed.
"Good morning boys, what brings this sudden video call. Hopefully something worth valuable SHIELD intelligence time", said Carter.
"If I can recall, Director Carter, the whole point of having us take the U.A. Entrance Exam and being accepted into said Academy was to investigate further on the quirk anomaly of All-Might and All For One. well, it just so happens that Creed has some very special intel he would like to share with everyone. It's also worth mentioning that the means he had committed to obtain such information was rather reckless", said Doom.
"Hey. Logan and I didn't catch that time. Yeah, we were lucky to not be seen, but we made it out safe. Anyway, yeah I do got something that really helps out with the investigation", said Creed.
"Can I ask just how you acquire information related to All-might and All For One?", asked Carter.
"Actually Director, it's more of relating to All-Might, specifically his quirk and secret identity", said Erik.
"Wait… All-Might has a secret identity. And to think that old trend had died out years ago", said Forge.
"Do you have evidence to back this up?", asked Carter.
Several holographic images then popped up to display what seems to be a skinny blonde man with a green haired Japanese boy.
"I could only guess that the skinny man is All-Might's alter ego. And the boy is who exactly?", said Carter.
"Green head's name is Izuku Midoriya. He's my next-door neighbor in the apartment complex we both live in. The only person he lives with is his mother. His father is completely non-existent. Only other stuff I know about him is that he's going through his last year of middle school and just like the four of us he's also applying to U.A.", explained Creed.
Forge then scrolled through his tablet to look up the private information of Izuku Midoriya.
"It says here the kid is quirkless. This could support the predecessor theory we had been jarring on. There had been rumors within the media that long ago there was a woman who had similar abilities as All-Might. However, the hero community had forgotten about her once All-Might made his debut", said Forge.
"For that theory to be the case, All-might's quirk must have been transferable. If the rumors of All-Might searching for a successor are true, then this Midoriya boy must have been the one he picked", said Doom.
Carter then examined the images in front of her.
"Creed, this evidence you have provided have answered a lot of questions, but how do we know that this skinny person is All-Might", asked Carter.
"I got Eddie to turn into his Venom form and sneak into All-Might's Agency", said Creed.
"Yeah, it took about two days until I was finally able to get a video recording. Check this out", said Eddie.
The small video Eddie sent revealed All-Might entering his main office. He takes off his coat and places it on his desk as he pulls out his phone from his left pocket. As he dials a number, he begins to cough out some specs of blood from his mouth. He made the call and started talking to someone who he named Naomasa. The blood from his mouth grew wider in its stream like form as his body had started steaming. Eventually, the room had been developed in steam and once it had been cleared out the skinny man stood there wearing All-Might's clothes. The video ended there.
"As soon as he left his office, I bolted for the air vent and got the hell out of there", said Eddie.
"This evidence has proven itself concrete, but I have to ask, Creed. Just how did you come across the thought of this Izuku Midoriya being the successor to All-Might?", asked Carter.
"Yeah, so… I nearly got caught, but Logan and I were able to pull out of there unnoticed. It was during one of our vigilante runs in Musutafu that we got stuck in a tight spot. We were just about done giving a major beating to this one gang of thugs when suddenly All-Might bashed through the garage door the warehouse we were in. me and Logan duck under a few crates and kept our breathing steady. Let me tell ya… I know I call a lot of Pro-Heroes amateurs, but that guy was just chock full of power. I could smell it. It took an hour until the guy finally left and all that was left was the police. Me and Logan got out of there later, but yeah it was close. When we got home and rested for the rest of the night, we woke up the next day and heard knocking at our door. When I got close enough to the door, I could have sworn I smelled All-Might. I was about to burst through the door and take my chances in jail by attacking the guy with all I got, but that's when I smelled something else that was mixed with All-Might's scent. I chilled out, opened the door, and what do you know it Izuku was on the other side. He showed up to give us some food that he and his mother had for dinner the other, because they had made too much then. I accepted the free food and invited him in. I asked him about his day and next thing I knew he goes off about all the recent pro-hero bullshit that has been going on in the media. Seriously, with him is All-Might this All-Might that. Having his scent, being his fanboy, and having a face that just looks so fucking punchable. I mean the guy's okay, it's just that he doesn't stop being such a pussy when he's talking. So, when he finally left, I was thinking to myself why the hell was my next door neighbor just reeking of All-Might, both figuratively and literally. That's when one thought hit my head. What if Izuku was like some secret lover to All-Might or probably he's being taken advantage of by All-Might who could have used Izuku fanboy shit to get his way. So I figured I stalk Izuku the next day and… ", explained Creed who was then cut off by Erik.
"You mean to tell us that the whole reason you decided to gather this much evidence into the All-Might investigation was because you had the curiosity of the idea of All-Might being secretly a pedophile?", asked an irritated Erik.
"Yeah, pretty much", answered Creed.
"Wait, were you just going to do that just to blackmail All-Might for shits and giggles?", asked Eddie.
"Hell yeah I was", laughed Creed.
"Director Carter, just why am I on the same team as this guy again?", asked Doom.
"Alright, enough. Creed, please continue with your report", said Carter.
Victor Creed then explained the rest of his report to the Director. He goes through every detail of how he discovered Izuku's connection with All-Might. Each day he had either placed himself into a cramped space somewhere on the beach or spy from afar on top of a building. He describes the training methods the number one hero had the boy go through with the soul objective of making him the perfect vessel to his quirk. It was on that note that Doom's theory of All-Might's quirk being transferable was correct. The rumors that had been ignored by the media but were perceived by shadowy parts of society had also been confirmed true. All-Might was indeed looking for a successor. As the teenage Sabretooth finishes his report, Carter's mind had dived deep into thought. She pondered on the likely outcome of more reincarnated enemies from their original multiverse plaguing this different earth with their presence. After all these years, she still calls this earth home, but that belief became more stray the possibility of enemy reincarnate becoming more and more unsettling. It was already bad enough with Hydra being a main threat to the world, but an anti-reincarnate group made of mostly locals is on the rise and there is a possibility of extraterrestrial threats relevant eventually. If things were to become worse. If things were to become far too much, then could someone like All-Might truly be the only line of defense that this society could put all their hopes on. One man can't do it all, even with the power to rival earth's strongest heroes. That's when one thought had clicked in her head. An idea. A possible movement that could not only encourage change within this flawed society but encourage an evolution into the foundation of an all-new form of heroism. A heroic renaissance. When the time is right, she will tell this idea to the youths that she wishes to see become truly defined heroes. Not for fame. Not for glory. Not for gold. Not even for a god. It will truly be for the sake of protecting the one thing that had been taken from them. That one thing is life, because for a reincarnate, death was both natural and pointless. But for now, she decided to let these four boys in front of her know how she truly felt about all of this. She wants to open to them on what she perceived as her view of existence.
"So yeah, after going through hell for the past few days, Izuku is pretty much doing alright. I mean he keeps vomiting every time he does too much, but he's doing fine… hey Carter, are you feeling okay?", said Creed.
The four boys looked to Carter to see her being focused on her right hand. She then sighed and balled her hand into a fist.
"Doom, tell me, what is your best theory of why All-Might would need a successor?", asked Carter.
Victor von Doom pondered on that. Why would the current strongest human on the earth need a successor? Reaching for his custom computer, he quickly goes through several slowed down videos of all of All-Might's heroics. Running each form of covered media of All-Might's feats and actions through a calculative series of data-based simulations, he quickly noticed one common pattern that occurs each time the number one hero performed a heroic deed.
"Looking at the data, there is one contrast to each of his daily performances. Each time he is moving, he is getting slower by three milliseconds. The two possibilities I could think of is that he is slowly deteriorating upon using his quirk or the quirk itself is slowly deteriorating. However, there's still one fact that has changed the perspective of this investigation and that's this skinny blonde man is the real All-Might. Thus, the muscle-bound form he takes on is simply a symptom of his quirk. Other than that, the only option that's left to take in order to continue this investigation is to investigate this Izuku Midoriya", explained Doom.
"It seems we have made major headway in investigating All-Might, but we're still nowhere in the investigation of All For One", said Erik.
"Then for now, these investigations will be put on halt until otherwise", said Carter.
The four looked visibly confused on that.
"Wait, seriously. After I literally played stalker to gather this much information, we're just going to drop it like it was nothing", said Creed irritated.
"Yes, we are. If you four wish to actually continue with these investigations on the two quirk anomalies, then they'll have to be during your time. However, your real mission comes first and that's graduating U.A. Academy", said Carter.
"That's ridiculous. What about Europe? What about Hydra? The SHIELD agents and the European rebels will need our power to win their battles", said Doom.
"During your school years and or break weeks, you'll be notified if you will be requested for an available mission. Note that these notifications will be sent to you by Jimmy Woo, so all transport to mission will be by to the Japanese division's airspace and helipads. For now, we will make do with the Thunderbolts, but until then you four will be more focused on your cover as U.A. students along the successor of All-Might. Speaking of which…", said Carter who shifted her eyes to Victor Creed.
"Mister Creed, seeing how you are the one who completely gave such major discoveries on All-Might and his successor. From now till your graduation from U.A. Academy, Izuku Midoriya will be under your protective services", ordered Carter.
"Wait, What the fuck?!", yelled a pissed off Creed.
"And the rest of you are to provide assistance if needed", said Carter.
"This has officially become asinine", said Doom.
"And here I thought I might actually enjoy attending a Japanese high school", said a sarcastic Erik.
"Carter, you can't seriously give bodyguard duty on the side while we're doing some student work bullshit", asked a very livid Eddie.
"Everything that I've said today is to be received as a direct order. Do I make myself clear?", said Carter sternly.
Each of the four teenage former villains held a scowl on their face. They then gave in and collectively sighed in defeat.
"Yes, Ma'am", they each said in unison.
"Very well then, you're all dismissed for today", said Carter.
As three of the holographic screens faded away, Doom's screen remained on as he and Carter stared at each other. Both held an intense measure of asserting dominance as they judged the other with their eyes. After a few seconds, Doom closed his eyes and switched his screen off. In a way, the briefing room was a whole lot darker.
"Not to break the current atmosphere you're in, but there was something completely off about those last few minutes. To be honest, I don't know what's weirder. The fact that you were out of it for a few minutes or that you stuck those guys with a mission that was a weak attempt to keep them busy from their main focus in this existence", said Forge.
Carter closed her eyes and took in Forge's word. He was one of the first to join her SHIELD. One of the few she could trust with all her secrets, but there was one that she wanted to keep from all of them. This secret was the idea. The idea that would change this earth. Since her younger years, she read books about the travesties that had occurred in this so-called society. The horrible event that were caused by the discrimination of those with quirks. Her adopted father, Dum Dum Dugan, had even given his own stories of when he was just a security guard in the states having witnessed to nasty riots in many towns. The gang wars between different elemental quirks. The lynching of those with rather monstrous like quirks even though they were innocent. The destructive jealousy of those that held envy for those with far more impressive quirks. It wasn't until she reached middle school that the worst of a quirked filled humanity had finally ended. It was during then that hero communities of the world had finally picked up the pace. As SHIELD would monitor threats beyond borders, the pro-heroes secure the safety of everyone within their respective nations. When the day All-Might made his pro-hero debut, that safety was cemented for all to cling on. He was the iconic smile that people would run towards to escape despair. Peace and justice stood strong as he led the charge for the many generations of heroes that would come after him. Since then, society has thrived off his glory and power. They built their beliefs upon either idolizing everything he stood for or a hopeless attempt to surpass him in some way.
As All-Might performed his heroics as a symbol of peace, SHIELD had monitored him and the world for any concerning developments. Surprisingly, in all of Carter's years of being Director of SHIELD All Might has yet faced any reincarnated threats, other than the chase he had with Trick Shot. This fact would be reassuring, but the possibility is still likely to come eventually. However, now that they know that All-Might is getting weaker and needs a successor. He will most likely not have enough time to be an efficient ally for their small group of reincarnated SHIELD operatives. If this Izuku Midoriya truly was to be the next wielder of One For All, then their attention will have to be on him. Then again, they did have their one certain asset, Eddie Brock.
With his symbiote abilities, Venom can heal injuries and illnesses, even regrow lost limbs. If there was an illness or bodily damage that was degrading All-Might's abilities, then Venom could easily remove it to no longer be a problem. However, there were some variables to take in to. The symbiote biology that Eddie has is completely different to what they were familiar with back in their original multiverse. Due to him being a human klyntar hybrid, his symbiote reproduction is sexual instead asexual. The symbiote biomass was a part of Eddie's body, thus he couldn't fuse with anyone. Also, they have yet to see whether Eddie could use his abilities to manipulate another's quirk. Carter will need to notify Doom to investigate that. If Venom can change the tides of quirk research, then they'll need to keep that attribute a secret until it's necessary to reveal it to anyone. If the public were to find out that this American teenager from Queens was the miracle cure for every medical problem, then society itself would be all over him like vultures to a corpse.
But that will be a thought for concern later, for now Carter knew that there was one other way for these boys to grow.
"The truth is, Forge. I want these boys to go further. Further than they ever were in their previous life. They don't have to dwell on the past anymore. Neither the past of their original earths or this one. They can be more than just the villains they once were. The people they knew, the worlds they have seen, the realms they have once fought in. A part of me believes that it's just cruel to see life give these boys the same tragic beginnings they lived before. The same could be said for my Yelena. She lost so much in her original earth and she continues to lose more this second life. I adopted her to not only be an agent of SHIELD or a pro-hero to represent us, but to be free. Free from the bounds of a single country, free from being a monster for the Russians, red room, or AIM. I want to see her be free to become anything she could wish to be. Both her and the boys. I truly see her as my daughter and the boys are lost children who are just too close to returning to their sinister paths. For them to be free from the past, they need to focus on the future. Creed has Logan for a little brother. Eddie could possibly cure every ailment on earth. Erik is on the road to self-discovery. Doom is one of the brightest minds on the planet, if not the smartest human in existence. They have everything they need to just make a new life and yet here they are again, stuck in an endless cycle of heroes and villains. I just pray that they could see that too. It's just that Doom and Erik are right. The only way for that to be a possibility is for Hydra to be removed from the face of the earth", confessed Carter.
Forge remained silent as he took it all in. In his mind, he could understand where she was coming from. To any random person, it would just look like SHIELD was training kids to be living weapons. However, the truth always weighed more than the opinion of others and the truth was that these weren't just any ordinary teenagers. These were once the most dangerous villains of their original multiverse. Like Carter said many times, it's a miracle that they even agreed willingly to become SHIELD operatives. Another thing about truths is that there's more where that came from. He needed to remind her of that.
"Peggy, I get it. They have already been through hell long enough. I mean… yeah. Having to remember how you died and having to relive the same shitty childhood. I agree that putting them in a hero school could be a nice change of pace for them, but remember why we need them. Eventually, a shitstorm of god knows what will hit earth and we need these guys to be at their peak. Hydra isn't our only enemy now", said Forge.
Taking in Forge's words, Carter placed a hand over her mouth and sighed tiredly. She can't deny the facts given to her by her second in command. From the outside, these teenagers may look like youths being given special quirk training provided by the government, but that was far from the truth. They're reincarnated from a multiverse that holds more mystery than wonder. More advanced technology. More realms of the mystic arts and dark magic. More cosmic deities of supernatural origins. If one of this earth's local humans were to spend a day any of their earths, then they would either be awestruck by its properties or be terrified by the monsters and gods that hold powers that would make All-Might look like an ant. The humans of this earth didn't know it, but soon they will. Soon, they will come to see that true heroics aren't products of a status quo, but are created from the absolution of one's conviction.
"As always Forge. You are right", said Carter tiredly.
"It is both a blessing and a curse", said a smirking Forge.
"Send a message to Erik to inform him that he will be expected at Japanese division headquarters for his pick up. Barton and I will be there in three hours", said Carter.
As Forge sent the message, Director Carter headed for the quinjet that was piloted by TrickShot. Flying off the helicarrier, the two were off to pick up Magneto for the recruitment of a teenage Cain Marko.
… meanwhile in Queens, New York …
In north America, there had been a fair share of criminal organizations across each decade. Many of the old families have come and gone as new blood rises from the ashes. However, there is one family that has continued to stay alive, even in the awakening of quirks. This crime syndicate goes by one calling, The Maggia. They themselves were a group brought to this earth through reincarnation from their original multiverse, much like SHIELD and Hydra. The difference for them however is that they don't have the means of regaining their lost memories. Thus, it would be difficult to tell the difference between a Maggia member who is either a reincarnate or a local without the use of Doom's biomatrix software. Even without their memories, they are still a very active organization and hold a strong grip on the criminal underworld of the United States.
The Maggia's power went unopposed for years until recent events have shown that a certain vigilante has made it his crusade to thwart any and all Maggia activities in the city of New York.
This upcoming illegal rookie was known to the public as Light Strike. Years after the disappearance of Eddie's Lethal Protector, this bright as hell vigilante appears out of nowhere and taking down criminals at an alarming rate. Several investigators had found out Light Strike's obsession with the Maggia through the patterns of beaten and burnt bodies of Maggia members scattered across the shadier parts of the states. As this vigilante continues his mission to fight against the Maggia, some photographers were unsuccessful to gain any clear images of his appearance due to Light Strike flying through the city as fast as the speed of light. Eventually, luck would finally come for some amateur photographers when one was able to use a slow motion camera and quick accuracy to get a good enough image of the vigilante. The digital photo reveals a humanoid male covered in a glowing yellow aura. As he flew, the lower half of his body didn't show for it was leaving a stream of the same yellow light. Closer examination shows that under his possible light manipulation quirk, he is wearing a red and blue bodysuit with minor brown metallic armor on only the limbs. The body suit he wore also had an attached mask that covered all parts of the head that showed skin. However, the top of the mask was left open to let his long red hair flow freely.
The locals of this earth believed this young vigilante to be just another member of the North American illegal hero community, but the truth was much more incredible than that. This young vigilante's real is Arthur Parks, another reincarnate from the Marvel Multiverse. Not much is known about this version of this reborn member of the Iron Man rogue gallery, but each member of the current reincarnate crew has explained their earth's version of the Living Laser. In their earths, the Living Laser was commonly known through his origin story to be a lovestruck loser who got dumb by some woman who went for a richer man. Jealousy was the cause that made this pathetic failure travel a road of gaining power. His path into villainy would inevitably turn him into one of the earth's most dangerous energy beings. Of course, this is only the sum of what he usually was in their earths. His true character shall be known once they bring him to Director Carter for his reincarnate memories to be unlocked by her quirk. Currently, there are two SHIELD operatives that were willing to confront their fellow reincarnate and recruit him into the youth department. These two are Yelena Belova and Simon Williams.
Within what appears to be a simple water tower on top of a building, Yelena Belova and Simon Williams were perched within a room size reconnaissance nest inside the water tower. Through a small opening, a pair of zooming adjusting binoculars had been sticking out and were being by the Ukrainian teen. It's been six hours since she had started this mission with her first and new teammate. If she had to be honest, she would have preferred to have gone alone and apprehend Arthur Parks herself. Unfortunately, not only would that be disobey her adopted mother's orders, but Doom and Forge have yet to create devices and weapons could help her combat an energy being. It has been confirmed by Doom that Arthur's Photonic energy form is immune to her Paralyzing Shock quirk. That's where the requirement of Simon was a mandatory factor for this mission. Doom had also confirmed that Simon's Ionic energy acts as a repulsion to Arthur's Photonic energy. The two of them were like the opposing sides of magnets, one pushing back the other. Until they found some alternate method to apprehend energy beings, Simon was their only method of tagging the reincarnate Living Laser. There was only one thing that irked her about having to work with Simon.
"Well, alrighy miss Belova, how should I serve this here god blessed United States?", said an enthusiastic Simon.
His rather annoying multiple personality disorder. 'This is going to be a long day', Yelena thought. Checking her SHIELD communicator for the list of all the Simon personalities, she had determined that the Simon she was currently working with was Simon number two, otherwise known as Patriot Simon. To her, this personality sounded like a Captain America fanboy.
"We already discussed this. Patriot Simon, was it? I am to keep monitoring the New York airspace for Photonic energy readings to track our target. Once I've found his exact location, that's when we confront him. First, we'll try to negotiate. If that fails, then it will be up to you to put him down", explained Yelena.
"Right, I understand now. When it comes down to it, I'll secure any victory for the sake of my nation", said a proud Simon who saluted Yelena.
Yelena sighed at his over enthusiastic patriotism. This was really going to be a long day.
"Listen, I'll explain to you what it means to work for SHIELD. We are an international agency that provides assistance to maintain the security of any country that needs it. We belong to no one, but we work with everyone", explained Yelena.
"That I understand, Miss Belova. But as long as I'm in control of this body, my loyalty is to the United States of America", said Patriot Simon.
Yelena pinched the bridge of her nose. She then looked at the timer that was at the top of the list of that held the names and abilities of each of Simon's personalities. This timer tells the amount of time that is left for the current personality who was controlling Simon's body. Once the timer hits zero, it resets to 24 hours, indicating that another personality is currently in control. Right now, the timer was telling her that this personality has thirteen hours left. She would read the list, but for now she would want to hear it from the horse's mouth.
"Alright, I understand this is a cruel symptom given to you by all the terrible things that Hydra has done to you. To be honest, I just want you to understand that you're not the only victim of their actions. Now that the two of us are going to be working together, I'll be able enough to open up to you if you ever ask me to and I expect the same from you. Understand that we are a team now and once we bring in the other two members we will need to cooperate as expected of us by Director Carter", said Yelena.
Patriot Simon looked at her for a while and then shifted his eyes to his boots. A small smile then slowly appeared on his face. It held a notion of understanding and a bit of sadness. He then shifted his eyes back to Yelena who now had a good look at his pupils. Deep within the blackness of the pupils that were ringed by scarlet irises, she could feel the pain that laid within them. A part of her had started to think that she might have gone too far with her proclamation.
"It's funny how life works. One day, poor Simon had finally gotten a job at some coffee shop. The next day, he gets attacked and dragged off into a van by his own brother, but that wasn't the biggest shock. The real shock was that his brother, some emo looking guy named Erick, had stabbed a scythe head through Simon's chest and somehow through some odd reason Simon had survived that. Everything went black and then purple light erupted within Simon's being. After that, we were made. Us, the personalities. We are each an individual conscious separate from Simon's. We are the fragmented souls to be put back together again. We are very aware that we aren't real people and believe me when I say that we wish to become whole again", said a very sulken Simon.
"Sorry to hear that. To be betrayed by your own family could shatter any one's spirit. I assure you that we are doing all that SHIELD is doing that they can with the Hydra threat in Europe. When the time comes when we finally apprehend Grim Reaper, I personally see to it that you gave access to his cell for any means of settling any unfinished business", said Yelena.
"No, it's alright. At this point, all 20 of us have already forgiven him. However, that doesn't mean we aren't willing to help put him in jail. So enough about our pain and suffering, what would you like to know", said Patriot Simon who returned to his chipper attitude.
"Well, I was hoping to understand how the Ionic abilities that each of your personalities have are attributed. There are 20 of you, right? Mind telling me how each of you are?", asked Yelena who was relieved to see him return to being jovial.
"Sure thing miss Yelena. But first, the twenty of us have officially agreed to tell a very important thing about our mental conditions regarding our attributed abilities", said Simon.
After hearing this, Yelena brought herself closer to listen.
"We didn't tell Forge this, because we thought it could complicate things. By telling you, we might better explain how our shifting Ionic conditions are. You see, there were actually 22 of us. Back in that church in Italy, Frank Castle had caused an Ionic explosion within that chamber we were stuck in. that explosion didn't just alter our mental stability, but also caused a form of mending our psyches. Pretty much, it had caused three of the personalities to merge. This has resulted in three Simon becoming one new and different Simon. Not only does this Simon present a new personality, but he also has the three Ionic powers that once belonged to the original three. This Simon is called by SHIELD to be Simon number 8, but we call him, Pacifist Simon. Before I go into detail about him, I'll explain the first seven guys, then him, then the guys after him", explained Simon.
Yelena put her communicator on edit to record everything Simon was about to tell her.
"First, there is Detective Simon. He is a personality that has great detective skills. Hell, he could be the next Sherlock Holmes. Along with that skill, he has the Ionic Ability of turning his body's molecular structure into just a manifestation of Ionic particles. Pretty much, he's like a ghost made of Ionic particles. Things just go right through him.
Next, there's me, Patriot Simon. I have Ionic enhanced Strength. I'm estimated to be strong enough to hold up four skyscrapers stacked on top of each other.
After me, there's French Simon who has Ionic enhanced Leaping. With it, he can jump great heights and far distances.
Then, there's Genius Simon who has Ionic enhanced speed. Actor Simon can manipulate the Ionic particles in his body to give himself unlimited stamina. Stuntman Simon can make an Ionic layer around his body that can make him bulletproof. Martial Artist Simon has Ionic enhanced agility.
Now, we've reached Pacifist Simon. Like the name says, this Simon prefers to not get into a fight. Luckily, he has three Ionic abilities that can help him from being hit. He has Ionic enhanced reflexes, senses, and a hearing ability that can let him create his own version of echo location.
After him, there's Pyromaniac Simon. Please don't ask, but this Simon can use an Ionic enhancement in his eyes to give an energy vision. He uses this to see any forms of flowing energy or to see anything in thermal vision.
Farmer Simon can fly. Cosmetologist Simon has Self-sustenance. Mute Simon has Ionic regeneration. Ship Collector Simon has energy manipulation. Irish Simon has solid energy constructs. Fortune Teller Simon can create Ionic force fields. Gamer Simon has Ionic shapeshifting. Pessimistic Simon can use Ionic energy to increase his size. Lady's man Simon can use Ionic energy to perform a power recycle, which is when he decides to give up to eight people a temporary Ionic ability of their own. However, it will only last for about an hour. And finally, there's Wrestler Simon who can use Ionic energy to teleport at random distances", explained Patriot Simon.
"Wait, you only explained 19 of the personalities. What about the twentieth Simon? Why didn't you explain about him?", asked Yelena.
"How right. That one. Well, his name is Optimistic Simon and the truth is that he doesn't have Ionic powers", answered Patriot Simon.
"He doesn't, but the list said that he could shoot Ionic blasts from his hands"
"Actually, that's just a sub-ability the 19 of us can do, because we are bonded to our Ionic exteriors. For some of us who can't run fast, fly, or jump high, we also use it as a means of propulsion and gliding"
"So then, what can Optimistic Simon do if he doesn't have Ionic anything?", asked Yelena.
"Optimistic Simon is the only Simon who can revert our body's Ionic exterior back to an organic tissue with naturally flowing blood vessels. It is because of this that he has control over the only power the rest of us don't. Simon's birth quirk", answered Patriot Simon.
"So Simon Williams does have a quirk?"
"Yes, it is called Emotional Water. Basically, any body of water he comes in contact with will emit an aura of the emotion he is feeling. Let's say that he is in a pool with some people. Those people will feel the same way he is feeling. Seeing how he is always so optimistic, then everybody is going to be optimistic if they were to be in a body of water with him", answered Patriot Simon.
Yelena was going to ask something else, but was cut off when they heard beeping from the small monitors. They showed that Arthur Parks was close by. The coordinates displayed showed that he was three buildings to their east.
"Alright, we know where he is. Take one these. Doom has mention that energy beings can sense another's energy spike, so don't try to propel yourself to the next building. Otherwise, he'll detect us and fly away", explained Yelena who gave Patriot Simon a grappling hook.
"Got it. Don't go boom unless negotiation fails", said Patriot Simon.
As the two agreed, they each left the water tower and stood at the edge of the rooftop. They shot their hooks to the next rooftop and swung building to building. Crouching at a ventilation duct was a few feet behind Arthur Parks. They slowly rise from their position and approach their target. From where they stood, it appeared that Arthur was observing a warehouse that was used for mainly exporting foreign goods. What was odd was that if their information was right, then the warehouse should be closed today. However, several cars were lined up on the west side of the warehouse. In Yelena's mind, she pieced out the possibility of why their target was focused on this location. It is possible that there was a Maggia business happening in the warehouse. It was time to make their presence known before they lost him.
"Arthur Parks, I presume", Yelena called to him.
Arthur Parks then quickly turned around to see two people that are teenagers like he was.
"Woah, uhm. Who are you guys and how do you know my name?", asked Arthur.
"If the symbol on our outfits didn't already give it away, then allow me to inform you that we are operatives of SHIELD. We are here on important matters that concern the possibility of recruiting you into our Youth department to be trained and supervised. Also, we know your name, because it's our job to know", answered Yelena.
Arthur sighed at this.
"Figures, eventually you feds would try to catch me sooner or later. Sorry to tell you this, but I'm not in the mood to join your little training camp gig. I'm in the middle of something more important than playing law and order with SHIELD, so just beat it", said Arthur.
"I'm not surprised by that being your answer. Simon, all yours", said Yelena.
"You got it, miss Belova. Alright mister shooting star, I apologize for the beating I'm going to give ya", said an excited Patriot Simon.
"The hell are you-", said Arthur who got cut off when Simon tackled him off the rooftop.
As they two fell, Patriot Simon tighten his grip on the Photonic vigilante as Arthur tried rapidly punching any reachable area of Simon's body.
"Will fucking let go already", yelled Arthur before the two of them had made impact with the concrete ground.
"Sorry about the tackle, mister Parks. We at SHIELD need people like you, but if you don't come with us via words then you'll just have to come by force", said Patriot Simon.
He then threw a punch at Arthur but was caught and had a kick delivered to his chest.
"You guys at SHIELD are now starting to piss me off. You feds are always saying that you help the society of all its problems, but you guys never bother to deal with the real criminals who walk among the people in plain sight. I'm here fighting the good fight, actually taking down criminal empires, and making neighborhood clean for families to live in. why the hell should a guy like me be arrested for going the right thing?", said an infuriated Arthur.
"First off, you're not being arrested… in a way. Second, if you just come quietly then everything can be explained clearly. Trust me, you'll thank us once you come see Director Carter", said Patriot Simon.
"I already said that I'm not joining SHIELD", said Arthur who shot straight at Patriot Simon.
Patriot Simon had locked hands with the raging Laser vigilante. As the reincarnated Living Laser pushed back the Ionic teenager with sheer speed and power, Patriot Simon held his ground with his enhanced strength while his boots were grinding against the pavement. Once they made way to the street, they release from their lock and rapidly perform a barrage of punches to try to damage the other. Patriot Simon's punches held powerful strikes with Ionic energy emitting from his hands to deal extra force, but Arthur's Photonic punches were faster and held more precision. With some luck, Simon was able to grab Arthur's left arm and swung him down onto the sidewalk. As civilians ran from the fight, Simon then stomped on Arthur's chest, causing an imprint on the concrete. Simon was going to stomp again, but Arthur zoomed out of the way. Arthur got up and speed at Simon once again, but instead carrying him high to the rooftops. Recovering from the strong hit to the gut, Simon realizes that he was being hurled into the sky. To escape this, he clenched his hands together and raised them to perform a powerful strike to Arthur's back. The Photonic vigilante coughed up sparks as he loosens his grip on Simon.
Taking this to his advantage, Simon grabbed Arthur's neck and unleashed a fierce headbutt. Still having one hand on Arthur's neck, Simon then punches him with his free hand. Arthur tries to shake him off in the air, but he was then caught in a headlock.
"FUCK THIS", yelled Arthur as he shot both of them straight at the New York shoreline.
Causing a crater in the sand, the two teenage energy beings were buried within the beach until their respective energies burst from the sand. They both brought themselves out of the beach dunes and radiated with Ionic and Photon energy.
"Alright, I'll admit you're a tough asshole to put down", said a seething Arthur.
"I'm not giving up. For SHIELD and the great nation of the United States, you will submit to be taken in and meet with Director Carter", said a similarly angry Patriot Simon.
"Honestly, how many times am I going to say NO today? Screw it, I'm going to use my other quirk", said Arthur.
"Wait?! Other quirk?!", pondered Patriot Simon.
Arthur Parks had then vibrated immensely and a white, blinding flash speed at Simon. He crossed his arms to block the incoming object, but nothing happened. He looked back at Arthur who was now in a different appearance. The reincarnated Living Laser was wearing an all-black suit, his hair was also black, and even the bright yellow Photon energy that surrounded his body had turned to a black haze.
"Okay, what's with the color change?", asked a confused Simon.
Just as he said that, Simon felt a kick to the back of his head that staggered him. He turned to see Arthur again, but he was now the opposite to his current color scheme. The Arthur that was behind him was similar to the other Arthur, but instead of black it was white.
"Sorry for that kick", Said White Arthur with a smile.
Simon was still confused, but then received a punch to the gut.
"Stay focus, prick", said Dark Arthur with a scowl.
Patriot Simon was then receiving punches and kicks from both sides as the two Arthurs went berserk. The white one was giving apologies as the dark one was spouting insults. This went on until Simon was able to grab the white Arthur and threw him at the Dark counterpart, leaving a trail in the sand. The two Arthurs got up and flared up with immense Photonic energy.
"Oh, that's right. Yelena told me before we got here that you have a quirk that lets you split yourself into two versions of yourself that represent the divide of morality. The white Arthur is the good cop, while the dark one is the bad cop. Please tell me that's right?", said Patriot Simon.
"You SHIELD Bastards really know your sources. Yeah, my quirk is called Morality Split. It can pretty much do what you just said", said the Dark Arthur.
"I only use this when I need to one up any troublemaker who tries to get the best of me. If I had to be honest, this quirk of mine would be useless if it wasn't for the unexpected arrival of my second quirk", said the White Arthur who started to emit photonic energy through his hands.
Patriot Simon contemplated on what Arthur means by second quirk but realized what he was really talking about.
"Oh, yeah I get it. Well sorry to give you this piece of classified information, but in all actuality your laser powers aren't really a quirk", said Simon.
"What are you talking about, idiot? Of course, it's a quirk. I mean yeah it finally activated very late two years back, but it's obviously a second quirk", said Dark Arthur.
Patriot Simon really didn't want to go through the explanation, so he decided that now was a good enough time to end things here.
"Listen to me. You may not realize it, but you are destined for great things. You're going to be a part of something that will change your life forever, but that will only be achieved if you're willing to work with SHIELD. And I'm sorry to tell you that you no longer have a choice in the matter. I'm going to bring you back to Director Carter by any means necessary", proclaimed Patriot Simon.
"Yeah, how about no", said the two sides of Arthur in unison.
Both white and dark shot straight forward at the speed of light. Their black and white photonic auras were in tandem and their fists were burning like the sun. to their surprise, Patriot Simon just stood there. However, Simon had actually been focusing an invisible spiral of Ionic energy while he made his proclamation. Once the two Arthurs got close enough, he erupted ionic energy to the sand below him. Where Simon stood, a twister of sand burst from the beach and was pierced through by the two Arthurs. The two looked back to see if they hit their target, but were then grabbed by their necks by two ionic emitting hands. Raising both, Patriot Simon proceeded to choke slam the two Arthurs which caused another crater in the sand. As the two Arthurs were planted into the sand, Patriot Simon unleashed one final attack.
"IN THE NAME OF THIS GREAT NATION, YOU WILL STAND DOWN", yelled Patriot Simon as he fired a powerful ionic blast at the two Arthurs.
The blast was so powerful that it had created a geyser of sand to spread all the way to the nearby boardwalk. Within the sandy crater, the two Arthurs were groaning in pain. With the pain being too much, they united to be one whole Arthur in order to accelerate their healing factor. Before he could feel the healing process begin, Arthur Parks felt a hand grab his suit and lifted him from the sand. He opened his eyes to see Simon attaching a high-tech shackle to his right arm.
"This will make sure you don't use your reincarnated abilities", said Patriot Simon.
"My what?", asked a slightly bruised Arthur.
"You'll understand once you meet Director Carter. For now, start moving. You and I got to regroup with Miss Belova back at the warehouse", answered Patriot Simon.
"I hope you realize, because of you and that blonde chick the Maggia are now one step closer to recover everything they lost. I was really close to finally ending their criminal empire", sulked Arthur who winced at the pain in his leg.
"I get that they're a criminal organization that's running the New York underworld, but I feel like there's something special to why you hate them so much. Why is that?", asked Simon.
"You wouldn't understand", answered Arthur.
"Yeah, you'd be right. But once you get a taste of Director Carter's quirk, you're going to tell us literally everything we need to know about you and more. After that, You're going to willingly join our team", said Simon.
"I doubt it", said Arthur.
As the two walked their way through the mildly busy streets of New York and attracting a lot of attention from the people of Brooklyn, they were able to reach the warehouse where they made their first encounter. It was there that they were surprised to see what had transpired behind the vences of the warehouse. Lines of SHIELD squad vehicles had showed up to gather up any suspicious items left at the crime scene and to apprehend the people that once held possession over said items.
"What the hell?! The Maggia meeting?! How did it go to shit? No one, but me knew about their monthly dealings in this location. Who else knew about this?", asked Arthur.
"That would be me. Oh, and you idiots sure took your time", answered Yelena who was at a wall next to them.
"So, this is all you then", said Simon.
"Yeah, I contacted Forge to send the closest SHIELD strike force to apprehend everyone that was in the warehouse. Arthur is correct. This place is in fact Maggia bought territory and it holds a majority of their assets. Before the strike team got in, I entered through the back and took down everyone there. I did some searching around and found a room that held computers that were connected to through a hidden black market transmission server. I downloaded everything that was about their agendas and scheduled operations into this", said Yelena who held out a U.S.B drive.
Just then, the three teenagers could hear an angry middle-aged man being thrown into a SHIELD armored truck.
"You damn feds don't have jackshit on me. I'll get out, you'll see. I got every right to have a lawyer for this. Get your damn hands off me", yelled the angry Maggia member.
Arthur recognized the man that was being shoved into the vehicle. The man was named Turk, one of the dons that ran the burrows of New York. he had been trying to get that miserable jackass in jail for months, but there he was being pushed into a truck. His astonishment was then cut off when Yelena had called him.
"As you can see, Mister Parks. We don't half-ass our jobs and since you don't have a choice, but to join us we expect the same from you", said the Ukrainian teenager.
"Oh, and we changed your monacor. Instead of Bright Strike, you're going to be called the Living Laser. Cool, right?", said a happy Patriot Simon.
Arthur parks just sighed and accepted fate.
"So what now? Am I just going to become just another piece of SHIELD's massive armory?", asked Arthur.
"Lighten up, Parks. We aren't slave drivers. All you have to do is see Director Carter and everything can be explained better", answered Yelena.
"Seriously, what is it that's so important that I have to be involved with SHIELD?", asked Arthur.
"We won't spoil it too much, but it does involve you, me, miss Belova, and some other guy spending the next three years of ours lives in some hero school in Japan", answered Patriot Simon.
"More specifically, U.A. Academy", said Yelena.
"Wait, you mean to tell you guys are here to just put me in some hero school. And Japan of all places?! Why not anywhere here in the states", said Arthur with shock.
"Like I said, everything will be better explained once you meet Director Carter", said Yelena.
As Arthur kept asking questions under his confusion, Yelena and Simon had dragged him into the quinjet that its stealth mode on. Startled by the plane like a vehicle that appeared out of nowhere, Arthur hesitated to step inside it.
"Oh come on, you can fly. Why is getting into a plane scary", said Yelena who was irritated that this was to be her teammate.
"It's not the plane, it's the tech you guys seem to be packing. Seriously, a shackle that cancels my quirk and a jet that goes invisible. Are you sure that you guys need to go to a hero school?", asked an equally irritated Arthur.
"You sure ask a lot of questions when you're nervous. You sure you're the ruthless vigilante that we heard so much about? Let's go already", said Simon as they finally got into the quinjet.
The back of the quinjet had closed up and it hovered upward with enough momentum to fly straight to the sky. Within it, Arthur Parks was completely nervous about what SHIELD has instore for him. The friendly smile Simon offered as encouragement didn't help him in the slightest. As the two energy being made small talk with each other, Yelena piloted the quinjet for a while until she decided to switch it to autopilot and tried to make contact with the helicarrier. Making a call to Forge with communications on the quinjet's controls, she waited until she could hear machines working from the otherside of the line.
"Hi, this is the don't touch anything unless you wanna break it and buy it workshop, Forge speaking", said Forge.
"Forge, has Carter arrived with Cain Marko yet?", asked Yelena.
"No, you guys are early. Carter, Barton, and Erik are still over at Berkeley, California. There hasn't been any distress call from them about any conflict with Cain Marko. I could only guess that they were able to have a non-hostile conversation and Erik was able to convince him further. Either way, we shouldn't underestimate the situation. Doom's Biomatrix has confirmed an unidentified energy presence within. The frequency of the energy presence is matching that of a possible mystical influence, it may or may not be the Cyttorak gem. Even as a teenager, he could still cause a lot of damage with the powers of the Juggernaut. I'm surprised that he hasn't done anything during his time on this earth", said Forge.
"It could for the fact that he has been reported to be caretaking the reincarnated Charles Xavier. Cain is currently fifteen and Charles is six. Much like their past lives, the two had actually step-brothers when Xavier's biological father, Brian Xavier, had died in an explosion at a nuclear power plant. Xavier's mother, Sharon Xavier, had then been remarried to Cain's father, Kurt Marko. The only difference with this life and their last was that Kurt had died before Sharon did.
He died as a result of being a hostage in a villain attack. Sharon had died three years after, but her death had remained unidentified by the federal agents and the case had been dropped. It could be possible that this reincarnation of Cain Marko has accepted his role of an older brother, much like Victor Creed", said Yelena.
"Probably, but I'm not going to give him the benefit of the doubt. The only reason I don't jump to conclusions is the fact that we don't know what earth in our original multiverse he could be from. It's a fifty-fifty chance that he could be a good or a bad Juggernaut", said Forge.
"Nevertheless, Carter always gets what she wants and I have faith that she'll bring the two step-brothers on our side", said Yelena.
"Yeah, hopefully. Come on back with Arthur Parks, I'll if I could get situated her on the main deck", said Forge.
With that, Yelena and Simon Williams had succeeded in recruiting the reincarnated Arthur Parks and await the return of Director Carter and her team with the reincarnated Cain Marko and Charles Xavier.
… Berkeley, California. Two hour prior..
Landing on a runway within Oakland International Airport, the trio of Margeret Carter, Charles Barton, and Erik Lesher walk out of the quinjet where a line of SHIELD operatives saluted to them in their entry to the Californian city. In their traverse through the airport, they arrive to a SHIELD armored vehicle with an operative waiting for them.
"Director, we've prepared a full report to the latest activities that involved Cain Marko like you asked. It holds all information regarding everything we observed", said the operative.
"Has your investigations and observations followed the instructed method planned out by Erik?", asked Carter.
"Yes, ma'am. We have kept our distance within two miles, just enough to avoid detection from Xavier's psychic abilities", answered the operative.
"Good. Even as a child, Charles could easily tell when attention is drawn towards him through his psychic powers. Having only Cain as his guardian, he would have to learn how to be more effective with it. No doubt being given encouragement from his older step-brother, he would also have to learn how to be crafty with such abilities. It may be confirmed that Cain has taken up part-time jobs within Berkeley, but I doubt that would be enough money to maintain possession over Kurt Marko's estate. This will most likely mean that Cain has been using Charles for foul play", explained Erik.
"Still, let's not come to a conclusion way too early. Thank you for your services operative. Feel free to return to your original position", said Carter.
The operative returned to his squad as the trio approached the vehicle that would take them to the city of Berkeley.
"I'm driving", said TrickShot as he took the driver's seat, Carter in the passenger's seat, and Erik sitting in the seats behind them.
"Remember how we're going to approach this, we need to establish an understanding first and then approach terms. With powers like Cain's and Xavier's, we need to have them join us if we are ever to be ahead in the power race with Hydra. Erik, you were once friend and foe to both of them. Through your experience, what would be the right way to confront either of them?", said Carter.
"Mainly it's all about whether or not Cain Marko is willing to listen. Charles is currently a child, so his yet developed mindset will most likely treat every word that comes out of Cain's mouth as law. So indeed like you said, we must first come to an understanding. Cain Marko maybe a brute, but he is not without reasoning. We have the element of surprise with our SHIELD status and the fact that they won't remember us due to them not regaining their reincarnated memories. I would mostly be worried about what will happen when they do get their memories back", explained Erik.
"What sucks even more is the fact that only Cain is getting his memories back. Peggy, you sure your quirk won't work on Charles?", asked TrickShot.
"No, it won't. Although Logan is a special case, anyone who is the age categories of teenager, adult, and elder will be affected by my quirk. However, it won't be compatible with infants or children. Simon williams is definitely a big discovery for me. It seems those with split-personality or multiple personality disorder are immune to my quirk. Thus, any progress we make has to be with Cain", answered Carter.
"Let us hope we prevail then, Carter. Although Cain and I shared a rocky history, I can agree that he is an ally that is mandatory to have for when conflict arises. Doom took the time to calculate the immense mystical destructive power of the Juggernaut. He has concluded that Cain Marko is only human on this earth that could be stronger than the number one hero, All-Might", said Erik.
As all three agreed to the approach they would make with the two stepbrothers, they drove out of the airport and traverse for five hour in the northern direction to reach the City of Berkeley. As they continued to drive through many of California's popular sights, Erik Lesher rested himself on the back seats of the vehicle and pondered how his reunion with Charles Xaviers was going to be like. Although there was a large age gap, he hopes that even as a child the once leader of the X-Men had retained all the traits that made him into the man that the original Magneto had respected all those years ago. Now though, he is a reincarnated Magneto. A reborn Magneto, and thus change had to be accepted. Thinking back to how Victor Creed had accepted the role of being the older brother to his old rival Logan, he thought how ridiculous it was that those two were now brothers and not the savage enemies they were in their past life.
Erik internally chuckled at the irony of this. Here he was trying to get away from the past, but now he was heading toward it. He wondered if any other mutants from X-Men or Brotherhood have also been reincarnated into this earth. It still astonished how different and yet similar this earth was to their original earths. They just thought they were on some other earth was a part of their multiverse. The truth that was in a whole other multiverse was such mind-shaking revelation that Victor von Doom himself had stayed secluded in his quarters to perform every type of equation that could give any resolution this enigma of reality drifting. At the end, he had to agree to Carter's ultimatum of reincarnation. Still, there was one of many positive aspects that Erik could see from all this. When he was still the old Magneto, he questioned what life on earth would be like if everyone had mutant abilities. This different earth has very much answered that. Though after much education of this world's history, he was very disappointed to know that even in a world where a majority has their own mutant ability everyone wasn't born equal. It truly depressed him that nothing has changed.
'You were right Charles. It seems even in a world of only mutants, there will always be that piece of humanity that defines us from each other', thought Erik.
After five long hours, they've reached Berkeley and traverse through the city to search for the Mark estate. As their vehicle parked outside in front of the gate, they discussed what roles they have.
"Barton, you'll be on distance with your sights trained on our position", ordered Carter.
"Got it", said Trick Shot as he walked towards the trees and perching himself to the highest branch.
"Erik, we'll do our best to make an understanding with Cain. Once we make equal terms with him, try to see if you could approach Charles Xavier and bring him to us", said Carter.
"You do realize that we have a fifty-fifty chance at succeeding, right?", said Erik.
"I'll take those odds", said carter.
Director Carter then made three loud adobe knocks to the door and pressed the doorbell three times. As they waited, Erik got a good look at the conditions of the private property. The gates that he had used his magnetism to open were rusted and covered in vines. The trees and grass of the estate had grown immense due to lack of grounds keeping. He could even see a family of owls in one of the overgrown trees. The exterior of the mansion itself was no better condition either. Some broken windows had cardboard ducts taped to their openings. Nature had covered each brick wall with vines, leaves, and branches. He decided to send an invisible pulse of electromagnetic waves to the surrounding area and had sensed a peculiar discovery. He could feel six rumbling objects underneath the mansion. Closing his eyes, the electromagnetic pulse he released had made out shapes that vibrates violently. He made out they were. They were six rumbling generators, most likely gas powered. It was then that he felt footsteps, powerful and heavy footsteps. They closer, until the main entrance opened up with a loud clicking sound. Walking out of the vast darkness of the inside of the mansion was Cain Marko, The Juggernaut.
They stood there, waiting for someone to speak first. It shouldn't have surprised Erik that Cain was still taller than the average man, especially when the young Marko was fifteen years old. Muscles bulging out of his clothes, his red hair was of neck length, and an all so familiar scowl on his face.
"Cain Marko, I presume?", asked Carter who decided to break the silence as he looked up at Cain.
"Yeah, I am. So, who are you?", said Cain plainly.
"Colonel Margeret Carter, Director of SHIELD. We've come under the annual protocol of visiting each state and recruiting youths with impressive abilities to our SHIELD youth department. We were hoping that you would have the time to discuss the terms of agreement to your recruitment, as well as the many benefits that come with it", said Carter.