The Next Day
"So, we can cure her—that's good," I said.
"Yes, we can," Angela replied, nodding. "I've actually dealt with this type of disease back in my old world. It'll take a couple of days to synthesize what we need, but once it's ready, we can cure her."
"What about Victor?" I asked.
Angela's expression shifted slightly. "That's a bit more complicated. I've never seen anything like what he's going through. I'm going to need some time to study it and figure out if a cure is even possible."
"Well, if you need help, Richard and Mary would be happy to lend a hand," I offered.
She nodded in appreciation.
We were talking about Nora, Victor's wife. It took a while to even locate his base—Gotham's massive, and he hides well. I had to tweak my mask with thermal vision and search the coldest areas of the city. Took a few days, but I finally found it.
Getting Nora safely to the lab was no easy task either. It took hours to transfer her without damaging the cryogenic pod she was in. But now, she was in good hands.
"Keep me posted if anything changes," I told Angela before leaving the lab.
I was on my way to the briefing room—the twins and Lorna wanted to talk. I had a few guesses about what the conversation might be about, and none of them sounded particularly fun.
As I turned the corner, I spotted Harleen and Pamela walking together.
Pamela's been doing surprisingly well here on the island. She actually seems to like it—probably because of how connected she is with the nature around her. Her skin's still green, and while I could probably ask Sabrina about reversing that, Pamela doesn't seem in any rush to return to Gotham.
"Hey, you two. How've you been?" I greeted.
"Hey Ed," Pamela smiled. "Me and Harleen were just heading to the cafeteria. We heard Ice Bear's been cooking some amazing meals and wanted to try it for ourselves."
"Oh yeah, I've heard he's been killing it in the kitchen. I haven't tried his food yet, but I wouldn't be surprised. He's an incredible cook—glad I put him in charge of the cafeteria," I said.
"Where are you going?" Harleen asked, tilting her head.
"Briefing room. The twins and Lorna want to talk."
"Good talk or bad talk?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not sure. About to find out."
Harleen gave me a pointed look. "Just be prepared. They've got a lot of anger. I won't say more—therapist confidentiality and all—but you know, they're my patients."
"Figured. Thanks for the heads up anyway," I said.
"Bye, Ed!" they both called as I walked off.
It took me a little while to reach the briefing room. When I walked in, the twins and Lorna were already seated, looking like they'd been waiting a while.
I took my usual seat.
"So... what do you guys want to talk about?" I asked.
"We want your help to get revenge on Tony Stark."Wanda's voice was steady, but there was fire behind it.
"No," I said without hesitation.
"Why not?" Pietro snapped, leaning forward.
"Because he didn't kill your parents." I kept my tone calm, firm.
"His name was on the missile! It was his weapon!" Pietro shot back, anger flashing in his eyes.
I didn't say anything for a moment. I let the silence settle.
Then I spoke."Alright… let me put it in a way that's easier to understand."
They looked confused but stayed quiet, waiting.
"Let's say I pull out a gun and shoot one of you. Now—who do you go after? Me, the one who pulled the trigger… or the guy who manufactured the gun?"
The room went still. That hit harder than they expected. I could see it in their eyes—something shifted.
"Look," I continued, softer now. "I get that you're angry. You have every right to be. But your anger? It's aimed at the wrong person."
They stayed silent, processing.
"Even if you killed Stark, what would that change? He'd be replaced by someone else. Maybe even someone worse. That's how these systems work. And let's be honest—there's a good chance those missiles weren't even legally sold. Someone in power wanted your country destabilized."
They exchanged a glance.
"What I can do," I said, leaning forward, "is help you get the truth. I'll find out who actually fired those missiles, and why. I'll help you expose them—and stop them. And if you really want to bring peace to your country? I've stopped wars before. I'll do it again."
They were quiet. No longer angry—just thinking. And that was the first step.
The room was silent.
Then Wanda broke it—softly crying, tears slipping down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry… you're right. Please help us find out the truth. Why this happened. Because right now… we don't have anyone else. The only thing we had was that anger—it was fueling us. But now I see it was blinding us, keeping us from thinking straight. And we almost killed someone who had nothing to do with our parents' death."
"I can't even imagine…" Pietro added quietly. "If we found out the truth after we took his life… What would our parents have thought of us?"
I looked at Lorna. She looked back. I gave her a small nod—now's the time.
She hesitated, but finally spoke.
"You're not alone. You do have family."
Wanda and Pietro both looked at her, confused.
"I'm about to tell you something… but I need you to promise me you'll let me finish."
They exchanged a quick look, then nodded.
Lorna took a deep breath—this was the moment she had waited for since the first time she saw them.
"I'm your sister. And… our father is Magneto."
"What?!" they both said, completely stunned.
"I know. It sounds insane. But let me explain."
Lorna told them everything—about her mother, how she met Magneto, how Lorna was born. Then she explained how their birth mother died giving birth to them… and how the people they called their parents weren't their biological parents, but the ones who took them in, loved them, and raised them.The whole time, I stayed silent, just watching their reactions—shock, sadness, and a trace of anger.But none of that anger was directed at Lorna.
When she finished, they stayed quiet. Just staring.
Lorna started to fidget. The silence was getting heavy, and she was clearly getting nervous—probably thinking they were mad at her for keeping the truth hidden.
She stood up.
"I know this is a lot to process. And you're probably angry at me… so, I'm just gonna give you two some space. If you ever want to talk to me… you know where to find me."
She was just about to walk out when—
"Wait," Wanda said.
Lorna stopped. Turned.
They stood up and walked toward her—then pulled her into a hug.
"How could we ever be angry at you?" Wanda whispered.
I stood up quietly. This was their moment now.
I gave them the space they needed and teleported out of the room.
It was time. Time to summon April.
I appeared in the training room, already deep in thought about summoning April. Honestly, I had mixed feelings.
This version of April… she's just a regular human. If I can have summoned the cartoon version—the one with powers and martial arts training—she would've been a great addition to the team. But this one? She's normal. Human. No powers. No fighting skills… yet.
I mean, I could always enhance her with the Super Soldier Serum and have Bang teach her how to fight. But right now, the only role I see for her is working with Cat Grant—keeping an eye on Supergirl. I want to recruit her when she make the decision of being a hero. A Kryptonian on the team? That'd be a game-changer.
I'm planning to recruit Superman eventually too, but he's got that solo mindset, the kind that thinks he has to carry the whole world on his shoulders. Either way...
"System—summon April O'Neil."
A bright light flashed in the room, then faded. And there she was—April O'Neil. She looked just like Megan Fox, and yeah… she was stunning. She stared at me with a mixture of confusion and fear before she finally spoke.
"Are… are you the one who summoned me?" she asked, voice a little shaky.
I wondered what she'd gone through in her world.
"Yes. My name is Edward, but you can call me Ed. Can you tell me what happened in your world?" I asked calmly.
She hesitated, then took a breath. "Alien invasion… they came to rule us. But we fought back—humans and my brothers."
She paused, her expression shifting into something heavy and sad.
"My brothers weren't normal. They were… mutated turtles. Strong, fast, way beyond human. They were masters of ninjutsu—Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo. They were trained by Splinter, a ninjutsu master too, but… he died protecting us at the beginning of the invasion."
Her voice cracked a little, but she pressed on.
"We became the resistance. We fought for four years. One by one… I lost my friends. I lost my brothers. In the end, it was just me, Mikey, and about 40 others. Mikey was the youngest, but… honestly, the most talented. We had a final plan—a full-scale attack by the resistance, while Mikey and I snuck into the main alien base to take out their leader."
She clenched her fists.
"But we were betrayed. Some resistance members sold us out. We never even got the chance to finish the plan. That's how I died. Next thing I know, I'm in a white void… and it asked me if I wanted to live in a new world. I said yes."
I stayed quiet for a moment, taking that in. The aliens… had to be the Kraang. No doubt.
"I'm sorry for everything you lost," I said, genuinely. "And if you ever need therapy, we've got someone—she's good. For now, take a couple of days. Process everything. Learn about this world. It's very different from the one you came from. When you're ready, I'll give you a mission."
"If there's a mission, I'm ready now," she said firmly. "I'm a soldier, Ed. You don't need to baby me."
"I'm not babying you," I said with a small smile. "I'm giving you time. You've been through hell. This first mission isn't even combat—it's surveillance. I want you to keep an eye on someone for me. You'll still have time to live a normal life here, if that's something you want."
She blinked, surprised. Guess she expected to be thrown right back into battle. After everything she told me, I couldn't blame her for slipping into soldier mode.
"Okay… thank you," she said quietly.
"Tex!" I called out.
A second later, she appeared, casual as always. "Sup, boss?"
"I want you to take our new ally to one of the guest rooms."
"No problem. Come on, new girl," Tex said, giving April a nod.
As April turned to leave, I added one last thing.
"And April… remember what I said. If you ever feel like talking, we've got a great therapist. But if that's too much, there's also an old soldier here who might be easier to open up to."
She looked back, eyes softer than before, and nodded.
"Thank you, Ed."
Then she followed Tex out of the room.
General Hale – POV
I had just walked out of another damn meeting with my so-called superiors. As usual, it was a waste of time. All they talked about was Arsenal and Superman—who they really are, how to control them, and what kind of weapons we could make in case we ever had to neutralize them.
The same conversation I already had a few days ago—just with Hydra.
Everyone wants to know who these two are. If we could just get DNA samples, or a confirmed identity, maybe even a link to family or loved ones... we'd have leverage. We'd have control. But no matter what resources we've thrown at this, we keep coming up empty.
I stepped into my office, closed the door behind me, and sat down at my desk, feeling the weight of bureaucracy press down on my shoulders. I was just about to start sorting through a mountain of reports when—
The lights cut out.
Everything went pitch black.
I didn't even have time to stand before I felt something behind me—a presence, and then a firm hand clamped onto the back of my neck.
A low, calm voice whispered into my ear.
"If you move or scream for help… I'll crush your neck."
I froze instantly.
To make a point, the grip on my neck tightened—just slightly. Just enough for me to know that whoever this was had the strength to back it up. One wrong move, and he'd follow through.
So I did exactly what he said.
I didn't move. I didn't speak. My heart was racing, but my body stayed still. Controlled.
"General Hale," he said, voice low and steady behind me. "I know you're with Hydra. And I know you have a daughter. I'm here to make you an offer. Join me in taking down Hydra, and I promise you won't spend the rest of your life in prison. More importantly—your daughter won't either. She'll have a chance at a normal life."
I stayed still, but my mind was racing.
"Who are you? How do you know this? And why the hell would I ever join you?" I said, keeping my voice even. Calm. Controlled.
But inside, I was anything but.
How the hell did he know about Hydra?
More importantly—how did he know about Ruby?
She was safe. Hidden. At a base with triple-redundant clearance. And yet, somehow, he'd found me. Gotten into my office. Cut the lights. Appeared behind me like a ghost.
Teleportation? Invisibility? Phasing? He had to have some kind of power… maybe more than one. And that grip—he had serious strength.
And now he was offering a deal.
I needed to stall. Figure out what he knew. Make it out alive.
"How rude of me," he said suddenly. "Hang on a second."
The computer on my desk flickered to life. The screen flashed to camera mode—and then I saw him.
Arsenal.
The vigilante. The one S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra couldn't track.
"I assume you already know who I am," Arsenal said. "And you already know why you'd agree to my terms—because your daughter is in danger. And unlike Hydra… I know you care more about her than you care about them."
My blood ran cold.
Was he threatening her?
"I thought you were supposed to be a hero," I snapped. "Aren't you supposed to protect people? You're talking about killing my daughter if I don't work for you? You've got everyone fooled."
He shook his head.
"No," he said firmly. "You misunderstood me. I'm not threatening your daughter. I said… she's in danger."
Right then, the screen changed again.
Files began loading—classified documents, video logs, intercepted reports. Everything about Ruby.
I stared, horrified, as the truth unfolded in front of me.
Dr. Whitehall. He had plans to make her the next super soldier. Augment her. Turn her into a cyborg weapon.
But what chilled me the most was the data I hadn't seen before.
The survival rate for the procedure?
Zero.
There were no survivors.
"What the hell…?" I muttered, my voice trembling with quiet fury.
"Yes," Arsenal said, calmly. "Quite tragic, really. And I don't think she'll survive the process. That's why I'm giving you this offer—once. Only once. Join me. Hand over everything you know about Hydra—their operations, locations, resources, personnel. And in return, I'll take Ruby somewhere safe. She'll be protected. And you… you'll serve a short sentence. Two or three years, maybe. Less, depending on how cooperative you are. It's the only way both of you walk away from this."
I listened, breathing hard.
And despite everything… it was a good offer. No—it was the only offer.
I didn't give a damn about myself. But Ruby?
If there was even a chance of keeping her safe, I'd take it.
I'd betray everyone.
"Fine. You have a deal," I said. "But there's one problem."
"What is it?" he asked.
"I don't know every operation, or where every bit of funding comes from. I don't know all of Hydra's members—only a few of the higher-ups. But I can give you information on weapons projects, research we've acquired over the years. Stuff they wouldn't want anyone else knowing about."
"Good enough," he said. "I already have a list of some Hydra heads. Just compile everything you do know, upload it to a secure file. I'll handle the rest. Keep feeding me intel, and we'll keep this alliance going."
I took a breath.
"Promise me," I said, voice low. "Promise me you'll protect Ruby. She's the only thing I care about now."
He didn't hesitate.
"I give you my word. She'll be safe. You don't need to tell me where she is—I already know. I'm going to retrieve her now… and you're coming with me."
That caught me off guard.
"What? If Hydra sees me with you, they'll know I've betrayed them. I won't be useful to you as a spy. They'll kill me. They'll kill her."
"Hydra won't even realize she's missing for a few hours," he said. "And if we want her to come peacefully, she'll need to see you. She won't trust me. This is your chance to say goodbye, General. You won't be seeing her again for a while."
I swallowed hard.
"I see…" I whispered. "Thank you."
I hadn't expected a goodbye.
But I was grateful for it.