JOHAN'S HOUSE
Johan sat cross-legged on his bedroom floor, eyes closed as he communed with the system.
"Open shop," he thought.
The digital marketplace materialized in his mind, shelves lined with abilities, enhancements, and one-time boosts. His 400 System Shop Coins glowed in the corner of his vision.
The available items scrolled before him:
[ BASIC TELEPATHIC SHIELD (300 COINS) ]
[ MINOR STRENGTH BOOST (+50% FOR 24HR) (150 COINS) ]
[ LANGUAGE PACK: ALL EARTH LANGUAGES (200 COINS) ]
[ MINOR INVISIBILITY (5 MIN DURATION) (250 COINS) ]
[ WEAPON PROFICIENCY: CHOOSE ONE (100 COINS) ]
Johan considered his options carefully. The telepathic shield tempted him—especially with Emma and Professor X around—but being able to communicate in any language could prove invaluable.
"Purchase Language Pack," he decided.
[ PURCHASE CONFIRMED ]
[ REMAINING COINS: 200 ]
[ LANGUAGE PACK INTEGRATING... COMPLETE ]
Knowledge flooded his mind—grammar structures, vocabulary, idioms—settling into place like pieces of a puzzle. He could now speak any Earth language fluently.
His finger hovered over the telepathic shield when a notification interrupted his shopping:
[ NEW QUEST AVAILABLE: PREVENT THE SENTINEL PROGRAM ]
[ DIFFICULTY: HARD ]
[ REWARD: 10 SPINS, 2 LUCKY SPINS, 1 LEGENDARY CHEST ]
[ ACCEPT? Y/N ]
Johan's breath caught. The Sentinel Program—mutant-hunting robots that, in many timelines, led to mutant genocide. If they were already in development...
"Accept," he thought immediately.
[ QUEST ACCEPTED ]
[ OBJECTIVE: STOP BOLIVAR TRASK FROM COMPLETING THE SENTINEL PROTOTYPE ]
[ TIME LIMIT: 30 DAYS ]
Johan opened his eyes just as his bedroom door cracked open. Wanda peeked in, her expression troubled.
"Sorry to interrupt," she said softly. "But there's someone downstairs asking for you. A girl named Kitty."
Johan scrambled to his feet. "Kitty? Here?"
He hurried downstairs to find Kitty Pryde pacing in his living room, her face pale.
"Johan," she said when she saw him. "I need your help. The government—they took my parents."
SHIELD FACILITY
Phil Coulson reviewed the surveillance footage for the fifth time, searching for something—anything—that might explain the anomalies.
The energy spike three days ago had set off every alarm in SHIELD's global network. Director Fury was breathing down his neck for answers, but the source remained elusive. All they had was a general location and strange footage from nearby cameras: birds flying backward, water flowing uphill, and—most concerning—thirty seconds of complete video blackout.
When the feed returned, everything looked normal. But Coulson knew better. Something had changed.
His phone rang. Nick Fury's direct line.
"Tell me you have something," Fury said without preamble.
"I have a lead," Coulson replied. "Two teenagers, possibly mutants, but with energy signatures unlike anything we've seen before."
"Xavier's kids?"
"No," Coulson said. "That's what's interesting. They're not registered with his school. They're just... normal kids. Or they were, until three days ago."
Fury was silent for a moment. "Keep eyes on them, but don't engage yet. I'm sending Romanoff for backup."
"Sir," Coulson hesitated. "There's something else. We have reports of strange energy readings that don't match anything in our database. It's as if something is interfering with our systems."
"Interfering how?" Fury asked, his tone sharp.
"Unclear. But it's not just the kids. There's something else at play here, something we can't identify."
Fury swore softly. "This just got a lot more complicated. Stay on them, Coulson. Whatever's happening, we need to be ahead of it."
"Yes, sir."
As he hung up, Coulson couldn't shake the feeling that they were already too late.
EMMA'S MANSION
Emma found Johan waiting in her bedroom, sitting casually in her reading chair as if he belonged there.
"Breaking and entering now?" she asked, closing the door behind her.
Johan shrugged. "Your security system needs work."
"It's designed to keep out normal intruders," Emma replied, "not people with magical pets lurking in their shadows."
She kicked off her heels and sat on the edge of her bed. "Shaw took the bait. He's arranging a meeting with the Inner Circle next week."
"Good," Johan nodded. "We need them as allies, not enemies."
"And what about your day? Productive?"
Johan's expression darkened. "The government took Kitty's parents. They're starting to round up families of suspected mutants."
Emma's perfect composure slipped. "Already? That's... earlier than in my timeline."
"The system gave me a quest to stop the Sentinel Program," Johan continued. "We have thirty days before the prototype is complete."
"Bolivar Trask," Emma said, the name bitter on her tongue.
"Yes. And there's something else." Johan leaned forward. "SHIELD is watching us. Both of us."
Emma wasn't surprised. "Fury's paranoia is legendary. What do you propose?"
"We need to accelerate our plans," Johan said. "I can keep training, but we need to start gathering our team now. Not just mutants—anyone with power or influence who might help."
Emma considered this. "Shaw can provide resources and connections. Between his network and my telepathy, we can identify potential allies quickly."
"And enemies," Johan added grimly.
Emma studied him, noting the subtle changes since their first meeting—the confidence in his posture, the calculation in his eyes. He was adapting quickly. Too quickly, perhaps.
"There's a delicate balance to this game we're playing," she warned. "Push too hard, too fast, and we'll draw attention we can't handle yet."
"We don't have a choice," Johan insisted. "The timeline is already changing. Things that took years in your world are happening in days here."
Emma's eyes narrowed. "Because of you. Your presence is accelerating events."
"Or because God wants a more interesting show," Johan countered. "Either way, we need to be ready."
Emma rose, moving to her desk. She withdrew a small black device and handed it to Johan.
"What's this?" he asked, turning it over in his palm.
"A gift from Shaw," Emma replied. "It blocks telepathic intrusion. Keep it with you."
Johan pocketed the device, his expression grateful. "Thank you."
Emma waved dismissively. "Don't thank me. This is self-preservation. We're in this together now."
As Johan prepared to leave, he paused at her window. "How much of your knowledge of the future can we trust? If things are changing this quickly..."
Emma's smile was thin. "That's the question, isn't it? All we can do is adapt."
Johan nodded, then slipped out into the night, his shadow rippling behind him like a living cape.
Emma watched him go, her fingers brushing against the diamond pendant at her throat. In her original timeline, it had taken years to build her empire. Years of careful manipulation, strategic alliances, and brutal betrayals.
This time would be different. This time, she had knowledge of the future and an ally with powers from beyond this universe.
This time, Emma Frost intended to win.
KAMAR-TAJ - ONE WEEK LATER
"Again," the Ancient One instructed, watching as Johan attempted to merge his shadow magic with Kamar-Taj's mystic arts.
Johan gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead as he tried to maintain the complex pattern of energy. His shadow beasts snarled and fought against the mystic bindings, resistant to the marriage of disparate magics.
"Your problem," the Ancient One observed, "is that you're trying to force two different realities to obey the same rules. They won't."
"Then how do I make them work together?" Johan asked, frustration evident in his voice.
"Don't make them work together," she replied. "Make them work alongside each other. Harmony, not fusion."
Johan exhaled slowly, shifting his approach. Instead of forcing his shadow magic into the mystic patterns, he allowed them to flow in parallel, complementing rather than combining.
To his surprise, the energies began to dance together, weaving a complex tapestry of power. His shadow wolf padded around the edge of the mystic circle, no longer fighting against it but guarding it instead.
"Better," the Ancient One nodded. "Much better."
Across the courtyard, Wanda was making similar progress. Her chaos magic, once wild and uncontrollable, now flowed in disciplined channels. She could manipulate objects with precision, alter probability in small ways, and even create basic shields.
"Your students learn quickly," Wong remarked to the Ancient One, his expression a mixture of approval and concern.
"Too quickly," she agreed softly. "Time is compressed around them. Events that should take months are happening in days."
"Is that your doing?" Wong asked.
The Ancient One shook her head. "Something else is at work here. Something beyond even my sight."
As the training session ended, the Ancient One pulled Johan aside. "There are visitors coming," she warned. "People who will be very interested in what you and Wanda can do."
"SHIELD?" Johan guessed.
"Among others," she replied cryptically. "Be careful who you trust, Johan. Even those with good intentions can cause great harm."
Johan nodded, understanding the weight of her warning. "Thank you for everything you've taught us."
"This is just the beginning," the Ancient One said. "The true test is yet to come."
As they prepared to leave, a familiar golden portal appeared—but this time, it wasn't the Ancient One's creation. Through it stepped Doctor Stephen Strange, his cloak billowing dramatically behind him.
"Ancient One," Strange said, his voice urgent. "We have a problem. The multiverse is fracturing."
The Ancient One's expression remained serene, but her eyes betrayed concern. "What have you seen?"
"Realities bleeding into each other," Strange explained. "Timeline anomalies. And a presence—something watching from beyond the dimensional barriers."
His gaze fell on Johan and Wanda, narrowing with suspicion. "Who are they?"
"Students," the Ancient One replied simply.
Strange didn't look convinced. "Their energy signatures are... unusual."
Johan met Strange's scrutiny with a level gaze. "We're just trying to learn control."
"Control," Strange repeated, the word heavy with meaning. "That's a noble goal. But some powers aren't meant to be controlled—they're meant to be contained."
Before Johan could respond, the Ancient One intervened. "Stephen, we will discuss this later. For now, my students must return home."
She opened a portal, gesturing for Johan and Wanda to step through. As they did, Johan caught Strange's final words to the Ancient One:
"Whatever's happening, it started with them. I'm sure of it."
The portal closed behind them, leaving Johan and Wanda standing in his backyard, the weight of Strange's accusation hanging in the air.
"He doesn't trust us," Wanda said quietly.
"No," Johan agreed. "And that could be a problem."
His phone buzzed in his pocket. A message from Emma:
Inner Circle meeting tonight. 8 PM. Wear something that doesn't scream 'teenager with god-like powers.'
Johan smiled despite himself. "How do you feel about crashing a party of evil mutants tonight?"
Wanda's answering grin was small but determined. "Do I get to wear something nice?"
"The nicest," Johan promised. "We're about to meet some of the most dangerous people in the world."
As they headed inside, Johan couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched—not just by SHIELD or Strange, but by something greater. Something that found their struggles amusing.
HELLFIRE CLUB - INNER CIRCLE MEETING
The Hellfire Club was alive with the hum of conversation and the clinking of glasses. Johan and Wanda entered, dressed to impress but careful to blend in. The opulence of the surroundings was overwhelming, but they kept their focus.
Emma spotted them from across the room and waved them over. She stood with Sebastian Shaw and a few other members of the Inner Circle, all of whom regarded Johan and Wanda with a mix of curiosity and caution.
"Glad you could make it," Emma said, her voice smooth. "Everyone, this is Johan and Wanda."
Shaw raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "So, these are the two you've been talking about. The ones with the unusual energy signatures."
"Yes," Emma confirmed. "They have potential that we can harness."
Johan felt the weight of their gazes, but he stood tall. "We're here to help. The government is starting to round up mutants, and we need to act fast."
A tall, imposing woman with striking red hair stepped forward. "And what exactly do you propose we do?"
"We need to gather intelligence on the Sentinel Program," Johan replied. "If we can stop Bolivar Trask before he completes the prototype, we can save countless lives."
Shaw leaned back, considering. "And how do you plan to do that?"
"We have connections," Wanda interjected. "We can infiltrate their operations, gather information, and sabotage their efforts from within."
The room fell silent as the Inner Circle members exchanged glances. Finally, Shaw nodded. "I like your ambition. But ambition without a plan is just reckless."
Johan took a deep breath. "We can work together. You have resources and influence. We have knowledge of the future and the ability to act quickly. If we combine our strengths, we can make a real difference."
Emma smiled, clearly impressed. "I think they might be onto something, Sebastian."
Shaw considered this for a moment before nodding slowly. "Alright. We'll give you a chance. But know this: failure is not an option."
LATER THAT NIGHT
As the meeting wrapped up, Johan and Wanda stepped outside into the cool night air. The weight of their new alliance settled on their shoulders, but they felt a sense of purpose.
"Do you think they'll really help us?" Wanda asked, her brow furrowed.
"They have to," Johan replied. "We're running out of time. The Sentinel Program is a threat we can't ignore."
Wanda nodded, determination in her eyes. "Then we need to start planning our next move."
As they walked through the streets, Johan felt a strange sensation, as if they were being watched. He glanced around but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
"Are you okay?" Wanda asked, noticing his unease.
"Yeah, just... a feeling," Johan said, shaking it off. "Let's focus on what we can control."
SHIELD FACILITY - THE NEXT DAY
Phil Coulson sat at his desk, reviewing the latest reports. The energy readings from the previous days were still unexplained, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something significant was happening just out of reach.
"Director," a young agent interrupted, stepping into the office. "We've got a lead on those two teenagers. They were seen at the Hellfire Club last night."
Coulson's interest piqued. "What were they doing there?"
"Looks like they were meeting with Sebastian Shaw and the Inner Circle. We believe they're trying to form an alliance."
Coulson frowned. "Keep an eye on them. If they're involved with Shaw, we need to know what they're planning."
"Yes, sir."
As the agent left, Coulson leaned back in his chair, a sense of foreboding settling over him. Whatever was happening, it was only the beginning.