The story stayed its course: Steve went under the ice in 1945. As for me, I have requested my discharge from the Army. I'm stepping away from it all because I just want to go home. I know that war is inevitable and I will be ready when it comes, but for now... I just want to start planning for the future.
I promised Peggy that I would help her however I can with any future requests. I told her to just give me a call if she ever needs help, or she could simply come to Houston to find me. I gave her the exact address where I'll be living for the next twenty to thirty years.
When I finally came home, I realized that of the seventeen original families who started with me, only two or three of the heads of household remain. It saddens me deeply that I couldn't attend their funerals. Even my baby, Lily, is a mother now. I missed her wedding because of this war, and that is a loss I'll always carry.
They expressed their gratitude for my service, but I did more than just fight for them. I've given them a sense of security for the years to come because I will be right here, watching over their children. Lily has twins Jimmy and Isabella. I felt an instant bond with them. Jimmy shares my name, a tribute from Lily to her Uncle James, while Isabella carries her grandmother's middle name.
I didn't make a list of the seventeen family names before this because it was too much of a hassle to track every member. After thirty-five years of stability, not only was business booming, but babies were booming too. Every child in this town seems to have two or three siblings. I'll let the families handle their own genealogy, I'm just here to keep them safe.
As Lily nears her 40s, her children have become adults. In this era, fifteen or sixteen is already considered a responsible age. Given how much this town has prospered over the last thirty to forty years, the town council doesn't recommend that children work. Instead, since we now have one of the most prestigious universities in the entire USA, many of the local kids are absorbed into the schools and the university here in the town of Pasadena.
Since we are in Houston, oil is the lifeblood of this town, though it can be a 'passive-aggressive' burden. We don't own the refineries for that 'black gold' ourselves; we sold those rights to BP. Now, the town of Pasadena and BP share a close-knit relationship that would be difficult to shake. The foundation has been built over thirty years. We value BP because they haven't overstepped their bounds, instead, they are willing to invest in our university to develop machinery that refines crude oil more effectively.
As this town has seen big businesses running for over forty years, we have had our ups and downs. Not everyone is keen on saving, some choose to flaunt their wealth instead. I give them a warning and tell them to be careful. Everything we have built is the result of hard work intended for future generations. Flaunting riches here will not be well-received by the U.S. government, it draws the wrong kind of attention.
There have been times when the government was lobbied by other companies to find faults in our business model. They grew suspicious because our technology never seemed to travel far outside this town. However, they didn't realize that I had already taken precautions more than forty years ago, specifically for when a situation like this finally happened.
I was right. Now, every head of the families understands why I told them to be careful with their wealth. Wealth can save you, but it can also kill you. After that realization, all seventeen families went silent and stopped flaunting what they owned. They understood that if they made even one simple mistake, everyone would want to dip their fingers into the company they had worked so hard to build.
Because of my precautions, we caught more spies and thieves than we could count. That was an eye-opening truth for the entire family, they realized that what they had was not secure enough to be protected by normal means. That is where Logan comes in. With him here, they know this family has a true protector to watch over them.
As we owned many businesses, I placed an investment firm at the helm of it all. The proxy head I chose fifteen years ago managed the firm exactly as I had envisioned. However, over time, he truly began to believe he was at the top of the world. He felt that as long as he was at the helm, he could control the entire world using the blueprints I had designed for him.
As he became more arrogant and stopped listening to me, I gave him the cold, hard truth: I kicked him out. Now, that man has a vendetta against me. Let's just say he was never seen again. What I have been doing may not be morally right, but to protect everyone in this town, I will do whatever is necessary to keep them safe.
I know that whether I like it or not, trouble will find me one way or another. Mutants never live a life of silence, trouble is always brewing around them, and I want no part of it. But even so, I will still help however I can. If I spot a mutant in need, I will save them. They will be safe here.
As this town has its own mayor and council, the blueprint I once gave to Hunter is truly taking shape in the real world. With its systematic railroads and paved roads, every part of the planning was done with fifty years into the future in mind.
I don't like to talk about my best friend more than I have to, because he left us three years ago. His health had taken a turn for the worse, he went for a check-up one day because of a headache, and that's when we discovered he had brain cancer. That was when we finally knew what was wrong with him.
Knowing that medicine could only extend his life a little longer and not truly save him, Hunter placed his son at the forefront of the town to become its mayor. Hunter was incredibly proud of his son, Robin.
From the time he was a child, Robin was smart, compassionate, and truly cared for everyone around him. Because of this, Hunter wasn't afraid of what would happen when he finally left this world, he knew he didn't have to worry about the livelihood of the town's residents with Robin in charge.
Robin has a son and a daughter who are growing up as the mirror images of their grandfather. When Hunter died, the entire family struggled to handle the brunt of the loss. They had all looked up to him as their ultimate role model. It was because of him that this town became so prosperous, and the family took immense pride in everything he had accomplished.
After I came home, I visited Hunter's grave one day. As I stood there, I heard someone approaching behind me. Before I even turned around, I recognized the smell...
'Robin?' I asked, making sure it was him. I didn't want it to seem weird, or have him think I had eyes in the back of my head.
'Uncle James?!' The boy ran up and hugged me, I was the other person he truly looked up to. He had been there to see it all firsthand, a front-row seat to the days when his father and I were planning this town. He understood that I was the one who managed to bring out his father's true talent.
The children behind Robin were weirded out, they had never seen their father act this way with anyone except their late grandfather. They knew how close their father and grandfather had been, especially since their grandmother passed away shortly after their father's birth.
But the second reason for their confusion was even stranger: their father, an older man, was calling someone who looked much younger than him 'Uncle.' That made the situation even weirder than it already was.
'Hey, kid... how are you?' I asked. I stood up and hugged the life out of Robin, knowing he truly needed it. His face looked bleak, he hadn't just lost his father, he had lost his best friend. 'It's okay, kid,' I whispered. 'I'm here.'
Robin just cried in that moment of safety. He had been holding back his tears because he needed to lead this town after his father left everything to him.
"Uncle... it's good that you're back," he choked out. "It's been so long..."
"Yeah, kid... war really isn't a nice place to be," I said with a grin. I noticed two little shadows hiding behind Robin's back and tilted my head to get a better look. "Are these yours, Robin?" I asked. Even though I already knew, I wanted him to be the one to introduce me. I've always believed you should knock on the door, never just barge in without permission.
"Yeah, Uncle... these are my kids with Maggie." It turns out Robin had married Bob's daughter, and I couldn't have been happier about it. "Kids, come here and greet your Granduncle," Robin called out, beckoning them closer so he could introduce his little ones to me.
"I'm getting old, huh kid?" I let out a hearty laugh.
Robin laughed right back at me. "Old and steady, Uncle. Old and steady!"
Bob's alcohol business is now headed by his second son. His eldest daughter, Maggie, married Robin, but not by design. Those two simply fell in love at first sight when they were just kids. It's funny how things work out, despite all our planning, that was one thing we didn't have to engineer.
'This is my first son, Zach, and my second, Alex,' Robin said. 'Zach wants to follow in my footsteps, but Alex has fallen in love with cooking.' Robin is letting them be themselves and choose their own futures. After all, being Mayor isn't a title that can simply be handed down through the family, it has to be earned.
"Kid, you've already done a great job in this position. I won't hold you back if you decide you've had enough, because politics isn't a kind place. You can't just rely on your brain, you have to use every resource at your disposal. Remember, you have eighteen families standing behind you, backing you up if anything happens. And you know I would die to protect you all.
Believe me, when the world realizes what we've built here, they won't like it. They'll try to take everything. I'm not worried about the 'black gold' we don't own the oil, we just own the land and the gas. But I know the government, in the future, they will do everything in their power to bring this place under their control."
And Hydra, too... I want to prevent that. But I won't take action for the time being. I need to begin my project and ensure that I can protect this place from outside intervention and any potential threats.
'I will, Uncle James... I won't let my father's legacy go to waste,' Robin said, glancing at his father's grave. He knew he finally had a strong shoulder to lean on when he grew tired. He felt a deep sense of relief, knowing that Uncle James would always be there to help him if he ever found himself in a predicament.
"Alright, kid... if you need anything, you know where to find me, in my lab. I'm going to retreat behind the scenes now. I'll need your help making me 'disappear' from the records." I gave him a small smile and, before he could even blink, I had vanished.
"What... what was that, Dad?!" Alex asked, his voice trembling with fear. He was terrified by what he had just witnessed. One moment, he was looking at the man his father called 'Uncle James,' and the next, the man had vanished into thin air.
'That is your Granduncle's ability,' Robin said quietly. 'He told us it's a mutation that some people in this world are beginning to face... and more will come in the future.' Robin didn't want to say more out in the open, so he began to lead his boys away. He knew it was time to tell them everything, to explain exactly how this town came to be and the secret history they were born into.
*****
2 years later
Logan underground lab
Logan shifted his original plan, moving the lab from the edge of town to the heart of the mountain crust. He needed the natural water source there to cool his machines.
The site was twenty floors deep underground, a place where they had mined mineral deposits for nearly thirty years. Now that the minerals had dried up, the mine was officially closed to the public, making it the perfect hidden location for his work while the search for new deposits continued elsewhere.
The mountain wasn't actually tapped out, Logan just needed the world to believe it was so he could build his own secret foundry. Down in the depths, he could manufacture products to release to the public, building everything himself.
With his knowledge of the future and his technical expertise, he could create microchips and hardware far more advanced than anything this era had ever seen.
As he sat hunched over his desk, drawing the blueprints for a revolutionary chip processor foundry, the sharp ring of the phone in his lab cut through the silence. It was a sound that shouldn't have been possible, very few people even knew this line existed, let alone how to reach it deep within the mountain crust.
I actually modified the telephone schematics for this entire town. There's the official line for the public, and then there's the unofficial line. I once saw a revolutionary idea on a show called Person of Interest where they repurposed old TV antennas to build a pirate cell tower, it was genius. While I don't have a modern computer yet, I did have access to Alan Turing's work. I repurposed his machine's design to create a private, encrypted line that runs exclusively through this town.
'This is James talking...'
I kept it brief. I'd never been a man of many words, even back in the army, and fewer people still had access to my direct line. But as I held the receiver to my ear, a cold inkling started to form. I had a feeling I knew exactly who was on the other side of this call.
"James, how are you doing...?"
Peggy just wanted to talk, and I knew it. I sat there as she told me everything that had happened since she took office. We spoke over the secure line I had built, two old souls navigating a world that was changing faster than anyone realized.
"I'm good... and how are you?" I asked, leaning back into my chair.
As we continued to talk, the casual catch-up began to shift. I could hear it in the slight change of her tone, a professional sharpness creeping into her voice. Peggy had something specific on her mind, a question she had been holding back until she knew the line was truly secure.
"James... how do you handle it? How do you deal with the absence of your family, now that almost half of the original families are gone?"
I could hear the crack in her voice. Peggy still couldn't get over Steve's death. She missed him deeply, and in the silence of her high-stakes life, that void was growing wider. She was looking for a way to carry the weight without breaking.
"Actually, Peggy... I wasn't okay. But I accepted this way of life long ago, before I even started down this path. I was prepared for the cost. It hurts yes but their absence is exactly what drives me forward. I have to be the best version of myself, because I refuse to let the names of my family members be tarnished by what comes next."
I knew she needed some kind of healing words, and who was better qualified for that than me? I knew my answer might not fully satisfy her, grief like hers doesn't just go away but it was enough. It was enough for her to keep living her life and find the strength to start anew.
"I just can't believe he's gone, James... I can't sleep at night. I'm afraid he'll come and lead me to the dance floor, and I'm terrified that if he does, I won't want to wake up." Peggy's voice was hoarse, worn thin by the months of quiet tears she'd shed since Steve disappeared.
"Well, for starters... it isn't wrong for you to dream about that, Peggy. Your happy memories are yours to keep; reminiscing isn't a mistake. It just takes time to come to terms with a loss like this. Don't be so hard on yourself for wanting that dance."
'I really wish he was here...' Peggy whispered.
My words had finally begun to sink in. She knew she had to move on, she had to live her own life, even if it wasn't the one they had planned on that dance floor. The silence on the line wasn't empty anymore; it was the sound of a woman finding her footing again.
"Do you want to come and live here? Maybe I can manage to create a serum to extend your life... and maybe, just maybe, by some miracle, they'll find Steve's remains in the ice."
I just offered her something to think about. It wasn't like I could simply blurt out everything I knew about the future that would be too dangerous. But by planting that seed of hope, I gave her a reason to keep her eyes on the horizon.
"Will you do that for me, James...?"
I could hear the exhaustion in her voice, but also a newfound spark of resolve. She knew she couldn't leave her post, her job wasn't finished yet, but she was willing to hold on. She would do her work and lead her agency, as long as she knew I was down here, building the miracles she couldn't.
"Yeah, just come here when you can... do what you need to do. I'll be here. It's not like I'm going to get old or anything... hahahaha."
Peggy laughed at my joke. It was a light, rare sound, and for a moment, the weight of the office and the shadow of the ice seemed to lift. She knew I was telling the truth in the form of a jest, and that was exactly the comfort she needed.
"Thanks, James... I really needed that."
I could hear the relief in her breath, the way her shoulders must have finally dropped. For the first time in a long time, Peggy felt like she actually had a place in this world, a home that wasn't just an office or a battlefield, but a sanctuary where she belonged.
"No problem, kiddo. Just ring me up. I'll pick you up at the airport myself whenever you're ready. Take care of yourself, okay?"
"Okay, bye James... thank you."
"Anytime, kiddo."
I hung up the phone and looked out over the lab. The conversation was over, but the work was just beginning. I had given her hope, and now I had to make sure I could deliver on it.
As time passed, the date of the "Time Heist" the moment the future Avengers would leap back into the past drew closer. James knew exactly when the ripples in the quantum field would occur, and he wanted to be there to witness it all firsthand. He needed to prepare; observing a group of desperate superheroes and a genius like Tony Stark required more than just a front-row seat, it required being completely invisible to sensors that hadn't even been invented yet.
I realized Peggy's grief was a facade, a piece of 'close intel' only I could decipher. I knew Steve was actually there, having traveled back in time to be with her. Peggy played her part perfectly, letting the world see her mourn while she lived her secret life. As a traveler from the future, I saw through the act, I knew Steve had returned long before the history books did.
An old friend was here, and of course, I intended to meet him. But before that, I had to find my master and learn the art of Rune Magic. I needed to 'Gene-Lock' the DNA of all seventeen families and their descendants. You can never be too careful, in this world, there is always someone eyeing the assets of this town, and I refuse to let our legacy be stolen.
****
I told Robin I needed to go out of town to handle some business. Before I left, I gave him a distress signal button. I made it clear: if he or anyone else in the families is ever in danger, he just has to press it, and I'll come back. I wasn't about to leave the town's safety to chance while I was away searching for my master.
As I made my way toward Kathmandu, I was robbed three times. Has the world become this bad? I've spent so much time in the quiet of the mountain that I almost forgot how lawless the roads can be for a traveler.
As for the assailants, I gave them a 'fist of love' a reminder to never rob anyone ever again. I might be playing the part of a weary traveler, but I won't let predators thrive on my watch.
As I neared Kamar-Taj, I felt a sudden disturbance in the air. The space in front of me seemed to crack, and someone stepped out from what looked like a portal. He wore the robes of an apprentice, I figured he was likely a watcher or a scout. Someone that young couldn't possibly be a guardian not yet, anyway.
The young apprentice, barely twenty years old, held his hands in a defensive stance, the orange sparks of a Sling Ring spell still crackling at his fingertips. He looked at your dust-covered boots and the blood on your knuckles, his expression shifting from curiosity to a stern, practiced coldness.
"The mountain air does not welcome those who bring the violence of the streets to our doorstep," the apprentice said, his voice echoing in the narrow alley.
He raised a hand, and a circular geometric shield of light flared into existence. "Whatever business you think you have here. Turn back . You are not ready for what lies behind this wall.
Did this kid just threaten me? James Howlett? Is this some kind of prank from that old fool? I've lived through a thousand winters and a dozen wars, and now I'm being told to turn back by a boy who can barely hold a spark.
"Did that old monk put you up to this, kid?" I asked, my curiosity finally getting the better of me. As far as I knew, I was still an apprentice of Kamar-Taj. Even if I had been gone for a long time, I still had a connection here, one that a mere scouter shouldn't be able to ignore.
The kid looked absolutely shocked. In Kamar-Taj, the only definition of "old" was the Ancient One himself, and this man had just called him an "old monk" like they were two grunts sharing a drink in a muddy trench. The boy's shield didn't just flicker, it nearly vanished as his jaw dropped in pure disbelief.
"How dare you speak of the Ancient One like that!" the kid yelled. He wasn't being nice anymore, he launched into an attack, but I dodged his strikes as if they were nothing. After all the time I'd spent mastering my Chi, I had finally learned the Art of Weightlessness. To him, I was a blur—a shadow that shifted just an inch out of reach every time he swung.
He lunged. His hands traced a jagged arc in the air, manifesting a crackling Eldritch whip that hissed as it cut through the thin mountain oxygen. I didn't even settle into a combat stance. To anyone else, the attack was a blur of orange light, to me, it was moving through molasses.
As the whip descended, I utilized the Art of Weightlessness. I didn't just step, I drifted. my body moved with a fluid, effortless grace that defied the laws of physics. Each time the apprentice swung, I shifted just an inch, a shadow dancing between the raindrops. His strikes hit nothing but the air I had occupied a millisecond before.
He grew desperate, throwing a barrage of glowing mandalas at my chest. I pivoted on the ball of a single foot, My coat fluttering, but My center of gravity remained as light as a feather.
"Is that all you've got, kiddo?" I asked, My voice steady and calm. "You're leaning too far into your right hip. It makes you predictable."
Frustrated, the boy gathered a massive surge of energy for one final strike, but before he could release it, the heavy atmosphere of the alleyway suddenly turned still. The orange sparks in his hands didn't just fade, they froze.
"That is enough, Manan," a voice rang out, cool and melodic as a temple bell.
From a circular gateway that opened silently in the air above, the Ancient One floated down. His feet touched the cobstones without a sound. He looked at the panting, humiliated apprentice, then turned his gaze to you. A small, knowing smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"He is quite right about your hip, Manan," he said softly. "You were attacking a man who has mastered the weight of his own soul. You might as well try to punch the wind."
The ancient one stepped closer to you, "James... this 'Old Monk' knew you were coming. Though I see you've added some quite interesting 'weightless' to your bones since our last meeting."
"Master, how are you? It's been so long." I gave him a deep bow of gratitude. Regardless of my rough exterior or the scars I carried, this old monk deserved that respect. He was the only one who truly understood the burden of a man who lives outside of time.
"Come, let's go home."
Those words struck me. I hadn't realized how much I needed to hear them. I was being welcomed back after all, I finally had a place that could shield me, a sanctuary where I wasn't the one doing the protecting for once.
to be continued -
next chapter 19/2