In my lab.
"What's the last thing you remember, Bucky?" I asked him. He needed to be able to find himself again before we could move forward.
Bucky looked lost. "I remember falling from the train... and then I saw Zola. He kept experimenting on me. He cut off my left arm because it was mangled from the fall and replaced it with this bionic one. After that, everything was a blur." He trailed off, his eyes widening in horror. "Oh god, I killed all those people in cold blood." He broke down, the tears finally falling as he remembered everything Hydra had forced him to do.
I steeled myself for what I had to say next. "Bucky, I'm sorry. I know I was supposed to save you, but I didn't. I let it happen because you being where you were... it saved more people than it killed. That's why I'm only extracting you now." As the words left my mouth, I felt a chill. I've always been the first to criticize Charles, Erik, or Reed Richards for playing god, but saying those words to Bucky made me realize I had become exactly like them.
Bucky didn't hesitate. He balled his fist into my shirt and hoisted me up. "James, all those people... they're dead because I killed them! You're telling me you knew all this time?" He began lashing out, striking me repeatedly with his metal arm. I didn't defend myself, I just took it. "Why, James? Why?" he roared. He remembered every single face, every good person he had ended. He was devastated, crushed by the weight of a body count he never wanted.
I felt a deep, hollow sadness, a sense of repulsion at what I had become. I had always focused on the "greater good," but I realized now that I had been playing with the life of my own friend. This realization shook me to my core, I knew I would never be the same. "I'm sorry, Bucky," I whispered, the words feeling heavy and inadequate.
Bucky's rage only intensified when he heard my apology. "You're sorry now, James?" he screamed, the punches raining down harder. "All those people... they died because of you!" Deep down, Bucky knew it wasn't that simple, but in his eyes, my inaction was what had made the killings possible. With every blow, he kept sobbing, "Why? Why? Why?" Even the Morlocks crept out from their tunnels to watch, but none of them dared to interfere.
Howard arrived just as Bucky was still swinging. Thinking Bucky was still being controlled, Howard rushed in to stop him. "Bucky! Bucky, can you hear me?" he shouted. Bucky stopped and looked at Howard, his face wet with tears. "Howard... did you know?" Bucky asked, his voice trembling. "Did you know I was with Hydra?"
"With Hydra? Bucky, what are you talking about?" Howard looked puzzled. He knew Bucky had been controlled by Hydra, but he didn't understand the deeper meaning behind the question.
"Did you know I was alive, Howard?" Bucky asked, his voice cracking as he grew louder. The question hung in the air, heavy with the weight of fifty years of torture. He needed to know if his best friends had truly looked for him, or if they had simply written him off as a casualty of war.
Howard was taken aback by the question. "Of course I didn't! If I had known, I would have come for you first thing in the morning." Then, he stopped. He looked at me, realizing I was being cryptic again. He saw the look on my face, the look of a man who realized he had blundered by refusing to disturb the timeline. He saw that while he was in the dark, I had known all along.
"You knew about this, James? And you did nothing?" Howard's voice was low, but it cut deep. He wasn't looking for a cryptic answer or an excuse. All he saw were the consequences of my inaction. "If you were so focused on preserving the timeline, why save us?" he demanded. "You said that in every other universe, Maria and I always die. So why break your own rules for us? What makes us different?"
I spoke slowly, the weight of a century pressing down on me. "Because that was the only moment I could move without shattering the future. Tony needs to be where he is right now because the world will need him soon." I stopped, my voice trailing off. I was just so tired of carrying it all. 'I was just trying to save my friends without killing millions of others.' i tought
Howard stood there in shock, but for Bucky, the rage only boiled over. Hearing that even Howard's son was a piece in my design was the final straw. He began punching even harder, his metal arm whistling through the air with every strike. He wasn't just hitting me for his own fifty years of torture anymore, he was hitting me for Tony, for Howard, and for every life I had treated like a variable in an equation.
"Bucky, please... stop." Howard's voice was shaky, but firm. He stepped forward, not with force, but with understanding. "I know what he did feels wrong, but I think I see it now. He had to keep his hands off the timeline. I can see where his eyes are fixed, it's the millions of people in the future who were saved, isn't it, James?" Howard's genius was on full display, he had processed the impossible weight of my burden in seconds.
"Is this the price you had to pay for living this long, James? It's a shit deal," Howard said, shaking his head. "I don't know where your information comes from, but I've watched you. You never disturbed anything more than a few skirmishes or the World War. You knew they were inevitable, but you still did your part." He looked at me, his anger shifting from me to the situation itself. He was furious that I was trapped in a position where I couldn't save a friend without costing millions of lives.
Even Bucky went silent then. He could see that what I did was wrong. My hands were tied by the timeline, but that still didn't give me the green light to sacrifice people. You just can't play God with people's lives, man. No matter the cost.
"I'm sorry, guys," I said, my voice breaking. "I know I've been a shitty friend, but my hands were tied. If I had moved sooner, someone would have come to stop me, someone far more powerful than I am. That's why I couldn't save you in time, Bucky. The consequences were too heavy, even for me. I couldn't live with the guilt of billions of deaths on my conscience. I would have gone insane."
Howard and Bucky were taken aback as I continued. "To these beings, life and death are as simple as a snap of the fingers. They're always waiting for one mistake, one deviation to give them a reason to wipe this planet out." I felt my own hands shaking. "I wasn't just hiding from Hydra. I was hiding from them."
"What powerful beings, James? You're not making any sense," Howard said, his voice trembling slightly. He was a man of science, an atheist by necessity. He lived in a world of equations and cold hard facts. To him, the idea of an invisible judge in the stars was something he couldn't grasp, and it terrified him more than any weapon he'd ever built.
"Who do you think preserves this universe?" I asked, looking them both in the eye. "Every system has someone looking after it, someone powerful. Everything has a keeper, and this reality is no different." My voice was hollow. "They don't care about our feelings, Howard. They only care that the machine keeps running exactly the way they designed it."
Even the Morlocks were in shock. Callisto and Caliban had overheard something they were never meant to know, and I could see them start to tremble. They believed me more than anyone because they had known, that i was the one who defeat Apocalypse, they knew my power. If someone like me felt helpless against these Keepers, what hope did they have? The shadows of the tunnels suddenly felt very thin.
"Think for a second, Howard," I continued, my voice cold. "Can a human really become 'super' just from a sprinkle of Vita-Rays and a bottle of serum? Of course not. That's not science, it's an abomination. That success was a one-in-a-billion fluke, achieved with technology so primitive it shouldn't have worked for another two hundred years. Why do you think you succeeded? Because you were prepared? Hell no." I was drop by bucky. "It's because the fabric of reality was torn billions of years ago by powerful beings. Mutants exist because we are the experiments they left behind." The silence that followed was deafening. Even the Morlocks began to weep, the truth was a weight they weren't meant to carry.
Howard and Bucky was in a state of total shock. They didn't know how to respond to the idea that their lives and achievements were mere flukes. Howard struggled to accept it, but the sheer weight of the information made it impossible to ignore. Even Owayodata remained silent, he had known these truths for a long time, but it was the first time he realized I had been carrying the entire burden by myself. Seeing me standing there, a man who had moved through history with a billion ghosts on his shoulders, changed the way they looked at me. I wasn't a god, I was a man trapped in a cosmic cage, trying to keep the bars from breaking.
"You don't think I wanted to save you?" I choked out, the tears finally streaming down my face. "My hands were tied long before I ever lived this long. If one thing changes, it all comes crashing down. Even when I started building this city, I was terrified, scared I was ruining someone's future. I was only relieved when I saw people were happy, that my effort was 'allowed.' I'm constantly afraid of losing the connections and the bonds I've spent a century building. I've almost gone insane with the guilt of the people I couldn't save. It's not that I didn't want to... it's just that I couldn't." I slumped down, the weight of billions of ghosts finally breaking me. I was just so tired.
Emma had already arrived, drawn by the sheer force of my distress signal. She had stood there in the shadows, listening as I explained the truth of the universe, and even she was reeling from the shock. She never knew her husband had been carrying a burden this massive for so long. She rushed to me, pulling me into a hug as tight as she could, terrified that I was slipping into a deep depression. She began flooding my mind with calm, soothing thoughts, trying to anchor me. Around us, the room remained deathly silent. No one knew what to say or do with the information they had just learned.
Suddenly, a sharp whoosh echoed through the lab. An orange, circular spark began to spin, growing into a glowing portal. An ancient man in monk's robes stepped through, looking at the stunned faces around the room. He turned to me with a small, knowing grin. "Foolish disciple," he said softly. "They weren't ready for that information yet. But... it's alright. They've simply learned the truth a bit earlier than expected." Everyone stood there, speechless, as the mystical reality of the world literally walked into the room.
"Master," I whispered, bowing my head. He was the only person I knew who was still alive and understood the truth. I knew his secret, that he had gone as far as to tap into the energy of the Dark Dimension just to live this long. He had sacrificed his own soul to remain the sentry of this reality, and I was following right in his footsteps. Seeing him there made my own burden feel even more real.
The Ancient One looked at me, his eyes full of a strange compassion. "You don't need to carry such a heavy burden, James. The Sacred Timeline has given you a way out. That is why the city you built still stands. They understand the struggle, and they have granted you this leeway." As I heard him speak, the question that had haunted me for decades was finally answered. I finally understood why I was still alive and hadn't been erased. They weren't just watching me, they were giving me room to breathe, and to juggle the lives I loved.
The shock in the room shifted from fear to total disbelief. Hearing that the story was true was one thing, but hearing that the Keepers of reality had granted me a "way out" was even more absurd. It turned everything they knew about life and death into a negotiation. Howard looked like he wanted to scream at the sky, to him, the universe having "favorites" was the most unscientific thing he had ever heard.
While it seemed unfair to everyone, they all knew the truth deep down: who else in this room could carry a burden like that without breaking apart? Only James and the Ancient One had the strength. Howard and Bucky realized they couldn't handle the pressure of millions of lives hanging on every word they spoke. Though they felt a bit reluctant to accept such a cold reality, they knew it was the truth. They decided then to simply go on living their lives, leaving the heavy lifting to the men who had already sacrificed their souls for it.
The Morlocks were the first to truly believe. For Callisto and Caliban, these weren't just stories, they were the blood on the walls of the tunnels they used to call home. They remembered the massacre in the alley. They remembered how Masque had brought other mutants there, only for them to be slaughtered by an unknown force. Callisto had found the bodies while searching for refugees seeking shelter. To her, the "Keepers" weren't just observers, they were the monsters who allowed her people to be hunted like vermin.
The weight of the day finally crushed us all. One by one, everyone made their way home, the Ancient One having vanished into the ether long ago. As we all lay in our beds, staring at the ceiling, we couldn't stop thinking about what I had revealed. It was shocking, yes, but in the quiet of the night, we realized it was a problem for the future, not for this moment. For now, there was only the need for sleep and the small, comforting knowledge that I was there, standing watch and protecting them.
****
Howard pov.
As Bucky and I made our way back home, I felt completely stumped. It wasn't my tech or the modifications that bothered me, it was the sudden realization that none of this should actually be possible. The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed: the idea that you could fundamentally rewrite human DNA with nothing more than a bottle of serum and some Vita-Rays.
I'm bringing Bucky back to my place, the man's exhausted and haunted. He confessed that Hydra's brainwashing still has its hooks in him, which means I need a specialist. That's where Emma comes in. I'm well aware she's a mutant and a dangerously talented one but i thinks she's the most avaricious woman he's ever encountered. How she manages a "normal" life with James is beyond me, mostly because James seems perfectly happy to fuel her greed.
Being here for a week has been a reality check, the sheer scale of commerce in this town makes my own empire look like a hobby. It's Stark Industries multiplied by seventeen.
Once we were home, I got Bucky settled into the spare room so he could finally get some rest. When I found Maria, I laid it all out for her, everything that happened today. I explained the role James plays in all of this.
Maria felt a deep sense of fear for James Howlett; to her, he seemed pitiful. She knew he had lived for more than 140 years. At first, he had his brother, but his brother was a murderer, and James eventually left him when he was in his thirties. He has been here since 1900, which is a long time for anyone to be alive, yet he has done so much good for this town as it turned into a city.
****
Bucky pov.
James saved me today, but it came with a bitter realization: he knew Hydra had me all along. For forty years, he left me to rot, forced to be their weapon. I spent four decades doing Hydra's bidding, ending the lives of good people, and today, I might have added Howard and Maria to that list. I get it, I know James can't just move or act whenever he pleases. But knowing that doesn't help. I just can't find a place to put all this frustration.
Maybe tomorrow, I'll start making up for my mistakes. I'm going to take Hydra down myself. I know every one of their secrets, being brainwashed didn't mean I was blind to my surroundings. In fact, when you're a super soldier, everything becomes a hundred times clearer. I remember it all, and I'll use it to burn them to the ground.
Tomorrow, I'll prepare myself for the inevitable. I'm going to war with Hydra. There's no avoiding it now, and I won't stop until I've torn down everything they built.
****
Emma Frost pov.
I finally understand my husband and why he's always suppressed that brilliant mind of his. At first, I assumed he was hiding from the government, playing it safe so they wouldn't interfere with our lives here. But today, it clicked. It's not a fear of anything on this planet; it's a fear of what lies beyond it. The technology he's created looks alien because it's easily fifty years ahead of its time. Even a standard sidearm he designed has more functions than a modern lab, and that's nothing compared to the plane he built for me.
The vertical take-off technology he developed for my plane alone could make me a billionaire without me lifting another finger. If he ever truly unveiled his catalog, it wouldn't just change the industry, it would ignite a global technological world war. With international tensions at an all-time high and rumors that the USSR might dissolve within a few years, the world is a powder keg. Yet, inside the borders of this city, everything remains remarkably peaceful.
Sitting in the President's chair at Houston Investment Company, I see more than just a city, I see the dawn of a new era. This is a place where humans and mutants can finally live in harmony. I know reaching that ideal will take time, but I've already begun my preparations. I'm building a school here, a sanctuary specifically for mutants.
I am profoundly grateful for my husband. He sees me as more than just a woman who wants to rule; he sees my potential. He didn't hesitate for a second when he handed me the reins of this company. Even his family didn't question it, they stood by him, supporting his choice and, in turn, supporting me every step of the way. Having his unwavering backing makes all the difference.
My days are consumed by endless paperwork, yet this job provides a sense of satisfaction I've never known. When I was with Sebastian Shaw, I was merely a means to an end, constantly doing his bidding. Here, everything is different. If I ever find myself in a pinch, I can simply reach out to my husband or his immediate family for help. That is just how tight-knit they are with those they truly accept into their circle.
In this town, the wives of the heads of the seventeen families are a force to be reckoned with. Many hold formal positions within the company, but for those who don't, James had a brilliant idea: a massive, all-encompassing supermarket. It stocks everything, if a small shop carries it, this place has it in abundance. The mall has been a staggering success for the women helming it, giving them a meaningful way to spend their time. I occasionally join them for lunch to catch up on the city's gossip. It's a pleasant change of pace, it's actually fun.
Today was different. The discussion in my husband's lab was a complete eye-opener. Even though the situation seems dire, James never rushes. He has this uncanny ability to react at the perfect moment, never a second late, never a second early. I have no idea where he gets his information, but I trust that one day he'll tell me everything.
****
Normal pov.
I knew what was coming today, I've seen the patterns. But knowing it would happen didn't make the emotional weight any lighter. As I sat on the roof of my house, nursing a drink and a cigar, I couldn't bring myself to just sleep my life away. Not today. The gravity of it all is finally sinking in.
Just because they understand me doesn't mean I have to like it. I hate being unable to dictate events I have no hand in, but that won't stop me from acting. If today happened all over again, if I had to save Howard, Maria, and Bucky from the brink, I'd do it again without batting an eye.
This is a truth I need to face, and I won't turn away from it. If I have to bulldoze through everything in my path, then that's what I'll become. I'm not doing this to be the aggressor, I'm doing it to be the protector of my family and my friends.
I know Emma is going to ask where I get my information. When she does, I'll tell her nothing but the truth. She's earned that much. If she's finally asking the question, it means she's ready to hear the answer.
I never sought out power for its own sake, but I've learned the hard way that without it, I can protect nothing. I only ever wanted enough to keep everyone safe. But I can feel it now, my chi has changed. Before, it was as calm and vast as the ocean, but now? It feels as hot as the midday sun. It's burning with a new intensity.
This heat means I've reached a threshold that demands another breakthrough. I think I know what's coming: it's going to be cold. Absolute ice. My chi has always revolved around the balance of Yin and Yang. My body is overflowing with Yang because of my healing factor, life and heat in abundance. Now, I need to draw the Yin from the outside world. The fire within, the frost without.
If I can successfully harmonize these two states, the next breakthrough will put me on the same level as Captain Marvel. At its core, cosmic power is nothing more than energy siphoned from the fabric of the universe itself. I finally understand the principles behind it. By balancing the Yin and Yang within me, I can learn to tap into that infinite source.
That power belongs to the future; it will come in its own time. But for now, my place is here. I need to be with my wife, to hold her and love her as much as I possibly can. The universe can wait, she is my priority.
****
After a while, we all sat down at the table to face the issue head-on. We debated where my methods had failed and where I had allowed others to suffer for the sake of the bigger picture. I know that from my perspective, I wasn't wrong, but I also know that to the people on the ground, that's small comfort. Right or wrong depends entirely on which side of the tragedy you're standing on.
I won't have a hand in anything that puts the timeline at risk. When you're trying to save someone, it's easy for everything to fall apart, and I don't have the luxury of making mistakes. I've done what I can for Bucky and the Starks. Now, looking at Wanda and her brother, it's a different game. The X-Men being here changes the math. Everything is up in the air now.
We've reached an impasse. Bucky wants me to do more, to save everyone, but he doesn't see that "doing more" often causes more harm than it prevents. Even if they never agree with me, I won't change my stance. There are too many lives at stake. I have to find the path where I can act without alerting even greater dangers. I won't trade the world for a single life.
I'm not looking for a fight, but if it takes me leading the charge to keep this family safe, then that's where you'll find me. Right at the front. I'll be the shield and the sword until there's nothing left of me.
When the dust settled, everyone agreed on one thing: my priority is, and always will be, protecting my family in Houston first. The outside world has to come second. It's not that I don't care about what happens beyond our borders, but I have to be realistic. I am only one man, and I simply am not enough to save everyone alone.
****
I need to begin training the Morlocks. If they can at least master control over their abilities, that's enough for now. Many of them possess unique talents that would be invaluable to the lab. Today, I've decided to launch a pharmaceutical company with Plague heading the research. This is our gift to the Morlock community. Through this venture, they can research ways to suppress or alter the mutant gene. Many of them simply want to live normal lives, and I intend to give them that chance.
When I laid out the plan, they were in total disbelief. Plague wanted no part of it at first. I had to sit them down and explain that this wasn't just about business, it was about safety and giving those who can't control their gifts a shot at a normal life.
But there was a catch: Plague needs a degree. If she's going to run a pharmaceutical giant, we can't have people asking questions. When she heard "school," she tried to bolt again. It took Callisto stepping in to make her see sense. I'm sending Healer with her too, they'll learn the science behind the miracles they perform. They just need to pass the exams, I'll handle the red tape.
I sent Sunder and Ape to Isaiah Bradley. I want them to learn that raw strength, no matter how great, will always be dismantled by someone with focus and dedication. Sunder was actually buzzing with excitement, he's heard the legends of the black Super Soldier, and the chance to train under a man like that was something he couldn't pass up. Ape seemed to share the sentiment. They need to learn that a punch is only as good as the mind behind it.
I kept Callisto, Caliban, and the younger ones like Leech, tar baby and Mole close to me. For the rest, I found roles that matched their souls. I sent Annalee to the church, her ability to project emotion can help the grieving find the release they need, sometimes, people just need to be given permission to cry. As for Tommy, Skids, Erg, and Beautiful Dreamer, I sent them to follow Sunder and train under Bradley. Their powers are perfect for a "Ghost Squad" a group that can protect the city from the shadows, securing Houston without the public ever seeing a thing.
Annalee was hesitant, but she needed a purpose and a job. As for Erg and Skids, people might look at their powers and see flashy effects, but I see the ultimate espionage tools. Imagine hitting a target with a jolt of electricity that leaves them dazed and stupid, then having Skids make the floor beneath them frictionless. They'd go down head-first before they even knew they were in a fight. It sounds funny until you're the one hitting the pavement. When you do it right, that fall is a hell of a lot more than a joke.
When I broke down the practical applications of their powers to Isaiah, he didn't laugh. He was impressed. He knows there's nothing funny about a man falling flat on his face, that's the moment of maximum vulnerability. He immediately understood the tactical implications. In his world, as in mine, gravity is the best ally you have. If you can take a man's balance, you've already taken his life.
Plague and Healer were fighting me every step of the way until I handed them the bracelets. I'd managed to derive a gene-suppressor from the bio-waves Leech emits, a way to dampen their X-Gene on demand. Now? They actually love going to school. Houston University is world-class, but for them, the real draw isn't the library or the labs, it's the chance to walk across campus and just be "nobody."
The bracelets are a good start, a temporary shield, but they aren't the end goal. I want something permanent. There are mutants out there whose gifts are nothing but a curse powers that cause constant pain or make it impossible to touch another human being. My goal for this company is to give them a way out. If their power brings more harm than help, we'll be the ones who can safely remove it. I want to give them their lives back, once and for all.
I have a specific plan for Healer. His body emits incredible healing radiation, but the cost is too high, he's drained after a single session. To fix that, I'm designing a specialized suit integrated with the healing agents we developed for our THRUSH agents. The suit will act as a bio-battery, recycling his energy and supercharging his cells. Instead of feeling depleted, he'll feel the power surging through him, allowing him to treat critical, life-threatening injuries without collapsing.
Most people look at Plague and see a walking biohazard. I look at her and see the cure for everything from the common cold to cancer. She knows the structure of viruses better than any computer, but she lacks the language to explain it to a lab team. That's why the degree is non-negotiable. I need her to bridge the gap between her mutant gift and modern medicine. She's going to turn her curse into the ultimate shield for the human race.
to be continued -