The jet touched down on the cracked runway like it had never left.
Sunlight hit New York through a grey haze — smog thicker than before, sky more cluttered with drones. The skyline… familiar, yet colder. Sleeker. Stripped of color.
No crowd.
No news vans.
No welcoming party.
Just silence.
Butcher leaned forward in his seat and lit a cigarette.
"Something's off. I feel it."
Deadpool stretched, popping his back. "Ahhh… finally, New York! Smells like capitalism and crime."He sniffed. Then paused.
"…Wait. Smells older."
Alex didn't say a word. He just stared at the buildings.
The Boys were quiet too. Even Frenchie. Even Kimiko.
It was like stepping back into your house after a funeral.
Home
They climbed the stairs to the apartment. No one spoke. Each floor creaked like it hadn't been walked in years.
Alex reached the door. Inserted the key.
Click.
The door swung open… and choked them in a plume of thick, musty air.
Cobwebs in corners.
Dust caked everything — TV, counters, dishes.
Mold on the fridge handle.
Deadpool peeked inside and reeled back. "Either that's a sentient lasagna or we left Cthulhu in there."
Kimiko wiped a layer of grime off the kitchen counter with a towel.
It came off in chunks.
Frenchie opened the blinds.
The light revealed a home that had aged. Not days. Not weeks.
Alex reached for the nearest wall calendar.
March 2027.
"...That's not right."
Alex dropped the calendar.
Hughie powered up his laptop. The fan whirred, screen flickering to life.
He opened the browser. The headlines screamed:
"Mayor Fisk Enters Third Term — Vigilante Control Stronger Than Ever"
"Wilson Sues Thunderbolts: 'That Name Doesn't Belong to You.'"
"Avengers? Gone Silent. Tony Stark Off-Grid. Rogers Nowhere to Be Found."
Deadpool blinked. "Wait, wait, wait. Back up. Mayor who?"
He grabbed the paper off the counter, squinting.
"Kingpin Fisk? Oh hell nah. We jumped into the 'Netflix Gritty Reboot' Universe."
Butcher snorted. "Wasn't this prick a mob boss?"
Alex read every line again.
"…We were in the forest for two days."
No one said anything.
Because they knew.
Two days for them. Two years for the world.
The Room Falls Silent
Even Deadpool didn't speak for a second.
Then—
"WHO THE HELL TOOK OUR TIMELINE AND USED IT AS TOILET PAPER?!"
Outside, the world moved on.
Inside, a group of misfits stood in an apartment that didn't remember them — in a city that changed its kings while they were gone.
Alex opened the fridge, still trying to ignore the panic boiling in his chest.
Deadpool tossed his katana on the couch.
And from outside the window,
A billboard flashed in blue neon:
"New Avengers — Keeping You Safe"
And behind that headline…
Was not Steve Rogers.
Was not Sam Wilson.
It was someone else entirely.