Superpowers. Power. Love.
Three forces, seemingly different, yet all possess one thing in common: extreme exclusivity. You crave them when you don't have them. You hoard them once they're yours, and do everything possible to keep others from getting the same.
The so-called protectors of justice weren't exempt.
Steve Rogers, the symbol of virtue and righteousness, had judged Rory a potential threat. Not because Rory had done something wrong, but because he might. And thus, Steve made it his mission to stop him.
Never mind that it was Steve who helped create the 1970 branch timeline. In the end, all blame was pinned on Rory.
That injustice? That was why Rory had to rebel.
"I'm stronger than you now. Why the hell do I still have to swallow your judgment?"
The truth is brutal: a weaker man waving the flag of "world peace" seeks to preemptively suppress someone who could become stronger, just like senior employees crushing a rising star in the corporate world. Except here, they weren't just suppressing Rory. They wanted him dead.
Steve Rogers' lifeless body now lay before Rory. Doctor Strange had vanished. But the fire in Rory's heart hadn't faded, it had found a new target: the Ancient One from the 2008 branch timeline.
Crossing timelines wasn't the same as multiverse travel, it wouldn't be easy. Still, Rory vowed: if the chance came, he'd go back and settle the score.
"Dr. Rory, I'll leave the super serum project to you. We're looking forward to good news." Ross was reminding Rory of the longevity serum he'd promised.
They left the lab where Steve's body was being studied and headed toward the facility where Rory would work. The setup had been rushed, several lab assistants were still arranging equipment, running calibrations, checking systems.
Ross pointed at them. "These folks are your research assistants. They'll support your work. If you need anything, lab-related or personal, they'll handle it."
Support team? More like spies. But Rory didn't care.
"Fine. As long as they stay out of my way. Now, when will the carbonadium bone marrow needles be delivered?"
Then Rory added, "Actually, do you have vibranium? A needle made from that would work even better."
Ross hesitated. "We do... but not much." Though Wakanda had briefly opened up, vibranium supplies were scarce. Most of what they had came from recovering fragments of Captain America's destroyed shield.
"A marrow needle doesn't need much." Rory raised a brow. Free upgrades were always welcome. If he could, he'd love to build a full vibranium suit.
Meanwhile, at the New Avengers facility,
Peter Parker was practically shouting: "We're just going to let this go?"
"Of course not." Nick Fury, already dark-skinned, seemed even more shadowed by anger. "But Rory's now officially military. We can't touch him."
Clint Barton folded his arms, voice stern: "Rory fought the Avengers. In New York. That's fact. He should stand trial." Though Clint had no powers, he was an Avengers OG. His words carried weight, and placed Fury in a bind.
Maria Hill quickly interjected: "Clint, this was Secretary Ross's doing. Fury didn't want this either."
Clint wasn't having it. "So being Secretary gives him the right to excuse the death of Avengers? If this is how the government treats us, then maybe I should consider leaving the Avengers."
It wasn't an idle threat.
Clint had never signed the Sokovia Accords. He represented not only his own stance, but the core values of the original Avengers. Backing down now would mean betraying everything they'd stood for. And he made sure Fury knew it, suggesting that even Fury was becoming one of "them", the politicians.
Fury was caught between two worlds: national interest vs. Avenger loyalty. Father and mother to both sides. Exhausting.
With that, Clint left the room, throwing the burden back onto Fury.
In the hallway, he bumped into an old ally: T'Challa – the Black Panther.
"Clint," T'Challa said, voice solemn, "I'm sorry about Steve and Sam…"
Clint nodded. "How's Bucky?"
After the battle, Bucky had gone to Wakanda, sharing everything with T'Challa. When T'Challa heard Fury was forming a new team, he'd brought Bucky back with him.
"He's holding up," T'Challa replied. "But you need to stay strong too. We've got a long fight ahead."
Clint nodded and continued on, to the New Avengers training grounds.
He'd brought in Kate Bishop, the second Hawkeye, and Yelena, the second Black Widow. They were currently sparring in the open yard.
Every time Clint saw Yelena, he thought of Natasha, forever gone on Vormir.
"Hey Clint!" Kate lowered her bow. "When do we move out?"
Clint paused, then said: "Fury's still gathering recruits. Just focus on training. When it's time, we'll let you know."
That night, Clint got in his car and drove, for hours, until he reached the military base where Rory's lab was located. He sat atop a small ridge, quietly watching the facility from afar, deep in thought.
Inside the base,
Rory sat before a microscope, conducting bone marrow cell penetration experiments. He'd extracted bone marrow from Steve Rogers' corpse and was injecting it with the cosmic energy-reactive material taken from the Eternal Faustus.
Steve had been enhanced, his genes stronger than any ordinary human's. Until Rory tested on himself, Steve's cells were the next best thing.
He had named the substance "Celestial Gene." Not because it came from a Celestial, but because it had been engineered by them.
Rory wasn't a physicist. He didn't understand cosmic rays or energy theory. He didn't know what cosmic energy actually was.
But he did know this: if he wanted to survive against the threats coming his way… he had to find out. From the root up.
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