Chapter 16: A Dangerous Partnership
"Peggy, I'm sorry. I screwed this up completely."
"No, Steve, this isn't your fault," Peggy replied, though they both knew he was blaming himself.
"I wanted to stay here with you, but now I've made everything worse. Rory's transformation is my responsibility, and I have to fix it."
Peggy could see the determination in Steve's eyes—he was leaving, and nothing she could say would change his mind. Although her heart was breaking, she was grateful for the time they'd had together.
"Go," she whispered. "Save the world, just like you always do."
"Peggy..."
Steve pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss, knowing it might be their last.
After they separated, Steve activated his time-travel bracelet and watched as the quantum suit materialized around his body in flowing white segments.
Peggy couldn't help but call out, "Steve, will I see you again?"
"Yes," Steve said with absolute conviction. "I'll be waiting for you in the future."
"Whoosh!"
In the next instant, Steve vanished from Peggy's sight, just as Rory had moments before.
"Rustle... rustle..."
Just as Peggy was about to leave Central Park, a small white head poked up from the ground near where Rory had disappeared. It was the laboratory mouse from Rory's final successful experiment.
The creature emerged completely from its burrow and began sniffing around the area where Rory had vanished. It could detect his scent, but there was no sign of the man who had created it.
Strangest of all, something almost human flickered in the mouse's eyes—a look of genuine loss.
Seeing this, Peggy crouched down and gently reached toward the creature. "Did he create you too?"
The mouse, catching Rory's lingering scent on Peggy's clothes, immediately warmed to her presence.
Peggy smiled sadly, then carefully picked up the enhanced creature. "Maybe you can give me some answers about what he was really doing."
With both Steve and Rory gone, this small remnant of the experiment might be her only clue to understanding what had happened.
Rory materialized back into reality from the quantum realm with a disorienting rush.
Peeling off his quantum suit, he stepped out of the dark alley and immediately recognized his surroundings. This was definitely New York City, but not the 1970 version he'd left behind—this was a more modern, prosperous metropolis.
"Hey, asshole, hand over your wallet and anything else valuable!"
Two men in hooded sweatshirts approached from the shadows, one of them brandishing a switchblade that gleamed under the streetlights.
Rory blinked, momentarily confused. "What year is this?"
The two muggers exchanged glances, then the one with the knife snarled, "Are you screwing with us, pretty boy?"
"Thud!"
Before either criminal could react, Rory's hand shot out and wrapped around the knife-wielder's throat. With effortless strength, he lifted the man completely off the ground.
"I asked you a question," Rory said calmly. "What year is it?"
"It's—it's 2008!" the man gasped, clawing desperately at Rory's iron grip. "Please, man, I'm sorry!"
Rory nodded thoughtfully. "2008... the beginning of the Age of Heroes."
He casually tossed the would-be mugger aside like a bag of garbage. Both criminals scrambled to their feet and fled into the night without looking back.
Rory pulled on a baseball cap, sunglasses, and face mask before blending into the crowd of late-night pedestrians.
Over the next three days, Rory carefully investigated this new timeline. Tony Stark wasn't Iron Man yet—he was still just an arms dealer who hadn't been captured in Afghanistan. Captain America remained a wartime legend, supposedly dead in the ice somewhere in the Arctic.
Most importantly, history appeared to be completely unchanged by his actions in 1970.
Now he needed to focus on his next objective: acquiring funding and rebuilding his laboratory.
Although he'd successfully injected himself with the Thanos serum, the enhancement was still far from what he'd envisioned. He wasn't invincible like the Mad Titan, but he needed to get much closer to that level of power.
Life had to go on, and so did his experiments.
Three nights later, Rory was leaving a small restaurant when a high-speed motorcade nearly ran him down as he tried to cross the street.
"Son of a bitch!" he cursed, then watched as the convoy suddenly stopped in front of an upscale hotel nearby.
A dozen black-suited bodyguards emerged first, forming a protective perimeter. Then a tall, powerfully built man in an expensive suit stepped out of the center vehicle.
"Well, well," Rory murmured with interest. "Wilson Fisk."
He'd been wondering where to acquire the funding he needed, and now opportunity had literally driven right to him.
Wilson Fisk had an incredibly important evening planned.
From childhood, Fisk had understood that strength was the only currency that mattered in this world—a philosophy that had driven him to become one of New York's most feared crime bosses.
But after reaching the pinnacle of power, Fisk found himself feeling empty and unsatisfied.
That changed when he met Vanessa.
Tonight was their first official date.
Vanessa was an art gallery curator—beautiful, intelligent, and possessed of a wit that captivated the underworld kingpin from their very first conversation.
The evening had been going perfectly. Fisk and Vanessa were laughing and talking over dinner, creating an atmosphere of warmth and connection he hadn't experienced in years.
Unfortunately, their romantic moment was violently interrupted by a group of Russian gangsters who had chosen the wrong restaurant to rob.
After ensuring Vanessa got home safely, Fisk decided to teach the Russians a lesson they would never forget.
Following his brutal retaliation against the gang members, Fisk returned to his penthouse apartment, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins.
He habitually adjusted his diamond cufflinks, removed his jacket, and was heading toward his bedroom when a voice spoke from the shadows.
"Vanessa is beautiful. Are you planning to marry her, Kingpin?"
"Who's there?" Fisk's entire body tensed as he scanned the darkened room for the intruder.
A hand emerged from the shadows and flicked on the lights.
Fisk found himself staring at a young man in his twenties who seemed completely relaxed despite having broken into the most dangerous criminal's home in New York City.
"Tell me why you're here," Fisk growled. "If you can't give me a very good reason, you'll never leave this room alive."
Rory smiled casually and settled into one of Fisk's expensive leather chairs. "Relax, Wilson. I'm here to discuss a business partnership."
What unnerved Fisk wasn't the break-in itself—it was that this stranger knew about Vanessa.
"I don't recall having any business with you," Fisk said carefully.
Rory shrugged. "Not yet. But that's about to change."
Fisk couldn't believe this kid's audacity. Anyone who knew the Kingpin's reputation should be terrified, yet here he sat, completely at ease.
"Why don't you have a seat?" Rory suggested, gesturing to the sofa. "Let's discuss this like civilized people."
Instead of sitting, Fisk moved behind the furniture, keeping his distance while studying this unexpected visitor.
Rory got straight to the point. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Rory, and I'm a biological scientist. I need a fully equipped laboratory, but I lack the necessary funding. You, Mr. Fisk, are going to finance that laboratory for me."
Fisk's wariness transformed into stunned disbelief.
"And what exactly do I get out of this arrangement?" he asked.
"Protection," Rory replied simply. "I can guarantee your safety—both your freedom and your life. Trust me, you're going to need it more than you realize."
The crime boss stared at him for a long moment, then burst out laughing.
"Are you out of your goddamn mind?"
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