Chapter 18: The Echoes of a Dark Tomorrow
The "Solomon Bridge" felt less like a physical structure and more like a wound in the universe. Beneath Arthur's boots, the surface was translucent, rippling with every discharge of energy. The air was thick with the scent of ozone and the metallic tang of a future that shouldn't exist.
The Face of the Enemy
The "Future Hydra" soldiers—Chronal Legionnaires—moved with a synchronized, mechanical grace that made the 1944 Hydra grunts look like children playing with sticks. They didn't shout orders; they operated on a silent, shared tactical link.
"Focus fire on the emitters!" Steve barked, his shield catching a burst of orange plasma that would have vaporized a standard steel buckler. Thanks to Arthur's spatial coating, the energy was dispersed into the air as harmless heat.
Bucky didn't miss. Through his [Spatial-Void Scope], the Legionnaires didn't just look like men; they looked like clusters of temporal probability. He pulled the trigger, and his [Void-Tipped] round bypassed their energy shields entirely, phasing through the high-tech alloy to find the meat beneath.
[ BATTLE LOG ]
Bucky Barnes scores a [Phase-Kill]!
Steve Rogers utilizes [Shield-Pulse] to stun three Legionnaires.
Divergence: 23.8% — The timeline is straining to accommodate these two eras.
The Anomaly Emerges
As the Commandos pushed deeper toward the Rift Generator—a massive, rotating spire of obsidian and blue fire—the Legionnaires parted. A single figure stepped forward, cloaked in a tattered, dark red cape. His armor was a twisted, blackened version of the Mark VI Iron Man suit, but the chest piece didn't glow with an Arc Reactor. It glowed with a jagged, unstable purple light.
[ SYSTEM WARNING ]
Target Identified: The Iron Inquisitor (Temporal Variant).
Threat Level: Extreme.
Note: This is an echo of Tony Stark from a timeline where Hydra's "Project Solomon" succeeded.
"You are the Archivist," the Inquisitor's voice was a synthesized growl, echoing through the rift. "The one who thinks a few changed names can save a dying world. I have seen the records of your failure. I have lived them."
Arthur's Intervention
Arthur stepped to the front, his [Archivist Combat Shroud] flaring with a deep, cosmic navy light. The Tesseract shard in his staff hummed in resonance with the Inquisitor's power source.
"You're a ghost of a world that I'm about to delete," Arthur said, his voice amplified by the [Mercury Catalyst] blood in his veins.
[ SKILL ACTIVE: CHRONO-VISION ]
Arthur saw the Inquisitor's next move before it happened: a concentrated beam of temporal energy aimed at Steve's heart. Without a word, Arthur drove his staff into the "bridge."
[ ABILITY: SPATIAL ANCHOR — SEQUESTER ]
The space in front of the Inquisitor folded. The beam of energy didn't hit Steve; it entered a portal inches from his chest and reappeared behind the Inquisitor, striking the villain's own back.
"Steve! Take the Commandos and plant the charges on the base of that spire!" Arthur shouted, his muscles straining as he held the spatial fold open. "I'll handle the tin man."
"Arthur, that thing has tech we don't understand!" Steve hesitated, his hand tight on his shield.
"I understand it," Arthur gritted out, his eyes glowing with the 27% Sync power. "It's just data. And I'm the one with the delete key."
Current Status:
DP Balance: 1,200.
Sync Level: 28% (Increasing as you fight temporal entities).
New Objective: Defeat the Iron Inquisitor and protect the demolition team.