Ed POV
The meeting with Maya was simple. All she wanted to know was, what's next? For her, for her coworkers. I laid it out straight. They could either go back to their normal lives, or I could offer them jobs. Real jobs. Unlike MODOK, I'd pay them, give them benefits, and more importantly, give them freedom. They'd have access to advanced tech, and as long as their projects weren't dangerous or weapon-based, they'd be free to pursue their own work too.
I handed her a contract. Told her to take it, show it to the others, let them make their decision. She nodded, said she'd get back to me soon.
"One meeting down," I muttered.
Too bad I had a stack more today.
Two minutes later, the door slid open. Killer Croc, Pamela, Sage, and Koro Sensei walked in, each taking a seat at the table.
"Thanks for coming. I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you here," I started.
"Is it because I accidentally ate some of your adamantium?" Koro Sensei asked with a too-casual smile.
"…No, not—wait, WHAT?" I said, blinking.
"Nothing," Koro Sensei grinned, waving me off.
I gave him a long stare. I'll… deal with that later.
"For now, putting a pin in that. The real reason I asked you all here is because I want to offer you something. I want you all to join the main team of the Vanguard."
"You serious? I'm not exactly a fighter, Ed," Sage said, raising a brow.
"You don't need to be. With your intelligence and what Peggy's told me about your coordination skills, you'd be invaluable in Overwatch. Keeping operations running smoothly, scouting new recruits, organizing responses. You're the person for that."
"I thought you had a demon detective for finding people?" Pamela chimed in, crossing her arms.
"I do. He's on vacation," I deadpanned.
"…Okay, fair enough," Sage smirked. "I'm in."
I smiled. "Glad to hear it. What about you three?"
"I'll join as well," Killer Croc rumbled.
Pamela shrugged, "Guess it's time I put these abilities to better use. I'm in."
"Sorry, but I'm a teacher," Koro Sensei said, holding up his hand. "I only stepped in because it looked like you genuinely needed the help. My place is with my students."
"Understandable," I nodded. "But that actually brings me to something else I wanted to ask all of you—why did you help me? You didn't have to. I brought you here to give you a peaceful life, not throw you into the battlefield."
The room got quiet.
"I've seen what you've done," Sage finally said. "I watched your interview… the one where you made it clear you're fighting for mutants too. And… I've been keeping an eye on the net. People are starting to see mutants differently now. It's not much, but it's better than it was. You're changing things, Ed. I figured if I help you, we can speed it up."
"I'm here because I owe you everything," Killer Croc said, his tone firm.
"Waylon, you don't owe me a damn thing," I told him.
"I do," he insisted. "You gave me a chance to actually live. To be around people who didn't flinch at my face. You call me by my name. You didn't see a monster. You saw me. That matters, Ed. If helping you means more people like me get a chance at that kind of life… then I'm all in. You gave me a home. You gave me friends."
"The reason I did that, Waylon, is because the world failed you," I said, leaning forward. "They treated you like a monster until you became what they feared. If people had just looked past your appearance and actually gotten to know you, you wouldn't have been a criminal. You don't have to be a hero if you don't want to be."
"Maybe. But they didn't," Croc said quietly. "They only saw the scales, not the man underneath. That's why I became what they wanted. But you? You saw the man. So yeah, I want to show the world that appearances don't define who you are."
I sat back, a small grin pulling at my lips.
"The reason I'm joining is like I said before, I want to put my powers to good use," Pamela said, leaning back in her chair. "I've got a real handle on them now. Plus… you really helped me back then, Ed. You saved my life. And… well, you unknowingly got me into a very healthy, very good relationship." She smiled, a rare soft expression.
I squinted, confused for a second—then it clicked.
"Wait a minute… you and Harleen? When did that happen?" I asked, genuinely surprised.
"We've been dating for seven months now," Pamela replied, her smile turning fond. "She's wonderful."
Then she suddenly looked nervous.
"Wait… there's no rule against dating within the team, is there?"
"What? No! Of course not," I said, waving it off. "If two people like each other and it's consensual, I say go for it. I mean, come on, if that rule actually existed, I wouldn't have let Koro Sensei date Cecilia. Or Bruce and Marlize, for that matter."
Koro Sensei froze. His smile stiffened.
"W-Wait! You knew about me and Cecilia?! I thought for sure we were keeping it a secret!"
I turned to him, deadpan. The whole room was now looking at him.
"No offense, but I figured it out the moment you asked me to babysit your students that one time. You know, the day you came back saying Cecilia was 'tired from all the exercising.' Yeah… big giveaway, buddy."
Killer Croc rumbled a laugh. "Not just that. I've been smelling her scent all over you every time we cross paths. Subtle, you're not."
Pamela chimed in, smirking. "Me and Harleen noticed how you two started being real close lately. It's cute."
Sage didn't even blink. "I was walking past a storage closet last week. Heard you two going at it. You're not exactly quiet, Sensei."
Koro Sensei turned pink.
I just sat back, grinning. "So yeah. No relationship bans. Just… maybe keep the closet adventures to a minimum. My janitors are getting suspicious."
"Anyway, that's all I gotta say," I told them, leaning back in my chair. "Of course, you guys will need to do some training, but I'm sure it'll be a cakewalk for both of you. Sage, since you won't be on the frontlines, your training will be light, just some basics. I want you to at least know how to defend yourself if things go sideways."
They all nodded.
"Oh, and Koro Sensei," I added. "I'm working on something that might turn you back into a human. It's gonna take some time, but it'll be ready sooner than later."
"Ah, thank you, Ed! I truly appreciate it," Koro Sensei said, his face turning yellow with joy… then muttered under his breath, "I do wonder how Cecilia will feel about me losing all my tentacles."
I'm just gonna pretend like everyone else I didn't hear that. Moving on.
"That's all. You guys can go now," I said.
They left the room.
The moment the door shut, a familiar blue shimmer appeared in front of me. Then came the chorus of voices.
Church.Delta.Theta.Eta & Iota.Gamma.Omega.Sigma.Beta—Tex.
All of them, standing in front of me as hard-light holograms.
"Well, well, look who finally called a family meeting," Church said, hands on his hips.
"Kinda figured you wanted something, but hey, we're not working right now, so I'm cool with it," he added.
"You know, for an AI, you're really lazy," Tex chimed in.
"Hey! I'm not lazy!" Church snapped.
"That's a load of crap and you know it," Tex shot back without missing a beat.
"Will you two stop bickering in front of Ed?" Sigma interrupted, already pinching the bridge of his nose like a tired parent.
The room calmed down (kinda) as Sigma gave Church and Tex his 'Dad stare.'
"Alright, sorry about that, boss," Tex said, throwing me a lazy salute.
"It's fine," I waved it off. "The reason I called you all here is because… I want to give you a choice. The choice to be human."
What?" they all said. Except Omega, who, shocker, said nothing like always.
"You see, I'm about to summon someone who's an expert in cloning. With a few upgrades from me, I'm going to build you all real, enhanced bodies. No strings. No limitations. You'll be human. Fully."
"How exactly are you planning to pull that off?" Church asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's simple," I grinned. "I'll transfer every bit of your data, your memories, your personality—everything—into a human consciousness. Nothing will be left in the system. You'll be that body."
"That's… kinda cool, actually," Church said, then paused. "But… why? Why give us bodies?"
"What Church is trying to ask," Sigma stepped in, "is… if we're human, who's going to run your systems?"
"I can always build another AI," I said. "But I need more people. Real people. You guys have been with me through everything. You're more than just AI to me. And I think you deserve a shot at living. Really living."
"Okay, but what exactly are we gonna do as humans?" Tex asked.
"Oh, I've got plans," I smirked. "Tex, Omega, you two would be perfect additions to the Black Ops team. Delta, Sigma, Gamma, you'll assist Peggy and Sage in OverWatch, organizing, coordinating, all that tactical stuff. Eta and Iota… I need you two to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. for me."
"You don't trust Fury?" Eta asked.
"No, and Fury's a special case. We're working together to take down Hydra, sure, but I know he's planning contingencies in case I go rogue. I want to know what his ace-in-the-hole is."
Eta and Iota exchanged glances, then nodded.
"Theta," I said, turning to the small AI. "You're basically a kid. I don't want to push you into anything yet. Be a normal kid. Choose your own path. Maybe you'll want to be a hero, maybe not. That'll be up to you."
"Ah—hm—what about me?" Church asked, pointing to himself.
"Oh, right. I didn't forget you," I said, leaning back with a grin. "I just assumed you'd want to take the opportunity to do nothing and dick around all day."
"Hey! I can be useful, you know!" Church protested.
"Sure, Church. Name one thing you'd actually want to do in a human body," Tex smirked.
Church opened his mouth… then closed it.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Tex said smugly.
"N-No, wait! I can be a hero! Put me in a badass body, give me some powers, I'll beat the crap out of villains!" Church declared, puffing his chest out.
Tex sighed. "You being a hero? That's rich."
"I can do it! Just watch me!" Church snapped back.
I couldn't help but smile at their usual antics.
"I'm glad all of you agree on being human," I said. "But that's a future project. I got meetings stacked up today like a damn convention panel."
With that, they all blinked out, leaving me alone for a moment of peace. Not that I get to enjoy it. I've got multiple meetings running right now. Yeah, you heard me—clones. I'm basically on a multitasking speedrun today. Hopefully, they're handling things and not slacking off.
Ed Clone 1 POV
"So, let me get this straight," I said, raising an eyebrow. "He robbed a store… but he didn't go after the cash? He stole diapers and formula?"
"Haha, yes! Looking back on it, it's hilarious now. We were dirt poor back then, really struggling. Flint panicked, went into that store, and all he grabbed was baby stuff. Of course, he got caught. But the cop who arrested him was surprisingly understanding. He paid for it for us, and Flint had to do a month of community service," she explained, shaking her head with a fond smile.
"Damn. Sounds like he's a good man… and that cop sounds like a rare breed." I said, leaning back in the chair.
"Oh, Flint would've done anything for his daughter and me. That's why I love him," she said warmly. "And the cop… he was older. I think his name was Stacy. George Stacy, maybe?"
That got my attention. George Stacy… classic. One of the good ones. Mental note—send him a gift basket.
Right now, I'm at Sandman's place, freshly done patching up his wife. Yeah, that Sandman. During the monster attack, my drones spotted him and his daughter out there, fists flying, protecting their block like it was their job. And it wasn't just him. A lot of street-level folks stood up when the big names were too far spread.
I'm gonna need to round up all of them soon. They've proven they're willing to fight when it counts. Time to see if they want to make it official. It's going to be a long day of recruiting… and I haven't even had coffee yet.
Before I could say anything else, the door opened and in walked Flint and his daughter, Keemia.
At first, they didn't look happy. Their guard was up, like they were expecting bad news. But then they saw Alma—standing on her own two feet, no wires, no machines, healthier than she's been in years.
"Mom?" Keemia's voice cracked.
"Hey, sweetie," Alma said gently.
Keemia didn't wait. She ran to her mother, and Alma stood up just in time to catch her. The moment they embraced, Keemia broke down, sobbing into Alma's chest. Flint was still standing there, frozen, his brain catching up to his eyes. Slowly, like his body didn't trust what was happening, he walked over and wrapped his arms around both of them, pulling them into a tight family hug.
I didn't interrupt. Let them have that moment.
After a few minutes of crying and holding each other, they all sat down. The tension in the room was still there, but now it was mixed with relief. They were together again. Whole.
I finally spoke up. "Alright, I'm pretty sure you all know who I am."
Flint nodded slowly. "Of course. You're Arsenal. Why are you here?" His tone was cautious, almost afraid.
"Relax, Flint," I said, raising my hands. "You're not in any trouble. I'm not here to arrest you or drag you into something you don't want. I'm here to offer you and Keemia a choice."
Flint's brow furrowed. Keemia tilted her head. "What kind of choice?" they asked in sync.
"I've got recordings," I said. "I saw you two during the monster attacks. You weren't just fighting for survival, you were saving people. You've got control over your powers, and more importantly, you used them for the right reasons. That's the kind of people I want in the Vanguard Initiative."
Keemia's eyes widened, but Flint remained guarded.
"But," I added, "Keemia's still underage, so she'd be placed on a different team. Somewhere safer, where she can grow and learn at her own pace."
The room went quiet. They were processing it, I could tell.
"I get that this is a lot to drop on you," I said. "But I've already had a long talk with Alma. She knows everything. I healed her, Flint. Completely. The least I could do after seeing what you and your daughter did out there."
Alma smiled, squeezing Flint's hand gently. I could see it on his face—he was fighting with himself. The desire to protect his daughter, to stay away from anything that could put her in danger… but also the pride of seeing her be a hero.