For a long moment, Melina didn't look at me. She stared at the pigs, at the dirt, at anything except my face.But eventually, she lifted her head and this time, there was determination in her eyes.
"If I help you," she said quietly, "I want you to promise me a few things."
"Name it," I replied.
"Dreykov," she said, her voice turning cold. "I want him dead. And I want every girl who isn't fully trained as a Widow to have a safe place to live. I don't want them hunted by any government. And the Widows who don't join you… I want them fully protected."
I didn't even hesitate.
"All of that is easy," I said. "And I can do more. I can even cure the trained Widows permanently, let them live normal lives. Let them have families if they choose."
She stared at me, shocked.She wasn't expecting that answer. Not even close.
"Yes," I said firmly. "I can do that easily."
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small, silver device, smooth, compact, and pulsing with faint blue light.
"This is a signal beacon. When you finish creating the cure, press this. It'll summon me instantly. If you try to hack it, tamper with it, open it, or use it for anything else…" I let my voice harden. "I will know immediately."
Melina nodded. "I understand… Can you untie me now?"
I raised a brow.
"Oh please," I said. "We both know you slipped out of those ropes like six minutes ago."
Her lips curled into a smirk, the first real expression she'd shown since I got here.
With that, I teleported away, leaving her alone with her pigs…and the first spark of a second chance.
Ed POV
"I am in!" Alexei said immediately, pounding his fist on his knee like he'd just accepted a mission from God.
"I didn't even explain all of it yet," I said, raising a brow.
"You explained enough!" he said proudly. "I get a second chance with my daughters, I get out of this prison, and I become a real hero, a hero children dream about! Greater than Captain America himself!"
I blinked. "…Honestly, I didn't think you'd jump at the opportunity this fast."
"Why wouldn't I?" Alexei snapped. "You think I want to rot in here? Betrayed by the country I loved? No! I want freedom. I want my family back."
"I can definitely give you freedom," I said. "And the chance to actually be a hero. But the family part… I can't promise that. I don't know if your daughters will forgive you. But I do think there's a chance."
Alexei's face softened, that big dumb pride of his shrinking into something sadder, but determined.
"I have faith," he said quietly. "And I will do everything, to make it up to them."
For the first time since I'd met him, the Red Guardian didn't look like a loud, dramatic soldier trying to prove something.
He just looked like a father who wanted another shot.
"Alright then," I said, standing. "It's time for both of us to get out of here."
I opened a portal beside us, and an Alexei-shaped android stepped through, a highly advanced model. Mostly flesh tissue and synthetic bone, with a bit of cybernetics hidden inside. Perfect mimicry. Its only purpose: fake Alexei's death. It would pass every medical test the prison staff threw at it.
Alexei's eyes went wide.
"Что за чёрт…? (what the hell)" he muttered. "What is this thing?"
"This," I said proudly, "is an android that's going to take your place and fake your death."
He walked around it, squinting suspiciously.
"Well… it is not completely accurate," he said. "But I suppose it will do."
I stared at him, then at the android… then back at him.It was identical. Every tattoo. Every scar. Every wrinkle. Every patch of gray hair.
"…What are you talking about?" I asked.
He jabbed a finger at the android. "He is too fat. I am not fat. I am… more pokey. Like bear."
There was no response in my brain for that.
"Oookay," I said slowly. "Let's go."
We walked past the android and into the portal, heading straight back to Sanctuary, leaving behind one very confused, very accurate robot twin.
I showed Alexei to the living quarters and gave him a slight age-adjustment, nothing drastic, just enough to help him slip into a new identity without every government on Earth recognizing him. Once he was settled, I got a notification: Mercy and Wendy were finished with Wade Wilson.
Time to meet the chaos gremlin in person.
I teleported to the medical wing, and when I arrived, Wade was awake… and somehow fully healed. No scars. No burns. No melted skin. Just a normal-looking guy with the face of someone who absolutely should not have a healing factor.
I walked over to Wendy and Mercy.
"Hey," I said. "How in the world did you heal him this well? From the reports, I thought it'd be borderline impossible."
Wendy exhaled. "It was impossible. At least for me. The Phoenix flame did nothing to him. The only reason we pulled it off was because of the new power you gave Dr. Angela."
Mercy nodded. "Yes. That ability you gifted me, Rejection, is what saved him. I had to reject every cancer tumor in his body, one by one. And at the same time, Wendy had to burn the tissue just enough to trigger regeneration and force his healing factor to produce healthy cells instead of… well, tumors."
I blinked. "Damn. That sounds incredibly painful."
Mercy folded her arms. "Oh, it was."
Wendy groaned. "But instead of screaming or crying like a normal person, he just yelled random nonsense and made terrible jokes the entire time. He kept telling me I look like Madison Bailey and that I should go find 'the gold.' I have no idea what that means."
I sighed. "Don't worry about it. He's… not all there. I'm just here to talk to him."
They nodded.
"By the way," I said, "how are the meta kids?"
Mercy's expression softened. "Better. We've cured half of them. The ones with nowhere to go are living in the city, trying to adjust to… everything. A lot has changed for them."
Wendy added, "I hung out with some earlier. They miss their families, sure… but they're grateful they're not trapped in those pods anymore. And honestly, they're pretty thankfull to you, Ed. I mean, to Arsenal."
I smiled. "Glad to hear it. Alright, time to talk to this guy. Thanks for everything, both of you."
"Of course," Mercy said.
"Good luck," Wendy added. "You're gonna need it talking to that psycho."
I chuckled, nodded, and turned toward Wade.As I approached him, I couldn't help thinking:
Deadpool would make a great addition to my Black Ops team… if he wasn't so wildly unpredictable.
But then again…He did respect Captain America a lot.
So maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't cause complete chaos.
…Probably.
"Hello, Wade. How are you feeling?" I asked.
"How am I feeling? Are you kidding?" Wade spread his arms dramatically. "I feel amazing. Your friends over there healed me beautifully. I can't wait to see Vanessa and give her a super-soldier-level pounding."
I froze. "…Didn't need to know that."
"Too late," he said cheerfully.
"Anyway," I said, moving on aggressively, "I can teleport you straight to Vanessa so you two can live your lives… but I also have a job offer for you."
Wade raised a gloved hand. "Hold it right there, hot stuff. Save the sales pitch. I'm in, with some conditions."
"…What is it?" I asked carefully.
He held up four fingers.
"One: Vanessa gets to live with me on your beautiful, fancy island.Two: I want to be second-in-command of Captain America's Death Squad—Three: Vanessa needs a superpower too. Something cool. Something protective. Preferably sparkly.Four: I want a lightsaber."
I blinked.Then sighed.
"Yes. No. Yes. …Maybe. And I'm regretting giving Ted that magic shotgun."
Wade pointed at the air dramatically. "You hear that, readers? Deadpool is officially in the story! Buckle up, because this shit's about to get WILD."
"…What?"
"I can't say more or the author will yell at me," he said with a shrug.
I stared at him.
I couldn't tell if this was his fourth-wall ability…or just pure, unfiltered insanity.
Either way…
Better to treat it as nonsense.
Ignorance is bliss when dealing with Wade Wilson.
Jaime Reyes POV
I stood in front of Omnitech Nexus, staring up at the massive building like it was some kind of futuristic cathedral.
I was finally here.
I still didn't understand how Arsenal pulled it off, but I'd gotten a letter from Edward Valtheris himself, telling me I had a job at Omnitech, and that he was paying for everything so my whole family could move to New York with me.
Everything.
Rent. Travel. Setup. School for Milagro.
All of it.
This was my first day, and I'd be working with a team of medical scientists. I'd arrived an hour early because… well… nerves. Lots of nerves.
I took a shaky breath and walked inside, heading straight toward the receptionist desk.
"Hello, I'm Jaime Reyes. This is my first day," I said, trying not to sound terrified.
The secretary smiled warmly. "Yes, Mr. Reyes, we've been expecting you. Please wait in the lounge."
She pointed me toward a seating area. I walked over and sat down, bouncing my foot nervously while replaying every pep talk my family gave me this morning.
You got this, mijo.You're smart. You earned this.Don't faint.
But even with all that, a little voice kept whispering:What if you screw up on day one?
I didn't get long to panic.
A red-haired woman walked in, holding hands with a red-haired boy. They were heading straight toward me. When I got a better look, my heart nearly stopped.
Ashley Barrett. COO of Omnitech.And her son, Stratos.
I wasn't expecting to see anyone important today, let alone someone who basically ran half the company.
Why were they walking toward me?
Why me?
Okay, Jaime, don't panic. Don't choke. Don't say something stupid. Just, breathe.
Ashley stopped right in front of me, smiling.
"Jaime Reyes. It's good to meet you. I read your file, and I have to say, it's been a while since someone your age impressed me."
My brain short-circuited.
I said the first thing that came out of my mouth.
"Hello, my name is Jaime Reyes."
Stratos snorted a laugh, and Ashley smiled wider.
"You're nervous," she said gently. "Believe me, I was nervous on my first day at a major company too. Just take a deep breath… and fake confidence until it stops being fake."
"Basically, fake it till you make it," Stratos added.
"Exactly," Ashley said. "Now, I'm going to introduce you to your group leader and show you your station. Hope you don't mind Stratos tagging along — he's suspended from school. For fighting."
"It was an accident!" Stratos protested.
Ashley raised an eyebrow. "I saw the security footage. You picked up a book and threw it at the boy. The only reason you're not grounded is because you were defending your friend. I hate bullies, but let's not pretend it was an accident."
Then she turned back to me, all warmth again.
"Now, Jaime, follow me."
And just like that, on my first day, I was being personally escorted by the COO.
No pressure or anything.
I followed Ashley into the elevator, trying not to stare at my own shaky reflection in the metal walls. When the doors opened on one of the upper floors, she stepped out confidently, and I hurried after her.
As we walked, she began explaining everything in that calm, effortless way only CEO seemed to manage.
"Now, you probably know most of this," Ashley said, "but I'll say it anyway. Omnitech has its fingers in a lot of pies, medicine, Prosthetics, clean energy, entertainment, clothing, vehicles, phones, you name it. But the division you'll be working in is our medical science department."
I nodded like I understood half of that.
We turned into a massive lab, bright lights, walls of computers, monitors showing blood data, gene maps, and a whole forest of lab coats moving around like intelligent ants.
"You'll be working under Dr. Morbius and Dr. Bancroft," Ashley continued. "I've already told them about you. They're very interested in meeting you."
"Really? I'm… not that impressive," I said, rubbing the back of my neck.
Ashley gave me a look, that leader look that somehow mixed warmth with absolute authority.
"We read your paper on artificial blood," she said. "It impressed all of us. We're not expecting miracles, Jaime. We're just interested in the way you see things."
Relief washed through me so hard I almost sagged.
"Oh. Okay. Thank you."
She led me into a more isolated section of the lab, almost a personal research wing. It had its own large workspace, specialized equipment… and a giant glass tank filled with bats. There was also what looked suspiciously like a freezer, but I decided that was above my pay grade for day one.
Two people were standing at a monitor, one leaning on forearm crutches.
"Morbius. Martine," Ashley greeted them.
They both turned.
Martine's face lit up the moment she saw the little redhead at Ashley's side.
"Stratos! Come here, how's my favorite little guy?" she said warmly, crouching with her arms open.
"Martine!" Stratos shouted.
He launched himself into her hug, and she stood, spinning him around with a laugh before settling him on her hip. The affection between them was so natural, I couldn't help but smile.
"It's good to see you, Ashley," Dr. Morbius said, his voice calm, almost gentle. Then his eyes shifted to me. "And you must be Jaime Reyes. We've heard a lot about you."
"And I've heard a lot about you too," I said, feeling my nerves spike again. "You're practically a legend in artificial blood research."
Morbius chuckled. "Well, I couldn't have done any of it without Ed and Martine. They're the ones who helped me become who I am today. It's good to have friends who believe in your dream."
"And it's a beautiful dream," Martine said softly.
Morbius smiled and extended his hand to me.
"It's going to be a pleasure working with you, Jaime."
I shook his hand firmly, trying to project confidence even though my heart was sprinting like the Roadrunner.
"And it's an honor to work with both of you," I said and for once, the words didn't feel forced.