Ed POV
Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.
Dani's fists slammed into Conquest in a rapid flurry, but he barely budged.
"Come on, little girl," Conquest said casually as he blocked her punch with one hand. "You'll have to hit a lot harder than that if you want to hurt me."
Anissa crossed her arms, watching closely. "Are you sure letting Conquest train with her is a good idea?"
"I told John to go easy on her," I said, trying to ease her concern. "Besides, she's tougher than she looks."
Right now, it was just the four of us in the middle of the island: Dani and Conquest fighting, with Anissa and me observing. I'd set this up deliberately. Dani was starting to get used to my attack patterns, my rhythm, my instincts. That kind of familiarity can turn into a weakness fast.
If she wanted to grow stronger, she needed unfamiliar opponents.
She wasn't doing great against Conquest, which wasn't surprising. He's ancient, brutal, and has more battle experience than most civilizations combined. It doesn't matter what stance Dani uses or what technique she switches to; Conquest already has an answer.
Every feint gets read. Every strike gets countered.
And as frustrating as it is for her…
That's exactly the lesson she needs to learn.
Watching Dani struggle against Conquest reminded me of my own early days, back when Anissa was the one putting me through the wringer.
"You remember when we used to train like that?" I asked her. "You're kicking my ass, and I'm doing everything I can to not get slammed into the ground."
Anissa laughed softly. "Yeah. Feels like yesterday."
"Time really does fly," I said. "That's why you've got to cherish the little moments. Blink, and they're gone."
She nodded. "True. But new little moments always come along."
"Yeah," I said, smiling.
And she was right.
There had been plenty of them, meeting and working with the Web Warriors, watching them grow up and graduate, recruiting new heroes, playing with Stratos, and spending time with Lena. All of it mattered. All of it added up.
I turned and started walking back toward the base.
"Where are you going?" Anissa asked.
"Eta and Iota have finally adjusted to their bodies," I said without slowing down. "They're heading out on their undercover mission. I want to send them off."
It wasn't just the twins. Everyone had settled into their new forms. Omega and Tex were preparing to meet up with the Shadow Guard, the team I'd officially name.
They'd get their first mission soon.
Gamma had flagged something interesting while combing the net: a small terrorist organization that somehow got its hands on Stark weapons. At first, I thought it was the Ten Rings.
It wasn't.
Just a smaller group with dangerous toys and big ambitions.
Peggy agreed with me.
It was the perfect first mission for the Shadow Guard.
And it was time to see what they could really do.
I reached the base quickly and headed straight for the Ground Bridge control room. When I stepped inside, Eta and Iota were already there with Tex and Church.
It looked like they were saying their goodbyes.
"Are you two ready?" I asked, drawing their attention.
"Yes, we are," Eta said without hesitation.
"Have you adjusted to your powers?" I asked.
"We have," Iota replied. "And… thank you. They're discreet. Useful."
I nodded. I'd given Eta Overclock and Iota Flawless, powers designed to give them the upper hand without drawing attention. Exactly what they'd need.
"I've already set up your identities," I said, slipping back into briefing mode. "No family besides each other. Former Army, discharged a couple of months ago. I've flagged both of you in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s systems, so you're on their radar naturally."
They listened closely.
"Do your best not to get caught," I continued. "But if your cover is blown, or you feel even a little unsafe, you abort. Immediately. Use whatever means you need to escape and contact me. I'll be there in an instant. I want check-ins every five weeks. No exceptions."
"Ed," Iota said, cutting me off gently.
I stopped.
"We'll be okay," she said, clearly trying to ease my worry.
I wanted to believe that.
But they were heading straight into enemy territory. HYDRA was everywhere, embedded in S.H.I.E.L.D. And the truth was… I was having second thoughts. Sending them out there just to get close to Fury felt like asking too much.
I'd warned them about the danger. More than once. A part of me had hoped they'd back out.
They didn't.
They had powers. Super-soldier serum. My Supercell. And I'd be monitoring them constantly.
Still… there are places even I can't reach fast enough.
And that thought, that, terrified me.
"This mission isn't that important," I said finally. "Promise me, if either of you feels like you're in danger, you leave. You contact me. No heroics."
"We promise," they said together.
I stepped forward and pulled them both into a hug. I held it for a moment longer than usual, then let go.
The Ground Bridge is activated.
Light flared.
And just like that, they were gone.
I stood there a second longer than I needed to, watching the space where they'd disappeared, hoping I'd made the right call.
Reed Richards POV
"Alright," I said, looking around at my team, "is everyone ready?"
Johnny grinned. "You're seriously asking that? Who wouldn't be ready to go into space?"
Ben and Susan both nodded, calm but clearly excited.
"Then let's go make history," I said.
This was it.
We were finally heading into space to study cosmic rays near Earth. The rocket was ready, the calculations checked and rechecked. The space center buzzed with energy, scientists moving between stations, reporters snapping photos, cameras rolling to capture the launch.
All of us were already suited up, moments away from boarding, when a redheaded woman stepped into our path, holding a tablet.
"Sorry to interrupt," she said calmly. "My name's Abby. I work with Ed. I've been asked to deliver a message."
That stopped us cold.
We exchanged looks, confused, cautious, but nodded for her to continue.
She tapped the tablet.
The screen lit up.
Ed appeared, seated in his office.
And whatever he had to say was important enough to stop a launch.
"Hello, my friends," Ed said on the screen. "I wish I could be there today, at least to send you off, but I'm insanely busy, and Olivia refuses to make an exception."
"The election's end in two months," a voice said from off-screen. "Just because you're ahead doesn't mean you get to slack off. Fisk is right behind you in the polls."
Ed sighed. "That's Olivia. She's the reason my ridiculous dream is actually happening."
He leaned forward slightly, his tone shifting.
"But listen, besides all that, I wish you the best. And I need you to hear this clearly: your lives matter more to me than any research. If something goes wrong, you come back. If you can avoid danger, do it. I don't care how much money I poured into this rocket; I value human lives more than results."
That alone was surprising.
"And if any of you get injured," he added, "I'll personally cover every medical expense. Whatever you need. No questions asked."
I blinked. Millions of dollars invested… and he genuinely didn't care whether the mission succeeded or failed.
"Oh, and before I forget," Ed said, suddenly smiling again, "when I win the election, I want all of you at the party. No excuses. I don't care how busy you are or what condition you're in. It's going to be a blast. Everything's already set up."
"The election isn't over," Olivia said from off-screen. "You could still lose."
"Then it'll be a pity party," Ed replied easily. "All I want is the people who've been with me since day one, and the people I've gathered along the way, to be there."
"You are the strangest client I have ever worked for," Olivia muttered.
"Careful," Ed said. "That almost sounded like a compliment."
He turned his attention back to the camera.
"Be safe. Come back in one piece. And if you don't, I'll still take care of you." He paused. "Oh, and the woman holding the tablet right now? That's Abby. Johnny, she's single. Work your magic."
The video cut off.
Abby stared at the tablet, completely frozen."I, what?"
Johnny, on the other hand, was already smiling as he took a step toward her.
"Hey—"
Susan's hand snapped out, grabbing the back of his suit and yanking him right back to her side.
"No," she said flatly.
Ben snorted.
Johnny visibly deflated, a sad look settling on his face. After that beautifully awkward moment, all of us finished suiting up and boarded the rocket. Systems hummed around us as the crew prepared for takeoff, final checks, diagnostics, green lights rolling in one by one.
"I gotta say," Ben said over the comms, "Ed's a strange guy, in a good way."
"You can say that again," Susan added. "He's only nineteen, but he talks like someone who's lived a lot longer than that."
"He basically said he doesn't even care if the mission succeeds," Johnny said. "Just that we come back alive. And after donating that much money? Seriously, with what he gave us, I could buy a small town."
"You're exaggerating," I said calmly. "Maybe twenty buildings. Not a whole town."
"Of course you did the math," Johnny muttered.
"He put his faith in us when a lot of people didn't," I continued. "Most thought this research wouldn't amount to anything, so they didn't even bother donating. He funded the entire operation himself. I'm not letting it fail. No matter what, we're going to succeed and study those cosmic rays."
Ben cleared his throat. "You did read the contract we signed, right?"
"Of course," I said. "It just says he gets twenty percent of whatever comes from the research."
"And in the fine print," Ben added, "it says if anything feels wrong, we turn back. No risks. No heroics."
"What?" I turned to look at him.
"I swear," Ben said. "I was just as surprised when I read it."
I turned back to the controls, frowning slightly. "That's… unusual. Especially for a billionaire."
System checks finished. All indicators were green.
"Countdown starting," Mission Control announced.
We went silent as the numbers began to tick down.
Three.
Two.
One.
The rocket roared to life.
The force slammed us back into our seats as we launched, history igniting beneath us in fire, noise, and possibility.
Stratos POV
I was in the lab, my favorite place. at sanctuary.
I stood there staring through the glass, thinking about my little brother and sister. Dad said they'd be ready soon. Just one more month.
I couldn't wait.
I couldn't wait to show them everything I knew. The best foods. The fun games. How to ride Appa. How to convince Goliath to let you climb onto his horns without getting launched across the Island.
It was going to be awesome.
I was pulled out of my thoughts by voices behind me.
Two people were walking through the lab, blue-skinned, insanely muscular, very tall, both wearing lab coats. One of them was carrying a tablet.
Oh.
Those guys.
The Mauler twins. Dad told me about them, brilliant scientists, always arguing about which one of them was the original.
They noticed me almost immediately.
"Hi," I said.
"Hi?""Hi?"
They both said it at the same time, looking equally confused as they walked closer.
"You must be the Mauler twins," I said. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too," one of them said slowly. "But… I don't think we've seen you on the island before."
"My name's Stratos," I said. "I'm usually at school. Total pain. I'm only here now to check on my new little brother or sister."
"Wait," the other one said. "Stratos? The boss's kid?"
"Yes," I said, then paused. "Wait… how do you know me?"
They looked at each other.
"Everyone knows you," one of them said.
"Oh," I said. "Cool. Also, quick question. Do you two have any other names besides 'Mauler Twin'? Because this is already getting confusing."
"Sorry, kid," one of them said. "Nope. Mauler Twins is our name."
"We don't see the point in having other names," the other added.
"…Seriously?" I said. "Why not? My name used to be Stratosphere. You can just make something up. Something simple. Like Michael and Mitch."
They both stared at me.
"They both start with M," I added. "Like Mauler. See? Easy."
Silence.
"…Okay," one of them said slowly. "I kinda like the name Mitch."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," the other snapped. "Why do you get to be Mitch? Why do I have to be Michael?"
"Because I'm the original," He said proudly. "So I get to choose. And I like Mitch."
"There you go again!" the other yelled. "I'm the original, you're the clone!"
I blinked."…Why does that matter?" I asked.
They both stopped arguing and looked at me.
"…What?" they said together.
I shrugged.
"Seems like a lot of fighting over something that doesn't really change anything."
The lab went quiet.
"Why does it matter who's the clone and who's the original?" I asked. "You're both here. You're alive. You're breathing. And from what I've heard, you're both insanely smart."
They didn't answer, so I kept going.
"My dad always says it doesn't matter how you're brought into this world, it matters what you do with your life."
I glanced over at the observation chamber where my siblings were still forming.
"Even me," I said. "I wasn't born the normal way. I used to be a giant robot that came to life because of an artifact my dad found. But he still treated me like his son. He gave me a real body. And Ashley, my mom, she treated me like she actually gave birth to me."
My voice softened.
"And those two?" I nodded toward my brother and sister. "They're clones too. But when they wake up, they're not going to care. Because my dad is going to love them. That's just who he is."
I looked back at the Mauler twins.
"You two are brothers," I said. "You shouldn't fight over something like that. I want to be a good big brother. I want my siblings to look up to me, so I try to be someone worth looking up to."
I straightened a little.
"And since you're twins, you can be that for each other. Stop fighting over who's the original. Respect each other, for who you are, for what you're good at, for what makes you you."
I finished speaking and went quiet.
Both of them just stared at me.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Just… thinking.
"How old are you again?" one of the Mauler twins asked.
"I'm ten," I said. "But I'll be eleven soon."
He stared at me for a moment. "So young… and already speaking like that. You're definitely your father's son."
He glanced at the other twin.
"The kid's right," he said. "What's the point of arguing over who's the original? We work better as a team. That's what actually matters." He sighed. "Let's end it. No more trying to prove who came first. No more trying to kill each other over it."
He straightened a little. "We're brothers. Time we start acting like it."
The other twin let out a long breath. "Fine. You're right. There's no point anymore." He hesitated. "…And Michael isn't a bad name."
"Good," the first said. "Because I really don't want to give up the name Mitch."
I smiled at both of them.
"Glad you two understand," I said. "From now on, you're Mitch and Michael Mauler, genius scientists."
They looked at each other.
For the first time, there was no argument.
Just two brothers… finally on the same side.
_______________________________________________________
AN: Sorry for the late chapter, a lot of things came up yesterday, and some came up today, let's just say not like all this snow and ice.