Once everyone was reunited at the safe zone, the two groups tearfully embraced, their faces wreathed in joyous smiles. Amidst the celebrating, Reddwyn stepped back and turned his attention toward the sky. Unsure what Reddwyn was doing initially, I learned from Agamotto that his benefactor was en route. Certain the poor guy was in for the lecture of a lifetime, I left him to his fate and turned to join the Eternals.
"Color me impressed, Phastos. You are far more skilled with technology than I initially gave you credit for.", I admitted, assuming he was the one who disabled the mind control units.
"Unfortunately, I am not the one you should be praising. Your robotic companion over there is the one who liberated their minds.", Phastos remarked, gesturing toward Luxion.
I was surprised to see Luxion hovering over Valeria's shoulder. Since he had never acted this way for anyone but me, my suspicions were all but confirmed.
"I am a little offended, Doctor Doom. Why did you choose to reveal yourself to Valeria before me?", I said, pretending to be hurt by his actions. "Valeria may be your goddaughter, but I am your descendant. Surely that must count for something, right?"
Momentarily taken aback by my statement, Doom began to boisterously laugh.
"My connection to you was never in question; your power armor verified it. The armor is magically bound to Doom and his descendants. Therefore, when it powered on for me, it certified me as your progeny.", I stated, receiving a nod from the robot. "As for your identity, there are two main things that gave you away. First, while the Doombot I found and Luxion are programmed in different languages, they are coded nearly identically. Second, Luxion is not interested in becoming more human-like. While his fellow AIs strive to be more like their creators, his sole focus has been on scientific knowledge… much like his creator."
Satisfied with my explanation, Doom praised my deductive reasoning. Proudly calling me his genius descendant, he gently nudged Valeria toward me.
"Excuse me!?", Susan shouted, getting right up in Luxion's camera. "While we are indebted to your descendant, I am not about to just hand my daughter over to him. Did you even bother to consider Valeria's feelings?"
Annoyed by her interference, Doom attempted to pacify Susan with cold, hard logic. He gave her a detailed breakdown on why our union would benefit everyone, but she tuned it all out and continued to berate him. Valeria and I, amused by their bickering, shared a soft laugh.
"Pay him no mind, Valeria. You only just obtained your freedom again, so take your time and enjoy yourself.", I stated, in a low voice.
"I appreciate your concern, but I am onboard with Uncle Doom's suggestion. After all, what damsel wouldn't want to marry her knight in shining armor?", Valeria questioned, giving me a playful smile.
In all honesty, I had no qualms about taking Valeria as my wife. Unlike the rest of my family, she could actively assist with my scientific research. Moreover, Valeria was quite easy on the eyes, thanks to her mother. The only visible difference between them was their hair color. Susan had golden-blonde locks, while Valeria's sandy-blonde hair was a subtle influence of her father's genes.
"In that case, how about we start off by getting to know one another and see where things go? I have a lot on my plate right now, so any help you can provide would be very helpful.", I remarked as things began to settle down.
"Doom gave us a brief overview of the troublesome situation you are in. We will do all we can to assist you, but to be frank, it won't amount to much at all.", Emma Frost said, approaching me with a serious look. "Nemesis is controlling the body of a demigod; only a handful of us will be able to go toe-to-toe with her."
"Rest assured, I do not expect any of you to combat Nemesis directly. Instead, I would like to ask for your aid in rebuilding humanity.", I stated, with an outstretched hand. "I care not whether someone is a mutant, regular human, or xeno. What I seek is peace and prosperity for all those under my protection."
Because countless politicians had made similar claims, Emma was understandably skeptical of me. Although I had demonstrated I held no ill will toward mutants, she attempted to probe my mind, searching for any ulterior motives. Thwarted by my mental defenses, the Esper looked to her peers for input.
"Sounds like a good offer to me. No offense to the locals, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life in this hellish place.", Squirrel Girl commented, apologetically bowing her head to the petrified natives.
"The humans we will be helping are different from those who vilified us on Earth. We should extend an olive branch for the sake of our future and theirs.", Kitty Pryde remarked.
"There is no harm in seeing where this joint venture goes. If things don't work out, will you help us resettle somewhere we can live our lives peacefully?", Jean asked, staring me in the eyes.
"As Emperor of the Caspiel Empire and Primarch of the Imperium of Man, I will do all I can to make your lives comfortable. It won't be a Garden of Eden, but you will be free to do as you please without fear of persecution.", I swore.
Accepting her peers' decision, Emma firmly took my hand and shook it. Eager to leave this place behind, she immediately inquired if we could depart. While I understood her desire to leave, there was one more thing I needed to do.
"People of Nuceria, listen closely, as I have something important to share with you.", I said, turning to the natives. "In the coming months, an armada from the Imperium of Man will pay your world a visit…"
After disclosing critical future events in their planet's history, I gave them the necessary tools to ensure their survival. With my task complete, my group returned to our time.
---Modern Day, Caspiel Empire Throne World Brigoia---
Assuming the liberated hostages craved hot baths and warm food, we headed straight for my palace. Since most of them were women, I planned to leave them in Olivia's care, but that hope was quickly crushed. Upon returning to the palace, I found my ancestor's residence in flames, with people frantically trying to put the fire out.
"You have got to be kidding me…", I groaned, rubbing my temples in frustration. "I am gone less than an hour, and everything goes to hell."
With a wave of my hand, I rewound the residence. To find out exactly what happened, I immediately went looking for the usual suspects. The suspects, among those trying to douse the flames, turned pale upon seeing my furious face.
"Care to explain what happened here?", I asked in an angry tone.
"It wasn't us, we swear!", Momo asserted, meeting my gaze. "We saw people running over here from our laboratory and came to check things out. When we realized the mansion was on fire, the three of us rushed to help put it out."
"We didn't start the fire either!", Tohru insisted. "Elma, Ilulu, and I were soaking in the hot springs when this started. This time it wasn't our fault."
Certain they would not lie to me, I accepted their explanations and turned to Praetorate Avirax. Asking my second in command what happened, he motioned toward Kanna and Nuelalla, who looked absolutely mortified.
"These two are the culprits, sir.", Avirax answered, with a conflicted expression. "They were attempting to bake cookies for their mothers and you. Based on what my men saw, it would appear the oven malfunctioned and caught on fire. To their credit, these two did everything they could to put out the fire themselves."
"We… We are sorry… Daddy…", Nuelalla sniffled, her head hung in shame. "We just wanted to do something special for all of you."
Kanna immediately latched onto my leg, crying hysterically. Still traumatized by her parents' abandonment, she was terrified that I would kick her out as well. Pleading for another chance, the young dragoness vowed she would be a good girl from now on.
"Calm down, there is no need to cry over this. Although I am upset that our house caught on fire, my greater concern is for both of you. Are you alright?", I asked them, sweeping them up in my arms.
"Mhmm…", Nuelalla confirmed as they showed me their hands.
Relieved to hear they were fine, I asked them to explain exactly what had happened. As they went over everything step by step, the mistake became clear the moment they described turning on the oven. Unfamiliar with gas and electric appliances, they had mistakenly stuffed the lower part with wood. Once the fire got going, it likely ignited a small gas leak, and the home went up in smoke.
"I sincerely appreciate the kind gesture, but next time, please ask one of us for help. We will be more than happy to turn on the oven for you.", I requested, giving them a smile. "If you are up for it, how about we go make some cookies now?"
"Okay!", they enthusiastically agreed.
Happy to see my daughters smiling again, I turned to my family, who had gathered behind me. Eager to spend some quality family time together, Emma loudly cleared her throat to get my attention.
"If you could point us to the baths and dining room, we will get out of your hair.", Emma said, respecting my decision to spend time with my family.
"Bloodtide, could you do me a favor and show them around?", I called out.
(Bloodtide)
Accepting her request, I told her we'd be in the kitchen making cookie dough. With a satisfied smile, the AI turned and began walking toward the palace. Following her, they waited until they were a safe distance away before talking among themselves.
"See, Valeria, I told you something was fishy about that man. He is a playboy with a harem, a huge one at that. You don't want to get mixed up in that mess, do you?", Susan asked, certain her daughter would say no.
"I actually find it quite attractive, Mother.", Valeria answered, glancing over her shoulder. "He clearly loves his family and cherishes the time he spends with them. Just because he has multiple wives does not automatically make him a scumbag. The smiles on his wives' faces paint a very clear picture. He is an excellent father and husband."
"Ugh… I am starting to think your father was right. Doom has done something to your head, and you are his unwitting puppet.", Susan asserted, shaking her head in frustration.
Irritated by her mother's words, Valeria glared daggers at Susan. Unlike her mother, Valeria had seen firsthand the type of world her father was trying to build. Susan's love for Reed blinded her to the glaring truth: the man he once was had perished long ago. A terrifying monster now bore his name and face, and it would have brought death to them all.
'I sincerely hope that bastard died during the destruction of Earth. If he somehow managed to survive…', Valeria thought as a shiver of fear ran down her spine.
"Don't let her words get to you, Valeria. Your mother is just old-fashioned, unlike some of us.", Emma laughed, giving her a wink. "If you need any tips on courting men, just let me know. I am an expert at playing men's heartstrings."
"Translation, she wants in on that action.", Rogue chimed in, grinning like a fiend. "He is the perfect fusion of Tony Stark and Victor von Doom. Of course you'd want to pursue the guy; your love for Stark never went away."
"Shut your mouth!", Emma howled, turning bright red.
Eager to get some payback for previous transgressions, several of her colleagues jumped on the bandwagon too. Viciously teasing her, Emma kept her head down and tried to tune them out.