The Next Day...
May 27th, 2010
Ethan leaned back in the leather chair of his Aeon Biotech office, swirling a glass of cold brew in one hand.
Across the room, Diana was gracefully wrapping up a call, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window in a sleek office suit that defined both power and elegance.
The tailored suit hugged her form with just enough edge to draw his gaze. Purposefully or not, it did its job well.
As she ended the last call, Diana turned toward him with an amused smirk on her lips. "Like what you see?"
Ethan didn't bother to hide his appreciation. "Very much. You should consider wearing that at home."
Diana arched a brow. "At home? It's far too uncomfortable for that."
He flashed a sly grin. "Not around the house… just in our private moments."
She walked over and delivered a light punch to his shoulder. Light by her standards, which meant it would have completely crushed someone else's arm.
"You're lucky you're cute, Carter. Because if we weren't enforcing this punishment pact, I'd drag you back to the apartment and make you forget how to spell your name."
Truthfully, the punishment extended to all of them. None of the girls were allowed to get too intimate with Ethan—not until they were sure he wouldn't pull off another idiotic stunt like last time. The decision had been unanimous, and as much as it frustrated them all, they agreed it was necessary.
Ethan winced playfully before rubbing his shoulder. "It's cruel. You punish me and yourselves at the same time. It's not even strategic warfare."
"We agreed," she said with a teasing smirk. "No intimacy until the wedding. You pulled a god-tier prank and this is your divine penance."
Before he could reply, Diana bent forward and kissed him—brief but electric. "Consider that a reward… for mostly behaving."
With that, she turned and walked away, hips swaying like she knew he'd be watching.
And of course… he was.
"Yup," he muttered. "Holding back just got a thousand times harder."
Ethan shook the daze off and turned his attention to the file on his desk. It was stamped with high-priority clearance and bore a familiar name.
Tony Stark.
Immune+ Special Usage Request
Submitted by: Anthony Edward Stark
Request Date: May 30th 2010
Recipient: Confidential
Stark's birthday was in three days. He wanted the injection immediately after, and he requested the entire process remain confidential. Not just the procedure—but the fact that he'd even asked for it.
Ethan stared at the file, lips pressed together. The great Iron Man—the man who once told the world he'd solved every problem in his life with a wrench and a drink—was now requesting Immune+.
This wasn't about a business deal. This was personal.
Ethan understood exactly what this meant. Tony hadn't found a cure for his palladium poisoning.
In the original timeline, Tony had failed to cure his palladium poisoning and chose to live recklessly in his final days. But in this world, Immune+, a breakthrough biotic enhancement developed by Aeon Biotech, could prolong life by drastically improving immunity and cellular regeneration.
And yet, Stark hadn't asked directly. His pride hadn't let him approach Ethan directly. As a genius, he'd wanted to solve his problem on his own. And he'd failed.
Ethan understood this the moment he got the call from Chloe last night, requesting it be handled with utmost secrecy. Stark didn't want panic. He didn't want pity. He wanted a chance.
The man was under enough pressure as it was. Governments trying to steal his suits. Enemies watching his every move. Admitting weakness could trigger chaos. So Ethan decided, He'd visit Tony personally—in three days and give him more than just Immune+ serum.
Ethan sighed. "Three days, huh?" he murmured. "I'll be there."
But even that felt like a side note now—because something else was clawing at the edges of his thoughts.
Reed Richards' words echoed in his mind: A strange, powerful energy signature is heading toward Earth... harmless, I think.
Ethan didn't trust "I think."
A powerful energy signature approaching Earth. In the Marvel universe, that was never a small matter.
Before he could delve deeper, his phone buzzed.
Didi (💀🖤): Calling...
He smiled as he picked up. "What's my favorite embodiment of death doing?"
A beat of silence.
"I just had to resist calling that cringe," Didi replied in her soft, melodic tone. "You're usually better than this, Ethan."
He laughed. "I know, even I cringed a little. But isn't that what couples do? Say cute, weird things and lose all self-respect?"
"Maybe. But let's not pretend you're some teenage human from the suburbs," she said dryly.
"Fair. What's going on?"
Her voice dropped, just a bit. "Something's coming toward Earth. It's nearly here. Minutes away. You should check it out."
That made him sit up. "You feel threatened?" That's not a word he expected from Death herself.
"I wouldn't say threatened. But it's enough to pull at my senses."
Ethan's brow furrowed.
"What kind of something makes you cautious?"
Then, teasing, "Why not come with me? We can tag-team a cosmic threat, power-couple style."
She sighed softly. "I'm with Anna and Jean right now. Girl stuff."
"Define 'girl stuff.'"
"The kind of stuff gentlemen don't ask about," she said, matter-of-fact.
"You do realize that just made me more curious?"
There was a shuffle on the other end of the line. A loud thump.
"What was that?" he asked.
"Everything's fine!" Didi called quickly, then lowered her voice again. "Focus on what's coming. It's better you check it out."
Ethan paused. "You sure you can't come?"
"Not unless you want half the cosmic hierarchy noticing I'm on vacation." She sounded almost wistful. "I'm already holding back 99% of my existence just being here. No powers unless absolutely necessary, remember?"
He sighed. "Right. Last thing we need is the Living Tribunal showing up to ask what you're doing in a sundress."
She chuckled. "Exactly. I'll leave the flashy entrances to you, darling. Now go."
The line disconnected.
Ethan sighed. He knew Didi was holding back her powers and presence. As an embodiment of death and an Endless, revealing too much of her presence could trigger the attention of Marvel's cosmic entities—beings they didn't want sniffing around.
She had to tread lightly in this universe. So while she could sense things far beyond mortal comprehension, she rarely interfered directly.
He leaned back in his chair, stared at the ceiling for a second, imagining what the girls were really doing. Then shook his head. "Focus, Carter."
He raised his hand and opened a swirling red portal—a signature fold of Phoenix-born teleportation—targeting the rooftop of the Baxter Building. The energy curled like fire around the edges of the circle, and with a step forward, Ethan vanished into it.
Time to find out what was coming.
And hopefully, it wasn't something that wanted to blow up the planet.
--------------------
As soon as Didi ended the call — with the grace of a pop star hanging up on her manager — she turned, only to find Anna and Jean brushing off dust like action heroines who'd just wrapped a photoshoot.
Four mutants lay sprawled across the newly paved path, groaning but very much alive.
"Seriously?" Didi raised a brow, her hand still halfway from her earpiece. "I was gone for like, what — two minutes? What did I miss? A dance battle? Armageddon? Both?"
Anna cracked her knuckles with a grin. "They started it."
"We just helped them nap," Jean added, stepping over a particularly muscular mutant with metal-plated arms. "No fatalities. Just a little humility."
Didi narrowed her eyes at the scene, taking in the unconscious Brotherhood members. One of them had snake-like eyes and a forked tongue. Another was a short but dense guy with concrete skin.
A third mutant had porcupine quills jutting out from his back, twitching like he was dreaming about acupuncture. The fourth, some kind of sonic screamer, was still bubbling from the mouth.
They hadn't killed them. Just knocked them out.
Didi exhaled, hands on her hips. "You know," she muttered, "I still don't know how to tell this to Ethan."
Anna nudged her. "Come on. We promised to keep Ethan in the dark. It's his surprise."
Jean gave a tired sigh. "I really didn't like where this was going… but we didn't have a choice."
Their eyes turned toward the half-finished structures ahead—an island still under construction, its steel bones rising from the earth. Roads yet unpaved. Foundations yet to be filled. But even in this incomplete state, it radiated potential.
A paradise for mutants.
A haven being carved out by willpower, hope… and just a bit of authoritarian charisma.
Suddenly, a voice cut through the wind from above. "Quite the entrance, ladies."
They turned sharply, eyes drawn skyward. An older man in a crimson armored suit descended from the sky with slow, deliberate grace — his helmet gleaming, cape flowing like it had its own pride.
The magnetic field around him distorted the air, and the metallic debris near his feet trembled with reverence.
Eric Lensherr AKA Magneto.
Jean instinctively nodded. "Magneto."
Anna offered a respectful nod.
Didi's curiosity flickered in her eyes. She had heard about him, of course. But seeing him in person—this so-called Master of Magnetism—was something else.
Behind him, several mutants gathered, attracted by the earlier scuffle. Some of them looked wary, others irritated, most just curious.
Eric glanced around at the downed bodies, then back to the trio. "And here I thought we were building a paradise. You seem determined to decorate it with chaos."
Jean stepped forward calmly. "We didn't come here to fight. They attacked us."
Anna added, deadpan, "We just defended ourselves, apparently."
Eric looked at them thoughtfully, eyes narrowing. "What are Charles Xavier's students doing here? Is this another one of his metaphysical sermons, or is this about that little company of yours that's currently reshaping human civilization?"
Jean shot a glance at Anna, who nodded silently. They had already agreed—Jean would handle the conversation.
Jean turned back to Magneto, speaking with clarity and purpose. "We're not here on behalf of Professor Xavier. And this isn't about humanity. This is about making a deal between you… and us." her voice diplomatic but firm.
Eric raised an eyebrow at that. "Interesting. Speaking of 'us'…" he gestured vaguely toward Didi. "Is she… like us?"
There was a beat of silence.
Anna opened her mouth, then closed it again, then said, "Let's just say… she's not human."
Eric studied Didi for a moment longer, then nodded slightly. "Not a mutant, but not human either. Fascinating."
He paused — then extended his arms as the other mutants around him shifted to the sides, parting a path. "Very well," he said. "You've piqued my interest. Come, then."
He gestured grandly as they approached.
"Welcome… to Genosha—the future paradise we are building for our kind."
Anna leaned toward Jean and whispered, "He really should sell timeshares. That delivery was majestic."
Jean sighed while Didi followed with curiosity.
------------------
Inside a luxury suite overlooking the city skyline, two powerful men sat in front of a massive monitor. The screen glowed ominously red, displaying only the letters "RR" in a pulsating pattern.
A digitized voice emerged from the speakers—smooth, mechanical, and unnervingly calm. "Greetings, gentlemen. I take it your presence here means you've agreed to the terms I proposed."
Norman Osborn leaned forward with a scowl. "Let's cut to the chase," he said bluntly. "Let's talk about the plan and how we're going to get this done."
Seated comfortably on a velvet armchair, Wilson Fisk swirled a glass of red wine in his hand, his demeanor far more composed.
"You're getting impatient, Norman. That'll cost you," Fisk said coolly. "This isn't some street-level heist. We're not dealing with a normal man."
The voice from the monitor responded with a note of grim amusement. "Exactly. Which is why caution is key. We're not dealing with an ordinary target. If you underestimate him... we all burn."
Norman crossed his arms, lips curled in irritation. "So do you have a plan, or are we just here for dramatic lighting and cryptic warnings?"
A brief pause followed. Then came the answer. "Of course. My plan is already in motion."
The room fell silent.
In that moment, the weight of what they were attempting truly settled in. Three of the most dangerous men in the world, scheming together—not for money, not for fame—but to steal something far more valuable.
The formula for Immune+, locked deep within the vaults of Aeon Biotech.
A miracle serum that could rewrite the rules of evolution itself.
----------------
Inside the Baxter Building, Ethan and Susan stood together, deep in conversation. There was a flirtatious energy between them, light and easy—until something shifted.
Mid-sentence, Ethan's eyes suddenly flicked upwards, cutting off whatever charming words were on his lips. His expression changed—calm turned to sharp focus. Susan blinked in confusion.
His normally blue eyes shimmered with red for a moment.
Ever since Didi warned him about the incoming energy, he had been using his telepathy to keep the entire Earth under constant surveillance.
Something no ordinary telepath could achieve without Cerebro—yet the Phoenix Force, combined with his adaptive evolution, made it possible.
Now, an unknown energy had entered that range… and breached Earth's atmosphere.
The Phoenix Force stirred within him—it recognized the signature. It wasn't magic. It wasn't mystical.
It was... cosmic energy.
Susan gently touched his arm, confused by his sudden silence. "Ethan?" she asked. "What's wrong?"
He didn't look at her as he spoke. "Sue… it seems Reed was wrong again with his calculations."
He slowly lowered his gaze back to her, tension rising in his voice. "Something just breached Earth's atmosphere… and this isn't something we can afford to ignore."
...
Author's Note:
Hey guys! How did you like the chapter?
Any guesses on who that mysterious guy Norman and Fisk are talking to?
Most of you probably figured it out already—but who do you think just entered Earth?
As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts, theories, and ideas. Drop a review and let me know what you think!