[A/N]: Alright guys, let's aim for 100 power stones to unlock that bonus chapter.
Behind the VP's protection detail, Tony Stark's armor screamed across the sky. He'd been in the air within seconds of the first explosion, J.A.R.V.I.S. feeding him tactical data.
"Sir, I'm detecting elevated heart rates among the Vice President's security detail. Three show signs of hostile intent."
Tony's HUD highlighted them in red. "Of course there are traitors. Why wouldn't there be traitors?"
He dropped like a red and gold meteor. Repulsors fired, non-lethal settings, but the impact sent three Secret Service agents flying. They hit the ground hard, zip-ties deploying automatically from Tony's armor.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., scan for more. Full sweep."
"Two more approaching the Vice President's daughter, sir."
Tony pivoted. Two agents had broken formation, moving toward Jenna with hands inside their jackets.
The armor's chest plate opened. A concentrated sonic pulse knocked them flat. More zip-ties.
Jenna stood there, Hamilton's leash in one hand, totally calm. "Hi Mr. Stark!"
Tony's faceplate lifted, revealing his grin. "Hey kiddo. You remember me?"
"You were at my house when the nice doctor made me better!" She threw her arms around his armor's leg, hugging cold metal. "Are the bad guys gone yet?"
"Working on it, sweetheart." Tony gently guided her behind him. "Mr. Vice President! If you could kindly get behind the walking tank, that'd be fantastic!"
Rodriguez, Mariana, Diego, and Carlos hurried behind Iron Man's protective bulk. Hamilton barked heroically at enemies too far away to actually threaten anyone.
The battle wound down. Militants surrendered or got subdued. U-Men harvester vans were seized. SHIELD agents emerged from concealment, zip-tying prisoners, cataloging weapons.
Callisto stormed across the plaza, Caliban trailing nervously. She got in Coulson's face, eye-to-eyepatch, finger jabbing his chest.
"How the FUCK did forty militants with heavy weapons get through your perimeter? You promised protection! You promised security!"
"Ms. Callisto, I assure you..."
"Your assurances are SHIT!" She turned on the NYPD captain. "And you! Where were your patrol units? Your checkpoints?"
The captain stammered. "We had reports of a gas leak three blocks over. Dispatch sent units to evacuate..."
"A fake call." Coulson's jaw tightened. "Drawing resources away from the actual target."
Steve moved beside them, voice low. "Inside job."
Coulson met his eyes. Understanding passed between them.
"Hydra?" Coulson's eye widened.
"Looking more likely." Steve's expression hardened. "They've been waiting for an opportunity like this. High-profile target, emotional trigger and maximum chaos."
Steve's face became stone. "They're using FOH and U-Men as proxies. Let the extremists take the fall while Hydra's hands stay clean."
The press had recovered from their initial shock. Cameras surrounded Steve in a hungry semi-circle. Questions fired like bullets.
"Captain Rogers, how are you alive?"
"Is this some kind of publicity stunt?"
"Why reveal yourself now?"
"Are you really going to protect mutants?"
Steve raised a hand. Silence fell like snow.
He stood there, tactical suit torn, shield now bloody. Behind him, the community center stood intact. Morlocks emerged from shelter, tentatively, hope warring with fear.
"I'm going to answer your questions. But first, let me be clear about something."
He turned, surveying the assembled heroes. The Fantastic Four. The X-Men. Iron Man. Morlocks standing proud despite their fear.
"I spent seventy years frozen in ice. Dreaming. In those dreams, I was still fighting. Still trying to get home. Still believing that when I finally woke up, I'd find the America I fought for. The one worth dying for."
His voice grew stronger. "When I woke up, I found a world that's forgotten what we fought against. Forgotten why it mattered. I've watched news broadcasts calling for mutant registration. Internment camps. 'Solutions' to the 'mutant problem.'"
The press hung on every word.
"I fought the Nazis because they divided humanity into worthy and unworthy. Because they decided that some lives mattered less. Because they chose fear over compassion." Steve's eyes scanned the cameras. "If you think I've been asleep so long that I can't recognize the same poison in different bottles, you're wrong."
An FOH militant, zip-tied and bleeding, shouted from the ground. "You're supposed to represent American values! Not freaks!"
Steve walked over. Crouched down. Looked the man in the eye.
"I represent the America that's worth fighting for. The one that's supposed to be a beacon. A promise. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for everyone, not just the people who look like you."
He stood, addressing the cameras again. "I've been asked if I'm really Steve Rogers. If this is some trick. And honestly?" He shrugged. "Believe what you want. Run your DNA tests, your facial recognition, whatever makes you feel better."
"But here's what matters more than my identity." Steve's voice grew intense. "Everything I fought for, every friend I lost, every mile I marched, it was for a principle. That all people, regardless of what makes them different, deserve dignity. Deserve rights. Deserve to live without fear."
He gestured to the Morlocks. "These people aren't threats. They're neighbors. They're Americans. And if you can't see that, if you look at a child like Leech and see something to fear instead of someone to protect, then you haven't learned a damn thing from history."
"Captain Rogers!" A reporter pushed forward. "Are you saying you support the mutant agenda?"
Steve's laugh was sharp. "There's no 'mutant agenda.' There's just people trying to live their lives. If that's an agenda, then yeah, I support it."
"But what about the danger? The Brotherhood attacks? The incidents?"
"What about them?" Steve's tone hardened. "Should we judge all humans by the actions of the Red Skull? By Hydra? By these militants who just tried to murder children?" He shook his head. "Every group has extremists. You don't condemn entire populations for the actions of a few."
Another reporter: "How do you know you can trust them?"
"How do they know they can trust us?" Steve countered. "We've hunted them. Experimented on them. Forced them to hide underground just to survive. And despite all that, they're still here, still trying to build something better." His respect was obvious. "That takes more courage than I've seen in most soldiers."
Tony landed beside him, faceplate up. "You know, Cap, for someone who's been an ice cube for seventy years, you're pretty good with press conferences."
"Some things you don't forget." Steve's smile was tight. "Like fascism wearing a friendly face."
Johnny Storm floated down, flame extinguished, grinning. "Cap we FINALLY meet again. Can I get a selfie later? You know for the gram!"
"Johnny, read the room," Sue hissed.
"What? We just fought terrorists! We should celebrate!"
Ben lumbered over, still in his Thing form, orange stone gleaming. "Kid's got a point. We won. Bad guys are zip-tied. Nobody died." He extended a rocky hand toward Steve.
Storm floated down with regal grace, wind settling around her. "Captain Rogers. The Professor sends his regards."
"Tell Charles I appreciate the backup." Steve surveyed the X-Men. "All of you. This could've gone very differently."
Scott Summers stepped forward, visor gleaming. "We protect our own. District X is under X-Men protection now, whether the government likes it or not."
Jenna Rodriguez wiggled free from her father's protective grasp and marched straight up to Steve, Hamilton trotting beside her. She planted herself in front of Captain America, hands on hips.
"Are you really ninety years old? You don't look ninety."
Steve's serious expression cracked. He crouched down to her level. "The ice kept me young. It's like a really, really long nap."
"That's silly." She giggled. "Naps don't last seventy years."
"This one did."
She considered this. "Okay. Can I pet your shield?"
Steve unstrapped it, held it out. Jenna ran her fingers over the star, the scratches, the dents from today's battle.
"It's not shiny like Mr. Stark's armor."
"It's seen a lot of fights."
"Like you?"
"Yeah. Like me."
Jenna looked up at him. "Thank you for protecting us. And for protecting the mutant kids. My daddy says protecting people who need help is what heroes do."
Steve glanced at Rodriguez, who nodded. "Your daddy's right."
"Mr. Stark?" Jenna turned to Tony. "Where's the doctor?"
Tony looked down at her.
"He's... traveling. Seeing the world."
"Oh." Jenna's face fell. "I wanted to thank him. And show him how fast I can run now."
"He knows, sweetheart. Trust me, he knows."
Coulson coordinated SHIELD cleanup. Body cameras cataloged evidence. Forensics teams swarmed FOH vehicles. U-Men equipment got bagged and tagged for analysis.
"We'll need statements from everyone," Coulson told Steve. "For the record."
Rodriguez approached Steve, hand extended. "Captain Rogers. Thank you. For my daughter, for my family, for all of this."
Steve shook firmly. "Just doing my job, Mr. Vice President."
"Your job?" Rodriguez laughed. "You saved my daughter's life twice in one day. That's above and beyond any job description."
"Someone needed to." Steve glanced at Jenna, now playing with Hamilton. "She's got a good dad. Don't let politics make you forget that."
"I won't." Rodriguez's voice carried new steel. "District X has my full support. Whatever it takes, however long it takes, this project succeeds."
"Good man."
The press conference ran for another hour. Steve answered questions with patient directness. Yes, he was really Steve Rogers. No, he wasn't affiliated with any political party. Yes, he'd work with both mutants and humans to protect innocent people. No, he wasn't planning to run for office.
"I'm a soldier, not a politician," Steve said. "I fight for principles, not polls."
As the sun set over District X, painting the sky in oranges and purples, the heroes gathered near the Fantasticar. The X-Men prepared to depart. Tony's armor gleamed in the fading light.
Johnny couldn't contain himself anymore. "Okay, but seriously, Captain America is back in public and this was the coolest comeback ever."
"Johnny, volume," Sue reminded him.
"I'm just saying! This is like... this is historic!"
Ben chuckled. "Kid's got a point. Today's gonna be in history books. 'The Day Captain America Came Back.' They'll make movies."
"God, I hope they cast someone handsome to play me," Tony muttered.
They stood in comfortable silence, watching the sun sink lower.
Jenna Rodriguez tugged on Tony's armor, Hamilton panting beside her. "Mr. Stark? When the doctor comes back from traveling, will you tell him something for me?"
Tony crouched down, faceplate retracting. "Yeah, kiddo. I'll tell him."
"Tell him I'm going to be a runner now. Maybe even run for President like Daddy." She giggled at her own joke, then grew serious. "And tell him I remember what he said. About being brave."
She hugged his armored leg again, then skipped back to her family. Hamilton barked and chased her.
The X-Men departed in dramatic fashion. Storm's winds carried her skyward. Jean levitated herself and Scott. Colossus and Wolverine loaded into the X-Jet that had been hovering on stealth mode. Within moments, they were gone.
The Fantasticar lifted off shortly after. Johnny waved at the crowd like a celebrity. Ben gave Steve a respectful nod. Reed and Sue left with thoughtful expressions.
Tony's armor stood beside Steve in the plaza. Around them, SHIELD agents continued cleanup. Morlocks emerged fully now, surveying damage, already planning repairs.
Callisto extended her hand. "Welcome to District X, Captain. Anytime you need backup, you've got an army of sewer rats ready to fight."
Steve shook her hand, grinning. "I'll hold you to that."
As darkness fell completely, lights flickered on across District X. Generator-powered for now, but plans existed for full electrical integration. The community center glowed warmly. Apartment windows showed life, movement, normalcy.
Above them, news helicopters circled, broadcasting everything to millions. Captain America's return. The battle at District X. The Vice President's daughter walking. The Fantastic Four and X-Men standing together.
The world was changing. Again. Always.
In Kamar-Taj, halfway around the world, Jay sat in the library surrounded by ancient tomes. Wong had given him access to restricted sections, texts on netherdimensional entities and their summoning protocols.
His phone buzzed. A text from Bobby: "You watching this?"
Jay pulled up a news stream. Saw Steve Rogers, shield raised, making his stand. Saw heroes fighting together. Saw Jenna Rodriguez playing with her dog, walking, running, living.
A small smile crossed his face.
"Looks like everything went accordingly to how I assumed it would."
He set his phone aside and returned to his reading and prepared for his final Test.
The tome in front of him detailed summoning circles for Nether demons. He'd need to master these before attempting anything more complex. Before facing him.
The night stretched on. News cycles continued. Debates raged. But beneath it all, something fundamental had shifted.
Captain America stood with mutants.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges. New threats. New impossible choices.
But tonight?
Tonight, District X stood.
[A/N]: This one's a big chapter and took a lot of work to get the character moments and Cap's reveal just right. Really curious to hear what you guys think!