Bucky Barnes POV
I was in the training room, beating the hell out of another punching bag, trying, failing, to drown out the memories.
All the terrible things I'd done.
I'm grateful for Plo Koon. I truly am. He's been patient with me, kinder than I deserve. But no matter how much meditation he teaches me… I can't stop seeing the innocent people Hydra made me kill. Not just targets.Witnesses.Anyone who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
And the worst memory, the one that claws at me every night, is Howard and Maria Stark. My friends. I killed them without hesitation. Left their son an orphan.
Hydra stole everything from me. My will. My life. My future.
They made me into a weapon. And sometimes… I honestly think I should have died instead of being found. Death would've been easier than living with this.
My fist struck the bag harder than I intended. The entire thing tore off the chain and flew across the room.
I sighed, grabbed another bag, the sixth one today, and hooked it up. As I stepped back, I heard light footsteps behind me.
I turned.
A small white cat stood there… on two legs… holding a staff.
I keep forgetting how weird this place is.
"So you're the man wrecking all the training bags," the cat said as he walked toward me. "Impressive, considering Ed specifically made those things to be extremely durable for super-soldiers."
"Uh… sorry?" I said, unsure what the right answer was, when a talking cat scolded me.
"Sorry? Why are you tellin' me sorry? I don't pay for any of this stuff."He waved his paw dismissively."I just wanted to see who was doing it with my own eyes. By the way, name's Korin."
"Bucky," I said.
"I know who you are," Korin said matter-of-factly. "Almost everyone on this island does. The ex-Hydra assassin, the one who was brainwashed and forced to kill across decades."
I shifted uncomfortably. Hearing it out loud never gets easier. And the idea that everyone knew… that stung.
I only expected Plo Koon, Steve, Peggy, and Ed, whom I still hadn't met, to know any details.
"Sorry if I made you uncomfortable," Korin said, waving his paw. "That wasn't my intention. Gossip around this base spreads like wildfire. I'm sure if you talk to anyone here, you'll eventually hear about the bet with Peter."
"Who?" I asked, confused.
"Smart kid. Dense as hell," Korin said. "You'll probably meet him sooner or later."
"Okay…" I didn't respond further. I really wasn't in the mood to talk. I turned slightly toward the punching bag again.
Korin noticed, but he didn't leave.
"You know," he said, tapping his staff lightly on the floor, "I may look like a cat, but I'm not. I'm actually an old being. Seen a lot of things you probably wouldn't believe."He paused, tilting his head."And you remind me of someone I used to know."
That caught my attention. "Who?"
"His name was Vegeta," Korin said with a nostalgic smile. "A proud warrior. In my world, he became one of Earth's strongest protectors. Defeated threats you couldn't even imagine. He even died a couple of times protecting the planet. A true hero, if you want to call him that."
He wasn't looking at me anymore, just staring off at memories only he could see.
"But before all that," Korin continued, "he was a villain. A real one. He killed countless people. Destroyed planets for fun. He even murdered his own comrade because the man was too injured to fight. A true monster, far worse than you."
I wasn't expecting that.
"But even after everything he did," Korin said, "he redeemed himself. Of course… he had help from a knucklehead named Goku."
Korin chuckled softly at the name.
"Goku was the strongest hero in my world. He beat enemies who wanted to destroy everything, but he didn't kill all of them. Some he spared. Some became friends. Vegeta was one of them. At first, Vegeta was defeated badly, and another hero, Krillin, wanted to finish him. But Goku stopped him. Let Vegeta go."Korin shrugged."And over time, the villain became Goku's ally… his friend… his rival."
I swallowed. "Why are you telling me this?"
Korin turned and began walking toward the exit.
"Because no matter how much you think you don't deserve redemption… You do. You can't change the past. The people you killed won't come back. But you can make amends now."
He paused at the doorway and looked back.
"It's easy to let guilt and despair consume you. Takes real strength to own what you've done and try to make it right."He gave a small, knowing smile."At least… that's what I've learned over my many years."
He turned again.
"Well, you don't have to listen to me. I'm just a talking cat."
And with that, he left the training room.
I stood there in silence, replaying every word in my head.
Molly Hayes POV
BOOM!
I threw a massive punch at Escanor, but he blocked it effortlessly, like swatting away a fly.But I didn't stop there. I backed up, jumped high into the air, cocked my fist back, and brought it down toward the ground with all my weight behind it.
Only for Escanor to casually catch it with one hand.
He gently redirected me and tossed me onto the sand like I was a pillow.I barely made a dent in the beach.
"You have truly improved these past months, Molly," Escanor said, smiling like some proud, encouraging dad.
"Escanor, I can't get better if you're always going easy on me," I pouted.He refused to let me into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, so we always trained on the beach, but he always went easy.
"Haha! Sorry, Molly. But I honestly have no choice. If I used even a little more of my strength, I might hurt you."
"Escanor, I'm a lot more durable now! I can take those punches!" I insisted.
After the monster invasion and my healing, something changed in me.I was stronger. Tougher.And ever since training with Escanor, my strength and durability had skyrocketed.
"Sweetie," Escanor said gently, "your power level, at least my guess, is street level at best right now. For me to use more strength, you'd need to reach at least city-level durability."
I groaned. "What's your highest strength anyway?"
Escanor paused, actually thinking about it.
"Well… since I can control my power now for some reason, and with the two additional abilities Ed granted me, I'd say I'm at least four-country-level at high noon."
"Wow…" I blinked."Ed's really been in a giving mood lately. He's been handing out powers like candy."
"Yes, he has… wait." Escanor squinted at me."He gave you a power?"
I grinned and focused; my eyes began to glow, and a yellow aura blasted outward from me, swirling around my body.
"This ability is called Burn. All the damage I've taken during training? I can convert it into power."
I clenched my fists, feeling energy surge through me like lightning.
"Hope you're ready, old man, 'cause I'm about to punch your lights out!"
I charged forward with almost blinding speed.
Escanor didn't look worried.Or surprised.Or anything, really.
He simply raised one hand, placed it in a karate-chop position, and brought it down onto my shoulder.
WHAM.
My body cratered into the sand face-first.
"Congratulations, Molly," Escanor said cheerfully. "With that little Burst ability, your power level has officially reached neighborhood level. Want to go get some ice cream?"
I just lay there face-down in the sand, letting the humiliation soak into my soul.
I couldn't even be mad. He's just that strong.
I finally lifted my head."…Yes, please. I would love some."
He smiled, helped me to my feet, and we walked toward the cafeteria.When we got there, we saw three women sitting together: Ruby, Amora, and the new woman, Lorelei.
Amora's sister.
I didn't know much about her beyond the gossip that had spread across the base, something about being a prisoner of a godlike race, Ed freeing her, and her being stuck here on Midgard with Amora. Honestly, I hadn't been paying much attention when Alex explained it.
While Escanor and I were ordering ice cream from Ice Bear, I noticed Amora and Lorelei staring at us.
Well… not at us.At Escanor.
They glanced at me for about half a second, then went right back to eyeing him like he was a prime steak served on a golden platter.
I didn't know why that made me uneasy, but it did. I edged closer to Escanor and grabbed his hand.
He noticed and followed my gaze toward the two sisters.
"Oh. I see," he said. Then he looked back down at me. "From what I've heard from Ed, they are good people. You don't need to worry."
"That's… that's not why I'm worried," I muttered.
Right after I said it, all three women started walking toward us.I don't think they heard me, but knowing this base, they totally did.
Escanor turned to face them fully, so did I… kind of. I slipped a little behind him like he was a shield. Not because of Amora, she's nice.
Because of Lorelei.
I heard what her powers do to men.
"You mor—" Lorelei began, but Amora gently hit her arm before she could finish.
Amora narrowed her eyes at her sister before turning back to Escanor."Forgive her. She is still… learning. I'm Amora, this is Lorelei."
Escanor gave a polite nod. "I'm Escanor. And this is one of my kids, Molly."
"One of your kids?" Lorelei echoed. "I suppose I'm not surprised. A man with your power should have many wives and children."
"What?!" I squeaked before I could stop myself.
Escanor rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "Well… I do have plenty of children, yes. I adopted them all after an incident with their parents. But I'm not in any relationship at the moment."
"Oh, I see," Lorelei said, and the glint in her eyes made my stomach twist.
She stepped closer to Escanor, running her fingers along his arm, tracing the muscle.
"Can you tell me more about your power?" she purred. "It feels almost… divine."
Escanor blushed slightly."Well, in a sense, it is. My power comes from a race called the Goddess Race. It's called Sunshine."
Lorelei looked absolutely delighted.
And me?I tightened my grip on Escanor's arm like a jealous koala.
"Oh, really? How interesting," Lorelei said with a smile that made my stomach twist. "I think my sister and I would love to hear more about your power."
I glanced at Ruby, silently begging her to tell me I was overthinking it.
Ruby looked just as confused and a little worried.
Escanor, thankfully, stepped in. "I would love to explain it," he said politely, "but I did promise Molly some ice cream. So perhaps next time."
"A shame," Lorelei said with a soft sigh. "Next time, then."
Before Escanor could say another word, we heard a bell behind us.Ice Bear stood there holding two bowls of ice cream.
I snatched both bowls immediately and grabbed Escanor's sleeve.
"BYE!" I blurted, practically dragging him out of the cafeteria.
I didn't stop until we were halfway down the hallway.
Okay, now I understand what Karolina meant when she said a bunch of older women kept hitting on Escanor while they were shopping.
They were relentless.
And Lorelei?Lorelei looked like she was ready to fight me for custody of him.
Ed POV
"…and that's what happened," I finished.
I had just explained to the Ancient One everything that happened during my fight with Selene.
"You were very cautious in that battle," she said with an approving nod. "I commend you."
"She was strong enough to go hand-to-hand with you and survive," I replied. "I'd be a fool not to be cautious." I hesitated before asking again, "You're sure the clone I'm making isn't the original Selene?"
The Ancient One smiled gently."I assure you, Selene is gone. The being you are creating is entirely new."
"Good. Sorry for pestering you about it. I'm… going to raise that girl as my own. And I don't think I could fight her if she turned out to be the original."
"Don't worry, Ed," she said. "She will be nothing like the original. And you'll be a great father to her."
She said it with certainty, too much certainty, right? She used the Infinity Stones to glance at the future. She does that… a lot, which reminded me, I really should get my own Infinity Stone at some point. The only one within my reach is the Space Stone, inside S.H.I.E.L.D., but I can plan how to get that later.
"How is Wanda and Sabrina's training coming along?" I asked.
"Wanda is progressing quickly; her magic affinity is very high," the Ancient One replied. "And Sabrina… is well on her way to becoming a master of the mystic arts."
"That's good to hear," I said. "I also know someone else who's good with magic."
"Johanna," the Ancient One replied immediately. "Yes, Wanda told me about her. I'll be happy to invite her to Kamar-Taj."Then she raised a brow."But enough small talk, Ed. I know what you really want to ask. And the answer is… not yet."
I frowned. "I have plenty of allies now. And I'm way stronger than before. I'm pretty sure I can take over Genosha."
"I'm sure you can," she said calmly, "but many mutants would still die in the process. Wait a little longer. You will know when the right moment comes."
I let out a frustrated breath. "You enjoy using that Time Stone to peek into the future, don't you?"
"Yes," she said with a smile. "Yes, I do."
I shook my head. When my next Gotcha is up, I hope I pull a power that lets me see the future, too.