Chapter 25 : The Future Begins
1980 – The Arrival of Ego
The universe moved according to its own will.
Beyond Earth, beyond the stars, something ancient stirred.
Ego, the Living Planet, an ancient Celestial, had set his eyes on Earth once again. He had traveled across galaxies, planting his seeds, searching for an heir who could wield his Celestial essence.
And in 1980, he arrived.
A quiet town in Missouri became the site of another one of his experiments. Ego seduced a human woman, Meredith Quill, and from their union, Peter Quill was conceived.
But Ego didn't come just to father a child.
He planted his seed deep beneath the Earth's surface—an egg that, if left undisturbed, would one day grow into a Celestial extension of himself, consuming the planet in the process.
What Ego didn't know was that he was being watched.
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Alex Rogers Discovers the Celestial Egg
Alex had long since expanded his reach. His eyes and ears were everywhere.
When he discovered an abnormal energy signature beneath the Earth, it didn't take long for Sophia to confirm the truth.
> [Analysis Complete.]
[Celestial Origin Confirmed – Unhatched Celestial Egg Detected.]
Alex stood within a hidden facility deep underground, staring at the glowing mass pulsating with cosmic energy.
Peggy crossed her arms. "What the hell is that?"
"Something that shouldn't be here," Alex murmured.
Bucky raised an eyebrow. "We destroying it?"
Alex shook his head. "No. We're keeping it."
Peggy frowned. "Keeping it?"
Alex's eyes gleamed. "For the future."
He didn't know when, but he knew that one day, he would need this power. His evolution wasn't over. He had already stepped beyond the limitations of a human, but the path to becoming something greater required resources beyond Earth's natural order.
This Celestial Egg would be one of them.
For now, he would store it away—hidden from the world, hidden from Ego, hidden even from the Watchers.
As for Peter Quill?
Alex let fate take its course. He allowed Yondu to take the boy.
Some events in history were better left untouched.
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The Hidden Lives of Alex, Peggy, and Bucky
With Hydra gone, there was no immediate war to fight. No looming world-ending threat… yet.
For Alex, Peggy, and Bucky, this meant peace—something they hadn't known for decades.
They lived in the background, moving between identities, quietly observing history unfold.
Alex and Peggy continued meeting every month, their relationship growing stronger with each passing year.
Bucky, now free from Hydra's control, had finally found some semblance of normalcy. With the Super Soldier Serum in his veins, he aged far slower than normal humans. While he looked older than Alex and Peggy, he was still in his prime.
The world thought the Winter Soldier was nothing more than a ghost story.
And Alex intended to keep it that way.
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1985 – The Rise of Future Innovators
Howard Stark and the Arc Reactor
Howard Stark had always been ahead of his time.
His research into clean energy, advanced robotics, and theoretical physics pushed the limits of what humanity could achieve.
By 1985, he had designed the Arc Reactor—a limitless energy source.
But there was a problem.
The technology of the time was too primitive.
Howard knew the Arc Reactor worked in theory, but without the materials and tools needed to construct it at full scale, he was stuck.
Still, he left behind all of his research, hidden away where only his greatest creation would one day find it.
And that creation would not be Tony Stark.
It would be Toni Stark.
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1980 – The Birth of Antonia "Toni" Stark
The Starks had a new heir.
Antonia Stark—born in 1980.
From the moment she could crawl, she was smarter than any child should be. By the time she was five, she was dismantling and rebuilding machines in her father's lab.
Howard had always wanted a son. But when he saw the brilliance in his daughter's eyes, he knew she would surpass any legacy he could have dreamed of.
Toni Stark would one day change the world.
She just didn't know it yet.
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Hank Pym and the Quantum Realm
At the same time, another genius was making a discovery that would change the course of history.
Hank Pym.
His research into subatomic particles led to the creation of Pym Particles, a breakthrough that allowed matter to shrink and expand beyond conventional limits.
But Hank was paranoid.
He didn't trust SHIELD.
He saw how they operated, how they wanted absolute control over everything.
So, Hank did what no other scientist in his position would do.
He kept his research secret.
He built his own suit, experimented in secret, and made sure that no one—not SHIELD, not the government, not even his own allies—would ever get their hands on Pym Particles.
It was a decision that would one day lead to the birth of Ant-Man.
But for now, it was just another hidden secret in a world full of them.
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Howard and Maria Stark's Death
Unlike in another timeline, there was no Hydra to assassinate Howard Stark.
No Winter Soldier.
No conspiracy.
Howard and Maria Stark died peacefully of natural causes.
The world mourned the loss of a genius and a pioneer.
And Toni Stark inherited a legacy she wasn't ready for.
Alex, from the shadows, watched.
He for the first time in decades interfered.
Some things, people had to face on their own but sometimes he just could not let his old friends family suffer.