chapter 20

The Next Day

I was in the medical wing today for something long overdue—Ethan was finally cured. We had administered the gas-form cure in his cell, and after about an hour, his body had returned to normal. He was completely naked, but that was expected. Now, he lay unconscious on a hospital bed while Angela ran tests to make sure everything was okay.

"So, Angela, how is he?" I asked.

She glanced at the monitors and nodded. "Everything looks fine. He's perfectly healthy—the cure worked."

"That's good. His body is fine, but now we have to worry about his mind," I said.

Angela sighed. "Harleen could take a look at him after he wakes up. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

I shook my head. "I'd rather not. I don't want him knowing anyone's identity here. He only knows me as Arsenal, anyway. I just need to know if he's all clear so I can take him back to Gotham."

Angela gave a small nod. "I understand. And yes, he's all clear—you can take him back whenever you're ready."

"Good. I'll drop him off in Gotham after the meeting."

Angela raised an eyebrow. "What meeting?"

I smirked. "The one about us taking over a country."

"WHAT?!" Angela practically shouted.

I chuckled. "Yeah, I'm expecting that reaction."

"I mean—yeah, that's a natural reaction when someone casually says they want to take over a country!" she huffed.

I held up my hands in defense. "Okay, fair. But trust me, we're not doing it for evil reasons. That country has been committing serious atrocities against mutants. If you want to know more, you can come to the meeting."

Angela shook her head. "No thanks. I'd rather keep an eye on our patient and make sure he stays unconscious until it's time for you to go."

"Suit yourself. If you change your mind, just ask," I said before turning to leave.

With that, I made my way toward the briefing room.

I entered the briefing room and immediately called out,

"Church, summon all the heroes for a meeting. Bring Peggy and Steve too."

"On it. It'll take a few minutes—some of them aren't in the base right now," Church responded.

"Alright, I'll wait."

I took a seat, but as soon as I did, the temperature in the room dropped. My breath became visible in the cold air.

"Oh good, you found the twins," I said, already knowing who was behind the sudden chill.

Darkblood appeared beside me, a file in his hand, which he placed on the table in front of me. I opened it and began scanning through the information. As I read, I was surprised by their origin story.

According to the file, the twins were in Sokovia right now. Their mother wasn't running from Magneto as I initially thought—she had fled from her husband. Turns out, she and Magneto had a one-night stand, and when her husband found out, he tried to kill her and the unborn children. She ran away and was taken in by a kind couple, who helped her through the pregnancy. Sadly, she died during childbirth, leaving the twins to be raised by the adoptive couple.

As of now, their adoptive parents were killed in a missile attack, and from the looks of it, that trauma activated their mutant powers. I needed to get to them before Hydra did.

"Thanks, Darkblood. This will come in handy soon."

"No problem," he rasped. "But from what I've gathered, I don't think they'll be too loyal to Magneto—especially when you tell them the truth about their father."

"Maybe. Only time will tell. But before I deal with them, I need to break the news to Lorna… She has two siblings. I wonder how she'll take it."

I exhaled and looked up at him.

"Change of plans. Before you track down Cal, I want you to find Daisy Johnson—but I believe her name in the system is Mary Sue Poots."

Darkblood raised an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me," I smirked. "Blame whoever gave her that name."

"Alright, shouldn't be hard to find her. But why?"

"Because if we want Cal to join us, he needs a reason to trust me. If I just walk in there and tell him I know the truth about his past, he might think I'm working for Hydra or SHIELD. I don't want to risk that kind of misunderstanding. If we find his daughter first and reunite them, it'll be much easier to gain his trust."

Darkblood frowned. "Will it even be safe for her to meet him? You did tell me he was crazy."

"First of all, that man would never harm his own daughter—I know that for a fact. Second, I'll be with her when they reunite, so I can make sure everything goes smoothly."

Darkblood gave a slow nod before vanishing into the shadows.

With that settled, I sat back and waited for everyone to arrive.

30 Minutes Later

The room was finally full. Toshinori, Annie, Reggie, Kimiko, Alana, Marco, Lorna, Battle Beast, Anissa, Bang, Peggy, and Steve had all gathered and taken their seats.

As I looked around, I realized something—we were growing fast. It was probably time to expand the briefing room to accommodate more members in the future.

Once everyone was settled, I projected a map in front of us. The name GENOSHA appeared in bold letters.

"This place is called Genosha," I began, "and it's probably the worst place on Earth for mutants. The reason I'm bringing it up now is because… I plan for us to attack it and take it over."

As expected, there were mixed reactions.

Steve, Peggy, Toshinori, Annie, and Alana all had shocked expressions, clearly not on board with the idea.

Peggy was the first to speak. "Ed, what you're suggesting is dangerous. Genosha has allies, and they won't hesitate to come to its defense—especially when it benefits them. If we attack, we'll be at war with multiple governments, and the world will see us as a threat."

Alana crossed her arms. "And taking over an entire country? That's not what heroes do."

I expected this. I knew they would have objections.

"I hear all of you," I said, "but before you make a decision, let me show you what I've gathered."

The screen shifted, displaying everything I had uncovered about Genosha.

The mutant slavery.

The horrific experiments.

The mass graves.

I had seen it all, and now they were seeing it too.

Their expressions changed instantly. Steve's jaw clenched, Peggy's face paled, and even Toshinori—who always had a hopeful outlook—looked disgusted.

Only Battle Beast and Anissa remained unaffected. I figured they had seen worse things in their time.

The room fell into a heavy silence as everyone processed what they had just witnessed.

"I know taking over a country seems like a bad thing to do," I began, looking around the room at everyone's reactions, "but after what you just saw, I think it's clear—we can't let this kind of evil continue to exist."

I let my words sink in before continuing.

"I also understand that some of you may not want to kill. I respect that. I'm still looking for members who will, but for those of you who'd rather not, you can focus on rescue operations instead. And don't worry—we're not launching this attack today, tomorrow, or even a month from now. This is going to take time. A lot of preparation. We need more allies, we need solid proof of the atrocities being committed here—proof that can get the country's leaders locked away for life. And we need someone to lead Genosha once we take it.*

"And that someone... isn't me."

I leaned forward, folding my hands together. "I want to keep my image as a hero."

Peggy was the first to speak. "If you don't want to be king, I assume you have someone in mind for the position?"

I nodded. "I do. But it depends on whether she accepts."

I turned my gaze toward Lorna, and everyone else followed. She blinked, clearly caught off guard.

"You… you want me to be queen?" she asked in shock.

"Yes," I confirmed. "I think you'd make a great leader. You're passionate about mutants, and more importantly, about protecting them."

She hesitated. "I… I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm up for that."

I wasn't surprised by her hesitation. This was a lot to throw at someone.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "I truly think you'd be a strong candidate. And you wouldn't be alone—we'd train you. You wouldn't have to do everything yourself. You could form a council."

She went silent for a moment, deep in thought. Then, her eyes lit up with an idea.

"Actually… I have a better idea," Lorna said. "Instead of a single ruler, why don't we make a council to lead the country? That way, it's not just one person making all the decisions. And we could invite other mutant groups, like the Mutant Underground and the Morlocks, to be part of it."

That actually surprised me—but I didn't show it.

"Wait—the Mutant Underground exists?" I asked. "How do you know about them?"

Lorna nodded. "A friend of mine was part of it. Marco and I used to help out, but only with small things. We never knew where the main base was, and we eventually lost contact after an incident that almost got us caught. It nearly exposed the Underground, so we backed off."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked. "I could have helped. I could have funded them or made it easier for them to relocate mutants."

"I lost contact with my friend. Without that, I had no way to tell you where to start looking."

I turned to Marco. "And what about the Morlocks? How do you know about them?"

Marco smirked. "Almost every mutant in New York knows about them."

"What's your friend's name from the Underground? I might be able to find her."

"Her name is Sonya Simonson," Lorna said.

Sonya Simonson. AkA Dreamer. From what I remembered about her in the show, she worked at a women's help shelter. If she was still doing that, it would make finding her easier. But I'd have to put that on hold for now—we still had a meeting to finish.

"We're getting off track," I said. "But I'll try to find her. I want to help the Underground. Now—does everyone agree on forming a council?"

Most people nodded, but Anissa spoke up.

"I agree… but I still think there should be a king—and the king must be strong."

Steve frowned. "Why do you think we need a king? Wouldn't a council be better?"

Anissa crossed her arms. "A strong king would show the world we aren't weak. If we have someone powerful as our figurehead, other nations will hesitate before trying to start a conflict with us."

Silence followed as everyone thought about her words.

Peggy sighed. "Okay, I can see the logic. A king and a council—the council would act as a check and balance, making sure the king doesn't abuse his power."

Anissa nodded. "Exactly. I've seen entire worlds fall because of corrupt governments or rulers. If we have a good king and a strong council to keep them in check, the country will be in good hands."

Reggie leaned forward. "Alright, so… who should be king?"

Anissa didn't hesitate. "Out of all of us, the strongest is Ed. He's already our leader—it makes sense."

I exhaled. I saw this coming.

"Leading a team is a lot different than ruling a nation," I pointed out. "And let's be real—I'm the youngest person here. No one outside of this room is going to take me seriously as a king."

Anissa smirked. "That's why I think your hero identity should be king."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because you can hide your true identity. If no one knows who you really are, they won't know how young you are. As Arsenal, you already have influence. You've saved people all over the world—you have a good reputation. When you take over Genosha, the public won't immediately assume you're the bad guy. They'll hesitate."

She leaned forward.

"Of course, we'll still need evidence to justify what we're doing. But let's be honest—the governments of the world will come after us. They'll see Genosha as a threat. But if you, Arsenal, are the king, they'll fear what you can do. And like you said before—you don't have to run the country alone. That's why we're forming a council. To make sure you don't go corrupt and to help you run the nation smoothly."

I sat back, thinking about her words.

She made sense.

I had almost forgotten—Anissa wasn't just a great fighter. She had wisdom. She had lived for thousands of years.

I sighed. "Alright. I see your logic."

A smirk crept onto my lips.

"Looks like it's King Arsenal, then."

I exhaled. "But that's a long way off."

"Okay, now that we've settled that, I want to discuss potential allies—people we might want to bring into the fold."

A name appeared on the screen: Lila Hale—also known as General Hale.

"Absolutely not." Peggy's voice was sharp, her expression set in stone. "You can't seriously be considering an alliance with her."

The room fell silent. Everyone exchanged confused glances, trying to understand why Peggy was so adamant.

"What's the issue?" Annie finally asked.

Peggy turned to her. "The issue is that she's one of Hydra's top leaders."

A tense energy filled the room as realization set in.

"Why the hell would you want to work with her?" Steve asked, his voice laced with disbelief. "We're supposed to be taking down Hydra, not teaming up with them."

I leaned forward, keeping my voice steady.

"I'm not saying we trust her. I'm saying we use her." I gestured toward the screen. "General Hale isn't loyal to Hydra—her only real loyalty is to her daughter. And I know you found something about Ruby, Peggy."

Everyone turned toward Peggy, curiosity evident in their faces.

She sighed. "A while ago, delta and I uncovered something. Whitehall wants to experiment on Ruby. He's trying to turn her into a super-soldier using an experimental serum called Venom. It grants immense strength, but it's only temporary. Whitehall, however, has been working on a way to make the effects permanent."

A few people stiffened at that.

"The problem?" she continued grimly. "Every test subject so far has been too weak. They all died. But Whitehall believes Ruby is different. Since birth, he's been convinced that her body can withstand the serum. And I don't think he's just planning on enhancing her strength—I think he wants to turn her into a cyborg as well."

The weight of that revelation settled over the room.

I folded my arms. "See? And I guarantee General Hale doesn't know about it."

Peggy nodded reluctantly. "She doesn't. She's completely in the dark."

"Exactly. Once we tell her the truth, she'll turn on Hydra without hesitation. All we have to do is promise to protect her daughter."

Peggy shook her head. "Even if she betrays Hydra, we can't bring Ruby here. That girl was raised in Hydra. She's dangerous."

"I get that. That's why we won't just let her roam free," I said. "If we take her in, she'll be under constant surveillance. Sigma will monitor her movements, and she'll be restricted to certain areas of the base and the island. She won't be allowed anywhere unsupervised."

I met Peggy's gaze.

"And let's be real—therapy is non-negotiable. Being raised in Hydra? Her mindset is bound to be messed up. Until we can fully trust her, she'll have to prove herself."

Silence stretched between us as everyone processed the plan.

Now it was just a matter of whether they'd agree.

"Fine, but I want Bang to be her supervisor," Peggy insisted.

I shook my head. "Sorry, I can't let him do that—he'll be busy teaching the Web Warriors how to fight."

"Who?" Almost everyone asked at once.

"We'll talk about that later. For now, does anyone else want to volunteer to be Ruby's babysitter?" I asked, glancing around the room.

"I'll do it," Anissa said confidently, making everyone turn to her.

"I'm interested in seeing what this girl is like," she added.

"I'll help too," Battle Beast chimed in.

I nodded. "Alright, it's settled. Anissa and Battle Beast will supervise Ruby until we can trust her. Does everyone agree?"

There were murmurs of agreement, though I could tell Peggy and Steve weren't happy about the decision. Their hatred for Hydra ran too deep.

Before anyone could dwell on it, another name appeared on the screen: MAGNETO (Max Eisenhardt)

Alana crossed her arms. "Didn't you almost fight him? What makes you think he'd want to be allies with us?"

I leaned back. "Yeah, we almost fought, but I'm sure he'll join us once he learns about the mutant experiments."

Steve frowned. "But he's a terrorist, isn't he? He's hurt a lot of people."

"He always tries to protect mutants, but he doesn't care about collateral damage," I admitted.

"Then why would we want to ally with someone like that? We should be stopping him, not working with him," Steve argued.

I exhaled. "I get it, but listen—Magneto is one of the most powerful mutants alive. If we go against him, our best shot is fighting him in a non-populated area, which is risky. But if we can get him on our side, he'll be invaluable in taking down Hydra and securing Genosha."

Peggy narrowed her eyes. "And how exactly do you plan on making him an ally? Last time you two talked, you almost fought."

I smirked and pulled up the next name on the screen: CHARLES XAVIER

"Charles and Erik are old friends. If I ask Charles to set up a meeting, Erik will come—not looking for a fight. And honestly, I think it's a good idea to make Charles an ally too."

Annie raised an eyebrow. "Who's Charles Xavier?"

"He's a mutant telepath who runs a school for young mutants in New York. He also tracks mutants using a machine called Cerebro. Unlike Erik, he's a pacifist—he believes in peaceful coexistence between humans and mutants."

Peggy folded her arms. "So, we make Charles an ally first, earn his trust, and then use him to get to Erik?"

"Exactly."

She still looked uncertain. "Him being a telepath worries me."

I shrugged. "Out of all the telepaths I know, Charles is one of the few who wouldn't abuse his abilities. But if it makes you feel better, I can make a device to block his powers."

Peggy nodded immediately. "Yeah, I'd like that."

I glanced around the room. "So, does everyone agree to making Magneto and Charles our allies?"

After a brief pause, nods and murmurs of agreement followed.

Another name appeared on the screen: EMMA FROST

Peggy frowned. "Who is that?"

I leaned forward. "This is someone you should be worried about. She's a telepath like Charles, but unlike him, she doesn't care how she uses her abilities—she does abuse them. To be honest, I'm not even sure if we should consider her an ally, but I still think we need to discuss it."

I brought up more information on the screen. "She's part of a group called the Hellfire Club. Some of its members are basically a secret organization that manipulates world events to gain power. I don't know all of its members yet, but I do know Emma Frost holds the title of White Queen. The reason I'm considering her as an ally? If we can get her on our side, it'll be easier to take down the Hellfire Club."

Annie raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think we can even turn her into an ally?"

"From what I've gathered, she's mainly in it for the money, and she cares about her daughters more than anything else. And while she's not exactly a good person, I don't think she's completely bad either. She even runs a school—surprisingly, it's not just for the rich. It also takes in kids with nowhere else to go. There's not much info on it, which tells me she's keeping it secret—probably because if the other Hellfire Club members found out, they could use it against her."

Peggy tapped her fingers on the table. "I think it's a good idea to learn more about her before we even consider meeting her."

"Agreed. So, does everyone agree to gather more intel before making a move?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Okay, that's the last potential ally I wanted to discuss for now. Let's move on to the next topic—the Web Warriors."

I pressed a button, and the screen lit up, showing the faces of all the teenagers I had spoken to yesterday. Their profiles appeared alongside them, containing all the necessary information.

"These kids are like Peter. They have spider powers, and they want to be heroes. However, they won't be joining the main team—at least, not until they're old enough. I believe they should have their own team, separate from us, with no public connection to our group."

The room immediately filled with murmurs of disagreement.

Not everyone was on board with the idea. Many didn't like the thought of teenagers risking their lives as heroes.

I sighed and crossed my arms. "Look, I get it. But they're like Peter—they want to be heroes. And if we don't train them properly, they're just going to do it anyway, unprepared and vulnerable. I refuse to let that happen."

After nearly an hour of back-and-forth discussion, we finally reached an agreement.

The Web Warriors would be trained—but under strict supervision.

Bang would be responsible for teaching them how to fight.

Toshinori would mentor them on what it truly means to be a hero.

Before they were ever allowed into the field, they would have to pass a series of tests to prove they were ready.

With that settled, I leaned back. "Alright, now that we've got that squared away, let's move on."