The hero of DC and Marvel

The Next Day

I woke up, got dressed, and headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. My mind was still occupied with all the problems that had surfaced yesterday, but I could only handle them as they came. For now, all I could do was prepare for the worst.

As I ate, the temperature in the room suddenly dropped. I could see my breath in the air.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," I said aloud.

Darkblood materialized beside me, holding a file. I took it and flipped through the pages. It contained Polaris's location.

Good news: she wasn't with Magneto.

Bad news: she was in prison.

According to the report, she had attacked a cop—but if I was reading this right, the officer had been beating her boyfriend at the time. Her boyfriend was also a mutant, and I recognized his name—Marcos Diaz, aka Eclipse, from The Gifted. He wasn't in jail, but he was actively trying to get her out.

This could work in my favor.

If I helped them both, they might be more inclined to join me. I'd just need to make sure I stayed in the shadows—I couldn't risk my civilian identity being connected to them. A few ideas were already forming in my head.

I closed the file and looked up at Darkblood. "You're really good at what you do."

"Of course, I am. I am a detective," he replied. "I'm also closing in on the twins."

That caught my attention. "Good. I hope they're not with Magneto, but it doesn't seem like it."

Darkblood folded his arms. "What do you think will happen when they find out he's their father? Do you believe they'll still be loyal to us?"

I had already thought about that. "From what I've gathered, Magneto hasn't been a part of Lorna's life, so I don't think she'll have an inherent loyalty to him. As for the twins… it depends. Their reaction will come down to the information you bring me."

Darkblood nodded. "Understood. After I locate the twins, who do you want me to track next?"

I didn't hesitate. "A man named Calvin Zabo. He's dangerous and unstable, but he has a goal—reuniting his family. If we promise to help him, he could be a valuable ally. He also has knowledge about the Inhumans and might have information on Hydra."

Darkblood narrowed his eyes. "And what makes you think he has any connection to Hydra? More importantly, if he's unstable, why recruit him?"

"Because Hydra took his family away. If we offer him a chance at revenge and a way to bring his family back together, he'll be willing to work with us."

Darkblood gave a small nod, then disappeared without another word.

After breakfast, I went looking for Sabrina. I needed to see if she could use magic to alter my appearance for the upcoming mission.

I already knew where she'd be—the training room, testing her strength. When I arrived, I saw her sparring with Bang.

She was good, but if I had to compare, Peter was still better at incorporating the technique Bang was teaching. I stepped forward and interrupted their fight.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Sabrina, I need your help."

They both stopped and turned to me.

"Sure. What do you need?" Sabrina asked.

"Can you use your magic to change my appearance?"

She smirked. "That's easy."

"Good. I'll need your help later. I have a recruitment mission."

"Just let me know when."

"Thanks," I said before leaving the training room.

As I made my way down the hall, tex pinged me with an alert.

"Hey, boss. A-Train brought someone to the base. You might wanna check it out."

I wasted no time heading to the medical room. When I arrived, I immediately recognized the person lying on the medical bed.

She was from Black Lightning.

One of the meta-kids experimented on by the government through a drug called Green Light.

I had completely forgotten about the ASA.

We needed to find a way to get all the meta-kids out of their labs. Bringing them all here would require space, though. I'd have to ask Church to start working on that immediately.

I turned to Angela, who was monitoring the patient. "How is she?"

Angela glanced at the readings. "She's stable now. Her body is in good condition, and she shouldn't be hallucinating when she wakes up. But I was surprised when I checked her records—she's 39 years old but still looks 18."

I sighed. "That's because she was kept in a stasis pod. The government experimented on her and a bunch of others, trying to make super soldiers. But when some of them became unstable, they abandoned the project and left them frozen in Freeland. I can't even imagine how many metahumans are still out there… but we need to make space for them. I'll have Church start preparing a new wing for them."

Angela nodded. "Makes sense. By the way, the gas you gave me for Clayface yesterday, right after you brought Shatter and Sage here, I gave it to Richard and Mary."

That was good news. "And how's the cure coming along?"

"Richard and Mary are working on it. They're close."

I smirked. "That was fast. But I wouldn't expect anything less from them. They are geniuses."

Angela just smiled and turned back to her work.

After checking on the patient in the medical wing, I made my way to the briefing room. I had some research to do.

"Gamma," I called out.

A holographic projection of the AI materialized. "Hello, sir. How may I assist you?"

"I need information on Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson."

"Understood. Give me a moment."

I waited a few seconds before a file appeared on the screen. As I read through it, I saw that Nelson & Murdock had officially opened their law firm a month ago in Hell's Kitchen. They were already making a name for themselves, helping people who couldn't afford legal defense.

I also noted something interesting—they had already helped a few mutants get out of trouble.

Perfect. They were exactly the kind of lawyers I needed on my side.

"Thank you, Gamma. Can you call in A-Train?"

"Right away, sir."

As I waited for A-Train to arrive, my mind wandered.

If the Mutant Underground was real, would Lorna and Marcos already be part of it? In The Gifted, Lorna had been with the Underground first, then recruited Marcos—that was how their story began. But this wasn't The Gifted. This was my reality, and things didn't have to play out the same way.

I needed to confirm whether the Underground existed. If it did, I was obviously going to help them.

And then there were the Morlocks—mutants forced to live in the sewers because their appearances made them outcasts. I should reach out to them, maybe even bring them to my island where they could have real homes. But if I wanted to do that, I needed to expand—maybe even build a city.

My island was big enough for a small city, but if I was serious about helping every mutant on Earth, I'd need something bigger.

Maybe Genosha.

If Genosha was like it was in the comics—a nation that exploited and enslaved mutants—I wouldn't let that stand. Or maybe I could try to find Krakoa, the living island. It was meant to be a future safe haven for mutants, but at first, it had been hostile. That could be a problem.

I needed information.

One thing was certain: If I was going to take over a nation, I needed a solid reason.

Right now, my team was still too small. If I simply seized Genosha, the world would view me as a tyrant. Governments would fear that if I could take over one nation, I wouldn't stop there.

I had to be smart about this.

A few minutes later, A-Train entered the room. He looked nervous.

"Look, I know I brought someone back to the base, but it was important. She needed help, and I didn't think the authorities would handle it right," he said quickly.

I raised an eyebrow. Did he think I was mad at him for saving someone?

Then I remembered—Reggie and Ashley used to work directly under Homelander. No wonder he was uneasy. He was used to working for a sociopath who would punish people for making independent decisions.

"First, calm down," I said. "I'm not Homelander. I'm not going to get mad at you or hurt you. Second, you did the right thing. Trusting your instincts was the best call."

A-Train exhaled, clearly relieved.

"If you're still dealing with trauma from working under Homelander, you should talk to Harleen. She can help you process it."

"Nah, I'm good," Reggie said quickly. "Just still adjusting to this whole new life. But I know you're nothing like him."

I nodded. "Good. Now, let me give you some background on the girl you saved and the project that made her like that."

A-Train straightened up, focusing as I explained everything I knew about the ASA and the Green Light Project.

His expression darkened. "How long have you known about this? And why didn't you tell me when I was stationed in Freeland?"

I sighed. "I forgot about the ASA at the time. I had a lot on my plate. But I do apologize—there was always a chance one of those metahumans could have seriously hurt you."

A-Train was quiet for a moment, then shook his head. "You know… I've been meaning to ask. You always seem to have a lot of information. And I don't think Church is the one gathering all of it. So how do you know about all these secrets? How do you know about heroes, my past, Ashley's past, even stuff that's not public?"

I leaned back in my chair. "My powers give me knowledge—on a lot of things. Not everything, but a lot. I also have knowledge of the Multiverse, but since every world is different, I can't rely on that information completely."

A-Train exhaled. "Yeah, okay. That makes sense. Church was right—your powers are ridiculous."

I smirked. "They are a bit overpowered, but don't forget—I also get completely useless abilities and items."

"Like what?"

I chuckled. "Remember when I made it rain and grew food in a war-torn country?"

"Yeah, that was all over the internet."

"Well, my powers also gave me… a hat."

A-Train blinked. "A hat?"

"Just a regular hat. it's good looking, but still… just a hat."

"Seriously?"

"Yep. And that's not even the weirdest thing I've gotten."

A-Train shook his head with a laugh. "Man, your powers are wild."

I grinned. "Anyway, back to business. Your new mission is to find the rest of the meta-kids in Freeland and get them out."

A-Train's expression turned serious. "I'm happy to do that. But… can we actually help them? You said some of them were unstable. If we move them, won't some of them die?"

"Not if we do it right. And don't worry—we have geniuses who will work on a way to stabilize them."

A-Train nodded firmly. "Alright. I'll get started right away."

With that, he stood up and left, ready for his mission.

After wrapping up my conversation with A-Train, I went to see Sabrina. She worked her magic, altering my appearance so I looked like an ordinary person.

Once the disguise was set, I teleported to my house, picked out one of my cars, and drove to Nelson & Murdock's office in Hell's Kitchen. The drive took a few hours, but soon enough, I parked outside their modest law firm.

I took a deep breath, stepped out, and knocked on the door.

A few moments later, a voice called out.

"Come in."

I stepped inside and immediately took in my surroundings. The office looked exactly like it did in the show—modest, a little messy, but full of character.

At the desk sat Matt Murdock, his signature red glasses in place. Standing beside him was Foggy Nelson.

"Hello, sir. Have a seat," Foggy said, motioning to the chair in front of them.

I sat down, keeping my posture relaxed.

"How can we help you?" Matt asked.

"I need you to take a case for me."

Matt tilted his head slightly. "What kind of case?"

I pulled out my phone, brought up the relevant information, and handed it to Foggy.

"This case is about a mutant named Lorna Dane. She's currently in jail for allegedly attacking a police officer. I want to see if you two can get her out."

Matt's brow furrowed. "Do you have any personal connection to Lorna Dane?"

"No, we've never met."

I kept my breathing steady. I knew Matt could hear heartbeats, and I wasn't about to let mine betray me.

Foggy raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you trying to get her out of jail if you don't know her?"

I kept my tone calm and professional. "The person I work for wants her released. He doesn't want too much attention on himself, so he sent me to handle it. I did my research and saw that you two don't discriminate when it comes to helping mutants."

Matt leaned forward slightly. "Why doesn't your boss want attention on himself?"

I met his gaze—or rather, the space behind his glasses. "I can't disclose that information."

Matt's expression didn't change. "And why should we help you? How do we know this mutant didn't actually attack a cop? What if she's guilty, and you're just using us to get her out?"

I held my ground. "Believe me, she's not a bad person. My boss has his reasons for wanting to help her, and while he can't do it himself, he knows she doesn't deserve to be in there."

I let my words settle before adding, "The truth is, mutants aren't well-liked, and my boss runs a business. If his business partners find out he's directly helping a mutant, it could cause problems for him. But he owes someone a debt, and helping Lorna Dane is part of repaying it."

Foggy exchanged a glance with Matt. "You did your research, huh?"

"I know you two aren't corrupt. You help the little guys. You take cases no one else will, and you do it for next to nothing. I'm willing to pay you a lot to take this case."

Matt remained silent for a few moments, no doubt listening to my heartbeat. He wouldn't hear any lies.

Foggy sighed. "Give us a moment."

"Take your time."

The two of them got up and stepped into the back office, closing the door behind them.

I didn't need to strain to hear them.

"Matt, I get it, this seems suspicious," Foggy said. "But we help people, right? And this guy's offering us a good paycheck."

"It's not about the money, Foggy. Someone unknown is pulling the strings. That bothers me."

"Yeah, but what bothers me more is letting an innocent person rot in jail because we didn't take a case."

There was silence. Then I heard the sound of my phone screen lighting up.

Foggy must've checked the evidence I gave them.

A moment later, Matt let out a small sigh. "Fine. We'll take it."

They came back into the room, took their seats, and Matt nodded. "We'll take your case."

I gave them a small smile. "Thank you. You're helping a good person—and you'll be well compensated for it."

Matt shook his head. "No need to go overboard. From what we've gathered, Lorna was just defending her boyfriend. The officer in question was abusing his power."

"I see," I said. "Still, you'll be paid well—win or lose."

Before I could stand, Foggy spoke up. "The case will be handled today."

That caught me off guard. "That fast?"

"It's not a high-profile case," Matt explained. "The officer isn't dead, just banged up a little. It won't take much to get her released."

I nodded. "Good. With you two on the case, I have no doubt she'll be out soon.

With that, I stood, took my phone back from Foggy, and left.

Marco POV

Right now, I was at the jail, visiting Lorna.

This was all my fault.

If I hadn't convinced her to go out that night, we wouldn't be in this mess.

I reached the front desk. "I'm here to see Lorna Dane."

The officer glanced up. "Your lawyers are with her."

I frowned. "Lawyers?"

I hadn't been able to find anyone willing to take her case.

Confused, I followed the officer to the visiting area. As soon as I stepped in, I saw Lorna sitting across from two men.

I couldn't see their faces clearly at first, but as I got closer, I realized—one of them was blind. The other was a bit chubby.

I sat next to Lorna and gave them a questioning look. "Who are you two?"

The blind man turned toward me. "Hello, Mr. Diaz. We're Ms. Dane's lawyers. My name is Matt Murdock, and this is Foggy Nelson."

Lorna's brows furrowed. "You didn't hire them?"

I shook my head. "No. I couldn't find a lawyer willing to take the case."

Lorna turned back to them. "Then… who hired you?"

Foggy offered a small smile. "We can't say. But someone wanted to help you."

Lorna and I exchanged confused looks. Who would help us?

Matt leaned forward. "What we can say is that your case is easy. There's security footage proving the officer started the altercation. You were simply defending your boyfriend from serious harm."

Lorna's eyes widened. "So… you can get me out of here?"

Foggy nodded. "Yes. In just a couple of hours. We already contacted the judge, and he agreed to move your case up."

I frowned. "Why would a judge do that?"

Matt smiled slightly. "Because he's an old friend, and he owed me a favor."

Lorna exhaled sharply, relief washing over her. "I can't believe this is happening."

I still didn't know who hired them.

But one thing was clear—Lorna was getting out today.

Ed POV

Three Hours Later – Outside the Courthouse

I stood outside the courthouse, leaning against my car, waiting.

I didn't see the point in going inside. With Matt and Foggy handling the case, I was confident Lorna would walk free. Still, I had a backup plan if things had gone south. If necessary, I could've teleported in and out of the prison with her before anyone even noticed.

I adjusted my disguise and kept my eyes on the building entrance.

That's when I noticed someone unexpected—Reed Strucker.

The man had no idea he was a mutant himself. I made a mental note to keep tabs on him and his family. Especially his kids. Andy and Lauren were powerful on their own, but when they used their Fenris ability together? They were deadly. I'd have to do some digging into his father's history as well.

Before I could think further about it, I saw Lorna, Marco, Matt, and Foggy stepping out of the courthouse.

As expected, Lorna was free.

I pushed off my car and walked toward them, my hands in my pockets.

"I knew you two would get her out."

Foggy smirked. "Well, it was especially easy since you gave us that video of the officer abusing his power."

I nodded. "Glad it helped. Your payment should already be in your account."

Foggy pulled out his phone, glanced at the screen, and nearly dropped it.

"ONE MILLION?!" he practically shouted.

Heads turned in the crowd.

I chuckled. "Yeah, for the work you just completed—and for the good work I know you two will continue to do." I gave him a knowing look. "But some advice? Don't yell stuff like that in New York. You'll get robbed before you can blink."

Foggy swallowed hard. "Right. Noted."

Matt, however, was still studying me. I could feel his suspicion.

I made sure my heartbeat stayed steady so he wouldn't sense any deception.

I turned my attention back to Lorna and Marco.

"Now, Ms. Dane, Mr. Diaz, we need to talk." I gestured toward my car.

They tensed. Lorna folded her arms.

"Who are you? And why did you help me?" she asked, eyes narrowing.

"I'll explain everything when we get to a private location."

Marco scoffed. "Why not just tell us here?"

"Because the information you want is sensitive. Too sensitive to discuss out in the open." I kept my voice calm. "Look, I know you're suspicious, and you should be. But I promise, I don't mean you any harm. In fact, I doubt I even could. You're both powerful mutants. If I tried anything, I'd be the one in trouble."

I gave them a moment to think.

They exchanged a glance, silently debating. Finally, they both nodded and climbed into the back of my car.

I turned back to Matt and Foggy.

"Thank you for your help. I hope the money will allow you to keep doing good work, just like you did today."

Foggy nodded. "Believe me, it will."

Matt, on the other hand, remained stoic. I could tell he still didn't trust me.

Smart man.

But I had made sure to control my heartbeat—he wouldn't catch a single lie.

Without another word, I got into the car and drove away.

I pulled into an old, abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. It was far from prying eyes—perfect for what I needed to discuss.

After parking, I stepped out and motioned for Lorna and Marco to follow.

They hesitated but eventually got out.

Lorna crossed her arms. "Okay, we're here. Now, start talking. Why did you help me?"

I held up a hand. "I'll answer that, but first—we need to go somewhere safer. A place called Sanctuary."

Marco frowned. "What's that?"

"A safe haven for mutants. But I'm working on something even better. A new location, a true home for our kind."

Lorna's gaze sharpened. "Our kind? You're a mutant?"

I gave a small nod. "I am."

To prove my point, I lifted a hand and opened a portal behind me. A swirling vortex of energy appeared.

Marco immediately tensed. "Is this some kind of trap? I swear, if you try anything, I'll burn your damn eyes out."

I sighed. "Think about it, Diaz. If I wanted to trap you, why would I go through all the trouble of hiring lawyers to get Lorna out legally? I could've just teleported you both to Sanctuary myself. I'm showing you that I'm not a threat."

They hesitated again, but after a few tense seconds, they finally stepped through the portal.

I followed after them, the portal sealing shut behind us.

We had a lot to discuss.