Location: New York – Underground Hero HQTime: 10:12 AM (Local Time)Anos' POV
I stepped off the plane, the cool New York air hitting my face like a slap, and my feet hit the ground with a sense of finality. The city hadn't changed, but it felt like it had. The streets were quieter than usual, the people more paranoid. The Nomu were still out there, and the world was teetering on the edge of an abyss.
The heroes' headquarters was buried beneath the city, a hidden bunker that served as the meeting point for the world's strongest, most revered protectors. Now? They were a mess of broken bodies and spirits. I couldn't even recognize them anymore.
The room was dim, and the air felt thick with unspoken words. As I stepped inside, I saw six of the Top 10 Heroes seated around a table, their bodies battered and bruised from the most recent assault. The other four were in the hospital, recovering from injuries that should have killed them.
It had all gone down in New York just days before I arrived. The Nomu had attacked again — a full-scale assault that no one had been prepared for. The heroes, still reeling from previous attacks, had been caught off guard. This time, the Nomu didn't just destroy — they strategized, they adapted, and it was clear that they were no longer the mindless beasts they once were.
Iron Man was slumped in his chair, his suit damaged but still functional, his face streaked with blood. "This wasn't just an attack," he muttered, his voice hoarse. "It was a damn ambush. We didn't stand a chance."
Wonder Woman clenched her fists, her knuckles white with tension. "We were too late. The Nomu came out of nowhere. We fought, but they were prepared. They knew where we'd be."
Black Widow was the first to look up as I entered. Her eyes were cold, calculating, as always, but today they were clouded with something deeper. Fear. Regret. Something we didn't talk about in this room.
"Anos Midoriya," she said, her voice sharp. "You're finally here. You're going to tell us how to stop this madness, right?"
I didn't answer right away. They were all waiting for me, the silent expectation heavy in the air. But the truth was, I didn't know how to stop this. No one did. I wasn't the hero they thought I was. I was just a man who had been given powers far beyond anyone's comprehension — a man haunted by the ghosts of a past he couldn't escape.
"What happened?" I asked, my eyes scanning the room for answers. "How bad is it?"
Captain America looked at me with tired eyes, his face worn from too many sleepless nights. "The Nomu... they adapt. It's like they've evolved, Anos. We can't predict them anymore. And they're after something more than destruction now. We don't even know what their endgame is."
The atmosphere in the room shifted. No one spoke for a few moments, as if they were all absorbing the same thought: What if we're too late?
Thor was the next to speak, his voice gruff, a mix of anger and frustration. "We fought hard. We fought with everything we had, but we couldn't stop them. The Nomu were smarter this time. We've never seen them work together like this."
I took a step closer to the table, feeling the weight of their gazes on me. "I need to know everything. What exactly happened?"
Hulk was sitting near the back of the room, his large, green form slumped in a chair, his fists resting on the table. "We barely survived. We were overrun. The Nomu... they split up into different squads. Each one had a specific objective. It was like they were coordinated. Planned."
I absorbed the information, trying to make sense of it. But the truth was, I didn't understand. How could the Nomu have evolved this fast? And why hadn't we seen this coming?
The room fell silent again, the weight of their words pressing down on me. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. None of us did.
Peter Parker, his face bruised and battered but still carrying his usual defiant spark, walked into the room. He gave me a tight nod, his eyes filled with grim understanding. He wasn't here to make light of things. He was here because things were bad — worse than anyone was willing to admit.
"Tell them what you found, Zane," Peter said, his voice tight.
Zane Pierce, the one man I never thought I'd see again, stepped forward. His presence was a stark reminder of a past I'd buried deep. Zane was supposed to be dead, part of the catastrophic event that had wiped out countless lives, including my own. But here he was, standing in front of me, alive and well.
His eyes met mine — no words, just a long, heavy gaze that spoke volumes. I could feel the weight of everything we hadn't said, everything we hadn't confronted.
Zane cleared his throat, then addressed the room. "The Nomu aren't just random creations anymore. They're planned. These aren't just superpowered monsters. They've got purpose. And I know who's behind it."
I froze, my pulse hammering in my ears. The one name that had haunted me for years — The Scientists. Those who had created the Nomu, who had used children as experiments. Who had used me.
Zane's eyes locked onto mine again, his voice low but steady. "Anos... the people who created the Nomu, they weren't just anyone. Your parents were involved. They were the ones who let this happen. You weren't born a hero, Anos. You were made one."
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My parents. They had been involved in the experiments. I wasn't just an accident of fate. I had been engineered. And the worst part? They had allowed it to happen. They had allowed me to become a tool, a weapon.
The room was silent once again. Every hero in the room was watching me, waiting for a response. But I couldn't give them one. I couldn't say anything.
Peter's voice cut through the silence. "Anos, we need you. We need your help. This isn't just about stopping the Nomu anymore. It's about stopping the people who started it."
But I couldn't look at him. I couldn't look at anyone. The truth had just shattered everything I had ever known. I wasn't just fighting the Nomu. I was fighting my own past.
The room was dark, heavy with secrets, and I felt like I was suffocating in it.