Jiaying POV
I don't know what to make of that man.
Arsenal—the hero. The one they call the second strongest. A man who stops wars, grows food from barren land, defeats monsters in a single blow… and now, he can time travel?
Maybe not by power alone, but the fact he possesses an item that allows it is troubling—and fascinating. What unsettles me most is how much he knows. About me. About Daisy. About Kora. About what Hydra did to me. He speaks as if he lived through it all, like he saw it firsthand.
And yet… a part of me doesn't care.
Because if he truly brings Kora back to me, he'll have my loyalty. I don't need to understand the how—not right now. All I care about is my daughter being alive again.
As long as our interests stay aligned—my people, my family—then I'll stand beside him. He doesn't ask for worship or obedience. Just partnership.
Then it happened. In a flash of brilliant light, he returned—with Kora.
She looked confused. Scared. Alive.
The golden pocket watch he used crumbled to sand in his hand, disintegrating into nothing. A one-time artifact, it seems. He sacrificed something rare, powerful… just to bring my daughter back.
I won't let that be in vain.
Not this time.
For Kora. For Daisy. For Cal. For the family we were meant to be.
Ed POV
"Why did your watch turn to sand?" Kora asked, looking down at the golden dust at my feet.
"Because it was a one-time use item," I explained. "I don't know if I'll ever find another—time travel tools are rare."
"Wait… what do you mean time travel? Are you saying we just—" Kora started, her confusion growing.
"We did. Like I said earlier, I'll let your mother explain the details. It's kind of… complicated," I said with a shrug.
Before she could ask another question, Jiaying suddenly pulled her into a tight hug. She was crying—really crying.
"Thank you, Arsenal," she whispered through her tears, still holding her daughter close.
"No problem," I said gently. "I'll let you explain everything. We can talk again later. For now, just spend time with your family. And make sure you help Kora—she still needs to learn to control her powers."
Jiaying finally pulled back, wiping away her tears as she looked at me with renewed resolve.
"I will. I'll do better this time," she said softly.
I was about to teleport away when something crossed my mind.
"Oh, before I go—can I ask you for a favor?" I said.
"What is it?" Jiaying asked.
"When you break the news to Daisy and Cal about Kora, can you take a picture of their shocked faces? I want to turn it into a t-shirt for them."
Jiaying blinked at me in surprise, then let out a small laugh, wiping the last tear from her face.
"You're an interesting man, Arsenal," she said with a smile. "I'll see what I can do. It is big news, after all."
"That's all I ask," I grinned—and with that, I teleported away.
Gertrude Yorkes POV
It's been a week since we started working for Escanor, and honestly? It's the best decision we've made so far.
He's incredibly kind, pays us fairly, feeds us well, and always makes the effort to talk to us—whether as a group or one-on-one. But... we've still kept some things from him. Like the fact that some of us have powers. And that I have a pet dinosaur. Yeah. Probably best we keep that under wraps for now. We all agreed not to tell him, just in case. If our parents somehow find out where we are and we need to run again, it's safer for Escanor not to know everything.
That said, we've learned a little about him, too. Escanor used to be a soldier—or at least, we think he was. He never directly said he served in the military, but he did mention fighting in a war alongside some friends. And apparently, another friend gifted him this bar. Guess that friend's loaded.
Right now, we were all sitting in the kitchen, eating after finishing up cleaning the place.
"This food, man. Escanor, I could eat your cooking a hundred times and never get tired of it," Alex said, grinning.
"Haha, thank you, Alex," Escanor chuckled. "But if I'm being honest, my cooking doesn't hold a candle to my old friend Ban's. Fighting and hunting aside, cooking was definitely his best talent."
"Someone cooks better than you? I gotta see it to believe it," Molly said, mouth half-full.
We all laughed at that. But then Escanor's smile faded a bit.
"I wish you could... but that's impossible now."
The room fell quiet. I think we all had the same thought—maybe his friend died in the war. Escanor must've noticed our sudden shift in energy because he quickly added:
"No, no—he's not dead. He's just... far away. Not in this country. Probably never coming here, sadly."
We all let out a quiet breath of relief.
"I hope you don't mind me asking," Nico spoke up, "but... can you tell us more about your friends? The ones from the war?"
"Not at all," Escanor said with a warm smile. "There was Captain Meliodas. He's the one who brought us all together. A kind man... bit of a pervert, honestly, but always fought for what was right. I remember a time he actually beat some sense into me. And let me tell you, that punch hurt. I still feel the sting in my cheek just thinking about it."
"Wait—you two fought?" Alex asked.
"Oh, yes. You see, I was in a very dark place back then. I just wanted it all to end. Meliodas... he reminded me why that was the wrong path. That if I gave up, I'd be throwing away the memory of someone I loved—a friend who sacrificed herself for me."
"So if it weren't for Meliodas, you wouldn't be here right now?" Molly asked, eyes wide.
"That's exactly right," Escanor said with a calm nod.
That idea hit me harder than I expected. I think it hit all of us the same. Even though we haven't known him long, we're definitely attached to Escanor. He's kind. Gentle. He gave us food, a job, and a safe place to stay. Before him, things felt... dark. Like we were always hiding. But then Escanor came along, and like the sun, he lit the way.
"I'm grateful to Meliodas," Molly said softly. "Because without him, you wouldn't be here... and we wouldn't be with you."
Escanor smiled brightly. "And I'm grateful to be here with all of you."
We all smiled back.
"Now, back to my other friends," he continued. "There was Merlin—probably the smartest person I've ever met. Then there's Ban, the amazing cook I mentioned. Strong, funny, drinks a lot... bit of a thief, but with a good heart. Then there's King—well, Harlequin's his real name. He's kind, always looking out for others. And when it comes to fighting for the people he loves... nothing can stop him. Especially when Diane was involved."
He chuckled to himself.
"I bet you kids would love Diane. She's sweet, strong, always willing to help. She and King eventually got married. I wish I could've been there to see it."
"Wait—they got married and didn't invite you?" Karolina asked, surprised.
"They did invite me," Escanor said, smiling. "But I couldn't go. It's... complicated. They're not in this country. just like Ban."
"Are any of your war friends in the country?" Alex asked.
"Sadly, no," Escanor replied. "But honestly, a part of me hopes they don't come here. I want them to live peaceful lives. I know Meliodas and King are probably happily married. Ban definitely didn't waste time marrying Elaine. And Merlin... well, I just hope she found someone who loves her the way I did."
"You were in love with Merlin?" Karolina asked, looking genuinely curious.
"Yes," Escanor replied, his voice soft with old emotion. "Sadly, she didn't feel the same. Her heart belonged to someone else."
"Seriously? She didn't feel the same way?" Molly said, clearly baffled. "But you're kind, sweet, and a great cook!"
Escanor gave a bittersweet smile. "It's just the way things are sometimes. Love… it's complicated. It can be terrifying and beautiful all at once. When you're older, you'll understand what I mean. And when you fall in love, I truly hope that person loves you just as deeply and treats you well."
"And if they don't," I chimed in, smirking, "Old Lance will make sure they end up as dinner."
Everyone burst into laughter—except Escanor. He looked completely confused.
"Who is that?" he asked, tilting his head.
We all stopped laughing. Crap. I shouldn't have said that.
"She's, uh… my pet," I said quickly.
"Oh! I didn't know you had a dog," Escanor replied, smiling. "Bring her around sometime. I can whip her up something special and we can give her a nice bath—get rid of any fleas."
"No, no, no—she's not a dog," I blurted. "She's… a lizard! Yeah, a big one. But don't worry, she doesn't need food right now, or a bath."
"A lizard?" he repeated, still looking intrigued. **"Well, you should still bring her by sometime. I'd love to meet her."
Before I could say anything else and dig the hole deeper, Chase jumped in to change the subject.
"Hey, Escanor, didn't you say there were more of your friends? You didn't finish telling us about them."
"Ah, yes," Escanor said, his attention shifting. "Let me tell you about Hawk…"
I let out a quiet breath of relief. That was way too close. I really need to be more careful about what I say—especially around someone as genuine as Escanor.
Nick Fury POV
"Sir, are you sure this is a good idea? He was shut down for a reason," Hill said, her tone lined with concern.
"I know," I replied as the elevator descended into the depths of one of SHIELD's older bases. "But he was made to kill Nazis—and that's exactly what we're dealing with right now. Plus, technology's come a long way. With the right upgrades, we can make him more controllable."
We stepped out of the elevator and walked down a dimly lit corridor toward an old storage wing. The place was cold, silent—forgotten by most. At the end of the hallway was a reinforced vault door. We entered the room, and there he was, hanging on the wall like an artifact from a war museum: G.I. Robot.
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"Sir, I still think this is a bad idea. He did kill a lot of civilians that one time..." Hill's voice trailed off, her expression uneasy.
"I'm aware. I read the file. But let's be honest—it's not entirely his fault. Who brings a Nazi-killing robot into a Nazi-run town and expects a peaceful outcome? He did what he was programmed to do. We just need to fine-tune that programming. Scale back his 'kill Nazis on sight' directive and give him a modern upgrade."
Hill gave a reluctant nod, still clearly unsure.
"Look, I get that this is risky. I think so too. But Hydra's pulling something big, and I'm not convinced our regular agents are enough to deal with whatever they're planning. We need options," I said firmly.
"But what about Arsenal and his team? He said he'd work with us," Hill reminded me.
"Yeah, and I'm grateful for that," I replied. "But we don't know who he really is. We don't know how many enhanced individuals he has under his command, or what he's planning long term. Once Hydra's gone, there's no guarantee we stay allies. He's powerful, unpredictable—and that makes him dangerous."
I looked up at G.I. Robot's dormant form.
"I want a countermeasure. Just in case."
Ed POV
I was just flying around, doing the usual—stopping a couple bank robbers, ending a police chase, helping out wherever I could. Right now, I'm in New York. Everything's surprisingly quiet, so I was about to head toward Chicago... until I saw someone sprinting away from a cop down below.
Probably a robbery.
I flew down and landed right in front of the guy. He skidded to a stop, tripped, and fell flat on his ass.
"Oh no way—it's Arsenal! Man, I'm a huge fan," the guy said, grinning like a kid meeting his favorite celebrity.
That threw me off. Most criminals don't react like that when they see me.
And then I looked at him again. Something about his face seemed weirdly familiar.
"DOUG JUDY!" the cop chasing him finally caught up and shouted.
Now he looked familiar too.
"No way, Arsenal!" the cop said, catching his breath. "Man, I'm a big fan."
"I said the same thing!" Doug chimed in, flashing a smile. "Hey Jake, take a picture of me and him!"
"What—no! You're going to jail after we take a picture with me and him," Jake shot back.
That's when it hit me. Jake Peralta. Doug Judy. Brooklyn Nine-Nine. These two were like professional frenemies. Judy's technically a criminal, yeah, but if I remember right, he's not exactly evil. Just… morally flexible.
"Okay," I said, chuckling. "I'll take a picture with both of you."
"Really?" they said at the same time, like two overexcited kids.
"Yeah, just pull out your phones."
They fumbled to unlock their phones and open the camera apps. I used my telekinesis to float both phones in front of us and snapped the shots.
"Damn, that's so cool," Doug said, eyes wide.
Jake checked the picture. "Man, Amy is gonna flip. She's gonna be so jealous."
"I know some friends who are gonna freak out when they see this," Doug added.
I cleared my throat. "Officer, I'm assuming you can handle him from here?"
Jake blinked, like he forgot he was actually in the middle of an arrest. "Oh—yeah, totally. Thanks for the help!"
I gave them a nod and flew off. I already know Doug's probably gonna escape somehow—he always does—but deep down, I know he's not a bad guy. I have a feeling he's gonna turn things around eventually.