Creation of the Hero Association
Owen was watching the interview on television and couldn't help letting out a sigh.
"That guy really loves making a spectacle," he said while watching Nicolas seem to enjoy acting it out.
Nathaniel, who was sitting on the couch beside him, couldn't help letting out the same sigh when he saw his son on television before taking the remote and turning it off.
"So, with that, everything is ready. You do realize that technically you're now declaring war on every country that pushed for the creation of the Superhuman Registration Law, right?" Nathaniel asked, though his face remained fairly calm.
"Of course. All those idiots who only want to control power they can't possess. If they have complaints, let them try attacking our association. Though there are already 127 heroes who joined before it even officially existed, and among them there are actual monsters that could probably even cause me trouble," Owen said with a smile.
"As long as you don't go crazy from power and try to rule the world," Nathaniel said, though he trusted Owen so much that the words barely sounded serious.
"Mm…" Owen smiled faintly, though that irritation deep in the back of his mind still hadn't disappeared.
Nathaniel, as if he could read his thoughts, looked at him for a moment before speaking.
"I went to visit that boy, Robert Reynolds, and I'm sure he's not the one you're looking for. He's just a lost kid. And he seems to behave well at the rehabilitation center. Maybe you got the wrong person," Nathaniel said with a somewhat serious tone.
"No. But this is so strange…," Owen said while remembering Sentry's face, which really did look a lot like Robert's, though obviously enhanced by the Golden Sentry Serum. "Doesn't matter. Did you deal with our one-eyed friend?" Owen asked seriously.
"He lost SHIELD because of Hydra's infiltration. He couldn't control the fights between heroes across the country after barely getting power from the UN. And now a Hero Association was created that openly opposes the Registration Law when he should've been watching for exactly that… and it happened right in front of his face. I'm pretty sure I don't need to do much for the same people who hired him to realize he's useless. Besides, that guy was always hard to catch, so let him retire quietly. If he's lucky… he'll die old before his enemies hunt him down. And if he doesn't… then just let the newly created Hero Association get its first villain so the brats can handle him," Nathaniel said with complete mockery and contempt toward the king of spies, Nick Fury.
As always, he seemed to hate him quite a bit.
Nathaniel smiled slightly before standing up.
"Well then, it's time for me to go. From now on, things are for the young people to handle," he said calmly.
"You sure, old man? You could be a good advisor for the association. I'm sure the salary would be pretty good too," Owen said for a moment while looking at the old man, who at some point, without him really noticing it, had grown quite old. Even many of his muscles were starting to shrink as time passed, and his face was much more wrinkled.
Nathaniel smiled with a bit of pride while looking at Owen.
"No. It's better for me to enjoy my retirement peacefully, fishing in peace. Though, if you want to bring some grandchildren for this old man to spoil, you still have time," Nathaniel said with a smile as he calmly raised his hand in farewell, wearing a somewhat sly expression before turning around and walking toward the exit.
Owen watched the now-retired old general leave and couldn't help looking at him with a smile. Yeah… it was better for him to retire after all. With the creation of the Association, the world would probably become much noisier for a while. And it wouldn't be long before certain problems arrived that would directly clash against all the heroes of the association he planned to spread across the entire world.
For a moment, Owen was actually looking forward to that.
He wondered what Thanos's face would look like when he suddenly arrived on Earth… and immediately got dropped while every hero in the world was already waiting for him with their arms crossed.
Right at that moment, Wanda walked through the door calmly while carrying several books in her arms. Behind her came Emma, slightly tanned.
"Looks like you finished your work," Owen said calmly when he saw them.
Wanda looked genuinely happy as she placed several magic books on the table in front of Owen with a slight sense of pride.
"I managed to make a few trades and got some good books. It's a shame the Sorcerer Supreme died. I also met Strange," Wanda said as she calmly sat down beside Owen.
"We handled T'Challa perfectly. He returned to his position and also started helping with the creation of the association. Pietro even managed to steal some technology while Nicolas distracted his scientist," Emma said, though when she mentioned the last part, her expression shifted slightly for a moment, showing real annoyance.
Something both Wanda and Owen noticed for an instant, though neither of them said much.
"And Pietro?" Wanda asked quickly to change the subject.
"According to the plan, inviting the unregistered heroes," Emma replied calmly. "Though I don't know if they'll accept joining. After all, they despise the Registration Law and now the association is basically asking them for the same thing. Besides, its creator is the same guy who was hunting them not long ago," she said while looking toward Owen.
"Well, we have to follow the laws… while they still last, obviously. But we never asked them to show the faces under their masks, so we can't really know if the name they give us is actually theirs, right?" Owen said with a smile.
"You do realize that's the dumbest thing possible, right? The government won't accept a registration system that absurd," Emma said dryly.
"That's if they have time to review it," he replied calmly as he turned the television back on.
There, Nicolas was finishing the interview and looked directly at the camera while giving it a smile.
"So then… heroes of all ages, and people who wish to become someone willing to save others, fight evil, and protect the weak… come join the Association. We are ready to welcome you with open arms. Even if someone wants to stop us… they'll need the power to do it," Nicolas said while for a moment he almost smiled like a villain, though honestly, his attractive face only made him seem even more charming.
Owen heard a tongue click behind him, though he didn't turn around, already knowing it came from Emma.
Wanda covered her mouth while quietly holding back a smile , as if she had noticed something only women could easily catch.
"Mr. Scarce, is that a declaration of war against governments?" a reporter suddenly asked.
"Oh no, of course not. We respect every law, even the ones that are unfair, stupid, and created to try controlling us. Those words are only for our enemies… the villains," Nicolas said with a calm smile, even though it was very obviously a blatant threat. "With that, this press conference is over. I hope everyone enjoyed our news," Nicolas said as he calmly said goodbye and started walking away, while the reporters kept trying to ask questions, though he no longer stopped to answer them.
And while the cameras kept recording Nicolas walking away…
the entire world was beginning to change without realizing it.