As Stormfront spoke, she reached out and gave A-Train's cheek a few condescending pats. The hit didn't hurt, but the insult was hard to ignore.
A-Train's eyes turned red with fury. He wanted to fight back, badly—but the backlash from the public, plus the looming threat of criminal charges, forced him to grit his teeth and swallow his pride.
Still simmering, he turned his gaze toward Stan Edgar. The CEO of Vought was a Black man too—shouldn't he be speaking up against this blatant racism?
Stan Edgar only shrugged. "You all know how bad things are right now. I mean for everyone. We're all in deep trouble. That's why this mission can't fail. It must succeed. Everything else—put it aside."
The rest of the supers looked at each other in silence.
Only Queen Maeve frowned and stepped forward. "We should move out. If Homelander loses, we'll have a hard time handling that Superman guy. We need to take out the other intruders—fast."
"There are only six of them. Meanwhile, Vought has over two hundred superpowered assets."
Stan stood, placing both hands on the table, eyes sweeping the room. "Don't worry. We won't lose. This is our chance to clear our name—to stop the alien invasion and save the world. So you'd better show the world what you're made of!"
After coordinating with the government, Vought and the authorities launched a new propaganda campaign. The idea? Tie the Multiverse Defenders heroes and the entire multiversal quiz to a grand alien conspiracy. Paint them all as invaders.
It was the only way to shift public opinion.
Beyond that, the government had no intention of letting a money-printing machine like Vought collapse completely. Especially after the multiversal quiz appeared, the U.S. government felt a growing sense of panic.
They had every reason to believe aliens were targeting them.
And when it comes to supernatural threats, you fight "magic with magic."
So they used the situation as an excuse to "recruit" Vought.
To be blunt, they were orchestrating a hostile takeover of a private corporation.
In the past, this would've been nearly impossible. Vought was backed by powerful investors, bureaucrats, and politicians. Even if the ruling government wanted to intervene, they couldn't do much.
But now, with Vought's stock plummeting, major investors pulling out, and public sentiment at an all-time low, the government saw its chance.
First, they'd scare the public with the idea of alien invaders. Then, as "saviors," they'd nationalize Vought—boosting their own approval ratings in the process.
But this entire plan hinged on one thing: they had to defeat the so-called aliens.
Otherwise, the fear campaign would backfire disastrously.
Stan Edgar, as Vought's CEO and a shrewd strategist, understood exactly what was happening. He wasn't too bothered by the idea of Vought being absorbed by the government.
Whether he worked for capital or the state, he was still working.
So long as the company didn't completely collapse, whoever was in charge would need him out front. But if Vought went down for good—his value would vanish with it.
That's why Stan was throwing everything he had into this operation. He pulled out every last ace Vought had left—including plans to mass-produce super soldiers using Compound V.
This also served as a pilot for a new military partnership.
With preparations complete, Stormfront led the squad. Guided by intel from the reactivated intelligence division, they launched their mission.
In reality, they didn't need to look far. Bruce Banner and the others had come to dismantle Vought—so it was only a matter of time before both sides clashed.
—
At the same time, the light screen began playing Deadpool's future video.
Surprisingly, the first person to appear wasn't Deadpool at all—but Wolverine. Of course, most of the newer players had no idea who this bearded, claw-wielding tough guy was.
Thor's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Wade, why is Logan in your future video? Wait—are you from Logan's world?"
Deadpool shrugged. "To be honest? I like that guy. X-Men and all. But I'd never met him before I came here. Y'see, my movies are pretty low-budget. We couldn't afford A-listers like him.
But hey—I believe things will turn around soon! Hahaha!"
Onscreen, Wolverine stood in a dim, empty warehouse. As the heavy metal doors creaked open, a shirtless, bald man covered in strange markings stepped into view—his mouth sealed shut.
"Wade, is that you?"
Logan grinned. "Looks like Stryker finally figured out a way to shut that damn mouth of yours."
By now, many viewers had realized: this wasn't new. This scene had been shown before—during Wolverine's participation in an earlier round of the quiz.
It was the revenge arc where Logan infiltrated a military lab, slicing through wave after wave of enemies.
And his final opponent?
A version of Wade Wilson enhanced with adamantium and gifted with Wolverine's healing factor.
Outside the video, Thor stared at Deadpool, eyes widening with realization.
"So you're that Wade? Hold on—didn't Wolverine kill you in that video?"
Deadpool shrugged again. "Big guy, come on. Use your brain for once, yeah? The question was crystal clear—this is an alternate version of me. And just to be clear: that guy isn't me. He can't even talk! That's my dark past. I refuse to accept that a mute freak is the real Deadpool!"
By the end of his rant, Deadpool was flailing his arms with dramatic flair.
The others could only stare, exasperated. If they could, they would've duct-taped his mouth shut right then and there.
Clearly, they preferred the version of Wade who couldn't talk.
But in the video, Logan wasn't so keen on chatting either—he had already unsheathed his claws.
Just as the two were about to throw down in a brutal brawl, a gunshot rang out—
Bang!
The mute Wade was shot straight through the head.
"Hey! That's me. Don't freak out—I'm just tweaking the timeline."
The real Deadpool stepped into the frame, dual katanas on his back and a fistful of cash in hand.
He waved with a grin. "Listen, Logan… I know your story ends with you hanging up the claws—and yeah, that'll make a lotta people cry.
But one day, your old pal Wade is gonna bring you back. And when he does… promise me you'll say yes."
___
🎉 Shoutout to Zdenêk Fiser! 🎉
A huge thank you to Zdenêk Fiser for joining my Patreon and supporting the journey! Your support means a lot and helps keep the chapters coming faster. Welcome to the VIP club! 🙌✨