"This… this is insane!"
Jessica sounded like a kid who'd just unwrapped the greatest toy in existence.
Flash!
Flash!
Flash!
She blinked wildly around the office, reappearing on desks, shelves, even briefly upside-down against the wall before correcting herself mid-jump.
"Looks like your genetic structure had latent spatial affinity," Antony explained calmly. "The original extract activated it. Next, you can try developing the ability in—"
Whoosh.
Jessica blinked directly in front of him.
So close their noses almost brushed.
Antony could see the faint downy hairs along her cheek… the subtle tremble in her lashes.
Jessica froze too.
She had never dated. The only thing that had ever gotten this close to her face before… was her fist meeting someone else's.
The air thickened.
Her heartbeat spiked.
Hormones—newly amplified, newly awakened—pushed her into doing something she would never have dared before.
"Mm!"
She leaned in and planted a quick, unmistakably real kiss on his lips.
Soft.
Warm.
Audibly clear.
Before Antony could react—
Flash! Flash! Flash!
She vanished in a cascade of spatial jumps, leaving behind only a slightly swinging office door and the faint scent of perfume in the air.
[Special Popularity Gained +15,000 (From Jessica Jones)]
Antony touched his lips, still damp, and let out a low chuckle.
"Well… that was productive."
…
A few days later—
There was a knock at the office door.
Steve Rogers stepped in, followed by Bucky Barnes.
Bucky had cut his hair short. Shaved. Clean clothes. He looked lighter. Younger. More present.
"Antony," Steve said, placing a signed document on the desk. "Bucky's signed."
"Excellent."
Antony picked up the contract.
In the signature line, written in bold, sweeping strokes:
James Buchanan Barnes.
The moment Antony's finger brushed the ink—
The System chimed.
[Ding! Special Character 'Winter Soldier' Bucky Barnes has officially joined the Host's faction!]
[Special Popularity Gained +30,000!]
[Reward: Cellular Vitality Enhancement – All host cells gain heightened activity, significantly slowing aging and extending natural lifespan.]
Antony's eyes gleamed.
Longevity.
Even with his Invulnerability, middle age was still an inevitability. And no one ever complained about living longer.
"Well done, Bucky."
He set the contract down, smiling.
"Welcome to the Vought family."
"From now on, use your skills to eliminate terrorists and alien freaks who deserve it. The more you cut down monsters, the lighter the blood on your hands becomes."
"This is the only path," Steve added, gripping Bucky's shoulder. "We walk it together."
Bucky nodded firmly. "Thank you. I won't waste it."
"From this moment on," Antony said, "you're no longer the Winter Soldier."
He studied the metal arm.
"Your new codename… is Silverhand Bucky."
"Silverhand…" Bucky repeated quietly, glancing at his left arm. "It sounds better than Winter Soldier."
He hesitated.
"My mind… what if those Russian trigger words—"
Right on cue, the door knocked again.
Wanda Maximoff stepped in, dressed casually in a hoodie, looking more like a college student than one of the most dangerous beings alive.
"This is Wanda," Antony introduced. "You can consider her Vought's chief therapist… though her methods are unconventional."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Barnes," Wanda said politely.
"She?" Bucky raised an eyebrow.
Antony looked to Wanda.
"Help our new teammate."
"Of course, Antony."
Wanda approached Bucky. Scarlet energy shimmered at her fingertips.
Antony could have erased the trigger commands instantly with the Mind Stone—
But there were things he preferred to keep hidden.
"Sit. Relax," Wanda said gently. "It may feel like a nightmare."
"I've been living in one for seventy years," Bucky replied, closing his eyes.
Scarlet threads of chaos energy seeped into his mind.
From Wanda's perspective, Bucky's consciousness was a tangled gray mass.
At its core—
A black stone tablet etched with Russian words.
"Longing… Rusted… Seventeen…"
"Found it."
Her eyes flared red.
"These do not belong here."
She pulled outward sharply.
"Ghh—!"
Bucky groaned in pain, muscles locking. His metal hand crushed the edge of the wooden desk into splinters.
Steve instinctively stepped forward—
Antony held him back.
"Rebirth is rarely painless."
One minute later—
Wanda withdrew her hands and nodded.
"It's done."
Bucky opened his eyes, breathing heavily. Sweat soaked his shirt.
Steve gripped him. "Bucky? How do you feel?"
"The voice…" Bucky whispered. "It's gone."
He tried recalling the trigger words.
Nothing happened.
No fear.
No pull.
"I'm… free."
He looked at Wanda.
Then at Antony.
For the first time in decades—
He smiled without weight.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. Standard employee benefits package," Antony replied with genuine satisfaction as the System chimed again.
[Special Popularity Gained +10,000 (From Bucky Barnes)]
[Special Popularity Gained +10,000 (From Steve Rogers)]
With the personal matter resolved, Antony tapped the desk.
"Now. Business."
He turned to Steve.
"Captain. I need you to build a new team."
"A new team?" Steve blinked.
"The Seven are handling global deterrence, public appearances, and increasingly aggressive media production."
"We need something different."
"Mobile. Tactical. Specialized."
"A strike unit built for precision threats and counter-terror operations."
Antony pointed at Steve.
Then at Bucky.
"I've already chosen the name."
"The Howling Commandos."
Steve's eyes widened.
The Howling Commandos.
His proudest years.
Fighting beside Bucky and the others in World War II.
"You're serious?" His voice trembled slightly.
"Completely."
"The name is old."
"The structure is new."
"Bucky is your first member."
Steve glanced at Bucky.
"…Are you sure that's appropriate?"
"More than appropriate."
Antony stood and walked toward the window, back to them.
"This is legacy, Steve."
He looked out over the city skyline.
"Retro… is the new trend."
--------------
T/N:
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