Forced Legacy
3 years ago, the greatest villain to ever exist was finally defeated. It took the combined force of the Avengers, X-Men and every other hero, even some villains to defeat the monster.
There wasn't a soul on this planet that didn't know of the day all hell broke loose between the strongest powers in the world, against the sole terrorist that wreaked havoc on the world.
Countless lives were lost, heroes, villains and civilians alike. After days of constant war, the villain was finally put down, not without sacrifice.
A few months after the battle, it was revealed that the entire state of Florida, where the battle ended, was completely wiped out. The once highly developed state was now a wasteland without a hint of life.
There were rumours the state was destroyed, however, it was nothing more than conspiracy theories. An announcement was made by the President, explaining why they kept it a secret for so long. However, they failed to calm the minds of the public.
Soon after, anarchy ensued. Violence and destruction in the streets of America. The public was outraged, furious at the fact that something like this was hidden from them for so long. These rebellions were mostly led by former residents of Florida, the very few who were able to evacuate. Their dream of one day returning to their homes was now diminished.
It had been a year since the small civil war had started. As a means to calm the public, the government established a small group of young superpowered teens that would be trained so that an event like this would never repeat itself.
Those 6 teens became the new light that shined on the world, a symbol of peace and everlasting lull. They were soon named The Rising Vanguard.
It was because of this villain, the world had changed so much.
That villain was none other than Armando Muñoz, aka Darwin.
The door to Isaac's hospital room slammed open as the young boy in his gown walked out in hurried steps.
"Wait, where are you going?" Asked Darwin in a worried voice.
"I'm going to find my father. I'm practically harbouring a mass murderer." Said Isaac with a heavy expression as countless people looked around, trying to find the source of the spontaneous tremors.
"No, you can't!" He yells.
Isaac ignored him as he exited the building, only to find his father was long gone.
"That's fine, I'll send out an SOS signal." He said, walking back into the hospital.
"Isaac, listen to me. You promised you'd hear me out."
"That was before you told me you were a planetary-level villain." Says Isaac, trying his best to add the frustration he was feeling to his voice without giving the surrounding doctors reason to believe he needed to be strapped to his bed.
"Don't you want to know what really happened on that day? Three years ago?"
"I already know what happened, you attacked America like a madman for no apparent reason, killing thousands." The more Isaac talked to the man, the more he started to realise he was speaking to a murderer who was trying to justify his actions.
"That's not what happened. There's more to it."
Isaac paused in his steps as he looked straight ahead. Truthfully, Isaac was incredibly curious about what was going on right now, but his morals were clashing with his interests.
"You have 5 minutes." Said Isaac after walking back into his room and sitting on the floor, a large crack forming beneath his ass.
"Three years ago. What do you entirely know about that day? What does anyone know? Even the people who were there were clueless."
"Enough with the riddles. Get to the point."
"Isaac, I'm trying to tell you I'm innocent. I'm not the villain the world thinks I am. I was set up."
"By whom?" Asks Isaac, whose curiosity grows by the second.
"A man who has no name. He seemingly appeared from nowhere. However, I do know one thing for sure. He's in one of the most powerful classes of mutants, an Omega Level."
Isaac raises an eyebrow.
"I've never heard of someone like that." He says simply.
"No one has, not even me for a long time. He appeared out of nowhere with the cliché villainous goal to shape the world in his own image, wiping out anything that doesn't make the cut from existence." A villain that could delete anything from existence? Isaac was definitely locked in.
"How so?"
"Well, do you remember the Abyssmals?"
Isaac shakes his head after the voice asks this.
"Exactly. A crime syndicate that was known far and wide. Even the X-Men struggled with them. One day, they no longer existed."
"So the only evidence for your claims is a man who no one has ever seen and a crime syndicate that doesn't exist? How convenient." Isaac was starting to rub his head. Despite him seeing crazy things today, this was pushing the limits of his sanity.
"I know it sounds outrageous, but allow me to finish."
Isaac paid attention to the supposed Darwin's voice and tone throughout their conversation. Isaac wasn't a master lie detector like his father or Natasha, however, he was skilled enough to notice the sudden change in tone, the stutters and pauses in one's words.
Usually, he could also observe their face and body language, however, that clearly wasn't a choice at the moment.
"I am a Mutant and my ability, the one which you now possess, is called Adaptable Evolution. The ability to adapt and evolve to your surroundings, similar to how you gained Steel Skin before getting shot."
Isaac widened his eyes after hearing this. Not for a second did he doubt this part of Darwin's words, seeing as how he experienced the ability. He now possessed the ability of the greatest villain to ever exist, the same villain who was able to go toe to toe with the Avengers and X-Men.
"After the mysterious man wiped the Abysmalls from existence, I gained an evolution that allowed me to remember the original reality of this world, even if it was changed countless times."
"I'll be honest, a guy who isn't doing anyone harm and lives to just delete bad guys doesn't sound too bad." Isaac voiced his opinions, to which Darwin gave a quick response.
"If it were just that, then possibly yes, it wouldn't be alarming. But why do you think I gained the evolution? My ability only acts when my life is in danger. I could only assume if I were to allow the mysterious man to proceed, it would soon risk my and my loved one's lives."
Isaac stayed quiet, thinking the response somewhat made sense. After all, that was how he gained his ability.
"I hunted him down and it ended with him turning everyone I considered a friend against me."
"That's vague. Care to elaborate?" Said Isaac, to which Darwin sighed.
"In the span of a few hours, destruction wreaked havoc on America, courtesy of the mysterious man. After the heroes came, they found me at the scene of the crime."
"They tried to apprehend me, but my ability kicked in, sensing danger. Before I knew it, I was in an involuntary war against the heroes, with my ability trying its best to protect me."
Isaac still found the answer to be vague however, decided to keep listening.
"In the end, I lost. But you see, my ability is that of an Omega Level Mutant. One of the most powerful." Darwin said, his voice laced with arrogance.
Isaac raised an eyebrow at the man's claim. Isaac didn't know much about Darwin, but it was clear he was the cocky type. Even at a time like this, he was gloating.
"I mean, it's a miracle they beat me at all. I guess this is my ability's way of keeping me alive. By passing my soul and abilities over to you."
"Why me?" Isaac asked the question that had been eating at him for the last hour.
"That I can't tell you. Believe me, I'd much rather my consciousness be passed onto Tony Stark or even your father, instead of a random kid."
Isaac sighed, ignoring the rude remark that was just thrown at him. The truth was, other than the abilities, no evidence could allow Isaac to believe Darwin's words.
The odds were stacked against Darwin and any normal person wouldn't believe a single word he said. However, if what he said was true, there was someone out there playing god. A threat greater than anything on the face of this earth.
"So what now? What do you want from me?" Asked Isaac with a clue of what Darwin might ask.
"Well, it's simple. You now carry my abilities and knowledge within you. With both those weapons, you can fix my mistakes and succeed where I failed." Said Darwin with a pause.
Isaac breathed in, knowing his life from here on out would never be the same.
"Isaac Fury, with my will and legacy, it's up to you to save the world."