Marvel: Omnitrix In The Multiverse

Seeing Steve fall silent in thought, Mercer secretly congratulated himself, convinced he was a genius for coming up with this idea. Instead of forcing Steve out of the project, he had simply scared him into quitting on his own.

After a long moment, Steve looked at Dr. Mercer with the expression of someone who had already made up his mind.

"Dr. Mercer, I understand this project is very dangerous, and it might even kill me. Honestly... I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid."

Hearing those words, Mercer felt a surge of pride. It worked.

But before he could enjoy his victory, Steve continued.

"But I’m even more afraid of being left behind. While other men are out there risking their lives for this country, I’d be doing nothing, completely helpless. I couldn’t live with that. And since this project is so important, even if I step away, someone else will take my place. If this experiment succeeds, it could save countless soldiers. And if it fails..." Steve lowered his head for a moment before smiling faintly. "Then maybe my life will spare someone else’s. Either way, I think it’s a risk worth taking."

...What?

Mercer stared at Steve, completely caught off guard.

What is this guy talking about? This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. Shouldn’t he be thanking me for warning him?

Is he some idiot with a hero complex... or is he much smarter than he looks? Is he pretending to believe me while seeing through everything I said?

For the first time, Mercer couldn’t read the man sitting beside him.

"Soldiers, assembly!"

The instructor’s voice echoed across the training grounds.

Steve immediately stood up.

"Doctor, it was nice meeting you. I should get back to training," Steve said with a polite smile before jogging back toward his squad.

Mercer remained seated, silently watching Steve leave.

...Where exactly did my plan go wrong?

On the other side, Morgan and Emma, watching through the nano-insects, had seen and heard the entire conversation. Thanks to Friday, they could even read Mercer’s lips from a distance.

Emma suddenly burst into laughter.

"Did you see Mercer’s face?" she said, trying to hold back another laugh. "He thought he’d convinced Steve to quit, but Steve completely turned it around. He actually looked kind of cool just now... like the hero in one of those movies."

Morgan couldn’t help smiling a little.

"Yeah. Mercer definitely wasn’t expecting that."

Emma pointed at Mercer on the live screen.

"And look at his face. It doesn’t look like he’s giving up anytime soon. Since he couldn’t change Dr. Erskine’s mind, he went after Steve instead. Too bad it completely backfired."

Morgan nodded.

"I still don’t understand what he’s trying to accomplish by replacing the candidate. If Steve never becomes Captain America... what happens to the future?"

"Is he trying to create another parallel timeline?" Emma asked.

Morgan shook her head.

"Normally, that’s what should happen. But if every little thing we changed created another parallel universe, there’d be countless new timelines every time we traveled to the past. The Ancient One said our universe doesn’t work like that."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"Some of the things we do may have already happened in the past. We only think we’re changing history, but we’re actually fulfilling it. Those events don’t change the future at all."

"As for the rest, small changes usually don’t matter. They happen without affecting the overall flow of history. But major events... the ones that shape the future... are different. If someone tries to force those events to change, the timeline pushes back. That’s the backlash the Ancient One warned us about."

Emma frowned.

"So... is Steve becoming Captain America one of those major events?"

Morgan shook her head.

"I don’t know. And that’s exactly why we can’t take the risk. If it’s a fixed event, trying to change it could trigger a backlash. But if it isn’t... then history could really change. Imagine if Steve never became Captain America, and someone else... or even a Hydra agent... took his place instead."

Emma’s smile disappeared.

"Yeah... let’s not find out."

While Emma and Morgan discussed Mercer’s next move, Mercer himself had already returned to his quarters. Sitting alone, he slowly spun a globe on his desk with one hand, deep in thought.

"Seeing that guy’s face... I really want to punch him," Emma said confidently, throwing a punch into the air.

Morgan rolled her eyes.

"Don’t do anything reckless. If he escapes before we find out what he’s planning, we’ll lose our only lead."

Emma crossed her arms.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. How many times today are you gonna tell me the same thing?"

Just as the two were talking, Friday suddenly spoke.

"Master, someone has entered Dr. Mercer’s quarters."

Both of them immediately turned their attention back to the live feed.

The door slowly opened.

The same Hydra member Emma had discovered a few days earlier stepped inside.

After carefully checking the room to make sure no one else was around, he closed the door and sat across from Mercer.

"Where have you been these last four days? No contact. Nothing," the Hydra agent asked, unable to hide the annoyance in his voice.

Mercer didn’t even bother looking up from the globe in his hand.

"I go wherever I want." He let out a mocking chuckle. "And who exactly are you to demand I report my whereabouts?"

"Hmph. Mercer, don’t forget, without our help, you wouldn’t have the life you have now. You wouldn’t even have been able to set foot in this place. Herr Schmidt won’t be pleased if this mission fails," the Hydra agent replied, his voice growing colder.

Mercer finally raised his head. His eyes slowly swept over the young blond man sitting across from him.

Just another brainwashed fanatic, Mercer thought dismissively.

A faint smile slowly appeared on his face.

"You’re forgetting something." His voice remained calm, yet every word carried unmistakable arrogance. "I don’t work for your Herr Schmidt. This was a deal, nothing more. He got what he wanted, and I got what I wanted. Nothing more. Nothing less."

His smile slowly disappeared.

"So don’t ever speak to me in that tone again... boy."

The room fell completely silent.

The Hydra agent instinctively stiffened. The confidence he had when entering the room vanished almost instantly. Sitting across from Mercer, he suddenly felt as though he were facing a venomous snake waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

A/N: The Patreon version is already updated with 20 advanced Chapters. If you’d like to read ahead of the public release schedule, you can join here:

👉 patreon.com/BenBlazecraft