Somewhere to Belong Ch. 17 (DC/Multi)

(Every character depicted in the story below is a consenting legal adult over the age of 18)

A/N: Wrapping things up in the MCU for now~

-x-X-x-

“Director Carter, your three o’clock is here.”

“Thank you Meredith, see him in.”

A moment passes and the door to her office opens as Peggy Carter lifts her head to meet the big blue eyes of Earth’s resident alien visitor. She can’t help but smile at the sight of him, even as Myk-Zod steps inside and gives her secretary a nod.

Meredith closes the door for him, allowing Myk-Zod to cross the office with long powerful strides. The alien man is built like a truck, same as Steve but a hundred times stronger, so it’s all but impossible for him to move timidly anywhere.

And yet… there’s a shadow on his face as he sits down across from her that gives Peggy pause. She starts to suspect this meeting isn’t going to be entirely good news.

“Good to see you, Peggy. Good to see that you’re doing well. Director of SHIELD after Phillips retired… congratulations are in order, aren’t they?”

It’s been five years since the war ended. Five years in which Peggy has to admit that she’s seen a lot less of Myk-Zod then she would have preferred. They’d helped him get set up over in America after the war, getting him a proper identity as well as enough money to do what he liked.

But of course, they’d also offered him a position at SHIELD when it was just being formed from the remnants of the SSR after the war, a position that he’d rejected. It was honestly a little disappointing… the Founders of SHIELD numbered five when they should have numbered six in her opinion. Myk-Zod had deserved a place at their side just as much as she, Steve, Bucky, Howard, and Chester did.

It was his choice to turn it down though. He had other things he needed to do, or so he’d said. And now here they were, five years later, finally face to face again. Peggy couldn’t really complain though… her life had never been better and it was in large part due to the alien on the other side of her desk.

“Thank you, yes. It was something of an uphill battle. Washington wasn’t too sure about having an ‘emotional woman’ in charge of the organization. However, Chester put his foot down… and Howard, Steve, and Bucky all backed us up. So they didn’t really have a choice.”

Myk-Zod chuckles at that.

“No, I imagine they wouldn’t would they? Not when their war heroes and the man who designs their shiniest weapons are all ready to raise a fuss about things.”

Yes… in the aftermath of World War Two and Hydra’s defeat, everything was… well, it had ended better than Peggy was expecting. Myk-Zod saving Steve and Bucky from the ice had been of great impact, not just to her on a personal level, but also to the world at large. Captain America was more than just a hero… he was a symbol. He represented a better way. And the best part was, the man behind the mask truly was exactly what he seemed to be in every possible way.

She and Steve had married a few years ago now, though she hadn’t taken his name… nor had he asked her to. They had two children at this point, a boy and a girl. The girl was named after Steve’s mother while the boy…

“While I have you here, I have to show you pictures of the children. They’re getting so big. Michael seems like he’ll be taking after his father.”

Peggy shows Myk-Zod her photos, the alien man smiling softly as he stares at the captured images of her son and daughter. When her son had been born, neither Peggy nor Steve could think of anything better than to name him after the man who had saved Steve and Bucky’s lives… and Bucky for the second time at all.

But of course, eventually they need to get back to business. Once the pictures are all away, Peggy composes herself, folding her hands on the desk in front of her.

“It’s been quite a while… you’ve sent some ideas to us by way of Howard before this, but you’ve never come to SHIELD itself for a proper meeting. What’s this about, exactly?”

Indeed, Myk-Zod and Howard’s scientific rivalry had continued on over the years… though by now Peggy had her suspicions about just how one sided it was. Howard still didn’t know the truth about Myk-Zod or his power, so he had never realized that the alien was sort of humoring him.

Knowing what she knew though, it seemed to her more like Myk-Zod was helping Howard along from what the aggravated scientist told her. He would come to her ranting and raving about their latest correspondence but would always leave her with the impression that Myk-Zod’s ideas were constantly stoking Howard to greater and greater heights.

“Yes, I have to admit that I wish I had visited earlier, if only to tell you how ridiculous the full title of your organization was. Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division? Really?”

Peggy blushes a little at that, shrugging her shoulders with a wry smirk.

“Well. We knew we wanted to call the organization SHIELD, but you know how America is. They love their alphabet agencies. So we had to… work backwards, so to speak.”

Myk-Zod doesn’t seem impressed, letting out a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat. But Peggy sees through it and leans forward, her eyes narrowing.

“You’re deflecting, trying to distract me by changing the subject. Why are you here, Myk-Zod?”

Tilting his head to the side, Myk-Zod pauses for a moment… which only makes Peggy tense up further. What could possibly have him hesitating this much? What could possibly give someone of his power level such pause?

“… I’ll be departing your world today.”

The words, when they finally come, are as relieving as they are distressing, funnily enough. In an instant, all of Peggy’s tension evaporates. On the one hand, losing a genius mind and physical powerhouse like Myk-Zod was certainly rough… they hadn’t needed his immense strength or speed or power in the past few years but that wasn’t to say they wouldn’t ever need it. On the other hand though…

“Honestly, I expected you to leave long ago. I know it was only Zola and the stolen blood keeping you with us back during the war.”

Though, Peggy suspected she knew why he’d stuck around. That woman he’d brought back with him from Zola’s laboratory… perhaps he felt responsible for her in some way. Admittedly, she still didn’t know much about her. She’d tried to look into the woman’s identity once but hadn’t managed to turn anything up.

“Yes, well… I decided to stick around a little while longer for a few reasons. One of which… was this.”

Peggy blinks as Myk-Zod reaches into his pocket… and pulls out a vial of glowing blue fluid. He sets it down on the desk between them as Peggy just stares at it. He doesn’t say anything… but then, he really doesn’t need to, does he? After all, Peggy knows full well what she’s looking at. She’s one of the few people in the entire world who has seen it before with her own eyes.

“This is…”

“Dr. Erskine’s Super Soldier Serum? Yes, it is.”

Reaching out slowly as thought it’ll disappear on her if she moves too fast, Peggy wraps trembling fingers around the vial. She then takes a moment to force herself to calm down before lifting the vial up off of the desk so she can look at it more closely.

“How… how did you get this?”

Myk-Zod chuckles at that.

“Come now Peggy. You insult my intelligence. You and I both know I made it.”

… He’s right, deep down she had known that. It was just hard to wrap her head around. Myk-Zod was a genius without peer… but then to be fair, his brilliance was quite literally out of this world. Still, the alien scientist had never shown any desire to recreate Erskine’s lost serum back during the war. He’d focused more on technological support for Steve and the rest of the Howling Commandos, the same as Howard.

Ever since the war’s end though… one of SHIELD’s primary missions had been to try and recreate the Super Soldier Serum. It was a project that Howard Stark had been helming even as his company Stark Industries had been gaining traction and getting bigger and bigger with each passing day.

With the help of Steve, they’d been making steady progress… but Howard had still estimated it would be a few decades more before they could actually manage anything. And yet, here she was sitting with a vial of the serum in her hands.

“It’s more concentrated, of course. And you don’t need the Vita Rays like Steve did to use it. Anyone could drink that vial and come out the other side with the same enhancements as Captain America.”

That… that sends a shiver down Peggy’s back. That wasn’t just recreating Erskine’s serum then. That was iterating and improving on it. Massively. Literally anyone who got their hands on this vial could become a dangerous threat with a single swig.

“I didn’t want to leave you all with nothing before I departed. I might be gone… but I know you and Steve and Bucky won’t stop doing the good, honest work you’re doing here.”

Taking in a deep breath and then letting it out, Peggy rises from her chair and circles around the desk. Myk-Zod does the same just in time for her to throw her arms around him and give him a fierce hug. He returns it, respectfully of course, hugging her right back with a sort of cautious strength that reminds her of the power he has lurking beneath the surface.

When they finally pull apart, Peggy can’t help the slightly watery smile she gives him.

“Thank you, Myk-Zod. For everything you’ve done for us.”

Then, quickly wiping her tears away before they can fall, she clears her throat.

“Surely you could stay a day longer though? Steve and I would love to host you for dinner, have you meet the children. It would be wonderful to have you.”

But Myk-Zod shakes his head with a soft smile.

“I’d say I’ve overstayed my welcome on your world long enough, Peggy. But I appreciate the offer all the same. Give Steve my best… and Bucky when you see him as well.”

Peggy arches a brow at that, a wry smile reaching her lips.

“Nothing for Howard?”

Here, Myk-Zod grins wickedly.

“Oh, I’ve already been to see Howard. I visited his lab before my meeting with you. Had to make sure to light one more fire under his ass before I departed, I figured.”

That… Peggy can only hope Myk-Zod didn’t go too far with it. Howard could get in quite the state whenever he felt like he was once again being upstaged by the alien man…

But alas, she couldn’t very well complain, could she? Not when she’s still holding the dose of Super Soldier Serum in her hand. Hopefully Howard would be able to produce more with a direct sample. Myk-Zod certainly seemed to think so, or he wouldn’t have only given her the one dose.

“Best of luck, Peggy.”

And with that, Myk-Zod turns and leaves. Peggy watches him go for a long moment before returning to her desk and setting the vial of Super Soldier Serum down on it. She stares at it for a long time before calling out to Meredith to get Howard on the line. Time to see how badly the scientist was frothing at the mouth… and then give him the ‘good’ news, hah.

-x-X-x-

As Myk-Zod steps outside into fresh air, a nondescript blonde steps up beside him, having been waiting for him out front of the building. They hook arms together and begin walking down the street without hesitation.

“All done?”

Myk-Zod chuckles at Mystique’s forcibly casual tone.

“Yep, all done. You still don’t approve, do you?”

The mutant shapeshifter huffs.

“… I trust in the likes of Captain Rogers, Sergeant Barnes, and Director Carter. However, they’re not going to be around forever. Someone might eventually come around and misuse your gift.”

It was a fair argument… but the two of them had already talked this topic to death. There was a reason that Myk-Zod hadn’t made something closer to Zola’s Elixir though. Erskine’s Super Soldier Serum was powerful, don’t get him wrong… but having a bunch of people on Steve Roger’s level running around wouldn’t necessarily end the world. Having a bunch of humans on his and Mystique’s level flying around… that would.

In the end, he’d left it in capable hands. And ultimately… it wasn’t going to be their problem anymore.

“Shall we?”

As they turn a corner and step into a dark alley, Mystique hums and nods, looking down at his armband with no small amount of anticipation as she happily sheds her outer layers, stripping down to a similar suit as to what he’s wearing. Bringing her with him is simple enough… but they won’t be bringing much else.

That’s okay though, because quite frankly… this world doesn’t have the technology Myk-Zod needs to achieve anything remotely of note. Even the modifications he’d made to Erskine’s Super Soldier Serum had taken an unacceptable amount of time because of how low tech the Earth was.

Though… it had allowed him and Mystique to give a certain U.S. Private some more good times to remember them by before they left. And Lorraine had actually been happy enough to see ‘Raven’ safe and sound that she hadn’t even been too mad at them for all the lies.

Alas, Lorraine had eventually found someone else to settle down with and with the completion and delivery of the serum, Myk-Zod and Mystique no longer had any reason to stay on this world.

Wrapping an arm tightly around his passenger, Myk-Zod brings his other hand up to the armband on said arm… and a moment later he and Mystique vanish from view.

-x-X-x-

This time around, Myk-Zod does not find himself in a hallway, but rather high above a brand new planet’s surface in the air. He instinctively tightens his grip on Mystique even though she can fly by now as well and looks around.

What he sees in every direction does not seem promising. There’s a city below… or once was. The city is in ruins, utterly destroyed and from the sheer amount of debris and dust in the air, it’s a recent destruction as well. Through all of the smoke, he can make out a destroyed sign that reads ‘New Gettysburg’ in English of all things. Had he somehow traveled to another Earth with more humans?

Except… he doesn’t see humans anywhere. Instead, in every direction, filling the skies, he sees monstrous bat like creatures with slavering jaws and eyes filled with hate and violence.

… And some of them are starting to notice him and Mystique floating haplessly in their midst.

-x-X-x-

A/N: Remember to Vote, leave a Like, and let me know what you think!

-x-X-x-

Google Doc Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vvfHolvPHAgVp3JdNfNYkBjEyk1XcACuiSykIv9BkcM/edit?tab=t.0