The barn creaked under a gust of wind as Bill sat with his family, the faint glow of Lily's hands casting shadows on the walls. Clara's voice trembled as she asked, "Bill, what happened back there? You weren't you."Before he could answer, a sharp pain lanced through his skull. He clutched his head, groaning, as the Template System's voice cut in:
"Template System Activated. Emotional Threshold: Anger. Additional function unlocked: Memory Integration. Downloading host's latent knowledge of Marvel Universe threats."Images flooded his mind—vivid, brutal, and unrelenting. He saw Sentinels towering over cities, their lasers incinerating mutants. Magneto ripping bridges apart, his voice declaring war. The Phoenix Force consuming Jean Grey, a cosmic fire that devoured worlds. Apocalypse's shadow, the Brotherhood's chaos, the Purifiers' hate—all the dangers of the Marvel comics he'd once read as fiction, now real and pressing. He gasped, staggering to his knees."Bill!" Clara rushed to him, Lily close behind. "What's wrong?"He forced the words out, voice hoarse. "Memories… this world. It's worse than I thought. Sentinels aren't the half of it. There's Magneto, the Phoenix, things that could end us all. I saw it—everything I knew from before I came here."Lily's eyes widened. "Before? Dad, what do you mean?"He hesitated, then decided they deserved the truth. "I wasn't born here. I… I died somewhere else, woke up in this body years ago. I thought I could avoid the mess—live quiet. But now I remember how dangerous this place is. And I won't let it touch you."The system chimed:
"Memory Integration complete. Host emotional state: Protective. Template: The Hulk on standby. Recommendation: Prepare for escalating threats."Clara squeezed his hand. "We're still us, Bill. Whatever you are, we're with you."Lily nodded, her glow steadying. "I trust you, Dad."Bill pulled them close, the weight of those memories fueling his resolve. This wasn't just about police or Sentinels anymore—it was about a world where gods and monsters clashed, and his family was caught in the crossfire.