The moment everyone was thrown into the time tunnel, both the Omnitrix on Jack's hand and Emma's issued a warning.
[The user is in a dangerous environment.]
[Critical temporal anomaly detected.]
[Wearer survival probability: 0%.]
[No available unlocked DNA sample suitable.]
[Emergency Protocol Activated.]
[Accessing restricted DNA template...]
[Chronosapien DNA temporarily synchronized.]
[Emergency transformation initiated.]
Without giving them any time to react, both Emma and Jack transformed into a Chronosapien—the Clockwork alien, one of the few species capable of surviving temporal anomalies.
The endless tunnel around them was filled with raging blue temporal energy. Countless streams of light rushed past at impossible speeds as fragments of different places and eras flashed around them for brief moments before disappearing. The violent current twisted everyone in different directions, threatening to tear them apart.
Acting on pure instinct, Jack tightened his grip on Gwen's hand while Emma held tightly onto Morgan. Golden energy flowed from their Clockwork forms, shielding Gwen and Morgan from the violent temporal storm.
Before they could even realize what was happening or gain control over their new powers, a powerful surge erupted through the tunnel, separating them. Emma and Morgan were suddenly thrown out of the time tunnel.
"Emma!" Jack tried to follow Emma, but without knowing how to control his powers, he was thrown to the other side of the tunnel.
In a hidden alley somewhere in New York, Emma and Morgan were suddenly thrown out of the time tunnel.
Emma hit the ground first with a loud thud.
"Oof!"
A split second later, Morgan crashed right on top of her.
"Ouch!"
[Temporal anomaly cleared.]
[Emergency Protocol completed.]
[Restricted DNA synchronization terminated.]
[Emergency transformation ended.]
As the final notification faded from the Omnitrix display, Emma's Clockwork form dissolved into green light, and she returned to her human form.
"Ahh... my head is spinning..." Emma groaned, trying to sit up.
"Mine too..." Morgan muttered.
"Hey... get off me first!" Emma complained, pushing Morgan off her. "You're heavier than you look."
Morgan rolled to the side and glared at her.
"I was literally falling from the sky."
Emma rubbed the back of her head before looking around.
"Where are we? What happened to Dad and Mom?"
"What happened? How did we end up here?" Morgan asked as she stood up and looked around the unfamiliar alley.
"The time machine went crazy and threw all of us into that time tunnel." Emma scratched her head. "Luckily, my Omnitrix has some kind of emergency safety mechanism. It transformed me into a Clockwork alien to keep us alive. I don't remember much after that—I only remember protecting you before we got thrown out."
She suddenly clenched her fist with an annoyed expression.
"But that alien was so cool! Why does Dad never let me use it?"
"Did we time travel again?" Morgan let out a long breath. "That was the worst time travel experience."
"Yeah..." Emma nodded. "For a second, I really thought we were going to die."
Morgan looked at her own hands.
"We've time traveled a few times before, but nothing like that. If the Omnitrix hadn't activated that emergency protocol..." She didn't finish the sentence.
A brief silence fell between them.
"Since we came out safely, they should've come out too, right?" Morgan said, trying to stay optimistic. "Friday, can you connect to Red Queen?"
Morgan asked Friday to establish a connection with the Red Queen system on Jack and Gwen's suits.
"No, Morgan. I can't establish a connection with Red Queen. They may be out of communication range."
Morgan frowned. "That's the worst news."
"Friday, can you check what time period we're in right now?"
"Sorry. We seem to have arrived in an area without any internet access. However, based on intercepted radio broadcasts, the probability exceeds 99% that we are currently in the year 1943."
"1943? That's when World War II was happening, right?" Emma asked.
"1943..." Morgan repeated slowly.
"This year is really special."
"What's so special about it?" Emma asked, not quite understanding.
"Were you even paying attention in history class? This is the year Captain America started fighting Hydra."
" Oh... it's that Capsicle," Emma finally understood.
"Don't copy my dad's way of talking." Morgan sighed. "Tell me—what do we do next?"
"I remember seeing Dad also transform into the Clockwork Alien like me and survive the time tunnel. So there's no doubt they were saved. As for why they're not here, they probably landed somewhere else."
"That's possible." Morgan nodded. "We can search for them. I also think we should head toward Grandpa. If Uncle Jack and Aunt Gwen ended up in this time too, they'll definitely think of looking for Grandpa first. If we're nearby, it'll be much easier for them to find us."
"Mm, but you forgot about the Ancient One. We only ended up here because of the favor she asked of us, so she should be able to help us find Dad and Mom."
"Ah, I completely forgot about her. Let's look for Uncle Jack and Gwen first. If we can't find them ourselves, we'll go find the Ancient One. " Morgan said.
Undoing her Iron Man suit, both Emma and Morgan walked out of the alley.
"Wow... this place looks totally different," Emma exclaimed.
The streets were lined with old-fashioned buildings, while vintage cars rumbled along the roads. Men in suits and hats hurried past, and women in dresses chatted as they walked by. Newspaper boys stood on the street corners shouting the latest headlines, while American flags and war posters hung outside many shops. It was completely different from both the future they came from and 2008. The entire city felt older, slower, and strangely alive in a way Emma couldn't quite describe.
As they walked, more and more people began glancing at them. Some even slowed down for a moment, clearly puzzled by the strange clothes the two girls were wearing.
"Why are these people looking at us so weirdly?" Emma muttered.
"It must be our clothes." Morgan glanced down at her jeans and T-shirt. "We look completely different from everyone else."
"Then let's buy some clothes first." Emma said after spotting a clothing store nearby and immediately started walking toward it.
"Stop." Morgan grabbed her hand. "We don't have any money from this time period."
Emma stopped in her tracks.
"Oops... I forgot about that."
"Let me think of something."
Not wanting to attract any more attention, the two girls slipped into another alley.
But as they walked farther inside, they noticed a large man beating up another man who looked much weaker.
"It looks like that big guy is bullying the weaker one," Emma said.
"I can do this all day." The skinny young man slowly got back to his feet. Just then, he noticed two young girls standing at the entrance of the alley. For a brief second, he frowned, wondering why kids were wandering into such a dangerous place.
Before he could even think any further—
Punch!
Another punch sent him crashing back onto the ground.
"Let's help him."
Before Morgan could stop her, Emma sprinted forward. Stepping onto a nearby trash can, she jumped into the air and kicked the bully in the side of the head.
"Ow! What the—"
The bully stumbled a few steps before turning around.
Seeing that it was two girls—both looking no older than twelve and dressed in strange clothes—he simply stared in disbelief.
"...Kids?"
"Come on then." Emma raised her fists. "Let's fight."
The bully scratched his head, completely speechless. He bullied weak people, but even he wasn't shameless enough to throw punches at little girls.
Before anyone could move—
"Hey!"
A voice echoed from the alley entrance.
"If you're looking for a fight, pick someone your own size."
A young man in an army uniform rushed over and threw a punch, forcing the bully to stumble backward.
Recognizing the military uniform, the bully cursed under his breath before turning around and running away.
Bucky shook his head.
"Seriously, Steve... I leave you alone for five minutes..."
He then looked toward Emma and Morgan.
"Are you two okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"We're fine." Emma crossed her arms. "It's not like we needed your help."
Morgan sighed.
"Emma, why are you sticking your nose into other people's business? Don't forget we're in the past now. We need to keep a low profile."
"What's there to be afraid of?" Emma shrugged. "Saving someone from a bully isn't going to change history."
"That's not the point." Morgan pinched the bridge of her nose, already getting a headache from Emma's carefree attitude.
Steve wiped the blood from his nose with a handkerchief and gave them a grateful smile.
"Still... thanks for trying to help. That was pretty brave, but you really shouldn't run into fights like that."
"Hmm... we were trying to save you, skinny guy." Emma replied honestly.
Steve laughed awkwardly.
"Fair enough." He extended his hand. "I'm Steve Rogers."
He pointed beside him.
"And this is my best friend, Bucky Barnes."
Bucky looked the two girls up and down, especially their unusual clothes.
"You two aren't from around here, are you? These alleys aren't exactly safe."
"Steve Rogers..."
Emma and Morgan exchanged a glance.
Looking at the skinny young man more carefully, they could finally recognize the familiar face hidden beneath the bruises.
This was Captain America...
Before he became Captain America.
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:
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