Chapter 2

OP Song:

Ivy Levan - Who Can You Trust (From The SPY Soundtrack Album)

Insert Song: Start

Captain America Soundtrack - 24 Passage of Time

Touma Kamijou... ...or rather, Steve Rogers, told Heaven Canceller everything. Down to the last important detail.

Of course, he could not recount literally everything that had happened to his life because it would take too long, but a general summary of his life would suffice, specifically that of his first world, starting with his origin story. The second life that he had was more spots and wrinkles, very unreliable sometimes, something he could barely wrap his head around. He could recall bits and pieces here and there, but ultimately, it was his first world that he would recall with a clear head.

Taking a look back at his origin story, he was born on July 4, 1918, to Sarah and Joseph Rogers, two Irish immigrants living in Brooklyn, New York City. It was the night when the 12:00 struck, when Independence Day, a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, had begun once again. One would think that it was divine providence for Rogers to be born on that night, as that would forever define his destiny.

Before Rogers had been born, his father was confirmed to have been killed in action in World War I, and his mother raised him alone, instilling in him with the values of a strong sense of duty, honor, and humility. and an Irish Catholic upbringing, something that even now, he was grateful for.

Rogers lived with his mother in Hell's Kitchen, long known for being a bastion of poor and working-class Irish Americans, and its gritty reputation has long held real-estate prices below those of most other areas of Manhattan. He was born a frail youth who lived through the grueling period of the Great Depression, a severe global economic downturn that affected many countries across the world. Steve remembered that he used to go to a simple school located in the Lower East Side neighborhood. It was there that he learned the values of patriotism.

One day, when he was just playing with his toy soldiers, he was suddenly called by his mother, who was terminally ill due to tuberculosis that she contracted in the hospital where she worked. He could remember it clearly. His sick mother in bed, despite being a little frail, called him to her side and whispered.

"...You *cough* want to be a soldier like your father, don't you?"

He remembers his Irish mother, blonde, young but frail, wearing a pink dress. He remembers the tea set and cookies that he brought for her which were placed near the lamp. He remembers the gentle touch of her hand that caressed her face.

He remembered answering. "Yes, mama, more than anything."

She said with a sweet smile. "Well, I imagined that's what Joe would want. You and him. Acorn and tree. *cough*."

He hated seeing her like this. But there was not much he could do. This was not something he could really punch or kick. This was something that went beyond him. Many people may even curse God for this kind of thing. But Rogers didn't utter a word. All he ever did was take care of his mother. It was not in his nature to blame anyone. Whether it's God or the last man standing.

His mother would continue to speak, despite her coughs. "Once he got an idea lodged in his head, there's no shaking it loose either. Whatever you dream, you can be, but you're gonna have to fight for it. People are gonna spend your whole life taking one look at your body and telling you what you can't do. But they can't see like I do. It holds a heart ten times its size."

And he remembered his mother holding both of his hands. "You got no quit in you. Just promise your mama... you'll use your head too. Fine line between fearless and foolhardy. Took your father away from us too soon."

"I promise, mama."

And he tried to keep that promise ever since.

Years later, by 1936, his mother had passed away and would be buried next to his father. To pass the time and get his mind away from the lost a little, Rogers would spend his free time reading. Doesn't matter what. Books, newspapers, anything. He would even try to go and see the movies as well. At that time, he would hear rumors and forebodings of war that would be talked about non-stop.

Almost everywhere he would go, he'd always hear about the war that was happening in Europe. America had been staying neutral in the conflict at the time. He would hear rumors of a Fuhrer who had captured the hearts and minds of all of Germany with his raving speeches. With his own eyes, he would be horrified to see newsreel footage of the Nazis Party, the one who followed the mad Fuhrer, in ransacking and bombing Europe, and witnessing the brutal atrocities and inhuman treatment that the Empire of Japan had committed against China and Korea. And of course...

"Hail Hydra! Hail Hydra! Hail Hydra! Hail Hydra! Hail Hydra!"

The accursed phrase of his long-time enemy, the green and yellow spandex soldiers with their yellow or red snake eyes with a yellow H mark, or those black coated soldiers with red skull-tentacled imagery seen in their shoulders, the dreaded SS branch organization HYDRA, led by someone who would eventually become his most hated and fierce enemy, the Red Skull, who represented the worse traits that can be found in humanity. They were the ones who supplied powerful weapons that would be use to terrible effect by the Axis Powers.

And then, a darker day had happened. December 7, 1941. Pearl Harbor was attacked and bombed by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Casualties were high. Outrage sparked across the country. People were crying out for retribution due to this terrible atrocity. War was now inevitable.

With all of this happening before his eyes, Rogers could no longer turn a blind eye. He had tried to enlist in the US Army, many times, but was always rejected with a 4-f because of his frailty and sickness. He felt powerless. He wanted to fight, but he did not want to kill. What kind of soldier would not want to kill? That was Steve Rogers.

"I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from."

He spoke this phrase to one Dr. Abraham Erskine, the man who was testing him, the man who would eventually help him to become the man that he was destined to be. With the support of General Chester Philips of the US Army after overhearing the young frail man's earnest and genuine plea to fight for his country, he would eventually take part in a top-secret performance-enhancing experiment called Operation Rebirth.

After several weeks of testing, Rogers was at last administered with the Super-Soldier Serum. Given part of the compound intravenously and another part orally, Rogers was then bombarded by vita-rays, a special combination of exotic wavelengths of radiation designed to accelerate and stabilize the serum's effect on his body. Steve Rogers emerged from the vita-ray chamber with a perfect human body.

A blond with blue eyes and a handsome face and build, 6′2″ (1.88 m) in terms of height, 240 lbs (108.86 kg) in terms of weight, his once frail body became stronger than ever. He could now be capable of doing more physical work, and in some cases, even more so than the average person could muster. About 1000 pounds of lifting at the bare minimum. Easily able to press over 2 or more tons.

He remembered everyone in the room celebrating the birth of the new champion of the Allied Forces. The Day When Captain America, the Sentinel of Liberty, was born.

While he appreciated the claps, the one thing he could never forget was Dr. Erskine's proud smile. Erskine was in many ways his mentor whose teachings he treasured whenever he went on to battle, in life or in war, as Steve Rogers, as Captain America.

"Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are, not a perfect soldier, but a good man."

Tragedy would eventually follow from the celebration. A HYDRA spy, who had been observing the experiment, murdered Dr. Erskine in front of him. Determined to bring him to justice, Rogers would chase after him. Eventually, he manages to capture him, but he finds out too late that the man has already committed a suicide pill.

As the spy was dying on his last breath, he spoke words of venom that he could never forget, something that would forever define his conflict against HYDRA, whether in the darker days of World War II or in the modern day.

"Who the hell are you?!" he asked.

"The force of many. Cut off one head, agh, two more shall take its place. ...Hail Hydra..." the spy said, speaking his last words.

And that was only the beginning. He would eventually meet his future best friend, James Buchanan Barnes, whom he usually calls Bucky. They were the dynamic duo who would lead the fight against the Axis, especially HYDRA as much of the European Continent had been submerged under their rule. Making enemies, meeting allies, meeting creatures of myth and legend and beyond that he never thought were possible, and fighting in great and terrible battles that decided the fate of the world and the outcome of the war, eventually, it all came to a head in the year 1945. Adolf Hitler was already dead for the last few months, having committed suicide. The Nazis Party and all of the Axis Powers had surrendered, but HYDRA did not. They all fought to the bitter end, and it was the job of Captain America and his partner Bucky to take the organization down for good.

Though, it was not without losses. Bucky perished, or at the time he did as Captain America had thought, when he fell out of the Valkyrie, the warplane that was launched to target specific places in the United States. It was the very last time at the end of an era when he and his nemesis, the Red Skull, would fight for the last time. Eventually, he took the Red Skull with him as the plane would explode and crash into a block of ice.

There he lay for many years...

Frozen...

Seemed to be dead...

Before he was eventually found and discovered in the modern day. And... ...many adventures followed him while being reminded of his status as a Man Out Of Time. Many of the people that he knew had already passed away. Some like the former Canadian paratrooper and now a member of the X-Men, Wolverine, and the Director of SHIELD, Nick Fury, were still alive and kicking.

And then, there came a day unlike any other, when Earth's Mightiest Heroes were united against a common threat. A team that he considered more as a family.

The Avengers.

He remembered them all, most especially the prime members, and even as Touma Kamijou, he still cared for them as family.

There was the Invincible Iron Man, billionaire playboy Tony Stark, the son of an old friend, Howard Stark. There was the Incredible Hulk, whose alter-ego was the misfortunate but intelligent Dr. Banner. There was the Mighty Thor, the God of Thunder and Son of Odin. There was the Wonderful Wasp, the cheerful fashionista Janet Van Dyne. There was the Master of Many Sizes, with differing names over the years, whether if it was Ant-Man, Giant-Man, or unfortunately Yellow Jacket, Hank Pym. There was the Marksman Hawkeye, the cocky and confident, but competent Clint Barton. There was the Beauteous and Elusive Black Widow, the cool but trusted Natasha Romanoff.

On that day, the Avengers were born. To fight the evils that no one in the world could truly withstand. He remembers them all. The resurgence of HYDRA and the darker parts of World War II that were present in the modern day. Dangerous time travelling supervillains like Kang the Conqueror who wanted to conquer as many timelines as there were sands in the sea. The Masters of Evil led by none other than Captain America's enemy, Baron Heinrich Zemo. Alien invaders from beyond the stars. Standing ground against the Mad Titan Thanos who had brought the entirety of the universe to its very knees and no cosmic being or god could fully stop him without the dreaded and all-powerful Infinity Gems that he wielded with his full awesome might. And yet... there was Captain America, facing him down, walking towards him with his shield, showing no fear, impressing the Mad Titan.

He could name the many, many, many things that he would see and experience.

...But.

There was one particular threat that left an impression on him. A metallic being, with a jack-o-lantern grin that was dyed in the color of red. A mechanical and colder tone that desired nothing but the eradication of humanity. A creature born from the mind of one of his fellow Avengers. A nightmare that comes back over and over again. And the one who eventually killed him, when he - Captain America - would give up his very own life to save his world one last time, saving everyone, including the Avengers, to live and fight another day.

...That was what led to today. How Touma Kamijou came to be. He died a hero and was reborn once more.

"...I must say, this is quite the interesting tale that you have told me."

Heaven Canceller would listen to it with interest, sitting down on the chair that was nearby. Touma was still caressing a sleeping Index's hair, humming peacefully. Heaven Canceller made a thoughtful and reflective look.

"...And, you seem to have described me generally well, all things considered."

After having told his tale, Touma would share with Heaven Canceller what he knew at least about the latter. The actual show or the source material never really spoke much, but all sources commonly agree that Heaven Canceller was someone who could be relied on when it came to his dedication to his patients. And with Touma being one of his patients, of course, he would try to help him. And of course, Touma would speak of a few things, whether if they relate to fan theories and other speculative conclusions, and some of those hints included the name Allan Bennett, and would even provide some info regarding the Allan Bennett from the second world he had lived in.

Charles Henry Allan Bennett, a trusted friend of the Great Master and Founder of Thelema.

Born on December 8, 1872. Died on March 9, 1923. Or at least, that's what people believed in the world of A Certain Magical Index.

"Even in another universe, the date of my apparent demise seemed to be the same, if not in circumstances, at least based on what history had generally recorded. I wonder if this had something to do with some kind of mysterious cosmic significance, a theoretical phenomenon where certain elements tend to look exactly the same in two different universes. As a matter of fact, your first world's Second World War was very different compared to my world's own. There were no blatantly advanced weaponry and technology being used for instance, otherwise, well, what would be the point in the founding of Academy City after the war if there were already something like that? It would have been sold to illegal trading routes and transactions. And those who practiced magic in our world during that darker era were more subtle compared to yours, since they'd rather not draw the attention of the organizations specifically created to deal with them to avoid the public from discovering magic," Heaven Canceller spoke with an interested look.

"Yes well, HYDRA was rather blatant in their attempts to conquer the world at the time, the war simply provided them with the puppets and tools that they needed. Red Skull and those loyal to him within HYDRA never really cared much, if at all, for the Nazi ideology. They wanted to rule the world, but under HYDRA's image, not Hitler's," Touma said with a serious look.

"And the fact that you came from a different universe would already turn the theories of many of the scientists in the city upside down. Your mere existence is proof that other worlds beyond this one do exist," Heaven Canceller said.

"Which is why we need to keep this information on a tighter leash, assuming at least that no one from other universes has already travelled here in the distant past, or vice versa," Touma said.

"If there were such travellers, then they must be really good at hiding their presence, or well, Crowley knew of them but never told anyone. It's just his style to keep a few cards to himself," Heaven Canceller sighed. "Parallel worlds are considered to be a disproven theory in the scientific community because this universe seems to be confirmed to run only on a straight line."

"The rubber string theory, I would guess," Touma said.

"Yes, it's why I'm quite baffled and interested in the confirmation of an entirely different world where the laws of reality run very differently, especially when you have given me a little general outline about how the magic system in your world generally works," Heaven Canceller said.

Touma smiled a little. "Thank my old friend, Dr. Strange, he was the one who would sometimes teach me the ropes of how magic seems to work. I never dabble with magic fully by myself, but it never hurts to at least prepare for an eventual threat where knowledge and quick thinking can help you survive. Lord knows how many villains I had to face who were using magic as part of their skill and arsenal."

"You know, based on what you've told me, I would like to meet up with this man, this Dr. Strange. He seems to be type of fellow I can hold a fruitful conversation with in many things, not to mention our common professions in life, although..." Heaven Canceller's smile turned grim. "...It's a pity that I cannot be the one who would perform the magic spell that could be used to at least make contact with him. Crowley has more eyes on me compared to many others around the city. I am and still am his friend after all. He would notice something the moment I enact a spell, and that's not even taking into account that I have already abstained from doing any kind of magic as part of the vow that I had made when I decided to stay fully in Academy City."

"...Hmm, I could try to ask Komoe-sensei to help me with that once again. For now, though, I would need to focus on specific things, such as..." Touma spoke with a troubled look as he remembered a cotton candy-haired girl that he failed to save one year ago. "...someone that I failed to save. I would need to find her, but I don't know where to start exactly. At this time, she's already descended into the darkness of this city, so..."

Touma remained silent for a bit, while Heaven Canceller would eventually complete the sentence. "You already know somebody that you have in mind, don't you?"

Touma nodded. "Do you know anyone named Kumokawa Seria?"

"I should," Heaven Canceller confirmed. "She tends to pay a visit to this hospital, most of the time due to you."

"..."

...And speaking of the hospital, he thought.

"...How many times have I ended up in this hospital?" Touma could not help but ask, seeing as his third life's memories were erased, so whatever happened in the past was not something that he may know even with his second world knowledge.

"..."

Heaven Canceller was silent a bit before he eventually spoke.

"...A lot."

Then he would bring something out of his pocket. It looked like a folded customized calendar that he opened, with it rolling down the floor, to reveal a few red X marks... ...that seems to happen in some days, some even so close to the point where one had to wonder whether two crisis incidents were happening at the same time.

It made Touma's eyes widen a little as he looked at many of the dates. Such misfortune indeed. Now that he thought about it, the A Certain Magical Index series never really fully explored what had even happened to Touma Kamijou most of the time in the years before. Some were explored such as A Certain Magical Index SS: Biohacker, New Testament 11 flashbacks, Astral Buddy, and other material. Though not covered fully, as much as he knew.

...Which meant that there were wide-ranging gaps. For all Touma knew, there were people that he met that he had forgotten who could be either important or so remote that they go unnoticed in the background. Some of them may even have become his enemy.

He knew that Touma Kamijou, the fictional character, had no luck (in the Eastern context), but this is just plain ridiculous.

He pinched his eyes a little and sighed heavily. "...Now I'm really starting to understand Spider-Man more. If he were here, he'd crack a little joke and call it the Jolly Rogers Misfortune, as a way to compare with his Parker Luck."

"I have a feeling that there's a lot more to that story than meets the simple sentences," Heaven Canceller spoke with an amused smile.

"You don't know the half of it," Touma sighed.

Insert Song: End

ED Song:

Tomorrow Never Dies · Sheryl Crow