A TERRA ONE PREQUEL: BEFORE
PART ONE: LEGACY
INSPIRATION: TROUBLE MAN by MARVIN GAYE
AND
FEELS LIKE SUMMER by CHILDISH GAMBINO
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
IT IS IMPORTANT FOR ALL READERS TO KNOW…that this story is a PREQUEL! I wrote it to do the necessary world building for the actual stories. I'm still not sure if I am going to publish this before the Terra One story or not…this entire process is actually a part of the outline I did for the story I'm currently writing and then, I saw that there was an actual story that needed to be flushed out before the story…hope that makes sense…
I know a lot of y'all know that this story has been a long time coming, but…life, am I right? This story has been through sooooo many iterations, but, I really, truly believe that this time I got it right. In the other stories, I tried to keep them from being wordy, but, who am I kidding? 'Wordy' is who I am. I can't help it. The more I tried to edit my story down, the more watered down it became, and the story I was telling wasn't as good, so, this time…I'm keeping everything, because this story wants to get out. LOL! And, I'll be honest, I've been revitalized to tell it because TWOL is coming out soon, and my excitement for the show has made me want to write again, so, here goes.
I'm gonna be honest, I didn't do a lot of editing because I just wanted to write it and then upload. When I take the time to edit before the story is written, I second guess what I've written, start taking things out of the story, and I'm right back to having writer's block because I don't think my story is good enough. It's the real reason why I keep stalling on writing an actual novel. But, that's just me. I guess. Anyhoo! As per usual, I'm gonna take y'all along with me on the journey I took writing the story, so, yes, notes will be added. Character list, events, and places will be added, but, I don't think I need to add a glossary this time, so I'm omitting that. (EDITED ON 4/27/24 - GLOSSARY WILL BE ADDED!) And, like in my other stories: If you don't want to be spoiled, don't read the 'NOTES' in the back of the story! I only add them because I like to include my readers in the process. So, like with my other stories, the 'NOTES' probably aren't edited. I literally make my NOTES before I start writing, kind of like an outline, then I write the story - pretty much, but not exactly - from the NOTES.
I'll also be including a song playlist with lyrics to the chapter inspiration at the end of the chapter so that you have the option of skipping it or reading it if you want.
And, as usual, the usual trigger warnings: All of them. I'm just putting that out there, because there will probably be triggers throughout the story, and, I'm not very good at remembering to post them before the triggers may (or may not) occur. Violence, blood, gore, language, possible racism and definitely smut. I don't usually do sexual assault in my stories, but in this one there may be references to assaults, but, those who have read my stories before, I don't write them. Same goes for torture porn. As someone who has survived multiple assaults, they are triggering for me when I read them, and I don't want to write them either. If that's your jam, this ain't the story for you. There will be character deaths. Lot's of them.
Also, this is a WALKING DEAD fanfiction, as well as a SCANDAL fanfiction, with elements from other movies/shows/lore/books that I am a fan of (like Handmaid's Tale, Supernatural, the Anunnaki theory, X-men - just to name a few). This story will feature Rick and Michonne (because they are life) but also Fitz and Olivia (because they are life too!) who will be the main characters. And, I also happen to think that Andrew Lincoln and THE VERY FINE AS FUCK Mr. Tony Goldwyn could've passed for brothers in Tony's younger years…ANYWAY…
I hope y'all enjoy this story! Please comment! I love constructive criticism! Unlike others, I appreciate it because we can't always see our mistakes! Because I plan on uploading the entire story at once, if you have questions pertaining to the story, please read the entire story FIRST, and, if your question hasn't been answered, then ask it, because, I might have messed up or maybe I didn't write it clearly. Again, I like CONSTRUCTIVE criticism!
ENJOY!
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TERRA ONE
The story of The Progeny was legendary all throughout New America and most of The New World.
The Progeny were a set of 8 siblings that were all born on the same day - January 6, 1975 - with extraordinary powers, and all with different mothers, but fathered by one man - Fitzgerald Thomas Grant II, or Big Gerry as he preferred to be called. He himself was an extraordinarily evolved 'human being' because his parents were also.
His parents, Fatima Joi (an African American woman whose original family descended from the plantations - and the Appalachian Mountains - of Bluegrass Kentucky) and Fitzgerald Thomas Grant the 1st - or Thom, as everyone called him - whose family (it was assumed because of his tall stature, blonde hair and blue eyes) came from a long line of aristocratic blue bloods from Scandinavia, England and Greece. At least, that is what the legends say…
The Grants were billionaires more than several times over - in part because of Thom's legacy estate 'left' to him by his own billionaire family and also because of the innovative creations his company Grant Industries - specifically the scientific research center ran by Fatima, Biona Labs - invented. By the time their son was born, they'd amassed real estate around the world that was priceless. They gathered a team of geniuses to help them build 'communities' around the world that could withstand anything, and were self sustaining that were called Grant Estates. By the time they'd revealed to the world what they'd accomplished, their 'communities' were lauded as 'The Greatest Technological Feats Of Modern Day Times by Time Magazine. When Fatima and Thom were asked why they'd built these communities, their answer at the time should have been a warning to the world. They told the reporter that they'd had 'visions' of the wondrous places in their dreams.
Although the reporter laughed it off, The Grants were not lying. They knew that the world as they knew it was coming to an inevitable end.
Big Gerry knew this as well, and decided to take matters into his own hands years before The Grants had started making plans to build their Estates.
After searching the world for women with what Gerry considered 'perfect DNA', he found more than a handful of women to procreate with. What he didn't know at the time, was that he was inadvertently creating his very own cult. Secretly, he'd show the women he was trying to court some of his 'powers'. It was enough for them to believe that laying with Gerry would solve all the worlds problems, as well as their own. For Big Gerry, it was a business transaction. It didn't matter to him that they were perfectly happy living their lives in varying places around the world - his charm, good looks, wealth and gift of gab convinced the women that he was a Godsend, and they allowed him to convince them that what they were helping him to save the world. One of them was so beautiful that he married her - it also helped that she was descended from people just like his own parents - and the rest he only considered as wombs. Although he was very honest and upfront about what he was trying to accomplish, his cold attitude left bad tastes in many of the women's mouths. They'd all fell in love with him and did everything they could to garner his attention. But he was only 'in love' with one woman. On his wedding night to Katherine Georgiou - a famous Greek model - he not only laid with her, but all of the other women as well, which went a long way in breaking the many women's hearts that he slept with on that fateful night.
When Fatima and Thom found out what their son was up to, they 'rescued' the women from his isolated compound deep in the hills of Southern California, and took them to the city of Fort Appalachia in the 'estate' of Beacon Hill where they could be watched over by scientists who already knew about Fatima, Thom and Gerry's 'abilities'. The Elder Grants knew that these children were extra special. They'd had visions of them and all their accomplishments from the moment they were conceived.
Nine months later, on January 6, 1975, Emma Grimes gave birth to Richard Grimes Grant. Katherine Georgiou Grant gave birth to twins, Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III - Fitz - and Carol Jane Grant. Marilyn Dixon gave birth to Daryl Dixon Grant. Mary Rhee gave birth to Glenn Rhee Grant. Layla Munoz gave birth to Diego 'Huck' Munoz Grant. Anna Finch gave birth to Stephen Finch Grant. Talia Selah gave birth to Noah Selah Grant. Mary King gave birth to Jeremy 'Jerry' King Grant. When Gerry found out that his children - The Progeny - had been born, he did everything he could to seek them out. When he found them all living within his parents estate, he tried to kidnap them, but his parents caught him, and an all out battle ensued. By the time the Grant security arrived, Big Gerry had killed every single one of the women he'd impregnated, along with a few security guards. He was locked up and eventually found guilty and sentenced to life in prison at the Georgia Maximum Security Prison. Years later, when he was caught trying to escape prison, it was Fatima who was standing outside his escape hatch, waiting for him. Before he could utter a word, she shot him point blank in the head, then watched and waited for him to take his last breath. She watched with abject sadness as his essence left his body and floated above him, then spread out to find his legacies in order to spread his remaining aura - his energy. Fatima knew that his powers would be spread amongst his children evenly, and for that, she was glad. In that way, he would be with them forever, not lost to nothingness like so many others. She was happy to see that his soul hadn't been marred by the death and carnage he'd caused, although she was still very angry with him. When she reached out to her son's soul, he smiled back at her, letting her know that he forgave her as he was lifted towards the sky. As she watched, her husband Thom came to stand beside her and both of them got to witness their son ascend to his final 'home'. They also felt it was a bit dramatic because, he could have just used his TemPad and summoned a door, but, they also knew that if he wouldn't be truly himself if did. He was very good at dramatic exits, so Fatima and Thom let him be him.
By the time all the children turned 18, it was apparent to Fatima and Thom that they were even more extraordinary than them and Gerry combined. Their intelligence was off the charts, literally. By the time they were 12 years old, they'd all been excepted into Ivy League Colleges, but because they were so young - and had started displaying their abilities - The Grants didn't want them too far away from home. With her grandchildren being the motivation, Fatima herself started the first Ivy League college of Beacon Hill in their home 'city' of Fort Appalachia - the crown jewel of their state sized 'community', Beacon Hill. But, because the children were too advanced for regular school, and didn't want to wait for the college to be built, Fatima and Thom decided to let them attend Harvard where every single one of them would attain doctorate degrees in varying programs by the time they'd turned 18. Once they'd graduated, each one decided to join the U.S. Navy. By the time they came home from the Navy, they'd reached top notch form. While working at Grant Industries, they were quickly bored and in their spare time would participate in activities that got them seen on a national level and often times recruiters for professional sports team would visit. Thom, seeing the sheer power of their physical strength, not only filled their spare time with sports and other athletic activities, made sure that they were enrolled in The Warrior Program, taught by none other than world champion MMA fighter, Abraham Ford of Texas.
Along with their inherited powers, they'd also hit the genetic lottery. With the exception of Carol - who was a mighty 5'4 tall, blonde haired, blue eyed beauty with fair skin - the male progeny were all the same height and body build as their father, Big Gerry - 6'4, lean and muscular with wide shoulders. They all possessed his sparkling, light cyan blue eyes that would turn aqua, sky blue, clear grey, or stormy blue, depending on their moods. They all had his deep set dimples, pouty pink lips, and, thanks to Thom's ancestry, they all had the naturally perfect arched eyebrows, long, thick lashes, high cheekboned, angular jawed, high forehead, and grecian noses set upon their faces as if they'd been sculpted by the Gods - just like their bodies. And, in different ways, they were all replicas of their father, Big Gerry.
Rick, whose mother was descended from Southern Gentility, had a massive crop of dark blond curls that he wore past his shoulders when it was down. But, because he'd passed his Warrior trials, he was now mostly seen with his beautiful curls pulled up in a man bun on top of his head with an inch above his ears shaved. He was very white presenting which allowed him to get into spaces his grandmother, Fatima, was never able to. Because of this, Rick - as well as his other 'white presenting' brothers (Fitz, Stephen and Daryl) and Carol (who was white presenting as well) would often get into scraps with their racist, white counterparts. Their world, as it were, was mostly white, but that didn't mean that they held the same views of their wealthy, 1% counterparts. Racism in any form was never tolerated around any of The Grants, and Rick and his white presenting siblings took no exception to those views especially considering that they themselves were of mixed ancestry, not to mention their siblings who weren't 'white presenting' - whom they loved very much.
Fitz, whose mother was also of Greek descent like his father's paternal side, also had a mass of dark blond, curly tresses that he wore past his shoulders when it was down, and up into the Warrior hairstyle when he was in public.
Like his brothers, Daryl wore his thick, long, brunette, straight hair up in the Warrior hairstyle when in public - which wasn't often.
Glenn was every bit as handsome as his brothers, with all their same features, except, he'd inherited his Korean mother's long, thick, jet black hair - which he also wore in the Warrior hairstyle - and her beautiful, almond shaped eyes.
Huck, whose mother was of Afro Latina descent was just as handsome as the rest of The Progeny with the same features, but he possessed his mothers naturally curly, thick, black hair that he wore long except when in public when he wore the Warrior hairstyle.
Stephen - whose mother was of Scottish ancestry - was equally as handsome as his brothers, and wore his brunette waves in the Warrior hairstyle.
Noah, whose mother was African American, possessed the same attributes as his siblings, but he also possessed his mother's tawny colored skin. He wore his naturally curly, long, thick black tresses in the Warrior hairstyle as well.
Jerry, whose mother was biracial of Hispanic and African American descent, wore his long, dark, curly hair in the Warriors hairstyle as well.
The Progeny were more than Fatima and Thom could ask for. With the exception of Carol Jane, they exhibited more powerful abilities than any inhuman they'd ever seen, and Fitz, was the most powerful of them all. The Elder Grants continued to keep a watchful eye over The Progeny, but, when they all - except Carol - joined the military, all they could do was pray that they (as well as the people around them) would be alright.
On the night of January 05, 2000, The Progeny descended upon their grandparents home to celebrate their 25th birthday celebration which was supposed to be held the next day. But the truth was, their grandparents had called them home for another reason. They'd been having visions that their grandchildren were about to go through a metamorphosis that would culminate in them becoming their most evolved selves. The Elder Grants were well aware of this process, having gone through it themselves. In order to protect their grandchildren from falling 'asleep' in a place where they couldn't be protected. Fatima and Thom had built specialized hyperbolic chambers for The Progeny because they knew that the 'sleep' was coming. At this point, The Progeny were not yet stronger than their Elders. Later that night, Fatima and Thom gathered The Progeny to the room where the chambers were, and, used their powers to put them inside the chambers at exactly 12:00 a.m. on January 6, 2000. Fatima and Thom then prepared their grandchildren for their journey, as they awaited Loki to escort them to their new home - on EARTH 161. There, they'd be safe until the coming wars and subsequent apocalypse coming to Terra One were long past. Although Loki was still in the process of weaving the timelines of the multiverses, and eventually Earth 616 - as well as all the other 'Earths' - would cease to exist, for now, it was the safest place for The Progeny. No one would think to look for them in another universe, because their enemies didn't know that other universes existed - yet.
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TERRA ONE (the renewed years)
The story of Michonne, Olivia, Sasha and their younger sister, Nabila, was eerily similar to The Progeny. Elijah Pope - their biological father - was a staunch supporter of The Southern Alliance's teachings and would often visit the head of the alliance - Commander Jonathan Beale - in The North American Maximum Security Prison to interview him using his job as the head of The New American Security Force as his cover.
Expounding on The Southern Alliance's idea of having genetically curated children, Elijah found three women who had all the qualities he wanted. They were intelligent, beautiful and came from good stock. All three women were the most beautiful African American women Elijah had ever seen. He, being African American himself, had always prided himself on loving women of all races and creeds, but these women were stunners. Maya Selah, however, was the one he fell in love with. On his wedding night, after bedding Maya and putting her to sleep, he made his way to his other women and made love to them as well. Nine months later, on January 15, 2000*, Charlene Hawthorne (sister to Jaqueline 'Jackie' Hawthorne) gave birth to Michonne Giselle Hawthorne. Maya, gave birth to Olivia Carolyn Pope, and Evelyn Williams (sister to Tyrese Williams) gave birth to Sasha Evelyn Williams.
Not long after giving birth, Elijah caught Charlene and Evelyn trying to escape his home with their children. He killed them, and told Maya that she was now the 'mother' of all three of his daughters. Elijah was smart, and made sure to get rid of the bodies so that their murders wouldn't come back on him, and threatened Maya that if she tried anything, he'd hunt her down and kill her and use his power as the head of The Security Force to do so. He expected her to believe him because he had the power to make her disappear without a trace, just like he had with the other women. But, Maya had other plans. She'd promised Charlene and Evelyn, that, if something were to happen to them, to make sure that their children were taken care of and safe. She kept her promise and escaped his compound with all three baby girls. When Elijah returned home to no family, he was incensed. He hunted for Maya and his children everywhere, but couldn't find them. Eventually, he learned that they were in one of the private Grant Estate 'communities' called Arindale which was located in the mountains of Kentucky, and tried to storm Maya's new home, but her alarm system alerted the authorities. When he attempted to take Maya and the children, the police gunned him down and killed him.
With Elijah now dead, Maya was living her best life in her new home 'state'. Especially after she'd met a man named Dr. Siddiq Muhammad and immediately fell in love. Nine months later, she gave birth to his only biological daughter, Nabila Muhammad. Unfortunately, Maya died during childbirth. Siddiq, who wasn't mentally equipped to raise his only child, allowed Hershel and Jackie Green - who lived on a large sprawling farm in the countryside of Georgia, to raise Nabila alongside her sisters, Michonne, Olivia and Sasha, who'd they'd promised Maya that they would raise should anything ever happen to her. All four girls were raised together on the Green farm along with Hershel's biological daughter from a previous relationship, Maggie Green.
By the time the sisters had turned 18, it was apparent to the parental Greens that they were extraordinary, not just in intelligence, but in looks as well. They'd all been excepted into college at a very young age, and, after months of pleading with their parents, the girls managed to convince their parents to allow them to go to college despite their very young ages. The Greens agreed but only under the condition that they lived with a parent or trusted adult during their semesters. By 18, the girls were already multiple degreed and working towards moving away from their overprotective parents.
Maggie was a stunner. She was slender, tall, with fair coloring like her Irish descended father, but with hazel eyes and brunette hair, like her mother - the long deceased Annette. Because she was older, she was the first to go to college. Blessed - like her sisters - with exceptional intelligence, she was excepted into the University of Alexandria (U of A) by 16. After graduating from U of A with a master's degree, she then attended Fort Appalachia University where she obtained her doctorate degree in internal medicine - eventually - by the age of 22. During her tenure at U of A and F.A.U., Maggie spent her semesters living at The Grant House (TGH) with her Aunt Fatima and Uncle Thom. Though Maggie was not biologically related to The Grants, her step mother - Jackie had known Fatima since they were each knee high to grasshoppers and were both raised in the same town.
The Sisters - a nickname that Jackie had given the sisters who'd all been born on the same day - as well as their younger sister, Nabila (who was only 11 months younger than them) were intelligent, precocious, and drop dead gorgeous. All stood at 5'3, with dimpled cheeks, full luscious lips, perfectly arched eyebrows, long, thick, dark eyelashes that framed their eyes in a way that gave them 'natural eyeliner', perfect white, straight teeth, and, their heart shaped faces had been blessed with high cheekbones that were a direct indication of their African American lineage. All four of them had extremely long, coily, jet black hair that flowed past their waists to the middle of their thighs in textured waves.
Michonne had inherited the same glowing, pore-less, mahogany skin tone as her biological mother, Charlene. Unlike some of her darker hued ancestors, Michonne didn't grow up thinking that her richly melanated hue made her less-than. In fact, she grew up knowing that she was beautiful, and her skin color was an enhancement, not a hindrance. Jackie - who is the biological sister to Charlene - also had darker hued skin and taught Michonne to love the skin she was in. Michonne was also tender headed and would often cry when it was wash day. Hershel couldn't stand to see his baby girl cry, and would argue with Jackie about cutting her hair to make it more manageable. Because of this, Jackie twisted Michonne's long hair into locs, which made Michonne extremely happy. She mostly wore her long locs up into a high ponytail - which offset her gorgeous, ebony colored eyes - so that they wouldn't get in the way when she swung her sword. For three years straight during college, she'd been the World Champion of Fencing. There was even a picture of her in her full Lamés regalia, complete with her sabre mask, Katana sword, and all. Despite being the consummate good girl, as soon as Michonne got the opportunity to move away from home, she did. At the young age of 18, after she'd graduated from Harvard she moved to Atlanta, Georgia and got a job working in an art gallery.
Olivia was a true 'brown skinned girl' with her golden bronze, pore-less hue. Her skin was effervescent, just like her personality, and flawless, and her ochre colored eyes never hid her sparkling personality. She wasn't tender headed like her sister, Michonne. She loved getting her natural curls combed and tended to wear her long tresses in two textured, high ponytail twists. She chose two ponytails, because Michonne wore her locs in one ponytail, and, it also denoted her age order amongst The Three Sisters. Like Michonne, she attended Harvard where they both stayed in an off campus apartment with Jackie during their semesters. Although she was pretty good at handling a sword, she preferred swimming as her sport of choice. She'd even gone so far as to make the American Olympic Swim Team , but, an injury to her ankle from falling from a horse prevented her from competing. Although she was broken hearted for not being able to compete, Olivia was never one to let things get her down, and instead, turned her focus onto world travel, her first stop was to go to Japan to watch her team play, and subsequently win gold at the Olympics. That was the first time that she'd been able to travel on her own. Because of this, she followed in Michonne's footsteps and moved away as well, and decided to attend Washington State university, earning a doctorate in Anthropology.
Like her sisters, Sasha's personality was light and bubbly. With honey hued, pore-less skin and hazel eyes, she was the youngest of The Three Sisters, who all happened to be born on the same day. As per her birth order, she wore her hair in three ponytails - one on the top of her head that fell to the side, and two in the back. Her sport of choice was track, although she only ran for two years during college. While at Stanford, Sasha lived with her biological uncle, Dr. Tyrese Williams and his wife, Karen Williams and their daughter Cassandra Williams. Sasha preferred being out in the sun, frolicking around the farm, or riding her motor bike around the countryside of her hometown. When her sisters decided to move to areas outside of the state of Beacon Hill, Sasha decided to do so as well. She wanted to see the world, and spent most of her time traveling. When she wasn't traveling, she split her time between Atlanta, Georgia with Michonne, and Seattle, Washington with Olivia, and her parents farm back home.
Nabila, the youngest of all the children was indeed, the most spoiled. Because she and Olivia had the same biological mother - Maya - they looked the most similar, with the same color skin and hair. But where Olivia was observant and reserved, Nabila was a handful and never kept her opinions or her feelings to herself. But, in her true, natural way, she could win over anyone with her wide beaming smile and wry, dry humor. She also rebuked the theory that their family was 'special' and, instead of allowing her parents to dictate her life, she opted to enroll in Georgetown University to obtain her master's degree in psychology. While in Washington, D.C. attending Georgetown, she resided with Jackie and Charlene's brother, Dr. Theodore Hawthorne and his wife Beatrice.
All five Green daughters had been athletes, and had the body shapes to match, and with their voluptuous curves, it was no wonder that more boys didn't try to approach the girls, being the stunners that they were. But, Hershel did a pretty good job of making sure the local teens knew that his daughters weren't to be trifled with - making sure that both the guns he kept in his holster vest was always seen, and making sure that everyone knew that he wouldn't hesitate to use them.
When all the girls were old enough, Hershel and Jackie decided to sit them all down and, invited Dr. Siddiq Muhammad (Nabila's biological father) and Dr. Tyrese Williams (Sasha's biological uncle) and explained to them the circumstances of who they are. They learned all about Charlene, Evelyn, and Maya, and what they'd been through to get them to have their daughters be born, and then subsequently raised in a good home. The Elder Greens even explained to them, that their true parentage, why they were so special, and where they came from. This stunned the girls, but, they were most curious about their biological mothers. Of course, they knew the girls would asked for pictures of their mothers, and gave them all the pictures they had. Immediately, the girls noticed that all the women had septum and labret piercings. Jackie explained to them that the septum piercing represented unity, and the labret represented sisterhood. All three women had gotten them when they were pregnant with their children in honor of what they were doing - bringing life into the world - and in remembrance of who they were to each other - sisters. They may not have been bound by blood, but their children would be. Michonne, Olivia, Sasha, Nabila (and even Maggie) all got the same piercings in honor of the women that gave their lives in order for them to live.
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Following the lead of their visions, Fatima and Thom decided it was time to 'wake' their grandchildren. At 12:01 a.m. on January 6, 2020*, all The Progeny were awakened, and, with the help of Loki, they were all transported back to their original homes on Terra One through the self contained wormholes within The Citadel.
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MEANWHILE:
Both Michonne and Olivia had best friends who they would refer to as their 'Gusbands'. While visiting Michonne, Olivia brought her Gusband - Edison Davis - with her because he wanted to visit 'the gay Mecca' of the south. While there, Michonne introduced him to her very own Gusband - Mike Anthony. The two men hit it off and it wasn't long before they were married and living in Fort Kitsap where Edison was beginning his political career as per the orders of his parents who felt that getting into politics would gain them favor within New America. Mike, whose parents were highly traditional, couldn't wait to be away from Atlanta, Georgia. People often thought that because Atlanta was considered a 'gay Mecca' that that meant that the 'good' folks of Georgia were more progressive. That couldn't be further from the truth. It seemed that the old ways of The Old World were not dead, despite the prosperity of The New World. While in Fort Kitsap, Mike and Edison flourished outside and within their relationship. Then, one day, Mike runs into a gay couple while getting coffee at a Starbucks. The couple - Cyrus Beene and James Novak - were arguing over whether they should have a child through surrogacy or adopt. There were plenty of orphans that needed good homes thanks to America's Second Civil War, WWIII and all the Covid Pandemics. Mike knew the couple through his husband, Edison, as they were a powerful political couple within New America and had taken Edison under their wings because of his political leanings. Mike told them that if he could, he'd have a biological child, to which Cyrus argued that the logistics of that could be complicated because it was so hard to find good egg donors. Mike smiled to himself because he actually knew someone who would be the perfect donor. Taking this idea to Michonne, Mike convinced her to be his egg donor. Together, they found a surrogate - their college friend Jocelyn, who needed the influence of being a surrogate within New America. In those days, being able to reproduce or help reproduce was of the highest honor. Her husband, Terry Lewis, wasn't happy about it, but, eventually relented when he saw who the client was. Both Mike and Edison came from very elite families within New America. It also didn't hurt that Terry was in the closet and was falling deeply in love with the unavailable Mike Anthony. When Andre Anthony was born, he was the light of his entire family's eyes. So much so, that Edison decided that he wanted a biological link as well and convinced Olivia to donate her eggs. Their surrogate - the famed surrogate, Quinn Wallace - was a college friend of Olivia and also highly recommended within the surrogate community. Mike, also wanted more children and convinced Michonne to donate eggs again. This time, each surrogate became pregnant with twins.
While Michonne and Olivia were welcoming babies through in vitro fertilization and the use of surrogacy, their oldest sister, Maggie, was having a baby of her own with one of The Progeny - Glenn. As a matter of fact, Rick, Fitz and Carol were also having children as well.
While attending college in the Grant Estate of Beacon Hill, Maggie was asked to be an intern for Dr. Robert Stookey who was in charge of monitoring The Progeny's progress. Once a week, The Progeny would come into Dr. Stookey's lab at the Biona Laboratory in the Grant Industries building and have their blood drawn and go through a myriad of tests. From the moment that Maggie and Glenn met, there was an attraction, which was strange for Maggie because up until that point she'd been out of the closet as lesbian. With her new bi sexuality presenting itself, it wasn't long before she was in an intimate relationship with Glenn.
After awakening - and after adjusting himself for a completely New World that was unrecognizable to all of The Progeny - Rick eventually found himself living in the rebuilt and technologically modern Grant Estate of Atlanta, Georgia, where he started worked for The Security Force thanks to his grandparents long time friend, Cyrus Beene who was now the head of The Security Force, and used his influence to help Rick get hired - though it really wasn't needed. Rick was a Grant whether he wanted to admit it or not, which meant that he was one of the most powerful people walking Earth's singular continent of New Pangea. Neither Fatima nor Thom understood Rick's need to work outside of Grant Industries - they were billionaires and would have preferred their legacies work close to home - but, Rick was determined to live his life the way he saw fit, especially after his grandparents forced him and his siblings into comas that lasted for ions. His partner on his team at HLS was Shane Walsh, who was the one who introduced him to Lori Wayne. Rick was happy with his life and soon, he and Lori were parents to a baby boy. It wasn't long after that that Lori was pregnant again.
Fitz, who'd relocated to Fort Kitsap, had met Melody 'Mellie' Walsh on one of his trips to visit his brothers in Atlanta, Georgia while he was on a store run for toiletries. Although they hit it off, Fitz was very adamant that he didn't want a serious relationship. So, when she ended up pregnant, he was very suspicious. He found out that she'd used one of his used condoms to get pregnant, but, instead of being angry, he accepted the fact that he was going to be a father. He relocated Mellie to Washington, and set her up in her own place under the clear instructions that they were co-parents only. Though she accepted her role as co-parent, she didn't like it. In those days, with fertility rates being so low, the ability to get pregnant and have a child should have garnered her anything she wanted, and, what she wanted was a marriage to Fitz Grant the Third. When she didn't get it, she committed suicide, leaving Fitz a single parent.
Carol had met Ed Peletier while on a camping trip and it wasn't long before they were married. It wasn't until she discovered that she was pregnant that she finally paid attention to all the red flags he exhibited. The day that she killed him, he'd beaten her brutally and caused her to go into early labor.
On a rare visit to Green Acres, Fatima and Jackie talked about Fatima and Thom's visions and noted that all their grandchildren had astounding things in common.
Andre Anthony (Michonne and Mike's oldest son), Carlton Richard (Rick and Lori's oldest son), Thomas Beauman (Fitz and Mellie's son) and Sophia Carolyn (Carol's daughter) and Hershel Jackson (Glenn and Maggie's son) had all been born on the same day: December 1, 2023*.
It was also noted that Collette Elise and Elodie Marie (Michonne and Mike's twins), Jeremiah Jonathan and Estella May (Olivia and Edison's twins), Judith Ann (Rick and Lori's youngest child) and Glenn II - the child born of Glenn and Yumiko's unprotected union when Maggie had suggested a threesome - were all born on the same day as well.
It was these discoveries that led Fatima and Thom and Jackie and Hershel to realize that the Grant's visions were starting to come to fruition. Even the fact that Carol Jane was now residing in a mental health facility while Fitz took charge of raising her daughter was an event that they had foreseen. They'd even gone so far as to beg Carol not to marry Ed because they knew that he was bad news, but, apparently the union was meant to be. The visions weren't clear. For Fatima and Thom, a lot of what they'd dream was up to their own interpretation. When they presented these visions to their grandchildren - it was a Progeny wide consensus that their grandparents were bat shit crazy. Yes, the Grants had created many new technologies that were leap years ahead of any tech on earth, but, their theories on 'visions' could easily be disproved - according to their grandchildren. So, when they 'suggested' that The Progeny marry women of their choosing, it pushed their grandchildren even further away from them.
Because the world was still in the midst of The Covid 19 Pandemic (which began at the end of 2019*) - a virus that continually evolved into stronger, harder to contain, deadlier, harder to cure, strains at a rapid pace - was on it's deadliest version of itself. The death toll was rising, and world leaders were struggling to figure out a solution. It was during this time that the Grants expounded on their self sustaining territories, making sure that no detail was left uncovered. They extended their real estate reach and built even more Grant Estates, preparing themselves for what they knew was inevitable - because it had already happened on EARTH 616. It was Fatima's prediction that the reason it was happening again, on a different Earth was because of Loki finally combining the universes. Things were about to get ugly, but, this time, they couldn't put The Progeny back to sleep. Now, The Progeny were too strong to be overpowered, so, what was about to happen was going to happen, and there was nothing Thom or Fatima could do, or, so they thought.
When The Progeny rejected their grandparents request to marry women they didn't know, they continued on with their lives. Meanwhile, Fatima and Thom were preparing for their eventual 'earthly' end. Loki was nearing the end of defeating the remaining Celestials, but, he would need help with defeating the most powerful of them - Arishem. He wouldn't just need Fatima and Thom's help, but the help of all of the Asgardians and their living ancestors - the remaining Anunnaki.
On December 15, 2025, Fatima and Thom 'died' in their sleep. Their powers - or auras - lifted from their bodies and spread out like a Phoenix rising and stretching it's wings and kept spreading until it found The Progeny and were absorbed into them. The Progeny were immediately aware of their grandparents deaths and came into a clarity that they could not make sense of. All they knew was that they could see all of time in a linear, and yet, not so linear timeline, and, they knew that the pairings that their grandparents had arranged for them were going to happen, no matter what.
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DECEMBER 20, 2025*
As Michonne took her place beside Olivia and Sasha in the law offices of Novak and Beene in Fort Kitsap, she looked down at the rings on her fingers and thought about the man who'd taken the time to pick the wedding set out years prior, thinking that he was picking the set out for the woman he wanted to eventually marry. She remembered the red, antique ring box with an inscription that said, 'Williamson Pink Star' on it with a handwritten note that came with it. The paper the note was written on had been browned by time and aging because it'd been written so long ago. She remembered being too shocked for words, as she stared down at the box with her hand over her mouth. The ring was the most stunning piece of jewelry she'd ever seen. Removing the wide, diamond encrusted and platinum wedding band from the box, she slid it upon the fourth finger of her left hand, then plucked the most magnificent diamond engagement ring she'd ever seen from the box. As she slid the ring down her finger, she read the note that had been written to a woman who he hadn't met yet, and explained the history of the ring. 'The Williamson Pink Star is an 11.15-carat, cushion-cut, internally flawless, fancy vivid pink Type Ella diamond. The experts at Diacore - a rare diamond manufacturer of The Old World, cut it from a 32.4-carat rough found at the Williamson mine in Africa - where they'd pay the miners a fair and equal wage with health benefits and life insurance - then mounted it in an 18K rose and white gold setting with colorless trapeze-cut diamonds and light pink, small brilliant-cut diamonds. I won't tell you the value of the ring, because that's tasteless, but I will tell you that these diamonds are not 'blood diamonds', and the moment the jeweler brought the rings to me, something in me knew that this ring set was the right one for my eventual wife. Pink is your favorite color, right?' Even though she thought his sense of humor was a bit corny, she appreciated the effort he put into finding their rings. Looking around the room at her sisters and her friends who'd been selected to marry into the most powerful family in the world, she noticed that all her sisters were wearing beautiful diamond rings. Olivia's ring set was a stunner in blue - which made Michonne curious as to how The Progeny could have predicted the favorite colors of women they'd never met. Most people believed that Olivia's favorite color was white. Not only did she mostly wear white, but most of her clothing designs were white as well. Only the sisters knew that blue was Olivia's actual favorite color - white was a close second. The note that came with Olivia's ring said, 'This wedding band, as well as the one that I'll be wearing, is made up of small cut, Oppenheimer blue diamonds and smaller white diamonds, set upon a wide platinum band. The crown jewel of the set was - and probably still is - the largest blue diamond in the world. The center is a 14.62 carat rectangular-cut fancy vivid blue Type 11b diamond that weighs between 30 and 35 carats. After some research, I learned that blue diamonds account for less than a tenth of the diamonds in the world, and only 10 percent of those diamonds are larger than a carat. This diamond is extremely rare. It is mounted on a platinum trapeze setting outlined in smaller blue diamonds with triangle cut white diamonds surrounding the mount and the entire ring. I couldn't think of a better ring, to represent the woman who is to be my wife. Luckily for me, I could afford it. The other ring, belonged to my biological mother, Katherine Georgiou, and it is the only thing that I have left of her. It is an Infinity ring designed by famed French jeweler Monique Pean and is 24 carat solid gold with the inscription 'Doux Bebe' on it. My mother wore it on her forefinger on the opposite hand as her wedding rings and I hope you will also.' Olivia still found it amazing that the man she'd never met could've predicted her favorite color. It was Sasha, who's favorite color was white, as indicated by her wedding set as well. Sasha's wedding ring set was the very set that women all over the world longed for - the ring had formerly belonged to the iconic actress and trendsetter, Grace Kelly. Sasha's groom, had bought it at the same auction that all The Progeny brothers had bought their wedding rings years before. The ring featured a gorgeous 10.48-carat emerald cut colorless diamond flanked by two colorless, baguette-cut diamonds in a classic design, set upon a platinum trellis and diamond infused platinum band. The ring was perfect for Sasha. Connie's ring was also colorless, but was pear shaped and flanked by emeralds all around it that set upon a gold trellis and platinum band. Nabila's ring was a chocolate diamond - and not just any chocolate diamond, the largest uncut chocolate diamond in the world and was flanked by smaller, pink diamonds. It was beautiful, just like Nabila. Cyndie's ring was a black diamond, Abbie's wasn't a diamond, but a ruby flanked by diamonds. Kim's ring was the largest ring any of them had ever seen, and the color was also a rare dark, moonlight hued yellow diamond and was flanked by many blue diamonds. Although the sister's and friends were all impressed by the magnificent rings, they were more impressed by the fact that the rings were all in their favorite colors. They figured that these marriages, although forced, were probably the best thing that they'd ever agreed to, despite their hesitance to do so. They didn't have proof of it, it was just…a feeling. A few hours later, all the women walked out of the fancy building with all their signatures on all the paperwork required by Fatima and Thom. All the women knew that their new statuses were 'on paper' and that there wasn't an expectation for them to participate in their marriages, although they also had a feeling that the marriages were about more than just The Progeny's 'legacy' but their own as well.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, in case I didn't write it clearly in the prologue, this story is afro-futuristic. The asterisks after certain years means that it is a 'renewed' year as per Loki alternating the timelines.
Let me know what y'all think of the story so far in the comments!
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TROUBLE MAN by MARVIN GAYE lyrics below
I come up hard baby, but now I'm cool
I didn't make it sugar, playin' by the rules
I come up hard baby, but now I'm fine
I'm checkin' trouble sugar, movin' down the line
I come up hard baby, but that's okay
'Cause Trouble Man, don't get in my way
I come up hard baby, I've been for real, baby
Gonna keep movin', gonna go to town
I come up hard, I come up gettin' down
There's only three things that's for sure
Taxes, death and trouble, oh
This I know, baby, this I know, sugar
Girl, ain't gon' let it sweat me, babe
Got me singin', yeah, yeah
Woo
Come up hard, baby, I had to fight
Took care my business with all my might
I come off har- come-off-hard, I had to win
Then start all over and win again
I come up hard but that's okay
'Cause Trouble Man don't get in my way, hey, hey
I know some places and I've seen some faces
I got good connections, they take my directions
What people say, that's okay, they don't bother me, no
I'm ready to make it, don't care what the weather
Don't care 'bout no trouble, got myself together
I feel the kind of protection that's all around me
I come up hard, baby, I've been for real, baby
With the trouble mind, I'm movin', goin' to town
I come up hard, I come up gettin' down
There's only three things for sure
Taxes, death and trouble, oh
This I know, baby, ooh, this I've known, baby
Ain't gon' let it sweat me, baby
Woo
Oh Lord, baby
Ooh, I've come up hard, but now I'm cool
I didn't make it, baby, playin' by the rules
Come up hard, baby, now I'm fine
I'm checkin' trouble, sugar, hey, movin' down the line, oh
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Marvin Gaye
Theme From Trouble Man lyrics © Sentric Music, Songtrust Ave, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc
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FEELS LIKE SUMMER by CHILDISH GAMBINO lyrics below
Woo, ey
Woo, ey
You can feel it in the streets
On a day like this, the heat
It feel like summer
I feel like summer
I feel like summer
You can feel it in the streets
On a day like this, the heat
I feel like summer (ey)
She feel like summer
This feel like summer
I feel like summer
Seven billion souls that move around the sun
Rolling faster, faster, not a chance to slow down
Slow down
Men who made machines that want what they decide
Parents tryna tell the children please slow down
Slow down
I know
Oh, I know you know that pain
I'm hopin' that this world will change
(Ooo, I hope this world will change)
But it just seems the same
(It feels like the same)
You can feel it in the streets
On a day like this, the heat
It feel like summer
(I feel like summer)
I feel like summer
(I feel like summer)
I feel like summer
Every day gets hotter than the one before
Running out of water, it's about to go down
Go down
Air that kill the bees that we depend upon
Birds were made for singing, wakin' up to no sound
No sound
I know
Oh, I know you know my pain (woah, no no no)
I'm hopin' that this world will change
(This world will change, yeah)
But it just seems the same (woah)
I know
Oh, I hope we change
I really thought this world could change
But it seems like the same
I know
Oh, my mind is still the same
I'm hoping that this world will change
But it just seems the same
I know
Oh, I hope we change
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Donald Mckinley Glover / Ludwig Emil Tomas Goransson
Feels Like Summer lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group