Zodheath had already isolated the power of the Space Stone and fabricated a counterfeit Tesseract, which he placed inside S.W.O.R.D. headquarters. When Loki attempted to make contact with the Space Stone, Zodheath would be able to redirect the connection straight to the fake. That thing possessed most of the real Tesseract's capabilities now anyway, and for something as simple as opening a doorway, it was more than sufficient.
With some free time on his hands, Zodheath began studying the Space Stone and the Power Stone. Through the Space Stone, he soon discovered over a hundred new elements—ones humanity had neither found nor mastered.
"I could practically publish a brand-new periodic table at this point," Zodheath thought, immensely satisfied. The results of his research also taught him how to properly use the Space Stone. This was knowledge that should have been known only to Thanos of the Titan bloodline and the family of Odin.
Curiosity piqued, Zodheath opened a "door."
"Who's there?" A voice came from the other side, and in the next instant, the Ancient One materialized. With a form of magic Zodheath couldn't even begin to decipher, she slammed the door shut.
"Don't open portals to other dimensions on Earth," the Ancient One said wearily.
The defensive network formed by the three Sanctums was powerful enough to repel invasions by dimensional demon gods—but it was helpless if someone simply opened a door from the inside.
"Other dimensions?" Zodheath mused. He'd assumed the Space Stone could only open portals to other planets. He hadn't realized it could also reach into entirely different dimensions.
Did that mean he could use the Space Stone as a springboard to challenge those dimensional demon gods in the future?
The Ancient One shot that idea down immediately. "A dimensional demon god is an immortal, single-entity universe-level power within their own dimension. The possibility of defeating one inside their own realm is, practically speaking, nonexistent."
She made it plain: if taking down those demon gods were that easy, she'd have stormed the Dark Dimension long ago and lopped off the head of that insufferable debtor of hers, Dormammu.
That said, this female version of the Sorcerer Supreme wasn't quite as formidable as the classic, old-man version. That Ancient One hadn't even needed the Time Stone—just the triune white magic of the Vishanti and other arcane arts, and he could thrash a whole host of dimensional demon gods and powerhouses single-handedly.
Having now gained magic-superman abilities of his own, Zodheath found himself rather intrigued and engaged the Ancient One in a deep discussion about the nature of magic. It was just a discussion, of course. He had no intention of becoming a student.
The Ancient One initially claimed she was far too busy, but as the conversation unfolded, she was startled to discover that Zodheath possessed a remarkable gift for magic—even greater than her intended future Sorcerer Supreme, Stephen Strange.
But I've never seen a future where Zodheath becomes the Sorcerer Supreme! The Ancient One sighed. It was only 2011. There were still five more years until the fated timeline where Stephen Strange would assume the mantle. If she could glimpse a future where Zodheath became the Sorcerer Supreme instead, she would have no qualms whatsoever about handing him the title right now.
"The magic of the Marvel universe really is completely different from the magic in my head," Zodheath reflected as the conversation wound down. That was his single greatest takeaway.
The Ancient One admitted as much. Magic, at its core, was simply borrowing power and then converting it into various forms of superhuman ability. But it always came with a price. For example, one's being would become tainted with the aura of a dimensional demon god, and once that contamination reached a certain threshold, it would serve as a homing beacon for that demon god to invade the reality dimension.
The Ancient One herself was saturated with the auras of countless dimensional demon gods, great and small. She just managed them better than most.
While Zodheath and the Ancient One sat debating the nature of the universe, major trouble was brewing at S.W.O.R.D.
…
"We have a situation, Director. Hawkeye has betrayed S.W.O.R.D.!"
To be perfectly honest, Nick Fury had been so unbelievably busy lately that he wished he could slice himself into multiple copies just to get everything done. The root cause of it all was that Director Zodheath didn't manage a damn thing.
Someone else might have found this concentration of unchecked power exhilarating. After all, S.W.O.R.D. was a supranational agency that stood above the five major nations, and its director had delegated nearly all authority. But for Nick Fury? The workload from S.W.O.R.D. was crushing. He'd worked himself to the bone, and after all that effort, his failed skin grafts had finally produced a successful test—he'd actually started growing a fine layer of peach fuzz on his head.
And then the stress had promptly made every last bit of that fuzz fall out.
It nearly broke him.
Then came the anomalies surrounding the Tesseract. Swamped as he was, Fury had no choice but to dispatch his second-in-command, Maria Hill, to assess the situation. What he got in return was an emergency transmission.
"We have a situation, Director. Hawkeye has betrayed S.W.O.R.D.!"
"What? Barton's gone rogue?" Fury's dark face went even darker, his single eye bulging. He'd personally assigned Hawkeye to security detail. In hindsight, it looked like he'd planted a goddamn mole right in the middle of the most critical operation imaginable.
In the collapsed underground research facility, Hill, having barely escaped with her life, recounted what she'd witnessed. "Yes, Hawkeye betrayed us. He attacked us!"
"Did Barton make off with the Tesseract?"
"I don't know. When I arrived, I saw Agent Barton and the others already on their way out. The group included the researcher the Director brought in. The guards had all been neutralized…"
"Wait—the researcher went with them willingly?" Fury asked, disbelief thickening his voice.
"Yes. There were no signs of coercion. If anything, their withdrawal was remarkably smooth. It was like they'd planned it well in advance," Hill said, breathless.
"So that's it. The researcher was in on it too…" A sharp spike of pain lanced through Fury's skull. To think there was a mole inside S.W.O.R.D. itself. Damn them—these bastards were stabbing S.W.O.R.D. right in the back!
As the former spymaster he was, Nick Fury didn't lose his capacity for judgment just because trouble kept piling on, even if he was burning with rage right now. Damn moles, damn it all!
"Hill, I need you to get to New York immediately. Find Tony Stark, Peter Parker, Blonsky, and Ross. Tell them trouble's coming, but under no circumstances can you reveal what it is. I'll explain everything personally after."
"Understood. I'm on it." Wiping blood from her forehead, Hill—countless miles from Fury's location—extended her middle finger at the communicator. "Copy that, Director. I'm moving out now."
"Wait. What's the status of the Helicarrier?"
"Director, aside from the comm device I'm using to speak with you right now, I have absolutely no way of contacting the Helicarrier. So could you please check on its status yourself?!"
On the surface, she was the epitome of a perfect assistant. Inwardly, Hill had a few choice words she desperately wanted to scream into Nick Fury's ear.
"Fine. Go." By now, the preparations he'd made should be adequate.
Alone in the cavernous office, Nick Fury sat with his single eye blazing like a flame kindled in the darkness, a malevolent light flickering within. Shadows swallowed his face, hiding his expression from view.
"I won't let you bastards get away with this."
/-\
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