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*****
"I understand!"
Despite his past achievements—pummeling a god and single-handedly obliterating a warship—Fini was acutely aware of his actual limitations. While he could roam Earth with impunity, the vastness of the universe was a different story. He didn't even need to consider heavy hitters like Thanos or Ego; even a brush with some bizarre alien technology carried the risk of a disastrous "roll-over."
"I'll be careful."
Dangerous as space might be, Fini still yearned to see it. He wasn't the strongest out there, but he wasn't exactly a pushover that anyone could bully. More importantly, he had the Space Stone on him at all times; if he needed to run, few beings in existence could actually pin him down.
Besides, if a goofball like Peter Quill could manage to form the Guardians of the Galaxy, then he and Tony should be fine as long as they remained cautious.
"Very well."
Ancient One sighed. Because of Fini's presence, she had long ago lost her absolute grasp on the future. Consequently, she rarely interfered with his actions anymore. Her only hope was to guide him toward the right path; as long as he protected Earth in the future, it would be enough.
"So, when do you plan to leave?" she asked.
"Uh, probably after the New Year."
Christmas was just around the corner, followed quickly by New Year's Day. Many Americans didn't put much stock in the latter, prioritizing the former instead. However, the last time holidays rolled around, Fini had been stuck on Vormir. Having missed being with his family for both Christmas and New Year's then, he didn't want to miss out again.
"Mhm."
The Ancient One nodded without further comment, much to Fini's relief. He quickly pressed on: "But... I don't actually know where Asgard is. I'm not sure how to get there!"
Hearing this, the Ancient One reached out and pressed her palm against his forehead. Instantly, visions of Asgard flooded Fini's mind. When she withdrew her hand, the imagery faded, but the coordinates for Asgard remained etched in his memory.
"Thank you, Master!"
Fini thanked her joyfully. It really paid to have such a powerful mentor; hurdles were so much easier to clear.
"I will inform King Odin of your visit, but stay vigilant. Do not go looking for trouble," the Ancient One cautioned. After all, it was Asgard; if Fini truly caused a massive stir, it would be difficult even for her to save him from Odin's wrath.
"I will, I promise."
Fini nodded vigorously. He was going there for a trade. Since he wasn't sure of the map's exact value, he had prepared several items—at least a few things Asgard definitely didn't have.
Having secured both permission and the coordinates, Fini stopped bothering the Ancient One and cheerfully departed Kamar-Taj.
As she watched him leave, the Ancient One stared at his retreating back for a long moment. A trace of worry flickered in her eyes, and she let out a soft sigh. Then, her astral form drifted out of her body, heading toward a hospital in New York.
Holiday Spirits
Perhaps influenced by his past life, Fini still didn't feel much for Christmas even after all these years. Skye, however, was a different story. Every year, she grew excited as the holiday approached. This time was no different; the moment Fini walked through the door, she ran up to him, beaming. "Fini, tomorrow is Christmas!"
"Yeah, what about it?" Fini replied casually, his mind still preoccupied with his upcoming trip to Asgard.
"Do you think... I could go spend it with them?" Skye asked in a small voice. For years, the four of them had spent every Christmas together, except for the time Fini was stranded on Vormir.
Fini blinked, noticing the nervous expression on Skye's face. He smiled and replied, "Of course. It'll be your first holiday together, won't it? You can stay there for a while if you want."
The "them" Skye referred to were her biological parents. Lately, things had been going exceptionally well for the pair. Cal had opened a veterinary clinic, and Jiaying was helping him out. Their life was simple yet fulfilling.
"Really?" Skye's face lit up, but her joy was quickly followed by concern. "But won't Mom and Dad mind?"
"It's not like you're never coming back!" Fini rolled his eyes. "It's just a holiday. Pack your things; I'll drop you off now. I'll explain it to Mom and Dad."
"Hmph!" Though Fini's words put her at ease, his attitude annoyed her. She gave him a sharp glare before heading to her room to pack.
After dropping Skye off, Fini didn't go back to his own place. He went to his parents' house, explained Skye's absence, and settled in to spend the holiday with them. Christmas meant little to him personally, but it mattered to everyone else, so he spent the day fielding calls and receiving well-wishes from everyone he knew.
One call, however, came from a very unexpected source.
"Merry Christmas."
Hearing Nick Fury's holiday greeting on the other end of the line, Fini's jaw dropped in surprise. "Merry Christmas. I really didn't expect you to call."
"Agents are people too. We get holidays off," Fury remarked before asking, "Do you have time lately?"
"What's up?" Fini knew the "Crock-pot" wouldn't call just to wish him a happy holiday.
"I have some things I'd like to discuss with you."
Fini was curious. If Nick Fury was reaching out, it was rarely anything simple. "What kind of things?"
"It's not convenient over the phone. Let's talk in person."
Fury wouldn't budge. Fini, intrigued by what the Director could possibly want, agreed to meet him the day after tomorrow.
After hanging up, Fini began to deliberate. As far as he could remember, there shouldn't be any major global events happening at this point in time. That meant there was a high probability that Fury wanted to talk about Hydra.
Is the plot moving up? Fini thought to himself.
He wasn't naive enough to believe that everything would remain static and follow the "original script" in his memory. He had been in this world for years now; he had nearly dismantled the Avengers before they even started. He couldn't trust that the timeline would hold.
Hydra had been through significant turmoil lately. First, Whitehall, one of their leaders, had vanished—an event Sitwell had handled masterfully. But that was followed by the Zola incident, the Sokovia base, and the Winter Soldier Corps. It was bound to cause chaos within Hydra's ranks.
As skilled as Hydra was at hiding, they couldn't endure that many hits without making mistakes. It wasn't impossible for someone to have noticed a leak. Nick Fury was no amateur; as far back as the Whiplash incident, he had suspected internal issues. It was only because Hydra's infiltration was so deep that he hadn't been able to find the root cause.
Assuming Fury wanted to talk about Hydra, Fini began to weigh how he should respond.
In truth, Fini's original plan was for Hydra and SHIELD to take each other down and vanish together, just like in the original timeline. However, given the current situation, if Nick Fury had caught on early enough, there might actually be a chance to prune Hydra out.
While it would leave SHIELD severely crippled, the organization itself might actually survive.
(End of Chapter)