"Duplication?"
Upon hearing this, Wanda frowned slightly, her head tilting ever so slightly.
When did I ever use a duplication technique? No, Fury must be talking nonsense—I don't even know that technique.
If I did, then when Finn had me using my mouth in the bathroom, it definitely would've caused duplication!
Wait, no—if I really knew duplication, he wouldn't have settled for just one witch. Two, three, maybe even more...
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
Nick Fury's dark face split into a grin, his white teeth flashing. "When I was in my twenties and thirties, I liked a lot of people too."
"Didn't you notice their personalities are vastly different?"
Finn looked at Fury's knowing smirk and suddenly felt a bit cheap.
For a moment, he wasn't entirely sure if the person in front of him was a Skrull illusion or the real deal.
"Sometimes, switching things up is a good choice," Fury said with a smirk.
"Sure enough, every version of Nick Fury is hard to like," the Dark Witch muttered from her chair, her expression darkening. Her voice was filled with irritation.
Finn was right—every version of Nick Fury across the multiverse was just as insufferable.
"Fury, quit messing around and get to the point."
Maria Hill coughed a few times, clearly annoyed. Her boss was still mentally on vacation.
"I was joking, but in all seriousness, I know everything that's been happening on Earth. The Skrulls have detected that reality is in chaos."
Nick Fury dropped the humor and immediately adopted a serious tone.
"It's confirmed."
Finn's expression remained neutral, but now he was certain. This presence—this aura—belonged only to the real Nick Fury.
The person standing in front of him was no Skrull imposter.
"But the problem isn't solved yet. You haven't sent her back."
Fury gestured toward the Dark Witch, seated regally in an ancient-looking chair to the side.
"I think you should reconsider that prophecy..."
The Dark Witch's expression turned cold, and she suddenly found Fury even more insufferable.
"Baldy, you'd better not push her," Finn warned, shifting slightly to the right to create some distance.
The last thing he needed was to get caught in the crossfire if the Dark Witch lost her temper.
"Nonsense, I'm perfectly well-behaved. If you don't want me to act, I won't," the Dark Witch said smoothly, her expression softening instantly. She leaned against Finn, her voice taking on a teasing lilt. "Besides, he's not worthy of me."
"Classic manipulator..." Finn couldn't help but chuckle at how quickly she flipped her demeanor.
Then, regaining his composure, he explained, "Actually, we've also been investigating the multiverse..."
He gave a brief rundown of their encounter with the mysterious figure.
"Just to kill you? I don't buy it. Mysterio already pulled a scam like that before," Fury said skeptically. The memory of Quentin Beck's deception was still fresh.
"That's because you were dumb enough to fall for it. If it weren't for your incompetence back then, neither Spider-Man nor the witch would've been fooled."
Finn sighed, exasperated.
Even if the whole debacle had technically been caused by Skrulls impersonating Fury, the mess had still originated from him.
"I—"
Nick Fury's mouth twitched, but he swallowed his retort.
Now, he was stuck in a situation he couldn't explain. If he admitted the truth, that it hadn't actually been him but a Skrull named Talos, no one would take it well.
That idiot had acted without thinking and had been played by a glorified con artist.
Because of him, Fury's reputation as a legendary super-spy had been utterly wrecked.
"Finn, this situation is complicated. We can't guarantee she's safe..."
Trying to shift away from the awkwardness, Fury turned the conversation back to Dark Wanda.
As he spoke, Wanda—who had been silent until now—suddenly interjected, "I trust her."
"Wanda?"
Finn frowned slightly, glancing at his Wanda in surprise.
His witch was actually speaking up for Dark Wanda?
"So you can say something nice about me," the Dark Witch mused, a sly smile curving her lips.
"I'm thinking of Finn," Wanda muttered, rolling her eyes. "Fury, my connection to the Scarlet Witch's power lets me sense her truthfulness. She's not lying."
"Are you certain?"
Fury seemed more inclined to believe Wanda. After all, she had no reason to deceive him.
"I'm not you. If you hadn't misled me before, I wouldn't have made those mistakes."
Wanda shot him an unimpressed look.
Fury coughed, visibly embarrassed, and quickly changed the subject. "To be safe, the Dark Witch needs to come in for an official registration."
Filing her into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database was standard procedure. Given her immense power—clearly on par with Wanda of this universe—keeping proper records was crucial.
"Right now?"
Wanda looked tired.
"Well, flying isn't exhausting. Besides, your boyfriend needs to come too."
Fury nodded.
"But I already registered with S.W.O.R.D. before," Finn pointed out.
"That was S.W.O.R.D. This is S.H.I.E.L.D.—different organizations, different records."
Fury shook his head, then turned to Wanda. "I also need your help with something else. We'll discuss it on the plane."
Inside the Quinjet
The group settled into the aircraft.
It was still the classic Quinjet, but this one had been modified—sofa lounges, storage cabinets, and a slightly more comfortable interior setup.
"Is this the same old jet?" Finn asked, eyeing the aircraft.
"It led the world for over a decade, kid. Show some respect," Fury shot back, annoyed.
Truth be told, if it weren't for the alien invasions and Stark Industries reverse-engineering Chitauri tech, modern tech might not have surpassed the Quinjet yet.
"That was then, this is now," Finn replied, leaning into the sofa.
"That was before, and stop calling me 'baldy,'" Fury said, his face darkening.
"Fine, fine. Hey, is there any wine? I'm a little thirsty. Thanks."
Finn yawned, already feeling drowsy. Since he was here, he might as well sit back and relax with a drink while S.H.I.E.L.D. flew them to their next stop.
And knowing them, their alcohol had to be expensive.
"This is a government aircraft, not a bar. No drinking."
Fury's expression turned even uglier.
This brat—he lets him board a Quinjet, and the first thing he does is ask for booze?
What the hell?
Before he could continue his lecture, Maria Hill had already placed a bottle on the table.
"Appreciate it," Finn said, pouring himself a glass. "Hill, you're a good woman."
"Just shut up and drink," Hill muttered, rolling her eyes. She'd only given him the drink to shut him up.
Then she turned to Fury. "Fury, let's get to the real discussion. No more delays."
"Mm."
Nick Fury nodded, took a sip of his drink, and said with a serious expression, "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s equipment has detected strange fluctuations in reality, and they haven't stopped."
As he spoke, his face darkened.
This phenomenon suggested reality was destabilizing.
That kind of power wasn't easy to control. If it wasn't handled soon, it could affect the entire planet.
"Hasn't reality already been restored?" Wanda asked, puzzled.
Back in that basement hall, Dark Wanda had cast a spell to restore everything. The visitors from other universes had also been sent back.
Logically, reality fluctuations shouldn't be happening anymore. But S.H.I.E.L.D. had detected abnormalities.
What was going on?
"No, there's another type of strange fluctuation now," Hill said grimly.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had thought it was over too.
But new disturbances had been detected.
This new energy was incredibly strong.
And unstable.
They had no idea what was causing it.
"Could it be him?"
Finn, sitting on the sofa, suddenly thought of someone.
Loki.
Not this universe's Loki.
But another Loki, one nearly identical to the one from the main timeline.
That Loki had been captured by the TVA but had managed to escape...
To prevent further chaos, the TVA had been forced to recapture him.
And because of the actions of both him and Sylvie, the timeline had begun to fracture.
"So, what are you planning to do?" Wanda's eyes focused on Nick Fury.
If S.H.I.E.L.D. had detected abnormalities, it meant the situation was serious.
And if they weren't careful, it could escalate into something catastrophic.
She sighed, already feeling exhausted. Not long ago, they had just dealt with a multiversal crisis.
Now there was a new problem.
"I hope you'll assist us if necessary," Fury finally said after some hesitation.
Right now, they had no real leads.
Their only option was to rely on Wanda.
After all, she was the Scarlet Witch.
Her power was unmatched.
With her help, there was a real chance of solving this issue before it spiraled further out of control.
"I'll agree—but only if the threat is to the world itself," Wanda said firmly.
She had her limits.
If this was just another bureaucratic issue, she wasn't interested.
"Where exactly are we going?"
Dark Wanda finally spoke, noticing that the plane had already left New York, now speeding high above the atmosphere at supersonic speeds.
"Asgard."
Nick Fury didn't bother hiding it.
There were things that needed handling.
And since time wasn't too pressing, a detour made sense.
"That's... interesting."
Finn's interest piqued instantly.
He knew Fury was referring to the new Asgard in Norway.
After its reconstruction, things must have changed drastically.
He was eager to see it for himself.
"Is Thor on Earth?" Finn asked excitedly.
Meeting Thor was on his bucket list. The guy was one of the Big Three.
The last remaining one.
"I think so," Fury said, but his tone was uncertain. "Recently, Asgard has been dealing with some... issues."
Too much had happened lately.
He wasn't even sure if Thor was still around.
He hadn't been keeping track.
"Aren't you the mastermind behind the Avengers? Thor's a member—shouldn't you know?" Finn said, half-jokingly.
Fury, former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., not knowing a core Avenger's whereabouts?
Ridiculous.
"Thor's movements are unpredictable. S.H.I.E.L.D. can't track him."
Fury sounded exasperated.
Even with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources, pinpointing Thor was next to impossible.
Ever since the battle with Thanos, Thor had left with the Guardians of the Galaxy and had barely returned.
Even S.H.I.E.L.D. had no idea where he was most of the time.
And then—
BOOM!
Thunder exploded above them, a deep, roaring sound like a beast awakening.
The cabin went silent instantly.
Everyone could hear the storm outside, and their expressions turned grim.
The entire sky flickered with lightning, the darkness outside now pierced by endless streaks of electricity.
Blinding flashes made it difficult to see beyond the windows.
It was a warning.
Something was coming.
CRACK!
Bolts of lightning crashed down, shaking the Quinjet as if the heavens themselves were splitting apart.
The air grew heavy, as if the world had stopped breathing.
The once-clear night sky had transformed into a storm-filled abyss, an ocean of swirling clouds and untamed power.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
More lightning struck, deafening and raw.
It was like bombs detonating in rapid succession, shaking the atmosphere itself.
A strange energy spread through the air.
It wasn't normal lightning.
Something—or someone—was here.
The storm outside was unnatural.
Something far more powerful than mere weather.
Nick Fury's jaw clenched.
Finn gripped the armrest of his seat, his excitement fading into unease.
Dark Wanda's expression darkened, a smirk playing at her lips. "Well, well. Now this is interesting."
Wanda, however, was still.
Because she could feel it.
The magic in the storm.
It was powerful. Ancient.
And it was calling to them.
-----
1st Bonus Chapter - 500 Power Stones
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