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It was true.
Iron Man and Doctor Strange were back.
And not just back—they were unharmed. Not a scratch on them. Even the teenage Spider-Man had tagged along.
The only one missing was Bruce Banner. But considering this Bruce Banner wasn't even the Bruce Banner from their universe, it wasn't exactly a crushing blow.
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Inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York Command Center.
Hawk leaned back on the sofa, resting his chin in his hand. He stared at the holographic projection Doctor Strange had cast in the middle of the room—a star map highlighting the location of Titan, a planet deep in the Milky Way. He frowned, then looked at the sorcerer.
"What do you mean, Thanos invited me over for a chat?"
"I don't know." Strange waved a hand, dismissing the projection. He looked at Hawk, looking just as lost as the rest of them. "That's exactly what he told us."
He was still processing the whole thing himself. "After Ebony Maw took me, before his ship even left the solar system, Thanos used the Space Stone to teleport directly aboard."
"I thought for sure we were dead."
"But... Thanos ordered Ebony Maw to let us go."
"He told us to return to Earth and deliver a message. He said he invites you to Titan for a conversation." Strange recounted the bizarre events following their abduction by Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian. Then a thought struck him. He looked down at the Time Stone resting against his chest. "Thanos also said... he doesn't need the Time Stone anymore."
'He doesn't need the Time Stone?' Hearing this, Hawk remained silent.
Wait... This plotline was off the rails. What do you mean he doesn't need the Time Stone? If he doesn't have the Time Stone, how is he supposed to snap his fingers and become the universe's ultimate population control officer?
Hold on, what was the reason Thanos wanted to wipe out half of all life in the universe in the first place?
To prevent the emergence of new Celestials.
And what had Hawk just done?
'Hiss!'
"Did you figure something out?" Tony asked, watching Hawk suddenly suck in a sharp breath.
"You could say that."
"If the Celestials don't bring Gwen back to me in one month, I will slaughter every planet in the known universe that harbors a Celestial seed." Hawk pulled his thoughts back to the present. He glanced at Tony, then at Strange, Sharon, and the young Spider-Man, all of whom were staring at him. "I imagine that's why Thanos called off his hunt."
Doctor Strange's expression tightened.
Tony, on the other hand, just looked confused.
"What are Celestials? And what does Gwen have to do with them? Did they kidnap her?"
"No."
"Then what does this have to do with Thanos...?"
"Tony!" Sharon cut in. She looked at the confused billionaire, the frowning Sorcerer Supreme, and the lost teenage Spider-Man. In a few sentences, she explained the volatile dynamic connecting Thanos to the Celestials, Hawk to the Celestials, and Gwen's disappearance to the entire mess.
Tony was floored. "So this Thanos guy... he wants to wipe out half the universe's population just to stop new Celestials from being born?"
When you thought about it, did that mean Thanos wasn't the bad guy? Was he actually the good guy?
After all, Thanos only wanted half.
A new Celestial emerging would take the entire planet.
Lose half. Or lose everything.
Any rational person would choose the former.
"Does that mean... Earth..."
"Yes." Sharon nodded gravely. She shot a quick glance at Hawk. "I've already reported this up the chain. I trust the Security Council will make the right decision."
Hearing this, Tony turned to Hawk.
"Can't we just find a way to extract the Celestial growing inside Earth and kill it?"
"Be my guest." Hawk met Tony's gaze. "There's an access point to the Earth's core near Skull Island. If you go deep enough, you can get a glimpse of Tiamut's body."
Tony heard the subtle challenge in Hawk's voice and stared at him.
Hawk knew exactly what Tony was thinking. The corner of his mouth ticked upward into a cold smile. "I won't make the choice for you. And of course, I won't stop you from making your own."
"Like I told Sharon."
"Survival, or destruction. The choice is yours."
"If the Earth blows up, I have somewhere else to go." Hawk shrugged, his tone light. He looked back at Sharon. "Don't worry. I might not care about Earth, but my friends still do."
Sharon caught his reassuring smile and offered one in return. She quickly changed the subject. "How Earth responds isn't my call to make anyway. What I want to know is... was this Thanos's plan from the start, or did he improvise?"
Hawk chuckled. "He improvised."
When Thanos had gone to Nidavellir to force Eitri to forge the Infinity Gauntlet, Hawk had still been inside the World Tree. He hadn't challenged the Celestials yet.
At that point, Thanos's objective was focused on securing the Infinity Stones.
But when Hawk emerged from the World Tree, he declared war on the Celestials.
Thanos must have changed his plan right then and there.
The bad news for Thanos: Hawk held two Infinity Stones. Thanos knew he had no chance of taking them from him. His dream of wiping out half of all life in one swift snap was dead.
The good news: Hawk had just picked a fight with the Celestials.
The even better news: Thanos wanted to wipe out half of all life to stop the Celestials from reproducing. Hawk just wanted to wipe out the Celestials entirely.
So, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
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"Wait a second..." Sharon, putting the pieces together, interrupted. "Even if the enemy of his enemy is his friend... didn't you give the Celestials a month to return Gwen? If they actually manage to bring her back, the deal is off. Thanos can't possibly know what's going to happen a month from now."
As she spoke, she glanced at the Eye of Agamotto on Doctor Strange's chest. "Did he use the Time Stone?"
"No." Strange shook his head.
Leaning back on the sofa, Hawk looked at Sharon. He offered a small smile but didn't say a word.
Sharon's expression froze. "The Celestials aren't going to bring Gwen back?"
Hawk shook his head slowly. "They can't bring her back."
Who had imprisoned Gwen?
Time itself—
What level of existence were the Celestials? And what level was Time?
Even for the Celestials, searching the multiverse to find one specific person hidden by Time itself... it was impossible.
Sharon stared at him, stunned by his calm admission. "Then why did you..."
"Someone has to pay the price for taking her."
"Time... I can't touch it right now."
"Eternity... I'd love to settle the score with him, but if he doesn't want to be found, I can't force him. But I can force him to come to me—"
"...Through the Celestials."
"I am furious right now. Beyond furious!!" Hawk's expression didn't change. His voice was dead calm. "Eternity created the Celestials to maintain order in his timeline. I refuse to believe that if I slaughter every Celestial seed and butcher the entire Celestial host, Eternity will still hide like a coward and refuse to face me."
Yes, Eternity was his true target.
The Celestials were just the bait he was using to draw Eternity out of hiding.
The Celestials couldn't bring his wife back.
But Eternity could!
In truth, Hawk knew exactly where Eternity was, and he even knew how to reach the Gates of Eternity.
However, Time had stolen his wife, and he was supposed to just politely knock on Eternity's front door to ask for her back?
Did he look like a masochist?
Someone slaps you across the face, and you offer them the other cheek?
Repay injury with kindness?
No!
Repay injury with justice!
Since Time had taken his wife, he would butcher Time's beloved Celestials. He was going to force Eternity to come to him.
Whether or not he could beat Eternity in a fight was one thing.
Having the courage to throw the punch was another.
And even if he couldn't win right now, so what?
Couldn't he just retreat?
He had the World Tree now.
If the fight turned against him, he could just pull back into the World Tree, train for a few years, and come out swinging when he was stronger.
A gentleman can wait ten years for revenge.
A Chief God can wait a millennium!
In a word: Hawk had stolen the World Tree, yes. But he had won it fair and square. Targeting his wife was a foul play by Time. Since Time had decided to break the rules and strike at someone weaker, Hawk had no qualms about doing the exact same thing to the Celestials.
And when he struck, he wouldn't be nearly as soft or merciful as Thanos.
It was true.
In Hawk's eyes, Thanos's approach was a thankless, pathetic exercise in half-measures. The Titan was a hypocrite, crippled by indecision and a misplaced savior complex.
To put it bluntly:
Other people's lives are none of your damn business!
He didn't have the face of a saint, yet he insisted on playing the part.
And another thing—
If you're going to do it, do it right. If you pull a weed, you rip out the roots. Otherwise, the spring breeze will just bring it back to life. Thanos didn't even understand a concept that simple.
Let's look at the facts.
If Hawk had been in Thanos's shoes? Nebula? Gamora? They would have been eradicated right alongside the rest of their species.
Adoption?
Adopting a little girl who just watched you murder her parents?
Calling Thanos's actions 'reckless' didn't even begin to cover it.
It was stupid. That was the only word for it.
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Hawk turned his gaze to Doctor Strange. "Show me the coordinates for Titan again."
Strange nodded. He raised his hand and conjured the holographic star map, highlighting Titan's location once more.
Tony watched him, his brow furrowing.
"You're not actually going to meet him, are you?"
"Of course I am." Hawk laughed, stood up from the sofa, and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Thanos is right about one thing. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
He paused, looking directly at Tony.
"Besides, you know I don't care about 'good' or 'evil' when I make friends. This shouldn't be a surprise to you. I'm going to see Thanos. As for you... You should probably start thinking about how to handle the new Celestial gestating inside Earth. And again: do not expect me to save you if you make the wrong choice."
With that.
Hawk looked up. In a flash, he vanished from the S.H.I.E.L.D. command center. He appeared a second later in the upper atmosphere, transformed into a streak of golden light, broke past light-speed, and tore toward the distant world of Titan.
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