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The process of dismantling the psionic seal on Raven's memories was disappointingly simple. Jean didn't even need to intervene as Dante and Emma handled it together. Their coordinated telepathic attack unraveled the complex construct placed around her memories. Yet neither of them had the satisfied expression of a job well done. Instead, they exchanged a heavy glance.
"Why the long faces?" Jean asked, unable to hold back her concern. "Did something go wrong?"
Emma let out a sigh and rubbed her temple. "Wrong doesn't even begin to cover it. This is a mess."
"Can you explain properly?"
"I'll put it in simpler terms for you. Our memories aren't like digital photographs. There is no date or timestamps. When we experience something, our brain stores the event and the surrounding context, such as where we were, what we felt during the event, who was there, what happened before and after, and our emotional state." Emma took out a paper bill from her wallet and crumpled it, letting it sit on the table. "This happens when two centuries' worth of memories are shoved behind a psionic seal."
Once Emma took her telepathy seriously, she had been studying this subject. She had gone after the highest echelon of neuroscientists and neurology specialists and absorbed information from their minds. Otherwise, she couldn't have explained everything in such a simple fashion.
Jean frowned. "Her context got tangled?"
"Spot on." Dante brushed a strand of brown hair from Raven's forehead. "Her mind is a mess because everything is overlapping."
The different identities she had assumed as spies only made things worse.
"Can we… help her?"
He shook his head. "She'll experience waves of disjointed memories as her brain reconstructs the temporal links between events. We can only wait while it happens."
If Raven was an ordinary woman, they could've manually reorder her memories. But she had lived over two centuries and assumed countless identities using her mutant powers.
Jean crossed her arms, looking a bit uneasy. "How long will that take?"
"A week at most. The human brain is good at this sort of activity. The caveat is she has to stay unconscious."
If she woke before the process completed, the overlapping memories could lead to severe issues, the least dangerous of which would be the collapse of her sense of self.
"Fucker," Emma hissed under her breath. "He did this on purpose. He wanted her to suffer. What a pathetic piece of shit."
"He'll pay with his life."
Emma raised her gaze from Raven and locked eyes with him. "He isn't just your enemy. He is the enemy of all mutants. I'll do everything in my power to help you… even if he wasn't, I'd still help."
He couldn't help but smile at her resolve. "You know, the current you is real wifey material."
Emma blushed, though she tried to hide it behind a smirk. "Liar."
Jean looked between them with a visibly confused look. "Are you two—"
"No," Emma firmly refused. "Shouldn't you be more concerned about our enemy?"
Jean cleared her throat, cheeks faintly pink. "Right. Dante, who did this to Anna? Who are we really up against?"
"Nathaniel Essex."
He briefed Jean with all the information he had shared with Emma. Of course, he hid Sinister's real motivation, which was getting a child born between her and Scott.
"I see," Jean whispered with a grim expression. "Our enemy isn't SHIELD but Nathaniel Essex and his clones. And he has full control over SHIELD and their anti-mutant weapons."
"Correct, Jean dear." Emma turned to Jean. "We can collapse human armies with our minds, but we're sitting ducks the moment Sentinels take action."
Jean's expression grew grim. "Why is he doing this?"
"It's like asking a serial killer why he wants to kill someone. Stupid. They don't follow the same logic. Don't treat them as such."
"I'll keep it in mind." Jean sighed. "Then how do we proceed?"
"The only way," Dante said. "is to find his base and network of clones before we strike. It's going to be a headache."
"Unless you asked for Death's help." Jean paused when she noticed his frown. "Uh…"
He crossed his arms, looking at her with disappointment. "It's against Death's domain to prevent deaths. I can't keep asking her to go against her nature. I'm not that useless."
Emma showed a look of approval. "Exactly. Never treat your partner like a tool."
"Quite ironic coming from you, Emma," Jean scoffed. "For the record, I tried to crack a joke to lighten the mood. Gwen does it all the time…"
"It was a horrible first attempt," Emma said bluntly. "Don't force yourself to be someone you aren't."
She leaned forward and pointed a finger at Emma's chest. "Stop trying to lecture me, Emma. I know who I am and who I want to do."
Emma nonchalantly crossed her arms. "What do you want to do then?"
"Work together with everyone to take down this Mr. Sinister. It's our fight."
Emma clapped like she was proud of Jean. "Congratulations. You finally grew up."
Jean snorted. "But you're worse than middle schoolers these days. They have the courage to confess their feelings, but you don't."
"..."
The conversation continued for a while longer. He briefed the two on his situation with Widows and Natasha. He needed everyone on board since he alone couldn't be at all places. To avoid any action from SHIELD, every team had to rescue the Widows at the same time.
Emma tapped the table. "If you'll head to SHIELD's base, then who will lead the units rescuing Widows?"
"You."
Emma looked at him skeptically. "I wasn't the first option, right?"
"Who can lead better than Emma Frost?"
He had to lie with a straight face. His first option had been Silvija, whose genetic gifts allowed her to command others as easily as breathing. But she was busy managing her country. He definitely couldn't bring her back to lead a tough mission, even though she'd be happy to help him.
Emma didn't look convinced. "Fine. I'll be the leader. Who else is participating?"
"Our people and a guest. I'll gather everyone after we return from Egypt."
She nodded slowly. The discussion continued for a little longer. Jean volunteered to scout for information with Felicia, but he rejected that idea. They didn't have to lift a finger since the Spirit would be providing him with the files on every Widow. Instead, he tasked Jean to keep everyone safe in his absence, which she was more than happy to do.
Soon, both women entered the elevator together and left.
He sat in his chair, rocking it gently back and forth, gazing at the sleeping Raven. The memory of what happened in the restroom still lingered on his mind. The stress had gotten to Raven, unsealing not only her mutant powers but also triggering a secondary mutation. Now, she could turn into someone else and wield their powers.
Just having Rogue's power absorption made her incredibly dangerous. What's more, Anna Marie of this universe had the ability to clone herself, which she had been using to operate as a maid. He had always felt something off about the maid, but now it made sense.
Raven's situation was even more complicated. The original Anna Keller had been planted here by HYDRA to spy on Silvija. Magneto had used Raven to steal Anna's identity and turn her into a double agent. Mystique had been skeptical of the low-level position, but Erik's logic had been simple: HYDRA had telepaths in ranks. A high-profile role would be too risky for her, so Magneto wanted her to blend in.
Dante snorted. "I don't believe you were acting this whole time. No one can act that flawlessly."
If she had been acting, then the Anna who had been left behind after Sinister's mind-wipe would've been a much different person. First, she wouldn't have any attachment to this place. There wouldn't be any reason for her to return here. Instead, she had returned and bonded with him and Silvija.
She had attachments here, or so he hoped. Otherwise, he would have to say goodbye to a friend.
'What does HYDRA want with Silvija?'
As a byproduct of being a low-level spy, Mystique had no idea what HYDRA wanted from Silvija. She acted from order to order. Her current one was to keep working as the receptionist while updating HYDRA with everything happening around Silvija.
As far as he knew, HYDRA's long-term goal had been global domination in both comics and movies except they used different measures.
'They want Symkaria under their thumb?'
They could only achieve it in their dreams. Silvija's country would be untouchable as long as they had him.
'Whatever. I'll deal with them later.'
HYDRA wasn't a priority at the moment.
With one portal, Asgard and Midgard were linked in an instant. He slipped one arm under Raven's back and the other under her knees, then lifted her gently. She was way too light for someone who had over centuries of struggle.
"Let's get you somewhere safe."
He stepped inside the portal and flew toward the palace of Asgard under the concealment of Death's cloak. Before he reached the palace, he spotted a familiar face on the training field. On one side, Asgardian warriors trained with the Warriors Three, and Lady Sif. On the other, Hela stood behind a line with a bow in her hands and fired arrow after arrow into a row of practice dummies.
Every single shot hit the bullseye.
'Loki wasn't lying.'
Hela had been spending most of her time on the training field. Humiliation had lit a fire in her, given her deep hunger to get stronger.
'I can't go to her.'
For his current goal, he had to approach either Lady Loki or Hela. One would cling to him and plead with him to see Hela and the other would want a sparring session. The way they sparred could easily eat half a day. If he refused, she would throw a tantrum. Convincing Lady Loki would be much easier.
He avoided Hela for now and slipped into the palace. Finding Lady Loki wasn't hard. She was in her chamber, seated on her bed, reading from a thick tome floating before her.
Coming out of Death's cloak, he tapped the floor with his boot. "Lady Loki."
"My lord!" She swiped her hand to dismiss the tome back into the shelf and took off her necklace. A swirl of green magic surrounded her, returning her to her original form. The bright smile on her face was incredibly flattering. "Who is this young woman, my lord?"
"A friend. She won't wake up for some time, so it's up to you to watch over her. I don't care how much resources you have to burn through. Don't let her feel any discomfort here."
Her playful demeanor turned serious. "Our medical facilities are far more advanced than Midgard. She will be well cared for."
"I hope so." He gently lowered Raven on the bed and prepared to open his portal, but he paused recalling Lady Loki's promise. "You mentioned gifts last time."
Lady Loki showed an apologetic look. "I need a few more days. I'm deeply sorry for the delay."
"No worries. Can you pass a message to Hela?"
"It will be my pleasure."
"Tell Hela to take a few days off and enjoy herself. If she refuses, say it's an order from me. Disobedience will be punished."
After so much isolated time in Hel, anyone would need a few relaxing days. Hela, meanwhile, had grown obsessed with sparring.
She nodded her head. "I shall, my lord."
He turned to leave, half-expecting Lady Loki to plead for a visit to Hela. But Lady Loki kept her legs crossed, her hands resting on her knees. The calm smile on her face was unexpected. "I will humbly wait for your next arrival."
"Hmm. Visit Midgard in two days. I need your help with something."
Her calm smile crumbled, replaced by a surprised look. Then she showed a bright smile as if she had been dying to hear these words from him. "I will be there, my lord."
He nodded and stepped into the portal into the room where he had seen Natasha, her Spirit, and the Ancient One. The room was completely empty.
The portal closed behind her without him taking any action.
"You should know I'm not a very patient man. I start blowing shit up when I'm bored."
The silence was shattered by the shifting of walls. The geometric patterns slid around like a puzzle and revealed a hidden doorway. He stepped inside without hesitation, only to pause at the threshold.
"Why are you here?"
Sharing the small, cozy chamber with the Ancient One was none other than Natasha's Spirit of Vengeance.
The Spirit drifted closer to his side. "Nice to meet you too, friend."
"You won't get anything for sucking up to me. How is Natasha?"
"They're keeping her caged and well fed. The best way to keep a caged beast obedient is to avoid hurting it, after all."
"Don't try common sense on those fuckers."
He very much doubted Mr. Sinister had brainwashed every single person on SHIELD's Board of Council. They had acted to save their image and keep Natasha under their thumbs.
The Spirit closed her eyes and released a puff of flames as though she was sighing. "When will you save her?"
"In two days. Does she know I'm doing this?"
The skull shook from side to side. "She would try to stop you… she believes this is her punishment for trying to manipulate you."
He would know the truth once he met her face to face. Until then, he wouldn't be trusting anyone but himself on how to treat Natasha moving forward.
He turned to the Ancient One. "I need your help."
The Ancient One rose from her chair, her calm eyes gazing into his. "What you have done… It showed everyone that SHIELD cannot contain them all. Soon, that pressure will spill into the world and cause unprecedented carnage."
"Doesn't matter. I can handle them."
"What about Dracula and his vampires?" The Ancient One asked sharply. "What about the demons who are resurfacing? The Externals? The invaders from space and dimensions beyond? Can you fight them all? Even if you can, think about the people who will be caught in the middle and lose their lives."
The Spirit watched him silently, having a deep interest in his answer.
He revealed a tiny smile. "I can't save everyone nor do I plan to. As for these villains… they won't be able to handle the consequences of fucking around."
He had already lost one home. He wasn't planning on losing another home. If killing a thousand villains was what it took to keep the rest alive, he would do it in a heartbeat.
The Ancient One closed her eyes. "One public appearance from you changed the entire course of this universe."
The woman responsible for his first public appearance was none other than Felicia. The woman who had dodged death and became sisters with Lady Death. She had been spreading misfortune even before she became Black Cat.
"Ancient One, lend me a hand if you think my allies aren't enough. Even better if you bring that surgeon and start training him."
"Who told you about him?" she asked and immediately narrowed her gaze at the Spirit. "You?"
"No. I can swear on my true name."
He nodded to himself. It seemed the Ancient One and the Spirit's relationship was much deeper than he had guessed. It was still strange that a former demon and the Sorcerer Supreme could be this familiar with each other.
"Great," the Ancient One said. "Otherwise, I would have revealed your reasoning behind leaving Hell and condemning Mephisto, and what your grand plan is. Oops. I was not supposed to mention that."
The sly grin on her face made the Spirit's flamed burn brighter than ever. She glared at the Ancient One with blazing eyes. "You disgusting hag, I—"
Before she could erupt, Dante reached out and gently patted the flaming skull. "What's the story behind you leaving Hell?"
"An uninteresting tale of corruption and heroism—rather a long one, at that. Best we leave it for another day. After all, your time is far more precious in comparison than mine."
He brought her on his shoulder. "It's fine. We've got some free time while I raid the Ancient One's vault for materials."
***
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