He didn't move to join the fight below.
Arthur stood on the quiet cloudline, a silent observer watching the chaos unfold far beneath him.
But his mind was elsewhere.
The Eye of Horus pulsed rapidly, scanning the area with relentless focus. After a moment, he drew out Loki's magic scepter and stared at the glowing blue stone, his expression deeply thoughtful.
Finally, he let out a low sigh. "A grand coincidence, or a silent agreement that isn't really an agreement at all... Either way, the smartest move right now is to keep my mouth shut and see how this particular snake sheds its skin."
When vipers are circling the grass you've already disturbed, you don't keep stomping. You wait quietly for them to slither out. Whatever the final outcome, the core mission remained unchanged.
He stood sentinel high in the clouds, maintaining his vigil until the Avengers had secured their decisive victory, a victory that was, thankfully, entirely predictable.
Arthur's figure dissolved, reappearing moments later aboard the stealth craft heading back to Camp Lehigh.
He pulled off his mask, glanced one last time at the captured scepter, and sealed it within his Disassembler's dimensional space.
It had offered no resistance whatsoever.
"Proceed to jump. Head for home."
Arthur gave the order but deliberately avoided contacting Tony or the others.
The adrenaline of victory gave way to revelry for the winners.
Truth be told, there was still a lingering tension between the core members of the Avengers and Hawkeye. While nominally on the same side, everyone surrounding Arthur had a specialized "job" now, and being sidelined from the main Alliance hadn't put Clint in a cheerful mood.
Arthur wasn't going to wade into that emotional mess; he'd let Tony and the others handle the patching up.
When they landed back at Camp Lehigh and stepped onto the tarmac, a Mark Series unit was already waiting by Arthur's side.
"Directional call request received," the unit reported, its voice synthesized and crisp. "Communication frequency: XXXXXX…"
Arthur raised a brow. "Log the frequency immediately, establish the highest defensive measures, and set up a full isolation field."
"Affirmative." The Mark Series's lights flickered. After a tense moment, it confirmed, "Protocols completed."
"How many times has the signal attempted contact?" Arthur asked.
"Thirty-one times!"
"When the thirty-second attempt comes in, or even the thirty-third, patch it through to my quarters."
With that, Arthur headed back inside.
He had no intention of researching Loki's scepter or attempting to reverse-engineer anything from it.
That had always been Hydra's destructive business. For Arthur, the best treatment for the scepter was to put it away and forget it existed.
For humanity, it was simply too alien, too dangerous, and riddled with unknowns. Its presence wouldn't just introduce new technology; it could just as easily spark a global catastrophe.
Camp Lehigh had already designed a full roadmap for Earth's technological ascent. If they followed it step by step, they could transform the planet in less than half a century.
Earth didn't need the scepter.
For Camp Lehigh itself, yes, the scepter could theoretically arm the base at an entirely new level.
But the issue was clear: using it would be worse than concealing it.
It was a beacon, a blinding light that would draw every evil and avaricious gaze in the cosmos toward them. Rather than let it summon more power-hungry maniacs, it was far safer to seal it away and hide its brilliance altogether.
Alright, Arthur thought wryly, the truth is, I do harbor a certain ambition.
His Disassembler had reached an Advanced stage, though still within the first tier. He was already planning to select a few worthy targets for disassembly soon, and once his Disassembler reached its ultimate level, perhaps even the Infinity Stones themselves wouldn't be beyond his reach.
If he could fully disassemble and absorb the power of all six Infinity Stones, then what reason would he have to fear Thanos? When the Mad Titan showed up, Arthur could probably beat him so soundly he'd be begging for mercy.
So, compared to that distant prize, what truly interested him right now was another discovery from this latest operation.
But first…
"Directional communication request approaching thirty-second attempt. Frequency logged. Defensive measures and isolation field active. Shall I connect?"
"Connect!"
Before anything else, Arthur needed to know who was calling him, and more importantly, where this mysterious signal originated.
If it were just a transmission from Earth, the Mark Series unit wouldn't have routed it directly to him with such fanfare.
The logged frequency confirmed one thing: the signal was extraterrestrial, coming from beyond the planet.
But where exactly? That, he would only know after picking up.
Then came a booming, ridiculously familiar laugh:
"HAHAHAHAHA!!!"
The bold, thunderous voice made Arthur's serious expression falter instantly. His mouth twitched. "…Thor?"
"Old friend! How have you been lately?"
Thor's voice was unmistakable, but compared to the last time they'd met, the heavy cloud of grief seemed to have lifted. He sounded more like the boisterous, carefree warrior he was meant to be.
Arthur couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. "Not bad at all. Though your 'directional call' nearly gave my security chief a nervous breakdown. Where in the Nine Realms are you right now?"
"Ah, I'm in a vast wasteland," Thor said, a dry tone entering his voice. "There is no proper frequency network out here. It took a great deal of effort to link a signal to Camp Lehigh. I've been calling you for what feels like an age before I finally got through."
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "A wasteland that still has a comm device?"
"You know," Thor replied with a low chuckle, "some places weren't always rotten from the start; it's only the mortals living there that manage to ruin them completely."
He continued, his tone turning reflective:
"Arthur, do you know what I've realized? If the people of a single world could truly unite as one, only then could they step beyond their borders and truly gaze upon the universe. But until that happens, the choices they make are everything. One wrong step… and the whole world could end up as ruins."
Arthur looked genuinely surprised. "You? Saying something that philosophical?"
"Just a passing thought," Thor dismissed. "Do not worry, I don't intend to force that idea onto Midgard. Every realm has its own destiny. Earth is doing quite well as it is."
Arthur chuckled. "That doesn't sound like something we should be worrying about. So then, you've called me thirty-two times. What is it you really want?"
"I want the truth!"
Thor's voice snapped suddenly, growing serious and intense.
"The one sitting in Asgard right now, the one who looks exactly like my father, tell me honestly, without hesitation… is that bastard Loki in disguise?"
The question was… shockingly, brutally direct.
Arthur froze for a beat, then threw his head back and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha… You… you're actually asking me that? That's… honestly more direct than I ever could have expected!"