Two days passed in a blur of farming, negotiations, and surprisingly little violence.
Young Thanos had adapted to agricultural life with disturbing enthusiasm, even wearing a straw hat identical to Infinite Thanos'. Mario had ordered them custom-made from a craftsman back in Sicily, mainly because regular stores didn't carry them in "genocidal space tyrant" size.
---
Splash.
Hawaiian beach.
Clear water shimmered under the sun, a cool ocean breeze carrying the scent of salt. Mario lay on a beach towel wearing sunglasses, quietly watching the clouds drift across the bright blue sky.
"Help me with sunscreen."
Skye's voice pulled his attention away from the sky. She was lying on her stomach beside him, her back exposed to the sun.
"Sure thing. You know, applying oil is an old family tradition."
Skye laughed. "Yesterday you said your family tradition was massage. Day before that it was bone-setting."
Mario grabbed a bottle of sunscreen from their bag and squeezed some onto Skye's back. "The Argento family has a lot of skills, okay?"
"Fine, fine. Just don't touch anywhere weird."
"If I don't move my hands, how am I supposed to spread it evenly? Hold still."
Ever since dropping off Thanos at the Sanctuary, Mario had returned to Earth and spent two full days relaxing with Skye. Otherwise, leaving her stuck in Afterlife would drive her crazy.
"Where else do you want to go? I'll take you anywhere."
"I don't know. We've already been to so many places. How about the Colosseum? I've never seen it in person."
Mario's hand paused, then resumed spreading sunscreen.
August. Peak tourist season in Rome. If we go to the Colosseum now, you'll see crowds, not architecture.
Skye noticed the hesitation. "What's wrong?"
Mario smiled and shook his head. If Skye wanted to visit, he'd take her. Let her experience the terror of Italian summer tourism firsthand.
"Nothing. Just... prepare yourself mentally."
"For what? For looking at old ruins?"
Mario pressed a bit harder with his hand. "You'll understand when we get there."
---
A few hours later, they landed in Rome.
The moment they stepped off the plane, Skye's eyes went wide. "Oh my god... so many people."
Fiumicino Airport was packed wall-to-wall with travelers. The noise was deafening... announcements in Italian, families shouting to stay together, luggage wheels scraping across tile floors.
Mario breathed it in, feeling at home. The chaos of Italian crowds, the rapid-fire conversations, the smell of espresso from every café, this was familiar territory.
Skye had never joined S.H.I.E.L.D. in this timeline, which meant she'd never gotten the chance to travel the world on agency business. And frankly, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s influence in Europe had always been shaky compared to their American operations.
During the Hydra uprising, several European cells had been problematic. Some countries had their own intelligence services that didn't appreciate S.H.I.E.L.D.'s presence. The Italian branch had been particularly messy, local authorities had their own ways of handling things.
Coulson had mentioned that half the Hydra operatives in certain regions had connections to local organized crime. Things got complicated fast when you mixed international espionage with family businesses.
Fury had been deeply frustrated about European operations in general.
"Come on, let's get food first."
Mario led Skye through the crowds and out of the airport, flagging down a taxi to take them into the city. If they were going to do tourism, they might as well experience everything, even navigating Roman traffic was part of the adventure.
Along the way, Skye pressed her face against the window, marveling at everything. Ancient architecture mixed with modern buildings, Vespas weaving through traffic, street vendors selling everything from gelato to knockoff designer bags.
"It's beautiful."
Mario grinned. "Wait till you taste real Italian food. None of that Olive Garden nonsense."
---
Bang.
The moment they entered the hotel room, Skye ran straight to the bedroom and threw herself onto the bed. It was already dark outside, so the Colosseum would have to wait until tomorrow.
Just as Mario was about to walk in, the cosmic communicator he'd left on the nightstand started ringing.
A choppy, fragmented voice came through.
"Who... are you?"
Mario grabbed the device he'd paired with the orb's tracker. "Did Ronan open it already?"
He pressed the button. "Ronan?"
The signal stabilized immediately.
"No. I am the Collector, Taneleer Tivan. The gem inside the orb, it's with you, isn't it? Would you be willing to sell it to me? I enjoy collecting various items from across the universe. Don't worry, I will give you a price you'll find satisfactory."
The Collector.
Mario suddenly remembered, the first person to open the orb in the movie wasn't Ronan. It was Tivan.
That guy had lived forever and accumulated countless treasures.
Unlike him, who was just getting started. His collection so far: Captain America's shield, Thor's hammer, a Destroyer armor set, six Infinity Stones (two duplicates), two Thanoses, and the Vision-Wanda couple.
Actually... that was not bad for a beginner.
He smiled into the communicator. "Of course. But I'll need to speak with you face-to-face."
He was already planning it out. In a couple days, he'd send two Sanctuary-class dreadnoughts to Knowhere and have a proper conversation with Tivan about this "sale."
Wonder if Howard the Duck is around...
Probably not. Howard didn't appear in every universe, usually just the main MCU timeline.
"Ah, I will await your arrival on Knowhere."
"Don't worry. I'll definitely come."
---
Deep in space, aboard the Dark Aster, Ronan stood glaring at his subordinates.
"Find those damned Ravagers NOW, and retrieve the orb!"
When he'd arrived at Kyln, Yondu's Ravagers had been in the middle of a jailbreak, rescuing Star-Lord and Gamora. By the time he and his forces showed up, Nova Corps reinforcements had already arrived.
His Kree forces eventually drove off the Nova Corps, but the Ravagers had vanished without a trace.
"Once I obtain power, I'll make them all understand the price of defying me."
...
"The Collector, Taneleer Tivan?"
Mario looked at the white-haired man standing before him. Tivan's appearance was distinctive, wild white hair standing straight up like he'd been electrocuted, and elaborate robes that screamed "eccentric billionaire."
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
The words were polite, but Mario's actions were anything but. He dragged over a chair and sat down directly in front of the Collector, forcing the man to acknowledge his presence.
The surroundings were cluttered as hell, display cases crammed with specimens, artifacts hanging from the ceiling, barely enough room to walk. It made his organizational instincts scream. He wanted to spend a week just reorganizing this place.
Cold sweat dripped down Tivan's forehead. He pulled out a handkerchief to wipe it away and stepped out from behind the counter with a forced smile.
"No, no trouble at all..."
Mario waved dismissively. "Relax. I'm just here to discuss business."
Relax? You brought two purple space tyrants with you, how the hell am I supposed to relax?
Tivan had lived for millennia. As an avid collector, he knew many hidden secrets of the universe. His strength and influence were considerable, compared to ordinary beings or small factions.
But going against Thanos, who was carrying four Infinity Stones? He might as well start choosing a scenic burial spot somewhere in Knowhere.
And it wasn't just two Thanoses. There was also the human who looked perfectly ordinary but was clearly in charge.
"You want to buy the Infinity Stones? You've got quite the appetite." Mario stood up and walked toward a nearby display case. "But the Stones are with him now, talk to him about it. I'll browse your collection."
"Carina, accompany our guest."
Carina scrambled to her feet and approached Mario's side. He pointed at another woman inside a different glass display, this one looked exactly like Carina, but was in terrible condition, covered head to toe in wires that were clearly not decorative.
"What's your relationship with her?"
Carina trembled. Mario could see it written all over her body language. He sighed and tried to sound reassuring. "Don't be nervous. I'm not that much of a monster."
Then, remembering something, he glanced back at Tivan. "By the way, Knowhere is a place without rules, right? Meaning I can do whatever I want here?"
Such lawlessness reminded him of certain places back on Earth where power was the only currency that mattered.
But rules were the last protection for the weak.
Without waiting for Tivan's answer, he walked straight to the display case containing the tortured woman and tapped lightly on the surface.
Cracks instantly spider-webbed across the glass. Tivan was stunned. That enclosure was made from materials specifically designed to contain dangerous specimens. It looked fragile but was unbelievably strong.
Crack.
A perfect square section broke open.
"You two can follow me from now on. I need someone to handle the day-to-day stuff anyway."
Then Mario moved to the next creature that had caught his attention. It was a golden retriever wearing a spacesuit.
This was Cosmo, a space-traveling hero once sent into orbit by the Soviet Union. Some unknown radiation in space had given Cosmo human-level intelligence, and his suit's voice device allowed him to communicate normally.
Mario stood in front of the display. "Would you like to leave this place with me?"
Cosmo, who had been lying down, immediately stood up. A voice came from his spacesuit. "The dog food here in Tivan's place tastes pretty good. Honestly, I don't want to leave. But since you asked nicely, I'm willing to go with you."
Mario knocked open the glass and let Cosmo out. His home was practically becoming a zoo at this point.
He was about to continue searching for other intelligent creatures when footsteps echoed from outside. A large group bustled in, led by someone he recognized, Yondu. Behind him were Star-Lord and Gamora, followed by his usual crew of miscreant subordinates.
Walking at the front, he didn't notice Gamora's sudden tension. Instead, he fixed his gaze on the two Thanoses.
"Tivan, these two are the ones who took the thing from inside the orb, right? I just want to meet whoever had the guts to rob something from under the Ravagers' noses, and succeeded."
He was willing to accept the loss for this job, but walking away unharmed? That wasn't happening.
Both Thanoses turned and glanced at him. Then they ignored this insignificant scavenger and focused their attention on Gamora.
Young Thanos stepped forward, a smile appearing on his face. "Gamora, my daughter. I've found a new method, one that can save the entire universe. I can't wait to share my joy with you."
Hearing Thanos' words, Gamora stepped out from the crowd trembling. She had thoughts of resisting him, but that was always behind his back. Now that he stood right in front of her, she felt as if her soul had been frozen solid.
"Father..."
Young Thanos gently stroked her head, softly cutting her off. "Whatever you've done, I will forgive you."
He truly loved Gamora, even the Soul Stone could testify to that.
Gamora's eyes filled with disbelief. She couldn't believe these words came from him.
Meanwhile, Yondu was quietly backing away. The Mad Titan... How did he suddenly appear here?
He'd only heard the infamous title. Never seen the real thing. This was the lunatic who'd slaughtered entire planets. No way was he getting involved. All he wanted now was to grab Star-Lord and run.
But he forgot that Star-Lord was the galaxy's number-one magnet for trouble.
Star-Lord stepped forward and looked at Thanos. "So you're Thanos? Gamora's foster father?"
---
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