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*****
"Who activated it?!"
Inside the base, Nick Fury was in a towering rage. Immediately after Fini was teleported, he had locked down the entire facility and summoned all relevant personnel, initiating a one-by-one screening process.
The staff members were trembling with fear; not a single soul dared to make a sound.
"Director, if I may speak frankly."
Ultimately, it was the project's lead, Erik Selvig, who stepped forward to answer Fury. "According to the data, the Cube activated itself."
"Then tell me this: why didn't it activate sooner or later, yet it suddenly chose to trigger itself the moment the Silver Knight approached it?"
Nick Fury stared dead at Erik Selvig, clearly unsatisfied with that explanation.
"I don't know." Erik Selvig hesitated for a moment but couldn't help adding, "Could it be that he did something himself?"
Nick Fury had considered this possibility, of course, but he couldn't understand Fini's motive. Furthermore, judging by Fini's movements and expression at the time, it was obvious the boy hadn't expected it either.
In truth, Fury was leaning more toward the theory that someone from Asgard had already arrived and tampered with the Cube.
At that moment, Maria Hill walked up to Nick Fury and whispered in his ear, "We've conducted a preliminary check on everyone who had contact with the Cube in the last three days. So far, no one looks suspicious."
Hearing this, Fury's brow furrowed even deeper.
"Have we located the Silver Knight's position yet?" Nick Fury asked, turning back to Erik Selvig. Aside from the issue of the Tesseract's sudden surge, Fini's current whereabouts were of the utmost importance.
"Well..." Erik Selvig looked hesitant, appearing uncertain even of his own conclusion. "Based on the data projections, he might... no longer be on Earth."
"Fuck!"
Nick Fury couldn't help but swear. Fini's accident was entirely unforeseen. Under these circumstances, he was even starting to feel conflicted about whether to continue the research on the Cube at all.
"I don't care what method you use—find a way to bring him back!"
Fury issued the command to Erik Selvig, then turned on his heel. As he walked, he continued giving orders to Hill, who followed closely. "Check all base personnel again. Ensure that absolutely everyone is accounted for and cleared."
"Yes, sir!" Hill replied with a stern face. She had actually been looking forward to getting to know Fini; she hadn't expected him to vanish on their very first meeting.
After briefing Hill, Nick Fury gave additional instructions to Barton, emphasizing that there must be no further anomalies within the base.
---
Meanwhile, on the planet Vormir, Fini and the Red Skull were sitting on the altar, chatting.
"Do you still remember the original Captain America?"
At this point, Fini had deactivated Incursio. Vormir's climate and environment were perfectly suitable for a human to survive.
"Steve Rogers?" A look of reminiscence crossed the Red Skull's face. He then asked, "Is he still alive? He must be in his nineties by now."
"He's doing quite a bit better than you, all things considered." Fini looked at the Red Skull, indulging his curiosity. "After his battle with you, he crashed his plane into the arctic. He was frozen in the ice for seventy years until he was dug out just recently!"
"He was frozen?" The Red Skull was momentarily stunned, but then he shook his head dismissively. "What does it matter now? I am nothing more than a ghost."
"Actually, your Hydra is doing quite well these days." Fini casually summoned a steaming Fried Chicken Roll and offered it to the Red Skull. "Want some?"
"No thank you, I cannot eat." The Red Skull, lacking a physical body, shook his head. Though he had encountered many aliens over the years, he had never seen anyone as miraculous as Fini. Recalling the previous remark, he couldn't help but press for more: "You mentioned Hydra just now?"
"They still exist?"
"You bet." Fini bit into the delicious chicken roll and replied, "They are currently the largest intelligence organization in the world. You should be proud."
Hearing Fini say this, the Red Skull actually felt a surge of pride. He couldn't help but shout his old slogan: "Hail Hydra!"
"Don't get your hopes up too high, though. You guys are still operating in the shadows. I reckon once Captain America has been awake for a while, he'll discover you. Being wiped out is likely only a matter of time."
Just as the Red Skull was getting excited to ask for more details, Fini threw a bucket of cold water on him, causing his smile to freeze.
Seventy years had passed, and the Red Skull didn't really have an obsession with Captain America anymore. However, hearing Fini's words reignited a spark of fury in his heart.
He had turned into this ghostly wretch indirectly because of Steve. Meanwhile, that man had slept beautifully for seventy years and could now wake up to enjoy life. Back then, Hydra had been bullied relentlessly by him; now, after the organization had finally managed to rise from the ashes, was he really going to do it all over again?!
"He cannot do this!!!" The Red Skull suddenly roared in anger, startling Fini.
"Fini Halsey!" The Red Skull suddenly stood up with great solemnity. He looked at Fini and declared, "I, Johann Schmidt, in my capacity as the leader of Hydra, request a favor of you!"
"Eh!?" Fini, still chewing on his chicken roll, was baffled. He couldn't figure out what the Red Skull was suddenly up to.
"I want you to save Hydra. From this day forward, you are the new Leader of Hydra! Once the organization rules the world and expands into the universe, you shall be the Hegemon of the Cosmos!"
"What?"
Fini was so shocked that his chicken roll dropped to the ground. He stared blankly at the suddenly hysterical Red Skull. "Is something wrong with your head?"
"Actually, I forgot to tell you—I'm also kind of an enemy of Hydra!"
Regarding the matter of Hydra making enemies, the Red Skull didn't care at all. Since they aimed to rule the world, they had to be prepared to be at odds with everyone. Moreover, he didn't suspect Fini was lying; he was currently just a ghost tethered to the Soul Stone. He had nothing that Fini would covet.
"If they are your enemies, you can simply purge them from the organization!"
After so many years, the Red Skull no longer had any subordinates. Furthermore, it was questionable whether the current Hydra would even recognize him as their leader. So, while he was making a grand gesture of making Fini the leader, he was essentially just a commander without an army.
His core intent was to trick Fini into joining the organization first.
Looking at the Red Skull's face full of trust and expectation, Fini's mind went blank. How did he manage to bungle his way into becoming the Leader of Hydra?!
(End of Chapter)