GotSIS Ch.25: The Next Steps

6th May 2008

Harry’s home, Bleecker Street

Birds fluttered in the orange sky above the tall buildings as the sun sank, disappearing amongst the highrises of New York, tinting the sky a light pink. 

Harry sat by the window in the study, the sky’s glow falling across his lap. Books of all sorts lay on the desk behind him, their pages flipping slowly in the wind. Harry paid it little heed, humming with the music, his fingers swaying with the tune.

The ring of the doorbell cut through the music, and Harry’s eyes snapped open. He whirled around in his chair, drawing a small, golden circle in the air, and peered through it, seeing the Ancient One standing in the corridor outside his home. 

A little smirk curved on his lips as he drew onto the dimensional energy, shaping it into a small disc that thrummed in his palm, before waving his hand. The world shifted for a split second, and the Ancient One appeared, sitting on a conjured armchair across his desk, a slightly startled expression on her face.

“Good evening, Ancient One,” Harry waved his hand again, producing a cup of tea. “Tea?”

Her lips quivered into a smile as she picked up the cup and took a sip. “My, you are picking up my habits as of late. A perfect tea, one which I myself make. Very well done.” 

“I’m glad it finally meets your approval. Conjuring the perfect flavor is tough.” Harry conjured another cup of tea for himself, the honeyed steam from the cup wafting up in the air. 

“From what you’ve told me, it is delicate and complex magic, even in your world. For me, on the other hand, it is an impossibility. I must make the tea every morning and store it. While I can increase its quantity with the mystic arts, it is not quite as impressive as conjuring it from thin air. Perhaps more impressive than the spatial teleportation you performed on me.” 

“Not really. Spatial Teleportation is a lot tougher than making tea. I’ve been practicing it for a while now and barely got it down a few days back.” Harry shrugged. “I also realized that this was how you used to teleport rings around me the last time we had a spar in the mirror dimension.”

“The space is infinitely more manipulatable in the mirror dimension,” she said. “I can only move across a few meters here. But in the mirror dimension, I can travel across a city with ease. Which proves rather useful in fights.” 

“Of course. It is less noticeable than portals and noiseless, unlike my apparition.” Harry glanced at the sling ring on his desk. “Which is why I’m even trying to incorporate it into my Ring of Reach.”

The Sling Ring he had turned into a relic, floated up from his desk, spinning in circles as hundreds of tiny runes lit up over it, shining against the golden-bronze metal. The Ancient One watched it with a hint of fascination before plucking it from the air. 

“The Ring of Reach, you say?” 

“Well, I came up with the Ring of Telekinesis, the Ring of Flight, and I even toyed with naming it the One Ring.” 

“From Lord of the Rings, I see.” Her lips quirked with amusement as she ran her fingers over the relic. 

“The Ring of Reach sounded… well, appropriate in my head, I suppose,” Harry muttered. 

“I suppose it is. A fitting name too, as it increases your reach across the physical plane. And it has the use of alliteration, as most great relics do. And names have power.”

Harry raised his eyebrow but said nothing for a moment, pulling his notebook toward him and flipping through its pages. “Can you look over this for me? This design fixes the flaw this ring has and incorporates the ability of normal sling rings into it.” 

Her forehead creased. “You cannot remake or redo the magic of a relic once it is settled, Mr. Potter. The bond between magic and the object is permanent now, and you cannot just change it. It is one of the characteristics that defines a relic and differentiates it from mere enchanted items. 

“I know. Which is why I was thinking along the lines of making a new relic entirely.” Harry flipped to the relevant pages in his notebook. “In fact, I am thinking of creating a relic that is the ultimate means for magical travel, be it flight, portals, spatial teleportation, the Bifrost portal— everything. I’ve merged the first two already.” 

Harry waved his hand in an elaborate motion, and blue lines spun in the air, forming the design of a sling ring, divided into segments, each marked with a number. 

“See? This design fixes the flaw I left in the Ring of Reach. With this design, I can lift everything from a feather to a truck without any problem. And at the same time, I’ve incorporated the sling ring enchantment.” Harry flicked his finger and a page flipped. “While I don’t need it myself, if someone else were to use it out of the blue, as Wendy did last month, they shouldn’t find themselves in for a surprise.”

“Probably for the best. I see no problem with this design, Mr. Potter.”

“Yes, but I do not know how to add the other techniques to it. I’ve made an individual sketch for each one I’ve been planning.” Pages flipped in the book, and the Ancient One’s eyebrows rose. “But I have no clue how to weave them together. I’m close to merging the Bifrost teleportation into one design for the Ring of Reach. But that leaves the spatial teleportation, the mirror dimensional summoning, the various teleportation spells like The Pentagram of Farallah, Astral realm doorways, the—” 

“I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, but did you say that you’ve designed a relic for each of them?”

“Well,” Harry hesitated. “It is all theoretical, still. And I had to do them individually to get the baseline magic down, nothing else. And some of them are much like Sling Rings, just more specific. So, not strictly relics, but rather a focus.”

She blinked, staring at Harry before shaking her head, a smile forming on her lips. “You astound me, Mr. Potter. Moreover, your ability to understate your achievements astounds me. This? This is above and beyond any work on teleportation that I’ve seen.” She streamed through the pages of the book. “And… and this is just one? You’ve other designs too?”

“Well, that one is to make constructs on will,” Harry scratched the back of his head. “Sorcerers take time to construct them, but with it, you could just imagine it and it’ll create one. Of course, I’ve not gotten it fully down and am stuck there too. I think the only one truly completed in design form is the Bracelet of Protection. Of course, I still have to create it and hammer down specific structures for the bonding, but I think I could do it.”

“What’ll it do?”

“Maintain several protection spells around the wearer, protecting them from all sorts of attacks, be it physical, mystical, or astral. The only problem is that it’ll have to be bound on something physically strong. So, gold or silver won’t work. I’d have gone with diamonds, but they have a terrible affinity for magic. Tungsten or titanium might work, but I’ve no idea how to get those.”

The Ancient One hummed, reading through his notebook, blinking periodically, her forehead creasing in sections before she moved on.

Harry cleared his throat after a few minutes, and her eyes snapped up. 

“My apologies, this is some of the finest work I’ve seen. The knowledge you’re displaying here, Mr. Potter, makes me doubt if you actually dislike theory. The way you’ve applied it here is nothing short of masterfully phenomenal.”

Harry wrinkled his nose. “I dislike theory when it is just there, with no practical applications. I mean, what do I do by knowing that the N'Garai do not breed but rather reproduce erratically by themselves when their population dwindles, that too by splitting into pieces?”

“You’re thinking of Ur-Xanarrh, not N’Garai.” She hid her laughter beneath her hand. “While both are spawns of the elder god of chaos, they’re rather different in biology.”

“Shocking.”

Her eyes sparkled and she shook her head before sobering a little, her face turning serious. “Speaking of the Elder god, I came here to ask you about your progress with the Darkhold, amongst other things.”

Harry winced, feeling a knife twist in his ribs. “I’ve made a little progress. All my research is leading to a dead end. In fact, I am abhorring the research.”

Harry felt a shudder rip through his body as he recalled the things he had read in the books that contained the knowledge from the Book of the Damned. The spells, even the tamest ones, were worse than all three Unforgivables put together. 

“Yet, I am interested in anything you’ve found.”

“That’s the problem, Ancient One.” Harry grimaced. “I’ve not found anything concrete. I just have theories, based on assumptions, nothing more.” 

“Had there been an iota of concrete proof, I would’ve already found it and locked the Book of the Damned away, Mr. Potter,” she whispered. “When I put you to the task, I didn’t intend for you to actually find the book; rather, get me all you could find in order for us to be prepared.” 

“Oh.”

She looked up to the sky, staring at the ceiling, and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “I know that the book has a wielder. It has had one for the past century, if not more. But whom, or where, or why, I have no clue. All my attempts have been obscured by the Elder’s power. Or perhaps the book itself.” 

“The book is the more likely option,” Harry said. “All the records I found of it say the book is sentient itself and can act of its own will, going as far as to even whisper in the ears of its user and helping them. I’ve told you about the diary that Voldemort turned into a Horcrux. For all purposes, this is similar, just about a few thousand times more powerful, with unparalleled knowledge of the darkest of magics ever beheld and a capacity for evil that makes Voldemort seem like a cuddly bunny.” 

“What else?”

“It is said that the moment one opens it, they’re a slave to the book. Only those of immense mental strength can break free from its thrall or even begin to command it. If whoever possesses it right now, is wielding it instead of being wielded by it…”

“It means trouble. Do you have a theory as to who it could be?”

“I assure you, they are nothing but very, very wild guesses, most of which sounded senile to even me.”

“The ones that don’t are?”

“One is Morgana Le Fay. I am in fact rather certain she wielded the Darkhold at one point until she died in the fight against Merlin. But for all we know, she could still be around. I mean, you are seven hundred and don’t look a day over thirty. What’s a few hundred years more?”

She nodded, a frown creasing her face. “Merlin was a competent Sorcerer Supreme and one of the best to ever live as far as the stories go. Him leaving a threat so big lying around… to me it seems improbable.”

“While it may or may not be true, the Darkhold was definitely there during Merlin’s time. And before him, Cagliostro’s. This, I can be certain of. If she’s still alive, somehow, she would know where the Darkhold is and would be using it to, well, cause trouble and get her revenge. And of course, if not her, there were plenty of sorcerers or men who could’ve gotten their hands on the book.”

“Indeed. But considering it didn’t fall in their hands, or they didn’t live, who could it be with?”

“That’s a thousand years of history with barely any notable names in magic, I’m afraid. All we can do is guesswork, which, I felt, was leading me nowhere. So, I looked into incidents. More to the point, my own experiences in this world.”

“Yes?”

“Well, my theories are based on the fact that you cannot see its happenings, actually. It only happens when someone of very high power— the elder gods or Infinity Stones are involved as far as I know. And you told me that you can’t see anything the book does.”

“That is correct. The time stone has limitations, or at least my ability to use it does. Futures get obscured, and events I’ve seen turn misleading because it is what chaos magic does.”

“Exactly. You didn’t see Kalkartho coming, nor did you see the Groteslang. You reacted in those instances instead of planning like you did in N’Gabthoth’s case. And you don’t miss big events usually, which both of them were.”

The Ancient One leaned back in her chair, watching him speculatively. “It is a compelling theory. While the use of the Soul Stone might’ve obscured the fight against Kalkartho, I still should’ve seen it or known that something was coming. I didn’t until the last moment for all intents and purposes. But I wonder what they would've achieved if Earth had been destroyed.”

“The Elder may be freed as a consequence of Earth’s destruction. Since Earth is quite literally an ultimate nexus, if Earth is destroyed, a huge part of the Universe would fall into disorder— into chaos, no?”

She shook her head. “No. I mean, it will, but not the chaos that the Elder needs or wants. In fact, Earth is a doorway for him to return. Until he does, destroying it would gain him nothing but pain and trouble.”

“Oh.” Harry chewed his cheek. “What if… what if whoever is using it planned something as a consequence of the fight? Somewhat like you do.”

“As in?”

“You saw N’Gabthoth, who is a pretty powerful god,” Harry said. “You planned the whole thing to perfection. A display that was seen and felt by the Universe.” Harry met her eyes. “And for some reason, I feel that was only one of the agendas that you had. When I was with Master Rama the other day, he told me that when you plan something so big—”

“I have more than three purposes for it or I intend to achieve something even greater as a consequence.” A brief smile flickered on her lips as she completed his sentence. “Master Rama has known me since he was your age. And he’s indeed correct. I had more than one reason for it.”

“What were the others?”

The Ancient One sighed. “The reasons were many, all varied, and some, to prevent a set of futures that I didn’t wish to venture to. Yet, I feel that your theory might be very much true. Which makes it all the more concerning.”

“It does. But that doesn’t answer my question.” Harry narrowed his eyes. “You had me kill a monster so powerful that it turned the heads of gods. Heimdall told me half the Omnipotence City was tossed into chaos as we fought N’Gabthoth, and even Asgard prepared for battle. You even had the Eternals visit you two weeks back, and they’ve practically laid low for the last three thousand years since the time Celestials were banned from interference by the Council of Skyfathers.”

The Ancient One pursed her lips, staring down at him, but Harry glared back defiantly. “I am tired of the secrets. From you, from Fury, from SHIELD, from everyone who’s protecting Earth. Sometimes, I’d like to know the whole picture and not be pointed at a problem to deal with. It is like Dumbledore all over again, who was preparing me to die all along, for the greater good.”

The Ancient One let out a sigh, a pained expression on her face. 

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Mr. Potter. But I assure you that it is not what I have in mind for you. Neither does Mr. Fury for that matter.” She grimaced. “And I know you’ve been feeling this for a while. Feeling played. And I cannot let it fester any longer.”

“So, tell me.”

“The reason we do not share everything with you is because it could lead to dire consequences. I do not share because I know it will.”

“Really? How is that?” Harry scowled.

The Ancient One met his eyes with a calm that reminded Harry of Dumbledore. “Because of who you are, Mr. Potter. You would sacrifice yourself if it means that you’d save lives, even if it eventually leads to the destruction of the Universe as a whole. You walked to your own death in your old world to stop Voldemort from attacking your school. And you’d do it all over again.”

“What’s wrong with that? One life against hundreds is no measure.”

“And hundreds against billions is not one either,” she said. “You think in hundreds; I work in Billions. I have seen futures where you, in order to safeguard and protect lives in the immediate time, end up doing more damage to the world in the long term, all because I warned you of it beforehand. I’ve seen futures where the world ended because you were forewarned of a smaller risk.”

Harry blanched. “I wouldn’t do that!”

She looked at him contemplatively, tilting her head. “Tell me. What would you’ve done if I had told you that there was a lesser one slumbering on Earth, slowly waking up, and asked you to deal with it? Without my aid. What would you’ve done?”

“Taken several masters and killed N’Gabthoth in his sleep, without ever waking him up,” Harry replied. “No statement, no grand display, no one harmed. And I would’ve done it the day I knew he was there, striking him at its weakest. Or soon enough, when he was completely unaware and weak. Weed the threat at its roots.”

“An excellent strategy. You would’ve finished N’Gabthoth in the… early 1600s if you could. Dealt with a threat and saved just under a hundred lives through four centuries.” She gave him a piercing look. “And by doing so, you would’ve set the Earth to be destroyed in 2012, about four years from now.”

“What?” Harry reeled. “How?”

“The future, Harry, is a set of dominoes. My job is to know which ones to start, which to stop, and which to let go at the right point in time. That is what I did with N’Gabthoth. Waiting until his death would have the least casualties and be the most beneficial in the long run. I got the best possible outcome.”

“Which was?”

“Some I cannot tell you, some I won’t, I’m afraid,” she said unrepentantly. “I hate it as much as you do, Mr. Potter. I know what it is like to not get answers, especially ones that concern you. But would you rather stay wondering, or would you risk the safety of several, maybe even the world, just for the sake of knowing?”

Harry shut his mouth with an audible click and glared at her. “I’d appreciate it if you could tell me more, still. I don’t want to stay in the dark completely.”

“I understand. That is why I am preparing you for it. You may not know what lies ahead but I’ll ensure that you’re ready for it, each and every time.”

Harry gave her a shaky nod, his fists balling under the table. “I suppose that’s the best I’ll always get.”

“No, I’ll tell you as much as I can when there’s no risk,” She raised her hand, stopping Harry. “And now, before you say that I could just tell you to not act on a certain thing, I assure you, Mr. Potter, that not knowing is better than being aware and unable to do anything. I know. I’ve learned it over seven centuries.”

Harry flinched at the slight brittleness in her tone. “I… see. Can you at least tell me why the Eternals visited? Mordo said that there were six of them, including Ajax, who’s the prime eternal. I don’t have to start preparations to fight celestials, do I?”

“No, no. Nothing of that sort, Mr. Potter. It is just that Arishem got a bit twitchy following the N’Gabthoth debacle.” She waved him off. “It is not something to concern yourself with, really. Arishem, or the celestials for that matter, are not Earth’s problem. The gods protect us against them.”

“But Arishem is a prime celestial.” Harry frowned suspiciously. “As far as the scriptures note, he’s the supreme authority on Eternals and a cosmic judge. His job is to sow new celestials and help them be—” Harry paled as he felt his heart drop into his stomach. “Earth is not a seed for a celestial, is it? It can’t be.”

The Ancient One let out a long sigh, closing her eyes. “Sometimes, Mr. Potter, you’re far too perceptive and clever for your own good. And more knowing of ancient history than I thought you’d be.”

“You mean it is true!?” Harry demanded.

“You said it yourself just a few minutes ago, Mr. Potter. Earth is the Ultimate Nexus. It is where everything intersects. The center of the nine realms, the home of the most powerful divine council in the Universe, and yes, a Celestial seed. Earth is the golden apple of the garden of Hesperides for all. 

“Oh, no. It means that—”

“Earth houses Tiamut, a new celestial, who has been slowly growing in the core since before the time of Odin. Ideally, the gods wouldn’t have allowed the celestials to plant here, but it happened sneakily, hidden in misdirection, during the first frost giant war. I suspect that Arishem’s plan was to allow Tiamut to grow and hide him until the emergence came to pass. Once it did, Earth would’ve been destroyed, taking all the gods and beings of power with it, all absorbed by Tiamut.”  

“Bloody hell,” Harry muttered. “So, what now? We have to do something. Move Tiamut to some other planet. Or stop the emergence somehow. I can get this to Odin if you want me to.” Harry rose from his seat. “If he knows, the council of Skyfathers would know. And they’d deal with the problem easily.”

“Sit down, you’ll do no such thing,” she barked. “They don’t need to know unless all my other plans fail. The fallback is calling on them and having them finish Tiamut by force before he emerges. But that is the final fallback. And under no circumstances, are you to do anything about Tiamut. I’ve already delayed it by centuries with your help.”

“My— N’Gabthoth,” Harry whispered, his eyes widening. “The energy he drew on—”

“Yes, it was Tiamut’s,” The Ancient One said. “He nourished himself with it, slowly drawing it to regain his strength. Not fast enough, but he did delay the emergence by over a decade. Which is why I let him sleep. Once I deemed that he had gained enough strength, that he only needed a few more, we went and made him desperate. He drew Tiamut’s energy.”

“That blast that you stopped… and the way that he exploded.” Harry stumbled into his seat. “That was the power of a celestial?”

“Yes. I needed N’Gabthoth to draw in that power. To drain him in desperation, and in the process, attract the Universe’s attention to us.” She smirked. “It is why I only took you instead of an army of Sorcerers. Or as you suggested, kill him in his sleep.”

“You needed him to fight back. Drain Tiamut.”

“And also, prepare you.” She smiled. “That fight was an important step for you to grow. To realize what you could truly do if you put your mind to it. These designs of relics? You’re making them because you used the Ring of Reach wonderfully against N’Gabthot. You saw and you learned. Now, you’re just furthering it. Are you not?”

Harry looked away, feeling his heart pound in his ears. “Maybe.”

The Ancient One stood up and walked around the table, laying a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “You don’t have to like it. I didn’t either when I was younger. No one does. But I wear this eye for a reason. And I don’t want it to fall on your shoulders because I know of its burden. You've had enough of it already and I wish to give you no more.”

“But if I knew, not everything, but had hints… I could prepare correctly. Prepare in a way that… that suits you, I suppose.”

“That’s not who you are. And believe me, I am going to prepare you for it. I came here for three reasons today. To talk about the Darkhold, to see your relics, and to talk about training.”

“Training?”

“Indeed. But, before I forget, I’ve to tell you about your amulet.” Harry felt the amulet thrum slightly against his chest. “I dug up some old texts about the Eye of Power for you. More appropriately, of its history. As per the scriptures, Agamotto created the eye to be worn by the Sorcerer-Supreme-in-waiting— the heir, essentially. The eye was unfortunately lost shortly before the time of Babylon when the heir at the time fell in battle.” 

“I thought that the post was just a myth," Harry said. "In case of your unavailability or death, your successors are the Sanctum Masters.”

“It has been that way since the eye was lost. Three heirs, with their own duties, instead of one. Many many things have changed since the time of Agamotto. Why, I have myself implemented many of these changes." The Ancient One's eyes drifted afar. "You know? In my time, when I was a student, there used to be only a handful of Sorcerers. When I became the Sorcerer Supreme, we were a group of nine. Out of whom, only six survived through the week.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s a tale of the age long past by, Mr. Potter." She shrugged. "The longest tenure of Sorcerer Supremes in the past has only been for a little over a decade.”

“You, on the other hand, have held it for centuries. So, you’ve had the time to influence it most.”

“In a way, yes.” She nodded. “Yet, my tenure is only a fraction of how long we’ve existed. Agamotto was here during the first Frost-giant and Asgardian war. Those wars happened when Odin was young and newly minted as the All-father. That is positively over six or seven thousand years ago.”

Harry let out a low whistle. “I knew this, but it is still mind-boggling to be put in words, no?”

The Ancient One let out a rich laugh, her eyes sparkling. “I suppose. It is easy to forget that you, Mr. Potter, are barely twenty.”

“Twenty-two this July.” Harry corrected. “But yes. That is nothing compared to you, let alone the other beings we face, let alone the Eternals and gods of Earth.” 

“Age is no guarantee for anything as you yourself can well attest to. You are twenty-two, with your own relic, and feats that will go down in history amongst us Sorcerers.”

Harry felt heat creep up his cheeks and ducked his head, coughing slightly. “Right. Coming back to the eye, what about its powers?”

“Unfortunately, not much that you and I didn’t already know. The primary power of the eye is to act as a focus for all energies, light or dark. It makes it easier for the wearer to mold and channel them, even amplifying them to a certain degree. The eye was meant as a tool for the heir to learn faster, and learn a wide variety in order to prepare them.” 

“Agamotto made these eyes to ensure that reality had two protectors… one master, one heir.” Harry mused. “Your eye is the fallback. In case all Sorcerers perish, the eye will choose the next Sorcerer Supreme and implant the knowledge they need in their heads. While the Eye of Power essentially enables one to get an accelerated course into the mystic arts. Hence, even in the worst case, the Sorcerer Supreme could teach the heir and prepare them in a matter of months.”

“Indeed. Which is also what I intend to do. Starting next week, you shall be having weekly lessons with me. I realize that you’re now progressing to a point, whereupon you’re capable of grasping the… finer powers that we Sorcerers can wield.”

“Finer powers?”

“Perhaps techniques might be a more fitting word,” she mused. “Your fight against N’Gabthoth made me realize that you’re very adept at fighting, and moreover, adapting to the circumstances you’re thrown in. You also show a deeper understanding of the mystic arts than most, and, despite your distaste for reading and theory, have delved into its depths, which reflects in your work.”

She glanced at the ring of reach that hovered on the table, just above his notebook of relic designs, and smiled. “I suppose you’ll be happy to hear this. It is time, Mr. Potter, to go back to the practical application of magic.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6th May 2008

Triskelion, Washington DC

Phil Coulson waited outside the tall doors, giving a quick smile to Fury’s assistant, who typed something into the computer and picked up her intercom before nodding at him.

“Thank you.” He pushed the door open and walked into the office, looking around with an idle glance. “You wanted to see me, director?”

Fury peered at him with his single eye, before pressing a button. The binds lowered, and the door locked itself behind him. Coulson took a seat and waited.

“Coulson. We have a problem. A problem named Tony Stark.” Fury scowled. “He’s being killed by the arc reactor that’s keeping him alive. Palladium poisoning. And as he is dying, he is becoming more erratic.”

“I see. Is there a cure?”

“Not really as far as things go medically.”

“But magically is another matter,” Coulson said. “And you’ve wanted to put Harry and Stark in the same room for a while now.”

“Potter’s magical cure is an option, but not yet. Under normal circumstances, the two motherfuckers will get along like a house on fire. One’s the greatest engineer the world has seen, and Potter’s inventing magical gizmos now. We want them to work together for the good of the world. But that won’t happen while Stark is like this. He’s an erratic menace on most days. Right now? He’ll drive Potter away. We don’t want that.”

“Then what do you suggest, sir?”

Fury leaned back in his chair, clasping his hand. “Stark’s found a way to survive the impossible before. He made a damned suit to escape a cave surrounded by terrorists. He just has to do what he is the best at. Invent. He’s on it himself. Spending hours locked in his lab. We just need someone to monitor and guide the situation from the inside when needed. Make sure Stark doesn’t do anything stupid. And it is time that the Avengers should start familiarizing themselves with each other.”

Coulson stiffened. “You want Widow on the assignment.”

“She’s perfectly suited to infiltrate and get close to Stark while maintaining a clear head and focusing on the mission. Potter can get too emotional. He’s a good man but he thinks with his heart first. And Stark’s reckless to the point of being stupid. Romanoff could keep them in check and prevent them from getting into trouble. You recommended her yourself for the Avengers.”

“I did, sir. Widow has a skillset suited to be the dagger of the Avengers. The Red Room enhanced her and trained her in just about everything. She was meant to be a weapon but chose to be more. Plus, she knows to walk in the shadows and come back into the light. She was made to be a terror, yet made a different choice.” Coulson hesitated. “But she’s not the most social of people. And if they know of her past…”

“Once they start to trust her, they won’t mind. Romanoff rose above her past, Coulson. Above what she was made to be. Stark will understand it. And Potter’s a man who would rather see the best in her.” 

“He would, yes.”

“And even if he doesn’t, you can put in a good word. He trusts you and if you tell him to trust her, he will.”

“Very well then. I’ll begin a cover story for her, sir.” Coulson stood up. “Natasha Romanoff will join Stark Industries by the end of this month as Tony Stark’s new PA.”

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AND… DONE! Hope you all liked the chapter!

Yes, this was the first release of 2025. So, first, a very Happy New Year to all of you. May 2025 be a great year for you, bringing you and your family joy and prosperity. 

As for the chapter itself, there are all sorts of little hints, clues, and references hidden throughout the chapter. Also, post this chapter, we’ll be soon pivoting to the main Marvel plot. There’ll be a couple of chapters before it, and the main thing will kick off in chapter 27 or 28. But still, this is the point where I begin the ascend into the main Marvel plot.

We’ll also be seeing Tony and Natasha going forward, which I feel many of you will adore.

Also, no, I am not doing another training arc, but there’ll be a few scenes regarding it. I intend them to be fun while I fast forward toward December 2008 (Those who read well will know what is happening in December already).

A huge thank you to Nanu, Zaby, and Tulayb for betaing this chapter!

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Stay Happy! Stay Safe! Keep Smiling! Keep Reading!

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