Chapter 90 - The Avengers Part 1

Steve Rogers' Apartment

After the meeting with Odin.

2012.

I had the Wardogs keep an eye on Steve. Since he woke up, they've been informing me of all his steps, so I already knew where he was currently living. They tried their best to make Steve comfortable; his building is the same style as those he lived in during his childhood.

The only thing that isn't "old" about him is the ridiculous number of listening devices and defenses inside and outside the place. There are also several S.H.I.E.L.D agents living in the apartments on the same floor as Steve, one of them being Peggy Carter's great-niece, Sharon Carter. Unfortunately for Fury, no spy here noticed the presence of the Wardogs who have already taken control over the electronic means of espionage.

Wakanda and Genosha have invested a large amount of resources in our spy network. In my opinion, comparing S.H.I.E.L.D with them is like comparing a traffic cop with an FBI agent. S.H.I.E.L.D is certainly powerful, but they are relatively very exposed. The Wardogs, on the other hand, have remained in the shadows until today.

I entered the apartment undetected by anyone. It was quite simple without worrying about any electronic devices. I went to Steve's living room, where I saw several photos from his army days with his unit. I also saw a photo of Peggy, which made me feel bad. Steve was my friend, and even knowing his fate, I let him be frozen, causing him to lose the love of his life. There's no way to know if he'll be able to go back to the past in this timeline, as I'm doing everything to avoid time travel. Of course, I haven't given up on sending him back to the past without affecting the timeline too much.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

Unexpectedly, someone knocks on the door. Before I became invisible to hide, I saw a letter slide under the door. The person who threw the letter seemed to have left. I went to the door and picked it up from the floor. It was a very old and worn envelope, without a stamp. When I turned it over, I saw a phrase written in beautiful handwriting.

"For Baldur Odinson, from Peggy Carter."

There are few times that I've been really surprised in my long life. This was certainly the biggest surprise. To increase this feeling even more, on the front of the envelope, the address of this apartment was also written, as well as today's date and time. After a while, I stopped analyzing the envelope and opened it, taking out the letter inside. I couldn't stop smiling after reading its content.

I returned to the living room and turned on the radio. I sat in a chair near the window and waited for Steve to return. The song that started playing was a well-known one, often played during World War II, Harry James and Helen Forrest - It's Been A Long, Long Time.

It didn't take long for me to hear someone opening the door. Like a well-trained soldier, Steve immediately realized that someone had invaded his house even before hearing the sound of the music. He entered without making much noise, then he went to the kitchen and came towards the living room where he froze when he saw me sitting in his chair.

"Pointing a knife, that's not a very polite way to greet an old friend, Steve." I say to him, smiling.

"Baldur? How?"

Those were the only words he could speak. While he was recovering, I looked at what Steve was wearing, a common gym outfit. After coming back to life, he was without a purpose, just training and training.

"How am I alive? I have good genetics." I respond calmly.

Finally, he calmed down. Steve lowered the knife and sat next to me.

"I thought everyone I knew was dead or old." He says sadly.

"That's not my case, I'll live longer than this planet, maybe longer than this universe."

"Sure." He says, thinking I'm joking.

"Have you been to see her?" I ask, going straight to the sensitive point.

"I haven't had the courage yet." He responds, lowering his head.

I'm referring to Peggy Carter, who is still alive, but very sick.

"So go find her." I say this in an authoritative tone.

We were silent for a while, until he restarted the conversation.

"So, what brought you here? You're not the type of person who just comes for a visit."

"I wanted to see an old friend before everything got a little hectic."

"What do you mean?"

"A war is about to start." I say once again, without beating around the bush.

"Who is the enemy?" Steve asks, ready to face whoever it is.

"The details will come later. The most important thing is to know that the enemy is very powerful and will do everything to achieve their goal."

"And where are we going to find this enemy?"

"One of his henchmen will come to us first. Tomorrow, Fury will find you and suggest forming a team to combat the threat."

"Do you know Fury?"

"We met once in the past."

I rise from the chair and start slowly walking around the room, taking everything in.

"Fury is going to assemble a powerful team to fight against the invader. I don't think he'll include me in that team, but I'm going to join you guys anyway."

"And here I thought the world was in an era of peace," he said sarcastically.

"The world is certainly not at peace, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that an enemy wants to harm us. All we can do is face them head-on and prevent innocent people from getting hurt."

"You're right. When you said you're going to help us, does that include your army too?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I've been on ice for a long time, but I doubt our current politicians would like the idea of an army from another nation on our territory."

"Well, they can get as angry as they want, I don't care. If my soldiers can help save innocent lives, I won't hesitate to use them."

Steve smiles at me, stands up, and extends his hand, which I shake.

"I know they won't thank you for this, but I will. Thank you."

"The gratitude of the hero who ended the second war is worth all the work."

"I'm almost certain it was you who did that."

(This was the first time he smiled since the beginning of our conversation.)

"I have to go, Steve, there are still matters to attend to."

"See you in a bit then."

Before leaving through the door, I remembered something. I turned to Steve and said,

"This universe is as wonderful as it is terrible, so you still have a chance. I promise I'll do my utmost to give it to you."

"I don't understand," he says, confused.

"You don't need to understand, at least not now. See you later, Steve."

I leave the apartment without the spies of Fury being able to perceive me. I go to the roof of the building, where I look at the city below. It's night, but the city is very active. I keep looking at it until I pick up the letter I just received, rereading the phrase written by Peggy in it.

{Thank you for keeping your promise.}

With just one phrase, I can confirm many things. One of them is that somehow, the future me managed to send Steve back to the past, where he met Peggy. I also managed to do this without causing any crazy damage to the timeline. After the Second World War, I ordered that none of my spies get close to Peggy. I didn't want to receive any news of her getting married and find out it was with Steve. It might be a foolish action, but I didn't want to risk it. This letter confirmed that what I did was correct. Of course, this doesn't mean that my future is one hundred percent secure. There's no certainty when it comes to time travel. If I don't work hard, the future of this letter won't happen, but I'm a bit relieved that it's possible.

After looking at the letter a bit more, I turn it into ashes, but I keep the envelope.

"Sir, I just received information that the S.H.I.E.L.D research base in conjunction with NASA has been completely destroyed."

Alice's hologram appears in front of me, reporting the beginning of everything.

"How was the base destroyed?"

"I couldn't find out, sir, but there was an evacuation shortly before everything happened. My sensors also detected a large wave of energy."

If everything goes according to the script, Loki should have taken control over Hawkeye and Dr. Erik Selvig. He's going to set off now to gather the necessary materials to build the portal. Fury should be coming tomorrow to summon Steve.

"Send a message to Amora, saying that everything is happening as we thought."

"Yes, sir."

I haven't revealed information about the movies to anyone yet, but I used them to strategize for this invasion with my generals. Genosha is a peaceful country. We've spent a lot of time training for events that can occur, and now the young soldiers will have a chance to prove themselves. Let's just say they're more than ready.

"Any movement against Genosha?" I ask Alice.

I doubt that Loki will try to attack Genosha, but I know he will have some plan to deal with me, so I better prepare myself.

"No abnormalities, sir, all defenses are active, the navy and a good part of the air force are on standby."

"Keep them that way until further notice."

"Yes, sir."

(Now that all the actors are on stage, it's showtime.)

POV: Third Person.

Unknown Location.

Shortly After Baldur Meets Steve.

"So, my brother gave you this?"

"Yes."

Loki was sitting in a chair in a large room, surrounded by several soldiers and scientists working and moving a large amount of equipment. Loki was examining a golden tube that was in Clint Barton's, the Hawkeye's, possession.

"I didn't know my brother created something so useful. Unfortunately, you didn't get his recognition to be able to use this power, and it's not like he would change the outcome of what would happen to you."

"The superiors place great value on this tube. I could only keep it because they have already conducted all possible tests and found no way to use it."

Clint speaks to Loki.

"I highly doubt you mortals could do anything with this, without greater rune knowledge than my brother, and without his recognition, the tube is practically useless. But I must say that you did a beautiful job gathering so many for our cause in such a short time."

"S.H.I.E.L.D has many enemies, sir."

"And that's what we need!"

Dr. Erick Selvig enters the conversation, bringing a tablet where there is a photo of a small stone.

"Iridium, very hard to find, but with it, we can keep the portal open for as long as you want," he explains.

"Great, this will be perfect for the next phase of the plan," says Loki, already with the plan made in his head.

"Sir, do we really have to go against Baldur? Even S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't do this head-on for fear of the consequences."

Hawkeye has a small idea of Baldur's strength, and of Genosha, and so do his superiors. Even after so many years that Genosha ended the second war, it still has this effect on nations.

"Indeed, my brother is the biggest problem, but that doesn't matter. Not even he could predict what was planned for him!"

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