Chapter 41: Chapter 41: The Smile Slowly Turns Sinister
A young man ran into the alley, hurried over to help Steve Rogers up, checked his injuries, and then turned to Thor with a grateful nod. "Thanks, buddy. Name's James Barnes, but you can call me Bucky. Thanks for helping teach that jerk a lesson on Steve's behalf."
Thor was stunned. Finally, he understood—the Ancient One had sent him to 1942 using the Time Stone. It was a turbulent year. On one front, Germany's forces were at their peak, pushing multiple countries into the fray. Meanwhile, just a few months ago, Japan had hit America hard with a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The U.S., previously content to watch from the sidelines, could no longer stay passive.
So, the timeline's disruption occurred in this era?
From the look of things, the skinny guy in front of him was undoubtedly the future Captain America. It seemed like today, Steve had once again been rejected from enlisting. Asthma, scarlet fever, heart disease, high blood pressure… the recruiter probably wondered how the poor guy had survived this long.
Sure, Captain America looks noble and upright in the movies, but this guy wasn't above bending the rules—he'd tried to enlist multiple times under fake identities.
Thor thought back. In the World War II records he knew, his own name didn't appear, which meant…
"Donald Blake," he introduced himself, extending a hand to Steve and Bucky. "You're welcome. I can't stand guys who have the strength but hide at home instead of fighting on the front lines."
Thor's gaze fell to some scattered paper on the ground—the latest notice rejecting Steve's enlistment. Bucky sighed. "Steve, look, I get it. Fake IDs aren't exactly hard to make these days, but you're asking for trouble trying to enlist this way. It's dangerous—and illegal."
Steve just shrugged, unconcerned.
Seeing there was no convincing him, Bucky turned to Thor. "Hey, man, there's The World Exposition of Tomorrow tonight. Why don't the three of us go check it out together?"
Thor agreed—he had no real leads on his mission yet, so why not?
…
Bucky and Steve's bond was undeniable. At the expo, Bucky even tried to set Steve up with a couple of girls. Though, with Steve's small frame and lack of charm, it didn't look like things would go anywhere.
As they wandered around, Thor let his thoughts drift to his mission. There was definitely a timeline issue here, and it likely involved Captain America. Then, he remembered something important—
When Captain America returned the Infinity Stones in the future, his last stop was in the 1940s. He'd stayed, finally had his dance with Peggy Carter, and lived out a full life with her.
Which meant, somewhere in this era, there was a hidden old Captain America. But if Thor stopped that timeline from happening, Captain America wouldn't have the chance to travel back, which would create a paradox. Meeting Peggy Carter might be the key to proving whether this old Captain America existed.
Could that be the timeline flaw?
Ding! A notification echoed in his mind: "Congratulations, Host, for discovering the mission branch 'The Eternal Secret.' Complete all branches to finish the mission!"
· Branch 1: Prevent Captain America's future timeline from forming and maintain the current timeline!
· Branch 2: Not unlocked. Please continue exploring.
· Branch 3: Not unlocked. Please continue exploring.
So, blocking Captain America from crossing back in time? Then, in this timeline, the old Captain America wouldn't exist.
To stop this at the root, Thor had to address why Captain America traveled back in the first place…
Peggy Carter.
Thor looked over at Steve and Bucky, an idea forming and a sly smile spreading across his face. Captain America, Captain America, sometimes women are the real troublemakers. Winter Soldier's always had your back! I'm doing this for your own good!
The smile gradually turned more sinister as Thor's plan took shape.
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