章節 55: Chapter 55: Parting, The Promise of the Century
"You're leaving, aren't you?" Peggy Carter whispered, her eyes filled with sadness.
Thor nodded. "Yes… there's only ten minutes left."
The two sat quietly side by side, watching the sun dip below the horizon.
"At that time… I'll still be alive, right?" Peggy asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes, we'll meet again," Thor reassured her, then turned to her with a sudden seriousness. "But there are a few things you must remember."
"First, in this century, don't reveal my true identity to anyone—not even to Howard! I know you'll keep this secret. Just tell them I left for… any reason you can think of."
"And, retire early." Thor's gaze grew hard. With Dr. Zola already within its ranks, it was inevitable that S.H.I.E.L.D. would become compromised by HYDRA. If Peggy stayed too long, as one of the founders, she'd be a target, just like Howard Stark.
Peggy nodded. Though she didn't fully understand, she trusted Thor implicitly.
"Also… you still owe me a dance," she said suddenly, her voice softer.
"After the war is over… Well, I suppose it will have to wait until the next century," he replied with a small, sad smile.
"When will I see you again?"
"Wait until I come to find you," Thor promised.
Just then, an unexpected notification from the system chimed in:
"Ding! Congratulations! You have triggered the Captain America-related mission: The Covenant of the Century. Reward: upon completion, dancing proficiency."
Mission Objective: In the new century, invite Peggy Carter to a dance.
The warmth of the moment seemed fleeting, as a green light began to surround Thor.
"Use skill: Immortality on the target, Peggy Carter."
...
Peggy watched, heartbroken, as Thor disappeared, leaving only empty space beside her. She closed her eyes, and tears escaped down her cheeks. The prospect of waiting for over half a century seemed unbearably bleak.
After a long silence, she finally lifted her communicator. "I've located a Tesseract clue… it's in the northernmost part of Alaska, near my current coordinates."
"Captain America has crashed and gone missing. Numerous HYDRA operatives tried to seize the Tesseract but failed. Captain Blake fell into the sea during the skirmish… and has also gone missing."
The years slipped by, and before long, the war was over.
In memory of Steve and Blake, the Howling Commandos raised a toast, honoring their former leaders.
Howard Stark continued to search for the Tesseract, undeterred even without its energy signature as a guide. Yet, combing the vast, icy expanse of the Arctic Ocean for two people was like finding a needle in a haystack.
Over time, Peggy seemed to come to terms with her grief. Colonel Phillips handed her Donald Blake's official retirement files, and she found herself gazing at the photo for a long while, lost in thought.
One night in 1991…
Howard Stark was driving home alone, feeling irritable. He just wanted a quiet place to gather his thoughts. That annoying Blake had once predicted something like this. His own son was even more reckless than he had been back in his youth—a playboy whose reputation in his twenties had already outshone his own.
As he drove, Howard's car suddenly spun out of control, skidding into a tree.
A metal arm pulled him from the wreck. Looking up, Howard's eyes widened in shock. "Sergeant Barnes?"
But his answer came as a hard punch to the face, and then another. The blows came relentlessly until darkness overtook him.
Once the target's death was confirmed, Bucky faked the crash scene and vanished into the shadows.
About half an hour later, the corpse's fingers twitched.
Ever since, Howard felt plagued by an odd sense of memory loss. Even if someone he'd once thought lost were to appear, he couldn't shake the feeling that they'd look too young. But the harrowing ordeal left him irrevocably changed. Finally, he decided to step back. He handed control of the company to Tony and retreated behind the scenes.
In 2005, at the Kamar-Taj Sanctum, the Ancient One was in the middle of casting a powerful spell when a sorcerer suddenly burst into the room.
"Sorcerer Supreme! Kaecilius has betrayed us!"
The Ancient One flinched, momentarily losing focus. She quickly tried to re-stabilize the spell, but the brief lapse was enough to cause an unintended effect. Thor, who was set to return precisely, instead found himself slightly out of sync in time and space.
Looking around at the dark, unfamiliar surroundings, Thor let out a sigh of exasperation.
Ancient One, you absent-minded sorcerer… no wonder you ended up being defeated by a mere dagger.
[Read up to 80+ chapter more on p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票