Without panic or confusion, Natasha opened her eyes in the medical pod and glanced with slight puzzlement at Princess Shuri, who was standing closest to her. "Long time no see."
"It hasn't been that long," Princess Shuri said, glancing at the other Natasha standing nearby.
The Natasha in the medical pod sat up, stretched her arms, and said, "So, I guess I've been brought back to life. Now..."
Her words trailed off as she noticed the other Natasha standing a short distance away.
The moment their eyes met, Natasha's expression in the medical pod shifted. "It seems... things are more complicated than I imagined."
"Indeed," the other Natasha murmured, nodding solemnly.
Inside the medical pod, Natasha scanned everyone around her, her brow furrowing deeper. "Why does something about this situation feel... off?"
"What specifically are you referring to?" Arthur asked.
"Um... who are you?" Natasha asked Arthur, her confusion evident in her eyes.
Tony and Banner exchanged a quick, instinctive glance, each sensing that the other's gaze held the rapid formation of a melodramatic narrative involving love, hatred, and bitter betrayal.
Arthur's pupils constricted instantly. "You... don't recognize me?"
"No," Natasha said, her voice bewildered as she stared at Arthur. "And where am I? Wakanda?"
"No, this is Camp Lehigh. You're in our camp," Steve said, stepping forward. "Perhaps you should know this place."
"I know..." Natasha said, her brow furrowing as she looked at Steve. "You don't look quite the same as the Steve in my memories either."
"What about me? What was I like in your memories?" Tony eagerly stepped forward.
"...Just like you are now."
"This is so boring," Tony muttered to Banner.
"...I have no response to that," Banner replied silently.
Meanwhile, Natasha, still seated in the medical pod, stared intently at Banner for a long moment without speaking.
That peculiar gaze instantly caught the attention of the gossip-loving members of the group. All eyes darted between Banner and Natasha's faces. Banner, utterly bewildered, pointed at his own face. "?"
Tony exclaimed, "Banner, what on earth did you do?!"
"Can I just say I have no idea?" Banner's brow furrowed deeply. "All I know is that either we... or she... one of us has got a problem."
...
Half an hour later, in the conference room.
The massive conference room was packed to capacity.
Regardless of their opinions on the matter, no one wanted to leave... to miss the gossip!
Initially, everyone had assumed that the Natasha who had suddenly appeared might have traveled back from the future through some unknown means.
But after a few brief exchanges, it became clear that the situation was far more complicated than that.
She didn't recognize Arthur and was unfamiliar with Camp Lehigh.
These two points alone were enough to distinguish her from the present-day Natasha.
After being moved from Princess Shuri's medical bay to the conference room, everyone began pressing the newly arrived Natasha to tell her story.
And as she spoke, Arthur felt an indescribable sense of unease.
The 'prophecy' he had been speaking of all along was now laid bare before everyone, revealed through her words.
Thanos arrived, wielding the Infinity Gauntlet, snapped his fingers... and in an instant, half of all life turned to dust!
Revenge, decapitation, the destruction of the Infinity Gems, lives lost forever, years of despair... until Scott emerged, opening up the possibility of time travel. Finally, the plan was put into action.
"My mission is for the Soul Stone," Future Natasha said softly, her eyes scanning everyone in the conference room. "It's located on a planet unimaginably distant..."
"Vormir," Present Natasha said flatly. "In just two weeks, you can reach Vormir from here in half a minute."
Future Natasha looked surprised. "You know about that?"
"We know far more than you can imagine," Present Natasha replied. "Please continue..."
"Alright, Hawkeye and I..." She glanced at Hawkeye and smiled faintly. "Our mission was to go to Vormir Star to find the Soul Stone. If you know about that place, you'll know there's a guardian there who told us that only sacrifice could obtain it. In the end, I jumped."
Her tone was matter-of-fact, but no one could truly hear this story as a simple tale.
Future Natasha continued, "I thought I was dead, because I could clearly feel my soul... well, perhaps because I was so close to the Soul Stone, I had that strange sensation. Anyway, I felt my soul begin to ascend... and then I lost consciousness. When I regained awareness, it was just now... Well, that's about all I know. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
Silence!
A heavy silence hung over the conference room.
No one spoke, not even Arthur.
Spiderman glanced from one person to another, but under the immense pressure of the silence, he couldn't bring himself to speak.
He turned a pleading look to Scott, who was staring up at the ceiling at a four- or five-degree angle, equally silent.
Brock kept his head bowed, and the faint murmuring of Venom could be heard emanating from him.
It was Tony who finally broke the silence, gently tapping the table. "So, what about Arthur? Where did Arthur go in your story?"
Everyone's gaze immediately shifted to Future Natasha.
Yes, this was the biggest mystery!
The mystery that plagued everyone!
In the story she had described, every character's actions were logical and perfectly aligned with their individual personalities.
But why was Arthur missing?
The man who had brought them together, united in facing the terrors of the future, had vanished from her story.
"I don't know..." Future Natasha looked at Arthur, equally bewildered. "In my world... you don't exist."
"Impossible!" Tony stood up abruptly. "He's been active in this world for over seventy years! He was Captain's instructor, Dr. Erskine's most brilliant student! He shattered Schmidt's schemes, reducing him to a puppet on Vormir! He crossed the river of time to appear before us, sending a nuclear warhead capable of annihilating everyone into space! He's the God of War of Asgard, Odin's last hope... He founded Camp Lehigh, shaping everything we know today... Why? Why would he... be absent from your world?"
(End of Chapter)
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