Bad news flooded Hydra's command center in an unrelenting wave.
The planetary shield had been deactivated. Captain Marvel had returned to Earth with an army of cosmic-level heroes at her back.
Heroes were attacking Hydra installations across every continent, hijacking their carefully positioned invasion fleet.
A massive force of Ultron drones from Alaska was mobilizing to evacuate civilians, as if Hank Pym had somehow rediscovered the brilliance of his lost humanity.
King T'Challa of Wakanda had launched a full-scale counterattack, his forces tearing through Hydra's African strongholds.
Even the mutant nation of New Tian—previously cowed into submission—had openly begun defying Hydra's authority.
Steve Rogers knew exactly who orchestrated all of this.
"Ben Parker!"
The name tasted like poison on his tongue. Because of one interdimensional interloper, Hydra's absolute dominion over Earth was collapsing in mere hours. Everything they'd built over the past year was crumbling like a sandcastle before the tide.
But it didn't matter.
He would reclaim the glory that belonged to Hydra. He would restore order to this chaotic world.
"This is just a small setback before our inevitable victory," Steve said, his voice resonating with artificial confidence as he stood in the center of Hydra's command chamber.
Inside his golden armor, he closed his eyes and reached inward, feeling the power of the Cosmic Cube flowing through his very veins. The energy was intoxicating—raw, unlimited potential coursing beneath his skin like liquid starlight.
He had already convinced himself that he was omnipotent. Unstoppable.
I will fix all of this!
"I will personally reclaim everything that belongs to Hydra!" His declaration echoed through the chamber, amplified by the armor's systems. "I will build a better new world!"
A world without war or cowardice or crime. A world where everyone's safety was guaranteed under Hydra's benevolent rule.
First, he needed to eliminate those interdimensional outsiders.
Then he would reshape reality itself.
At that exact moment, Ben Parker—the very outsider Steve Rogers considered his greatest threat—was actually inside Hydra's primary command complex.
"The plan is going perfectly."
Natasha Romanoff was carefully navigating through the ventilation ducts, her body pressed flat against the cold metal. Her tactical suit blended with the shadows, making her nearly invisible in the darkness.
Ben suddenly appeared beside her in the confined space.
She nearly shrieked before catching herself, one hand flying to her chest as her heart hammered against her ribs.
But surprise quickly transformed into excitement and anticipation.
"It went so smoothly!" Natasha's words tumbled out in a rush. "They had no idea I'd switched the Cube fragments. And that impostor from your universe has completely disappeared."
She shifted position in the cramped duct, her movements causing her suit's zipper to strain. "Do you really think the real Steve Rogers will come back?"
"He will," Ben confirmed, reaching out to accept the damaged Cube from her hands.
His fingers worked with practiced precision, carefully removing the fake fragment and inserting the genuine piece. The Cube's internal structure realigned with an almost musical chime, energy patterns shifting and stabilizing.
Now, with only T'Challa's fragment remaining, the Cube would be complete.
Ben leaned closer to the crystalline structure, his pupils reflecting its mysterious, ever-shifting light. Internal geometries folded and unfolded within the artifact, patterns too complex for normal human comprehension.
"They will return," he said softly, "but they're a bit lost right now. They need guidance."
"Guidance?" Natasha mimicked his posture, leaning into peer at the Cube.
All she could see were cracks and fractures in the crystalline matrix—nothing that suggested imprisoned consciousness or dimensional pathways.
"What should we do?"
"Find a man named Bucky Barnes," Ben said.
"He's dead." Natasha's expression darkened with old grief. "Steve strapped him to a rocket and detonated it remotely. Declared him a traitor and enemy of Hydra."
"But no one actually saw his body, did they?" Ben's tone was knowing. "If that's the case, then he's still alive."
"That's completely illogical!" Natasha found the claim absurd.
In wartime, losing contact almost always meant death. The explosive force of a detonating rocket was more than any super-soldier's enhanced physiology could survive. The absence of remains only proved that Bucky had been vaporized completely.
But Ben smiled mysteriously, tapping the incomplete Cube with one finger.
"It makes perfect sense—if the Cosmic Cube needs him to be alive."
Understanding dawned in Natasha's eyes.
If the Cube's reality-warping power required Bucky Barnes to survive, then even if he'd been reduced to scattered atoms, causality itself would bend to ensure his continued existence. Improbable coincidences would conspire to save him.
That was the terrifying nature of the artifact—it didn't just alter what was, but what had been.
Just minutes earlier, in the devastated outskirts of Las Vegas, the heroes had been finalizing their preparations for a full-scale assault on Hydra's Washington headquarters.
However, two massive problems still demanded immediate attention.
Looma and the Hulk were fighting.
The battle had started as a challenge—Looma seeking to test herself against Earth's strongest hero. It had quickly escalated into a catastrophic brawl that threatened to level the surrounding desert.
Amadeus Cho had tried to help, transforming into his own Hulk-like state. But he was vastly inferior to Bruce Banner's original version—the legendary Hulk whose power had once helped defeat Thanos himself.
Amadeus lasted approximately three seconds.
The Hulk had simply clapped his hands together. The resulting shockwave—a technique the heroes had dubbed "Thunder Clap"—sent Amadeus flying like a ragdoll, his consciousness extinguished before he even understood what had happened.
In other words, the Hulk had applauded Amadeus Cho into unconsciousness.
"Who do you think will win, Friday?" Tony asked, watching the two humanoid juggernauts tear across the landscape.
The destruction they caused was comparable to Hydra's carpet bombing campaigns. Every impact sent tremors through the earth. Every missed blow carved canyons in the hardened desert floor.
"If Ms. Looma can end the battle within two hours, her victory probability is 80%," Friday's voice responded through his armor's systems. "After that threshold, her chances decline to effectively zero."
The analysis made sense. The Hulk's strength increased proportionally with his anger. The longer the fight continued, the more powerful he became—potentially without limit.
However, the rate of power accumulation depended heavily on the Hulk's emotional state at any given moment.
If you could defeat him quickly, before his rage built to critical mass, victory was achievable. Hawkeye had once killed Banner the instant he transformed, though he'd used a specialized weapon Banner himself had designed as a failsafe.
But prolonged combat was suicide.
As Tony contemplated the implications, Looma's lithe four-armed form drew back like a living bow in mid-air.
Her reforged hammer blazed with combined energies—Muspelheim fire and Sakaarian red lightning intertwined along its surface, crackling and roaring like the wrath of ancient gods.
The weapon descended toward Hulk's skull like divine judgment.
BOOM!!!
The shockwave flattened everything within tens of kilometers. Hills were reduced to rubble. The earth itself twisted like ocean waves, forming a muddy tsunami that crashed outward in all directions.
"This is absolutely insane!" Tony's legs felt weak even inside his armor.
Fortunately, Wanda Maximoff and Thor were present. Together, they erected barriers that intercepted the worst of the earthen tsunami, protecting the assembled heroes from being buried alive.
When the dust finally settled, the battlefield's center revealed a sight that made everyone stare.
The Hulk's massive green body had turned ashen gray, his skin dry and cracked like withered leaves. He was shrinking, reverting to Bruce Banner's human form as consciousness fled.
Compared to a year ago, Looma's power had increased exponentially.
"That felt wonderful!" She dragged Banner's unconscious body back toward the group, her four arms making the task effortless.
She knew in her heart that the Hulk hadn't even reached his full potential. His anger had barely begun building when she'd ended the fight.
As his strength continued increasing, she understood that delay meant defeat. So she'd acted quickly and decisively, finishing the battle with overwhelming force before he could escalate further.
Tetramands loved combat—it was woven into their cultural identity. But compared to Saiyans who were reckless and battle-drunk, Tetramands remained tactical and composed.
At that moment, an unexpected figure appeared at the battlefield's edge.
Namor.
"You spineless coward!" Tony's voice dripped with contempt. "How dare you show your face in front of us!"
He couldn't help his anger. When the team had traveled to Atlantis seeking alliance, they'd fought desperately alongside Namor's forces. Tony and Hawkeye had both prepared themselves for potential sacrifice.
Then, after hours of brutal combat with Steve's forces, Namor had simply surrendered.
And donated the Cosmic Cube fragment to Hydra.
"What, are you here to fight for your Hydra masters now?" Tony's repulsors charged with a threatening whine.
"That was a strategic necessity," Namor said, his regal bearing undiminished despite Tony's hostility. "I've brought someone back—someone who can restore the real Steve Rogers!"
He gestured behind him. A figure wrapped in a dark cloak stepped forward.
The Winter Soldier. Bucky Barnes.
"You're alive?" Multiple voices spoke simultaneously.
"The rocket exploded over the Pacific Ocean," Bucky explained, his voice rough with disuse. "I was blown into the water. Namor's forces saved me."
Under normal circumstances, he couldn't possibly have survived. But if the Cosmic Cube's reality-warping power needed him alive, then history itself would adjust. Improbable coincidences would conspire to ensure his survival.
"Now everything makes sense," Hawkeye said, his analytical mind piecing together the timeline.
Namor's apparent surrender had been strategic—buying time to secretly search for and recover Bucky Barnes.
"Although I still don't see how saving him justified surrendering to Hydra..." Tony crossed his arms, unconvinced. "Those two things aren't remotely related."
They were completely separate actions with no logical connection.
But they needed Atlantis's military forces now. Personal grievances could wait.
"We don't have much time remaining," Tony said, forcing pragmatism. "Priority one is evacuating civilians to safety. As for Hydra leadership—they can stay on this planet when it's destroyed."
"What about Manhattan?" someone asked.
"It's handled," Wanda confirmed. "Doctor Strange said that entity called Dormammu has been dealt with. The Dark Dimension is just an empty shell now."
"The resistance forces have already deployed to major population centers, hijacking Hydra's own evacuation ships. And Doctor Strange is preparing a massive teleportation spell for coordinated civilian extraction."
"Excellent!" Several heroes pumped their fists excitedly.
Victory seemed tantalizingly close.
But one final concern weighed on everyone's minds.
Steve Rogers.
The real Steve Rogers—wherever he was trapped—deserved better than being left behind in a collapsing universe.
At that precise moment, a blue quantum tunnel opened in the air. Ben Parker leaned through, his hand reaching out to grab Bucky's shoulder strap amidst everyone's surprised stares.
"I'm taking this one with me."