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Of course, Gamora had no idea what a shut-in tech geek was.
Right now, Arthur gave off this aura of weary indifference, like someone going through the motions, sighing as if to say, "Well, I guess I have no choice." It was the kind of mood that made you want to laugh and roll your eyes at the same time.
The dissonance between his attitude and the situation was off the charts.
There was just too much distance between them, emotionally, mentally, everything.
Gamora genuinely didn't know what expression to wear in front of this guy.
Then Arthur casually waved a hand and said, "Alright, enough of the pointless chatter. It is what it is. Believe me or don't, it makes no difference to me. Let's face it, there's not a thing you can do to me. You won't kill me, and even if you wanted to, Star-Lord wouldn't let you. And let's say, just hypothetically, that you did kill me, then what? When Thanos shows up, that's one less person fighting on your side... and possibly the most crucial one."
He paused, frowning slightly as he shifted gears. "And about that 'secret' of yours... Yeah, Star-Lord can't know. And if I do know it, I'm not going to tell him. He's a good guy, but not always the most rational. He might blow it all up with some knee-jerk reaction. Still... if I do know, and the day ever comes when he's completely out of options, it might just give him a sliver of hope to hold on to."
Then Arthur shook his head, almost to himself. "But hey, who knows? Forget it. You can go. Pretend none of this ever happened. Tomorrow, when you're ready to leave, I'll have Nebula on your ship. Try talking to her on the way, if that doesn't work, then throw down with her properly. Honestly, it seems like all she really wants is to beat you in a fair fight. Huh... and now I'm rambling again. Whatever."
He flicked his hand dismissively, and in that moment, the heavy pressure that had been clinging to Gamora vanished.
She stood from the couch immediately. For a second, she looked at Arthur with a more serious expression, clearly weighing something. Then she bit her lip and turned to walk away.
But just as she reached the door, she stopped.
She glanced back at Arthur. "I don't trust easily. But... I trust Star-Lord. Don't let him down."
...
...
Gamora left.
Arthur sat there, staring at a projected star map, its glowing dots floating like constellations of decisions yet to be made.
Honestly, he felt like he'd almost blown it.
The entire conversation had gone sideways halfway through, and somewhere in the mess, his internal defenses had slipped. He'd let himself drop his guard, thinking it would only make him look more unreliable in Gamora's eyes. But somehow, things had actually turned out better than expected.
She'd even given him the star map.
Arthur gazed at it silently, his thoughts drifting, not to the Soul Stone, ironically, but to older memories.
Things like... a certain blood-red skull.
"If you really are in that place…"
He took a slow, deliberate breath and narrowed his eyes.
"Then maybe I can pull a fast one."
As long as life keeps moving, the mischief never ends.
But whatever happens, one thing's certain, it won't be for the benefit of Thanos.
And definitely not for some crimson-faced freak holed up in a forgotten realm.
"Old grudges should be settled eventually."
Arthur stretched his arms with a casual ease. "Oh, and let's not forget, throwing a wrench in the purple potato's plans is always a bonus. Now, hear me out: what if I managed to take out Red Skull and then just... hung around there? When Thanos shows up, I could play spiritual gatekeeper. Give him the whole 'only by sacrificing yourself can you earn the Soul Stone' routine. Would he actually toss himself off that cliff? Unlikely... But what if I told him to sacrifice his army instead? Would he buy it?"
A devilish grin tugged at Arthur's lips as a rush of mischievous energy bubbled up inside him.
Then he smacked his palm to his forehead. "How the hell did I forget him?"
That trickster god, Loki. The one who played Odin's role in Asgard for a while, lost in vanity and theatrics. Arthur had been so focused on his own plans, he'd overlooked him entirely.
And Loki still owed him twice over.
If Arthur could rope that guy into the scheme, duping Thanos might not be so hard after all.
But there was one problem, Loki's improv skills were as dangerous as they were legendary.
No one, not even Heimdall in his prime, could predict what chaos Loki would unleash once he started freelancing.
A rock-solid plan could implode the moment Loki got creative.
Arthur crossed his arms, lips tightening. "Too risky. I'll need to think that through."
He was spending a lot of mental energy on post–Red Skull contingencies... and not much on whether he could actually beat Red Skull in the first place.
But honestly, to Arthur, Red Skull had started to feel like a footnote.
His own capabilities had grown by leaps and bounds, each fight pushing him further. There was a time Red Skull had seemed unstoppable, a Hydra mastermind shrouded in fear.
But standing where he was now, Hydra didn't even register as a real threat anymore.
After turning these thoughts over for a bit, Arthur decided there was only one smart move left, for now, it was time to sleep.
The next morning, everyone gathered to see Star-Lord and his team off.
Farewells always carried a bit of melancholy, but Arthur hadn't expected the most dramatic reaction to come from the kid, Peter Parker, the little spider himself. The poor guy clung to Star-Lord's hand like a lost puppy and burst into full-on sobs.
The sudden goodbye clearly hit him hard.
And to be fair, once Star-Lord was gone, the kid probably wouldn't find another conversation partner who got his pop culture references quite like that again.
While the others lingered with their goodbyes, Arthur quietly boarded the ship ahead of them to escort Nebula inside.
After settling her in, he stepped out, only to see Nova Prime approaching with a group of officers. Among them was a familiar face...
Jeff.
The blue-skinned guy looked way more upbeat than Arthur remembered.
Arthur wasn't sure what kind of position Jeff held now, but he did recall how much crap the guy had endured under his command. Arthur had vouched for him with Nova Prime, and judging by the smile on his face, it had paid off.
Back outside, as the last handshakes and farewells were exchanged, Star-Lord stepped forward and pulled Arthur into a firm hug.
"My friend, the galaxy is our battlefield," he said dramatically. "And our Path Finder never stops!"
Only Star-Lord could get away with saying something that corny.
Arthur burst out laughing and replied with four very sincere words: "Get lost, you nerd."
Star-Lord just laughed louder, waved one last time, and boarded the ship with the others. Moments later, their craft lifted off, soaring into the void of space, vanishing from sight.
Leaving everyone else behind.
(End of Chapter)
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