Wanda hesitated as she opened the comm interface. Her finger hovered above the "Connect" button for a long while. Only after rehearsing what she might say to her boss did she grit her teeth and press it.
The signal flickered once—then connected.
Gene's visor-lit face appeared on the other end almost instantly.
"Did you recover Professor Selvig?" he asked straightaway.
"No… no, we didn't," Wanda muttered, clearly deflated. "We… kind of messed up."
She quickly gave Gene a summary of what had happened—the unexpected arrival of Amora and her hulking brute of a servant, the Executioner, the chaos that ensued, and finally, Selvig's disappearance.
"It was all my fault. I'm sorry…" Wanda lowered her head like a schoolgirl who'd just broken a window. "If we'd been more careful—just a little more alert—we could've brought him back."
Gene's V-shaped visor flickered, but not out of anger. He wasn't mad—he was intrigued.
Amora… and the Executioner? After Selvig? he thought. They're interested in the Convergence too?
Or maybe it wasn't just them. Maybe someone behind them—someone far more dangerous—wanted Selvig for his knowledge of the Nine Realms aligning. Ever since Amora escaped the dimensional seal Gene had set for her—especially after he discovered it was laced with energy disturbingly similar to Odin's—he'd been watching closely. The woman wasn't working alone.
After all, an arrogant sorceress from Asgard, once part of Baron Zemo's little band of misfits, wouldn't just quietly vanish from the world stage after one failed operation. That didn't make sense—unless someone powerful told her to hide and wait.
And now… the waiting seemed to be over.
Selvig wasn't just any scientist anymore. He had become a key—one that could unlock the storm to come.
"I understand," Gene finally said, his voice calm. "It's not your fault. I didn't expect Amora to intervene either. This just confirms things are more complicated than I originally thought. You didn't fail me."
Truthfully, Gene had sent Wanda and Daisy to protect Selvig because he anticipated an attack from the Dark Elves. Based on their current strength, they should've been more than capable of handling that.
But Amora? She was a wild variable that threw the entire equation off.
Still, what needed to be done—had to be done.
"Wanda," Gene said with resolve. "Assemble the team. I want everyone, even those on leave, back in the field. You'll lead this operation. Track down that Asgardian witch and bring Selvig back."
"…Wait, wait." Wanda blinked, pointing at herself. "Me? You want me to lead this mission?"
She'd expected Gene to take charge personally. After all, anything involving world-ending threats usually had her all-powerful boss in the vanguard.
"Yes," Gene replied firmly. "You heard me right."
He paused for a moment, letting the gravity of the mission settle.
"This is a critical assignment. The Convergence—the alignment of the Nine Realms—is not just a cosmic curiosity. If left unchecked, it could collapse our reality. Everything—all life, all light—gone."
Wanda's heart thudded in her chest. She should have realized how serious this was from the moment he first sent them after Selvig.
"I'm telling you this so you understand what's at stake," Gene continued. "But also because I believe in you. You're not that uncertain girl anymore, Wanda. You've grown stronger. You can do this."
Wanda felt breathless. Her mind raced. Could she really shoulder this responsibility? Could she pull it off?
"Boss, I mean… if this is that important…" she hesitated, "Shouldn't you be the one to—?"
"No," Gene cut in smoothly. "I have something else to take care of. I'll be off-world for a while."
"Oh… okay, then…" Wanda said softly.
She had never realized how much she relied on Gene's presence. It wasn't just respect—it was a profound, unshakable trust. When Gene was around, it felt like no matter how bad things got, he would fix it. Like no matter what mess they ended up in, no matter how powerful the enemy, Gene would find a way.
Because he always did.
He was the one who could silence gods and command stars. The one who never lost.
That's why it shocked her so much to hear that he would be gone. But she didn't protest. Not anymore.
Because she wasn't that helpless girl anymore. Not since she joined S.W.O.R.D. Not since she started following him.
Gene turned away from the comm screen and looked down at Jane Foster, lying unconscious on the bed.
A tangle of advanced machinery buzzed and hummed around her, scanning every atom of her body. Her vitals were stable—for now.
"Status?" he asked quietly.
"The Aether has completely fused with Miss Foster's physiology," Red Queen's voice responded crisply. "Any attempt at direct extraction would provoke a catastrophic magical backlash."
"Oh? That's fine. As it happens… I know someone who can separate them."
Gene's eyes glinted with cold confidence.
"Skynet, bring up the schematics for the dimensional traversal device."
"We've got work to do."
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