Omniscience in Marvel 173

173

…

Leucadius and Thena walked casually toward the woman in spandex, their footsteps muffled by the thick forest floor.

As they neared, Leucadius's cosmic awareness picked up traces of something unusual. "It's the space stone energy." He muttered to Thena.

He was very familiar with the Infinity Stones and their respective energy signatures.

"Do you need assistance?" Leucadius called out, his voice calm yet commanding, causing the woman to turn her head sharply.

She was tall, strong, and had an air of authority about her despite the clearly out-of-place spandex suit. Her short, blonde hair framed her face, which was set in an expression of quiet determination.

Leucadius noticed the insignia on her suit, but it didn't match anything he was familiar with on earth, but that didn't mean he wasn't familiar with it.

He held the greatest information system in the entire Universe, how could he not know that insignia?

The woman squinted at them, then seemed to assess them quickly, her posture easing just slightly. "I'm fine," she said, her voice calm but not unfriendly. "Just taking a break."

Leucadius's brow furrowed as he studied her more closely. "Are you sure? You appear to be far from any designated training grounds."

The woman chuckled lightly, crossing her arms. "Not exactly. I'm far from where I should be, honestly. Some things are just hard to avoid."

Thena, who had been silently observing, tilted her head slightly. "You're not from around here, are you?" she asked, her voice laced with curiosity.

The woman gave a small, resigned shrug. "You could say that. Name's Carol Danvers. I'm... not exactly from Earth, though Earth is where I'm stationed."

Leucadius's expression didn't change, but Thena raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Stationed? A soldier of sorts, then?"

Carol nodded. "You could say that. Or, I used to be. Now I'm just trying to figure out where the hell I fit in."

Before either of them could respond, a voice called out from behind them.

"Danvers! There you are!" The man's voice was deep and authoritative, and the trio turned to see a man in a sharp suit striding toward them.

"Fury," Carol muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes. "Didn't think you'd track me down this quick."

Nick Fury stopped a few paces away, eyeing Leucadius and Thena. His gaze immediately flickered with recognition as he looked at Leucadius, though the confusion in his expression quickly transformed into a guarded wariness.

"Sir," Fury greeted, a flicker of suspicion crossing his face as he held Leucadius's gaze. "Didn't expect to see you here."

Leucadius nodded calmly. "It's been a while, Fury," he replied, his voice even. "This is Thena, my wife." He gestured toward her with a subtle but unmistakable air of respect.

Thena smiled politely, but her gaze was assessing. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Fury," she said, offering a small nod.

Fury studied Leucadius and Thena with a skeptical eye, his posture betraying none of the unease that was simmering under the surface.

Though he was a senior agent at S.H.I.E.L.D. at the time, Fury still had an innate ability to sense the larger picture, and the presence of these two was not something he could easily ignore.

One was a founder and council member of SHIELD while the other was his wife. And there was no way in hell the lady in front of him was anything normal.

He just knew it.

Leucadius was already abnormal in his book following the incident from years ago.

Carol on the other hand had other things going through her head. Despite the unfamiliarity of their origins, something about Leucadius in particular seemed... off.

Or rather, too familiar.

"Didn't expect to run into you two here," Fury said, his voice low, carefully controlled. His gaze flickered briefly over Carol before returning to Leucadius. "It's been a while, Sir."

Leucadius gave him a measured, nonchalant look. "I tend to pop up where least expected," he replied smoothly. "Seems you're busy, Fury. Still keeping the world safe from things you can't quite put your finger on?"

Fury's brow twitched in response. "Something like that." He eyed Carol once more, then looked back at Leucadius. "So, what brings you and... your wife out here? This part of the world isn't really on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar at the moment…, or anyone else's for that matter."

Carol, who had been standing off to the side, arms crossed, rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Says the man who has his eyes on everything," she muttered, more to herself than anyone. "Fury, I told you, I'm just taking a breather. It's not like I'm always in the thick of things."

"Yeah, well, S.H.I.E.L.D. has its own ways of keeping tabs, and I'm guessing your break doesn't come with a full report," Fury responded dryly.

His eyes shifted to Thena, who had remained silent up until now. Fury's expression softened just a touch—enough for Thena to notice.

"You're an interesting individual." Was all Thena said before she turned to Carol, her tone even but curious. "Carol, is it? You seem... conflicted about your position here."

Carol shrugged, uncrossing her arms as if the movement would release the tension that had gathered there. "I'm figuring it out. Sometimes it feels like I'm supposed to be a soldier, but other times it feels like that's not enough."

"That's the struggle," Leucadius said, his voice a little sympathetic. "In our travels, we've seen many who struggle with such dualities. The soldier vs. the person. It's never easy to reconcile both."

Fury's eyes narrowed slightly. "You two seem to understand more about this situation than you're supposed to. You sure you're not involved with anything else?"

"Quite the suspicious individual, eh?" Thena asked with an amused smile. "Reminds me of a sibling of mine."

"Then I guess I can't wait to meet them."

"Oh, I don't think you would." Thena said. "He hates humans more than anyone I know."

"Dear, I don't think bringing up Druig here is a good idea." Leucadius said to Thena in a hushed tone.

"That's probably right." Thena said and looked to Fury and winked, "Forget I said anything."

Just as Fury was about to say something, Leucadius turned his head slightly and his expression became more focused. "Speaking of which," he muttered, and before anyone could react, a low rumble of footsteps reached their ears.

He glanced back at Fury. "Looks like you're not the only one who can track people down."

A moment later, a figure approached from the trees—clad in standard S.H.I.E.L.D. gear. It was a younger agent, his face a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.

"Agent Fury," the agent called out, his eyes scanning the trio before settling on Carol. "We've got reports of unusual activity up ahead, a couple of civilians reporting disturbances. Thought you might want to check it out."

"I guess this is where we say goodbye." Leucadius said as Thena immediately hooked her arms around his.

Fury's expression didn't change, but he turned back to Leucadius and Thena. "Looks like your timing's as impeccable as always."

Leucadius gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. "It's all about the timing in life."

Thena turned her attention back to Carol, smiling slightly. "Be careful out there. The universe is full of unexpected turns."

Carol's lips twitched upward in acknowledgment. "Thanks," she said, then turned to Fury with a look of mild annoyance. "I'm not a child, Fury."

Fury rolled his eye, not deigning to respond as he gave a curt nod to Leucadius and Thena. "Take care of yourselves. The universe has a habit of throwing curveballs when you least expect it."

Leucadius gave a small, knowing smile. "I'm sure we'll be fine," he replied, his voice a subtle reminder of the unspoken power that surrounded him. "But if you need anything... you know where to find us."

With that, Leucadius and Thena turned away, stepping into the shadows as Fury and Carol were left to deal with the latest disturbance in the woods.

As they disappeared into the distance, Fury's gaze lingered on the spot where they had stood, still processing the strange encounter.

Carol, on the other hand, let out a small sigh and adjusted her suit. "Well, that was... something," she said quietly.

Fury's response was simple, but knowing. "Yeah. Don't forget them. They'll be back when you least expect it."

With that, they both turned and began heading toward the disturbance.