Final Choice!

~BOOM~BOOM~BOOM!~

The rhythmic sounds of mini-sonic booms echoed across the training room as Maxim and Natasha had a friendly spar with each-other. Their fists collided as they moved in perfect sync.

Natasha lunged forward, testing out the v2 Black Widow gear Maxim had prepared for her. The gear clung to her skin, the reinforced fabric shifting seamlessly with her movements as she aimed a sharp jab towards Maxim's ribs.

"Nice try." Maxim chuckled, twisting his body and phasing into a shadow before reappearing right behind her, trying to test her reaction speed.

~WHOOSH~

Immediately, the air was cut as Natasha spun on her heel and sent a calculated back-kick directly towards Maxim's head.

Maxim barely ducked, a smirk playing at his lips, "Not bad. The new suit's working for you. Doesn't seem to inhibit your movement in any way."

Natasha huffed, rolling her shoulders before darting in again, this time faking a strike before aiming low. Maxim phased again, but she had attempted to read it.

The moment he rematerialized, she was already airborne, flipping over him and bringing her baton down toward his back.

~GASP~

Suddenly, Maxim turned and grabbed her by the neck, his superhuman strength holding her in place and bringing her back to the ground as she gasped in shock once she was allowed to stand on her own, taking deep breaths.

"Alright," Natasha said, taking deep breaths as her hand rested on her knees and she took deep breaths, "That's cheating."

Maxim chuckled, stepping back, "You know me, very fair in a fight."

Before she could retort, the doors slid open with a hiss.

The duo turned to look at the entrance of the training room, and spotted Steve stepping inside first, followed closely by Bucky, who was looking marginally more at ease than before.

Still, Bucky seemed to be very entranced by the environment, specifically the advanced technology on display, from weapons to holograms and many more.

Soon, his gaze was drawn to Maxim and Natasha, noticing the remnants of their sparring session, "This what you guys do for fun?" Bucky asked, arms crossing over his chest.

Maxim chuckled and responded, "A 95 year old cyborg assassin is questioning what I do for fun?"

Bucky just nodded and remained quiet, whilst Maxim's gaze turned towards Steve, "I take it things went well between you two?"

Steve nodded, glancing at Bucky before answering, "Yeah. We're good."

Maxim studied Bucky for a moment, then nodded approvingly, "Good. Because we've got work to do."

Steve sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "Right. Hydra." His tone was grim and he glanced at Maxim, asking "How much do we know about their current operations?"

"A-lot, I have direct access to all of their online files and most of their offline stuff, more than enough to absolutely crush Hydra. However, there's still some things only the higher ups will be privy too, you can find them out if you want."

"I don't care about any of that data, I just want to get payback, and shut them down..Permanently!"

"Sit tight, I'll have a plan ready by tomorrow." Maxim said and began to leave the room.

"And where are you going now?" Natasha asked

"To get some help." 

***

A ripple of darkness swept across the eerie atmosphere of the dimension located deep in Norway. The thick oppressive air reeked of death and decay, and the wailing of souls echoed across the dimension.

~SHING~

Maxim looked around, Yamato humming faintly in his grasps as he sheathed it by his side, the frigid air hitting his skin as he took some steps forward before suddenly, a pitch black blade slashed towards his face venomously, and Maxim grasped it, his expression unflinching.

"Is this how you greet an old friend?" Maxim said with a cocky smirk on his lips, and out of the shadows emerged Hela, her piercing green eyes locked onto his as she proudly wore her crown of antlers.

With a slow, deliberation motion she took steps forward, "So we're friends now?" her voice remained smooth yet laced with coldness.

"Are you saying we aren't? I thought the last meeting went quite well. You only tried to kill me once, rookie numbers as they say." Maxim responded.

"You're very confident," Hela murmured, "To appear before me again. As time passed, I wondered if you just forgot, but it seems you're quite smart. You feel stronger than before too, you must've been quite a busy boy."

Maxim nodded and met her gaze without hesitation, "Then let's not waste time. Have you decided?"

A silence stretched between them, filled only by the howling winds of the eerie dimension. Hela's expression remained unreadable as she studied him, her head tilting ever so slightly, as if weighing something unseen.

"Amusing," she finally said. "You act as though this is a mere business transaction."

"It is," Maxim replied, his voice calm, "I proposed a deal. You've had time to consider it. Now I'm here for your answer."

Hela chuckled, a low, almost predatory sound, "You truly are an anomaly," She stepped forward, slow and deliberate, "Most mortals fear me. Even gods tread carefully in my presence. And yet, you stand here, demanding my decision like an equal."

Maxim smirked, "I wouldn't be here if I thought we weren't."

Hela stopped a few feet away, tilting her head again. For a long moment, she simply looked at him, as if searching for something deeper.

Then, she sighed, "Your offer… is tempting. But not without its risks. Explain to me again what you bring to make sure we'll succeed."

"All power comes with risk," Maxim said. "What matters is whether the reward outweighs it."

Maxim said, unleashing some of his own personal power in the process. The oppressive, death reeking aura was washed away by one of eternal darkness, corruption and Astral Energy.

Then, Maxim knelt to the floor, grabbing into his shadows and standing up, this time holding a glowing yellow stone in his arm that shifted the entire environment even further.

This time, even Hela had a slightly shocked expression on her face, as her gaze was locked onto it, "The Mind Gem, it seems you're far more resourceful than I thought."

"Unlike you, I understood early on that power isn't everything." Maxim said, and Hela's eye twitched at his remark but she didn't comment on it, further focusing on the Gem.

"I know you used the Astral Transmission Orb, did you meet with your mother?" Maxim asked, and Hela's gaze turned more cold as she looked at Maxim.

"You know quite a-lot huh." She said.

"I know a-lot of things, I can even be called acquaintances with your brother Thor, and I've crossed paths with Odin's other son, he tried to conquer my home planet." Maxim said.

"Hmm, even when I'm gone, that senile old man can't control his spawn, how deplorable." Hela muttered to herself.

Silence stretched between them, the howling winds of the underworld swirling like restless specters.

Then, after a long pause, Hela inhaled deeply, exhaling in something between a scoff and a laugh, "Fine," she said, straightening to her full height, "I'll work with you."

Maxim's eyes gleamed with satisfaction, but he kept his expression neutral, "Smart choice."

Hela tilted her head, studying him, "Do not mistake this for submission, mortal. I agree because your plan holds merit, not because I follow your lead."

Maxim chuckled, "Trust me, I wouldn't expect anything less."

Her expression lingered on him for another moment before she finally crossed her arms, "So? What happens now?"

"I'm sure you know we're in Midgard right now" Maxim said simply.

"You'll stay with me for a while, we don't need to do anything special. Odin will need to reach out and look for you eventually anyway, and Heimdall will be seeing what I want him to see, reporting to Odin." Maxim said

Hela narrowed her eyes slightly, "You mean to wait for him to come to me?"

"As soon as I take you from here, Odin will know, and Heimdall will begin looking for you. Think about it, Odin knows how you feel and he knows the sooner he gets in contact with you, the better. We just need to make sure he realizes you are by far the best option for his successor. "

Hela was silent for a moment, considering his words, Then, with a slow exhale, she muttered, "I wish I could just kill him and take the throne."

Maxim smirked, shaking his head. "Would be satisfying, sure. But think about it, what's worse for Odin? Dying by your hand? Or living long enough to see you rule the throne he swore you'd never sit on?"

Hela's smirk returned, but this time, it was colder. More dangerous.

"You make a compelling argument," Hela said.

"Then let's get to work." Maxim said, and slashed Yamato, cutting a hole through the dimension and looking towards Hela.

With one step, the duo vanished, disappearing from the dimension and knocking down another domino on their path.