The next day, deep within Dean Forest, a new anomaly had formed. Simmons and Fitz were busy monitoring it with their instruments, while Daniel stood nearby, casually reading magic tomes on his tablet.
"Helen has surfaced," May said as she emerged from behind with her phone in hand.
"Did they catch her?" Daniel quickly set aside his tablet, his attention now fully focused.
"Not yet. They're pursuing her deeper into the forest," May replied, glancing at Bobbi and Lance. "I'll leave Simmons and Fitz to you two. Make sure they don't do anything reckless."
With that, May sprinted off into the forest, and Daniel soon followed. "I'll join you," he said to Bobbi and Lance before setting off after May.
As he caught up with her, Daniel pulled out his enchanted flying broomstick, conjuring two translucent seats atop it with magic. Without hesitation, May climbed aboard, and Daniel cast a Disillusionment Charm to cloak them from view. Even though Dean Forest had been sealed off due to the anomalies, it was better to stay cautious.
"You navigate," Daniel said, and under May's guidance, they zipped through the dense trees. While the forest canopy limited visibility and flight, Daniel's control over the broomstick was flawless. If he were to compete in the Quidditch World Cup in the Harry Potter world, he could easily claim the title of world champion.
Thanks to his advanced observation haki, Daniel soon located their target. Gunfire echoed from the clearing below, indicating an intense battle.
As they reached the scene, Daniel parked the broomstick. He could reveal his magic to SHIELD, but he wanted to remain discreet, especially with the anomaly research team involved.
"Clones? What is this, Germa 66?" Daniel scoffed inwardly as he observed several identical corpses scattered across the battlefield.
Cloning was a controversial topic, one that governments and private labs had pursued, albeit in secret. The technology held immense potential, especially for organ transplants. If perfected, it would make someone a billionaire overnight. Underground organ markets thrived, especially in war-torn or lawless regions. Even in the U.S., there had once been rampant illegal activity in this area, though it had decreased in recent years, thanks to advances in nanotechnology that allowed for organ regeneration.
Daniel, being at the forefront of these advancements, knew that the military's interest in cloning wasn't just for medical purposes. Cloning soldiers had its advantages: no fear of death, no need for pensions, and no accountability for casualties. However, even in the Marvel universe, cloning armies was rare, and the Galactic Empires had avoided it for practical reasons.
"The clones outnumber us, but they're incredibly weak," Daniel thought, sensing their rudimentary tactics through his observation haki. They were no match for trained soldiers.
"Let's go," May said after inspecting the fallen clones. She drew her handgun and advanced toward the gunfire.
"Helen! Helen! What are you doing?!" Dr. Carter's voice rang out in the distance. He seemed frantic, yelling out into the chaos. If not for the soldiers pulling him aside and redirecting his position, he likely would have been shot dead by now.
Special forces were trained to prioritize stealth and precision. Carter's behavior was reckless, to say the least.
"What's the situation?" May asked as she joined Coulson's side.
"Helen infiltrated the Anomaly Research Center and stole something of great importance," Coulson explained quickly.
Daniel couldn't help but smirk. "Looks like May's ex-husband is out of the picture for good. Too bad for Coulson's cellist," he mused. Daniel had noticed the subtle dynamic between Coulson and May. Given how many events had changed due to his involvement, it was clear that several romantic subplots were unfolding differently in this timeline.
As the battle dragged on, the number of clones around Helen dwindled. However, she seemed unbothered, focused on something she was doing near the anomaly.
"She's trying to open the anomaly! Stop her!" Coulson shouted.
Daniel, who had already noticed Helen's actions, watched her pull out a strange device that created a portal—a new anomaly. Without hesitation, she walked through it, ignoring the remains of her clone army. The anomaly began to flicker, signaling that it was about to close.
"I've got this," Daniel said before vanishing from Coulson's side, disappearing into the portal just before it closed.
---
On the other side, Daniel found himself in an area filled with even more anomalies. Spread out in different directions, there were at least a dozen of them, each leading to unknown locations. Helen was already heading into one of them.
"Interesting," Daniel muttered, momentarily delaying his pursuit. He wanted to see where she was heading and what her endgame was.
Casting a Disillusionment Charm on himself, Daniel silently followed Helen through the maze of anomalies.
"Anomalies within anomalies... Is this a labyrinth game?" Daniel thought, amused. After passing through six anomalies, he began to feel like he was playing a complex puzzle game. If he hadn't been tracking Helen so closely, he might have lost her.
---
"Finally, we've arrived," Daniel observed as they emerged in a prehistoric-looking landscape, devoid of further anomalies.
Helen, visibly excited, pulled out a scientific journal from her bag. After flipping through it hastily, she tossed it aside and hurried forward.
"Lucy, the 'first human,' huh?" Daniel smirked, picking up the discarded journal. It featured articles on Australopithecus afarensis, specifically Lucy, the famed fossil.
The origins of humanity had always been a point of contention among scientists. Some theories were more fantastical than others.
"So, she went through all these anomalies just to reach this point in time?" Daniel mused, burning the journal to ashes with a wave of his hand.
Catching up to Helen, Daniel saw her pour a suspicious liquid into a stream upstream from a group of early hominids. Using his Ope Ope no Mi abilities, Daniel could tell the liquid was highly toxic.
"You're trying to poison the ancestors of humanity? What happened to saving the future?" Daniel's voice broke the silence, startling Helen. She spun around, brandishing a black handgun.
"Who are you? How did you follow me?" she demanded, eyes wide with fear.
"I've been following you the whole time," Daniel replied calmly, stepping closer. "You still haven't answered my question. Didn't you preach about saving humanity's future? Why are you trying to kill our ancestors?"
"Humanity has no future," Helen spat. "If we're doomed anyway, I might as well create a new race—an improved one."
Helen ranted for several minutes about how the future of humanity was hopeless, and how the current species deserved to die. She was clearly delusional, imagining herself as a savior.
Daniel, barely holding back laughter, finally burst out laughing.
"HAHAHAHA!" His laughter echoed across the prehistoric landscape, further unsettling Helen.
"You? The creator of a new human race? You're nothing but a history teacher! You really think you're fit to play god?" Daniel sneered, his derisive tone cutting deep.
"Shut up! Don't make me shoot you!" Helen shouted, her finger twitching on the trigger.
"With that toy?" Daniel waved his hand, and the gun flew out of Helen's grasp. It wasn't his Ope Ope no Mi powers this time, but his mastery of qi.
"What are you?" Helen gasped, her confidence shattered.
"It doesn't matter what I am," Daniel replied, stepping closer. "Do you know why I've let you go on this little spree, despite knowing exactly what you were up to? Because it doesn't matter."
"What do you mean?" Helen asked, her voice trembling.
"Your theory about Lucy being humanity's ancestor? It's laughable," Daniel said, shaking his head. "You people cling to whatever narrative suits you. The truth? Humanity won't go extinct—not while forces like Heaven and Hell exist."
"God and Hell? You expect me to believe in fairy tales?" Helen scoffed.
"You clearly haven't been watching the news," Daniel retorted. "Asgardians have appeared on Earth. Aliens attacked New York. You're seriously telling me you haven't heard about any of this?"
Helen stared at him, dumbfounded. She had no idea what he was talking about. She'd spent years inside the anomalies, completely detached from current events.
"Unbelievable. You've missed a lot, it seems," Daniel said, retrieving a strange device from Helen's bag. It was the anomaly generator she'd used earlier. With a quick flick of his wrist, he crushed it.
He also found another curious item—a small metal rod. According to Coulson, this was the stolen object from the Anomaly Research Center.
"It's just an ancient relic, huh? Something from a long-lost civilization, I suppose," Daniel mused, realizing that Helen had likely misinterpreted her visions. She'd probably seen the fall of a previous civilization and assumed it was humanity's future.
"Well, I've had enough of this," Daniel said. He aimed Helen's own gun at her and pulled the trigger, ending her life in an instant.
After securing the relic, Daniel used the Mystic Portal to return to the anomaly, sealing each one behind him as he went. Finally, he emerged back into the present world, the relic in hand.
"An ancient artifact... This will look nice alongside the Sword in the Stone," Daniel mused, thinking of the many rare treasures he had collected as the Sorcerer Supreme. Though Kamar-Taj appeared humble, its vaults were filled with priceless relics, each with its own unique history and power. The Sword in the Stone, for example, had fascinated scholars and mages for centuries. Adding this ancient artifact from the anomalies would make an interesting addition to his collection.
Daniel left the sealed anomalies behind and returned to the present day, his work done. The relic in his possession felt more like a symbolic victory than anything. Still, it was a reminder that even seemingly small threats could spiral into something greater if left unchecked.
Back at the anomaly research center, tensions were still high, especially after Helen's revelation and subsequent disappearance. When Daniel arrived, carrying the relic and news of Helen's demise, he was met with mixed reactions. Carter, still reeling from the truth about his wife, was silent. The rest of the team tried to make sense of what had happened.
Coulson was the first to break the silence. "You managed to stop her," he said, glancing at the strange relic in Daniel's hand. "What is that?"
Daniel handed over the artifact. "An ancient tool, possibly from a long-lost civilization. It was what Helen was after all along, using the anomalies to try to shape the future."
Coulson examined the item, nodding thoughtfully. "So it's over?"
"For now," Daniel replied. "But the anomalies aren't going to stop. There will always be people who think they can control time or rewrite history. It's our job to make sure they don't."
The room fell quiet again, but this time, it was the silence of resolution. The mission had been completed, but the work was never truly done.
As Daniel prepared to leave, Simmons and Fitz, both still buzzing with excitement from their time studying the anomalies, approached him.
"Thank you for letting us get close to the anomalies," Simmons said, her eyes wide with gratitude. "It was an incredible experience."
Daniel nodded. "Just remember, curiosity is good, but never forget the risks involved."
With that, Daniel bid farewell to the team and stepped out into the cool air. His thoughts drifted to the next challenge. Helen had been one of many who thought they could manipulate forces beyond their understanding. And in a universe full of cosmic threats, rogue scientists, and interdimensional anomalies, there was always something lurking around the corner.
But for now, Daniel allowed himself a moment of peace. The relic was safe, the anomalies sealed, and humanity's timeline was once again secure—at least for the time being.
The world was never going to be completely safe, but as long as people like Daniel and the agents of SHIELD were around, they could keep the worst at bay. As Daniel glanced at the horizon, he couldn't help but wonder what new mysteries the anomalies—and the universe—still had in store.
_________________________
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