Evenson headed down to SHIELD’s underground parking garage, keys already in hand.
As he walked, he muttered to himself.
"A whole new world..."
"And somehow even less free time."
Looking at everything he had planned, he doubted he’d have a quiet day for a very long time.
He climbed into his car and reached for the ignition.
A sudden chill swept through the cabin.
The passenger door clicked open.
Someone climbed in.
Then...
Bang.
The door slammed hard enough to rock the entire vehicle.
The temperature seemed to plummet.
Evenson sighed.
"So you knew I was here, Melinda."
Since Coulson’s death, Melinda May had become noticeably colder.
Not just emotionally.
The atmosphere around her felt oppressive enough that rumors had begun circulating through SHIELD headquarters. People assigned to her office supposedly wore winter coats indoors, and more than one agent had booked appointments with the staff psychologist afterward.
"I couldn’t save Coulson."
Evenson’s voice softened.
"I’m sorry."
He assumed she’d come to blame him.
Instead, May quietly shook her head.
"I don’t."
"War always demands sacrifices."
"You and Coulson were both doing your jobs."
Evenson looked at her in surprise.
"I wasn’t expecting you to take it so well."
Then again, he realized he’d underestimated veteran agents.
Death wasn’t an abstraction for people like them.
It was an occupational hazard.
May slowly raised her right hand.
The magical contract mark connecting her to Evenson shimmered into view.
"Remove it."
"There’s no point anymore."
She had sought power for one reason.
To protect someone precious to her.
Now that person was gone.
What purpose did power still serve?
"That’s a defeatist attitude."
Evenson glanced at the mark.
"One death, and you’re ready to give up everything?"
May stared silently ahead.
"I’ve known Coulson for a long time."
"Our lives kept pulling us together... and apart."
"We both moved on."
"I thought that Chapter had ended."
Her eyes grew distant.
Moisture gathered at their corners.
"But only after losing him..."
"...did I realize how much he still meant to me."
Evenson let out a quiet sigh.
He understood.
This wasn’t ordinary grief.
It was the kind of emptiness that made the future seem meaningless.
"I think you’re giving up too soon."
Then he leaned closer.
After making sure no one else was nearby, he lowered his voice until it became little more than a whisper.
"The truth is..."
"Nick Fury has already..."
May’s head snapped toward him.
Her eyes widened.
"What?"
"Is that true?"
"It is."
Evenson nodded confidently.
"I just finished discussing it with the Director."
He quickly added another warning.
"This information is classified."
"You were never supposed to hear it."
"So don’t tell anyone."
"If this leaks..."
"I’m the one who’ll be in trouble."
"I swear."
"I won’t tell a soul."
Her voice trembled.
Not with grief this time.
With hope.
"But..."
"Will it work?"
She was terrified.
Terrified that the tiny spark she’d just been given would disappear before it could become real.
"If nothing unexpected happens..."
"It should."
Evenson answered with confidence.
"Have some faith in Nick Fury."
"He doesn’t gamble on plans he doesn’t believe will succeed."
"Right..."
A genuine smile appeared on May’s face.
One so rare that Evenson almost didn’t recognize it.
She trusted Fury completely.
The crushing darkness surrounding her vanished in an instant.
Evenson pointed at the glowing mark on her hand.
"So..."
"Still want me to remove it?"
She hid her hand behind her back almost reflexively.
"Not a chance."
The abrupt change in mood made her seem years younger.
Then another thought occurred to her.
Her expression narrowed.
"We’ve had this contract for quite a while now."
"You’ve been delaying your end of it every single time."
"So when exactly are you planning to..."
"Three days."
Evenson answered before she could finish.
"I’ll need time to prepare."
"And tomorrow I have another ceremony to attend."
"Good."
May gave a satisfied nod.
"I’m looking forward to obtaining that power."
She opened the passenger door.
"I should get back."
"If I’m gone much longer, people will start asking questions."
The smile disappeared.
By the time she stepped out of the car, the icy aura had returned.
Not because she felt that way anymore.
Because she wanted everyone else to believe she did.
Ironically, the performance made her seem even colder than before.
If her old demeanor had been a Siberian winter...
This was an Antarctic blizzard.
Evenson shivered involuntarily.
Then he started the engine and drove home.
"Close up."
The moment he entered the shop, Evenson gave the order.
Truthfully, it hardly mattered.
New York had just survived an alien invasion.
People were mourning loved ones, clearing rubble, and rebuilding their lives.
Browsing a tiny occult shop wasn’t exactly high on anyone’s priority list.
Even so, Sarah locked the front door without complaint.
Tyler took up position near the entrance, remaining alert.
Both of them understood.
Their boss had something important to do.
The Void.
The Felscar Rift.
Once again, Evenson arrived as a projection rather than in person.
It had been quite some time since his last visit.
Very little had changed.
Demons lived practically forever.
When immortal creatures had nothing urgent demanding their attention, time slowed to an almost absurd crawl.
Evenson descended deeper into the Rift at an unhurried pace.
He had come to forge a contract with a very unusual demon.
He also knew someone would inevitably seek him out before he reached his destination.
Right on cue, a sultry voice drifted through the air behind him.
"You came all this way without even saying hello."
"That’s hardly how friends treat each other, little warlock."
Evenson stopped.
The newcomer was Agatha, the Pit Lord Matron who served as steward of the Felscar Rift.
No one in their right mind expected a Pit Lord to manage administration. Their talents leaned heavily toward smashing things into smaller pieces.
The Rift’s day-to-day affairs therefore rested almost entirely in Agatha’s capable hands.
If Evenson entered the realm...
She always knew.
Evenson turned sharply.
His face was filled with unmistakable fury.
"Friends?"
His voice echoed through the cavern.
"The last time I trusted you, I almost got myself killed."
"And you still have the nerve to call us friends?"
...
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