Ch.44 An Abnormal Timeline?

Ronan watched Strange's expression, remaining silent as something else crossed his mind.

Before he came to this universe, the Ancient One had said something to him during their last conversation:

"Don't rush back. Have a chat with Strange."

At the time, Ronan hadn't fully understood the meaning behind this, but now, he began to see things differently.

Before Thanos arrived, Ronan had witnessed the Avengers use modern technology to craft the Infinity Gauntlet. It was almost as if they were using science to explain mysticism.

On that very day, Ronan also thought about the scene he had just shown.

Science, replacing mysticism—if the Infinity Gauntlet could be scientifically created, then Ronan's initial skepticism regarding Sitwell's claims needed to be reconsidered.

Initially, Ronan had thought along the same lines as Strange. He believed that Strange may have caused political concerns due to his prominent position as a famous surgeon, thus making him a target for Hydra.

But after witnessing the Infinity Gauntlet, Ronan had to reevaluate his earlier assumptions. The more he thought about it, the more things didn't add up.

If the Gauntlet worked, could Zola really predict the future?

"Does this machine still exist?" Strange asked, his eyes flashing with determination. "We can't let it fall into the wrong hands."

Strange was now fully alert. The idea of a supercomputer that could predict the future was far too dangerous.

Imagine the consequences—an ultra-fast machine running at a speed far beyond the human brain, foreseeing events before they even happened.

Even though the Sorcerer Supreme's duty was to defend Earth from external threats, Strange was still an Avenger. At the very least, he had to inform the others.

"According to the information I have, Steve destroyed Zola at the time. But Zola is just a program. It's impossible to be certain there aren't any backups," Ronan said, his eyes narrowing as he stared off into the distance.

The truth was, Zola's existence in this world wasn't Ronan's main concern. After all, this world had its own team of superheroes.

What really worried him was Zola's presence in his own world. On his timeline, Zola was still working for Hydra. It wouldn't be long before Hydra launched their plan.

Would Zola, with his ability to predict the future, view Ronan as a threat?

If that were the case, Ronan needed to act sooner rather than later.

"Either way, this needs to be reported to Steve and the others," Strange said, taking a deep breath. "As Sorcerer Supreme, I can't meddle in earthly affairs, but I appreciate the heads-up."

Strange glanced at Ronan with gratitude.

Ronan shook his head slightly. His goal wasn't to warn Strange, but to help himself.

"Back to my original question," Ronan said. "Since you became Sorcerer Supreme, have you noticed anything strange about the timeline? In other words, have certain future events been altered?"

Strange sank into deep thought, just as Ronan had anticipated. It wasn't long before Strange's expression turned grim.

"Now that you mention it, there were a few times I noticed some disruptions in the timeline," Strange admitted. "While it's normal for the timeline to shift slightly—since every choice people make can lead to different futures—there were two or three occasions where the changes felt... abnormal."

"Oh?" Ronan's interest was piqued. "Which times?"

This was critical for Ronan to confirm. These events might not have happened in his universe yet, or they might be unfolding as they spoke.

"The first time was the year I became Sorcerer Supreme—2016," Strange began. "The biggest news at that time was the fallout between Steve and Tony, which led to a battle. That was when I first noticed an unusual change in the timeline."

Ronan nodded. This was likely during the Civil War storyline. He would have to reflect on this later.

"The second time was when Erik announced Wakanda's opening to the world. There was a significant disruption in the timeline then," Strange continued. "It was just within acceptable limits, but if it had exceeded that boundary, it could have endangered Earth."

Hearing this, Ronan froze.

"Wait, who did you say?" Ronan asked.

"Erik?" Strange repeated.

That name sounded oddly familiar to Ronan.

"Yes, Erik—the king of Wakanda. You've seen him. He was in the final battle, wearing the Black Panther suit."

Strange explained calmly, but something didn't sit right with Ronan.

"No, that's not right..." Ronan muttered, suddenly realizing the inconsistency.

In his memory, the king of Wakanda was supposed to be T'Challa. He was the Black Panther!

"What about T'Challa?" Ronan asked.

"T'Challa? He died in a challenge for the throne, so Erik became king," Strange answered. "According to Wakandan tradition, the royal heirs must defeat their challengers in combat, regardless of the outcome."

Strange looked puzzled, unsure why Ronan was asking these questions.

Ronan's face twisted in disbelief.

The Black Panther he had seen was Erik, not T'Challa?

No, something was definitely wrong here.

While Erik was technically part of the royal family, his father had been a traitor—a Wakandan spy who had stolen Vibranium.

How could the son of a traitor have the right to claim the throne? And how could he have killed T'Challa, who had been trained his entire life?

Unless… someone had erased the stain of Erik's father's betrayal using some sort of manipulation.

The only one capable of that, aside from high-ranking officials in the United States, would be...

Zola!

Suddenly, everything clicked for Ronan.

Yes, this had to be Hydra's plot! They must have used Zola to rewrite Erik's father's history, erasing his betrayal and granting Erik the right to challenge for the throne.

Then, somehow, they must have orchestrated T'Challa's defeat, allowing Erik to become the king of Wakanda!

Damn, it's brilliant!

Ronan raised an eyebrow, piecing it all together.

Now that Hydra had been forced underground, they were leveraging that position to their advantage.

This scheme was classic Hydra—underground, unseen, but incredibly effective.