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The next day.
Agent Sharon Carter parked her car, got out, and stared at Hawk's front door. She let out a soft sigh, walked up, and knocked.
Just yesterday, her bags had been packed. She'd been sitting at the airport, waiting for her flight, ready to get the hell out of town for Christmas.
She had zero interest in spending the holidays watching Hawk and Gwen play house. So, she'd bought a ticket to Texas to catch the hottest show on the circuit—a stunt performance by some daredevil motorcycle rider named Johnny Blaze.
The tickets had been a nightmare to get.
But then…
The Commander had called.
As she waited for the door to open, Sharon felt a pang of regret. If she could turn back time, she never would have agreed to fly back to New York with Hawk from Quantico.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, the door opened.
Sharon instantly composed herself, smiling at Gwen as she greeted her.
"Morning, Gwen."
"Sharon."
Gwen's eyes lit up when she saw Sharon. She stepped forward, giving her a quick hug before saying apologetically, "Sorry to drag you into this again, but something came up yesterday."
She warmly invited Sharon inside, then lowered her voice and gave her the short version of what had happened to Carrie the night before.
The bullying.
The pig's blood at the prom.
God...
Last night, as Gwen helped Carrie change into a spare set of her pajamas, she had listened to the story in utter disbelief.
She had thought the worst kind of high school bullying was the stuff Flash Thompson pulled at Midtown. But even a meathead like Flash would never, ever ruin a school dance.
Because for most students, prom was supposed to be one of the best memories of their lives.
And yet.
Gwen had never imagined a girl could be so vicious—so determined to destroy what should have been an unforgettable night for another.
When she'd gone back to her room and told Hawk about it, she learned that he had already… dealt with the girl responsible. Her immediate reaction was—
Serves her right.
Even for someone as kind-hearted as Gwen, she knew that if anyone had done that to her, she wouldn't have hesitated to do the same damn thing.
...
After hearing Gwen's summary, Sharon's expression was a mixture of disbelief and disgust.
"There are really women that evil in the world?"
"Yeah. It's disgusting." Gwen nodded.
Just then.
Hawk came walking down the stairs. Seeing Sharon already seated on the sofa, he smiled and greeted her.
"Morning, Sharon."
"Morning."
"Here about last night?"
"Yes." Sharon nodded, then glanced at Gwen before looking back at Hawk. "But it seems like it's already been handled."
Hawk nodded.
The next second.
He looked at Sharon. "Actually, there's something I need."
Sharon, who had been about to get up and head for the airport, paused and looked at him.
Hawk didn't beat around the bush.
"I remember back in Africa, Commander Hill mentioned that S.H.I.E.L.D. has a Witch. Is that right?"
"...Yes."
"What's her character like?"
"Uh…"
Sharon blinked, not quite understanding the question.
Hawk sat down next to Gwen. "Carrie's a newly awakened witch. A friend of mine asked me to rescue her last night and find her a mentor—someone to teach her the basics. Her powers don't need to be incredible, just someone to guide her until her magic stabilizes. Eventually, she's supposed to receive a knowledge inheritance from the Salem Witch Dimension. So, I thought of what Commander Hill told me."
Witch.
Newly awakened.
With a built-in magical inheritance.
Entrusted to them.
Sharon quickly processed the keywords in Hawk's explanation.
Her eyes lit up.
In that instant, all thoughts of Texas, Johnny Blaze, and her vacation vanished.
This was a witch—and one who came with her own knowledge inheritance from a supernatural dimension.
An asset like that was priceless. You couldn't find one in a million. And Hawk was just… handing her over to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Holy shit.
...
Sharon was so excited she was almost speechless, but she managed to keep her composure and nodded enthusiastically at Hawk.
"Yes, yes! We do have a witch."
"And her character?" Hawk looked at Sharon. "My friend didn't say it outright, but I'm sure she doesn't want Carrie to be led down the wrong path."
His first thought had been to ask his good friend Anna.
But Anna hadn't answered her phone, and she seemed busy.
Besides, on second thought, Anna was HYDRA. What if they got ahold of Carrie and turned her into some world-ending supervillain?
That left S.H.I.E.L.D.
Other than HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D., he didn't know any other organizations that might have a witch.
Well, that wasn't entirely true. He knew two others.
Wanda Maximoff—the Scarlet Witch.
But at this point in the timeline, it was doubtful Wanda had even awakened her powers. And even if she had, she was a complete rookie herself. It was unrealistic to expect her to teach Carrie anything.
Then there was Agatha Harkness.
But she was out, too.
Agatha was a powerful witch, and she was a good teacher, but she also had a habit of draining other witches of their magic.
Hawk seriously suspected that if he handed Carrie over to Agatha, he'd get a skeleton back.
The Hell Witch had trusted him to find a good home for Carrie.
So—
After thinking it through, Hawk decided S.H.I.E.L.D. was the most reliable option.
S.H.I.E.L.D. might be on the verge of collapse, but there was still a year. That was more than enough time for Carrie to learn the basics and stabilize her magic.
After that, even if S.H.I.E.L.D fell apart, it wouldn't matter. By then, Carrie would have received her knowledge inheritance from the Salem Dimension and could teach herself.
Sharon, meanwhile, was still focused on Hawk's words.
Wrong path?
She looked at Hawk, who was asking about character with a completely straight face, and couldn't help but recall his track record.
He'd worn a mask and stormed Quantico to steal a gamma stone, leaving several dead soldiers in his wake.
The execution of the Hulk at Culver University.
Then there was the second Quantico incident. The base was destroyed, a million-dollar armored car was totaled, a ten-million-dollar tank was obliterated, a hundred-million-dollar fighter jet was wiped out, countless soldiers were killed, and General Ross was dead.
And then there was…
The more Sharon thought, the stranger her expression became. But she quickly snapped out of it, looked at Hawk, and asked with genuine curiosity, "Hawk, can I ask… what's your definition of 'the wrong path'?"
The question took Hawk by surprise. He glanced at Gwen, who was sitting beside him.
"Destroying the world?"
"…"
Gwen opened her mouth, ready to object, but destroying the world definitely qualified as 'the wrong path.' She swallowed her retort.
Sharon was also taken aback by his answer, but she quickly recovered and said, "Don't worry. That's definitely not on the table."
'Okay. At least now I know where his line is. He's not planning on destroying the world.'
Sharon repeated the thought to herself like a mantra.
Hawk saw the amused look in his fiancée's eyes and chuckled, turning back to Sharon. "I'm just kidding. Let's say… not actively harming people. Can you guarantee that?"
Sharon came back to reality and nodded.
"Yes."
"I'm going to consider that your personal guarantee."
Hawk looked at her, a smile playing on his lips. "If you guys lead Carrie astray and my friend comes after me, then I'm coming after you."
Again.
The Hell Witch had entrusted Carrie to him. He had to be responsible for her.
Sharon nodded again without hesitation. "I can. The witch we work with was a member of Captain Rogers' Howling Commandos. She's now one of our supernatural consultants."
Hawk's eyes widened.
"The Howling Commandos?"
"Yes."
"Then there's no problem."
Hearing that, Hawk's worries vanished.
He didn't know the witch, but he knew Steve Rogers.
And any supernatural being who could have joined Steve Rogers' Howling Commandos…
Put it this way.
Their power level was irrelevant. What mattered was that Captain America had once trusted these people with his back.
So… A witch trusted by Captain America was a witch whose character was beyond question.
Cap's seal of approval—good enough for him.
...
A little while later.
Carrie came downstairs. She'd been up late talking to the Hell Witch, and her mind was still reeling from the revelations about her future.
When she came downstairs and learned she would be leaving with Sharon, she didn't protest or argue.
The Hell Witch had told her everything.
She wasn't the daughter of a demon.
She was a witch. The next in the line of Salem Witches. And she could trust Hawk. He would find her a good teacher, someone who could help her understand and control her magic.
As for Maine? She wasn't going back.
The Hell Witch had shown her a vision of her original, intended future—a vision of her own mother, who had always seen her as a child of the devil, trying to kill her. The thought of ever returning there was gone for good.
And so, Carrie quietly followed Sharon out of the house.
Hawk and Gwen also left, heading for the Stacy apartment. Helen had called that morning and asked them to come over for lunch.
…
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If you're interested, you can read advanced chapters:
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
~# Bonus Chapter every 300PS