Chapter 134
Arc 9 - Ch 1: Glorious Purpose
Saturday, May 05, 2012.
Location: Stark Tower, Midtown Manhattan, New York
Smoke billowed from a dozen skyscrapers across Manhattan's jagged skyline. The facades now stood shattered, their wounds exposing skeletal frameworks beneath.
A woman's shoe lay abandoned on the cracked pavement near Tyson's feet, still tied, as if its owner had simply stepped out of it mid-stride. He looked away. The city smelled wrong now, not just smoke and ozone but burnt, and not in the afternoon traffic rush burned gasoline smell.
Was this what victory looked like up close? Not the triumphant group shot of the Avengers gathering for the first time, or them all pointing their weapons at the captured Loki. But the debris field where some people's lives had ended.
Twisted metal and pulverized concrete littered the streets where overturned vehicles lay abandoned. Emergency sirens wailed in the distance, their lights reflecting off dust-covered surfaces. The destruction radiated outward from Grand Central Terminal. Entire floors had been carved away by Chitauri energy weapons, leaving gaping holes in otherwise intact buildings. The air hung heavy with the acrid smell of electrical fires and foreign alien technology. Paper and debris floated on thermal currents between buildings. Below, first responders moved through the chaos. Firefighters battled blazes while medical personnel established triage centers. National Guard units set up perimeters around the worst damage. Civilians emerged from shelter, faces masked with dust and shock.
Stark Tower stood amid the destruction, its upper levels scarred but its structure largely intact. The iconic STARK lettering had been partially destroyed, leaving only the solitary "A." From this vantage point, the scope of the invasion became clear.
Fury's voice crackled through every SHIELD and House of M comm unit in Manhattan. "All hands, converge on Stark Tower. We've got artifacts to secure and prisoners to process. ETA fifteen minutes, people."
Without Wednesday strictly monitoring them, the comm filled with overlapping voices, SHIELD channels mixing with House of M frequencies in a deluge of damage reports. Building seven had a fire on the thirty-second floor. Grand Central still had civilians trapped in the lower levels. Multiple Chitauri corpses were already being loaded into refrigerated trucks before the public could photograph them too extensively. The world had just learned it wasn't alone in the universe, and everyone was scrambling to control the narrative. Meanwhile, he stood holding enough power to crack a planet, and nobody had noticed yet.
With the Tesseract in one hand and the Mind Stone within the Amulet of Captured Thoughts in the other, Tyson muttered, "No other being has ever had the might, nay the nobility, to wield not one, but two Infinity Stones."
The quote had felt wrong in his mouth even as he said it. Ebony Maw's words twisted into something comic.
Except it wasn't funny, was it?
He was standing in the wreckage of an alien invasion, holding two of the most powerful objects in existance, making jokes about a genocidal titan. The disconnect between who he'd once been, just another person watching movies on his couch or in theaters, and who he was now struck him.
It was one of the dangers of living in this world. Having seen it all before he arrived made everything feel like a game you were meant to win. But the people here were real. And real people had died today.
They say power corrupts. And holding two infinity stones, two objects of infinite, absolute power, they should corrupt him, absolutely, but he had to wonder if that was true. Both artifacts seemed to whisper possibilities, bend minds, tear holes between worlds.
Sure, the Mind Stone had tried to corrupt him. He'd fought its influence. But was the power itself corrupting?
Tyson could argue the opposite. That it was powerlessness that corrupted.
How many people had he intentionally killed before Jubilee's death? The question hung in his mind as he watched emergency crews work through the rubble below. Before that night in Times Square, he'd been careful. Even when facing genuine threats.
In that moment where he was powerless to save her, things changed.
The memory surfaced unbidden, Jubilee's body in his arms, dissolving into sparks and motes of light. All his strength, all his abilities, and he couldn't protect the one person who mattered most. The helplessness had been crushing, a weight that settled in his chest and never fully lifted.
He'd killed Magneto that night. Intentionally. The Sabertooth clone had followed, then Healer.
Weeks later, Kaine and Kraven had joined that list. Then Kilgrave, whose death he'd planned with methodical precision. Sterns had been almost casual, a life ended to prevent future suffering.
Each death had been a choice. A deliberate decision made not from the corruption of power, but from the bitter lesson of powerlessness. Powerlessness was just as dangerous, if not worse. It drove people to desperate measures, to compromise their principles in pursuit of control. How many villains had started as victims? How many heroes had fallen because they couldn't save someone they loved?
The infinity stones didn't create monsters; they amplified what was already there.
Thanos had wielded all six stones and used them to murder half the universe. Not because the stones corrupted him, but because he'd already decided that genocide was mercy. The power had simply made his twisted vision possible.
The temptation lasted exactly one more heartbeat before he dismissed it. That was corruption; the belief that his judgment was superior to everyone else's free will. The stones offered power, but wisdom had to come from somewhere else.
Power didn't corrupt. It revealed.
The thought was sobering.
"Tyson," Amora's voice came through the comms, "I have Loki secured, but I need to speak with you privately."
He found her in the penthouse, standing beside a thoroughly subdued Loki in specialized restraints. Amora had a bruise on her cheek, evidence of a fight Tyson hadn't witnessed. He'd been busy while she'd captured Loki alone.
"Thor will arrive soon, and when he does, we'll be departing for Asgard. You know the All-Father demands Loki's return, and..." She hesitated. "I have obligations to fulfill there."
"But?"
"There are belongings here on Midgard I cannot simply abandon. I need time to gather what I can before we depart. This may be my last opportunity."
Tyson nodded. "How long do you need?"
"An hour, perhaps two if I'm thorough." She looked down at Loki, who watched their exchange with keen interest despite his restraints. "But I cannot leave him unguarded, and I certainly cannot take him with me."
"I'll handle Loki. Thor should be here soon anyway."
A thunderous crack split the air above them. Lightning illuminated the darkening sky as Thor descended, red cape billowing. He landed with enough force to crack the platform, Mjolnir sending small electrical discharges across the ground.
"Brother." Thor's voice carried both relief and disappointment as he approached Loki. "Your schemes have come to an end."
Loki's lips curled into a sardonic smile. "Have they? I wonder, dear brother, if you truly understand what has transpired here today."
"Enough." Amora stepped between them. "Thor, I must attend to urgent matters before our departure."
"Very well. But we leave within the hour, with or without your preparations."
Amora shot Tyson a meaningful look before stepping through a portal.
"Touching," Loki observed. "The Enchantress abandons her prize to chase after trinkets and baubles. How very... mortal of her."
"Your concern for her welfare is noted," Tyson replied.
Fifteen minutes later, Tony emerged from the elevator, looking considerably better after a medical check and fresh clothes. "How's our cosmic artifact situation?"
"This needs to go back to Asgard with Thor, but something tells me SHIELD's going to have opinions about that."
Agent Rumlow approached with a specialized containment case. "Orders from above. The Scepter goes into SHIELD custody for analysis."
Tyson looked down at Loki's staff, now merely an ornate weapon without the Mind Stone to power it.
"Take it," he said, handing the weapon over.
Rumlow accepted the scepter. "Director Fury wants a full debrief on what happened with the... light show earlier."
"The Phoenix Force," Thor supplied. "A cosmic entity of immense power. I am surprised it chose to manifest on Midgard."
"Yeah, well, surprise space entities seem to be par for the course today." Tony looked at Tyson. "Speaking of which, what about the big blue cube?"
Tyson hefted the Tesseract, feeling its energy pulse against his palm. Every instinct told him to keep it close, to maintain control over such a powerful artifact, to add it to his growing collection of insurance policies. That was the problem, wasn't it? He was thinking like a hoarder, not a hero. Or was he? The Ancient One's words echoed in his mind. He couldn't bring another Infinity Stone to Kamar-Taj. The Tesseract had to return to Asgard. He already had his Uncle Ben moment, literally, watching him die in Peter's arms. He already had the Mind Stone to keep out of Hydra's hands. Did he really need to take responsibility for the Tesseract? Maybe one day. But not today. If he'd learned anything from this, it was that he wasn't strong enough to wield an Infinity Stone, not yet.
"Here." He passed it to Tony, who held open a case, having no desire to touch the thing with his bare hand. "But this goes to Asgard with Thor. No arguments, no bureaucratic interference."
"You know SHIELD's going to want to have this thing back, right? Ancient alien technology that can open portals across space? They'll never let it go willingly."
"Then we don't give them a choice." Captain America emerged from the stairwell where he'd been coordinating with emergency teams. "The Tesseract belongs to Asgard. It's caused nothing but trouble here on Earth, in my time, and in the present."
"Well, this has been fun, but I've got a building to repair and a city to help rebuild. Anyone know a good cleanup crew?"
"That's what insurance is for," Steve said with a slight smile.
"Pretty sure alien invasion isn't covered under most policies."
"I'll meet you in the lobby." Tyson turned to Thor. "I'm going to grab Angela."
Thor's expression darkened. "She is a formidable warrior." Tyson nodded, already moving toward the balcony. "She is, but with Loki captured and the Chitauri defeated, maybe she'll be more cooperative. Or maybe I'll get that wrestling match after all." The wind hit him as he stepped into open air, carrying the sounds of a city trying to piece itself back together. Sirens. Shouting. The crackle of fires not yet extinguished. He'd helped save the world today, but he was also the one who ensured it happened. How many chances did he have to stop the invasion? When Loki was captured on the mountain, he could've teleported directly back to Asgard before Amora's boost faded. He could've put the Mind Stone back in the scepter and removed the Tesseract before the portal ever opened. But he made his choices, and hopefully his preparations saved lives that might have been lost in the original timeline. All he could do now was help with the cleanup.
The wind rushed past as he plummeted toward the street before his magnetic flight engaged, sending him soaring southward. The devastated cityscape stretched before him, emergency vehicles weaving through debris-strewn streets.
But Tyson didn't fly directly to where Natasha had held Angela captive. Instead, he veered slightly east, toward a presence he felt through the Nexus connection.
Illyana stood amid the rubble of a collapsed storefront. She looked up as his shadow fell across the pavement. "Finished playing superhero with the Avengers?"
"Not quite." He landed beside her, glancing around to ensure they were alone. "I need to go to Limbo quickly. I wanted you to know."
Illyana raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"I have something that needs safekeeping. Something too dangerous to leave anywhere else."
"The stone?" Her eyes widened slightly.
"Trust me."
With those two words, she nodded sharply. Illyana knew what it meant to be trusted with someone's secrets, with their vulnerabilities. She'd shared Limbo's heart with him, literally given him access to the core of her power. A piece of her. Now he was asking her to safeguard something beyond important. Her fingers brushed against his wrist, just for a moment, and he felt the warmth of her skin. For a moment, he was taken back to when they couldn't touch, back at the Institute.
"Stand close."
She opened a portal that blazed with eldritch fire.
They appeared in the metal house Tyson had constructed.
"Are you sure you wouldn't prefer to leave it hidden in the Promethium core? We need to keep the Mind Stone safe."
Tyson withdrew the Amulet of Captured Thoughts from his pocket. "I took it from the scepter to keep it out of the authorities' hands, but I can't just leave it sitting around in House of M."
"You trust no one with it."
"I trust everyone at House of M, but this is too important to leave lying around. Even the most secure vault can be breached."
"But you think it will be safer here? What about Whiteclaw?"
Tyson had left some adamantium in the house when it was constructed, just in case. The metal responded to his touch, molecules shifting and parting to create an opening. He melded the Amulet on the inside of the wall, then removed his hand and manipulated the adamantium around it, sealing it completely.
Focusing his power, he fused the Amulet's mechanism itself, rendering it impossible to open.
"There." He stepped back. "Encased in adamantium. It's as secure as we can hope. I can't access Limbo's heart myself. Leaving it here makes it so that I can retrieve it when necessary, even without your intervention."
He'd just locked away an Infinity Stone where only he could easily retrieve it. One more secret added to the growing pile. The Avengers, SHIELD, noone he didn't tell would ever know he'd hidden one of the universe's most dangerous artifacts. The Ancient One might know, or find out, but Tyson had made his choice. He was protecting everyone by trusting no one, and the irony tasted bitter. But this thing had nearly taken over his body; he wouldn't put anyone else in its line of fire or trust anyone else to use or resist it.
"The Ancient One may not be pleased that you've hidden an Infinity Stone."
"The Ancient One was the one who told me I couldn't bring it with me to Kamar-Taj."
She laughed. "And they call me rebellious."
He turned to her. "Thank you for trusting me with this."
"I trust you with Limbo itself."
He leaned forward to kiss her briefly. When they separated, her hand lingered against his chest for a moment. "When do we leave for Kamar-Taj?" she asked.
"Once the Asgardians have departed and I've made sure things are settled at House of M." He glanced back at the secured Mind Stone. "I have obligations to fulfill first."
Illyana opened a new portal. The familiar rubble-strewn streets of Manhattan appeared through the fiery gateway, smoke still rising from damaged buildings.
"After you."
Tyson stepped through, leaving the Mind Stone safely hidden.
Now, he needed to retrieve Angela and return her to Asgard with Loki and the Tesseract.
— Rogue Redemption —
Loki stood nearby in specialized cuffs, his usual smirk replaced by a tight-lipped expression. The god of mischief looked diminished somehow, his grand plans reduced to rubble like the city below.
Captain America adjusted his comm unit, his uniform still bearing the marks of battle. "On my way down to coordinate search and rescue."
Loki suddenly shimmered with green energy. His form shifted until an exact duplicate of Captain America stood in his place, complete with the dirt and battle damage on the uniform.
"On my way down to coordinate search and rescue," Loki mimicked in Steve's voice, capturing his earnest tone perfectly. He broke the transformation, returning to his normal appearance with a look of disgust. "I mean, honestly, how do you keep your food down?"
Thor grabbed his brother roughly by the arm.
Tony ignored the exchange as he hefted thr specialized case. "Let's get this show on the road before our guest decides to try another parlor trick."
They moved toward the elevator, Thor keeping a firm grip on Loki, Rumlow carrying the Scepter, and Tony holding the Tesseract case. Steve took the lead, his shield strapped to his back.
As they stepped in, Tony's earpiece crackled. Tyson's voice came through clearly against the background noise.
"I've retrieved Angela and finished up a round of repairing the structural damage the Chitauri caused. Heading to Stark Tower now."
The Hulk lumbered toward them, his massive green form still tense with battle-readiness. As he attempted to join them in the already crowded elevator, Tony raised his hand in alarm.
"Hey! Whoa, whoa, whoa! Maximum occupancy has been reached."
Loki, seeing the Hulk's frustrated expression, offered a cheeky wave as the elevator doors began to close. The green behemoth growled loudly.
"Take the stairs," Thor suggested helpfully, just before the doors shut completely.
"Yeah," Stark agreed as the elevator began its descent.
An uncomfortable silence settled over the group. Loki stood in the center, surrounded by his captors. The soft hum of the elevator machinery provided the only soundtrack.
"Well, this is cozy," Tony remarked. "Nothing like a post-battle elevator ride to really bring a team together."
The elevator continued its smooth journey downward, floor numbers illuminating in sequence. Through the glass walls of the elevator shaft, they could see portions of Stark Tower that had sustained damage during the battle. Maintenance crews were already at work, assessing structural integrity and beginning preliminary repairs.
The elevator slowed as it approached the ground floor. Steve adjusted his shield, preparing to lead the group through whatever awaited them below.
The doors opened to reveal a lobby bustling with SHIELD agents and emergency personnel.
Tyson hovered above the crowd. Behind him, bound, walked Angela. She'd discarded her armor when she realized Tyson could control metals, left in only her underwear. Despite her captivity, she maintained a regal bearing.
"You will regret this humiliation, mortal," Angela hissed. "When I am free, I will separate your head from your shoulders and present it to the All-Father before I do the same to him."
Tyson rolled his eyes without bothering to look back. "We've all got better things to do than listen to your revenge fantasies. What happened to the whole 'you can't handle me in battle, let alone bed' thing? Is it because you're from Heven that you're leaving that part out now? Need to preserve your purity? Innocence?"
The lobby buzzed with activity as teams of agents coordinated cleanup efforts. Medical personnel tended to the injured civilians and agents. Through the glass entrance doors, military vehicles were establishing a perimeter around the tower.
"The Midgardian authorities cannot hold me," Angela declared, testing her restraints with a subtle flex.
Tyson finally turned to face her. "You're not staying. You'll be going to Asgard, and they'll take care of you. You've caused enough trouble here."
Her eyes narrowed, but before she could respond, a soft chime announced the arrival of the main elevator. Tyson turned his attention to the opening doors, spotting the assembled heroes immediately. His gaze locked onto Rumlow, who carried the metallic case containing Loki's scepter.
Tyson failed to fight back his smile. The scepter was nothing but an elaborate decoy, a hollow vessel. The Mind Stone that had powered it rested safely within the Amulet of Captured Thoughts, hidden in Limbo beneath layers of adamantium. He could almost feel its absence, a phantom warmth where it had pressed against his chest. His satisfaction faltered when he spotted Tony holding another case, this one containing the Tesseract.
The elevator group had barely taken three steps when they were intercepted by a cluster of men in dark suits. Tyson recognized the leader immediately. Alexander Pierce.
These weren't just government officials. They were HYDRA agents operating under the guise of SHIELD authority.
"Stark." Pierce's voice carried across the lobby. "A word about the artifacts."
Tony looked annoyed but stopped. "Kind of busy here, Pierce. World-saving aftermath and all that."
Pierce smiled thinly. "The World Security Council has made a decision regarding the alien technology. The Tesseract and scepter are to be remanded into SHIELD custody immediately."
"That's not happening." Steve stepped forward. "The Tesseract goes back to Asgard with Thor. That was the agreement."
Tony must have sensed something in Pierce's smile, because his grip on the case visibly tightened. "Funny thing about councils," Tony said lightly, though his eyes were hard. "They make a lot of decisions. Doesn't mean those decisions are smart, legal, or binding on private citizens standing in their own buildings."
One of Pierce's agents stepped forward, his hand reaching for Stark's wrist. "Hand over the case, Stark."
The agent grabbed Tony's wrist firmly while another reached for the case handle. Tyson watched the scene unfold with growing unease, experiencing a strange sense of deja vu.
Then it clicked.
This was the moment from the Endgame time heist, when the future Avengers had attempted to retrieve the Tesseract. Tyson chuckled softly. The Ancient One had assured him that the time heist couldn't happen in this reality because the Infinity Stones didn't function as they had in the movie he knew. Still, the parallel was uncanny.
Even if the future time heist was impossible here, Tyson still needed to ensure the Tesseract returned to Asgard. And he certainly wasn't going to let HYDRA agents get their hands on it.
Before he could intervene, the situation escalated. Tony refused to release the case, and one of Pierce's agents lost patience. The agent's fist connected with Tony's face in a sudden, violent punch that echoed through the lobby. Blood sprayed from Tony's split lip as his head snapped back.
Thor reacted instantly, backhanding the offending agent with enough force to send him flying across the lobby. The impact knocked the agent unconscious before he even hit the ground.
The force of Thor's blow sent the case airborne, tumbling end over end in what seemed like slow motion. Agents lunged for it, but it sailed past their outstretched hands.
The case hit the floor with a metallic clatter, sliding across the smooth surface until it came to rest directly in front of Loki. The impact triggered the release mechanism, and the case popped open.
The Tesseract lay exposed, its blue energy pulsing.
Loki's eyes widened.
A crash echoed through the lobby. The Hulk burst through the stairwell door, chunks of concrete and metal flying in all directions.
"No Stairs!" Hulk bellowed.
People scattered. SHIELD agents drew weapons while others sought cover. Steve turned to assist with the Hulk situation. The HYDRA agents were regrouping after Thor's attack.
No one was watching Loki.
Subtly, he slid forward. The manacles around his wrists clinked softly as he extended his hands toward the glowing cube.
Thor's head snapped around. "LOKI! NO!" His voice boomed across the lobby, but he was too far away, his path blocked by the chaotic melee.
Tyson's attention shifted from Angela. In a split-second decision, he released the woman and lunged forward. His fingers splayed outward as he called upon his powers, using magnetic fields to propel himself with unnatural speed.
He crashed into Loki and the impact sent them both sliding across the polished floor, but despite Tyson's interference, the god of mischief managed to close his fingers around the Tesseract.
Space itself seemed to bend around them. The cube vibrated between Loki's fingers, its structure folding in on itself. The Tesseract's power engulfed them completely. A contained, dense cloud of blue-black smoke erupted directly behind where they stood, followed by the sound of tearing fabric.
Then there was nothing but empty space where Loki and Tyson had been moments before. A few wisps of blue energy dissipated into the air, the last remnants of the cosmic doorway that had swallowed them whole.
— Rogue Redemption —
Golden sands stretched endlessly in all directions, creating rippling dunes that resembled frozen waves. The landscape was stark, beautiful, and unforgiving. The horizon extended unbroken, meeting a sky of impossible blue. Gone was the crumbling concrete and the acrid smell of destruction. The sun hung like a merciless eye in the sky, beating down with an intensity that created dancing distortions of heat radiating from the sand. Loki streaked through the sky like a fallen star, his body carving a furrow through the sand as he crashed. The impact sent a plume of brown particles skyward, momentarily obscuring his form. When the dust settled, Loki lay in a shallow crater. The violent teleportation had disoriented him, but had also produced one fortunate outcome. His restraints had shattered upon impact.
He rose to his feet despite the rough landing. Sand cascaded from the folds of his armor as he brushed himself off with regal contempt for his undignified arrival.
A small group of Mongolian nomads approached on horseback, moving cautiously across the uneven terrain, riders shielding their eyes against the sun as they investigated the strange blue light that had momentarily outshone the desert sun.
They wore traditional dels, colorful robes cinched at the waist, and rode small but sturdy Mongolian horses. Their expressions were a mixture of wariness and curiosity.
Loki straightened, shoulders back, chin lifted. His entire demeanor shifted as he prepared to address these potential subjects despite being disheveled from the crash landing.
"I am Loki of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose."
The nomads halted their horses a respectful distance away. The eldest woman, her face weathered by years under the harsh desert sun, spoke in Mongolian.
"Who are you? Why have you come to our home?"
Loki straightened further, preparing to launch into what was clearly a rehearsed speech, when he caught sight of his own reflection in one of the rider's polished saddle ornaments. Sand coated his hair, his armor bore scorch marks from the teleportation, and blood trickled from his nose. Not exactly the image of divine authority. Still, he'd worked with less. He spread his arms wide, summoning every ounce of imperious dignity he could muster.
"I—"
But his words were cut short as Tyson descended from above, hovering down from the sky. Their horses whinnied and stamped nervously.
"Never mind." Loki's attention suddenly diverted as he scanned the area. "Where is it?"
The Tesseract lay half-buried in the sand several yards away, its blue glow pulsing faintly. Before Loki could move toward it, the air shimmered and tore open. An orange, almost two-dimensional door appeared, and three soldiers in unfamiliar uniforms stepped through. They immediately spotted the Tesseract and moved toward it.
"Don't touch that!" Loki yelled, striding toward them.
As Loki approached the Tesseract and the mysterious soldiers, another orange door manifested. A fourth soldier emerged, a woman with an air of authority. She held a small device in her hand, consulting it briefly.
"Appears to be a standard sequence violation," she stated clinically. "Branch is growing at a stable rate and slope."
The nomads backed away, returning to their horses at the sight of unknown soldiers.
The TVA Minutemen wore standardized uniforms. Each carried a baton. Their helmets featured distinctive orange visors that concealed their eyes. The last one to arrive stood apart from the rank-and-file. Her uniform marked her as their superior, similar in design but with subtle differences that indicated her authority. The scanner in her hand hummed as she pointed it at Loki. The device beeped confirmatively.
"Variant identified."
"I beg your pardon?"
"On behalf of the Time Variance Authority, I hereby arrest you for crimes against the Sacred Timeline," she declared, and the Minutemen fanned out behind her, batons held at the ready.
"Hands up."
The Minutemen raised their weapons in unison, the batons emitting a distinctive powering sound as they activated.
"You're coming with us," one of the Minutemen added, his voice muffled slightly by his helmet.
Loki's face registered genuine confusion. "I'm sorry, who's 'us'?"
The leader's patience visibly thinned. "Last chance, Variant."
A small chuckle escaped Loki as he assessed the situation. He sniffled slightly, brushing sand from his sleeve with theatrical nonchalance. "It's been a very long day, and I think I've had my fill of idiots in armored suits telling me what to do, so, if you don't mind, this is actually your last chance. Now get out of my way."
Loki stepped forward aggressively. The armored woman reacted, striking him with her baton before he could complete the motion.
The effect was immediate and dramatic.
Loki's movements suddenly slowed to a crawl. His expression of shock and pain formed with excruciating slowness, his body arching backward at a fraction of normal speed.
"You are now moving at 1/16th speed, but feeling all that pain in real time," B-15 explained matter-of-factly as Loki's grunt of pain stretched out into a prolonged, distorted sound.
Taking advantage of his incapacitated state, B-15 placed a collar around Loki's neck. The device clicked shut, immediately suppressing his powers. His eyes widened in alarm as he felt his magic become inaccessible.
"Hell of a trick," Tyson mumbled, watching the scene unfold. He floated a few paces away, assessing the situation.
This shouldn't be happening.
The events of Loki were caused by the time heist, which was not occurring. He had secured the Mind Stone. The Ancient One had the Time Stone still, last he'd seen her in the Sanctum.
The lead Minuteman's head snapped toward Tyson when he spoke, her eyes narrowing. She approached him with her scanner in hand, passing it in his direction. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she studied the results.
"Collar him too," she ordered a nearby Minuteman, gesturing toward Tyson.
The Minuteman approached cautiously, collar in hand.
Tyson hovered further away. "Yeah, that's not happening."
The Minutemen moved forward in unison, surrounding him. Before they could reach him, Tyson raised his hand. With a subtle gesture, he activated his magnetic abilities, freezing the Minutemen in place. Their armor locked up, rendering them immobile despite their struggles, a clear demonstration that he could hurt them but was choosing restraint. It was the kind of calculated move that showed enough force to be taken seriously while leaving room for negotiation. The TVA wouldn't respect weakness, but they might respect controlled power. At least, he hoped they would, because if they decided to simply erase his timeline, he wasn't sure how to stop them in the long term.
"You're being detained," B-15 declared, her hand moving toward her own baton.
"Like I've never heard that one before." Tyson kept the Minutemen suspended in their metal-reinforced uniforms. "Actually, it looks like your men are the ones being detained. What crime am I being accused of?"
"Existing," she replied flatly.
"Sounds about right," Tyson mumbled.
He assessed the situation. Odin had instructed him to return Loki to Asgard. If the TVA was after him, that would be exponentially more difficult. He was left with the option of fighting the TVA or making sure the events played out in his favor.
"I'll come with you," he conceded, releasing his hold on the Minutemen, "but if you try to collar me, I'll make you eat it."
B-15 studied him for a long moment, weighing her options. The scanner had shown an anomalous reading, and this variant clearly possessed abilities that could complicate an extraction. Finally, she gave a curt nod.
"Fine. No collar, but any resistance, and you'll wish we had just reset you."
One of the agents reached down to grab the Tesseract, his gloved fingers stretching toward the glowing cube half-buried in the sand. Tyson shot out a webline from his wrist. The sticky strand connected with the cube and yanked it straight into his waiting palm.
"I need that, thanks."
The agent who had been reaching for the Tesseract straightened, his hand moving toward his time stick. B-15 raised her hand, halting him with a sharp gesture.
"Stand down. It won't make a difference."
The agent hesitated, then stepped back into formation. B-15 turned to another Minuteman and nodded curtly.
"Reset the timeline."
The Minuteman reached for a device on his belt, a compact rectangular unit with an ominous red button.
Immediately, Tyson raised his hand. The air around him seemed to vibrate with energy as his magnetic abilities activated with far greater intensity than before. All the TVA equipment, time sticks, reset charges, and scanners were violently yanked from the agents' hands. The devices flew through the air and began orbiting around Tyson in concentric rings, like electrons around a nucleus. The Minutemen found themselves suddenly immobilized. Their helmets and armor constricted around them, metal plates grinding against each other as they tightened painfully. The agents gasped and struggled as their own uniforms betrayed them, squeezing their bodies with increasing pressure.
Unlike his previous display of power, this time, there was obvious pain and threat in Tyson's use of his abilities. One of the Minutemen dropped to his knees, clawing desperately at his constricting helmet.
The nomads, who had been watching from a distance, turned their horses and galloped away across the dunes.
"You're making a mistake," B-15 said. "The TVA has resources beyond your comprehension."
"And yet here you are, with your men at my mercy."
B-15 assessed the situation. The variant before her hadn't registered on TVA scanners, suggesting an anomaly that required further investigation rather than immediate pruning.
"We'll hold off on the reset. We'll let the judge decide."
Tyson considered her words, weighing his options. Fighting the TVA might be possible in the short term, but it could prove disastrous. Playing along would provide more inforation and opportunities.
"Fine. Any tricks, and I'll turn those uniforms into coffins."
He relaxed his hold on the Minutemen. The pressure eased from their armor, allowing them to breathe normally. They staggered to their feet, some clutching at their throats, others flexing their limbs.
B-15 gestured toward the empty air, and an orange doorway materialized.
"Move out."
The Minutemen streamed through the portal, two of them dragging Loki along.
B-15 kept her eyes on Tyson. "After you," she said, gesturing toward the portal.
He approached the doorway. The orbiting TVA equipment, still spinning around him, began streaming in under his power. He and B-15 were the last through the portal. As they crossed the threshold, the doorway collapsed behind them with a soft whoosh.
Tyson stumbled forward, momentarily disoriented by the transition. His vision cleared to reveal the bureaucratic office space of the Time Variance Authority headquarters. The color palette reminded him of old photographs; sepia tones and burnished bronzes, creating an atmosphere that was both nostalgic and timeless. The furniture appeared plucked straight from a 1960s government office.
Hunter B-15 turned to Tyson with a cocky smirk. "Did you think you were the first powerful variant we've come across?"
He reached up and felt a metallic collar encircling his neck. They must have done something to freeze him during transport. His body felt heavy, indicating that his powers were dampened.
Dampened was putting it mildly. It was like trying to flex a muscle that had been completely severed from his nervous system. It was worse than the Mutation Inhibitor Collars.
At the large circular desk dominating the middle of the room, another man stood on the opposite side, guarded by a Minuteman in tactical gear. The desk worker looked bored as he processed the newcomer.
"What species?" the worker asked.
"Variant Skrull," the Minuteman responded.
Yet another man was dragged in by a newly incoming Minuteman, his expensive suit rumpled and his face flushed with indignation. "What is this place? My dad is on the board of Goldman Sachs. One call and your whole job is privatized." The college kid's entitlement practically radiated from him in waves.
Loki suddenly took off running. B-15 casually pointed a remote at him, and he reappeared exactly where he had initially started, looking disoriented. He tried again, and again she rewound him like a video being reset.
Meanwhile, Tyson was checking his abilities.
He tried to conjure an illusion. Nothing happened.
He reached for the magnetic fields he normally sensed all around him. Silence.
He was normal, stripped of his powers, except for one thing. He could still feel his adamantium claws beneath his fingertips, waiting. With a slight flex, they began to slide out, but he didn't release them fully, stopped them before they emerged, stopped them from drawing blood.
It was his ace in the hole.
And if his magnetism and illusions were suppressed, his healing factor likely was as well.
"Come on." Hunter B-15 grabbed Loki by the arm and dragged him toward the intake desk. Tyson walked beside them, compliant… for now. His eyes cataloged every detail of the facility, searching for anything that might be useful later.
"You're making a terrible mistake," Loki said.
At the same time, the privileged college kid across the room shouted, "You're making a big mistake."
Tyson chuckled at their mirrored words, earning a sharp glance from B-15.
The worker at the desk held out a clipboard. "Hello, ma'am, uh..."
Hunter B-15 interrupted. "Log this as evidence."
She pulled out the Tesseract, the glowing blue cube no longer in Tyson's possession, and placed it on the large round intake desk in front of the TVA worker, whose name tag read "Casey."
Casey stared at it with childlike curiosity. "Oh... Can you at least tell me what it is?"
As he was being dragged away, Loki called back, "It's the Tesseract. Be very careful with it."
Casey yelled back, "It sounds dumb."
Another Minuteman grabbed Tyson by the arm and marched him toward the elevators with bronze doors. B-15 pressed a button, and the doors slid open with a soft chime. Without ceremony, she ordered Tyson inside and then tossed Loki in after him. The God of Mischief stumbled, catching himself against the back wall.
As the elevator doors began to close, Loki leaned toward Hunter B-15. "Know this. If you cross me, there will be dire consequences."
"We'll see," she replied flatly as the doors sealed shut.
Silence filled the small space for exactly three seconds before Tyson snorted. "Dire consequences? Really? That's what you're going with?"
Loki's head snapped toward him, eyes flashing. "Mock me if you wish, but I am—"
"A guy in a jumpsuit about to be processed," Tyson interrupted. "Yeah, I can see. Very dire. Much consequence."
Loki took a deep breath, composing himself, but Tyson had already turned to face the large, old television mounted on the wall, flanked by ominous metal arms. As Loki pivoted to see what had captured Tyson's attention, the screen flickered to life, revealing a simplistic face accompanied by a strange warbling sound. Lights suddenly illuminated the elevator-like chamber. The machine extended one of its mechanical arms toward their clothing. Tyson stood still, watching with detached curiosity. Loki, however, slapped the metal arm away with indignation.
"Absolutely not. This is fine Asgardian leather."
Tyson allowed the mechanical arm to tug at his clothing, removing his adamantium weave costume, surrendering to the process.
Meanwhile, the machine had had enough of Loki's antics, swiveling another appendage to face the god. The screen flickered. "Warning, please hold very still," it announced in a synthetic voice.
A gun-like apparatus at the end of the arm traced back and forth over Loki's form. In a second, it made several passes, disintegrating his clothing, leaving the God of Mischief completely naked.
Tyson erupted into laughter at Loki's shocked expression. He'd remembered the Loki series; it was one of the last MCU things he'd seen before arriving in this world. He assumed whatever weapon had disintegrated Loki's clothing would work on his adamantium, and he didn't want to lose it. It could come in handy yet.
Before either could react further, the floor beneath them disappeared. Loki yelped as they plummeted downward, landing with a thud in another room. Both glanced down to discover they were now wearing identical jumpsuits.
"This place is trippy as hell," Tyson muttered.
A man with glasses sat at a desk before them, wearing a sweater over a shirt and tie. His demeanor suggested the boredom of someone who had performed the same task countless times.
"Please sign to verify this is everything you've ever said," he instructed, pushing a towering stack of papers toward Loki.
The clerk glanced at Tyson. His pile was far far smaller. He shrugged and signed, then turned his attention back to Loki, who stared at the mountain of paper in disbelief.
"What?" Loki exclaimed.
The moment the word left his mouth, the printer whirred to life, producing another sheet. The clerk calmly added it to the stack.
"Sign this, too."
Loki's face contorted with frustration. "This is absurd. Why is his pile so much smaller."
Tyson replied, "Because you're like a thousand years old, and I'm only eighteen."
Again, the printer spat out another page, which the clerk dutifully added to the pile.
"And this," he said, tapping the new addition.
Tyson smirked, unable to resist. Loki shot him a venomous glare. "I am royalty. A god. I have shaped the fates of worlds while your ancestors were learning to walk upright."
"And yet," Tyson gestured at their identical jumpsuits, "here we are, equally dressed in prison fashion. Maybe all that world-shaping wasn't as impressive as you thought." He knew he was poking a bear, but something about Loki's wounded pride made him easier to read, more human.
Loki sighed heavily and scrawled his signature across the top page. The moment his pen lifted from the paper, the floor disappeared once more, dropping them into yet another room. This chamber contained what resembled a metal detector. Loki jabbed a finger toward the ceiling in exasperation. Beside the detector stood a person of diminutive stature in TVA attire.
"Please confirm to your knowledge that you are not a fully robotic being, were born an organic creature, and do in fact possess what many cultures would call a soul."
Loki's brow furrowed. "What do you mean by 'to my knowledge'? Do a lot of people not know if they're robots?"
"You didn't know you were a frost giant," Tyson pointed out.
Loki tilted his head in consideration before shrugging with reluctant acknowledgment.
"Thank you for confirming. Move through."
Loki stepped up to the detector but hesitated at the threshold. "What if I were a robot and didn't know it?"
"The machine would melt you from the inside out," the worker replied matter-of-factly. "Now, please move through, sir."
"Okay, I'm not a robot, so I'll be fine," Loki said, seemingly trying to convince himself.
Finally, he stepped forward. A light flashed briefly, then nothing happened. As he passed through, what looked like a Polaroid photo ejected from the side of the machine.
"What's that?"
"Your temporal aura."
"What's that?" Loki pressed.
The worker gestured impatiently. "Please, through the door."
Tyson stepped up next, passing through the detector without incident. His own temporal aura photo slid out, which the worker collected but paused and looked at curiously before finally gesturing for him to continue. Tyson followed Loki through the indicated doorway.
They entered a room designed for waiting in line, complete with stanchions and retractable belts, though the space was nearly empty. It was like waiting for an indoor amusement park ride at a park that was closed. A lone TVA soldier stood at attention near the front. The only other occupants were Loki, Tyson, and the spoiled college kid from earlier, who now also wore a TVA jumpsuit.
The Minuteman soldier gestured toward a ticket dispenser.
"Take a ticket."
"What is this, a deli? No." The spoiled college kid scoffed and continued without taking a ticket.
As Loki stepped up, the minuteman said flatly, "Take a ticket."
Tyson reached ahead, grabbed a ticket, and handed it to Loki.
"There are only three of us in here." Loki's eyes darted around the nearly empty queue room, clearly annoyed.
Tyson grabbed another ticket for himself and gestured for Loki to go first through the stanchions. Loki reluctantly moved forward, placing the paper ticket in his jumpsuit's kangaroo pocket. After stepping through a turnstile, he said, "I can't believe you're going along with this."
Tyson shrugged. "Part of being a hero is trusting in the system."
Loki turned, his eyebrow arched skeptically. "For some reason, I doubt you believe in what you just said."
"Yeah, you're right, I don't." Tyson's lips curved into a knowing smile.
Loki narrowed his eyes, thinking from his response that Tyson was up to something, or he had a plan. His gaze lingered on the larger man, trying to decipher what game he might be playing. They walked slowly through the lanes as elevator music played in the background.
"You knew this would happen," Loki said quietly, his voice pitched so only Tyson could hear. "The portal, the transit. You were prepared for it."
Tyson kept his eyes forward. "I was prepared for a lot of things."
"But you came anyway. Threw yourself at me when you could have let me escape." Loki's analytical mind was working through the implications. "That suggests either stupidity or strategy. I find myself uncertain which."
"Welcome to my life," Tyson muttered.
"This is a mistake. It's your fault. I shouldn't be here!"
Then a female voice came over the PA. It had a slight southern drawl and sounded overly friendly. "Hey there! You're probably saying, 'This is a mistake. I shouldn't even be here.'"
Tyson chuckled at how predictable Loki was.
A screen hung from the ceiling turned on, and the cartoon-esque clock appeared. "Welcome to the Time Variance Authority. I'm Miss Minutes, and it's my job to catch you up before you stand trial for your crimes. So let's not waste another minute. Settle in, sharpen your pencils, and check this out."
Loki focused on the screen, and Tyson mumbled, "I'm just a bill and I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill."
Miss Minutes continued. "Long ago, there was a vast multiversal war. Countless unique timelines battled each other for supremacy, nearly resulting in the total destruction of... well, everything."
The animation showed stylized timelines colliding and exploding.
"But then, the all-knowing Time-Keepers emerged, bringing peace by reorganizing the multiverse into a single timeline, the Sacred Timeline."
Three imposing figures appeared on screen.
"Now, the Time-Keepers protect and preserve the proper flow of time for everyone and everything. But sometimes, people like you veer off the path the Time-Keepers created. We call those Variants."
A cartoon figure stepped off a glowing path, causing a branch to form.
"Maybe you started an uprising, or were just late for work. Whatever it was, stepping off your path created a Nexus-Event, which, left unchecked, could branch off into madness, leading to another multiversal war."
The animation showed the branch growing, multiplying, and eventually causing catastrophic destruction.
"But, don't worry, to make sure that doesn't happen, the Time-Keepers created the TVA and all its incredible workers. The TVA has stepped in to fix your mistake and set time back on its predetermined path."
Cartoon TVA agents appeared, pruning the branch.
"Now that your actions have left you without a place on the timeline, you must stand trial for your offenses. So sit tight, and we'll get you in front of a judge in no time. Just make sure you have your ticket, and you'll be seen by the next available attendant. For all time. Always."
The screen froze on the TVA logo with Miss Minutes smiling beside it.
Tyson had watched the animation with growing unease. If what Miss Minutes was saying was true, then every choice he'd made since arriving in this world was potentially a timeline violation. Every person he'd saved who wasn't supposed to survive, every relationship he'd built, every battle he'd changed, all of it could be considered "stepping off the path." Who says it was just Loki grabbing the Tesseract that drew the TVA's attention? It could've been any number of things he'd changed; Coulson surviving was the first to come to mind. But it didn't make sense. Things in his timeline were so different from the MCU. Everything from the X-Men to Angela's appearance.
"Time-Keepers? The Sacred Timeline? Who actually believes this bunkum?" Loki asked.
The college kid reached the front of the line, and a minuteman asked, "Ticket, sir?"
"He didn't give me a ticket. I asked."
The minuteman repeated more forcefully, "Ticket, sir!"
"I tried to ask that guy for a ticket! What, you're raising your voice at me, bucket head?"
The minuteman pulled out his baton and tapped the college kid. His form was instantly engulfed in a strange energy, his body seeming to disintegrate until there was nothing left but empty space.
Loki's face fell. He quickly patted himself down, looking for his ticket, his fingers frantically searching the pockets of his jumpsuit. The color drained from his face as he watched the spot where the college kid had been standing just moments before.
Miss Minutes' voice came over the PA. "Thanks for visiting the TVA. Don't hesitate to let us know how we're doing."