Leo didn't dwell on the system prompt. Even the smallest ant is still meat, he thought.
Ten points of Bio-Energy might not be much, but it was a start — business was open.
He glanced down at the gray-clad Timekeeper's lifeless body.
This time, there was no fear. The first kill was always the hardest — after that, everything else was just survival.
"Sorry, pal. You're already one of my casualties. Can't jump back up now, can you?"
Without hesitation, Leo stripped the man's uniform. He needed a disguise — not to fool everyone, just enough to blend in and get close to his next targets.
After washing the blood off the uniform as best he could, Leo put it on, adjusted the collar, and pulled the brim of the cap low. In the mirror, he looked like any other TVA guard.
A dead man's clothes had never fit better.
Grabbing the Time Baton, he smirked. "Guess I'm a Timekeeper now."
When Leo entered the next corridor, two patrolling guards spotted him. From afar, they couldn't see his face clearly.
"Hey, you there—"
Too late.
Leo's baton flashed — crack! crack! — both Timekeepers collapsed before they could react.
"Ahhh! Assassin! There's an assassin!"
Leo immediately started shouting at the top of his lungs, playing the part perfectly.
"Stop the intruder! Over here!" he yelled again, pretending to chase the "attacker." The chaos spread like wildfire.
Within seconds, the entire TVA base was in turmoil. Alarms blared, and guards rushed in from every direction, uncertain whether Loki or someone else was responsible.
Perfect cover.
Leo slipped away amid the confusion, his stolen uniform granting him passage through several checkpoints.
A few squads of Timekeepers stopped him along the way, shocked at his bloodstained appearance.
"Hey! Are you new? What happened up ahead?" one asked nervously.
Leo groaned, clutching his side. "Ugh, don't even ask. Loki's up ahead — stabbed a bunch of people! I'm heading for treatment. You guys better go before he gets away!"
The guards' faces paled. "Loki?! Damn it!"
"Yeah, yeah — hurry!" Leo waved them off, pretending to limp.
The guards didn't hesitate. They rushed off in the direction Leo pointed.
"Idiots," Leo muttered under his breath. "Total NPCs. Brain-dead, gasoline-grade trash."
He sprinted through the corridors. Time was running out — and he had no intention of waiting for Loki to do anything smart. If this was like the TVA from the show, Loki wasn't escaping yet — probably too busy plotting something insane.
Moments later, Leo reached the archive room — and froze.
"Oh, f***! You little trickster, you made it too?"
Loki was there, rummaging through drawers, his expression a mix of greed and disbelief.
The two men locked eyes. Both knew why the other was here.
Loki smirked. "Heh, I just came for the Tesseract. Don't tell me you're here for the same thing?"
Leo grinned back. "Nah, I'm here for all of them."
Loki rolled his eyes. "Greedy mortal."
Ignoring him, Leo walked straight in. "Relax, Loki. Your Tesseract's safe and sound. Just don't get in my way."
"Hey! Wait! Don't think you're hogging the Tesseract for yourself!" Loki barked, chasing after him.
They stormed into the archive room, startling a clerk at his desk — Casey.
Loki slammed his hands on the counter. "Hey, kid, hand over the Tesseract, or I'll gut you like a fish!"
Casey blinked. "What's… a fish?"
Loki froze. "What? You don't know what a fish is?!"
Casey shrugged. "I've been behind a desk my whole life."
Loki's expression was priceless — halfway between disbelief and a nervous breakdown.
Leo sighed. "Don't bother, Loki. These people are brainwashed. Their memories were erased."
"What?!" Loki's voice boomed through the room.
"Shh!" Leo hissed. "I told you, don't freak out. You'll understand soon enough."
Casey nodded politely and opened a drawer. "You mean this thing?"
He pulled out the Tesseract and handed it to Loki like it was a stapler.
Then he gestured casually at the drawer beside it.
Leo and Loki both leaned in — and froze.
Inside were dozens of Infinity Stones, glowing in every color imaginable. Some were rolling loose, others piled up like marbles.
Loki's jaw dropped. "What the—? Infinity Stones? You have these just lying around?!"
Casey smiled awkwardly. "Oh yeah, we have a ton. Some people use them as paperweights."
Loki's expression collapsed into pure despair. The cosmic relics he once worshipped as ultimate power were… desk decorations.
"The most powerful force in the universe…" he murmured, staring blankly at the drawer. "And here, they're worthless."
Leo didn't waste a second. "Alright, everyone listen up!" he shouted, waving the Time Baton. "I don't wanna kill anyone. I just want these colorful stones! Hand 'em over and nobody gets hurt!"
Everyone looked at one another — then, relieved, started handing over the stones. To them, these were just useless trinkets.
"Hahaha! That's more like it!" Leo laughed. "You guys are great — see? I'm a nice guy. Nobody dies today!"
With a wide grin, Leo stuffed the glowing Stones into a bag. His first robbery — and it was the Infinity Stones. The thrill of it sent a rush through his veins.
He turned to Loki, who was still standing there, broken and dazed.
"Hey, Loki! You coming or what?"
Loki shook his head slowly. "No, Leo. Go. I need to… figure this out."
"Suit yourself," Leo said, shrugging. "But you might wanna hurry — the scary lady's coming."
"Good luck, mortal. I hope we meet again," Loki muttered.
Leo smirked, activated the Time Controller, and stepped through the shimmering portal.
The door snapped shut behind him — leaving the TVA in chaos.