Chapter 63: The Unexpected Visitor
Stepping out of the bar, Tony Stark stretched his muscles.
"It's obvious now. The Mandarin funded Killian, and Killian developed Extremis."
He flipped open the file he'd gotten from Mrs. Davis and showed it to Lynn. "Look. Killian was experimenting on amputees."
Lynn looked at the file, but his eyes immediately locked on the logo at the very top of the page. AIM.
'Holy shit. I never noticed that in the movies. So AIM was the real backer.'
'That makes a hell of a lot more sense. Extremis research would need massive funding.'
'And the Mandarin is just a washed-up actor.'
He was just about to point this out to Tony...
...when the air in front of them suddenly warped.
A wave of green energy materialized, slicing open a glowing portal.
And on the other side, surrounded by a weave of branching green timelines, sat Loki, on a throne.
"Loki?"
Seeing the horned crown, Tony instantly tensed, his hand reflexively going to the sensors on his arm.
In his mind, this was still the same bastard who'd led the Chitauri invasion.
"Relax, Tony Stark. I come with no ill intent."
Loki's voice echoed from the portal.
"Yeah? And you really think I'm gonna believe that?"
As he spoke, Tony shot Lynn a sideways glance, a clear warning to watch his back for a sneak attack.
'Yep. That's exactly how Thor got stabbed.'
"Lynn. I am Loki. A Loki from far, far into the future. And I have a matter that requires your assistance."
"As for Tony Stark's little problem... trust me, he is perfectly capable of handling it himself."
Lynn stared at the figure on the throne, who was so clearly, now, a god of time.
He frowned. "I don't see how I can help you with anything."
"Oh, but you can. In this matter, only you can help me."
The words were barely spoken. The portal, which had been fixed in the air, shot forward and enveloped Lynn.
Before either Lynn or Tony could even react, he was gone, the portal vanishing with him.
"Hey! Bambi! Where the hell did you take him?"
Seeing Lynn abducted by that... thing... Tony lunged forward, his expression instantly shifting, ready for a fight.
"Stark, one day, you will thank me for this."
Loki smiled, and the portal snapped shut, leaving only the empty street.
"Hey..!"
Tony lunged, his hands grasping at nothing.
"FUCK!"
He cursed, planting his hands on his hips. "Damn it!"
***
In an office at the Time Variance Authority.
"Sit."
Loki, his dark, wavy hair falling to his shoulders, gestured to a chair.
Lynn looked at the god, who hadn't stopped smiling, and pulled the chair out. "Aren't you worried I'm going to try and kill you?"
"You know, the Battle of New York wasn't that long ago. As far as Earth is concerned, you're public enemy number one."
"The Battle of New York..."
A flicker of nostalgia crossed Loki's face. "It feels as if it happened only yesterday... and yet, a lifetime ago."
"Back then... my oaf of a brother hadn't yet become a fat slob. The Avengers were all still alive. Even... my mother was still alive."
He gave a small, self-deprecating laugh and looked up. "Lynn, allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Loki, the God of Time."
"The Loki you know is currently rotting in a cell in Asgard. I am from your future. I am not the Loki of this timeline."
He waved his hand, and an image shimmered into existence.
It showed the 'prime' Loki, locked in an Asgardian dungeon, lying on his cot, idly tossing a goblet up and catching it, over and over.
As if sensing something, the prisoner Loki caught the cup and glanced right at them, through the vision.
He frowned, shook his head as if dismissing a stray thought, and went back to his boring game.
"That is the Loki of this timeline. The one who belongs to this moment."
With another wave, the image vanished.
Loki smiled at Lynn. "I am from the future. For so long, all I ever wanted was to become a true god."
"But now that I am one... all I feel... is envy for the life I had in Asgard."
"Do you know what I do on my throne, Lynn? My favorite pastime is to watch my own childhood, over and over again."
He sighed, his gaze distant. "A pity I was so blinded by jealousy back then."
Lynn just frowned, saying nothing.
'He knew who this Loki was. He even knew the whole story of how he became the God of Time.'
'He just didn't understand... why him? Why now?'
As if reading his mind, Loki leaned forward. "The universe isn't a single thread, Lynn. I have seen infinite parallel universes. Take Tony Stark, for example."
"In some, he is Iron Man, the hero who sacrifices himself to save half the universe."
"In others, he is a tyrant. A bastard who instigates a war between mutants and humans, only to swoop in at the end, unleash plagues and super-viruses to kill billions, and crown himself ruler of Earth."
"And, of course, I've seen the version of him that turns into a zombie."
He looked at Lynn, his expression suddenly serious. "But... in all those universes, in all my searching... you... are one of a kind."
"Everyone else has variants, Lynn. Even me. But not you."
Lynn's eyebrow shot up. "You're telling me... in the entire multiverse... there's only one of me? No variants at all?"
"Well... not exactly."
Loki paused, considering. "There is... one other young woman. But she is not like you."
"How so?"
Loki studied him for a moment. "If she dies... she stays dead. You... do not."
"What I mean is, I have no idea why you are immortal, Lynn. But that is the single biggest reason I have chosen you."
Hearing Loki call out his immortality, his greatest secret...
...Lynn leaned back in his chair. "If you're the God of Time, why can't you just do it yourself? Why the hell do you need me?"
------
HAND OVER YOUR GODDAMN INFINITY STONES!!