"Damn it, you can't lock us up!"
Thor's voice rose in anger.
He was the Prince of Asgard, heir to the throne, the future King of Gods. Being imprisoned on Earth was out of the question.
If something happened to Asgard while he was stuck here, what then?
Loki, on the other hand, only shook his head.
The moment Nolan Locke said those words, Loki already knew the decision had been made. Struggling now would change nothing.
Better to wait.
Sooner or later, Earth's other superpowered forces would get involved. After all, this had already crossed into the territory of diplomacy.
Their fight had been caught clearly on countless cameras across the planet. Even if Earth's authorities were slow to act, Asgard certainly wouldn't be.
And when Asgard noticed something was wrong, they would send someone.
At that point, Nolan wouldn't be able to keep them locked up any longer.
Two rightful heirs of Asgard detained by a man on Earth would mean war.
Even if Earth had proven stronger than expected, Asgard still ruled the Nine Realms. With the combined forces of eight worlds, their power was far beyond what Earth could imagine.
Thor's outburst was pointless.
Loki understood that.
Nolan understood it too.
Truthfully, Nolan would have preferred Thor's earlier suggestion. Compensation in the form of wealth. Real wealth.
To most people, money was just a number.
To Nolan, it was power.
Every credit could be converted into real, tangible strength through his system.
But he didn't dare accept it.
If he did, Odin would intervene without hesitation. And the amount required would be astronomical.
Fortunately, Odin had already promised him sufficient compensation.
So Nolan didn't give the brothers any room to argue.
Several T-1000 units clad in Mjolnir-pattern combat armor stepped forward.
"Take them away," Nolan said lightly. "As for when they'll be released… we'll see when I feel like it."
He waved his hand, and Red Queen immediately took control, escorting the two brothers out.
Just as Nolan turned to sit back down in his chair, he froze.
Odin was already sitting there, smiling at him.
Nolan's expression darkened.
That old man again.
Appearing out of nowhere, disappearing just as easily.
If Odin ever decided to attack…
Even imagining it made Nolan uneasy.
"I followed your plan and locked them up," Nolan said coldly. "So, Your Majesty, what else do you want? You should know people don't appreciate someone appearing behind them without warning."
Odin didn't seem offended.
He simply smiled.
"They came too early. There are still things I haven't told you."
Nolan dropped onto the nearby sofa, arms draped lazily over the backrest.
"Go ahead. I'm listening."
Odin spoke slowly.
"Did you know… the universe is a cycle?"
Nolan frowned.
"What does that even mean?"
Odin didn't answer directly.
"The Ancient One once said you could break that cycle. But that is still far beyond you. What I want to talk about is something else."
Nolan rolled his eyes.
Then don't bring it up, he thought.
Odin ignored his expression.
"You already understand the multiverse. You've experienced it."
"I have," Nolan replied calmly. "More than once."
There was no point hiding it.
The multiverse wasn't common knowledge, but it wasn't exactly a secret either. Most people simply had no way of reaching it.
Odin continued.
"But what you may not know is this. Most timelines around us are controlled by a single individual."
Nolan's heart stirred.
Of course he knew.
Kang the Conqueror.
A being who manipulated timelines themselves.
Dangerous beyond measure.
That Odin knew of him at all was… unsettling.
But Nolan kept his face neutral.
"Timelines… controlled?" he asked, feigning surprise.
Odin smiled faintly.
"When one's power reaches a certain level, such things become possible.
Take you, for example. The Ancient One sent you to a timeline outside Kang's control. If you chose to hide yourself and reshape that world according to your will, could you do it?"
"No," Nolan answered immediately.
Then, after a pause, he added, "But it wouldn't be impossible."
"Exactly," Odin said with a nod. "Kang merely turned that possibility into reality.
You… are an anomaly."
Those words landed heavily.
But Nolan quickly steadied himself.
The Ancient One possessed the Time Stone. She could observe countless timelines. It was only natural she would notice that Nolan's arrival had changed everything.
She may not have realized it immediately.
But once Locke Technology began rising at an unnatural speed, it would have been impossible to ignore.
That was why Nolan had once tested her.
He needed to know her stance.
Fortunately, she had never intended to eliminate him.
She may have pushed him, but she never crossed that line.
And Odin…
He and the Ancient One had always shared a complicated relationship. Not quite allies, not quite enemies.
Now, both of them stood at the edge of death.
It made sense she would tell him.
"When Kang notices this timeline," Odin continued, "you, as an anomaly, will be corrected. The timeline will be forced back into its predetermined course."
Nolan's expression sharpened slightly.
No doubt about it.
He and Kang were destined to be enemies.
There was no middle ground.
"What should I do?" Nolan asked directly.
Odin had said enough.
He clearly wasn't here for idle conversation.
"There is a way," Odin said.
"The Ancient One observed many timelines. After your appearance, countless new possibilities emerged. That increased the chance of this world being discovered by Kang.
At one point, she considered eliminating you to restore stability.
But in the end… she chose not to.
Do you know why?"
Nolan thought for a moment.
"…Because she wasn't willing?"
Odin said nothing.
So Nolan continued.
"There is no such thing as a 'correct' timeline. Every choice, every thought, creates change.
That is what makes the multiverse alive.
The worlds I've seen are all different from ours, but none of them felt wrong.
If timelines are controlled… then those worlds lose the right to grow freely.
Like birds raised in cages.
Their lives may be safe, simple… but they are not free.
And no thinking being would choose that kind of existence.
Not even the birds themselves."
Odin smiled.
"That is exactly why she let you live. And why I convinced her to do so.
I may soon fall into my final sleep, but I want my children to live in a free timeline.
Not one controlled and dictated by Kang."
Nolan took a slow breath.
For the first time, he felt genuine respect for the old king.
As for the Ancient One…
Well.
If the day ever came when Nolan surpassed her, he could promise at least one thing.
He wouldn't try to kill her.
"I've said all this for one reason," Odin said, glancing toward where Thor and Loki had been taken.
"I understand."
Nolan didn't need him to continue.
Odin was nearing the end.
At this point, he had no ambitions left.
Only his sons.
Given everything Odin and the Ancient One had done for him, Nolan made his decision.
"I'll handle Hela if she comes to Earth," Nolan said firmly. "She'll learn who truly rules this planet."
This time, he would step in himself.
Odin smiled again.
Then he stood.
But now, the aura around him had changed. The overwhelming presence from before was gone, replaced by something faint… fading.
"You're…"
"I still have some time," Odin said quietly. "But there's somewhere I want to go."
Norway.
The word appeared in Nolan's mind instantly.
Odin had not gone there before, but that didn't mean he felt no attachment.
According to legend, it was the origin of his people.
"I'll send them to see you," Nolan said.
"Good."
Odin's form dissolved into drifting points of light and vanished.
Nolan rubbed his temples.
"So it was never simple…"
He had once thought his arrival went unnoticed.
Instead, the two most powerful figures of this era had been watching him from the very beginning.
Even considering whether to eliminate him.
But things were different now.
He was no longer helpless.
Even against beings like Odin or the Ancient One, he could at least resist.
Defeating them…
That was another matter.
The battle against Thanos had already proven that.
Even with the Apostle Mech, it wasn't enough.
After all, even with the Power Stone, Thanos still avoided Earth while the Ancient One was alive.
Only after both she and Odin were gone did he make his move.
Perhaps…
Only by becoming a third-generation super soldier, a true "god" in that system, would Nolan reach that level.
He had barely sat down when a sharp sound cut through the air.
Tony Stark flew in through the shattered window in his armor.
"Nolan, where are Thor and Loki?"
"Locked up," Nolan replied casually.
"Locked up?"
Tony blinked, clearly thrown off.
Those were princes of Asgard.
How did you just… lock them up like that?
He took a breath and decided not to question it.
"Coulson contacted me," Tony said. "Said the two of them were fighting again. They entered your building, Loki vanished, Thor got… temporarily removed, and then you captured him."
He glanced at the damaged building across the street.
"No one was inside," Nolan added. "It's Sunday."
"That's not the point," Tony said dryly.
"The point is, you attacked Thor. That makes S.H.I.E.L.D. nervous.
Earth's relationship with Asgard is delicate right now.
Coulson wants me to convince you to release them."
"Release them?" Nolan smirked. "Not happening."
Tony rolled his eyes.
"Figured you'd say that.
Still, you should know Asgard keeps a close eye on Earth. If S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't act, Asgard will.
And when they do, this becomes a full diplomatic crisis.
Worst case… war."
Nolan nodded.
"I'm not stupid. I won't drag Earth into unnecessary conflict."
He paused, then added with a faint smile,
"I'm just helping their father with a small favor."
Tony raised an eyebrow, then shrugged.
"In that case, I'm staying out of it."
Before he could say more, two figures appeared outside.
Scarlet energy flickered in Wanda's hands, while Pietro stood beside her, eager and restless.
"Mr. Locke," Wanda said, stepping forward, "we're here on behalf of the Avengers."
Pietro grinned.
"We want a fight."
Nolan's smile widened.
"Perfect timing," he said. "I was just wondering how much you've improved."
Young ones thinking they were ready to challenge him.
It was only right he reminded them.
They still had a long way to go.
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