In New Mexico, every moving car and walking pedestrian suddenly froze, as if someone had pressed the pause button.
In fact, that was exactly what had happened — the entire world's time had stopped.
Bada.
Amid the silence, Scarlet Witch Wanda Maximoff, clad in her anti-Thor nano-armor, suddenly gasped twice, breaking free from the frozen stillness like a fish escaping water.
"Wanda, sweetheart," a soft, familiar voice spoke gently beside her, "take a deep breath. You're now inside my time-stopped realm."
Panicked at first, Wanda slowly calmed down upon hearing that voice. When she opened her eyes, she saw a familiar face.
"Mr. Allens… is this your new superpower?"
Her tone was filled with reverence and curiosity, and her eyes glimmered with admiration.
Allens smiled faintly. "Yes, Wanda. This is my ability — Time Control."
He lightly placed his right hand on her chest. In response, the nano-armor covering Wanda shimmered and reconfigured itself, transforming into a crimson, cloak-like form.
"This is… incredible, Mr. Allens. I feel my psychic powers growing stronger!"
Wanda lifted her hands in amazement. Scarlet energy flared from her palms, and a transparent force field expanded around her, completely shielding her body.
"The Crimson Armor," Allens explained, "has a built-in mind enhancement module, along with a few other useful features. I designed it especially for you."
He looked at Wanda — her beauty amplified by the scarlet battle armor — and smiled.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Allens," Wanda whispered.
Then, without hesitation, she leaned in and gave him a deep kiss.
As their lips parted, Wanda turned her gaze past him — where the phantom image of Loki, the God of Mischief, materialized behind Allens.
"Wanda, my dear," Allens said calmly, his voice turning cold, "our plan begins now. First, we'll test the Sentinel's combat effectiveness."
His eyes gleamed darkly. For Allens, whose intellect had been amplified a thousandfold, time was too precious to waste. Every second was an opportunity to study and master new technologies.
Asgardian energy systems alone surpassed Earth's science by thousands of years — and that was only his next goal.
Still, there were many human technologies Allens desired: Pym Particles, Spider DNA, Extremis Virus, Super Soldier Serum, and even the Lizard Mutation Formula.
All of them were already being secretly collected under his orders.
"Mr. Allens," Wanda asked seriously, "do you really intend to activate the Sentinel program? The Sentry is still a prototype — it's not fully stable."
Allens smiled faintly. "A half-finished product will do."
Though incomplete, the Sentry units he had developed weren't ordinary Sentinels. He had secretly installed a Predation Module within each — allowing them to absorb the energy of whatever they fought.
They were far more dangerous than the Sentinels that once plagued the X-Men.
Swish.
Allens snapped his fingers. A blue light curtain instantly surrounded him and Wanda. The light folded in on itself, and in an instant, the two vanished from New Mexico.
As they disappeared, time resumed its flow. Everything around returned to normal — cars moved, people walked, unaware of what had just transpired.
Only Agent Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. noticed what was wrong.
"Shit… Captain Rogers!"
Coulson's vision cleared, and his heart dropped. In the distance, Captain America lay motionless on the ground.
Though he didn't know what had happened, Coulson — a veteran agent — rushed toward Rogers and quickly checked for signs of life.
His expression darkened. "Damn it… Captain America is dead."
Even the usually composed Coulson couldn't suppress his anger. Before him, Steve Rogers — the living legend he had idolized since childhood — was gone.
Coulson clenched his fists. He didn't fully understand what Rogers' last words meant, but the grief in his chest was real.
"George! Report this to headquarters — now!" he ordered coldly.
"Yes, sir!" the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent named George replied, immediately contacting the central command.
Meanwhile, Coulson drew his pistol, raised his left hand in a combat signal, and aimed straight at Loki, who stood in the distance.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Nick Fury's standing orders echoed in his mind — if Captain America and Loki ever clashed, both were to be considered priority threats.
Now that Rogers was dead, Coulson made his choice without hesitation. He fired again and again.
Bullets slammed against a glowing energy barrier that appeared before Loki. The Trickster God barely glanced at Coulson.
Expressionless, Loki bent down, grabbed the unconscious Thor, and looked toward the heavens.
"Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!" he commanded coldly.
In Asgard, Heimdall frowned deeply. Something about this "Loki" felt… wrong.
But Loki had never escaped his sight before, and the All-Father's orders were absolute.
Unaware that the figure before him was merely a magical projection created by Allens, Heimdall obeyed the command.
Boom!
The rainbow energy of the Bifrost shot down from the heavens, enveloping Loki and Thor in a column of dazzling light.
"F***… that's the Bifrost?" Coulson muttered in disbelief as the beam vanished into the sky, taking both gods with it.
"Sir," George's voice came through the comms, "Captain America is confirmed dead, and Loki has escaped Earth's atmosphere."
Coulson picked up his communicator, his face grim. "Patch me through to Director Fury. The Avengers Initiative… is on hold."
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