FBI: Chapter 26/30

Chapter 26: 150 Years?

In his cell, Loki muttered those words—and instantly stunned the entire X-Men crew.

"Did you hear that? He just said he's a god."

"I heard him, Emma. No need to freak out. I've lived long enough to see more than a few nutjobs claim to be gods."

"Logan, just because you've been alive forever doesn't make you special, alright?"

As the conversation spiraled into complete nonsense, even Loki rolled his eyes from inside the cell.

Earthlings… so damn noisy.

Meanwhile, Dante rubbed his eyes and took another good look at the guy inside the cage.

No mistaking it now. That really was Loki.

Back when he'd searched the FBI database for major multiverse events, he'd already seen Loki's name pop up. The invasion had happened in this timeline too—but this time, the invasion target had been Metropolis. And it had ended real quick, thanks to the Kansas Strongman stepping in and deleting the entire event from history. No "Battle of New York," just an early shutdown.

After that, Loki vanished off the face of the earth. Not even the Bureau had a trace of him.

He had spotted Loki's scepter in a research lab once… but he never imagined the guy himself would be locked in the basement of some HYDRA facility.

How to describe this?

Unexpected bonus?

Dante stepped forward and tapped on the glass of the cell.

"First of all, we don't worship alien gods here," he said. "Second of all, never heard of some low-tier god getting caught by a bunch of pyramid scheme weirdos."

"Ahem, child… my power lies in that scepter. Just release me and let me get it back, and I can bestow the entire world upon you."

"Can Asgardians stop exaggerating everything? Do you still think Earth is stuck in the Stone Age?"

"You could've said sooner that you knew I was Asgardian. Do you think I'm proud of making up that kind of sales pitch?" Loki dropped the act the moment his identity was exposed. "But to be fair, Earth's still barely a step above prehistoric by Asgard's standards."

Dante looked at the awkward god behind glass, and signaled for Ada Wong to check for the mechanism that opened the cell.

But before releasing Loki, there were still some questions he wanted answered.

"Alright, now that we've introduced ourselves, I've got a few questions. Answer them well, and I might consider letting you out."

"And if I don't answer? You gonna kill me? I wouldn't recommend that. The moment you do, Earth will be staring down an Asgardian invasion."

He wasn't bluffing.

Even though Loki wasn't Odin's biological son, Odin treated him like his own. To an almost ridiculous degree.

The guy was the son of Laufey—Odin's sworn enemy and king of the Frost Giants. But Odin still raised Loki as a prince and even sealed away his Frost Giant traits so he'd look just like any other Asgardian.

Sure, the seal sometimes failed when he came into contact with similar energy, but all that really meant was that he occasionally turned blue.

The point was, Odin had used Heavenly Father-tier power to basically rewrite Loki's DNA.

"Come on now, my dear God of Mischief Loki Odinson. I'm not here to kill you," Dante said, rubbing his hands together like a greasy car salesman. "Here's what I'm thinking. I'll represent the Federal Bureau of Investigation and offer you an employment contract for one hundred—no, make that one hundred and fifty years. You'd be hired as a Senior Agent."

"Employment? You've got to be kidding me."

Loki sounded incredulous, but his body language told a different story.

He was tempted.

No question about it—Loki was clever, manipulative, dangerous... but not patient.

At this point, even being sent back to Asgard to get spanked by Odin was better than staying locked up in this blank white cube.

"Cell life or partial freedom. Pick one."

Dante didn't bother arguing anymore. He just turned and motioned for the X-Men to prep for departure.

"Alright, alright! One-fifty it is! I'll sign the damn contract!"

"Too late. You hesitated, so the price went up. It's 200 years now."

"A conniving scum like you would be strung up from a tower in Asgard and sun-dried into jerky… Fine! Two hundred! I'll sign!"

Loki was definitely gritting his teeth but he also looked weirdly satisfied.

I mean, what's a contract on Midgard anyway? Once he got bored, he'd just waltz back to Asgard. What was the Bureau gonna do—chase him across realms with a clipboard?

"See? I agreed! Now open this stupid cell already! Your lady agent already found the switch! Hurry up and open this boring, sturdy thing!"

Dante didn't move.

He just waited.

"You're not opening it yet?" Ada asked.

Dante shook his head.

She pulled her hand away from the switch.

No one had any idea what he was thinking now.

But the scheming expression from earlier—the one he used to rope Loki in—was gone. His face had turned serious.

The others took the hint and slowly drifted away, gathering around Magneto, who was still bound by the Green Will energy.

They didn't have anything to do right now anyway… so why not use the chance to roast Magneto while they could?

Especially Harley who walked up and asked Dante to drop the barrier for a sec.

Then she pulled out a lipstick and drew a massive, clown-style red grin on the tape stuck over Magneto's mouth.

Pfft…

"Magneto, Magneto~ looks like karma finally caught up with you!"

A round of low chuckles broke out among the X-Men.

White Queen and Mystique—who'd once been on Team Brotherhood themselves—didn't even pretend to hold back. They snatched the lipstick and went in for a second layer of "art."

Ada Wong watched all this unfold and could only sigh.

Ever since Dante joined the Bureau, their vibe had gotten… deeply unprofessional.

She couldn't even be mad anymore—she just quietly prayed for Magneto's heart health.

First his own daughter denounced him.

Then this.

Now even his own ex-teammates were clowning him in front of a crowd.

Even just imagining it was enough to make her blood pressure spike.

Fortunately, the chaos didn't last long.

Dante suddenly looked toward the empty air outside the cell and muttered softly.

"He's here."

The moment those words dropped, a glowing green portal snapped open in the air.

A figure in a green cloak and Iron Man-style armor stepped out of it.

"I've been expecting you… 'Doctor Doom.' Victor Von Doom."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 27: Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps

From the moment Dante heard the name Latveria, he'd had a bad feeling.

After all, this was a merged universe, and who the hell knew what kind of monsters were tangled up with HYDRA or holed up in Latveria?

Even though the mission briefing from the system had already hinted that there was a major player behind this incident… Dante hadn't figured out exactly who it was.

But once he stumbled into this dungeon and saw Loki locked up inside?

Game over. He knew.

HYDRA operating a lab in a dictatorship like Latveria, guarded by literal battalions? That kind of setup only existed for one reason:

Because the man behind the curtain—Doctor Doom—was collaborating with HYDRA.

And while sure, Loki had gotten bodied by the Kansas Strongman (but hey, who doesn't?), the point was—

Loki was still technically a god.

And for someone to capture an Asgardian god and stash him in a castle dungeon?

Only another god could pull that off.

Compared to Ada and Harley's stunned reactions, the X-Men were actually pretty calm about the sudden portal.

They had Blink on the squad, after all.

But this portal… yeah, no. This one was clearly operating on a whole different level than Blink's.

"Ahhh!!!"

Suddenly, White Queen let out a high-pitched shriek. Her body swayed as she clutched her forehead, wincing in pain.

"Emma! What's wrong?" Mystique rushed over to steady her. "Did you—was it a telepathic backlash?!"

White Queen's usually composed face was drained of all color. She nodded, eyes still closed, visibly shaken.

That was enough to snap the X-Men into full combat alert.

"You foolish, disrespectful telepaths," said a calm, disdain-laced voice. "You always want to dive into people's minds the moment someone interesting shows up."

Doctor Doom stepped forward, his voice even and cold.

As someone who'd practically mastered both science and sorcery, if his armor didn't include anti-telepathy features, he'd have died eight hundred times over by now.

"I strongly agree," Dante said, stepping up. "A responsible telepath should act like Professor X—only reading minds when it's absolutely necessary."

"Professor X?" Doom repeated. "That the mutant leader in America?"

"Correct. You're aware of mutants," Dante replied. "But you only told HYDRA that certain individuals had supernatural abilities. You didn't disclose the entire mutant species."

He extended a hand. "Dante Alighieri, Level 7 Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation."

Normally, a guy like Doctor Doom—proud, ruthless dictator of his own country—would never shake hands with someone like Dante.

And Dante knew that. The handshake was just a test.

Because something felt off about this Doom.

He seemed… nice.

Yeah. That was it. Too nice.

Emma had only been repelled. No psychic scars. No retaliation.

If this were the Doom from the original timeline, White Queen would be in a coma by now.

Doom was a tyrant. A megalomaniac who ruled a nation with iron-fisted god complex energy.

So when Doom actually looked down, saw Dante's hand—and shook it—Dante just stood there blinking like an idiot.

Wait… did I just unlock Nice Guy Doom from the crossover lottery?

But then Dante tried to pull his hand back—and Doom didn't let go.

"Uh… I know I'm devastatingly handsome, but I feel like this handshake's dragging on a bit long."

Dante chuckled awkwardly.

Doom didn't respond to the jab. Instead, he asked something completely out of left field.

"That ring you're wearing… did you acquire it in Westchester County?"

Dante's brow furrowed.

Wait. What?

Does Doom know about the Green Lantern Ring?

Hold up—

"Wesker. Was he originally your man?"

Doom nodded slightly. "The Umbrella Corporation only managed to survive with my protection. Naturally, they joined HYDRA and carried out operations on my behalf."

Okay. That connected everything.

Dante had been wondering why Wesker and Umbrella had been researching a Green Lantern power battery.

That kind of project had nothing to do with virology or bio-weapons.

Turned out, they were on Doom's payroll all along.

"With your knowledge of magic and tech, I'm surprised you bothered with a bottom-barrel bioweapons firm like Umbrella."

"No choice. Miranda asked. And as a benevolent ruler, I always grant my neighbors' requests for help."

Miranda? As in Mother Miranda?

Well… the geography fit. Resident Evil 8's Village was in Eastern Europe.

Everything tracked.

Dante summoned a green spiral blade with a flick of his wrist, forcing Doom to finally let go and take a step back.

Doom's armor might've been immune to most physical and magical attacks—but not this.

Not when it was a direct construct from the Will of the Green Lantern Ring.

The spiral blade sliced his gauntlet, and blood began to drip.

But Doom didn't get angry. In fact, he stared at the glowing green light with something like wonder.

"This… this is a form of magic I've never seen before."

Which made sense.

The Emotional Spectrum wasn't science. Wasn't magic.

It was cosmic energy. Pure will. Hope. Rage. Fear. Love. All of it.

It was, basically, idealism with a glow effect.

The Green Lantern Ring, for example—powered by raw willpower.

As long as you believed hard enough, it worked. If your will wavered? The ring ditched you.

Unlike magic or science, it didn't follow rules. It followed vibes.

And Doctor Doom?

He'd never encountered power that answered to vibes before.

Doom stepped forward again—but this time, he didn't shake Dante's hand.

He just reached out and touched the Green Lantern Ring lightly.

Immediately, Dante felt a pulse run through the ring.

A moment later, a green lantern power battery manifested in his hand.

Dante looked down—and blinked hard.

Wait… was that a shark?

Yeah. Inside the lantern core.

A tiny, green, glowing shark was swimming around happily.

Ion Shark.

The Green Lantern Spirit Beast.

Wasn't this thing supposed to be sealing away the Monster of the Black in the Central Power Battery on Oa?

Dante's eyes narrowed.

Wait a sec… now that I think about it—

Nobody had ever summoned him to Oa. No official Green Lantern Corps welcome. No flight training. Nothing.

Which could only mean one of two things.

Either the Green Lantern Corps and the planet Oa had already been wiped out in this timeline.

Or… it hadn't been formed yet.

As Dante was deep in thought, the tiny green shark inside the battery suddenly began swimming faster and faster.

And then, in the next second.

A brand new Green Lantern Ring was forged from the lantern furnace…

…And it flew straight to Doctor Doom.

["Intelligent life identified.

Victor Von Doom of Earth.

You possess the will to overcome great fear.
Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps."]


(To be continued.)

Chapter 28: Alliance? Bloody Profit!

Dante stared, mouth slightly open, trying to process what just happened.

He knew Doctor Doom's vibe was way more Yellow Lantern than Green Lantern. Fear and dominance were kind of his whole aesthetic.

But still, he wasn't that shocked that the Green Lantern Ring had chosen him.

After all, this was Doom we were talking about—guy could tank psychic intrusions just by flexing his willpower. With resolve that dense, of course the Will Green Light would take interest.

What really shocked Dante was the glowing battery in his own hand.

Was he… actually rebuilding the Green Lantern Corps from scratch?

That wasn't supposed to be how this worked. Lantern Rings chose their bearers on their own.

It was fate. Cosmic lottery. Emotional resonance. Not a job you could fill off Craigslist.

And most importantly—

He really hoped this rebooted Green Lantern Corps didn't come with the classic "everybody dies horribly" curse.

"Is this the unknown power you command?" Doom asked, watching the battery pulse in Dante's hand.

"You've already researched the power battery, so you should know—this energy has zero ties to science or magic."

"I ran every form of forbidden magic I know against it. Couldn't break it. Couldn't wake it up," Doom said, staring at the ring still floating in front of him. "Then I tried every major energy signature on Earth. Still nothing. Even stooped to what you call 'low-class' methods."

"This energy isn't generated by science or magic," Dante said. "It's the product of all life across the universe—an emotional field created by every living being. Seven emotions, seven corresponding lights: Rage Red, Avarice Orange, Fear Yellow, Will Green, Hope Blue, Compassion Indigo, and Love Violet. Will is the center of the spectrum. It holds everything together—order and balance."

"Emotional Spectrum…" Doom murmured. "A power source built on subjectivity. Fascinating."

For a materialist scientist like Doom—one whose magic also worked via measurable energy—this was his first real encounter with something that didn't care about logic or math.

This was pure belief. An energy born of feelings.

And at the moment, Doctor Doom didn't resemble an imperial-level BOSS at all.

He looked more like an overachieving student in his first week of wizard school, nodding seriously as he absorbed every word.

Then he turned back to the floating ring… and made a motion to reject it.

"But 'order' isn't a word that suits me."

"If the Will Green Light chose you, then you are worthy of joining the Corps," Dante said calmly.

"Me?"

Doom looked up, caught off guard by Dante's certainty. And then, after a moment's hesitation, he grabbed the ring from midair and slid it onto his right index finger.

"In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil's might,
Beware my power—Green Lantern's Light!"

Like every Lantern before him, Doom—without a teacher or guide—recited the Oath through pure instinct, guided by the ring's will.

A green lantern battery formed in his left hand.

But Doom didn't morph into some spandex-wrapped cosplay hero. Nope.

The Lantern emblem simply lit up on his already-iconic green cloak, transforming the entire thing into a shimmering, emerald shroud.

He closed his eyes.

Then raised his palm, and boom—a raging storm of green energy swirled to life above it, Will forged into raw force.

In a matter of seconds, Doom had begun integrating his personal sorcery with the Green Lantern's power.

Even he looked impressed.

"This is… astonishing. Not only is it powerful, it enhances my research in both science and sorcery."

He watched the storm dance across his palm, studying it like a new equation.

Honestly? He didn't need spell circles or labs anymore. With Will Green Light, he could manifest anything his mind could shape.

"That's the Emotional Spectrum for you," Dante said, just in time. "Its power rivals the greatest forces in the universe—but the difference is, it thinks. It's alive. If you deviate from your oath or lose your will, the ring will leave you."

"You can control that?" Doom asked.

"Nope. That's the Will Green Light's own judgment."

It wasn't a bluff, not really.

In truth, Dante did have a certain authority, thanks to the ancestor-level Lantern Furnace fused with the newborn Ion Shark swimming inside.

He couldn't choose who got recruited, sure—but if someone stepped out of line?

He could yank their ticket real fast.

Doom nodded slowly.

"Understood. I also have a stockpile of data and intel on HYDRA. I'll send it to you shortly."

"Oh? How're you gonna do that? Add me on LinkedIn?"

"You don't need to worry about that."

Doom's tone shut that down real quick.

He turned his gaze toward the X-Men, still looking dazed in the background.

He'd originally been intrigued by them—the result of advanced Earth-based genetic engineering.

But now?

Now that he'd touched the Emotional Spectrum, mutant X-genes looked like glorified party tricks.

"As long as your Federal Bureau of Investigation doesn't interfere with Latveria's affairs," Doom said flatly, "I have no objection to forming an alliance."

Dante blinked.

Alliance?

He'd just wanted to build a good rapport and maybe walk out of here with less trauma than usual.

And suddenly, this megalomaniac magician monarch was offering him diplomatic ties.

Not that he was gonna complain.

Doom might be a dictator, but after he overthrew Latveria's corrupt monarchy via full-blown civil war, the country basically turned into a sci-fi paradise.

Wanda and Pietro? Yeah—they'd ended up guinea-pigging themselves for revenge. But if they'd waited even a few months, they'd have been chilling in Doom's socialist utopia instead.

Seriously, the guy was cracked.

In tech? Probably above Banner and Stark.

In magic? The Sorcerer Supreme wished he could match Doom's range.

In hand-to-hand combat? The man had beaten Captain America and Black Panther. No suit. No tech. No spells.

Just Doom, throwing hands.

His only flaw?

He was a narcissist with a PhD in doom.

Dante sighed internally.

Is there no fairness left in this world? No karma? No regulatory board?

Still, if he could build this alliance—and hook Doom into the Emotional Spectrum loop—he might actually have a shot at keeping the guy relatively stable.

Because let's be honest—he couldn't beat him. Not right now.

"Excellent. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is honored to ally with you. And the World Federation welcomes Latveria's return to the global stage."

Doom nodded. With a wave of his hand, another portal shimmered open.

Just as he was about to step through, Dante called out.

"Before you go… how about doing me a little favor?"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 29: Again!?

"Help?" Doom turned back, genuinely confused. "Didn't you already clean out this entire HYDRA facility? And I've already agreed to give you all my intel on them."

"No, no, no, I'm not talking about HYDRA."

Dante waved his hand dismissively, signaling that this was something else entirely.

Then he pointed across the room—right at Loki.

Loki, who'd been pretending to be invisible this whole time, immediately shrank further into the corner of the cage like a quail.

The guy had been suspiciously quiet ever since Doom arrived. Not a single snarky line, no smug smiles, just full-on silence.

Because Loki had been personally and thoroughly wrecked by Doctor Doom.

Brutally.

As one of the Nine Realms' top-tier magic users, Loki still ended up black and blue. He tried the usual tricks—fake weakness, surprise dagger stab, snarky one-liner—and got a second beatdown for his troubles.

If he wasn't Asgardian, with all the genetic perks that came with it, he would've been flattened into magical mulch.

And now? He knew—Thor couldn't beat Doom. Not even close.

And that "Kansas Big Guy" who swatted him across ten kilometers with one punch?

Yeah, definitely not.

Midgard was no longer the primitive playground Asgard once conquered.

At this rate, even if Odin himself walked through that door, Loki wouldn't bet on him either.

Midgard was terrifying.

He missed his mom. He missed his dad. He even missed his dumb, hammer-wielding brother.

Because sometimes the best way to fix a problem child... is to break their entire worldview with a cosmic belt.

But just when he thought he'd successfully faded into the background, Dante turned to him.

"Wait, what are you doing?! Didn't I already agree to a 200-year employment contract?!"

"Oh, don't worry," Dante said cheerfully. "I just don't trust you to follow Earth laws or morals. So, I'm preparing a few... 'practical safeguards.'"

The smile on Dante's face was warm. Neighborly.

To Loki, it looked like Satan's customer service rep had come to collect.

Worse than Thor. At least Thor had some weird sibling affection. This one was weaponizing paperwork.

"Two hundred years? Asgardian? Employment contract?"

Doom's genius-level brain immediately connected the dots.

With a flick of his hand, a scroll of parchment materialized in the air. It radiated menace.

"I've placed a demonic contract seal on this. It's blank—for now. Once the terms are written and signed, any breach of contract will result in the violator's soul becoming the property of Mephisto."

Loki visibly turned green.

He knew Mephisto. Everyone in the magic scene knew Mephisto. That demonic slimeball was infamous across dimensions.

If this contract went bad, even Odin would need a cosmic-level bribe to get Loki out.

And Doom? That guy fought Mephisto in Hell once a year just to rescue his mom's soul.

Every time, Mephisto made it harder. Every time, Doom still went.

This contract?

Yeah, it was legit.

Loki just stared as Doom handed the scroll to Dante, who now looked like he'd just closed a record-breaking real estate deal.

This was officially not worth the paycheck.

But fine.

Two hundred years.

For an Asgardian, that was basically a medium-term internship.

He'd just ride it out.

Meanwhile, Dante was glowing with joy. Doom had just handed him a tool most warlocks would kill their own teacher to get.

This was Mephisto's personal flavor of soul-binding magic.

You didn't out-deal Mephisto—you just tried to survive him. And Doom?

Doom had fought this guy so many times, he practically majored in demonic counter-law.

He needed power like the Emotional Spectrum to keep leveling the field.

So he studied. Mastered. Crafted tools like this scroll.

"This one's yours now."

"Pleasure doing business with you."

Dante held out his hand again—this time, genuinely smiling.

Doom hesitated for a beat, then returned the handshake.

How long had it been since someone treated him like an equal?

He didn't say it, but in that moment, he actually respected this smug little agent.

And as Doom's back vanished through the portal—

[Ding! Mission "Raid Latveria" completed.]

[Mission-related characters: Wolverine, White Queen, Mystique, Doctor Doom, Loki.

Obtained Ability: Wolverine's Perception

Obtained Ability: Diamond Form (White Queen)

Obtained Ability: Slowed Aging (Mystique)

Obtained Ability: Teleportation Magic (Doctor Doom)

Obtained Ability: Physical Constitution (Loki)]

---

Dante heard the system voice echo in his mind and had to bite down on his own cheek to keep from grinning.

He had to think about the most depressing crap he could imagine—three different childhood traumas and the tax code—just to stop himself from giggling in front of everyone.

His last mission? Total chaos. He barely salvaged a win by snagging the Ancestral Lantern with Batman's unbreakable willpower.

But this one?

Gold mine.

Wolverine's Perception was basically mutant-level spider-sense. Instinctual, raw, accurate. Fast enough to predict even Quicksilver's movements.

White Queen's Diamond Form? Virtually indestructible. Not brittle like actual diamonds. Withstands both superheat and arctic-level cold.

Mystique's Slowed Aging? Eternal youth. Longer peak condition. No downside.

Doom's Teleportation Magic? Eat your heart out, Blink. Doom's version could cross planets—and dimensions.

And Loki's Physical Constitution? Don't laugh. The guy was technically a Frost Giant. His official Marvel power scale put him at Strength Level 5—meaning he could lift 75 tons.

This was exactly what Dante needed.

He'd hit the ceiling of peak human. Time to upgrade.

After soaking in the rewards, he turned to Ada Wong and nodded.

"Open the door."

With a soft hum, the cell door unlocked.

Loki didn't run. Mostly because he knew it wouldn't help.

Dante stepped inside.

"Loki Odinson, God of Mischief, welcome to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Please sign here—and from now on, we're coworkers who share a pair of pants."

"I don't want to share pants with you! Doesn't your FBI even issue uniforms?!"

"It's a metaphor, you uncultured mythological mooch!"

Loki glanced at the glowing green ring on Dante's hand.

Then at the superpowered weirdo squad assembled behind him.

He sighed as he signed the contract—now upgraded to a 250-year employment term.

You damned profiteer!! Why did the price go up again?!

(To be continued.)

Chapter 30: You're Really Something

"I'll let you go, but don't even think about pulling anything."

Back on the surface, Dante pointed at Magneto's nose with a final warning before canceling the Will Green Light restraint.

Tear!

Magneto ripped off the tape across his mouth with dramatic flair, spitting the gauze onto the floor like it owed him money.

But just as he was about to go full mutant revolutionary mode, his eyes fell on Wanda and Pietro—his kids.

His towering rage deflated about thirty percent on the spot.

Then his gaze landed on Dante.

And just like that, his anger dropped another fifty percent.

"I'm not interested in your squabbles with HYDRA or the Asgardians," Magneto muttered, now all brooding restraint. "I just want to take my children… and leave."

"Children?" Dante raised an eyebrow, doing his best shocked face. "What children?"

He turned toward Wanda and Pietro, who had been calmed by White Queen's telepathic suggestion magic, and asked, "He says he's your dad. You two close?"

"Not really," Wanda replied, deadpan.

"Oh. Well then, guess he's not." Dante turned back to Magneto with a bright smile. "See? They said it themselves. You sure it's not just wishful thinking at this point? What's next? Kidnapping them in front of a federal agent?"

Magneto opened his mouth—but then caught Wanda's expression.

Cold. Distant. Full of disappointment.

His heart cracked a little.

He'd been rejected by the world. Had severed ties with Charles. And now, the only soft spots left in his metal shell—his children—looked at him like strangers.

"…Tell Charles… to take care of them."

That's all he said before turning and walking out of the HYDRA facility without another word.

"I don't fully understand what just happened," Loki said, retrieving his scepter from the lab bench like he was casually picking up his groceries. "But it seems that… young man isn't planning to join our team."

The X-Men collectively gave Loki a weird look.

"Did he just say 'young man'? Doesn't he look the same age as us?"

"Logan's over two hundred and looks like a grumpy homeless guy. These people are gods—they're probably older than recorded history. Calling Magneto a young man is fair game."

Dante shrugged. "Let him go. Different path, different ending. As long as he doesn't get in our way, we don't need to bother."

Then he turned to Loki, squinting. "You've gotten… real comfortable real fast. Already acting like we're best buds?"

"What choice do I have?" Loki sighed. "I signed a 250-year employment contract—and a demonic pact. Unless I want to spend eternity rubbing Mephisto's hooves, I'm your obedient little field agent now."

"Trust me," Dante smirked. "Being an FBI agent is way more fun than screwing around in the Nine Realms."


---

The Latveria raid had paid off. Big time.

In addition to system rewards, they'd salvaged a trove of HYDRA research data on the X gene.

With the captured HYDRA scientists and the X-Men's guidance, there was now a real chance to decode the full potential of mutant powers.

First thing on the return trip?

Have White Queen give those scientists a light psychic scrub—just enough to ensure total cooperation. Like installing new antivirus software.

Then Dante had them test him for the X gene.

He'd gotten White Queen's Diamond Form via system reward. He wanted to know if that also meant he now had an activated X gene.

The results?

Nada.

No X gene. Not even dormant.

This confirmed it: System abilities were from a higher plane of power. They didn't operate on DNA.

"Fascinating," Loki said, flipping through the mutant data while lounging across his seat like a cat with a doctorate. "Your so-called mutant bloodlines are absurd. The randomness alone is enough to break causality. Some can barely light a candle. Others can obliterate the moon."

He wasn't a scientist, but with nearly 1,500 years of experience, he was probably more informed than most actual researchers—on a cosmic scale.

"You know, Odin once conquered the Nine Realms."

"You know that too?" Dante raised an eyebrow. "Right, your whole Norse pantheon thing became Earth mythology. Though I gotta say, I love the version where you're Thor's uncle instead of his brother."

"Pure slander," Loki said with a smug grin. "Has nothing to do with actual mythology. But I am curious… did Asgard really conquer ancient Earth?"

Dante hesitated. Because this wasn't the Marvel Universe. It was a scrambled egg of everything.

Who knew how many gods and monsters had taken shots at Earth over the millennia?

A Heavenly Father-tier Odin might've shown up—but it was anyone's guess who else had been on the guest list.

"When Odin conquered the Nine Realms, Thor and I hadn't even been born," Loki mused. "And a lot of history from back then… has been 'erased.' No one knows the full truth anymore."

Then he suddenly sat up straight.

"Oh, right! Speaking of Thor—Dante, I need to tell you something."

Dante narrowed his eyes.

Here it comes.

"Right before I was captured by that ironclad green maniac, I sent a distress signal to Asgard."

"To who?"

"My brother. Thor. God of Thunder." Loki gave an innocent smile. "Big guy. Bit of a brute."

"How big of a brute?"

Doctor Doom in this universe was a scholar-mage hybrid. Who knew what flavor of Thor they were getting?

But judging from Loki's state?

Probably not one of the nerfed ones.

"Pretty serious brute," Loki said. "One time he charged Jotunheim by himself. Just for fun. If he gets that signal and comes charging down to Midgard? Good luck."

"You want him to come save you, don't you?"

"Oh, I do," Loki said, grinning wider. "But if he charges in and finds you first, do me a favor—take him down."

"Wait—what? Why would I fight your brother?"

"I signed up for 250 years of unpaid cosmic labor! I'm not doing that alone. What's wrong with sharing the workload? I call it… sibling delegation."

Dante stared.

Then slowly gave Loki a deadpan thumbs-up.

"Wow. Loki, you really are committed to screwing over your own brother."

"Thank you," Loki said with a little bow. "I take my mischief very seriously."

(To be continued.)