fiction | Part of the journey is the end

3. The variant - 1

In Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 1985, a Renaissance fair was occurring.

"What is the Loki Variant doing there?" Scott asked.

Loki had absolutely no idea what his variant was doing. He didn't like feeling so clueless.

"1985?" Tony grinned. "What a good year. That was the year I met Rhodey!"

"And you've been a pain in my ass ever since," Rhodey replied.

Hunter C-20 and a couple of Minutemen walked through a Timedoor. A woman noticed told them that they weren't dressed right.

Everyone looked at the woman, amused.

"Did the woman not notice the giant human-sized orange square that the Minutemen just stepped out of?" Sam asked incredulously.

A Minutemen detected the Variant in a tent, and Hunter C-20 commanded them to move. The woman sighed and said some of them needed this.

Everyone chuckled.

The Minutemen walked inside the tent and looked around. "No nexus energy yet, ma'am."

"Is nexus energy created from a nexus event?" asked Peter.

"How would the Minutemen not find any nexus energy if the nexus event has already taken place?" said Tony.

"This is too confusing for me," said Scott. "Nexus is the new Quantum. The TVA puts nexus in front of everything."

They searched the area when suddenly music blared over the speaker.

Everyone sighed.

"Looks like my Variant is here," said Loki.

C-20 said it was a trap and to watch their backs.

"No shit," said Clint. "It's Loki."

The Minutemen activated their Time Sticks.

Thor, Loki, and Bruce scowled. The Minutemen's Time Sticks reminded them of the Grandmaster's Melt Stick.

A finger glowed green as the Loki Variant enchanted C-20 whose eyes flashed green.

Everyone blinked in surprise, especially Loki.

Thor was taken aback. "Since when were you able to do that?" he asked his brother.

"Since never," Loki responded, narrowing his eyes at his Variant.

"So different Loki's have different powers," Natasha noted. "Interesting."

"I can influence people's minds but not like that," Loki clarified.

Wanda wondered if she could do what the Loki Variant had done. But I'm not going to do it, she thought. I'm not going to mess with anyone's mind ever again.

C-20 took off her helmet, walked over to one of the Minutemen, and attacked her.

All of them frowned; Clint and Bucky most of all.

Clint shivered. He was getting flashbacks to his time under Loki's mind control, and he didn't like it at all.

One Minutemen looked at her, confused. C-20 picked up a pole and stabbed a Minutemen with it.

"Poor C-20, though," said Sam. "She's attacking her own teammates. That has to mess with her mind."

If Loki doesn't kill her, Clint thought. The Loki Variant killed the other Minutemen.