Ben 10: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

High above Earth

Year 40XX

A man in a Victorian lab coat appeared in a flash of light in space. Not far from him, a large ship orbited the Earth. "The new mechanics of this multiverse have been insightful. Seeing Earth-616's evolving timeline is simply fascinating." After readjusting his tie, he smirked, noticing a presence. "I know you are there."

From behind, a bald man in blue and white robes materialized into view. "You should not be here, Time Walker."

Professor Paradox crossed his arms. "Perhaps, Watcher. However, unlike you and others like you, I prefer to nudge history to a preferable path."

"The Watchers are aware of the possible consequences of interference."

"And from my experience," Paradox retorted. "I have seen the results of both action and inaction." Paradox's expression turned grave. "We both know what is coming for this timeline. We can feel it is already progressing."

The cosmic watcher paused. "I will admit that the final fate of the timestream is in flux." The watcher turned to the present Earth before turning back to Paradox. "This Tennyson of yours will have many trials to face." He huffed. "This new branching of Earth-8096 may intersect with Earth-555326."

"Call me optimistic. A near-dead world like that one needs its heroes."

"You wouldn't happen to know about a new branch of Earth-199999 appearing due to another visitor from outside my reality?"

Paradox raised a brow. "I can't say I do. Not a danger to everyone, I hope."

"For a lack of better words, this red-head has the word sword written all over him."

Paradox blinked. "Can't say I follow the metaphor. We can stop by there in a bit. I'd like to catch up on a little history. Care to join?"

The Watcher rolled his eyes. "If only to keep you out of trouble."

The two extra-temporal beings reappeared in a crystal-filled room and its unique owner. By shifting to a different dimensional frequency, they could observe without being seen.

There, a being wore a green uniform with purple gauntlets and a helmet. He stared intensely at the crystal display before him. On a golden throne, he put his hands together. "Display chronal archive 001944. Keyword: Rogers."

"Loading," a computerized voice replied. The crystalline display began to play back to an ancient recording dating back to Earth's second world war.

Paradox turned nostalgic. "Oh, I remember seeing these kinds of films all the time in my youth."

A long-forgotten announcer started. "News from the front. As the Hydra war machine expands its reach, one by one, the nations of Europe fall under its shadow." An emblem of a skull with tentacles stretches across Europe from the East. "None so far have withstood the onslaught." Civilian buildings were set ablaze as Hydra Flags were held high with their army raising fists.

"While my original timeline had its own World War 2, it's disturbing to see such an organization from the German science division publicly show themselves."

"Unfortunately, Hydra is a constant in many realities here," added the Watcher.

"But Allied soldiers from across the globe stand together, and as the world goes to war, we recount the tale of Steve Rogers, the man who would become Captain America." A lanky young man stands on a scale, seemingly unfit for duty. A doctor is soon shown with a large syringe in hand. "Although young Rogers was too frail for combat, his fighting spirit wouldn't give up. He volunteered for a secret military experiment and, with the help of the country's finest scientists, was transformed into the world's first super-soldier." The lanky shadow bulked into a new form.

He smiled. "But with Hydra comes the Captain, one of the infinite variations."

The new and improved Steve Rogers suits up and stands alongside another masked soldier and their allied forces. "And now he fights alongside the Allies as a symbol of freedom and liberty for all the world."

A headline spins into view, showing various victories during their campaign. "Even now, Cap is leading the charge against the dreaded Red Skull and his Hydra forces. Good luck, Captain America, wherever you are."

Another recording queued, this time showing a monument of the late Captain. "Today, Earth's mightiest hero fell in the line of duty. Farewell, Captain America, wherever you are."

"No. Not where. When." With the recordings concluded, the blue-skinned ruler stood up. It was time to begin his investigations.

Paradox clapped his hands. "Time for our little field trip."

The Watcher sighed. "Please refrain from altering the timeline."

The professor waved it off and gestured to the man known as Kang. "As you can see, Earthlings are more than capable of doing that themselves. Then again, I am an Earthling."

#

Northern Germany

1944

The time-traveling trio appeared in the past, above and out of sight.

Rain was pouring, and thunder was roaring. An infantry vessel made its way toward the shallow waters outside their objective, a large castle in the distance. These soldiers, known as the Howling Commandos, slowly but surely trekked their way, eventually reaching a cemetery, but they would not be alone.

A bright flare lights the storming sky, notifying them of their discovery by Hydra soldiers.

Jack Fury yelled. "Howling Commandos, move!" The two forces took cover and exchanged fire, but the Allies were at a disadvantage. "We're sitting ducks out here. Howlett, I need recon!"

James Howlet held his helmet down as another bullet nearly grazed him. "I'm working on it, bub."

On the hill, the Hydra Machine Gun raining down on the Commandos jams. Just as the enemy agent attempted to fix it, a red and blue blur zoomed by, slicing the gun apart. Like a boomerang, the round shield came back to its wielder.

"Oh, if only I had access to Vibranium in my younger years," Paradox mused. "Who knows what I could have invented at the time?"

"I'd like to see your reaction to the various Wakandas," replied the Watcher. "They've made significant developments with the material."

Atop a gravestone, Captain America stood proudly. "This is the end of the line, boys. Our job is to take down Hydra's science base, and we've already got a man on the inside to get us in." The Howling Commandos gathered around the American Super Soldier. "Now let's go show the Red Skull that his day is over!" With that, his allies cheered.

Paradox chuckled. "I can see how he is such a charismatic icon."

Later

The howling commandos charged toward the base at the herald of a brass trumpet.

Captain America took out a watchtower and the surrounding guards.

Co-commander Dum Dum Dugan easily barged through a trio of unarmed operatives caught off guard.

Near the mist-covered water, an armed soldier backs up at the ready. He never noticed James "Logan" Howlett rising from the deep, pouncing on the unsuspecting man with his bone claws extended.

Ever the gentleman, Pinky Pinkerton easily dispatched a group with his fists and a trusty umbrella.

Paradox brightened. "Fascinating. To see mutants appear at this point in history."

The Watcher smirked. "He's far older than he looks. James has been around since the Civil War?"

He raised a brow. "Some form of Longevity?"

"Technically. He has very potent cellular regeneration."

"Simply marvelous what your realities offer. I haven't had a chance to delve into history before the 20th century."

Meanwhile, Jack Fury and Steve Rogers push to the castle entrance. Bullets and fists fly, taking down more Hydra goons. The trusty shield kocks a trio into the chasm below with ease.

Jack whistled in admiration. "They should make that thing standard issue."

Steve smirked as he caught the iconic weapon. "Sorry, Sarge. It's one of a kind."

Suddenly out of the corner of their eyes, a grenade falls toward them. Steve narrowly blocks it with his shield in time, the explosion knocking him to the ground. As the smoke cleared, he tried to get his bearings. "Jack?" The shockwave also brought down the Sergeant. "Jack!" Before he could help his ally, he is struck in the head by the butt of a gun. Before the Hydra agent could even fire, Steve sweeps his leg, sending him off the edge. Unfortunately for the Captain, a second soldier arrived, rifle cocked.

Unknown to both of them, the drawbridge entrance to the castle came crashing down, crushing the enemy. Leaving the castle was a young masked man in a red and blue uniform. "Uh… You're late."

From behind, the other Howling Commandos regroup and help their Sergeant up. "Cap! We're falling back to patch up and report to command. Will you two be okay?"

"We'll manage, Sarge." Captain America chuckled at the victory so far. "Any trouble inside, Bucky?"

"There are Hydra soldiers everywhere. I couldn't get into the lower levels on my own without raising the alarm, but I know the way."

"Not a problem. The stealth portion of this mission is officially over." The two walk inside and face a giant wooden door.

Buck tosses around an advanced grenade. "I'll knock." With a clean throw, it attaches itself to the door before detonating. As the doors fall to the ground, they feel the rumbling of giant footsteps."Must be the welcoming committee." The boy smirked. "I've got this covered."

From the shadows, a humongous one-eyed yellow monster growled and stomped into view. The beast wielded a mallet in its left hand.

"You know what, Cap?" Buck chuckled nervously. "I changed my mind. You get this one."

Paradox turned to the Watcher. "A cyclops… in World War Two?"

"Indeed. If you saw the previous battles, it got weird."

#

The two Americans dodge the oncoming hammer blow that cratered the brick floor. Bucky backed away carefully. "Okay, we've seen some weird stuff in this war, but what is that?"

Steve shook his head. "I don't know. One of Zola's experiments, maybe. Whatever it is, it's angry." Cap's shield took a hammer blow, skidding himself across the room.

"Back off, ugly!" Bucky jumped on the beast's back and covered its lone eye. It attempted to remove the boy with no immediate success. "Cap!"

With its right arm, it manages to grab the young he could chimp on the boy. Cap's shield batted its head away, freeing Bucky. When its vision cleared, he saw the lone captain at the entrance.

"You want me, monster?" Steve taunted. "Here I am."

Without thinking much, the monster rushed at the captain and slammed his hammer arm down. Unfortunately, this is what Steve wanted. Steve jumped and grabbed onto the drawbridge chains. The wooden bridge couldn't take the stress, breaking apart, bringing the beast to the depth below.

Swinging back to the castle, Steve got ready once again. "Let's keep moving."

Bucky looked down at the chasm and back to Steve. "Yeah. Sure. No use dwelling on the big monster that almost ate us." With that, the two made their way into the depths of the base.

Below the two cosmic watchers, Kang grew impatient. "Forward to time index 3.2."

Paradox shook his head. "Not a patient one, is he."

"And a sloppy time jump at that," added the Watcher.

Bucky had turned around, seemingly hearing the future human but missing it at the last moment.

#

Approaching the bowels of the research facility, the duo came across numerous documents and specimens. A folder labeled Project Nova described a test site located outside the municipality of Poland. Due to heavy bombing, the project was moved to a different location. Several photos of yellow barrels with an "N6" symbol were found. This new chemical was proposed to be armed on a battery of V2 and experimental V3 rockets.

Paradox narrowed his eyes at a periodic table showing three elements circled: neodymium, rhenium, and sulfur. "To think the axis powers here were up to such dangerous developments."

The Watcher sighed. "It is unfortunate that Hydra is responsible for several mortal tragedies across timelines."

Another folder showed the insignia of a fist grasping the number 935 with electron orbits around it.

Captain America put down the documents with a forlorn expression. "Smart bombs. Nerve gas. Germ warfare. I've heard rumors of German Wonder Weapons, and my fears may be realized."

"Yeah, this is creeping me out. Hydra's been working on this stuff for years. Any one of these things could mean big trouble for the Allies."

"That's why we're here, Bucky. No matter what, we're taking down the Skull once and for all."

#

The two walked into another room, finding many strange creatures contained below them. "What in the world is this, Cap?"

"I'm not so sure this is from our world."

Below, a man with a Red Skull chuckled. "You may come out now, Captain. I know you are here. You have arrived just in time to witness history."

From the duo's left and right, weapons cocked at them. Bucky groaned at his friend. "Ah, you always get me caught." The two got in a fighting stance but were interrupted by Red Skull

"Oh, please, Captain. Even if you were to survive, your partner would not."

Understanding their current situation, Steve allowed a Hydra soldier to take his shield.

Bucky gaped at his friend's surrender before feeling resentment toward himself, knowing he was holding the Captain back.

The two were brought to the ground level of the lab. "Still doing Zemo's dirty work, Skull?

"No. No." Red Skull chuckled. "I have stopped looking for the relics of this world. Today, I take the power of another one." He gestured to the containment units. "Ancient Norse mythology told of a realm of supernaturally powerful beings. And all myths have some basis in truth. This cave was the location of one gateway to that realm. The Norse called it Bifrost- the Rainbow Bridge."

"In some realities, the Bifrost simply connects distant planets. For others like this one, it links to places outside of normal space," elaborated Watcher.

"There are other dimensions and pockets of space that are part of the same timestream. I am familiar with the concept," replied the Professor.

"Picture an army of mythological beasts unleashed upon the battlefield. The Allies won't even comprehend the forces that are destroying them." From behind the glass, a wolf-like creature growled in defiance."

"Looks like your doggy there would rather gnaw on you than us, Skull," snarked Bucky.

"We have ways of guiding their choices." Skull pulled out a remote that silenced the beast and made it shiver in fear.

"What have you done?" toned Steve.

Skull chuckled. "What have I done? I have won this war, Captain." "Open the portal!"

The device managed to lock on to a specimen, increasing the power to bring it through. Just as the figure of a large blue being appeared, the courageous duo sprang into action, taking down their nearby guards and reclaiming the Shield. Steve blocked a flurry of bullets, allowing strays to fire at the consoles, damaging the portal.

Steve tackled a now enraged Red skull.

With several spinning kicks of Taekwon-do, Bucky took down more hydra goons.

The power in the room flickered, disabling the containers of the numerous Asgardian creatures and setting them free.

With a building rage against its captors, the wolf tore the Hydra Soldiers to shreds.

Steve skidded back on the floor against a blow from a large brown-horned beast.

A white minotaur-like creature took out more Hydra gunners.

The multi-colored fairies flew back into the portal home.

Bucky squared off against a green ogre more than twice his size, kicking it back into an electrical box before it exploded. When the wolf tried to pounce on the lad, a flying shield knocked it away.

With the creatures still distracting the enemy, Buck ran to disable the portal, dodging threats gracefully until he came to face the swordsman Strucker.

"I had hoped to test this blade on the great Captain America. You are not worthy to face me."

"Is it because I have more hair than you? Don't feel bad, Strucker. Maybe when you get older, it'll grow in."

Bucky continued to dodge the sword swings and thrusts with ease. "Sloppy technique. You shave your head with that thing, too? That would explain a lot."

Paradox chuckled at the banter. "The boy certainly reminds me of my friend."

Watcher nodded. "I can say the same about a certain spider avatar."

With a final dodge, he tricked Strucker into stabbing another machine of the portal, electrifying him much like the green beast from before.

With most Hydra agents down or retreated, Captain America was left alone to fight the Asgardian Beasts. Seeing himself outmatched, he checked his surroundings before hatching an idea. He ran to a fuel line, slicing it open and igniting it into a makeshift flamethrower.

Deterred by the flame, the creatures decided to retreat home through the portal, all except the wolf. Just as Steve raised his shield to protect himself, no attack came. From the portal came the upper half of a crystal blue giant, one hand wrapped around the wolf.

"An Ice Giant. Jotunheim, then." Paradox got a better look at the symbol on the runestone.

The other giant hand reached for the Captain as he called to close the portal.

Using Strucker's sword, Bucky cut power from the Nordic rune stone. As the energy stopped flowing, so did the giant sent through the closing portal.

Watcher blinked. "It seems our blue friend just arrived." Above, Kang returned in a flash.

One objective down, but the job wasn't done yet. As the lab started to self-destruct, an evacuating Red Skull seethed. "No! You have destroyed everything! I will have my revenge on you and the world!"

"We have to get out of here!" exclaimed Bucky.

"Not this time, partner. We're not letting him get away again." Steve wanted to end their fight with Skull once and for all.

Kang was nearing his goal. "Ahead 7.25."

Outside, a castle spires shed its outer bricks, revealing an escape rocket.

The heroic duo followed Skull to the roof just as he entered the cockpit.

Unseen by the soldiers. Kang continued.

Steve turned to his friend. "Bucky, stay here. Secure the fortress."

The young man didn't seem satisfied with that order.

Before the rocket launched, Captain America grabbed onto its outer ladder. With that, the transport lifted off.

Steve started climbing, but he got cut off. "I got your back, Cap!" Behind him, Bucky Barnes also grabbed onto the shuttle.

Now in his hoverchair, Kang traveled again. "Ahead .39."

"Bucky, I told you to st-"

"Yeah, I know. But we're partners, right?"

Steve could reprimand him for not following his orders, but if he were in Bucky's shoes, he would have done the same. He smiled softly at his oldest friend. "Let's finish this."

Red Skull managed to travel to the Arctic Circle before a shield bashed through his windshield, and Steve grabbed him by the uniform. "It's over, Skull."

Instead of fear, the Red Skull laughed sinisterly. "Finally, we agree." His right hand reached out and pressed a yellow button. "Goodbye, Captain America!" A countdown clock started and Reed Skull was ejected with his seat to safety.

"A pity he escaped," sighed Paradox.

The Watcher turned solemn. "He will be back."

"No!" Seeing Skull's getaway boiled the soldier's blood. He looked back into the cockpit, and they only had less than thirty seconds to get to safety. "There's not enough time! Bucky, jump for it!"

Unfortunately, Bucky's foot got caught in a bent ladder rung when rushing to meet Steve. "I can't! Cap!"

"Hang on, Bucky!" He made his way to him, ready to help, but Bucky had other plans.

"Sorry, Cap."

Steve continued to try and pry Bucky free. "Stow that talk. We'll make it."

"No, I mean, sorry, but the world needs Captain America more than Bucky." Using his free leg, he kicked Captain America off the shuttle.

Steve looked on as he fell. His closest friend sacrificed his life to save him and, in turn, the world. "No! No! Bucky!"

With a final salute, Bucky and the shuttle exploded in a massive burst. The shockwave crashed against the captain, knocking him out and into the icy water below.

"The lad seems like a true friend." Paradox pocketed his hands.

Watcher nodded. "It is unfortunate that his fate here is also in flux, as is the Captain's."

Kang hovered over the water, searching for any sign of the Captain's survival. He was unsatisfied "Mmm. Manual control." With his console, the area fast-forwarded in time around him with two unseen compatriots tagging along for the ride. Even after twenty years observed, nothing had seemed to change with the Captain's place of "death."

A male voice on the radio sounded. "Time disturbance in progress."

Kang's "present" was now at risk. He needed to return. "Initiate chronal jump to Damocles base."

"It seems our little field trip is over." The temporal duo followed Kang back to a branched future.

Damocles Base

Year 40XX

Kang sat in the crystal room again, preparing for the imminent. "Report."

The computer answered. "Temporal disturbances reaching critical levels. The fabric of time-space is in the process of rupturing."

"Show me."

The futuristic cities on Earth began to fade away in white light, leaving only a barren wasteland behind.

"My entire timeline- all of reality is being wiped out, and it's all because of you." He glared at a hologram of Captain America. "My travels into the past suggest that you are the link, Captain America. Some moment in your past heralds the end of the future. Something to do with you. But I saw you meet your end in the 20th century. How can you be responsible? Unless… Damocles, scan all surviving records from the 21st century."

"Executing."

A flash of documents appeared. "Freeze image." He read the news article and glared once more. "Of course. I did not conquer the Earth just to see it wiped from existence. Damocles, prepare the fleet for a time jump."

Outside, the rewriting or reality was slowly reaching them.

Kang stood straight on the bridge. "All ships begin trans-temporal jump."

One of his men answered. "Sir, we don't have the coordinates. There's not enough time to-"

Kang grabbed him by the uniform. "Never tell me there's not enough time." He pulled out a hard light console and did it himself."

"Time coordinates accepted. Jump in progress."

"Where is Princess Ravonna?"

"She's boarding now, my Lord."

A dark-skinned woman in a blue royal garb walked onto the bridge. "My love, what is happening? Why are we leaving?"

Just as she asked, the reality rewrite reached them, catching several men. The princess ran as best she could, but even she knew she would get caught.

At seemingly the last microsecond, she felt a sudden push against her back, escaping the white light and into her lover's arms.

"I've got you, Ravonna. Damocles, now!"

The ship disappeared from the future in a blue flash as the rest of the Earth, and soon the universe was altered."

High above Earth

Year 2010

Kang breathed a sigh of relief as he held Ravonna close. "I thought I lost you."

Ravonna returned the embrace. "I thought so as well. It was miraculous that I survived. It was like some otherworldly force saved me."

"We can talk about that later. I'm just glad you're safe." Kang turned to the computer. "Update."

"We have arrived at our destination."

"Don't worry, love. I'll save our entire timeline, even if I have to conquer this time to do it."

Ravonna gave a hesitant nod. She had never seen him so tense before. Only time would tell if things would get better.

The Moon

The Watcher sat in his chair, upset at his recent companion. "Why did you interfere?"

Paradox shrugged. "Call me a romantic, but I'd rather not get rid of the man's only emotional connection while he's going back in time to save humanity. As I said before, I prefer to nudge history on a better path."

The watcher sighed. "Even a simple push can lead to unprecedented consequences."

Paradox rolled his eyes. "Considering the future Earth turned into a literal wasteland, I believe we have a better chance of a happy ending now."

He turned away. "I don't condone your actions, but I see your point."

"We both know he is wrong. Whether Captain America died during this event should not have affected his branch of history this way."

"I know… Let us leave this place. I will see how well you and your ally's actions make a difference."

The scientist smiled. "I hear Earth-91119 is quite amusing to see."

Damocles Base

High above Earth

Following his ship's emergency temporal displacement into the past, Kang ordered his crew to spend the next few days taking note of their current resources and performing reconnaissance.

Small probes were sent to the surface below to document and analyze. The denizens of the 41st century were amazed by their time's stark differences. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and a sense of calmness was in the air. They quickly got to work, setting up their research stations and equipment.

As they worked, they couldn't help but be struck by the stark differences between their time and the Earth of 2010. The technology was primitive, the buildings were outdated, and the people seemed livelier.

One of the scientists, Dr. Maya Patel, was fascinated by the various plant life that had long gone extinct. "This is incredible," she said, "It's like being in a completely different world." Others agreed regarding the land and sea. In some ways, the megacities of the 41st century felt colder and more distant than the suburban land here.

For some that didn't have any real ties to their old reality, settling down here wasn't a bad option. In any case, they continued the work for their lord, hoping that they would be rewarded handsomely for their efforts.

Meanwhile

Kang spent time contemplating his plans moving forward. Time travel was a fickle thing. Only beings outside of time's domain understood its true rules and limitations.

He, a man from the 30th century, accidentally traveled to the 40th Century. He found a war-torn Earth where barbarians battled with technology from past eras of which they did not know how they worked. This was the dawn of Kang's legacy. First, Kang conquered the Earth, then began conquering the galaxy, taking over entire empires. Humanity was at the apex of power in the universe.

From his experiences, the slightest push, the smallest touch, echoes throughout time. Even an act of kindness may have more severe repercussions than one can know or can see. An older era coined the term, Many-worlds interpretation. All decisions lead to a new branch of reality. To rewrite an existing history was unheard of to him.

Regarding time travelers like himself, the timeline resists change in some capacity. Going back in time to make your past self wear a different shirt would cause the start of a new branch. Still, if changes are insignificant in the long run, the branch's history will eventually merge back with its source branch, correcting any possible paradoxes.

Kang's initial travel to the 1940s caused a new branch, but those changes were recombined with his current history. The 41st century still suffered the same fate. At some point, humanity was extinguished, retroactively erasing his Empire. It was only thanks to Damocles Base that he and the remains of his people escaped the erasure of their timeline. The Emperor sighed. He needed more information. "Computer, display our current chronal coordinates?"

A nearby crystal display outputted a long string of numbers and symbols. Kang's brow furrowed. "That can't be right..." However, even after a manual check, the result was the same. According to the Fourth Dimensional coordinates, his timeline was approximately three deviations from his original target. If the numbers were accurate, then history was changed by a third party between 1940 and the present 2010. "I've gone through the historical records numerous times. There shouldn't have been any instances of previous time travel not already accounted for before my first trip."

A knock at the door brought him out of his thoughts. His wife, Princess Ravonna Renslayer, had opened the door.

Kang got up from his chair and walked to her. "Love, you should be resting."

She walked to him and leaned on his chair. "I know, but so much has happened in the past few days. It's a lot to process."

Kang's features softened. "I can't even imagine how you are handling this whole ordeal."

"Our entire planet, our home, was erased from history. How was this possible?"

"I'm sorry." The man took a breath. "I don't have all the answers, but I'm not going to give up on us, on them." He gestured to the next room, where several of their people continued to work.

Suddenly, one of his men approached their door. "Excuse me, my lord. There are new developments in our research that you must be aware of. With a nod, Kang and Ravonna followed their officer to the bridge. Several images appeared on the screen. "It took little time to connect and extract information from this period's global communication network. We confirmed the local time and started working on world events." The images of a statue of Captain America in front of the Statue of Liberty and a ceremonial tombstone were displayed. "We have confirmed that Captain America is still deceased according to the public records."

"Is that good?" asked Ravonna. This was the first time hearing about the man.

Kang frowned. "That's both fortunate yet concerning. My initial calculations and theories indicated that Captain Roger's actions in the 21st century were the first dominos to fall, leading to armageddon."

Ravonna's eyes widened. "This dead man caused our home to be destroyed?"

Kantg shook his head. "It's not that simple, my love. From what I've determined, some outside force rewrote our history. The Captain was just the catalyst of a long series of events."

The officer seemed unsure of himself. "I do not doubt your intellect, sir. However, you may not have had all the variables. After cross-referencing public figures from the records we had on file, we discovered... an anomaly."

The Conqueror didn't like where this was going, his irritation growing. What variable did he miss? It seemed impossible. "Explain!" Ravonna did her best to soothe her husband and gestured for the officer to keep going.

"According to our records, the Avengers at this time consisted of Iron Man, Thor, Wasp, and Ant-Man. When going through recent news, we found contradictions." The screen showed a recent news article and mainstream news segment describing a battle between the Avengers and individuals labeled as The Enchantress and Skurge. "Our history says that Hulk temporarily left the team due to irreconcilable differences. In this time period, the opposite happened. The screen showed an amateur photo of the Hulk and a red being with four arms in the park eating pizza.

Ravonna blinked at the mundane scene. "Earth was much stranger in the past."

Kang's eyes widened on the other hand. "Who the hell is that?"

"We... aren't sure, sir. There is nothing about it in our database. Following the incident at the park, the Hulk remained with the Avengers."

Kang closed his eyes and started going through his calculations again. "He was supposed to leave and return after an incident in Las Vegas." Eyes narrowed on the anomaly. "What do we know about the new variable?"

"From what we discovered, the being is some sort of shapeshifter, capable of transforming into many creatures with varying abilities. Its origin is currently unknown. The first sightings occurred west of North America before moving toward the East Coast.

His emperor seethed, and all the points were starting to connect. "It seems that I have found my third party."

"Sir?"

Kang dismissed the officer. "You did well in informing me of these developments. I have much to consider moving forward." His shoulders seemed to sag for a moment. "Keep up the work, and I assure you we will all go home soon."

Ravonna smiled at her husband. People would see Kang's stern personality and assume the worst. She even refused his hand in marriage when Kang first allowed her father to rule his kingdom under Kang's empire, pressuring Ravonna to marry him. The brief moments of compassion revealed the man that came before Kang.

With a salute, the officer went back to his research. "As expected. Thank you, sir. "

Kang and Ravonna walked back to his lab. "Things have gotten more complicated than I anticipated." At a console, Kang input the new information regarding the shape-shifting variable.

His version of machine learning allowed him to consider past and present variables. The future was not a fixed, predetermined thing but rather a set of probabilities that could be calculated based on the present.

"Computer, bring up the most probable scenarios should Captain America remain deceased."

82% | Humanity's Extinction

18% | Humanity's Survival

"And if Captain America were to return?" asked Ravonna.

45% | Humanity's Extinction

55% | Humanity's Survival

Kang grits his teeth. History had changed to reach this point. "Humanity won't likely survive past the 22nd century if Captain America doesn't return to the world, but he may cause humanity to end before the 40th century." It was practically a coin flip. The likely future had become too clouded.

"I was told Captain America was deceased," stated his wife. "Is this not the case?"

"History says that he returned somehow, but I ensured he was lost in the Arctic."

Ravonna raised a brow. "How did you check?"

"Even after twenty years, Captain Rogers was still lost in the sea. Even with his Super Human Physiology, it's near impossible that he survived all these years."

"Near impossible or definitively impossible."

The man stayed silent, not wanting to accept that his bias affected him more than he wanted to admit.

Ravonna wrapped her arms around her husband. "Nathaniel... You know I don't like it when you get this way. Will you throw away our chance at going home?"

Kang sighed. She was the only one that knew the truth about him. His only anchor in a time, not his own. "Come, let us find our catalyst."

The Arctic Circle

Kang the Conqueror stood atop a mountain in the Arctic Circle, his gaze fixed on the endless white expanse. The bitter wind whipped around him, lashing his armor and sending his cape billowing out behind him. Captain America's frozen body was somewhere in the Arctic Circle, buried deep beneath the ice. And so he had come, determined to find it at any cost. Beside him, Ravonna touched the snowfall. It was a rare experience to see this type of weather. The world succumbed to global warming centuries ago. Only recently was Kang trying to stabilize the Earth's conditions to expand his empire across the planet.

Kang began to descend the mountain, crossing the frozen tundra. He had come prepared, with all the technology and resources at his disposal. His armor protected him from the harsh elements, and his energy weapons were fully charged. He had also brought a team of his most loyal soldiers, trained and equipped with the latest technology.

As they made their way deeper into the Arctic wilderness, Kang couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation building within him.

The team stopped in front of a massive glacier towering high above them. Kang scanned the area. This was definitely where he last watched the man fall into the waters. He searched for any sign of the Captain's body on the surface, but it was a pipe dream. The man was likely several feet below. Then again, the ice caps have been shrinking in recent years.

As he searched, Kang's soldiers began to dig through the ice with their tools. They worked tirelessly, chipping away at the glacier with incredible speed. Kang watched them; his eyes narrowed in determination. He knew the Captain's body was buried deep beneath the ice. And he would find it, no matter what it took.

Finally, after hours of digging, one of the soldiers called out to Kang. "Sir, we've found something!" he shouted.

Kang rushed over. As the soldiers cleared the ice, a body emerged beneath the glacier. Kang's eyes widened in disbelief as he recognized Captain America's familiar red, white, and blue costume. It was frozen solid, its features twisted in a look of agony.

Ravonna stared at the man who was both their savior and their damnation. "I can't imagine he still alive after all this time."

A scientist attached a device to the ice near the Captain's chest and head. "I'm still detecting brain activity, but it's low. Based on the heart readings, his physiology induced an artificial hibernation to preserve itself in the subzero waters."

Kang reached out and touched the icy surface. The soldiers began to load the frozen body onto a transport vehicle, preparing to take it back to Kang's time ship. Kang sighed at the frozen body. "Likely damned if I don't. Possibly damned if I do."

"What do we plan to do now?" asked Ravonna.

Kang crossed his arms. "If I'm bringing back Captain America, I'm doing it on my terms."