"What took so long?" Natasha asked the king who was trying to open the portal. At this time, they were hiding in the mountains, and Asgard's soldiers were searching for them in every corner of the field.
"Something's wrong," Wang replied. "The space is locked."
"What?"
"Someone has blocked the space of Asgard, which means that even ordinary teleportation spells are difficult to cast," Wang explained.
"Can't you think of a way?" Natasha asked, looking at the unconscious Hulk and Sam. If they are trapped on another planet or realm and cannot return to their own timeline, then their mission cannot be considered a success.
"I'm afraid it won't help," Tony replied. "It seems that Odin has conquered Nine Realms and connected them together with Asgard as the center."
"What does that mean?"
"This means that trying to open a portal to Earth or even another timeline is like fighting against the power of nine dimensions," Wang explained.
"We didn't have any problems teleporting on Earth, right? What changed?" Natasha asked.
"I don't know, but the most likely explanation is that the power involved needed to be activated, and when we broke into this dimension, someone wanted to prevent our escape," Tony added.
Natasha groaned. "I'm used to missions not going as planned, but this is something else entirely." There is no perfect plan - this is the first lesson Natasha learned as a spy. Her training with Ian reinforced this view, because things related to magic are a thousand times more complicated.
"So, what should we do now?" Wang asked. "Do you think we should ask Clint for more support?"
"It's not necessary," Natasha denied. Clint must have his own job, and it would be unwise to impose our tasks on him. "Whatever Dimensional Lockdown system they have, Asgardians must have a way to bypass it when needed."
"You mean Bifrost?" Wang asked.
"If we can infiltrate Bifrost and hijack it, we should be able to escape this lockdown. The question is where it is and how to use it."
"I've been to Asgard and know where it is. Well, provided it's not too different from the timeline we're in," Wang said.
"I've studied Asgard magic. I can use it," Tony added.
"There is no 'premise'?" Natasha looked at Tony.
"As long as the basic magic is Asgard, it doesn't matter if they add other things to it," he answered confidently.
"It's great to hear you say that," Natasha nodded. "In that case, I will go to the nearest village to do some reconnaissance and collect some intelligence. Tell me where the central hub of Bifrost is, so that I can verify whether it is still at that location in our timeline."
"No problem," Wang nodded, and then transmitted the information directly to her mind. "Do you need one of us to accompany you?"
"No, it's best for me to go alone," Natasha replied, then disappeared into her shadow. Wang waited patiently, while Tony took the opportunity to repair the damage to the armor. He also arranged security measures around this temporary hiding place, just in case.
About ten minutes later, Natasha came back. "What did you find?" Wang asked immediately.
"The good news is, the position has not changed," Natasha revealed.
"Where's the bad news?"
"Odin in this timeline was tempted by the power of Dormammu and Dark Dimension when he was dying. This All-Father deceived that Demon Gods, imprisoned him and took his power, which means that Bifrost now uses the power of Dark Dimension. Will this affect our escape?"
"That shouldn't be a problem," said Tony. Ian had taught him all kinds of science, technology, and magic, including interdimensional entities or spaces like Dark Dimension.
"I can help, too," Wang added. For centuries, Dormammu has been Kamar-Taj's greatest enemy. Previously, the Ancient One prohibited anyone from accessing knowledge about Dark Dimension, but Ian changed the rules, allowing Wang to better understand their eternal enemy.
"Okay, let's act quickly," Natasha said. Although they had escaped from the Demons, she didn't think the latter could find them. Natasha used her Metamorphmagus ability to turn Tony and Wang into the appearance of Asgard soldiers, while putting Sam and Banner into their pocket dimensions to rest.
Natasha used her shadow abilities to lead the team as close as possible to the central area of Bifrost, not stopping until they reached an area with extreme magic or energy detection means. Then, they assumed the role of Asgard soldiers and walked into these facilities. A few people suspected them, but under the charm magic of Natasha, they were easily controlled, providing the team with the access they needed.
"It feels so smooth," Wang said as they walked toward the final door to the control area.
"I agree," Natasha said while looking around for any signs of trouble. "Tony, did your scanner find anything?"
"No," Tony said with a frown.
"We can't stop, so prepare for the worst," Natasha said when they reached the last door. She felt as if she had overlooked something, but she couldn't remember what it was. Natasha put her right palm on the door and recited a spell. The door opened and they walked in. Then, everyone stopped. The door behind them suddenly closed, locking the area.
"Is it you? Did I remember it wrong, or did I not kill most of you with my own hands when I conquered Midgard?"
"Thor," Natasha said, looking at this handsome man in black with a scar and an eyepatch on his right eye. She finally realized what she had overlooked - Heimdall. With his all-seeing eye, he should have spotted them the moment they landed.
"Natasha," Thor said. "I still remember the scream you made when I electrocuted you."
"What's with this dark style of painting? Are you obsessed with non-mainstream fashion now?" Tony asked.
"Oh, Tony, how I miss your poisonous tongue," Thor sighed. "The last time I saw you, after I smashed your skull, your armor and head could no longer tell who was who."
"Is this guy really Thor?" Wang murmured in a low voice. He had seen this prince Asgard, who was a young man full of youthful energy, even if he was not noisy, he was also a happy young man. The Thor in front of him was completely different from the one they knew.
"I don't think I know you," Thor glanced at Wang and said. "Looking at your dress, you must be one of the mages from Midgard. Back then, Demons were rushing to destroy you, so I never had the chance to do it."
Thor looked around. "Just you three? Isn't Banner with you? During the conquest, a Demons killed him. I never had the chance to prove that I was the strongest Avengers. I thought this was a chance."
"We are not the Avengers you know. Even without Banner's help, we can take you down," Natasha said while secretly communicating with the team members in his mind.
'Can you read his energy signature?' she asked.
'Can't.'
'My scanners show he's using some kind of protection.'
"Interesting," Thor said and raised his hand. Mjolnir did not fly into his hand, but materialized out of thin air. In addition, the weapon was not Mjolnir, but a black ax with red runes engraved on the side and handle.
"I am Thor·Odinson, Law of Thunder, the god of fear and killing. Face my wrath," he roared, jumped into the air more than ten meters high, and swung his ax to hit Natasha hard. His actions showed that he would never show mercy to his former teammates.