Time Thief

Seeing how badly things had gone, the man braced one hand against the wall and pressed the alarm at his waist with the other.

He activated the Faster-than-Light Particle Pulse, allowing him to contact an administrator of the Time Variance Authority directly.

The instant he pressed it, a golden time portal opened beside him.

"9527? What's going on?"

A man wearing a Purple Metal Helmet and a purple cape stepped out of the time portal. He immediately saw the staff running around amid the alarms, along with Timekeeper 9527, who had contacted him.

"Something's gone wrong with Universe 9527, which I oversee. I'd only just been awakened when I was told a new universe had already branched off. This happened too fast. It's unprecedented!"

"What?"

Shocked, the man who had emerged from the time portal grabbed the other man's shoulder. A second later, the two teleported in front of a Time Computer.

"Mr. Paradox, I don't think this is something I can handle anymore."

Looking at the two timelines advancing side by side on the screen, Timekeeper 9527 gave a helpless, bitter smile.

The kind of smile that never reached his eyes.

Mr. Paradox ignored the timekeeper's complaints and rapidly worked the screen before him. Before long, he had identified the source of this major anomaly.

Subject identified: Arno Stark.

Universe 9527, recorded anomaly point.

Subject history-Howard Stark's eldest son. He should never have been born, but came into existence due to an anomalous temporal disturbance. Born with a genetic disorder, he cannot breathe independently.

When he was ten years old, Howard devoted all his efforts to building the Iron Lung System, sustaining Arno Stark's life.

This action interfered with Tony Stark's normal birth in Universe 9527's original timeline. Therefore, the anomalous subject should be apprehended in the year he received the Iron Lung System at age ten and brought to the Time Variance Authority for destruction.

Erase Howard Stark's memories and those of all related personnel.

...Anomaly detected. Arno Stark has received the Iron Lung System at ten months old.

Anomaly detected. Arno Stark has begun growing up healthy and holds the Maria Foundation under his name. The timeline has deviated toward Universe 18888. Both universes' temporal developments are converging, with an imminent risk of collision.

Anomaly detected. Arno Stark now possesses supreme authorization. This authorization has caused a new universe to branch off, creating Universe 9527-1, which possesses supreme authorization, and Universe 9527-2, which does not.

Universe 9527-2 is at risk of colliding with Universe 18888. Erase it as soon as possible.

Mr. Paradox and Timekeeper 9527 both froze.

Supreme authorization? Who gave him that?

Only a handful of people in the Time Variance Authority possessed supreme authorization, and all had undergone rigorous training. They knew it could not be granted casually, or it would create enormous temporal paradoxes and risks.

Mr. Paradox wiped away his cold sweat, tossed his helmet aside, and gritted his teeth as he began checking the authorization records of everyone who possessed supreme authorization.

There were no records of anyone granting it.

All supreme authorization remained firmly in the hands of those powerful figures.

But there was one other person whose authorization was not included in the records.

The true boss behind the Time Variance Authority.

Kang the Conqueror.

"That's impossible! Why would the Conqueror ever grant supreme authorization so casually?"

Timekeeper 9527 muttered to himself, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

"Contact the Conqueror, now!"

Mr. Paradox gritted his teeth, his fists clenched tight.

"But Lord Kang is currently fighting his other selves from other multiverses..."

"I fucking told you to contact him now!!!"

Trembling, Timekeeper 9527 took out his communicator. His hands shook so badly as he adjusted the frequency that he nearly flung the device away.

Exasperated by his incompetence, Mr. Paradox snatched the communicator from him and pressed it against his forehead.

A moment later, Kang the Conqueror's voice rang out in their minds.

"Supreme authorization? I haven't given it to anyone... Let me check the future... No. No future version of me has granted anyone supreme authorization in the past."

Kang sounded somewhat annoyed.

"Don't bother me. I'm busy here. And what's wrong with this universe, anyway? Was I this arrogant when I was young?"

Then Kang the Conqueror casually blocked the signal.

Mr. Paradox caught his breath. Timekeeper 9527 also braced a hand against the wall, breathing in great, heaving gasps.

"What do we do now?"

The timekeeper tapped the watch on his left wrist, and a light screen appeared. "Universe 9527-2's development is gradually converging with Universe 18888's. The two universes could collide at any moment."

"But if no one in our Zero-Time Zone Dimension granted that supreme authorization, the implications are just as serious..."

The two exchanged a look. "A Time Thief."

"A Time Thief capable of stealing supreme authorization, at that."

Time Thieves were beings that every staff member in the Zero-Time Zone Dimension deeply despised.

They often came from different universes or different timelines.

Through some exceptional talent-perhaps technology, perhaps magic-they had gained access to the realm of time.

For instance, one universe's Iron Man, Tony Stark, had developed a Time Machine in his later years to fight his universe's Thanos and retrieve the destroyed Infinity Stones.

Or there was the Doctor Strange from another universe who had turned evil, repeatedly using the Time Stone to travel into the past in an attempt to save his girlfriend.

Both men were on the Time Variance Authority's watch list as potential threats to time.

Fortunately, one exercised great restraint in how often he used it, while the other created a paradox within his own universe and caused its annihilation.

But there were also beings from other universes who, after gaining access to time, used their power to wreak havoc on its stability.

Usually, the Time Variance Authority detected and monitored such individuals shortly after they appeared, then dispatched a team to capture and eliminate them.

Some, however, were exceptionally vigilant by nature. They often detected the Time Variance Authority first, then went into hiding and waged guerrilla warfare against its Special Operations Team.

Some even found their way into the Zero-Time Zone Dimension and stole a portion of its authorization.

Interestingly enough, their own boss, Kang the Conqueror, had originally been a Time Thief from the thirtieth century of some universe.

But when Kang the Conqueror first began roaming freely through time, the Time Variance Authority had not yet existed.

At some later point, Kang the Conqueror suddenly realized that disrupting timelines could have extremely serious consequences.

So he found a way to establish the Time Variance Authority in the Zero-Time Zone Dimension.

Mr. Paradox regained his composure, but his face was so dark and his jaw so tightly clenched that he nearly cracked his back teeth.

"Go. Take a team and erase Universe 9527-2. I'll look into Arno Stark's possible futures in Universe 9527-1. Maybe the kid invents some other absurd piece of technology himself in that universe's future."

"The Starks are a headache in so many universes."

Mr. Paradox waved a hand, opened a portal of light, and hurried through it, vanishing from the timekeeper's side.

The timekeeper took a deep breath and tapped the light screen several times. A Special Operations Suit automatically fitted itself over his body.

Then he began contacting his team members.

But suddenly, a possibility occurred to him, and he instinctively moved to call Mr. Paradox.

After hesitating for two seconds, however, he broke into a brisk run and disappeared down the end of the corridor.

What if it wasn't a Time Thief?

What if it was a god?

A god more powerful than even Kang the Conqueror, who could wage war across the Multiverse.

One who had stolen Kang's authorization upon meeting him.

Timekeeper 9527 shook his head violently, driving the thought out of his mind.

After all, if such a being truly existed, no amount of thinking would help. They could only leave their fate to the heavens.

Of course Mr. Paradox had considered that possibility too. He simply neither dared nor wanted to mention it.