Ragnarok | Book 4

Chapter 69: One Moment

In the middle of a military set up in the woods was a small quantum machine. There was Bruce in an arm bracer, Steve in his full uniform, Bucky, Sam, Sigyn and Vali.

"Remember," said Bruce opening two seperate briefcases with reveal three Stones in each. "You have to return the stones to the exact moment we got them or you're gonna open up a bunch of nasty alternative reality's."

"Don't worry, Bruce." said Steve closing the briefcases. "Clip all the branches."

"You know I tried. When I had the gauntlet, the Stones, I really tried to bring her back. I miss her, man."

"Me too." Steve handed Sigyn one case and took the other for himself and together they approached the machine.

"Are you sure, mother?" asked Vali worriedly.

"Yes." she replied stepping onto the platform. "I won't be long."

Steve passed by the machine to approach Bucky and said, "Don't do anything stupid till I get back."

Bucky chuckled. "How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you." and they embraced each other tightly. "I'm gonna miss you buddy." whispered Bucky.

"It's gonna be okay, Buck." reassured Steve and stepped onto the platform beside Sigyn. They nodded to each other as the machine turned on and activated. They tapped the watch's on their wrists and the nano suit's enveloped them.

"How long's this gonna take?" asked Sam.

"For them, as long as it takes. For us, five seconds." replied Bruce flipping on switches at the control panel.

"Good luck." Steve said to Sigyn and she smiled knowingly as he picked up Mjolnir.

"Ready, Cap, Sig?" called Bruce and they nodded. "Alright, we'll meet you back here."

"You bet." their helmets encased their heads.

"Going Quantum in three, two, one." Steve and Sigyn disappeared before their eyes. "And returning in five, four, three, two, one." he flipped a switch only Sigyn returned on the platform.

"Where's Steve!" shouted Sam.

Sigyn swiftly returned The Aether back into Jane from where they stole it from her before moving on to return the soul stone on Vormir, the only stone that remained was Time.

Instead of returning the time stone to it's rightful place, Sigyn travelled back to the moment of the Asgardian refugee ship.

When she appeared from the quantum realm, she was surrounded by rubble and debris of the destroyed Asgardian ship that aimlessly floated in space, and amongst the debris the bodies of the Asgardian and somewhere amongst them, Loki.

In the far distance Sigyn could see Thanos' ship leaving, heading toward Earth. Painful memories she kept locked away in her mind flooded back, flashes of the explosions came across her mind.

She took in a breath and released, fogging up the glass of her helmet. Sigyn who now floated amongst the rubble reached for the briefcase and clicked it open and the time stone floated outwards.

She grasped the green stone in her palm and green symbols lit up around her arm. By The Norns she hoped this would work. Sigyn held out her hand to the ship and activated the stone, the symbols around her arm began to twist and form as she turned her arm. The rubble and bodies began to reverse and little by little the ship formed itself back to together and the explosion caused by Thanos reversed back into the ship until the horrible purple fire was gone and the lights inside the ship flickered on and the ship turned itself back on to continue it's course for Earth.

A breath escaped Sigyn and she cried out. It had worked. All those who escaped with Korg and Brunnhilde are alive, and those who died by Thanos also are alive... including Loki and Heimdall.

Sigyn quickly returned the stone inside the briefcase and clicked it shut. She tapped the watch on her wrist and she shrunk back into the quantum realm, travelling through time and space.

She once again reappeared on Earth at a much later time on a rooftop while the battle of New York ragged over her head.

"Oh, good. You're back." spoke a low voice.

Sigyn turned to see a woman with a shaven head and yellow robes. Her helmet disappeared into her suit and her white curls came forward. "Who are you?"

"The Ancient One. Or the Sorcerer Supreme." said the woman standing with her hands behind her back. "And I know you. Sigyn daughter of Freya, Goddess of Fidelity, Princess of Asgard, Queen of Vanaheim and wife of Loki. Yes, I know all about you."

"I'm looking for Stephen Strange."

"He's not a sorcerer as of yet, he's currently performing surgery. I am the one you need to speak with."

"The time stone belongs to you?"

"And soon Stephen Strange."

Sigyn eyed the woman for a moment before clicking open the briefcase and removing the time stone.

"I know what you did." said the Sorcerer Supreme.

Sigyn glanced upwards, "What do you mean, 'what I've done'?"

"You speak with The Norns. They tell you a few things. Needless to say, he's waiting."

"Wh..."

"The stone." demanded the Sorcerer Supreme holding out her hand. Sigyn placed the stone into her hand and she placed it back inside the necklace that resembled an eye and using hand signs, she closed the necklace and sealed the stone.

"You best be returning now."

Sigyn's helmet enclosed around her head and she tapped her watch and the Sorcerer Supreme watched as she shrunk down and disappeared.