Loki stood completely still. He looked at his empty hands. Then, he looked at Stevan, who was holding his glowing golden staff.
Loki's face turned bright red. He was the God of Mischief. He was a prince of Asgard. He was supposed to be the one tricking people. Nobody just took his weapon from him!
"You dare?" Loki hissed. His voice was no longer smooth. It sounded like an angry snake. "You dare touch my scepter, mortal?"
Loki threw his hands out. Two long, sharp daggers appeared in his hands out of nowhere. They flashed with green magic. With a loud yell, Loki jumped forward, ready to stab Stevan in the chest.
Stevan did not even flinch. He did not need to.
Before Loki could get close, Thor stepped in the way. Thor swung his giant silver hammer, Mjolnir. It hit Loki right in the chest.
CLANG!
The sound of metal hitting metal rang across the roof. Loki flew backward, crashing hard into the glass windows of the penthouse. The glass shattered into a million pieces.
"Enough, brother!" Thor shouted. Lightning crackled around his eyes. "You have lost! Stop this madness before more innocent people die!"
Loki groaned and slowly stood up from the broken glass. He wiped a drop of blood from his lip. He looked at Thor, his eyes full of hate. Then he looked out at the city. The giant blue portal was still open in the sky. More and more Chitauri aliens were still pouring out.
"I have not lost," Loki laughed a dark, mean laugh. "My army is endless. You cannot stop them all."
Thor roared in anger and charged at Loki. The two gods crashed together, fighting with fists, daggers, and a magic hammer. They rolled around the roof, smashing into the walls and the floor.
Tony Stark, in his Iron Man suit, landed next to Stevan. He watched Thor and Loki fight for a second.
"Family drama," Tony said, shaking his metal head. "Always the worst. So, Goldie, you have the magic stick. Can you turn off the giant space laser or what?"
"I can," Stevan said.
He held the scepter in his hand. The blue blade at the top was glowing brightly. Suddenly, Stevan felt a strange feeling in his head. It was cold and slimy. He heard whispers in his mind. The whispers tried to tell him that he was powerful, that he should rule the world, that he should use the magic to become a king.
It was the Mind Stone inside the scepter. It was trying to take over his brain.
"Do not listen," Nabu's voice boomed inside Stevan's mind. The voice was so loud and strong it completely washed away the cold whispers. "The stone is an object of great power, but it is chaotic. It preys on weak minds. Your mind is protected by the Helmet of Fate. I am the Lord of Order. A mere stone cannot break us."
Stevan felt a warm golden light wrap around his brain. The dark whispers stopped instantly. The scepter was now just a tool in his hand. It could not hurt him.
"Let's shut the machine down" Stevan told Iron Man.
Stevan turned and walked toward the machine in the center of the roof.
_________________
The machine was a complex ring of metal and wires. In the middle of it, the Tesseract, a glowing blue cube, was spinning fast. It was shooting the giant blue beam straight up into the sky. Around the machine was a thick, clear bubble of blue energy. It was a shield protecting the cube.
On the floor next to the machine lay an older man with gray hair. He was wearing a simple shirt and pants. He was bleeding a little from his head. It was Dr. Erik Selvig. Loki had used the scepter to control his mind earlier, but when Iron Man blasted the roof, the shock had knocked the scientist out and broken the spell.
Dr. Selvig groaned and opened his eyes. He looked up and saw Stevan in his bright blue and gold suit.
"Who... who are you?" Dr. Selvig asked, holding his head.
"I am Doctor Fate. I am here to stop this," Stevan answered in his deep, double voice.
Dr. Selvig looked at the machine. His eyes went wide as he remembered what he had built.
"The Tesseract!" Selvig said in a panic. He tried to stand up but fell back down. "Loki's scepter... the energy... it can't be stopped by anything on Earth! It will protect itself!"
"I have the scepter," Stevan said, holding it up so the scientist could see.
Dr. Selvig gasped. "Yes! That's it! When I built the machine, my mind was fighting Loki's control. I built a fail-safe. A way to stop it. The Tesseract's energy cannot fight itself. You have to use the scepter to pierce the energy shield. The scepter can close the portal!"
"I know," Stevan said. He remembered this part from the movie perfectly. But it felt very different doing it in real life. The energy coming off the machine was so hot it felt like standing next to the sun. The sound was a loud, endless screaming noise.
Stevan stepped right up to the energy shield.
"Be careful," Nabu warned. "The energy of the Space Stone is wild. You must use my magic to protect your body, or the shield will burn you to ash."
Stevan nodded. He focused on the Amulet of Anubis on his chest. Golden light spread down his arms and covered his hands and the scepter.
He lifted the scepter and slowly pushed the glowing blue blade toward the clear blue energy shield.
BZZZZZTTT!
When the scepter touched the shield, sparks flew everywhere. The machine screamed louder. The shield pushed back against Stevan's hand. It felt like trying to push a car with his bare hands. The power of the Infinity Stone was incredible.
But Stevan was not a normal man anymore. He had the power of a god.
He pushed harder. The golden magic from his gloves fought against the blue magic of the shield. Slowly, inch by inch, the blade of the scepter pushed through the energy bubble. It was working.
"I am through the shield!" Stevan shouted over.
_______________
"Wait! Stop!"
Tony Stark's voice came over the radio speakers in Iron Man's suit. He sounded panicked. Tony was hovering a few feet away, listening to a message in his ear.
Stevan held the scepter perfectly still. The blade was only one inch away from the Tesseract. "What is it, Stark?"
"I just got a call from Nick Fury, the boss of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Tony said quickly. "The World Security Council... they are a bunch of idiots. They decided they can't win this fight with us. So they launched a nuclear missile at Manhattan. It's going to wipe out the whole city. Millions of people will die."
Stevan's heart froze. He remembered this, too. The nuke.
"How long until it hits?" Captain America's voice came through Tony's radio. He was down on the street, fighting hard. He sounded out of breath.
"Three minutes max," Tony answered.
"Fate, can you use your magic to stop a nuclear bomb?" Tony asked, looking at Stevan.
Stevan thought quickly. "We could build a shield over the city," Nabu suggested. "Or we could teleport the weapon away."
Stevan knew he could probably do it. But he also knew Tony's story. Tony Stark needed to take the missile through the portal. It was the moment that changed Tony from a selfish billionaire into a true hero who was willing to sacrifice himself for the world. If Stevan took that away from him, it might change the future too much. The universe needed Iron Man to be ready for Thanos.
"No," Stevan said. "My magic is holding this portal ready to close. If I leave now, the machine might explode. Stark, you have to intercept the missile."
Tony did not hesitate. "Right. I know exactly where to put it."
Iron Man turned around. The rocket boots on his feet fired at maximum power. He shot off into the distance, flying as fast as his suit could go toward the incoming missile.
"Stark, you know that's a one-way trip," Captain America warned over the radio.
"Save the rest for the return, JARVIS," Tony said softly.
Stevan stood frozen, holding the scepter inside the energy shield. The power was pushing against him hard. His golden arms started to shake.
"What is the metal man doing?" Thor asked. He had just hit Loki on the head with his hammer, knocking the God of Mischief out cold. Thor walked over to Stevan. "Why are we not closing the door?"
"He is bringing the bomb here," Stevan explained. "He is going to take it through the portal and blow up the alien army from the inside."
Thor looked at the giant blue hole in the sky. He looked worried. "If he goes into the void of space, he will not survive. He is only a mortal man."
"He is a hero," Stevan said. "We have to trust him."
_________________
Stevan watched the sky. With his magical vision, he could see things from very far away. He saw Iron Man fly out over the river. He saw the deadly nuclear missile flying fast toward the city.
He saw Tony grab the missile from the bottom. The rocket boosters on Tony's suit burned bright white as he struggled to carry the heavy bomb. He turned it around, aiming it straight up toward the sky. Toward Stark Tower. Toward the portal.
"He has it," Stevan said to Thor.
Tony flew closer and closer. He was flying straight up the side of the tower.
"Sir, you are running out of power," Stevan could hear JARVIS say through the radio.
Tony didn't answer. He just pushed harder.
Iron Man flew right past the penthouse roof. Stevan looked up. He watched the red and gold suit carry the massive missile right into the giant blue hole in the sky. Tony passed through the portal and disappeared into the dark, starry void of space.
Stevan used his magic to see through the portal. On the other side, in deep space, there was a giant alien mothership. It was huge, like a flying city. It was the ship controlling all the Chitauri aliens.
Tony let go of the missile. He was out of power. His suit went dark. He started to fall backward toward the portal.
The nuclear missile kept flying. It hit the side of the giant alien mothership.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Even in space, where there was no air to carry sound, Stevan could feel the magical shockwave of the explosion. The giant mothership was completely destroyed in a massive ball of blinding yellow and orange fire.
Down on the streets of New York, something amazing happened.
The moment the mothership exploded, all the Chitauri aliens suddenly stopped moving. The giant Leviathans fell out of the sky and crashed into the ground. The soldiers on the flying sleds dropped their guns and fell over. They were all connected to the mothership by a hive mind. When the ship died, they all died instantly.
The invasion was over.
"He did it," Captain America's voice said over the radio. "They're all dropping."
But the danger was not over yet.
"The portal, Stevan," Nabu commanded. "The explosion in space is massive. The fire will travel through the portal and burn this city. You must close the door now!"
Stevan looked up. Through the blue hole, he could see the giant fireball rushing toward Earth. But he also saw a tiny speck falling. It was Tony Stark. His suit was dead. He was falling back toward the portal, but he was moving too slow.
"Close it, Fate!" Captain America yelled over the radio.
"Not yet!" Stevan yelled back. "Stark is falling!"
"Do it!" Captain America ordered. It broke his heart to say it, but he had to protect the city.
Stevan's golden gloves gripped the scepter tightly. His heart hammered against his ribs. He knew what happened in the movie. Tony fell through just in time. But what if the movie was wrong? What if time was different now because Stevan was here?
"Order demands the survival of the many over the one," Nabu said coldly. "Shut it down."
"No!" Stevan argued with the god in his head. "We are heroes. We save everyone. I am not letting him die."
Stevan waited. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. The fireball was getting closer. It was going to reach the portal.
"Come on, Stark," Stevan whispered.
Suddenly, the tiny red and gold dot fell through the blue hole. Tony had crossed back into Earth's sky.
"Now!" Stevan shouted.
He pushed the blade of the scepter hard against the Tesseract. The magic sparked one last time.
The machine suddenly powered down. The loud screaming noise stopped. The blue energy shield disappeared.
High above the city, the giant blue beam of light vanished. The swirling portal in the sky quickly shrunk, getting smaller and smaller until it disappeared completely with a soft pop.
The sky over New York was just a normal blue sky again.
______________
Tony Stark was falling. He was falling fast. His suit was completely out of power, so his thrusters did not work. He was dropping like a stone from miles up in the air.
"He is not slowing down," Thor said, spinning his hammer, getting ready to fly up and catch him.
"I have him," Stevan said calmly.
Stevan dropped the scepter on the roof. He held out his golden hands toward the falling Iron Man.
Stevan did not want to just stop Tony in mid-air. If a body falling that fast stopped suddenly, the bones inside would shatter. He had to slow him down gently.
"Hands of Amun," Stevan whispered.
He gathered his magic. A bright, glowing golden light shot out from Stevan's hands. The light flew up into the sky and formed into a giant, soft net made of pure magical energy. It looked like a glowing trampoline.
Tony hit the magic net. It stretched deeply, catching his weight perfectly. The net acted like a giant cushion, slowly bringing Tony down to a gentle stop.
Stevan moved his hands, and the golden net floated down to the roof of Stark Tower. The net softly placed Tony on the floor next to Stevan and Thor. Then, the magic faded away into nothing.
A second later, a loud, heavy THUMP shook the roof.
The Hulk had jumped all the way up the side of the building. The giant green monster landed on the patio, crushing the stone beneath his huge feet. He looked around, ready to smash something.
He saw Tony lying on the ground, not moving. Hulk walked over to him. He looked sad.
Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye arrived a minute later. They had taken the elevator and the stairs. They ran out onto the roof, looking tired, dirty, and covered in scratches.
They all stood in a circle around Tony Stark. No one said a word. The silence was heavy.
Tony was not breathing. The metal suit was completely silent. The glowing light on his chest was dark.
Stevan knew what to do. In the movie, Hulk roared to wake him up. But Stevan was a master of magic. He didn't need to yell.
Stevan knelt down next to Tony. He placed his golden glowing hand right over the metal chest plate of the Iron Man suit.
"Wake up, hero," Stevan said softly.
He pushed a small amount of warm, healing magic into Tony's body. It was just enough to restart his heart and push the oxygen back into his lungs.
Tony's eyes shot open. He gasped loudly, taking in a massive breath of air.
"What the hell? What happened?" Tony asked, panicking slightly. "Please tell me nobody kissed me."
Captain America let out a long breath of relief. He smiled. "We won."
Tony lay his head back on the concrete. He looked up at the sky. "Alright. Yay. Good job, guys. Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's take a day. Have you ever tried shawarma? There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I want to try it."
Thor looked confused. "We are not finished yet."
Thor turned around and pointed his hammer at the penthouse doors.
_________________
Inside the ruined penthouse, Loki was slowly starting to wake up again. He groaned, rubbing his head where Thor had hit him. He crawled over the broken glass and slowly pulled himself up using the stairs.
He looked terrible. His fancy armor was dented, his cape was torn, and his face was bruised.
Loki looked up.
Standing in front of him were the Avengers.
Captain America stood tall, his shield ready.
Iron Man stood next to him, his faceplate open, his repulsors glowing faintly.
Thor gripped his hammer, lightning sparking in his eyes.
Black Widow held two pistols, pointing them right at Loki's head.
Hawkeye had his bow drawn, an explosive arrow aimed perfectly at Loki's eye.
The Hulk stood in the back, towering over everyone, grunting angrily, his giant green fists clenched.
And standing right in the middle, looking like a god of gold and blue, was Stevan. The Cloak of Destiny floated behind him. The Helmet of Fate shined brightly. He looked powerful, mysterious, and totally in control.
Loki looked at the group of heroes. He realized he was completely beaten. There was no escaping this.
Loki let out a long, tired sigh.
"If it's all the same to you," Loki said weakly, holding his hands up in surrender. "I'll have that drink now."
Hulk snorted.
The battle was finally over. The world was safe.
Captain America looked over at Stevan. "You did good today, Fate. We couldn't have closed the portal without you."
"Yeah, Goldie," Tony added. "Thanks for the magic net. Much better than landing on concrete. So, what's your deal? You a wizard? An alien? A very shiny cosplayer?"
Stevan looked at the heroes he had admired his whole life. They were real. They were looking at him, waiting for his answer. He was no longer just Stevan the bookstore clerk. He was a protector of the universe.
"I am an agent of Order," Stevan said, his double-voice sounding calm and strong. "I go where the balance of the universe is broken. And today, the balance was broken here."
"Well," Black Widow said, lowering her guns. "We are glad you showed up."
"Are you staying?" Thor asked respectfully. "Midgard... Earth, could use a protector with your power."
"Our duty is here now," Nabu whispered in Stevan's mind. "This world is full of chaotic threats. We will remain."
"Yes," Stevan nodded. He smiled behind the golden mask. "I am staying. Earth is my home now. If the darkness comes back, Doctor Fate will be waiting."
Stevan turned and looked out over the city of New York. Smoke was still rising from the buildings, and the streets were a mess. There was a lot of cleaning up to do. But the sun was starting to peek through the gray clouds.
It was a new day. A new life. And Stevan was ready for whatever came next.
"Now," Stevan turned back to Tony Stark. "I believe you mentioned something about shawarma?"