The old Loki looked at Mjolnir, which was being handed to him. He hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take it back.
"Forget it. I've tried countless times before, and the result is always the same."
"Is there something special about this hammer? Can I give it a try?" asked a tall, slender woman curiously.
"Don't bother," replied the elderly Loki. "This is Mjolnir. Only those deemed worthy can lift it."
"Mjolnir? Thor's hammer from Norse mythology?" The woman's eyes lit up as she eagerly turned to the young, powerful king standing nearby.
Jonny Blaze stood beside Mjolnir, resting on the ground. "Go ahead, show us what you've got."
The woman stretched her long legs, gripped the handle of Mjolnir with both hands, and pulled with all her might. But the hammer didn't budge.
She frowned, not quite believing it, and tried again. Despite her slender frame, she was strong—her strength rivaled that of men who had trained their entire lives. Yet no matter how hard she pulled, the hammer stayed firmly in place, as if fused to the earth itself.
She began to wonder if the king had tampered with it somehow. How could a simple hammer be this immovable?
The elderly Loki chuckled with amusement. He reached into his bag and handed several items to Jonny Blaze: stacks of cash, gold rings, a gemstone necklace, and an electronic collar.
"This collar seems to be from the Time Variance Authority. It's used to control time criminals. Not sure if it still works, though."
The elderly Loki hadn't found the controller that usually accompanied the collar. The TVA's time-control devices, if functional, could manipulate the collar, keeping criminals from escaping by instantly transporting them back to their previous location in time whenever they tried to flee.
"Almost every criminal caught by the TVA wears one of these to prevent escape," Loki explained.
Jonny Blaze pocketed the items and glanced over at the woman who had given up on moving the hammer. "What's her deal?"
Introducing herself, the woman spoke up. "Hello, Your Majesty. My name is Dottie Underwood."
Dottie Underwood—a name that was somewhat obscure, though Jonny had heard of her. She was a 'Black Widow' trained by the Red Room, a villain on par with Peggy Carter.
"And what did you do to get clipped?" Jonny asked.
Dottie shrugged. "I killed Peggy."
No wonder she was pruned.
The death of Peggy Carter would have disrupted the Sacred Timeline and impacted the role Steve Rogers was supposed to play in history.
As the original Black Widow, Dottie hadn't received any serum but was still incredibly skilled and strong, enough to become Peggy's lifelong nemesis and ultimately kill her.
She was the first person Jonny had encountered in the Void, aside from the various Lokis.
"You belong to me now. Any objections?" Jonny said.
Dottie knew exactly what kind of place the Void was, and if not for the elderly Loki, she would be dead. Survival was her only priority now.
Raised without a sense of self, focused solely on her missions, her past had been erased by the TVA's pruning. But the beliefs and habits ingrained in her from childhood remained. Without a purpose, she needed someone to guide her, someone to give her direction.
Serving Jonny Blaze was a natural decision.
"It would be an honor, Your Majesty," Dottie replied without hesitation.
In such a dangerous, unstable place, anyone strong enough to become its ruler, even if their power wasn't absolute, had proven themselves capable. Jonny Blaze had saved her and taken her under his wing. He was the perfect figure for her to devote herself to, someone she could follow.
Jonny wasn't surprised by her loyalty. The Red Room's methods created empty, hollow-hearted operatives. Black Widows were no exception—without orders, they lacked purpose. Without purpose, they felt like they didn't exist.
Natasha Romanoff had sought out S.H.I.E.L.D. after leaving the Red Room, working as a spy for Nick Fury in much the same way she had once worked for the Red Room. Eventually, she found a new sense of belonging with the Avengers, which gave her a renewed sense of self-worth.
Similarly, Yelena Belova, her "sister," had fallen under the influence of HYDRA's lies after Natasha sacrificed herself for the Soul Stone, blaming Hawkeye and seeking revenge.
In essence, all Black Widows carried deep psychological scars. They weren't leaders—they couldn't even lead themselves. But they were exceptional followers and executors. If they didn't have a master, they would seek one out. It was simply how they were trained to survive.
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**End of Chapter**