What's wrong with Superman's son wanting to be Superman?

Page 423

"Time Administration? Where did you take Steve and Thor?" Gwen looked around warily, trying to find an exit and glean information from the mechanical voice.

However, no one answered her.

Suddenly, a panel on the wall slid open, and a man in a brown uniform and round-framed glasses walked in. He was holding a document, and his expression suggested he had already dealt with a thousand "troubles" like her.

"Name?" he asked without looking up.

“Gwen Stacy.” Gwen frowned. “Listen, I don’t know who you are, but you have no right—”

"Code name?" the man continued, completely ignoring her protests.

"What's the code name?"

“Your anomalous behavior code name on the timeline,” the man pushed up his glasses, “like ‘unauthorized time travel,’ ‘interference with major events,’ ‘contact with time criminals,’ and so on.”

Gwen's eyes widened: "I didn't do anything! You kidnapped me for no reason!"

The man sighed, wrote a few words on the document, then looked up at her with a "here we go again" expression: "Everyone who gets arrested says the same thing."

Gwen wanted to argue, but suddenly, a mechanism on the floor opened, and a metal ring clicked and locked her ankle.

"Hey! What is this?!" She tried to break free, but the metal ring wouldn't budge.

“Standard procedure.” The man turned and walked toward another door. “Follow me.”

Gwen was forced to follow, the metal rings dragging her forward as if they had a mind of their own. She passed through a long white corridor lined with transparent cells containing all sorts of people—some dressed in medieval clothing, others even in futuristic technology.

Everyone looked bewildered or angry, but no one could escape.

"What exactly do you want?" Gwen asked in a low voice.

"Correct the mistake," the man said without turning his head. "The sacred timeline cannot be violated."

Finally, they arrived at an empty room with a huge machine in the center, which looked like some kind of high-tech "interrogation device".

"Stand up there." The man pointed to the platform in front of the machine.

Gwen hesitated for a moment, but the metal ring had already automatically pushed her up. The next second, the machine started, and a beam of light swept over her entire body from above.

"Scan complete. Anomaly A-114, codename 'Spider Woman,' timeline deviation index: 7.3. Judgment: Reset required."

"Reset?!" Gwen looked up abruptly. "What do you mean?!"

The man didn't answer, but simply nodded to the soldier beside him. The soldier stepped forward, holding a strange device that resembled some kind of memory eraser.

"According to TVA regulations, you will undergo memory erasure and be sent back to the original timeline," the soldier said coldly.

Gwen's spider-sense went off like a madman, and she recoiled sharply: "No! You can't do this!"

"we can."

The soldier's response was also cold.

The agent touched his lips and interjected at the opportune moment.

"Don't worry, you'll at least be put on trial before that. I think we've always been democratic." He spoke as if his organization was truly democratic.

"..."

Gwen didn't know how to curse for a moment.

She was led to another corridor by the agent.

At the end of the corridor were many interrogation rooms, each with a "time criminal" sitting at a table, head down, with piles of various documents in front of him.

Gwen also has her own documents.

A huge pile.

They were all placed in front of her.

"This is... I need to sign a confession?" She looked at the people in the line ahead, each holding a pen and frantically swiping across the virtual screen.

“Yes,” the agent replied briefly. “Every word you’ve ever said in your life must be signed and confirmed—including what you just said.”

talking.

Gwen saw that the printer on her workstation, with her name on it, had printed out another sheet of paper, which clearly stated: "This is... a confession that you need to sign."

this moment.

Gwen felt as if a million Ian Kents were stampeding through her mind.

Gwen's fingertips trembled.

"This is absurd! You've been monitoring my entire life?"

She saw the contents of the document, enough to guide her through her entire life. As Gwen spoke, the printer printed another sheet of paper, which was handed to her by a staff member.

“Absurdity is subjective,” the agent said. “Time is objective. Please sign.”

He urged them on.

Gwen's gaze fell upon the stacks of documents.

"Mom, I want ice cream."

[Steve, no women's underwear allowed in headquarters, not even if the suppliers pay you to advertise it.]

[Get out of the way! Ian is coming!]

Gwen, do you really believe in justice?

I don't want to be a hero... but I have no other choice.

[Thor, is it normal for your dad to be a baby right now?]

……

Not only were her past statements listed, but even her inner monologues were also included. Gwen's expression changed; she gritted her teeth and signed, her hand almost cramping.

"How long will this take to sign in?!"

Because of a complaint.

This meant Gwen had to sign another sheet of paper.

"In theory, there is no end."

The agent remained unfazed. "But we'll use an algorithm to compress it. All you need to do is write 'I did say those words' in the initial form."

Upon hearing this, Gwen flew into a rage.

"Why didn't you say anything just now?"

Gwen looked at the signature she had already completed and was on the verge of a breakdown.

"You didn't even ask."

The agent looked like he was asking for a beating, but fortunately, Gwen's temper had been tempered by Ian, so there was no incident where she punched him on the spot.

Gwen gritted her teeth and signed her name at the top. Subsequent printed papers did not require her signature, and she was then led forward by the agent man.

"Now we are entering the trial queuing process."

The agent's words were exactly what Gwen had endured for so long.

She felt that since there was a trial, she could defend herself. She had little memory of this seemingly mysterious organization, but she remembered hearing Ian mention it.

Since Ian rarely tells the truth, Gwen doesn't remember the specifics. She just feels that since the organization has existed for so many years, there should be some standardized things.

Gwen firmly believes she has not committed a crime.

Soon, she was led to a line that seemed to stretch on forever. People stood silently, some dressed in medieval robes, others in futuristic mechs.

Some of them don't even have a physical form; they are just floating light and shadow.

Everyone was making a lot of noise.

Countless "time criminals" are going through the same process.

A knight in medieval armor shouts into the air, "I was really blown to 2023 by a tornado!" A man who looks like a futuristic warrior frantically argues that the end of the world must happen in 2187.

The most outrageous one was the Tyrannosaurus Rex in the next cell, clumsily pressing its fingerprints with its claws—its leg band read "Violation: Unauthorized extinction before it should have gone extinct."

See here.

Gwen, who still held some hope, felt that the organization didn't seem so legitimate.

She became increasingly uneasy and anxious.

Gwen stood anxiously in the long line, waiting for her trial. Around her were all sorts of time criminals: knights, time travelers glowing green, and even a cockroach in a suit, clumsily clutching a confession with its claws, muttering, "Humanity is already extinct, so why can't we rise up?"

"The law of nature, survival of the fittest, do you humans, with your brains and limbs underdeveloped, even understand that!" the cockroach protested loudly, but no one paid any attention to it.

"What a ridiculous thing!"

Gwen sighed and looked around listlessly. Suddenly, she saw several TVA staff pushing a transport vehicle that was piled high with the wreckage of abandoned spaceships.

It was the same ship they had been on before.

“Hey!” Gwen couldn’t help but speak up, noticing the direction the staff had headed. “I advise you not to put that thing in the evidence room.”

She knew Ian would emerge from there again. The staff completely ignored Gwen's well-intentioned reminder, continuing to sort through the spaceship debris without even looking up.

"Fine, whatever. I've already warned you. Don't blame me if you let the phantom thief into your house next time he pops out..." Gwen curled her lip. She felt that the staff had no idea what it meant to put a spaceship into a room full of treasures.

Since others didn't understand her kindness, she didn't want to continue extending it. Gwen's gaze shifted to the large screen on the wall, which was playing a promotional video for TVA.

Miss Time—a smiling cartoon character shaped like an alarm clock—is introducing the mission of the Time Management Bureau.

"Welcome to the Time Mutation Administration! Our mission is to maintain the stability of the [Anchor Point] and ensure that the sacred timeline is not disturbed by any external factors."

"Its existence requires absolute tranquility and absolute undisturbedness. Violators will be reset. Rest assured, this is not disappointment, but a welcome back to order."

Gwen had heard it from the male agent who brought her here.

Many people within the organization repeatedly emphasized this concept, suggesting it might be some form of PUA (Pick-Up Artist) or brainwashing technique. Of course, Gwen also seemed to be very concerned about the term "anchor point" from Miss Time's perspective.

What anchor point?

Gwen had only muttered to herself subconsciously, trying to think. Unexpectedly, Miss Time stopped broadcasting, turned to Gwen, and smiled as she answered.

"Yes, darling! The [anchor point] is the most important fixed point on the timeline, and any action that directly touches it will be considered a violation."

Gwen froze: "Wait, can you hear me?"

Miss Time blinked: "Of course! TVA's intelligent system can respond to the time offender's questions in real time to improve trial efficiency!"