Competition/Challenge Block
Written for/Stacked with: Monthly Challenges for All (Year 4)
MC4A: Fireworks (Backwards Clock; Through the Clock; Outta This World); Garden (Lawn Sculptures [Book]); Ship War [Fa Big [Book])
Word Count: 1,443
Chapter 2
Loki looked around the shambled interior of the building the time door sent them to. Their unit was sent out to survey another attack on a reset team meant to prune the branch likely caused by the Variant they'd been hunting. The injuries on the dead were the same from the Renaissance Faire; large gashes and stabs that had both entrance and exit wounds, making it highly plausible it was the one.
Mobius was inspecting an area where a struggle took place based on the damaged and upturned pews scattered around. Loki found these assessment missions boring, no new information was gathered from them, and it put them at risk to be potentially ambushed as well.
Instead of prodding around looking for nothing, Loki decided to take in the building and it's architecture. The ceiling alone was breathtaking, with its concaved alcoves of a deep blue speckled with white dots to imitate the night sky outlined with dark wood beams framing around it to look like photographs. Chandeliers peeked out from their dome-shaped reflected homes in some areas of the ceiling, giving the otherwise dark, dreary high-ceiling and walls a wash of light throughout. It was all untouched and unharmed, unlike the smaller chandelier-like lights that decorated the walls along the ornate archways.
What really caught Loki's eye was the outer area on each side's ceiling had the same symbol that Mobius revealed to him in secrecy mere days ago; the Star of David.
He beelined it right back to Mobius who was crouched on the floor speaking with Hunter B-15 and Hunter D-90.
"Mobius," he said, purposefully interrupting him. "May I borrow you a moment?"
Hunter B-15 sent a half-glare his way, adjusting the holster for her baton on her belt as if silently warning him. Hunter D-90 was more verbal when Mobius gave Loki his full attention over him.
"Don't fuck around too long, Mobius. We are nearing redline," he snapped, gesturing to the TemPad in hand. "Would hate to leave you behind."
"Appreciate the gesture," Mobius casually replied, following Loki without another word.
"What?"
Loki turned so his back was to the units of minutemen and the Hunters before pointing up at the ceiling. "Nice view."
Mobius sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Loki, we don't have time for this. I need to finish surveying—"
"Just look," Loki said more firmly, jabbing his finger upward. "A familiar thing, is it not?"
The agent lightly shook his head, blinking a couple of times before humoring Loki to look toward the ceiling. He went very still seeing the star-shaped symbol adorning the ceiling of the balcony. His hand instinctively went to rest over his sternum where the necklace lay hidden under the crisp, not-quite-white shirt and dull brown striped tie.
"Beautiful just like the rest of this place," Loki continued, watching Mobius take in the art of not only the ceiling, but of the stained glass windows as well.
Mobius took a deep breath, dropping his hand to his side, he turned to head back to the others. "Let's go. D-90 would love to leave us behind after setting the charge."
Loki couldn't help but frown. He wanted to help Mobius find out why he had the necklace. Coming to the synagogue was a coincidence, but there might be something there that could hold answers, right? At the very least, teach Mobius a little more about what he wore around his neck all hours of the day and night with no knowledge of it aside from it being a simple trinket he was deeply attached to.
Snow flurries could be seen disrupting the full moon's light seeping through the glass windows, and as Loki followed Mobius back to the others, he noticed a candelabra with nine areas for candles to rest in sitting nearby the podium. Only one cerulean blue candle was lit, the base of the flame taking on the blue hue just so before burning its bright, yellow-white torch above it. Curious, Loki veered toward it, seeing that it was resting on a small bookshelf that had a few books nestled in it. He had to move quickly now, he could hear the team preparing a charge.
"Loki?" Mobius asked, approaching. "What are you doing?"
"Come help me," Loki half-whispered, gesturing for the agent to come closer. "Get these, will you?"
Loki already snuffed out the candle and conjured enough to take with, tucking it into the sling bag he nicked from the armory earlier before heading out to the field. He grabbed the candelabra and one of the three books and shimmied them into the small space. Then he remembered he had magic here (despite effortlessly duplicating the candle seconds prior) and was able to give the bag just enough room to hold everything without it appearing overstuffed. Who knows if it would hold once they crossed through the time door, though. Loki had a confident hunch it would remain, considering the TVA didn't strip the magic Odin placed on him to take on the appearance he has retained for over a thousand years now.
"We can't take anything that is not evidence, Loki," Mobius muttered, but didn't even try to stop him. "Why do you want this stuff?"
Loki rolled his eyes. "It does get a bit dull reading the same thing every day, does it not?"
Mobius shrugged, not having an answer.
"Besides, these might have something for you to learn more about what your necklace means. So, in a way, it is considered useful evidence."
"To something no one else even knows about," Mobius remarked.
"Are you done admiring the place?" Hunter D-90 asked, "Charge is set. We need to go. Now."
Mobius just waved him off. "We are right behind you."
As if to stick it to Hunter D-90, Mobius drew his TemPad and pulled up a time door beside him. He held out his hand, silently inviting Loki to head in first.
"Let's go, bandit."
Back at Mobius' very small studio apartment, Loki unloaded his haul straight onto the bed, very pleased to see that his theory about the extension spell retaining within the TVA holding true. Mobius groaned at the heap. It wasn't that much: three books, candles, and a candelabra, but the books were quite big and old. He was pretty sure he saw a puff of dust escape from them, even.
"Why is this so important?" Mobius questioned after a long beat of silence.
Loki was flipping through the pages, biting his lower lip as he concentrated on whatever he skim-read in the process. He only paused when Mobius spoke.
"It isn't important to you where that necklace came from?" he questioned, watching as the agent's hand went right for it, lightly brushing his fingers over its invisible outline.
"Well… not really, until now."
"Good."
Loki didn't want to admit it just yet, but he found the necklace quite intriguing. In a place where uniqueness was nonexistent, Mobius having such a specific religious symbol had to mean something, perhaps a weakness in the otherwise formidable establishment that is the TVA.
"But, I find it more interesting that this Variant has targeted another religious building in their assault right now," Mobius continued, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. "It is the third one in six recent incidents. Coincidence?"
Loki could feel Mobius' eyes on him, but he was still glued to the Hebrew written books in front of him to really pay attention to his handler's analysis.
"Loki?"
"I doubt it is a coincidence," he muttered, closing the book to finally meet Mobius's gaze. "I never do anything coincidentally, but I also do not tend to follow such a predictable pattern, either. They are getting sloppy, weary, or not noticing their mistakes. One that will eventually lead to them being caught."
"You really want to underestimate your own Variant like that?" Mobius questioned, hiding the chuckle behind a hand. "They keep getting away, so obviously not that sloppy."
It went quiet for a moment, but Loki slowly shook his head and broke eye contact. "I hope you can read Hebrew as all of these are written in it."
Exasperated, Mobius let his hands drop to his sides. "Alright. Fine, change the subject. I am tired."
Loki watched Mobius disappear into the bathroom to start his end-of-shift routine. He wondered if Mobius was scared to find out something he shouldn't, or maybe he already had an inkling of an idea and just wanted to keep it buried deep. He will leave it be for now, and focus on reading about what the candelabra—menorah, as it was actually called—was for.