Detective Loki, Sylvie, and Fiamma made their way to the White House, explaining to the security that they were the detectives hired for the missing persons case by Vice President Verity Willis. Since she almost recognized Loki's voice over the phone, he decided to wear his detective's disguise once more, in case the reputation of this time's Loki preceded them both still. One of the security guards verified their identities and purpose for visiting with the Vice President over the intercom; she confirmed this, and they were allowed in.

"Hello, you must be Miss Willis?" Loki greeted her as his team was escorted inside. "I am Mr. Ouroboros, this is my partner, Ms. Lushton, and this is our new associate, Miss Wildfire."

Vice President Willis raised an eyebrow as she looked up from her desk. "What are you doing impersonating a detective, Loki? You know you can't fool me."

"I beg your pardon, Miss Willis, but I am a detective!"

"What? You're telling the truth… so why did you make me go through the trouble of calling you when you were here the entire time!?"

"I don't follow…"

"Were you trying to protect your reputation as president or something?"

"As president?" Detective Loki's eyes lit up in realization. "Oh no, not him. I'm no president; you've obviously gotten me confused with another Loki!"

Vice President Willis squinted at him. "I wouldn't have guessed Loki was such a common name."

"Not in this universe, it isn't, but I'm not from this universe, and I presume the Loki you work with isn't either. There are infinite doppelgängers, termed 'variants,' of not only us, but of most everyone in your universe across the others! I know it's quite confusing and sounds completely absurd, but it's all true!"

"…Yeah. What's absurd is, I know you're telling me the truth! So what's the deal with those Mr. This and Ms. That aliases? I could tell right away that they were fake names!"

"Mr. Ouroboros is my professional name, our detective aliases, but… how did you recognize me as Loki?"

"Here comes the part where I tell you something absurd but true: I have the ability to see through any lie, no matter how small or well-intentioned, whether it's told or shown, including that living mask you're wearing."

Loki raised his eyebrows in astonishment, and he signaled for Healer to return inside his body, leaving his face visible to them all. "Is that right?" An idea popped into his head. "Could you close your eyes for a second?"

"You want to test me, don't you?"

"There truly is no fooling you. Yes, that is my intent. Please?"

Verity Willis sighed and closed her eyes, and when Loki told her she could open them, she noticed he was gone. Verity looked around and saw him standing to the left of her. "So, what's the test?" She asked, turning to face him.

Loki looked around the room, impressed that she instantly found the real him among his conjured duplicates. "How many of me do you see?"

"Uh, just the one I'm looking at."

"Hmmm. So you can't see my illusions at all… that's extraordinary! So, you truly can see through any deception?"

"Everything. Even as a kid, I never believed in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, or the Easter Bunny. I couldn't enjoy watching cartoons or most TV shows like the other kids, because I knew it was all fiction. The same goes for fictional books, music, anything that tells a made-up story just… frustrated me!" She sighed. "So I turned to things I know are fact, like mathematics, physics, programming, truths I know won't hurt or betray me, but the older I got, the more I realized that everyone is a liar, regardless of how good they seem on the outside. No one has ever been able to successfully lie to me, which is why the US government thought it'd be a good idea to pair me up with Asgard's most famous liar. Honestly, I'd rather just work from home where I could be away from all the liars and rotten people in the world, and there are so many, it makes me sick just thinking about going out in public… but the government forced me into being his vice president, so it's not like I had a choice in the matter."

"That power sounds like it comes as quite the burden." Detective Loki sympathized. "Finding out those closest to you have been lying to you your whole life can be… unnerving. It can make you bitter and cynical, afraid to trust anyone, speaking as someone who's been on both sides of the fib. Yet I became a detective to solve mysteries others can't and find the truths that criminals keep hidden. And I want you to know there are people who will never lie to you… not likely me, as I often employ deception to catch perpetrators, but they do exist, if you never cease to search for them."

"Loki… that's sweet. And you really mean it too. Thank you."

"Be truthful, was that too sappy? In retrospect-"

"It was just the right amount of sappy."

"Ah."

"Hey, would you two saps get to the mission already?" Sylvie irritably asked. "There are missing people to find!"

"Right. So there's been a disappearance of different women from across the world: a few from Paris, France, Italy, England, Africa, Japan, several from Hawaii and Fiji, and one recently from California. None of them seem to have anything in common from their files, other than the same gender, and none of their family or friends seem to know anything that happened!"

"Well, that sounds like quite the stumper!" Sylvie commented.

"It is! That's why it's gotten so much attention in the news, because it's so mysterious!"

As they were talking, President Loki walked into the room with a phone in his hand. "Okay, so now the canned pineapple businesses are angry with me banning their products from pizzas, but I told them very diplomatically and tactfully they can take their pineapple chunks and-" He noticed his male and female variant speaking with his second-in-command and halted. "Well well well, if it isn't the Loki with no horns!"

"Come on, what did you expect?" Detective Loki facetiously replied.

"Uh, Loki, you know… yourself?" Miss Willis wondered.

"Oh, I know many of myself, but this one… why have you come here, to lead me into another glorious battle?" President Loki mocked. "Trying to bring the old LVA back together? Because I'm afraid I'm booked, oH FEarleSs LeAder!"

"LVA?" Verity repeated.

"Loki Variants Alliance, it's what we called the team of me's who took down the Kang army together. I have a throne of my own now, so I'll have to respectfully decline."

"It is neither a battle nor a throne. We're here to solve your case: we are legitimate detectives."

"You're lying."

"No, he's telling the truth." Verity told him.

"Really? And why did you hire another me when there's a better me standing right here?"

"I didn't know he was you when I called, and you're the one who picked these guys out in the first place! You don't care about this case anyway, you just want to rule!"

"So, where's your therapy mortal? Is he having you do ink blot tests yet?" President Loki dryly asked.

"He's sick." Detective Loki answered.

"Ah, well, he can't help that. He's only human, as they say, after all."

"Didn't you say your pregnant partner had morning sickness too?" Verity remembered, noticing Sylvie was the woman mentioned. "Are you feeling better?"

"Loads." Sylvie responded. "I just needed a bit of sleep."

"You're lying."

Sylvie narrowed her eyes.

"Sylvie, you lied to me?!" Detective Loki exclaimed.

"You of all people shouldn't be shocked!" Sylvie countered. "Didn't you just say that deception is often needed for the mission?"

"I meant deceiving the enemy, not your fiancé!"

"Well, I didn't want you babying me like you did with Mobius! In case you don't remember, I have survived armed soldiers from the future hunting me down across time and countless apocalypses before I even started puberty, so if you think nausea and vomiting are going to keep me in bed all day, you're mistaken!"

Detective Loki crossed his arms and shook his head. "Fine, you want to throw up all over the culprit when we arrest them, be my guest, but you needn't prove how- how tough you are to me, I already know full well!"

"Uhm, excuse me, but could you two save the lover's quarrel for when you're alone? President Loki requested. "You're making my poor mortal Vice President uncomfortable."

"That is true." Verity sheepishly admitted.

"Oh yes, our apologies. You were saying about the missing women…?"

"I think it is sweet that Lokiii cares for you so." Healer told them. "And it is said that the more two people fight, the more they care for each otherrr."

"Who asked you!?" Sylvie retorted.

"I don't neeeed your permission to speak, mewling quim!"

"HEY!" Detective Loki angrily shouted. "You do not call Sylvie that ever!"

"That is nicer than what I wanted to call herrr."

"And yet that term suits you better, Sym-biotch!" Sylvie returned.

"OhhH no you did NOT!"

"Uhhh, now his mask is being an annoying third wheel?" Verity asked President Loki.

"Don't ask me; that Loki is... different. Speaking of freaks, what is that- that monstrosity!?"

"An alien bonded to his DNA that powers him up in exchange for feeding off him." Fiamma summarized. "And eating the occasional brain."

"I beg your pardon?!"

"Pardon granted. By the way, I have a question for you: are you two sexually interested in each other at all?"

"What? Don't be absurd, no!"

"No, ew, not even a little bit!" Verity denied at the same time.

"Are you both telling the truth?"

"He is, and so am I!" Verity truthfully and unflinchingly answered.

"Excellent. Then perhaps you would be interested in the union of fire and frost?"

President Loki raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to flirt with me?"

"I was being considerate by making sure you weren't already spoken for. So, what do you say?"

"Hmmm… it is an interesting prospect. I'll think about it." They turned back to the arguing trio.

"Sylvie, please don't stoop to his level." Detective Loki tried to calm her. "You said the mission is most important, the reason you came here, so let us focus on that!"

"...Yeah, I know."

"And Healer, you're no match for her in combat or wit, so kindly stop insulting my fiancée before she sets us both on fire?!"

"When you put it that wayyy…" Healer ducked back inside Loki's chest.

"Sorry about that. Now back to the case… if you could give us a few of the missing ladies' addresses, we could start by searching their homes for clues."

"Alright." Verity Willis gave the detectives the addresses she looked up while the president eyed his variant suspiciously.

"So, this detective work you're doing… is this some sort of reparation your therapist guilted you into, or are you up to some sort of scheme, playing the long game?"

"Neither." Detective Loki smiled. "It's my glorious purpose."

"You can't be serious."

"On the contrary, I'm one of the few Lokis who can. Well, my secondary glorious purpose, to be honest."

"And your primary?"

Detective Loki conspicuously looked at Sylvie and smiled, and she finally smiled in return while President Loki rolled his eyes.

"What about you, though, President Me, what's your story? Your original timeline was erased after you were arrested by the TVA, like the other Lokis, so how did you become president in this one? And what of the Loki of this universe?"

"I thought you'd never ask. When I escaped, I wanted to be sure that the threat of Thanos was long gone, and I discovered that not only was he was destroyed over a century ago here, but those pesky Avengers are dead and gone as well, and it would seem that this timeline's variant isn't around anymore either, which was quite fortuitous for me! I merely showed the officials my qualifications that carried over from my universe, and I was back in the running! Unfortunately, it would also seem that my reputation as a trickster here lingers still, and they only allowed me to run for president again on one condition: that I take Verity Willis as my vice president, so the American people will know right away if I'm lying to them… clever move, I'll admit. Simply put, they gave me an ultimatum: I stay only as long as she does!"

"That is clever!" Sylvie agreed.

"And back on the topic of you two: a Loki falling in love with another Loki was daring enough, but a Loki impregnated by another Loki… I must say, I'm not entirely opposed to the idea myself! Sylvie, was it? If things ever don't work out with this one…" He gestured to Detective Loki. "…If you should require a more… mischievous partner-"

"Oh please." Sylvie groaned. "I just stopped throwing up hours ago; don't make me sick again!"

President Loki smirked. "I like her. Well, have fun with your little mission; I'll be here, ruling over my people as a benevolent god, as I was destined to, for my glorious purpose."

As the Time Detectives headed out to do their job, Detective Loki turned to Fiamma. "You're coming with us, Fiamma? I'd have thought you'd rather stay here with my shady variant!"

"I'm going to give him time to decide; I'm learning not to be hasty. Even though you're all basically the same person, it appears that each Loki is unique in a way, so I want to be sure I choose the best one suitable to my desires. And you said there's another Loki, native to this universe; we may just run into him somewhere out there."

Loki nodded. "That sounds like a wise decision. Well then, shall we start here in the United States?" His female companions agreed, and they left for the first address on their list.

"I think that Loki should've ran for president." Verity told the elected Loki.

"And why is that? He doesn't even want to rule anymore, and he considers mortals his equals!"

Verity Willis grinned. "Exactly!"