CHAPTER 3

[We pick up hours after the close of the previous chapter.]

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Some hours had passed. No humanoids appeared. Loki and Mobius had spent much of the time watching the screens, speaking only sporadically if they saw something interesting in the cameras. The strain from their last talk had worn off, it had been replaced by a sleepy tension. They were both getting tired.

"I wish we had thought to nab some coffee." Mobius lamented, stretching, with a groan. The past few hours had compressed his posture uncomfortably. He worked off his jacket, folding it neatly and placing it on the back of his chair.

Loki kept his eyes on the screen. He was starting to recognize the same faces he saw a few hours ago. He wondered what it would be like to see himself appear in the feed suddenly - a different version of himself. It felt like he was looking for a mythical creature that would never appear. If another Loki did appear, what would he be like? Would he still be burdened with glorious purpose? Still haunted by a never-ending desire for power? Loki grimaced. The idea of meeting a version of himself similar to who he had been not too long ago, in New York, made him uneasy. In the days (or weeks?) he had spent at the TVA and with Mobius, he'd undergone so much. His past self now feels petulant - embarrassing. He felt his curiosity grow. What else hadn't he seen about his timeline-self?

"... What did you think of me?" Loki asked out of nowhere.

"Hm?" Mobius didn't follow.

"You watched me like this for years. Was I what you expected, in person?" Loki could now hardly stand the idea of seeing his old self on screen, let alone meeting him. He wanted to know what Mobius thought, as someone who'd seen everything, anxious about what he might hear.

"I didn't know what I expected." Mobius answered honestly. "Once you see so much of someone, you feel like you know them in a way. Your story was a wild ride, but, by the end, I felt like I could understand you." Mobius' tone sounded tender. He paused thoughtfully. He searched his memory for his impression of timeline-Loki. He smiled as he found a favorite moment, "There was this time..." Loki listened intently. "You and Thor were fighting side by side on the bridge, just before Rangarok, and you seemed like such a natural, helping those people. I would've never guessed. After seeing your journey to that point, it was… impressive." His voice was full of admiration.

Loki's expression darkened, "That wasn't me."

"Yeah, that's true. You never got that far." Thankfully, Mobius thought to himself. The memory of what happened only hours after that: Loki's face in pain, afraid, and dying made Mobius wince in a way it never had before. The first time he saw it it had been like any other death on the timeline. Now, it felt different. He was glad Loki was here with him instead, safe from Thanos. The relief was short-lived as he remembered his promise to delete the Loki beside him. He scowled. Loki, forgetting the screens, studied Mobius' face. He misinterpreted Mobius' troubled expression as one of disappointment - a longing for a Loki that wasn't with him.

"I don't know if I could live up to what that Loki did. Right now, I feel like I could kill… well, maim Thor if I ever saw him again." He said flatly.

"Oh, I bet." He nodded, almost smiling. "But you wanted to know what I thought of you on the timeline?"

"Yes."

"Well, I thought you were arrogant, selfish, deluded, and... really, just, mean-spirited."

"Of course." It was stupid of him to have hoped for anything else.

"But. You were also intelligent. Really clever. Fun. And... generous, when you wanted to be. Sometimes, I found myself rooting for you." Mobius admitted quietly. Loki felt life return to him with those words.

"And, in person?"

"Uh, no, I wasn't prepared for what I got. Not in the end. Though, I mean, you really were arrogant." Mobius smiled mischievously.

"Ha. Am I so disappointing?" Loki asked, looking down, anxiety in his voice.

"I wouldn't say that. Not at all." Mobius' smile turned genuine. You could never see a smile on Mobius' face till it happened. Unlike a frown or scowl - those were etched into permanent lines on his face from so many years of practice, so you'd hardly notice when he was upset. Yet, each time Mobius smiled at him it was surprising how rewarding and hard-won it felt. "I know how you've heard people at the TVA talk about you: 'Evil'. 'Villain'. 'Scourge'. But as someone who has seen it all - I knew you weren't all bad. People act out when they're hurting."

In an instant, Loki's heart swelled. He smiled, his eyebrows rising to a peak. His eyes welled slightly. He never thought compliments or someone's opinion of him could make him feel weepy, but they never meant much from anyone else before. Loki tried to compose himself, breathing in deeply and running his fingers through his hair slowly. He leaned back into a sigh, stretching languidly over the back of his chair.

As Loki's legs extended, his shoes almost bumping his own, Mobius' attention flickered to Loki's legs and up to the shape of his chest. He watched the prince stretch and take a deep breath- his body was a combination of so many tall, slender lines and curves. Mobius looked away quickly. He squinted at the screens, as if looking at something. He tucked that admiration away like he'd done before. The drawer those thoughts went into had been getting full lately. He sensed he might run out of room soon.

"You don't need my approval, Loki." He said towards the screens. Mobius knew Lokis always looked for validation, but usually only so blatantly from either Thor, Odin, or Frigga. Mobius felt a heavy burden now that he realized he'd been included in the ranks of those gods in Loki's mind as a source of comfort. He couldn't hold that power over Loki, it wasn't right. He tried to release it, "You're growing in ways I couldn't have predicted. You're… always surprising me. In a good way, mostly. I think you're doing fine figuring things out on your own."

Loki looked at him, a little overwhelmed. Mobius deflected the intensity by changing the subject, "I'm actually the one who didn't make a great first impression."

"You mean by saving my life?"

"By ruining it", he corrected. "I was, uh, caught in the moment, excited by the case. I showed you things I knew would hurt you. And I, uh, said things, a lot of things, I knew would hurt you. As an analyst, I weaponized everything I knew about you and took you apart piece by piece. And then I just left you with the pieces. It was my job, but the more I see of you, the more… I guess, I'm sorry." The weight on his chest lifted slightly.

"Yes, that day was…" There wasn't a word to describe it.

"While I don't agree with your glorious purpose or the ways you used to hurt others to take it, I went too far-"

"You did what you had to do to wake me up, Mobius. And, honestly, I deserved it. Though it did hurt. Quite a lot. However, I've discovered a lot about myself because of you. I had never been forced to look at myself that way before. In over a thousand years I never had to grow or change very much. Which was wonderful in its own way. But, here, working with you, for the first time in as long as I can remember, I don't feel quite as repulsed by myself anymore." Loki surprised himself with that honesty. He had never admitted to anyone before that he didn't, in fact, enjoy himself as much as others assumed. Mobius looked completely unsurprised. Of course, Mobius would already know that secret. Loki chuckled, he leaned forward, "In fact, I should thank you."

"No, Lo-"

"Mobius, thank you. For ruining my life."

"... Any time."

The two exchanged a meaningful look and a shared smile. Mobius looked back to the screens, a little bashful, while Loki still watched him.

The prince continued, "You know, I've laid in wait a lot in my life to get the upper hand and ambush my enemies, but having company really does make a difference. We've covered so much ground-"

"Sh." Mobius shushed him.

Loki, weirdly offended, "Um, I thought we were sharing a nice-"

"No, not that, look."

The moment washed away completely as Loki joined Mobius in looking closely at one of the screens. They watched a hooded figure sneak into the cafe kitchen.

"That might be our guy." Mobius got up from his seat and leaned closer to the screen. Loki got up for a closer look, too. "But we can't be sure, it could just be a kid," Mobius countered himself. They watched as the hooded figure started taking food from the pantry shelves. It wasn't exactly the kind of criminal activity they were looking for.

"Who would steal food on one of the richest moons in the solar system?" Loki reasoned. This person wasn't from here.

"You've got a point, but let's go take a look to be sure." Mobius started putting his jacket back on in a hurry.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I need to see him up close before I can bring a team. If I bring them here and it's just a hungry kid, that'll be our third strike." Mobius straightened out, getting ready.

"So, we approach him?"

"Yes. Just get a good look. He won't be there long, so we gotta move now. Let's see." He looked at the map of the hotel on the console which he had nearly memorized already. "Okay, if we split and flank him in the kitchen one of us will be able to get a look at him. I'll go right and enter through the main entrance, you go left through the servant's entrance." Mobius reached around the back of his belt and produced a small baton. He activated it, it was a miniature pruning stick. He turned it back off, having confirmed it was in working order.

"... Why do I have to go left?" Loki questioned.

"What?"

"I'm a king. I'm not a convincing servant." He was serious.

"Loki, it doesn't matter! It doesn't matter." He waved his hands emphatically.

"Right. You're right." Loki came to his senses.

"Jeez. Okay, you ready?"

Loki took a breath and nodded. Mobius unlocked the door and checked that the hallway was clear. He glanced at his watch to keep track of the time. Loki went to walk into the hallway, Mobius stopped him with his arm.

"Um, wait a second. Here." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out two small daggers. "These are for you. Just in case." Loki's face lit up as if he'd been reunited with a beloved pet. Mobius enjoyed his expression, happy to have done something for the troubled prince, but doubled-down with a warning: "Just don't go waving them around unless you really have to."

Loki took the daggers and held them as if they were sacred. He wasn't just grateful for the weapons, but for what they meant. Trust. A chance to be an equal. Most of all, he savored the look of respect he had earned from Mobius in that moment. Not a single scheming thought passed through Loki's mind as he conjured the daggers out of sight. What replaced his usual thirst for power whenever he held a dagger was a strong desire to instead use them to help, protect, and make proud the man in front of him.

"Right? Whatever you do, try not to engage or stand out. I know that's all against your nature. You'll want to talk with him or fight, but don't. You hear me? Once you have confirmation, find me and we'll head back to the TVA for backup."

"Yes." Loki held back his impulse to make that a lie. He needed to stand by his word.

"Okay, when I say 'go' you head down the east hallway and swing left. I'll flank the right hallway."

"Wait, Mobius."

"Okay, fine, you can go right if you really want it that much."

"No, no." Loki reached out both hands and tugged a little at the collar of Mobius' jacket. His fingers brushing the man's neck accidentally. Mobius flinched away from his touch, hoping it wasn't obvious. It was. "You look like a TVA agent." Loki had tugged the jacket just for emphasis. But that flinch told the god something he hadn't known before. He already knew Mobius trusted him and wasn't afraid he had just tried to attack him, this sudden display of nervousness was distinctly different. He subdued a grin, now aware of the man's increased heartbeat. Elated and curious, Loki decided to put that away for now for the sake of the mission, though. Or at least he would try to.

Mobius, attempting to brush off how his heart had jumped when Loki touched him, looked down at his brown suit and the TVA insignia on his jacket. "You're right. I forgot. Damn it." The TVA almost never needed to conduct undercover operations, they would just enter situations with all their uniforms and logos because everyone would be reset anyway.

"Just a moment." Loki placed his open palms on the junctures of Mobius' shoulder and neck. Not very necessary, but he enjoyed feeling Mobius' nervousness rise again. In an instant, the jacket and everything else on Mobius transformed from a TVA suit to a nice dinner suit that matched the resort's aesthetic. Loki was also now in a waiter's uniform.

Loki admired his work openly.

Mobius, feeling exposed, looked down and contained how impressed he was. He double-checked his weapons and devices were still in place. Again, experiencing Loki's power firsthand was very different than watching it. "Yeah, that's good. Thanks." He adjusted his new jacket, shocked at how real it felt. There was something a little invasive about being shrouded so suddenly in Loki's magic, but he didn't mind it as much as he thought he would.

"Better than good." Loki's tone sounded less mocking than teasing. He looked over Mobius' tailored silhouette for a second too long.

"Okay, very funny, that's enough," Mobius waved his hands, embarrassed and slightly panicked, "We're gonna lose him if we stay here." The agent cleared his throat, back to work, "You go left, I go right."

"As you wish." Loki flirted, just to see Mobius' reaction. Mobius waved it away, trying to focus.

"I'm sorry, sir, the cafe is closing now"

"I forgot something at my table. It'll just be a second." Mobius excused himself, walking past the waiter who was busy escorting other guests out of the cafe. He walked into the empty eatery and slipped over to the kitchen entrance, out of sight. Carefully, he approached the door from the side and peaked through the window into the kitchen.

At that moment, Loki approached from the opposite doorway. He looked through the window of his own. He couldn't see any movement in the empty kitchen. Across the room he saw Mobius in his window. Mobius was scanning the room from his angle. Nothing. Loki kept eye contact with Mobius and gently nudged his door open. Mobius gave him a signal to stop, and, of course, Loki ignored it. Mobius saw Loki give him a reassuring nod, I have this, before opening the door completely. "And there he goes…." Mobius whispered to himself, annoyed.

Loki let the door swing silently closed behind him. He looked around the kitchen, nobody. He walked quietly to the pantry, a dagger poised invisibly in his hand. He reached for the pantry door, hesitating. Worried about what he might see. He threw open the pantry door.

Empty.

What?

He started to turn around but felt himself lean into something sharp pressed against his flank. Of course.

"Me, I presume?" He asked, putting his hands up.

"Why is it that every time I meet a Loki, they think they're the original?" A gruff voice responded. "Turn around." They ordered.

Loki, holding his breath, turned around slowly, still not ready to meet himself. What he saw when he turned was an alien in a chef's uniform, complete with a picture ID badge, brandishing a kitchen knife. Loki reeled for a moment, was his Variant actually an otherworldly alien chef? He reassessed the situation - he quickly figured his other self wouldn't have gone undercover as a chef here and had an ID made just to steal some food.

"Shape-shifting?" He asked, a little delighted to see the magic of another Loki.

"In a manner." The alien replied. "Now, what do you want?" The disguised Loki asked forcefully.

Loki glanced at Mobius through the window for a millisecond. The man looked very displeased. Loki put on his most charming smile for both to see. "... As a fellow Loki Variant, I wanted to meet the Loki who was causing the TVA so much trouble. Your work has been… very impressive." He flattered.

"Oh, so, you escaped the TVA to find me because you want to... team up?" They tested, not sounding convinced.

"Actually, I came to see if you were worthy of my help. Perhaps you need a mentor." He tempted.

Mobius watched the two of them talk. The alien wasn't the Variant, but they were obviously hostile. Every second that passed one of them could do something to set the other off. That's it. He reached behind him and retrieved his pruning stick from his belt. He twisted the barrel and it began to glow. He steadied his nerves.

"Your 'help'?" The chef asked, "What kind of Loki helps anyone?"

"Well, you see," Loki looked over the chef's shoulder as Mobius opened the door, "not all Lokis work alone." He smiled at the agent proudly, a dagger appearing in each of his hands.

Mobius entered the kitchen, but Loki's smile suddenly vanished when he saw the pruning stick being held under the man's chin. Wielding it was the hooded figure they had seen on the security cameras.

"A flimsy lie, Loki. Not only do you not work alone, you're working for the TVA." A feminine voice rang out from the hood, her features barely visible, she shook the pruning stick as evidence for her TVA assumption. Mobius recoiled his head away from the glow. "A TVA pet who can't lie? Are you sure you're even a Loki, at all?" She questioned.

"Mobius." Loki called to him, an icy panic sliding down his spine. The god's mood quickly shifted from playful to panicked to deadly. He readied his blades in front of himself. He didn't care about meeting another Loki anymore or the surprise that she turned out to be a goddess of mischief.

"No." She ordered, puppeteering the chef to step between them, kitchen knife raised. Loki didn't care, he remained poised to fight.

"Where are your hunter and minutemen?" Having already assessed the more knowledgeable of the two, she directed the question to Mobius, down to business.

"We don't have any." He confessed quietly, matter of fact.

"Don't do anything to him, he's just an analyst." Loki interrupted as she processed Mobius' answer. Loki had hoped she'd differentiate between hunters and paper-pushing analysts, but that detail meant nothing to her.

"It's all the same. He prunes innocent people, children, who have no idea what they've done - he resets them all in the name of the TVA." Anger rippled her voice.

"You're right. He knows that. Don't mind him, this is his first rodeo, he's a bit panicky." Mobius spoke softly, owning to his crimes in an effort to distract her from the idiotic Loki he wanted to protect. He kept an eye on the pruning glow two inches from his face, "I was just showing him the ropes for the case. I'm actually the one who's been trying to find you. It's nice to meet you, Loki." Mobius never forgot his manners.

"It's Sylvie." Disgust in her voice.

Loki watched them talk, he inched closer. Mobius held out his open palm towards Loki, telling him to stay calm.

"Alright, 'Sylvie'. That's a nice name." Mobius complimented, "As you can see, we don't have a team and we don't have any reset charges, either. There's nothing for anyone to gain. So how about we go our separate ways and call it a day?" He offered from a disadvantage.

"No reset charges? How fortunate for you," she said menacingly. "I will take your TemPad, though."

"You'd leave us to die here?" Loki accused.

"You work for the TVA. You leave everyone to die."

"Alright, let's all calm down." Mobius spoke up. He started to move his hand, "I'm reaching for the TemPad, Sylvie. Okay?" She stayed silent as he reached into his pocket and produced his TemPad, lifting it upward towards her hand on his shoulder.

She took it from him quickly, after inspecting it she put it in her right pocket. "Thank you for your cooperation." She quoted the TVA back at them. She idled for a moment, looking at Mobius and then Loki. She noticed how they were looking at one another, they were worried for each other. Disbelief and a bit of disgust ran through her. She started to walk backwards with Mobius, making for the exit, "A TVA agent, out here in an apocalypse, without anyone to protect him? Breaking all his precious rules? And a Loki that cares about someone besides himself?" She mocked. "You two are an odd pair."

"Who said there were only two of us?" Loki asked. Sylvie's eyes widened as she heard something in her blindspot.

"Hello." A grinning Loki appeared behind her right shoulder. He had been standing there, invisible. After spotting the new Loki, she turned her head to the possessed chef who immediately lunged at the Loki she'd been talking to. The chef simply fell through him, he disappeared. The chef fell over, unconscious, Sylvie had lost her focus. She quickly released Mobius, swinging the pruning stick to target the Loki at her side. Poised and ready, he grabbed her arm as it spun to him, the hum of the stick close to his face. Their eyes met, her hood fell to her shoulders. He saw the spark of a Loki staring at him, true enough. Before he could feel the depth of the moment, meeting another version of himself, she used her other hand to reach for the sword on her hip.

"Better not." He warned her. Her face soured with angry surprise when she felt his blade pressed against her flank. What symmetry. He gave her a wide grin. But the element of surprise wore off quickly. She leaned back and dealt a powerful kick to his stomach. Sent backward, but still holding her arm, he steadied himself and twisted her wrist until she dropped the pruning stick. Loki lunged at her with his daggers, she deflected him, dodging left, and used his momentum to send him into the middle of the room where Mobius was. She stood her ground, descending into a fighting stance, and unsheathed her blade, ready for more.

Loki and Mobius regrouped for a moment. "You okay? Loki, concerned, checked with Mobius who was on the floor after being flung aside. "I'm fine, I'm fine." Mobius dismissed the fuss.

Sylvie looked at them, disturbed. "Look at you two. This can't be real." She judged.

Loki and Mobius looked at one another, reacting briefly to her assessment of them. Loki readied his daggers, ignoring Mobius' "Don't."

"What about it? Do you want to see who the superior Loki is?" He challenged, the retrieval of the TemPad as another goal for the fight he was suggesting. Of course, he was also desperately excited to win against her.

She paused. He couldn't tell whether she would accept. Loki was just about to lunge forward anyways when suddenly, darkness. A few seconds of pitch black was followed by red lights and sirens blaring. "Please remain calm." A robotic voice spoke from speakers in the ceiling, "This is an announcement from the Planetary Defense Department. Meteor impact imminent. Please report to the docking stations immediate-"

"Times up." Sylvie sheathed her sword with a smile and ran through the kitchen doors into the cafe.

Loki immediately ran after her, Mobius following behind. They were met with more sirens, lights, and now the sounds of screaming and panicking guests in the lobby nearby. Running behind her, Loki saw her take out a TemPad and enter new coordinates. He couldn't let her leave with their only way to get back. He desperately reached for her cloak, trying to slow her down, but in a flash she ran through a gate and disappeared. The gate closed behind her immediately.

"No!" Loki stopped, out of breath. Dread filled his gut. Sirens ringing in his ears. How were they going to get out of here? He looked at the air in front of him.

Mobius jogged up beside him, exhausted. "Oh, don't worry about it, champ." He patted Loki's shoulder.

Loki shot him a look, "'Don't worry about it'?"

"Yeah, I'm sure we'll see her again someday. You'll get to ask her all your questions eventually."

"Mobius, we're trapped on this dying moon! What are you-!"

And just like that, Mobius lifted his hand and in it was the brass slab of a TemPad.

"... You got it back." Loki looked at him, amazed.

Still catching his breath, "Thanks to you. That illusion-projection trick of yours distracted her just long enough. It was a good move. I didn't even see it coming. Though, I mean, I should have. It's one of the oldest tricks in your book." Mobius gave credit where it was due. Loki hadn't been as reckless as he thought he was. Maybe those mischievous wiles could be useful in the field, if used for good.

Loki looked at Mobius with relief, joy, and admiration. "... 'Duplication-casting'." He corrected.

"Yeah, yeah. Take it easy." Mobius brushed the quip off as he flipped open the TemPad and set it to return them to the TVA. Loki patted him on the back. Mobius could feel him beaming down at him. A gate opened. Loki gestured, 'after you'. They both walked through - out of the sirens and into the sudden quiet of the TVA library.

Mobius closed the gate behind them and quickly took a tired seat on the floor between the archive stacks. He noticed Loki's magic had worn off - they were back in their TVA attire like nothing had happened. He patted the floor beside him, inviting Loki to join him. The prince sat beside him, shoulder to shoulder. They both stayed quiet for a second, adjusting, catching their breath. Loki looked at Mobius, who turned to him. Loki let out a tired, grateful laugh. Mobius joined. Nothing was as exhilarating as a close shave. Even if it had been highly irresponsible.

"We did it." Loki celebrated quietly. "We found her." He loved being right, almost as much as he loved Mobius seeing he was right.

"Yeah, we did it." Mobius joined in their quiet celebration. "This is the first time we've ever seen Variant L0852." He could hardly believe it.

"But, Mobius, I'm sorry." Loki interrupted the moment. "I let her get away."

"Don't worry about it." Mobius had already forgotten. "We got a good look at her because of you. She even gave us a good initial impression of her motivations. It'll be helpful for analysis. You did good out there. For your first field excursion."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We just have to work with what we learned today to find her actual hideout. It was obvious that isn't where she spends most of her time." The wheels in his head already started to turn.

"Can't we go back in and find her before she makes it to the kitchen?" Loki suggested.

"No, unfortunately, if we try to go back now we'll run into our previous selves or vice versa and risk destabilizing the flow of time. Our only shot was to catch her before she fled the site. But we need to find her main hideout, anyway. She's planning something big and we need to know what resources she's dealing with." Mobius put away his TemPad.

"But won't she now know that we know her doomsday method?" Loki feared it might make her change her patterns.

"Yeah, but where else is she gonna go? If she leaves her doomsdays, we'll see her Variance Energy and find her anyway. She's stuck, and we have the advantage." Mobius secretly, briefly, considered that the worst case scenario would be that she would escalate her plans, whatever they were, now that she probably felt close to being caught. He pushed it from his mind, that was always going to be a risk. Instead, he looked at the exhausted Asgardian beside him. "For now, let's regroup, recuperate. And then work on our next lead." Mobius stood up. He offered Loki a hand. He accepted it too happily.

Mobius paced his way back towards the direction of the elevator. Loki followed the agent, still on a rush from before. He felt some kind of emotion bubbling in his chest. A connection to the man in front of him. Trust, friendship, admiration. He didn't want to go back to work so soon without saying something to him.

"Mobius." Loki called before they were back in earshot of others. "I just wanted to say…" Mobius paused, recognizing Loki's tone as a request for his attention. "We might be an odd pair,... but I think we make a good team."

Loki offered his hand to Mobius shyly.

Mobius looked down at the incomplete handshake. He knew the significance of this moment. Loki, always alone and always working for himself, had never worked willingly with others before. He had never been wholeheartedly a part of a team before. Mobius felt honored, in a strange way, to be one of Loki's first partners.

"Me too." He answered, taking Loki's hand.

Loki's heart jumped. He had never known this feeling of trust or mutual appreciation…. It was both terrifying and exhilarating. He momentarily forgot his plans to overthrow the Time Keepers or escape. This feeling was all he could think about. And, for that moment, nothing else mattered to the agent either.

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[Next time: A promising, new (or 'old', for us) lead and some terrible news….]