Case 14a: Escape from the Cage
"Is that in Japanese?" Mobius squinted his eyes at the cover of the small manga book his adopted son was reading.
"Indeed it is!" Detective Loki enthusiastically replied. "After our last case with my shinobi variant, the various yōkai, and the Japanese kami, I've decided to teach myself the language! I've come to see more and more how vast and unique the different cultures of Earth are, and I'm starting to think it's a shame that I only learned the planet's European languages while growing up on Asgard!"
"Yeah, I get that. Still, you can understand the language perfectly with that translator."
"I know, but the next time I see Kōrima, I'd like to speak to him from my own tongue, if you know what I mean. Besides, Japanese is a very implicit language based on context and subtle social cues, so I'd rather learn it properly. I am a rather quick study, you know!"
"Good for you! So, you decided to start with Dragon Ball? Good choice!"
"It was actually recommended to me by Casey when Syl and I last visited him in Atlantis; he told me it was his favorite television show before the TVA abducted him."
"What a coincidence... I watched a lot of the show with my first son back in Texas! By the way, how's Casey getting along with those mermaids?"
"He surprisingly popular there, likely because he's an exotic foreigner to them, but it appears that he still fancies Ozoa. Casey also said that I remind him of a character named 'Vegeta.'"
"Yeah, the the proud prince of an almost extinct warrior race, and you did have quite the attitude when we first met, mostly the same arrogance. Of course, that character has much more of a warrior's mentality than you and less manners, so maybe he's part you and part Thor!"
"Indeed, you recall how arrogant Thor was before he moved to Midgard! Syl, we just saw a repeat of it back on Jotunheim, did we not?"
"Yeah. It's odd... even though that Thor grew up without a Loki like the Party Thor did, he ended up being a lot more serious than him, and so did you!" Loki shrugged and continued to read his manga. "Speaking of the different Lokis, it's nice that Fiamma finally found one for her, even if she has to wait a bit longer. Who knows, they might even get married!"
"If one of them proposes to the other in an active volcano, I doubt the other could refuse: I know my variants would find it exquisitely romantic!" Loki pictured the scene in his head. "I'd actually really like to see that!"
Sylvie frowned. "Damn, I should've thought of a volcano!"
Taken aback, Loki shook his head. "Oh no, your proposal on the rainbow bridge was beautiful and... and nostalgic, overwhelmingly heartfelt!"
"I prefer Sylvie's proposal toooo... volcanoes and my kind do not go together!"
"And it would be more fitting for a Fire Giant to get the volcanic setting."
"Yeah. Hopefully, this Loki won't betray her, and I hope she behaves enough for parole." Mobius expressed.
"Not him, he's different, and she knows it. I'm certain they'll be very happy together." Loki smiled as he returned to his reading. "Just like Bulma and Yamcha."
Mobius winced, but he kept silent this time before pointing out. "Actually Lokes, you remind me more of Krillin and... either Oolong or Puar."
"Naturally, the two shapeshifters. Krillin, hm? Because I use deception and cunning to outmaneuver my opponents instead of fighting head-on?"
"That and the fact that you both tend to die a lot and keep getting brought back to life."
Loki slammed his book into his lap in distress. "KRILLIN DIES!?"
"Oh! ...Sorry, I didn't ask where you were in the story! Then again, when they've got a magical dragon that can revive them, I guess it takes a bit of the shock of them dying away, right?"
Loki sighed. "Like I said, I'm reading in Japanese while still learning the language; I can only get so far at a time, so kindly refrain from any more spoilers, thank you very much!" He flipped the page before being interrupted by Healer this time.
"Lokiii, we are hungryyy!"
"Healerrrr, we are readiiing!" Loki imitated his Symbiote.
"We can read and eat at the same time!"
"And get food stains on this brand new book? I don't think so!"
"Then read later!" Loki ignored him and read on, so Healer turned to the others. "Hey, we are hungry!"
Mobius decided to humor him. "Hey, nice to meet you, Hungry, I'm Mobius."
"What!?"
"I'm Mobius."
"We know who you are, you are our adopted father! We do not have amnesia, we are hungry!"
"No, I was just-"
"Loki, I think Dad has amnesiaaa: he is introducing himself to us!"
Loki chuckled. "Oh heavens no, not again! Quick, get the salad, the salt, and the pepper: we need to jog his memory!"
Mobius gave a dry expression. "Not my jet ski?"
"And his jet ski!" But Loki's jesting mood faded as he felt his stomach rumble. "Agh, now this talk of salad and condiments has me wanting food too... alright Healer, you win."
"Yayyy!"
"Speaking of Healer, you ever notice how his accent's been sounding closer to his host's the longer he's been with us?" Sylvie asked. "He almost sounds just like you now, just with a deeper, raspier tone and the way he lingers on certain words."
"Yeah, I assumed it was part of your bonding process." Mobius theorized.
Loki shrugged again, quickly finishing his snack. "Is that it, Healer?"
"Uhhh... I did not notice, but it makes sense. By the wayyy... I could easily sound just like you." Healer impersonated his host. "Our bond is strong, Loki."
"Wow, he's even mimicked your mimicking!" Mobius remarked.
Loki nodded. "Impressive." He turned to Sylvie. "And speaking of bonds-"
"We've still got a few months before I'm due!" Sylvie informed her eager fiancé. "You want to kiss little Frigga though, don't you?"
"Always." Sylvie lifted her shirt, allowing him to kiss her bellybutton while Mobius turned away to get himself a salad. Suddenly, Loki stopped and placed a hand on Sylvie's belly. "Was that you, or did the baby just..."
"Yup, she kicked you right in the mouth!"
Loki's face lit up in excitement. "She must be a girl then; she takes after you! I can't believe our Frigga's kicking already! Why, soon enough she'll be born, and then she'll be crawling and walking and talking and learning magic! Mobius, the baby kicked!"
"That's good!" Mobius called from the kitchen. "I was worried your kid would introduce herself with a dagger."
"Oh yes, very witty." Loki muttered.
Sylvie smirked. "I doubt she'll be learning magic before she's potty trained anyway, but I won't spoil your excitement."
"Then let us rejoice, my dear!" The two Loki lovers kissed again for a moment before they heard the detective hotline ring.
"Let's let Mobius get it."
"Took the words right out of my mouth."
Mobius rolled his eyes and picked up the phone. "Time Detectives, on your case."
"I need you to find my br- my dad, he's been kidnapped!" A boy's voice urged.
"Yeah, of course! Where did the kidnapping take place?"
"In San Francisco, while we were walking through Chinatown!"
"Alright, what's your name and your dad's?"
"My dad's Eddie Brock, and I'm Dylan Brock."
"Can you describe your dad and/or the kidnapper?"
"Eddie has short light brown hair like mine, and he was wearing a gray hoodie and jeans. The kidnapper... well, he's butt-ugly... scary, like straight outta a horror movie! He wore this Indiana Jones style hat and a long red vest, like an evil overcoat... and he called himself a 'Symbiote hunter,' so I think he might be kidnapping other hosts too!"
"Your dad has a Symbiote? Like the kind that eats brains?"
"Yeah, his name is Venom! They're actually a superhero duo called the Lethal Protector. You've gotta send some crazy strong heroes with you, cuz this guy's got weapons that can take 'em down!"
Mobius smiled. "Don't you worry about us, Dylan, we've taken down ninjas, gigantic poisonous serpents, monsters of living darkness, shapeshifters, empaths, intergalactic tyrants, fire demons, spell-casting gods, angry Greek goddesses, even paid attorneys! And we have experience with Symbiotes ourselves, so we can figure out how to deal with this hunter when we uncover more information on him. We'll be at your location soon, okay?"
"Okay, bye, Mr..."
"Mr. Paradox. Bye Dylan." Mobius hung up and faced the mischievous couple, noticing that Healer was listening intently. "You know a Venom?"
"No, but I know a threat when I hear one! I thinkkk... we should skip this case!"
"Oh come now, Healer, we can't miss an opportunity like this!" Loki encouraged. "This Venom might be a potential first customer for your future brain-flavored dessert shop! And if not, there are most likely many more Symbiotes to rescue from this hunter who would probably love to support your dream!"
"We do not support each other, at least as far as I have known... we see each other as mainly competition in our hunt for hosts. They're only nice to their hosts, if even that, out of necessity, and people who aren't their hosts they see as food. It would not be worth the risk to help them!"
"We think it would, but if you won't do it for your own species, do it for the scared little boy who misses his dad." Mobius urged.
"I... I do not care about some little boy, I care about Lokiii..."
"Then pretend the little boy is me, and his father is Mobius!" Loki suggested, and his Symbiote considered his argument. "Your weaknesses are fire and high frequency sound, correct? I can protect us with my own powers and some ear protection; what have we to fear?"
"Ugggh, I guess... nothing. Nothing as long as I am with you."
"Precisely, and we protect each other!"
"And so do we!" Sylvie added.
"Ah, Sylvie, you and Mobius should stay here."
"What, me too?" Mobius asked.
"Come on already, you can make me invisible if you need to! I'm not that big yet that I can't walk!"
"But what if this hunter can still track you down!? We don't know anything about him yet, other than his appearance! And you're a Frost Giant like me, so if he uses fire-based weaponry, you'll be in serious danger!"
"So will you!"
"I have a Symbiote who can heal any damage I take from the inside, while you have a helpless baby inside of you who needs protection! Protecting our little Frigga is first priority, and then after family comes protecting people from other universes."
"Maybe we should all stay hereee, and no one would need protecting. Then you two wouldn't feel left out, but... my Lokiii is determined to go, so we will go and save that sad excuse for a Symbiote!"
"Alright, I'll stay with you, Syl." Mobius volunteered. "We'll just treat it like a day off."
"But the last time Loki went on a case without me, you brought him back with a stab wound through his heart!"
"Which Healer quickly healed!" Loki reminded her. "But if he turns out to have god butcher level strength, I will return to you here, I promise."
Sylvie sighed. "Alright, I'll stay with Mo... for the baby, but I might get pretty bored here, so don't be surprised if you fall into a Loki-style prank when you get back!"
Loki grinned and gave her a peck on the lips. "I can't wait!" He stepped through a Time Door to Earth 688's San Francisco in the year 2030, where he met his young client.
