Just one more chapter and the epilogue to go. Thank you for reading!
Trying not to panic at the foolish bravery of this particular mortal, Loki glances back at the invisible satellite TVA, and then returns his full attention to the adversary. "Distraction, perhaps. Divide the house against itself, and it will fall."
"I can help with that."
Before he can clarify that statement, Mobius' eyes flick to something over Loki's shoulder. He whirls around to see a figure rapidly approaching astride something that at first glance looks like a horse, and at next glance looks very much not like one, rather more like a misshapen zebra with eight legs and glowing yellow eyes.
But identification of that terrifying animal is going to have to wait. Alioth is still engaged in battle against Loki's illusions, and they likely have only seconds to formulate a final plan.
"This wasn't me," Renslayer calls, as she slides off the animal to land gracefully on her feet.
"You expect us to believe that?"
"Where exactly do you think I'd have acquired that much Dark magic without attracting attention from your long-range scans here in the Void, Mobius?" she demands, all the while fishing something out from a pseudo-saddlebag. "If I'd wanted to bring down your new TVA, I'd have done it a year ago, before you jailbroke a demigod to function as sole protector of the institution."
Mobius looks unconvinced, still, but she does have a point. If she were behind this, there would be little logic in offering assistance, as she clearly means to. Loki is inclined to believe her.
"It's far more likely the child or one of my other variants is responsible, Mobius," he points out quietly. "Or that we simply have underestimated some version of He Who Remains, and he has acquired the services of an incredibly powerful sorcerer."
Renslayer finally pulls the objects free of the surprisingly docile animal and turns around with them in hand.
Loki blinks. "I know that bow. It's Barton's."
"You'd be surprised how many SHIELD Helicarriers we've pruned over the decades," she confirms, pulling the quiver over her shoulder and buckling it into place. "All of them with weapons storage lockers, if you know how to disarm the safety measures. And I've had more than five years here to do nothing but practice with this."
"You're not serious," Mobius mutters.
"It's been two months. What do I have to do to convince you I'm actually not the enemy here?" she asks, glancing back and forth between them.
"Keep him safe, so I can focus." Loki nods toward Mobius. "That will go a long way in my view."
"I can do two things at once," Renslayer counters, and with an almost brutal swiftness fires an arrow right past Loki's head, close enough he can feel the passage of air against his cheek.
"Well met," he says, with mild respect.
And for the first time since Loki sentenced her to live out a probationary period here at the end of Time, that small smile she gives him seems to actually be genuine.
The arrow arcs in an unnaturally high, whistling trajectory that defies the laws of gravity, only to burst into an impressively powerful fireworks display some hundred-odd meters above the ground. The glittering curtain throws multicolored shadows over the illusive army below. Alioth rumbles at the interruption, but turns toward the chaotic lightshow with what looks like interest.
Mobius eyes her with grudging approval. "How many of those do you have?"
"Enough to be a distraction," she replies readily. "But not for long."
"I can take a swing at it too. Between the two of us, we'll give you as much time as we can, Loki." Mobius fishes He Who Remains' temporal device out of his inner jacket pocket. Closing his eyes briefly to focus, he ten swipes a finger over the controls in a small spiral motion.
Several kilometers from the TVA, a Door opens horizontally twenty feet from the ground and dumps a pile of what looks like flattened automobiles and other assorted junkyard debris onto the wind-swept ground.
Alioth dives toward the pile with a roar, but for some reason swerves away from it without consuming it.
Loki stops on a dime, and for a moment studies the creature, because something is just not right here. Alioth's roar thunders overhead like a death cry, and there is no stopping its onset, so what is going on? The creature dives once more at an intercepting illusion, ignores and then just barrels straight through a derelict schooner Mobius somehow manages to drop in front of it, and after consuming both, turns immediately back toward the satellite TVA for yet another pass.
But the TVA is not visible, and in fact is not even in the same temporal plane. The beast should not be able to sense its location any longer.
Oh, no.
Loki flicks a hand, and two more illusions of him pop up directly to the right of the monster, a full ninety-degree turn required for pursuit. Alioth immediately pivots and chases after them, overtaking them in moments.
And then turns right back toward the TVA.
Loki does it again – behind the cloud bank, this time.
Alioth makes a complete turn and chases the illusion, only moving back to its primary mission once the figures have dissipated.
There is a small zzzzzip past Loki's ear, and a cloud of purple smoke erupts in front of the monster's face.
"What the hell are you doing?" Renslayer shouts from behind him, already nocking another arrow.
"Testing a theory," he calls back above the wind. "One moment!"
He takes a breath, and transports himself to the other end of the Void, as far from the TVA as it is possible to be here. Waits until he sees the menacing glow of red on the horizon, until he hears the beast approach, and then transports right back to his former location.
Mobius jumps a little when Loki reappears out of thin air near where he stands peering in confusion after the beast, hands on hips.
"Where did you go?"
"The far south of the Void," Loki replies, slightly winded from the effort. His magic is sluggish, almost reluctant to respond. Perhaps depleted, he is not certain. And there, Alioth is already on its way back across the Void, heading straight for them yet again. "To confirm my theory."
"What theory?"
"That it's tracking him, not the TVA or random debris in its path," Renslayer interjects, reaching back for another arrow. She has but a half-dozen left. "Whoever put that thing in motion is tracking you, Loki. The TVA is only getting its attention because your magical signature is all over the shielding."
"Shit." Mobius' fervent mutter is almost a prayer. "We gotta get you back to the Central TVA and block that."
"Absolutely not," Loki replies. "I will not lead it to the doorstep of the only true safe house we have."
"Alioth can't leave the Void, though, can it?"
"Are you willing to risk the safety of the TVA on that previous assumption?" Loki asks, gesturing at the beast. "Because I am not."
"One of the branches, then?" Renslayer asks, firing another arrow. This one explodes into a nasty-smelling yellow gas, which seems to temporarily stymie the monster.
"That would be even worse. I'd be leading it right to the Tree."
"Well, you'd better think of something else then, and do it quick!" Mobius staggers as the wind begins to pick up again, nearly bowling them over. His tie flutters in the gale, and he puts up an arm in effort to block the worst of it. "Can you stop Time? Just freeze everything, so we have some breathing room at least?"
Loki tries.
Nothing happens.
Horrified, he looks down at his hands. His fingertips are already blue, bespeaking a slowly but surely fading glamour. "Mobius, look."
"That's not good, is it."
"It is not. I don't have enough magic left for something so complex as time-manipulation, and so each attempt is pulling power from the metaphysical plane instead."
"Then we need to leave," Mobius says, with a steely edge of command. "If the alternative is this, we have to risk taking you to the Central TVA."
"You should go. And take her with you," Loki says, nodding toward Renslayer, who is firing the next to last arrow in the direction of the beast. It arcs and explodes into another fireworks display, this one in brilliant red and gold. "I cannot leave."
"You think I'm gonna walk back through a Time Door with her, and not you? Are you out of your mind?"
"We do not have time for this, Mobius!"
"He's right, though," Renslayer says, as she takes up a position at their rear, last arrow at the ready. "This thing isn't going to stop. All we're doing is delaying the inevitable."
"If you won't run, then you need to hide," Loki says, making a quick decision. "I will keep its focus here,while you go to ground somewhere, here in the Void."
"Like hell you will."
"I do not have time to argue with you, Mobius!" Loki takes a step backward, and immediately vanishes, then re-appears several meters away on top of a rocky out-cropping.
"I'm gonna kill him."
"Alioth might just beat you to it," Renslayer replies, warily watching as the beast veers away.
A dozen illusions suddenly spring up all around, momentarily mystifying the monster; but the effort is costly. The images are lacking in rooted reality, flickering out one after the other like so many candles being snuffed.
Loki stumbles briefly to one knee atop the rocky cliffside, breathing heavily.
Alioth then dives right at the cliff and its distracted occupant. Panicked, and almost fumbling with HWR's temporal device, Mobius does the first thing that comes to mind. Somewhere, a quiet suburban neighborhood on an apocalyptic timeline branch suddenly finds itself bereft of the medium-sized acid lake in its midst, as it and all its dying contents are summarily dumped on the amorphous enemy.
Being at least partly of water vapor itself, it doesn't really make a serious impact on Alioth's actual physiology; but it certainly seems to have pissed it off. Scarlet lightning forks down to the ground, so close Mobius' hair stands on end.
"Uh-oh."
"Well, you definitely distracted it!" Renslayer hisses, putting her back to his and looking wildly around. But there is nowhere to hide now, not here on this part of the wind-swept moors. Within five seconds, they are staring sudden death in its monstrous face, with only one stolen arrow and human stubbornness left as defense.
Before Mobius can panic about the situation, though, a flash of green in his periphery suddenly glides over them, and at the same time at least a dozen duplications of them spring up all over the area. Thirteen Mobiuses and thirteen Renslayers, each frozen in a different comical tableau.
Now obviously confused as to which is the genuine article, Alioth pauses, rumbling angrily, and then dives toward one at the farthest end of the area.
Mobius doesn't dare move, but he can see the effort it is taking on Loki to hold these illusions, stationary though the simplified versions may be. His outstretched hands are shaking, and a grim look of determination twists his face into a painful grimace.
And then, the orange glow of a Time Door appears. None other than Ouroboros emerges, hauling a giant piece of machinery along with him; and while he looks suddenly very terrified at the sight of Alioth so close, he doesn't stop running forward. He's followed by two dozen minutemen who immediately fan out and fall bravely into formation between him and the beast, armed with weapons that will have absolutely zero impact whatsoever. It's a valiant effort; but ultimately futile.
But as O.B. skids to a halt beside him, Mobius does a double-take. "What in the world is that?"
"It was supposed to be a surprise!" O.B. shouts over the wind, slamming the object down into the soft, damp ground and screwing something into the soil for stability. "I've been messing with the terraforming bomb we confiscated during that AIM raid last year, trying to adapt it for something exactly like this!"
There is a small shiver of displaced air, and Loki re-appears, nearly falling flat on his face but for Mobius' jump to catch him. The hands that desperately clutch his sleeves to remain upright are almost completely blue now, and quivering with the strain. "O.B. Is that…"
"Yeah." O.B. carefully loads something into the mechanism that does, indeed, look like a bomb. "But I have no idea if it's going to work. We haven't tested it yet. I thought we had plenty of time!"
"Alioth is a meteorological phenomenon," Loki explains in an aside to Mobius, though the words are short and clipped. "The proper chemical combination could, in theory, dilute or disperse its molecular structure, at least temporarily. It could even break the magical link which is binding the creature to its enchanter."
"In theory?"
"You'll have one shot," O.B. says, ignoring Mobius' exclamation for now. "And again, I have no idea if it'll work like we planned."
"Well, there is no time like the present to test your genius, O.B." Loki manages to get his feet under him, and takes a deep breath. "How close does it have to be, for us to be completely certain of accuracy?"
O.B. swallows, and casts a quick look at the looming cloud-bank. "Very."
"Take the minutemen back with you. And if this fails, come back for Mobius."
"Understood." O.B. signals to the foremost uniform, who nods and starts herding the minutemen back through the Door, casting wary glances at the circling monster as they do. He then looks at Mobius before pointing at the device. "This lever will launch it and initiate a 15-second countdown to detonation. Just aim, and pull," he says, demonstrating with a gesture. "But don't pull until you're sure you'll hit it though. And watch the recoil."
Mobius tosses his dagger and pruning stick on the ground and bends over the machine, finally nodding when he understands how it works.
"O.B.! Go now," Loki snaps, more urgently, as Alioth finally realizes it has been chasing mere illusions and turns back toward them. Ouroboros nods and takes off running, pelting back toward the waiting Door.
He's not going to make it back through in time.
Renslayer steps out in front of them, final arrow at the ready. "Both of you, close your eyes," she warns, and with a metallic twang the projectile darts away, up into the sky.
Even with his eyes closed, Loki can tell when the flash grenade goes off, a blinding, piercing ball of energy that radiates outward like a bomb itself before leaving nothing but flashing imprints on the back of his eyelids.
"That's all I've got," Renslayer says, and snaps the bow back down into its unstrung position, whereupon it makes a formidable blunt instrument in a pinch. Loki re-opens his eyes to see Alioth spiraling in a slow, cyclone-like circle, violently morphing in a vacillating gesture of frustration. It has been taken off guard, temporarily blinded but unbowed.
"Thank you," Loki says, nodding toward the Time Door closing some meters away. "It is likely you'd be granted sanctuary if you were to leave now. I would accept the chance, if I were you."
"I'm staying," she replies, without hesitation.
"Mobius?"
"Ready," he says, making sure the launch mechanism is braced firmly on the ground and steady for launch. "You gonna get its attention?"
"Yes. But…if this doesn't work."
"We don't get a second shot at it, yeah. I know." Mobius shrugs, and smiles up at him. "Pretty cool way to go, though."
Loki's answering smile is brief but genuine as he finally turns back to the beast, hands already glowing a light green. In a matter of seconds, he's projected one last illusion, this one of himself in his Frost Giant form, flinging every ounce of magic he has left into making the illusion realistic as it soars skyward. A magical beacon, a flame for the moth to fly directly into.
It may just barely be enough.
"Tell me when!" Mobius shouts over the increased gale, and if there is a little fear in his voice, that is certainly understandable. Loki nods, silently concentrating his waning power on this one last illusion as Alioth sweeps down the field with vicious intent.
"Loki," Mobius says, again, with drawn-out caution. "Loki…"
"Not yet," he snaps, because he had gone over the specifications with O.B. and knows what reservations he had about the accuracy of the launch mechanism. It must be nearly atop them in order to guarantee a direct hit, and they cannot afford to miss. "Not. Yet."
He hears an unsteady acknowledgment, and stares the beast in its scarlet face. It is terrifying.
"Jesus," Mobius breathes. "Loki, come on!"
"Now," he finally snaps, and there is the sound of a spring release, similar to the mechanism which propelled that thrice-accursed throughput multiplier so many years ago. The object hurtles skyward end-over-end in a strangely hypnotic arc, before disappearing into the fast-approaching monster's massive maw. Despite its proximity, it is still an impressive shot.
But the beast is too close. Fifteen seconds may be too long.
Loki drops the giant illusion and immediately funnels that energy into creating a shield around the three of them. The translucent dome flickers dangerously, once, twice. Three times, as he strains desperately under the unaccustomed weight of it.
He can't hold it.
Seven seconds still remain, and Alioth looms ever closer.
Mobius clearly realizes this, and his eyes widen in alarm as Loki's hands begin to shake, still raised in a futile attempt to stave off the inevitable.
But just as it flickers once more, then begins to crack in a spider-webbing network of fractures, a sudden rush of bold emerald floods over the splintered remains, sweeping through and re-creating what had all but faded out. The effect of being released from the spell is almost euphoric, and he almost collapses under its relief.
What the Hel?
He looks around despite the reeling dizziness, and at a distance, sees a unfamiliar, solitary figure standing atop the same rocky outcropping he'd appropriated earlier. Majestic horns raised skyward, and hands outstretched in their direction.
"Huh." Mobius grins, and it's like the sun after storm. "What d'ya know. I think we got our first ally."
"A variant, and a Loki at that," Loki says, disbelieving. He glances back at Renslayer, who simply raises an eyebrow at him. "One of yours, I presume?"
"I told you. This is bigger than all of us. And survival is a very convincing motivator."
Loki is about to question that in more detail when there is a sudden strangled howl overhead, followed by what sounds like a distant explosion and an enormous clap of thunder that fairly shakes the entire Void. Both herald the heaviest downpour Loki has ever seen – including the hurricane at that cursed Roxxcart store in Alabama – for the space of a few seconds, as the molecular structure of the monster is torn asunder and dissolved. The curtain of water floods over their small bubble of safety, then cascades on its way down the slopes to finally disappear in the soil of the moor.
When it has passed, Alioth has vanished. What passes for sunlight in this place has faded back to the weary, worn gray it had been before. There is even a completely incongrous bird flying overhead, screeching out a greeting as it travels on its merry way.
"I kinda feel bad for the poor thing," Mobius says after a second, when they're sure it is actually gone.
"It is not dead, merely temporarily displaced from its usual semi-gaseous form," Loki replies. "And I would be most impressed if the one who enchanted it was able to maintain that control when it happened. When the beast returns, it should have been reset, so to speak. If we are fortunate, this will be the only incident."
"Well." Mobius looks up as the green bubble around them blinks back out of existence. The figure on the cliffside disappears soon after, without a word. "That was…something."
"That was a test," Loki snarls, as he more wobbles than stands back to his feet. "There are a thousand other, much easier ways to lay siege to this place, Mobius. This was an opening gambit, a mere metaphorical shot across the bow. To feel out our defensive capabilities, and to determine if the TVA is directly protected by me."
"No offense, but you aren't in any shape to protect anybody right now, so let's not give them more ammo if they're still watching," Mobius says, pulling one of Loki's arms over his shoulders. "You gonna pass out on me? 'Cause you actually weigh like half a ton, even if you don't look it in this form."
"I do look it, somewhat," Loki mumbles, holding up one completely blue hand. "Mobius, I need to remain in the Void. I will not be able to recharge, so to speak, if we enter the central TVA, where magic is cut off."
"Right." Mobius casts one more look around, and sighs when he sees Renslayer slowly packing up her gear on the strange animal, which had been hilariously unperturbed by the lightning and even Alioth itself. Perhaps it is blind, or just not palatable to the apex predator.
He glances over at Loki, who nods wearily. "Your TVA, your choice," he says, as if each word is a monumental effort. Heavily-lidded eyes close for a moment, and then remain that way as he sags into Mobius' shoulder.
"Ravonna," Mobius calls, and she turns around, face expressionless. "Let me get him inside, and then I'll come back out for you."
"You're offering me a guided tour, since I can't be trusted by myself inside those walls?"
"Take it or leave it, it's the only offer on the table right now."
For a moment, she seems to be evaluating his sincerity as well as his unusually steely tone; but then her cautious expression relaxes. "I'll wait," she says, and turns the animal loose with a gentle slap to its hindquarters. It clearly has well-established habits, and trots off amicably enough in a westerly direction.
"Tell me I'm not gonna regret this," Mobius mutters, as he fumbles in his pocket for the Tempad.
Loki's brief chuckle sounds more like a sob of exhaustion. "Oddly enough, I rather think you won't. And that was an impressive show of authority. For you. Have you been practicing?"
Mobius resists the urge to smack Loki upside the head with the aforementioned Tempad, and instead bangs it experimentally against his knee, other arm still occupied. "Why won't this thing lock on?"
"Oh." Loki waves a hand, and a visible shimmer rushes around the dome before it settles back into place again. "I sent the TVA a half-second out of Time with the rest of the Void, thinking that would hide it sufficiently from Alioth."
"You did what."
"It would have worn off, eventually."
"Yeah, maybe when it killed you! No wonder your tank's empty, geez." Mobius opens the Door and pockets the Tempad, then tugs Loki's wrist a little tighter over his shoulder. "C'mon, let's get you somewhere you can at least get a little shuteye before hell breaks loose again. Panic room?"
"That would be best, probably. The sigils in the walls will assist in replenishing my seiðr at a faster rate." Loki stumbles as they enter the Void TVA, and raises a hand to his eyes. "Mmh. Apologies."
"For what, saving all of us yet again?" Mobius snorts. "I had no idea you were even working on that idea. I'd suggested cloud seeding at some point, and figured that was the end of it for now."
"Far from it. O.B. has relatively strong readings on the chemical composition of the creature, even if it is likely at heart powered by temporal magic or something we know not the nature of. The theory was sound, but we had intended to test it several times before being forced to implement it, or even presenting it to you as a valid perimeter defense.
"We estimated the dissipation would last at last six hours, more likely twelve, given the unchanging meteorological conditions in the Void. But only time will tell."
Around them, the sirens suddenly stop, bringing with them blissful silence, and the lighting returns to normal. They enter the elevator, and Mobius nudges the correct button with his foot.
"I'm guessing O.B. just reset everything from Central. I told them to not come back here until we cleared the place. I might just leave it empty for a day or two, other than an observation team."
"Wise. Particularly if you plan to integrate Renslayer into this part of it. You should at least offer her the courtesy of not entering at a distinct disadvantage behind the rest of the agents."
"I have no idea what I'm gonna do." Mobius sighs. "But if she had betrayed us, would she really have taken the time to come fight? She could've just left us to our own devices, and taken what was left afterwards for herself. I certainly wasn't expecting that."
"She is either telling the truth, or is the most exceptional liar I have ever met," Loki replies, wearily. "And even if she still has ulterior motive, a liar can change. I believe her actions indicate sincerity; or at the least, a common purpose. In time of war, that may be enough to find allyship."
"I really want to believe that."
"Reformation is possible. You told me that, years ago. Perhaps, in time, she could be the forerunner of that movement. Or perhaps the child might. If he was not the one who betrayed us."
"I really don't think he would, but I could be wrong."
"You are not usually, when it comes to Lokis."
"Hmh. I gotta strike out sometime." The lift jolts briefly, and then continues without further incident. "Regardless, I'm not sure we actually have time to implement the reformation program, at this point. Not how it was planned, anyway."
"I believe you are correct." Loki's head droops briefly, and then jerks back up as he blinks a few times. "I have no doubt that whoever set this attack in motion is even now performing reconnaisance with the knowledge they have gained. We likely have some time to regroup, as they will need to lay more groundwork with that knowledge."
"Well, this is terrible timing all around," Mobius grumbles as they exit the elevator. "The extended council still hasn't settled on the right candidate for the director position, so there's nobody driving this ship at the top level.
"We don't have all of He Who Remains' variants tracked. And we gotta start doing things like evacuation drills, because that could have been really bad, today. And there's a hundred other things that I thought were low-priority but are actually a really, really big priority. We're already starting off at a disadvantage, and I have no idea how to flip the script."
"Had we but world enough, and Time," Loki murmurs, and something about the way he says it makes Mobius' skin crawl.