I do not own Marvel or any of its characters.
Failure
Veles rolled his eyes as Loki disguised himself as a guard, frog-marching Sylvie toward the train. As he did, Veles went with a much simpler trick. He simply disguised himself from the guards and civilians' perception. So long as he didn't bump into anyone, no one could notice him, even if he yelled in their ear. It was a simple trick in which he made the minds of those around him block him out entirely. They couldn't notice him if they tried. As he walked calmly onto the train, he glanced at the guards. They all carried a weapon that consisted of a long tube with a small blade on the end, then a loop on the back end like a candy cane, which they used to carry the weapon over their right shoulder, the weapon in front of them. He didn't like the design, but he was sure getting shot by one would still hurt plenty.
Finally, he was on the train, managing to pickpocket a ticket from one of the passengers long enough to duplicate three of them for himself, Loki, and Sylvie once they're on the train. They found a bar, where the wealthy of the city were enjoying fancy, overpriced drinks, and Veles sat down off to one side, waiting for Loki and Sylvie.
"Good evening passengers," Loki said in a deeper voice, seeming to think it was authoritative. "Hi."
He spotted Veles and led Sylvie over to him. Sylvie sat down, but Loki stopped.
"Um...uh, look, I can't go backwards on a train," Loki explained.
"Well I never sit with my back to a door," Sylvie said.
"What?" Loki asked, looking around. "There are doors on both sides!"
"Loki, sit down," Veles said. "We're all Loki, and none of us ride backwards on a train. You drew the short straw."
Loki sighed, sitting down, Veles watching the chill crawl up his spine as it would either Sylvie or Veles if they were the ones to sit there.
"FYI, that wasn't even a plan," Sylvie said.
"Oh, really?" Loki asked.
"Plans have multiple steps," Sylvie explained. "Dressing as a guard and getting on a train is just doing a thing."
"Then it's a good thing one of us has an actual plan," Veles said, passing each of them a ticket. "Disguise yourself from everyone's senses and duplicate a few tickets."
"Duplicate," Sylvie frowned. "You made these with illusions?"
"Impossible," Loki frowned. "These are real."
"Yes, they are," Veles agreed. "For as long as I want them to be."
"You can create solid illusions?" Sylvie asked.
"The knife I showed Loki earlier is a duplication," Veles offered. "My armor is a duplication, since my original armor was ruined the equivalent of centuries ago. My Time Stick is a duplication."
"This is incredible," Loki said, still inspecting the ticket. "How did you do this?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Veles snorted. "Shame I'm not going to tell you."
Loki rolled his eyes, tucking his ticket into a pocket in his uniform just as Sylvie yawned, covering her mouth.
"Oh, you a bit tired?" Loki asked. "Feel free to get some rest."
"I can't sleep in a place like this," Sylvie said.
"You can't sleep on a train?" Loki asked.
"No, I can't sleep around untrustworthy people," Sylvie countered.
"Oh, right, that me?" Loki asked.
"And me," Veles added.
"But you feel free to take a nap," Sylvie invited.
"Nice try," Loki smirked.
"I'm not gonna waste my time rooting around for the TemPad when someone taught you fairly decent magic," Sylvie assured him.
"My mother," Loki identified his teacher.
Sylvie nodded, looking out the window for a moment before looking back at Loki. "What was she like?"
"She was, um..." Loki's gaze fell to the table, "a Queen of Asgard. She was good. Purely decent."
"She was a better mother than we deserved," Veles said. "She was always proud of us, and she always believed in us, even when we were brought back to Asgard in chains. And we repaid her by sending a Dark Elf monster to her, and it killed her."
"Are you sure she was your mother?" Sylvie asked, looking between the two of them.
"Oh, no, she's not, actually," Loki said. "I was adopted. Is that a bit of a spoiler for you? Sorry about that."
"No," Sylvie shook her head. "I knew I was adopted."
"What?" Loki asked.
"They told you?" Veles asked, frowning.
"Yeah," Sylvie frowned. "Did they not tell you?"
"No," Loki frowned.
"Well, they did," Veles corrected Loki, who he could tell had followed a very similar path to his own. "Eventually. But we figured it out ourselves after a fight against the Frost Giants. And then we used the Casket of Ancient Winters to freeze Heimdall and then blamed the Frost Giants so that we could use the Bifrost to try and destroy Jotunheim."
Loki frowned. "How close to my life was yours?"
"The major events were the same," Veles said. "But after New York, I stayed in custody, leading to the Dark Elves incident, where everything exploded and everyone in my timeline died."
Loki frowned, looking to Sylvie. "So, tell...Tell me about your mother."
"I barely remember her," Sylvie said. "Just blips of a dream, at this point."
"I'm gonna need a drink," Veles sighed. "May I?"
Sylvie stood to let him up, and he walked to the bar, ordering a drink. When the barmaid didn't bother to ask him for money, he grinned widely. This was the perfect way to spend what could very well be the last few hours of his life. He swallowed hard, draining his drink and just getting a full bottle from the barmaid. Then, he returned to his seat, Sylvie letting him back to his seat.
"So, where did you learn to do the...the..." he began to gesture as if grabbing something, meaning Enchanting someone's mind.
"I taught myself," Sylvie said.
"My mother," Veles answered, taking a swig of alcohol.
"You taught yourself?" Loki asked.
"Your mother taught you to brainwash people?" Sylvie asked. "And yes."
"No," Veles said. "She taught me to cure amnesia and to help slow Alzheimers and Dementia."
Sylvie and Loki stared at him for a long moment before both nodded, smiling slightly.
"And for the record, she didn't give birth to us, but she was our mother," Veles said. "Family is by bond as much as by blood."
"So, what, you just...go into their minds and project some sort of illusion?" Loki asked.
"It'd be easier if I just-" Sylvie began, reaching for his head.
"Enchant me and make me give you the TemPad so that you can leap out of a moving train?" Loki finished for her. "No thank you."
"Well then, don't ask," Sylvie said.
"Okay," Loki said.
"Champagne?" the barmaid offered.
"Ah, yes!" Loki smiled. "Thank you, very much!"
"No, thank you," Sylvie declined as Loki took his.
"Oh, I'll take hers," Loki volunteered. "Thank you. Cheers." He toasted himself, and Veles held out his liquor bottle for a toast as well, Loki tapped the glasses to his bottle also.
"To the end of the world," Loki smiled, drinking the first glass.
"And losing the thing you love most days after you get it," Veles added, taking a long drink.
"What are you losing?" Sylvie asked.
"Sif and Val," Veles said, staring at the table.
"Sif?" Loki asked. "Lady Sif?"
"Yeah," Veles nodded. "A Variant of her and a Variant of Brunnhilde the Valkyrie are the other two living members of the special forces team I belong to. They're also my lovers."
Loki nearly choked on his second champagne glass.
"Two?" Sylvie asked. "How'd you manage that?"
"Centuries of defending each other and a shocking agreement by Sif to share me with Val," Veles admitted. "Still not sure how I managed to get lucky enough for her to agree to that."
"Sif agreed to that?" Loki asked, then hummed thoughtfully. "I never would have placed her as the type."
"Speaking of surprising types," Loki said. "A pity that old woman chose to die."
"She was in love," Sylvie said.
"She hated him," Loki said.
"Maybe love is hate," Sylvie said.
"Should probably remember that," Loki said, creating an illusion of a quill and a notebook. "What was it? 'Love is...Love is hate.'"
"Oh, piss off!" Sylvie snapped, though she was smiling.
Loki smiled, letting the illusions disappear. "So, on the subject of love. Veles has told us that he's a glorified sex toy for a pair of lesbians. What about you? Is there a...lucky beau waiting for you at the end of this crusade?"
"Yeah, there is, actually," Sylvie said. "I managed to maintain quite a serious long distance relationship with a postman while running across time from one apocalypse to another."
"Good postman," Veles played along, Sylvie rolling her eyes.
"And with charm like that, who could resist you?" Loki asked.
"Well, people are quite willing in the face of certain doom," Sylvie said.
"I'm sure they are," Loki agreed.
"It was only ever just to keep me going," Sylvie said. "How about you? You're a prince. Must have been would-be princesses, or perhaps another prince."
"A bit of both," Loki admitted. "I suspect the same as you. But nothing ever..."
"Real," Sylvie said, Loki humming and taking another drink. "Love is mischief, then."
"No," Loki said. "Love is...uh...something I...might have to have another drink to think about."
"Love is fire," Veles said. "It's beautiful, and it's warm, but it can also hurt you, or even kill you, and if you don't have it, you'll die."
"That's...surprisingly eloquent," Sylvie said, then looked between the two as Veles finished his bottle and signaled for another, Loki finishing his drink and signaling for more champagne. "You do realize we're about to try and hijack the power source to a civilization's only hope?"
"Why do you think I'm drinking?" Veles asked, thanking the hostess. "Besides, I can drink more than is on this train and function."
"It's not gonna be easy," Sylvie said. "We should get some rest."
"Alright," Loki said. "You relax your way, I'll relax mine."
"I'm going to sleep," Veles said setting down his already-empty bottle. "And just in case anyone gets any ideas, let me just make something clear. They check tickets both to get off the train and to get onto the ark, and neither of those can be bypassed just by Enchanting one random guard or by posing as a guard. If I die, or get pruned, those tickets I made you will disappear."
"We won't kill or Prune you," Loki promised.
"Agreed," Sylvie nodded.
Veles snorted. "Right, because I, of all people, am going to trust the word of two Loki Variants." He waved a hand, a duplication of him appearing at his side. "He's going to protect me while I sleep. Goodnight."
Veles groaned as he sat up, hearing Loki singing in Asgardian and leading the other passengers in a singalong for the English sections he'd added. However, as he switched to a softer section of the song, one of the officials of the train walked out of the car to find the guards.
"I've got a headache," Veles grumbled. "Guess that means Loki did something stupid."
"He sure did," Veles' duplicate said before vanishing.
Veles sighed, stretching and yawning before walking over to the bar and getting another bottle of alcohol from the hostess just as Loki switched back to the more upbeat tempo.
"To Sylvie everybody!" Loki called out once he'd finished singing.
"You're a dumbass, Loki," Veles growled, taking a long drink from his bottle.
"Another!" Loki called out after chugging a drink, smashing the glass on the floor.
"You're drunk!" Sylvie growled.
"No, I'm just full," Loki corrected her. "But bear in mind, I'm very full. Now, I need you to try this," he picked up a small plate of something, pointing at the small bit of food on it. "It pairs very well with the Figgy Pork. Who's got the Figgy Pork?" He looked around for a moment before turning back to him. "Well, you're just have to take my word on the Figgy Pork, but-"
"Where's your uniform?" Sylvie asked. "We're meant to be laying low."
"Nobody cares," Loki smiled. "It's the end of the world!"
"I think something's happening," Sylvie informed him.
"Yes," Loki agreed. "Uh, that planet is about to crash into us."
"Don't be an ass," Veles said. "One of the train's officials went to get the guards. Sober up. Now."
"What?" Loki asked, accidentally dropping the plate on the floor. "When did you guys get so paranoid?"
"Well, I guess it all started when I was running from the omniscient fascists you work for," Sylvie countered.
"It's a shame to let that go to waste," Loki said.
Veles slapped him across the face, then splashed him in the face with water. "Wake up, Loki!"
"Hey, change of subject!" Loki said, walking over to Sylvie. "I've thought of an answer!"
Veles sighed, continuing to drink as Loki tried to explain to Sylvie how love was an imaginary dagger. However, just as she explained to him how stupid he sounded, the doors on either end of the train car opened and guards began to walk in. Veles sighed, draining his bottle.
"Sir, can I see your tickets?" one of the guards asked him.
Veles held up the duplicated ticket he had, and the guard took it, backing away instantly. Veles sighed. They were going to be kicked off the train. The same guard Sylvie had Enchanted asked to see Loki's tickets, but drunk as he was, instead of pulling out a ticket, he tried to conjure it to his hand, only to cast an illusion of fireworks. Veles groaned.
"Oops," Loki said. "Still, it looks lovely doesn't it?"
The guard grabbed Loki's arms, yanking them behind him. Loki began to defend himself, only for a guard to put his hand on Loki's chest, Loki countering by knocking it off then doing the same. At the same time, a guard stepped forward, reaching to detain Veles, only for him to spin, knocking the guard's arm out to the side before driving one of his daggers into the guard's chest three times in rapid succession before shoving the guard back into another as he pulled out his other dagger as well. And then, it was a brawl. The guards pulled their weapons off of their shoulders, apparently deciding to use them as blunt weapons, but as the three of them ahead of Veles closed in, Veles darted forward. The first slashed at him, but he ducked under it, slashing his thigh, then slashed the other's side. The third stabbed at him, but he spun, deflecting it before driving his dagger into the guard's back, As the second guard turned, Veles drove his other knife into the side of his head before ripping it back out then retrieved his knife from the other guard's back and slashed the other guard's throat with it. Just as he did, Loki was hurled out a window by a pair of guards.
"Are you fucking kiddding me," Veles growled.
Sylvie retrieved her sword and leapt after him and the guards turned toward Veles, only for him to stow his daggers, walking toward the window.
"I'll see myself out," Veles assured them.
They all lunged, only for Veles to blast them all away with a blast of Green Energy, then leapt out the window, flipping and landing on his feet, rolling down the hill beside the train tracks before planting his feet and skidding to a stop. He turned, walking over to Loki and Sylvie, only to find Loki holding the now smashed TemPad.
"You son of a bitch," Veles breathed. "You've killed us."
"You're not a serious man," Sylvie said.
"You're right," Loki said. "I'm a god."
"You're a clown!" Sylvie snapped. "You got drunk on the train."
"I'm hedonistic," Loki said. "It's what I do."
"I'm hedonistic!" Sylvie snapped. "A lot more than you, I assure you But never at the expense of the mission!"
"We're fucked," Veles said, laughing in defeat and walking away from the others.
As he did, Sylvie shrieked in rage, unleashing a telekinetic pulse, but Veles just kept walking. Heading for the ark.
"Where are you going?" Loki asked.
"To find a bar," Veles said.
Loki sighed, he and Sylvie following. "That planet is about to crash into the moon."
"Yes, and everyone on it is killed," Sylvie said.
"Including us," Loki said.
"Yes, including us," Sylvie said irritably.
"What about the ark?" Loki asked.
"The ark never makes it off the ground," Veles said. "It gets hit by a meteor and sets of the riot preceding destruction as society crumbles."
"Never had us on it," Loki pointed out.
"So, what, we hijack the ark and make sure it gets off this moon?" Sylvie asked.
Veles stopped, eyes widening. "That'd be a hell of a Nexus Event. The TVA would come for us. On the ark."
Sylvie considered for a moment. "Okay."
"We should hurry," Veles said, raising a hand.
A moment later, a huge Frost Beast formed in front of them. Veles jumped on instantly, and after a moment of hesitation, Loki and Sylvie joined him. The Frost Beast took off at a sprint, heading for the city ahead of them, where they could see the ark. Veles was silent for the ride, but Sylvie and Loki talked nearly constantly. Sylvie explained about how Enchantment worked in detail, then revealed that a TVA Hunter had had memories from before the TVA, revealing the TVA's biggest secret to Loki. Then, finally, they arrived. As they reached the city, the ark was announcing there was only five minutes until launch and that it was at capacity. Veles let the Frost Beast disappear as they sprinted through the city, fighting against the flood of panicked civilians and dodging the falling meteors. Then, just as the mob began to attack the guards stopping them from boarding, the planet above them broke apart, enormous chunks of debris falling into the city, decimating it. It was chaos instantly as the city began to collapse around them. Guards attacked them, meteors exploded into the ground, buildings crumbled. Loki used telekinesis to catch a tower falling toward them and hurl it away, a dozen guards tried to attack them outside of a gate separating them from the ark, civilians screamed and fled in every direction. Then, just as Veles killed the last of the guards around them with a fan of throwing knives, the ark began ignition. Then, a chunk of debris half the size of the ark crashed into it. The ark was obliterated instantly, and everyone could only stare in horror.
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