Chapter Text
It had been two weeks since the newest Loki variant had been detained by the TVA, and it had felt like a lifetime for Mobius. Every conversation led to a dead end, every conversation that appeared to be going somewhere always ended in the same place. Loki was smart, tactile, his quick wit and tongue winding circles around Mobius’ sanity. With every passing day the God became less and less willing to settle down and help, promises of a better bed, better food, free time, fell completely on deaf ears, and there was a chance, however slim, that the TVA analyst would crack before the Asgardian.
Here they were, once again, face to face and waiting for the other to break the silence. Surprisingly, it was Loki that spoke first. Cracking his neck slightly as he did, still clearly peeved by the collar that prevented him from lashing out at any given moment.
“What do you want from me?’ He asked it with such venom and conviction that anyone from the outside would assume that he didn’t already know the answer, and it was predictable enough that Mobius simply chuckled for a moment.
“Really? We’re doing this again?” He straightened himself up, placing his hands on the table between them. “Okay, I’ll play again if that’s what you’d like to do, if it truly makes your day a little more interesting. Let's start with a little cooperation.” It was around the tenth time they had had a conversation identical to this one, and Loki was almost entirely predictable at this point.
“I’ve cooperated, and in return, I have been-“
“You’ve been shunned, shoved, scolded and disrespected, yeah, Loki, you’ve mentioned it a couple thousand times. You were shown a video of your own actions, left to mull on your own feelings, restrained when you attacked our agents, and at the end of all that, instead of being pruned from existence, you’ve been returned to a moderately comfortable bed and received a hot meal.”
The god’s usually smooth, marbled face was crumpled in disgust, and Mobius’ bore the same weary expression as a tired parent, plagued by a petulant toddler. But today he had a change in tactics. Ravonna had warned him away from it, practically begging him to give up and prune him already, he was useless, but these conversations were lifetimes in the making, and he wasn’t about to throw away the one case he had become completely devoted to.
“You want the truth, Loki? I’ll give you the truth. There are entire teams of TVA hunters being culled, either pruned by their own weapons or being taken by a rogue variant. And despite having my own doubts, there are people here that suspect you know more than you’re letting on.”
For a moment, Loki appeared to be confused, and then his face contorted into what Mobius assumed to be a coy smirk.
“And what if I do?”
It was the most a conversation had deviated from inane bickering all week. The analyst quirked his eyebrow, interest piqued by the sudden change in the God’s behavior.
“If you do, perhaps we could work out a deal. If you prove yourself to be useful, give us some insight into the situation, maybe you could be a free man. But if you keep throwing temper tantrums, and physically assaulting members of staff, there will be very little I can do to prevent you from being pruned.”
Loki soured again, sucking in his cheeks and leaning back on his teetering chair, Mobius didn’t have the energy to remind him that if he fell and hurt his head he couldn’t magic away the pain.
“Enlighten me. What exactly do you want to know? I was under the impression that the TVA considered themselves an omniscient presence.”
It was a start. “You’re a smart man, I’m sure you’ve realized by now that there are multiple timelines, and therefore multiple variants. This particular variant, Loki, is you. And she is stronger than anything we’ve encountered here before. She’s smart, she’s strong, and she has evaded us for years. What I want to know, Loki, is if you have ever encountered her before, and if you have any idea rolling around in that big ol’ head of yours that could possibly tell us what she wants.”
It became clear relatively quickly, that the God was actually completely unaware of the circumstances laid out by him. “I beg your pardon? Other variants? She?” His tone was incredulous, and slightly insulted. He shifted in his seat, leaning across the table, closer to the analyst. “I don’t have the time to discuss the actions of some jealous imposter, and I certainly have nothing to do with whatever half-wit plans they’re conducting under my name. I am the sole Loki, the sole heir to the throne, but undoubtedly, not the only innocent soul you have locked up here.”
Mobius allowed the tirade, more than convinced by the outburst that Loki truly had no idea what was going on. During their very first conversation, he had attempted to explain variants and their timelines to the God, to little avail. There had been cries of magic, trickery, lies, and mind games. Insecurity had been rolling off of him in waves, but the analyst had refrained from pointing out the irony of his fears.
“The existence of only one variant across multiple timelines would make my job significantly easier, and as much as I want that to be a reality, it isn’t. This variant is dangerous a-“
“I’m dangerous! And yet you’ve managed to dampen my spirit and keep me locked up in this eternal, mundane hell. I haven’t done anything wrong. I just wanted what was rightfully mine. But she runs free, killing your agents and wreaking havoc on your precious timeline. So why isn’t she here, Mobius, why is she not the one sat in front of you being interrogated day in day out? Why am I the one facing your pathetic punishments?”
Mobius slammed his fist against the tabletop, doing his best not to wince as he made contact with the surface. “Have you even listened to a word I’ve said? Or have you cherry picked the parts that give you an excuse to yell and throw your weight around?” He took a deep breath, relieved for the brief reprieve as Loki fumbled for words.
“She is dangerous. She knows how to hide undetected, and she’s been doing it for a long time. If you are telling me the truth, Loki, and you don’t know who she is, then we have a bigger problem than we anticipated.”
He rubbed his hands over his eyes, this meant more paperwork and more bargaining, no doubt Ravonna was going to be on his ass the minute he left the conference room.
He shook his head, slightly bemused by the whole situation. “Loki, if you’re telling me the truth, and you genuinely don’t have any idea who she is, then you will be rewarded. I want to hold up my ends of these bargains, they can be beneficial to both of us. If the TVA suspect even for a moment that you are lying to us, or that you can’t be of any help towards this case, then you will be pruned without hesitation, and no amount of begging from me will change that.”
For a fleeting second he could’ve sworn the god’s face had softened, but whatever emotion had crossed his face was gone as soon as it arrived.
“Then I suppose we are just pawns for the timekeepers, and one day, when you have fulfilled their twisted purpose, you too will be pruned. But I don’t think you’re ready to think about that, are you Mobius? Do they ply you too? One more case and you’ll be promoted? One more case and you’ll get a taste of freedom once more?” He looked smug, searching for any kind of reaction from the analyst, but Mobius didn’t give him one.
He simply gave him a weak smile, Loki wouldn’t be the first variant to question his devotion to the TVA, and he wouldn’t be the last, it didn’t give him the same pang of anger as it did all those centuries ago.
“Well Loki, I gotta say, you sure got passionate today. You should bring this energy to our next chat, who knows what kind of progress we’ll make. If you keep this up, you could be in a nicer bed by the end of the week.”