Chapter Text
Loki sat against the wall looking out blankly at his cell. He had broken most of the furniture in a fit of emotion and the debris lay scattered around his feet, papers littering the floor torn from the spines of books, fruit crushed to a pulpy mess, dark stains on the wall where he’d beat his hands until he could no longer make a fist and then broke his nails as he clawed at the wall instead. His fingers were bruised and swollen. His clothes looked pale with their coating of dust and dirt, one shoulder torn and frayed. His hair hung loose around his face, limp and lifeless. He briefly wondered what his mother would think if she saw him now, but quickly clenched his eyes shut and banished the thought from his mind, unable to deal with the agony of knowing he would never find out. His eyes burned from the lack of sleep and intense crying and it almost hurt more to keep them closed. He opened them after a moment and noticed there was a smear of blood on the floor a few feet from him and he was faintly aware of a throbbing in his left foot, but it barely registered against the agonizing ringing in his ears. He sat there, mind empty apart from that awful ringing, unsure if the pain would ever pass or if he was cursed to never be free of it. The latter seemed more likely and he almost wished for it. After all, it would be less punishment than he deserved.
Suddenly, he became aware of a light outside of his cell and he looked up to see a shining… door? It appeared to be some kind of portal. Loki quickly hid himself and the disaster of his cell with his magic and cast a holographic version of himself in a much more presentable state. His hologram walked to the front of the cell and watched as an older man with silver hair stepped through. The portal closed behind him and he briefly took in his surroundings without a hint of surprise and then looked up at the false Loki, a smile turning up his lips.
Loki tilted his head, intrigued. The cells of Asgard were highly guarded and no one, even the most powerful magic wielder, should have been able to make a portal into this place, and yet there the man stood. He didn’t appear very powerful. In fact, he seemed like an ordinary mortal, though Loki knew better than most that looks could be deceiving. The man wore an unflattering brown suit with a pale blue shirt and a matching brown tie, his mustache and brown leather boots giving the look a slight hint of authority. He held some sort of rectangular device in his hands and he tucked it away into his jacket casually. Loki tracked the movement, curious about the device’s purpose, before looking back at the man’s face. He met Loki’s gaze and tilted his head as well, though he seemed to do it with more amusement than any kind of confusion. After several long silent moments of staring, the man spoke in a soft and surprisingly kind voice.
“Hi there, Loki.” Loki’s brow furrowed. He was sure he didn’t know this man and yet he looked at Loki as though he was very familiar with him, his stance loose and casual and completely open. Loki knew he was a bit infamous, particularly on Midgard, but he had a feeling fame wasn’t the reason for this familiarity.
“And who are you,” he asked, going for disinterested but allowing a bit of charm to slip through. If this man was powerful enough to make a portal into this prison, he was certainly powerful enough to free him, so it couldn’t hurt to try to stay on his good side.
“My name is Agent Mobius M. Mobius and I work for the Time Variance Authority. I’ve spent quite a long time studying you so it’s nice to finally meet you in person.” His words served only to confuse Loki more. Time Variance Authority? Studying? And what a ridiculous name. It didn’t sound like it could be real, but it also was too absurd to be made up. He shook his head and tried to organize his thoughts. He wasn’t at his peak at the moment and everything was foggy, so trying to maintain the duplication while also trying to figure this man out and appear stoic and controlled was quickly exhausting him.
“What do you mean by studying? Who are you really? Who do you work for?” Mobius continued to smile at him indulgently, as though he was exactly what he was expecting. Loki hated that and desperately wanted to find some way to shock or surprise him, but he didn’t know enough about the situation yet to attempt it. Agent Mobius slid his hands into his pockets and continued to look completely at ease.
“The short answer is that there are infinite different timelines in this reality and they have to be monitored to make sure that everything goes the way it’s supposed to. Occasionally, someone branches off of their destined path. Those people are called Variants and it is our job to find them and stop them from deviating too far and causing harm to the sacred timeline. Are you following me so far?” Loki blinked, unsure if this man was delusional or if he was just playing some absurd joke on him. The earnest look in his eye indicated the former and Loki raised his eyebrow in bemusement and simply nodded his head, curious about where this tale would lead. Mobius’s lips twitched and Loki got the feeling that he knew what he was thinking, but he continued to speak anyway. “I specialize in the pursuit of dangerous variants, and it just so happens that the current variant I’m searching for is you .” Loki raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“I beg your pardon?” Mobius waved a hand.
“Well not you , per se. Another you from a different timeline. They’ve been going around killing some of my minutemen and I need help to track them down.” Loki paced in front of the cell and considered that statement.
“So you came to me for help? You must be truly desperate.” Mobius shrugged, still as easy going as when he’d arrived. Loki wondered why he seemed so relaxed when the situation sounded so severe. It wasn’t adding up for him, assuming any of it was even true, which he highly doubted. Still, he decided to ask the question he most wanted the answer to. “Are you going to break me out of this cell to assist you?” Mobius laughed, the sound incredibly pleasant compared to the malice Loki had exclusively been shown for such a long time. He tried not to be charmed by it.
“Oh no. No, I’m sorry to let you down but that won’t be happening. Not yet, anyway.” He added the last part after pulling out the device he’d come through the portal with and looking at it with a tilt of his head. Loki scoffed and turned away from him. He was intrigued that it seemed there was a chance he could be freed, but he was irritated that this man apparently wanted him to play nicely before they would get there. Mobius continued to speak and Loki looked over his shoulder at him as he listened. “What I want is to get to know you. I already know your whole life and have studied it thoroughly, but I’m lacking the insight that only you can provide. I know what you do, but not why . I want to know what makes a Loki tick.” Loki turned back, stepped as close to the boundary of his cell as he could, and looked down at this strange man. Mobius tilted his head back to look up at him. Loki found himself disappointed at the lack of intimidation in him.
“You still have yet to explain what you mean by having studied me. You claim to know my life, yet you want me to tell you about it anyway? I have to be honest with you, Agent . That sounds like a fairly pitiful attempt at manipulation.” He sneered down at the man, but Mobius just nodded as he considered his words.
“That’s a valid point.” Loki smirked smugly, but it slid off his face when Mobius clapped his hands once enthusiastically, bouncing on his feet in apparent excitement. “Alright then. How about you quiz me? Ask me anything you want, even things no one could ever possibly know, and I’ll answer.” At Loki’s bewildered look, he chuckled. “I’m a little bit of a fan, to be honest.” Loki folded his arms over his chest and thought. Clearly this man seemed confident, but there was no way he knew Loki as well as he claimed. He could just brush the encounter off and ignore the man, but he relished the idea of wiping that smile off of his face and watching him bumble around for answers he wouldn’t have.
“Fine,” he announced, raising his chin. He tried to ignore the trembling in his hands as another wave of exhaustion hit him and forced himself to appear steady and controlled. He began with the first question that came to mind. “What’s my favorite color?” Mobius chuckled.
“You don’t have one.” Loki raised his eyebrows in surprise and Mobius continued. “You would probably say green if pressed, but the truth is that your mother once pointed out the lovely way it brought out your eyes and so you incorporated it into your wardrobe until it became habit. People associate you with it now so you just stick to it.” He paused for a moment and Loki took a steadying breath at the painful reminder of his mother. “I’ve actually seen you take a bit of a liking to the color blue in later years, but even then I don’t know that it would count as a favorite. So none would be my final answer.” Another pause and then: “Mine is yellow, for the record.” Loki scoffed.
“Fascinating,” he muttered sarcastically. He tapped his finger against his arm as he took in the man before him. He really did seem so painfully ordinary. Loki wondered what secrets he held. “Who is my best friend?”
“C’mon, Loki, ask me the hard ones! You're letting me off easy here!” When Loki just raised his eyebrows expectantly, Mobius sighed and answered. “Same answer as last time. You don’t have one.” Loki snorted and began to think of another question but his thoughts were cut off when Mobius elaborated. “All the friends you had growing up were actually just Thor’s. You never had a real friend of your own and it’s one of the many things that made you jealous of him. No matter how you tried, you never managed to quite fit in. Always too dark, too disinterested in physical strength, too focused on deception and learning all the ways to end a fight quickly, too uncaring about honor and pride. You began to be convinced that you simply were unlovable and so you began pushing everyone away before they could hurt you first.” He seemed like he was about to go on, so Loki cut him off, unwilling to hear more.
“Yes yes, we get it. Poor Loki. How did I find the tesseract?”
“You didn’t. Thanos led you to it.” Loki reeled back as though he’d been struck. No one knew that. “After you fell from the Bifrost, you ended up in his grasp and he spent an indeterminate amount of time torturing you into insanity with the mind stone. You fought back as well as you could, but his power far outmatched your own, especially in the already vulnerable state he’d found you in. He led you to the tesseract and your attack on New York was a direct result of the horrors he’d subjected you to. While you are still responsible for your actions, I think it’s important to note that you were not, in fact, in your right mind.” For the first time, his easy going demeanor slipped away and he looked up at Loki with a painfully genuine look. “It doesn’t mean much but for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
Loki spun away and paced in the opposite direction, trying to hide how unsteady his breathing was. No one knew what had been done to him. He didn’t even think Odin knew. How did this Mobius? His grip on his magic wavered and he grit his teeth as he fought through it, but Mobius spoke up again.
“I also know that you are using illusion projection right now and that you are incredibly tired. It probably isn’t healthy to push yourself so far, and you don’t need to keep up appearances for me.” Loki looked over at him and he shrugged, a gentle expression on his face. “I’ve seen worse.” With a defeated sigh, Loki released his hold and allowed the false image to fade away, revealing the destruction of the cell and his pitiful form, sighing in relief when he no longer had to strain himself. It shouldn’t have surprised him that Mobius found his true form immediately as though already knowing where he was and that he seemed completely unsurprised by the sight before him, but it did. Mobius lowered his head and walked around the cell to the side closest to Loki. He stepped forward until he stood at the foot of the small set of stairs leading up to the cell. He looked down at him and Loki was surprised by the lack of pity in his eyes. He looked at him exactly as he looked at his duplicate. Loki let his eyes fall to the bloodied floor in front of him.
“Duplication casting,” he muttered. Mobius tilted his head in confusion.
“Illusion projection,” he argued and Loki shook his head where it leaned back against the wall, even that movement tiring him. He recited the difference automatically, the details he had drilled into his own mind as a child spilling forth.
“Illusion projection involves depicting a detailed image from outside oneself, which is perceptible in the external world, whereas duplication casting entails recreating an exact facsimile of one’s own body in its present circumstance, which acts as a true holographic mirror of its molecular structure.” He couldn’t help tilting his head to look up at Mobius smugly. “But you already knew that.” Mobius chuckled with a shake of his head.
“Okay, take a breath. Noted.” Loki huffed and lowered his eyes tiredly. “Alright Professor Loki, I think I’ve outstayed my welcome.” Loki snorted at the idea that he’d been welcome at all. “You’re exhausted and I don’t want to stress you out any more than I already have. I’m gonna head back to the TVA, but I’ll be back tomorrow, probably around the same time. If you’re up for it, we can do some talking. If not, well. We can go from there.” He started to turn away and Loki felt an odd ache in his chest. It had been so long since he’d talked to anyone, let alone someone who didn’t look at him like a monster. He found he didn’t want Mobius to leave just yet, even though he still wasn’t sure if he trusted him.
“Mobius,” he called out quietly. Mobius spun and looked at him in surprise.
“Yeah,” he asked, just as quiet. Loki wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted to say and he wracked his tired brain until he came up with something.
“Am I a variant?” As he asked the question, he realized how much he wanted the answer. Mobius considered him for a moment.
“Not exactly. You would have become one, but my talking to you hasn't caused a Nexus event, so I can only assume I’m meant to be here.” He seemed a bit surprised as the words left his mouth and he looked at the rectangular device he’d been holding earlier. Loki wasn’t sure what his words meant exactly, but found he was too tired to ask.
“Did you know that before you came?” Mobius looked at the floor with a sigh.
“No, I didn’t.” Loki nodded. He wasn’t exactly surprised by the answer even though it wasn’t pleasant, but he appreciated the honesty. Mobius took a step closer again, one foot coming to rest on the first step. “My people are being killed and the timeline is being threatened,” he tried to explain, but Loki just lifted a tired hand to silence him before letting it fall back into his lap.
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I’m just a villain in a cell.” He grinned humorlessly and turned away, no longer wishing to extend their conversation and instead wanting to just fall into a dreamless sleep. There was a small light that came from Mobius’s direction which he assumed to be the portal opening. He closed his eyes, letting the silence fall over him. He was surprised, then, when that silence was broken by a soft voice.
“That’s not how I see it.” He opened his eyes and turned his head, leaning forward slightly, and saw the portal close, the prison hall empty once again. He fell back against the wall, Mobius’s words echoing in his mind. He wasn’t sure why, but they brought him a small amount of comfort. He closed his eyes again and fell into a dreamless sleep.