Chapter 8
With the Minutemen tugging at her arms while they dragged her down the corridors, Sigyn kept on turning as further back as their grasp would allow, for the analyst's absence was beginning to alarm her. For whatever reason, perhaps because she knew Mobius better than she realized, perhaps because a sixth sense of hers was tingling, the fact that he was nowhere to be seen had her believing something terrible must have happened. Not that she was expecting him to show her more mercy than anyone else in the TVA would —although he would have—; it had more to do with the concern that any harm had befallen the analyst. Then again, maybe it was not a sixth sense at all, perhaps it was but sheer paranoia. After all, she could no longer discern between the two by that point.
The Minutemen stopped at last, anchoring her right in front of a golden elevator. To her right was the Variant, also being restrained by her arms, same as she was. When she turned her head to look at her, Sigyn instinctively glanced away.
"I'm sorry about your shoulder," she apologized.
Glancing back in her direction until she remembered what Sylvie was talking about in the first place, Sigyn faintly shook her head, managing a small smile. After everything that had transpired recently, a superficial wound that had already healed itself had been pushed to the very bottom of her list of priorities.
"Don't worry about it... I'm sorry we got you caught," she apologized in return, earning herself the faintest chuckle from the other prisoner.
"It's not you I blame."
"Me neither, but still," she answered and they exchanged a small, knowing smile.
Both women turned their heads to stare ahead of them at the doors of gold, appearing to be equally tranquil as they patiently awaited their fate, whatever that should be.
"He remembers, you know?" Sylvie said suddenly. When she turned her face, she found Sigyn already looking her way. "I couldn't see much, his mind was… well, rather guarded." Sigyn was far from surprised. "But the memories are there, he could access them. You know, with a bit of a jump start."
Even though the other variant had diverted her gaze back to the elevator doors, Sigyn continued to stare at her, having been rendered speechless by her revelation.
"Is that even possible?"
Sylvie only shrugged her shoulders.
Realizing she was perhaps believing a complete stranger with a violent record all too quickly, Sigyn became distrusting.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"If someone knew the person I love was thinking about me, I'd like them to tell me."
Needless to say that response caught the Asgardian completely by surprise. On second thought, she realized as she too glanced ahead, considering all three of them were most likely doomed, there was nothing the Variant could possibly gain out of getting Sigyn's hopes up by revealing her past might not have been thoroughly erased, that she may just have a chance at getting it back. It was a lovely sentiment, Sigyn mused, but just that; seeing as she was currently waiting for death, she embraced the fantasy of one day unlocking those entrapped memories from within Loki's subconscious, yet she wouldn't let them develop into farfetched expectations.
Soon enough, the God of Mischief was brought in and placed between them, him too carried by his upper arms only with much more of an effort on the Minutemen's part, for he was practically dragging his feet. The emotional strain of having witnessed his friend disintegrating right beside him still visible in his countenance, he stood where he was told and he remained uncharacteristically quiet.
"You okay?" whispered Sylvie, to which Loki replied only with a solemn, silent nod.
"I've got them from here," commanded Ravonna Renslayer from the other end of that corridor as she came marching down towards the prisoners. The Minutemen released the three variants from their grasp and took a step back. "This one stays down here, I'll deal with her later," she added, gesturing vaguely towards Sigyn.
Before the prisoner in question could complain about the fact that she was being picked away from her companions, and therefore kept in the dark regarding what awaited the pair on the other side of that elevator, Loki did so first, taking a short step forward out of reflex alone as he protested.
"Now hang on jus—"
Before he could finish, he was swiftly reprimanded by the Minutemen holding the clicker to his Time Collar, returning him to his previous, stationary position, rendering him silent once more.
This time, and no longer because of her own prospects at survival, it was Sigyn who protested, voicing her displeasure at the mistreatment extended to her fellow prisoner, only to be punished herself in the same fashion. She, however, had much more experience dealing with that particular form of control, and was therefore far more accustomed to it; no longer did she pause momentarily in surprise before complying, like Loki had just done. Instead, she was able to almost see it coming. Thus, she was able to react almost immediately after having been physically reset, administering a swift blow to the nose with her elbow to the Minutemen who had performed the punishment.
Sylvie chuckled. "I like her," she whispered to Loki.
As Sigyn was once again restrained by her arms by two Minutemen, Ravonna advanced towards her with a menacing glare, twisting one end of her Time Stick in order to expose its deadly, orange counterpart.
"Give me a reason and I'll take care of you right now," she warned.
"Without a proper trial overseen by the brass' consent? How uncharacteristically bold of you, your Honor."
Ravonna eyed her up and down with dismissive rejection as she turned swiftly on her heel and went about her business. The other two prisoners were shoved into the elevator after her.
It could have been wishful thinking, for she herself had needed to repress the urge of struggling against the hands restraining her, but Sigyn could have sworn Loki had turned his head to glance back at her just as urgently from the moment he had been pushed from her side. They managed only a glimpse into each other's eyes just as the golden doors slid shut between them and the Asgardian felt within her a spark that caused her to think there might have been some truth in what Sylvie had said about him remembering her. If only she hadn't been told that information so soon before never seeing him again, for now there was nothing that could be done about it.
All that was left for her to do as she was dragged back down the corridor -she supposed back to the Time Theatre and into her Time Cell until Renslayer had returned- was spend whatever little time she had left to live filling her mind with pleasant thoughts derived from hypotheticals. The first thought that popped into her head as soon as she came to terms with her imminent execution was her last interaction with Mobius. Something deep within her weighed down on her stomach whenever she thought of the analyst, an inexplicably sensation that she'd never see him again. Before she knew it, she was wondering what he would have said to him had she been granted the opportunity to say goodbye.
Her train of thought became interrupted by a distinctive pinch coming from her Time Collar, accompanied by a beep and a blinking light as it deactivated. Prisoner and imprisoners alike froze in awe as the strap came loose around Sigyn's neck, eventually sliding off and onto the floor. It only took them all a moment to overcome their surprise before a physical confrontation erupted. Wielding their Time Sticks, the Minutemen charged at the Variant with the intention of pruning her and Sigyn dodged them, sometimes barely escaping disintegration while handing out a few kicks and punches herself.
Unarmed and outnumbered, the situation soon turned overwhelming, and that was when she heard an allied cry.
"Here!"
When Sigyn turned her head, she found her dagger spinning in space as it was tossed to her, and the Asgardian caught it midair, immediately earning significant advantage.
As she rid herself of two Minutemen, she saw Hunter B-15 assist her, discarding the other two. After having disposed of all four of their obstacles, Sigyn allowed herself to stare bewilderedly at the once diligent and dutiful enforcer of the TVA, the very person who had arrested her in the first place and had now assisted —if not thoroughly enabled— her escape.
"Come on," urged the hunter, leading the other variant towards the golden elevators.
Fueled by the thrill it brought about to think that she could in fact save the God and Goddess of Mischief, Sigyn instantly obliged. As they walked, she gave her dagger a few in her hand; somehow, it felt familiar and simultaneously unaccustomed, like something she needed to get used to again and yet at the same time felt as though she had last wielded it the day before.
"What brought about this change of heart?" she dared ask the hunter once they were inside the elevator.
B-15's stare remained fixed ahead with purpose, chin slightly rising as she answered: "Perspective."
The elevator doors slid open, causing a fight to immediately ensue. Loki and Sylvie were released from their Time Collars; Sigyn tossed her dagger to the former as she rushed to assist him in taking down the Minutemen surrounding them while B-15 gave the latter her own weapon back, the two of them taking on the remaining guards and Renslayer. The battle was swift and yet felt interminable; the Prince could have sworn the number of keepers surrounding them continued to multiply each time they brought one of them now, feeling more outnumbered the longer they fought.
Soon it was Loki and Sigyn against the last two Minutemen left standing, while Sylvie combatted the judge, B-15 knocked unconscious a moment before. Loki had turned to toss Sigyn's dagger back to her right on time for her to be able to block an otherwise fatal stab from the sharp end of the Minuteman's Time Stick; in doing so, he had inadvertently allowed the other to sneak up behind him, ready to strike.
"Down!" Sigyn therefore commanded, and just as Loki ducked, she threw her dagger, striking the guard mortally on the chest.
In that split second of distraction, the first Minutemen she had recently knocked over lifted his Time Stick from where he lied on the floor, piercing the Asgardian on her side. Loki had risen just in time to see Sigyn's breath get caught on her throat, eyes growing wide, both an imminent sign for the worst. The God of Mischief responded by swiftly disarming the culprit, finishing him off with his own weapon before he rushed to the maiden's assistance.
"Sigyn..." He managed to catch her just as she was on the verge of collapsing, instead helping ease her down on the ground carefully. "It's okay... hey, hey, hey, it's okay," he whispered, trying to sound reassuring despite the very evident shakiness of his voice.
As the numbing effect of shock began to wear off, Sigyn began writhing in pain, muffling grunts of agony between gritted teeth as she clutched at the bleeding wound on her side. Loki's alarm grew higher by the second, glancing between the being he was currently cradling in his arms and the other Variant, still struggling to fight off Ravonna, leading him to realize there was only one way in which he would manage to grant Sigyn the immediate medical attention she so desperately needed.
One arm still propping the other variant's head up, Loki reached over towards the body of one of the Minutemen lying on the ground, snatching their TemPad. Sigyn, meanwhile, was struggling to create a somewhat controllable pattern of breathing that would help her power through the pain, at least enough so she could bare to open her eyes. She saw the God of Mischief frantically manipulating the device and though she tried to ask what he was doing, a fresh wave of pain forbade it. When Loki tilted her face so their eyes would meet, took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of her fingers, Sigyn was invaded by an awful sensation of deja vu, a realization that had her shaking her head agitatedly in an attempt to stop him.
"What are you doing?" she managed in a breathless whisper. "No... No, no, no, don't you dare—"
Beside them, a Time Portal opened and extending her an apologetic gaze, Loki gently nudged her across it before immediately closing it, leaving Sigyn stranded on the other side.