Chapter 26
The two women helped each other up and Natasha convinced Sylvie to have an electrolyte drink with her. They went to the gym’s lobby area which connected to several other health and wellness departments on the floor.
The strangely abandoned floor reminded Sylvie of the dying planets she had visited. Buildings like gyms and spas were often the first places vacated when the world was coming to an end.
Natasha walked over to a small commissary and grabbed two cold drinks from a cooler box, tossing one to Sylvie easily.
They sat comfortably on a nearby bench, sipping the cold drinks as they caught their breath. Both women felt more at ease around the other having seen each other in hand to hand action.
Sylvie thought of when she had first fought Loki and suddenly missed him. She hoped things with Thor were going well and briefly wondered about the version of him Natasha had known.
“What happened to the Loki from this timeline…?” Sylvie asked slowly.
“He died… protecting his brother,” Natasha answered calmly, taking a sip of the cold drink in her hands. “Bruce said after Ragnarok, they were all aboard a large vessel in space… then Thanos showed up…”
Natasha didn’t coddle her, but she didn’t want to seem entirely cold either. Sylvie noted that at the mention of The Mad Titan, there was an almost imperceptible flare of anger in Natasha’s eyes.
“He said Loki made a move against him, and Thanos killed him,” her eyes watched Sylvie intently, “that’s the last we heard of him…”
Sylvie tried to appear impassive but couldn’t help the simmering rage which coiled in her heart. She reminded herself that it wasn’t her Loki who had died, but she couldn’t help thinking that it could have been… it would have been, had the TVA not stolen him…
That thought filled her with conflict. She abhorred everything the TVA stood for—their cold and callous methods—but in essence… they had saved him.
“You remember 2012…?” Sylvie asked absentmindedly.
Natasha nodded slowly as she took a large drink from her bottle.
“It’s my understanding that something happened after you defeated him in New York. An event that wasn’t supposed to happen—what the TVA calls a ‘nexus event’—and they stepped in…”
“Who are they?” Natasha asked patiently.
“The Time Variance Authority—the people who stole me from my life,” Sylvie said coldly. “They collected Loki and reset the timeline so none of you ever noticed it, that’s why you don’t remember it…”
Natasha’s eyes were distant as she processed all this information, thankful for Sylvie’s concise explanation.
“He was taken to the TVA where he was charged for his ‘crimes’ against the ‘sacred timeline’” Sylvie said with obvious disdain.
Natasha made a little snorting sound at the ridiculous term but continued to listen attentively.
“Anyway, they would have dispatched him then and there, but they needed his help…” she said slowly.
“Help with what?”
Sylvie smirked slowly, “with stopping another Loki variant…”
Natasha’s head tilted slightly and she studied Sylvie’s face, “but he made a different call…” she finished quietly thinking of Clint.
Sylvie gave her a haughty grin, “not that he could have…”
Natasha smiled, mind reeling as she put the pieces together and it suddenly all made sense.
“Don’t you get tired of it…? Being around yourself all the time? I know I would…” she murmured.
Sylvie shrugged, “I’m not, we aren’t the same person… We may have started with the same origin… but we went on different paths, lived different lives…”
“Still, it is unusual…” Natasha said simply, curious but seemingly without judgement.
“It is… but nothing about my life has been usual,” Sylvie sighed.
“I can relate to that,” Natasha nodded distractedly.
“It’s like being with someone I know very well but haven’t seen for a very long time…” she said idly, a small affectionate smile tugging at her lips before she caught herself and straightened up.
“Do you love him?” Natasha asked quietly.
Sylvie’s face went neutral and expressionless, “I thought we agreed no girl talk.”
“I never agreed to that,” Natasha shrugged a shoulder reasonably, “—besides, we’re not girls—we’re two grown women, we can talk about whatever we want.”
Sylvie’s eyes narrowed with shrewd appraisal as she tilted her head.
Natasha couldn’t help but notice how much it reminded her of something she’d seen Loki do. She tilted her head the slightest bit, mirroring her with a bold sense of amusement.
“He’s…” Sylvie sighed reluctantly, “he’s impossible sometimes,” she said simply, “but he’s also endlessly romantic…” her voice was soft then, “…hard to resist at some point.”
“Loki?” Natasha asked with incredulous amusement.
Sylvie nodded distractedly, “It annoyed me at first—”
Natasha chuckled and nodded.
“But I’ve never had anything like that before—never had anyone like him,” she mused fondly.
“He’s a different man with you,” Natasha said simply, “he seems changed, I imagine meeting you has something to do with it.”
“Mm,” Sylvie considered that not for the first time. They’d changed each other, it seemed their nexus event had rippled into a multitude of tiny alterations in who they were.
“He makes me feel so many things at once, and I find myself minding less and less…” Sylvie murmured with a faraway look.
Natasha smiled, looking far too pleased with herself, “that sounds like love…”
They continued chatting easily, going on to discuss how they’d learned fighting techniques. Once they had finally cooled down from the sparring session, they headed for the showers to get cleaned up.
Upstairs, Loki sat with his brother, now alone in the empty conference room. After he had watched Sylvie and Natasha leave he’d urged Thor to take a seat so that he could better explain.
He’d started from Earth, feeling chagrined that it was the most logical reference point.
Loki told Thor about Mobius, the TVA, and how he’d been forced to confront his actions.
“Mm, this Mobius, I like the sound of him,” Thor stated confidently as if commenting on a character in a folktale.
Loki nodded absently, “he’s a good sort, a man, and a good friend,” he looked at Thor then, “he made me better, made me see what I had become…”
Thor looked sympathetic, “you lost your way, everyone does at some point… it was much the same for me when I was banished to Earth all those years ago.”
Loki smiled sadly, “yeah, sorry about that…”
Thor looked surprised if a bit confused, “that wasn’t your fault, my actions were my own,” he said simply.
“But I drove you to it… I was jealous, I felt you were too reckless to be king, and I manipulated the situation to provoke you into going to Jotunheim…” his eyes looked weary with regret, “and for that, I am sorry.”
“Loki, you were right,” Thor said gently.
“Beg pardon?” Loki quirked his head as if he’d heard incorrectly.
Thor laughed goodnaturedly, “you were right, I was reckless, and it would have been a mistake for me to become king. You acted out of pain and anger, as you so often do,” he shrugged, “it all got me to where I needed to be, to meet Jane, and Selvig, and eventually become an Avenger.”
Loki looked distant for a moment, “I played my part…” he said softly, a trace of bitterness in his voice, “I was the villain they wanted me to be…”
Thor looked sorry for his brother, “Loki we all play our parts, but I don’t think of you as a villain… I try to remember all the times we fought together, not the times we fought each other.”
Loki felt his heart clench with pain and catharsis, “I wish I had seen it that way,” his eyes flicked away, “I always felt different—second rate, and like a disappointment to father.”
Thor’s chest rumbled with an annoyed hum, “father wasn’t perfect, meeting our sister—oh we have a sister by the way—meeting her taught me of some of Asgard’s secrets… of father’s secrets…” he placed a hand on Loki’s shoulder supportively, “I should have known how much you suffered, you always acted so above it all, I just wish I’d seen through your illusions sooner.”
Loki breathed a laugh, “you were easy to fool, I just learned to be the person everyone expected me to be.”
Thor laughed and placed a hand on his gut, scratching absentmindedly at his exposed stomach making Loki grimace.
“You always were one for appearances, so put together and fastidious,” Thor mimed tidying a tie and outfit he wasn’t wearing, eyes bright with amusement.
“By the way, speaking of appearances,” Loki tilted his head, one eyebrow arched, “this really won’t do, I can hardly look at you—”
“What do you mean? I’m me? I’m comfortable?” Thor said broadly, “Oh oh! But brother, make me fit again—” he leaned forward as if to be sure no one could hear, “I’ve let myself go a little, I would prefer the others didn’t know—”
Loki sighed dramatically, “I would be astounded if anyone didn’t know,” he shook his head and waved his hand at his brother who sat with his arms outstretched as if ready to be dressed by servants.
Green light shimmered down his body transforming him into the fit form Loki remembered, and replaced his dingy bathrobe, and sweatpants with a clean shirt and jeans.
“Hey, my bathrobe—I had a Twinkie in there…!” Thor complained, then looked at Loki expectantly, “have you tried a Twinkie, brother? They’re these little cake logs filled with cream—”
Loki’s head tipped back as he looked at the ceiling, seeming to question what had brought him to think this was a good idea.
He shook his head then and looked at Thor wearily, voice flat, “No, Thor, I have not had a Twinkie—but before you ask, I will not conjure you one. The Twinkie is gone, no more. You’re cut off, brother.”
Thor pouted like a child then huffed and shrugged, “Banner will have more…” he mumbled to himself.
“Thor, before I completely regret coming here, I need to give you something. The others won’t be able to take them—” Loki conjured a small gilded orb which he opened, then pulled the two infinity stones from his pocket and set them inside it.
Thor looked apprehensive, “Loki, where did you get these? What cost did you pay…?”
“No cost, I took them from the TVA… they’re worthless there, but I thought they might change the game for you and your team here on earth…” he explained, closing the orb and handing it to him.
Thor still looked wary but took the orb carefully, “this is a handsome gift indeed, brother, they will be pleased—we’ve just been discussing how to acquire these ourselves—”
“I know,” Loki said wearily, “that’s why I came to this time—my very existence as a ‘Variant’ was predicated upon the avengers meddling with time—in an effort to get one of these, as I discovered.”
“Then will you cease to exist?” Thor looked concerned.
“That’s not how time works,” Loki rolled his eyes, “anyway, it doesn’t matter… the timeline has been freed from the TVA’s control… it no longer hinges upon their plans.”
Thor nodded dumbly, trying to process his words but not entirely understanding.
“They are the Power and Soul stones, I chose them because I know they are not on Midgard. After Thanos sent me here with the Mind Stone in search of the Space Stone, I believe he intended to send that Kree fanatic, Ronan, after the Power Stone.”
“So it was truly Thanos who sent you here…” Thor asked sadly.
“Yes,” Loki lamented, “Thanos and his promises… he sent me here, promised me a throne. I pledged the stones would be his when Midgard was mine, and he gave me an army.”
Thor exhaled a heavy breath, “I’m glad I took his head…”
Loki’s brow furrowed, “you took his head?”
“I didn’t keep it!” he said as if that explained everything, “I just… beheaded him, sadly it was too late. He had already destroyed all of the stones and gone into self imposed exile.”
Loki nodded in understanding, still thinking it a bit excessive.
“Thor, you know of the Soul Stone’s location on Vormir, yes…?” Loki asked slowly, “I brought you this one because it is said it can only be acquired at great personal cost, one too great for most…” he looked at Thor, “I hoped this might you spare you having to pay it...”
Thor looked touched, “Thank you, Loki… that is most thoughtful of you,” he smiled fondly, “mother did say you had a good heart under all that mischief.”
“Perhaps…” Loki murmured, “she always did see the best in me…” he smiled fondly, “even when I didn’t.”