Loki X Jamie Season 1

Chapter 55: Variants of Yourself

(A/N Here's more of it!)

The three continued to glare at He Who Remains with their weapons ready.

"I understand your moral objections to what the TVA does. And my methods are deceptive. But the mission, it never was. Without the me, without the TVA... everything burns," He Who Remains said.

"Then what are you so afraid of?" Loki asked.

"Me," He Who Remains answered.

"And just who are you?" Jamie remarked.

"Oh, I've been dubbed many names by many people. A ruler, a conqueror," He Who Remains said, making him snicker, then added, "He Who Remains, a jerk. But it's...it's not as simple as a name."

He then made little figures to tell a story.

"Eons ago, before the TVA, a variant of myself lived on Earth in the 31st century. He was a scientist and he discovered that there were universes stacked on top of his own. At the same time, other versions of us were learning the same thing. Naturally, they made contact. And for a while, there was peace. Narcissistic, self-congratulatory peace. 'I love your shoes.' 'I love your hair.' 'Oh, man, nice nose.' 'Thanks, man.' Et cetera. They shared technology and knowledge. Using the best of their universes to improve the others. However...not every version of me was so...so pure of heart. To some of us, new worlds meant only one thing, new lands to be conquered. The peace between realities..." He Who Remains explained, imitated an explosion, then continued, "...erupted into all-out war, each variant fighting to preserve their universe and annihilate the others. This was almost the end...ladies and gentlemen, of everything and everyone."

"And then the Time-Keepers came along and saved us all," Sylvie replied sarcastically.

"Amen," He Who Remains sang then said, "No. No. Nope, this is where we diverge from the dogma. That first variant encountered a creature created from all the tears in reality, capable of consuming time and space itself. A creature...you three know."

"Alioth," Loki breathed.

"Bingo! I harnessed the beast's power and began experimenting on it. I weaponized Alioth and I ended...I ended the Multiversal War. Once I isolated our timeline, all I had to do was manage the flow of time and prevent any further branches. Hence, the TVA. Hence, the Time-Keepers and a highly efficient bureaucracy. Hence, ages...and ages of cosmic harmony. Hence...you're welcome," He Who Remains finished.

"And hence, you can shut up," Jamie snapped.

"Good one," He Who Remains chuckled then said, "You three came to kill the devil, right? Well, guess what? I keep you safe. And if you think I'm evil, well, just wait till you meet my variants. And that's the gambit. Stifling order or cataclysmic chaos. You may hate the dictator, but something...far worse is gonna fill that void if you depose of him. I've lived a million lifetimes. I've gone through every scenario. This is the only way. The TVA, it works."

"Or you're a liar," Sylvie told him.

"Or I'm a liar," He Who Remains repeated.

"So you just...continue to prune innocent timelines?" Loki asked.

"Mmm-mmm. You three would. There's two options! One...you kill me and destroy all this, so you don't just have one devil, you have an infinite amount. Or...you two. You three run the thing," He Who Remains suggested.

"Man you are just full of lies today," Jamie remarked.

"Exactly. Why would you give up being in control?" Loki asked.

"Buddy...I'm tired. And I'm older. I'm older than I look. This game is for the young, the hungry. I've gone through a lot of scenarios...trying to find the right person to take this spot. It turns out that person came in three. But it's definitely you two. So, no more lies. You kill me and the Sacred Timeline is completely exposed. Multiversal War. Or you take over and return to the TVA as its benevolent rulers. Tell the workforce who they are and why they do what they do," He Who Remains told them.

"You treated real people's lives like some kind of game," Jamie said.

"It's not personal, it's practical," He Who Remains assured.

"It was personal to me," Sylvie stated.

He Who Remains groaned and remarked, "Grow up! Grow up, Sylvie! Murderer! Hypocrite! We're all villains here. We've all done horrible, terrible, horrific things. But now, we, you...have a chance to do them for a good reason. We just crossed...the threshold."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N To be honest, I've already thought of something similar to that before this show existed. That there's more versions of me / if I wasn't me, I could born with different traits and a different personality. Pretty crazy. Now back to it.