His Villain||Book 2

Chapter 6

A/n: Hello everybody! Today is August 19, 2021. I did 20 sit-ups in 30 seconds and am very proud of myself. (Edit: it's the next day and I'm sick LMAO) I'm also watching "Staged" with Michael Sheen and David Tennant because I'm on a whole Good Omens kick.

The three of them step through the portal, finding themselves at the entrance of a large outdoor park, with people dressed in poor Renaissance-era costumes milling around. "Apex of nexus signature located, ma'am," a hunter says to B-15. 

"Let me ask you this, why don't we just travel back before the attack, when the Variant first arrives?" Loki asks quizically.

"Nexus events destabilize the time flow. This branch is still changing and growing, so you gotta show up in real time. Did you watch any of the training videos you were supposed to?" Mobius explains with scrutiny.

"Well, as many as we could stand. Your TVA propaganda is exhausting," Y/n sighs, lolling her tongue out. 

"And what do these do?" Mobius quizzes, picking up one of the small orange charges that was used when Loki and Y/n had first landed in the Gobi desert.

"Reset charges prune the affected radius of a branched timeline, allowing time to heal all its wounds. Which sounds like a nice way of saying disintegrate everything in its vicinity," Loki sighs, tucking his hands in his pockets as they all stroll along.

"He's on it," Mobius compliments, but talks to Y/n.

"I watched the videos. I mean, some of them," Loki shrugs, before they all walk through into a huge white tent, the fire on the torch burning low as the Minutemen observe the bodies on the floor, as well as the helmet of a specific hunter, C-20.

"So they're taking hostages now?" B-15 asks, holding the helmet.

"The Variant's never taken a hostage before," Mobius explains to Y/n and Loki.

"Maybe they're upping their game," B-15 suggests.

"Or they pruned her," another hunter suggests.

"A Loki/Y/n couldn't have gotten the jump on C-20," B-15 scoffs.

"I think you underestimate us, actually..." Y/n trails off. 

"Fan out and search for them. And hurry up, we're at three units until red line," B-15 instructs.

"Come on," Mobius urges, watching Loki and Y/n, who are crouched over the dead hunters.

"Wait... If you leave this tent, you'll end up like them," Loki says, looking up at Mobius.

"What do you see?" He asks.

"We see a scheme, and in that scheme, we see ourselves," Y/n says, standing up and smoothing out her trousers. "We have a saying in Asgard, 'Where there are wolf's ears, wolf's teeth are near.' It means to be aware of your surroundings. Which is absurd, because my people are, by nature, gullible fools. A trait that we, the God of Mischief and Harbringer of Death, exploited time and time again simply by listening. Our teeth were sharp, but our ears even sharper."

"We're running out of time, Mobius," B-15 urges.

"Hold it. Just give them a chance," Mobius says, holding up a finger.

"You remind me of them. The Time Variance Authority and the gods of Asgard, one and the same. Drunk with power, blinded to the truth. Those you underestimate will devour you. You underestimate me, just as you underestimate this lesser mutant. Which is why, you walk into one wolf's mouth after another," Loki lectures, standing beside Y/n, one hand tucked in his pocket and the other slung around her shoulder.