Variations

The Nexus Event: Unorthodox Rescue

Hilda patiently waits outside of Ravonna's office, waiting for Mobius to get out from the scathing scolding he no doubt received. Though she imagines her own reprimanding is only on hold because of the desperate urgency of the situation. When Mobius gets out, the betrayal is evident on his face. If Hilda wanted to be nice, she wouldn't comment on it. "You act as if the God of Mischief didn't do exactly what we expected him to."

"And you act like Sigyn didn't kill Hunter E-40," retorts Mobius. He winces directly after, realizing he's gone too far. "Sorry, that was a low blow."

Hilda manages a small smile. "We'll call it even. They got into our heads, and now we need to get into theirs to find them."

"It doesn't help that they could be anywhere by now," says Mobius, stressing. He wants to find them all alive and see what the hell is going on. "What if they're not even in an apocalypse?"

"Have you seen them? They would create a branch instantly. If they have one thing in common, it's that they both like the sound of their own voices."

"Okay, so they're in an apocalypse but it could be any number of them and we don't have time to check them one by one. And don't forget, the only reason our agents got them without a fight was because we caught them off guard. Sigyn's likely going to be coming at us full force with her powers and--"

"Her powers." A look of realization starts to set on Hilda's face. "I know how to find them."

~~~

Between the rows of cramped desks, Hilda holds out her outstretched hand in front of Casey. He gives her and Mobius a questioning look, not exactly sure what they're asking of him. "You want me to give you one of the paperweights?"

"Hilda thinks that we can give our systems a sample of the power stone and figure out if its energy is being used somewhere it's not supposed to on the timeline."

"So you want to track them using a rock?" asks Casey incredulously.

"Since they're not going to emit any variance energy if they're in an apocalypse, we need to check for other variables. The power stone is destroyed in 2023, so any use of its powers afterwards is from its only remaining essence in Sigyn. So, we create a filter for that type of energy surge, and since I—we know her entire life story, it'll be easy to figure out if our alternate Sigyn is out there." Casey blinks still not really understanding, causing Hilda to give in and roll her eyes. "We're going to use a rock to track them."

Reluctantly, Casey opens his drawer revealing a giant collection of infinity stones and lets out a defeated sigh, "What colour?"

Lamentis-1, 2078

Away from the two Lokis, Sigyn sits at the edge of the lake as she watches the planet crash down around her. The screams of the people still in the city occasionally break through the noises of crumbling rocks and impacts. The entire thing is completely overwhelming to her senses. Initially she tries to continue to block them out, but eventually, she gives up and gives in to the flood, letting her be taken away with it.

It's funny because, after everything that's happened, all she can think about is how much she wants her mom. A single tear escapes her eye, rolling down the side of her cheek as the salty taste reaches her tongue.

A distance back from Sigyn, Loki and Sylvie sit on the edge of a fallen tree. "I was lying before," says Sylvie blankly.

Ever the one to avoid serious conversation, Loki decides to make a joke. "You're going to have to be a bit more specific about that, we tend to do that a lot."

"I said that I'd never experienced something real. The truth is I did. But I lost it," Sylvie's eyes begin to tear up as she grows frustrated, angry, and sad all at once. "Over, and over, and over." Loki looks at her in confusion, not sure what she means by that. "Surely you knew that Sigyn was far from the first version of herself to be brought into the TVA?"