Time in Flames (Book 1)

Chapter 5: Lies

"Is beige all you have as a clothing color?" Estrid commented as her nose wrinkled up in disgust.

She looked at the TVA work uniform that Mobius had given to her in the mirror. There was a crisp white button up shirt with a brown and yellow striped tie to give some design to the outfit. A maroon knee length skirt covered her thighs with brown leggings underneath. And to complete the outfit was a beige leather jacket with huge orange block-like letters spelling out VARIANT on her back.

"You think another color suits the Time Variance Authority better?" He chuckled as he finished pinning up her long hair into a functional bun.

Estrid rolled her eyes.

"I mean you could've used a more vibrant color such as blue or red."

Mobius smiled as he stepped out from behind her, meeting her gaze in the mirror.

"Well, if we decided that then variants could see us from a mile away." He joked,

"Sounds great to me." She responded.

Mobius walked in front of her, shaking his head in amusement, as he took the controller to her collar out of his pocket. Estrid eyed the remote before looking at the agent. He stared at her as he took a slow breath.

"Now, I'm going to remove your time collar. You should have control of all actions, but your magic will still be dormant." He explained.

Estrid nodded as he pressed the button causing the collar to magnetically release. She slowly reached up and grabbed the leather contraption, moving it away from her throat. The feeling of freedom resonated in her veins as she sighed in relief.

She held out the collar to him as she said, "Why exactly does the TVA block magic? You could just use the collars to control the powers of a single variant."

Mobius chuckled once more as he retrieved the collar from her hand.

"That is classified to you, Estrid. But if you worked here wouldn't you feel safer if those who can throw fireballs at your head were unable to do so once you step through the glowing door?" He asked her.

Estrid shrugged,

"I was born with seidr Mr. Mobius. It's not like I could relate to you in the exact ways you want. But to answer your question, it would benefit greatly." She replied without much emotion,

The TVA agent quirked a brow in amusement as the door opened behind them both. Estrid turned to see a man in a pressed white button up dress shirt and black slacks. His brown eyes stared at her with an air of apprehension. He must have heard of Mobius' little plan to use her as a fake TVA agent otherwise he would probably not be staring at her like a bilgesnipe ready to strike.

"Mobius, hunter B-15 says we've got another variant ready for interrogation at Theatre 3." The TVA employee said timidly.

Estrid almost smirked at the obvious nervousness in his brown eyes as he refused to pay her any mind.

"Why can't another agent take the job? I'm preparing ML-267 for her first solo field excursion, Casey." Mobius huffed, his voice becoming strained with frustration as he spoke to the employee.

"Rennslayer said you were the best option. The variant is not exactly cooperating with the minutemen." He said, voice becoming more soft the further he spoke.

Mobius huffed before turning towards Estrid. She smiled at him as she assessed his anger. He was going to have to leave her alone now, and even he knew it. She could explore a way out of this place on her own free will. Pursing his lips he returned his attention back to Casey.