Loki

Chapter 3B

Meteors continued to fall to the surface of Lamentis.

Loki ran to keep up with the Variant as they traversed the lunar terrain. "So what's the plan?"

"There's a town near here." She answered. "And can you shut up? Just because I have to work with you doesn't mean I want to hear your voice."

"Alright, well slow down..." Loki protested. "...Variant."

"What part of emminent death confuses you?" She said, throwing her hands up to gesture around her. "And don't call me Variant."

"I'm sorry but I'm not calling some faded photocopy of me Loki." Loki proclaimed, catching up to her.

"Good. Cause that's not who I am anymore." The Variant responded. "I'm Sylvie now."

"Oh you changed your name? Brilliant."

"It's called an alias."

"It's not very Loki-like." He regarded.

"Oh yeah? What makes a Loki, a Loki?"

"Independence. Authority." Loki began then added. "Style."

"So naturally you went to work for the boring, oppressive, time police."

"I don't work for them..." He said. "...I'm a consultant."

"You don't know what you want." She regarded.

"Oh yeah? What about you?" Loki countered. "Your years in the making plan was to tear the place down, create the ultimate power vacuum, and then just walk away?" He stopped. "I'd never have done that."

"Oh yeah?" Sylvie said, turning back to him. "Well I'm not you. Can we get on with this now?"

Loki took in a seething breath before begrudgingly following her again.

They arrived at the town shortly afterwards.

"It looks like everyone already fled." Loki commented on the empty buildings and streets.

"If they did it was in vain." Sylvie replied.

"How long do we have?"

"Twelve hours or so." Sylvie answered. "Things down here are only gonna get worse. More meteors. Gravity quakes. And of course, the collapse of society in the face of annihilation."

"Could that charge the Tempad?" Loki asked, pointing to a shining neon sign.

"Maybe?" Sylvie said, approaching the sign, scanning it up and down. Loki planted himself firmly away from her.

"Just checking the coupling." She said. "Making sure it can connect."

"Right." Loki said skeptically.

"Okay." She said, reaching to him with her hand. "Hand it over."

Loki scoffed. She placed an agitated hand on her hip.

"Pitiful. I'm not giving it to you. You're going to have to try harder than that." Loki said.

Sylvie walked up to him. "Then don't give me your "tech savy" ideas either. The Tempad requires a massive power source, not a night light."

Upon brushing past him, the two left town. The meteors continued to shower down intermittently. In the distance, they could see an old mobile home in the middle of the lunar desert. The two of them climbed the steps and carefully approached the door.

Sylvie drew her cutlass, Loki grabbed her arm before taking another step.

"Brute force is not substitute for diplomacy and guile." He advised.