Clock's Ticking

Time-Keepers

After Mobius and Loki rescue me from my Time Cell, we hurry back to the TVA. But when we arrive, Ranslayer and other Hunters are there waiting for us. As I look around Loki pulls me back and behind him a bit. Ranslayer speaks to Mobius, holding a TemPad in front of her, "I think you have something of mine."

"Yeah," Mobius pulls a TemPad out of his pocket, "I got all the way down here before I even realized I picked up yours." One of the Hunters standing between Ranslayer and Mobius takes the TemPad. "What's going on?" The Hunter hands the pad to Ranslayer, "what's the problem, Ravonna?" Mobius takes a deep breath and looks down, realizing he's been catch red handed trying to help us and that he can't talk his way out, "you know where I'd go if I could go anywhere? Wherever it is I'm really from. Yeah, wherever I had a life before the TVA came along. Maybe I had a jet ski. That's what I'd like to do." As Mobius talks the Hunter closest to him fires up his pruner. "Just riding around on my jet ski."

"Prune him."

"No!" I shout and try to step forward.

But Loki pulls me back, "Kamaria, no." I gasp and bury my face into Loki's chest, after watching Mobius fade away.

Before I can say or do anything the Hunters are tearing Loki and I apart, "no! Get off me!" I shout as I try to fight them off.

I look up to Loki, who is also trying to fight them off, "get your hands off her!" He shouts and I can hear the rage and concern in his voice. Even though we fight the Hunters still manage to get the collars onto us and soon after we give up our fighting, knowing it's now pointless.

The Hunters march us pass Ranslayer, "wait for me at the elevator."

I turn back to Ranslayer as much as I can and shout to her as they drag me from the room, "you're a snake! He trusted you! He was your friend! And you killed him!"

The Hunters walk Loki and I down the hall and when I notice Loki isn't fighting at all, I stop and walk along with the Hunters holding me. The people who had once been my friends, now walking me to what could very well be my death. We wait by the elevator to go to the Time-Keepers for a little while before Sylvie is walked us beside up with guards of her own. She looks over to me and whispers, "you okay?" I take a deep breath and look down.

Ranslayer then says something rather unexpected, "I've got them from here." As she says this the Hunters let us go and walk away. Once the hunters let us go, she steps on to the elevator and we follow, turning toward the doors once we're on board.

We ride in silence until Sylvie takes a deep breath, "do you remember me?"

"I do. What do you wanna say to me, Variant?"

"What was my nexus event? Why did you bring me in?"

"What does it matter?"

"It was enough to take my life from me, lead to all of this. Must have been important. So what was it?"

"I don't remember." I look over and can almost see the pit form in Sylvie's stomach. I reach over and take her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze and she looks over to me, giving me a very sad smile. We let go of one another then the elevator beeps and the doors open. The room before us covered in fog and a dark blue light. We walk in and look to the three large men in the room, their chairs attached to the far wall. "Gracious Time-Keepers, as promised, the Variants."

One of the large creatures speaks in a voice that sounds almost computer generated. "After all your struggle, at last, you've arrived before us."

One of the other creatures speaks in a bit more natural sounding voice, "what do you have to say for yourselves before you meet your end, Variants?"

Sylvie glances back to me for a moment, "Kamaria has done nothing but help you and your cause. Surely you can find a reason to spare her."

One of the creatures chuckles, speaking in a voice that echos in the room, "surely you're not so blind that you don't recognize your own reflection."

"Is that the only reason you brought us here?" Loki shouts at the three creatures. "To kill us? I've lost track of the number of times I've been killed, so go ahead. Do your worst!"

"You and your bravado are no threat to us, Variant!"

"Oh, no. I don't think you believe that. I think..." Sylvie takes a step forward, but is flashed back to her place. She looks back to Ranslayer before turning back to the Time-Keepers. "I think your scared."

"No, Variant. You're nothing but a cosmic disappointment. Delete them."

"No, I'm not done with you yet," Sylvie marches forward but is reset yet again.