A Guide to Fixing Broken Things

Step Twelve: Trial

Sylvie POV

"Sylvie Laufeydottir, you are hereby accused of the following crimes: the bombing of the Sacred Timeline, the murder of countless Minutemen, and theft of information and property of the Time Variance Authority. How do you plead?"
 
Judge Renslayer was the perfect picture of sophistication and confidence standing behind her podium with a gavel in hand, eyes devoid of any emotion except for a twinge of anger. She was a stark contrast from Sylvie, who was still in chains and standing on the floor with her hair wild. 
 
"First question, how do you know my name?" Sylvie asked, narrowing her eyes. She was trying- and nearly succeeding- at eluding an air of false control of the situation. Unfortunately, Renslayer saw right through it.
 
"How I know your name doesn't matter."
 
The chains around Sylvie’s wrists rattled when she took a step forward.
 
“I think it does,” she hissed.
 
"How do you plead, Variant?" Renslayer said through gritted teeth. Her patience was beginning to wear thin, and that fact was becoming more and more obvious to everyone else with each passing moment.
 
Sylvie said nothing and stared at Renslayer’s face for any sign of weakness, contemplating her next moves.
 
"Guilty as charged."
 
She gave the rest of the court- which consisted of Hunter B-15, a handful of other agents, and Casey in the back doing paperwork- a sly smile.
 
"Though I wouldn't say I'm entirely to blame."
 
Several heads perked up at that. Renslayer shifted nervously, her lips twitching downward. 
 
"I'd argue on the contrary," she said evenly, then lightly pounded her gavel. "Now, if that's all-"
 
"Wait."
 
Hunter B-15 rose to her feet, eyes trained on a surprised Renslayer, who quickly masked her surprise by coughing.
 
"What is it, Hunter B-15?" she asked. 
 
B-15 didn't even hesitate to say:
 
"The defense has the right to present their case."
 
Renslayer frowned, and a muted rumble of whispers travelled through the court.
 
"The defense pleaded guilty," she insisted.
 
"The defense ," B-15 shot a quick look in Sylvie's direction, who forced herself not to smile. The plan was set in motion. "Might want to consider their stance after delivering their testimony."
 
Sylvie nodded, tilting her head in gesture to B-15.
 
"She's out of line, but she's right." 
 
When Renslayer didn't respond, Sylvie quirked an eyebrow. 
 
"Ravonna, if you'd be ever so kind, I'd like to argue on my behalf." Sylvie's words were sickly sweet and paired with a cheeky grin. "Maybe even shed some light on this whole situation?" 
 
Renslayer's eyes were practically slits, her jaw tight.
 
"Don't call me Ravonna."
 
Sylvie rolled her eyes, and Renslayer continued.
 
"But fine. Go ahead with your 'testimony.' I doubt it will change the outcome."
 
Sylvie's eyes twinkled with mischief.
 
"I might surprise you yet."
 
“I’d rather you not.”
 
Sylvie ignored the judge’s comments and turned around to face the rest of the court. When Renslayer had first entered her cell and demanded she be placed on trial, Sylvie hadn’t been able to see a way out of this web she had gotten herself tangled into. Loki seemed to have disappeared, as they should have, and B-15 only had limited power that she should be rightly hesitating on using. But B-15 had pulled her aside before they entered the courtroom, whispering a vague outline of a plan to get them out. It relied heavily on coincidence, chance, and the stars aligning, but it was the best they had.
 
“The Time Variance Authority is a fraud,” she spat out, and heard a few small gasps escape from those in the room. Renslayer’s eyes grew wide.
 
“Lies,” Renslayer said in an instant, but her voice trembled ever so slightly. “You have no proof.”
 
Sylvie looked over at B-15, who nodded subtly and reached to unclasp the helmet strapped around her chin. She pulled it off and held it up.
 
“I have proof.”
 
All eyes turned to look at B-15, and appeared confused when they saw the helmet.
 
“Hunter, that is your headgear.” 
 
Renslayer said the fact as though it were the most obvious thing in the whole world, which was technically true. But the proof wasn’t in the helmet itself, it was the markings on it. Along the rim were thinly scratched tally marks that had been worn into the metal with time. B-15 ran the pads of her fingers over the tallies, looking forlorn.
 
“Twenty-three,” she said, almost inaudibly. “That’s how many marks I’ve made on this helmet. Twenty-three marks for the twenty-three times the TVA has erased my memories of freedom.”
 
The room went deadly silent when B-15 finished. Even Sylvie was surprised by her show of courage, though she couldn't decide whether the decision was in vain or if B-15 was simply more clever than she let on.
 
Renslayer, on the other hand, was the furthest thing from impressed. Her knuckles were white around the handle of the gavel, her face grew sickly pale, and her eyes anxiously darted around the room as the people regained their ability to speak, murmuring to each other in hushed tones.
 
“Silence!” Renslayer yelled, striking her gavel. The court did not obey, and only grew louder by the minute.
 
She banged it again, and this time, everyone froze.
 
With a shaking finger and voice, Renslayer pointed at Sylvie, then at Hunter B-15.
 
“You spread falsehoods about this great organisation,” she said. “And you will be punished for it. Both of you.”
 
Right on cue, several soldiers that had been standing in the shadows of the room stepped forward, pruning sticks close at hand. They moved like robots acting on orders, grabbing B-15 and Sylvie's arms and holding them behind their backs. The court erupted in commotion as people either jumped to condemn or defend them. B-15 struggled against the soldier’s hold, shoving them aside to speak amongst the chaos.
 
“The TVA took my life from me!” she shouted, raw pain seeping into her words. Everyone went deadly still, even Renslayer. 
 
“I had everything, ” B-15 continued. Her words cut through the steadily building tension in the room. “I was in love, and I was robbed of that because of you. We all were.”
 
Renslayer gulped. Sylvie could practically see the cogs turning in her head, feel the fear radiating off of her skin. They had managed to lock her perfectly in a situation she couldn’t escape from without major repercussions, and unless Renslayer had changed from when Sylvie knew her, she was probably on the verge of losing her mind trying to find a way out. Unfortunately for her, they had made sure there wasn’t one. 
 
“The TVA only acts in the best interests of the Time Keepers and the preservation of the Sacred Timeline,” Renslayer tried. “In order to protect the universe from total destruction-”
 
“Save me the story,” B-15 growled. “I’ve only heard it a million times, and if I ever had any doubts it was true, you brainwashed me back into believing it.”
 
Renslayer’s jaw clenched, and she waved one hand dismissively. 
 
“Take them away,” she instructed.
 
The soldiers reached for B-15’s arms once more, and she nodded at Sylvie, who smirked. In a flash of bright green light and a blur of movement, every armed TVA agent in the room was thrown against the wall like rag dolls, their weapons flying from their hands. Sylvie and B-15 stood back to back in the center of the courtroom, Sylvie’s hands alight with power and shattered cuffs at her feet. B-15 had discarded her faded reminder of a helmet, instead opting to wield a pruning stick. They stared down Renslayer, who was struggling to recover from her shock. 
 
“W-what?” she stuttered, eyes wide and taking in the scene in front of her.
 
“Sorry about this, Ravonna,” Sylvie said without a hint of apology. A big, mocking grin spread across her face. “But we have places to be.”
 
Hunter B-15 pushed a button on her TemPad, and an ear splitting alarm was set off. If the courtroom had been thrown into chaos before, it just got ten times worse. Everyone in the vacinity placed both hands to cover their ears, trying in vain to block out the blaring noise. Even Ravonna winced, the gavel falling from her hands and hitting the floor. Sylvie and B-15 used the distraction to throw open the doors, sprinting out even as Ravonna shouted after them. 
 
The hallways were carpeted with a strange, faintly red gas that was steadily rising in the air. Alarms continued to sound, even louder now that they were no longer protected by the room. Pouding footsteps could be heard on all sides, but neither B-15 nor Sylvie had the time to worry about that.
 
“Where is C-20?” Sylvie asked at the same time B-15 said:
 
“What is this gas?”
 
Sylvie glanced down, shrugging.
 
“I enchanted one of the guards to cause another diversion.”
 
B-15’s eyes grew larger out of indignation.
 
“Seriously?” she asked. “This stuff could be dangerous!”
 
As if to illustrate her point, she was suddenly taken by a bout of intense coughing upon inhaling some of the gas. Sylvie scowled, but just pointed down one of the nearest hallways.
 
“We’ll be fine, let's just get out of here fast,” she said. “Now, where’s C-20?”
 
Still coughing, B-15 turned to jog down the hallway opposite of the one Sylvie had been pointed to. She rolled her eyes, then followed closely behind. As they ran, the sound of Renslayer calling after them could be heard. Sylvie was almost positive the judge had sent hordes of soldiers with pruning sticks after them, but the gas had grown as thick as fog. It was nearly impossible to see a mere couple feet in front of them, much less where any potential enemies might be. Sylvie just had to trust that B-15 knew where she was going when she weaved through corridors and around corners. After a few mumbled “shit”s and “this was a terrible idea”s, they finally stepped into what Sylvie could just barely make out as a large room. 
 
“We’re here.”
 
Sylvie glanced around, but she didn’t see anyone else in the room. It appeared to be completely empty.
 
“C-20 is here?” she asked.
 
B-15 nodded.
 
“This is the infirmary,” she explained. “I’ll find C-20 and grab some supplies, you watch the door.”
 
“Got it.”
 
Sylvie turned around and stepped into the hallway, summoning green orbs to her hands and narrowing her eyes in search of any TVA agents. Lucky for her, she was almost immediately met with a challenge. 
 
From the gas emerged a group of three hunters, all in full armour and with weapons in hand. They wasted no time leaping at Sylvie, pruning sticks raised and gas masks on. Sylvie grabbed the arm of one, swinging him around so their positions were flipped, then kicked him to the ground. She grabbed hold of the second, enchanting her to block the blow of the third hunter, who frowned in confusion. Stifling a smirk, Sylvie watched the two hunters awkwardly fight for a moment, before poking out a foot to trip one and elbowing the other in the head. Within no time, the hunters all crumbled to the floor, leaving Sylvie as the sole victor. She was about to head back into the infirmary, when a voice from afar made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle.
 
"Stop right there."
 
Sylvie would recognise that voice anywhere, but she still tossed her head over her shoulder to identify the speaker. Renslayer stood just a few paces away, completely alone, yet still armed.
 
"Nice to see you again, Ravonna," Sylvie smiled. "Come to finish off the job?"
 
"You should be dead," Renslayer said, voice low and dangerous. Despite knowing that Sylvie could easily beat Renslayer in a fight, being in such close proximity with the judge after so long sent shivers down Sylvie's spine. She ignored them, drawing her curved blade.
 
"No warm hello for an old friend?" Sylvie batted her eyelashes.
 
"Don't mock me." Renslayer activated her pruning stick. "And we aren't old friends."
 
Sylvie let her shoulders drop, her smirk falling away and being replaced with a stone cold glare.
 
"If that's how you want to play-" She flipped her blade around in her hand, moving into a fighting stance. "Let's play."
 
Sylvie let Renslayer make the first move. The judge charged forward predictably- her lack of talent on the battlefield was a considerable factor in why she ruled over court instead- and Sylvie easily sidestepped. It wasn't the first time the two had fought, and it most likely wouldn't be the last, but something about the deafening sirens and billowing gas made it feel different. More intense.
 
Renslayer attempted a few more swings at Sylvie with her pruning stick, all of which she dodged with practiced poise and grace. With each small win for Sylvie, the anger and resentment on Renslayer's face increased.
 
"I should have known it was you who had been taking out our Minutemen!" She yelled.
 
"Yes, your wit does seem to be lacking."
 
Sylvie ducked to avoid another hit.
 
"Must be a side effect of losing me."
 
Renslayer thrust the pruning stick forward, and Sylvie wrenched it from her grasp, using it instead to shove Renslayer up against the wall in a chokehold. Renslayer struggled against her, kicking and hitting and squirming, but Sylvie didn't budge.
 
"You're kind of cute when you're flustered, did you know that?" Sylvie asked, tilting her head slightly.
 
If Renslayer had any reaction to the comment, it must have been obscured by the gas, because she seemed to ignore it entirely.
 
"Losing you was the best thing that ever happened to me," Renslayer said through a clenched jaw. "It opened my eyes to your manipulations."
 
"You mean my attempt to show you who the Time Keepers actually are?" Sylvie raised a brow. "Because you and I both know the truth: they're evil, lying-"
 
"Don't speak of things you will never understand!"
 
Sylvie opened her mouth to retort that she did, in fact, understand things perfectly well, when B-15 called out:
 
"Found her!"
 
Sylvie glanced at the infirmary door, then back at Renslayer with a small smile.
 
"Looks like this visit has to be cut short," she said, almost a little sad. "But I'll leave you with a parting gift."
 
Before Renslayer had any time to react or even process Sylvie's words, a finger was being pressed to her forehead, and she slumped against Sylvie's hold. Glimpses of the memories Sylvie had summoned forth flew through her head, and for a millisecond, it was like she had travelled back in time to when she and Renslayer had been close. Sylvie was tempted to stay and explore the depths of Renslayer's mind, maybe even glean insight on her perspective of events Sylvie remembered so vividly, but she resisted. 
 
Instead, she rushed back into the infirmary, coughing and waving off the gas that had only thickened with time. B-15 and C-20 stood in the center, both clinging to each other and a TemPad. B-15 looked up at Sylvie wildly, shaking the TemPad in one hand.
 
"Where to?" She asked.
 
Dread crept through Sylvie, and it hit her that Loki was most likely in immediate danger, if they had escaped to where Sylvie presumed they had. 
 
"Lamentis 1."
 
B-15 barely stopped her jaw from dropping at that. Even the barely lucid C-20 didn't look excited about the announcement.
 
"Lamentis 1?" B-15 sounded incredulous. "Do you have a death wish?"
 
Sylvie glanced back at where Renslayer laid. She was still out cold, but the enchantment wouldn't last forever, and the rest of the TVA had undoubtedly already been alerted of their whereabouts. It would only be a matter of time until they were found, and this time, Sylvie doubted they would be as lucky as to receive a trial. They needed to leave.
 
She turned back to B-15, making up her mind.
 
"Let's go."