| TIME IS AN ILLUSION | Loki

012. | CHAPTER TWELVE

TIME IS AN ILLUSION

❝ Where did you send us, exactly? ❞

THE RECTANGULAR PORTAL closes behind them just as Devlin and Loki step into the locker room.

Loki looks back at where the portal once was while Devlin turns towards an open door.

"Hmm. This'll be fun," Devlin hums. "Now, let's..."

Devlin's voice trails off, and he turns towards Loki. The god raises an eyebrow as Devlin looks him up and down.

"What? Is there something on me?"

Devlin doesn't respond, and instead turns towards the wall of lockers. He lifts his hand, which is now glowing yellow, and opens B-15 locker.

"Grab those," Devlin turns back to Loki with a grin. "You might need them."

Walking down a hallway with flashing lights, Loki twirls the daggers in his hand and Devlin hands glow faintly.

A few Minutemen lay on the ground, unconscious or dead. Devlin doesn't bother thinking too much about them, and continues forward.

Soon, they turn a corner and find themselves in front of the Variant and Ravonna's office.

The Variant turns around to them, and rolls her eyes. Loki flips his daggers while Devlin's faintly glow yellow.

The Variant pulls out a sword, and Loki lifts his daggers.

"A few questions."

"Have you really got nothing else better to do?"

"Rude."

The Variant and Loki slowly circle around each other, while Devlin stands near Ravonna's office doors, wanting to see how this plays out.

"Are you sure you're a Loki?" Loki questions, causing Devlin to roll his eyes.

"What? Are you surprised that she's a woman? You do know you're genderfluid, right?"

Loki scoffs, rolling his eyes. The Variant glares at the two of them.

"You're in my way."

"You are my way."

The Variant swings her sword, knocking Loki's dagger down. Loki tries stabbing her, but she dodges and shoves him back.

Loki straightens himself out, and turns back to her. He gestures to himself. "I thought perhaps we could work together."

The Variant simply raises an eyebrow and kicks him in the chest.

He stumbles backwards, his daggers disappearing with his magic. "But now I see, you lack vision."

The Variant groans, and turns around, stalking towards Devlin. The brunet raises an eyebrow, and lifts his glowing hands, as if challenging her.

The Variant continues to move towards him, but Loki grabs her shoulder and turns her around.

"So, either you come willingly..."

The Variant tries attacking him again, but a yellow mist surrounds her, rendering her still. Devlin moves into her line of sight, holding up his glowing hands.

"Or you won't," Loki finishes. "Either way, that's how I get to meet the time keepers."

"Oh, God," The Variant groans. "Shut up!"

Devlin finally lowers his hands, the mist surrounding the Variant disappearing.

"Hey!"

The three turn and see Ravonna and two other Minutemen standing in front of them.

With him distracted, the Variant grabs Loki and holds her sword to his neck.

"Come any closer, and I'll kill him."

"Go for it."

Devlin smiles dangerously. "Oh, Ravonna. Always the one willing to help."

Ravonna runs forward, but Loki snatches the TemPad from the Variant and clicks it.

A portal opens beneath Devlin, Loki, and the Variant, and they all fall through it just as Ravonna reaches them.

They land on their backs in a small shack.

The Variant is the first to get up, her eyes on the TemPad. But before she can grab it, Loki grabs her leg and pulls her back.

"Get off my leg!"

Devlin grabs the TemPad, but the Variant knocks him into a small metal table. He groans, having hit his bruised nose, and the Variant snatches the TemPad from his hand.

"Goodbye," She says sarcastically, and clicks the TemPad. But, nothing happens. She looks at it, and sees it is out of power. "It's not working."

Devlin pants as he gets up, his nose bleeding once again. The Variant pulls her sword out, having not noticed Loki disappear and reappear behind her.

The ravenet takes the TemPad from her. She turns back to him, glaring.

"Give it back to me. You don't even know how to recharge it."

"Of course I do," Loki answers, causing Devlin to roll his eyes slightly. "You're not the only tech savvy Loki."

"Don't call me that."

"Tech savvy?"

"No, a Loki."

The Variant tries grabbing the TemPad, but Loki uses his magic and makes it disappear, hiding it in a safe place. Loki grins.

The Variant scoffs. "So, you're fully a magician then?"

"And for my next trick," Loki conjured his daggers. "I'll make you disappear."

The Variant kicks up her sword.

But, before they can attack each other, debris of some kind falls between them, glowing a purple hue.

Devlin's eyes widen, and he looks at the taller Asgardian.

"Where did you send us, exactly?"

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