Out of touch (1)

n i n e t e e n

- p a r t s e v e n -

She is clinging to him. He is holding her. She is stood out of breath and is marvelling at the sight in front of them. There is the building with a glowing ring wrapping around it miles out.
They are stepping towards it and she isn't scared. It is too peaceful for her to be scared. She basks in the moment as they continue onwards.
They come across a large door with golden cracks all along it and they pause before Sylvie steps forward and stops.
"Aren't you gonna tell me not to kick the door in?" She asks.
"It never made a difference"
"Well if you think it's a bad idea, I prefer you to speak your mind"
"No, nothing to say"
The blonde woman was clearly nervous from the way she was holding back. She knew nothing of what was to come after she walked through those doors.
"That'll be a first" she smirks at the man.
She steps forward and stops, clearing her throat and then rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.
"Everything okay?" Anita asks from next to the pair and Sylvie has almost forgotten that she is with them.
"Yeah, just need a moment"
"Right, it's just you normally" the man between them starts making the blonde turn to him.
"Loki, shut up, I was pruned before you even existed, I have been waiting for this moment my entire life, I just need a second to get my head straight okay?"
"Sure of course"
Almost as if someone was expecting them to be there, the doors in front of them opened up making Anita reach for her gun. They start to walk in slowly and all notice as the doors close behind them. They walk into a grand front room with stained glass windows and she notices how it is all quiet.
They take a few more steps forward before halting as they see what is in front of them.
"Hey yall!" Miss minutes calls making the two variants pull out their knives as the girl shoots a bullet through the hologram before apologising and retiring her gun to the holder.
"You again?" Sylvie asks.
"Welcome to The Citadel at the end of time"
"Come on" Loki motions his head for them to start walking around the being.
"Congratulations, yall had an awfully long journey to get here, he's impressed" Miss Minutes continues as she walks with them.
"Who's impressed?" The assassin pipes up.
"He Who Remains"
"And who is he?" Loki asks.
"He who created all and controls all, at the end, it is only he who remains and he wants to offer you a deal" she starts making Anita squeeze Loki's hand.
No matter what, they were going to come out of all this unscathed, together.
"He's been making a few creative adjustments and he's worked it out so that we can reinsert all three of y'all back into the timeline in a way that won't disrupt things"
"Won't disrupt things?" Sylvie asks confused.
"Mhm, the TVA can keep doing its vital work and y'all can live the lives you've always wanted"
Visions of empty fields and small cottages with Loki stood at the back gate flash through the girls head making her heart lurch forward.
"And what have we always wanted?"
"Now, don't play coy with me mister, you know how you got into this mess"
"What?"
"The battle of New York silly, you versus those self righteous Avengers, how would you like to win? But not just there, you can kill Thanos"
She pauses and Anita notices how his face has changed to an expression of almost longing. Longing for these things but also searching for the past version of him who wanted it more than he did.
"You want the infinity gauntlet? Yours, Throne of Asgard, no problem, what about you missy?" She asks turning to Sylvie.
"All those years on the run, desperate and alone, how would you like to wake up tomorrow with just a lifetime of happy memories?"
The youngest of the three shakes her head, not wanting to believe that her friends would fall for these cruel tricks.
"What miss murderer?" The orange glow asks and she feels herself grow stiff at the name, feeling the urge to be sick.
"You don't think he has a deal for you, all you want is love and freedom, a place to let yourself run away from your past into someone's arms who will bring you forward"
She turns away from the figure not wanting to listen to what lies she would conjure up, letting go of the man next to her. This caused the character to shrug and turn to the variants who both looked lost.
"Two Loki's in the same place"
"Both of us, all of us, together on the timeline?" Loki asks
"It's crazy, but he could make it work, all of it, everything, exactly the way you've always wanted and you can have it all, together"
"It's fiction" Sylvie shakes her head and the girl beside them sighs in relief.
"We write our own destiny now" Loki adds taking the woman he loves hand into his once again.
"Oh sure you do, good luck with that" Miss Minutes smirks before disappearing making them all uneasy from the interaction.

•••

The trio walked down a long hall, Loki and Anita still very close whilst Sylvie was a few steps away from them.
"He who remains"
"Not for much longer"
The three continue before they reach a set of steps which they step down carefully, splitting up when they reach the floor to inspect the room. The girl makes her way to the walls whilst they other two look at things around the room.
"Are we sure he's even still alive?"
His thought is interrupted however when they hear a noise and start making their way over to one of the walls. Another creak is heard and the two variants draw their knives as Loki shoves the assassin behind him as he wraps an arm around her to keep her there.
The door opens and a man with a purple cloak is sat behind it. He stands and chuckles before walking towards them.
"This is wild"
"The two of you, the same person, I mean it's a little unnatural but wow...wild"
He hadn't seen her and for that Loki was relieved, he could conceal her for a few moments more, he could bask in the feeling of knowing she was safe.
"He who remains" Sylvie announces.
"He who remains, she still calls me that? Creepy right? But I like it"
By this point Sylvie had put her knife down, but Loki knowing what still stood behind him, kept his raised.
"Come on, come on let's talk in my office" he says before turning around.
The trio soon found themselves to be stood in the small elevator, both of the variants knives held up to his back whilst the god of mischief held his girl behind him, trying to keep her hidden for as long as possible.
"Not what you were expecting?" The mans asks them.
"You're just" Sylvie starts before her sentence is finished by the god next to her.
"A man"
"Mmm, flesh and blood, don't tell me I'm a disappointment"
"No, just a little easier to kill" Sylvie says lurching at the man before he phases out only to reappear behind them.
He does this a few times before he disappears completely and they hear the doors ding, opening to reveal what was said to be his office.
"Come on in" he smirks as he turns and walks away from them.
The pair split up and Loki tries to keep Anita hidden but she knows this man will see right through them as they advance closer.
"Please take a seat, but answer me first, did you bring her?"
They all start moving towards the desk, their weapons outstretched as he laughs slightly.
"Bring who?" They ask as they start to sit and the girl behind them is revealed to he who remains.
He smiles brightly and claps his hands together in glee.
"Oh my wow, here she is, I have been waiting a long time for you Anita Lenkov, you are a difficult one that is for sure"
She looks at him puzzled as he smiles to himself before reaching his hands out. She walks through the pair of variants and slips her hands onto his as he admires the girl.
"You are something special, every time they tried to kill the person inside of you, you managed to resurrect yourself, and it only made you stronger than you already were, cause you're no ordinary widow are you? No you're a widow who was always half awake, always knew what she was doing, always did the job anyways and who wouldn't with someone of your talents, you might as well use it, and then you joined with these two and your potential sky rocketed, absolutely marvellous and here you are now, standing before me, realising someone was always there, pulling the strings" he laughs before he drops her hands.
Her skin grows cold and she lets out a shaky breath as she goes to stand behind her Loki, letting her legs collapse when she gets there making him go to turn to her.
"She's fine, she will always be fine" the man before them says and he reluctantly turns back around.
The girl pulled her knees into her chest as she sat with her back to the three. She couldn't escape. She was always under someone's control, she was always going to be brought back to the red room and she was always going to be a murderer. It would be the things that would haunt her for the rest of her breathing moments. Every step she took, every time she closed her eyes, she would always have a reminder of what she had done and what she had become. She wanted to be so much more than that. And maybe, this power figure could be her ticket out of it all.