Time will Tell

What the hell is THAT

The three of them stepped out of the portal and looked around. This was nothing any of them had been prepared for.  A vast landscape and no way to even begin to know where she would be.  What was more, as they looked into the distance, they could see some sort of storm heading their way.  

"That's no storm" Strange said with more than a tinge of fear in his voice "that's alive".

Loki and Mobius spun to where he pointed and Mobius said "It can't be, don't be ridic..." he stopped as two red glowing eyes appeared and there was an almighty roar.

"SHIT!"

"RUN!"  Loki and Strange shouted in unison as they realised this was way worse than they could ever have imagined.  As they took to their heels, it crossed Loki's mind that Carrie was out here somewhere, in as much danger as them and that scared him even more.  IF she was here and IF she had survived the 'reset' she could now be killed by that THING, whatever it was.  It seemed ironic and very very unjust.

They ducked into an old building and hid, crouching below the window level, backs to the wall.

"What do we do now?" Loki looked at Mobius who shrugged helplessly.

"I genuinely have NO idea" he sounded completely at a loss and for a moment Loki actually felt sorry for him.  This was WAY out Mobius' comfort zone.  He was a loyal TVA agent, sticking to the timeline, never deviating and certainly not trained for anything like this.  He paused, gathering his thoughts.

"The stones don't work here do they?" he asked, more to confirm his own theories than ask a question.

"No, they don't." Mobius shook his head "why?"

"Just making sure if we run into you-know-who he can't do anything other than just plain old hit us." he shrugged, a germ of an idea forming.  His one - well one amongst many at the moment, but the overriding one - was that somehow Thanos would find a way back, much as they were about to.

The three of them popped their heads up over the ledge to see if the 'cloud' had gotten any nearer.  It seemed to have stopped for the moment, and they watched as it billowed and swirled.

"So, what now?" Strange interrupted the conversation "we do still need to find Carrie"

"I know," Loki agreed, "but where the hell is she?"

"I'm right here" said a voice behind them.

They spun round and all three faces lit up "CARRIE!" Loki was instantly on his feet and across to where she stood with the two Loki variants she had befriended earlier.  He grabbed her into a tight hug and tears coursed down his cheeks.  She hugged him back, relishing his strong arms around her.  She closed her eyes and smiled. 

"You're safe, thank Gods, you're safe.  I - we - thought you were..." he stopped and pulled back. "I thought you were lost".

She looked up at him and smiled, consequences be damned, she thought.  This was probably her last chance.  She reached up and kissed him softly, just once, then pulled back. "You didn't think I'd let you have all the glory did you?" 

Mobius looked away, this was too personal a moment to spoil with reality, now realising there was sometimes more to life than just a timeline. He hated his job sometimes.

Strange was the one to break the moment.

"Come on, I know it's tough but we have to get back.  We have to find a way to make sure Thanos doesn't follow us either or this will all have been for nothing."

Loki turned and looked at the two variants who, till now had stood silently watching.

"Who are YOU?" he asked  and what in the HOLY HELL is THAT! " he pointed to a small alligator than now waddled into view, complete with a set of golden horns.