#i cannot sucker myself into rewriting an entire season so please enjoy this little what if

[in-my-loki-feels]

Okay, had a lot of thoughts on this subject after chatting with @faux-fm so I'll dump them here. It's ~795 words so I'll put the majority under a readmore.

Imagine the Roxxcart mission going down a slightly different route than it does in the show...

Mobius is just a little faster and in the split second before the Timedoor closes, he jumps through. He lands on the other side, heart pounding, knowing that if he'd been any slower he'd be dead—or worse. He's just realizing he's back at the TVA when he hears the metallic clank of a locker shutting and turns to see Loki standing there, daggers in hand.

"Mobius, I can explain—"

"What the hell were you thinking?" Mobius snaps, still caught in a storm of emotions: frustration from seeing Loki look back and still choose to go through the door, fear from watching all those time charges disappear to who knows where.

"She's here! I had to follow her."

"Who's here?"

"The Variant! We were wrong, Mobius. They were never a he, or maybe they were at some point, but the point is the Variant is a she and she's getting away." Loki tries to brush past Mobius but Mobius catches his arm, his grip too tight.

"Please," Loki says, almost desperately. "Trust me."

Mobius searches his face for any hint of subterfuge, then looks down at the daggers Loki hasn't tried to use against him. "Damn it! Okay, let's go."

They rush out of the briefing room, argue briefly over which direction to try, and soon stumble across the first of many Minutemen, slumped or sprawled on the floor, unmoving. Mobius wants to check for a pulse the first time, but Loki is already hurrying down the hall so he has to run again to catch up. Again.

"Loki, slow down," he hisses as they turn a corner. At the end of the hall is an elevator and a cloaked figure, who is just finishing taking out two more Minutemen. When the person straightens, Mobius sees it's a woman wearing a very familiar set of horns, albeit with one broken off.

"Great," she spits when she sees the two of them. "Still following me and you've brought company."

This is them, Mobius realizes. This is the Variant they've been chasing for who knows how long. She unsheathes a short sword with a dark green blade. In a corner of Mobius' mind, he can't help noting that it's a very Loki-like blade. She's also wearing green and gold armor in a very Asgardian style.

"Well? What're you waiting for?" the woman snaps and Mobius realizes she's talking to him. "Not going to sick your dog on me?"

"Now, hang on," Loki starts, then quiets when Mobius steps forward and motions for him to stand down.

"I'm not gonna sick anyone on you," he says to the Variant, "but you have committed a pretty serious list of crimes against the Sacred Timeline, and it's time you answer for that."

She laughs and sneers, "Crimes against the Sacred Timeline. Give me a break." She turns away to press the call elevator button, confident enough to dismiss them.

Loki sucks air through his teeth and lunges forward.

"Loki!"

Mobius wants to follow but without a weapon, he knows he'd be in the way. He watches them trade blows, evenly matched to his eyes.

"Look, either you come willingly," Loki snaps, trying to grab her. The Variant reverses out of the hold and lunges with her sword but Loki manages to get behind her and twist her arm back.

"Or you won't," he continues. "Either way, you're going to get me a meeting with the Time-Keepers."

Mobius isn't sure about that, but capturing the TVA's number one Variant at Large would definitely earn him brownie points. He hears footsteps running down the hall towards them and twists to see Ravonna and two more Minutemen on the way. When he faces forward, the Variant has somehow gained the upper-hand and has Loki on his knees, with her sword at his neck.

"Come any closer and I'll kill him," she snaps, as backup arrives.

"Go for it," Von says.

"No!" Mobius is about to argue with Von about why they need Loki alive, when Loki twists to grab something from the Variant. A TemPad. Mobius realizes what will happen a second too late.

Loki's eyes are wide as they lock gazes. There's a frantic look in them, a moment of regret, and then both variants disappear through the Time Door beneath them.

"Loki!" Not again. Mobius rushes forward but the door winks out of existence. "Damn it!" There's no way of knowing which timeline they've gone to.

When Mobius looks up, Von has sent the Minutemen away and is giving him a look that's a mixture of frustration and disappointment.

"I told you," she says and then deactivates the Time Stick. "I have to go inform the Time-Keepers." She stalks off, not turning back even when he calls out to her.