Summary: Estrid Odrsdottir has experienced much tragedy in her life. When her fiance, Prince Loki of Asgard, is executed in front of her very eyes, she swears vengeance on those that took everything away from her. After killing the All-Father, she is taken into TVA custody only to be thrown into a mission to hunt down and stop a man similar to her, a man that has lost everything.
Mered Rainer, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself a wanted man when he finds out the the organization has been infiltrated by Hydra. Hunted by the Winter Soldier, Mered finds himself in the hands of the TVA when he kills his would be assassin. Teaming up with a few variants, he plots a way to escape the grasp of the Time Variance Authority without much luck. Can the two find common ground in order to save the known multiverse?
“Is beige all you have as a clothing color?” Estrid commented as her nose wrinkled up in disgust.
She looked at the TVA work uniform that Mobius had given to her in the mirror. There was a crisp white button up shirt with a brown and yellow striped tie to give some design to the outfit. A maroon knee length skirt covered her thighs with brown leggings underneath. And to complete the outfit was a beige leather jacket with huge orange block-like letters spelling out VARIANT on her back.
“You think another color suits the Time Variance Authority better?” He chuckled as he finished pinning up her long hair into a functional bun.
“I mean you could’ve used a more vibrant color such as blue or red.”
Mobius smiled as he stepped out from behind her, meeting her gaze in the mirror.
“Well, if we decided that then variants could see us from a mile away.” He joked,
“Sounds great to me.” She responded.
Mobius walked in front of her, shaking his head in amusement, as he took the controller to her collar out of his pocket. Estrid eyed the remote before looking at the agent. He stared at her as he took a slow breath.
“Now, I’m going to remove your time collar. You should have control of all actions, but your magic will still be dormant.” He explained.
Estrid nodded as he pressed the button causing the collar to magnetically release. She slowly reached up and grabbed the leather contraption, moving it away from her throat. The feeling of freedom resonated in her veins as she sighed in relief.
She held out the collar to him as she said, “Why exactly does the TVA block magic? You could just use the collars to control the powers of a single variant.”
Mobius chuckled once more as he retrieved the collar from her hand.
“That is classified to you, Estrid. But if you worked here wouldn’t you feel safer if those who can throw fireballs at your head were unable to do so once you step through the glowing door?” He asked her.
“I was born with seidr Mr. Mobius. It’s not like I could relate to you in the exact ways you want. But to answer your question, it would benefit greatly.” She replied without much emotion,
The TVA agent quirked a brow in amusement as the door opened behind them both. Estrid turned to see a man in a pressed white button up dress shirt and black slacks. His brown eyes stared at her with an air of apprehension. He must have heard of Mobius’ little plan to use her as a fake TVA agent otherwise he would probably not be staring at her like a bilgesnipe ready to strike.
“Mobius, hunter B-15 says we’ve got another variant ready for interrogation at Theatre 3.” The TVA employee said timidly.
Estrid almost smirked at the obvious nervousness in his brown eyes as he refused to pay her any mind.
“Why can’t another agent take the job? I’m preparing ML-267 for her first solo field excursion, Casey.” Mobius huffed, his voice becoming strained with frustration as he spoke to the employee.
“Rennslayer said you were the best option. The variant is not exactly cooperating with the minutemen.” He said, voice becoming more soft the further he spoke.
Mobius huffed before turning towards Estrid. She smiled at him as she assessed his anger. He was going to have to leave her alone now, and even he knew it. She could explore a way out of this place on her own free will. Pursing his lips he returned his attention back to Casey.
“Alright, but escort the variant to the Library so she can look for research on her next assignment. Hopefully I can debrief her after handling the variant before she is sent out on her field mission.”
The agent gave her a stern glare causing Estrid to purse her lips. Casey looked at her, getting the Vanir’s attention. Her annoyance turned towards him, making the timid employee sink slightly in his spot. She felt Mobius’ hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn back towards him.
“Find what you can. I’ll give you what you will need before sending you out through the portal.”
Estrid nodded before watching him leave silently. Once he was gone, she looked at Casey. The TVA worker gulped with obvious apprehension, his eyes going wide, before quickly waving her forward.
“Follow me. The Library is a few floors down.” He said, walking down the hallway.
Estrid followed without a word as she let Casey lead her to the desired destination. Inwardly, she was frustrated at how Mobius said she was in control, but yet the TVA treated her like she was still a mere prisoner. Technically she was, but if they desired for her to do their dirty work, then a little cooperation on their part would go a long way.
Walking into an elevator, Casey pressed a button on the wall in front of him as she stepped inside. The doors closed as they dinged in reply to the lit up floor. Estrid clasped her hands together in front of her as she waited for the elevator to stop on the Library floor.
“So…you’re the variant that lost a lover?” He spoke up, trying to make conversation.
Estrid looked over at him.
He was carefully side-eying her, stance rigid and hands positioned tightly by his sides.
“Mobius told you about my file?” She monotoned as the elevator dinged once more, dropping down to yet another floor.
“No, I-I read about you before the minutemen were sent out to your timeline. I’m sorry that happened to you. No one deserves to go through the things that happened to you.”
Estrid only shrugged, indifferent to his sorrow. She didn’t need his sympathy or anyone else's for that matter. What was reaped was sown. Now, all the young Vanir desired was to be released back into her realm. She wanted to see him again.
“What was done was done. I took my revenge. Now I only desire the peace I deserve.” She responded without much emotion.
“And what peace is that?” Casey asked softly.
Estrid stared at the floor, her mind flooded with memories. They gnawed at her, laughing at the torture they put her through.
“To be with my fiance again.” She replied as the elevator doors opened once more.
On the other side was the Library, with rows of bookshelves lining the floor. Tables that could sit six people each were positioned in front of the shelves with green glass encased lamps in the middle of the mahogany wood. Wooden chairs were pushed under the tables. A few agents and workers sat in the room as Estrid stepped off of the elevator, leaving Casey before he could ask another question.
The elevator doors closed behind her as she walked up to the front desk. A middle aged woman with dark brunette hair that was bunched up to the back of her head sat at the desk, filling out paperwork as Estrid approached. She slowly met the princess’ gaze, a look of absolute boredom on her face.
“I’m looking for information on variant L-001. Do you know where I could find his files?” Estrid asked, putting on a fake smile.
The librarian’s expression never changed, as she replied, “Those are classified.”
The Princess of Vanaheim frowned, her fists clenching in rage.
“Mobius sent me to grab information for an assignment. I need to see the documents in order to carry out the mission. So if you could kindly show me where exactly the files are located, I would appreciate it.” Estrid replied, putting her hands on the desk table.
The librarian adjusted her bifocals, raising a brow challengingly at the Vanir goddess.
“Variants are not allowed to peruse through evidence and documents on what the Time Keepers have informed through storage.”
Eye twitching with the rage she was bottling up, Estrid clenched her fists. This woman was getting on her last nerve.
“Then what exactly am I allowed to possess?” She demanded, her voice straining to stay calm.
The librarian walked to the shelves and came back with a small folder, dropping it on the desk in front of her.
“Everything on the assignment you are allowed to acknowledge is in this folder.”
Estrid looked at the small stack with a frustrated pause.
How was she supposed to learn about the variant if she wasn’t allowed to find information on him herself?
Snorting softly through her nose, she glared at the woman behind the desk before taking the vanilla folder and walking over to an empty table. Sitting down at the table, she turned on the green shaded lamp and began to analyze the files within the folder. Sliding them carefully from their pocket, Estrid began to go over the data.
The first page was a copy of her variant file, variant ML-267. She wondered how many other versions of her were out there in this multiverse of sorts, and how their lives were compared to her own.
Flipping the page, she found herself looking at the Loki variant currently running amuck among the timeline. Estrid stopped for a moment as her heart skipped a couple beats. She could see her Loki in this variant. Everything about him seemed the same to her. It was agonizing. The only change was the title Hvedrungr next to his name.
Her breath hitched in her throat as tears began to appear in her chocolate orbs. Estrid tried to stop them, only to fail as a few watery droplets cascaded down her pale cheeks.
“Don’t cry, love. I always hate to see you cry.”
Estrid’s eyes grew wide as she yelped in surprise. Her eyes looked up to see none other than her fiance sitting in front of her. Patrons of the TVA Library immediately shushed her for her outburst before returning to their work. At this point, Estrid was too shocked to care about anything else except the long dead man currently in front of her.
"Loki…" She whispered softly.
Her fiancé chuckled as he nodded, that mischievous toothy smirk plastered across his slim face.
“Hello love.” Estrid blinked, rubbing her eyes in disbelief.
How was he sitting in front of her?
Loki shrugged as he replied, “Let's just say that death is not the end. Life comes in multiple forms, even memories.”
“Great. Now I’m hallucinating.” She sighed sarcastically, turning her attention back to the bundle of papers before her, trying to ignore her brains ill attempt to torture her with the memory of her dead fiance.
“If you are trying to find information on myself, you will not find such there.” The memory commented.
Estrid looked back at him, seeing his deep bluish-green eyes studying the pages in her hands.
“Where exactly can I find them then?”
The trickster smirked, the cunning plan ready to leave his lips. She had a feeling whatever it was would only hurt her more than aid her frustration. But at this point what did she have to lose?
“Where else? At the source. If you desire the information you so desperately need, then go inside the variants realm.”
Estrid raised a brow, prompting him to continue.
“Those golden pads control portals to other realms, correct?”
She nodded, slowly beginning to see where he was heading.
“Swiping a time pad will allow me to see everything for myself without the interventions.” She finished for him.
Loki nodded, happy with her conclusion.
“Now where do I find one?” She whispered, discreetly looking around.
Loki chuckled as his eyes glanced over towards the librarian. Estrid followed him, paling as she realized what he was getting at.
The trickster smiled, confirming her suspicions.
Estrid bit her lip as she silently assessed her situation.
“Skíta.” She said under her breath, making Loki laugh.
He got up from his chair and walked over to her. Estrid followed him with her eyes as he bent down, kissing her cheek.
“I have faith in you, love. After all, I’ve seen what you are capable of. Let the TVA see that too.” He said, giving her his signature smirk once more before he walked out of the room.
She mulled over his words before returning her attention back towards the front desk, an idea calculating in her mind. Looking at one of the agents near the librarian, she saw the stacks of papers and books on their table. She may not currently have her seidr, but Estrid still knew she could manipulate a situation just as well as in her youth. Getting up, she walked over to the agent.
“Excuse me.” She called softly, getting the agent's attention.
His almost amber looking eyes looked at her in confusion, possibly wondering why she was talking to him.
“Do you have a pen? I seem to have misplaced my own.”
The young agent nodded, reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket to retrieve the ink pen. As his attention was distracted Estrid discreetly took one of the sheets of paper poking out of the large stack at the edge of the wooden table and gave it a slight tug. The huge pile came crashing down next to her, looking as though it had tilted over involuntarily. The sounds of paper echoed throughout the Library as every person, including the librarian drew their attention onto the two.
The agent frowned, putting the pen back into his pocket as he walked over to pick up the mess. Above the two, the librarian watched them both as Estrid bent over to help clean up the chaos. Handing him the papers that she had collected, he thanked her softly before going to put them back onto the mahogany table.
“Don’t you think a folder would help prevent the pages from cascading to the floor?” She suggested innocently as the young man contemplated her words.
Nodding, he asked, “Could you ask the librarian for me?”
Smiling at how smooth her plan was going, she complied and turned to carry out his request.
“Could I get another folder for the time files?” She asked softly.
Huffing softly the librarian went to get one from the back giving Estrid the chance she needed. Acting swiftly, she reached over and took the golden pad laying discreetly upon her desk and slipping it into her inner pocket. She moved the papers beside it a few inches from their original location to distract from the missing tech and waited for the librarian to return.
The librarian returned, handing her the vanilla folder as Estrid thanked her kindly. All that she received in return was silence but that didn’t deter the young Vanir goddess. Smiling as she turned, she gave the folder to the agent.
“Thank you,” He reached back into his leather looking TVA jacket and took out a pen. “Here’s the pen you needed.”
Estrid nodded, still smiling joyfully. Walking confidently towards the elevator, she pressed the up arrow, ready to seek out the secrets of the TVA herself. The doors opened, revealing an empty elevator. Stepping inside, the doors closed behind her. Looking at the options available to her, she saw the symbols and letters that led to different floors of the Time Variance Authority.
Mobius had seemed to navigate them with ease before. Estrid wasn’t even sure what they meant. Hitting a random button, she felt the elevator moving up. She pulled out the golden pad from her inner coat pocket and opened it up. The screen lit up a deep gold revealing statistics and timelines. Flipping through the pad, she found a bar that was titled SEARCH. Clicking on it, Estrid typed in the variants TVA ID.
The image of variant L-001 appeared on the screen. Next to his image was his timeline. A red line was slowly going up from the base line at the bottom of the screen. The timeline was threatening to red line again. This was her chance to jump in.
The elevator dinged, making her close the pad and put it back into her pocket. Walking out onto the floor, she made sure no one was able to look at her for long before slipping into an empty office room. Estrid shut the door behind her and locked it as she took out the time pad. It still had L-001’s timeline on the screen. A beeping sound began to resonate from the device as the line got closer to the red boundary. Clicking through a few more screens, Estrid found a way to open the glowing orange doorway. The door appeared in front of her at the command of her fingertips.
She stared at it, hesitant at first to step through. Technically, she could go anywhere. The princess could return home to her timeline. But the TVA would arrest her once again, and this time, she would not be getting a slap on the wrist. She had no choice but to comply, but there were only so many lies she was willing to stomach before the charade got old. Suddenly a loud bang bashed the locked door behind her, causing her to jump in surprise.
“Estrid? Estrid, come out! Give back the tempad so we can finish this assignment properly!” Mobius’ voice commanded from the otherside of the door.
“Properly? Is that what you call leading me on a wild goose chase around the Library to find information below my status level?” She snarled as she stepped up to the portal.
“I didn’t know that they wouldn’t have the variant in the file, Estrid! Just let me in!” The agent begged.
Liar… A deep voice suddenly growled in her mind, making Estrid grit her teeth.
Everyone was out to get her. It was better to brave the storm alone. Even if it cost her her life.
“You lie!” She hissed as she took a step into the door.
That was when the door behind her blasted open, raining shards of wood upon her. Estrid gritted her teeth as she snarled at the minutemen that were standing behind Agent Mobius with guns and batons raised.
“Estrid, give me the tempad.” Mobius said calmly, reaching out to her as he took gentle steps forward.
The Vanir backed further into the orange doorway, her body halfway through.
“No.” She replied before stepping through.
“Estrid!” Mobius yelled as the minutemen opened fire.
She stumbled through the portal, falling onto her back as the shots screamed over her head. They hit a nearby tree behind her as she hit a button on the pad, closing the portal. Her head hit the dirt as she groaned in pain.
Tops of trees and a blue cloudless sky met her hazel lit orbs, causing her eyes to soften with child-like wonder. A cool breeze brushed over her skin, making her shiver at its touch. Slowly sitting up, she waited for her eyes to focus before lifting a hand. Summoning her seid, she smiled triumphantly as a purple flame radiated out of her fingertips at her command.
Suddenly a twig snapped from behind her, causing Estrid to turn towards the sound. A purple glow covered her form, turning her TVA clothing into a purple and silver hangerok. Her long brownish-red hair was freed from her bun and ran down her back in waves. Some of the strands were braided and kept in place with silver beads both in and on the edge of her intertwined follicles. The citizens of Asgard and even the citizens of her home realm wore something similar to the clothing she had chosen. Estrid could only hope that this realm had fashion of a similar sort.
A man came out of a clearing nearby, looking around cautiously. Before she could even move his gaze zeroed in on her. Her heart skipped a beat.
It was him, L-001, Loki Laufeyjarson.
