ɑgɛɳt ɱѳɓiuร (jetskiing) wrote in noexits, @ 2022-01-28 16:41:00 |
|
|||
Mobius didn’t really know what had happened with Stephen - he just knew that Loki (apparently) took away some of the emotions associated with his recent memory convergence and it pinged something in Mobius, causing him to give a bit of side eye to the whole thing. You couldn’t put a stopper on pain, couldn’t blink it away like you could a sunspot - it was there, it was a part of you, and making it vanish all of a sudden was damaging. Or at least, he thought so - he’d suss out the situation and see for himself, once he got to Stephen’s room. The phenomenon of the timeline convergence process was also what he was trying to study as he put the pieces together regarding Derleth - it was still kind of a big blank slate, how a person received memories from another timeline, another version of themselves. It was like looking in a cracked mirror to some degree - the reflection was there, but it was broken. And then you had to deal with finding space for it amongst the rest of the mess, and sure, that was difficult. No one said it would be easy. At the very least, he could offer support. There was no instant fix-it that Mobius carried with him - just himself, his compassion, his empathy. Maybe it wasn’t much in the face of turmoil that surged through you like electricity, but it would have to do. He’d see if Stephen wanted to get some fresh air (or as fresh as it could be in the Void), but first he knocked on the door of his room, clearing his throat. Hopefully it wasn’t a bad time. Had Mobius dropped by earlier, before Loki stopped by with his temporary, magical solution, it would’ve been a bad time. Since then Stephen cleaned himself up, shaved, and put on a change of clothes, using sorcery instead of the showers since Micheal’s changes turned the faucets into a puzzle that Stephen didn’t feel like solving. The door to Stephen’s room opened, and on the other side was the Cloak of Levitation. It ‘regarded’ Mobius but kept the way blocked until Stephen’s voice from inside said, “It’s alright. He can come in.” The Cloak then swooshed aside. Stephen was sitting on the sofa, eating a bowl of veggie lo mein with chopsticks, since that’s how the kitchen served his meal. When depression gripped him, he’d lost his appetite, but it was back, which Stephen considered a good thing. He stood up to greet his guest and set his bowl upon the cheap table that Loki had fallen on and smashed earlier, but was fixed, again using sorcery. “I’m fine, thanks.” Stephen smirked, being a smart ass because he knew Mobius came to check up on him. “Doing much better.” The last time Mobius was over was three days ago, just after he’d gotten his memory update. He was so overwhelmed that he didn’t even want to speak, and let Mobius sit with him and eat some lo mein while he struggled to keep from crying. “Oh, right, you’re fine,” Mobius huffed. This was still ridiculous; you couldn’t use magic to solve every problem, and that was a hill he was going to stubbornly die on - it just wasn’t a fix, not like this, but he supposed all he could do was wait until the reset and see what happened. Loki apparently wasn’t even sure - which seemed dangerous, but the physical embodiment of chaos and mischief wasn’t exactly known for looking before he leapt. Mostly Mobius was surprised Stephen went along with it, when he was well aware that bad idea lit up in neon electric letters - and especially when it concerned his own mind, his own emotions. Then again, when you were in that much pain - you weren’t thinking straight. Anyone would pay essentially any price to make it all go away. Unfortunately, hindsight was often 20/20 in those situations. If an instantaneous fix seemed too good to be true, that’s probably because it was. He stepped further into the room, reaching to touch the Cloak - carefully, gently and with a bit of curiosity; Mobius ran his fingers over the fabric, and the gesture was almost intimate. But this blanket was sentient and patchwork - it had also seen some shit, no doubt. “Can I sit?” The Cloak was a powerful and ancient mystical artifact… sentient with its own personality, possessing a minor level of psychic ability which allowed it to gauge people’s character. It was how, out of all the sorcerers of Kamar Taj, it had chosen to serve Stephen Strange - it had seen something in the doctor that made him worthy to serve. It had also delved into Mobius, finding him noble and a strong ally, which was why it did not move away when he reached out. It permitted itself to be touched, then closed the door behind Mobius and wafted to a corner of the room where it hung motionless in mid air. “Sure, go ahead.” Stephen casually gestured to the sofa where he’d been sitting as he moved to sit in the chair that he kept beside the window. On the nearby nightstand was an object that wasn’t been there the last time Mobius visited - a laboratory beaker with a stopper keeping something inside that swirled with a life of its own, something gaseous and glowing red that sparkled the way a snow globe filled with glitter might when agitated. Stephen lightly tapped the top of the cork with his index finger. “You’re probably wondering about this. I know you often speak to Loki. He’s told you?” The doctor was never one to beat around the bush. So that’s what it was - Mobius leaned in to study the beaker, pale eyes narrowing in a speculative squint. “He’s told me, yeah - “ The liquid definitely sparkled, almost like blood - garnets caught in the light, or stars resembling frost in the night sky. Beautiful, but in a different kind of way - he wouldn’t dream of pulling out the stopper no matter what, however. Mobius wasn’t going to touch that bottle, curious as he was. He also hoped it was break-proof - what if there was a spontaneous earthquake and it shattered to the floor? Oops. “I don’t know if it’s the best fix or not, but it’s your life. I was just worried about you,” he explained, finally settling on the sofa, fingers flexing and unflexing to rest on his knees. “Maybe I’m also sensitive to when people have their memories or emotions messed with - since mine were messed with for so long.” No, he didn’t like it - and he wasn’t ever going to think it was the easier route. But what’s done was done. Now he could simply be there for the next steps, any potential fallout. Stephen pulled an expression that was a mixture between a smile and a grimace as he shifted his position on his chair. “Thank you,” he said, humbled. “I’m sorry for worrying you. I should’ve taken Natasha and your offers for support more seriously. Instead, I thought I could handle it on my own, and as a result, spiraled into depression. I had reservations about Loki’s spell, but it has helped. I’ve equated the spell as a sort of magical SSRI, giving me time to reflect upon the memories without being overcome by emotions.” Looking over at the flask, he continued, “Loki told me that once I open it, my emotions will return, but I suspect the reset will do that, anyway. My goal is to be better equipped to handle them by then, but I hope to have your company when that happens. “Not to change the subject, but I’ve seen you’ve been busy the past couple of days.” “A magical SSRI,” Mobius repeated, turning that over in his mind. “I guess that makes sense.” He definitely wasn’t against anyone taking medication to help with ailments - physical or mental - so if that’s what Stephen thought was best for him, then that was what was going to happen. The way it sounded at first, admittedly, raised Mobius’s hackles - but that could be due to his own personal issues; he shouldn’t project those onto anyone else. Everyone was different. He glanced at Stephen, shooting him a warm expression. “You can have my company whenever you want. But, right, I’ve been busy - trying to put together a group to do some spying on an alternate Derleth. Astral projection will come into play, kind of a transfer of consciousness - that’s not my area, so I’m going to leave that up to you and Wanda, if you want to help. Loki offered to project to the mind of his other self.” Had insisted upon it, actually, and it wasn’t like Mobius could say no to him being the one to do it - it was his other self, after all. “My area is more along the lines of pinpointing the coordinates of that Derleth.” Reaching into his pocket for the TemPad, he removed the device and powered it up - it was funny, how the TVA had all this retro-futuristic tech; kind of old-world tech, romantic in a sense by the looks of it, where machines were still kind of magical in their own way. “I also wanted to ask you some more questions about your...memories, things I can add to the project file on here?” He smiled reassuringly, scooting to one side of the sofa so he was as near to the chair as could be - so there wouldn’t be miles between them, if they were going to talk about something so personal. “If you don’t mind.” “The spell only drew out a particular emotion I was struggling with,” Stephen explained to hopefully ease Mobius’ mind further. “And if Loki is to be believed, it can be easily returned. As helpful as it has been, I don’t want to use it as a permanent fix-all, and I don’t think I’[d recommend everybody using it, unless they’re willing to face their emotions, eventually.” Mobius mentioned his TemPad before, but this was the first time Stephen had seen it in person. Curious, he craned his neck slightly to get a better look. Technology was never his area of expertise, but the way it was described it sounded like an electric Eye of Agamotto. His eyes flicked up from the TemPad to Mobius, brows raised. “I’ve been catching up on the conversation over the network,” he said, “Whose idea was this, initially? Yours or Loki’s? It sounds dangerous, with potential consequences for everybody on campus. Have you cleared this with Natasha? Does she know what your plans are?” Before he signed his name on any plan, he wanted to make sure Natasha was informed and had given clearance. Questions about his memories. Stephen nodded… he’d expected Mobius to ask for more details. This time he wasn’t overwhelmed by crippling guilt and could answer. He rested his joined hands casually upon his lap. “I don’t mind. Shoot.” No, dumping your emotions into a bottle was definitely not a fix-all. On that they could agree. But, well, consider Mobius’s mind eased - he’d just keep an eye on things, that was all, as they moved forward with the rest of the week. Because he cared. “It was Loki’s idea,” Mobius replied. “He mentioned he had the thought, idea before - but no one took him seriously, apparently? I already talked to Natasha a little about it. She knows what we’re planning. She didn’t protest.” Besides, Natasha had her way of gleaning information and Mobius had his - he wasn’t going to interrogate the likes of Michael if she was already on the job. They all had to work together, and add their own individual skills and talents to the table if they wanted to get anything done when it came to improving the quality of life here. He had a good feeling about this - they just had to get everything to crystallize into place and carry out the plan to the best of their ability. Chuckling a little, he noticed Stephen’s curiosity and just so he didn’t have to contort himself to see the TemPad better, Mobius reached over and tugged on the man’s sleeve. “Come closer.” “Before? Before when?” Stephen wondered how Loki was going to accomplish this plan. “It doesn’t matter now, but I’m glad he waited and didn’t try without help. It shows he does have some sense.” To hear Natasha didn’t protest didn’t mean she wouldn’t have reservations. He decided to speak to her later, but for the time being was satisfied that at least she knew about the plan. Realizing Mobius was inviting him for a closer look, Stephen huffed a little laugh. What? You mean he wasn’t being discreet with his curiosity? He stood and moved to sit beside Mobius on the couch. “In what ways have you been using this TemPad since you arrived?” “I don’t know when, exactly - but we were talking about researching the other Derleth timelines and he mentioned his other self. I thought it was a good idea and he was willing, so...” Mobius trailed off. It was a good idea - maybe slightly risky, but they had to take some risks if they wanted to move forward. Staying in their comfort zones and being ‘content’ with whatever bullshit Derleth gave them on the regular, week after week of resets, wasn’t going to help any. They all deserved better than that - Mobius was going to do whatever he could to make it happen. Now that he had Stephen next to him, he shifted in so he could show off the screen. “Honestly, it’s not much to look at,” he laughed quietly. “The video playback feature is grainy at best, and the battery life is abysmal - but I’ve been storing the research project files on here and backing them up to another shared computer in the science hall on campus in case I disappear.” Mobius didn’t want to think about that, but he supposed it was always a possibility. “The TemPad can also open Timedoors though - portals, I guess. Like your sparkling circular ones. Just more of an actual door. But they’re meant to open to any time, any place - we’re just a little limited in Derleth. So - “ Fingers swiped over the buttons on the pull-out keypad; the mapping applications also left a lot to be desired, but it was what Mobius had to work with in terms of pinpointing coordinates so he made do. For this, he pulled up the current project file from a folder onscreen, opening it up. “Can you give me dates, when everything happened in your latest set of memories?” Loki taking risks was a Loki thing to do. But Loki sacrificing himself? Not so much. In his timeline, Loki was dead… if the Derleth puzzle was solved and everybody went home, he’d be one of those with everything to lose, along with Natasha. Stephen asked, “What is your end goal? Is there one?” After seeing the super high tech goodies made by Stark and Banner, the TemPad looked archaic… but Stephen knew the potential power it could wield. Fiddling with time and space in a handheld machine was nothing to scoff at. “Interesting design,” he commented. “Very steampunk. Think you can update the system without compromising its performance?” “Dates,” Stephen echoed, taking a moment to think over those memories. “Mind you, there was a lot of time traveling involved. Ahhh… in that world? It was May 6th, 2016. The same date that my accident took place. The biggest differences between the two events were that in this other universe, Christine agreed to attend this celebratory party held in my honor… I wasn’t as much of an asshole to her, I guess.” Stephen was downplaying it, but he wasn’t guessing, he knew. That Stephen was in love. Pushing that thought aside, he continued, “And instead of my hands being destroyed in the car accident, Christine died. That was the event… the absolute point… that motivated him to learn magic and eventually become Sorcerer Supreme. On the second year anniversary of the crash… so 2018… this other Strange used the Eye of Agamotto a dozen or so times to travel back in time and save her, but each time he tried, it always wound up the same… with her death.” Stephen stretched, raising his arms over his head then resting his hands behind his head while resting against the back of the sofa, looking up toward the ceiling. “He then traveled to the past, hundreds of years… he did a long shot, I’m not sure the exact date but if I was going to hazard a guess? 1482. To make a long story short, he spent the course of the next few centuries gathering the power he needed to cast the spell, then returned to that date, May 6th, 2016, and successfully cast the spell, causing the collapse of the universe in its wake.” Interesting, how he could now recount the details of the event with such clarity. Did he even need to give that many details? Mobius had only asked for the dates. Stephen glanced over at him to see if that was enough… or maybe it was too much? Mobius listened, plugging in the dates on the map outline he was constructing to add to the file - he thought he probably should have asked Natasha about dates too, but she had said on her alternate timeline everything was the same up until Ultron getting a leg up (and getting all the infnity stones) so he might be able to make some comparisons. Still, a mental note to ask her later - he’d do that. “Hmmm,” he let out a thoughtful rumble, something drawn out - like syrup warmed over. “This is good, thanks. I’m just trying to get a better idea of when everything is - juggling simultaneous dates and times in the TVA wasn’t too hard, but I also had more than a TemPad to work with.” Still, he’d make do. He had no choice. “Our tech’s never gotten an update before, since it was simultaneously outdated in appearance yet really damn omnipotent - but it might be possible. The interface could sure use an update,” he squinted at the screen. “As for end goals, mostly to make this experiment a little more bearable. To help people,” Mobius added, knocking his knee against Stephen’s. “I’m sure you know something about that.” “At least get the battery fixed. Technology isn’t my area of expertise… maybe speak to Banner?” He worked with Tony on the time machine to gather the Infinity Stones and to return them after Thanos’ defeat. “If anybody can help, it’s him.” Even with all the new memories Stephen had of the Lost Library of Cagliostro and the forbidden books of magic that he read therein, he still didn’t have a great understanding about the multiverse. Yes, his experience in Derleth had given him some insight, but it was nothing like Mobius, who navigated universes like a stroll through the park. Stephen knew the warnings about tampering with time, he even witnessed the consequences from the viewpoint of his alternative self, but here was the guy who regularly cleaned up these messes. Pruning he called it. “Why do you think the TVA didn’t step in to prevent that universe from collapsing. Or, for that matter, Natasha’s other universe that succumbed to Ultron? Those are pretty wild deviations.” Now that he thought about it, “Have you ever met the Watcher?” Mobius had the sort of personality that helped Stephen drop his defenses and be causal around, which he supposed could really be used to his advantage. He chuckled at Mobius’ knee knock. “It would be nice to not be at the whim of Derleth, but for some people, it’s all they have.” He was thinking specifically about Natasha and Loki, but he knew there were others. “This may sound strange, but I’m in no rush to return to my timeline.” He looked over to check Mobius’ reaction, then continued. “I know I’ll be returned exactly when I was taken, as if I’ve never left, so there won’t be a disruption there. I’m actually interested to see how this whole mystery pans out. And like you said… help.” Stephen became introspective and added, “As a surgeon I helped people for the wrong reasons. I’m trying to make up for it as a sorcerer. And the more I learn, the more I feel it’s meant to be.” He shrugged. “At least in my universe. No doubt there’s versions of me out there in the multiverse that became a taxi driver.” “Oh, I’m not trying to kick people out,” Mobius assured - for many reasons, one of them being that he was well aware that Loki was dead; he’d seen and heard the crack of bones enough times to have that ingrained in him, to have it haunt his nightmares. Likely it was worse for the trickster god himself. “But making things a little easier here? I think we’ll all benefit from that.” Not to mention Mobius personally wasn’t looking to return to his timeline either - everything had shattered, broken bottles and countless pieces of glass, and he’d lost Loki in the end. The future was a whole big question mark, and sussing it out would be a giant headache to boot. “Never met the Watcher. The TVA had already crumbled at that point, I think - which is why they didn’t step in for you or Ultron,” he mused. “The whole operation existed outside of time and space. And the way the original Sacred Timeline was, it was a bundle of multiple differing timelines, cords that followed a similar narrative and didn’t necessarily lead to a bad He Who Remains variant - but when He Who Remains was taken out, those cords unraveled. It all happened around the same moment - one second, one instance. Everything changed.” Since he did want to preserve the TemPad battery, now that he had the information he needed he powered it down. Maybe he could get someone more techie than he was to take a look at it, but he wouldn’t hold his breath. Derleth didn’t offer a lot of advantages (or even options). “I don’t know if that makes sense or not,” he chuckled sheepishly. “It does make sense,” Stephen said, bringing his hands down from behind his head to rest them on his lap. “I’m pretty sure I caught a glimpse of this Sacred Timeline when the Ancient One,” he nodded toward the newly acquired portrait of them hanging on his bedroom wall, “vaulted my astral body through different realities to convince my stubborn ass that his material world was all that existed.” It had been a game changer, opening his eyes metaphorically and literally. He looked over at Mobius. “Was that included in my file?” Then Mobius must’ve known about the Ancient one, too. He returned to look at the picture. “I’m convinced the Ancient One knew much more than what they led on. But I suppose you don’t remain Sorcerer Supreme for as long as they had without picking up tidbits of information like that.” Would Mobius confirm or deny his suspicions? Either way, what did it matter? “I’m hoping that somehow the knowledge I’ve gained here will still somehow transfer over when I return, if not subconsciously.” He thought for a moment, then asked, “Do you think Derleth is part of the Sacred Timeline’s unraveling?” Mobius smiled a little, a twitch of that mustache. “You really wanna know what’s in your file, huh?” he teased gently. “I’ll just say everything up until right past the Blip was in your file. Including the Ancient One.” And the fact that Stephen had lost the title of Sorcerer Supreme on a technicality - but much after that, well, Mobius didn’t know. That’s when everything fell apart, and it was all simultaneous - a ripple effect of response and change. He wondered if he should tell Stephen about that Sorcerer Supreme thing - probably might be a good idea, before Loki could taunt him with the info. “Honestly, I think Derleth’s a whole separate universe. A whole separate tree, the way our multiverse is a tree. One doesn’t affect the other, there’s just a lot of commonalities.” Too many, if you asked Mobius. “This place just gives us all a different kind of puzzle to solve. Which - “ He tapped Stephen’s leg with the edge of the TemPad, “...thank you. For the help.” “How long past the Blip?” Stephen asked, narrowing his eyes with concern. “I already know from reading your open conversations with Slyvie that she killed He Who Remains, which was what started the Sacred Timeline to branch out but…” He then stopped himself mid-sentence and sighed. “I guess there’s no use in worrying about it now. There’s nothing I can do, anyway I need to focus my attention on this puzzle.” To keep from being a downer, he smiled. “Any time. I ought to be thanking you, too, for helping me. Can I get you anything? A drink? I still have a stash. Not just alcohol, there’s tea and soda, if you’d prefer.” Stephen hoped to tempt Mobius to stick around longer, he was enjoying his company. He stood up and gestured to the mini fridge in his room, which he bought in NYC… a double doored appliance with fake wood veneer. He then chuckled. “Everything?” he asked, lightheartedly. “That sounds embarrassing.” “A drink would be great,” Mobius nodded and oh boy. He glanced at the bottled emotions again, debating the merits of opening Pandora’s Box when it came to the question ‘how long past the Blip?’ and...well. He wanted to tell Stephen everything he knew - but he just wasn’t sure if now was the right time or not. “I also don’t know about everything - maybe that was the wrong word. I don’t have a list of who you’ve forked or anything.” He didn’t study Stephen the same way he did Loki - not every file, not every circumstance, not every reel of his life; he didn’t associate the click and whirr of the holoprojector with the man in front of him, though Mobius had known the basics. And had always been curious. He changed positions on the sofa, watching as Stephen went to the fridge. “I just think there’s a lot more in store for you - endless possibilities. But no matter what, you’re part of the reason why half the universe even returned at all.” And titles didn’t matter, right? Not being saddled with that meant more freedom, above all else. “You didn’t specify what you wanted to drink,” Stephen turned around in time to catch Mobius’ eyes darting toward the bottle. It stood to reason that he would be uncomfortable with the spell, considering his own identity had been stripped away, unwillingly. Ah, but Stephen had to chuckle at Mobius’ comment. “Not necessarily what I was thinking of, but close. That’s good to know.” Stephen fell silent and contemplative as thoughts drifted along with Mobius’ prophesy about having more to come in his future. “What? You’re now a seer?” he teased. “I hope you’re right.” By giving Thanos the Time Stone, Stephen helped set the endgame in motion, and once the blip was reversed he used his sorcery to gather the troops together to the battlefield, but there were so many variables that he could hardly take full credit… it was really up to fate… and a rat in a storage shed that stepped on just the right button. From his point of view, the final battle against Thanos and his army had only taken place less than a week before he was taken by Derleth, and experienced at the beginning of every reset at Tony’s memorial service. “Even if it’s not, at least I’ve done that much.” He shifted his focus back to Stephen, pale blue gaze lingering. “Whatever you have is fine - really, I’m not picky.” Mobius drank whiskey in Ravonna’s office, the good stuff, and that was all he knew - it was always better than whatever alcohol you could find in the TVA’s commissary, and that wasn’t much. A drunk Minuteman didn’t exactly make for an effective Minuteman. Anyway, right, yes - what were they talking about again? The TVA, of course - the ‘benevolent’ (ha) keepers of a tidy timeline, everything all in a neat little bow and stuffed into files, on a scroll which was laid out and supposed to happen. “Yeah, call me a Seer - we’ll go with that,” Mobius snickered. “So what are we toasting to?” he wanted to know and, really, he’d drink whatever Stephen poured into glasses. Unless it was literally a glass of saltwater or something. Because why. Mobius’ glass was filled with the last rum in the bottle, mixed with Coke, while Stephen? He got himself a can of Dr Pepper (with the 1980’s version logo). “No alcohol for me, right now,” he explained, handing Mobius his drink. “I kinda overdid it the last couple of days, and I’m taking a break.” “A toast?” Okay. He covered his mouth with his fist as he politely cleared his throat, then lifted his can. “Our success in achieving the goal to uncover the secrets of Derleth’s past by projecting Loki’s consciousness through space and time will depend on the diligence and skill of each member of our group, coming together as a whole to make it possible. May we glean the information we’re looking for, for the well-being of everybody in Derleth, that Loki comes through the process unharmed, and that if there be any repercussions for our actions by Derleth, that they be negligible at worst.” Sheesh. And Stephen accused Loki of being long winded. Wow, wow - alright, that was impressive. Mobius wasn’t expecting such a long-winded toast, one so detailed and chock-full of words (certain buzzwords too, like ‘diligence’ and ‘repercussions’) - but he supposed it wasn’t really all that surprising, knowing what he did about Stephen. “Alright - you’re a master orator, I see,” he laughed. Then he took a sip of his drink, the bubbles fizzing, and he didn’t think he had anything to add to the toast. Stephen said all that needed to be said anyway. So maybe he could just sit back and relax and hope things didn’t go to hell. For once. |