His Little Shooting Star [2]

"You can still save her."

Mobius looked at him wide eyed in disbelief. "How the hell-" He cut himself off as he looked down at me. "Heck. How the heck am I gonna hoof it in this?"

Did he really just-

"Mobius, I've spent my entire life surrounded by Avengers who curse on the daily. Do I look like Mr. Star Spangled Man With A Plan to you?" I put my hands on my hips in slight playful annoyance.

My mom held back a laugh as Mobius rolled his eyes at me.

"Your sarcasm is otherworldly. Anyway, back to what I was saying." He then turned to O.B. "What will happen if I can't hoof it?"

"The blast doors will close and lock you out. And then, your suit will age away, you will age away, and you'll will get very old, and all your skin will get peeled away, and you will die."

How comforting.

Mobius then became aware of a small crack in the visor of his helmet and looked at it in horror. "Is this cracked?!"

I took out a roll of duck tape and ripped off a piece before my mom lifted me up to reach his helmet. "You're good." I smiled as I placed the tape over the crack and gave him two thumbs up when I was back on the ground.

Hope that holds...

With that, my mom, O.B., and I left the airlock and went upstairs to watch him from the large window.

While O.B. kept his focus on Mobius as he made his way down the gangway, my eyes were glued to the Temporal Loom itself, silently begging for my dad to make it back safely.

~~~Loki's pov~~~

My heart pounding in my chest, I ran throughout the TVA, determined to find a time stick.

I searched every room and every hallway, but it looked like the place had been abandoned... And to top off all the confusion, the power was flickering on and off and alarms were blaring in my ears.

What happens to the TVA in the future?

"All personnel, report to your nearest Time Door evacuation point. TVA code 1127." The PA system repeated over and over again as I continued to run.

I made it to the office area close to the lobby and started rummaging through the cubicles, desperation beginning to take hold along with heart-stopping panic.

I needed to find a time stick. I needed to get back to her. Before it was too late.

After abandoning my search in the office area, I went back to the hallways to see if anyone had left a time stick there.

No such luck.

Looking down at the timer tightly grasped in my hand, I saw that it hadn't turned green yet.

"There's still time. I can make it back." I whispered, but within seconds, the device beeped and turned green.

I was out of time.

I shook my head in denial, panic gripping my very soul. "No. I have to get back."

And then I heard the faint sound of a telephone ringing at the end of the hallway.

~~~Linda's pov~~~

I grinned as Mobius successfully powered up the Extractor and launched it into the Time Stream.

Things were starting to look up. Now all my dad had to do was prune himself and-

"Mobius, I need to close the blast doors now to have any hope of fixing the Loom." O.B. said suddenly.

My breath quickened with sheer panic. "What?"

"Give him more time. He can still make it." Mobius protested through the radio.

O.B. didn't listen and lifted the covering of a large red button. "Mobius, we only have fifteen seconds."

Tears burned in my eyes as I shook my head. "O.B., he can still make it back!"

He looked down at me with a mix of sorrow and regret. "Linda, I'm sorry."

Now my mom was starting to feel the same panic I was. "No! There's still time!"

"No, there's not." He shook his head sadly and his hand hovered above the button.

"Not yet! Not yet! O.B., please!" I was on the verge of sobbing, fear suffocating my lungs. "I can't lose him again! Please!"

I can't lose my dad again! I can't! Not after I just got him back!

My mom looked between me and O.B. and with tears in her eyes, she quickly grabbed me and held me in a tight hug.

And then O.B. pressed the button.

My eyes widened in terror as I struggled to get free of my mom's embrace. "No!" I sobbed, tears running down my face. "No! No!"

O.B. picked up the radio teary eyed and looked away from me and my mom. "Mobius, there's nothing you can do for him. He's lost to time."

"No! Dad! No!"

~~~Loki's pov~~~

The phone continued to ring, drawing me to it.

I took a few more steps and turned a corner, just to see a small dial phone next to an elevator.

I'm not sure why, but I felt like I needed to be in front of that elevator. As if it would be the difference of life and death.

Suddenly, the doors began to be forced open by two sets of hands.

I tensed up a bit, wondering who could possibly be on the other side of the door.

And then it was pried open enough for me to see the two people inside.

"There you are!" Linda smiled up at me with a large grin.

I stared at her in relieved shock after just having seen her dead a few minutes before.

She was alive.

A single tear of relief fell as I continued to stare at her, and I was so happy to see her that I almost missed Sylvie standing behind her in the elevator.

What?

Before I could say or do anything else, a sharp pain seared through my back and I blacked out.

~~~Linda's pov~~~

I broke free of my mom's embrace and ran down to the airlock, shouting as Mobius continued down the gangway, trying to get back before the blast doors closed.

"Mobius, run! You can make it!" I was still heavily sobbing when I suddenly saw the Extractor line get pulled taught, making my eyes widen and my breath hitch.

Dad.

Seconds later, both Mobius and my dad came crashing through the blast doors right as they were about to close.

"Dad!" I smiled through my tears and ran up to him, hugging him tightly.

He hugged me back even tighter, taking deep, shuddering breaths.

"I knew you'd make it back." I smiled into his shoulder, my tears drying up instantly.

He pulled away and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "For you, sweetheart? Always."