~~~Catherine's pov~~~
I furrowed my brows. "Where did you get these?" I asked, inspecting one of the Tempads that Mobius had just revealed.
The Tempad was extremely old. Decades by the look of it. The outside covering was scratched and the paint was peeling.
How would Linda have these? The TVA replaces them every few years with a new model. And we've only been here for three. It wasn't possible.
"While I was looking for Linda in the analyst area of the library, I found a small hole in the wall behind one of the shelves. It contained five Tempads. Three of them looked new and recently used. The other two looked decades older. Definitely too old to be something that she could have used. Before you appeared here, I was on my way to see what recordings might be stored on them." He explained, motioning to the projector behind him.
"Alright then, let's watch them." I sighed, walking over to the projector on a small table in the middle of the room. "Which one should we put in?"
"One of the older ones," Loki suggested, stepping toward me. "I'd like to see what's on those."
I nodded and inserted the one I was holding into the device, and the projection came to life.
I assumed the worst thing I could possibly see was some old TVA files or recordings from past prunings. I had prepared myself for every possible situation.
What I was not prepared to see, however, was the face that appeared on screen once the recording had started.
The familiar young woman took a deep breath, glancing at the floor before mumbling something. "I can't believe I'm about to do this..." She then spoke up and faced the camera. "Hey, Dad. Hey, Mom."
It was Linda. From 2043.
I quickly turned my head to look at Loki, only to see that he was also staring at me, wide-eyed in shock.
We weren't expecting to see her again. At least, not until our Linda grew up to become her. And that was twenty years away.
"So, um, if you're watching this, that means little me just teleported you back to the present TVA. And that Mobius found my Tempad stash I had in the analyst area where I would keep all my recordings." The adult version of my daughter spoke on the tape.
I furrowed my brows. How could she possibly know all that?
As if she could read my thoughts, she continued. "In my timeline, this happened the exact same way. A future version of myself made recordings and sent them back to me once the time was right. So, I'm just playing my part in continuing the loop. Well, hopefully, once you and the Shield team get here, you'll find a way to break at least one of these loops."
Wait, so, she recorded this before we got there with the Shield team?
"I know that by the time you watch this, you'll have gotten back from 2043. And with any luck, when you got taken from the park, the Earth wasn't cracked apart. Sadly, in my timeline, I didn't just run into the street to grab my necklace. I ran into the street to make sure my necklace didn't fall through the ginormous split in the road. Now, back to the important stuff. I can't tell you too much, because even though you guys technically got rid of He Who Remains, I can't afford to mess up the timeline. I just need to make sure little me doesn't experience any more trauma than she's already supposed to." With that, she looked down sadly. "And if you didn't manage to change what happened in 2018, she's destined to go through a lot more..."
My heart was breaking for her. I saw what happened to Loki and me in her future. How we both died. And I know that Loki's death hit her especially hard.
That's when Mobius entered the conversation. "I'm sorry, who is that? And what is she talking about?"
Loki sighed, speaking up for the first time since the recording had started. "That's Linda in about twenty years. There was a timeline where the Earth cracked apart and the Kree took over, which is where she's from."
He looked between us, baffled. "Okay. But that doesn't explain what she's talking about."
"In that timeline," I began, my voice sad. "Loki and I didn't survive the Kree invasion." I didn't want to elaborate further.
He didn't say anything after that.
"There are only a few things I can tell you that can help you out in the near future. One, focus on finding Renslayer, Sylvie, and Miss Minutes. Renslayer is annoyingly working with the clock, so you'll find them together. I can't tell you when or where, but you'll find them eventually. Sylvie is a whole other problem. But you'll find her soon. And I can't stress this enough, you need to get her on your side. Fast. The second thing-" She was interrupted when a small, six-year-old girl jumped onto her lap.
Alright, now I was confused. "Who's that?"
Loki shook his head beside me. "No idea."
Correction, we had no idea until the little girl spoke up for the first time. "Mommy, what are you doing?"
I'm sorry, what?
Adult Linda looked away from the camera to smile at the kid. "I'm making a video."
The little girl was seemingly confused. "For who?"
"My mom and dad."
"But I thought they were gone?" She furrowed her brows.
My all-grown-up daughter smiled sadly and glanced at the camera again before looking away. "They are. But when I start to miss them, this is my way of talking to them again. You wanna say something?"
The small girl nodded shyly and turned to the camera. "Hi." She gave a tiny wave. "Mommy tells me a lot about you guys. Like how I got my magic from her, and she got it from her dad." She lifted her right hand, and miniature fireworks erupted from her palm in a convincing illusion.
I know that illusion. It was Linda and Loki's special thing. And she passed it on to her daughter. I smiled at the thought.
"This was the first thing she taught me. She told me it was really special because it was also the first thing her dad taught her. She, um, she really misses you guys. She still listens to the pretty music in her necklace. She said it's one of the last things she has left of her dad."
I felt Loki grab my hand, and I turned to see him blinking back tears. That really meant a lot to him, I could tell.
"And she said she named me Catherine after her mom. That way she could have something to remember you both by." She let out a small yawn, clearly tired.
She... She named her after me...
My eyes started to tear up as well and Loki gripped my hand tighter in response.
The girl's mother ruffled her hair and lifted her up. "Alright, sleepyhead. Time for bed."
"But I'm not tired-" She interrupted herself with yet another yawn, betraying her words.
"Okay, sure. But I guess if you're not tired, your dad's bedtime story is gonna go to waste..."
This got her moving. "No!" She jumped up and ran out of the camera's view. "Goodnight, Mommy!"
"Night, sweetie!" She turned back to the camera. "Well, that's not exactly how I envisioned that going, but it is what it is. And Mom, before you start wondering and probably panicking, the answer is no, I did not marry or have a kid with Deke. I'm not that idiotic." She let out a small chuckle, making me smile in relief.
"So back to what I was-" She was cut off when someone came running into the room, and yells could be heard in the distance. She got up quickly, pressing a button on the Tempad but not successfully turning it off. "Ben, what's going on?"
What?! Ben?!
"You have got to be kidding me. Ben?" I murmured in shock.
Wait. So, when Ben told me he had a wife and a daughter, he was talking about... Oh my God.
Well, thank God we didn't end up killing each other in the Crater!
"It's Tye and the others. They said they need to run some tests." The familiar Inhuman explained.
"What?! No. They weren't scheduled for another month! She's not ready!" She protested.
"I know. And I told them that. But Kasius is getting anxious. Something about some scientist showing up from the past." Ben revealed and I realized he was talking about Jemma. This is what happened when Jemma was taken to the Kree levels of the Lighthouse.
Adult Linda seemed to realize this as well, her eyes wide. "Now?! Oh dear Lord..."
There was an explosion of green mist that I recognized to be some form of magic and the recording turned to static before cutting out completely.
We all just stood there in a stunned silence for a moment.
Mobius was the first to speak up out of all of us. "Okay, so, that happened."
"At least it wasn't Deke." Loki mumbled, almost unintelligibly.
No, it wasn't Deke, it was Ben. Ben!
"It's times like these when I get really pissed that Renslayer hid all the files pertaining to your timeline..." Mobius sighed, completely lost.
My gaze wandered to the second Tempad that was resting on the table beside the projector. It looked just like the first one. Aged almost beyond recognition. It must've also been one from the future. "Well, there's still another tape. Put it on?"
Mobius nodded and played the next recording.
It started and twenty-five year old Linda reappeared on screen, in a different setting from the last tape.
"Hey, Mom and Dad. I know I made one of these about a month ago, a few weeks before I saw you again, but I wanted to clear some things up and give you some more...personal advice on what's to come in the near future."
She made this after we got back to 2018?
"Look, I know for you, the whole Lighthouse thing and meeting me was over five years ago, but for me, that was just two weeks ago. And I can't even begin to describe how absolutely amazing it was to see and talk to you both again. It helped me get closure on a lot of things."
Once again, I felt Loki gripping my hand tightly. Although the experience was strange at the time, once Linda was born, it gained a lot more meaning.
He told me how he thought about the meeting all the time; the moments he spent with our Linda making it all the more meaningful and tragic.
"I was able to fix the clasp, so my necklace is as good as new. Thank you, Dad, for giving it back to me. And for, you know, killing those Kree that were attacking me at the time. Mom, I wish I had more time with you, like I did with Dad, but it just wasn't possible."
I gave a small nod, even though I knew she couldn't see me. I understood why we weren't able to, but I still felt horrible that I didn't get a chance to have a real conversation with her, like Loki had.
"Now, if you're watching this, that means that you didn't follow my advice to not go to the park on July 20, 2023. Not that I blame you, Dad. I know you thought the loop was broken. I know because you spent everyday after your memories returned blaming yourself for it. Every moment, until, in my timeline, you eventually died." Her eyes held unshed tears. "Don't do that this time around. Please."
I looked over at Loki, and saw that he was fighting back tears as well.
When he went to talk with her in 2043, he saw a memory she was reminiscing on at the time. It was the memory of how he died in her timeline.
I knew how much seeing his death affected him, and recalled him telling me about the nightmares he experienced as a result. They occurred mostly after Linda was born.
He couldn't stand the fact that she had to watch him die. At such a young age too.
I told him over and over that we changed the timeline, and our Linda would never have to experience that, but he didn't listen.
It didn't matter how much I tried to assure him, I knew he didn't believe me. Granted, his fear and dread lessened over the course of the last five years, but it never fully disappeared.
Me, on the other hand, I tried not to think about how I died in that timeline as hard as possible. I knew I died first, about a month before Loki did, but the specifics were lost on me. And it was hard to accept that in a different reality, Linda grew up with no parents or family at all.
"Alright, so if my memories and past visions are correct, you guys are watching this video in the TVA with Mobius. Little me should be resting on a bench in the time theater, sleeping off the side effects of the new Inhuman abilities. I know the toll that my Inhuman abilities had on me, and I need to warn you guys about some things. Obviously, my abilities are a little strange. I can see into both the past and the future, and can transport myself and others throughout timelines and the multiverse. That's a heavy burden for a five-year-old to bear. Especially considering the circumstances..." Her face quickly went solemn, making me worry.
It was difficult to look over what she just said. She can see into both the past and the future? And she can teleport through not just time, but throughout the entire multiverse?!
But the last sentence sent a wave of anxiety over me, leaving my mind blank.
What circumstances?
"I wish that I didn't have to be the one to tell you guys this, but I know little me will never do it on her own. It was too much on me at that age, I didn't share what was going on with anyone, and it had horrible consequences..." She took in a deep, shaky breath before continuing, causing both Loki and I to stare at each other nervously. What consequences?
"I'm sick. Five year old me, in your timeline, is currently very, very sick."
Time seemed to slow to a stop as I took in her words.
"Sick? What does that mean, she's sick?" My voice came out more panicked than I intended.
"I kept my memories from before the TVA at a price. As an insurance policy, the memory erasure serum has an effect on anyone who can protect their mind. If your memories aren't erased, the serum turns into a toxin. On normal people, it takes effect and kills them within minutes. But since I'm obviously not normal person, that's not what happened."
Did that mean it didn't turn into a toxin for her? It wasn't deadly?
I tried to remain optimistic, but some part of me knew it was futile.
"About eight or so weeks into the three years, I noticed it. At first, it was just a small pain in my chest. It would go away after a few minutes, so I didn't think much of it. But as the months passed, it got more severe, to the point where I couldn't breathe and my heart felt like it stopped beating. Around the year and a half mark, I found files pertaining to the serum, and as it turned out, the toxin targets the lungs and the heart. Both of which eventually give out and the toxin's host dies."
"I'm sorry, dies?!" I exclaimed, my hand now covering my mouth as I blinked back tears, my blood running cold as ice.
Loki's reaction wasn't much better, as he took a step away from the screen in disbelief, his eyes wide.
"I started having episodes more and more frequently, but mostly whenever I used my magic or over exerted myself. I gathered some data from the episodes and calculated that I had two years left at most until... Until it killed me. But I made a promise to myself that kept me going for as long as I did. A promise that I wouldn't let it get the better of me until I got to see my dad again, return his memories, and get my parents back together."
Sobs racked the back of my throat as I realized something. Something I should have picked up on a long time ago.
She knew she was going to die, but she... She held on...
For us.
"No. This can't be true." Loki shook his head, despite all of the evidence to the contrary. "It's not true." His eyes shone with tears.
"So, Mobius, to answer your question from over two decades ago, no. I wasn't fine. It wasn't nothing. When we went to confront Renslayer, I had a minor episode."
I turned quickly to Mobius, who was as stunned as any of us. "What happened with Renslayer?! What episode?!" Tears were streaming down my face as I glared at him, the only thing able to prevent me from killing him was Loki wrapping his arms around me tightly as I cried.
I could barely process what was being said.
My daughter was sick. And it was fatal.
"That's why my reaction during Terrigenisis was so unusual. And why I started seizing while having a past vision. Although, I think that's a fairly logical reaction to what I was seeing. I dare you to show any other five-year-old their dad being tortured and see if they're not scarred by the immersive experience. And yes, I can use my Inhuman powers in the TVA. It's not magic, it's genetics. But Mom, your inhuman, black magic ability is too close to magic for the TVA to not block it. To simplify, I'm basically a human Tempad. But I can't always control when I teleport, so you'll have to keep a close eye on me." She smiled sadly. "I have to go now. Bye, guys. I miss you. And I love you." With that, the camera turned off.
"Now that that's done," I kept glaring at Mobius. "Do you mind explaining to us what the hell happened with Renslayer? What episode was she talking about?!" I yelled, pulling myself out of Loki's arms and storming up to the TVA analyst.
He raised his hands in surrender. "I didn't know. Okay? I had no idea what was going on. She wouldn't tell me anything."
"Tell you anything about what? Mobius, just tell us exactly what happened." Loki spoke up, his voice quiet, but wavering as he took in the information we were just given.
Mobius sighed, looking over at Linda, who was still unconscious, before answering. "After we got back from the Void, I thought the best course of action was to get rid of Renslayer before she found us out. We confronted her, and when she was about to leave the TVA via time door, Linda tried to stop her. But when she did, she collapsed and started coughing, gasping for air. After it was over and she could speak again, she told me it was nothing. Insistent about it, actually. Then I left the room for all of a minute to get her a water or something, and when I got back, she was gone. I guess that's when Miss Minutes took her back to the past TVA."
Tears still coating my cheeks, I turned back to Loki. "She said at the year and a half mark, she knew she had two and a half years left. We've been here for three. That still leaves us with a year to figure out how to reverse it." I stated hopefully, gripping his hands with mine.
"About that..." Mobius interjected hesitantly from behind us. "When I talked to her, she told me she had been keeping track of how long you guys had been here, and her exact words were, 'Three years, five months, one week, and four days.' That only leaves seven months."
~~~Loki's pov~~~
Catherine broke down in tears and I wasn't much better, but I comforted her nonetheless.
This can't be happening...
It doesn't make sense! Why wouldn't she tell us about something like this?!
...I survived because of you...
Those were her words. Only now did I realize they had a double meaning.
Waiting for me to come back was what kept her going these past few years. She survived because she was holding out hope that I'd show up eventually.
The very thought of it was enough to make the tears in my eyes fall.
"We're going to figure something out." I promised her, trying desperately to keep my voice from breaking as she cried into my shoulder, my arms still tight around her.
"Loki, we only have seven months! Seven months before..." She couldn't even bring herself to finish the sentence.
"I know. But if she was alive in the future, that means we found some kind of solution in time." I reasoned, looking for any kind of positive in this awful situation.
Throughout all of this, only one thought rang out in my mind.
Linda was dying.