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Day 18 - Time Travel
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"Are we sure about this?"
"Yes."
"Are we really sure about this?"
"Yes!"
"Are we..."
"STARK!" Strange barks, rounding on the genius billionaire manning the machine behind him.
Tony looks up from his calculations, dead serious, "I mean it, Sparkles. If we're messing with time again I need to know that you, Wong and Magic Fingers are really, really, REALLY sure about this."
"Yes, we are." Loki huffs as he stalks into the room, deep under the Avengers Compound. "This is absolutely necessary."
Tony stares hard at Loki for a moment before snapping, "Fine." and turning back to the screen before him.
Strange turns and glares at Loki, "I tell him yes ten times and nothing. You tell him once and he believes you."
Loki shrugs and smirks at the wizard, "I'm just that trustworthy."
Before Stephen can get off a snappy retort, Wong walks in the door, "We're ready."
Behind him, wearing a modified version of Tony's time suit is Lucas. He walks with a purpose and confidence across the room. Stopping next to the time pad, Lucas turns and address the room, "Ready."
Tony shakes his head even as he enters the last of the data, "I still can't believe we're sending a kid back in time."
Lucas narrows his eyes and snaps, "You know I ruled over the Void for a thousand years, right?"
Tony throws his hands up in surrender, "Okay! Okay!"
"Are you sure you want to do this alone?" Loki asks as Lucas climbs the steps and takes his place on the pad.
"What? Worried about me?" Lucas smirks.
Loki snorts, "Hardly. I'm more concerned about what my wife will do if something happens to you."
"I'll be fine." Lucas says with confidence, squaring his shoulders and standing straight, "Besides, we only have evidence of me going back. If one of you goes and is seen it could change the timeline. So, let's do this."
"Fine." Loki says with a note of resignation.
Lucas taps the wrist control and the nano-helmet forms around his head. Tony looks up from the control panel and counts down, "Three.... Two.... One..."
And Lucas is gone.
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The sun is starting to go down and it's getting cold.
Dressed for a sunny day, not a chilly night, you curl up into a ball and hug your bare knees. The matching t-shirt and shorts your mom dressed you in was fine for running around your grandparent's farm but as the shadows grow long, they offer little protection against the nip in the air.
Sniffling, you wipe the tears from your cheeks with the back of your hand. All you wanted to do was pick some pretty flowers for your mom and grandma. You ran around the field behind the barn collecting all the wild flowers you could. Then you spotted some purple ones near the edge of the forest and just beyond them were some white ones.... and some more purple ones.... and yellow flowers.... and pink....
Your little hands were nearly overflowing with flowers when you turned around and realized you couldn't see the barn anymore!
You couldn't hear the horses or the goats!
"Mommy!"
But no one answered.
You wandered for hours, trying to find your way back to the farm, shouting until your throat hurt.
"MOMMY.... DADDY!"
Now here you are, curled up next to a rock. Your legs tired and your feet sore from walking. You're nearly out of tears and your nose is all stuffy. The flowers that were once so important to you sit on the ground next to you, smushed and starting to wilt.
*snap*
Head up, your heart jumps into your throat as you look for the source of the sound. Grandpa warned you that there were bears in the woods. He even showed you his old hound dog, Rufus and the scars on the dog's shoulder. He told you how Rufus got too close to a mama bear and her cubs, that he was lucky to get away with his life. You wish you'd listened to Grandpa.
"Hey."
A boy steps out from behind a tree. He looks about ten years old with short brown hair. Dressed in jeans and a dark green shirt, he stops a few feet away and holds his hands up to show they're empty.
"Hi.... my name's Lucas." He says softly before lowering himself to kneel on the ground.
You mumble your name before wiping your nose on your arm.
Lucas smiles at you, "It's nice to meet you. You know.... everyone's looking for you."
"They are?" You ask, hugging your knees tight, "Aren't they mad? Cause I went into the woods when they said not to?"
"No." Lucas shakes his head, "Your mom and dad are so worried about you. They just want you home."
"But.... I don't know which way to go!" A few more tears escape your eyes.
"Hey, hey." Lucas scoots forward and pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket. He holds it out and you take it, wiping your face on it, "It's okay. I know the way."
"You do?" A flicker of hope lights inside you.
"Sure do." Lucas' smile is broad and warm, "Come on. Let's get you home."
You nod your head and stand up, your legs stiff from sitting so long. Lucas scoops up your flowers and holds them out, "Don't forget these."
You take them in one hand, soiled handkerchief in the other as Lucas leans down and takes you into his arms. You wrap your arms around his shoulders and lay your head against his neck. You're so very tired.
As Lucas picks his way through the forest, holding you securely against his chest he asks, "How old are you?"
"Five." You mumble against his shoulder, already half asleep. You're so very tired and Lucas is warm and smells nice.
You can't see it but a small smile forms on Lucas' face, "Yeah? I have a little sister. She's six."
You must have fallen asleep, rocked by Lucas' slow steady gate because the next thing you know you hear your mother screaming your name.
Lifting your head from his shoulder, you look around. Lucas is carrying you across the field behind the barn. You can see your family near the house running towards you. There are policemen and other people behind them, all rushing towards you.
"MOMMY!" You shout.
Everyone descends on you and Lucas. There's a flash as someone takes a picture just before Lucas hands you over to your mom. She squeezes you tight, sobbing into your ear. And then Daddy is there, wrapping his arms around you and Mommy. Grandma and Grandpa run their hands through your hair and down your arms, waiting their turn to hug you.
"Oh baby, I was so worried." Mommy says before kissing your forehead.
"I'm sorry, Mommy." You whimper, pressing your face into her neck.
"It's okay, Sweetness." Daddy says, cupping the back of your head with his hand and ruffling your hair. "We need to thank.... where is he?"
Everyone looks around, suddenly aware that someone is missing.
"The boy. Where did he go?" Mommy asks.
"He was just here." Grandpa says turning in place.
But Lucas is gone.
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For everyone in the room it was five seconds.
For Lucas it was several hours.
He reappears on the time pad, tired, sweaty and dirty from walking through a forest. Pressing a button on the control bracelet, his nano-suit retreats back into it and he's left in the jeans and shirt he wore to meet you.
"So?" Strange asks.
Lucas gives him a thumbs up, "Done."
The adults in the room let out a collective sigh of relief. Wong is the first to move, stepping forward to usher the young man off the pad, "Let's get you cleaned up. We don't want to have to explain why you left the building looking like you spent the day hiking."
As he walks past, Loki reaches out and claps a hand on Lucas' shoulder. Pausing, Lucas looks up at the older Variant of himself. Loki doesn't say anything, just gives his younger self a nod. Lucas nods back, not needing to say a word.
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"I'm worried about Lucas."
Loki looks up from his book to find you standing in his study's doorway. He marks his spot and sets the book aside. "Oh?"
With a frown, you step into the room, "He came home from hanging out at the main building and just collapsed on the sofa. He's been asleep for a couple hours."
Loki plays it cool and shrugs, "Probably just wore himself out. You know how kids are. They run around, bounce off the walls then suddenly crash. He just needs some rest."
"Yeah. You're probably right." You sigh, "I'll leave him be. If he sleeps through dinner, I'll make him a plate for later."
*crash*
"Mommy! Goki's in the trash again!" Comes Carina's voice followed by a deep, angry growl. You can hear the reproach in your daughter's voice, "I wouldn't have to tell on you if you wouldn't get in the trash!"
"Goki!" You grumble, turning and stalking out of the room, "How many times do I have to tell you? No Trash!"
Loki chuckles as he listens to you trying to discipline your resident alligator. He knows you hope one day your words will get through but he knows they won't. You can't stop a Loki from being a Loki, even when they're a reptile.
Moving the book he had carefully sat down when you entered, Loki picks up an old piece of newsprint and a yellowed bit of folded cloth he had hidden. Lucas had found them in a box of your old stuff. Tucked between baby pictures and birthday cards was a clipping from your grandparents small town newspaper wrapped in an old, yellowed handkerchief.
"Local Girl Lost In Woods. Found Hours Later." the headline read.
It was front page news. There was a long write up about how you had gone missing from your grandparent's farm, that police and townspeople started combing the woods but found nothing. Then just as the search was being called off for the night, a miracle happened. A boy walked out of the forest with you in his arms, handed you to your mother and disappeared.
Below the headline was a picture, snapped by someone at the scene.
A picture of Lucas holding five-year-old you in his arms.
Loki smiles at the picture before tucking it and the aged handkerchief inside his book and closing it. He's sure that if he showed you that picture you'd put two and two together and realize Lucas was the boy from long ago that saved you.
*CRASH* *BANG*
"Give Me That! No NO!! Don't you DARE Deathroll in this HOUSE!"
But it can wait. You have enough on your plate right now.
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END