breakinglight11 | Forever Captain: “Roads Less Traveled”

Forever Captain:
“Roads Less Traveled”
By Phoebe Roberts
~~~

Summary: Agent Mobius stands at a crossroads, unsure whether to continue his work at the TVA or see what the life he left might have had in store for him. He decides to ask for advice from the only person he can think of with similar experience-- a variant in a case that came across his desk just before all this craziness got started.

~~~

Previous chapters:
1. The Test Case

~~~

2. Expert Advice

As he sat down, Mobius caught a little on the son part; how old was this guy supposed to be? Looking at him, with his full Robert Redford hair and eyes just beginning to crinkle at the corners, he couldn't be far into a well-preserved middle-age. But then, time travel did funny things when it came to age— and honestly, Mobius wasn't quite sure how old he himself was anyway.

On the bench beside Grant, he heaved a deep breath. They remained in silence a moment as Mobius tried to gather his thoughts. He'd dithered so long on the approach because he'd been searching for the right words, and wasn't finding it any easier now.

"So," Grant said at last. "Mind if I ask how you found me?"

Mobius couldn't help but grin a little. "We have a friend in common."

Grant raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Mobius snorted. "Well. We both know him, anyway." Friend was definitely an exaggeration for the last time Grant had encountered Loki, so perhaps it was best he didn't elaborate. "I guess he... brought you to my attention, and given your, well, unique history, I thought you might be the right man to talk to about something."

Grant nodded, then waited expectantly for Mobius to go on. Mobius had to laugh at himself. "I'm sorry. It's just... a weird thing to ask, I guess."

A twinkle came into those impossibly blue eyes. "Try me."

"Okay, then..." Mobius shrugged, and went for it. "I was hoping you could give me some advice."

It looked like he had managed to surprise Grant, since it sent his brows shooting up. "Oh, yeah? About what?"

"Well…" Mobius swallowed again and tugged at the cuff of his sleeve, trying to figure out where to start. "I know a bit of your story… the things you did. How you came to end up here."

"You do?" Now the blond brows furrowed. "Mind if I ask how?"

"My work's given me a unique perspective."

"Your work? What is it that you do?"

Again Mobius had to laugh; he didn't know why he was playing coy. "Sorry, I… guess you could say I'm a time cop. Sounds ridiculous, I know. But that's the simplest version."

If anybody wasn't going to be fazed by it, it was this guy. "Okay. I've heard weirder. Hell, I might have you beat." He tipped his head. "So, what's it like? Putting a stop to… crimes against the timeline, I presume?" He paused and grinned again. "Probably like mine?"

"Yeah," Mobius admitted. "But don't worry, that's not why I'm here." He could feel the urge to keep stalling, so he sternly pulled himself up to the matter at hand. "So anyway, it's been a ride— done some good work, seen a lot of things. But it's been so long, and I'm staring down the barrel of an eternity just doing this job."

"How long have you been at it?"

"I don't even know," he sighed. "Outside of time, nothing ever changes. We don't ever change, not even in the day to day like most folks do. See, people like me, we get pulled out of lives we can't remember. I guess I got curious, and when I got a chance to look up what mine was… well, it made me wonder if I've got it in me to play time police forever."

Grant made a murmur of understanding. "I think I know why you thought of me."

"Heh. Maybe." He shifted, suddenly nervous. "There aren't too many guys who stepped outside space and time to make a new life for themselves. You seemed like the right man to talk to about it."

"Because… you're considering it?" Grant asked. "Going back to that life?"

"That's about the size of it." Mobius huffed out a hard breath. "Geez, that's weird to hear. I hadn't even said that out loud yet. But yeah, there it is. So… I guess what I'm trying to ask… when you decided to go back…"

Mobius bent forward to rest his arms on his knees and hung his head. "How did you know?" he said finally. "That it was the right choice?"

He looked up to see Grant regarding him for a long moment— so long that Mobius found himself rushing to explain. "I mean, you know— I don't even know what kind of guy I was. What if the folks I used to know are— expecting something? Something I can't be? I mean, there are kids involved—"

But Grant stopped him with a raised hand and a shake of his head. "No, no, relax. I get it." He smiled. "The truth is, friend, I didn't."

Mobius leaned back against the bench as he went on. "You could say I had it easier than you— at least I remembered who I was back then. I was burned out too, wanted a chance at some of the things that I missed. But still, I wasn't the same person either. Not after a dozen years of another time, another life. I worried… what if there wasn't a place for this version of myself? What if the person I went back for had moved on?"

That last detail Mobius remembered from the file. "That's right. You had someone waiting for you."

Grant dropped his chin and chuckled. "She wasn't waiting, that's for sure. She had her own life to lead. I was just lucky she made room for me in it."

"You didn't know that she would?" Mobius marveled. "And you took the shot anyway."

"I had to." Again Grant dipped his head, this time remembering. "I had nothing to lose, and what I stood to gain… was everything."

Möbius's thoughts swirled, with hopes, fears, possibilities, and consequences. He fought to put it into words. "But— how did you know it would be— well, everything?" He winced, swallowed hard, and tried again. "That even if you could go back— that it would work out? With this woman, with… that life?"

Grant's tone was patient. "Like I said, son. I didn't. One thing I've learned is that, no matter how good you get, you can never control it all. You can only do what you can, when you can, and hope that things work out. You said nothing ever changes where you come from—well, in the real world, things are always changing. Including you. That means sometimes it's going to get worse, but there's always the possibility it'll get better, too."

"Huh." Mobius considered that. He'd forgotten that, frozen for so in the stale, safe, unchanging world of the TVA. "You learn that saving the world?" He'd sure done it enough times by now to know.

Grant snorted. "Guess so. Figured if it worked that way for the world, it worked the same for one guy."

"Well. You aren't just an average guy, are you?"

He regarded Mobius over the rims of his specs. "Neither is a time cop. Wouldn't you say?"

Mobius hesitated, staring at his folded hands. "A time cop, maybe. But..." He had to confess the last part of it, the one he'd been afraid to say. "It's only… I'm not sure about the guy I'm becoming. Yeah, I'm getting pretty burnt here, but… I've got purpose. I've done some meaningful things. What if the guy I used to be… just isn't really worth being?"

That was it. That was the real question— the one that had been holding him back. Grant fit in, he made friends, he belonged. And if nothing else, he could retire with the knowledge that he'd been the world's hero. Would the guy Mobius would return to be so lucky? He didn't even know what he'd remember from his time at the TVA— sure, he was getting tired of it, but what if that was the only thing about him that made him worthwhile? Was he giving up that purpose to become some loser?

But Grant didn't bat an eyelash. "Then be somebody else. The person you want to be. You're starting over— it's the perfect opportunity."

Mobius felt like all his strings had been cut, and he sagged against the bench. He stayed like that a moment, letting the weight of it sink into his bones. Then he looked back over at Grant, almost pleading. "And… taking that shot, it worked out for you? It's been good?"

The smile Grant flashed then reminded him why they used to put the man on recruitment posters. "It's been beautiful."

It pulled the last of his reserve apart. "So you really think it could work out for someone like me, too? You think I ought to do it?"

"Couldn't say that, son. I don't know what's right for you." He shrugged those massive super-soldier shoulders. "But if there's a chance that life could make you happy… well, that's probably worth a shot."

Mobius stared out across the park to the street, where people were going about their business, meeting friends, living their lives.

"I'll have to get used to a new name," he mused. "Or… an old one." He blinked, mulling that over. "I didn't even know it was my name until recently."

"It'll come easier. After a while, you might even forget you went by anything else."

Mobius eyed him sidelong. "Have you?"

Grant chuckled. "Not exactly. But I know to turn my head when somebody calls me."

That wasn't the real issue, of course. "And… I had kids, it turns out."

"Yeah? What are their names?"

"Kevin and Sean. Two boys. That's a hell of a thing." He paused a moment at the enormity of it. "I don't know if I'm ready to be somebody's dad."

"Makes sense. Nobody is. But I've seen worse cases than you step up."

He had to laugh. "Fair enough. But, you know… the stakes are high. What if they don't like me?"

Grant grinned wryly. "I'll ask my youngest and get back to you."

Damn. Even this guy. "Wow. Do I even have a shot in hell, then?"

"My friend," the man who used to be Captain America said. "That's all you got."

They sat on the bench for some time after, mostly in silence, as Mobius turned it all over in his head. He'd come here for answers, but still had found no certainty. But then, Grant confirmed was that there was none. He'd have to take the leap, bet on the possibility, and on himself. That being him was going to be worth it.

The sound of sneakers of asphalt heralded the approach of a jogger. Mobius looked up to watch him draw near. He turned his head to glance ever so slightly in their direction as he went by. Long enough for Mobius to see the flash of green ripple through the man's irises. Green as mischief, green as magic.

A sudden cocking of Grant's head showed he saw it too. He looked then to Mobius, confusion in his eyes. Mobius chuckled, that for the first time in the conversation, he wasn't the one on the back foot.

Those green eyes locked with his, and the jogger nodded once, the ghost of a smile on his face. Mobius dipped his head in return, then kept it low, staring at his hands folded in his lap.

"What was that?" Grant asked once they had passed. "Do you know?"

He thought of explaining, but it seemed just a bit too complicated to get into. He wasn't sure he could explain what happened to Loki, how it had changed him, where he'd come to in the end. How he was a variant, walking a different path, who had decided to become a different person this time around. Living proof that such a thing was possible.

"Don't worry," he answered, mouth curving up at the corners. "Just… our mutual friend says hello."

"Ah." Though still confused, with all the things he'd seen, Grant was willing to accept that more easily than most. "Well. If I were to hazard a guess, I think he might approve."

Mobius was oddly touched. "Huh. Thanks for the vote of confidence, pal." At last he stood, smoothing the wide lapels of his suit. "Guess I'd better get on my way. I… have a lot of time to make up for."

Grant rose then too, and reached out to clasp his hand to shake. He paused a moment, frowning. "You know, I don't think I got your name. What do I call you?"

It took Mobius a beat. "Don. I suppose."

"Don, then. It's been a pleasure to meet you."

"You as well. Thanks for your time and your thoughts, Captain."

The big man shook his head gently. "Just Grant now. It is possible to move on, you know."

With one last nod, he gathered up his packages and turned to go. "Good luck."

Mobius watched him for a long moment, as he returned to his regular Sunday in the life he'd made. Then he reached into his jacket for the TemPad.

~~~

The End