Case 4: Sovereign Affairs

SLAM! Cell bars slid shut as the wanted criminal was put behind bars! He paced his cell in a black and white striped prison uniform angrily as a guard locked the door on him.

"Well, that was a rather simple case, wouldn't you say?" Loki asked his partner as they watched the scene.

"Just wait and see what happens next. This is the moment we've been waiting for!" Mobius assured his friend.

A gorgeous lady with short, curly blonde hair soon entered the jail, stopping when she saw the incarcerated man. "Hey snookums, I hate to see ya stuck in the big house, but I baked you this cake with a little surprise inside to cheer ya up."

Loki and Mobius watched closely as he took the dessert from her and pulled a large nail file from the inside. He filed away at his cell bars at night and whenever the guards weren't looking, until he was able to break out of his cell and escape.

"Well, there you have it!" Mobius told Loki as they old film continued. "It's a famous cliche on Earth, but it actually happened in real prisons, not just in the movies, like this one!"

"I see what you mean, but as far as Midgardian films go, I much prefer the Harry Potter series we watched previously! It's such a delightful blend of sorcery and mystery, I find it very inspiring!" Loki praised.

"Heh, you sound like a film critic!" Mobius chuckled. "To tell the truth, I haven't seen the movies either until just recently: I've only read a few of the books!"

"If you still have any, I'd like to give those a read as well!" Loki added. "So far, the second film is my favorite: even I didn't guess that the little red-haired girl was being controlled by Voldemort's ghost via his old diary!"

"Wait until you see the next one! Spoiler alert, it involves time travel!"

"Oh, that's going to be exciting! I wonder what sort of gigantic creatures they'll face in that one? The basilisk from the last film was almost as large as Jörmungandr! Speaking of Jörmungandr, how's your progress coming along with Røskva?"

"Oh, the therapy worked like a charm! I honestly don't think she even needs it anymore, but she does need an adult to watch over her, one that isn't a giant snake!"

"You're not still afraid of him, are you?"

"Nah, old Jörmy and I are good pals now."

"Naturally. You're both part of the Loki family!"

Mobius smiled. "Yeah, I guess we are."

As the old prison movie continued, the case phone rang. "Oh, could be a case. Or it could be another prank call. We'll see. The detective duo walked over to the enhanced phone, Loki sitting at a monitor while Mobius answered, "Time Detectives on your case, any time, and place!"

"Hello? I'd like to report a kidnapping that just took place an hour ago!" A worried-sounding lady exclaimed.

"A kidnapping? Can you tell me where it took place?"

"Right here in the neighborhood, in his own front yard!"

"Did you see the kidnapper, and do you know the child?"

"I don't know him, but oh, I did see the kidnapping." She gasped. "Wait!"

"What?" Mobius asked with worry.

"There's no more kid napping: the kid just woke up."

Mobius rolled his eyes at the joke, but he responded in mock relief. "Oh thank goodness! I was so worried the kid might not wake up before dinner!" He signaled for Loki to keep typing on the monitor and listening in. "Can I speak to the child, get some firsthand information on the napping, the quality of the nap, if he or she suffered any annoying eye crusts when waking up, because those things can be a real-" Mobius was cut short as the prank caller hung up. "-nuisance. Alright Loki, that should have bought you enough time: you got a time and place for me?"

"The year is 2013, on Earth 121789, but your computer didn't recognize the city. Must be a very odd place!"

"Did you hear anything in the background that might help us zero in on his more exact location?"

"Not particularly. I mostly just heard what sounded like snoring, so it seems he wasn't lying about the 'kid napping' line."

"Are you absolutely sure this prank caller is a Loki?" Mobius asked.

"Yes, when I answered his call from that Xandarian prison, he hesitated before commencing with his setup, as if he was expecting your voice instead of mine. That lead me to think he must have called before, changing his voice with magic to have us believe he was several different people! And I had, as you'd call it, a very strong hunch that it was another me on the other end of the line! So I imitated my brother's voice to see how he'd react, and it was exactly the way I would have in the past: anyone else would have either been excited and fanatical or frightened he would be after them! He was sardonically irritated."

"But the phone numbers have all been different, so he must be using either pay phones or other people's phones without them knowing!"

"I'm sure: I've never had the need to own any sort of telephone before." Loki confirmed.

"Maybe we could explore that Earth he's from to search for clues ourselves." Mobius suggested.

"It'd be nice to put a stop to his obnoxious practical joking, but I'm not sure he's worth all that trouble. I'd much rather save my focus for a real crime to solve."

"Yeah, I'm with you on that one." So they returned to their movie watching, continuing down the Harry Potter line while waiting for an actual case.

"Awful things happen to wizards who meddle with time, Harry!" Hermione scolded him as they traveled back to the previous day, sneaking around to avoid being seen by their past selves.

"Oh, don't I know it!" Loki snarkily responded before the detective hotline rang again.

"Always when we're getting to the exciting part!" Mobius complained as he followed Loki back to the phone. "Time Detectives, on the case! Please don't be a wild goose chase." He added quietly.

"Good day, detectives. I am Ayesha, Golden High Priestess of the Sovereign. I bring you a case of the utmost importance: one of my kind has been murdered, and we need to know who is responsible."

"Of course. Can you tell me when this murder took place and who the victim was?" As his client was about to fill him in on the details, Mobius whispered to Loki. "Hey, this is the real deal: the Sovereign are a very proud and serious race. I think we can assume this isn't a prank call, because her people lack any sense of humor."

"But if this is our prankster, such a serious leader would be the perfect disguise to catch us off guard, yes?" Loki countered.

"Yeah, good point. But just in case..."

"Yes, we never turn down a case!"

"In any case, we'd like you to solve this matter for us, as we wish not to endanger our own trying to find this monster." Ayesha summarized.

"So, Mister Spadek was killed sometime around 1:30 last night, in your year of 1996, right?" Mobius repeated back. "Okay, we're on our way, ma'am!" Mobius hung up the phone and opened a time door, but Loki hesitated.

"What about Syl? Should we not invite her along?"

"Not this time. Remember what I just said about the Sovereign being serious and stuck-up? They're very, very, very easily offended, so it's important for us to be on our best behavior to make sure this investigation goes as smoothly as possible! No offense meant, but Sylvie isn't exactly the queen of manners, like you are."

"Hey-"

"I said no offense. She's just more honest and straightforward than we are, you know?"

"Yeah, she'd be miserable, putting on so many niceties. Well then," Loki donned his detective hat and sunglasses, "Let us be off!"