It had been thirty days since Lothar was put in solitary confinement.
Still firmly convinced that he had done nothing wrong, Lothar continued to live a peaceful, reclusive life on Planet Q-91, completely indifferent to the world around him. Watching and waiting at the Black Quadrant base for his adopted son to finally show some remorse, Thanos could only sigh and shake his head in secret.
The boy's grown up, got his own wild ideas now. Harder to handle than ever.
"Lord Thanos, the army has been fully assembled. We can depart at any time," came the respectful report from Ebony Maw, Thanos' trusted lieutenant.
Time didn't pause for just one person. Thanos had already waited thirty days, but the universe wouldn't wait for him to finish parenting. There were greater things to pursue, things like power. And Thanos had always known how to keep public matters and private concerns separate.
"Oh, right, Lord Thanos, that Chitauri again tried to sneak into the penal grounds with some tools, searching for Lothar."
Ebony Maw added with a sigh, "That's the sixtieth time in the past thirty days."
As manager of the many affairs within the Black Quadrant, Ebony Maw had eyes everywhere. The Other's relentless attempts had not escaped his notice.
"The Other… that Chitauri pest."
Thanos, now aboard his warship and armed with his great blade, stood at the window, watching as the base of the Black Quadrant shrank into the distance.
He said nothing more.
The Other's loyalty had turned out to be greater than Thanos had anticipated.
"Let him do as he pleases,"
Thanos muttered. He didn't have time to deal with The Other anymore.
This upcoming mission involved a planet with a highly developed magical civilization, not the kind of situation that allowed for distraction.
All he could hope for now was that when he returned, Lothar would have learned to reflect on his actions.
If so, he would be content.
Meanwhile, at the penal zone on Q-91, deep within the starless corridor of the Dark Nebula, another creature of air and land had just met its end at the hands of a certain bottomless pit of a man.
A love that had dared to transcend species had never even reached its "happily ever after" before ending up as someone's midnight snack.
"Woz… what day is it now?"
Having eaten his fill, Lothar lay shirtless atop a blanket of thick fur, gazing up at the eternal stars above him.
That was the strange charm of the Dark Nebula on Q-91, there was no sunrise or sunset. The sky was eternally ablaze with brilliant starlight, making it easy for one to completely lose track of time.
"You've been here for exactly thirty days, Prince Lothar."
Ever-diligent Woz, who tracked the days without fail, answered calmly while pulling a mechanical arm from his stomach pouch to begin cleaning up the leftover bones and scraps from Lothar's latest meal.
Thirty days already?
Losing the Reality Stone really did piss him off, huh...
Lothar turned onto his side, staring blankly at the stone wall before him. These days in isolation had begun to take their toll, dampening even his naturally rebellious spirit.
Thirty days. That was a personal record.
Before this, the longest his foster father had ever locked him up was fifteen days. This time, it had doubled, and judging by the situation, it might last even longer.
In the entire expanse of Q-91, only Woz remained to speak to him, to keep him company. The loneliness was crushing, enough to make even his daily training routine feel forced and sluggish.
"Still no sign of the Flerken, Woz?"
Lothar asked again, repeating the question he'd first asked twenty days ago. He figured that if he could recover the Reality Stone, maybe his father would finally cool off.
But the collar's tracking beacon had gone completely silent.
"Still no word. Woz is doing everything he can to locate it."
Woz, having shifted into his robotic cat form, sat to the side, furrowing his little brows while tapping away frantically on a glowing interface. His guilt over not being able to help Lothar had grown so strong, he'd even lost the appetite for premium Sakaarian oil.
"Searching?"
"Searching for what?"
The question rang out suddenly. It was Hela's voice.
Lothar didn't even bother turning around. He merely clicked his tongue at the sound of her.
When Hela's virtual image finally solidified, she saw Lothar lying there on the blanket, shirtless, back turned toward her. Classic Lothar.
She rolled her eyes instinctively.
"None of your business. Scram,"
Lothar grumbled, clearly irritated. The familiar tone and brusque words told Hela this was still the same Lothar she knew all too well.
"Miss Hela, please refrain from doing this again. Accessing this communication channel without permission is causing Prince Lothar distress."
Woz stood up solemnly, his chubby little face full of righteous concern.
He wanted to block her, truly, but on Asgard, where Hela's power grew by the day, Woz was no match.
"It's just something I need to talk to him about,"
Hela shrugged, her hologram passing right through Woz as she walked up to Lothar.
"Let's make a deal."
If she wanted to accelerate the development of Asgard's high-tech warships, Lothar was without doubt the fastest and most efficient option.
"I refuse."
Lothar didn't even open his eyes. He shut her down before she could even get to the point.
Who had time to bargain while stuck in solitary?
"…I'm serious. I need the core manufacturing technology for your warships."
Lothar simply closed his eyes again.
He was going to wait it out on Q-91 for as long as—
"I know where the Flerken is."
Lothar's eyes shot open.
"In exchange for the core tech of the Black Quadrant's warships, I'll tell you where it is. Deal?"
Lothar sat upright on the blanket, eyes locking with Hela's.
"Deal."
"Bring your data on core systems. I'll wait for you on Asgard. Once you arrive, I'll take you to where the Flerken last appeared."
Hela's virtual image slowly faded.
Lothar chuckled coldly, and in an instant, his hair turned golden.
Solitary confinement?
Not anymore.
Once he retrieved the Flerken and made it spit out the Reality Stone, Thanos would be thrilled. At that point, who would even mention punishment again?
BOOM!
The ancient bronze gates of Q-91 burst open as Lothar, radiating golden energy, stood with one foot on the corpse of the gatekeeper, breathing in the air of freedom, lips curled into a smug, defiant smile.
"P-Prince Lothar?!"
The Other, who had been trying to sneak into the penal zone for weeks to keep Lothar company, stared in shock, the cup he'd brought to rinse his mouth slipping from his hand.
...
Asgard, Hela's Chambers.
After ending the transmission, Hela frowned in thought.
Why was Lothar still in that godforsaken place?
She'd seen him there thirty days ago.
And now he was still there?
Judging by his attitude, he wasn't on any official mission.
"Lady Hela, His Majesty has requested your presence."
A maid knocked lightly on the door, delivering the summons.
...
The Nine Realms, Midgard.
Deep beneath a snow-covered mountain, a collared Flerken sprinted desperately through the snow, claws flinging frost into the air as it fled.
Behind it, magical beasts from other dimensional realms gave chase, relentless.
"Meow!"
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