A man approached, holding a transparent data screen.
"Identity: unknown. Origin: Terra."
He frowned at the string of question marks displayed on the panel and looked up at Karl.
"To our knowledge, Earth has not yet developed interstellar travel capabilities. How did you arrive on Xandar?"
Karl remained silent.
He certainly wasn't about to explain that he had been dropped there by some omnipotent system. Silence was the safest answer.
The officer studied him for a moment before continuing.
"Assaulting a Nova Corps patrol and destroying two ships. These charges are sufficient for a ten-year sentence."
He did not press further. Prisoners like this were nothing new. With the evidence secured, interrogation was unnecessary.
"Transfer him to the Kyln."
---
Deep within the orbital structures encircling Xandar lay the Kyln—a massive interstellar prison. That was Karl's destination.
Before the automated intake system could spray the standard orange decontamination compound onto him, Karl casually flicked two wind blades and disabled the device entirely.
Even prisons respected strength.
Seeing what he was capable of, the guards exchanged uneasy glances and silently permitted the breach of procedure. They hurried him into a solitary cell and left without argument.
Karl looked around.
Layer upon layer of cells rose above him in towering stacks, too many to count. At the bottom lay the central courtyard—both cafeteria and recreation area for the inmates.
After a brief survey, Karl disappeared into the Chocobo Dimension.
He had no intention of actually serving time.
Why would he sit in prison when he had good food—and three beautiful young women—waiting back home?
---
Days passed.
Karl made it a habit to show up at the Kyln once per day, usually during meal distribution.
He had already become something of a legend. Every time he appeared, he would wander casually through the prison—and then vanish without a trace.
No one knew how.
The guards had investigated thoroughly, scanning the entire facility. Every attempt to interrogate him had ended poorly—more than one overzealous guard had died in the process.
Eventually, they gave up. Since he always reappeared the following day, they chose to ignore it.
Karl's strange behavior caught the attention of one particular inmate: Drax the Destroyer.
Drax was not known for subtlety or intellect—but he was undeniably formidable. Few dared to provoke him.
Over time, he and Karl struck up an odd friendship. Karl would occasionally bring him requested items from outside—paid for, of course. Even in prison, there were ways to move money.
---
Late one night, Karl returned to the agency.
The office was dark.
"Where have you been?"
Gwen's voice suddenly cut through the silence.
Karl nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Damn it—who's there?!"
The lights flicked on.
Gwen and Skye stood before him, arms crossed, expressions demanding answers.
"You've been disappearing at fixed times every day," Gwen said firmly. "Then sneaking back late at night. What are you doing?"
Karl sighed.
He knew that look. If he didn't explain, Gwen would escalate.
"Fine. I've been off-world. A place called Xandar. I've… technically been in prison."
He recounted everything—though he replaced the system's intervention with a convenient story about accidentally entering a spatial anomaly.
Neither Gwen nor Skye doubted him.
"Wait," Skye said, already typing rapidly. "There's a Peter Quill here. Abducted at age eight—suspected alien involvement. Never found."
She spun the laptop toward him.
A decades-old photo of a blond boy stared back.
"That's him," Karl confirmed.
He then explained the Orb—the Power Stone—and gave them a crash course on the six Infinity Stones and their significance.
"So what now?" Gwen asked. "You're going to help this Quill guy stop Ronan?"
"I don't care about Ronan," she added bluntly. "I care about you."
Skye leaned forward eagerly. "Take us with you next time! It's another planet! We've never seen alien worlds before!"
Karl shook his head.
"Not yet. Xandar's heading for a major crisis. After it's resolved, I'll take you, Wanda too. We'll go sightseeing."
That seemed to satisfy them.
---
The next morning, Karl arrived at the office looking utterly drained.
Dark circles framed his eyes.
Steve stared in alarm. "Karl… when was the last time you slept?"
Gwen and Skye exchanged suppressed laughter.
It wasn't lack of sleep.
It was… other exertions.
Karl waved a hand weakly. "Self-inflicted. I'll recover."
He collapsed into his chair and began circulating magic through his body. Wind and ice elements flowed through his system, revitalizing him within minutes.
Color returned to his face.
He shot Gwen and Skye a glare.
Perhaps they shouldn't have pushed things quite that far last night.
He pulled out a small alarm clock—set to Kyln's time cycle.
It was almost recreation hour.
Time to make an appearance.
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