One punch—
Just a single punch.
The Heavy Assault Cannon, carrying Astra's last hope, was reduced to a pile of shattered debris before it could even fire. The plasma cannon was destroyed mid-charge, failing to launch a single shot.
"Who the hell are you?!"
Standing atop the remains of his fallen comrade, Astra took two steps back, his muscles tensed, ready for battle.
"You don't need to know. Now, come with me." Woz could only jam the communications network for three minutes—Lothar didn't have time to waste on this man.
"And if I refuse?"
Astra narrowed his eyes, filled with suspicion. True, the power behind this man's punch had shocked him, but it wasn't enough to make him surrender.
"You don't have a choice." Lothar raised his head, his icy arrogance making Astra frown. Acting first, Astra launched a powerful punch toward Lothar's face—only for it to be stopped by a single finger.
What?!
Despite being blocked by just one finger, Astra felt as if his arm had collided with an unbreakable wall. Before he could react, Lothar's knee struck his abdomen, sending searing pain through every nerve in his body.
Astra's mouth opened in an involuntary gasp, saliva dripping onto the floor. Clutching his stomach, his legs gave out, and he collapsed before Lothar.
"I told you—you have no choice."
Looking down at the kneeling man, Lothar grabbed him by the collar and dragged him toward the entrance of the building like a lifeless corpse.
If Thanos hadn't specifically ordered him to be taken alive, Lothar would have killed him on the spot.
"Ugh…"
Coughing through the pain, Astra gripped a nearby pillar, his defiance catching Lothar's attention.
"I don't know who you are," Astra said, smirking through the pain, "but I bet you're after the energy conversion formula in my head."
Seeing Lothar pause, Astra chuckled and forced himself to stand.
"If that's the case, then you won't be able to take me. Not unless every last Skrull outside is dead."
Lothar's eyes remained cold and unreadable as Astra continued.
"This command center and the lab below generate a unique magnetic field. It protects my brain from being copied by the Skrulls."
"But the moment you take me out of here, if even one Skrull still survives out there in your frozen wasteland, you're handing them exactly what they want."
"They'll duplicate my recent memories, including the energy conversion formula."
Astra leaned against the pillar, spelling out the risks in precise detail.
"Of course, you could gamble—assume that every last Skrull has been turned into a perfect ice sculpture. But just look at me, at the Kree soldiers in the comms center who weren't frozen. That ice barrier of yours isn't absolute."
With that, Astra reached into his waist pouch and pulled out a small flask.
"So tell me—do I still have a choice?"
Raising the flask, he made a toasting motion before taking a long drink, waiting for Lothar's response.
"Of course not."
Lothar removed the wristband from his arm and pressed a button. In a completely unnatural transformation, the small device expanded into a glowing blue robotic cat—Woz.
"Woz, make a helmet that blocks Skrull memory replication."
"Understood, Lord Lothar." Woz scratched his head before scanning the entire building with beams from his eyes. Moments later, the tiny robot scurried off to gather materials.
Constructing a similar magnetic field was no challenge for Woz. In no time, he returned with materials chiseled from the frozen surroundings.
Pulling out an auxiliary program from his pocket, he attached it to his waist, causing eight mechanical arms to unfold behind him, each holding a different tool.
The clanging of metal rang through the air as Woz worked at an astonishing speed.
Once the helmet was completed, the special shielding field followed. As an added touch, Woz included a small extra feature per Lothar's request.
Astra looked down at the green helmet now resting in his hands, his expression filled with disbelief.
"Seriously? Even a robotic cat can be a scientist these days?"
Stripped of his last advantage, Astra followed behind Lothar, his face dark with frustration. As they walked through the frozen wasteland, he drowned his sorrows in bottle after bottle of Blue Dream.
He knew—there was no escape.
"Prince Lothar!"
The Other, still maintaining the ice barrier with his scepter, waved excitedly as Lothar approached with his prisoner.
"Congratulations on completing the mission!"
With a dramatic flourish, The Other gestured toward a now-visible warship as a squad of Chitauri soldiers disembarked in formation.
"Take him aboard."
The Other removed his scepter from the Ice Casket, halting the expansion of the frozen domain.
As Astra was handed off to the Chitauri soldiers, he turned his gaze toward The Other.
"You froze this entire city?" Astra asked, glancing at the Ice Casket.
At first, he had assumed some massive weapon had been used. But this? Just a small box?
The Other ignored him, standing obediently behind Lothar like a loyal servant.
Astra was escorted onto the warship.
"Prince Lothar! Don't be fooled!"
A frantic voice echoed from the distance. The Other—his eye missing, battered, and gasping for breath—stumbled forward, flanked by a squad of Chitauri soldiers.
"They're Skrulls! Prince Lothar!"
The Other standing beside Lothar darkened his expression, speaking in the distinct tongue of the Skrulls.
"Everyone, prepare for combat!" The Other beside Lothar shouted, stepping protectively in front of him. The Chitauri on the warship turned, forming ranks behind him.
"Prince Lothar! Please, believe me! I am the real one! He's an imposter!"
The one-eyed Other aimed his weapon at his duplicate, his voice filled with urgency.
"Prince Lothar! I'm the real one! He's the fake!"
"No! I'm the real one! He's an imposter!"
"I am the real one! He is fake!"
"I am real! He is fake!"
The overlapping voices created a chaotic uproar, causing Lothar to furrow his brow.
"Prince Lothar," Woz reported after scanning them both, his usually steady voice tinged with disbelief. "Whether in terms of biological structure or technological signature…they are completely identical."
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