"So what can you tell us about this murder plot?" Mobius questioned the Grandmaster of Sakaar.
"Oh goodness, where do I start? Wellll… the past few days, I've been hearing these terrible rumors that someone in the palace was plotting to kill me! And then yesterday morning, I had this terrible feeling someone in the room wanted to kill me! And then at breakfast, I had a terrible experience when someone in the room did try to kill me! I didn't see who it was, though: he was wearing, like, a ninja-type costume? And he aimed for my neck with this glowing blue arrow, but my amazing bodyguard here, Topaz, deflected it with her armored fist, and the attempted killer fled!"
"Do you have the arrow? If so, we'd like to examine it." Mobius asked.
"Topaz does. Topaz, the arrow." The Grandmaster snapped his fingers repeatedly, and Topaz handed Mobius the arrow.
"Nice. This is Shi'ar weaponry, very advanced! Do you have any Shi'ar people living in the palace?"
"Do I? Ha, I don't know. You're the detectives: finding out stuff is your job, not mine; you go find out yourselves."
"Right. We'll do that." Loki replied. "Let's do some investigating!"
"That's the spirit, Boris!" The Grandmaster encouraged. The two detectives started their search, talking to groups of guests, while Mobius examined their species for Shi'ar characteristics. Loki distracted them with fanciful bragging and getting them to talk about themselves in return, occasionally swiping some fancy drinks from them when he got the chance.
"That's everyone here: are you sure none of them have any Shi'ar characteristics?" Loki asked Mobius.
"I'm sure. Their species is distinctive by their bird-like plumage around their heads and their avian eyes. That must mean whoever this attempted killer is, they live somewhere in the junk!"
Loki groaned. "In that case, I'm going to need much more to drink."
Loki instinctively reached for a large pitcher of booze, but it was quickly snatched away first by a black-haired woman in blue who slapped his hand. "That's mine: buy your own, cheapskate!"
"My apologies, my good lady." Loki lowered his head respectfully and looked back to Mobius, who shook his head. "Well, where shall we start looking?"
"I'd say the room where the fighters are kept." Mobius guessed.
"Fighters?"
"For the Contest of Champions. Scrappers, like that girl there, look for warriors here on Sakaar to fight the Grandmaster's champion for his and the audience's entertainment. If they win, he gives them freedom. If not… they usually die."
Loki stared at him in shock. "He enslaves his own people?"
"Well, he is the Collector's little brother, so it kind of runs in the family."
"What?!"
"Yeah, those Elders have some pretty twisted hobbies. Besides, I recall you enslaved an Avenger and your brother's scientist friend during your heyday!"
"Then you should also recall how much my mind was warped with hatred and envy from prolonged exposure to an infinity stone, and I did team up with Sylvie to free you and the other enslaved TVA workers!" Loki frowned. "Anyway, why didn't you think to interrogate these warriors with such a powerful motive for killing that lunatic before we asked all these nobles?"
"I did… but I figured if they got into the throne room area to attempt a murder, the last thing they'd want to do is to go back to being trapped in the smelly fighters' never-ending circle room! Besides, I was enjoying this breath of fresh air too much, and I wanted to savor it as long as possible."
Loki sighed, understanding his friend's point. "I'd suggest we bring gas masks, though that might hinder our interrogation. Which way to the fighters' room?"
The drunken woman in blue finished the whole pitcher of alcohol she had guarded, plus two more, when Loki finished his question. She took a staggering step between the two men and pointed. "That way, detectives!" They both looked at her, hoping her drunkenness didn't impair her sense of direction, but she went on. "That's where the Grandmaster sends them, right after I bring them to him."
"Thank you very much for the directions." Loki replied.
"Yes, that's very helpful; thank you." Mobius added.
She nodded. "You might want to be a bit more discreet, though. Two sets of triplets, all in cliched detective outfits, is sure to attract attention!" The two men exchanged amused glances, and Mobius stifled a laugh. They followed her directions to the room, each taking a deep breath of clean air before they entered the fighters' area. Trash was littered across the floor, and a few corpses were sprawled out among the prisoners, but it was a great deal better than the sight and smell outside the palace. The duo walked along the circular path, spotting a few species they recognized, until Mobius pointed out their feathery suspect. He was sharpening his claws on the wall behind him.
"Hello, we're private detectives; I'm Mr. Paradox, and this is Mr, Ouroboros, and we have a few questions we'd like to ask you." Mobius introduced.
He ignored them, continuing to sharpen his claws.
"Is this your arrow?" Mobius asked, holding it out for him to see.
He glanced at the arrow and snatched it from Mobius's hand without saying a word.
Mobius scoffed. "I'm not sure if you know exactly how this works, but you haven't been given the right to remain silent yet. You're just making yourself look guilty. You're a prime suspect in the attempted assassination of the Grandmaster, you know that?"
He suddenly looked Mobius dead in the eye. "Good, because I am guilty. What are you going to do, imprison me?"
"But why return to your cage?" Loki pondered. "Do you seek to kill the Grandmaster and take his place, or overthrow him and free the other fighters?"
The bird man's feathery hair flared as he held up golden claws in front of his face menacingly. "I seek vengeance. Against that madman and his whole freak-show he has running here. Vengeance… for my sister."
"What happened?" Mobius asked gently. "What happened to your sister?"
The man lowered his arm and exhaled. "My name is Bloodwing. I am a member of the Crystal Claws, the loyal Shi'ar agents of our mighty and fearless leader, D'ken Neramani, as was my sister. She was ordered to sneak into Sakaar to liberate a talonful of our fellow members who had been stranded here, but they put one of these on her," Bloodwing turned his back to them and motioned to a small, round device attached to the back of his neck. "and he forced her to fight his champion to the death. He promised her both her freedom and her companions'."
"I'm sorry. But what's that device, on your neck?" Loki wondered.
"Obedience disk. Emits a toxic energy surge that incapacitates anyone wearing it." Mobius explained.
"How that manipulative bastard keeps us in line." Bloodwing added.
"Sickening." Loki remarked. "So, I take it your backup plan is to defeat this champion, and then kill the Grandmaster the moment he frees you? You won't succeed." Bloodwing returned to sharpening his claws against the wall, turned away from the detectives. "He's going to be on guard for that." Loki continued. "Even if you manage to win in the arena, you're going to need help."
Both Bloodwing and Mobius gave Loki an incredulous look.
"Are you suggesting-"
"Don't feign shock, my friend, you know me better than that. This Grandmaster is dangerous and psychotic, and he obviously needs to be overthrown."
"He's got a point there." Mobius admitted. "The Grandmaster doesn't play with a straight deck any more than with a full one: if he thinks for a second that you can actually defeat his champion and escape, he'll turn that disk on you to ensure you don't! Well, Mr. Ouroboros, do you have any sort of plan?"
"I think we should team up: if we can get that device off of you, Bloodwing, perhaps you could make another attempt on the Grandmaster's life, and my partner and I will pretend to stop you and seemingly save his life, until I get close enough to use my magic on him to control him in turn! I'll force him to free every person he's enslaved here, and after that, you feel free to do him in."
"What about his champion? What if the Grandmaster calls him in for help?" Mobius worried.
"Then I'll enchant him first and make him threaten his own master into compliance. I assume he's not any sort of sorcerer, typical muscle-brained brute?" Bloodwing nodded, and Loki smirked. "Perfect! Mr. Paradox, do you know how to remove these 'obedience disks?'" Loki inspected the device on Bloodwing.
"The same way both of yours come off." Came a voice from behind them.
"Wha-" Loki started before the drunken, dark-haired woman they met earlier pressed the buttons on three handheld controls, which stunned all three men at once, the veins in their necks glowing light blue with surging energy. They fell to the ground as Loki and Mobius both wondered how she attached disks to them without either of them noticing. She put the control devices away and held out a fourth handheld item, which played back the last bits of dialogue of Loki's plan to help the attempted assassin in custody. "An attempted assassin, two defective detectives, and all the evidence I need right here: gentlemen, today I've hit the traitor goldmine!"