Loki turned from Mobius back to Gilfred Gruenwald, the two lawyers, seeing a resemblance. "Do you think he recognizes you?"
"It should be a lot easier for him than me: I look exactly the same as I did when I was plucked from my timeline, but the last time I saw Gil, he was a teenager!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't recognize him in his clients' memories either. If only I had paid more attention to him, you wouldn't have to-"
"No, this isn't on you." Mobius stopped him.
"If you don't feel up to this, I'd understand. If the judge found out you two are related, he'd most likely have to reschedule the trial until another lawyer takes either your or his place, correct?"
"Nah, that doesn't work lawyer-to-lawyer, only if one of the jury members knew us. Besides, the fact that he's my son puts me at an advantage: maybe I can get through to him that the guys he's working for are lying to him about being innocent? He's a good kid, always has been: he'll listen to me."
Thanos shook his head. "They don't hire good people to represent them, and their attorney is no exception. I've heard of his work for other crooked organizations and criminal bosses throughout America, and he hasn't lost a defense case yet."
Mobius gave his purple client a stare of reproach. "Hey, I just said he's not like that: he's my son. It's been a few years since I've seen him, but I know him… a lot better than you do!"
"Mr. Paradox, I realize this must be difficult for you, but you cannot allow your personal feelings to influence your judgment." Mobius didn't respond that time, he only turned his attention back to his son Gilfred's testimony. The defense attorney turned to a group of aliens in the gallery seats and smiled.
"Now, I'd like to call a few witnesses to the stand I met from planet Niveis, who have some key evidence that the prosecutor isn't as righteous as he claims to be." Mr. Gruenwald requested to the judge.
"Proceed."
"Thank you." He motioned for the first Niveisian to take a stand, and he swore to tell the truth as per custom. "Now, do you know the prosecutor?"
"Thanos, The Mad Titan. Yes, I know him all too well." The Niveisian man shuddered.
"And when and where did you first see or hear of Thanos?"
"25 years ago, he and his army of cybernetic monsters and super-powered aliens landed on Niveis and rounded up every last person on our planet, forcibly capturing and dividing us into two equal groups like- like we were cattle! I'll never forget what happened that day: my grandmother, my father, and I were on one side, while my mother, grandfather, and sister were on the other. We begged for him to leave, our leaders offered him anything to let us go, but the madman said that the only thing he wanted from us was balance." The witness began to pant, the trauma of the memory deeply disturbing him, and his eyes filled with tears.
"And then what did Thanos do?" Mr. Gruenwald gently interrogated. "Can you tell us?"
The witness glared at Thanos. "Then he commanded his army to open fire on the group that the other half of my family stood on: he killed them all in an instant, and- and h-he told us… that we would be grateful to him- and he left us with our dead families!" He wiped his eyes as he continued. "He's a psychopath, pretending to care about saving species from extinction while he goes around murdering people!"
"Thank you, no further questions." Mr. Gruenwald dismissed his first witness, and then he questioned the other representatives of various planets, each one relaying their own horrible experience with Thanos, until the people in the gallery were all against The Mad Titan.
"Well you're just an all-around jackass, aren't you?!" Sylvie also addressed Thanos with hatred and disgust.
"You didn't think it was only me he assaulted, did you, darling?" Loki asked her.
"Good people of the court, there are countless more witnesses from thousands of planets who have similar stories of the nightmares that Thanos and his army, The Black Order, have caused." Gilfred Gruenwald continued. "We certainly don't have the time for anywhere near that many people to testify, but from the words of these key witnesses, it is clear that Thanos's villainous goals included brutally killing members of various species across the universe while leaving others in ruin, including the planet Niveis. Then, ladies and gentlemen, does it not stand to reason that he would continue his heartless plan by enacting an illegal trade, ultimately killing off the endangered species of Earth and Niveis by removing them from their homes and dumping them on a hostile new environment to which they're unaccustomed?"
"Objection!" Mobius interrupted. "Thanos may have committed those horrible acts in the past, but he's changed for good now. His plans were to try to save dying, overpopulated species by halving their populations, not species whose numbers were already dangerously low. Besides that, if he wanted to kill them, he would just shoot them and get it over with, as he used to do when he was evil, not entrust their doom to some ordinary people. This charge of animal poaching makes no sense."
"Is that right? You say he's changed, yet you insist that his methods would remain the same? You say he wouldn't entrust his victims to ordinary people, yet he prides himself, justifies his acts of genocides being 'random:' who's to say Thanos didn't select them as undercover men? Mr. Paradox, it would seem that it's your objection to this charge that makes no sense."
"I agree." The judge banged his gavel on the bench. "Objection overruled!"
Next, it was Mobius's turn to present his evidence of The Barter Brothers' guilt, though he wondered if the jury cared anymore, as they were also clearly distraught and enraged by Thanos's past misdeeds.
Mobius cleared his throat. "Allow me to present the first piece of evidence…" As Mobius retrieved the object from his briefcase, he ducked as one of the benches from the gallery went hurtling at Thanos, smashing apart into the Titan on impact. A mixed crowd of aliens and humans alike began to surround him and fired concealed foreign advanced weapons at him, their rage blinding them to the fact that they couldn't harm Thanos.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Loki used his enchantment on Mobius's son, curious about his motives and his relationship with his timeline's variant of his father. The judge, unable to calm the people via his own authority, sent in security, but a group of aliens melted their weapons before they were wielded. They turned their alien weapons back on Thanos, who stood still and stifled a yawn as he took the brunt of their combined force.
"These idiots are going to get themselves killed, probably by each other!" Sylvie commented. She spread her hands out, which glowed green. "Should we break 'em up?"
"I'd definitely say so!" Loki joined with Sylvie, and the two created a magical barrier between the angry crowd and the Mad Titan. "People, I understand your anger, believe me, but this attempted assault is pointless! Despite him not defending himself, Thanos is invulnerable to your weapons." Loki exhaled. "Your pleas have been heard, and Thanos will face justice for his actions, but may I ask that we please resolve our current case first? If he's guilty, you can add the charge to his sentence and hold him accountable for everything he's done, but if he's innocent, you'll be letting another criminal walk free when you could have both of them brought to justice."
"Says the monster's lawyer!"
"Yeah, you're biased by money! Why should we listen to you?"
"Because I want to see Thanos brought to justice as well" Loki admitted. The crowd fell silent as Loki paused for effect. "He tortured me, killed my people and nearly my brother and I, blew up our ship, brainwashed me, and he will answer for everything he's done, not only to me, but to each and every one of his victims, but you're good people: don't let your hatred make you become like him. Let us be civilized and sort this out… the right way." The crowd stood frozen, until they slowly began to disperse and return to their seats, except for the group that hurled their bench at Thanos, who sat on the floor. "Thank you."
The judge sighed in relief. "Let's take a 15 minute recess to get ourselves back in order and proceed with the evidence."
The Time Detectives met up outside, minus their client.
"Nice crowd control, Silvertongue." Sylvie complimented.
"Why thank you, my dearest Sylvie. Mobius, I need to tell you something."
"Something about the case?" Mobius asked.
"Something about your son. I… I looked into his mind during the scuffle."
"Yeah? What did you see? Does he know his clients are really guilty?"
"…Yes, he does."
"Then… he was forced, maybe blackmailed into lying for them!"
Loki somberly shook his head. "I'm afraid everything this Thanos said about him was right: he's corrupt."
"What?!" Mobius shook his head in return. "No, that can't be true, no…"
"There's one other thing I noticed in particular: he doesn't have you."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean your variant, from this Earth, died when he was very young; the reason Gilfred didn't acknowledge you in the courtroom… is because he never knew you. He didn't have you growing up, Mobius, and he turned to criminal practices. I'm sorry."
Mobius's expression remained puzzled, but then he gave Loki a look of curiosity. "No, I don't think you are."
"Excuse me?"
"Loki, I know how you think! You're back in your 'jealous, second-favorite, adopted son' mentality, afraid that I love my biological son more than you, right?"
"Mobius!" Loki interjected, visibly hurt by the accusation. "That's not what this is about!"
"Uh huh, sure. Come on, I'm not going to fall for your old tricks: I told you, I know my son, and I know you're lying: you're trying to get back at me for talking you into helping Thanos, and you don't want the same kind of competition you and Thor had to win Odin's affection."
"No-"
"But I'm not Odin: you don't have to worry about that, because I don't pick favorites, okay?"
"I know, but would you-"
"Trust me, Son, I'm going to tell him the truth, be a good father to him, and he'll realize that he's working for the wrong side."
"Listen to me: you told me not to judge someone by what their variant has done, who another version of them is, and you were right. This universe's Thanos is clearly different from most, if not every other Thanos, because why?"
"Because he was convinced he was wrong?" Mobius guessed.
"Because he chose to be different?" Sylvie figured.
"Because he lacked conviction, the unbreakable iron will that normally makes him so terrifying! I've seen inside this Gilfred's mind, Mobius, and what he lacks is the strong sense of morality you would have taught him. Your son is good, I'm sure of it as well, just not this version of him. Perhaps you could counsel him as you did with me, but it will take more time than we presently have. I wish it weren't true either. I'm sorry to say, but he's not the Gil you know, so do not think of him as such: today, think of him as your opponent."
Mobius took in Loki's words. "Yeah, maybe. I'm still going to go talk to him."
"Would you like me to accompany you?"
"Nah, thanks, but I'd like some one-on-one time with him." Mobius turned to find his biological son until he heard his adopted son speak again.
"So, do I officially have two brothers now?"
"Yeah you do!"
