Episode 32: Secret Ally!

"Pardon the intrusion, Topaz, but I was hoping to borrow some tools for rewiring an Obedience Disk," Loki claimed, holding up Thor's Obedience Disk. "It seems one fell off a slave, and I'm not sure how they managed to do this."

Frowning, the woman in the yellow-colored armor called Topaz held up a long stick with a yellow orb attached. "Shall I execute this slave with the Melt Stick, Grandmaster?"

"No, that won't be necessary," Loki insisted. "Brunnhilde will take care of the problem, right?"

Realizing he was disguised as Brunnhilde, while Loki was pretending to be the Grandmaster, Peter said, "Of course. I'll rewire the Obedience Disk and put it back on the slave."

Topaz seemed skeptical. "Brunnhilde doesn't know how to rewire Obedience Disks as far as I know. Unless you've had this skill all along and didn't tell me."

"No, I learned how to do it from one of the Obedience Disk makers," Peter claimed.

"Which one?" Topaz asked.

"Does it really matter?" Loki interrupted. "Anyway, can you let Brunnhilde borrow the tools or not? I see no point in wasting one slave's life when they can just have the Obedience Disk reattached to them."

"I suppose you're right," Topaz reluctantly agreed. "One moment, please."

Retreating behind the door, Peter heard the sound of a drawer being opened and several things being taken out. Then Topaz reappeared holding two hands worth of tools.

"Can you tell me which tools you need specifically?" Topaz said. "I'm not familiar with these kinds of things, after all."

Looking carefully at the tools, Peter was able to figure out which ones he needed. So he took a device shaped like a pen, a miniature screwdriver, a pair of pliers, and a small calculator-shaped device with a wire attached to it. Then he and Loki left Topaz, making their way back to the living quarters.

"You almost got us caught," Loki scolded Peter. "If I hadn't interrupted Topaz's questioning—

"I'm sorry," Peter apologized. "Obviously, I don't lie as well as you do."

"While I appreciate the compliment, I hope this was all worth it," Loki grumbled. "Now I'm going to let Thor and MJ know so they can follow their part of the plan."

"Okay. And I know I called you 'a lousy ruler' back in New Asgard Town, but…thanks for helping us."

Loki seemed genuinely surprised by Peter's words, and then he turned away. "I'm only helping myself. You guys are just a means to my goals."

Then after Loki walked out of the living quarters, Peter got to work on rewiring the Obedience Disk to have an IP Address that could be traced by SHIELD's network. Unfortunately, the signal in Sakaar was too weak. So Peter took out the Spider Drone that was left by Spidermin, and after repairing it he attached Thor's Obedience Disk to the drone. Next, he went back out to the place where the garbage from the stadium was taken out and sent the Spider Drone flying into the air hoping that if it got to higher elevations within the cavern the signal would be stronger. But just as Peter was about to head back inside, he was blocked by Brunnhilde and her Valrie.

"I was just taking out the trash," Peter lied, but he knew he didn't sound convincing.

Folding her arms, Brunnhilde said, "You and your friends are planning to escape, aren't you?"

Trying not to panic, Peter responded, "What gave you that idea?"

"Don't lie to me, kid," Brunnhilde insisted. "I had to put up with Loki's treachery back in New Asgard Town when he was younger, so I've learned to pick up on bad lying."

"You lived in New Asgard Town?"

"It was my home, until a few years ago."

"Why did you leave?"

Brunnhilde held up the remote that was identical to the one her Valrie carried, which activated the Obedience Disks.

"Okay, I won't ask further," Peter said nervously, placing a hand on his Obedience Disk. "But I would like to know how you figured out our escape plan."

"Valrie was listening in, when you and Thor were talking to Loki out here a few hours ago. She told me about it, and insisted we talk to you."

"About what?"

"How you plan on getting everyone out of here, when you not only have the Grandmaster's chief security officer Topaz to deal with, her guards, and the Korg that's guarding the only exit out of this cavern?"

"Once we get our Marémon back, we'll handle them that way."

"But if you and the others all have your Obedience Disks still on, it will only be a matter of seconds before you're shocked into submission including your Marémon."

"Thor will use his new electric thing to zap the Obedience Disks off of everyone."

"Even though he's only starting to learn how to control this magical ability?"

Peter clenched his fist in frustration. "Don't you want to escape just as much as the rest of us?"

"Of course I do, and that's why I want to help you."

Brunnhilde then pressed another button on the remote, which immediately caused Peter's Obedience Disk to fall off his neck instead of sending a controlled shock through him. It also caused her Obedience Disk to be removed as well as her Valrie's. This made her brunette-haired humanoid Valrie twirl around in joy while making melodious sounds.

"You should meet up with your friends at the building where the PDBs are, and I'll follow soon with the other slaves," Brunnhilde said.

"But, can you handle the Grandmaster's guards with just Valrie alone?"

"I've got other Marémon besides Valrie to fight with, including that Miek which beat your Marémon. Now go, before anyone sees you!"

Without questioning Brunnhilde, Peter left the stadium and trekked his way over to the mounds of garbage. He went to one mound with a red car on top which he, Thor, and MJ had chosen as a rendezvous point. But when he got there, he found MJ being restrained by Loki, who was standing next to the Grandmaster and Topaz.

To be continued…