Even with Soren's reassurance, neither he nor Freyja could truly relax.
They walked the Earth like tourists, but their hearts remained fixed on Asgard. Freyja tried to enjoy the sights, yet her thoughts always drifted back to the fate of her home.
Soren felt it in every half-hearted smile that her spirit was too weighed down to enjoy anything fully.
Their outings never stopped, but they grew quieter. Freyja stayed close to Soren, almost without realizing it, and their bond deepened in the shared worry.
A few days later, the communicator Star-Lord had given Soren suddenly buzzed to life.
"There's news!" Soren pulled it from his pocket.
Multiple messages had arrived all at once.
He blinked at the timestamps… and sighed. Of course. The Collector's vault can block nearly anything, including signals. The messages were days old.
But as he opened them, his expression shifted from relief… to confusion.
Almost every day, Star-Lord and the others had sent updates… but none of them were about Thor. Instead, the Guardians reported that while they still had no leads on the God of Thunder, but they had discovered a different clue.
A clue about… the Hulk.
"The Hulk?" Soren muttered. "What, he should still be on Earth. Why would the Guardians be tracking him through the universe?"
Nothing made sense.
He quickly dialed Star-Lord's channel. It rang and rang.
He was about to hang up when the line suddenly connected, along with the sound of explosions.
"Soren!" Star-Lord's voice shouted over roaring engines and energy blasts. The communicator shook violently, and every few seconds, blinding light flashed across the screen. "We're~ kind of busy!"
Soren squinted. "Quill, what's happening over there?"
"We're on a job!" Star-Lord yelled.
Somewhere off-screen, the Destroyer roared. "The Sovereign hired us to deal with a giant monster! ROCKET, STOP SHOOTING NEAR MY HAIR!"
Soren sighed deeply. "Fine, keep it short. What did you find out?"
The camera jostled wildly, but after a moment the view stabilized enough for Soren to see what was happening.
A monstrous, tentacled creature crashed from the sky with an ear-splitting roar. Drax charged it immediately. The others weren't far behind, unleashing attacks from all angles.
Only Baby Groot remained calm, standing off to the side, plugging in a music tape from Peter's mother and swaying to the beat as chaos raged behind him.
Their strikes barely pierced the creature's skin, it shrugged off attacks like raindrops. Then, with a triumphant bellow, Drax hurled himself straight into the monster's mouth.
Soren pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Soren, we've searched through all the information we could find. There's still no news on Thor. However, I did find something about another Avenger. He's currently—"
Zzt!
Soren and Freyja stared at the silent device. A second ago they had watched the Guardians battling a colossal monster, now the connection was dead.
"Soren, are they in danger?" Freyja asked. "Should we go help them?"
"No." Soren pressed his fingers to his temples, a headache forming. "That's not the problem. But it does look like we'll need to visit the Sovereign ourselves."
At those words, Freyja's eyes lit up.
She had spent almost her entire life defending the Nine Realms, rarely traveling beyond them. The idea of stepping into another civilization and possibly finding clues about Thor made her pulse quicken.
"Then what are we waiting for?" She urged, excitement spilling into her voice. "Let's go! The sooner we find Thor, the sooner we can save Asgard."
"Easy, easy. Give me a second." Soren chuckled softly.
He opened his space-storage gem and pulled out a thin, transparent chip. With a flick of his wrist, the chip unfolded into a sleek, silver-white spacesuit. Faint runes and tiny energy plates shimmered across its surface.
"Put this on," Soren said, handing it to her. "You may be strong, but you're not ready to take on cosmic radiation with your bare skin."
Freyja's eyes widened, Asgardian armor was formidable, but this felt like magic and technology woven together. She slipped into it easily.
The suit molded perfectly to her body, flexible and humming with protective energy. Even in motion, it didn't hinder her in the slightest.
Collector's craftsmanship really is on another level, Soren thought.
While Freyja tested the suit's systems, Soren dialed Tony Stark.
"Yeah, yeah, I know you're busy saving the world," Soren said the moment Tony picked up, "but I need confirmation. Did the Hulk vanish?"
"To all our confusion and frustration… yes." Tony answered. "Banner's gone. We have no idea how or why."
Soren frowned, the situation was getting stranger by the minute. Thor missing. Loki missing. Hulk missing. All connected by something or someone.
"Don't worry." He reassured Tony as best he could. "I'll track him down and bring Banner home."
He didn't mention what he'd learned from the Guardians. He didn't have enough pieces of the puzzle.
When he turned back, Freyja was fully suited up, the soft blue glow of the suit's energy grid outlining her silhouette. She looked ready.
"Are you ready?" He asked, spreading his arms theatrically. "Because a romantic interstellar journey is about to begin."