It has been a couple of days since that campaign on Iechun planet came to an end.
At present, Jerry finds himself engrossed in preparations for a significant medical procedure, specifically a back surgery. All the tools and equipment were lined up on the dashboard and the chamber was filled with the most cutting-edge apparatuses that were available in the galaxy.
Jerry's heart was pounding since he was going to perform the surgery on his own. Apparently, there was no better surgeon on the ship than him. And Maw would perform his surgeries on his own too, so, Jerry was forced to do that as well. He can't raise red flags, after all.
However, he chose to practice it first, on other people, of course.
In front of him, along with the vast variety of equipment, were also 5 Chitauri soldiers and an equal number of Iechunians. They didn't possess similar biology to him but these are all he got for a practice run.
Maw would often experiment on the conquered species, so that's why Jerry did the same and brought a hundred or so Iechunian on the ship.
And all but one surgery, he performed on his test subjects, went remarkably well. Jerry wasn't using his hands in the surgeries, but telekinesis. So, due to Maw's memories and the already-trained brain, he managed to get proficient in performing medical surgeries perfectly just after one failed try!
'Honestly, Maw's memories are a cheat!'
After observing his test subjects' condition for a couple of weeks and seeing no adverse after-effects, Jerry decided to perform surgery on himself as well.
What could go wrong?
'Fuck, shouldn't have raised any flags!'
Thankfully, the surgery went well again. No side effects, no more back pain. The newly integrated regenerative implants imbue him with renewed vitality, evoking a nuanced sense of rejuvenation.
But Jerry still wanted a week off from work, and well, everything. The reason he gave for his absence was, of course, rehabilitation.
For the next seven days, Jerry was holed up in his living quarters. The lone time he bought for himself was, he knew, very precious. And he needed to utilize it to the utmost, for brainstorming ideas about escaping from Thanos and before that, using the extensive information network of Thanos to find some technology that could get him a new body.
And once he gets everything that he could get from being here, he would escape.
But then again, how?
Surely, just running away may look enticing and easy but it wouldn't work.
Thanos was the kind of a helicopter dad... If Jerry simply escaped from him and Thanos got to know that he did such a thing, then there might be several possibilities, however, two most likely were...
First: Thanos would hunt him down and kill him, after all, unlike Gamora, Jerry wasn't Thanos's favorite. Even though he was much more useful and capable than the green bitch, the purple baldy with a nutsack of a chin will definitely torture him for the 'betrayal'.
Or second: Thanos would just keep an eye on him from afar as he did with Nebula and Gamora when they escaped from him in Vol. 1 of G.O.T.G.
Well, Nubula's synaptic drive was literally connected with the universal network all the time so, technically, she was never out of his sight even once. And as for Gamora, his vast information network told him of her most, if not every movement, and being famous galaxy-wide wasn't exactly helping her lay low either.
But considering his future goals, even the second possibility can turn fatal.
So, since Jerry couldn't just escape from his daddy's big hands, he needed to be smarter than that, more cunning than ever. He needed plans, contingency plans, contingency plans for contingency plans.
To be truly free, he either needed to kill Thanos or 'kill' himself.
So, he settled upon the latter option, it was much easier, after all.
An accidental death might be suspicious, more so, when his body isn't found. However, if he's 'murdered', then it would also serve as a nice distraction. While Thanos would be busy finding the culprit, Jerry would focus on getting stronger and changing his body.
But who should 'kill' him? He contemplated...
Gamora. He concluded.
With the skeletal plan of his escape already in his mind, Jerry used the rest of the days of his precious week in forming a proper strategy, planning out the steps, the intricacies, and even the interactions he would do with his fellows and daddy.
'Hm, fooling Gamora into getting along with my plans is surely, not gonna be easy. It might even take days... But she is the only one at the moment who has the least amount of loyalty towards Thanos.'
However, with Jerry's knowledge of the future, understanding of their personalities, and even their deepest darkest secrets, he thought that he might just pull it off with somewhat ease.
The week came to an end in no time and then he summoned Gamora for a 'talk'.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Greetings, Gamora. I extend my profound gratitude for acquiescing to the summons I proffered." Jerry welcomed the green-skinned Zen-Whoberi with a wide smile on his noseless face and hands clasped behind his back.
Gamora nodded with an indifferent expression as she stepped inside the chamber. The gate, shaped like a Venus flytrap, accepted the lady and closed on its own.
"Do you prefer Zarg nuts? How about beverages?" Jerry asked as he served the snacks and beverages on the small table in the middle of the hall, and sat on one of the sofas.
This particular chamber was in the Maw's living segments, dark and only illuminated by blue and violet streaks of lights, like literally every chamber in the ship; mostly used for meetings with the allies, emissaries, and such.
Well, he couldn't just call her in his bedroom. Besides, this chamber's surveillance was perfectly under his control. Nothing could go out without his permission and there was no possibility of even Thanos eavesdropping on them.
Gamora's brows furrowed, the situation was way too weird. 'HE is offering proper hospitality?'
However, she shook her head and declined.
"Come straight to the point!" She demanded.
Jerry sighed, "You have always hated this place, this ship, haven't you?"
Gamora groaned at his rhetorical question and attempt to small talk, "Seriously, what will it take for you to come straight to the point!"
Ignoring Gamora's protest, Jerry continued, "However, unlike you, I, for eons, and as long as I can remember, have loved this place. Served this place, served his glorious purpose. I worshipped him. He was a divine being to me, providing salvation to the universe and life—"
Gamora sighed and turned to leave, "Once you're done monologing, call me again."
"I can offer you freedom from him," Jerry offered, looking at her back with seriousness in his eyes.
At this, her feet stopped in her place and her eyes widened a bit, was this a test? Some scheme? For what?
She had to tread carefully, against this greatest ass-licker of Thanos and his greatest strategist, who knew what comes and goes inside the mind of the creepy bastard.
But his words, they spoke of the biggest betrayal.
A mix of emotions swirled within her, lots of doubts, and apprehension, but still somewhere within her heart, a glimmer of hope.
She was baffled and couldn't comprehend it anymore. But she knew to not get caught in the enemy's traps. And that's why she chose to retreat.
Gamora gave Jerry a last look, more like a glare, "I don't wish to talk about this anymore."
The Venus flytrap-like gate opened, released her, and then closed itself.
However, in reality, the pray was caught...
Jerry smirked, 'She'll come back... but I thought she would catch onto the fact that I talked about being a devotee of Thanos in the past tense. No matter, she'd realize it soon. She's smart... and calculative.'
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