"Come on, Lydia. Stop fussing," Carol said as the shuttle landed at Xandar.
"I'm not fussing! You know this is a bad idea!" I said as she exited the shuttle. I reluctantly followed.
"How else are we going to find our next targets?" Carol happily walked towards the plaza that contained several vendors and information brokers.
Several months have passed since the fiasco with Thor. I managed to create a copy of the Power stone and placed it back in its location. It was easier now that I had been there and knew where to go. I used the same method Wendy used to make a fake Space stone. I condensed several nanites holding Power stone energy to form a rock. It is still potent and would last for years or a couple of actions from a user.
I would absorb the Power stone daily and would have several burn marks after, but it started to become easier to absorb its energy. I felt a similar sensation from when I absorbed Space energy. I was getting closer to synchronizing the energy with my own but using both stones at the same time still caused a huge burden on my body. While the burns weren't there on my body, I could barely handle the stress after excessive use. The most I was able to maintain the stones was ten minutes.
During the months, Carol and I have destroyed several Kree bases on different planets. She has started to help free different worlds from Kree authority. Now, she is more like a bounty hunter looking for corrupt targets to hit. Mainly focusing on Kree targets. We had exhausted the targets that Carol knew so she decided to come to Xandar to get some useful information. My main worry was that our actions may have attracted the attention of the Nova Corps.
"This place is amazing!" Carol said as she continued dragging me through the streets.
Xandar is beautiful. Having memories about this place is very different than experiencing it. The level of technology was also futuristic. Flying vehicles zoomed above us as we walked. There were tall skyscrapers with smaller buildings surrounding it.
"It is," I said looking at Carol. She has been more relaxed now. I exposed her to the Space stones energy, and she was able to manipulate like it was second nature. I used my ability to increase her mutation and she could now absorb the Space stone's energy to become even more powerful. Her binary state now was more intense than before. If we fought against each other, she would be my equal even when I have the Space stone to back me up. If I added the Power stone, I would have an advantage over her.
Carol let go of my hand to go speak with someone for directions. The diversity here is inspirational to say the least. All sorts of different people were here. I can see why alien's come here to start something new.
As I was standing, I noticed some members of the Nova Corps patrolling the area. The triangle with a circle at each corner was a dead giveaway. Not only that, it was also bright yellow. In a way, Xandarians are like the Kree in that they too have a computer. What powers the Nova Corps is the Xandarian Worldmind that generate the Nova Force. Nova Prime is the only person that holds a vast majority of the Nova Force.
As I was thinking, one of the Nova Corps looked at me and stared. I walked next to Carol to hopefully make myself less suspicious. That didn't work as three other members started to stare in my direction.
'Carol…we're being watched,' I said to her telepathically.
Carol straightened up and looked around. She stopped talking with the random person and started to walk away.
'Let's take it slow,' she said in her head. I nodded and followed next to her.
We continued to walk to different stores to make ourselves look less suspicious, but it again failed. There were now more than 10 members surrounding us.
"Stop! By the order of the Nova Corps!" One of the members called out. Ugh how annoying. I began to channel my energy when Carol touched my shoulder and shook her head. I tilted my head in confusion.
"No," she said quietly. I sighed and slumped my shoulders.
"I told you this was a bad idea…" I whispered. I earned an elbow to the ribs from that remark.
"You are detained for having an unauthorized entry to Xandar in an unregistered vessel. Restrain them!" the one that shouted at us began to order the other members. They placed our hands behind our backs and placed some sort of restraining device on our wrists.
"So, why can't we just break out?" I asked.
"Because we don't want a repeat of the last time this happened," Carol said. we were now being transported to another location inside a small ship.
"In my defense, they started it," I replied. Recalling how we visited another planet and the same situation occurred. The only difference was that I was by myself.
"We were supposed to covertly kill one person. You ended up killing all the bodyguards and made a mess of the building. It's no surprise that the authorities come after you. Then you proceed to beat them up as well…," Carol said with a deadpan look.
"I mean I didn't do anything wrong," I whispered. Carol rewarded me with a fierce glare.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" I said.
"No talking!" One of the drivers said.
"Make me!" I answered out of instinct. That earned me a kick to the sheen.
"Ow!" I groaned and looked at Carol. She just turned the other direction and ignored me. I sighed as I just kept my mouth shut. I saw her smile at the corner of my eye, and I smiled in return.
The ride ended quickly, and we were escorted to a room. They tried to remove our suits, but they quickly found it hard to take off. When they ordered us to take them off, I just told them that it was connected to us. A lie but they wouldn't know that. I was surprised they let us both be in the same room. We remained silent until someone walked inside the room.
"Aden, Denarian of the Nova Corps. I am sure you know why you are detained. Let's skip the bullshit, shall we?" Aden said. He sat down in the chair in front of us. I guess Denarian is a rank or title.
"We are bounty hunters," I said, and his eyes narrowed. I guess that was not a good thing to say.
"We are new to this area and did not know about the registration of the vessel. It is something that we created and never thought about registering it. As to why we are here, it's to speak with a broker regarding any open contracts," Carol explained.
"Where do you come from?" he asked.
"Originally? Terra but we were abducted and escaped. Ever since then, we've been doing contracts to earn credits," I shamelessly came up with a lie on the spot. The guy just kept on staring at me. I could tell he was a tough dude, but I wonder how strong he really was. My mind wondered to how strong Nova Prime was. He technically should be a tough opponent.
"We apologize again. If we could fix this by registering and creating credentials, would that fix this misunderstanding?" Carol interjected.
"Yes, someone will escort you to the locations. Enjoy your stay, but don't cause any trouble," he said in a serious tone. When he left Carol looked at me.
'Where are we going to get credits from?' she asked in her head.
'I have some' I replied.
'What?' she said.
'While you were playing hero with those mercs, I managed to duplicate the credits they had on their interface. Now we can have something to work with,' I replied. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the door.
'Aw, don't be mad at me. Besides, how else are we going to get information without money?' I reasoned with her. She turned her head away from me. I smiled at her. She hates when I am right when it comes to doing something unethical.
"This way," someone said as he opened the door and motioned his hand. We got up and as we exited another person took the cuffs off us.
We were escorted to an area to provide descriptions of the ship and ourselves as well. We had to do various tedious forms on their terminal and finally received our credentials. After that was done, I linked the credits I had with mine and Carol's.
"Well that was interesting," I said as I walked ahead of Carol.
"This takes care of any future problems with Xandar at least," Carol commented.
"We're lucky they decided to tail us. You know they are going to follow us, right?" I said and Carol nodded.
"We have nothing to hide," she said and walked towards the district that looked like it had vendors. I sighed and followed her.
We stopped by a lot of different vendors, but none had the information we wanted. As we walked, I noticed a very familiar looking building. I stared at it until I remembered. This is the place where Starlord goes to speak with the broker. Carol noticed I had stopped walking and came next to me.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"There's a broker there we can talk to," I said and pointed to it.
"Is this broker reliable?" she asked.
"His information? Yes," I said and walked towards the building. The door opened and the inside was just like in my memories. There were pillars that contained trinkets and shelves that held shiny objects. At the end was a desk with a person behind it.
"Welcome! How may I be of service today?" the man said. he had wrinkles all throughout his face and four stripes of black hair on his head. He looked human but he is for sure a different species.
"We are in need of some information. Contracts, specifically," I said and walked closer to him.
"As you can see, I sell very rare valuables," he said and gestured to the shelves.
"As you can see, I am not interested in them," I said as I looked him. He stared back and went silent. Carol crossed her arms with impatience.
"Who referred you to my shop?" he asked. A test maybe? I narrowed my eyes at him.
"A friend of Yondu," I said quickly.
"Yondu? That brute…very well, what is it you are looking for?" he said in a huff.
"We are looking for open contracts, preferably on Kree targets," Carol said. He raised his eyebrow.
"Very well," he said. He brought up a display and swiped his fingers to look for something.
"I have 4 contracts open," he said and brought up four separated displays for us to view. I began to read them and so did Carol. Three were about targeting a supply vessel and the other one was to kill a Kree soldier.
"We'll take them," Carol said.
"Very well. You understand the consequences of not completing a contract?" he asked, and I nodded. It would most likely be sending a bounty hunter after but it's not something I'm worried about.
"Something unrelated, how does someone buy a planet here?" I asked curiously. He looked confused.
"There are different routes. The easiest would be to purchase the system and have rights to it," he answered.
"May I see the list?" I asked and approached his desk.
"Certainly" he answered.
I began to scroll through the list. There were various planets and systems sold. It looked like its normal to own a system and 'lease' out the planets for those who could afford it. The price to own them were insane. I was not even close to having that amount but doing contracts might solve that. I filtered to see if they sold neutron star systems and to my surprise they sure did. It was cheaper than a regular system but that made sense. Who would own a neutron star system with all that dangerous radiation? I smiled. All I had to do now was pick the right one.
My ring vibrated and I knew someone was trying to contact me. I looked at Carol and she nodded. I walked outside and accepted the call.
"Lydia?" A familiar voice said.
"Astrid? What's wrong?" I asked. For her to call me unexpectedly, something must have happened.
"Before you panic, everyone is fine and healthy now," she said immediately.
"Okay…" I responded. I was not liking where this was going.
"It concerns your brothers," Astrid said.
She began to explain to me the situation that took place. They had stumbled upon a Hydra base that was experimenting on mutants. At least that what it looked like. They killed all the soldiers and investigated inside. They found dead bodies of various ages. Mostly kids. They encountered some sort of mutant wolf seemed to be hunting James. Astrid ended up creating a grenade for Victor to us to escape with James who was hurt. This poison seemed to prevent healing. Astrid did manage to capture some of the reports Victor was looking at. Most were about the mutants. I could not recognize any of the names that were listed. But Astrid pointed out that she saw a pattern with the initials SS.
"SS…Shinobi Shaw? But…that can't be," I whispered.
"I thought the same thing," Astrid said.
"Was he able to get a hold of my blood? We've been very careful about it," I said in a concern tone. I've taken extreme measures to make sure that my blood always gets cleaned up by the nanites. My paranoia is that someone would be able to use it to create something dangerous.
"It's highly unlikely, but not outside the realm of possibilities," Astrid said.
"If its him, why is he with Hydra? Assuming that its Shaw, why not go after more mutants to build the Hellfire Club again?" I asked.
"He could just be using their resources. There is a possibility that it could be someone else, but I am still investigating. The trail goes cold at the base. Most of the evidence is destroyed thanks to the grenade," Astrid explained.
"James is okay?" I asked.
"Yes, Victor called me and informed me of everything. I was able to act with enough time to prevent any further damage. The poison used was consumed by the nanites and upon analyzing it, the poison specifically targets cells and begins to consume them to replicate. It was engineered to combat rapid healing," Astrid briefed me on the poison. She sent over a file and a hologram of it appeared.
"Where are they now?" I asked as I was reading the file.
"Still in Canada, but they are moving south now," Astrid said. I finished reading the file and sighed. At least nothing bad happened.
"How's Erik?" I asked.
"He is doing well. He tried to retrieve his two kids, but the parents did not allow it. He did not want to force it so he said he will wait it out," Astrid explained.
"Yeah, I figured that would happen," I said.
"He has been managing everything pretty smoothly. He recruited more mutants as well. Most did not want to fight but 2 more additions agreed. Their names are Drake and Terry. Drake is able to creates light illusions and Terry can create dense fog," Astrid reported. Those powers seem weak but if used correctly they could be great for scouting or assassinations.
"Have you started training?" I asked.
"Of course," Astrid replied.
"When you feel they are ready give them the serum. Inform Erik about Taskmaster and the Red Room. It's better to deal with that now than later. Keep a track of Hydra and any other organization," I said.
"Of course. How's things on your end?" Astrid asked.
"We got a hold of some Uru and now we need to find a system to melt it. The Asgardians sent Thor, but I dealt with that," I said, and Astrid laughed.
"Knowing you, I bet that went well," she said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I said laughing.
"Anyways, we are in Xandar and are looking to make some money to move along with the plans. Carol wants to continue roaming to Kree outposts and free anyone from slavery," I said.
"Can I get access to your account?" Astrid asked. I was confused but I didn't question it and let her have control.
"You know, for being a galactic currency, their security really sucks," she said, and I could see a bunch of zero in the account now. I let out a weak laugh.
"…thank you," I managed to say still shocked.
"Your very welcome. I'll update you later," Astrid said and terminated the link. I was stood still looking at the amount. I turned around and went to the broker again.
"Show me the list again," I asked. Carol looked confused.
"Certainly," he said and brought the same display up again.
I looked at the list and found a neutron star similar to the dwarfs. I selected it and the nearest system that could sustain life.
"Do you have the credits?" he asked. Carol looked nervously at me.
"Of course," I said and transferred the funds.
"It is a pleasure to do business with you! The necessary documents will be sent to your account," he said with a happy smile.
"Do I want to know?" Carol asked as we left the store.
"Probably not," I responded with a smile.
I saw Carol eyeing the marketplace still. I smiled and grabbed her hand heading towards that direction.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"To enjoy ourselves," I answered.
Carol was happy going to each of the stores. I was also happy to see the sights. I never thought I'll be shopping in a different planet million miles away from Earth. It was truly an experience. The different aliens here made it feel like a welcoming atmosphere. We spent most of our day going to each shop and purchasing small trinkets. We decided to have something to drink at a nearby shop.
"This looks like jello," I said as I ordered a pastry with a hot drink. A small dish with a green jelly substance was given to me. I was given what looked like a fork to eat with it. I used it to poke the pastry and it sent ripples across it.
"Just eat it," Carol said laughing. She took the fork from my hand and used it to slice a small piece off the jello. She did it with just grace that I didn't know she had. Time seemed to slow down as I took in all her features. Her smile. Her hands. Her hair slightly moved by the wind. She moved the piece and hovered it in front of me. She smiled gently as she inched the fork closer to my mouth.
"Ah," she said gently. What's with this scene!? Shouldn't I be the one doing this!? I hesitated but I opened my mouth slightly to eat the piece. I couldn't stare at her and looked to the side. I could feel my cheeks burning.
"How is it?" she asked. She still smiled gently as she said that. I made the mistake of looking back at her and it caused my cheeks to burning even more. The jello tasted like a cake. It was sweet but not too sweet.
"I-it's good," I said as I looked up. Carol laughed seeing how I was.
"Hey," she grabbed my attention by holding my hand. I looked at her and she looked serious.
"Can you tell me the truth?"
I was taken aback from her question. I knew what she was referring to. She has been following me without asking too many questions. She accepted me quickly as well.
I slowly nodded and connected our minds together. We were in a white plain. We were still seated with the table in front of us. I closed my eyes while she looked around.
"I am not from this universe," I said slowly. She looked confused but didn't say anything.
"There are many realities that exist," the white plain now became dark and windows peering into every memory I had. Some were about the shows I used to watch while others were about the movies and comics.
"I come from one of those realities. I died and was reborn into this one. Where I come from, this reality was nothing more than comic books, tv shows, and movies. It was something I loved to read and watch,"
"How did you come here then?" she asked.
"…I was brought here," I said. She was shocked and confused.
"There are many powers above us. Even collecting all the stones wouldn't defeat them. Especially the one that brought me here," I showed her images of the different celestials and those above them.
"That's how I knew a lot about the events that occur. It's becoming harder to predict because I am here. I shouldn't exist here…" I trailed off. I showed her my memories of when I was young. The events leading to the death of my parents and run away from our house. The chase with the dogs and the confrontation with armed men.
"I'm sure you're wondering why? I asked the same question…" I thought of Sir's smile. The jerk.
"To be entertainment," Carol looked upset. She had a wide variety of emotions. She balled her fists in frustration.
"So, we're just entertainment?" she asked. I sighed. I knew the feeling she was going through. To be told that your life is nothing but entertainment. What's the point in going any further?
"No, because we are alive. We still feel and have our emotions. The point to our lives? To make the best of it. That's what I believe," I finished saying.
"This reality is very real. It was created by the person that brought me here,"
"That…That's a lot to take in," Carol said as she looked down. I knew it was. To be told that you were created for the purpose of entertainment is not something anyone wants to hear. She took some deep breaths to calm down. I looked to the side and showed her my childhood.
"This is me when I was young," I displayed the scenes of me playing with James. I displayed what happened to my parents. I continued until the chase. I showed her my trip to En Sabah Nur.
"After that I went to Europe and studied to become a nurse and then a doctor,"
"You've been through a lot. Do you age at all?" she asked.
"No. I could live forever if no harm comes to me, but I can be killed. I am not immortal," I shrugged.
"So, what's the point then…to continue any of this?" she asked. I could feel how she felt defeated.
"You are very real Carol. Your existence matters. To me and to others. You should not think those thoughts. I know it might feel like its pointless knowing that I told you, but I have a selfish request," I said and extended my hand to her.
"Please stay with me," Carol looked at my hand and smiled.
"That was cheesy," she laughed and grabbed my hand. I smiled and disconnected our minds. We were back at the table with her holding my hand.
"So, Earth will be a constant battlefield with small gaps of peace?" Carol asked.
"Basically, then you have the universe to deal with," I explained. I massaged my temples from the tension that was developing from thinking of all the possible enemies.
"So, what are we supposed to do?" she asked.
"Let's do the contracts and then head over to the systems we bought. I want to create something with the Uru. I have a feeling it'll take me sometime to figure it out," I answered.
She nodded and we went back to the ship. With Tessa and Emma, it was easy to complete the contracts. The broker was surprised at our speed. Once those were completed, we headed over to the neutron star system. The scans I had from the dwarfs were not entirely complete, but it was enough for me to understand the structure. Carol and the rest continued to do contracts while I remained and continued to work on the structure. I began to read up on the runes I managed to scan before we were interrupted. It was going to take some time to understand but it will be worth it.