Chapter 137: [136] : The Pursuit by the Guardians of the Galaxy
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The Reality Stone embedded in Roger's chest glowed, casting light onto Nebula, who had attempted to assassinate him. She was now bound to a stone pillar Roger had conjured, her body tightly secured by strong ropes.
Roger looked at Nebula with amusement and asked, "Even Ronan was no match for me, yet you still thought you could assassinate me. What were you thinking?"
"...I came to make a deal," Nebula replied coldly, her voice raspy as she struggled against the unyielding bonds, to no avail.
With a subtle flicker of the Reality Stone, the ropes around Nebula tightened, causing her to gasp for air.
"Attacking me with your little toys right from the start? I wouldn't say that's the best attitude for making a deal."
"I needed to test the strength of my potential ally."
"Defeating Ronan wasn't proof enough?"
"Thanos can defeat Ronan as well," Nebula retorted icily.
Roger nodded, acknowledging her point.
Compared to the alternate versions of Thanos in What If…?, the Thanos in the real MCU films was extremely powerful, not one to be taken down by his own minions or obliterated by a single laser from Ultron. True Thanos was formidable, cautious, and skillful. Defeating a power-hungry fool like Ronan who thought the Power Stone made him invincible was well within Thanos' reach.
As he eyed Nebula, Roger decided to let go of her assassination attempt. Using the Reality Stone, he conjured a chair for himself and settled in, asking, "You said you're here to make a deal. Let's hear it."
"Help me… kill Thanos!" Nebula quickly voiced her demand.
Her life's sole mission was to kill the man who had turned her into this half-machine monstrosity. Despite being Thanos' daughter, Nebula knew Thanos only truly cared for one daughter: Gamora. Nebula was merely a secondary, unwanted addition.
Thanos wasn't entirely indifferent toward Nebula, but compared to his affection for Gamora, his care for Nebula was practically nonexistent. Each time she failed in a fight against Gamora, another part of her body was replaced with cybernetic enhancements. This only increased Thanos' favor toward Gamora and made his treatment of Nebula increasingly indifferent.
Growing up in such a family, it was no wonder Nebula harbored no love for Thanos.
Her motivation to kill him was strong, and it was no surprise that she made this request of Roger. After all, Nebula was imprisoned and tortured by Thanos in Infinity War while trying to assassinate him.
But there was a question.
"Why should I help you?" Roger asked, genuinely curious.
He might go after Thanos in the future, but certainly not now. Without fully understanding Andrea and the existence of the Infinity Stones, Roger wouldn't bring unnecessary trouble upon himself. And even if he could kill Thanos, he had no reason to strike a deal with Nebula.
Nebula was silent for a moment before answering, "If you kill Thanos, I'll do anything you ask, assassinations, espionage, combat… I can be your sharpest blade."
Nebula showed no regard for her own freedom.
Since fully severing ties with Thanos, her sole purpose was to see her so-called father dead. As long as Roger could achieve that, she would do anything he required. If her cyborg body had been more alluring, she might have even offered herself as part of the bargain.
Roger studied her, resting his hand on his chin, before dismissing the ropes and pillar with a wave of the Reality Stone's energy. He told her, "I could use a navigator and a pilot while I'm traveling through space. If you can meet my standards, I might let you stay. But let's be clear: I may eventually deal with Thanos, but when I do so will be my decision."
Nebula looked at him warily.
The lack of a precise timeline made her nervous. She worried that Roger might prolong it just to exploit her as a galactic chauffeur and bodyguard.
Seeing her hesitation, Roger added, "Within four years, I'll go after Thanos. You can count on that."
"Why four years?" she asked, puzzled.
"It's an odd timeframe, neither five nor ten. Why four?"
With a smile, Roger explained, "Because four years from now, Thanos will begin his move. You don't need to know the details, but if you agree, you're welcome to join me. If not, feel free to leave. We'll pretend we never met."
It was 2014 in this universe, and the movie timeline had been following real-world time until the events of Endgame.
Infinity War had premiered in 2018, and the in-universe timeline likely matched. So, Roger set the four-year mark accordingly.
Four years was a period Nebula could endure. If, by then, Roger hadn't upheld his end of the bargain, she would simply leave. She had nowhere else to go anyway, and traveling with Roger increased the chances of attracting Thanos' attention, which could force him into action.
Of course, Roger had considered this when he agreed to let Nebula tag along. He didn't mind. Without the Stones, he wasn't afraid of Thanos. With three Stones already in his possession, if he met Thanos, it would be Thanos who needed to run.
After contemplating for a while, Nebula fell silent and moved to stand beside Roger, signaling her acceptance.
Roger led her to the ship Carol had left him, naturally assigning her to the pilot's seat.
Nebula operated the controls skillfully, setting the coordinates, and then turned to Roger. "Where to?"
He handed her a set of coordinates, a location provided by his Reality Stone. It should lead to the Celestial Graveyard.
Nebula glanced at the coordinates and asked, "There's nothing there. Why are we going?"
"Something will be there when I arrive. Don't ask questions, just fly," Roger replied dismissively, reclining in his seat to relax.
Traveling with a personal "tool" to handle the navigation and piloting was far more enjoyable than flying the ship himself. Much like with cars, driving was never as relaxing as being a passenger.
Now that she was effectively Roger's subordinate, Nebula didn't press further. She focused on her duties as his pilot, setting the ship on course.
Traveling with a companion was far less isolating than navigating space alone.
As he lay back in his seat, Roger chatted idly with Nebula, watching the stars drift by, and daydreaming about the moment he'd gather all six Infinity Stones.
Would he become as powerful as Infinity Ultron?
He had been lost in thought for a while when Nebula spoke up.
"Our radar is picking up a tail. Someone's following us."
"Hm?" Roger snapped out of his thoughts. "Can we tell who it is?"
The Nova Corps, Ravagers, and Guardians of the Galaxy were all supposed to have been hypnotized by the Mind Stone, making them forget he held the Power Stone. Logically, it shouldn't be any of those factions.
If not them, then who? Thanos? Ronan?
Nebula adjusted the settings, seemingly attempting to contact the ship behind them, but received no response.
"I'm not sure, but I doubt it's Thanos. If it were him, he wouldn't send just one ship. Most likely, it's a Ravager."
"A Ravager… which direction are they in?"
Nebula mentioned a single ship, and her suspicion it was a Ravager made Roger think of those Guardians of the Galaxy misfits.
When Nebula indicated the ship's position, Roger used his super-vision to confirm it. Sure enough, it was the Guardians of the Galaxy.
They were trailing Roger's ship from a distance, not directly engaging but refusing to break off either. Their intentions were unclear.
The two ships flew through space, one trailing the other. After a while, Nebula asked, "Should we engage?"
"Not just yet. Dock at the nearest life-supporting planet. I want to know why they're following us."
The Guardians of the Galaxy posed no real threat to Roger. His curiosity was piqued, however, by their reason for following him.
After all, he hadn't done anything to provoke them.
…
"Alright, listen up."
Aboard the Guardian's ship, Star-Lord was briefing his team with a look of authority.
"That guy in all black, looking like Superman from those Earth comics, can apparently change people's minds with a snap. So… when we get close to him, make sure he doesn't snap his fingers. Got it?"
"I still don't get it." Gamora, seated in the co-pilot's chair, asked, "If he can control people's minds, why do you still remember?"
"How should I know?"
Star-Lord was equally baffled.
He couldn't explain why everyone else forgot Roger had the Power Stone, while he remembered perfectly. All he knew was that no single person should hold such devastating power, the kind that could wipe out a planet in an instant. Handing it to someone he didn't know or trust seemed like a terrible idea.
Rocket the Raccoon scoffed from the corner, "Great. Because of your paranoia, we're now tailing some so-called 'hero' who saved Xandar."
Star-Lord quickly protested, "We're heroes of Xandar too, remember?"
"Boys, now's not the time," Gamora interjected. "That Superman guy is about to land."
Gamora stepped in to stop Star-Lord and Rocket's bickering and addressed the group.
Under their watchful eyes, the Superman and his ship were making their way toward the nearest habitable planet.
...
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