"So… what exactly is going on?"
The scene before him was so bizarre that Alan hesitated, his left foot frozen mid-step before he could even walk into the garden to meet Ayesha and her people.
"How should _I_ know?" Gwen shrugged. "Red Queen warned us about a spaceship intruding, and when we came out to check, the High Priestess and her people were just… _marching_ toward us, rolling out a carpet as they walked."
Even Gwen was baffled.
It was like ever since they left Sovereign space, the Sovereigns had completely _lost it_, relentlessly sending drones to attack them.
And now?
They had _personally_ come to Earth.
If a fight broke out here, innocent people would get caught in the crossfire, and that would be _very_ bad.
"I _think_…."
Rocket Raccoon suddenly had a sinking realization.
His eyes darted nervously toward Emperor.
He couldn't _see_ Alan's expression under the helmet, but for the first time, he actually _worried_ that the team might kick him out for this.
"Uh… this might have something to do with me _accidentally_ taking one of their batteries."
"You _what_?!"
Gamora and Nebula stared at Rocket in disbelief.
"Oh, _come on_!" Rocket huffed. "Anyone would be tempted by those things! Do you know how much they're worth on the market?!"
He tried to defend himself but quickly drooped his ears, deciding it was best not to push his luck.
"Alan, I—"
Panic started creeping into Rocket's voice.
Alan had been standing there in complete silence, not even sparing him a glance.
While Rocket was freaking out, Alan finally raised his hand.
He hadn't reacted earlier because he had been _picturing_ Ayesha's overly dramatic entrance—
That _insistence_ on walking _only_ on a golden carpet.
Even just _imagining_ it was secondhand embarrassment at its peak.
If _he_ had to do something like that, he would rather _die_ than be seen.
"Well, what's done is done," Alan said calmly, already familiar with Rocket's _talent_ for getting into trouble. "The fact that the High Priestess came in person means she's probably not just here to pick a fight."
Right now, Alan just wanted to _deal_ with this as quickly as possible so he could finally _relax for a few days_.
With the Chitauri invasion of Asgard looming over them, he needed to conserve his energy.
And with Thor and Hela _stuck together_, who _knew_ what kind of chaos they would stir up?
"I'll go talk to her."
Alan exhaled deeply before finally stepping into the garden.
The Sovereigns were _obsessed_ with bloodlines—
And _incredibly_ petty.
And yet, despite that, they seemed to _completely_ ignore the fact that the Guardians had _helped_ them deal with that cosmic monster.
"Emperor, you've _finally_ shown yourself."
Ayesha had been _this_ close to giving up and returning to her ship.
Everything about Earth felt _utterly incompatible_ with the Sovereigns, and for some reason, that gave her a strange sense of unease.
"_High Priestess,_ what brings you to Earth all of a sudden?" Alan asked, pausing mid-sentence.
Knowing how _ridiculously sensitive_ the Sovereigns were, he decided against finishing his thought.
He had been about to say: _And why the hell did you have to make such a big deal out of it?_
"Don't tell me you're planning to attack Earth?"
Ayesha's eyes widened in _genuine_ shock.
"What?! No! I just wanted to capture— I mean—" She quickly corrected herself. "_I have no intention of harming Earthlings._"
Her goal was _clear_—
She wanted Emperor.
If she could bring him back to Sovereign space, she would have the _perfect_ opportunity to _study_ his genes.
And beyond that…
She was _deeply_ curious about what lay beneath that mask.
She had _never_ seen Emperor's true face.
And she _wanted_ to.
"Then why _are_ you here?" Gamora narrowed her eyes.
"We _didn't_ invite you."
"Invite me?"
Ayesha chuckled lightly.
"You _stole_ the Sovereign's _exclusive_ energy batteries."
...
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