On the Sovereign Planet, terrified screams echoed through the air. The Sovereigns, who had no supernatural abilities to begin with, were utterly defenseless against the mechanical arms emerging from the ground. Lacking any weapons or mechanical tools for assistance, they relied solely on their unimpressive physical speed, which proved hopeless against the swiftness of the arms, making their attempts to flee seem like the crawling of turtles.
"Why? Why are there such things beneath our planet?"
"Where are these machines taking us?"
"Let me go! I don't want to die!"
The Sovereigns, unaware of the High Evolutionary's true identity, were gripped with fear and confusion. They couldn't understand why, after surviving a near-catastrophic event, they were now facing another calamity that threatened their extinction. Shouts of despair resounded as every living Sovereign was dragged underground into a mysterious space that most of them had never known existed.
While the majority of the Sovereigns were lost in bewilderment, a select few among the higher-ups, who were aware of the true history of their people, wore bitter expressions. Their eyes flashed with fear and a trace of regret. These Sovereign elites couldn't fathom why the High Evolutionary had suddenly decided to capture them all, but they vaguely suspected it was related to Ayesha's death. To the High Evolutionary, Ayesha was likely the only Sovereign worth acknowledging. With her gone, the remaining Sovereigns were probably deemed failures, needing to be "remade."
Yes, "remade." The Sovereigns were not a naturally occurring race; they were creations of the High Evolutionary's genetic experiments, born from advanced biological technology.
"What is this place? What are these cocoons, containers, and liquids? Why do they feel so familiar, even though I've never been here before?" A Sovereign's confused voice broke the silence in the underground space.
"You feel it too? I thought it was just my imagination. What is going on here?"
"If we all feel this way, it's not a coincidence. What is this place, and why were we brought here?"
"Don't you think we look like products on a manufacturing line, waiting to be processed?"
As more Sovereigns were caught in the grip of the mechanical arms, similar conversations broke out among them. Then, a voice cut through their discussions, leaving every Sovereign present trembling.
Even though they were certain their civilization was on the brink of annihilation, the proud Sovereigns refused to believe they were nothing more than products on an assembly line. After all, they were Sovereigns—considered the most noble race in the universe! How could they possibly be mere commodities?
"That guess is correct. We were indeed created on a production line," a voice full of resignation admitted. "We Sovereigns are nothing more than an experiment. The being who took Valint away was our creator, the High Evolutionary. It seems he's dissatisfied with this batch of experiments and plans to remake us."
The revelation stunned the Sovereigns. Their indignation soon turned to horror as one of their own was thrown into a massive pool of golden liquid that matched the Sovereigns' own golden hue. The individual dissolved instantly upon contact.
"No!"
"Damn it!"
"What the hell?!"
The Sovereign's last agonized scream echoed briefly before their head disintegrated, and the liquid in the pool appeared to rise slightly.
This gruesome process was only the beginning. One by one, Sovereigns were thrown into the pool, their cries gradually fading into silence as the golden liquid neared its full capacity.
Then came a series of mechanical sounds as the pool began to tremble. The golden liquid was drawn through a specialized apparatus and funneled into a massive metallic cocoon, which emitted a faint golden glow, as if running a mysterious program.
Far away, on Earth, Rocket Raccoon froze for a moment. A small device he carried had started vibrating incessantly. He pulled out a small screen, only to find it blank.
"What's wrong, Rocket?" Star-Lord asked curiously.
"The device I planted on the Sovereign Planet was destroyed. Did they discover it?" Rocket frowned, his voice filled with uncertainty.
"Wait, you actually planted something there? I thought you were joking!" Star-Lord stared at him in disbelief.
"What do you think? But judging by their previous state, the Sovereigns shouldn't have had the means to detect my setup…" Rocket's eyes gleamed with suspicion. "Could they have been pretending? Maybe their situation wasn't as bad as it seemed, and they were just faking it to avoid confrontation with the Avengers?"
"Should we inform the Avengers and check it out again? Maybe we'll find the Sovereign Planet back to its original state," Nebula suggested eagerly.
"That might be a good idea. If the Sovereigns are up to something, it could be dangerous," Star-Lord agreed after some hesitation. He passed Rocket's speculation on to Steve Rogers.
When Steve heard the story, he couldn't help but twitch slightly. "Your team has a knack for causing trouble, don't they?" he said, addressing Star-Lord. Nevertheless, the Sovereigns' destruction of Rocket's device was odd, and since they had access to someone like Kaecilius who could open portals, it wasn't too much trouble to return to the planet.
With a fiery ring of sparks, a portal was opened. This time, however, only a select few from the Avengers accompanied the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The Sovereign Planet was unrecognizable when they arrived. The once-advanced civilization was now devoid of life and culture. Cracked, dry land stretched in every direction, giving the impression of a primordial world.
"This is the Sovereign Planet?" Steve and the others stared in shock. Even the Guardians were baffled.
"What's going on? It's like this place regressed to a prehistoric state!" Gamora remarked, her tone filled with disbelief.
"Investigate. There has to be something left behind," Steve ordered, frowning.
But unknown to them, the High Evolutionary was already aware of their return. His face darkened as he watched them arrive. "What is wrong with them? The Sovereigns' situation was resolved. Why come back now?"
Despite his frustration, the High Evolutionary reassured himself that the secrets buried within the planet had remained hidden for so long that the Avengers were unlikely to uncover them.
However, his hopes were soon dashed. Kara Danvers (Captain Marvel) identified an unusual area of dried earth and drew everyone's attention to it. Steve hesitated briefly before deciding to investigate.
When Kara used her heat vision to penetrate the ground, mechanical arms shot out in response. But these defenses were useless against the Avengers, who swiftly dismantled them.
Beneath the surface lay a high-tech underground laboratory, its layout familiar to Rocket and Nebula. "It's a bioengineering lab," Rocket confirmed grimly. "It's used to create life forms."
Examining the large metallic cocoon, Rocket added, "If I'm right, this cocoon is meant to produce a new, enhanced Sovereign. And if that's true, then all the Sovereigns we saw earlier… were broken down into raw material to create this one being."
Steve's expression hardened. "So, the Sovereigns weren't naturally born. Someone created them. And now, that someone is still watching us…"
Despite their investigation, the true intentions of the High Evolutionary and his hidden organization remained shrouded in mystery.
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