[Gamora interrupted the argument. "Peter! Listen to me! We can't let the Stone fall into Ronan's hands, no matter what! Let's get back to the ship and take it to the Nova Corps!"]
[Star-Lord nodded emphatically. "Right! Okay! That's a good plan! You're right!"]
[Then, his tone shifted, and he slyly placed a hand on the Orb. "Or… we could give it to someone who won't try to arrest us, has a sterling reputation, and is willing to pay us an obscene amount of money for it!"]
[Gamora's expression hardened, and she took a cautious step back.]
["I think that's a plan we can all get behind!" Peter added with a grin.]
[Gamora glared at him, her voice dripping with contempt. "You are greedy, despicable, and untrustworthy!"]
[With that, she snatched the Orb and turned to leave, but froze, her eyes widening in horror. "Oh, no."]
[A fleet of Necrocraft swarmed into the sky, descending upon them.]
[Drax, holding a dagger in each hand, planted himself in the middle of the street, a wild, ecstatic look on his face.]
["They're here! Hahahaha! At last! My vengeance is at hand!"]
[Star-Lord stared at him in disbelief. "You called Ronan?!"]
[At the same time, Yondu's ship arrived on Knowhere, and he spotted Peter in the crowd below at once.]
["Quill! Don't you worry, boy! Daddy's here!"]
[Peter's expression soured instantly.]
[Gamora silently glanced at an industrial mining pod parked nearby and immediately broke into a run.]
[Realizing it was their only way out, Peter quickly followed her.]
[Yondu saw Peter bolt and immediately started shoving his way through the crowd. "Stop! Get out of my way!"]
[Ronan and his Sakaaran soldiers disembarked from their ship, their presence casting a grim shadow over the plaza.]
[When Drax saw him, he roared his name: "Ronan the Accuser!"]
[Ronan glanced at the furiously advancing Destroyer. "You are the one who summoned me?"]
[Drax ignored the question, his voice raw with hatred. "You killed my wife! You killed my daughter!"]
"Okay, and now Ronan's going to kill him," Rhodey sighed, rubbing his temples as he watched the screen. "That big guy is a real piece of work."
"Some great teamwork on display," Tony remarked with a dry chuckle.
He'd barely finished the sentence when a shrill klaxon blared through the Tower, and emergency lights began flashing crimson across the walls. The mood in the room snapped from casual observation to high alert in an instant.
"Jarvis?" Tony demanded, his expression hardening.
"Sir, a cloaked unidentified object has been detected directly above Stark Tower," the AI's voice announced calmly. "Radar scans show nothing, but the rooftop airflow sensors indicate a stationary mass."
Jarvis immediately projected a holographic simulation based on the airflow data, revealing the distinct, streamlined shape of a starship.
"A ship…" Tony muttered, his eyes narrowing. "Damn it! Our radar systems are still a generation behind!"
He and Banner exchanged a grim look. If Tony hadn't insisted on developing the new atmospheric sensors after the Dark Elves' invasion, they wouldn't have even known their guest had arrived until it uncloaked on their front door.
"Everyone, get ready for battle!" Captain America's voice cut through the tension. He was already striding back toward his quarters to retrieve his shield.
"Jarvis!" Tony barked, his voice sharp and commanding. "Launch all drones, rooftop and orbital! Scramble the Iron Legion! And get the Mark II Hulkbuster prepped for deployment! When I call for it, I want it here yesterday!"
Instantly, 72 stealth drones lifted silently from the Tower's roof. Simultaneously, from low orbit, hundreds more drones dispatched by Edith began their fiery descent toward Earth. Tony was taking no chances. The city was still reeling from the chaos caused by the Elementals; he couldn't afford another disaster, and the arrival of an unknown, highly advanced alien ship set every nerve on edge.
Tony tapped the arc reactor in his chest. A cascade of gleaming red-and-gold nanoparticles flowed over his body, seamlessly forming his new suit. This was the Mark 15, his first fully nanotech armor, a direct evolution of the concepts that would one day lead to the Mark 50.
Rhodes and Banner, lacking nanotech of their own, were already heading for the lower levels to don their respective armors.
"Well, look at that. They found us," Rocket chirped, watching the frantic activity inside the Tower on a scanner. "Pretty sharp. I was starting to think 'Avengers' was just a fancy name for a book club."
He had piloted the Milano through Earth's atmosphere and across New York City without so much as a ping from local air traffic control. The planet's much-vaunted military firepower had been completely oblivious. It wasn't until they were parked right on Stark's doorstep that some glorified weather vane had finally noticed them.
Rocket let out a disappointed sigh. And these clowns were supposed to be guarding an Infinity Stone? Earth was going to be a pushover.
[Inside one of the industrial pods, a worker was just opening the hatch when Gamora yanked him out of the seat.]
[Star-Lord and Rocket each scrambled for their own unmanned mining pods.]
[Rocket tossed his rifle into the cockpit, then turned to his large companion. "I told you, you're too big for these things! You wait here, I'll be back!"]
[Groot could only watch helplessly as his friend sped off.]
[Aboard the Necrocraft, Nebula was observing the confrontation between Ronan and Drax when she spotted the three yellow pods streaking away.]
["Gamora! She's escaping with the Orb! After them!"]
[Ronan glanced at Drax with utter disdain, not considering him a threat in the slightest. He sneered and turned to re-enter his ship.]
[Drax, enraged at being dismissed, let out a furious cry of "No!" and charged forward.]
["Nebula, retrieve the Orb," Ronan commanded, ducking under Drax's wild swing without breaking his stride.]
[Drax's attack missed, but he kept swinging his blades. Ronan effortlessly blocked the strikes before shoving him to the ground with one hand.]
[Ronan continued walking away. Drax staggered back to his feet and lunged again, but Ronan sidestepped the clumsy attack with ease.]
[With a casual backhand, Ronan struck Drax in the chest, sending the Destroyer flying more than ten meters through the air to crash hard against a wall.]
[Meanwhile, Gamora and the others flew their mining pods through the skeletal structures of Knowhere, a swarm of Necrocraft hot on their tails.]
[Nebula, piloting the lead ship, quickly located the Orb with her scanners.]
["The Stone is in the forward pod! Shoot it down!"]
[At her command, the Necrocraft opened fire. Gamora swerved desperately, a barrage of energy blasts searing the air around her.]
[Spotting a narrow service conduit ahead, she dove the pod into it, using the smaller ship's maneuverability to slip through the tight passage.]
[The pursuing Necrocraft was not so lucky. Too large to fit, it slammed into the structure and exploded in a massive fireball.]
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