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Looking out the window of the quinjet, X gazed upon a sea of stars with a feeling of trepidation. The scenery was beautiful and awe inspiring; certainly nothing he would ever find back home on Earth— his Earth. But he couldn’t find it in himself to appreciate the countless twinkling lights of distant stars sailing past him. Not when Thanos’ ominous words weighed heavy on his mind.
“The Power Stone seeks individuals who embody its namesake. Deep in the furthest reaches of space, it has found its ideal host upon the space station, Knowmoon. I suggest you hurry and find them first as you are not the only ones on the hunt.”
Thanos was a strange person— as was fitting for an alien from another dimension— with an even stranger way of speaking. He spoke of the Infinity Stones as though he meant to wax poetry about them. Perhaps that was to emphasize the boundless power the stones had over existence. Regardless, X supposed he should be thankful that Thanos was still straightforward in sending him and the allies he’s made in the right direction. He knew for certain now where he and his assigned team needed to go to find the Power Stone. But that wasn’t the part that had X worried. It was what Thanos had followed up with that ate away at him.
“Oh, and take the little blue robot with you. You’ll need him if you want the Power Stone’s bearer to help you.”
X didn’t need to ask to know that he was the “little blue robot”. Nearly all eyes had turned to him after Thanos said that— even if for just a brief glance. After all, X was the only robot in the group. But why him? Why was he called out specifically? Thanos made it sound as if he would know the person who supposedly possessed the Power Stone. But none of the Infinity Stones are native to his world and neither is Knowmoon or either of its individual parts. How would he know anyone from such a place?
Unless, of course, the unfortunate person saddled with the burden of the Power Stone was displaced by the Convergence.
Memories of that catastrophic event played back in X’s mind as he recalled his failure to protect his best friend, Zero. The moment the two worlds collided was a blur as the familiar landscape of Abel City blipped in and out of existence, otherworldly scenery replacing what X had known all his life like a hastily stitched together patchwork blanket. There was screaming and chaos, death and destruction all around him as innocent lives were left at the mercy of a power far beyond their comprehension. And yet, throughout all the insanity, X distinctly remembered desperately reaching out for Zero, trying to grab his best friend’s hand so that they could stick together despite everything falling apart around them. But just as their fingers brushed, X blinked and Zero was gone.
X had blacked out soon after only to wake up alone upon a magnificent rainbow bridge that cut through the decimated Abel City. Ever since then, he had been looking for Zero everywhere only to find nothing. Zero was nowhere to be found and no one X had met had seen his missing best friend. It was like Zero had never existed at all, completely disappearing into thin air without a trace. The months following the incident had been very difficult and very lonely without him…
But now X couldn’t help but wonder if he would find Zero on Knowmoon. If his best friend couldn’t be found anywhere on the new, mashed-up Earth or the realm of Xgard, then perhaps he was lost somewhere in space. And if X’s presence was needed to convince the Power Stone’s bearer to help save the universe, then maybe that person is-
“Something on your mind? You look troubled.”
X’s thoughts were cut off by the arrival of Captain Marvel. He turned to look up at her— still amazed that humans from other worlds could be so tall— and said, “Sorry, I know I shouldn’t be so distracted when we have such an important mission ahead of us, but… I can’t stop thinking about what Thanos said about the power stone.”
Captain Marvel put a hand on her hip and said with a knowing look, “You’re worried about what— or who— we might find, aren’t you?”
“...Yes,” X answered. He looked back to the stars wondering if he had always been so easy to figure out. He never was good at hiding how he felt.
Captain Marvel joined him in watching the vast expanse of space fly by. “Your friend’s name is… Zero, right? I’m sure we’ll find him soon. He can’t stay hidden forever and from the way you’ve talked about him, he sounds tough as nails.”
“He is. He’s the strongest person I’ve ever met.” X smiled at the memories of fighting alongside Zero, the two of them having each other’s backs no matter what challenge was thrown their way. “He would never go down without a fight. Wherever he is, I don’t doubt he’s still giving his all to keep up the good fight.”
“All the more reason to find him sooner rather than later. We could use all the help we can get.”
X appreciated Captain Marvel’s encouraging words. It made him feel like he might finally find Zero on Knowmoon after all. He didn’t want to get his hopes up only to be met with disappointment, but his best friend had once told him that there are things that cannot be seen or analyzed as mere data. Such things could only be felt. And he felt that they would meet once again in the most unlikely of places: the furthest reaches of space.
In the distance, X caught sight of a planet-sized skull stuck to a moon-like space station getting closer and closer. Just as soon as he spotted it, the ship’s comm system crackled to life with an announcement from the pilot, Rocket Racoon, telling everyone that they would be arriving at Knowmoon shortly. And also for everyone to get their sorry butts to the command deck for a strategy meeting. As X walked to the command deck with Captain Marvel, the surreal image of Knowmoon lingered in his mind.
He hoped the feeling that his reunion with Zero would be far from simple was just him being paranoid.
~~~
The plan to infiltrate Knowmoon and retrieve the power stone was made and thrown away in all of about five minutes. The megastructure was under the control of a man named Grandmaster Meio— a villain Hiryu had experience dealing with and also clearly despised. Grandmaster Meio would no doubt be monitoring the comings and goings of Knowmoon like a hawk, controlling every facet of the megastructure’s operations to a meticulous degree. If they were to go in guns ablaze, they would immediately be beset by Grandmaster Meio’s entire force. For a team of six, that simply wasn’t an option they could handle.
Therefore, it was decided that they should split up into two teams: one to create a diversion and one to sneak in and hunt down the Power Stone. If they encountered Grandmaster Meio, Hiryu insisted that they eliminate him, but the retrieval and protection of the stone was their top priority. As soon as they found it, they were to get out of there immediately. But just when they were ready to begin the mission, a massive explosion of purple energy came from within Knowmoon. The explosion was so great that it blew a hole through Knowmoon’s exterior and rattled their ship despite their distance from the impact point.
The force behind that explosion could have only come from one thing: the Power Stone.
The entirety of Knowmoon lit up with blaring alarms, indicating that a top level threat was already wreaking havoc on the place. That retroactively explained all the external damage to Knowmoon. The entire structure was littered with holes and areas under reconstruction. X had assumed that it was leftover damage from the Convergence, but now he was certain that the Power Stone’s bearer was the cause. With chaos created for them, the entire group could easily slip into Knowmoon without notice. The trade off was that they had to work quickly.
Stealth was no longer in consideration. With the security up in arms as it was, trying to avoid patrol squads searching for the Power Stone was nearly impossible. They needed to trailblaze through the place and tear through any enemies they encountered if they wanted to find the stone before Grandmaster Meio did. The original plan to split into two teams was modified into three teams of two in order to cover more ground. After hastily pairing themselves off, the group of six landed on Knowmoon and began their frantic search.
X ended up getting paired with Rocket Racoon. To be frank, it wouldn’t be his first choice if he had had the option. Rocket was certainly… interesting, being a talking racoon who was an engineering super genius to boot. He was also a competent fighter and teammate, unloading a variety of weapons on the enemy like he was putting on the world’s deadliest fireworks show. But he was also persistent and— to be honest— very annoying at times. Rocket didn’t hide his love of technology at all and that meant that X was unfortunately subject to constant bugging. Sometimes, he really wished he was a normal human instead of a machine and this was very much one of those times.
“Hey, how many weapons you got stored away in that arm of yours? I bet you’re like a swiss army knife of mass destruction.”
X didn’t answer. He instead focused on the Ultron Sigma drone that dove down at him and blew it up with a well-timed Rising Fire.
Rocket wasn’t deterred, however. As he threw a grenade at a group of drones, he asked, “How do you get all those different weapons anyways? I’d love to incorporate that kinda tech into my own arsenal.”
X ignored the neverending questions for the- how many times has it been now? He stopped counting forever ago.
“You gonna say anything or is your voice box broken? Or didja mute your audio processors? That is a thing you can do, yeah?”
“Can you please just focus on the mission?,” X asked in exasperation. The two drones in front of him were torn to shreds by Sonic Slicer. “We don’t have time to mess around.”
“Sheesh, I was just tryna get to know ya a little better,” Rocket said. He gunned down even more drones like they were hardly an afterthought. “I ain’t never seen a robot like you. What I wouldn’t give to find out what makes you tick.”
“Well, sorry if I don’t particularly like the idea of being dissected like a science fair project. I may be a machine, but I’m still a person. Nobody would appreciate being torn apart and studied.”
For once, Rocket didn’t have a sarcastic comeback or a sardonic one-liner. He was suspiciously quiet as he finished off the last of the Ultron Sigma drones. X chanced a glance back, but he couldn’t make out Rocket’s expression while their backs were turned to each other. Whatever he had said must have gotten to his troublemaking teammate. It made X feel a little bad to have callously rejected the enthusiasm towards his design, even if the attention did make him uncomfortable…
When the battle was finished for the time being, X turned to Rocket and said, “I’m sorry for being so curt earlier. I just- I have boundaries and I would like for them to be respected.”
“It’s whatever. I don’t care that much,” Rocket said flippantly. “Technology from other worlds is cool and all, but I could prolly make somethin’ better if I really wanted to. Besides, I… I get it, y’know. The whole ‘bein’ dissected for science’ part. I ain’t exactly walkin’ and talkin’ cus it came naturally to me.”
“...Oh. I-I’m sorry, I-”
“Anyone ever tell you that you apologize too much?”
“No, not really…”
“Well, you do. And you’re too uptight.”
“Uptight?!”
“Eh, or maybe it’s that you’re too prim and proper? You should loosen up a bit, embrace bein’ a menace! I promise ya, dropping the wet blanket schtick will do you some good.”
X gave Rocket a flat, unimpressed look and asked, “Are you done now?”
“Actually, I’ve still got a few-”
A massive explosion cut Rocket off. The entirety of Knowmoon rumbled like an earthquake tore through the place. The force of it violently threw X and Rocket to the ground. Far in the distance, purple smoke rose into the sky; a clear sign that the Power Stone had been used once again.
As the pair of teammates picked themselves up, Rocket exclaimed, “What the hell was that?!”
The answer came when their communicators crackled to life. Through it, Captain Marvel relayed a message that made X’s systems freeze up.
“We’ve found the Power Stone,” Captain Marvel reported, her tone gravely serious, “and its host. X, we need you over here immediately. We found Zero.”
~~~
The last thing Zero remembered of home was reaching out for X as the city they spent their lives protecting was decimated all around them. Warnings had flooded his systems, screaming at him that he was in danger— that X was in danger— and that they needed to flee to safety immediately. In all of the chaos, he didn’t care about anything else other than ensuring X’s safety. He had been so close to reaching X, but he blacked out before he could grab hold of his best friend’s hand and never let go. When he woke up, he was in an unfamiliar place surrounded by even more unfamiliar creatures. And… there was a strange feeling in his body, like a foreign presence flooding him with limitless energy…
Dazed and confused, Zero had tried to move only to find that he was restrained within some sort of capsule. Just beyond the glass case, he could make out a freakish, grotesque human watching him with a pleased yet sinister expression. The human spoke to an audience of robots that lacked the human-like traits of reploids, but Zero could only make out bits and pieces of what they said. It was something about luck and being handed god-like power on a silver platter… Zero didn’t care what they had to say. He needed to escape and find X.
Despite the restraints holding him down, Zero was able to charge his Z-buster and fired a massive blast of purple energy. The capsule that contained him was utterly obliterated and that new feeling within his body sang at the destruction, begging for more. The freakish human survived the explosion, but many of their robotic minions were obliterated by shrapnel. Whatever ones remained were ordered to recapture Zero at all costs. That feeling, the one that told Zero to hold nothing back and show his enemies just how powerful he truly was, got its wish. Every enemy that threw themselves at him met their end in a gratuitously violent manner. Limbs were torn from torsos, oil was spilled in a bloody fashion, mechanical bodies exploded from the inside out. They were nothing but powerless toys to be torn apart until they could play no more.
The entire area was annihilated, black scorch marks and purple smoke permeating everything the carnage could reach. Massive support pillars had crumbled like a sandcastle beset by the waves, causing the walls to sag and snap under their own weight. Miles and miles of intricate wiring and circuitry lay fried and falling from the ceiling and floors, the paneling that covered them being cracked open like a fragile egg. Mechanical bodies brutalized beyond recognition littered the scarred battlefield.
When Zero realized what he had done, the destruction had… scared him. He was a war machine built with combat in mind, but he was never before capable of causing damage of this scale so effortlessly. And yet still, it felt like he was barely scratching the surface of what he could now do. If he so wished it, he could level cities— maybe even entire countries— with little more than a flick of the wrist. That was the feeling he got regarding this new level of power.
His power… it was too much, far too much. This couldn’t have been normal. Zero looked down at his hands stained black by oil, then to a glint on the ground next to him. A glass shard reflected his image and revealed a startling new detail.
The familiar blue gem upon Zero’s forehead had been replaced. Embedded in its place was a purple stone with an otherworldly glow.
“Do not think this will be the end of me,” the grotesque human had said from behind an energy shield. “I will have the Power Stone, even if I must pry it from your body with my bare hands.”
The human fled after that, leaving Zero to wonder what the hell was happening to him. From then on, his every waking moment was spent fighting and hiding, trying to understand what was going on. Everywhere he went, destruction followed in his wake— destruction that he could not control. Knowing now that his new, unwanted gem— the Power Stone— was the source of this unprecedented strength made him hyper aware of its presence. He could feel how it flooded his systems with energy, eliminating the need for recharge cycles. The power it granted constantly begged for release, to obliterate, to seek new challenges and test the limits of the limitless. Every time a threat appeared, Zero could feel the Power Stone surging with energy, pushing him to let it out and do what he was built to do. It was almost like having another being in his head constantly whispering in his mind to give in to the overwhelming power.
Zero constantly fought with the power stone to remain in control. He held back, he hid himself away, and he avoided combat as often as possible. He couldn’t let himself succumb to the stone’s influence. But he found that harder and harder to do with each passing day and before he knew it, three months had passed him by. Worse yet, he quickly discovered during that time that he was stranded in space, stuck on a space station called Knowmoon. He searched relentlessly for a way to get out of this place— a spaceship, an escape pod, a teleporter, anything— but he was denied escape at every turn. There was no way to leave. The situation was dire enough that Zero wondered if this would be his life forever now. A life of constant fighting, hiding, searching, and doing everything in his power to stop himself from reducing everything to nothing.
Zero wondered if he should have any hope of ever returning home. Even if he managed to find some way to return to Earth, what was he going to do about the Power Stone? The stone was far too dangerous to leave it be, let alone bring it back home to a world where war was a constant. If only he could be rid of the damn thing…
Zero had tried prying the stone out of his own forehead several times— with his hands, his sword, and any random tool he could find lying around. But his attempts never worked. The Power Stone was stubborn about making his body its home and trying to forcibly rip it out only led to pain far beyond anything Zero had ever felt before. He couldn’t even take off his helmet anymore because of it. As much as he hated it, the stone was part of him and as long as it stayed that way, he was a danger to himself and everyone around him. And if he were to completely lose control of this overwhelming power, then it could easily spell an immeasurable disaster.
More than anything, Zero wanted to see X again. If his partner were here, surely the two of them could figure out how to fix this together. If nothing else, he wouldn’t have to deal with this alone… But X was not here.
Paradoxically, perhaps that was for the best. X was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Whatever had happened to separate them wouldn’t be enough to bring him down. But with the way Zero is now, he worried that if they reunited, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from hurting his partner.
The Power Stone craved strong opponents to crush until they were left to the fate of oblivion. In Zero’s mind, there was no one stronger than X. Those two facts combined did not make him feel very optimistic about a reunion.
Unfortunately, Zero’s luck was not in his favor as of late. Eventually, he was found once again by those nightmarish androids and yet again he was unable to hold back. It had been a week since his last scuffle with his relentless pursuers. The build-up of energy from the Power Stone was reaching a critical level as that stupid rock begged for release. All it took was one shot from his Z-buster to both annihilate his enemies and open a massive hole to space. Needless to say, Knowmoon’s security systems did not like that.
Bring it on, Zero had thought to himself. If Knowmoon’s master wanted to throw endless waves of cannon fodder at him, he might as well make use of them. There was no harm in letting loose on emotionless drones whose sole purpose was to follow commands. It’s not like they were anywhere near the level of a reploid. He only needed to keep the damage to the space station itself to a minimum— for now. Drawing his Z-saber, he sliced through them all like a hot knife through butter as he ran and searched for a place to lie low. Using his saber instead of his buster led to less collateral damage, but that wasn’t saying much.
Zero’s massacre came to an end upon a massive walkway. Wherever it led, he did not know, but it was wide and open and left him vulnerable. Behind him was a trail of trashed drones and— for the time being— he had rid himself of the pests. He needed to hurry and get out of here before more enemies showed up. But just as he had that thought, his threat detection system warned him of two quickly approaching signatures that were far more powerful than the lackeys he had slaughtered so far.
One signature came from in front of him while another came from behind. There was a massive drop beneath the walkway, but if he jumped, he could probably survive the fall. Escape or fight… the signatures he was getting registered as organic rather than mechanical. The only other thing in this entire place to register as organic was the grotesque human who had been hunting him down this whole time. Self-preservation won out over curiosity as prior experience left him pessimistic about a potential fight.
But as soon as Zero reached the edge of the walkway, a figure suddenly flew in front of him and sent him flying back onto the walkway with a laser blast. He picked himself up off the ground and glared at his attacker, his Z-saber drawn and ready to counter another attack. The Power Stone pulsed with energy, thirsty for battle with a more worthy opponent.
The person who had attacked him appeared to be human, though his proportions were all wrong and he levitated off the ground unnaturally. He also wore a weird black and gold suit with a red star decorating the front of his masked helmet. Whoever he was had the fashion sense of a ridiculous comic book hero, but with the superpowers to justify that choice.
“Sorry ‘bout that, but I couldn’t let you run away,” the comic book clown said. “It looks like you’ve got a pretty special stone stuck in your forehead there. Mind handing it over peacefully?”
So it was yet another enemy after the power that was forced upon him. Zero may not like being stuck with the Power Stone, but he couldn’t let anyone else take it from him either. This much power shouldn’t be granted to just anyone. If the wrong person were to get a hold of the stone...
Zero didn’t bother responding. Instead, he rushed forward and aimed to slice his attacker in two. His attacker was more nimble than he thought however, because the comic book clown managed to fly out of range just in time. The force from Zero’s sword swing still left a massive cut in the distant adjacent wall, though.
“Woah, watch it!,” the comic book clown said as he put distance between himself and Zero. “You’re playing around with too much power there to just go and attack a guy without warning.”
“The only one who’s playing around here is you. And you attacked me first,” Zero said while charging his Z-buster. He fired without hesitation, hitting his target head on.
Although Zero was sworn to protect humans as a Maverick Hunter, he wouldn’t hesitate to cut one down if they proved to be a big enough threat. But to his surprise, when the smoke cleared, the human was still standing— albeit pushed back and down to one knee— with an energy shield protecting him.
Was this guy even a human at all…?
The comic book clown dissipated his shield with a wince and said, “Sheesh, that was a close one…”
“Nova, are you alright?!,” a new voice asked.
Suddenly, the second signature Zero had picked up revealed themselves. It was a woman with similarly strange proportions and fashion choices as her companion. She had flown in with inhuman speed, much like her companion did before her. But that didn’t matter. If she was an enemy, Zero would stop her too.
The superhero woman placed herself between Zero and her companion and took a battle stance. She briefly glanced back at the comic book clown— Nova— to say, “I told you what would happen if you went ahead on your own.”
“Yeah, yeah, but he has the stone and he was about to jump! I had to do something!,” Nova argued. He picked himself off the ground looking none the worse for wear.
Zero could change that all too easily.
“If you’re here to take the Power Stone, you can forget it,” Zero warned. He held his Z-saber in one hand, plasma blade burning hot. His other hand formed his Z-buster and prepared another charged shot. “I won’t hand it over to just anyone.”
The superhero woman was calm and collected in the face of Zero’s threat. She took a more diplomatic approach as she said, “We don’t want to fight. We simply came here to recover the Power Stone and keep it safe. If you could-,” the woman cut herself off. She carefully studied Zero, her stance easing up as an unknown revelation came to her. She continued, “Wait a second… Your name wouldn’t happen to be ‘Zero’, would it?”
Zero lowered his weapons in surprise— even if only slightly. He asked, skeptical, “How do you know me?”
“I knew it! I’ve tangled with quite a few robots by now, but your design is very distinct. It reminds of the— what was the word? Reploids?— from X’s world.”
Zero nearly short-circuited just from hearing X’s name. Both hope and dread overwhelmed his systems. “You know X?”
“Yeah, we’re friends of his!,” Nova chimed in. “Oh man, this is great! I get why Thanos told us to bring X along on this mission now. At long last, the old friends can reunite! X has been looking all over for you by the way.”
“X is… here? Right now?”
“Yeah! Here, let me just call him up and-”
“No!,” Zero suddenly shouted. “You can’t!”
“What? Why not?”
A terrible migraine threatened to split Zero’s head in half. One part of him was desperate to see X again, to see with his own eyes that his best friend was alive and well. Another part of him— the part that was possessed by the Power Stone— wanted to destroy X, to fight a truly worthy opponent and show off a display of power the likes of which the universe has never seen before. The need to fight, the reluctance to fight, the denial of that which chose him as a host, the temptation of the pure essence of power… These warring sides brought about an inner conflict that seemed to anger the Power Stone.
The words of an old man who haunted his dreams echoed in his mind:
Destroy him! That is your purpose!
“No! Get out of my head!”
If this were to continue, Zero knew that he wouldn’t be able to keep the stone’s will contained anymore…
Zero’s buster reformed into a hand that clutched at his head in a vice-like grip. With a wince, he said through gritted teeth, “You- You have to run! …Can’t… hold it… back! AAH!”
As Zero screamed, his body suddenly released a massive blast of purple energy that incinerated all it touched like a supernova. The walkway he stood on crumbled away and let him fall to another walkway far below where he landed with a loud clang. He had no control over the outburst and the energy seared his body from the inside out— or it felt that way, at least. The Power Stone was furious and hungry for battle. But still, Zero fought with it, determined to retain his sanity. Yet his battle was a losing one and he wouldn’t last much longer. There were only two ways this encounter could end: he loses his mind to the overwhelming power or he dies to it.
If those strange humans really were X’s allies, then Zero could not hurt them. And at this rate, if X himself were to show up now, it would only make things worse. A fight was not an option; escape was the only course of action.
Zero pushed himself off the ground despite the pain and immediately made a beeline for the other end of the undamaged walkway. Above him, he could hear the superhero woman’s voice calling for him to come back. He didn’t listen to her.
A laser beam ran across the ground in front of Zero, stopping him in his tracks. He looked up to see Nova soaring towards him, aiming to fire another laser.
“Sorry about this, but I can’t let you get away!,” Nova said.
Zero repeatedly jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding a second laser as it swerved to chase him. He fired a shot from his buster in response, aiming for the area in front of Nova. Though he could not harm X’s allies, the Power Stone would not allow him to remain passive either. He had to fight— had to release the excess energy from the stone— or he would be completely destroyed by it. As long as he could aim to deter and distract his unfortunate opponents, then there would be no need to kill them…
Zero’s threat detection system warned him of an incoming back attack. Purely on instinct, he twisted around, held up a hand and formed a shield made of purple energy. The action didn’t feel entirely like his own, more like a whispered suggestion from the Power Stone as it sought to protect its host.
The superhero woman floated down and calmly said, “Zero, there’s no need to fight. X is on his way here right now. We can help you, you just need to control the stone.”
The Power Stone brightly glowed with another head-splitting migraine. He clutched his head with a wince and said, “I-I can’t! You have to stay away from me!”
Zero swung his saber and sent a massive energy wave tearing towards the superhero woman. She flew to the side and dodged it, only the tip of her waist wrap getting grazed by it.
Both superhumans came at Zero, firing lasers and energy blasts in an attempt to stall or disable him. But Zero was fueled by a reality defying rock that never ran out of its namesake. Worse yet, unlike previous battles, the Power Stone was not eased by having its strength being let loose. Instead, its influence only grew with each passing second, unsatisfied and frustrated. Zero refused to land definitive attacks, only aiming to graze at worst and to protect himself with more shields. This avoidant fighting style was very much at odds with the stone’s desire.
As this dangerous tango continued, the superhumans shouted a conversation between each other.
“What’s the situation with the others?,” Nova called out to his companion. He surrounded himself in an aura of searing energy and tried to slam it into Zero, but it merely bounced off the power stone’s shield. “Please tell me they’re on their way…”
The superhero woman fired two lasers trying to trap Zero between them, but he propelled himself away with a power-boosted dash. She called back, “X and Rocket are on their way. They should be here any minute now!”
“And Gamora and Hiryu?”
“They’re busy dealing with Grandmaster Meio.”
“Great… Why can’t anything we do ever be easy?”
Zero was quickly running out of time. His threat detection system picked up the faint readings of something organic and someone familiar rapidly approaching. He needed to get out of there immediately!
When his opponents got close enough, Zero electrified his Z-saber and swung it in a rising tornado. The attack sucked in both superhumans and blew them away. Now with an opening, Zero ran for the edge of the walkway and jumped for the lowest floors of Knowmoon. He didn’t fall far before a hand grabbed him by the wrist and threw him back onto the walkway.
Zero landed roughly on his back, but it didn’t take him long to recover. When he stood, he saw the superhero woman standing at the edge of the walkway, carefully holding the hand that grabbed him as smoke wafted from it. Her face was scrunched up in pain.
“Damn,” the superhero woman hissed. “That hurt like hell…”
Nova called out, “Are you alright?!”
“I will be, but be careful not to touch Zero and the stone!”
“Duly noted…”
Zero watched the interaction with a crestfallen expression. Those humans certainly possessed an unnatural level of power, but apparently that wasn’t enough to be accepted by the Power Stone. If they dared to so much as touch him, then the stone would threaten to disintegrate them. Why did it not do the same to Zero himself? Why did it choose him of all people to latch onto? He must have been cursed from the moment he was created because the universe just loved to deal him endless bad hands.
Knowing that merely touching someone could end them, Zero had all the more reason to flee. But right as he made to run, a dreadfully familiar voice called out to him and froze him in place.
“Zero! Stop!”
Zero whipped around to see X standing at the other end of the walkway, looking at him with such overwhelming concern. After all this time, he couldn’t believe that the two of them had reunited like this. And yet, as much as he wanted this, as much as he wanted to see the person he cared about most safe and well, he knew that— in this situation— X was anything but safe.
“There’s no need to fight, Zero,” X continued as he calmly made his approach. “We’re here to help you.”
“STAY BACK!,” Zero shouted as loud as he could, making X flinch and stop. “Don’t get any closer!”
It took all his strength to hold back his sword hand with his other one as the power stone begged him to let go. Do it, kill him, prove there’s nothing and no one who could stand in your way, the Power Stone whispered to him. Though he knew the thoughts weren’t really him, it still terrified Zero that they crossed his mind anyways. He had lost people he cared about in the past because of his own actions. He couldn’t allow it to happen again, least of all with X. His best friend was the one person he couldn’t possibly bear to lose. Imagining a world without X was to imagine a world that wasn’t worth living in.
“Hate to break it to ya pal, but I don’t think your friend is entirely in control of himself,” a little talking raccoon thing said from beside X.
The raccoon looked way too organic to be an animal-like reploid and Zero was left momentarily baffled when he realized what he was looking at. A circuit frying migraine reminded him that there were far more important things to be worrying about.
Zero dropped his Z-saber as he gripped his forehead with both hands in a vice-like grip. His head felt like it was going to explode from how the stone flooded every one of his systems with limitless energy. It was relentless in its attempts to overtake his will with its own, but even now, he wouldn’t back down without a fight.
“Zero, what’s wrong?,” X asked, desperation seeping into his tone. “What is the stone doing to you…?”
“It… the stone… it wants to destroy you!,” Zero admitted. “C-Can’t let it… can’t stop it…!”
“I’m sorry, X, but there’s no other choice,” the superhero woman said. “We have to neutralize him now or never!”
“What?! No, don’t hurt him!,” X shouted.
But it was too late. The rest of X’s allies aimed to attack Zero in one last desperate attempt to eliminate the threat he presented. Zero himself was in too much pain to defend himself, but he didn’t need to. The Power Stone was fully capable of acting on its own.
Suddenly, the stone shone brighter than ever before as it released a storm of raw, unfettered power with Zero at its epicenter. A purple field of smoke and energy trapped everyone present within a bubble upon the walkway. An unseen force pushed at those the Power Stone believed to be a threat in an attempt to eject them from the storm and protect Zero. In reality, the only thing Zero needed protection from was the stone itself.
As the storm raged on, Zero could only scream. The power emanating from him was far too much and while the Power Stone would never allow him to die, that didn’t change the fact that he was not built to handle this much power. Either the stone did not notice or did not care that forcing its power through him like this put a strain on him that was agony beyond words. Even blowing himself up had felt like nothing in comparison to how the power stone overloaded him to the point of near self-annihilation. At least if he were to disintegrate then and there, there would come a point where he could no longer feel anything as he died. But as long as the Power Stone insisted that Zero remain its host, he would be stuck at the climax of a pain that would never end.
But even through the pain, Zero could still hear a voice calling out to him.
“Zero! I’m coming, Zero, hold on!”
It was X, determined to fight his way through the storm to reach his best friend. The force of the Power Stone pushed at him and left him battered, but still he soldiered on, slowly inching his way towards Zero. Behind him, his allies called out to him a chorus of, “It’s too dangerous!”, “Come back here before you get yourself killed!,” and, “Idiot, this ain’t the time for a heroic sacrifice!”. But X didn’t listen to any of them. Even as his armor began to disintegrate the closer he got to Zero, he still refused to give up.
Zero could not move nor speak. It took everything he had left just to keep the Power Stone locked in a stalemate. But he so badly wanted to yell at X that whatever he was trying to do wasn’t worth it. He wanted to tell his best friend to save himself because watching him be destroyed like this would be far worse than anything the power stone could ever do to him.
When X finally reached Zero, he did not attack nor did he fruitlessly try to remove the Power Stone from Zero’s forehead. Instead, he enveloped Zero in a tight hug.
“You can control the Power Stone, I know you can,” X said with unwavering confidence. Despite how his body quickly became charred black and cracked with deadly purple energy from the hug, he refused to let go. “You aren’t the kind of person to let power control you. You’ve always used your strength for good! That’s why I think… the stone chose you to wield it. Because behind all your power is an earnest kindness…”
But Zero knew that wasn’t true. He was built to be strong, to fight and dominate any opponent, but he was never built to be kind and that was a strength that X had always had over him. X was inherently gentle, always trying to seek peaceful resolutions and yearning for an end to the constant fighting their world faced. It was in his nature to try and understand even his enemies and connect with everyone he meets in a way Zero simply never could. Yet for X’s softheartedness, he had the strength to stand and fight for his ideals without losing the kindness that makes him special. Even now, when faced with the risk of obliteration, X still offered a gesture of comfort. If Zero was a kind person, it was because he followed X’s example.
What X had was true strength. What the Power Stone was forcing Zero to do now was not a display of overwhelming, reality defying power. It was an overblown temper tantrum. This “fight” was over before it ever really began.
Desperately seeking the warmth and comfort provided by X, Zero pushed through the stone’s influence and returned the hug. For the first time in months, he wasn’t alone anymore. His best friend was finally here with him, the two of them at each other’s side like they always should have been. Faced with Zero’s earnest feelings, the power stone calmed itself, the storm it created gradually dying down. Yes, X was powerful and a worthy opponent for Zero to test his skills against. But the two of them could only achieve ever greater heights when they were together. They balanced each other out and made each other stronger, both as Hunters and as people. Zero’s sincere belief in that truth was the key that finally appeased the Power Stone.
Once the stone’s storm was gone, X slumped in Zero’s arms, barely able to keep himself awake. The last thing he said before passing out was, “S-See? Told you… you could do it…”
Zero fell to his knees, X cradled tightly in his arms. With the Power Stone calmed and no longer supercharging him, he was left exhausted. But he hardly cared about that when his best friend was left in such a horrible state. Much of X’s armor had crumbled away to reveal his endoskeleton and every part of his body that had made contact with Zero was marred by long, scarring cracks and charred black patches that stretched from his torso to the right side of his face and all along his arms. His eyes were half lidded and the backlights were completely dark. Not even the energy stored in his emergency generator could bring a spark of light to his eyes. X was so lifeless and unmoving that he couldn’t simply be offline. After all, even while powered down, X was designed to show little human quirks to prove that he was still alive. But right now, Zero feared that X was well and truly dead…
“Please, X, you can’t leave me like this,” Zero quietly begged. “You have to stay alive, you have to stay with me…”
Without thinking, Zero held X closer, nuzzling him in such a way that the power stone and X’s solar gem brushed each other. There was a quick jolt, hardly noticeable at all, that faded as quickly as it came. When Zero pulled away, he noticed that a faint light had returned to his best friend’s eyes. X still didn’t so much as twitch, but even the tiniest sign of life was better than nothing. Either way, the both of them were in desperate need of help.
“Well wha’d’ya know, pretty boy actually managed to get the stone under control,” the raccoon thing said, reminding Zero that there were others present.
These people were supposedly X’s allies. Zero was loath to trust strangers, especially when he didn’t even know two out of three of their names. But if X trusted them enough to work alongside them, then Zero would do the same. It wasn’t as though he was in any position to do otherwise. X was almost as good as dead and Zero himself was only able to stay awake through sheer willpower.
“...You’re all X’s allies, right?,” Zero asked the strangers. “Please tell me you can help repair him…”
“Ooh, ooh, I can do it!,” the raccoon thing excitedly volunteered. “I’ve been wantin’ to take a crack at that guy for weeks now!”
“...Do you have anyone else?”
“Unfortunately no,” Nova admitted.
The superhero woman then clarified, “With the state X is in, I doubt he’ll be able to last long enough for us to make it back to Earth where Dr. Light and Tony can take a look at him. Rocket may be a bit… much, but he’s trustworthy. Enough.”
“Trustworthy, schmustworthy! The only thing you need to trust is that I’m the greatest engineer this galaxy’s ever seen and there ain’t nobody on my level!,” Rocket proudly declared.
Zero didn’t have the energy to unpack anything that was just said to him. “Uh… ok, then, I guess… Just as long as X is repaired…”
“In that case, we need to get going,” the superhero woman said. “We don’t have any time to spare!”
X’s allies quickly escorted Zero to their spaceship, handling any enemies that they encountered while he hung back and carried X the whole way. Nova offered to do the carrying, but Zero quickly and vehemently denied him. No matter how tired he was, he wasn’t going to let anyone else lay their hands on his best friend more than necessary— even if they were allies.
When the group made it back to their spaceship— a quinjet, they called it— they decided to split once again. Luckily, the quinjet hadn’t been beset by enemies yet, but these peoples’ remaining allies still had yet to reconvene here. Obviously, Zero had to stay aboard the quinjet with X, neither of them in any condition to be fighting. Rocket also had to stay as it was unfortunately his job to repair X. But if any enemies did show up, they’d need someone to fight them off, so Nova volunteered for guard duty. Which left the superhero woman— who Zero learned was called “Captain Marvel”— to go meet with their missing allies and help them take out the guy running Knowmoon, Grandmaster Meio— the guy who had been relentlessly hunting Zero down.
Truthfully, if Zero could, he would’ve loved to run Grandmaster Meio through with his own sword, but that was not in the cards. Instead, he busied himself with watching Rocket’s every move like a hawk as the latter poked and prodded X. His best friend looked so broken and vulnerable laying on that operating table surrounded by hastily gathered tools and parts… And somehow this weirdo raccoon was the only one who could help him. This situation was very frustrating.
As X’s repairs quickly went under way, Rocket groaned and said, “Do you mind? I’m tryn’ ta work on your friend here.”
“I don’t trust you,” Zero openly admitted. “I’m only letting you touch X because there’s no one else around who can figure out how to fix him. If you try anything funny-”
“God damn, will you relax? I know you’re worried about your little boyfriend, but I don’t need the guy with a planet destroyin’ rock stuck in his face breathin’ down my neck while I work.”
“Wha-?! B-Boyfriend?! We aren’t dating!”
“Oh, is the guard dog denyin’ his obvious feelings? We all saw that little display inside the infinity storm. Honestly, the two of ya needed to get a room!”
“...What are you talking about?”
“You playin’ dumb on purpose? You lose control of the power stone and the only way to calm ya down is with a hug? I can practically smell the cheese from here! And then ya sit there, cradlin’ his limp body, touchin’ your weird little forehead gems like ya wanna kiss ‘im. Oh, and then there’s how you looked like you was gonna bite Nova’s head off when he-”
“Alright, I get it!,” Zero interrupted. “He’s my best friend, of course I care about him! That’s all…”
“Yeah, you keep tellin’ yourself that. Hey, what’s it like livin’ in the state of denial?”
Zero skipped out on responding and went straight to punching. Unfortunately, Rocket ducked just in the nick of time and avoided the swing.
“Hey! Watch it!,” Rocket shouted. “I can’t fix your boyfriend if ya knock me out cold!”
Zero went for another swing… and missed again.
“Y’know, protestin’ this much ain’t helpin’ your case.”
Zero could only sit there and groan. He was quickly starting to hate this annoying little rodent, but responding in any way would just fuel the annoyance. His best course of action was to not respond and give Rocket nothing to work with. If Rocket tried teasing him anymore after that, Zero didn’t pay any attention. He merely focused on watching over X.
Thankfully, the teasing died down, but a couple minutes into the procedure, Rocket said, “Ohoho, now that’s interesting…”
“What? What’s interesting?,” Zero asked worriedly.
“I’m detecting traces of the Power Stone’s energy running through X’s systems,” Rocket explained. “I guess that little nuzzling thing you did actually accomplished something. I don’t know how you did it, but that energy’s the only thing keepin’ ‘im alive right now. The power of love strikes again!”
Zero seriously wanted to throttle Rocket, but… it made him happy to know that this stupid rock in his forehead wasn’t entirely a burden. It caused him to nearly kill X in the first place— on top of forcing him to cause a lot of collateral damage— but he was able to use it to rectify his mistake, even if by accident. If he could just learn how to use it properly, it might not be so bad to have around— at least until he could find a way to remove it. And now that X was here with him, they could figure it out together.
With that reassurance in mind, Zero reached out to hold X’s hand.
~~~
When everything was said and done and things finally began to calm down, Carole made a call to Avenger’s Tower. It didn’t take more than a second for her call to be answered.
“Ah, Carole, just the woman I wanted to see,” Tony said, the communicator’s holographic image betraying none of his feigned cheerfulness. “What’s the situation on Knowmoon?”
“Well, I have good news and bad news,” Carole began.
“Start with the good news. Lord knows we could use some right now.”
“The man running Knowmoon and helping Ultron Sigma develop their virus, Grandmaster Meio, has been dealt with. He won’t be a problem anymore. On top of that, we’ve managed to successfully retrieve the Power Stone as well as recruit a new ally. You remember how X was looking for his friend, Zero?”
“Yeah, the little dude was worried sick over him. No shot, you actually found him?”
“We did, thankfully. But this is where the bad news begins.”
Carole then turned the communicator so that its camera focused solely on the scene behind her. X was still unconscious and laid out on the operating table looking like he had seen better days. Rocket was able to stabilize his condition, but unfortunately they just didn’t have the right parts on hand to completely fix him up good as new. Meanwhile, sitting by his side was Zero, fast asleep with his head on the table right next to X and one arm being used like a pillow. His free hand had reached further down to hold X’s limp one. With the way his head was turned, the Power Stone was on full display for the camera to see. Its faint glow gave away its true nature.
Carole continued, “Zero and the Power Stone came as a package deal…”
“Holy hell, what happened to X?,” Tony asked. “And how did the power stone end up like… that?”
“Unfortunately, we have no idea how or why the power stone attached itself to Zero… As for X’s condition, well… Zero couldn’t exactly control the stone when we found him. It resulted in a fight and what you see is the aftermath.”
“Is everyone else alright?”
“More or less. X was the only one to take on the brunt of the infinity storm created by Zero when he lost control. He was very brave— if reckless— going in for a hug like that...”
“A… hug? Seriously? That’s the thing that got Zero to get the stone under control?”
“Believe it or not, that’s exactly what happened.”
“Well if that isn’t the sappiest shit I’ve heard all week…”
Carole couldn’t help but shake her head at Tony’s snide comment. In her opinion, X’s gesture was very sweet. And it worked, so who could argue with the results? Changing the topic, she asked, “Tony, is there any way we could have the stone removed from Zero’s forehead? He has it under control for now, but I’d hardly call his condition stable.”
Tony held a hand to his chin as he thought through his answer. Eventually, he said, “Valkanda’s technology could probably get it done. They were able to do it with Vision once, even if it didn’t end up helping much… But there’s one small problem. We don’t have any time or manpower to spare. Even if we took him to Valkanda and were able to get help removing the stone, it’ll only end up putting us in an even more vulnerable position. King T’Challa may like to believe that his kingdom is perfectly safe with the Time Stone protecting it, but it’s only a matter of time before Ultron Sigma figures out how to get around the barrier. …Get it?”
“Yes, Tony, I get it,” Carole sighed. “Very funny…”
“It is true, though. And if we take Zero there, that puts two stones in one place with one of them left as a sitting duck while it’s being separated from its host. There’s a good chance Ultron Sigma will find out and try to attack. And with everyone still scattered looking for the other stones, we won’t be able to stop them. It happened once before with Vision. I’m not willing to take the same risk twice.”
“So Zero will just have to live with it for now… I wish things didn’t have to be this way…”
“Hey, maybe this can work out in our favor. If Zero can figure out how to use the stone properly, that ups our manpower big time.”
“I guess that’s true…”
“Oh, and speaking of Valkanda… Talks with King T’Challa about handing over the Time Stone haven’t been going well. He’s reluctant to put his people in danger while we still don’t have a realistic shot of actually defeating Ultron Sigma. Maybe now that we have at least one of the stones with us, it’ll prove to him that we have a fighting chance. After all, with the Power and Time Stones on our side, that puts us on even ground with Ultron Sigma. Infinity Stone-wise, I mean.”
“Hmm… Our team doesn’t need to be in Valkanda to participate in the discussion, do we? I’d really prefer to stay on course for Avenger’s Tower so we can get X repaired.”
“No problemo! The others should still be in the middle of the meeting. I can probably patch you in through this call. Give me a moment.”
“Alright, sounds good.”
There wasn’t much for Carole to do while she waited besides thinking of how to convince T’Challa to help them. As a fighter and hero, T’Challa was second to none and did not hesitate to do what he believed was right. However, as a king, his idea of what was right was dedicated in service to his people. Carole did not blame him for that and understood his obligation and responsibility to his people first and foremost. However, the current situation demanded that they all think of the bigger picture, even him. He could protect his kingdom, but he could not protect Valkanda and Valkanda alone and expect it to survive. Ultron Sigma will not stop with destroying the rest of the universe. Valkanda will inevitably fall to them, too, at the end of everything.
Yet, even with the Power Stone in their possession now, Carole feared it would not be enough to convince T’Challa that they stood a fighting chance. After all, the situation surrounding it was… unstable and volatile, to put it lightly. Zero hailed from a world that had no familiarity with the Infinity Stones at all and has already shown difficulties with handling the stone that has become a part of him. T’Challa would no doubt see Zero as an uncontrollable variable that could not be depended on— in fact, he may even be actively detrimental to the cause should worse come to worse.
Ugh, what a mess, Carole thought to herself.
“Valkanda, huh…?”
Carole was taken out of her thoughts by a familiar voice. She turned around to find that Zero had woken up at some point. He still held on to X’s hand, refusing to let go, and watched his best friend with an unreadable expression.
She said, “Oh, Zero, you’re up. Sorry if I was being too noisy.”
“It’s fine,” Zero said. “I couldn’t sleep well anyways.”
“I’m guessing you were listening in on the call, then?”
“I was. You mentioned some place called Valkanda. Can I really get this stone removed there?”
“Your situation wouldn’t be the first time they’ve done it. There used to be a robot like yourself a long time ago who once possessed the Mind Stone just as you possess the Power Stone now. For the good of everyone, he agreed to have the Mind Stone removed from his body with some help from Valkanda’s greatest scientist.”
“Did it work?”
“...That’s a better question for Tony. I wasn’t there for it personally. As far as my knowledge goes, it would have worked. But Thanos attacked before the stone could be fully removed. In the end, Vision was killed and the Mind Stone was stolen as a result.”
“I see…”
Carole wanted to say something encouraging to cheer Zero up. She wanted to tell them that they wouldn’t let the same thing happen twice and that once everything was said and done and things had calmed down, he’d get the help he needed. But before she could say anything, the call crackled to life again.
“Alright, it looks like everyone is here and connected,” Tony announced. “Oh, and it looks like sleeping beauty is finally awake! Perfect. His Majesty was hoping to speak with the Power Stone’s bearer.”
Carole turned her attention back to the call and found that the visual feed was now split between a view of Tony at Avenger’s Tower and one of the Valkandan palace conference room where King T’Challa took center stage. Steve and Chun Li also sat in on the call with T’Challa as well.
“I’ve been informed of recent events already,” T’Challa said. “I am given to understand that you have obtained the Power Stone, but under circumstances that are quite similar to Vision’s, yes?”
“That’s right,” Carole answered. She gestured for the robot of the hour to come closer, saying, “Zero, would you come here for a moment?”
Finally, Zero left his partner’s side and joined Carole’s, putting him in full view of everyone participating in the call.
The first person to react was Chun Li. Right away, she seemed to connect the dots and asked, “That appearance… Is this the person X was looking for? They look like they belong to the same world.”
“He is. We happened to find him by chance, thankfully. But…”
“It’s just as Stark described,” T’Challa began, “he bears the Power Stone upon his brow. I will admit, the fact that you were able to secure one of the Infinite Six instills a bit more confidence in your cause. However, the state of the stone itself still concerns me. To leave it under the control of a single person— and one who presumably has little to no knowledge of the Infinite Six to begin with— does not bode well. How exactly did the stone end up in your hands to begin with, Zero?”
“I don’t know,” Zero answered honestly. “One day my world started falling apart right in front of me and then the next thing I knew, I was waking up in a freakish space station with the stone already merged with my body. I’ve tried to rip it out, but it’s not possible.”
Tony chimed in saying, “Taking it out by force would probably just end the same way it did for Vision and, uh, spoiler alert: it wasn’t good. In a perfect world, I’d like to ask Valkanda for help getting it removed, but I don’t think any of us are in a position where we can spare time and effort for that.”
“I’ve already allowed a great risk to my people by allowing you and yours to pass through the barrier once already,” T’Challa pointed out. “Allowing another stone to enter Valkanda’s domain would needlessly call attention to my kingdom and put everyone in danger.”
“Unfortunately, I have to agree there. I’d rather not bring the stones together until we’ve regrouped with everyone. The more people we have protecting the stones as a unit, the better.”
“A fair course of action. However, I’m afraid that leaves us at an impasse. I still cannot agree to hand over the Time Stone in full confidence. I do not trust that you can fully control the Power Stone as things currently stand. Even should you and yours have two stones to even the field against Ultron Sigma, they are in full control of both Space and Reality. Meanwhile, the Bearer of Power has already lost control of it once, according to what I’ve been told. You are still at a disadvantage.”
Carole did not miss how Zero clenched his fists at his side. With a determined expression, he said, “I can control it. I will control it. I didn’t exactly ask for any of this, but if I have to be burdened with this power, I will use it to finish this fight.”
“You are rather confident, but how can you be so sure?,” T’Challa challenged.
“...X believes in me. He believes in my ability to control this power and risked his life to prove his faith wasn’t misplaced. No matter what, I can’t let him down.”
“That’s a noble sentiment and an honorable attitude… but it is not the same as proof.”
“How can I prove to you that I can control the stone?”
But before T’Challa could answer Zero’s earnest question, a woman in draconic armor burst into the conference room. She looked frazzled and slightly out of breath, like she had rushed to get there as quickly as possible.
“Your Majesty, we have trouble!,” the woman announced. “Dah’ren Mohran has appeared outside the city’s gates! A fight has broken out between it and two men— a green giant and a man dressed in white gi.”
“That sounds like Banner and Ryu,” Steve said, shocked. “What are they doing here?”
“There’s more. The fighting has caused a rift to appear in the barrier. Ultron Sigma drones are beginning to flood in at an alarming pace. The kingdom’s soldiers and my fellow monster hunters are struggling to keep up with their numbers.”
“Damnit…! Stark, Danvers, I’m afraid I will have to end the meeting here,” T’Challa decided. “This matter takes priority.”
“Chun Li and I will assist in holding the line,” Steve said. “Though I worry we may not be enough…”
Suddenly, Zero suggested, “Allow me to provide back-up!”
“What?!,” Carole exclaimed. “But we’re currently en route to Avenger’s Tower!”
“How quickly can we change course and get to Valkanda instead?”
“If Rocket pushes Quinjet One to its limits… ETA should be about ten minutes.”
“Sounds fast enough for me. I’ll prove to you that I can control this dumb rock.”
“...Very well,” T’Challa decided. “I will not stop you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must go defend my people.”
T’Challa ended the call on his end after that, leaving Carole and Tony as the only ones left in the discussion.
“Welp, I guess that decides that…,” Tony said. “Honestly, it’s probably for the best. I wish we could provide support, too, but…”
“You can’t leave the tower— and our ‘benefactor’— unattended , I know. Don’t worry about it. We’ll be able to handle it on our own.”
“As expected of the ever confident ‘Captain Marvel’! But seriously, thanks. I hope to hear good news regarding the Time Stone sooner rather than later. Just- no more bad business with the Power Stone, alright?”
With a sigh, Carole said, “Yes, Tony, we can handle this. Signing off now,” and hung up the call. Turning to Zero, she added, “I hope you know what you’re doing. We’re all depending on you to do good on your word now.”
But despite the gravity and pressure of her words, Zero did not hesitate or back down.
“I won’t fail,” Zero said with absolute confidence. “For the sake of everyone, I’ll get it done.”
“And as for X? Doing this will put off the repairs he needs.”
Zero looked towards his still unconscious and vulnerable best friend. Carole could tell he was trying not to let it show, but there was a hint of worry in his expression.
“He’ll just have to hold on a bit longer,” he said. Walking back over to X, he gently put a hand on X’s red gem and caressed it. “But he’s stronger than anyone I’ve ever met. I know he’ll survive this. I’ll never forgive him if he doesn’t.”
If Carole looked close enough, she could have sworn she saw a faint purple light shining where Zero had made contact with X’s gem. Just like before… She wondered if Zero was aware of what he was doing or if it was a subconscious action. Either way… the pair of human-like robots were certainly an interesting duo. They were very, very… very close, it seemed.
Carole refrained from pointing that out, however. Instead, she said, “I see… With confidence like that, then I know he’s in good hands. Anyways, I should go let Rocket know that plans have changed.”
With that said, she left to go to the command bridge, leaving Zero the opportunity to be alone with X. Even with the latter still unconscious, Carole was sure the privacy would be appreciated. However their fight to protect the universe ended, she hoped those two robots made it through to the end alive and together. In the short time she knew them, she had already gotten the feeling that…
They definitely belonged together.