Even General Ross himself began to doubt his own innocence as officials remained unconvinced. In an effort to clear his name, he initiated a virtual meeting with key government agencies. However, this only led to further suspicion, as some claimed Ross was using advanced projection tech and that the "Ross" on the screen was merely a holographic AI.
Left with no choice, Ross arranged in-person meetings with these officials, but even this failed to completely dispel doubts. After all, even if he wasn't the one chasing Johnny Storm, it was undeniable that someone with gamma powers was. Ross was the most prominent figure with mastery over gamma technology, so suspicion lingered that he might somehow be involved.
The possibility that the Avengers also possessed advanced gamma-tech wasn't dismissed, but it seemed unlikely they'd use it to pursue Johnny Storm. Or would they?
Unaware of the chaos their brawl had sparked, Johnny and Hulk's antics set off a wave of panic. As Ross continued to argue his case, the government agencies began suspecting each other. The abilities Hulk had displayed seemed almost god-like; even if he wasn't quite on Superman's level, they saw him as something monstrous and beyond their projects' reach. Their collaborative research hadn't produced anything remotely close, and so each faction began suspecting the others of hiding advanced technology.
Thus, the already shaky alliance of agencies started to fracture. While they maintained a surface-level unity, factions arose within the group, each vying for resources and attempting to pull skilled scientists and new super-powered individuals into their own circles. This created rifts among people who were supposed to work together, ultimately fostering indifference and even hostility.
Meanwhile, the Avengers remained as cohesive as ever. Johnny was quickly put in his place after a beating from Hulk. His elemental form was indeed vulnerable to other elemental forces, especially the rage-fueled flames Hulk had developed. Johnny couldn't maintain his fire form against it, ultimately leading to his surrender.
"Come on, Hulk, relax. You already got your payback, didn't you?" said one Avenger as they gathered for a meal at Avengers HQ—a long-standing tradition, and this time, they were celebrating Frank's induction as the newest member.
Due to Robert's monumental appetite, the Avengers had stopped relying on human chefs long ago. Stark designed a state-of-the-art kitchen robot to handle meals, cooking at a level rivaling any Michelin chef. While some Avengers weren't fans of machine-made food, most enjoyed it, especially since it could be tailored to each person's taste.
"Hulk has no strong enemies to fight. Hulk doesn't fully understand this power—Hulk wants to learn more!" Hulk complained between massive bites.
"Come on, you can't put that on me! Even if I hadn't stepped in, you would've flattened Greed Demon in seconds. He couldn't take more than a few hits from you," Johnny retorted, unable to hold his tongue.
Hulk's eyes widened in anger, startling both Johnny and the new recruit, Frank.
"Hmm?" At that moment, Robert looked over with a raised brow, and Hulk quickly calmed down, sitting quietly to eat. Johnny let out a triumphant laugh, delighted at the irony. "Looks like everyone has their match. No matter how tough you are, Hulk, you're no match for a Saiyan!"
Robert shot Johnny an annoyed look, which immediately silenced him. Johnny, who'd had his fill anyway, quickly closed his mouth and backed down.
"Alright, Hulk. Once we're done eating, I'll take you on a trip to the Hell Dimension," Robert said, seeing Hulk's puppy-eyed stare. "Frank, you should join us too; we'll find some demons for you to practice on."
"Hulk's ready!" Hulk announced, eagerly dropping his food to look at Robert.
"I'm not, so sit tight," Robert replied with a roll of his eyes before returning to his meal.
After the meal, Robert took Hulk, Frank, and Kara, who insisted on tagging along, to the Hell Dimension. While Hulk and Frank couldn't handle the most powerful lords there, plenty of weaker ones awaited. Robert wasn't worried about upsetting the balance—this was a contained skirmish, unlikely to provoke a large-scale reaction as long as he didn't go overboard.
With Robert and the others off-world, Earth saw a temporary calm. Yet the tension within the government's alliance continued to brew, making it only a matter of time before the cracks became visible.
Elsewhere in the galaxy, the Guardians of the Galaxy were on their own adventure. The team's name was a tongue-in-cheek creation by Star-Lord, knowing their small group couldn't be called an "alliance" in good faith. Star-Lord figured a real alliance would need at least a few dozen members, all strong enough to back each other up. While he considered himself capable, his team… not so much.
"Hey, Groot! Watch it! I just got this ship!" Star-Lord scolded Groot, who was stretching his branches a little too close to the walls of their new spaceship.
Groot, far bigger than his former self, was now more like an ancient, towering tree rather than the cute sapling he had once been. His size and strength had only increased, as he hadn't needed to undergo the rebirth he would have if he'd perished.
"I am Groot," Groot replied apologetically.
"I know you didn't mean it, but still, try to be careful… Hey, Drax! What are you doing?" Star-Lord's attention shifted to Drax, who was making a mess with his "happy beans"—a snack he claimed was supposed to induce happiness but had left him unimpressed.
"Yes, happy beans. I expected joy, but I feel nothing. It's just an ordinary bean," Drax explained, unfazed.
"Yeah, but could you try not to spill them everywhere? And maybe just eat them straight, instead of biting each one in half?" Star-Lord retorted, exasperated.
"I wanted to see if this method would make me happier. And, watching you get angry does make me feel a little happy," Drax admitted with a growing smile. "Ha! Ha! Ha!"
"You—" Star-Lord began, momentarily speechless.
"Relax, Quill. The new ship's going to get used one way or another. Besides, aren't you the one who spends hours in the spaceship's hot tub?" Rocket Raccoon teased.
"You've got a point, but this ship drained all our funds!" Star-Lord replied, wincing.
"That's because you insisted on the hot tub. I could've built a similar ship myself if you'd trusted me," Rocket retorted, shrugging.
"Well, it's a massage tub… Oh, Gamora! Just finished?" Star-Lord perked up, noticing Gamora, her hair still damp, emerging from the shower.
"You're not going to ask me how my shower was?" Nebula interrupted, casting him a sharp look.
"Maybe because you don't have hair?" he answered, only to dodge a near-kick from Nebula.
"Yes, we're broke now, but we needed this ship," Gamora added, looking around at her teammates with a rare smile. "It's our home, a safe haven in the vast galaxy, and our tool for survival."
"Exactly," Rocket agreed. "Couldn't have said it better."
"True!" Groot and the others chimed in, and Star-Lord had nothing to counter; he was too distracted by Gamora's inspiring presence.
Growing up in space had altered his tastes; he found Gamora's green skin and alien appearance just as attractive as any human's. For Star-Lord, beauty transcended species or color—blue, gold, pink, green, or red, they all had their charm. However, the one condition was that the other person had to be at least mostly organic; cybernetic beings like Nebula didn't quite appeal to him.
Gamora, too, had come to care for Star-Lord. Among a crew of misfits—a humorless Drax, a talking raccoon, and a giant tree—Star-Lord was her only real option for a connection. As the weight of Thanos's control over her eased, she found herself increasingly drawn to him. A subtle tension began to grow between them, though neither had spoken openly about it.
"So, what's the plan now? Take a joyride? We don't have enough money for many space trips. Fuel alone is costly," Nebula interjected, breaking up the charged moment between Star-Lord and Gamora.
"I got a new job offer while I was showering. Apparently, some Sovereign energy cells have been targeted, and they're paying handsomely for protection. You all know how rich those Sovereign are," Gamora said.
"Oh, yeah, those guys look like living gold bars," Star-Lord nodded.
Drax's eyes brightened, "So, I must be valuable too, then?"
"Not even close!" Rocket and Star-Lord laughed, teasing him mercilessly.
"Pfft, with that shade, you're more of a… dirty yellow at best," Rocket snickered.
Drax, unfazed, nodded. "True, but they say there's gold in dirt. That makes me the Sovereigns' granddaddy!"
Star-Lord winced, fearing the Sovereign wouldn't take kindly to such jokes if Drax ever voiced them. "Please, don't mention that in front of them. We'll be in deep trouble."
Rocket, eyes gleaming, commented, "If we had those energy cells, we could save tons on intergalactic travel fuel."
"We're being hired to *guard* the cells, not steal them, Rocket
!" Star-Lord retorted, shaking his head. He glanced around, feeling like he was the only normal one on the ship. "Honestly, aside from Gamora, it feels like this whole team is made up of troublemakers…"
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