Deep beneath New York, inside the underground workshop, Tony Stark stood with his arms crossed as JARVIS analyzed footage pulled from Happy's dashboard camera. At the same time, JARVIS was combing through every surveillance feed covering the area where Clara had vanished.
"Sir," JARVIS reported calmly, "the possibility of abduction has been ruled out. Cross-referencing global visual surveillance data has revealed several phenomena identical to the moment Clara disappeared."
Multiple video clips appeared on the holographic screen. In each one, a rippling distortion warped the air—some appeared suspended in midair, others spread across the ground. Their duration varied, lasting anywhere from a few seconds to several hours.
In one clip, a stray dog wandered into the shimmering ripple and vanished completely. Minutes later, the distortion itself faded away.
"This is…" Tony's expression darkened.
-----
After S.H.I.E.L.D.'s collapse, Agent Maria Hill had joined Stark Industries. With her exceptional competence, she quickly earned Pepper's trust and was entrusted with major responsibilities.
Just as Hill was preparing to leave work for the day, she noticed something off in the first-floor reception room. Happy, Pepper's driver, sat there with his head bowed, his face filled with despair. Pepper stood nearby, her expression tense and anxious.
Hill's instincts immediately flared.
Something's wrong… and it's about Clara.
Normally, at this hour, Clara would be sitting quietly in the reception room reading or doing homework. Today, she was nowhere to be seen.
"Do you need help?" Hill asked as she pushed the door open.
"Hill!" Pepper rushed toward her. "Clara is missing! Happy can't even explain how she disappeared!"
"Missing?" Hill turned her sharp gaze toward Happy. "Was it an abduction?"
"I—I don't know!" Happy's voice shook. "She vanished right in front of me! One second she was there, the next—gone! I searched everywhere, shouting her name, but she just… disappeared!"
His guilt was written all over his face. In Happy's mind, this was his fault—entirely his fault.
"Calm down, Happy," Hill said firmly. "Slowly explain everything. Do you have footage?"
"Yes," Pepper said, lifting a tablet. "This is from Happy's dashcam. Clara really did vanish in an instant. I already sent it to Tony."
Hill replayed the footage several times, running comparisons and analyses. The more she watched, the clearer her conclusion became.
"This is a wormhole," Hill said gravely. "A spatial wormhole. Clara may no longer be on Earth."
-----
Night had fallen on Kree.
The sky was filled with countless stars, and two massive moons—each as large and round as Earth's—hung overhead. Clara used her phone to capture the breathtaking view. Even in the dim light outside the cave, she had already taken dozens of photos, preserving every surreal detail.
Nearby, Peter Quill lounged lazily, watching Clara stare at everything with wide-eyed wonder. The sight reminded him painfully of himself, back when he had first left Earth.
"The universe is huge," Peter said casually. "There are more mysteries out there than Earth could ever imagine. Want to see them? Once my ship arrives tomorrow, I can take you to a few nearby planets."
Clara shook her head.
"No. I want to go back to Earth as soon as possible. If I disappear without warning, Happy will be worried sick."
She put her phone away and scooted closer to the campfire. The temperature outside the cave dropped sharply at night.
"Happy?" Peter asked. "Your dad?"
"No," Clara replied softly. "He's my guardian… and my uncle. I have a father, but I've never called him that. He never asked me to, either."
For the first time, Clara truly opened up.
Perhaps it was the distance from Earth—perhaps being so far away loosened something inside her. The invisible walls she usually kept around her heart simply weren't there.
Peter gently ruffled her hair. He hadn't expected this unlucky little Earthling to carry so many stories of her own. Maybe fate had brought them together for a reason.
"My mom died when I was twelve," Peter said quietly. "The moment she passed, Yondu abducted me. It was just the two of us growing up. My grandpa said my dad was a heartless man who abandoned us… but my mom always said he was like an angel, and that one day he'd come back for me."
He looked down at his hands.
"These hands… if it had been twenty years ago, they could've completely wrapped around my mom's. But I missed my chance. That's my biggest regret—letting go of her hand at the very end."
A small hand reached out and held his.
Clara's soft fingers rested against Peter's rough palm, the firelight casting them into a scene that looked like a warm oil painting.
Peter smiled gently, then suddenly stood and pulled her up.
"Enough sad thoughts, kiddo," he said brightly. "You'll be home soon. Now—let's dance!"
The shift in mood was so sudden that Clara froze for a second, stiffly following his movements.
But before long, she felt it—the joy hidden in Peter's completely unstructured, carefree dance. As the upbeat rhythm filled the cave, she loosened up and began to move freely as well.
🎵 Come and get your love… 🎵
Hail, hail—what's the matter with your head, yeah…
Laughter echoed beneath the alien stars, carrying warmth across a planet bathed in crimson.
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T/N:
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