Too many things had happened recently, and Alan had almost forgotten—Nebula had a tracking system inside her. No matter where she went, she could never escape Thanos' pursuit.
Ebony Maw was like an unsheathed sword. Until he captured both Nebula and Gamora, that sword would never be put away.
Moreover, Ebony Maw was a master manipulator, using his silver tongue to deceive others.
"You're saying… I have a tracking system inside me?" Nebula's eyes were filled with confusion. She carefully recalled her past, retracing every step she had taken.
Then, she thought about why Black Dwarf had appeared in Asgard. It couldn't have been a coincidence. It must have been because she was in Asgard.
"No matter what I do, I can't escape the fate of being captured by Thanos?"
For a brief moment, Nebula felt a wave of despair.
If she were to fall into Thanos' hands before completing her mission, what kind of torment would await her?
At this point, she already considered herself neither human nor machine, but something in between—a being twisted and reshaped by Thanos' modifications, once nothing more than a monster programmed to kill.
"I understand now…"
Nebula lowered her head, staring blankly at the floor.
She had to make a decision.
There was no way she would allow the Infinity Stones to fall into Thanos' hands.
But if she remained with Alan and the others, the tracker inside her would only bring them trouble.
And their next stop was Earth.
Unlike Asgard, Earth had a limited number of superheroes. Even though Alan was the Emperor, protecting the defenseless people of Earth while dealing with Thanos' forces would be a difficult burden.
If Thanos sent another army after her, it would put them all in danger.
Nebula believed that if she stayed with the Guardians, she would only be increasing their troubles.
"What are you planning?" Gamora asked, her voice urgent as she gazed at Nebula.
She could tell that her sister had made up her mind.
"If I just stay on the move, drifting through the universe, as long as I leave before Thanos' forces arrive, I'll be fine," Nebula said, forcing a strained smile.
She had only just begun to experience warmth and companionship, only to realize how fleeting it was.
"I can't drag you all down with me. At least the Infinity Stone is in Alan's hands—I can rest assured knowing that. He'll protect it. He won't let Thanos take it."
Nebula pried Gamora's fingers off her arm.
"Give me a small ship. I won't go with you to Earth."
Drax's muscles tensed in frustration.
No one wanted Nebula to leave.
They were a team.
They couldn't let Thanos be the reason they split apart.
"Wait! Don't be so hasty. If you leave now without a plan, it's no different from walking into a trap."
Alan turned his gaze toward Red Queen.
As a supercomputer, she had successfully extracted the Aether from Jane Foster's body. Removing a tracking system from Nebula shouldn't be much harder.
"Red Queen, you can do it, right?"
Alan didn't even need to say the words—one exchange of glances was enough for Red Queen to understand his intent.
She nodded slightly.
"I can. But I'll need the ship to remain steady to ensure a successful extraction."
For Red Queen, this was an easy task.
The moment Gamora heard there was a way, she immediately grabbed Nebula, pulling her toward Red Queen, her face filled with excitement and disbelief.
"D-Do you need my help?"
Red Queen shook her head.
"No, I can do it alone. Please, follow me."
Just before Nebula and Red Queen stepped into the room, Alan walked up to Red Queen, leaned down, and whispered a few words in her ear.
Only after that did he let them proceed.
...
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