Chapter 121: Chip Thief

Chapter 121: Chip Thief

A/N: 121 chapters in and we finally get to those rascals on the other side of the galaxy.

-x-X-x-

“Guys come on. How many times do I have to say it? If you eat the last of the chips, just order us a few new bags. You do NOT blow some air back into the empty bag and then reseal it to make it look like we still have more chips! Fess up, who did it?”

Peter Quill’s exasperated voice rings out through the Milano as the rest of its inhabitants are all silent for a moment. Until...

“It was not me. I am on a diet.”

Turning to Drax the Destroyer, Peter just stares at the Kylosian for a moment.

“A diet.”

Holding his head high, Drax stands his ground.

“Yes.”

“Drax, in the past two years I’ve known you, I’ve seen you eat all manner of things. And not once has your body ever changed shape. Not a single damn time.”

Before Drax can reply, Rocket pipes up.

“Well, you know it wasn’t me. Seeing as SOMEONE keeps putting the chips on the top shelf in the kitchen. Assholes.”

Bringing his fingers to the bridge of his nose, Peter rubs at them.

“Rocket, you can’t threaten to shoot and kill everyone who comments on your height and species, and then use said height as an excuse for why you can’t be guilty. Besides, we all know you climb up on the counter whenever you want in order to reach the higher cabinets. We’ve seen the tracks.”

“Tracks huh? You calling me an animal, Quill?”

“I am Groot.”

“Oh don’t try to play that card, Groot!”

“I am Groot!”

“Likely story!”

Peter claps his hands together, silencing the pair.

“Guys! Come on, someone did this. The empty chip bag didn’t just reinflate and seal itself! Do I have to get Mantis to go around and find the guilty party?!”

As the bug-eyed empath in question blinks at being mentioned, hesitantly smiling as she receives everyone’s attention, another voice calls out all the way from the pilot’s chair.

“That doesn’t seem like it would work any better than last time, Peter. She's an empath, not a mind reader. For Mantis to be able to figure out who did it, the culprit would have to feel guilty in the first place.”

And they all knew how likely that was, given just who the crew of the Milano was made up of. Peter groans as he covers his face with his palm.

“Thanks, Gamora! I was bluffing, but I guess that’s off the table now!”

As all of this good-natured bickering continues, one remains silent, watching from the sidelines with her arms crossed over her chest.

Nebula hates her sister and her friends. She hates them all so damn much. They’re all just so... ugh. But unfortunately, she doesn’t really have anywhere else to go. Still, Gamora is right. Peter’s ploy to use Mantis was never going to work to find the real culprit. After all, Nebula was the one who ate the last of the chips and then reinflated the bag instead of ordering more. And she didn't regret it for a single second.

Why? Because fuck all of them, that’s why.

Before Quill can continue his pointless and doomed investigation, however, the Milano’s communications bank suddenly chimes with an incoming call. Cursing, Peter sets the empty bag of chips he’d been waving around aside and walks over to the console, quickly accepting the call.

“Star-Lord, leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy speaking! How much can you pay for us to save your day?”

An elderly, stately looking woman shows up in hologram form. Just her head and upper chest, though that’s still enough to make Rocket curse under his breath and Peter take a step back.

“Peter Quill.”

“Err... Nova Prime. Wasn’t expecting a call from you... what’s up?”

“... You hold three of the six Infinity Stones on your person, Stark. Not just Power, but Space and Reality as well if I’m not mistaken.”

Wait, what? Nebula looks again and internally kicks herself for not seeing it. Damn it all, but it was so obvious in hindsight. The blue portals, the red tendrils. Damn her sister for always having keener eyes, even despite their father literally replacing Nebula’s with cybernetics that SHOULD have been superior. But for all that Nebula had amazing eyesight, it didn’t matter if she wasn’t capable of making the same connections that Gamora did without even a single ounce of cybernetic enhancement...

“Hm, not bad. You’re correct.”

“Holy shit. How many units is all of that worth?”

Rocket’s whispered greed aside, Nebula finds herself focused on the byplay taking place between her sister and the King of Terra. Gamora is growing tenser and tenser, and Stark is looking more amused by the second.

“... Are you trying to complete the set then? Why are you here, Stark King?”

Tony hums, pausing for what seems to be dramatic effect.

“I’m here... because I need... your sister.”

Gamora had been growing tenser with every word, and at the start of ‘your’, she’d looked positively terrified. And then he finishes with ‘your sister’ and Gamora just looks downright confused... as Stark turns to Nebula and points at her. Nebula blinks, also a little confused. For a second there, it looked like the King of Terra was about to say he was there for Gamora. It certainly seemed as though that was what her sister was afraid of. But instead...

“Her?”

“Me?”

Nebula finally breaks her silence, narrowing her eyes as she takes a step forward. Stark just smirks.

“Yep! I’m planning on killing Thanos. Thought you might want in.”

A jolt goes through Nebula’s entire body at those words. She ached to agree immediately. She ‘wanted in’ very much. At this point, Nebula’s most heartfelt desire was to kill her father. In fact, ever since she’d found herself traveling with the Guardians, and ever since that idiot Quill had been forced to kill HIS father two years ago, Nebula had been contemplating it.

It was no easy thing though, which was why she hadn’t pulled the trigger just yet.

“I too ‘want in’! It was Thanos’ armies that Ronan the Accuser led when he massacred my people and killed my wife and daughter.”

Drax’s outburst takes Stark’s attention for a moment... or it seems to. Gamora makes another attempt at attacking the King of Terra the instant that he’s looking away from her general direction, only to get smacked down again. Without even looking at her, Tony Stark gazes at Drax’s restrained form.

“... Sorry buddy. My condolences for your family, truly... but you’re not part of the plan. You’ll just have to be satisfied with the knowledge that he WILL die... so long as Nebula here is up to the challenge.”

Drax doesn’t take that well, forcing him to be gagged on top of being restrained. Nebula, meanwhile, finds herself the only person on the Milano besides Tony Stark who ISN’T restrained at the moment. Taking a step forward, she frowns.

“What exactly does someone of your power need me for, Stark?”

Chuckling, the King of Terra shakes his head.

“All the power in the world is meaningless if you can’t find the bastard you want to use it on. Your daddy has gone to ground and is hiding himself from most conventional methods of location. However, that doesn’t matter for you, does it? Papa Thanos is all too sentimental. He left a signal in your head... a way to always find your way back to him if need be.”

Nebula’s eyes widen. How does he know-? No, it doesn’t matter. Because he’s right. Though she doesn’t necessarily agree that it has anything to do with sentiment. Rather, it’s just one more insult laid at her feet by her so-called ‘father’. Amidst all of the alterations he’d had made to her body, all of the parts he’d ‘upgraded’, Thanos had also installed a reverse tracking device of sorts.

She could always find her father. No matter where he went in the galaxy, she knew she would be able to locate him, to go to him... to return to his side. Or to try and assassinate him, once and for all. Nebula knew that last one was the thing she’d been working up to for the past two years. But now... well, now it seemed like there was another option to reach her vengeance.

“Nebula, no! You can’t possibly be thinking about going with him! It’s suicide!”

Looking to her restrained sister, Nebula blinks... and then scoffs. Gamora’s words have the opposite effect of what the other woman intended. Rather than making her second guess herself, all it does is make her realize she’s wasted the past two years on nothing. Hanging around the Guardians has done nothing to advance her goals or get her revenge. But Tony Stark...

“Very well. I will go with you and hear what you have to say.”

Tony Stark grins wolfishly and with a snap of his fingers creates another, larger portal of swirling dark blue energy.

“Wonderful. Let’s be on our way then and I can tell you all about my plans.”

Nebula nods, as she follows him through the portal. Behind her, she hears her sister cry out in anger, and the sounds of the Guardians all scrambling to their feet as their restraints dissolve... but there’s nothing they can do. The portal closes before any of them can react. Then, it’s just Nebula and Stark as the King of Terra tells her exactly how he’s planning to stop Thanos, and what he needs her to do in order to make sure their plans succeed.

It’s not quite what she was expecting... but she will do anything to see her father dead at her feet. Absolutely anything at all.

-x-X-x-

Plug: An Iron Resolve is FINISHED over on , coming in at 125 chapters long. If you want to sign up to read the rest of the chapters feel free, but know that we're officially in the territory of diminishing returns. If you like what you read, please throw me a Favorite, Read, or even a Review so I can try to get this in front of as many eyes as possible!

A/N: Hm, how'd I do with aping the Guardians' particular brand of comedy? And yes, we don't know yet what Tony's plans involving Nebula are. Only that in a previous chapter he revealed that he's been reluctant to implement them. I wonder why