Null-3 Approach — Nova Recon Vessel Vigilant Dawn
The first sight of Null-3 was absence.
No sun. No beacon. Just the slow drift of wreckage—frozen shadows of ships that had tried to outrun extinction.
The Vigilant Dawn slid through the field on whisper-quiet thrusters. Its running lights drew pale veins through the dark, catching on scorched hulls and cracked domes that looked almost organic, as if the metal itself had tried to heal and failed.
"Energy readings?" Commander Rellan asked.
"Intermittent TURBO signature," said the sensor tech. "Weak—like a heartbeat through static. Possibly synthetic energem residue."
"Or a survivor," Rellan murmured.
They followed the pulse to a massive freighter split open like a ribcage. The faint frequency they'd been chasing clicked every thirty-three seconds—steady, stubborn, alive.
"Beacon confirmed," the pilot said. "Origin matches Takion convoy debris."
Rellan's jaw tightened. "Then this is where the trail ends. Take us in."
Wreckfield Surface — Entry Point Theta
Boots met scorched alloy with hollow clangs. Their helmet lamps cut shifting ghosts across the corridor walls: handprints frozen in soot, tool-racks melted into slag, murals half-eaten by flame.
"Sir," one scout whispered. "Localized heat cluster ahead. Small—contained."
They reached a sealed bulkhead bearing a faint crest—two spirals encircling a sun.
"Takion emblem," Rellan confirmed. "Breaching."
The plasma saw bit through blackened metal. The moment the panel fell, a low hum rippled through the deck—deep, harmonic, almost a breath. Every sensor flared, then steadied as a voice broke through the comm static.
[ —Z3TΔ ONLINE— ]
"Commander?" the tech breathed. "We're receiving… something."
Inside the Ruin
The chamber beyond glowed with faint veins of blue-white light. Metal conduits intertwined with crystalline threads like living nerves.
A fractured hologram shimmered into existence—part static, part soul.
"Identification … error. Network integrity … error. Command node … missing.
This unit is Zeta. Secondary AI of Takion royal vessel Aurelius.
Status: fragmented. Query: Where is Ma'ex Stel?"
The team froze.
Rellan stepped forward slowly. "Zeta, this is Commander Rellan of the Nova Corps. You've been dormant for over two decades. The Aurelius was destroyed."
Light flickered across the hologram's face.
"Thanos. Makino. Collector. Variables—recorded.
Primary objective: protect Ma'ex Stel.
Secondary objective: preserve Takion codex. Status: incomplete."
"Do you know where the survivors went?" the tech asked.
A pause. Then a low harmonic spread through the chamber like memory re-learning how to breathe.
"Escape pods dispersed. Most—lost. Some—taken.
A fraction—redirected to sanctuary designation Knowhere.
Command override encoded in biolink lattice.
Genetic key required for activation."
The projection flickered.
"Ma'ex … will know."
Then the light collapsed, leaving only the echo of her voice.
Secondary Chamber — The Child
The hum didn't die completely. It drifted through adjoining corridors until the med-scanner picked it up—a pulse, faint but biological.
They found the source inside a jury-rigged habitation pod: hydroponic vines, ration packs long expired, and a small figure curled beneath a cloth marked with the Takion crest.
"Refugee," the medic whispered. "Still alive."
Vitals flashed weak but steady. Beneath the child's skin, silver veins pulsed with synthezium glow; on her wrist, a band fused to flesh housed a cracked gene-codex drive.
"Reading dual-sequence DNA," the medic said, brow furrowed. "One strand Takion… the other—Terran, type C-53. Energy resonance off the charts."
Rellan's expression hardened. "High Evolutionary's handiwork."
The medic nodded grimly. "He spliced her to survive. Takion cellular resilience, Terran adaptability. She shouldn't exist—and yet here she is."
Rellan exhaled. "Secure her. Full containment. No broadcast."
Nova Command — Vault Relay
Hours later, the feed from Vigilant Dawn streamed into Xandar's deepest servers.
"Zeta fragment reactivated," reported the analyst. "Confirmed Knowhere as survivor vector. Child recovered—gene signatures cross with both Takion royal markers and… Carol Danvers." She hesitated. "There's also a tertiary imprint—synthetic, logged as 'Theta Protocol.' Possibly an AI sub-routine derived from Zeta herself."
Rellan rubbed a hand over his eyes. "Theta saved the child, then. Evolutionary created her, Zeta hid her."
He keyed a secure transmission.
"Forward all Null-3 data to Guardian channels. Quietly. The Evolutionary's work connects to Ego-class patterns—and if Zeta's awake, so is something older."
He paused, then added under his breath,
"If they survived, we owe them truth."
The Milano — Mid-Flight
The Nova packet arrived like a whisper through static. Rocket decrypted it before Peter finished cursing about coffee.
"Knowhere," Rocket said, tail flicking. "That floating skull full of thieves and tax evaders. Apparently our next vacation spot."
Gamora scanned the data. "Nova's found a Takion AI—and a child engineered from Takion and Terran DNA."
Max's throat tightened. "Zeta had sub-processes. Theta might've protected her. If Knowhere's where they ran, we have to go."
Peter sighed. "Great. Another haunted skull. Just what I needed."
Rocket smirked. "Cheer up. Maybe this one pays better."
The Milano banked toward the edge of mapped space, stars thinning to black.
Behind them, Xandar's glow disappeared. Ahead, the dead Celestial's head waited like an omen.
Closing Shot — Between Stars
At the viewport, Max's reflection shimmered faintly—blue veins tracing light beneath his skin.
Something old hummed inside him, syncing with the ship's rhythm.
A whisper—not over comms, but in the static of his mind:
"Welcome home, Ma'ex."
The hum faded, leaving only the thrum of engines and a destination called Knowhere.
Deadpool Meta-Cut
"So let me get this straight:
Zombie AI mom wakes up, mad scientist dad's cloning kids, and Space Prince Glowstick is hearing Bluetooth from beyond the grave.
Up next—Knowhere: where all bad ideas go to reproduce."