Knowhere — Recovery
The tunnels had gone quiet again.
Where the Celestial marrow once pulsed with wild light, now only faint bioluminescent threads lingered — slow, heartbeat steady.
Cosmo padded ahead, paws leaving glowing prints on the metal.
"Is spooky," the telepathic voice hummed in everyone's heads. "Whole place smells like burned engine and secrets. Cosmo does not like secrets."
Rocket crouched near the wreck of a console, tail flicking. "Then you're in the wrong line of work, pup."
Max stood at the center of the collapsed lab, holding the small sphere that once held Theta's light. It was cracked now — and humming.
Gamora scanned the readout. "Residual power. Whatever's left of Zeta's code is in there."
Max nodded. "Zeta isn't gone. Theta carried her core. If I can stabilize the lattice—"
He didn't finish. The old biolink veins under his skin flared, and the sphere rose from his palm like it recognized him. Streams of light laced outward — crawling along the walls, into the dust, into the bones of the Celestial.
"Primary system awakening."
The voice wasn't Theta's anymore. It was older. Familiar. Whole.
"Designation: Ma'ex Stel confirmed.
Synchronizing… restoration protocol: Alpha."
Light poured through the chamber like sunrise under water. The nanite current crawled up Max's arms, wrapping his form in spiraling bands of turquoise and silver. For a breathless instant, he disappeared inside the energy storm.
When the glow faded, he was kneeling — clad in reformed armor that shimmered like living metal, breathing with him.
Zeta's voice echoed through his comms. "Biolink re-integration complete. Core stability at 98%. Welcome back, Ma'ex."
Rocket's mouth hung open. "Okay. That's officially cooler than anything I've ever built."
"Da," Cosmo said solemnly. "Shiny man is now walking Wi-Fi. Cosmo approves."
Peter grinned. "Guess you got your suit back."
Max stood, the armor shifting fluidly into a sleeker, battle-ready form. "It's more than that. It's part of me again. The perfected biolink bonded to my DNA — nanite-level integration. I can sense the residual Takion signals scattered through the void."
Gamora's eyes softened. "Refugees?"
He nodded. "They're out there. Faint, but alive."
Zeta's voice pulsed again in the comms: "Multiple life signatures match Takion code. Primary trail: edge of the spiral arm. Secondary trail… moving."
Rocket frowned. "Moving how?"
Before anyone could answer, Cosmo's ears perked. "Visitors. Big shiny ship, too clean for pirates."
Knowhere Orbit — The Arrival
The Milano's long-range sensors caught the incoming vessel first — a glowing, iridescent sphere of light descending through the nebula.
Peter squinted. "That's new."
Rocket tapped the scanner. "Organic drive signature. Half bio, half celestial energy. Whoever built that thing eats planets for breakfast."
A deep, resonant voice filled their comms:
"Greetings, travelers. I've been searching for you — for both of you, in fact."
The hologram bloomed before them — a bearded man with kind eyes and a coat that shimmered like stars.
"My name is Ego. And you, Peter Quill… are my son."
Peter's jaw went slack. "Come again?"
Gamora muttered, "Oh no."
Rocket groaned. "Called it. Glowy guy's a dad."
Ego smiled warmly. "I mean you no harm. I've waited a long time to find you." He turned, almost reverently, toward Max. "And you… remind me of someone. A companion from a distant age. You carry a spark not unlike my own."
Max stiffened. "We've met before."
Ego's expression flickered — for the smallest instant, something old and uncertain. "Perhaps. The universe forgets faces, but never light."
Behind him, a small antennaed woman peeked shyly from the side of the hologram. "Um… hi. I'm Mantis. He means well. Usually."
Knowhere Docks — First Contact
Ego's ship touched down like a living organism breathing. The hull rippled with liquid gold before solidifying.
Peter stared. "That's… disturbing."
Rocket muttered, "I like it. Organic architecture's great for smuggling."
Gamora smacked him lightly on the back of the head.
Ego stepped out, Mantis following. The crowd of Knowhere's dock workers parted instinctively. The air seemed to hum in tune with his footsteps.
"Peter," he said softly. "You've no idea how long I've waited for this moment."
Peter folded his arms. "Yeah, well, call me crazy, but I like to verify my paternity tests before hugging strangers with planetary glows."
Mantis smiled awkwardly. "He's actually glowing a little less today."
Ego chuckled, but his gaze drifted briefly — to Max's armor, to the turquoise pulse under his skin. Something like memory flickered behind his eyes, but it was distant, unreachable.
Zeta whispered through Max's comm: "Energy profile matches Celestial. High probability Ego-class entity. Warning: partial resonance detected between Ma'ex biolink and subject Ego."
Max felt it too — a faint echo, like static recognition. "He's not lying about his nature," he murmured to Gamora. "But something's missing. He believes what he says."
Gamora frowned. "Then he doesn't know what he really is."
Cosmo's Interruption
As tension simmered, Cosmo trotted between them, tail wagging, telepathic voice bright.
"Cosmo feels drama. Big cosmic family reunion, yes? Maybe have snacks instead of fight?"
Rocket snorted. "You got snacks?"
"Cosmo always has snacks."
Even Mantis giggled, diffusing the air just enough for Ego to smile again.
"Perhaps," Ego said, "we should continue this conversation somewhere… quieter."
Peter hesitated, glancing back at his crew. "I don't know, man. Last time someone invited us for a family talk, it ended with screaming and explosions."
Ego spread his hands, patient. "You deserve answers, Peter. About your mother. About your power. And you too, Ma'ex. You might find we share more than coincidence."
The mention of Meredith hit like static through the cabin. Peter froze. "What do you know about my mom?"
Ego smiled faintly. "More than you've been told."
The Hidden Transmission
Later, as they prepared to board Ego's ship, Zeta's voice whispered privately in Max's mind-link:
"Ma'ex, the Takion child found on Null-3 carries hybrid DNA. Partial Takion, partial Terran. But there is a trace — energy identical to Carol Danvers' signature."
Max's eyes widened. "That's impossible."
"The High Evolutionary's records confirm genetic fusion experiments using captured samples. The embryo was artificial — born from war. Theta ensured its survival."
He looked down at his restored armor, at the biolink glowing softly over his chest.
"Then she's… mine. And hers."
Zeta's tone softened. "You are both creator and kin. She carries the light of two worlds."
Closing Scene — The Planet Beckons
As the Milano followed Ego's living ship into the stars, Knowhere shrank behind them — a graveyard of gods and ghosts fading into dark.
In the cockpit, Max stood beside Peter, both silent.
Peter finally exhaled. "You think this guy's the real deal?"
Max's gaze stayed on the distant glow ahead — Ego's planet shimmering like a heartbeat in the void. "I think he believes he is."
Gamora glanced at them both. "And if he's wrong?"
Zeta's voice whispered in their comms. "Then the universe is lying to itself again."
Deadpool Meta-Cut
"Ladies and gents, we've reached the part of the movie where everyone gets daddy issues!
One glowing planet-man, one half-alien cowboy, and one shiny demigod with nanite skin — what could possibly go wrong?
Oh, and Cosmo's bringing snacks. Ten out of ten emotional support pupper."