[In the woods, Star-Lord and Gamora are walking together.]
["Please, spare me! It's been so long, and you suddenly show up wanting to be my dad!"]
[Gamora: "I know what you're thinking."]
["Besides, this could be a trap! The Kree purists, the Ravagers… they all want to kill us!"]
["I know! But…"]
[Gamora crossed her arms and faced him. "What about that story you told me, about Zardu Hasselfrau?"]
[Star-Lord frowned, not recognizing the name for a moment. "Who?"]
["The man with the magic ship!" Gamora reminded him, even though her details were a little off.]
[After racking his brain for a moment, Star-Lord finally realized who she meant.]
["David Hasselhoff?"]
[Gamora nodded. "Right!"]
[Star-Lord corrected her, "It wasn't a magic ship, it was a talking car!"]
["Why could it talk?"]
["To help him fight criminals and give him backup!"]
[Gamora nodded, her point made. "When you were a kid, you carried his picture with you. You told the other kids he was your father, and that he was just away on a mission!"]
[Star-Lord picked up where she left off, his voice laced with old embarrassment. "Filming Knight Rider or touring Germany with his band! I told you that when I was drunk! Why are you bringing him up now?"]
["I love that story!"]
["I hate that story!"]
[Gamora sighed and began to pace.]
[Star-Lord's frustrations bubbled to the surface. "It's just so sad! When I was a kid, I'd watch other kids playing catch with their dads, and… I wanted that. That was all I ever wanted."]
[Gamora walked back and took Star-Lord's hand.]
["That's my point, Peter! What if this man is your Hasselhoff? Listen, if we go and find out he's a bad guy… we'll kill him together."]
[Star-Lord lowered his head, looking at their clasped hands. Gamora immediately let go, took a step back, and folded her arms, watching him.]
"Knight Rider! Now that's a blast from the past!" Scott exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across his face as he looked at the screen.
"You've seen it too?" Star-Lord's expression brightened, and he immediately walked over to him.
"Yeah, man! I've totally seen it!" Scott nodded enthusiastically, and the two grown men launched into an excited discussion about the show.
Natasha simply shook her head with a small smile, glancing at Gamora beside her.
Gamora whispered, a hint of fondness in her voice, "Quill is always telling me stories from Earth. I love them."
Nearby, Captain America took out his small notebook and a pen, carefully writing down 'David Hasselhoff' and 'Knight Rider'. He made a mental note to look them up when he got back.
On his own world, David Hasselhoff himself was ecstatic. He never imagined that after so many years, his name would become known across the entire universe. Though he was now a man in his seventies, it didn't stop a wave of pure joy from washing over him.
In nations across the globe that were spared from the recent disasters, people began searching for old episodes of Knight Rider. The decades-old TV series was suddenly experiencing a massive resurgence in popularity.
Dr. Strange, listening to the lighthearted conversation, let out a soft sigh and allowed the glowing magic circle in his hands to dissipate.
"The situation here is worse than I thought," he announced, his tone grim. "We have to call Wanda back. I can't deal with this thing directly. Its roots run too deep—tens, maybe even hundreds of kilometers down. They might go even deeper. I can't even find the end of them."
Everyone was shocked by his report. Star-Lord hurried over. "What in the world did my father plant?"
"I don't know," Strange admitted. "But whatever it is, it's not good. It feels like it's… waiting for something. We'd better get rid of it, and fast."
Captain America immediately pulled out his phone. "I'll call Wanda."
[Nebula stared at Gamora in disbelief, shouting, "You're just going to leave me with that fox?"]
[Gamora replied calmly, "He is not a fox."]
[She then turned to Rocket, who was using a futuristic tool to repair the ship's hull with projected light. "If she makes a single suspicious move, shoot her. Or just shoot her if you feel like it, okay?"]
[Gamora then squatted down in front of Little Groot, who was looking downcast about her and Peter leaving.]
[Gamora gently stroked his cheek with her finger, wiping away a tiny tear. "Hey," she said softly. "It's only for a few days. We'll be back before Rocket even finishes fixing the ship."]
[She then walked toward Ego's ship. Little Groot quickly turned and waved a tiny, sad goodbye.]
[Drax said worriedly, "What if the Sovereign catch up to us?"]
[Star-Lord waved it off. "They can't possibly know we're here! Let's go!"]
[Despite this, Drax was still uneasy. "I do not think splitting up is a good idea!"]
[Star-Lord threw his hands up in exasperation. "God, why are you being such a worrywart?"]
["Because I am smart?"]
[Gamora, waiting outside, looked at the bags Drax was carrying. "Why do you have so much luggage?"]
["I do not want Groot going through my things."]
[Star-Lord walked to the edge of his new ride and turned to look back at Rocket, who was still focused on the repairs.]
[Rocket didn't look up, his voice dripping with its usual venom. "I hope your dad isn't as big of a jerk as you are, you little orphan boy."]
[Star-Lord just looked away helplessly, too used to Rocket's attitude to even argue.]
["What is your goal, anyway? To make everyone hate you?"]
[With that, Star-Lord turned and left, leaving Rocket to silently watch their ship depart.]
"This raccoon has so many nicknames!" Rhodey shook his head, amused. "Let's see… rabbit, red panda, monkey, puppy, and now a fox. Does anyone in their universe know what a raccoon is?"
Otto Octavius, however, was staring intently at the technology Rocket was using. While his expertise was in nuclear physics, he recognized the principles at play. "It's a form of 3D printing," he murmured.
3D printing technology existed on Earth, of course, but it was mostly confined to large, stationary machines that produced pre-designed objects, like Stark's own advanced fabricators. To see it used like a simple spray gun, instantly reconstructing damaged components on the fly, was astonishing.
The Toby Maguire version of Spider-Man was also focused on the screen, his mind racing. He could see it wasn't just 3D printing; it was combined with the nanotechnology they had seen the Guardians use before. It was incredibly advanced.
The technology wasn't just a step ahead of what was currently available on Earth; it was on a completely different level. The gap between their civilizations was a vast, seemingly unbridgeable chasm.
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