A New Infinity Stone

TWENTY FIVE

Natasha's POV ...
We acquaint ourselves with the Guardians of the Galaxy and head up to the lounge while Tony orders his robots to clean up the mess in the lobby. Thor pulls Gamora to the side, and they talk in hushed voices, much to the evident displeasure of Peter Quill, who exits the room with Rocket and Groot. Clint heads to the bar and pours himself a stiff drink. I walk over to him, sliding onto a barstool.

"At least we've got more help." I mutter with a soft smile. "These people will be able to help us find her, and they know space better than us."
He downs another whiskey. The non-stop searching is starting to take a toll on us all and we are all struggling to remain upbeat.
"What's the point? If she wanted to be found, she would have done something big. Thanos is hiding her, and the bastard is planning something big."
"We don't know that, Clint."
"We do!" He snaps. "Why else would he have waited all these years?"

Everyone turns to look at us at the sound of Clint's outburst, but Clint ignores them as tears brim in his eyes.
"I just want my daughter back, Nat." He barely whispers.
I pull him in for a hug and rub his back.
"I know; that's why we've got all of these people here." I explain as he looks around the room. "Thor, Tony, Bruce, Steve, Wanda, Pietro, Loki, and now the Guardians of the Galaxy. They all want to find Mel and bring her home safe."
Clint takes a deep breath before standing up and pulling out his phone.
"I'm going to call Laura."
I smile sadly as he steps out of the room. It is so hard to see Clint so broken and unsure. The farm was supposed to be his home and his safe space. A place where he could raise his family and not worry about them.

There's a sudden commotion as Peter Quill runs into the room, holding some sort of bleeping device. He is followed swiftly by the racoon and the tree.

"You guys need to see this." He exclaims, pressing a button on the device.
A projection shoots into the air, showing what seems to be a bunch of rocks floating in space.
"What is that?" I question, stepping forward to get a better look.
"That used to be Xandar. It was home to twelve billion people. Now, it is just some pieces of floating rocks." Peter exclaims. "I personally have had many good times on that planet."
Gamora sighs as she steps forward and takes the device out of Peter's hands.
"We have a sort of alliance with the Nova Corps. The Nova Imperial, Rhomann Dey, sent us this warning before he died."

Gamora plays the message, and it shows the carnage on Xandar. Three people stand above everyone else; two men and a woman. I recognise the woman immediately, Mellona. She looks so different, and I notice that her once blue eyes are nearly black with some remnants of electric blue. The Sceptre has been used to control her. The man on her right is another familiar face, Bucky. I glance at Steve, who looks heartbroken at the sight of his best friend. The third person is someone I do not recognise, but I can tell from his eyes that the Sceptre has not been used on him.

"Mellona, who is now known at Hex, and her two associates decimated Xandar. They infiltrated the Nova Corps and stole the Power Stone before destroying the planet and all life on it." Gamora describes.
"Mel did this?" Pietro asks, horrified.
Gamora nods in confirmation.
"And she will do much worse if we do not find her first." Loki speaks up.
"Dude, she's got at least three Infinity Stones. I think we should all jump into a ship and get as far away as possible." Rocket retorts.
Loki's green eyes flash with anger. "Do not call me 'dude', Rabbit." He snarls.
"Rabbit?" Rocket questions to himself.
Thor steps in between the two.
"We are not going to leave Mel to destroy the world. She, and Bucky, are part of our family." Thor growls.
"Thor's right." Steve exclaims. "Mellona and Bucky are under the control of Thanos."
"And the Sceptre." I add.
"Right. We have to find them both before it is too late. If our roles were reversed, they would move heaven and hell to find us."
"We just need to come up with a plan and find out who that other guy is." Tony comments.

"That man is Erik Killmonger." A voice speaks out.
Everyone turns to face the three new people that have walked into the room.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y, why was I not alerted that we had guests?" Tony questions his A.I.
"I apologise, boss. But they are here to help."
"Who are you?" Wanda asks.
Steve walks over to the new people with a broad smile.
"Everyone meet the King of Wakanda, T'Challa. His sister, Shuri. And the General of the Dora Milaje, Okoye."
Tony swears under his breath and hands me a one hundred dollar bill.
"I told you there is a King of Wakanda." I grin.