"I choose the second option."
Peter Quill raised his hand instantly, as if afraid the offer might expire.
Promises had never weighed much on him. Agree now, survive, then look for an escape later. His legs worked just fine. Nobody could watch him forever.
He shot Yondu a look. Yondu hesitated for less than a second, then nodded.
"Second option."
Rocket didn't even bother pretending to think. His mind was already three steps ahead. He'd broken out of twenty prisons across the galaxy. Whatever this floating island was, he treated it as just another holding cell. Temporary.
"We choose the second option too," Rocket said, Groot nodding beside him.
Only Gamora stayed silent.
She frowned, instincts prickling. She wasn't the smartest in the room, but she trusted her intuition more than logic. Something felt wrong. Rowan Mercer looked far too relaxed. Far too amused.
They were aliens. Dangerous ones. Did he really believe keeping them around wouldn't backfire?
And that smile… it wasn't mercy. It was certainty.
Still, the alternative was death.
"I choose the second option," she said at last.
Rowan laughed, genuinely pleased.
"Excellent. A wise decision."
He rose from his chair.
"From today onward, you are the Enhanced Guard. Your role is simple. Protect the academy, and serve as Earth's interface with extraterrestrial civilizations."
Their expressions froze.
"And tomorrow," Rowan added casually, "you're coming with me off-world."
"Off-world?" Quill echoed.
"Yes," Rowan said, turning to Gamora. "You're Thanos's adopted daughter. You can reach him, or at least track him. Tomorrow we find him. We eliminate him. Then we move on."
He waved a hand dismissively.
"Get some rest."
With that, Rowan vanished, Tesseract in hand, leaving four stunned faces behind.
Four, not five.
Groot was still staring at his own limbs, trying to understand why his branches had stopped obeying him earlier. He hadn't processed a word.
The next day, after brief farewells with Professor Charles and the others, Rowan boarded Quill's ship with the five of them and left Earth behind.
Their destination was Yondu's Ravager carrier. From there, they would use the ship's long-range systems to lure Thanos into revealing his location.
As the ship drifted through the stars, Gamora finally spoke.
"Headmaster," she said carefully, "I really think you should reconsider. Thanos isn't just powerful. He has generals. Armies. A fleet feared by entire empires."
She'd seen Rowan fight. She knew he was terrifyingly strong. But Thanos wasn't alone. That difference mattered.
Quill and the others shared her unease. If Rowan lost, they wouldn't get a second chance.
Rowan leaned back in his seat, eyes on the endless starlight beyond the viewport.
"Relax," he said lightly. "I have a plan. Thanos will die."
They didn't fully believe him, but it was enough to ease the tension.
If they knew his plan amounted to finding Thanos's fleet and carving through it head-on until nothing remained, none of them would have slept at all.
Thirty minutes later, Quill's ship docked with Yondu's Ravager carrier.
The moment Yondu stepped out, his crew swarmed him.
"Boss, did it work?" someone shouted. "Who are these people?"
Before Yondu could answer, Rowan stepped forward.
"From this moment on," he said calmly, "this ship is under my command. Yondu answers to me. And so do all of you."
Laughter erupted.
One of the larger Ravagers, electricity crackling across his scarred face, sneered.
"Who do you think you are? Another Terran like Quill? Never tried Terran meat before. Let's see how you taste."
A green flash.
In the next instant, the Ravager was gone. No body. No scream. Flesh and soul erased as if they had never existed.
"I dislike loud people," Rowan said mildly. "Especially ugly ones."
Silence crashed down over the deck.
Ravagers weren't heroes. They robbed, burned, sold lives. Many of Yondu's crew had joined precisely because he ignored lines others wouldn't cross.
Rowan didn't care.
This wasn't justice. It was authority.
Weapons came up anyway. Desperation overrode fear.
Rowan raised a finger.
Every gun tore free from its owner's hands and snapped around, muzzles pointed back at their faces.
A surge of energy exploded outward.
High-voltage current ripped through the deck. Bodies collapsed, smoke curling from armor and skin.
"Yondu," Rowan said calmly, "tell them who's in charge."
Yondu swallowed, sweat breaking across his brow.
"From now on," he shouted, "Rowan Mercer is the captain of this ship. His orders are my orders. You will obey."
As the crew groaned on the floor, Yondu stared at Rowan with new eyes.
He had thought the man's earlier threats were theater.
Now he understood.
Compared to this, even the Mad Titan felt… negotiable.