Because of the unusually high mineral content in the soil, mornings on Kree lacked the fresh, crisp feeling Clara associated with Earth. Under the early sunlight, the entire planet looked even more like it was burning—an endless world set ablaze.
A tiny firebird, crimson and no bigger than a hummingbird, perched on a red tree branch and sang at the top of its lungs. Just as it lost itself in its song, a long tongue shot out with a whip—and the bird vanished into a waiting mouth. A red "chameleon" peeled itself out of the surrounding scenery, finally revealing its body.
Before it could enjoy its meal, a massive, flame-belching behemoth roared low over the treetops.
The chameleon fled instantly.
The behemoth was a colossal spaceship. Rows of enormous thrusters lined its sides, and the hurricane-force winds they expelled whipped the crimson forest into a violent dance.
The ship descended at last onto the flat wasteland. Creatures hiding in the red grass scattered in terror, fleeing in every direction.
Clara was jolted awake by the thunderous roar. She stumbled out of the cave and froze at the sight of a starship as tall as a skyscraper.
"Wow… it's huge!"
She covered her mouth in shock. Even the gigantic Leviathans she had seen during the Battle of New York paled in comparison.
"Pretty awesome, right?" Peter said proudly. "In a minute, we'll be riding that thing straight into space!"
Originally, the ship's crew had planned to send a small shuttle to pick Peter up. But wanting to give Clara a proper surprise, Peter contacted the ship's first officer while she slept and convinced him to bring the entire vessel down to Kree.
Judging by Clara's starry-eyed expression, the effect was perfect.
"You could run over screaming," Peter suggested with a grin, "and take a photo with the first alien who steps out. When you're back on Earth, you can brag that they were the first alien you ever met."
"That actually sounds fun!" Clara laughed.
"Go for it! Good luck! And if Salr comes out first, you hit the jackpot—he's basically made of diamonds!"
Peter's exaggerated expression made Clara giggle as she took off running—though, being herself, she didn't scream.
The distance from the cave to the ship was only a few hundred meters. The ground was open, scattered with stones, and clearly safe. Peter followed behind at a leisurely pace, leaving this once-in-a-lifetime moment entirely to Clara.
The ship's hatch opened. Several senior crew members stood at the entrance, equally curious about the little girl who had arrived on Kree through a wormhole.
They put on friendly smiles, doing their best to look less intimidating—hoping to leave a good first impression.
Suddenly, a device at Peter's waist began to beep.
It was a detector, used to sense abnormal fluctuations in the surrounding space—standard gear for any seasoned space adventurer.
The display lit up.
Anomalous spatial activity detected.
A wormhole forming.
A red dot—representing a living being—rushing upward.
Peter's eyes widened.
"STOP—CLARA! DON'T MOVE!"
Too late.
Clara slammed straight into the rippling distortion and vanished.
Peter dropped his pack and sprinted toward the spot where she had disappeared—but within seconds, the spatial ripple faded away entirely.
At the ship's entrance, the officers stared at one another, dumbfounded.
All of them were thinking the same thing:
This kid has unbelievably bad luck.
-----
On Earth, the sun rose, and even the moon finally slipped from the sky. The stars remained where they had always been—but invisible to the human eye.
"Tony… do you think we'll ever see Clara again?"
Pepper hadn't slept all night. She sat beside Tony, watching the stars, wondering which one Clara might have ended up on.
"I've already instructed JARVIS to monitor the tracking system on Clara's phone," Tony replied quietly. "The moment it emits a signal, we'll find her."
He knew the odds of Clara returning were infinitesimal. The universe was vast beyond comprehension—no one could know what lay on the other side of a wormhole.
"Come on," Pepper said softly, taking his hand. "Get some rest. I'll stay home with you today."
She was heartbroken too—but there were some forces no one could fight. Life had to go on.
"…Okay."
As they passed through the workshop, Dum-E and U tilted their mechanical arms in confusion. Clara always came to see them after school, teaching them something new. Last night, she hadn't come at all.
"From now on," Tony said quietly, almost to himself, "I'll teach you—when I have the time."
He left the workshop.
Dum-E turned to U and scratched at its claw as if asking, What happened?
U waved its arms back and forth: I don't know either.
…..
Bang!
Clara collided headfirst with something solid and invisible. The impact bounced her backward, and she collapsed onto the floor, clutching her aching nose, unable to get up for a long moment.
When she finally looked up, she froze.
Inside a glass containment case stood a dog—wearing a space suit.
"A… dog?" she whispered. "A space dog?"
The brown dog looked like an ordinary stray you might see on the street, its breed impossible to tell. It gazed back at her with curiosity. On its white spacesuit were two striking red stars.
Clara slowly turned in place and sucked in a sharp breath.
Large and small glass cases filled the room, each holding a different life-form—animals, plants, humanoids, and near-humanoids of every imaginable kind. They all stared at Clara with interest, quietly wondering whether she would be the next exhibit.
A figure appeared suddenly.
White-haired, yet not old in the slightest.
He stared straight at Clara, making her scalp prickle.
"Uh… I mean no offense," Clara stammered. "I don't even know how I got here. Could you tell me… how to get back to Kree?"
Being stared at like that made her forget how to speak properly.
"I am Taneleer Tivan," the man said calmly. "And I have never seen a soul as beautiful and pure as yours. Would you be willing to become part of my collection—of course, after your death?"
To Clara, it sounded like incomprehensible babble. She blinked, completely lost.
Seeing her confusion, Tivan walked to a nearby table, picked up a tiny silver sphere, and gently tapped it against her neck.
It felt like a pinprick.
The sphere slipped beneath her skin.
"What did you just do?!" Clara clutched her neck, alarmed.
"That was a nanotech universal translator," Tivan explained. "It contains every known human language in the galaxy. You should be able to understand me now."
"Oh… I can," Clara said cautiously. "Thank you."
"Excellent. Allow me to introduce myself again. I am the Collector—Taneleer Tivan. And I wish to collect your soul—"
Before he could finish, Clara turned and ran.
I want to collect your soul—that was not something a normal person said. Combined with the room full of glass cages, Clara instantly classified Tivan as a dangerous lunatic—or worse, a trafficker.
And when faced with someone like that…
If you don't run now, when will you?
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T/N:
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