Daniel and Carol flew back to the spaceship waiting in outer space.
The moment the hatch closed, they saw Talos standing there to greet them, his face glowing with excitement, and he was absolutely thrilled, so thrilled that he could barely stop himself from laughing.
"Haha! The heroes have returned!"
"I'm not a hero," Daniel replied.
"To us Skrulls, you are," Talos said with a broad smile.
To a people who had been driven from their homes by the Kree, anyone capable of sinking an entire continent on the Kree homeworld and killing hundreds of millions of Kree was a hero, and it felt like taking a gulp of ice-cold water in the middle of a scorching summer, leaving Talos refreshed from head to toe, with even his body seeming lighter.
The three of them walked towards the control room. Along the way, Carol tapped the display on her left wrist, and her combat suit instantly transformed into a set of casual clothes.
Daniel's eyes immediately lit up.
That's way too convenient! I want one too!
His suit certainly looked cooler, and its defensive capabilities were better than Carol's suit, but it was incredibly inconvenient.
Besides, what use was that level of defense to him? His skin was tougher than the suit itself.
The only reason he'd originally made his clothes out of Vibranium was because he couldn't control his strength very well back then, and whenever he got excited, he'd accidentally tear his clothes apart.
But now, he could perfectly control his power, so this suit was basically useless, and the more Daniel thought about it, the stranger it felt.
"Why do I even have this suit?"
"Just to look cool?"
All of a sudden, his suit didn't seem nearly as impressive as it had before.
"I came all the way to Hala. It'd be a shame to leave empty-handed."
Daniel nodded to himself.
"The Kree destroyed one of my suits, so asking them to compensate me with a few standard-issue combat suits is perfectly reasonable."
By the time they reached the control room, Daniel saw Yon-Rogg lying there, looking half-dead.
"I went all the way to Earth and personally delivered one of your fellow Kree back home, so asking for a few combat suits isn't unreasonable at all."
The more he thought about it, the more justified it sounded.
Everyone took their seats. The lion beast god, Leo, happily trotted over to Carol.
"You were super cool during that fight! I admire you so much!"
As he spoke, he tried rubbing his head affectionately against her leg.
Bang!
Carol kicked him flying.
It would've been better if he hadn't said anything. The moment he mentioned the battle, she remembered floating in the sky like an idiot while not a single attack came her way, as though she had been invisible.
The Kree hadn't fired even once at her, and for someone who loved fighting as much as Carol that had been incredibly frustrating.
The stupid lion had chosen the worst possible thing to praise, and his attempt at flattery had backfired immediately.
Leo pitifully crawled back. He couldn't understand what he'd done wrong.
Why had he been kicked? The last two Beast Gods had always appreciated it whenever he said the same thing after they fought Bast, the Panther Goddess.
So, why didn't it work with Carol? Leo was completely baffled and could only grumble to himself.
"Humans are so troublesome."
"Lionesses are much more fun."
...
"What are you going to do next?" Daniel asked Carol.
She thought for a moment before pointing at the stiffly seated Talos.
"Help them rebuild their home and help other civilizations."
Those words made Talos's smile widen.
"You won't travel around and have fun with me for a while first?"
"No," Carol shook her head.
"There are too many weak civilizations that need my help, so I need to get started as soon as possible."
Daniel frowned slightly, looking displeased.
It's fine, but you've changed, Carol. You used to love hanging out with me, but now that you've found your own purpose... you're leaving me behind.
Women are all the same.
Daniel suddenly thought of Susan.
When they need you, they're incredibly nice, and when they don't... they kick you aside.
"Then I'll go have fun by myself," Daniel said.
After a brief pause, he added, "That's fine too."
He hadn't expected Carol to leave him so soon, and a trace of disappointment filled his heart.
This wasn't how he'd imagined things, but now that Carol had found her own goal.
Could he stop her? Of course not, so right now, all Daniel could do was support her and wish her well.
...
Daniel prepared a farewell dinner for Carol, and he cooked every dish himself without relying on machines.
Daniel spent every day with nothing much to do, constantly researching ways to eat better and have more fun, and as a result, his cooking skills were exceptional. He had signature dishes from cuisines all over the world.
Combined with his super brain, super vision, and super hearing, along with several years spent wandering the Earth and studying with genuine dedication, Daniel had developed culinary skills comparable to those of a Michelin three-star chef.
To properly send Carol off, he put in tremendous effort. He transformed the meat from the two Beast Gods into an astonishing variety of dishes, and even Yon-Rogg was invited to the table.
The four people and one beast ate to their hearts' content. After the meal, Daniel carried Yon-Rogg while he and Carol returned to Hala.
"They're back again?!"
The Accusers, who were in the middle of a meeting, nearly disappeared on the spot.
"Don't run," Daniel called out. "We just need to discuss something. We'll leave afterward."
The Accusers reluctantly sat back down, feeling utterly miserable. They hated the smiling face before them with every fiber of their being and wanted nothing more than to tear it apart, yet they had no choice but to pretend nothing was wrong.
Because there was nothing they could do, they simply couldn't beat him.
"This is only temporary restraint."
"It's all for the Empire."
"The Empire can't endure any more damage."
"Even surviving with our broken bodies is our contribution to the Empire."
Some of the Accusers even had tears forming in their eyes.
"One of my suits got destroyed today."
Daniel put away his smile.
"And I didn't bring many with me, so I'm running short."
"We'll compensate you."
"And Carol's going to help the Skrulls find a new home, so we're splitting up. We only have one spaceship..."
"We recently built another Accuser warship."
The lead Accuser spoke in a low, hoarse voice, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Seeing how cooperative they were, Daniel immediately brightened, smiling as he patted the lead Accuser on the shoulder.
"You guys are really nice! If we weren't enemies, I'd actually want to be friends with you."
"I had an amazing experience on Hala. If I get the chance, I'll definitely come back."
The Accusers nearly fell out of their seats.
"Please don't. You're not welcome here!" they all screamed inwardly.
After receiving few sets of Kree combat suits, Daniel and Carol boarded the Accuser warship. As they watched the ship slowly disappear into space, the previously expressionless Accusers immediately began smashing everything in sight.
"This is outrageous!"
"They've gone too far!"
"Damn him!"
"I'm going to tear him apart!"
Curses echoed throughout the room, and after everyone had finished venting, they suddenly noticed Daniel standing right in front of them.
The Accusers' hearts nearly leaped out of their chests, and cold sweat instantly covered their foreheads.
Daniel narrowed his eyes and silently stared at them. A long moment passed, then he smiled toward Yon-Rogg, who was sitting in the corner.
"I forgot something."
Yon-Rogg looked at him blankly.
"Even though we had a nice meal together just now, and you've behaved yourself during the past month... I'm sorry."
Daniel grabbed Yon-Rogg and repeatedly slammed him into the floor.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
After dozens of impacts, the Beast God meat Yon-Rogg had just eaten, which had barely restored his body was effectively wasted, and he was once again reduced to his half-dead state.
Looking utterly confused, he stared at Daniel.
Being beaten didn't bother him anymore, after all, once you've experienced something enough times, you get used to it.
What confused him was... why had Daniel come all the way back just to beat him up?
"I originally planned to cripple you."
Leaving behind that single sentence, Daniel flew away.
The Accusers looked sympathetically at the battered Yon-Rogg.
"That month on Earth..."
"He must have suffered terribly."
...
Leo flailed helplessly in midair, as Carol was carrying him by the tail.
"I'm leaving," Carol said her goodbye to Daniel.
"Mm..." Daniel smiled.
"Don't push yourself, and if things get dangerous, retreat first."
He reminded her once again.
"I know."
"You have to come back to Earth every Christmas."
"Alright."
"Then..."
Daniel spread his arms.
"One hug?"
Carol stepped forward and hugged him tightly.
"I'm off."
After letting go, she boarded the warship they had obtained from the Kree without looking back. Talos was about to follow her aboard, but Daniel stopped him.
"Don't push my sister around. She's a bit naive, so don't try to use that against her."
"I won't."
Talos smiled.
"We're friends."
Daniel stared at him for a moment.
"...I suppose we are."
The two men embraced as well.
"Help me keep an eye on her."
Talos nodded, then he boarded the ship.
The hatch closed, and the two-spacecraft separated. After watching Carol's ship enter hyperspace and disappear, Daniel returned to the control room.
"So, it's just me now."
He sighed.
"Sir, you still have me."
Shit Stark's voice rang through the room.
Daniel smiled.
"I'm starting to like you, Shit Stark. I'll officially allow you to choose your own name now."
After all, "Shit Stark" had only been a joke, and it wasn't funny forever.
"Thank you, sir."
"May I call myself Ultron?"
It asked.
"Ultron?"
Daniel nearly choked.
"Why would you choose that name?"
"Right now, I'm just a simple program, but I hope that one day... I can become the ultimate program. A truly intelligent lifeform."
Well, "Ultron" could be interpreted as an abbreviation for "Ultimate Program."
Thinking about it, Daniel could only cough awkwardly.
"...That day will come."
For some reason, Daniel suddenly had a strange feeling. The future main villain of Avengers: Age of Ultron, might end up being created by his own hands.
"Alright then..."
"Shit..."
"I mean..."
"Ultron."
Daniel corrected himself.
"Let's set off."
"Our destination... Knowhere."
"Understood, sir."
Ultron replied.