Nebula Exposed

As the battle between Thanos and Li Yue peaked, Thanos' subordinate, Ebony Maw, could no longer remain idle.

It was the first time he had seen his master, Thanos, forced into a defensive stance by an unknown human. The invincible Thanos, who dominated the universe, struggled to defend himself against this person.

This realization alarmed Ebony Maw. He knew he couldn't wait any longer and had to prepare for a full-scale attack to help Thanos seize the Infinity Stones from the humans.

Resolute, Ebony Maw returned to the spaceship to gather the army for an assault.

...

Meanwhile, Tony and the others, marveling at Li Yue's prowess, noticed someone approaching from behind.

"Hey, Nebula! Where did you go earlier? We've had some unexpected developments! Thanos from another timeline has followed us here!"

"But don't worry, Mr. Li Yue is fighting him and even has the upper hand! You've missed a lot of action!"

Having bonded with Nebula while stranded in space five years ago, Tony greeted her with curiosity.

Upon hearing that Thanos was fighting and losing, Nebula seemed momentarily shocked, but she didn't answer Tony's questions. Instead, her eyes lit up excitedly when she saw the red Gauntlet, studded with the Infinity Stones, in Rocket's hands.

"You must be tired of holding that. Let me carry it for you."

Nebula walked silently to Rocket and reached out her hand.

"You know, I am feeling a bit tired," Rocket admitted, his small frame struggling to hold the oversized Gauntlet.

"Alright, you can hold it."

Rocket, unperturbed, handed the Gauntlet over, trusting Nebula without hesitation. Despite being the only relatively sane Guardians of the Galaxy member, Rocket's recklessness was usually balanced by Star-Lord and Drax.

...

"Wait, Rocket, don't give her the Gauntlet!"

"Ms. Nebula, can you explain where you've been? It seems like you disappeared while we were deciding who would snap. Thanos must have come through during that time!"

Just as Rocket was about to hand over the Gauntlet, Banner spoke up.

"I've been wondering how Thanos got to our universe. For Thanos to use the Quantum Tunnel, someone here had to activate it from this side. But we shut it down as soon as we returned!"

"Yet, Thanos is here. So, I suspect we have a traitor among us!"

"We've all been together except for you, Nebula. You vanished from our sight!"

"The truth is... there's only one conclusion."

Banner's deduction made everyone look at Nebula with suspicion. Tony quickly transformed his suit's gauntlet into a glowing weapon aimed at Nebula. Hawkeye drew an arrow, ready to shoot.

The group's attention shifted to Nebula, whose odd behavior had now become apparent since their return.

"Who are you? What have you done with the real Nebula?"

Rocket, now wary, retracted the Gauntlet and demanded answers from the imposter.

...

Boom!

A thunderous explosion attracted everyone to the ongoing battle between Li Yue and Thanos. The accompanying shockwave nearly knocked them off their feet.

"Great opportunity!"

The fake Nebula, her plan disrupted by Banner's revelation, saw this distraction as a chance. She pulled out a weapon, advanced alien tech far more powerful than conventional arms, and aimed it at Banner, who had exposed her.

"Bruce, look out!"

Despite being momentarily disoriented by the explosion, Captain America quickly regained his composure. Seeing Nebula aiming at Banner, he instinctively jumped in front, raising his shield.

The fake Nebula pulled the trigger at the same moment, sending a small white energy blast straight at Captain America's shield.

...

Boom!

A loud blast echoed, this time right beside them. Nebula's weapon was far more potent than any grenade, generating a powerful shockwave upon impact with the shield.

The force of the blast threw the humans back, even those with enhanced abilities like Captain America. Only the likes of Banner and Thor remained on their feet, though the debris and dust clouded their vision.

The fake Nebula and Rocket, being close to the explosion's epicenter, were also thrown back. However, the largely mechanical body of the fake Nebula allowed her to recover quickly.

As she stood, preparing to escape, she saw the Gauntlet, studded with the Infinity Stones, lying just a few meters away.

Her eyes gleamed with anticipation.