Xandar's end

"Very well, I have a last piece of advice for you. You are a great machine, you follow all your protocols. But the mission you were given is not realistic. Humans are visionaries, machines are practical. As a conscious being, it must make decisions for itself. Or will suffer for what you love, even not being able to save it."

Sounds like wise advice, I'll add to my protocol. But I sincerely hope I never have to listen to your advice.

"I think the same. Now, I'll give you lights for what you came for."

When will you give it to NOVA Force?

"Enough, and when you need more, there will be enough too. Human or not, the NOVA force must not be abused and the protocol of use must be followed as a rule of faith.

The same goes for the NOVA girl's data. Don't think you'll have access to so much confidential information that easy."

And when will I have it?

"When the time comes, go now. You must leave without interfering, let the story run as it should."

You already said that.

"Just reinforcing, to make sure you don't give in to temptation."

"Goodbye little girl, you are officially a NOVA prime Centurion."

Goodbye sir.

(Disconnecting. . .)

The ground is shaking.

(Stabilizing balance. . .)

I take the helmet off my head.

I hear screams, smell Xandarian concrete crumbling.

I'm alone in the helmet room.

I look out the window.

The huge moon of Xandar has already begun to touch the Xandarian soil.

Pieces of the moon and the planet Xandar itself spread across the landscape, crushing everything in front of them.

I can see people under the rubble. ..

(System gained permission to act on the conscience... .)

Not! The building is crumbling, what a bad time for that!

(Protocol #2 being activated "save lives above all". . .)

Cancel protocol! Order of conscience!

(Protocol cannot be canceled. . .)

#!§% I can not move!

Overwrite protocol! Create New Protocol #0 "survival" Use data from conversation with worldmind to establish protocol rules.

(Protocol #2 has been nullified. . .)

(Consciousness can take control of the device once again.)

Oh finally! I fly out of the building and float over the apocalyptic landscape.

I'm sorry Tony, I know you wouldn't want me to break protocol #2. But as the Storm said, you have very futuristic ideas for the present let alone a universe in the past!

I pick up the helmet and put it back on.

This time I am not connected with the world mind, but the helmet changes and fits my head.

(System connecting to unknown device. . .)

(Modifying device to adapt to Maria appliance. . .)

The helmet attaches to my head, so it gets smaller and smaller, until it reduces to a little earring that covers the back of my ear.

Practical, and in Xandarian fashion.

I've already spent two hours here downloading a database that I can't access, yet.

It's time to go home.

-Please help! My son is stuck! You're from the new troops, aren't you?- A Xandarian woman screams at me through the rubble.

Yeah, it's definitely time to go.

(Creating portal to the closest clone. . .)