Chapter 37

POV Vega

The Broker made contact with me a few hours later. He gave the location of a ship that would take me to Knowhere to meet with the Collector personally. The journey to Knowhere was uneventful, no pirates or random young masters tried to stop the ship.

Honestly it was kind of a let down, but there should be plenty of times to have those experiences later. As we exited the jump point, I got a good look at the severed celestial head. The movies don't do it justice, this massive head that was the Collectors base was awe inspiring.

I briefly wondered how I would hold up against a celestial, but I immediately put a stop to that line of thinking. I was probably going to have to bath in a blue sun, or a quasar for a while to even come close to beating them. I think the only one I could take right now was Ego, and that is getting to him before he even notices me.

Disembarking the ship I'm met by the Collector's slave girl. The one who touched the power stone, with her bare hand. It was foolish to do something like that, but I can't really blame her all she wanted was to be fee. Trying to keep down the bad taste that came to my mouth.

Thinking about how I'm about to negotiate with some who keeps many slaves, who is also one of the Elders of the marvel universe. I don't know how strong he, I am hoping he is like the MCU's version of him. If it's the comics I can expect him to be a though foe.

The girl greets me, "welcome Vega the Collector is expecting you in his museum. Please follow me and I shall escort you in the right direction." I give her I nod in understanding and follow her.

Drawing a blank on her name, I ask her name, "forgive, what is your name? It is only right as you know mine and I don't know yours." She pauses to think, "this lowly one's name is Carina. I am the Collector's aide and servant. I help him by taking care of his property and making sure the Collector is satisfied."

We continue walking after she answers me, and I ask the question that weighs heavily on my mind. "Does the Collector treat all his property and you with care?" She freezes just as we about to enter his museum and I can hear her heart pounding with fear.

She turns to me slowly and says with fear and angry glint in her eyes. "No", after saying that one word that revealed all I needed to know about who I am dealing with.

I breathed a heavy sigh and I prayed all was going to go right with my plan. We walked in through the doors and the Collector's vast array of trinkets where in display everywhere. From famous artifacts of the marvel universe, and numerous endangered species, or anyone the Collector catches an interest in.

Putting on my Batman junior detective hat, and I little bit of kryptonian perception. I looked for key points of interest, be they individuals, artifacts, and the nearest emergency exit of things went wrong.

Which if the nagging feeling I am getting in my gut say some will go terribly wrong. I know I just jinxed myself, and I curse under my breath at how stupid I am for raising a red flag.

With a huff I finally move my eyes to the collector, who has been staring at me like a juicy piece of steak. With a I don't give a fuck attitude, I meet his gaze pulling on some tricks from Odin. Mentally weaving dozens of spells and holding them, and waiting to release them at a drop of that hat if he does anything funny.

With a maniacal grin on his face he greets me. "Welcome to my museum, young one I am Taneleer Tivan the procurer of the rarest collection in the universe. Now before we get down to business, let us talk about you for a moment."

The Collector pauses for a dramatic effect and continues. "I am going to ask one time and one time only. What are you? I can recognize something special when I see it."

He walks closer to me and begins to circle me like a shark looking at its new chew toy. He then stops by my left shoulder, and leans in to inhale my sent. He then whispers in my ear, "you my boy smell unique and I can tell, I have been around for a very long time."

A shiver runs down my perfect spine when he said that and me being not overly fond of men whispering on my ear. Outwardly I showed nothing not an ounce of disgust I have for this man appeared on my face.

I tilted my head to the side as if in confusion and said. "Mr. Tivan, I don't have the foggiest notion of what you are talking about. I am just your average Earthling that learned some Asgardian magic."

I turned my head to him, and raised my eyebrows and continued. "Now of you would kindly stop gazing at me in longing. We have business to discuss."

After I finished talking he turned away from and sat down at a desk. He poured himself self a glass of what smells like alcohol, and with out looking at me he said. "No, you're not just an ordinary Earthling. Are you, I can feel the magic you are talking and it's definitely Asgardian in nature. But it's just the surface, below that is an endless well of strength. I can feel from here you are like a star going supernova. You literally radiating light, and at the same time you are absorbing it at a rate I can not calculate."

He pauses to catch his breath and continues, "you are an enigma that I simply must have in my collection. A will torture you for your secrets of your powers and you be on display, so that I can admire something so unique in this universe."

The Collector then activates something on his armband. Knowing that plan a has with out a doubt failed, and honestly I was kind of hoping he would want to add me to his collection. This gives me all of the justification I need to bring this slaver down a peg or two, and while doing so rob him of his priceless collection.

Letting the spells I was holding back fly. I bombarded him with the equivalent of a magic drone strike, and ran so fast i basically teleported right next to him. I was not going to give this degenerate an ounce of time to prepare any counter measures.

As I was looming behind him ready to knock him unconscious, I felt some kind barrier wrap around my whole body. That barrier tried to fling me away from the Collector, but it didn't even budge me an inch.

But it did give the Collector time to scramble away. He looked me dead in the eyes and said. "Fascinating, that barrier should crushed your limbs leaving you defenseless. No matter I had that designed for someone a lot more powerful than you. You won't be able to even lift a finger, you are mine now Vega and will learn everything about you."

I looked at him like he was stupid because, if what he said was true this barrier should be indestructible. I exhale to gather my thoughts and I let my instincts take over for a second to better understand the problem in front of me.

Center my mind I ask him a question, "if I am powerless can I ask who this barrier was designed for?" He grins in triumph and answers, "perhaps you have heard of her, she is also from earth as well. She is known as Captain Marvel out here in the great expanse of the universe. She is a uniquely gifted woman and a powerful warrior. While you are strong and I will freely admit that, you can not possibly compare to a being empowered by an infinity stone."

After I hearing that I couldn't help myself from laughing. When I calm down I look him directly in the eyes and say. "You think this barrier will stop me just because you had it designed for Captain Marvel. Well I got news for you bub, Captain Marvel is a pale imitation of the man my powers are based on. Allow me to give you a demonstration and let it be sealed in your mind for eternity."

Finished with my hero speech, I allow myself to exert my muscles. With a fizzle the barrier dissolves into nothingness and not even a second later. I am in front of him holding the Collector off the ground by his throat. "You see buddy I am what we like to call on earth, just built different."

As he is chocking I use my x-ray vision to scan him and mind ever piece of tech on his person. His body is literally filled with little gadgets and gizmos. So to relieve him of his goodies, I turn on my heat vision and destroy each and piece that I can find. Satisfied I scan his head and find the area for higher functions and memories.

I say to him before I continue, "I don't know if in this universe you and the other elders are banned from death or not. So I can't kill, if I don't know you are going to come back someday to haunt me at the worst moment. Trust me I want to I really do beings like you would make me break my rule, and I would do so gladly to save more innocents in the long run."

I catch my breath my resolve hardening for what I am about to do. "What I am about to do will be worse then death for you, I am going to lobotomize you myself taking away all higher functions and memories from you for eternity."

His bloodshot eyes bulge in horror, and he tries to feebly break my hold on his throat. Looking into his eyes in pity I think of his victims. Without a doubt he is a bad man from my point of view and I refuse to let him keep adding to his so called collection.

My mind made up I concentrate my heat vision to its finest point and let them refract through his eyes into the areas of his brain I saw before. With a startled gasp he loses consciousness, and when I let him go he slumps onto the floor with drool coming out of his mouth.

With a solemn nod at my handy work I turn to all of the inhabitants of is museum. They are all looking at me in fear and in some of their eyes I can see a little hope creep back into their being. This was a total mess and a failure on my part to think better ahead, but at least all of these people will be free now.