Chapter Forty-Six: Return to Earth

Gazing at the beautiful planet before him, Arthur sighed, "I've finally come home." Quill, on the other hand, was filled with complicated emotions. Taken away from here by Yondu as a child, he had never returned, living his entire life among the stars. Now, faced with his own birthplace, he felt utterly unfamiliar.

"Alright, let's go to my place. I'll give you all a proper welcome," Arthur said.

Fortunately, it was the middle of the night, so their spaceship was less likely to be noticed. Arthur instructed Rocket to land the ship on the lawn outside his villa.

Arthur's seaside villa was in a fairly remote location, seldom visited by others. Leading the group to the front door, Arthur announced, "This is my home. Welcome to Earth!"

"Your house? Looks pretty nice," Quill remarked.

"I rather like the surroundings here," Gamora said.

"I am Groot!" Groot declared. Rocket and Drax, meanwhile, offered no opinions.

Arthur opened the villa door, turned on the lights, and invited them inside. He noticed the villa had been kept spotless, not a speck of dust anywhere. Opening the fridge, he found little to eat, so he told the five, "Rest for now. Tomorrow, I'll go buy some good food. It's too late tonight."

Arthur arranged for them all to rest. The night passed in silence.

Early the next morning, Arthur woke from a deep, restful sleep. After washing up, he found the others still asleep—clearly, the recent string of events had exhausted them. Arthur removed the bandages from his chest to find his wound had healed. Though it had been serious, the medical technology of Xandar was impressive; in just a few days, he was almost completely recovered, with only a slight ache remaining.

He found his phone—he had several, all issued by S.H.I.E.L.D. After charging one, he called Zhao Long.

"Hello?" Zhao Long's voice came through.

"Hello? Zhao Long, are you at the restaurant?" Arthur asked.

"You... you're the boss?!" Zhao Long exclaimed loudly.

Arthur glanced at his phone. Zhao Long should recognize this number—why was he acting as if he'd seen a ghost?

"It's me. I'm back. Could you buy some groceries for me? I want to entertain some friends!"

Before Arthur finished, Zhao Long hung up. Arthur shook his head. Young people these days—always in a hurry.

"What's the matter?"

"You’re awake?" It was Quill and the others, now up.

"That was the best sleep I've had in years! I haven't slept in a bed for ages," Quill said dramatically.

The others were also satisfied with their rest, though a bit hungry. Arthur told them to wait until Zhao Long brought the groceries.

Soon, the door sounded—Zhao Long had arrived! Arthur saw Zhao Long, Jack, Mike, Lina, Isa, and Omily enter and was speechless. Did none of them have work today?

"Boss!" "Boss!" Isa leaped into Arthur’s arms, the others followed, hugging him and crying as they did.

The three humans, one tree, and one raccoon looked on in confusion. Was this how Earthlings greeted each other? It seemed overly intimate.

Arthur was bewildered too. What was this? He’d only been gone a dozen days; last time he was away for a year and didn’t get such a warm welcome.

"Stop, stop!" Arthur shouted, as their embrace made his wound ache.

"What’s gotten into you? Last time I came back, none of you were this enthusiastic. Some of you even gave me the cold shoulder," Arthur asked, puzzled.

"Boss, the news reported you’d died—gone out in a blaze with aliens," Jack explained.

Arthur was speechless.

After a while, everyone calmed down. Arthur introduced his new friends: four aliens and half a human.

Isa and her companions were intensely curious about Arthur’s friends. Aside from Quill, who seemed relatively normal, there was a green-skinned woman, a gray-skinned muscleman covered in tattoos, a talking raccoon, and a tree-man.

Heavens! What were they seeing?

Still, they took it in stride—after all, Arthur was an Avenger.

Everyone set about preparing a grand feast, celebrating Arthur’s "resurrection" and welcoming his alien guests to Earth.

Some went to the nearby market to buy ingredients and drinks. Meanwhile, Arthur stood at the cliff’s edge, beckoning to the sea; giant lobsters, crabs, and tuna flew into his bucket, leaving Quill utterly amazed. Quill gave him a thumbs-up, marveling at how useful Arthur's powers were.

Two hours later,

In Arthur’s living room, twelve people crowded around a large round table, laden with food and drink.

Arthur raised his glass. "To everyone gathered here! Cheers!"

"Cheers x11!"

Everyone ate and drank heartily, even Groot enjoyed himself. Quill and his companions praised Earth’s food—after all, compared to what they ate on the spaceship, this was a delight.

"…That’s what happened," Zhao Long explained to Arthur what had transpired after his departure from Earth.

"Are you saying the whole world knows me now? And they all think I’m dead?" Arthur asked.

The six nodded.

Arthur was somewhat speechless, but after a moment’s thought, he realized this was a blessing—it meant he could now act in secret.

"Don’t tell anyone I’m alive. I’ll speak to Peter Parker and Tony myself. Keep it a secret for me; I plan to rest for a while," Arthur said.

All six agreed. The meal lasted until evening, after which they departed.

Quill and his team also announced their intention to leave. Having returned Arthur, they were ready to resume their adventures in space.

"Are you sure you don’t want to stay a few more days?" Arthur asked Quill.

"No, we’re not used to staying in one place. Besides, I’m currently wanted by the Ravagers; staying on Earth is too risky," Quill replied.

"Alright, then. Until we meet again!" Arthur handed Quill a box.

"What’s this?" Quill asked, taking it.

"It’s a music player—I’ve downloaded thousands of classic tracks for you, as a keepsake!" Arthur had bought a Sony player and a pair of top-tier headphones, courtesy of Zhao Long’s trip to the city.

"Thank you!" Quill said.

"Be careful of Thanos. If you run into him, just escape if you can. He’s extremely dangerous now that he has the Power Stone," Arthur warned.

The five promised to be cautious, then boarded Quill’s ship and left Earth.

Watching their departing craft, Arthur felt a touch of melancholy, but he was confident they would meet again before long.

…

Arthur settled onto the sofa, deep in thought. His current goal was the Mind Stone; during the last battle in New York, he hadn't obtained Loki’s scepter.

He couldn’t quite recall what happened after S.H.I.E.L.D. acquired the scepter, only that Hydra had somehow used it for experiments.

Arthur needed to find out where the scepter was and retrieve it. After S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra got hold of it, most of them were probably under Hydra’s control.

How could he obtain information? He decided to secretly infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. and capture someone for questioning.

…