Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Chapter 24

"Then take me there."

She brushed past him, heading out into the hallway, where her ever-loyal chambermaid, Karissa, was waiting.

"Feeling better, ma'am?" The young woman abandoned her spot by the door as she hurried after her mistress, and Ayesha huffed.

"Barely. Which landing pad is the High Evolutionary's ship docked at?"

"I have no idea, ma'am."

"Pad eighteen." The High Evolutionary's voice echoed through the hall, and Ayesha barely resisted an eye roll.

She wanted nothing more than to send him off, to finally rid herself of his constant, tiring idiocrasy. But if he really knew how to find Adam, then she'd put up with him a little longer.

It was hard, though, to keep her anger contained when the bastard decided to take the lead, leaving her to pause momentarily in the hall and take a nice, deep breath. Oh yes, he'd be gone the moment the Adam issue was resolved.

"Are you visiting the High Evolutionary's ship?" Karissa's voice softened as she paused alongside the high priestess.

Ayesha raised her eyebrows. "Unfortunately. I take no pleasure in it, but there was an...incident today with the warlock, and if the High Evolutionary can fix things before the council hears I lost our grandest investment..." She paused for a heavy sigh, shaking the thought from her mind. "I don't expect you to come along."

Karissa gave a polite nod. "Thank you, ma'am, but I wouldn't want to leave you alone with him." She cast a wary glance at the High Evolutionary, who was still striding down the hall, and Ayesha narrowed her eyes.

"You think me incapable of handling that?" She cast her own look at the purple-clad scientist. "He's a man, a human. Weak. Imperfect. Certainly no threat to me."

She expected Karissa to back down, to duck her head dutifully and shuffle off to find something trivial to bide her time with, but the young woman stood her ground. "All the same, I don't wish to leave you alone. For all your strength, you've had quite the shock today."

Ayesha was tempted to snap at her, but she found a surprising amount of comfort in the words. Not that she'd ever let Karissa know that, of course.

"Fine." Ayesha began to pick up her pace again, leaving her chambermaid to catch up. "Just don't touch anything."

With that, the two followed after the High Evolutionary, winding their way through the halls of the palace and out onto the private docks, where the black and red eyesore of a ship was waiting. Ayesha bristled at the sight. It was a stain, a dismal blot against an otherwise perfectly gilded landscape. She couldn't wait for it to be gone.

The ship's hatch was already open when they arrived, one of the High Evolutionary's assistants standing attentively at the entrance. Ayesha had seen her once or twice before, during some past visits to the ship when Adam had still been in his cocoon. She could have sworn there was supposed to be another one lurking around, but he was nowhere to be seen. Ah well. She didn't care for them anyways. Just two more lower life forms, following after their master and ruining the careful perfection of her people.

"This way." The High Evolutionary brushed past his assistant as he led them into the ship.

The interior was about as wretched as the exterior, its dark walls cluttered with wires and tubing. The High Evolutionary had once explained that such an arrangement was efficient. Ayesha simply found it messy.