What If…? - Second Season

Welcome to Xandar.

A place where everyone's luck eventually runs out.

Even Yondu's.

Someone did this to him.

But the question is, who?

Corpsman Nebula, you can step away from the body.

The real cops are here.

Looks like a career criminal got what was coming to him.

Works for me.

All right, boys, I want this scene scrubbed and wrapped up in the hour.

Already cracked the case, huh?

I don't need Black Order trash telling me how to do my job.

Former Black Order.

I earned my stars here, same as you.

Is there a problem, Corpsman?

This is Xandar.

All we got are problems.

I see.

Move it. I said within the hour.

Time.

Space.

Reality.

It's more than a linear path.

It's a prism of endless possibility,

where a single choice can branch out into infinite realities,

creating alternate worlds from the ones you know.

I am the Watcher.

I am your guide through these vast new realities.

Follow me and ponder the question...

"What if?"

All quests for redemption begin in darkness.

And Nebula's was no different.

In this universe, Ronan the Accuser betrayed Thanos.

The Mad Titan's thirst for power had met its match.

And in his fall, he took Nebula's sister along with him.

...sister along with him.

I was lost, adrift in the ruins of my past.

Until someone saw the light in me.

With compassion and kindness, Nova Prime gave me a way forward.

Take my hand.

I swore the Nova Corps oath.

Seek the light, be the light.

Never stray from its path.

Little did I know, our darkest days still lay ahead,

when the man who destroyed my first home came gunning for my new one.

- Go! Move it! - Run! Run!

Ronan and his forces attacked,

bringing Xandar to the verge of destruction.

Out of options, Nova Prime made a desperate call.

Fire up the shield generator.

She locked down Xandar behind an impenetrable planetary shield

designed to last for 50 years,

putting the planet out of his reach.

Xandar was saved for the time being.

But at what cost?

Five years in, isolation has brought out the worst in all of us.

Still, hope or no hope, I took an oath.

Garthan Saal and his lackeys

wasted their time hunting for the killer's weapon,

when they really should have been looking

for the victim's.

Yondu and I had a past and some memories to go with it.

Memories I could use.

You and I, Nebby, we make quite the team.

You and I, Nebby, we make quite the team.

You and I, Nebby, we make quite the team.

You and I, Nebby, we make quite the team.

You and I, Nebby, we make...

What?

Oh, Yondu. What did you get into?

So, no results?

Sorry, Officer.

There are no records of these schematics in any archive on Xandar.

Not even on the shadow network?

Negative. Thank you for your enquiry.

Pleasure's all mine.

Riot in progress.

Send two more units to the Xandarian mall, stat.

No can do. Dealing with power failure

on the south side.

Corpsman Nebula, I heard you were at Yondu's crime scene.

I know you two had a past.

We did.

He had a checkered rep but he was never a bad egg.

And neither were you.

You took a chance on me. I'll never forget it.

I trusted you then and I'm trusting you now.

Ma'am?

Switch to a secure line.

Done.

Xandar's on the brink.

Yondu got himself caught up with some dark forces on the rise,

and if I'm right, Xandar only has until dawn.

I did find something at the crime scene.

I'm not sure what it is, but it seems Yondu gave his life to protect it.

Those instincts are why I gave you the stars, Nebula.

Follow them.

And use any means necessary.

Or I fear Xandar won't see another sunrise.

Do you understand my orders, Corpsman?

I won't let you down.

You have a warrant?

Yeah!

I am Groot.

No!

Hey. Is the big man in?

High rollers' table, sis.

But fair warning,

he does not like to be bothered when he's on a hot streak.

Hey, Howard.

- You. - How's business?

The world's falling apart and I'm running a casino.

Things are great.

And speaking of great... Waitress,

could you bring us some small bites for the reflective woman over here?

Or do you just eat megabytes?

Aw, jeez. Are you ever off the clock?

All right, folks. Big Daddy needs the room.

But, Howie, the hot streak.

- Mindy, come on. - Okay, I'm sorry.

Yeah, you come back later.

So, if you have this arrow,

I'm guessing Yondu's finally turned a paler shade of blue.

He gave his life to protect this.

Now that is some serious glitz.

I ran these schematics

through every archive on Xandar.

- Nothing could ID them. - Oh!

You have a hand in every pot, Howard.

- Top shelf! - What do you know?

Talk about secrets from the... Nebby, this is some pretty great business.

- What is it? - What is it?

- That's what I asked. - You're the detective.

- That's why I'm asking you a question. - How should I know?

Look at this thing.

What kind of absolute freak would know what this is?

Oh, that's an old city-wide mainframe core.

It's a unit B-42, I believe.

I didn't think there were many of those left.

- How would you know that? - I know all sorts of things.

- I'm more than just a pretty face. - I repeat, what the hell?

Data core. What's in it?

Quite the hodgepodge, actually.

Sanitation department, metadata, unpaid parking tickets,

rush hour statistics, source code for the shield generator,

even an actual kitchen sink.

- Go back one. - Unpaid parking tickets?

- No. - Rush hour statistics?

- The other back one. - Source code for the shield generator?

Bingo.

Looks like someone might be trying to take down the planetary shield.

But why would anyone wanna do that?

Someone's making way for an invasion.

I need to get into that mainframe and destroy those codes

- before they get out. - Whoa, Nebby, you sure about all this?

Places like that, not everyone who goes in comes out.

Which means that many of the people who enter these premises

end up dead, forever.

Forever dead.

I'm on this case, no matter where it takes me.

If I wanted to get inside that mainframe,

I'd need someone with a rep for breaching high-end security.

Someone who'd infiltrated Xandarian systems before.

Inmate request?

X2357.

Do you understand that entering a correctional facility

can be hazardous to your health?

- I do. - Hey!

Do you waive all rights and liability

and understand that anything that happens here

- is your own responsibility? - Uh-huh.

I waive all the rights.

Corpsman Nebula.

Yon-Rogg.

Still rocking the same look, I see.

Oh.

Oh, you know me. No muss, no fuss.

No muss, no fuss indeed. It's been a while.

I'm tight on time

and I need someone who knows their way around Xandarian security.