Marvel: Rebirth Roulette

"Plan? Sure," I said, trying to keep up the act. "How about we pretend we're on a mission together?"

Her eyes narrowed. "What kind of mission?"

I thought fast. "How about we hunt down the guy who put the bounty on me?"

"Who's that?"

"No idea," I said, smiling. "But I bet it's someone who deserves it."

Lyra studied me for a long moment before finally nodding. "Fine. But if this is a trick..."

"No tricks," I said. "Just a little bit of fun."

And with that, we set off into the chaotic streets of Knowhere, looking for trouble. And if we found it, well, that was just part of the adventure.

Lyra's hand remained on her blaster, but the tension in her grip had eased. She watched me closely, the flicker of doubt in her gaze replaced by a begrudging curiosity. I could tell she was starting to realize that maybe—just maybe—I wasn't the monster she'd been led to believe. But the wariness remained, a constant reminder of the precarious line I was walking.

We talked shop as we moved through the crowded streets, swapping tales of close calls and successful bounties. She spoke of her time in the Kree military, her voice tinged with the bitterness of a soldier who'd seen too much. I talked about... well, I talked about whatever VIX whispered in my ear to sound like I knew what I was doing. She nodded along, occasionally smirking when she caught on to a lie. But she didn't call me out on it, which I took as a good sign.

We ended up in a seedy part of the city, a place where the neon lights were a little dimmer and the aliens looked a little shadier. It was a neighborhood where everyone had secrets, and everyone knew better than to ask about them. The perfect place to start hunting for the elusive "guy who put the bounty on me."

Lyra led the way, her boots echoing off the metal ground. She had a knack for blending in, her sharp eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of our quarry. Meanwhile, I stumbled along, trying not to gawk at the sights and failing miserably. A giant space slug slithered by, a gang of two-headed thieves eyeing us from the shadows, and a Jovian space cowboy serenading a tentacled creature with a love ballad.

As we approached a dingy bar, she finally spoke. "Looks like a good place to start."

"Great," I said, trying not to sound too enthusiastic. "I've got a good feeling about this."

VIX snickered in my mind. "You always say that before you get us killed."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I muttered.

Lyra pushed open the door, and the sounds of a heated card game and questionable music filled the air. The patrons looked up, a mix of surprise and hostility in their eyes. But when they saw Lyra, they quickly returned to their drinks, pretending we weren't there.

We took a table in the corner, and she leaned in close. "Why are you really here, Cody?"

I met her gaze, keeping my expression as neutral as I could. "To survive," I said truthfully. "But maybe there's more to it than that."

For a moment, she studied me, those yellow eyes searching for the truth. Then, she nodded, a hint of something—respect, maybe—flickering in her gaze. "Alright," she said. "Let's find this bounty hunter."

And so, our unlikely partnership began, with the fate of our lives hanging in the balance. Would I charm my way out of this mess, or would my luck finally run out? Only the cosmos knew, and it was keeping its cards close to its chest.

We had barely settled into our booth when the doors of the bar slammed open, and a horde of bounty hunters flooded in. They were a motley crew of mercs and misfits, all with the same cold glint of greed in their eyes. They had us surrounded.

"Well, VIX," I murmured, "now's your time to shine."

"Oh, darling," she purred in my mind, "I never miss an opportunity to stir the pot."

Lyra's hand shot to her blaster, but she didn't draw it. She leaned back, a smirk playing at the corners of her lips. "Looks like the party's started without us."

The leader of the hunters, a hulking brute with a neck beard that could double as a floor mat, sauntered over. "Lyra Voss," he growled. "You're off duty. This one's mine."

"You can have him," she said, gesturing to me. "But I get the next round."

Before he could respond, she'd vaulted over the bar and was slicing through the air with the grace of a ballet dancer and the ferocity of a tornado. Blaster bolts flew, and the bounty hunters dropped like flies. Her combat skills were a thing of beauty—precise, brutal, and utterly mesmerizing.

I, on the other hand, had to rely on my luck. And shapeshifting. Which, admittedly, was less graceful and more like watching a toddler trying to play Twister on a greased floor. But desperation is the mother of invention.

I focused, picturing myself as a giant, snarling beast—only to end up as a slightly larger version of myself with a snout and furry ears. The bounty hunters paused, their laughter filling the bar. But when I lunged, my newfound ferocity seemed to catch them off guard. And with a bit of luck, I knocked two of them into a pile of their own blasters, which proceeded to go off in a spectacular display of unintended fireworks.

VIX whispered in my ear, "Remember, Cody. When in doubt, shapeshift and run."

So I did. I morphed into a sleek, four-legged creature that could zip through the chaos with surprising agility. The hunters chased me, but every time they thought they had me cornered, I'd slip away, leaving them to tangle with their own clumsiness.

The chase was on, a wild dance through the neon-lit streets of Knowhere. I zigzagged through the alleyways, my furry form dodging blaster fire and leaping over piles of discarded tech. But Lyra was relentless. Eventually, she managed to tackle me to the ground, and the world swam as she slapped a device on my neck, the metal cold against my skin.

"VIX, what's happening?" I gasped.

"Looks like you've been captured, Cody," she said, her holographic form appearing beside me. "But don't worry, this is all part of the plan."