A Deal with Doctor Doom

"The evidence at the scene is obvious. Someone destroyed this planet. He's a dangerous enemy—why aren't we going after him? Under the Nova Code, we can gather no fewer than five companions to handle this matter." The young man named Richard seemed dissatisfied with his superior's decision.

The elderly Nova Centurion flew into a rage and pointed at Richard's nose. "Richard Rider, is your intelligence on the same level as those animals on Earth called apes? Think carefully! Is this the time to deal with this? Tracking the Silver Surfer is our mission!"

The old Centurion both admired and was irritated by the successor he had chosen. This Earthling was far too stubborn, yet some of the precious qualities he possessed were exactly what the Nova Corps could not do without.

The Nova Corps had existed for far too long—long enough for signs of decay to emerge. What it needed now was young people like these to inject fresh vitality into the Corps.

"But Spider-Man once said, 'With great power comes great responsibility...'"

"I don't know any Spider-Man! Press the confirmation button now. The Silver Surfer is faster than we are. We need to hurry and find his next target!" After finishing the routine report, the elderly Centurion dragged young Richard Rider toward the distant stars.

The elderly Nova Centurion quickly recorded this chance encounter and transmitted it through his terminal to the central computer on Xandar Prime, where it was entered into the records.

Director Daisy had no idea that the Nova Corps' black files had recorded her as responsible for three deaths and the destruction of a planet. Three deaths were nothing much, but the terminals carried by the Nova Corps had roughly mapped her location and energy level at the time. Her blurred image had been placed