The little girl tilted her head, bent down, and casually picked up the silver sphere. She even hefted it in her hand, as though she had found nothing more than an ordinary toy ball.
"Hey! Little girl!" Quill reacted first, forcing the friendliest smile of his life onto his face and raising both hands to show he meant no harm. "That thing is dangerous. Put it down and move away, okay? We don't want to hurt you."
Gamora frowned as well, her tone stern. "He's right. That's not a toy. Put it down slowly!"
Her sharp gaze remained fixed on the sphere in Hermione's hand.
"I am Groot." Groot shook his head, seemingly agreeing.
Rocket Raccoon looked a little impatient and scratched his ear with a claw:
"What the hell? Where'd this brat come from? Hey! Put that down already! Don't get in the way of us getting rich... uh, I mean, don't get in the way of us protecting galactic peace!"
None of them wanted to hurt the girl in front of them.
Yet Hermione merely blinked, a hint of confusion crossing her face, as though she did not understand what they were saying.
Then, as all four watched in stunned disbelief, instead of putting down the Orb, she clutched it, turned, and ran!
"..."
"..."
"..."
"I am Groot?!"
All four were dumbfounded.
What was going on?
"Stop!"
"Don't run!"
"Grab her!"
After a brief moment of bewilderment, all four immediately took off after her.
But then something strange happened.
The little girl looked small and skinny, yet she ran astonishingly fast.
The four of them pulled out every stop, but all they could do was watch that tiny figure bobbing along a short distance ahead, forever out of reach.
She did not even look fast, yet somehow