Opening the antechambers of one of the many structures dotting the metropolis sized museum two men stepped through, a small army of floating robots following suite with drinks and background music while they walked past exhibit after exhibit. Taneleer Tivan smiled from ear to ear, a glass of fine wine between his fingers while chatting away about an artefact he had on display, his visitor giving little attention to it even when he was shown another. "Ah look at all these priceless treasures, each of them treasures, why wouldn’t they be?" Skipping over to the edge of a display case one of the robots floating nearby raced behind him to clean up the spilled droplets of wine. "Here we have the collective writings of the Thrun dynasty, did you know they had no vowels in their alphabet? You’d bite your tongue trying to recite one of their poems." Skipping to another display case he nearly giggled at the crystal floating inches off its podium. "Ah the seeing gem of Jurganda, one of a kind too, Jurganda was quite the voyeur but she didn’t like being spied on either hee hee." Stepping over the robot cleaning after him Taneleer practically draped over the next exhibit, tracing a gloved finger over its cover. "A DVD Blu Ray of 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory… I’ve seen it 1264 times! He and I have SO much in common."

The visitor hiccupped into his gloved hand, gaining the white haired immortal’s attention and bringing them to the center of the large room, a single vial held in stasis over a podium stood quietly before the two and Taneleer’s effervescent behaviour took to a more stoic musing. "Ah yes the center piece of this exhibit, I came upon THIS sample during that ghastly affair when our universe came dangerously close to being swallowed up by the Many-Angled Ones. A temporal rift had torn open and spat out this tiny spec of life among trillions of rock and ore before closing, normally I would have ignored it, such cosmic events happen so often if it were not for my ship, the Paraphernalia, scanning its genetic makeup."

"What is it?"

"A virus, a type I have never in my many eons have ever come across, from what my ship had divulged from its scans it has the capacity to infect any form of organic life, its metabolic growth is so great it could risk infecting and even devouring almost anything it comes in contact with." Seeing his guest back away a step Taneleer continued "But that’s not all, the viral matter is mutagenic in nature, capable of changing and adapting to any environment it comes across almost instantly… It would be almost impossible to kill." Turning and straitening his jacket the robots cleaning the floor had finished and topped off his empty wine glass with but a gesture of the Collector’s hand. "And it could be yours for but a mere 25% of your total treasury."

Scratching his chin the potential buyer looked over the hovering vial, his cloths garish and gaudy with clashing jewelry around his neck and fingers. "Don’t you have the Brood swarm? I hear that stuff can do a number on a planet."

"The brood? Those hideous parasites that plague the galaxy? There’s like… BILLIONS of them, oh sure I have one locked away just in case they go extinct but what about this then hmm? This vial is like a death sentence to an entire sector!"

Eh… I don’t know, the brood does look rather nasty, you know they can take over people?"

"WHO CARES ABOUT A DAMN SWARM OF SPACE COCKROACHES?! Besides they drool."

Just then the doors to the exhibition hall exploded off their hinges, sending the two men to the ground and the robots aiming their bionic limbs, raising integrated weapons and firing at the interlopers barging in. One after another the Cron built machines were shot down or smashed to bits until all that were left were the two gentlemen and…

"We’re the Guardians of the Galaxy bitch!" Reloading his oversized weapon Rocket Racoon along with Star Lord, Gamora, Groot, Drax and Mantis surrounded the pair, blocking their way of exit. "You really thought you could keep your weapons deal with the collector a secret? You’re coming with us ass-hat."

"I am Groot!"

"Yeah Groot I’m getting to that, AND you’ll be turned over to the Nova Core, they’ve got a fat bounty on you."

Getting up from the floor the thuggish arms dealer made to pull a pistol, only for a blade to make its way under his chin and the five gold necklaces around his neck by the skilled hand of Gamora. "No moves from you, drop the gun." Smirking the man pressed a dimple on the gun’s side and dropped it, the thing suddenly glowing red and giving of a high pitched hum.

"Bomb!"

Pulled away at the last second by Groots branches the Guardians were saved by the explosion, the blast rocking the building and making everyone’s ears ring. Pulling free of their tree friend Star Lord looked down and made a squeamish face of what he stepped in… Or who. At the corner of the large room and covered in soot Taneleer hugged the Willy Wonka DVD close to his chest, sobbing that it had been destroyed in the blast. "WHY? WHY!!! You were so young, and I never got a chance to go over your background commentary with Gene Wilder… Oh cruel world."

"Well this job just blew up in our face..." Star-Lord groaned. "Back on the ship guys. No perp, no bounty. Gamora? You okay?"

"Ugh, just fine," Gamora shoved the smoldering remains of the dead arms dealer off and followed. Her suit had protected her, but it was shredded in several places. Unseen to any of them, a black, oily stain seeped into the bare skin of her thigh...