作者：美国漫威公司
出版社：华东理工大学出版社
格式: AZW3, DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, TXT
英文原版 漫威超级英雄故事.银河护卫队Guardians of the Galaxy试读：
The Story of GAMORA
The Zen-Whoberis were a peaceful humanoid race, living in harmony, until a group of violent aliens arrived on their planet. The militaristic creatures invaded, destroying everything in their path and wiping the Zen-Whoberis completely off the cosmic map. When the dust settled, there was a single survivor, an infant known as GAMORA. The child was taken in by the mad Titan Thanos, who sought to turn her into a war machine, molded precisely to do his evil bidding. He delighted in pitting Gamora against her adopted sister, Nebula, and the two little girls fought for their father’s affection. Gamora became an expert fighter and swordswoman, her viciousness earning her quite the bad reputation. But when she realized just how much she’d been manipulated by her villainous father, Gamora rebelled. She decided instead to become a force for good. Thanos was more than displeased, vowing ultimate revenge on Gamora for disobeying his orders. Nebula, however, stood by her father and shamed her sister for her disobedience. Gamora aligned herself with a handful of adventurers over the years until eventually settling down with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Despite her alliances, she remains an outsider searching for kinship in a vast and unsettling universe, struggling to come to terms with her painful past. For the moment, she’s content being known as GAMORA: The Deadliest Woman in the Galaxy.CHAPTER 1
A warm wind blew across the surface of Degenera as four Gegku hunters angrily marched through the planet’s spaceship graveyard. They were looking for treasure. The large reptilian brutes lacked finesse in battle, relying on crude weaponry to do their dirty work. On this day, the Gegku came to Degenera equipped with firearms and prepared to challenge anyone that stood in their way.“Search the area!” Wazzal, the leader, commanded. “Take everything you find and destroy the rest.” The Gegku stormed through the murky cemetery, tossing trash and scrap metal aside as if it were paper. Spaceships often got caught in Degenera’s thick, polluted atmosphere, falling from the sky to be scavenged on the ground. The foul environment also made it the perfect place to hide. All of these things made Degenera a hub for criminal activity. But the planet wasn’t all bad. There were small communities of harmless wanderers spread out across the surface. “Wazzal, over here!” the Gegku hunter shouted. “I found something.” He used his rifle to poke at a large piece of metal. A tiny rodentlike creature scuttled out from under it.Wazzal grabbed it by the tail, dangling the terrified beastie back and forth as it tried to escape. “HA-HA-HA! Look at this weak thing wiggle. How pathetic!”A pair of glowing white eyes opened amid the darkness.GAMORA leaped from her hiding place into the middle of the Gegku hunters, sweeping her leg in a circle and knocking them off their feet. She unsheathed her sword and swiftly sliced the Gegku’s weapons into pieces. The soldiers were paralyzed with fear. They’d never seen anyone move so fast.Gamora turned her attention to Wazzal, grabbing his collar and pulling him close. “Wiggle for me, weak thing,” she whispered in his ear, tossing the lizard man into a pool of bubbling ooze nearby. The hunters didn’t dare say a word.“Without your weapons, you’re nothing but sad, ugly creatures,” Gamora taunted. She looked down to see the sheepish alien critter Wazzal had frightened. It was staring at her. “You’re safe now,” she said. Then she turned to the Gegku. “But you’re not.”She pressed a button on her wrist gauntlet and a hologram appeared.“Where is this item?” Gamora asked. “Tell me now.”“Nuh-nuh-nuh . . .” Wazzal stuttered nervously.“Spit it out,” Gamora challenged. She was losing patience quickly.“Nuh-nuh-never seen it before in my life,” Wazzal said, his shaking body sinking into the goop. “There’s a place you might be able to find such a thing, but it’s just a rumor.”“Where?” Gamora demanded.“Zaldrex,” Wazzal replied, still trembling. “I’ve heard the stories about you, Gamora. They said you were just like your father. Now I see the stories are—”“My blade is called the Godslayer,” Gamora cut him off. “Can you guess what it does?” She brandished her sword, showing the Gegku each and every inch. “If I ever see you hurt another living creature, I will use this blade to chop your fingers off one by one. Do I make myself clear?” she snarled. The Gegku nervously nodded in agreement.Gamora put away the Godslayer and left them to think deeply about what she had said. Chopping off fingers wasn’t usually her style, but the threat always seemed to give her enemies a new perspective. Gamora spotted a small town in the distance and began walking toward it. She’d only been on Degenera a few days, but she was desperate to leave. Where do I go next? It had been a while since Gamora had seen her friends. She’d taken a leave of absence from the Guardians of the Galaxy when the universe presented her with anunexpected quest. Was she searching for a simple box, or was her mission much more than that?Gamora found herself restless and wondered if she might also be searching for peace of mind.After walking for what seemed like miles, Gamora came upon a dingy diner on the outskirts of a small community. She’d been traveling without a vehicle, hitching rides from transport vessels to get where she needed to go. Now it was time to find a new ride and leave Degenera for good. She watchfully entered the establishment, scanning every inch of it for danger. The air was thick, and smelled like smoke and meat. There were hordes of cantankerous alien creatures from across the universe, and all of them were giving Gamora the stink-eye. They all knew her reputation. Finding a ride wasn’t going to be easy.“I need a way off this planet,” Gamora said to the alien cook in the grease-soaked apron. He silently pointed to someone in the corner. When Gamora turned to see who, she was surprised by a familiar face.“Well, well, well,” said Rocket, spinning himself around in his chair. “Hitching rides? C’mon, Gamora. You know better than that.”Despite her desire for solitude, Gamora was happy to see a friend. Even though he was cranky most of the time, Rocket had a good heart and a warrior’s spirit.“So you found me.” Gamora shrugged. “Now what?”“Why don’t you end your vacation and come back to the Guardians? No questions asked,” Rocket continued. “Things aren’t the same without you. Drax can’t stop crying! And you don’t want to know what Groot won’t stop doing.”Gamora was flattered but in no mood for jokes. “I’m better off alone,” she said, looking away, embarrassed.Just then a group of renegade Kodabaks burst into the diner. The Kodabaks were surly piglike creatures who served many evil masters.“You’re sitting in my seat, animal,” griped the alien hog, tapping Rocket on the shoulder. The Kodabak’s breath was hot, and it stank like sewage.“Until you do something about that swamp breath, I’m not moving!” Rocket said. “This is a free planet, and I can sit anywhere I want. Got that?”Five more Kodabaks closed in on Rocket, and things got serious.“Okay, okay,” he said, rising from his chair. “So maybe it is your seat, after all.”Gamora’s body tensed. “Stay seated,” she said, pushing Rocket back down.The Kodabak leader rudely looked Gamora up and down. “You’re pretty,” he began. “For a green-skin.” He and his swinish friends let out a hearty chuckle, and Gamora flew into action. She gently slid her foot under the table nearby, flipping it up into the air to land safely in her hands. She flung it at the cackling Kodabaks, knocking them down with a thud. The diner erupted into total chaos.“RUN!” Rocket shouted, grabbing Gamora by the arm and pulling her out the door.“I hope we’re running toward a ship,” Gamora replied.“Don’t you worry. Good ol’ Rocket has you covered,” he said, sprinting down a long alleyway and through an encampment. They darted over and around fruit sellers, trinket peddlers, and the occasional pile of animal droppings. Soon the Kodabaks were gaining on them. Gamora spotted a tower of empty barrels and toppled them over to trip up the pudgy hog-men. It only bought them a few moments.“Almost there!” said Rocket, rounding the corner. He wasn’t prepared for what happened next. “WHAT THE KRUTAK?!” he shouted. “My ship is gone!”CHAPTER 2
Gamora was frustrated. She’d been lying low and minding her own business, but now she was on the run from a bunch of angry pig-men with Rocket Raccoon in tow. It wasn’t at all what she’d planned for or expected. The ship that was supposed to save them was missing, and they only had moments to figure out what to do next.“D’AST!” exclaimed Rocket, taking off in another direction. “This way!”“Where exactly are we going, Rocket?” Gamora asked, darting over the debris-covered streets of Degenera.“I’ll let you know when we get there!” Rocket yelled, his little legs growing more tired by the second. They were moving fast, but they couldn’t keep running forever.“Gamora!” a voice called out from one of the shacks. A small hand belonging to a short hooded figure began furiously waving. “Over here!”Rocket looked at Gamora wide-eyed. “You got friends here you didn’t tell me about?” he asked, sweaty and wheezing. They rushed into the shabby living quarters as the Kodabaks ran by without a glance. Rocket and Gamora breathed a sigh of relief, having escaped their enemies. The shack was damp and smelled of body odor. Its owner slowly removed his hood, revealing a familiar face.“Welcome to Degenera,” said Pip the Troll. “Sorry about the smell.” Pip had known Gamora for many years. They were once members of the Infinity Watch, a handful of heroes who traveled the galaxy looking for the fabled Infinity Stones. It was a difficult task that took its toll on the group. Eventually they went their separate ways. Gamora hadn’t seen Pip in quite some time, but their reunion was a lot less dramatic than the other one that was taking place.“My old nemesis!” shouted Rocket, marching up to Pip.“Keep your voice down, raccoon! You want those Kodabaks to find you?” Pip grunted. “And, for the record, you are my old nemesis!”Pip and Rocket had crossed paths before, many years ago, before either one of them had ever met Gamora. It hadn’t gone well.“I’m not a raccoon, and you know that! YOU KNOW THAT!” Rocket said in a heated whisper.“Hello, Pip,” Gamora said, eyeing the cramped space. “It’s good to see you, even under these strange circumstances.”“It’s weird, all right. But good!” Pip said warmly. “The universe is a small place, I guess.”“I didn’t know you and Rocket had history,” Gamora said. “Will working together be a problem?”“HA!” cackled Rocket. “No. I’m a professional. I’m here to help you. That’s what friends are for, right?”“Yeah, me too,” added Pip. “Whatever you need, I’m there for you. That’s what friends are for.”“I JUST SAID—” Rocket closed his eyes and took a very deep breath. “Keep it together, Rocket. You’re better than this.”“What brings you to Degenera?” asked Pip. “It’s not exactly paradise.”“I’m searching for an item,” Gamora said, activating her holographic projector. “A box that once belonged to my father, Thanos.” Rocket and Pip shuddered. Thanos was one of the galaxy’s most notorious villains, after all. Being Gamora’s father didn’t make him any less scary.“What’s inside that thing?” Rocket asked.Gamora paused. “I don’t know,” she confessed. “I was told never to touch it. When I was a girl, I always believed it contained something of value to my father, something powerful. He used it as a bargaining chip to gain my obedience. Once, I caught my sister trying to open it, but she was unable to do so. When I grabbed it, snatching the box from her grasp, it began to open. I believe I know why, but before either of us could see inside, Thanos angrily swiped it from my hands. I never saw it again, but I remember what it looks like, every single inch. I know Nebula does as well. It could all be a mind game of my father’s design, or it could be . . . something else.”“OooOooOoo, you mean like an Infinity Stone?” asked Pip.“As a girl I dreamed that whatever was in that box could take me far away. Away from the madness . . . It’s silly to think about now,” Gamora confided. “It fell out of Thanos’s hands and went missing. For years I’ve been following rumors and reports of its whereabouts, as if it were a strange myth. Leads always seemed to run dry, and I eventually gave up looking. That’s when it reappeared. I received an image from a cosmic trading post that confirmed the box’s existence in the region. It’s changing hands quickly and I need to find it immediately.”“So what are we waiting for? Let’s go find this thing so you can come on home to the Guardians of the Galaxy. Your real team,” Rocket said, shaking his finger at Pip. “This troll will teleport us anywhere we need to go. It’s the only thing he’s good for!”“Um, well, uh, I’ve got some bad news,” Pip said sheepishly. “My teleporting powers have been kind of nutty lately.”“Oh, great. The troll is broken! He’s useless!” Rocket said, pacing around the tiny hut in a fervor. “What do we do now? Fly a holo-banner across the Milky Way?”“I can still track stuff, you mangy beast!” Pip said, sticking his finger in Rocket’s face.“STOP. Both of you. There’s more,” Gamora began. “My sources have told me that my sister, Nebula, has also been tracking the box. Although neither of us can confirm its contents, I fear that if that box falls into her hands, the entire universe could be in danger.”“So, troll, how do we get off this stinky planet? Some flarknard stole my rental ship,” Rocket grumped.“I’m glad you asked,” Pip said, opening a curtain to reveal a small old spacecraft.“You want the three of us to fly around in that fossilized hunk of junk?” asked Rocket. “I’ve seen bathrooms bigger than this! You’re out of your mind, stubby.”“I like to think of it as vintage cozy,” Pip said, patting the spaceship’s side. A metal panel fell off, exposing its ancient circuitry. “Heh-heh. Nothing to see here.”Gamora rolled her eyes and wondered whether involving Rocket and Pip in her quest was the right choice. But there was no time to think about it. They all climbed into the cramped vessel and prepared for takeoff. Pip moved toward the main cabin and was brushed aside by Rocket.“Beat it, troll. I’m flyin’ this thing,” Rocket said, sitting down in the captain’s chair.“Talk to me like that again, raccoon. See what happens,” Pip countered.“I. AM. NOT. A. RACCOON,” Rocket said, his voice rising.“That hairy mug of yours has 'raccoon' written all over it,” Pip scoffed.“Why don’t you try putting a mask on, tiny? I’m sick of looking at that ugly troll face,” Rocket barked.“Say it one more time, Raccoon!" Pip growled.“ENOUGH!” Gamora boomed. She was getting a headache. “Listen to these words, as I’ll only say them once: settle your differences.”“Fine,” said Rocket, surrendering his chair. “I’m going to go put my feet up and try to forget that I let a stumpy little troll tell me what to do.”Pip settled into the captain’s chair and began flipping switches. “Strap in!” he said, turning to Gamora. “Where we headed?”“Zaldrex,” she said.CHAPTER 3
A rumbling snore shook the inside of the tiny metal spacecraft.“Is that Rocket?!” asked Pip, shaking his head in disbelief. “He sounds like a Varlaxican sludge beast.”Gamora stared out the window, distracted.“You look good, kid. Been too long since we’ve caught up,” Pip said, noticing Gamora’s uneasiness. “Whatever you’re thinking about, don’t let it get to you. We’ll grab this box, and you’ll be on your way in no time.” He flipped a switch on the control panel, lighting up the monitors in front of them. Alien beings from a hundred worlds filled the screens.“This is Zaldrex. On the outside it seems like some no-name planet,” Pip explained. “But it’s much more than that. You just have to go underground. The Collector runs a top secret thieves’ market and auction house in the caverns underneath the planet’s surface. He’s got all kinds of nasty stuff down there, mostly the junk he doesn’t want. I’m betting that’s where you’ll find what you’re looking for. We’ll disguise ourselves as riffraff and sneak in. I’ve got some counterfeit credits we can use to bid on it. They look just like the real thing! No one will ever know the difference.”Gamora stared intently at the screen. “Nebula will be there,” she muttered. “I can feel it.”“BLAHG!” shouted Rocket, waking from his nap and rubbing his eyes. “I had the worst nightmare. I was stuck on a spaceship with this chubby little troll, and . . .” He sputtered, spotting Pip in the captain’s chair. “UGH! My nightmare came true!”“I don’t know how you stand that guy,” Pip said to Gamora, pulling back on the ship’s throttle. “Prepare for landing. We’re here.”Pip brought the spaceship down on the outskirts of Zaldrex’s capital city. Then the trio donned dark cloaks to disguise themselves. If anyone recognized them, it would ruin the entire plan. Following a winding staircase, they traveled down into the thieves’ market casually and discreetly. The market had many alien curiosities, all of which were deadly. There were things like canisters of disease and various cruel weapons for sale. These were things meant to inflict pain and suffering on countless people. It made Gamora angry. Soon she spotted something even worse: a tiny cage containing three alien children. The cage was being guarded by the Collector’s thugs, a collection of the galaxy’s worst bullies. While the guards were distracted, Gamora took a small bag of rations from inside her cloak and gave it to the children. The tasty treats brought a smile to their faces, and they eagerly scarfed them down as quickly as they could.How could someone do this? Gamora thought. It boiled her blood to see children separated from their families, kept in cages, and waiting to be sold like slaves. Her body tensed as she considered ways to free them. But suddenly, a siren sounded and an announcement blared from the speakers above.“THE AUCTION WILL NOW COMMENCE IN THE MAIN AREA!”“This area is off-limits. Get moving!” one of the Collector’s goons shouted, rudely pushing Gamora with the end of his rifle. It took everything she had not to grab his weapon and teach him a lesson, but there was a bigger plan in motion.Before she left, Gamora spoke to the children in a whisper. “I will return, I promise,” she said, placing her hand on the bars. “Do not be afraid.”试读结束[说明：试读内容隐藏了图片]