Genis-Vell comes to surrounded by dozens of various alien lifeforms. He's lying on his back. He was on the G'orakh system, looking for Thanos. He found him, and now the mad Titan has his Nega Bands.

He lifts his head and observes a giant hole torn into his costume in the chest area. Blood leaks from the corner of his mouth.

"Rick...?" Genis asks.

The form of Genis shifts to that of a normal human with brown hair, "Yeah?"

Rick then shifts back to Genis, "What's going on?"

Thanos laughs, "You're molecularly bonded, only without the Nega Bands, you can't control who's in control of your shared body!"

Genis focuses his cosmic awareness on Thanos, "You son of a bitch...you're bonded with my mother!"

"Your insight serves you well, Captain," Thanos nods. He holds his palms open in front of him as photonic energy crackles. "Oh, the power!!"

"Yeah, you're a glutton when it comes to power...," Genis grunts as he climbs to his feet. "Why couldn't you just steal a pair of Nega Bands from the Kree? Why in the hell did you have to steal mine?!"

Thanos growls, "They ARE NOT yours, half-breed! Call it a consolation prize. These were the same bracelets worn by your weak excuse of a father."

"I don't get it, anyway," Captain Marvel growls. "How did you become bonded with my...dead mother?"

Thanos smiles, "Quite interesting, really." He turns to face Genis, "Turns out the child of the terrans, Rick and Marlo Jones, is to blame. Marlo once died, but was brought back through artificial means. The universe had to compensate. A small price to pay, really."

Genis' face turns into Rick's as he growls, "You son of a bitch!" He throws a punch at Thanos, but his fist jabs into something dense and green. "Argh! Damn it!" Rick yells, gripping his knuckles.

He looks up, it was Drax. He sighs, "I'm sorry, Rick. I...can't let you hurt Thanos."

"I'm a human!" Rick yells.

"Precisely," Thanos laughs. "You spread like wildfire, your race. Your entire planet has almost depleted its natural resources. You'll spread to Titan, then from there, you'll take over the Kree, then the Skrulls, then the Shi'ar."

Rick shifts back into Captain Marvel, "You didn't answer my question! Why are you bonded with my mother?!"

Thanos sighs, "I do not know the answer...she was dead, but as you know, Eternals...the ones living on Titan, have a certain immortality issue. But since her physical form died, her mental form lived on with my body." He smiles, "From what I recall, you killed her when you accidentally infected her with a space virus you had contracted during your journeys..." *

* (As revealed, ironically, in Marvel's Captain Marvel Vol. 3 #14 -- Brad)

Genis smirks, "Maybe I could kill even you with that virus."

Thanos returns the sneer, "I'm wearing the Nega Bands, increasing my immunity."

"The Nega Bands won't help you forever. My father succombed to cancer, and I myself almost died from Mig-Na'cha venom," Genis explains.

"Where are you going to find this virus, anyway?" Thanos laughs. "Your cosmic awareness?"

"Actually, you pose an interesting theory. Reading my mind, are you?" Genis asks. "Is that wise? My mind is one with the universe."

"I have a strong will you couldn't even begin to imagine," Thanos smiles.

"If I may quote Han Solo," Genis says, crossing his arms. "I can imagine quite a lot."

"Drax, kill him," Thanos commands.

"Wait!" Rick shouts as he takes control of the shared body. "Er...nevermind! Marv!"

Genis takes control of the body again just as Drax begins to charge at him. "This may not be a good time, Drax. I've mastered Kree combat and then some!" he shouts.

Using what little energy he had stored up in his body, Genis generates a blast into Drax's face, stunning him. Genis leaps into the air, flipping over Drax at the same time grabbing his cloak, throwing him through the entrance to a parking hangar for the various aliens' vehicles.

Genis looks back at an obviously PO-ed Thanos. Marv smiles, "I might not have the Nega Bands, but I'm still an Eternal...half-breed or not."

Thanos rolls his eyes as he fires a bolt of energy into Genis-Vell's forehead. He and Rick Jones then begin to shift in and out of control of their molecularly bonded body, taking on the physical form of the dominant mind. The strain is unbearable and the Genis-Rick entity passes out.

Drax stumbles out of the hangar, which was beginning to buckle from its damaged support beams which he broke during the scuffle with Genis. He looks at his master, "What should I...?"

"Stay and look after them," Thanos responds, pointing to the unconscious form of Genis-Rick.

"Where will you be?" Drax asks.

"Why do you care?" Thanos growls as the Nega Bands on his wrists begin to glow. He takes flight and disappears through into the sky as he rockets off the planet.

Drax continues to look at the sky even though it was minutes since Thanos left. It was the madman that killed he and his wife, almost killing his daughter, yet Drax was serving him? The Mig-Na'cha Queen had killed him and he had come back yet again. His Eternal-based powers regenerated and revitalized his body. Suddenly, he realizes what he must do.

He walks up to the entity of Genis-Rick and grabs their shoulders, "Wake up! You have to! You're going to help me kill Thanos once and for all!"