Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/2208390.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      Multi
  Fandom:
      Guardians_of_the_Galaxy_(2014), The_Avengers_(Marvel_Movies), Marvel
      Cinematic_Universe
  Relationship:
      Gamora/Peter_Quill, Groot/Rocket_Raccoon, James_"Bucky"_Barnes/Steve
      Rogers, Clint_Barton/Natasha_Romanov
  Character:
      Gamora, Peter_Quill, Drax_the_Destroyer, Rocket_Raccoon, Groot, Rhomann
      Dey, Thanos, The_Other, Crossbones, Red_Guardian_-_Character, James
      "Bucky"_Barnes, Steve_Rogers, Tony_Stark, Clint_Barton, Natasha_Romanov,
      Jane_Foster, Sinthea_Schmidt
  Additional Tags:
      Kidnapping, Mentions_of_rape_of_a_child, Sex_Pollen, Reproductive
      Coercion, Panic_Attack, Masturbation, Mind_Rape, Rocket_is_a_mite_twitchy
      and_does_not_approve_of_cuddles, Repressed_memory, Mentions_of_genocide,
      Drax_being_a_daddy, Apparently_Gamora_likes_hamburgers, psychic
      communications, dubcon, but_it's_really_noncon
  Series:
      Part 4 of The_Winter_Soldier
  Stats:
      Published: 2014-08-27 Updated: 2014-09-26 Chapters: 5/6 Words: 30648
****** Voices From a Distant Star ******
by Anath_Tsurugi
Summary
     Nova Corp was naive to think that Thanos would actually allow them to
     possess an Infinity Stone. The warlord has his plans for the stones,
     yes, but he has other plans for the Guardians as well.
Notes
     Well, I'd been wanting to work the Guardians into my Avengers
     continuity, but until the movie came out, I wasn't sure it would
     work. Now I know it does work and we'll be exploring what's been
     going on in the larger universe during my Winter Soldier stories. So
     yes, this is a side story for my Winter Soldier trilogy. You don't
     need to have read any of the others to understand what's happening
     here, but your enjoyment of certain references will be most enhanced
     if you do. If you're just here for the Guardians, though, by all
     means enjoy them. I certainly do.
***** Assault *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
The night guard at the Nova Corp high security storage facility found himself
whistling as he made his rounds of the vaults. As many night worker bees who
are about to go off shift tend to, our friend the security guard was dreaming
of the nice soft bed that awaited him when he clocked out. Sadly, this bright-
eyed young fellow didn't seem to realize just what type of unseemly scum might
come after the treasures he was guarding. Such things did occur to him in his
final moments, however, when a hand clamped down on his mouth to muffle his
scream as a knife was shoved through a joint in his body armor, straight
through the back of his neck.
The assassin lowered the dead guard's body to the floor, making absolutely
certain his armor made no sound while turning him onto his back. Then the
black-cloaked figure slipped out a smaller knife and pulled off the guard's
helmet, making quick work of his right eyeball. That done, the lone figure
moved swiftly and silently down the corridor the guard had come from.
Upon reaching the second of a line of three locked doors, the assassin held the
eyeball up to the door's retinal scanner. With a series of soft beeps, the door
slid open, admitting the thief into the vault. Rows and rows of small white
safes lined the interior of the vault, but the thief experienced no confusion.
This lawbreaker knew exactly where the coveted prize was: third row, four down,
and five safes from the bottom.
On reaching the safe, the thief lifted yet another stolen item from a utility
pouch: the severed hand of another security guard. Using the stiffening fingers
of the now bloodless hand to enter a code into the touch pad beside the safe,
the assassin was easily able to slide the reinforced door aside and reach for
the relic inside. Little more than half a year ago, this small orb had brought
the galaxy to the brink of chaos. Well, no sense in only doing something
halfway.
"Yeah, don't think you want to be doing that, buddy," a male voice suddenly
sounded in the thief's ear as a gun was pressed against the hood of the cloak.
"I dunno who hired you for this job, but that little toy there is more
dangerous than you probably realize. Whatever your boss is paying you, I
promise it isn't worth it. Just put the orb back and walk away."
The thief only laughed at this. "Who do you think you're talking to?" a
feminine voice sounded from the confines of the hood. It wasn't quite the voice
of a woman, though…much too young.
"Who do you think you're talking to, sweetheart?" the man fired back, tone
changing slightly. He always got a different attitude around women. Couldn't
quite help it.
Again, she laughed. "I know who you believe yourself to be…Peter Quill: one
time legendary outlaw, Nova Corp freelancer and lapdog, guardian of the galaxy.
Star-Lord," she said derisively.
"There now, see?" he called to the vault at large, not quite backing away from
her, but still waving his free arm through the air. "People do know the name."
"I would not recommend flirting with her, all the same, Peter," Gamora advised
as she and Drax entered the vault. "She's murdered five guards already."
"Who are you working for, by the way, pretty lady?" Peter asked the thief, and
whoever she was, she had a real penchant for laughing at him.
"You don't know I'm pretty. You haven't seen my face," she pointed out.
"That doesn't matter. All women are pretty in their way."
"Peter!" Gamora snapped at him.
"What? I'm just paying a compliment."
"For you, that's flirting. Back off."
"I'd listen to your friend if I were you, Quill. You're on extremely dangerous
ground where I'm concerned. I have no love for swine with no care what hole
their prick ends up in," the thief growled at him, tension bristling along her
slender shoulders.
"Hey, that's not fair. I'm not like that," Quill tried to argue.
"Why is it we are discussing Star-Lord's sexual preferences?" Drax asked.
"Unfortunately, with Peter, everything seems to come back to sex," Gamora
jibed.
"We really gonna do this now?"
"It's not as if we will do it when we're not in the middle of a fight."
"On the subject of doing it-"
"If it's all the same to you lot, I think I'll be going now," the assassin
started as she began to walk away from Peter. Indignant, the former outlaw
quickly re-aimed his gun.
"Hey, no! Come back here with that orb. I wasn't kidding when I said it was
dangerous."
"I am aware of the Akasha's properties, Peter Quill. Likely even more aware
than you are," she said, still facing away from him.
"Akasha?"
"You don't even know what it's called? Really? You risk your life for this and
you don't know its proper name. Forgive me if I am somewhat less than
intimidated by you."
"Whom do you work for?" Gamora demanded as she and Drax drew closer. "You may
as well tell us. You might be able to slip past Quill, but you're not getting
by either of us."
"You know who I work for, Gamora. You betrayed him not too long ago. Who else
is worthy to possess the Akasha and its sisters?"
"Thanos," Gamora said softly. She should have known he would make a play for
the orb at some point. She just hadn't thought it would be so soon.
"Just so," the assassin said as she slipped the orb into a pouch on her belt.
Then she reached up to lower her hood. Her long black hair was pulled back into
a tight braid and catlike ears extended out from her head, twitching with every
movement. Her skin was black and even her eyes were catlike, amber with pupils
so narrow they were little more than thin black lines. When she twisted her
lips to sneer, Gamora could just make out a pair of sharp-looking fangs in her
mouth. "I'm afraid you've been replaced with a superior model. Thanos has no
use for creatures who are less than loyal."
"If you work for Thanos, cat creature, then we have no reason to spare your
life!" Drax snarled at her. "All servants of Thanos must be destroyed!"
"Can we maybe get a name before Drax here rips your spine out?" Peter asked
her. Slowly, she turned to face him.
"You want to know my name?"
"That would be the reason I-"
Before Peter could even get the words out, the thief had sprung across the
distance between them, wicked-looking claws springing from her nail beds.
Faster than a blink, all ten claws were buried in his gut.
"PETER!" Gamora screamed, but he wasn't quite sure he'd heard it. He was a
little too focused on the stabbing pain in his mid section. When he looked down
to see the claws buried in his body, he could see blood beginning to trickle
from the wounds.
"The hell…didja do that for?" he mumbled faintly, trying to grab her wrists and
failing.
"I have no name that will make any difference in your final moments, Peter
Quill," she whispered to him as he fell to his knees. "But you may call me
Black Arrow."
With that, Black Arrow retracted her claws, then shot them into his body one
more time before shoving him to the floor and leaping onto one of the safe
rows, running along the top and straight past Drax. Gamora was already running
toward Peter.
"You fool," she scolded as she began to tear open his jacket and shirt, baring
the ugly puncture wounds to the cold vault air. "I warned you not to flirt with
her."
"Can't…always help it," he said, groaning in pain. Blood was trickling freely
down his stomach. "Gotta say, though…kinda sad it takes something like this for
you to finally rip my clothes off."
Gamora glared down at Peter, but there was still worry in her eyes. "I should
just let you die for that," she snapped before turning her attention back to
her comm device. "Dey, are you getting any of this?"
"No, the security feed's still out," the corpsman's voice came to her through
her earpiece. "What's going on down there?"
"The target escaped with the orb. Drax is in pursuit. Quill's down, Dey. We
need medical in here now!" she snapped at him, quickly slipping off her jacket
and pressing it against the puncture wounds to try and stop the bleeding.
"Ow! Easy…nngh," Peter groaned, laying his hands on top of Gamora's. "That
hurts."
"So you'd rather I let you bleed out?" she asked, pressing down harder.
"No, it's just…I'm not…sure if they can do anything," he said, his grip on her
hands tightening, and when she looked into his eyes, she realized there was
fear in them. "My intestines are pretty much a sack of fleshy ribbons."
"I know you aren't going to tell me you did not have that one coming. Having
your guts spilled by an angry woman," she chastised him.
"Gam…really…" he said softly, reaching a hand up to touch her cheek. She turned
her face away from him, though, not wanting him to see the fear growing in her
eyes.
"I've told you how I feel about that name. We will have words later. Just don't
move," she urged him.
"I'm sorry."
Gamora's attention was drawn back down at this. Had she really just heard Peter
Quill…apologize?
"What?"
"I'm sorry…about the nickname. Can't help it. It's cute," he said, smiling
faintly. Already, there was a trace of blood at his lips.
"I am not cute!" she snapped angrily, pressing down on Peter's chest as hard as
she possibly could.
"No…sorry. You're right. You are…beautiful, though," he murmured, eyes slipping
shut.
"Don't you dare die on me, Quill!" she snarled at him. "If you die now, I will
not be able to punish you for that."
"Looking…looking…forward to it…" he whispered, voice trailing off.
"Come on!" Gamora shouted into the comm unit. "If someone does not get down
here this instant, I am going to tear this place apart, block by block! You
know I can do it!"
"Gam…I think…think I love you."
"Quill? Quill!"
                                      XxX
Drax, meanwhile, had pursued Black Arrow down several corridors. True to her
feline form, she was quick and light on her feet, but he was durable. He could
run for days without tiring.
"You cannot run forever, slave of Thanos!"
At this, the assassin leapt into the air, spinning to face him as she landed in
a battle-ready crouch.
"You'd be surprised, Destroyer."
"I am never surprised, cat thing. I am very observant," he insisted.
"We'll see about that," she hissed before flinging a dagger at him.
The weapon struck his shoulder, but the pain was little more than a mosquito
bite to him. With a roar, he tore the knife from his skin and barreled toward
her. Black Arrow easily ducked aside, evading each of his powerful blows. They
went on like this for some time, until Drax managed to bash her arm against a
wall, the bone snapping audibly as he wrapped his other hand around her throat.
Strangely enough, Black Arrow's only sign of pain was a small wince. She didn't
even reach up her good arm to attempt to free herself from the Destroyer's
grasp.
"I shall make you pay for what you did to my friend," he snarled at her, his
grip on her throat tightening. She didn't struggle for breath, though. She only
sneered at him as she unhooked a small device from her belt and tossed it to
the center of the corridor. When it made contact with the floor, several
tendrils of green energy sparked out of the device, scouring the corridor. Then
the power went dead.
"What is this?" Drax tried to ask, but the only answer he received was a gouge
across the face from her claws, nearly destroying his eyes. All it took was a
moment of slackened grip for her to be able to slip away from him. He blundered
blindly after her for several minutes, bellowing in rage, but even if there had
been light, he wouldn't have been able to see through his ruined eyes anyway.
Black Arrow had left him far behind in only moments.
The young woman's catlike eyes afforded her perfect vision in the darkened
corridors. It didn't take her long to reach the exit that led out to the ship
docks. Just as she was about to reach the doors, though, yet another voice
stopped her.
"Don't think ya wanna be walkin' out those doors, kitten. See, you mighta just
killed a dear pal a' ours, and that don't sit too well with me'n the big guy
here."
"I am Groot."
"Well, isn't that just wonderful for you," she said, sighing as she turned to
face the last two members of the Guardians – a tree and a raccoon, both far
more human than they had any right to be.
Rocket was perched on Groot's shoulder, casually aiming a bazooka nearly as big
as he was at her. Bioluminescent spores were beginning to drift up from Groot's
body, lighting up the darkened exit hallway.
"I am gonna kill you, just so yous know. Even if Quill pulls through, ain't
gonna be no livin' wit' him, bitchin' and moanin' 'bout how hurt he is. 'Fore I
do, though…that was a sweet trick you pulled wit' the power spike. Mind tellin'
me how you did it?" he asked, priming the bazooka to fire. "Be a real shame for
a trick like that to be lost to posterity."
"It's none of your affair, rodent," she snapped at him, though the insult was
more for Groot than for Rocket. She knew it was dangerous to upset the Flora
Colossus, but it was a risk she was willing to take just now.
Indeed, the tree creature did not disappoint. He let out a warning sort of
growling sound.
"I am Groot!"
"Ah, hell no, big guy. This one's mine!" Rocket snarled, firing off several
rounds with the huge gun. Black Arrow sidestepped each shot, leading the
raccoon's fire in a very precise pattern…right up until she stepped clear of
the security door, Rocket's latest shot blowing it clean away.
"Thank you for your cooperation, little rat," she said with a sneer, nodding
her head before moving to duck out of the now gaping hole in the wall.
"Why…you…GAAARGH!" Rocket's voice devolved into a wounded bellow of anger as he
launched himself at the fleeing thief, flinging the bazooka aside. The moment
he latched onto her, he was everywhere, biting and clawing. When he managed to
get in a particularly nasty bite on her ear, she seized him in her good hand
and flung him as hard as she could against the far wall.
Rocket's tiny body hit the wall with an unnerving crack…and when he fell to the
floor and did not get up, Groot looked stricken.
"I am…Groot?"
Nothing. If Groot didn't possess such a strong connection to the little
raccoon, he wouldn't have even been certain he was still breathing.
"Serves the little vermin right," Black Arrow taunted. It was not out of
ignorance for what the Flora Colossus could do to her. The jibe was very
deliberate.
But Groot had no way of knowing that.
"I AM GROOT!" the enraged creature bellowed. He came at Black Arrow like a
battering ram, but she was already gone, running out of the building and down
the ramp into the docking bay, where a small ship was already powered up for a
quick getaway.
Groot was on Black Arrow before she could make the ship, though. He seized her
much smaller body in his massive hands, taking hold of her broken arm and
beginning to twist.
Unfortunately, Black Arrow wasn't the only danger. Barely conscious, Rocket had
crawled to the top of the ramp just in time to see the ship unleash a jet of
flame straight at his partner.
"GROOT!" the raccoon screamed, but the sound didn't carry over Groot's own
maddened bellowing. Roaring in both pain and anger, the Flora Colossus
continued to twist at Black Arrow's arm until it tore completely free of her
body, a spray of crimson blood arcing through the air as Groot's bark continued
to roast in the wave of fire.
Ignoring the fact that he was on fire, Groot threw the assassin to the ground,
seemingly meaning to crush her beneath his massive feet. She was screaming in
agony by this point, bleeding out and singed from the fire, but even this
magnitude of suffering was not enough for the Flora Colossus. He meant to
destroy Black Arrow…to grind her down until not even an atom of her remained.
Sadly, that wasn't to be so.
The moment the ship ceased firing its flamethrower, two harpoon guns were
fired, each projectile sinking into Groot's chest with a resounding thunk.
Already badly injured from the fire, the Flora Colossus could do nothing but
swipe feebly at the steel cables that attached the two harpoons to the ship.
Almost immediately, they began to pull him in.
"No…Groot…no…" Rocket groaned in pain and desperation, trying to drag himself
forward with only one arm and gaining barely half an inch. The last he saw of
Groot before he was pulled completely onto the ship was the look of anger and
anguish on his half-burnt face.
A man appeared on the ship's exit ramp then, quickly coming out to gather up
Black Arrow.
"Let 'im…go…you bastards!" Rocket growled, his demand made somewhat less
threatening by how badly injured he was.
The man glanced at him briefly, shaking his head and laughing. His skin was
just as black as his comrade's, save for a strange pair of white slash marks on
his face.
"And here I thought I'd seen everything. Now these outer space dip shits have
talking pets," he taunted, still laughing as he carried Black Arrow onto the
ship.
"No…dammit…Groot…no!" he snarled, continuing to drag himself forward, despite
the futility of his situation. He didn't have much left in him.
He began to hear voices from somewhere far away, but he couldn't focus on them.
All he could think about was Groot. What were those sons of bitches going to do
to him?
"I'll kill ya. I'll kill ya. I'll kill ya. I'll kill ya," he snarled over and
over again as the world went dark around him. The last thing he saw before
losing consciousness completely was the bold red lettering on the fleeing
ship's hull that proclaimed her the Rose Red.
                                      XxX
Gamora paced anxiously outside the operating theatre, where a team of medics
was working to repair the damage that had been done to Peter's body. Whatever
the other half of his parentage was, Gamora silently thanked whatever gods
there were for it. That heritage was probably the only reason he was still
alive.
While one team was working to save Peter, another was seeing to Drax and
Rocket. Drax's eyes had been almost completely obliterated by Black Arrow's
attack, but he would definitely make a full recovery with his accelerated
healing. Rocket was worse off, with a broken shoulder and a bad concussion.
Three of them down and Groot captured...taken prisoner by a merciless warlord.
She really didn't want to see how Rocket would react when he finally regained
consciousness.
As the last of the guardians standing, she wasn't sure what to do. At the
current moment, all she could concern herself with was her worry for Peter. If
he really left her on that note...
Damn it, Peter, if you do not wake up right this minute and tell me it was all
some hideous joke, I swear I will murder you!
They'd tried to convince her to remain in the waiting room, but she was not
going to leave this spot until she knew, one way or the other.
The real trouble in all this was that she did feel something for Peter...only
she didn't know if she should let herself. She hadn't known from real feeling
in such a long time and everything with the guardians was so new and
unexplainable...and Peter...was anything with him real...or was it all just the
hip sorcery?
Damn you, Peter Quill. If you die...if you die, I...
Chapter End Notes
     So whatcha think? Any interest in finding out what happens next?
***** Poison *****
I think I love you...I think I love you...I think I love you...
"Think I love you," Peter mumbled as he slowly blinked his eyes open. The first
thing he saw was the white ceiling above his head.
"Say something, Quill?"
Startled by the voice, but still not fully awake, Peter sluggishly rolled his
head to the side to see Gamora sitting in a chair beside his bed.
"Don't...think so," he continued to mumble. "What happened?"
"What? Don't remember gettin' gutted by the flarkin' hell cat?" Rocket asked as
he entered the room, head bandaged and arm in a sling. Rhomann Dey followed
shortly after him, leading Drax, whose eyes were bandaged.
"Whoa," Peter muttered as he slowly sat up. "What did happen?"
"Someone tried to break into the high security vault," Dey started to explain.
"Black Arrow," the former outlaw supplied, remembering amber eyes and a flash
of intense pain. "Yeah...she really tore me a new one."
"You got no idea," Rocket growled. When Peter vaguely noted that the raccoon
was much tenser than even he normally was, it finally occurred to him what the
reason might be.
"Hey...where's the tree? Where's Groot?"
At this, Rocket growled low in his throat, turning away from him and punching
the wall with his one good paw. "Gone."
"What? What do you mean-"
"They took him," Gamora explained. "Black Arrow and her associates. By now
they'll have taken him to Thanos."
"But...why? What would he want with him?"
"I could not tell you," the Zehoberi said, her voice thick with self-loathing.
"But yous do know where we gotta go to get 'im back, yes?" Rocket pressed,
glaring up at them.
"Yes, but we're hardly in any condition to take him on right now," she pointed
out, standing from her chair.
"I am most dreadfully sorry, my friends," Drax apologized. "It was because of
my weakness that the cat female escaped. I should not have let her go."
"It's not your fault, man. She got the drop on all of us. What about this Black
Arrow character?" Peter asked, turning his attention to Rhomann. "Can you tell
us anything about her?"
"Well...Black Arrow's an interesting case. She's only been running with Thanos
for about three months now," Dey started, tossing a holographic projector at
Gamora. The unit immediately displayed a schematic of their assailant. "She's
only fourteen years old."
"Oh, so now we have added cradle-robbing to our repertoire, have we?" Gamora
jibed at Peter.
"None of that," Peter tried to argue. "Rekjanian age of consent is twelve. They
only live thirty years. We don't know what species she is."
"Ah...about that...Black Arrow is Terran," Dey said, gaze shifting away as
those who could turned shocked eyes to him.
"Okay, yeah, it's cradle-robbing," Peter conceded.
"Why would Star-Lord wish to kidnap infants from their cradles?" Drax asked in
a mildly panicked voice.
"Hold up a minute," Peter interrupted before Gamora could explain. "There's no
way this kid is human. Humans don't look like that. They just don't. Wanna
explain that one to me."
"Black Arrow is most assuredly Terran. She's just been enhanced in a way we
haven't identified yet. It seems Thanos may have actually...commissioned her
creation."
"Commissioned?" Peter repeated, mildly shocked.
"It's really not all that surprising," Gamora said. She didn't need to say
anything more to remind them just how she'd come to be what she was.
"Wait, wait, wait," Rocket interrupted. "You mean to tell me we got taken down
by an infant?"
"Black Arrow and her compatriots are no ordinary band of infants," Dey cut back
in. "They were trained for combat, stealth, and espionage from a very early age
by a now defunct organization known as the Red Room. Thanos had essentially
commissioned them to generate enhanced agents for him. Black Arrow was brought
into the fold later than most, but it seems her circumstances were...special."
"In what way?" Gamora pressed.
"The Terrans...don't live under a unified planetary government as most of the
galaxy does. They're often at odds with each other. Black Arrow was born on the
continent of 'Africa' and there's a very violent conflict going on there now.
If the Red Room's records are accurate, her birth name is Nadi Johari, but it
seems she took the name Arrow after...what happened to her."
"And what did happen to her?" Gamora continued to press.
"When...when she was only seven years old...she was kidnapped by a gang of
soldiers. They...those men...for two years...they used her as a sex slave," he
said, not looking at them as he spoke the last words. "I'm sorry...I just...the
whole thing's hideous. My own little girl's just that age now. To think of
something like this happening to her...I can't-"
"It's all right," Gamora reassured him, even though it wasn't. Really, it hit a
little too close to home for her. "Go on."
"Well...who's to say what finally caused it to happen, but...when she was
nine...she killed them...all of them. She'd been living alone in the jungle
about a year when the Red Room got hold of her. It didn't take much to harden
her into the sort of candidate they needed."
"No...it wouldn't," Gamora said quietly. She could certainly see where Thanos
would prefer such a process – a system where he didn't have to break in his
tools himself.
The former assassin was drawn out of her reverie when she realized that Peter
had reached out for her hand. She allowed herself to feel the warmth and the
strength of the grip for only a moment before looking up from their now clasped
hands to see the concern in his eyes. Quickly, she yanked her hand away.
"Save your pity, Quill. I have no use for it," she snarled quietly, looking
away from him, tuning back in to Rhomann's explanation.
"The Red Room was dismantled three months ago by an organization known as
S.H.I.E.L.D. Nine subjects had been undergoing various stages of conditioning,
but for reasons we haven't been able to determine, Thanos was only able to
secure three of them. At the moment, this team of enhanced Terrans seems to be
his leading strong arm. They've already killed dozens of people."
"Yeah, yeah, boo-hoo, all well and tragic, but while we're sittin' here
yammerin', they could be doin' the same thing to Groot, if anybody cares,"
Rocket snapped.
"Can he even be killed?" Peter asked.
"Yes," the raccoon growled, glaring pointedly up at him. "Yes, he can. And if
you flarkin' raktors won't get up off your ass ends and help me, I might just
have to jack the Milano and go rescue 'im my own self."
"Rocket, don't say things like that. Of course we care that Groot's been
captured, but as I said before, we are not in the best of conditions right now.
If we fly off to face Thanos like this, we will only be playing into his
hands," Gamora warned him. "Drax's eyes will need another week to heal."
"Well, I dunno about the rest of you guys, but I feel just fine, so-" Peter
started, but was cut off by a sharp stab of pain the moment he tried to stand.
Immediately, Gamora was beside him, helping him to lie back down.
"The hell was that?" he asked meekly.
"You mustn't move too much yet or you'll tear the laser stitching. You'll need
at least another twenty-four hours," Gamora explained.
"No! That's no good!" Rocket argued.
"And what are you going to do with a broken shoulder? You need that same
twenty-four hours for the cell injections to take effect. I'm sure Groot will
be very happy to see you get yourself killed for him."
"I can't just sit here and let 'im die!" Rocket shouted.
"Rocket, please. Just listen to me. If you care about Groot at all, you can't
just rush into this. Think. He needs you. You have to be able to give your
best," Gamora tried to reason with him...and it was this appeal that finally
caused Rocket's shoulders to slump in defeat.
"Forty-eight hours," he glared up at them all. "Not a second longer. If by then
your sorry hides ain't onboard the Milano, I'm gone. I am not gonna let 'im
die."
                                      XxX
When Groot finally regained consciousness, he found himself in a darkened cell.
When he attempted to move, he found that he was chained to the wall by some
sort of energy cuff. He pulled at the cuffs with all his considerable strength,
but they wouldn't budge.
"You may as well cease with your struggling. This cell was built to withstand
even your strength, Flora Colossus," a thin, hissing sort of voice suddenly
came from the darkness. "You may believe me when I say we are well-equipped to
deal with your kind."
"I am Groot," he said bitterly. Disliking being at a disadvantage to whomever
it was he was speaking to, he set several luminescent spores adrift in the air.
More than bringing light to the darkness, being able to light the spores so
easily told him he'd fully recovered from his burn wounds. He was at full
strength, but still trapped.
As the chamber slowly came to light, Groot saw a heavily-cloaked figure
standing near a door at the far end. The clothing concealed most of the being's
features and even if it hadn't, Groot often had trouble telling gender
differences in other races anyway. The voice was of no help. It didn't really
matter, though...if this being was claiming to have 'dealt with' other Flora
Colossi before him.
"Oh, we are well aware the Flora Colossi are long gone. Who do you think was
responsible? Your people were too much of a threat to my master's future ends,"
the being informed him as he moved further into the cell.
"I am Groot!" he growled at the other being, snapping at his cuffs once again,
but still to no effect.
"Yes," the being answered with a high, hideous chuckle. "Quite ingeniously, if
I do say so myself – to destroy an entire race of beings that are essentially
immortal. Our soldier proved his worth a hundred times over in that beautiful
orchestration of genocide."
"I am Groot. I am Groot," he said, his voice fading to something quiet and meek
as he looked away from the other being. He often tried to tell himself that he
didn't care...that it didn't hurt to be the last of his kind. After all, why
should he care about a people who had cast him out? It was a lie, though – a
lie he told himself to blot out the painful memory of his devastated world, a
lie he knew Rocket could see right through when they lay together at night,
when his diminutive partner would cuddle closer against his chest, giving
comfort just as much as receiving it.
"Thanos did not expect to see a Flora Colossus among this petty Guardian force
that gathered against Ronan. Indeed, they would not have survived to defeat him
were it not for you. Surely you must realize just how much of a danger you are,
even one Flora Colossus alone."
"I am Groot," he snapped at him.
"Certainly not. It was very much my master's intention that you be brought
here. None of us had any delusions that fire alone could destroy you."
"I am 'Groot'?"
"'Here' is Zalnkaras, Thanos' chief prison moon. Most of his best reeducation
work has been accomplished here. In fact, your Zehoberi friend was raised
within these very walls."
"I...I am Groot?" he asked. He knew Zalnkaras was very far away from Xandar,
but he could still feel Rocket, however faintly, through the link they shared.
It was enough to know he still lived, but he had no way of knowing about the
others.
"Your friends? It's my understanding they still live, but that can change quite
easily, so I would advise against acting up. Surely you've realized by
now...you cannot be allowed to live."
"I am Groot," he said, glaring at the other.
"It will not be over quickly. One who does not die easily...certainly cannot
expect a painless death," he began to explain as he moved off to the side,
toward a table set against the wall. Upon it sat a stone basin and a large
glass bottle filled with a dark red liquid. Unstoppering the bottle, the other
upended its contents into the basin before picking it up and carrying it to
him, setting it at his chained feet. Groot only caught a faint whiff of
whatever the brew's essence was, but he could tell it was something vile...not
quite of the living.
"This substance has many names. The Asgardians call it Nidhogg's Fire. Whatever
the case, it is deadly to all things that live. A single drop could kill a
human...or a raccoon," he added slowly, allowing the implication to sink in for
the Flora Colossus. "To dispatch one such as you...it will take a great deal
more. The process could take several days."
"I am Groot!" he spat at the other, lashing out to try and kick the basin, but
the cuffs at his feet wouldn't allow that much movement.
"Oh, no. No one can force you to do anything. The only trouble with being a
creature with a heart, however, is that certain...alternate measures of
persuasion exist," the other said, leering cruelly at him.
"I am G...I am Groot?" he asked, even though he already understood what this
meant. Even if only to delay the inevitable a moment longer...
"Your companion – the rat. I understand your relationship with him is
most...precious to you. If you refuse to comply, he will be killed."
"I am...Groot," he hissed, voice and shoulders trembling as he looked away from
the other.
"You don't think so? He barely survived his last encounter with our Black
Arrow. I shudder to think what she might do to him given a second chance."
"I am Groot!" he demanded, eyes squeezing shut as anguish gripped his heart. "I
am Groot?"
"What? Use the Akasha? Thanos could do that, certainly, but I believe he wishes
to see you choose this way yourself...to choose death...die for your love."
For a long time, neither of them spoke. Groot retreated within himself,
weighing each and every possible option. Certainly he could refuse to cooperate
with them, but he knew he'd never be able to live with himself if Rocket died
because of him. Likely the others were on their way to rescue him now. He
trusted Rocket...of course he did. He knew firsthand just how resourceful and
tenacious his lover could be...but at the same time, they were dealing with a
being who could murder his entire race without a second thought. Did the
Guardians have any real hope against Thanos? Maybe...by cooperating now, he
could buy them the time they needed?
"Come now, Flora Colossus. We have seen just how much you are willing to give
up for him. How long are we going to stand here and pretend you haven't already
made your decision?" the Other asked him.
Slowly nodding his head, Groot lifted his foot. While the cuffs didn't allow
enough motion to kick the basin over, there was enough allowed that he could
place his foot in the basin. This wouldn't be as quick as actually drinking the
poison, but it would still be absorbed into his body this way. As his captor
had said, it might take several days, but once enough of the foul brew was
consumed...he would die.
                                      XxX
Just as Rocket had promised, at exactly forty-eight hours he was anxiously
pacing what passed for the bridge on the Milano while Peter and Gamora readied
her for takeoff. Drax was sitting further back from the cockpit area with a
blindfold wrapped around his head to protect his still healing eyes. He wasn't
going to be of much help in the coming fight, but he'd insisted on coming with
them just the same.
"So where is this place we're heading?" Peter asked as Gamora plotted their
course.
"Zalnkaras," Gamora answered, not looking at any of them as she spoke. "Thanos
will have had Groot taken to Zalnkaras. It's his chief prison moon. I was
raised there myself."
"You grew up in a prison?" Peter asked, face scrunching up in concern as he
looked at her. She still wouldn't return his gaze, though.
"Something to that effect. It is called a prison moon, but it is chief among
the many he maintains because he keeps the important prisoners there...the
powerful and the political. It is also where he trains his pets. Groot will
have been taken to Zalnkaras because, like me, he's the last of his kind.
Thanos means either to turn him to his own cause...or to make certain he can
never fight against him."
"Groot won't work for that slime," Rocket insisted angrily as the Milano lifted
up out of the docks.
"I would not be so certain, Rocket. Thanos can be very...persuasive," Gamora
said softly, wincing as the ship hit the atmosphere.
"I don't care what you think. You don't know that overgrown splinter the way I
do. He is never gonna work wit' a scuzz like your old boss," he snapped, but in
the next moment, his entire body seemed to slump in dejection. "He'd die
first."
"Then...that will be Thanos' plan – to kill him."
"How far is this place?" Rocket asked her.
"Aboard the Milano, it will take us three days to reach it. Zalnkaras lies in
the Keystone Quadrant."
"What?" Rocket started upon hearing her words.
"I'm sorry, Rocket, but we'll be pushing the engines as it is. This is the best
we can do."
"No, not...not that. Did you say...Keystone Quadrant?" the raccoon repeated,
the last two words seeming to be torn from his throat, almost unwillingly.
"Yes. Why?"
"It...no. It's nothin'," he lied, shaking himself all over before walking away
from them. He really needed to be away from the others right now.
The Keystone Quadrant...Halfworld...he'd sworn to himself he would never go
back...never fly within half a parsec of that system...except that now it
looked like he had no choice. No matter how much time or distance he put
between himself and that place, it seemed that the Keystone Quadrant would
always be tied to his greatest suffering.
As his thoughts spiraled further and further into despair, he suddenly realized
that his whole body was trembling and he couldn't stop it. That and his head
was beginning to ache. His shoulder was healed, but the head injury was a
little more complicated. If he pushed himself too hard, he could make it worse.
Shaking his head in a futile attempt to clear the oncoming fog, he slowly
dropped to his knees, clutching at his arms. Was he really having a panic
attack now? After all these years...
"Come on...come on...keep it together, you flarkin' infant!" he scolded
himself, digging in with his claws until his arms bled. "It's not like you
actually have to go to Halfworld."
Groot needs you. He needs you. They're gonna kill him. Gotta save him...
...but...Keystone Quadrant.
For a moment, he couldn't see the spaceship hulls that surrounded him. For only
a moment, he was back in a lab...strapped to a table...they were going to-
NOOO! he screamed silently, clutching at his head in agony.
"Rocket?" Drax's voice suddenly shattered the waking nightmare, drawing him
back to the present. Rocket whipped around to face the much larger man, feeling
only a faint flicker of relief upon remembering that he couldn't see him. Drax
had his hand pressed firmly against the wall to help guide himself along.
"What...what do you want?" he snapped at him, just barely managing to get
control of his voice. He didn't quite have a handle on the shaking yet.
"My friend...are you all right?" Drax asked him. He couldn't see his eyes, but
he could still see the way his face twisted in worry.
"Been better," he muttered, not quite feeling up to the task of a snarky
comeback.
"I only wished to say again...how sorry I am this has happened. I understand
what it is you feel. I, too, have known the pain of being so cruelly separated
from one's love."
Rocket swallowed heavily at this, turning away from Drax, even though he
couldn't see him. It wasn't talked about very much among them, but they all
knew Drax was still in pain...probably always would be...reeling from the loss
of his family. So far, he'd just been worried about getting Groot back. He may
have been a big palooka, but he was his big palooka, dammit! He hadn't
considered...what might happen to him if they failed. He'd been born out of
suffering. For the longest time, it had been all he'd known. How much worse
would it become...if Groot wasn't here anymore? His pain would be just as bared
and bleeding as Drax's was. His heart would be that shattered.
"No offense, Drax-man, but I really hope it don't come to that."
                                      XxX
Peter wasn't completely sure why, but both he and Gamora remained in the
cockpit after Rocket and Drax had left. Peter had asked Drax if he needed help
getting around, but after insisting he didn't need it, silence had filled the
space. Neither of them had spoken a word for several hours now and the silence
was starting to get particularly suffocating.
Even though he knew there were more important things to be worrying about,
Peter couldn't help but think of the many times these last few days Gamora had
shown them an almost vulnerability. This whole fiasco seemed to be hitting much
closer to home for her than any of their previous ones had...even that first
one that had brought them all together. He wanted to be allowed to worry about
her, but as usual, something as mortal as worry wasn't permitted with Gamora.
Apparently she trusted him enough to fight alongside him and to drink with him
when those fights went well...but not enough to let him see past the shield she
kept around herself.
The worst of it all was that they weren't talking about what he'd said in the
vault before losing consciousness. He had no idea if she thought he just didn't
remember what he'd said or if she just wasn't saying anything because she was
angry with him...that she couldn't possibly care about a loser like him. And of
course, he wasn't saying anything either. He was just too scared...and with
Gamora, that was easy enough to admit to himself. She wasn't like other women,
and he'd known that ever since he'd nearly given his last breath for her.
What else was he supposed to say...if he thought he was going to die? He wanted
to love her; he did love her...so much, but he was pretty sure she wasn't going
to let him. More than likely, he'd have to be satisfied with being her friend.
Was he a horrible person for thinking about these things when their little
family was falling apart? Probably...but what else could he do? There were
three days to kill before they reached Zalnkaras...before Gamora told them what
the plan was. Finally, unable to stand the silence anymore, Peter hopped up
from his chair.
"All right. I can't stand uncomfortable silences."
"Was it uncomfortable?" Gamora asked him in a tone that made it clear she'd
been aware of the tension, but she didn't quite look at him.
"I'm gonna grab a beer. You want anything?"
"No. Thank you," she said, still staring out the forward window.
"Something to eat, maybe? Pretty sure we've still got some of that Pharsalian
stew in the fridge."
"No. I will eat later. Just go," she said softly, and if he didn't know her
better, he'd say it almost sounded like there were tears in her voice. Rather
than risk life and limb to find out, though, he did as she asked, turning and
walking away from her.
                                      XxX
With each hour that passed, Groot could feel the deadly poison spreading
through his body. He knew he wouldn't be able to stay standing for much longer.
He'd just be left hanging in his energy chains, helpless...too weak. Already he
could see that his bark was growing pale. The outer layer would die first,
moving slowly inward, to the core of him.
Each time he drained the basin of liquid, the Other would enter the chamber to
refill it. He continued to speak, to mock him, but the Flora Colossus had long
since stopped listening to him. There was something strange about this Other.
Groot could easily tell the difference between true life and mechanical life.
The Other was neither. He wasn't alive...but neither was he entirely dead. He
was a being caught somewhere in between.
Despite Groot's wall of indifference toward him, one of his whispered taunts
did manage to make it through to him.
"What do you think will become of your rat when you die?"
Rocket? He hadn't thought about it. He had thought only of saving his life. But
what life would Rocket have once he was gone? He'd often told Groot that he was
his life...his reason for continuing to live, even though he should have died
long ago. What would happen to him? Would he become like Drax had been before
they'd all met? A lost warrior with nothing but pain and hate in his heart?
As he felt the poison spreading he could also feel Rocket drawing closer to
him, hurtling toward him across the stars. But as he drew closer, Groot could
also feel that he was in pain – not just the physical pain of his wounds, but a
soul deep agony that the Flora Colossus could feel burning hideously against
his own heart.
"I am Groot," he whispered faintly.
I am sorry...my love...so sorry.
                                      XxX
Rocket woke from the nightmare with a tiny cry. On instinct, his paws reached
out for warm bark, only to be met with tangled scraps of cloth and cold steel.
Groot wasn't here. He was alone.
He couldn't sense his partner quite the same way Groot could sense him, but now
he was certain. Groot was in pain. He was already dying. Even if it had been
for only a moment, he had felt it...felt the enormity of his anguish and
despair.
Curling in on himself in the little nest he'd made in the engine room, the
raccoon buried his face in his paws and cried. He'd only cried once before now,
but he just couldn't help it. The tangle of emotions in his heart was so
massive, he felt his chest just might burst open from it.
Despite his attempts at being quiet, the other guardians could hear him,
gathered outside the engine room as they were. They all wanted to do something
to help their furry companion, but they all knew he'd only chase them away.
Rocket would never knowingly let them see him like this. So all they could
really do was keep close, being there in the only way they were allowed.
They were only a day away from Zalnkaras.
***** Accomplice *****
Zalnkaras was a desert moon, dotted all over with imposing stone prisons. After
switching out the Milano's dock registration code to allow them to land, it had
been easy for Rocket to track which fortress the Rose Red had landed at. Upon
docking, Peter, Gamora, and Rocket had disembarked, leaving Drax in charge of
the ship.
Peter and Gamora were dressed in large black cloaks and Rocket was clinging to
the small of Gamora's back, making himself as small as possible so as to stay
hidden beneath her cloak. No easy task when his body was bristling with every
manner of sidearm he could possibly manage to keep on him.
"Sure I can't bring the bazooka?" Rocket whispered to Gamora as they moved
through the docking bay. The last light of day had just vanished over the
horizon behind them, leaving the area in a red-grey sort of half light.
"Where would you keep it?" Gamora whispered, glancing surreptitiously around
the area. Only a handful of slaves were still working the bay.
"I dunno. I could think of a few places," he snarled quietly, unintentionally
digging his claws into her back.
"Watch those things," she hissed, resisting the urge to slap at him.
"Sorry," he muttered, leaving it at that.
"No more talking," she warned him as she led Peter toward the slave entrance.
"We're about to enter the compound."
No one bothered to stop the pair as they entered. After all, who cared about a
couple of message runners?
"There now. Easy as pie," Peter whispered once they were well past the security
door.
"Pie?" Gamora couldn't quite keep herself from asking.
"Never had pie before? Jeez, Gamora, it's...y'know what? Never mind. It's just
an expression. It's going good. We're in, we're out. We rescue the big guy and
slip back into orbit before anyone's the wiser."
"I would not relax just yet, Quill. I will not be at ease again until we are
far away from this place. Thanos is rarely as simple as one thinks," she
returned, unable to keep back the shudder that ran through her body, which
Rocket felt, of course. He didn't say anything, but the grip of his claws was
briefly loosened, replaced for a moment with the comforting press of a soft paw
pad.
"Right. Sorry," Peter said quietly. "I know it's gotta suck to be here...but it
is very brave, what you're doing."
Under normal circumstances, Gamora would have taken the time to snub her
comrade for commenting on how much courage she did or did not have, but here
and now it was a comfort...to have her friends near and to know that they would
always stand by her side. At any other time, she might have thought better of
it, but now she allowed herself to reach out and grip Peter's hand, the motion
mostly hidden by the cloaks. Peter said nothing, just gripped her hand a little
tighter as the small team made its way through the dimly lit corridors.
                                      XxX
Drax sat alone in the cockpit of the Milano, anxiously drumming his fingers
against the console. If he could have, he would have been anxiously pacing
instead, if only to work off the energy building up in his long idle limbs. If
he moved away from the console, though, he may well not be able to find it
again, and if that happened he would let his friends down even more
horrendously than he already had.
The plan was that Gamora would contact him once they had Groot. The ship was
still primed and ready for a quick takeoff, but that wouldn't do them much good
with the fortress crawling with guards. Therefore, once he received the signal,
Drax was to activate the autopilot, which was set to crash the Milano into the
ship parked next to it. Nothing that would do too much damage, just enough to
cause a distraction, allowing the Guardians to get Groot out of the prison
during the commotion.
I will not fail you this time, my friends. I swear it.
"Docking registration please, sir," a feminine voice suddenly sounded in his
ear. Snarling, Drax leapt up from his chair and spun around, trying to take a
swing at the intruder, but whoever she was, she'd already stepped clear. He was
nearly thrown off balance when his fist met nothing but empty air.
"How is it I did not hear your approach, female?" he demanded.
"I have my tricks. It was easy enough for me to board the vessel of an
intruder."
Unable to see his opponent, Drax was forced to focus on her voice to know where
she was standing...and in listening to that voice, he found an eerie sort of
familiarity. This woman sounded...almost like his wife. Except that was
impossible. Hovat had been dead for ten years now.
"Woman...who are you? Why is it that your voice is familiar to me?"
"This I could not tell you, intruder. We've not met before. As to who I
am...the only name I have to give you is Moondragon."
                                      XxX
The rest of the Guardians were making good time toward the cell blocks when
Gamora suddenly took a knife to the back...only it wasn't her back.
Rocket cried out in pain when he felt the dagger pierce him. Gamora's cloak and
his own suit prevented it from going too deep, but there was just no getting
around the fact that being stabbed hurt.
"Rocket!" Peter shouted as the raccoon slumped out from underneath the cloak.
The dagger tore the black cloth as he fell, ultimately twisting out of his
shoulder. Gamora quickly discarded the useless disguise, moving to kneel beside
Rocket as he fell to his knees. Despite the pain, though, it didn't take him
long to get back to his feet.
"Fine. I'm fine," he muttered, barely paying any attention to the sticky
feeling of the blood matting his fur.
"Did you really think it was going to be that easy to rescue your tree friend?"
a sickeningly familiar voice asked as its owner appeared from around a corner.
Black Arrow stalked slowly toward the group, leading a gang of her own. Rocket
recognized the man from the Nova Corps dock, but the other two they'd only seen
as holofiles: one man with dark red skin and black hair and another with pure
white skin and hair.
"I must say, Black Arrow, you're looking rather well for a woman who had her
arm torn off," Gamora commented as she got to her feet. Indeed, the girl looked
as if she'd never been injured at all. Black Arrow swung her arm in a circle
with a self-satisfied smirk on her face.
"Don't underestimate the children of Dreykoff, Gamora. We'll surprise you every
time."
"Where's Groot?!" Rocket demanded as he pulled a small pistol from his belt,
aiming directly between the girl's eyes. "What did you lowlifes do to 'im?!"
"The tree?" Black Arrow asked with a laugh. "Just doing a little pest control,
really. He's grown quite fond of weed killer these past few days."
Rocket was just about at the edge of his control. He might have made the
mistake of launching himself at Black Arrow yet again if Peter hadn't moved to
stand in front of him and Gamora, making a big show of removing his cloak.
"Leave them to us, Rocket," Gamora hissed to him as Peter put on a show of
challenging their new adversaries. "You must go and find Groot. We don't know
how much longer he can hold out. Once you reach the end of this corridor, take
a left. At the end of that corridor, there's a lift. You'll take it to the very
top and take another left directly out of it. The control center is the second
security door on the right. You'll be able to learn Groot's location from
there."
"Right," the raccoon muttered, taking in her instructions with a quick nod.
"You two flarks better stay alive 'til I get back." Then he was gone.
"Where does he think he's going?" Black Arrow asked, glancing briefly past
Gamora. "It won't make any difference. You've come too late to save the Flora
Colossus. Without doubt, they're already putting his body through the
incinerator."
"We do not believe that," Gamora declared defiantly as she drew her blades.
"Yeah, you don't know Groot the way we do. Before we proceed to the ass-
kicking, though, I think maybe we should do some proper introducing. My name's
Peter Quill, the mighty and heroic Star-lord. This is Gamora, last and
deadliest of the Zehoberi. What about the rest of your possie, Black Arrow?"
Peter requested as he drew a laser pistol.
Black Arrow narrowed her eyes at this. "You really want to go through this
again? Do you not recall what happened the last time you requested a name?"
"Seems only polite," Peter responded, seemingly unaware of just what sort of
situation he was in. Gamora knew better, though. She could tell the difference
between true stupidity and put on blitheness as far as Peter went. This was an
act.
"If you insist. The people who are about to kill you are known as Crossbones,
Red Guardian, and Alrik," Black Arrow answered, indicating the black-skinned
man, the red-skinned man, and the white-skinned man respectively.
"And just so I'm clear, are you all human?" Peter asked, even though he already
knew the answer.
"More or less," the white-skinned one, Alrik, answered, "but we have left
humanity far behind. If you have heard tell of humans, do not expect us to give
you an easy fight."
"Hey, hey, hey, let's all be nice here. After all, I'm human, too.
Well...mostly," Peter said as he fired off a shot, grazing Alrik's shoulder
before he could sidestep the blast.
Snarling in both anger and pain, Alrik leapt at Peter, easily knocking the
weapon from his hands and engaging him in a furious fist fight. Black Arrow and
Crossbones also moved in to join the fray, but Gamora quickly engaged them,
catching Black Arrow's claws with one blade while moving to stab Crossbones in
the side. The hulking fighter managed to catch the blade, though, cutting his
palm instead. The Red Guardian was the only one to hang back, continuing to
observe the fight.
Gamora didn't really have time to see how Peter was doing, as she was busy
keeping Black Arrow's claws from piercing her chest while avoiding blows from
Crossbones. She ceased to really think about the situation. The battle became
more like a dance, moving to the rhythm of her own pulse as she glided
seemlessly through each deadly move. She was aware of their surroundings only
in so much as she could use them to her advantage. Her two opponents were
moving the fight in the opposite direction from the lift – toward Thanos'
throne room. A bit of a weakness of his, the old man always seemed to need a
throne to sit upon. When the fighting had reached the more airy space of the
chamber, Gamora took only a moment to note that the throne was empty. Good.
More than likely Thanos was not even on Zalnkaras right now.
Gamora only vaguely noted that Peter and Alrik had kept pace with them, still
trading blows. The Red Guardian was still drifting around the edge of the
fighting, creating a loose perimeter...circling...circling...right up until he
pulled out some sort of gun and fired at Peter.
"Peter!" she shouted at him. He looked up just in time to avoid the large metal
flechette aimed at his head.
"The fuck is that?!" he shouted at the other man, still trying to hold off
Alrik.
"Like it? It's an old Earth weapon. They call it a flechette gun. Not as
elegant as some of these space age lasers, I'll grant, but it certainly packs a
punch of its own," the younger man said, firing another round which Peter just
barely managed to avoid.
"Don't let him talk, Quill. Just fight," Gamora coached, keeping her attention
on her own battle. This time when Black Arrow came at her, instead of turning
aside her claws, she got in a deep swipe along her side, a small well of blood
fanning out along her torso as she spun away from her. The girl gave a small
grunt of pain as she collapsed against a column. Unfortunately, that was also
the moment Red Guardian's flechette gun finally found its target.
Peter cried out in pain as the flechette pierced his leg just above the knee.
Alrik forced him to his knees and pulled a gun from his own belt, holding it to
the former outlaw's head. Crossbones used Gamora's moment of distraction at
this to throw her across the chamber.
The former assassin landed painfully on the steps leading up to the throne. In
only moments she had her blades ready for when Crossbones was on her
again...but that wasn't what happened next.
"Hello, dearest daughter. How long has it been?"
Gamora froze in horror at the sound of the voice. She still heard it in her
nightmares...and again, just like in her nightmares, she looked up to see him
standing over her.
Thanos.
                                      XxX
Rocket followed Gamora's instructions easy enough. Once he'd reached the
control center, it was also easy enough to determine which cell Groot was being
kept in. What was not easy...was the sight he beheld when he actually entered
the cell.
Groot was hanging limply against the far wall of the gloomy prison cell, held
up only by a pair of energy cuffs. Another pair of cuffs lay at his feet, but
if they'd been used they clearly weren't needed anymore. Groot no longer had
the strength to fight back. His bark had gone impossibly pale and dead bits of
greenery had started to fall from his body. He didn't even look up when Rocket
entered, his head hanging hopelessly off to one side.
"Groot," he whispered. For a moment, he was frozen with fear...fear that he was
already too late...but when the Flora Colossus managed to give a very faint
groan Rocket immediately raced forward.
The next thing the raccoon noticed was a stone basin that Groot had his foot
settled in, nearly drained of some sort of dark red liquid. He tried to push
his foot out, but even in this weakened state that foot was massive compared
with Rocket's own minuscule body.
"Come on, you ass. I can't do this by myself. You gotta...help me," he grunted,
still struggling to lift Groot's foot.
Finally, slowly, the Flora Colossus lifted his leg from the basin, allowing
Rocket to shove it aside, spilling what remained of the red liquid across the
floor. He'd never smelled anything quite like it before, but whatever it was,
it made him want to throw up what little he'd eaten since Groot had been
taken...and Groot now had whatever this stuff was coursing through his body.
"I...I am Groot," he whispered faintly.
"Course I did, stupid head. Wasn't just gonna leave ya to die, was I," he said,
scampering up the wall and setting to work on the cuffs that bound the Flora
Colossus.
"I am Groot. I..."
"Hey, no! Don't talk like that," Rocket snapped at him, severing the last
energy binder and causing the cuffs to fizzle out and snap open. Groot slid
slowly to the floor, too weak to stand. "Don't you say your goodbyes. Not yet.
You hear me? I'm gonna get you outta here. Just stick wit' me."
"I am Groot," he insisted, smiling up at him as he weakly reached out a hand to
touch his face. "I am Groot."
"No," Rocket hissed, eyes squeezing tightly shut against the anger and pain he
didn't want to let escape. "I don't wanna hear it. I am not gonna let you die
like this."
"I am Groot."
"Come on!" he shouted, smacking Groot's hand away from his face. "Don't quit on
me now. Don't you do that! What am I supposed to do...if you ain't here
anymore? I need you, you big...dumb..."
"I...I am...Groot," he pleaded with him, unable to raise his hand a second
time.
"Fine! I...I love you, too," he said, giving in to his partner's request to
hear the words one more time.
"Isn't that just precious?" a new voice suddenly entered the cell. Rocket spun
around to face the new threat – a heavily-robbed figure whose only truly
distinguishing feature was a second thumb on each hand. It wasn't the
appearance that bothered the raccoon, though. It was the voice...that strange,
high, hiss of a voice. He almost thought...he might have heard it before.
"You did this," Rocket said quietly. Nothing else mattered...not the being's
identity nor this strange sense of familiarity. The only thing that mattered
was that this slimeball had hurt Groot...and he would make him pay for it.
"Yes," he answered with a simple chuckle, holding up another bottle of the
strange red liquid. "Sadly, little rat, you've come too late. I have here your
beloved's last dose of medicine. We'll finish this quickly."
"Then I'll just hafta drop you quickly!" Rocket snarled at him, slipping a
grenade from his belt and tossing it at the other being. He didn't seem
worried, though. No. He only sneered at the raccoon as he tossed his own
projectile – the bottle of poison.
He thought he heard Groot screaming, but he couldn't be sure in the deafening
roar of the explosion. Both he and the Other were thrown back. He didn't see
what happened to his opponent, but when he landed beside Groot, he heard the
bottle shatter...felt whatever poison was contained inside splatter over him.
Almost immediately, he began to feel dizzy and short of breath. The world was
spinning and melting and his head was pounding and it was so hard just to get
one god damn breath. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized that the
poison had entered through the wound in his shoulder...and whatever it was, it
was spreading fast. It was happening so fast, he could actually feel his body
shutting down.
"Well...shit," he muttered, collapsing feebly against Groot's side, and as
everything started to fade away around him, he could faintly hear the Flora
Colossus making a sound he'd never made before – an anguished, keening wail
that pulled at even his heart. Groot was crying.
"Hey...it's okay...'s okay," he said softly, reaching out a paw to brush
against Groot's bark. "What was I gonna do wit'out you anyway?"
That wasn't good enough for Groot, though. No. Rocket deserved so much better
than this...better than to die like a rat in a cell. So, using what little
strength he had left, he stretched out a vine toward his lover, pressing it to
the open wound in his shoulder.
Rocket himself was close to gone. If this was death, he found himself thinking,
then it wasn't so bad. The world was getting clearer again...and the pain in
his body was lessening...breathing was easier...but when his thoughts finally
came together in realization of what that meant, it was too late.
"Groot!" he shouted, snapping out of the daze and looking back just in time to
see his partner withdrawing his vine. He'd drawn the poison out...but only
because he'd taken it into himself.
"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" he shouted, pounding a paw against the floor in self-
hatred. "Why'd you do that, you stupid-"
"I...am..." Groot tried to say, but couldn't quite finish. He managed only a
brief smile before his eyes slid shut.
"Damn you, you flarkin' tree! If you die on me now, I'm gonna kill you!" Rocket
snarled at him. The Flora Colossus was still with him, but he couldn't hold out
much longer. Moving faster than even he knew he could, he raced back to the
control center, straight to the communications console, tapping into the
frequency for the docks.
"Drax? Come on, Drax-man, pick up. Drax! Where are you?!"
                                      XxX
Drax was busy trying to dodge blows from his mysterious assailant when Rocket's
call came through. This Moondragon wasn't so strong as all that, but she was
very fast. There was only so much he could do when he could only track her
movements through sound.
"I cannot allow you to best me, slave of Thanos. My friends are depending on
me."
"Then they will be sorely disappointed," she said. He could hear by the way her
voice traveled that she was circling him. That was how he could track her! He
had to keep her talking.
"Why do you serve Thanos?" he asked the young woman, trying not to focus on the
sound of Rocket's desperate shouting. "He has no care for you or the people you
hurt. The warlord has no care for anyone. Why?"
"Do you want a life's story, intruder? It is a simple matter. I serve my master
because I owe him a debt. If Thanos has no care for me, then he did a very
strange thing ten years ago when he took in a child who had been
abandoned...left to die," she explained, continuing to circle.
"If Thanos did this thing, it was for a purpose. He uses you," he insisted,
continuing to track her. She was moving closer.
"Then so be it. I care not. If my life has purpose for my master, he may use it
as he so chooses," she said, though he thought he might have heard a trace of
hurt in her voice. What might have come next didn't matter, though. She'd come
close enough. He had a fix on her position. He leapt at her, delivering a harsh
blow to her skull.
Moondragon dropped soundlessly to the floor. It took him a moment to feel for
her unconscious body, but when he finally located her, he was actually relieved
to find a pulse in her neck. He couldn't explain the relief. This girl was a
servant of Thanos. By rights, he should kill her now, end one more wasted life
of wickedness...and yet...there was something about this girl. He could not
bring himself to kill her. Turning away from her, he felt his way back to the
flight console.
"I am here, Rocket."
"Where the fuck have you been, you flarkin', muscle-bound-"
"I am sorry. I was ambushed. Are you ready now? Am I to activate the automatic
pilot?"
"No. Change of plan. Shit's goin' down real bad in here. Quill and Gamora got
held up by Black Arrow and her pals. I found Groot, but...he...he's in bad
shape. I can't move 'im. I'm gonna need your help."
"I do not know of what help I might be. I cannot reach you."
"Ain't what I meant, Drax-man. I'll get ya to us. I just need those muscles a'
yours."
"How will you do that?"
"The Milano's still locked into the dock computer network. I can jack into her
system from here and give her directions. I just need you to disengage from the
port lock so's she can fly."
"How do I accomplish this task?" Drax asked, feeling for the button Peter had
pointed out to him earlier.
"Port navigation is gonna be three buttons to the left of auto command. It's a
lever. When you find it, just pull down. It'll disengage the lock. I'll take it
from there. You got it yet?" Rocket pressed, clearly anxious.
"I think I feel it," Drax said as his hand wrapped around some sort of lever.
Without hesitation, he pulled down on it. Immediately, something in the ship
blared to life.
"Good. Hold tight, Drax-man. I'm bringin' you to me."
Drax tumbled back into the pilot's chair as the Milano took off, shooting out
of the docking bay. Unable to see what was happening, all he really could do
was hold tight and trust to Rocket. After only a few minutes, he heard the
ship's laser canon fire on a target before landing he knew not where. In
another few minutes, he heard the exit ramp lowering, then the sound of Rocket
scurrying into the cockpit.
"Who's this?" the raccoon asked.
"She said her name was Moondragon. She is the one who attacked me."
"Well...no time to worry about it now. Just dump her. Carry her off. I'll take
you to Groot."
With Rocket's help, Drax was able to find Moondragon again. He lifted the
girl's much slighter body in his arms and allowed Rocket to lead him off the
Milano. When Rocket finally told him to put Moondragon down, he found he was
hesitant in letting the girl go.
"Will the girl...be all right here?"
"As all right as she can be, workin' for Thanos. Why the hell d'you care
anyway? Thought you wanted to bring 'painful and righteous death to all who
serve Thanos'," the raccoon quoted.
"I...cannot explain it," he said quietly, being gentle as he laid Moondragon
down on the stone floor.
"Oh...no. Hell no! You gotta be flarkin' shittin' me!"
Now Drax was just confused. "Why in the name of all the stars in the sky would
I wish to consume you and expel you as excrement?"
"No, that's not...it ain't...gah! I can't really explain this one either. We
just gotta get outta here," Rocket snarled, leading him from the spot where
he'd laid Moondragon.
What Rocket had no hope of explaining to Drax just then was that a man he'd
recently thrown a grenade at, whom he'd left in a pile of ruined limbs,
ruptured flesh, and shattered bones, was slowly beginning to sit up. The Other
was picking himself up out of the pile of rubble he'd been left in and slowly
starting to pull himself back together.
Rocket turned away from the horrific sight, anxiously guiding Drax down so that
he could lift Groot in his arms. Once the Flora Colossus was secure, Rocket
quickly began to lead the way back to the Milano –as quickly as Drax could
move, anyway.
"You won't get away," the Other's strangled voice followed them down the
corridor. "My master already has what he desires."
                                      XxX
"Please, Gamora, don't get up," Thanos said mockingly as he watched her
struggle to rise. "What is it that brings you back to me? I see you have a boy
with you."
"Be silent," she hissed at the being who'd played at raising her. "He's none of
your business."
"Oh, on that I must disagree with you, my dear," he said as he helped her to
sit up – just before jabbing his hand at the base of her spine, cutting off her
motor functions and forcing her body to collapse limply in his arms.
"Gam!" she heard Peter shouting.
"A nickname? My, my, my, how sweet. This human really does care for you,
doesn't he. Is he the reason you left me?"
"I left because you are a horrid, wicked waste of a life form," she snapped as
best she could. "Peter has nothing to do with this. We came here to rescue our
friend."
At this, Thanos laughed. "Of course you did. Just as I knew you would. While
the death of the last Flora Colossus is a worthy boon indeed, it was really you
and Peter I wanted to speak to."
"What...do you want- with us?" she struggled to ask as he forced her head up,
turning her gaze in Peter's direction. Alrik still had him on his knees with a
gun at his head. The other three were circling around them, blades, claws, and
guns at the ready. If Peter made even one move, he would be twenty different
kinds of dead.
"Look at him, Gamora," Thanos said quietly, so that only she might hear.
"Remarkable creatures, these humans. So weak...so easily destroyed...yet strong
enough...foolish enough...stubborn enough...to defy even me. They are glorious
contradictions, these things. All too weak, but with a
little...alteration...they can be exactly what I need."
"And what is it you need them for?" she asked, struggling to sound indifferent.
"You know what my goal is, of course – to possess all of the singularities, the
Infinity Stones. I cannot accomplish this without humans. I am...breeding my
own task force, as it were. Your Peter Quill would actually suit my purposes
quite well, as he is not all human. What is that I smell? Asgardian perhaps?"
"I would not know. Either way, you had better let him go. He isn't part of
this," Gamora hissed.
"Quite the contrary. I have a much more noble purpose in mind for your Peter
than he could have ever imagined for himself. For you, as well, dear child. You
and your sisters have served me well, but you have never been quite what I
needed. You can, however, aide me in far greater ways."
"What are you talking about?"
"I mean to...breed the two of you," Thanos hissed in her ear.
"What?" she whispered in horror, suddenly very grateful that Peter couldn't
hear any of this.
"Think of it, my dear. A child of yours...with his human blood. It would be
just what I need."
"You cannot...you can't...we are not animals, Thanos," she hissed back at him.
No matter how hard she tried, she could not make her body move.
"Oh, but you may as well be. That is all any of you are to me."
"I will not do it. You cannot force me to lie with him."
"Can't I? There are ways and ways again...methods of persuasion too unseemly to
speak on. I could certainly threaten to kill him if you don't take his seed to
yourself. As I understand it, that would not be too difficult where this one is
concerned."
"So?" she whispered, struggling desperately for the utter indifference that had
once come so easily to her. "Why should I care if you kill him?"
"You care. Do not pretend to me, Gamora. I see that you care for the boy...and
that he cares for you. There is much I could do to ensure you bear him
children, but I have something specific in mind...something much
more...delicious," he hissed, and as he spoke, Gamora felt the prick of a
needle entering her neck. She screamed in both anger and horror as she felt the
drug enter her system.
"Gamora!" Peter shouted as Thanos flung her limp body to the floor. If he tried
to move, she wouldn't have been able to see it. The next thing she became aware
of was Thanos kneeling over her, leaning down close to whisper to her.
"He will beat in your blood constantly. If you sleep, you will dream of him. He
will fill your life and you will burn for him, ache for his touch. You will be
helpless to do anything but long, long, long for him until it drives you mad.
The longer you resist, the worse it will become...until you lose control
completely. The only way to stop it...is to lie with him. And when you finally
give in to it and bear his children...then I will come and claim what is
rightfully mine. You're an accomplice now, Gamora."
He might have had more to say, but that was the exact moment half the throne
room went up in a barrage of laser fire. Gamora couldn't move her head properly
to see what was happening, but the next thing she became aware of was Peter's
arms around her as he picked her up...and already she could feel the burn of
raw want in the places where his skin touched hers.
"No," she whispered in horror. "No...no...no..."
"Hey, look. It's the rest of the guys with the Milano," Peter said happily, as
if some sort of victory had been won. Being careful for once, Peter helped her
turn her head so she could see the hole Rocket had blasted through the
wall...the hole the ship was now flying through. Almost before the Milano had
landed, the exit ramp was descending and Rocket was scampering down, armed with
his favorite bazooka.
"Quill, come on! Get your lazy ass end in gear!" the raccoon shouted as he
fired several rounds at the supporting columns, reducing even more of the
chamber to rubble.
Peter moved as quickly as he could with Gamora in his arms, ducking and
sidestepping when their four opponents attempted to fire at them.
"Well, if it isn't the little rat, come to save the day," Thanos' voice
suddenly thundered over the sounds of the battle. "It's been a few years,
hasn't it."
"What're yous talkin' about?" Rocket demanded, aiming his bazooka at the
warlord.
"I ought to know my own property, oughtn't I?" Thanos mocked. "After all, who
do you think it was that commissioned your creation?"
"What the fuck are yous talkin' about?!" the raccoon near shrieked,
obliterating the column next to Thanos, but not able to bring himself to
actually fire on him. If he really knew something about his creation...
"Rocket, don't...you must not listen," Gamora called weakly from the top of the
ramp. "We need to leave. Now."
Shuddering with anger and sudden fear, Rocket finally nodded, following Peter
back up the ramp and signaling Drax to take off.
"Do you want us to pursue with the Rose Red?" Black Arrow asked Thanos as the
Milano lifted off.
"No. There is no need. Peter Quill and my Gamora have nowhere to run to.
Nowhere but each other."
                                      XxX
"Where's Groot?" Peter asked as they headed up to the bridge.
"Got 'im laid out in the kitchen. He...he ain't doin' too good, Quill. I'm
givin' 'im what water the ship can spare, but it...I dunno," Rocket said, not
looking at them.
"Do we need to get him back to Xandar?"
"Ain't much they can do there. Medicine ain't gonna help. He needs clean water
and good soil. Ain't been too many of those planets in the galaxy since the
Flora Colossi got picked off. Any a' yous know a place like that?"
"I might know one," Gamora offered as they entered the cockpit. "It isn't
perfect. The air isn't clean, but there are places where they still let the
forest grow. There's even a place that's like the Flora Colossi world."
"How long would it take to get there?" Rocket asked, looking almost hopeful.
"A week if we push hard."
Rocket sighed, but ultimately steeled himself. "It's the best shot we got.
Let's do it."
"All right," Gamora said, just barely managing to reach out to the console and
enter the coordinates into the nav computer.
"Gam, that's...those are the coordinates for...Earth," Peter said, looking a
little shell-shocked as he collapsed into the co-pilot's chair with her still
in his arms. She would have given anything to be away from him just then, but
she still couldn't stand on her own...and all she wanted to do was cling to
him...cling to him and kiss his lips until he begged for mercy.
"Yes. Yes, they are."
***** Temptation *****
Chapter Notes
     I am so incredibly sorry for the delay on this chapter!
     Unfortunately, I've been having computer troubles out the wazoo over
     here. But my baby is finally back home with me and seemingly in
     working order once again. Hopefully, I won't be keeping you in
     suspense nearly as long for the rest of the story.
     One other thing you should know before we proceed. The major
     difference between the MCU and my little universe is that Thanos and
     Loki, not HYDRA, were responsible for the creation of the Winter
     Soldier. We'll be seeing a little more of what's happened in my other
     stories at this point, but it shouldn't be anything too hard to
     tackle. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy.
Far into the night cycle, Gamora found herself sitting alone in the cockpit.
She would say it was long after the others had gone to sleep, but she wasn't
sure if Rocket was going to sleep at all until they reached Earth, which wasn't
good for him, as he'd mentioned that his head was still bothering him. Groot
would certainly be angry with him...if he were even conscious to feel anger.
The only sign they had that he was still with them at all was that the bowl of
water Rocket had set his hand in had been drained. He hadn't given up yet.
Somewhere inside, he was still fighting.
As Gamora hadn't been able to move much on her own for several hours after the
battle, Peter had taken care of patching up his and Rocket's injuries, which
she was grateful for. She didn't want to think about what might happen if she
had to touch his bare skin in order to bandage him.
The steadily burning fire in her flesh was easier to bear when he was away from
her. She hadn't told him what had happened. She didn't want him to ever
know...didn't want him to know how Thanos had twisted her feelings and turned
them into shame. She couldn't let Peter be used this way.
He'd come to her earlier in the night, asking if she was hurt, but she'd
insisted it was nothing more than the nerve pinching Thanos had performed on
her. She would recover easily enough. She'd faced steadfastly away from him,
determined not to go to him...to not let him hold her in his arms...run his
fingers through her hair and kiss her breasts. Telling him to leave her be was
the hardest thing she'd ever done in her life.
She knew it was already starting to become difficult for Peter as well, even
though he would have no idea why. Her body was already starting to put out
pheromones and they were focused on him, unwillingly drawing him to her. He
would find it hard to stay away from her. He was probably in his bunk now,
getting himself off to the thought of her...and stars, but if that image didn't
enflame her...
She could feel the changes in her body already, every cell reacting to the
heightened level of arousal...the need to couple with that foolish, idiotic,
brave, beautiful human. Her breasts were becoming tender and swollen. Her skin
was alive with an electric current, aching to be touched. Her lips felt parched
every moment they weren't kissing his. A delicate sheen of sweat had broken out
all along her skin and there was a very distinct sort of moisture at her inner
thighs, just between her legs. And there, at the center of her torment and
desire, there the flames were licking the hottest...a tongue of fire at her
most intimate place. She was one spark away from becoming an open flame.
Her vulva swelled to think of Peter touching himself...touching her. Unable to
help herself, she began to rock against the chair she sat in. She was so wet,
she could feel herself dripping with it, soaking the chair. Her clit throbbed
with insistent need and almost against her will, she found her hands sliding
along her belly, reaching down and unzipping her pants.
"No...don't do it...fight. Don't let...him win," she hissed at herself as tears
poured down her face, but she couldn't help it. She needed it too much...needed
to touch herself. If she didn't have some sort of release soon...she would die.
It was a strange thing, to be sobbing and moaning in the same breath, but she
was that torn between emotions...pleasure and pain...self-hatred. She groaned
softly as she rubbed at her sex, tears spilling down her cheeks all the while.
"Hngh...ah...Peter..." she whispered as she rubbed all the harder, her fingers
slick with her own wetness. She could practically feel his body against hers –
hot, hard, and demanding. When her climax finally seized her, she gave a single
tiny, strangled cry.
For several long moments after, she just lay slumped in the pilot's chair,
hating herself, hating the slickness that still clung to her thighs...hating
how it had made her feel.
After a time, when she'd managed to gather her composure and looked a little
less disheveled, she brought up communications, setting up for a transmission
to Earth.
She hadn't told the others yet, but there was another reason she wanted to
travel to Earth. Another former servant of Thanos could be found there. She
didn't think he could really help her, but right now she was willing to do
anything as long as she didn't have to think about Peter.
When her transmission was finally picked up, a shirtless, sleepy-looking man
with brown hair and a metal arm appeared on the screen.
"Gamora?" he asked, blinking sleepily at her.
"Yes. I'm sorry if I woke you, James...but you said I could contact you if I
needed to."
"Yeah, of course," he said, shaking himself awake. "What's wrong?"
"Why must...something be wrong?"
"Well, let's see. Last time you contacted me, you'd just betrayed one of the
most powerful beings in the universe and you wanted to know how I'd gotten on
with my life after doing the same. Granted, I didn't remember my time serving
Thanos until I saw your face again, but the point is you and I tend to only be
in each other's lives when the shit's hitting the fan. Am I wrong?" he asked,
offering her a wry grin.
Gamora just barely managed to return the smile. "No. You are not wrong, James
Barnes."
"So what seems to be the trouble?"
"Thanos had...taken one of my friends captive. We managed to rescue him, but he
is not doing well. They poisoned him. Medicine will not help him, though. He
needs a planet with green life. I thought Earth might serve our purpose."
Barnes scratched the back of his head at this, looking uncertain. "It's a
pretty sad commentary on the state of things in our galaxy if Earth is the
closest place you can find with enough green to meet your needs. We don't have
all that much left ourselves."
"We only need one place. If I recall correctly, there is a preserve on your
world...a place where giant trees may be found. Is there such a haven on
Earth?"
"Sequoia National Park? Yeah. I guess that'd get your guy what he needs. Why
would that help, though?"
"Do you remember the Flora Colossi?" she asked.
For a moment, Barnes looked lost in thought, and when he returned there was
something like fear in his eyes. "I...I think so. Tree guys?"
"Something like that."
"But...something happened to 'em..."
"That is correct. Groot is the last of their kind."
Barnes seemed to think for several more minutes, but ultimately shook his head,
trying to rid himself of whatever dark thoughts were creeping up on him. "So
what can I do to help?"
"I was hoping you might give me coordinates for the location we need."
"Sure thing. Anything else?" he asked as he typed out a message to send to her.
"Well...I believe it would be useful to have an ally on your world, as your
kind are unused to seeing galactic peoples. If it does not interfere with your
business...would you be able to meet us there?" she asked him.
"Shouldn't be too much trouble. I'll talk to Steve about it. We'll let you know
if there're any problems. How long before you guys touch down?"
"We're hoping to be there within the week. I'm not...completely certain the
Milano's engines can handle the push, but...it's the only chance Groot has."
"Well...God speed, then."
"James?" she started before he could break off the connection. "There is...one
other thing I wanted to ask you before you go."
"Yeah?"
"Your Steve...when did you first know that you loved him?"
Barnes didn't even try for any sort of witty or comical response to that
question. She could see the shift in his gaze, the seriousness in his eyes as
he looked at her.
"Gamora, I loved Steve Rogers the moment I met him. Took me a few years to
figure out what that meant, but I alwaysloved him."
"But what does that mean? How do you know when you feel love...and not just
friendship?" she pressed. She neededto understand this thing that gnawed at her
heart.
"I couldn't tell you how that would feel for you. I'm not you. I don't know how
you feel things. For me...Steve makes the world a little less frightening. I
want him to have everything he could possibly ever want. When he's in pain, I
want to change the world so it doesn't hurt him anymore. I've done a lot of bad
shit in my life, but Steve makes me happy...makes me feel like I deserve to be
happy...like everything I went through was worth it...just to be with him. I
dunno if that helps, but that's what I feel," he finished, staring intently at
her.
"Yes...maybe...I don't know. Thank you," she said quietly. Maybe she had felt
some of those things, but the last thing she wanted to do right now was analyze
her exact feelings toward Peter Quill, because that would involve thinking
about him, which really wouldn't help her situation at all. "See you in seven
days."
"Right. We'll keep our eyes on the sky," he said just before the screen went
dark.
Gamora wasn't certain how long she sat alone trying not to think about Peter,
but her fruitless effort was ultimately interrupted by Drax feeling his way
into the cockpit.
"Gamora? Are you still in here?"
"Yes, I am here," she said, resisting the urge to get up and help him to the
copilot's chair. "Was there something you needed?"
"There is...something I wish to ask," he said when he was finally seated in the
other chair.
"All right."
"Who is Moondragon?"
"Moondragon?" she repeated. Of course she knew Moondragon. The confusion
stemmed from just why Drax wanted to know...or why he even knew the name.
"She was the girl who attacked me."
"Ah. Well...Moondragon was one of my sisters, the youngest, in fact. She's only
sixteen. Really, I can't imagine why Thanos would think her ready to fight
against you, even blinded as you are."
"Her voice sounded...familiar to me," he admitted, gripping the arms of the
chair in tight fists.
"Moondragon is one of your own people. It's possible she was someone you knew
before...a child Thanos took alive from the ruins of an annihilated village."
"Of course...possible," the Destroyer said quietly, looking out at stars he
couldn't see. It was so strange to see him like that – contemplative...lost in
thought...maybe caught up in a memory from the past.
Neither of them spoke anymore that night. They simply sat together, both lost
in thoughts they wanted no part of.
                                      XxX
It was late at night when the Milano touched down in Sequoia National Park.
Landing on a small stretch of earth between a lake and a thick forest wasn't
exactly ideal, but Peter was pretty sure Rocket would claw his face off if he
tried to look for another spot. Groot's bark was still horribly pale and bits
of it were beginning to rot and fall off.
Drax, his eyes finally fully healed, helped Peter to carry the Flora Colossus
down to the lake while Gamora kept a look out for any unwanted visitors. Rocket
dashed in anxious circles around them as they moved.
"So what do we need to do?" Peter asked as they moved into the still water.
"Just lay 'im down 'bout half in the water. If he's got enough strength...he'll
do the rest 'imself," the raccoon explained.
"And there's nothing we can do in the meantime?" Gamora asked, glancing briefly
at them as they gently laid Groot down, half in and half out of the water
"No. It's up to 'im now. We should know...one way or the other...by mornin',"
Rocket said, not looking at them as he settled himself in the dirt next to
Groot's head.
"You're just gonna sit out here with him?" Peter asked.
"That's the idea, yeah."
"Well...I could at least get you a blanket or something," Peter suggested
lamely, feeling particularly despondent as he headed back toward the Milano.
This week had been one of the worst of his life. Right at the start, he'd felt
guilty for even allowing the situation to happen at all. They would all be torn
up if Groot didn't make it through. He didn't even want to think about what
might happen to Rocket. Drax hadn't been speaking much, seemingly lost in
thoughts of his own, and Gamora wouldn't even look at him. He knew something
had happened she wouldn't tell him about – maybe Thanos had said something to
her – but she just wouldn't give him a chance to talk to her about it. Every
time he tried, she would shut him down. She wouldn't let him in. She was
shutting him out even worse than she usually did. Why? Did she not think he
could help...or was she still angry about his confession? There were a hundred
questions and no answers. On top of all this, he'd been almost frightened of
the idea of returning to Earth for reasons he had no hope of explaining, even
to himself. In most situations he would try to stay positive and think things
couldn't possibly get worse...but that thought seemed almost like a challenge
now.
This situation could get worse. It could get much worse.
The universe almost seemed to want to prove this to him when he emerged from
the ship to see Gamora and Drax standing in defensive positions as the
headlights of another vehicle approached their little haven.
The vehicle reminded him of his grandpa's old RV...except that this baby could
have easily been turned out by a team of Xandar's best scientists. It almost
looked more space age than the Milano herself did. When the RV came to a stop
and a man emerged from it, Peter quickly moved to stand with his friends.
"Gamora?" the man called out, and the moment his face was lit by the Milano's
floodlights, the Zehoberi visibly relaxed.
"It's all right," she told them. "This is the man I told you about. It's good
to see you, James," she called to him as she moved forward to meet him.
"Good to see you made it here safe. How's your teammate holding up?" James
asked her.
"We won't know until morning," she answered, glancing back at Rocket and Groot.
Rocket hadn't left Groot's side during the exchange.
"Well...he made it this far, I guess," James said, reaching out to briefly take
Gamora's hand...and when she allowed it, Peter couldn't quite help the spike of
jealousy that twisted in his gut...almost worse than being pierced by Black
Arrow's claws. Gamora had told them she had a history with this man and Peter
now found himself itching to ask a few fundamental questions as to the exact
nature of that history.
"Have you guys eaten anything yet?" James asked them. "We've still got a few
boxes of pizza left if you're interested. We can sit inside and talk."
"Pizza?" Peter whispered in amazement, unwillingly feeling a little of his
jealousy slip away. He hadn't eaten pizza since he'd left Earth. "I will
definitely take you up on that."
"What is pizza?" Gamora asked, looking like she wanted to pose the question to
him, but still wasn't willing to look at him.
"Oh, Gam, you haven't lived yet. Tell me you've got pepperoni in that fancy
camper of yours."
"Pepperoni, sausage, and the works," James said with a grin.
"Awesome. We'll get started on that then," Peter said before delivering the
blanket he'd originally gone to get to Rocket. "Sure you don't wanna join?"
"Nah, I'll be fine."
"Rocket-" Gamora started to argue.
"I know. I know. Don't worry 'bout it. I'll eat when...when I know," he said,
turning his attention back to Groot. Whatever else might happen, he was not
going to look up again until he had his answer.
"Other than that...the rest of you are all right?" James asked as he led them
into the RV.
"Physically unharmed. This fight was...not without its costs," Gamora answered
for them, her voice pained in a way Peter just couldn't grasp. Maybe this James
guy could get her to talk about what had happened with Thanos. Before he could
add anything of his own, though, he realized that James hadn't come alone in
the RV.
There were six other adults gathered around a central table and four kids piled
together on a small couch situated against the wall opposite the door.
"Guess we brought the whole family along," Peter said slowly.
"Not so much. This is only half the family, really," an older man with brown
hair answered as he leaned his chair back, resting his head in his hands. Peter
couldn't help but notice that, like James, this guy had a metal prosthetic.
"The Avengers, saving the world before the bars close and keeping the world
leaders honest, all while running your friendly neighborhood daycare center."
"Avengers?" Gamora asked.
"Yeah. They were the group who fought against Loki three years ago," James
explained.
"We're kind of a big deal around here," the man continued.
"He says to the people who are clearly not from around here," another one of
the men said as he propped his feet up on the table. He was a little younger
than the first, with close cut brown hair.
"Uh, pretty sure we're bigger," Peter insisted. "We're the Guardians of the
Galaxy, baby."
"Never heard of you," the first man fired back dismissively.
"Except that you have. When Bucky explained the situation to us a week ago,"
yet another man pointed out. This one had blond hair and blue eyes.
"Seriously? Nobody else heard about our fight? What does blowing up a god damn
space battleship get a superhero these days?"
"So you want to become well known in this galaxy?" Gamora snapped at him. "You
want to go to war with the most ruthless being this side of the intergalactic
axis? Let us know how that turns out," she said, turning as if to leave. She
didn't think it was possible for anyone to be more annoying than Peter Quill,
but this man was definitely giving him a run for his money.
"Just ignore him. Tony's kind of an asshole," one of the women at the table
spoke up. Her dark red hair hung in ringlets just past her neck.
"Natasha, language," another of the women reminded her, nodding her head toward
the couch full of children. One of them was clearly pretty young. This woman's
brown hair hung a little past her shoulders. The first woman just rolled her
eyes and shrugged.
"While I'm certain this domestic bliss is extremely fascinating to our
visitors, I believe they've come here for another reason than to hear Earth's
Mightiest bicker," the last woman started. This one also had red hair, but it
was much longer than the first woman's, even when pulled into a ponytail atop
her head.
"Exactly why did all of you join in on this little field trip?" Peter asked.
"Well, Tony and Jane wanted to meet some space aliens they didn't have to kill
on sight," James started to explain, gesturing to the first man and the brown-
haired woman. "Steve came because I did," he continued, sitting down beside the
blond man.
"And Clint and I came because Barnes asked us to," the first redhead, Natasha,
said, nodding at the man sitting beside her.
"You're not gonna be able to call me that much longer," James pointed out with
a chuckle.
"You're not married yet, Barnes. 'til May, it's fair game," Natasha returned
with a smirk.
"Oh, gettin' married?" Peter asked their host, trying to sound casual.
"Yeah, to this one," James responded, lightly punching Steve's shoulder, and
immediately sending a wave of relief through Peter. Not only was this James
character going to be thoroughly off the market very soon, but if he was also
into guys, surely he didn't have to be worried about the kind of history he had
with Gamora.
"So...where's this pizza I heard so much about?" he heard himself asking, a
small grin spreading across his face.
"Oh, right. Sorry," one of the kids, a teenage boy who looked to be Asian
started as he climbed up off the couch and headed toward the back of the RV, to
a small kitchen area where four familiar-looking boxes were stacked. "Help
yourselves. You can use these chairs," he said, gesturing to a set of chairs
that seemed to fold directly out from the small kitchen island.
Peter sprang for the boxes and yanked open the first one. Right away he was
greeted by the sight of cheese and pepperoni.
"Oh, great temple of greasy goodness, too long have I been absent from your
worship. Never again shall I stray from the path of righteousness," Peter
intoned before shoving nearly a whole slice into his mouth.
"This 'pizza'...it is a religious order?" Drax asked.
"That is just...disgusting," Gamora said, almost seeming to tremble as she
looked away.
"Guys, come on. You gotta try this," Peter said through a mouthful, moaning in
bliss. The taste took him straight back to his seventh birthday, streamers
everywhere, the scent of his grandpa's cigarettes lingering in the air, grease
dribbling down his chin...tomato, cheese, and pepperoni.
"Maybe...maybe later," Gamora said, seeming to struggle with the words. Slowly,
she turned her attention back to the last member of the little group, the only
unnamed one...the woman with the long red hair. "What about you? Who are you?
Why are you here?"
"I am Dr. Sinthea Schmidt, head of S.H.I.E.L.D. biotechnology. I came because I
wanted to ask you about the three young people you fought."
"You've seen Arrow," one of the other kids, a teenage girl with close-cropped
red hair said softly, "and Alexei...and Brock."
"You know 'em?" Peter asked as he reached for another slice of pizza, trying
hard to ignore the disconcerting way the girl was staring at them.
"You could say that," the teenage boy said, the once welcoming look on his face
turning cold and harsh. "You could even say we're siblings."
"I understand you've been informed about the Red Room project," Sinthea said.
"Yes, our sources told us there were nine subjects total but that Thanos only
had control of three of them...though we did see a fourth man on Zalnkaras – a
man with white skin and yellow eyes," Gamora told them.
"Alrik," Steve said quietly. "He wasn't Red Room, but he worked for a man who
had an alliance with them – Johann Schmidt. As I understand it, he's working
for this Thanos character now."
"We did not see him there. Only this Alrik...along with his three compatriots,"
Gamora said.
"These four young people you see here are among the remaining six Red Room
initiates. Brock, Alexei, and Arrow chose to join Thanos. The others did not,"
Sinthea explained.
"Would that have anything to do with the reason why those three look like they
stepped out of a nightmare?" Peter asked, once again remembering the flash of
pain as Black Arrow's claws slashed into him.
"I'm afraid that's my doing," Sinthea said, closing her eyes briefly as she
shook her head. "You see...some seventy years ago, a very brilliant scientist
created a serum that could enhance a human being to the peak of physical
perfection. It would have given humanity the ability to generate armies of
super soldiers. Unfortunately, Dr. Erskine refused to share his formula for
fear it would fall into the wrong hands. When he was murdered, it was feared
that the secret to the serum had died with him."
"Hold up a sec," Peter said, setting down his latest slice of pizza as an old
memory started to wake up. "You're talking about...Captain America, aren't
you?"
"Yeah, she is," Steve said, and as Peter looked him over a second time, he
slowly started to realize what he was looking at.
"No way. Steve? As in...Steve Rogers?"
"That's the one," Steve said, offering him a tired smile.
"No way! I had comics of you when I was a kid! I thought you died, though. What
happened there?"
"The serum. I was basically on ice for seventy years."
"But if this serum was lost seventy years ago, what does it have to do with
Black Arrow and the rest?" Gamora asked.
"Because I discovered the secret to recreating it," Sinthea took over once
more. "I was taken by the Red Room and they used my knowledge to enhance their
initiates. The procedure was performed on Brock Rumlow, Alexei Shostakov, Nadi
Johari, Makoto Kajiura, and Belle Arnette," she explained, nodding at the boy
and girl respectively. Then she nodded to the younger two children, a boy with
red hair and a very young girl with long blonde curls. "The younger four were
not enhanced."
"And do these two young ones have standard human appearances?" Drax asked.
Makoto raised an eyebrow before slowly answering, "Yes."
"Then what is it that causes the inhuman appearance of the other three?" Gamora
asked.
"I know this one," Peter said, raising his hand slightly. "The serum takes what
you are on the inside and amplifies it on the outside," he said, remembering
the story of Captain America and the Red Skull.
"That's right," Makoto said, not looking at anyone as he spoke. "Those
three...they were the worst of us. Arrow always said she was a creature of
night. She always had to prove her strength...and she didn't care about the
people she killed. And Brock...he enjoyed it. He likedkilling. Alexei,
well...he liked to play games. He liked to toy with people before killing them.
They all went with Thanos without a second thought. I was the only one who came
through the procedure mostly normal."
"What about her?" Peter asked, nodding at Belle. She wasn't staring at him
anymore. Instead she was staring at the door, as if she could see through
it...back in the direction they'd left Groot and Rocket. Before anyone could
explain, she began to talk.
"Afraid," she said quietly.
"Afraid of what?" the younger boy asked her.
"Of being alone. Of being left behind. Afraid of...being alone with himself."
Then, in a voice that sounded eerily like Rocket's, she began to say, "Didn't
ask to get made...didn't ask to be torn apart...put back together...over and
over...and turned into some little monster!"
With a tiny cry, Belle tore her gaze away from the door, shaking her head to
try and clear it...but when she looked up again and her eyes locked with
Peter's, he could almost swear he felt her latching on to something inside of
him.
"Frightened...of the world, of what was...of things left behind. Don't want to
forget. Have you forgotten? Couldn't let you die...won't..." Then she reached
out her hand, her voice sounding like Gamora's one moment and the next...his
mother's. "Take my hand, Peter."
The next thing Peter became aware of was suddenly smacking into a wall. He
could only go so far back from the girl before being stopped by the RV. Belle
had once again torn her gaze away. The younger boy was hugging her and Sinthea
was making her way to them, enfolding them both in an embrace when she reached
them.
"Don't think, don't feel, let it go. Just let it go," the scientist soothed
Belle, running gentle fingers through her short hair.
"What the hell was that?" Peter demanded, not wholly able to keep his voice
from shaking. "What did she do?"
"Belle was very empathetic before the procedure. The infusion affected her mind
most of all," Makoto explained. "She's become...telepathic...in a way, but she
can't always control it. She sees things whether she wants to or not."
"So she...reads minds?" Peter asked.
"If you want to call it that," Steve said, a note of bitterness in his voice.
"Saying she reads minds implies she has a choice in the matter. It's more like
the barrier between her mind and others doesn't exist. If she focuses on one
person for too long, the thoughts just start pouring in."
More might have been said, but unfortunately that was the moment Belle started
screaming. She tore herself away from Sinthea and the boy, dropping to her
knees and clutching at her head as if in agony.
"Burning!" she screamed. "Burns! Burns! Always burns! Needing. Wanting. Stop!
Can't stand it! Make it stop! I can't stand it! I don't want this!"
At first, Peter wasn't sure who Belle could possibly be reading. He hadn't seen
her lock eyes with anyone. But then he happened to glance toward Gamora...and
saw her staring at the girl in abject horror.
"Gam?" he started hesitantly, reaching out to touch her arm. When she felt the
touch, she quickly flinched away from him, shaking her head as she gripped her
arms tightly in her hands.
"Keep away. Leave me be," she hissed.
For a moment, his gaze darted between Belle and Gamora, but then Belle managed
to lock eyes with him and in that same hiss of a voice, she whispered, "Take
me."
"Jane, could you please bring Balder and Zasha?" Sinthea asked as she knelt
beside Belle, forcefully wrapping her arms around her.
Jane nodded and quickly moved past the Guardians, toward a room at the very
back of the RV. A few moments later, she emerged with two yowling babies,
probably awakened by Belle's screaming. Being careful, she knelt beside the two
women.
"Look at this, Belle. Look who's come to see you," Sinthea continued to soothe
her. Once the girl was calm enough, Jane passed one of the babies into her
arms. Belle held the little one close, crying quietly with him as she patted
his back.
"An infant's mind is less harsh. The thoughts are much simpler. Contact with
the little ones helps to soothe her," Sinthea explained as she continued to
stroke Belle's hair.
"Huh. Anyone else hiding in this camper we should know about?" Peter asked.
"No, that's everyone. Balder is Jane's son and Zasha is Clint and Natasha's
daughter. They're only a few months old, can't be away from their mothers too
long," Sinthea said.
"Babies...children..." Gamora said quietly. Then she shook herself and headed
back toward the door. "I'm sorry. We'll have to talk more in the morning. I
need to rest."
"You sure you're okay?" Peter asked, trying to follow her.
"Tomorrow, Peter. I can't...not now," she said, hurrying out before he could
say anything else.
So this was it, she thought as she headed back to the Milano. This was the
suffering her 'father' was wreaking in order to create his army. She was not
the first to be used as an experiment, nor did she imagine she would be the
last. More awful still was the worsening ache in her body...the desperate
need.It was sheer will that kept her from just throwing Peter down and riding
him until she'd drained absolutely everything from him – his seed, his lust,
his desire, his hope, his love...his life. Would either of them be able to go
on living if she fell to Thanos' cruelty...if she were forced to betray him
like this?
Even worse, now it seemed this girl could see all of this inside her. Perhaps
Belle couldn't comprehend all of it, being as young as she was, but she would
still have to be cautious while they remained on Earth. She would have to do
her best to keep these perversions from further harming this already scarred
young woman. She didn't even make it to her bunk before she had to stop and
beat at the wall with her fists, leaving several dents. Peter would be upset,
but at least it had helped her quash the image of Peter with his head between
her legs.
"Why me, Thanos? Why?" she demanded as she banged her head against the wall,
wishing she could knock herself unconscious.
Because youcarefor this fool of a human. No other reason, she answered herself.
You were a fool and you let yourself care for him...and now Father
willpunishyou for it.
                                      XxX
Rocket wasn't asleep so much as he was in a trance. He was vaguely aware of
what was happening around him, but he was mostly focused on Groot.
Sometimes he wished he could sense the Flora Colossus the way he could sense
him. It would make this whole process a little less nerve-wracking. He could
only faintly feel Groot's mind at the other end of their link. All he knew was
that he was still with him, not if he was getting better or how close to death
he might still be.
Come on, you overgrown splinter. I came; I got you out, but you gotta work wit'
me. Don't quit on me now.
He sat by Groot's side all through the night, one paw resting on his head.
Maybe he cried a little. Maybe he prayed a little. He would certainly never
admit to either one. He didn't stir from his spot until he suddenly felt a vine
brushing against his cheek.
Instantly, Rocket snapped to attention, eyes blinking in the early morning
light as they locked onto Groot's own smiling eyes.
"Damn you, you flarkin'..." he muttered, not quite able to finish as he swiped
a paw feebly at his face. "All this fraggin' salt water's gonna ruin my fur,"
he finally growled. Somehow, against all odds, the Flora Colossus had survived
the night.
"I am Groot?"
"No shit, you oversized sapling. Wasn't just gonna leave you out here by your
lonesome, was I? Besides, Quill brought out a blanket," he pointed out,
shrugging out of the old musty-smelling blanket.
"I am Groot," he said, voice sounding sad as he sent out several more vines,
gently curling them around Rocket's body and drawing him to rest on his chest.
He couldn't quite sit or stand yet, but he had other ways of holding his lover.
"Shut up, leaf mold. It ain't like you wouldn't do the same for me. I'm just
glad you're okay," he said, reaching down a paw to gently rub at some of the
pale, dead bark. The stuff was already starting to fall away and there was new,
living bark underneath it, warm to the touch. Rocket couldn't quite help
smiling. "Tastin' okay?"
Again, Groot smiled. He couldn't quite nod, as his body was thoroughly attached
to the ground by all the vines he had extended into the soil and water, but the
smile pretty much said it all.
"I am Groot."
"Yeah, well, don't be too long about it. Don't want your ass gettin' fat," he
teased, even though that was pretty well impossible. Nobody else would have
been able to see it, but something about Groot's smile shifted at this.
"I am Groot."
"Be that as it flarkin' well may, we is not havin' that conversation right now.
You can flaunt your woody ass end later. Right now...you still need to rest
up," he said, his last few words interrupted by a very long yawn.
"I am Groot?"
"Nah," he said, shaking his head. "I could stay awake for days. Though...maybe
a few winks wouldn't hurt," he amended as Groot drew his head down to rest
against his chest, several more vines wrapping around the raccoon in order to
cradle him there.
"I am Groot," he encouraged, stroking Rocket's face with another vine. The
raccoon shook his head, but didn't really make a move to try and get up.
"But you're helpless like this. Who's gonna...keep an eye on ya...if I sleep?"
he pressed, barely able to get the words out for all his yawning.
"I am Groot. I am Groot," he soothed. Rocket had done more than enough. He had
certainly earned the right to a nap, at least.
"Fine, split branch, but just a few minutes," Rocket tried to insist as his
eyes blinked shut. He wasn't long for the waking world."Gotta...keep an eye
out."
"I am Groot," he assured him, though he very much intended to see that Rocket
had at least a few hours of uninterrupted rest. "I am Groot."
"Yeah...I love you, too," he muttered before finally passing out completely.
Groot smiled contentedly as he settled back into the soil. In spite of
everything that had happened and everything that was probably still to happen,
right now he was in this beautiful place with Rocket and he fully meant to
enjoy this peace for as long as it lasted.
Unfortunately, as seemed to often be the case in the lives of the Guardians of
the Galaxy, their peace didn't last very long. It was shattered quite
thoroughly the moment Rocket snapped out of his deep slumber several hours
later.
At first, the raccoon couldn't tell what it was that had jarred him from his
sleep so suddenly, but as his senses started to work for him again, he began to
realize it was the sound of approaching voices and footsteps. He recognized
Quill and Gamora right away, but they were talking to two other guys. One he
didn't recognize...and the other he'd been hoping to never hear again. If this
voice belonged to the person he was thinking it did, he would only have seconds
to kill him before he tried to kill them.
Quill, Gamora, what the hell are yous doin' wit' this bastard?
He knew that Groot could feel him tensing against his chest. The Flora Colossus
surreptitiously loosened the cocoon of vines around him, enough to allow him
the freedom to pull a grenade and a small laser pistol from his belt, but also
keeping the vines tight enough to conceal the movement. Groot recognized this
voice, too.
"Don't worry," he said softly, still not looking up at the approaching enemy.
"He ain't gonna get past me. Not this time. I'm not gonna let nothin' happen to
you."
There was no discernible signal between the two, but faster than the blink of
an eye, Rocket had leapt up from Groot's chest and sprung forward, placing
himself solidly in between Groot and danger. The man who stood before him now
looked different than he had three years ago, but he would know him anywhere.
"Quill. Gamora. Back away from this lowlife if yous would like your persons to
remain in one piece," he snapped at his friends, holding the grenade out before
him.
"Rocket, what are you doing?" Peter asked, his stance immediately becoming
defensive.
"'s'it look like I'm doin'? I'm blowin' this murderin' scum to the moon. Now
move!"
"Rocket, you cannot kill this man," Gamora insisted, taking up a defensive
stance right along with Peter.
"Why not? He'd kill us!"
"That's not true!" the other man argued, a blond guy Rocket didn't recognize.
The man first made a move to stand in front of Rocket's target, but he stopped
him with a hand on his shoulder...a metal hand. Rocket had no idea if it was
some sort of trap, but there was something...almost sad in his enemy's gaze.
"Calm down, Steve," he urged.
"I think we could probably all stand to calm down," Peter said, hands raised in
a placating fashion.
"I did not come this far just to watch this bastard kill Groot in front a' me.
That's what he said he'd do last time we bumped heads."
"Wait. You two have met?" the blond, Steve, asked his target.
"Maybe. Probably."
"Don't act like you don't know, Winter Soldier. You was sworn to kill all the
Flora Colossi. I ain't gonna let you finish your work. If you want Groot, you
gotta go through me," he snarled at him.
"Rocket-"
"This is the last time I am gonna tell you!" Rocket screamed at them. "Back
off, or I'm gonna blow you all away. Last chance."
"If you would just listen-"
"Too late," he hissed regretfully, arming the grenade and letting it fly.
"Bucky!" Steve shouted, trying to step in front of him, but the Winter Soldier
easily shoved him aside, holding up his flesh hand to stop the grenade. The
projectile froze in mid air and instead of throwing out a wall of flame like it
was supposed to, its explosion was somehow contained in a small sphere, almost
like it was surrounded by a forcefield.
"The hell?" Rocket whispered in shock.
The Winter Soldier sighed and shook his head, briefly turning an annoyed gaze
to Steve. "You, punk, are a little too eager to throw yourself on grenades.
We're gonna talk about that later. And Rocket," he started, turning to look
back at him. "My name is James Buchanan Barnes. Most call me Bucky. You aren't
wrong, though. I was the Winter Soldier. He's probably still in here with me. I
don't doubt that I deserve what you were going to do to me-"
"Buck-"
"No, Steve. It's true. You don't know how true it is. I may not remember why,
but I have no doubt his anger is justified."
"He's like me, Rocket. He was made to serve Thanos against his will. He is not
the man you met in the past. He's free now," Gamora tried to explain.
"You sure on that? 'cuz I'm not sure I'm willin' to take that risk. You didn't
see what the Winter Soldier did to the Flora Colossi home world," Rocket tried
to argue, keeping his pistol aimed at the man's face.
"Hold up. Are you sayin'..." Peter started, not quite able to finish as his
gaze shifted to the man with the metal arm.
"That's exactly what I'm sayin'. You're lookin' at the man who single-handedly
wiped out the Flora Colossi. He murdered every last one of 'em...all of
'em...'cept Groot," Rocket growled, keeping his eyes trained on the mercenary
and fighting not to shudder at the memory of the wasted world he and Groot had
touched down on...only to be pursued by the Winter Soldier.
"Did I...did I really do that?" Bucky asked, looking stricken.
"Oh, yes. You really did...and you promised me then that you'd come after
us...that you wouldn't stop until all the Flora Colossi was dead. Guess you
ain't gonna get a better opportunity than this, but don't think I ain't gonna
give every last bit a' fight that's in me before I let you kill 'im," Rocket
swore, priming his pistol to fire. "How 'bout it? Wanna find out if you can
stop a blaster bolt?"
For a long while, Bucky just stared at the two of them. When he finally began
to speak, it was with an unimaginable weight of sorrow in his voice. "I know
saying how sorry I am will never be enough for something as horrible as that. I
wouldn't dream of hurting any of you. All I can say is that I hope the man who
did those things is dead."
"Bucky, you didn't do it. They just used your hands to do it," Steve insisted.
"Is it really so different?" Bucky asked, shaking his head and holding out his
arms. "Rocket...if it's what you want...go ahead and shoot. I won't stop you."
"Bucky, don't-"
"NEIN!" a little girl's voice suddenly shouted. Before anyone quite realized
what was happening, there was a tiny human standing between the two of them, a
little bit of a thing with blonde curls and blue eyes...not all that much
bigger than Rocket himself.
"Eve, go back to the RV. You shouldn't be out here," Bucky scolded her.
"Mm-mm. Mm-mm," the little girl insisted, shaking her head almost violently.
"You can't shoot Papa. You can't!"
"What...the hell...?" Rocket whispered, lowering the pistol only a little.
"Please, mister raccoon," she begged. "Don't hurt my papa. Don't kill anyone. I
don't wanna see anyone else get shot."
Torn, Rocket faltered for several moments, uncertain of what to do until he
felt a vine reach up and wrap around his wrist. There was an insistent pressure
against his fur, but his paws weren't forced all the way down. Groot wanted him
to make the choice himself.
"I am Groot," he said softly, soothingly.
"But what if I back down...and he kills you anyway? It'll be my fault," Rocket
tried to argue, squeezing his eyes shut.
"I am Groot," he reassured him, caressing his cheek with a vine just so. "I am
Groot."
It's all right. Everything will be all right.
"Dammit," Rocket finally hissed, lowering his arms and tossing the pistol off
to the side. The next thing he knew, he was nearly crushed in a little girl's
embrace.
"Thank you! Thank you!" she cheered, hugging him tightly.
"Aw, hell no!" he snarled, wriggling to try and get free without actually
hurting the girl. "Somebody damn well better detach this grub from my person
right this flarkin' minute or it's gonna get ugly."
Before he'd even finished speaking, Bucky was beside them, already extricating
Eve from him and pulling her into his own arms.
"Thank you...for not hurting her," the former Winter Soldier said quietly.
"Yeah, well...can't go 'round roughin' up li'l bits who ain't never done
nothin'," he said, slowly bringing himself to meet the man's gaze as he
scratched the back of his head. "Guess we got a lot to talk about."
                                      XxX
Just as soon as she was confident that Rocket wasn't going to kill Bucky,
Gamora made herself scarce, disappearing into the surrounding forest.
Children and babies had never been a part of her life. She had been trained to
kill and she was a bringer of death. What business did she have with new life?
And now, at just the time when she absolutely did not want to be thinking about
children, she seemed to be surrounded by them.
"You all right?"
Without even thinking, she drew a blade and spun to attack. Peter just barely
managed to avoid the stab. The blade swept past his ear, winding up buried in
the tree just behind him. When she saw the brief flicker of fear in his eyes,
her heart just about stopped. She might have killed him. How could she be this
out of touch?
"Don't sneak up on me. Next time it might be your heart," she warned him,
yanking the dagger out of the wood and re-sheathing it. Before she could back
away from him, though, he reached out to gently grab her arm.
"Normally, I wouldn't be able to sneak up on you. You're kinda starting to
scare me, Gamora. I know something happened with Thanos. What's wrong?" he
pressed, trying to look into her eyes, but she kept shifting her gaze away.
Already she could feel the heat spreading along her skin, emanating from the
place Peter was touching her. She could feel her skin starting to flush and her
sex beginning to throb with need. It was happening faster now and it was much
more intense. How much longer could she hope to control it? Visibly trembling,
she pulled her arm free of his grip before she could surrender to the desire to
just push him back against the tree and have him.
"The child?" she struggled to ask as she turned away from him, searching for
any topic that wasn't the two of them. "Who is she?"
"Oh, yeah. Guess you left the conversation early last night. Her name's Eve.
She's the youngest of the Red Room subjects. She's...gonna be six in a few
months," he said, voice thick with an emotion Gamora couldn't quite identify.
"She's so little...just a kid. I wish I could say I can't believe somebody
would treat a kid like that, but..."
"We know better," Gamora said quietly. "At least this child might have some
chance for a normal life."
"That's true. Looks like these Avenger characters have pretty much adopted
them. That's why these four are here. Steve and Bucky took on Eve and Mako and
Belle and Aiden are with Sinthea. Seems to me like she feels bad for what's
happened to Belle."
"Probably...but I hope they aren't so foolish as to think these children are
safe from Thanos just because they refused to join him. He would have all
manner of unseemly use for a girl with Belle's power," she said, still avoiding
looking at Peter.
"Power," he said slowly. "I meant to ask you...what Bucky did with that
grenade, I know that's not a serum effect. Is that something Thanos did to
him?"
"It's likely. The Winter Soldier was always more Loki's project than Thanos',
so I don't know about everything that's been done to him, but I do know that
his power was nowhere near that strong the last time we fought together. He's
become...much stronger," she said. She was really having trouble keeping her
focus off of Peter now.
"Probably a good thing, too...if you think Thanos will come after those kids,"
Peter said, the sound of his voice telling her that he was moving closer to
her.
"Again, very likely," she said, shifting her hands up to grip at her arms,
digging her nails in until it hurt. If she turned to Peter now, they would both
be done for.
"And...would he come after you?" Peter pressed, laying a hand on her shoulder.
Immediately she began to tremble.
Peter, don't...please don't...don't make me-
"No," she hissed. "No, I don't think so." She wasn't going to give him reason
to. She wasn't going to let him win. The only thing Thanos wanted her for...was
to bear Peter's child, and she wasn't going to let that happen. She'd die
first.
"Gamora, please...just tell me what's wrong," he pleaded with her. The hand at
her shoulder was gentle...but so, so hot. "You haven't been yourself since we
got out of there. Don't shut me out. Let me help."
"There's nothing you can do. It...it's really nothing," she lied. "Seeing what
he's doing to these children...it just brings to mind things I'd rather not
think about." That was technically true, but she would give anything for that
to be her only problem. "Black Arrow isn't the only one of Thanos' daughters to
be...violated."
"Oh," Peter said faintly. His voice was soft, but his grip on her shoulder
tightened briefly. "It wasn't...him...was it?"
"No...but he let it happen. He watched. I was twelve years old. It was his idea
of teaching a lesson," she said, her voice bitter. "I don't know what I'm
saying. I have no idea why I'm saying this to you. Just...don't touch me!" she
suddenly lashed out, pulling away from him yet again. "Don't ever touch me
again!"
Stumbling forward, Gamora moved until she fell against another tree, clutching
desperately at the bark to keep herself from turning around. She could almost
see the hurt look on his face, hear him moving toward her again...feel his hand
moving through the air to touch her shoulder again. The battle between her
heart and her body was the most intense she'd ever fought.
Please...Peter...don't make me do this. I don't want to hurt you.
It would all be over, she knew...the moment he touched her skin again. She
wouldn't be able to fight it anymore. Without even realizing it, Peter would be
destroying them both.
I am sorry...so sorry. There can be no forgiveness...for what I will do to you.
Somehow, though, before everything could fall apart, she felt his hand
stop...less than an inch from her skin. Then she heard him back off.
"I get...why you wouldn't want a guy like me touching you...after what happened
to you. I just want you to know I'd never hurt you. I'd rather diethan hurt
you. If it seems like I'm ever gonna hurt you, you have my full permission to
kill me," he said, trying and failing to laugh. "I'm going back now. You can
head back when you feel ready. Tony said something about grabbing Chinese
later. Shouldn't be too hard to get Rocket to eat, but you gotta eat, too.
Don't stay out all night," he advised her. Then he was gone.
It was a struggle not to look back...not to watch him go...a struggle to know
how much she'd hurt him and be unable to soothe that hurt. Just one little
glance would only cause even worse pain.
When she was finally able, she forced herself to let go of the tree, moving in
the opposite direction of the little camp. She couldn't even try not to think
about Peter. He was beating in her blood, thrumming in her every thought. All
she could think about was him...him and what he'd just done.
He'd backed off...even though he didn't want to...but because she'd asked him
to, and she knew how hard that must have been with her pheromones pulling him
unwillingly in her direction...and in that moment, the whole situation just
seemed a little less frightening, somehow.
Peter...it's true. I think I really do love you...and that maybe...just
maybe...you might love me, too.
It wasn't just a matter of not betraying a comrade anymore. It was a matter of
not harming the person she loved...and Thanos had known it would come to that
in the end. He knew her too well...and when she was finally forced by her own
body to commit the ultimate betrayal, it would be the end of her...and the end
of Peter. In the light of day, he played a fool with no care for anyone's
heart, but beneath the exterior he was really gentle and caring. She could see
that while she'd been struggling with what she really felt, he had known what
his own feelings were a long time ago. It would destroy something inside of
him...for his love for her to be used this way. How could she let this happen?
I want you to have everything you could possibly ever want. I want to change
the galaxy so it doesn't hurt you anymore. I will not see your heart injured
this way.
Was it real love? She couldn't know. If it was not, it was surely the closest
she could come to loving another. With no idea how far she'd walked, she
allowed herself to lean against a tree to rest for a moment, glancing up at the
blue sky through the trees.
When she looked up, she could make out some sort of sky bird soaring through
the air, but in the next moment, it was swooping toward the Earth, diving down
into a meadow just ahead and seizing some sort of small animal in its talons.
As she watched the bird fly off, Gamora couldn't help but feel unease steal
over her heart. As if she'd just seen some sort of omen. But what? Was she the
bird flying free in the knowledge of what it was she truly felt...or was she
the predator coming in for the kill?
Peter...
***** Prey *****
Gamora didn't know how long she stayed away from the camp, but when she finally
did return, she scouted the lakeside area very thoroughly to make sure Peter
wasn't anywhere in sight. However, as she moved out of the treeline, someone
else fell into step with her.
"Lookin' for someone?" Rocket asked as they moved toward the lake.
"Not exactly," she said quietly, not looking at him.
"Well, if it makes ya feel any better, he ain't here. He and the other guys
took the RV out to grab some grub."
"That's...good," she said absently, glancing toward the lakeshore to see Groot
sitting up. He was still attached to the earth in several places, but he was
definitely starting to look much better. Eve was scurrying around him and
pulling off chunks of dead bark for him. "How's Groot doing?"
"Better. I'd say he'll be his old conversant self in another day or so. He
definitely likes havin' the squirts around," he said, smirking as he watched
Groot grow a tiny flower for Eve, who gave him a big smile as she wrapped her
arms around him.
"That's good," she said, managing a small smile. "He deserves some peace after
everything that's happened."
"Ain't that the truth," Rocket said, looking a little embarrassed. "And I
probably shouldn't be so edgy. At least the whole Winter Soldier business is
another load off my mind."
"True enough," she said absently, her gaze moving to Drax, who was standing
with the three Earth women, all gathered around what appeared to be some sort
of cooking apparatus.
"Gamora?" Rocket started, placing a paw on her leg to stop her before they
could reach the others. "There's...somethin' I wanna ask you about."
"Yes?" she asked, fairly certain she knew what that something was, but
uncertain of what help she could possibly be.
"Back on Zalnkaras...when we was makin' our getaway...and Thanos was talkin'
about...property and commissionin'..."
"I heard," she said when Rocket couldn't quite bring himself to finish.
"Do you know...what he was talkin' about?" Rocket asked, barely managing to
meet her gaze. There was something almost...frightened in the raccoon's eyes.
"I mean...I was made on Halfworld, but I...I don't know much about it. I know
only two a' us got out when the place was busted by Nova Corps, but...but..."
"Honestly, I don't know. No one's privy to everything Thanos has his hands
in...no one except the Other, maybe. It's entirely possible Thanos was the
power behind Halfworld and just had the project's origins covered up when the
authorities raided it. I'm afraid...if you want the truth...that's something
you'll have to seek for on your own, and that's only if you really want the
truth. Do you truly want it to be worse than it already is?" she asked. She
knew firsthand. With Thanos, it could only ever get worse. What lay behind her
was a nightmare of itself and she felt certain that if she knew what he really
wanted human soldiers for, her situation would become that much worse. She knew
exactly what sorts of horrors were behind Rocket's eyes at night. How much
worse would those nightmares become if he learned what truth there might be
behind his creation?
"I dunno. I really...don't know. I don't see how it could be worse, but I think
we all know what a load that is. I guess...maybe I just wanna understand...why.
I'm not stupid enough to think knowin'll change anything...but that don't mean
I don't wanna know why," he said, the fur along his shoulders bristling as he
looked away from her.
"I suppose I can understand that. At least you have the comfort of knowing that
Groot will still love you...no matter what the truth turns out to be," she
said, smiling sadly as she glanced back toward the Flora Colossus. The other
three children had joined Eve around him and he was contentedly growing little
flowers for all of them, even little Balder, whom Belle held in her arms.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rocket asked, glancing sharply up at her. At
once, Gamora realized she may well have given away more than she'd meant to.
"Nothing," she said, shaking her head as she started moving toward Drax and the
other adults. She had seen what was between her two companions and she knew
that nothing Thanos or anyone else could do could destroy it. This thing with
Peter, though...the fragility of it scared her.
"Gamora-"
"So what is it we are attempting to accomplish over here?" Gamora asked the
three women before Rocket could say anything more. She knew that her attempt to
sound casual had failed miserably when the women all stared at her oddly. Jane
was the one to finally take pity on her.
"Making lunch. The boys won't be back for a few hours yet with dinner, but we
should have enough burgers for anyone who wants one. Your friend...Groot, was
it?" she asked.
"Yeah," Rocket answered, though he kept on glaring at Gamora.
"Does he eat or is it all just that absorption process?"
"Nah, he's fine. He's gettin' some good eats from that lake."
"And yourself? Any dietary needs we ought to know about?"
"Lady, I'll eat anythin' you put in front a' me," the raccoon said proudly.
"He's not joking, either. We haven't really had need of any sort of garbage
disposal aboard the Milano," Gamora warned them, still going for casual and
failing.
"Guess it won't matter if the grill catches fire then," Natasha teased from
where she was sitting in some sort of folding chair.
"I know a certain S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who's not getting any then," Sinthea fired
back without missing a beat. She and Jane were busy at the 'grill', each
flipping what Gamora assumed was some sort of food. Whatever it was, she found
she liked the scent. More than likely, it was some sort of animal.
Natasha probably would have been helping if she could, but she was busy feeding
her own baby. A single breast was bared and the infant was sucking greedily on
it. The woman's teasing attitude seemed to disappear when her attention shifted
back to her child.
"This...S.H.I.E.L.D. organization...you work for them?" Gamora found herself
asking, remembering the name from their debriefing at Nova Corps.
Natasha sighed at this. "Technically, yes. At the moment, I'm on maternity
leave, but when I'm back on the job, I'm more likely to work with the
Avengers."
"And why is that?"
"We had a...bit of a falling out with S.H.I.E.L.D. a few months back. Clint and
I...well...while we've got Zasha to worry about...we don't want somebody we
don't trust getting too involved. We trust Barnes and Rogers...and the rest of
the Avengers. It's more like a family than anything else either Clint or I have
ever experienced...and that's what we want for our daughter," she explained,
shifting Zasha to her shoulder in order to burp her once she'd finally let her
breast drop.
"If I might ask...what was this falling out over?"
"The answer to that question's probably a lot longer than you've got the time
or patience to sit through. That one's the story of my God damn life. The only
thing that might mean anything to you is that the Red Room tried to take Zasha
away from me. They would have done to her what they did to Belle and the
others. S.H.I.E.L.D. was keeping things from me the same way the Red Room was.
I decided I didn't want them involved anymore."
"And you decided all of this...over a child?" Gamora pressed, wincing when she
saw the baby spit up on Natasha's shoulder. Natasha just grinned and wiped the
gloppy mess away. What was it about children anyway? Why were people so willing
to give up everything for the sake of a baby's smile? What was so special about
a child?
Natasha thought for several moments before answering. Zasha was wriggling in
her arms, but she kept a tight hold on the little thing while appraising the
woman before her.
"I didn't plan on having Zasha. I never thought I'd be a mother. A, I'm not
suited for it at all and B, I didn't even think I could have children. But then
I suddenly found myself expecting her and...Clint was so damn happy,
it...everything just changed. For a while there I had no idea what to do,
but...then I saw her for the first time. I looked into her eyes
and...everything was different. I knew I couldn't go back."
"That is so," Drax said quietly as he watched the new mother and her child.
"Your whole life changes when you become a parent."
"Got kids yourself?" Natasha asked him.
"Had," Drax corrected painfully, eyes sliding shut for a moment. "My daughter
was murdered...a long time ago. I wish nothing but joy for you and your child."
"Thank you," Natasha said solemnly.
"Natasha, if the child is finished with her nourishment...would it be all right
with you if I held her?" Drax asked, looking uncertain.
For a moment, Natasha looked uncertain herself, but then she nodded. "If you
think you can handle her. She's quite the little wiggle worm."
"Your child is a worm?" Drax asked in confusion.
"She moves around a lot," Gamora supplied, nodding at the now-concerned mother,
letting her know it was all right to pass Zasha over. Natasha hesitated another
moment before finally passing the baby girl over.
"Do not fear. My own child was very energetic. I am equipped to handle the most
unruly of children," he reassured her, and indeed, after a few minutes of
getting used to each other, Drax and Zasha were quite pleased with the new
situation. Gamora had heard Drax speak of Kamaria very fondly, but it was still
almost strange to see the violent warrior so tender and gentle with another.
"Well, who'da thunk it," Rocket said quietly, shaking his head.
"You seem pretty hung up on this whole kid business," Natasha said to her just
as quietly. "You're not...pregnant, are you?"
"No!" she insisted immediately, the very thought of what that would entail
causing her to shiver almost violently. Struggling to get hold of herself, she
shoved the thought of Peter from her mind. "It's just...been on my mind
recently," she offered lamely. Both Rocket and Natasha eyed her with a
disbelieving raised eyebrow.
"Well, Gamora, Barnes seems to think you and I would get along well. Similar
backgrounds, I guess. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think I'm seeing in you something
I was going through a year ago. For all I know the situation's totally
different, but if we're anything alike, the only advice I can give you
is...don't hold back. If you do, you'll just end up regretting it."
Gamora didn't respond to this, but she did think on it as Rocket and Natasha
started discussing explosives. She didn't imagine their situations could
possibly be comparable at all, but the words...the advice...that might mean
something. If Peter really loved her...and she him...why should she keep her
curse a secret? No matter how deep this shame was...maybe he could help her
fight it?
Peter...I-
"Lunch!" Jane shouted before her thoughts could sink any deeper into the idea.
The next thing she knew, Sinthea was pushing a plate into her hands...a plate
containing no kind of food she recognized.
"What...what is it?" she finally got herself to ask.
"It's a hamburger. We don't have any cheese, unfortunately, but it's got any
other topping you could possibly want. You're okay with meat, yes?" the
scientist asked her.
"Yes," she answered, still eyeing the offering with a little uncertainty. She
could see that Rocket had already savaged his own hamburger pretty well, but
she certainly wasn't going to just place the plate on the ground and eat the
meal with no hands. There were no utensils, though, so it was probably safe to
say it was all right to eat the food with just her hands. "How do I-"
"Eat it?" Sinthea finished. "Right. Sorry. It's easy enough. Just take it in
both hands so nothing falls off and bite down," she explained, quickly
demonstrating with her own hamburger. Once she'd chewed and swallowed, she
offered her an encouraging smile. "Go on, give it a try. We won't be offended
if you don't like it."
Gamora eyed the hamburger warily for several more minutes. While she would
admit it smelled appetizing, she also didn't have any clue what she was
actually putting in her mouth and that was more than a little unsettling.
Ultimately, though, she shook off her nerves and bit into the food...and almost
immediately began to groan in pleasure.
She was used to simpler foods. Thanos had not encouraged any sort of decadence
or gluttonous behavior among his children, but ever since she'd joined up with
the Guardians, they'd been introducing her to more complex, flavorful offerings
than she ever remembered having in all her life. This, though – this hamburger
– it was in a class all by itself. There were so many new and wonderful
flavors, she just couldn't get her head around them all. She just had to have
more, moreof it...and sadly, it wasn't long at all before she was licking her
fingers, practically lusting after the taste.
"Oh, no. You didn't like that at all," Sinthea said with a chuckle as she eyed
the small grease spot where the hamburger had once sat. "Want another one?"
"Could...could I?" the zehoberi asked hesitantly. The taste was so wonderful,
it was the first thing to successfully take her mind off of Peter Quill in
days.
"Sure. There's plenty to go around."
Four hamburgers later, Rocket was grinning at her, trying not to laugh. "Well,
I'm impressed. Usually you eat like one protein chip and you're done. Maybe
Quill was right. Maybe there is somethin' to this whole Earth thing."
"Maybe," she said sardonically. She would have loved to go on eating, but she
wasn't sure how much more her stomach could handle. More than that, the taste
was already starting to fade, bringing to mind some of the involuntary sounds
she'd made while eating...and that was already starting to push her thoughts
back to a place she didn't want to go.
"You all right?" she faintly heard Rocket asking her. Clearly he'd seen the
shift in her bearing.
"I'll be fine," she answered. By this point, it was only half a lie. "I
think...I might go rest for a bit...until the others get back. Do you think
maybe you could tell Quill to come talk to me when he gets back?" she asked.
"Sure," he said, eyeing her for only a moment longer before starting to head
back to where Groot was still sitting. Gamora felt a small smile make its way
across her face as she headed back toward the Milano.It might be the first real
rest she'd had in weeks. Maybe...there really was a way to get through this.
                                      XxX
After lunch had finished up, Rocket and the children came back to sit with
Groot. Rocket seemed a little anxious about Eve climbing all over him, but he
didn't mind. He was already feeling much better and it made him happy to see
the way the little girl smiled at the vines he still had coming off him.
Belle enjoyed sitting next to him and he knew this was because his thought
processes were much too complex to harm her fragile mind. He was both amazed
and unnerved that human science had managed it, but the barrier that kept her
mind separate from other beings had been stripped away. It shouldn't have been
possible in a species as young as humans and the people who had done this had
done so without even realizing it. Her mind was exposed, open like a bleeding
wound, and there was nothing that could be done to heal it. Once stripped, that
barrier was gone. All she could possibly hope to do was learn to keep her focus
inward. Humans weren't ready for a state of being such as this and he could
already see that this girl would have a difficult life because of it.
But you are strong, little one. I can see you have the strength to make it
through.
Belle looked surprised when his mind actually reached out to touch hers.
I – I can understand you like this.
Just so. There's no language to get in the way when the communication is mind
to mind.
No one else has been able to do this except Mimir.
You aren't likely to find many others who can, he explained, receiving an image
from her mind of an old man who wasn't quite human. This was common for my own
kind. The barriers between our minds were very thin.
But they're all gone now, she returned, feeling the pain that he allowed
through.
Yes, but I'm not alone. I found a family...just like you did.
Is there...something wrong in your family? Gamora...there's...something awful
happening inside of her, Belle tried to explain. Groot couldn't completely make
sense of what he was receiving from her mind, but that was probably because she
hadn't been able to make sense of it herself, what with all the other horrific
things constantly bombarding her mind. In the brief time he'd been coherent, he
could tell that something was off with his female companion.
I'm not sure. I think we'll probably all talk when Peter returns.
And you can't...look at her thoughts?
Isn't it a bit impolite to do that when she can't do the same?he asked her,
offering up a smile and looping a vine around her shoulder. I speak with you
this way now because you are able to respond in kind. Something you should
carry with you to your future days. Don't fear this ability because it's
unnatural. I imagine humanity will reach such a point in their evolution...some
day. Simply think of your fellows as...untrained...young. Treat them as such.
One must not expose children to more than they can reasonably bear. You must be
gentle with them. Focus more on yourself if you wish to master your own mind.
This seemed to satisfy Belle, for she shifted more of her attention back to the
child in her arms: Balder, a child who wasn't completely human himself. In
fact, the little one seemed similar to Peter in his structure. Groot continued
to smile as he shifted a vine down to stroke the baby's plump cheek.
"Muh, muh, muh," Balder babbled, turning his head just a little so as to gum
the vine. Just out of the corner of his vision, Groot noticed Rocket rolling
his eyes, but there was also a tiny smile on the raccoon's face.
Did the Flora Colossi have babies?she asked as she rocked Balder.
Not...quite the same way humans do. Our reproductive cycle wasn't exactly
sexual...not the way humans would understand it, anyway. Every race has young,
though. There were gardens filled with saplings on my world...and when grown,
the most ancient of them could become even as big as these sequoia trees of
yours, he explained, looking to the giant trees in the distance. He could feel
Belle's amazement without having to look at her.
And you had trees that big just walking around?
Not walking, no. If a Flora Colossus lives long enough, they become stationary.
They put roots down in the soil and help give back to the planet that gave them
life. Trees are much the same no matter where you go in the galaxy. These old
ones cannot speak anymore, but I have no doubt they once could. The impression
of their joy and sorrow is still in this soil, he told her, extending his own
roots a little further into the ground, just to hear the song of this old
forest.
And...will that happen to you someday?
If I live long enough. I have lived for hundreds of years and could conceivably
live many hundreds more...but it would be lonely...to live as the last of my
people. When Rocket dies...I believe I will cease to exist in this plane.
Groot felt a rush of sadness from Belle at this. He smiled and shook his head.
You shouldn't grieve, little one. That's as it should be. He and I are bound
together. He is my love...my bond mate. Though I doubt he would use such poetic
terms...it is more than what your people think of as marriage. Bond mates
should not be made to endure the pain of separation. As in life...so in death.
That is the way of the Flora Colossi, he explained, glancing fondly at Rocket.
When Rocket noticed him staring, he raised a questioning eyebrow, but before
Groot could respond one way or the other, Belle asked him another question.
And if... you were to die first?
I would not expect him to give up his life. He is not Flora Colossi. I would
not rest peacefully until we were together again, but what life he has is his
right. My right is to choose the moment of my dying.
Belle offered up a weak smile at this. Well...let's hope you won't have to
worry about that for many years yet.
Indeed...many years, he returned gently, looking to Rocket once more. Unable to
discern the look in his eyes, the raccoon quickly scampered over to him,
scurrying up to the shoulder opposite where Belle was sitting. Then he curled
himself up against his bark as close as he could, nuzzling just so at a certain
notch in his neck. Groot returned the touch with a tender caress of vines.
"I am Groot."
"Yeah, yeah, shut up, you big palooka."
                                      XxX
Peter wasn't sure what he'd been expecting when Tony had invited him to come
into town with the rest of the guys. Belle hadn't been wrong in what she'd
seen. He'd almost been afraid to come back to Earth. He'd been away
since...since Mom died...and sometimes he'd wondered if the memories from
before she was sick...of their perfect little life...just the two of them...he
wondered if any of that could possibly be real. After hard weeks of being
broken in by the Ravagers, it didn't seem like his life on Earth could have
been real...but then he would look into his backpack, at all the tiny treasures
he still had...at the walkman with the awesome mix...and he would know it
wasn't just a dream. Mom was real. His life with her was real.
He wasn't completely sure why he was afraid. Maybe he just didn't want anything
to spoil the memory of the time before the Ravagers...or maybe he was afraid of
learning that it was a dream. That fear had been somewhat lessened when he'd
tasted pizza again after nearly thirty years, but there had still been a tiny
kernel of it riding in his gut when the RV had moved out of the national park
and toward human civilization. It started to lessen, though, when Clint and
Bucky led him into a grocery store and he realized that the more things
changed, the more they stayed the same.
The duo stocked them up on every conceivable type of junk food and junk drink.
Peter didn't even wait to get out of the store before popping open a bottle of
root beer. Steve and Tony met up with them with McDonalds and after a thorough
day of hanging around town and soaking up all the salty, sugary, greasy, super
processed foods the one-time Earthling could manage, the group headed to a
joint called Heaven Dragon to get Chinese takeout for everyone.
"Just toss the bags in the oven," Tony called to Clint as he initiated the RV's
auto-drive function. "Should keep everything warm 'til we get where we're
going. In the meantime, we can break out the booze," he said, moving to the
refrigerator and pulling out a six pack.
"Drinking and driving, Stark?" Clint chastised with a smirk.
"I'm hurt that you think I would break the law, Katniss. Obviously it doesn't
count if JARVIS is the one doing the driving."
"Obviously," Steve said with a sigh.
"I assume you've never had a normal Earth drink," Tony said as he passed Peter
a can of beer.
"Can't say as I have. Being eight when you're snatched by aliens'll do that to
you," Peter informed as he took a sip. There was the familiar burn of alcohol,
but it wasn't anywhere near as strong as what he was used to. "And I'm sad to
say, it just doesn't compare. This is pretty weak sauce, man. I gotta get you
to try Tarisian ale sometime. There are horror stories involving tentacles and
public indecency."
"Oh, this is only the beginning, grasshopper. Beer is level one. We'll see how
you're doing after a few of those," Clint said, swiping a can for himself.
Several rounds later, Clint and Tony were definitely starting to feel it, while
Peter was only just starting to get a buzz. Bucky and Steve hadn't joined in,
on account of neither of them were able to get drunk and it seemed to Steve
that one of them should at least pretend to watch the road.
"I'd say it's time to break out the bourbon," Tony announced, going to pull out
a bottle and three glasses. "I dunno where you learned, Peter, but you're good
at this game. We gotta get you up against Thunderstruck sometime."
"Thunderstruck?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow as Tony passed him a glass.
"Thor," Steve explained. "He's...not from around here either. He just might
give you a run for your money."
"Lookin' forward to it," Peter said before knocking the glass back. A little
bit more of a burn this time and definitely a better flavor.
"So, Quill, been a good stroll down memory lane?" Clint asked as he knocked
back his own drink. Peter thought about it a solid minute before answering.
"Yeah, it...it really has. I dunno what I was worried about. It was real
awesome of you guys to let me tag along, it's just...I dunno. I've had a lot of
other things on my mind," he said. It had been great...getting a chance to get
to know his home world again like this...but he just couldn't keep his thoughts
from the place he knew they shouldn't be.
"Lady Green?" Tony asked. "Can't blame you on that one. Where exactly do you
stand?"
"Sorta...told her I love her," he admitted as Tony poured them another round.
Both he and Clint winced.
"And do you?" Steve was the one to finally ask.
"Course I do!" Peter shot back. "I just about died for her. I guess...she
doesn't believe I'm capable of anything deeper than a physical connection. I
don't blame her. I've been with a lot of women. I mean a lot. But Gam...she's
not like anyone else. She sees what a jackass I am and...well...she hasn't run
screaming for the hills yet...but we haven't really talked about...what I
said," he explained. He'd stopped counting how many times Tony had poured him a
new glass.
"Why not?" Bucky asked him.
"I was kinda about to die when I said it. Maybe she thinks I didn't mean it;
she's got a rough history of her own. Maybe...maybe I don't wanna know what she
really thinks," he mumbled, turning his empty glass onto its side and starting
to roll it across the table. "All I can do these days is think about her...even
when I shouldn't be," he said, his thoughts going in directions they definitely
shouldn't be with the help of the alcohol in his blood.
"Well...the only advice any of us are gonna give you is talk to her. How do you
think any of us got where we are?" Clint said, gesturing to the three other
men. "You're not gonna know unless you give it a shot."
"Maybe," he said, continuing to stare at the glass as he rolled it around.
"Hey, completely off topic here, but I have a question," Tony said, raising his
hand slightly. "Your two pals, the raccoon and the tree, they're an item, yes?"
"Yeah."
"Well...do they...I mean, how do they...get their freak on?"
"Tony!" Steve shouted indignantly.
"That would be the first thing you ask," Bucky said with a roll of his eyes.
"Hey, everyone's thinking it. I'm just saying it," Tony said, raising his hands
in the air and scooting back from the table.
"Y'know what, Stark, I've never asked. I don't know, I don't want to know, and
I'd say I sleep better at night for it," Peter said as he leaned back in his
chair.
"That is the biggest load of bull I've ever heard. You so wanna know how they
do it."
"Really thought we'd dropped the subject, Tony," Steve said pointedly.
"Come on!"
"And I think we've officially had enough to drink for the evening," Bucky
intervened, moving to take away the near empty bottle and the glasses. "Sinthea
may well bash your heads in for being intoxicated around the kids. You've got
exactly twenty minutes to detox before we hit the campsite."
"Intoxicated's a strong word, Frosty. I'm gonna go with mildly tipsy at this
point."
"Cheers," Peter agreed, stamping his foot against the floor. He could
definitely feel the buzz in his brain, but he was nowhere near the blindest
drunk he'd ever been.
By the time the RV pulled into the campsite, the first few drops of rain were
starting to plink down onto the windshield. The three women hurried inside with
all the kids, along with Rocket and Drax.
"No campfire tonight," Jane said, shaking her head to clear away the few
clinging raindrops and making sure her son was still dry. "It's a good thing
you guys made it back when you did. That sky's looking pretty ugly."
"What about Groot? Is he gonna be all right?" Peter asked Rocket.
"He's fine. He loves soakin' up that shit. I'd stay out there wit' 'im, but all
that damn rain ain't good for my fur, y'know," he explained, carefully shaking
off the little rain water that had managed to attach itself.
"What about Gamora?"
"She headed back to the Milano a few hours ago. Said somethin' about restin'. I
think she wanted to talk to yous 'bout somethin', though. Might wanna get over
there now before it really starts comin' down," Rocket advised.
"Right," Peter said, immediately heading for the door. If Gamora was actually
willing to talk to him, he should definitely seize the opportunity.
"Hold up!" Bucky called to him when he was halfway out the door. The former
mercenary moved to the oven and pulled out one of the bags, bringing it to him.
"Better take dinner over with you."
"Right. Good idea," he said, taking the bag and tucking it under his coat
before rushing out into the rain. He made his way to his ship as fast as he
could, shaking himself off when he made it inside. When he was sure the food
had come through all right, he moved further into the Milano.
"Gamora? Gam, are you here?"
                                      XxX
Gamora had said she was going to rest, but unfortunately it hadn't worked out
quite that way. When she'd lain down in her bunk, she'd fallen asleep easily
enough, but her dreams were not restful. She'd been left with an image of Peter
pinning her against a wall and fucking her...hard.
"Peter...Peter...Peter!"
She'd awoken with a tiny cry as she came and the lust that had been revived in
the dream hadn't been slaked even a little bit by her orgasm.
In an unsuccessful attempt to shake it off, she'd moved up into the cockpit,
hoping she might see the RV when it returned. There had to be something. She
needed to end this.
Sadly, her body wouldn't be controlled. It demanded touch with a violence she'd
never experienced before. So once again, she slid her hand between her legs and
worked herself to completion...and found that her need was even greater than
when she'd started. Getting herself off wasn't helping...but it was the only
thing she could do. So, half crying and half moaning, she'd crawled back to the
ladder that led down into Peter's little room, collapsing onto his bunk and
burying her face in the pillows, breathing in the scent of him as she rubbed
harshly at her dripping sex. She rocked furiously against her hand all the
while, only just managing to keep herself from breaking down completely.
Oh, stars...oh, Peter...to have fallen so far...I would be mortified for you to
see me like this.
And then, just as she was reaching her third climax, she heard him call out her
name. Muffling her cry against a pillow, she quickly wiped her hand off on a
sheet. She wasn't completely certain she'd gotten her pants completely closed
as she threw herself up the ladder. Peter couldn't find her down there.
Struggling for some semblance of calm, she settled herself in the pilot's
chair.
"Yes," she called out to him. "I'm up here."
"Hey," she heard his voice from behind her when he finally came to her. "I
brought you some dumplings. Rocket said you wanted to talk to me about
something," he said as he moved forward to set something on the console. She
immediately turned her gaze away. This was dangerous. She hadn't realized just
how close she was to self destruct. All it would take was one wrong move.
"Yes. There is...something very serious we must discuss."
"All right, but if you don't mind, I'm gonna-"
Gamora didn't hear what else Peter said, for that was the moment the ground
caved in from beneath her. Peter turned, and in that moment, his hand
accidentally brushed against her wrist. It was the contact of no more than a
few molecules, but that was all the catalyst that was needed. Gamora instantly
felt herself go up in flames.
She could see Peter speaking, but she couldn't hear what he was saying. All she
could hear was Thanos' voice in her head.
Give yourself over to him.
"NO!" she screamed, clutching her head in anguish. "NOO!"
"Gamora!" he cried out in panic, reaching for her shoulders without thinking.
"Gam, what's wrong? Just tell me what's wrong!"
The moment he had his hands on her, all coherent thought left her. It was
replaced by her father's single, overwhelming imperative.
Mate...or die.
Leaping to her feet, she shoved Peter back against the console. Then she set in
motion the sequence that would seal the Milano shut. She was determined that
nothing would stop this from happening.
"Gamora?" Peter tried again, whispering this time. He couldn't deny the flicker
of fear he felt as she moved to stand over him. When he looked into her eyes,
he didn't recognize what he saw in them. She wasn't there anymore.
Seizing his collar, she leaned down and pressed her lips harshly against his.
Then she reached for his hand and drew it between her legs. He could already
feel how wet she was. For a moment, he was too shocked to do anything.
"Gam!" he shouted, pulling himself away from her and stumbling away from the
console. "What the hell are you doing?"
She didn't say anything. She just stalked slowly toward him. Again, he was too
shocked to do anything when she reached forward and snapped open his belt. When
she undid his pants and started to push them down, he grabbed at her wrists,
fighting to stop her, even though he could already feel his traitorous body
growing hard.
"Gamora, stop. This isn't you. This isn't what you want!"
"It is. I want this. I need it," she hissed in a voice that was utterly unlike
her own. Using his shock and fear against him, she shoved him up against the
wall, forcing another kiss on him. It was a struggle for him not to put his
hands on her hips...not to hold her close to him. He wanted this, too...but not
like this.
"Gam...stop...please!" he begged her, even though he couldn't help groaning as
she ground her body against his. Oh, God...oh, God!
"Why?" she demanded harshly as she shoved his jacket off his shoulders. "You
want it, too. I can feel it," she hissed, her body moving sinuously against his
growing erection.
"Not like this...not like this," he hissed back, not meeting her gaze. It was
frightening to him...to look into her eyes. It wasn't her. "I know you don't
want this either, Gam. What's wrong with you? Why is this happening?"
"This was always going to happen," she said before slamming his head back
against the wall. The blow left him dazed and helpless, easily allowing her to
slip his shirt over his head. She removed her own top before pressing herself
back up against him, trembling at the feel of her tender breasts against his
bare chest. Pressing her lips against his neck, she reached a hand into his
pants, stroking him with an eager hand.
"Ungh...Gam..." he groaned quietly, hands slowly reaching up to glide along her
back. He wanted to stop this from happening, but the combination of the pain,
the alcohol in his system, and the pheromones that had unknowingly been wearing
down his resistance all week simply wasn't going to allow that. The next time
she kissed him, he weakly kissed back. For a moment, he tangled his fingers in
her hair, breathing in her scent as she pulled him toward the ladder...down
into his bunk.
                                      XxX
Groot knew something was happening to his two friends. He could feel that
something was wrong, but he still couldn't move. He was still rooted to the
earth.
Rocket, he called out to his mate through their bond. Something's wrong.
                                      XxX
Rocket heard the Flora Colossus' desperate plea in his head, and at the same
time he saw Belle look up from her fried rice, staring out into the pouring
rain in horror.
"Something's wrong," she whispered.
                                      XxX
Peter was vaguely aware of Gamora sealing the hatch shut, locking them both in
the tiny room. It wasn't long before she was on him again, her pants having
been removed at some point. The only barrier between them now was his own
pants...which she was starting to make quick work of.
"Gam...no..." he whispered, grasping feebly at her wrists in a vain effort to
stop her. Like her, he needed this too much. He had no prayer of resisting, but
he hadn't woken to that horrifying fact just yet.
"Peter...Peter..." she said softly, her voice almost sounding like her own
again. With a slightly gentler grip, she guided his hand to her sex, pressing
his fingers inside of her and allowing him to feel the moist heat of her. In
these fumbling explorations, an errant thumb brushed against her clit and she
came with a strangled cry, head falling back in ecstasy.
When Peter saw the look of bliss on her face, he knew he was lost. He couldn't
fight this anymore. When she bent over him to finally remove his pants, he did
nothing to stop her.
When he was finally exposed to her, hard and full and aching, she thrust
herself down on him with a cry of pain. Even though she wasn't a virgin, she
hadn't been with anyone since her rape and the violent penetration stretched
her unused muscles to the breaking point.
Her pain briefly awakened Peter from his daze, but there was nothing he could
do to stop this from happening. Gamora continued to move above him, up and
down, a constant wave of motion that forced him in and out of her body over and
over again.
"No...stop..." he pleaded one more time, groaning as he tried to reach for her,
but she seized his wrists in her hands and pinned them to the bunk, riding him
until she felt his body go stiff beneath her.
Peter came with a pained, passionate cry, feeling himself drained as he filled
her...and Gamora could feel the heat of his essence as it filled her
womb...impregnating her...and finally freeing her from her burning curse.
Exhausted from the struggle and the effort, the pair collapsed into each
other's arms, both of them dead asleep within moments.
                                      XxX
"The access code's been changed," Rocket snarled as he pounded at the entry
hatch. His voice barely carried over the pounding rain. Unfortunately, even
with all that noise, he didn't have any trouble hearing what Belle said next.
Her face was unutterably sad as she reached out a hand to place it against the
hatch. For a moment, she just stood there trembling, but then her hand clenched
itself into a small fist.
"We're...too late."
                                      XxX
The first thing Gamora became aware of upon coming to was an intense pain
between her legs. It had been long since she'd felt that pain and she didn't
want to think about what must have caused it, but when she opened her eyes and
saw the state she was in, there was no denying what had happened.
The bedding on Peter's bunk had been kicked around and left in a tangled
mess...and he lay beside her, naked and spent.
"No," she whispered in shock, reaching out a trembling hand to touch his cheek.
Gods above, please...don't let this be real.
Peter flinched in his sleep, crying out quietly, "Gam...no...please..."
Gamora quickly pulled her hand back, as if the words had burned her.
"Please...no..." she whispered, feeling tears burn at her eyes.
She couldn't remember. She couldn't remember anything. The last thing she
remembered was hearing him call her name. How could this just happen without
her knowledge? Worse still...how could she hurt Peter like this?
What have I done? What have I done to you?
Fighting against the pain in her body, she pulled herself up from the bunk...up
the ladder...back into the cockpit. She clutched desperately at her arms as she
collapsed into the pilot's chair, clutched until they bled...and still she knew
this pain was not enough to pay for what she had done to Peter. It would never
be enough. She had done the unthinkable.
She was free now...but Thanos had won. She could feel the change deep in her
body. She was carrying Peter's children...and she had destroyed something
between them – destroyed him – in that process.
Drawing her knees up to her chest, she could do nothing except bury her face in
them and sob.
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