"When we find Gamora, you'll handle the combat while I take command. Agreed?" Supergiant said to Thor aboard their ship, breaking the silence.
"Why should you be in charge?" Thor frowned. Though controlled by Thanos, he felt no obligation to show Supergiant any respect, especially since he considered him utterly unimpressive.
"We've had our disagreements, but surely you don't want to displease Father, do you?" Supergiant replied, taking a deep breath. "Gamora holds special meaning for him. While she's our mission target, it's crucial she's brought back unharmed."
"I may not have the power to counter the Soul Stone like you do, but if you can hold it off, I can subdue Nebula. That will force Gamora to surrender, and we can secure the Soul Stone without incident."
Supergiant's tone was unusually sincere, and he had hit a nerve. Despite Thor's relative freedom of thought under Thanos's control, he was compelled to complete his missions to the best of his ability. With Supergiant already conceding and presenting a logical plan, Thor saw little reason to reject it. Besides, he lacked knowledge about Gamora and Nebula and thus had no better strategy.
With that settled, they continued their search for the Guardians of the Galaxy. However, tracking them down was easier said than done. The Guardians, aimless and well-stocked, wandered the cosmos without clear direction. In a universe so vast, finding their ship was harder than searching for a needle in a haystack.
Yet their efforts weren't entirely hopeless. They weren't the only ones pursuing the Guardians—the High Evolutionary had been keeping tabs on them as well.
Though he had lost track of the Guardians and the Avengers after the destruction of the Sovereign's underground base, he remained focused on Earth. When the Avengers returned to Earth, the High Evolutionary caught wind of the news. With no Avengers protecting them, the Guardians seemed much more vulnerable.
The High Evolutionary intensified his search for the Guardians, using Yondu's ship's trajectory to approximate their location. More importantly, he had a trump card to draw Rocket Raccoon out of hiding.
---
Near the Guardians' current location, countless unmanned ships swarmed the area, broadcasting a repetitive signal to all nearby ships and civilizations:
"Rocket, Teefs, Floor—run!"
The cryptic message left many bewildered. Was it a distress call? Some scavengers and opportunistic raiders followed the signal, hoping to exploit the situation, while a few well-meaning rescue crews did the same.
But both groups left disappointed. The source of the signal turned out to be unmanned drones bearing the insignia of the Orgocorp—a powerful corporation in this region of space that few dared cross. Even the raiders decided it wasn't worth the risk.
"Urgent signal detected," announced the Guardians' ship AI, alerting the crew.
"Urgent signal? Should we check it out? If it's bad guys, we can take them out for some profit. If it's someone in need, we help them out and earn a favor. Win-win, right?" Rocket Raccoon suggested, raising an eyebrow as he turned to the others. "Besides, we're stuck in limbo, clueless about where to find Thanos or the Infinity Stones."
"Fine by me," Gamora shrugged. "Quill's just using yesterday's workout as an excuse to sleep in, anyway."
As Rocket pressed a button to engage the ship, the message played again:
"Rocket, Teefs, Floor—run!"
The voice struck Rocket like a hammer. His body stiffened, and his mind buzzed with a chaotic cacophony of long-buried memories. Images he had tried to suppress resurfaced against his will: a younger Rocket alongside three other modified animals, bonded by shared trauma. This was the past Rocket could never forget.
---
Once, Rocket Raccoon had been an ordinary raccoon, unremarkable among his kind. But his life was upended when he was taken to a genetic engineering lab. There, he endured excruciating experiments that transformed him into a sentient being.
When the bloodied, barely alive Rocket was tossed back into his cell, he met three others like him: a gentle otter with mechanical limbs, a walrus with wheels for legs, and a rabbit with a mechanical jaw and spider-like prosthetic legs. Despite their suffering, they showed kindness. The otter gently wiped Rocket's wounds, giving him his first taste of warmth and compassion.
The four became inseparable, dreaming of freedom and naming each other. No longer just 89P13, 89Q12, 89A95, and 89L06, they became Rocket, Lylla, Teefs, and Floor.
But their dreams were shattered. To the High Evolutionary, they were nothing but failed experiments. Even Rocket's extraordinary intelligence, which surpassed the High Evolutionary's expectations, couldn't save him. The High Evolutionary planned to dissect Rocket's brain to understand the anomaly that made him so special.
Upon learning of their impending doom, Rocket crafted a makeshift electronic key from scavenged materials. He unlocked their cell, hoping to escape with his friends.
But tragedy struck. Lylla was shot dead before Rocket's eyes. As Floor screamed in terror, the High Evolutionary silenced him with a bullet, killing Teefs moments later. Only Rocket's unique brain kept him alive, but not before he lashed out, clawing the High Evolutionary's face and escaping into the cosmos, haunted by grief and guilt.
---
Hearing Floor's voice again triggered Rocket's rage and anguish.
"Rocket? That voice—is it you?" Gamora asked cautiously, her sharp gaze fixed on Rocket.
"Yes… That's my name," Rocket replied, his voice hoarse. Tears streamed down his face as a storm of emotions swirled within him. "I barely remember how I escaped back then. I was so young, so scared… I don't even remember that bastard's name or location. But now, I'm going to find him and tear him apart."
"So, that voice belongs to the one who tortured you? Let's go find him and end this!" Nebula exclaimed, feeling Rocket's fury and pain as if they were her own. She ordered the ship's AI, "Trace the signal's origin! I want to see where this bastard is hiding."
"Wait!" Gamora interjected. "This broadcast is too deliberate. It's clearly a trap to lure you out, Rocket. Stay calm."
"This is my fight," Rocket said firmly. "I don't want to drag you all into it. I'll take the backup ship and deal with him myself."
"I am Groot!" Groot stood in Rocket's way, his voice filled with resolve.
"Groot, this isn't your fight either. Stay here and protect them. Without Ash awake, they'll need you," Rocket insisted, trying to push past Groot.
"I am Groot!" Groot's refusal grew louder, and his imposing frame didn't budge.
"I said no!" Rocket snapped. "That's an order! Are you disobeying me now, Groot?"
The tension broke as Star-Lord, summoned by Mantis, sauntered onto the bridge with a smirk. "Is there a second captain on this ship I don't know about? Or have you started giving orders behind my back?"
"Quill, just take them and go!" Rocket sighed, softening slightly. "As captain, you should prioritize the crew's safety."
"Aren't you part of this crew, Rocket?" Star-Lord's smirk widened. "Or should I say… raccoon?"
"What did you say?!" Rocket's rage reignited. "I'm Rocket! Not a damn raccoon!"
"Oh, really?" Star-Lord's voice rose. "You think you're some hero, shouldering all this alone? Is it heroic to run off and get yourself killed without a plan?"
"You think this guy is stronger than Ego? The Avengers? Saiyans? We've faced worse, Rocket! Stop acting like you're the only one who can make sacrifices. You're not going anywhere without us!"
Rocket deflated under Star-Lord's scolding, his fiery demeanor shrinking back to his small stature. For now, it seemed he'd stay.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+100 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]