-Broadcast-
With considerable effort and a lot of grunting, the Guardians managed to haul Thor's body through the airlock and into the Milano's interior. He landed on the floor with a heavy THUNK that reverberated through the deck plating.
Rocket leaned close, sniffing at Thor suspiciously, trying to figure out how this guy had survived exposure to the vacuum of space.
Gamora shook out her arms, which were aching from the effort. Thor looked lean enough, but his bone density and muscle mass made him far heavier than his frame suggested. It had taken all of them working together to move him.
Mantis peeked down at the unconscious man with wide-eyed curiosity. Beside her, Groot barely glanced away from his game, completely uninterested.
"How is this dude still alive?" Peter asked, staring down at Thor in bewilderment.
Drax studied Thor's physique with open admiration. "He is not a dude. You're a dude. This... this is a man. A handsome, muscular man."
Peter's eye twitched slightly at Drax's generous praise.
"I'm muscular," Peter protested.
Rocket snorted. "What? Who are you kidding, Quill? You're one sandwich away from fat."
"Yeah, right. It's not that much," Peter said with a weak smile, trying to laugh it off.
"It's true, Quill," Drax added, completely serious. "You have put on weight."
Peter's smile froze on his face. "What?"
Drax gestured to his own chin and stomach, indicating where Peter had gotten softer.
Peter looked desperately to Gamora for support. "Gamora, do you think I'm—"
But Gamora wasn't even looking at him. Her attention was focused entirely on Thor, studying him with clear interest.
Peter's mouth closed. He blinked a few times, processing the rejection.
Mantis reached out and placed her hand gently on Thor's forehead. The antennae on her head began to glow as she connected empathically with his unconscious mind.
"He is anxious," Mantis reported softly. "Angry. He feels tremendous loss. And guilt."
Drax continued staring at Thor with something approaching awe. "It's like a pirate had a baby with an angel."
"Wow. Okay. This is a real wake-up call for me. Okay, I'm gonna get a Bowflex. I'm gonna commit. I'm gonna get some dumbbells," Peter said, his voice taking on a slightly manic edge.
"You don't need dumbbells," Rocket said. "You could just eat 'em."
Gamora reached down and lifted one of Thor's arms, running her hand along his bicep. Her expression was one of genuine appreciation.
"It's like his muscles are made of Cotati metal fibers," she said.
Peter watched her caress Thor's arm, his jaw tightening. Jealousy flared hot in his chest.
"Stop. Stop massaging his muscles," he said, unable to keep the annoyance from his voice. "Wake him up."
Gamora dropped Thor's arm and shot Peter an irritated look.
"Mantis, wake him," Peter ordered.
Mantis placed both hands on Thor's temples. "Wake."
Her antennae glowed brighter. Thor's eye snapped open. In one explosive motion, he shot to his feet and stumbled forward, disoriented.
He caught himself against the bulkhead, breathing hard, his hand going instinctively to where Mjolnir should have been. After a few deep breaths, he turned slowly to face the group of strangers now surrounding him, all of whom had shifted into defensive stances.
"Who the hell are you guys?" Thor asked, his voice rough.
-Real World-
"Looking at Star-Lord's shameless appearance, Rhodes couldn't help but complain: "Quill has redefined the term muscular!"
"Yeah! Indeed! He's quite shameless! People like me can be called muscular!" Drax raised one arm, revealing his well-developed biceps.
"We have the same opinion! As expected! Quill is just one step away from being fat!" Rocket repeated his own insult from the broadcast, then clapped his hands and laughed.
Nebula shook her head, feeling speechless about these guys. She didn't know how the Guardians of the Galaxy could gather together and not fight constantly!
In her room, Hela stared silently at the sky. Then she lowered her head and muttered, "Foolish brother! Even if you feel guilty and unwilling, what can you do? Only after everyone else has died do you regret why you were so weak!"
But then she thought of how Thor had defeated her with Stormbreaker. Although she had been very weak at that time, she had to admit that the weapon's power was truly formidable!
She murmured to herself, "It seems my little brother has been through a lot! He's become much stronger! That axe, and Mjolnir!"
She couldn't help but smile slightly. Although she was angry that he had sealed her power and imprisoned her in this room, Hela still inexplicably felt pleased that Asgard had produced another strong warrior.
But then she began to worry about how to break the damn seal on her body. She had already tried to stimulate her divine power like Thor had done without his helmet.
Unfortunately, the seal that Frigga had placed on her completely blocked her power. No matter how hard she tried, her divine energy showed no sign of movement, as if it were dead and silent.
Hela had to accept that she had become an ordinary woman—albeit one with excellent combat skills!
-Broadcast-
After introductions were exchanged and Thor had been brought up to speed on who the Guardians were, Gamora leaned against the bulkhead, her expression grave.
"The entire time I knew Thanos, he only ever had one goal: to bring balance to the universe by wiping out half of all life. He used to kill people planet by planet, massacre by massacre."
Thor held a warm cup of beverage that Mantis had given him, grateful for the heat seeping into his frozen hands.
"Including my own," Drax said calmly.
"If he gets all six Infinity Stones," Gamora continued, pacing slightly, "he can do it with a snap of his fingers." She demonstrated, snapping her own fingers for emphasis. "Just like that."
Thor looked down into his cup. "You seem to know a great deal about Thanos."
Drax gestured toward Gamora. "Gamora is the daughter of Thanos."
Thor's head snapped up, his eye fixing on Gamora with sudden intensity. He stood, setting down his cup.
"Your father killed my brother," Thor said, his voice low and dangerous.
He began walking toward Gamora.
"Oh, boy," Rocket muttered, tensing.
Peter immediately stepped forward, hands raised placatingly. "Step-father. Technically, she hates him as much as you do."
Drax moved closer to Gamora, positioning himself to intercept if Thor made any aggressive moves.