1975…
Rhea quietly made her way through the halls of Asgard making sure not to draw attention to herself. She wore a simple grey gown that was hiding her real clothes with a veil over her head casting her facial features in shadow. She was almost to the hanger when she quickly had to dart behind a pillar.
She peeked around watching as her father Loki walked by book in hand while her uncle Thor talked to him about a recent training bout he had had with the warriors three and the Lady Sif. Her right hand fisted itself into the fabric near her heart gripping her necklace which lay underneath as she willed her tears to stay at bay. It was almost overwhelming, the need to rush out and hug him, but she knew that she couldn't and it hurt her heart deeply.
Once they were out of sight she moved on soon coming up to the hanger looking through the different flyers until she spotted the one she wanted. It was a sleek silver flyer with feathered wings engraved along the sides, she knew it was the latest model and in her time it had endured while others had come and gone, in short it was perfect.
"Umbra." A wave of her hand and she was able to blend in with the shadows that stretched across the hanger caused by the setting sun. She easily avoided the guards and came upon her chosen ship waiting until the guards were further away before she quietly snuck into the ship.
"Now for the fun part." Rhea said as she started up the engines alerting the guards to her presence.
"Hey!" The guards called out as they ran for her. "Stop!"
"Get out of there!" Another yelled.
"Yeah, I'll get right on that." Rhea muttered as she maneuvered the ship to the runway then shot off into the air. She manipulated the controls pausing when she looked to the monitor. "Crap."
Rhea put it on auto-pilot and raced for the top opening climbing out to the roof where she was able to see non-other than Thor himself in his entire ego inflated glory.
"Return that ship at once or face the consequences!" Thor roared. Rhea tugged on her hood making sure that it was secure before she answered.
"Sorry, but I need it more than you, plus it's not really stealing from my point of view." Rhea shrugged with a slight grin, her mouth the only thing that Thor could see of her facial features. It struck him as a very familiar grin, though he could not seem to place it. "I'm really just borrowing it with the intention to return at a much further date from now."
"Then I will have to force you to return it!" Thor threw his hammer at Rhea who raised her hand on instinct and to both her surprise and Thor's caught the legendary hammer.
"Ok, was not expecting that." Rhea commented as Thor looked to her in shock and horror before he fell into the water they were flying over. Rhea nearly doubled over laughing as Thor came sputtering out of the water then held up the hammer. "You want it? Go and get it!"
Rhea threw the hammer so it landed on the beach that Thor would have to come up on when he swam for shore. She felt kind of bad for doing that to her Uncle, but she couldn't very well let him catch her. She jumped back into her ship and took off before she got any other Asgardians attempting to take their ship back, although that would be difficult since she sabotaged all of their ships. Thor could only watch as the ship sped off into space with an angry roar before he was forced to swim for shore.
-0-
2004…
The sleek silver flyer with feathered wings engraved along the side traveled through space at a lazy pace. It was one of the best ships from Asgard and the pilot should know, she took careful care in picking out which ship to steal when she had slipped back into Asgard about forty one years ago. Said pilot was sitting in the cockpit with her legs propped up as she read from one of her many ancient spell books that she had acquired over the years while humming to herself.
She was wearing a dark green v neck halter crop top with black accents, black skinny pants, that tucked into knee high black heelless boots, a black low hanging belt, an empire waist length long sleeved black leather jacket closed at the bottom by one strap, a pair of black wrist length backless gloves with the fingers on either side of the middle finger bare, and she had on three pair of emerald suds accented in black going up each ear getting smaller as they went that when pressed turned into a pair of black goggles with dark green lenses.
She also had a silver dove entwined with a golden serpent engraved on an oval blue green jewel that hung around her neck from a black chain to the center of her chest, holographic pictures of her family both blood and extended kept inside with magic. Over her left eye extending to encompass it was an open blue green triad pinstripe tattoo meaning magical inspiration that glowed in the dark the same way as it showed in the light.
Groot was behind her starring out at the stars as he usually did in their down time, humming under his breath along to the Beatles music that was playing over the speakers. She had met Groot when she had been on a fuel stop at Planet X. There had been trouble with him defending a Maintenance Mammal from the prejudice of another.
It had elevated into a brutal fight that left Groot's opponent in a horrible condition. He had been exiled because Maintenance Mammals were seen as second class citizens therefore Groot was seen in the wrong. Rhea had tried to argue for him, but in the end just took him with her. They had been partners in crime and justice ever since switching between the two as the mood took them.
It was just getting to the good part of the song when their attention was taken by a beeping sound. Reaching up not looking away from her book Rhea let out an annoyed sigh as she pressed a flashing blue button.
"Rhea's mortuary, you stab them we slab them, no questions asked." Rhea said as she turned the page of her book, but as the person explained the situation to her the book lowered and a dark glare enveloped her features.
"Groot, we got a job." Rhea called out as she started to set in the location of her job.
"I am Groot." Groot replied from where he sat.
"Yeah you are." Rhea smiled as the ship shot forward.
-0-
Rhea walked through the ship her eyes narrowed behind her goggles her hands glowing a dangerously bright iridescent crackling with energy and a sneer on her face, Groot walking behind her ever the lumbering giant keeping her covered. Crew member after crew member were blasted out of her way by her magic or smacked away by Groot as they walked. She had gotten a report of a ship performing illegal experiments on various stolen life forms from different planets and that their captain/ head researcher had quite the bounty on his head which was an added bonus.
Rhea walked up to the last door and eyed the locking mechanism. It was state of the art, no one would be getting in there without the key code, no one but she and Groot that is.
"Do your thing Groot." Rhea stepped back allowing Groot to place his hand over the lock. His roots spread into the lock ripping it apart then Rhea forced the door open the rest of the way with a pulse of magic.
Readying her powers she and Groot entered a room filled with cages and one man holding a gun pointed straight at her. He fired she rolled forward and came up her hands pressed against his chest glowing dangerously as she leaned in close with a wicked look in her eyes.
"Drop it." Rhea ordered in a deadly voice and he did so with a sneer.
"They're just pathetic lower life forms." He defended himself.
"Not helping your case there Ki-Kel." Rhea replied before she punched him into unconsciousness then walked along the cages peering into each one. Some were empty and others held dead creatures of various planets in various mutated forms.
"I am Groot." Groot motioned to the last cage and Rhea hurried over to it. She saw the huddled form of a raccoon creature who was staring back at her, his eyes narrowed. He was pressed against the back of the cage, his arms wrapped around himself.
"Good job Groot." Rhea clapped him on the shoulder.
"I am Groot." Groot said proudly.
Rhea typed on the screen next to his cage and read what had been done to him. By the end of it she felt sick to her stomach and considered shoving Ki-Kel out of an air lock. Rhea easily hacked the lock and the door swung open suddenly causing the raccoon man to press harder against the back of the cage with a low warning snarl.
"Your file said elevated intellect so that means you can understand and you can talk. I'm Rhea, a bounty hunter, and this is my friend Groot, also a bounty hunter, both of whom are bringing the jerk who did this to you in so that he can be imprisoned for life." Rhea said easily. "So basically I bear you no ill will and hope you extend me the same favor."
"You talk like him." The raccoon bit out.
"Yeah." Rhea drawled out rubbing the back of her head. "Can't help it most of the time, way I was raised. What's your name?"
"I'm a lab experiment I don't have a name, just a number." He sneered as Rhea leaned back getting a look at the number.
"18-15-3-11-5-20, Rocket, I like it." Rhea commented.
"What?!" He snapped.
"The numbers are consistent with letters in the alphabet spelling out Rocket." Rhea replied with a shrug. "I think it sounds cool, it's a name that says you are exciting and up for anything, kind of spunky."
"Spunky?" The Raccoon deadpanned glancing over her shoulder at the scientist who was coming around.
"It's a word." Rhea replied. "Fulgur!" She aimed her hand over shoulder hitting Ki-Kel with an electric blast sending him convulsing to the ground. "Groot, tie him up please."
"I am Groot." Groot nodded walking over and wrapping Ki-Kel in vines like a mummy.
"So you want out of this heck hole or what?" Rhea turned back to the raccoon.
"What choices do I have?" He said sarcastically as he stood to his feet.
"Only one positive one really." Rhea shrugged stepping back as he jumped out of the cage and looked up at her. Rhea quickly averted her eyes with a dark blush glancing around until she grabbed a sheet of a nearby med-bed and handed it to him. "Would you mind…?"
"Now what?" He snapped as he snatched it from her wrapping it around himself.
"Now we take this guy in and you collect the bounty." Rhea replied as Groot hoisted Ki-Kel up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Me?" The raccoon looked suspicious.
"Well he wasn't holding me or Groot captive and experimenting on/ torturing us in the name of science now was he." Rhea replied as she and Groot led him through the corridors to her ship. "Welcome on board the 'Silver Dove.'" Groot dropped Ki-Kel with a thud, his head banging against the floor. "Oops-ish…not really."
"I am Groot." Groot looked to Rhea.
"Nah, we can pick him up later just leave it there." Rhea said kicking Ki-Kel over onto his back then going over to the console and putting it on auto pilot, the other disabled ship towed behind them. "So Rocket, you want something to eat or drink or both? I can call you Rocket right or did you have something else in mind for your name or…"
"Rocket's fine." He cut her off quickly.
"Sorry, I tend to rant." Rhea winced.
"I am Groot." Groot said.
"I'm not that bad." Rhea said with a pout.
"After we drop Ki-Kel off, what happens to me then?" Rocket asked.
"You join our team of course. We'll travel the universe bringing in bad guys for money and having adventures for money, doing a few good deeds on the side for money, and did I mention the explosions, we will have so many explosions! It will be epic!" Rhea said holding her hand out to him. "What do you say? Deal?"
"Sounds like fun." Rocket grinned taking her hand a shaking it. "Deal."