Contains one instance of the F word early on. This is solely for the purpose of making a reference.
Rocket Raccoon stared out into deep space, saying nothing, his face bearing no clear expression. Gamora, who sat behind him, was working on one of Rocket's custom made weapons, trying to figure out how he had managed to construct it in such a short amount of time.
"What are you doing?" Rocket asked, hearing Gamora's tinkering, curiosity getting the better of him.
Gamora shrugged and absent-mindedly handed Rocket the weapon, who upon seeing it, could only smile.
"So you're finally taking an interest in what I do" Rocket replied half sarcastically and half in surprise, "About time if you ask me. So what do you want to know sweetheart? How I transferred the ship's power to create a suitable infinite energy source or how I came up with the idea in the first place. Either way, it's the same answer."
Gamora shook her head, "One" she began defensively, "Don't call me sweetheart. Two- I don't care, I just want to know what it's called."
Rocket rolled his eyes, insulted that Gamora blew him off for a name.
"Call it whatever you want" Rocket answered as he stood up heading for his quarters, "Call it the Big Fucking Gun 3000 for all I care, just don't come crying to me when you can't figure out to work the damn thing."
Gamora sighed, "I didn't mean it that way Rocket" she started to say, but Rocket was already out of the room.
Passing up Drax and Star-Lord, also known as Peter Quill, who were busy playing a game of chess on the dining room in the middle of the ship, Rocket scoffed to himself as he thought about how little attention he received, how little at times he was valued, even by Quill, who he considered to be one of his closest friends.
"What's got you stirred up?" Star-Lord asked, taking a moment from the game and allowing Drax to call checkmate.
Rocket laughed as if he were insulted by the answer, at the same time he shook his head wondering if there was a point to anything anymore and if there was how he could find it. When Quill didn't get a response, he took a wild guess.
"What did she do this time?" he continued
Rocket growled and pointed towards the cockpit. "Keep her away from me Quill" Rocket demanded, "If I so much as see her I'm going to rip out her throat, do you understand? Every time I open up to her she kicks me down without even so much as giving me a chance."
Quill sighed, for he had expected infighting amongst the team but never to this degree. This was the fourth incident with Rocket in the last week alone.
"This keeps up and I'm outta here" Rocket continued, "Do you hear me Quill? I'm done being the only asshole who gives a damn about anything around here. I'm not a people person, you know that, but I at least want to know who I'm fighting with."
Quill nodded in understanding, "Good point" he exclaimed, "So who are we fighting with?"
Drax turned towards Rocket and gave glaring look; Quill shifted his weight and ever so casually folded his arms. Rocket huffed in disbelief, now even more insulted than before.
"You're kidding me right?" Rocket yelled towards Quill, "I'm the victim here!"
Quill shook his head, "You're the one who's being the closed door Rocket, not us. Now, since we're all going to be together for awhile, why don't you start talking?"
Rocket growled again, this time more menacing than the one before, "I don't have to tell you shit Quill. What does it matter anyway? It's the past, it's over now. What matters is the here and now."
Drax rolled his eyes; he saw no point in getting into an argument with Rocket, for it would be a losing battle either way. Rocket slowly walked away, letting Quill's gaze burn into his eyeballs.
"You can't keep avoiding it forever Rocket" Quill replied as he focused back on the game, "It has to come out eventually!"
Rocket ignored him and reached his bedroom door, which upon entering he immediately closed, letting the slam resonate throughout the ship, causing Rocket to become deaf for a few seconds.
Rocket's bedroom was simple; to the immediate right of the door was the bed, opposite this was a small dresser and desk, on which a potted Groot was placed. Rocket's room also had a large window that easily had the best view on the entire ship, at the moment it was looking out into deep space.
Rocket sat on the bed and tried not to cry, Groot, upon seeing Rocket's state, extended his arms to their full extent and wrapped them around the raccoon in a loving embrace.
"You're the only one who understands me Groot" Rocket said softly as he allowed himself to cry, "Promise me you won't leave."
Groot nodded, "I am Groot" he answered.
"I know" Rocket replied with a smile, "I am Groot, you are Groot. We are Groot."
Groot laughed as he broke away, letting Rocket be by himself for a few minutes.
After a few seconds Rocket casually reached under his bed, pulling out a broken picture frame with an intact picture inside. The picture was of Rocket and a walrus; both of them were holding guns and standing on the bridge of a medium sized ship, their faces were of content, if one were to look closely they would be able to find a subtle smile from the walrus, Rocket displayed no such emotion.
"You always were the sensitive type" Rocket said to himself," But you were a good man Wal-Russ, a damn good man."
At that moment Rocket could hear static coming in on his communication link, tuning in to try and locate the signal Rocket heard a voice that he thought he would never hear again, it was muffled but even so he knew.
"Is anyone there?" It asked, "This is...my signal is weak, can only...send help to these coordinates...Longitude 23 North, 78 West...Latitude...South...56..."
Rocket immediately responded, wasting no time in getting information.
"Copy" Rocket replied, "Longitude 23, 78 West. Confirm latitude coordinates ASAP."
A long pause followed, the signal had gone dead for a few moments.
"Damn it" Rocket thought to himself, "It's too weak. Need something stronger-"
Moments later Rocket ran into the cockpit, in his hands were com-link and an old shortwave radio, one of Quill's mementos from the 1980s. Absent-mindedly Rocket also brought the picture, which he sat carefully in front of him as if it was the most important thing in the world.
Gamora, in an attempt to apologize to Rocket, placed the weapon that she had been tinkering with earlier in front of him, which he immediately began to taking apart; scrapping whatever he thought could be of use in order to make a communications array. When this was done, Rocket tried the signal once again, it was still weak, but it was significantly better.
"This is the Captain of Rack n' Ruin requesting identification" Rocket began, "Please respond, over."
A long silence followed this one longer than the first. After ten seconds of dead air, Rocket got the response he had been waiting for.
"I had a feeling it was you Rocket" the voice replied, "First Mate Wal-Russ reporting in with a handful of survivors looking to be saved."
Rocket silently cheered to himself at hearing Wal-Russ' voice, giving the raccoon a sense of fulfillment that was long overdue.
"Copy that Wal-Russ" Rocket answered, "Give us your location."
Wal-Russ sighed reluctantly, as if he neglected to give some crucial detail.
"That's the thing sir" Wal-Russ explained, "I don't know where the hell I am. Somewhere outside the Keystone Quadrant that much is certain, as for the planet...well I've never seen anything like it before."
Quill and Drax, who were now in the room, stared intently at Rocket, trying to make sense of the situation, upon hearing Rocket's reply, Quill shook his head in denial.
"We can't" he began, "We don't where they are and even if we do find the planet who knows how many they have."
Wal-Russ, who could hear Quill as a muffled voice, responded as quickly as he could, "There are four of us including myself" he answered, "We can find space in the cargo hold, please...don't leave us here to die."
Rocket turned towards Quill, his eyes pleading to agree. Quill remained stoic, his face giving no clear expression. The raccoon then turned towards Drax, hoping to find a friend behind them, he would get no such luxury.
"Come on guys" Rocket said, now begging, "We have to help them."
Drax rolled his eyes, "And why should we?" he asked, "What have they done for us?"
Rocket pulled out his pistol and aimed it at Drax's head, causing the latter to pull his knife.
"I'll have you know that it is because of the voice on the other end that I am even alive today" Rocket explained, "We've been through hell together, fought legions of men back to back. There's no one I would rather risk my life for, Groot being the only exception."
Rocket then addressed the room, slowly holstering his weapon at the same time.
"I don't care if you idiots are with me or not" he concluded, "But either way I'm going to find Wal-Russ and I'm bringing him and anyone with him back. He doesn't deserve to die out there, not without me."
The signal went dead once more. Nothing but static could be heard, in dismay Rocket turned off the communications array and made his way towards the door.
"What's it going to be Peter?" Rocket asked hopefully, "Are we going to save my friend? Or are you going to lose one?"
Quill said nothing and simply watched as Rocket walked back to his room, the raccoon's tail dragging the ground in hopeless defeat. Before he could get out of earshot, Quill stopped him.
"What's the Rack n' Ruin?" he asked curiously
Rocket sighed, hating himself that he had allowed this to happen, to avoid further conflict Rocket gave a simple answer to a complicated question.
"It's a starship asshole" Rocket replied, "Or more accurately, it was a starship. It's gone now, what does it matter to you anyway? You'd only shit on it, just like you shit on me, telling me that I have to open up myself. Who in the hell made you King of the Universe? What gives you the right to break into my life, to know every detail, every goddamn thing that happened to me? You don't have the right!"
Quill hung his head in shame, Rocket wasn't done yet, not even close, still Rocket found himself standing in the hallway saying nothing, letting the silence of the ship speak for him. After a few seconds Rocket turned back towards his room and closed the door once more.
Quill turned to the cockpit and immediately turned on the array, static was all that was heard, he turned to Drax.
"Check the suits" he commanded, "See if any of them are still working."
Quill then turned to Gamora
"Set a course for the Keystone Quadrant. Hopefully we'll get a better signal once we're there. In the meantime, work on your people skills and figure out a proper apology."
Gamora nodded and piloted the ship around doing as she was told, she wasn't exactly sure about the apology part, she figured that she would get to that in due time.