A/N: I do not own this movie, Marvel does thank god or this could have been a disaster, these characters or anything you recognize.
It was the first time the Guardians had actively sought out a bounty for the greater good. They weren't even planning on turning him over for a pay off, in fact they weren't planning on turning him in at all. Yondu had struck out, had nearly killed one of their own, and he would pay dearly for his crimes, though how was still being hotly debated.
"I could rig a grenade to go off once it hits his lower intestines" Rocket offered, while tinkering with probably said object in his hand.
"That could give him time to escape," Gamora supplied, not knocking down the idea, just tactically pointing out its flaws.
"I am Groot", Groot's voice could be heard from below deck, and a wicked grin quickly covered Rocket's furry face and a cackle escaped his lips before he managed to smother it.
"What did he say?" Drax asked, piloting the ship past an incoming meteor.
"Groot raised the point that we could always pin him down, watch the panic rise in those disgusting orbs on his face." Rocket supplied, throwing one tool over his shoulder and picking up another with his tail.
"I feel you are paraphrasing a bit." Drax stated, having never heard their tree like friend be quite so sadistic.
"Plus we do not want to be so close to him that we would be caught in the blast as well" Gamora pointed out.
"Fine, fine, you guys continue your strategizing then." Rocket muttered, putting his device down and heading downstairs.
Since Peter's little stunt trying to make his own lunch, the others had taken it upon themselves to keep a closer eye on their Captain, after all if he went ripping those stitches again they would officially be out of medical bandages until the next time they landed. There idiotic leader who was supposed to be keeping track of the ship's supplies not having the brain capacity to include medical supplies on that list and letting it fall dangerously low just in time for him to be attacked.
Making his way down to Quill's room, he let himself in without knocking and then froze as his eyes once again laid upon his fallen friend. He couldn't help a shiver run through him as sweat continued to coat Peter's forehead, and the shivering continued. Peter was still out of it, a mild fever and slight mumbling mostly, but it was still enough to set all of the Guardian's on edge.
Why was Quill getting sick now? Despite losing a lot of blood during Yondu's initial attack, he'd seemed pretty normal when he'd woken up. But now?
After Peter had ripped up his stitches he'd seemed to be quickly declining, like he'd picked up an infection because of the reopened wound, which for all he knew could be possible. Once Gamora and Drax had noticed they'd tried to set course for some hospital; but Rocket had, very vehemently, told them how stupid that idea was.
His first conscious memory was a scent. Antiseptic, he would later learn.
What if Yondu wanted to make sure the job was done right? What if the next time the Milano landed, that big blue alien came a knocking and saw their friend still breathing. He wouldn't miss again. They needed to track Yondu down, before he found them.
His second memory was of pain. He would never know what they truly did to him; to cause him to make his first wish, a wish for death, for the pain to just stop.
He'd managed to convince the others of this, but with each passing day, even he was beginning to question his own judgment. Was he truly doing this to keep Peter safe, or did he just savor revenge more?
After the surgery's, after he was made to perfection, they put something in him. Something that helped to understand there words. Helped to understand there language. He hated it. He didn't want there reason's, why they had done this to him. He wanted there blood.
Or was it something else entirely, was he simply trying to stop the others from helping Peter, simply because he himself didn't trust hospitals? Any place that smelled of the evil he was created from. He liked to think other wise, that he could stomach the idea of putting Peter there for the good reasons, if it came to that. When would enough be enough?
They began to teach him things. They wanted to see his learning capabilities. He was a good student, taking in every bit of knowledge brought to him. It was a hard balance however, if he appeared to eager, they would punish him. If he showed disinterest, they would punish him. It had to be there idea for him to learn to be a weapon.
He hissed the memories away, and leaped up to Quill's side, then padded up to where his head lay resting on a soaking pillow. Groot sat on the nightstand nearby, still in his sapling stage, he had only just begun to move around inside his pot. He was still aware though, and insisted to be right where he was. None of the others argued, they liked to think the two invalids were keeping each other company.
Patience, that's what it took. He was never good at that though. He planned to early, didn't wait until all of his preparations came together.
Was he truly making the right choice, or was he just covering his own fur? Quill groaned in his sleep, his hand twitching towards Rocket. He couldn't help the involuntary flinch, couldn't help it as his foot stumbled back and he landed on the ground hard. Out of the whole group, it had taken the most out of Rocket to trust Quill, who so resembled them.
The soft sound of his nails digging into the hard ground to launch his body forward, only for the motion to be repeated at an even faster pace. It seemed to go on forever, this endless cycle of his running, his heart pounding so loud that the sounds around him, the screams behind him all seemed to fade in to the thick th-thunk of blood pulsing. He knew why they were chasing him of course, after all they'd been on his tail since the day he'd escaped.
Another shot, this one nearly taking the rest of his leg off, and he was forced down onto all fours just to keep up his ever slowing pace. To slow, he was going to slow! They were going to catch up, send him back and punish him. There was no way he'd ever escape again, not after this.
He needed something, anything to give him the briefest reprieve so that he could come up with a plan. That's what he was built for after all, to use his brain. He would use that to there disadvantage. His brain latched onto the nearest object and only when he'd reached the highest branch did he realize that he scaled a tree. He sat there for a moment dripping blood steadily down the bark as images began flashing across his vision.
Bam, his first conscious thought was of pain, and knowing it would never end.
Bam, choosing a name for himself in secret. Rocket's were those things attached to there ship, what carried them away from this foul place.
Bam, realizing what he must do for his freedom, a bomb. A bomb he swore would one day be used on the bastards who made it.
He begins whimpering, there deeds just kept coming, over and over in an endless scream, and he begins whimpering uncontrollably his nails digging so deep into the bark that when the first one arrives and begins reaching up for him, he knew that his nails would be left behind in the bark.
He lay there curled in on himself, waiting for flesh to connect with fur, but it never happened. He cracked one eye open, then opened it all the way to glance back down to where they had been moments before, but they were all unconscious.
He opened his other eye and looked around himself properly, now fearing another type of predator. Though, his reasoning worked out, if it was that kind of threat, surly it would now be eating the unconscious body's.
"I am Groot."
He stiffened, every inch of fur going on end as the voice emanated from directly below him. Looking down at his paws once again, all he saw was the same rough bark as before, but now glancing back down at the exact trunk of the tree, he realized what he, and clearly his pursuers, had missed. This tree had a face.
He was sitting directly on the creatures head.
Letting out something between a yelp of shock and a snarl of fear, he began to leap away from the creature, only for his leg to collapse beneath him in pain at the sudden lunge to his feet.
"I am Groot."
His ear ticked, and he looked down again, taking in the unconscious body's and the thing that seemed to have done it. "Yeah I got that part, thanks."
"I am Groot."
He frowned, starting to feel the beginnings of annoyance, and something else. Something he hadn't felt in a long time now, was this gratitude? Nah, must be a hairball.
"Nice to know. So uh thanks for his," and he patted his current surface "and sorry about the blood. I'll just be going then," and he got a bit more steadily to his feet this time only for a branch to appear in his face that wasn't there before.
"I am Groot."
Both of his ears ticked this time, why on earth would the big guy care if he was hurt.
Or had he hurt him probably, but then why was he heading back towards town at a slow and even pace?
"What? I was trying to get down so you can get back to your photowhat's it."
"I am Groot."
He couldn't help but frown, how was it that he could understand such a question and yet only hear the original wording? Still he answered, "Names Rocket, no need to ask yours."
Groot continued his even walking, and seemed all to pleased to continue the conversation. He got the feeling this was the first he'd had in a while.
"I am Groot."
"Yeah suppose I can understand you, probably do to something those whack-jobs put in me, even I don't know what all it is. So where are we going?" Rocket demanded, settling in more comfortably on his perch, and stretching out his injured leg. It seemed rather clear to him that this big oaf wasn't going to be a problem.
"I am Groot."
Rocket snorted "Doctor, for what? This stupid thing, it'll heal in no time." He began to formulate a plan. He'd need a few things, some bandages for start, but it could work.
"I am Groot."
His throat was tightening much to fast for it to be normal, and his eyes were burning like nothing he'd ever felt before. He could only think of one thing to say.
"Thanks."
"Rocket! Come on man snap out of it, I know you don't want me crawling up those stairs!" A to close voice was saying.
He blinked spastically several times to be rid of the old memories, and was staring into dark brown eyes. "The hell Quill you aren't supposed to be up!"
"What was I supposed to do? Let you stand over there and collect dust?" Quill snapped back, already turning around and hobbling back to his bed, without being told for once.
Rocket's eyes immediately went to the wound, but no new blood seemed to be coming out, so there was small praise to be said there.
"I am Groot."
"I'm fine you nitwit" he responded to both of them, "and I was just letting you know that we'd be arriving at Xandar by the end of this cycle, so you can finally get restocked on the medical supplies our dear Captain so stupidly forgot about."
"You guys are never going to let that go" Quill sighed in exasperation as he flopped back down on his bed, then made quite the face.
He opened his mouth to make a cutting reply to hide his sympathy when Gamoura's voice came in over the speakers "Rocket we need you in the meeting room, now."
Both he and Peter frowned up at the ceiling. There was something in there that, had any other person spoken like that he would have called stress. That wasn't possible though, Gamora didn't do stress. Movement had his eyes drawing back to the bed and he felt himself snarling as his stupid captain began hauling himself out of bed again, "Oh no you don't! You are to stay right there Star Idiot! Did you change your name to Rocket? No, that's why I just called you an idiot."
Peter frowned at me, still moving around, "What, you guys can't have a meeting without me!"
"Oh yes we can, and Groot as well. He's staying here to keep your ass planted." Then without another word he twisted around and swiftly made his way to the desired location.
When he entered, he knew right away that there was good news, as Drax had a decidedly malicious smirk on his face, indicating he was cutting someones head off with his mind. Then there was Gamora's face, which spelled out the bad news, so he rounded on her first. "What now?"
"We have located Yondu" she responded slowly, never taking her eyes off the map in front of her.
"Well that's great! What are we waiting for?" He demanded, tail swishing irritably and his paws already beginning to move for a bomb he'd dearly love to shove up somewhere personal in that blue freak.
"We are waiting for him to land his ship and disembark, plus not be surrounded by so many of his Ravagers would be nice." She replied simply, moving a few figures around on the screen.
"Okay," he drew the word out, eyes twitching between the two, "so why do you look like your not pleased and he's just gotten a free knife?"
Gamora waited a beat to long before answering "because he is on track to Knowhere, the last known location of my sister Nebula. Yondu seems to be trying to do business with Thano's himself."
A few of you peoples might remember this having more then one chapter, but I got writers block at some point and was unable to continue, so I condensed it back down to what it originally was, a one shot. Now I have solved my little problem, and each of the Guardians are once again going to get there own chapter, plus an actual ending to this story line! Yeah, small miracles right. Here's Rocket's and the rest will be posted regularly