The guardians landed on the planet and were greeted with wall to wall crowds with scantily clad woman dancing in the windows of stores and small areas that were fenced in with two lizards like creatures biting and tearing the flesh off of each other while people cheered with money bald up in their fists. The smell of sewage, sweat, booze, and vomit filled the guardian's nostrils as they struggled to make it through the street.
"Are you certain that bringing Groot here is a good thing?" Gamora question as she watched Groot ride Rocket's shoulder.
"Groot will be fine, besides, I'll be watching him at all times so just relax," Rocket answered with a confidant grin.
"How far is this mammal, Quill?" Drax asked as he held onto Mantis's shoulder tightly so she wouldn't get separated from them.
"Well, if I'm reading this thing right then she shouldn't be too far from us, maybe about one mile or so," Quill answered.
"I don't feel right about this," Gamora murmured, "Any criminal with half a brain would know that if they got caught by the Nova Corp then they would've put a tracker in them, how do we know that it's still in her?"
Peter frowned and eyed the area around them, "Well, depending on where they put it in she might now be able to get it out without seriously hurting herself, and even if she did remove it we still should go check the coordinates out just in case."
Gamora shook her head, "I just have a really bad feeling about this."
Soon after she spoke the tracking device started to beep out violently, Peter's head shot up as the device showed that the signal came from a nearby alley way. The guardians darted towards the alley way, pushing and shoving random civilians in their way. Once they were at the entrance of the alley they pulled out their weapons and hugged the outer wall, waiting for a fight. Peter looked over at Gamora and nodded his head towards the inner alley, Gamora nodded before both of them turned the corner and aimed their weapons at the expected criminal.
"Where is she?" Drax murmured as they scanned the completely empty alley way.
"Keep your guard up, who knows what type of traps could be in here," Peter spoke softly.
Groot clung onto Rocket's fur as they eyed the walls and ground for traps, Rocket's ears twitched as he tried to focus his hearing on any subtle beeping or whirring.
Rocket's eyes widened when he heard the quiet click, "Quill!" he shouted, but it was too late. The mine had been activated and a shock wave burst out from it, knocking the guardians off their feet and slamming them into the ground. Rocket heaved as the air was knocked out of his lungs and his head slammed against the cold hard ground, turning his vision into complete darkness.
The world around his was spinning as Rocket slowly opened his eyes, he could hear muffled voices and saw a blurry Mantis hovering above him.
"He's awake!" Mantis said with relief as she looked over at the others.
Gamora looked over at Rocket with concern as she approached him, "Rocket, how are you feeling?"
Rocket groaned as he rubbed his head, "Like shit, w-what happened exactly?"
"Vox did exactly what we expected, she set a trap and we were stupid enough to walk into it," Quill answered.
Rocket scoffed, "'We'? You're the one who walked into the damned trap."
"I didn't hear you say anything till it was too late!"
"Both of you stop it!" Gamora snapped, "We have more important things to focus on, so stop acting like children and start acting like adults!"
Rocket huffed before standing to his feet, he brushed the dirt off of himself and looked around to see were Groot was. Rocket's ears shot up as he spun around franticly, trying to spot were the little twig was.
"Why are you spinning?" Drax questioned.
"Maybe he's trying to chase his tail!" Mantis giggled.
"No, no, no, no, no!" Rocket shouted fear laced within his voice, "Groot, where is Groot!?"
The guardians were dead silent as Rocket ran up and down the alley searching for Groot, Rocket called out for him as loud as he could before looking down at the ground to make sure he wasn't blown up into pieces.
"It's ok Rocket, Groot has to be around here somewhere, we'll find him," Peter said hesitantly as Rocket's breathe quickened with every step he took.
"No, no, no, said I would protect him, said I would keep an eye on his, said I would keep him safe, oh god, oh god no not again!" Rocket hitched, thoughts of someone kidnapping Groot or turning him into a million pieces were causing tears to sting his eyes.
Mantis frowned, "It's alright Rocket, we'll find Groot, I mean that hole couldn't have taken him that far."
Rocket froze, "Hole, what hole?"
"That hole over there," Mantis pointed to a small hole dug, it was about ten inches high and seemed to go on for miles.
Rocket stared down the hole and examined it silently, "I'm going done there."
"What?!" Peter gaped.
"You guys go look around and see if he went back to the ship, I'll go down and see if he went this way," Rocket said as he started to crawl down the hole head first.
"But Rocket-"
"Quill, please just do this for me."
Peter looked down at the whole and then to Gamora, he sighed in defeat, "Alright, but if anything happens call us."
"Will do Pete," Rocket answered as he slowly made his way down the cramped hole.
The hole was dark and dusty, Rocket struggled to move and coughed out some of the dust that was invading his lungs. Rocket soon found a steady way of moving in the cramped space, trying hard not to think about what would happen if the tunnel collapsed. Rocket stopped suddenly when the tunnel split into three different ways, he growled, of course it wasn't going to be easy. Rocket sniffed the air as he ears twitched, he tried to pick up Groot's earthy scent but instead could only smell the scent of the criminal. The criminals scent was strongest in the left tunnel and consisted of booze, dirt, blood, sweat, and a natural female hormone. Rocket scowled; if that criminal had hurt Groot then she'd be dead for sure. Rocket made his way down the left tunnel and tried his hardest to ignore the tiny sharp rocks that were being embedded into his skin.
After what felt like hours of crawling in the dark he finally saw light at the end of the tunnel, the tunnel made a sharp turn up and Rocket crawled up the small dirt wall and hid low as he started to hear voices. He pulled out his gun slowly before jumping out of the hole and pointing his gun at the criminal, Rocket glared at fox who had already pulled out her gun, she seemed to be expecting him, or someone at least. Groot sat on a crate sitting in the corner, he seemed to be totally calm and unaware of the threat at stake. She stood there, frozen in place and eyes wide as she looked at Rocket.
"Y-you're just like me, how, how is that possible?!"
"Small galaxy I guess, now look I'm just here for my friend-"
"Shut up, even if you are like me don't think for a second that I won't kill you because of it, now put the gun down and I'll think about giving your friend to you," she hissed, Rocket did as he was told and dropped it onto the ground, "Good, now kick it away," he again did what she said. She looked down at the gun and then back to him, "Didn't think you'd be so cooperative."
"Just don't hurt Groot," Rocket said sternly.
Her large ears twitched, "Oh please, I would never hurt the twig, he's too damn adorable. Now who sent you to find me, Nova Corp, the Ravagers, the Kree?"
"Nova Corp sent me, they want you and your team, they'll pay a pretty penny for all of you."
"So, I take it that means you're going to send the only one who's like you to prison?" She mused as her tails black tip twitched.
"Says the woman who is currently pointing a gun at me," Rocket scuffed, "Listen lady I'm just here for Groot and your bounty, once we hand you over to the Nova Corp I don't care what you do, you can break out of jail and go on a murder spree for all I care."
"So you're just in this for the money?" She questioned as she slowly lowered her gun.
"Pretty much."
She shrugged, "I can respect that, but I'm not going to tell you were the rest of my group is."
"Loyalty?"
"Not really, mainly because they'll kick my ass if I do," she grinned, "Honestly trying to escape prison would be more interesting than staying in this shit hole for another day. But if I do go with you how do I know that you'll just turn me over to the Nova Corp and not someone else that would pay a higher price?"
"Well, first it'll have to do with what my team thinks, and also you don't," he stated bluntly, "But while we're on that discussion, how do I know you won't just shoot me when my backs turned?"
"You don't, but what's the fun in knowing?"
"The fact of knowing that you'll live another day."
She just shrugged in agreement, "I guess you have a point there."
"So you'll come with me without fighting?"
She was quite for a moment before groaning and rolling her eyes, "I guess, I mean it'll give me some time to learn about the last of my kind, so what the hell."
"I am Groot," Groot spoke happily as he jumped off a crate and ran over to Rocket.
"Hey buddy," Rocket smiled as Groot clung onto his leg, "Didn't think you'd be so easily convinced," he stated as he looked back up at her.
"Well you caught me at the right time and place so," she shrugged, "I'm Vixen by the way, but I'm guessing you already know that."
He nodded, "I'm Rocket and this is Groot."
"I am Groot."
She grinned, "I figured as much."