Chapter 10:

*Verena's POV*

We follow her to where Gamora's buyer is into a some weird collection.

"Okay, this isn't creepy at all," I commented, looking around.

"We house the galaxy's largest collection of fauna, relics, and species of all manner," our guard explains, walking in front of us.

One creature growls lowly towards Rocket. He growls back lowly as well. I gently tap on his shoulder to get my boyfriend's attention.

"I present to you, Taneleer Tivan, The Collector."
The Collector turns around to look through his eyewear before walking over to us while taking them off. Obviously Gamora and Tivan knew each other.

"Oh, my dear Gamora," he greets her, raising her hand up to his lips for a kiss. "How wonderful to meet in the flesh."

"Let's bypass the formalities, Tivan," she says, not interested. "We have what we discussed."

He looks over to Groot and asked, "what is that thing there?"

"I am Groot."

"I never thought I'd meet a Groot." He walks over to him, examping him. "And who are you my dear?" he asked, looking at me.

"Verena," I answered, keeping my guard.

Rocket growls under his breath towards him.

"Aren't you a rare species?" he asked, slowly raising my hand up for him to kiss it as well.

"Yes," I sighed sadly.

"You must allow me to pay you and your Groot now so that I can you both part of my collection."

"Why, so he could turn you into a frickin' chair and she could turn you into a bloody mess?" Rocket asked, not liking this guy at all and holding my hand.

"Are they your pets, my dear?" he asked me, referring about Groot and Rocket.

"Her what?" Rocket really didn't like being called that, holding his weapon.

"Tivan," Gamora steps in. "We have been halfway around the galaxy, retrieving this Orb."

"Very well, than. Let us see what you brought."

Gamora looks at Peter who has the orb. He takes it out, but drops it and catches it acting like nothing happened.

Tivan takes it to place it on a device and speaks to us, "oh, my new friends. Before creation itself, there were six singularities." He turns it on where the orb opens to reveal what's inside slowly. "Than the universe exploded into existence, and the remnants of these systems were forged into concentrated ingots." Maps of the universe surrounds us.
"Infinity Stones," I speak softly, realizing it.

"Yes, these stones, it seems, can only be brandished by beings of extraordinary strength. Observe," he says, having us look behind us. We turn to see a being with the power of a stone. "These carriers can use the Stone to mow down entire civilizations like wheat in a field. Similar to how Verena's homeworld was destroyed."

My boyfriend sees the terror in my eyes.
"Once, for a moment, a group was able to share the energy amongst themselves, but even they were quickly destroyed by it."

Finally the orb reveals itself with a small purple light stone, scaring me gratefully. Rocket holds me by hips for protection.

"Beautiful," the Collector loves it. "Beyond compare."

"Blah, blah, blah," Rocket speaks up, trying to calm me down by making this faster. "We're all very fascinated, whitey. But we'd like to get paid."

"How would you like to get paid?" he asked, the maps disappeared.

"What do you think, fancy man? Units!"

"Very well, than," he begins to take out the money for us when he sees his female companion walking over to it. "Carina. Stand back."

She won't listen.

"I will no longer be your slave!" she screams at him, grabbing the orb.

"No!"

The moment when she touched the orb, everything around us gets destroyed by a series of purple lights.

I screamed in terror, dropping down on the ground.

"Verena!" Rocket calls out, running over to me to cover my body from the attacks.

Groot came to save the day by grabbing us and running out of the building that is being destroyed. We screamed when we managed to get out the building before the explosion.

We hit the ground hard, thankfully without anything serious.

"Verena! Are you alright?" Rocket comes over to me as I lay on my back, trying to processed what happened.

"I think so," I answered, gasping for air.

One of his hands is under my head in my hair as he holds me close to him. Our eyes meet worried for each other as Groot holds us both.

"How could I think Tivan could contain whatever was within the Orb?" Gamora's frustrated with herself as she and Peter walk out of there with the Orb in her hand.

"What do you still have it for?" I asked, freaking out, getting up onto my feet.

"What are we gonna do, leave it in there?" Peter asked, yelling back.

"I can't believe you had that in your purse!" Rocket's freaked out as well.

"It's not a purse, it's knapsack!"

"We have to bring this to the Nova Corps," Gamora says. "There's a chance they can contain it."

"Are you kidding me?" Rocket asked.

"We're wanted by the Nova Corps," I explained.

"Just give it to Ronon!" my boyfriend suggested.

"So he can destroy the galaxy?" Peter points out.

"What are you, some saint all of a sudden?" he argues with him. "What has the galaxy ever done for you? Why would you wanna save it?"
"Because I'm one of the idiots who lives in it!"

"Alright listen!" I had enough of this, holding Peter's cullor. "We cannot allow the Stone to fall into Ronan's hands. We have to go back to your ship and deliver it to Nova because believe me, my home planet was destroyed by a Stone before I moved to Xander." I let it go.

"Right, right, okay, I think you're right," Peter says. "Or we could give it to somebody who's not going to arrest us, who's really nice for a whole lot of money. I think it's a really good balance between both of your points of view."

"You're despicable," Gamora growls at him.

"Dishonorable," I add in growling.

"Faithless!" we both said, walking away.

The sight of different ships appear before us.

"No," Gamora whispers.

"At last!" Drax calls out happy with his daggers out. "I shall meet my foe and destroy him."

"You called Ronan?" Quill asked him, couldn't believe this.

"Quill! Don't you move, boy!" an unfamiliar voice speaks out from the crowd.

Gamora runs to one direction where I follow her. My boys follow me as well. She takes us to the small ships.

"I told you, you can't fit," Rocket says to Groot, getting into his ship.

"I'm sorry Groot," I apologized to him, getting into mine. "I'll be right back, I promise."

I lift up my ship so we can find a way to get out of here. Why must these things happen to me?