Chapter 27
Peyton quickly began firing at her father's light tentacles. Ego wanted her friends, dad and brother and the entire universe dead, and she couldn't let that happen.
"Peyton soon we will be all that's left in the universe. So, stop pissing me off!" Ego shouted as his daughter had fallen to the ground. Peyton looked and saw that the Yaka Arrow her dad bore for twenty years destroyed at her biological father's hands. Rocket and her dad were down. It was heartbreaking to see all her friends fall to her father's hands just like her mother.
"Why are you doing this to your father, Peyton?" Ego asked his daughter who was getting furious by the minute.
"You're not my father, you never were!" Peyton shouted outrageously. She was down on her knees, looking down at the pieces of her mask and her quad blasters.
"You are you are my flesh and blood, Peyton!" Ego yelled. Peyton looked at Yondu and Rocket who were being piled by a pile of rocks and felt Gamora in pain.
"You're my father, biologically, but my real dad has been right in front of me this entire time!" Peyton shouted. I want no part of this scheme of yours."
"I told you I do not want to do this alone. You cannot give up what the universe has bestowed upon you!" His plan was in motion as he injected the tentacles in his daughter's chest and her bruised and cut face. " Why? What could life possibly have to offer you."
"I don't use my head to control the arrow, girl! I use my heart..." Yondu shouted but the rocks covered her family.
Then, the memories flowed through her.
Suddenly, it all came to Peyton, all the memories that kept her going since the very first day...
Gamora and Peyton are on Nowhere, listening to the beautiful melody of Marvin Gaye's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."
...
Peyton and Drax are laughing with each other after Peyton hears a fond story of Drax and his daughter.
...
Rocket, Groot and Peyton laugh as they fly together. Both take turns flying.
Suddenly, there is a fond memory of Peyton and Meredith and both sing to "Brandy, you're a Fine Girl by Looking Glass.
...
Next, Yondu teaching her how to fire for the first time and giving her a one and only first father-daughter dance
...
Then, Kraglin is helping Peyton with her very first Ravager garb, then Tullk and Oblo tossing her back and forth before Yondu tells them to knock it off and orders them to his baby girl down as he drags Peyton to his room and gives her a look over for injuries.
Everything came to Peyton now. She had her real family all along. Suddenly, she turned the tables and Peyton felt the power growing on inside her. As Peyton grew stronger and healthier, her father was growing weaker.
"You bastard, you shouldn't have killed my mom, or my dad and our friends, and you sure as hell shouldn't have squished my Walkman, you son of a bitch."
She took up the strength and continued to hit on her father as "the Chain" played through her mind. As the fight continued, Yondu broke through the piles of rock growing on top of him; Drax was able to get out of the quicksand and ran to the ship where Peyton's brother was waiting for them. Finally, Nebula and Gamora took strong breaths as the tentacle of lights disappeared. The sisters quickly ran to the ship as Groot made his way to Ego's brain.
Rocket quickly flew over to the hole in Ego's core and shouted, "Groot hurry up! I don't know how long Peyton can keep Ego distracted!"
Groot quickly put the bomb on the shell of Ego's brain and pressed the right button and quickly ran like hell. Rocket quickly put his hand through and grabbed onto Groot.
"You did good, kid, you did good," Rocket said with a smile and put Groot on top of his left shoulder.
"I am Groot!" Groot said.
"I can't believe you just called the kid 'Mama'!" Rocket said. Groot looked harshly at him. "And yes, she will be proud of you."
He just hoped they'd live to see Peyton alright.
Peyton, meanwhile, was doing a very good job, continuously striking back and forth. However, Ego pounded her against the wall a copule of times. Peyton was too distracted in fighting her biological father that she didn't notice all her friends were escaping from the places Ego tried to kill them at.
Yondu could feel something inside of him stir. He sensed his little girl was kicking asses and taking names, just like he taught her.
Rocket and Groot flew over to Yondu, who turned to look at the duo of best friends.
"Yondu, we're about to blow!" Rocket shouted.
"Get to the ship!" Yondu shouted.
"Not without the kid," Rocket shouted.
"You gotta take care of the twig!" Yondu shouted.
"Not without you," Rocket said.
Yondu looked reluctant to Rocket. Yondu couldn't leave Peyton to her fate with Ego. He had already failed Peyton's older siblings. Kyra, Han, Phineas, Lotus, and Victor and several others began rushing through his mind, poor sweet innocent children who were stabbed in the back by their own father. No, Yondu was not going to fail another child he once knew. He was NOT going to fail his daughter, nor taint her half-siblings' memories.
"I haven't done nothing right my whole life, rat. I have failed Peyton once before, and I can't fail her again" Yondu said, thinking of the children from the past. "You gotta give me this."
Rocket reluctantly nodded and went to fly off. However, he grabs onto two things.
"A space suit and an aero-rig," Rocket said and placed one of each in Yondu's hand. "I only have one of each." Yondu nodded and took both of them. Rocket was about to fly away, but Groot stopped him from going any furhter.
"I am Groot," the baby flora colossus said.
"What was that?!" Yondu shouted.
Rocket sighed and smiled.
"He said 'Welcome to the frickin' guardians of the Galaxy, only he didn't use frickin'," Rocket said with a smile.
Rocket floated up into space as Groot waved. Yondu smiled fondly and raised a hand.
"Bye twig," Yondu said, never dropping that smile. As soon as Rocket and Groot were out of ear-range of Yondu, Rocket looked sternly at Groot.
"You know, Peyton and I are going to have a serious discussion with you about your language," Rocket said with a bit of a smile to it as well. "And be lucky I didn't tell Yondu you called him 'Grandpa'."
In return, Groot just cave an apologetic smile as Rocket rolled his eyes and made his way to the ship.
