Luna "Joy" Sanders belongs to Flautist4Ever and I
Chapter 15
"That thing is a living bore-well!" The bruiser guffawed at the worm's work.
"Wait, wait, wait. No one has a problem with this?" Rocket asked everyone. "The 'Death Trap' bit was not some cute expression."
Turning to him, Jessica said, "I don't like it any more than you do, but that is our only way out. Unless you gained the ability to climb walls in the last few minutes."
He had not. "I'm putting an 'I Told You So' in my pocket for later use."
With that, everyone began following Bowie through the caves. After the worm led them through a narrow crevasse, they emerged into a larger cavern that had some sort of bioluminescent tendrils hanging from the ceiling like stalactites. There were also red and Fuschia plants or fungi scattered across the floor.
"Wow," Luna murmured as she gazed at the sight. It was beautiful.
As usual, Jessica made notes on her device about this place. Lance did the same thing as he leaned into some of the fungi, though he made sure to keep his distance in case they were poisonous. "What an eye-catcher."
The Earth teen did notice a strange crystal on the ground that had formed in a way that made her think of some of the sculptures in Osborn's collection. Cautiously, she began to reach out to touch it when she felt a wooden hand grab her arm. "I am Groot!" The tree warned her.
Hurrying over to her, the raccoon asked, "Whoa, what are you doing, Joy? That crystal is natural torium! Just lookin' at one the wrong way can cause it to explode."
With a slight yelp, Luna backed away from the crystal.
"Sometimes diamonds are a girl's best friend," Yaiyo teased, "but guess this one isn't anyone's pal."
"Guess I'll just take a picture…" reaching for her phone, the girl then remembered. "Oh, right. The battery is dead."
Holding out his hand, Eight said, "Let me see your device."
"Why?"
"Just trust me." With a shrug, the Keyblade bearer pulled out her phone and handed it to the robot. Holding up one of his fingers, he inserted it into the charging slot before his eyes flashed for a moment. Handing it back, he explained, "Your device is now fully charged. I also took the liberty of uploading some photos I took of our adventures together to it for you."
Luna's eyes lit up as she examined her phone. "No way, really?!" She asked as she checked it, and indeed it was charged up. Opening it up, she saw that there were now pictures of the caves they were in, as well as the Kree temple, the planet they found the Forge on, and the shrine. To her dismay, he had even uploaded some images of the human tower they had to do to get the lens to work. "Thank you, Eight."
"Of course." He nodded in reply.
Looking at her device, Quill raised an eyebrow and asked, "So what is that? A camera?"
Smiling at him, she explained, "No, it's my phone."
"What? A cordless phone?"
"Yep, and it can do more than make calls. You can watch TV, read books, surf the web, even listen to music. I'm not kidding. You can store hundreds, if not thousands, of songs on your phone now."
His jaw dropped at that and the teen could swear she saw stars in his eyes. "Thousands? On your phone? I'm sold."
As she took a picture of the torium crystal, Luna turned to Rocket. "So, what can you tell me about this thing?"
"It's worth a ton of units, but it's highly volatile." The raccoon answered her. "I'm actually surprised no one's mined this place dry." Right as he said that, the cave began to shake and rumble, causing the Keyblade bearer to back off.
"Maybe there's a reason no one's tried." The leader of the Guardians suggested. With a whimper, Bowie burrowed into the cave floor, leaving the teams alone. "Um, not good."
"Animals tend to flee when they sense danger," Lance noted. "Prepare yourselves." Right as he finished warning them, more worms that resembled Bowie broke out of the walls, but unlike their new pet, these hissed at the teams. These worms were not friendly as they surrounded everyone in a way that gave the Earth teen goosebumps.
As the worms continued to surround them, Rocket said, "I called it! It led us into a death trap! I told you so!"
"They do not want to kill us. Just eat us." Mantis translated as her antennae lit up. "As I said before, they're hungry."
"How is that any different?!"
"What's different is I ain't gonna let my pride go through their digestive systems!" One of Patrick's arms changed into a sharp blade with a blue light across its edges while the other transformed into a cannon.
While he prepared to defend himself with the others, the robot asked, "I do not understand. Is it so horrible?"
"I'll explain later." The genius of the Cassandra received several intense looks from the girls that said, 'Don't do it' and 'No'. The young scientist merely put on some gloves and activated them.
Activating his helmet, Quill said, "Guardians, and all other parties, time to exterminate!" As the worms began to leap at them, he began shooting them down while Gamora sliced them with her sword.
"I am Groot!" Groot slammed a worm into the ground after he grabbed it while Mantis kicked and punched them away using her people's fighting style. Drax stabbed and sliced them while Rocket continued to blast them.
"Come on, you blue crawling sticks!" The cyborg called out before he stabbed one worm with his blade arm before shooting its head off with the cannon. Eight splintered his arm into a few slender spirals before using them to catch the worms that attempted to attack him, and then slammed them down into the ground. Lance's gloves allowed him to punch a worm back into the cave wall. Jessica zapped a worm with her electric baton while kicking away another that leaped at her.
Yaiyo used a spell that turned a worm into several purple butterflies that flew away, amazing Luna a bit. With a yelp, the teen had to turn her attention back to the battle as one leaped at her, but she managed to whack it away with her Keyblade.
Grabbing another, the tree exclaimed, "I am Groot!"
"He's right! They just keep coming." The raccoon kept firing, but more and more worms were coming out of the caves. If they didn't do something soon, they were going to be overwhelmed.
"We need another plan!" As his eyes fell on the torium, the leader of the Guardians said, "I got an idea!"
After slicing another worm in two, the green woman asked, "Why don't I like the sound of that?"
"Yeah, no offense, but that statement doesn't usually end up okay for us." Rocket kept firing at the worms.
"We won't end up okay if we keep going like this! So I say we should be open to any ideas, even stupid ones at this time." The archaeologist exclaimed as she stabbed through the head of a worm with the pointy-edge of her baton. "I hate worms!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, here's your angel!" Sir Raleigh joked before slicing through a few worms with his laser swords.
Aiming at the torium, Star-Lord said, "Brace yourselves!" Firing a shot, the result was the crystal exploded and created a shockwave that knocked everyone off their feet. The explosion shook the cavern enough that it caused several rocks to fall from the ceiling and crush several worms. The rest fled back into the tunnels they had made, ending the battle.
Luna groaned as she slowly sat back up, wincing as she felt some new sore spots. "Ouch…"
Rolling her shoulder to shake off the pain, the blonde leader of the Cassandra asked, "Is everyone okay?"
"I think so," Quill said as he dismissed his mask and checked on Gamora. "What about you? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." She said as she got up. She didn't like being treated like she could shatter at any moment.
Dusting himself off, the raccoon joked, "Nothing like the smell of fried worms to really lift your spirits."
Sniffing the air, the grey alien agreed, "Yes. Just like Mother's cooking." However, his words were met with the Most Dangerous Woman in the Galaxy hunching over and losing her lunch. Whether it was the smell or the idea that the stench reminded Drax of his people's dishes was unknown.
"Ugh, did you have to talk about that in this stench?" Jessica was also disgusted by the Destroyer's statement.
"There's no way to shut down his damn mind." Rocket huffed.
Patrick just grimaced and looked away while Gamora hurled. The leader of the Guardians, however, stayed by her side until she was able to recover. As she looked up, she noticed three cavern entrances in front of them. "Okay, one of these has got to lead us back to Hala."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You guys are serious about going after her?" The raccoon asked. "I thought you were being funny, or something."
"Whatever's happened to her has made her more dangerous than before, so she needs to be stopped." The mystic told him. "We can't let her lay waste wherever she travels."
"Maybe you were watchin' a different show, but in the one I saw, the Forge blew up in her face and she wound up with godlike powers!" Rocket insisted.
Frowning at her teammate, the green woman asked, "So you're okay with being responsible for Hala laying waste to the entire galaxy?"
"Wasn't my idea to try and destroy it. I said it would be bad news - basically told you what would happen! Boom! Forge in the face. Mega Hala. Megala."
"You are terrible at naming things," Drax told him. "We should now call her… Also Blue."
Crossing his arms, the cyborg said, "Another terrible name, you simpleton. Besides, that's not the worst case of being responsible. If Forever America and the Galactic Council ever learned about this and how we just moved along without rectifying our mistake, those grubocks would sue us."
"That's your worst-case scenario?" The raccoon laughed at him.
"That thing was too powerful and dangerous. I know we could've brought people back, but so could Hala if we charged it. We did the right thing… I think." Quill said.
"Technically, yes. But the power is living in a new host, and that host is Hala." The archaeologist stated. "We have to hurry before she relocates herself to an unknown destination."
Frowning, Rocket asked, "Why? She now has the power we could've used to help our loved ones."
"Which is exactly why we have to go after her." The Most Dangerous Woman in the galaxy insisted.
"You don't get to talk, Gamora. You lecture us about being responsible and other crap while in secret, you were busy gettin' laid by our fearless leader. I bet the only reason he agreed to destroy the Forge was that you got him wrapped around your finger!"
The grey alien looked at them. "Quill is not on her finger. He is standing next to you two."
"Confirmed." The robot nodded.
"Eh, it's just a physical term." Lance corrected both of them.
"I know what I did. Ugh, I don't need you to twist the knife!" The green woman exclaimed at the raccoon.
Rocket just went on, "Well, everyone needs someone like me. The guy who says what's on everyone's minds, but is too wimpy to say them out loud!"
"No one is thinking that, Rocket! Only you. When they rewired your brain, they must've screwed up, because half the time you're talking out of your ass!"
"Hey, I didn't ask to be this way!"
That was when Patrick joined in. "You went into battle while you're freaking pregnant, which last time I checked, is a horrible decision."
"I'm getting enough of this from that mangy little rat! I don't need you adding salt to the wound!" Gamora snapped at him.
"He did no such thing." The Destroyer said. "There is no salt in his hands, and he has not touched you."
"Look, shut up! All of you!" The leader of the Guardians tried to break up the fighting. "We gotta get out of here, and none of you are helping."
"No, YOU shut up!" Rocket retorted. "I'm tired of hearing the sound your face is making."
Luna could feel a headache coming on from all the yelling. "Hey, enough!" She exclaimed while walking over to the four of them. "This isn't going to help anyone!"
"Or would you rather have us wait here for more of those worms to come back and try to eat us?" Jessica agreed with the raven-haired teen and the leader of the Guardians.
Clenching his fists, the raccoon said, "You know what? Fine. You go after Hala if you want to. I'm going in the opposite direction so I don't have to see your faces again!" With that, Rocket turned and began marching down one of the tunnels. "Come on, Groot. Let's go."
"I am Groot."
"What?" That made him pause before he said, "Fine. Be that way. Guess I was wrong to think you guys cared." He then continued to storm off deeper into the tunnel while Gamora shook her head and trudged towards the other.
"Hey, it's probably a bad idea to go splitting up in a place like this," Luna called after them.
Without looking back, the green woman said, "It's probably for the best for now. Let's go, Luna. Just leave him be."
The girl just looked back and forth at them, unsure of which to follow. Gamora had helped her the most so far, but with this recent development, she might need some alone time. It was clear she didn't like how everyone was treating her differently now they knew she was pregnant. She glanced at the tunnel Gamora was going into, then back at the one Rocket had gone into, trying to make up her mind.
The Keyblade bearer then felt a hand on her shoulder. "I think I'll go after Gamora. I… need to talk to her about this..." Quill told the teenager. She could tell he was still struggling to process the idea that he was going to be a dad.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Sir Raleigh stopped her. "I believe it would be best if only he goes and talks with her."
"Yeah, all we can do is respect their privacy." Yaiyo nodded.
"Hmph, it was her fault anyway," Patrick then headed down the middle tunnel nobody had taken while the leader of the Guardians followed the Most Dangerous Woman in the galaxy.
The Destroyer then looked at her. "They will be okay. It is the rodent who needs us." With that, he also headed into the tunnel the raccoon took.
The bug lady then approached the teen. "Perhaps it would be best if we tried to talk to Rocket." She suggested.
"I doubt he'll listen… but okay." The girl made her decision.
"How about we wait here until everyone comes back?" The mystic suggested.
Groot just began moving towards the tunnel the two parents-to-be went down. "I am Groot…"
"I suppose you could, but try to respect their privacy," Mantis told him.
"I am Groot." He said as he entered the tunnel.
Turning to the others, the empath translated, "He says he'll try, but he probably won't understand what they're saying."
Luna did notice he had gotten his game out again. She sighed before giving a nod as she went with Mantis to follow after Rocket. The bioluminescent lights didn't shine in this tunnel, but eventually, the Keyblade bearer's eyes adjusted so she could see. "So… uh, any idea where this tunnel leads?"
"Who knows and who cares?" Rocket snapped as he continued to move on. He kicked a pebble out of his path, grumbling the whole time. "I don't get it. Why didn't Groot come with me? He always comes with me."
"Maybe he got tired of your yelling," Drax suggested.
Nodding, Jessica added, "It's quite reasonable to want to diverge from facing or listening to opposing views." She had also joined them in this tunnel.
"Well, if that's how he wants to be, then fine. I don't need him." The raccoon huffed. "I'm better off without him!"
Luna then suggested, "Maybe he was just worried about Gamora."
"Who cares about her? Besides, that lady can handle herself," Rocket growled, waving his paw in the air.
"But she's pregnant,"
The archaeologist then asked a new question. "Why is Gamora known as the Most Dangerous Woman in the Galaxy?"
"She's killed a lot of people for Thanos, but I don't-"
"Think about it. She's taken thousands, maybe millions, of lives over the years. That's probably made her a lot of enemies."
With a chuckle, the Destroyer said, "Yes. When she was sent to the Kyln, some tried to kill her in retaliation. I was one of them."
"What's your point?" The raccoon asked.
"This: She's got blood on her hands and now she's facing impending motherhood. If her enemies were to learn of that, they might try to use it against her. If the child is born, they could target him or her just to get to Gamora. I could be wrong, but that possibility might be weighing down on her."
The thought of that made Luna stop walking for a moment. That was… disturbing. She heard stories of criminals targeting families to get back at someone before. It reminded her of why Peter hid the truth of being Spider-Man from his Aunt May, and why Gwen now hid her powers from her mother and brothers. And with dangers lurking out there, like the Heartless and Thanos… no wonder she suggested that.
"Yeah, it wasn't easy for Patrick to go through the hardships he did to keep his siblings safe," Lance sighed, being someone else who joined them. "The corrupt politicians tried to sue them after he caused the blackout on our planet years ago."
Rocket was actually silent this whole time. He didn't make any snarky remarks, didn't say anything sarcastic, nothing like that. It was kind of a surprise from his usual attitude. He even lowered his gaze as he picked up the pace.
"Hey, wait up," The Keyblade bearer said as she started walking again. However, she stopped when they came across a large stone blocking their path. "Oh, come on." The sight vexed her a little bit.
Drax just cracked his knuckles as he walked up. "Leave it to me." Grunting, he pushed against the stone until it moved out of their way. It ended up leading into a cavern that had a lot of worm-sized tunnels in a honeycomb pattern. A few turquoise plants grew on the ground while all around were pools filled with a smelly orange liquid.
"Huh. We moved from one tomb into another," The raccoon finally spoke.
Luna wrinkled her nose as she smelled it. "Ew,"
"Anyone see a way out?" Lance asked before his gaze fell upon a pile of rocks. "Never mind." He watched as Drax pushed against the rocks, but this time they didn't budge. Shaking his head, the genius suggested, "There are probably rocks on the other side blocking the path. We're going to have to find a way to clear them if we want to continue,"
The teen from Earth looked at him. "Like with what?"
Smiling, the technician of the Guardians said, "A good-old-fashioned explosion. But I don't have anything that could-"
"What about the torium?" Jessica asked. "There's a chance we might find more in these caves, and-"
"And we can use them to clear the passage! Brilliant! Ha! Nothing beats blowing stuff up!"
"Wouldn't it risk causing a collapse, though?" Lance inquired.
Turning to him, Rocket said, "Listen, blowing stuff up is an art, and you are looking at a master. I just need a tiny sample about this big," putting his paws together to indicate what he meant, he continued, "and it'll be simple enough to clear that rubble."
Looking around cautiously, the blonde said, "I hope you know what you're doing. Causing a collapse is not the only thing I worry about in this maze."
"I found the torium," Lance then said. "There's just one problem." Pointing up, everyone saw the component had formed on the ceiling, and was out of reach for them.
The raccoon wasn't deterred. "Perfect!"
"Sir Raleigh, you think you can-" Jessica stopped when she saw the rodent was nowhere in sight. When was the last time they saw him, frankly? Did he not come with them?
The genius was just observing the tunnels around them. "One of these has got to lead to the torium…" he mused.
"Yeah, but which one?" The Keyblade bearer asked as she looked around.
"Well, maybe Rocket could check-"
"No way. I ain't gettin' on all fours. It's humiliating." Rocket folded his arms. "Go ask Mister Rally to do this dirty work."
Crossing her arms, the archaeologist explained, "He isn't with us anymore. So in that regard, you are nominated."
"If I could fit, I'd go, but I can't," Luna explained in an attempt to make him feel better.
The raccoon's expression remained the same. "Does anyone even know which tunnel leads to the torium? I don't wanna end up at a dead-end, or in one of those worms."
At that moment, the ground broke open behind them, and a familiar face popped out. "Bowie? How'd you get here?" The teen asked the invertebrate.
"Great, it's back! Probably to lead those worms right to us again!" Rocket frowned.
Mantis's antennae glowed as she checked. "No, he's not. He wants to help us."
"Well, unless he can lead us to the torium, I don't-" The technical expert of the Guardians was cut off as the worm entered one of the tunnels, and then reappeared on a ledge above everyone. From there, the crystal would easily be within arm's reach of any of them. Bowie let out a chitter as if telling them to hurry up and follow him up there.
The sight made Jessica smile. "He quickly became handy for us. Looks like you've got your escort to the prize."