The shouting continued, audible throughout the entire ship. Drax refused to relent with his assault on the door, insisting his confines would not hold him. The situation had somehow spiralled even further out of control, a theorised impossibility until now.
"I am Groot…" The soft-spoken words attempted to soothe the angered Katathain, but the babble of a mad man continued, words at time not forming comprehensible sentences.
"Groot, he's too far gone for that to work buddy." Rocket called to his friend, his focus on Peter who with the help of Gamora had been propped up against the settee, back off the hard floor at least.
"This was the last thing he needed." Gamora mumbled, one hand keeping Peter's head supported while the other dapped a cloth against his bleeding temple. The strike Drax had unfortunately made a direct hit.
Though the device Rocket had constructed has appeared to help before, its effect minuscule, not able to warm the Half Terran's blood quick enough.
It has been a brief relief to see Peter conscious, that moment of a small victory so quickly snatched from them, the feeling of dread returning.
"How did this even happen?!" Rocket shook his head, anger misdirected at Gamora. "Where were you?"
"Where was I?" Gamora turned to him, words defensive. "I was locked in the engine room with Groot!" She snapped back, still taking care with Peter's head. His face was the same pale shade, shock still very much having hold of his system from his not so pleasant encounter with the freezing company of space.
Rocket went to fight back, questionable words about to be spoken but never managing to be much more than a thought thanks to Groot's interruption.
"I am Groot!" The Floral Colossus had abandoned his post at the bathroom door to address the rest of his dysfunctional team.
Rocket hung his head. There was no counter he could make, accepting the fact that Groot was right his only option.
"He's right, this isn't helping Peter or Drax…"
Gamora nodded, pressing the blood-stained cloth back to Peter's head, the blood flow mostly stabilised.
The awkwardness continued, everyone seemingly waiting for something to happen between the sound of Drax rambling from the bathroom.
"We can't be far from Knowhere." Rocket spoke aloud, but it was more of an internal question he happened to speak out loud. He moved up to the controls of the ship, hoping up into the captain's chair he managed the screens in front of him, getting them to display the relevant information he was seeking.
He immediately found something he wished he hadn't.
"No… No!" Rocket shouted in anger, fist slamming down on the nearest surface. "We had one jump, enough fuel for one jump!" Rocket slumped down in the chair head no longer held above his shoulders.
Gamora had rushed to his side, Groot remaining behind to watch there fallen team members. Over Rocket's shoulder she didn't need to ask to see what was wrong.
Their destination had been altered, there course for Knowhere having been changed.
"Krutackin' fool…" Rocket almost sobbed, his true feelings starting to seep through the walls he puts up.
The screen showed nothing more than co-ordinates that had been implemented, there destination for now unknown. Having been haphazardly implemented mid jump it was hard to judge if they would even make it to their new destination before the ship gave out.
"Will we make it?" Gamora was thinking the same thing.
Rocket sighed slowly, eyes closed as he took in their situation, attempting to restore clam to his mind to give a space for problem solving. In the end he shrugged a reply.
"Maybe… it hard to judge" Rocket hit the side of once of the screens, the numbers glitching out, the ships systems struggling.
Gamora stood there for a time, waiting for Rocket to say more but he didn't, and she knew better than to probe further. She was aware of the importance of their destination selection beforehand and the circumstances of the ships condition. She knew better than to question the situation and the answer he had given when she too knew it was a troublesome outcome.
She went to leave, unable to find words of comfort for her team member at the time.
"You were right." Rocket then said, making her stop and look back. "I should have listened to you before, about Drax." Gamora had never heard Rocket sound so defeated.
"You did listen." Rocket turned his chair to face Gamora, confused with her reply. "Neither of us could have seen this coming. I thought he was troubled by what he saw in his Promise… I didn't think he would have fallen for it." She explained.
Rocket nodded seeing reason in her words, accepting the explanation. After all he thought the same after Gamora had brought it up.
"It's not over, not yet." Gamora offered a genuine smirk of confidence.
Rocket felt a surge of enthusiasm, of hope.
His memory was a haze, flashes of violence coming to the forefront of his mind as he sifted through the dark behind closed eyes. Peter's head throbbed, he was cold, everything aching but he was alive. Not that he felt it, he felt closer to death than he would like to admit. He was tired, a warmth still trying to lure him back further into the dark back to where the light beckoned for him. Ko-rel's words kept him from returning, her plea for him to save her daughter giving him something to fight for.
Peter could feel something being pressed against his temple, causing a sting of pain to edge to closer to consciousness. It wasn't pleasant. After all the close he got the worse he felt.
"Peter?" A concerned voice finally persuaded him to flicker his eyes open.
"Gamora?" Peter recognised her worried expression immediately even through blurred vision.
"Peter!" Someone shook him a little too hard, snapping his eyes back open. He hadn't even recalled closing them. He was so tired, fatigue like a sickness throughout his body.
He could now see Rocket's face beside Gamora's, a beeping noise now being noticed.
"His pulse is still too slow." Rocket growled.
"Peter, look at me." Gamora directed his chin, so he faced her, his head having been lolling to the side, eyes again wanting nothing more to be sheathed behind his eyelids.
"W-wha…" He tried to speak, throat dry and painful.
"Don't try to talk, just keep your eyes on me." She insisted as something prodded his arm, a sting of pain not going unnoticed.
A memory suddenly rushed up, catching him off guard.
"Drax!" He managed to cry out, attempting to move in some fashion. A hand kept him in place, not requiring much force to contain his minor outburst.
Peter came to realise he was sitting up on the settee, the familiar smell and sights of the Milano starting to register. A banging and muffled shouting coming from somewhere behind him, he found little concern for these unfamiliar sounds, which in itself was a concern.
"Quill, it's ok." Gamora's words eased him, the beeping that had suddenly sped up settling again. "We're ok, thanks to you."
Memories returned quickly of his short awakening previously. Having witnessed Drax attack his other friends, Gamora held in the Destroyer's grasp. His desperate attempt to aid her with his acquired blaster before it was snatched from his hand before being used to strike him, sending him spiralling into an inescapable and inevitable unconsciousness once more.
"What h-happened?" He finally manged to ask; his voice strained.
"Gamora!" Rocket hissed from the side, face no longer in view.
"Peter." She appeared to be trying to get his attention, confusing Peter as he assumed she knew she had it. "You need to calm down." The consistent beeping had sped up again.
"I am Groot!" Came the familiar call of his floral friend, but like Rocket he wasn't in view.
"Land it then!" Rocket called back.
"Peter, Peter…" Gamora voice was trailing off as consciousness came and went. "Peter please…"
The beeping of the heart monitor had increased as Peter had started to come too. Gamora watched in his eyes as he recalled their entanglement with Drax, fear snatching his breath from his already troubled lungs.
Gamora did her best to settle Peter, his attention on her as fleeting as his connection with consciousness.
Rocket had acted fast, administering another injection to attempt to get his frantic heart under control to wrangle his shallow rapid breathing.
Everything was happening all at once. Drax's mad cries of the Promise, the constant banging as he continued to insist his freedom, the door held but only just. Dents starting to form where his fist struck.
Their destination was also upon them, Groot left to bring the crippled ship to a safe landing as Rocket and Gamora battled to keep Peter from slipping from their grasp. Gamora was barely paying any attention to the movements of the Milano, Peter's deteriorating condition all that she could concern herself with.
She had only become aware of their landing with the sudden abrupt shaking of the ship as it met with the ground.
"Peter please…" Gamora rested her palm on the side of his face, smeared blood remained from the wound on his temple, Gamora having done her best to clean up the side of his face.
He wasn't fully unconscious, but his heartbeat had started to slow, however showing no sign of stopping in his rhythmic decent.
"Hi guys!" A sweet voice spoke from behind them.
Gamora's eyes snapped in the direction, a surprising but familiar face greeting her.
"Mantis?"
"Hi Gamora." The young woman enthusiastically waved at her friend. Long black hair draped down her back, antennas swishing with her animated movements.
"We meant to know each other?" Rocket questioned, looking to Gamora for answers.
"Not yet little fuzzy." Mantis smiled sweetly, adjusting the tail end of her dress to hang better.
"Mantis how-how are you here?" Gamora made sure Peter's head was stabilised before standing to address their guest.
"I told him to come. On Knowhere… I saw what was on his mind, the lies that bind. What was a girl to do?" She continued to offer her infectious smile.
"Can someone translate her?" Rocket looked to Groot who had gathered round, watching closely.
Gamora shook her head, getting passed the circumstances of Mantis's sudden but apparent inevitable arrival she looked back to Peter.
"Sun-Lord and Green meanie are fine… well fine-ish." Mantis was suddenly next to her, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Or will be?" She then questioned herself, eyes narrowing as she thought hard on something.
Authors Notes
Sorry for not posting in a while! Hope this chapter was worth the wait.