Darkness like a cloak, the bitter cold a sharpened knife plunging into his chest. All Peter could understand, could comprehend was his flesh freezing, blood starting to solidify in his veins. The cold of space had him within its clutches, an inescapable, vast grasp. His vision was a haze, spinning stars fading out of existence.

Like a flickering flame Peter's life felt like it was about to go out, snuffed in one fell swoop, taken by the never-ending advance of space.

Conceding seemed the only option. Fighting futile.

Consciousness left him soon after, white gleaming spinning stars turned into black as the world vanished from existence.

Rocket was slung into the deadly expanse of space along with his friends. Mask forming round his muzzle as his fingers grasped for a device on his belt. Even with his fur, the freezing temperatures of space threatened his life, penetrating his flesh and bones.

He spun unwillingly in the hold of the universe, silence deafening.

Rocket clutched the small device, fingers finding the right button producing a flashing red light.

The small light blinked periodically, blinking out into space, a minuscule light compared to that of which the universe holds.

The lights of the Milano soon sauntered into view; the beacon having been successful in summoning the faithful ship. Just as his limbs began to stiffen, ice forming on his lashes and the tips of his fur, the ship hatch opened, the momentum of their tumble from their enemy's ship propelling them forward.

Sacrosanct, travelling temple of the universal church, the ship they were forced from, watched their departure with bated breath.

Floating waistless in the cargo bay of the Milano the hatch doors slipped closed. Gravity was enforced, taking hold of the surroundings claiming the space back from the lawless universe. Rocket met the ground face first, chest crashing down hard forcing a grunt as he caught his breath.

The mask retracted, the beacon he had used to summon the Milano skittering across the floor having been dropped on such a forceful landing.

"Urh…" Rocket got his arms under him, head hanging down before he shoved it up upon his shoulders. "Anyone dead?" Rocket casually asked, a joke made to comfort his own insecurities.

"I still draw breath." Drax was getting to his feet beside him, the sound of rustling branches on the other.

"I am Groot?"

"I'm fine buddy." Rocket looked over to his companion, the floral giant getting his long limbs under himself, big brown eyes watching him with concern.

"Quill?" He heard Drax ask, bringing his attention back to the other side of the cargo bay.

Drax was kneel beside Peter, the Terran was laid on his side, helmet still formed around his face, red glow of the eyes staring back at him.

"Isn't a time for laying around Quill!" Rocket got to his feet brushing off the remaining ice clinging to his form.

The human remained unresponsive, unmoving on his side, ice still on his skin and clothes. Moisture frozen on contact with the frigid atmosphere.

"Peter Quill, are you with us?" Drax laid a hand on his friend's shoulder, dark red jacket meeting the Destroyers hand.

"I am Groot."

There was a twang of fear in Rockets gut, Groot's concerned words triggering an unwanted realisation.

"Flark." Rocket dropped down beside Peter's head, reaching round to his earpiece, triggering the helmet to retract unveiling the humans face. "Groot get us out of here!" He looked up, Groot looking back between him and the closed cargo door, the useless passport Cosmo had given them still swinging around the wooden giant's neck.

"I am Groot?"

"What about Gamora?" Rocket questioned back. "She made a choice."

Rocket recalled the daughter of Thanos rushing off after the madman Raker. She left them behind. That's how Rocket was choosing to see it anyway, to save his conscience or perhaps try and convince himself that he didn't care.

"Though I do not trust her. I believe if able, Peter Quill would disagree with this plan of action." Drax still kneeled by their unmoving leader. The mask now retracted, his face still as ice, eyes closed, skin pale.

"If we go back there, we're dead. D-E-A-D. Dead!"

The hatch to the cargo bay suddenly began to open, air getting sucked from the room, the force wanting to wrench them back into space. Groot grabbed a hold of Rocket, his feet immediately leaving the floor. Drax lay over Peter, one dagger plunged into the floor of the ship as leverage to stay grounded. As quickly as the bay door opened it snapped closed, the void of space no longer trying to draw them from safety.

Rocket was reintroduced with the floor, Groot's hand retracting slowly, not meaning to let his little friend fall in such a way.

"What in the Flarkin' hell!" Rocket got up for the second time, bushy tail swishing angrily behind him as he turned towards the back of the ship.

Their green friend dropped a severed golden arm, metal substance clanking against the ground as metal met metal. Gamora stood breathing heavy, mask having just retracted from her mouth and nose.

"Where have you been?!" Rocket accidently showed his concern, a sense of relief washing over him all the same.

The scraping of Drax drawing his dagger from the floor attracted everyone's attention.

"Peter Quill you must wake." Drax still lightly rocked Peter's shoulder, gaining nothing from the man.

"Peter?" Gamora rushed over, finding his side, two fingers wrested on the human's neck. "What happened?" She questioned the others, head swivelling in the direction of each of them, finding their eyeline in an instant.

"What do you think happened smart ass? We got shot out into space by the loony goons over there!" Rocket pointed in the direction of the Sacrosanct out of view behind the bay doors, the enormous vessel making the Milano nothing more than a spec by comparison.

"Peter, can you hear me?" One of Gamora's hands held the man's face, the other still feeling for a pulse on his neck. Her hands felt the rough stubble of his beard, but beneath that was ice, skin cold to the touch. "Help me get him up!"

Gamora grasped Peter's arm, but Drax took the lead lifting the human effortlessly by himself. Rocket stared for a moment as Drax cradled the limp Terran in his arms, head hanging back without complaint.

"No…" Rocket mumbled to himself in disbelief. All the joking and misdirecting not saving him from the cold hard truth now.

Drax laid Peter down on the settee, hands careful with his head, a delicacy not one would come to expect from someone known as the Destroyer.

"I can barely get a pulse and he's freezing." Gamora informed the others urgently, she gathered up a blanket that had been discarded to the floor. The settee seating encompassed a U shape, a low table in the middle. She draped the grey blanket over him, Rocket staring from the cargo bay doorway into the living space.

The ship shook violently, something blasting them from behind.

"I am Groot!" The tree called from the helm of the ship.

"Groot's right, we need to leave." Rocket snapped out of his trance, meeting Groot at the controls.

Hoping into the driver's seat was strangely foreboding, an uneasy feeling growing in the pit of his stomach as the ship was thrusted into lightspeed.

The silence of space and the lack of impending doom behind them gave Rocket at least just a moment to himself, to think. Though this moment was brief with Gamora's concerned calls.

"How long were you out there?" She asked as Rocket jumped down from Peter's chair. She stood from the man's side, Groot and Rocket leaving the cockpit as Drax, hands resting on his belt, looked down at Quill from the other side of the settee.

"A few minutes…" Rocket shrugged unsure exactly himself.

"Quill does not seem to be faring well." Drax stated the obvious.

"Really? I hadn't noticed!" Rocket snapped at his brutish friend.

"Maybe you should practice being more preceptive then, it is a useful skill one should master." As usual the sarcasm went straight over Drax's head.

"I am Groot." The colossus tilted his head at Quill, looking to the others after.

"Well obviously, he's a flarkin' squishy Humie. Why'd you think you don't see these Terran's running all over space." Rocket tossed his hands in the air, his frustration spewing from the concern he refused to acknowledge he was feeling.

"Groot the passport?" Gamora looked to the gentle giant.

Groot shook his head taking hold of the small device around his neck, he pressed the button over and over, the blue screen flashing red each time.

"I am Groot." He looked sadly down at his twiggy fingers.

"So much for that idea. Groot says the things toast." Rocket huffed, shaking his head as he weighed up their limited options.

"Drax, watch Quill." Gamora ordered, heading for the cockpit.

"Do not worry, my eyes are already on him." Drax didn't look to her in his reply, stare trained on the unconscious man.

"Where are you going?" Rocket followed the deadliest woman, she worked at multiple consoles before seating herself at Peter's.

"Contacting the mut." Gamora put simply, eyes flicking over the displays in front of her.

The main screen in front came to life, a broken image of Cosmo flickering in and out as static consumed the corners distorting the picture.

"Guardians – Galaxies." Cosmo's thick Russian accent was spliced, a few words only getting through.

"Cosmo? Gamora called out.

"I'll try strengthen the signal." Rocket jumped up at his station, small, clawed fingers tapping away.

"Cosmo, the passport isn't working, Peter is injured we need extraction now!" Gamora attempted to get through to the dog.

"Con-tinuum cortex… shut dow-" The broken message got through, tuning sounds on the other end high pitch and irritating. "Unive - church of tru- arrive at Knowhere."

"We're on our way, get ready for extraction." Gamora tried to think as Peter would, he appeared to care for the space pooch the last time they encountered him, she could only think he would do the same if he were able.

"Nyet!" The Russian word got through completely. "This pro-blem bigger tha - Cosmo." At this point neither Rocket nor Gamora could make out anything on the screen, the visual just a blur of golden fur and static. "Guardians of – must go – Xandar and ask W-W-Worldmind for hel-" The communication was suddenly cut, the screen vanishing, sound of static gone.

"Cosmo?" Rocket called after the dog, working at his console trying to return the connection. The effort produced no results, leaving Rocket sitting back in his chair. He swivelled to face Gamora. "What now?" He asked, without a leader their decisions now fell on all of them.

"If we go to the Worldmind, we can accomplish two tasks at once. We can warn the Worldmind about the Church of Truth and get Peter help." Gamora seemed confident, though Rocket wasn't sure if it was a facade.

"I am Groot." Groot called from within the ship.

"He said, not to mention we can pay that fine." Rocket eyed the device attached to Peter's console, the countdown ticking. "We can't do much if our engines go out and were floating aimlessly in space."

There was a moment of thought. Gamora looking down at the console.

"Plotting a course for New Xandar." Gamora did as she said, setting up the co-ordinates before pulling back on a lever initiating the selection.

Authors Notes

Welcome! Already started my second playthrough of the game, but had to write a fanfic based off the scene at the end of chapter 8! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this fanfic, hope you enjoy the rest as it comes out.