Chapter song: Sprinter by Torres

As I stood there in the bathroom looking down at my jeans, I felt a sudden jolt in the ship followed by absolute stillness. We must have arrived at our destination. My heart began to race as I realized I did not have as much time as I had hoped. My trembling fingers fidgeted with the buttons on my jeans, unable to get a firm grasp.

After a few seconds of mild hysteria and angry cursing I had my jeans off and quickly wrapped them around my right hand. I threw my hand back forming a tight fist and aimed for the mirror. Even with my jeans wrapped around my hand it hurt like hell. Sharp, shooting pains pulsed through my hand up into my arm, but I grimaced through the pain and kept aiming for the mirror. After three solid punches I was able to retrieve a large, pointed shard. Quickly, I put my jeans back on and placed the sharp piece of glass into the back pocket of my jeans. Hopefully it wasn't too noticeable.

I walked back into the room with all of the bunk beds and found the women exactly how they were before. None of them even glanced in my direction as I walked past them and sat down on the bunk underneath Gilda. Within five minutes I heard loud footsteps in the hallway and Yondu's voice yelling orders. As our door parted open, two aliens who I recognized from earlier walked through with large guns in their hands. Yondu followed them in shortly after, smiling obnoxiously as before. He had the type of face that just begged to be punched.

"Alright ladies, here's what's going to happen: you're going to follow my men here off the ship to your new home, and you're not going to try anything, got it?" He pointed a finger directly at me. "If you do, my men will not hesitate to demobilize you, and you don't want that," he said, placing his hands on his belt.

Gilda hopped down from the bed with a sigh and started to form a line with the other women. I quickly joined them, placing myself in the middle so the guards wouldn't see the shard in my jeans. One guard placed himself in the front of the line and the other walked behind us as we began slowly walking through the dimly lit hallway. Gradually the hallway became lighter, suggesting that the door on the end led to somewhere outside.

As we approached the end, my nose was filled with an unpleasant smell of smoke, urine, and something that smelled similar to vomit. More than a few times I gagged aloud. As we walked through the doors my heart sank a little more at my surroundings. My nose wrinkled in disgust as I took in the junky, metallic structures surrounding us. It wasn't clear if these structures were buildings or piles of trash because there was no uniformity at all. There didn't appear to be any roads, just dirt, and the air had a smoky, yellowish hue. Any assumptions I made about aliens being more developed than humans quickly vanished.

As we were led down a dirt road, sketchy aliens eyed us up and down and started making noises resembling the cat calls I heard back home. I shuffled closer to the woman in front of me as I became very aware of the stares I was receiving. To my sides were metallic structures which were actually beginning to resemble buildings, and soon I could see many others in the distance. We were directed to a small building that was lit up with flashing red lights. I reluctantly entered the building along with the other women.

Upon entering we were met with an odd man who appeared human, only his eyes were a brilliant shade of green and he had matching green hair that reached his shoulders. He was dressed in an extravagant suit, adorned with shiny jewels and fur trim on the sleeves. He clasped his hands together smiling and giggling creepily as he looked at us.

"Oh yes, yes, yes," he cooed, clapping his hands. "Yondu has done very well, indeed!" He pulled a small cloth bag from his pocket and placed it into one of the guard's hands. The guards quickly left after that, leaving us alone with the strange man. He turned to us and held his hands out to his sides in a dramatic fashion.

"Hello, my beautiful girls. My name is Forezzo," he said, rolling the 'r' as if he was trying to taste it. "I will be taking care of you from now on. You can be very happy here, you just need the right attitude," he said clasping his hands again. "Now please, line up against the wall," he said pointing to the wall behind us.

As we lined up he began pacing back and forth, carefully scrutinizing us with squinted eyes while doing so. He began separating us into two groups, though I wasn't sure why. I felt my stomach flip as his eyes landed on me. Unlike the other women, his eyes lingered on my face longer than anywhere else, and as he looked at me his eyes seemed to soften for the slightest moment. He waved his hand for me to stand in the group where Gilda was waiting and I instantly shuffled over to stand next to her.

"Why is he separating us?" I whispered.

"Look around you," she said, nodding her head at our group. "What do you think it means?" She muttered sarcastically.

I turned my head to look at each woman in our group. All of them were very pretty, including Gilda, and they all had curvy, feminine figures. I then looked over at the other group and I instantly noticed the difference. The women in the other group were far less curvy and their features were plainer, but I didn't know what that had to do with anything unless…

"Oh, God," I gasped, looking over at Gilda. She slightly nodded her head without looking at me.

Our group was quickly ushered into another room by a man dressed in all black, carrying a gun in one of his hands. We were taken to a small room that was lined with lockers from floor to ceiling. The man ordered us to strip and put our belongings into a locker of our choosing. After several seconds of us standing there remaining motionless, the man fired a warning shot into the lockers behind us, eliciting several screams in the process.

Almost instantaneously the women started undressing. Deciding I couldn't use my homemade knife at the moment anyways, I started undressing as well. I made sure to keep the mirror shard hidden as I took off my jeans and quickly placed them into the locker. My face burned red as I looked up and realized all of the women had taken off everything, and I was still wearing my bra and panties.

"Take all of it off, Terran," the man ordered, pointing the gun in my direction. He didn't seem at all interested in me sexually; in fact, he seemed kind of bored.

"Fine," I muttered resentfully, eyeing the gun. After the last of my clothes were removed, I used my hands to cover as much as I could. Slowly, I turned around and saw the guard roll his eyes before motioning for us to follow him.

We were led to a metallic door with an oval glass window. It creepily reminded me of a gas chamber. The guard ordered us to line up in front of the door and then proceeded to hand each of us a clear plastic bag meant to go over our heads. After several seconds of hesitation and being threatened by the guard, I complied along with the other women and slipped the bag over my head. There was an opening where the nose and mouth were, allowing me to breathe, and the bottom was elastic so it tightened around my neck and kept my hair tucked inside. It looked like an overly large shower cap, and I felt ridiculous.

When we were done putting on the bizarre bags, the guard guided us through the metal door and quickly closed it behind him on his way out. My heart was fluttering because I didn't know what the hell was going on, but I knew I wasn't going to die – at least not yet. It didn't make sense for Forezzo to buy us only to kill us ten minutes later.

Much to my surprise, the inside of the chamber reminded me of a steam room at a spa. The walls and floors were made of some type of concrete and on the ceiling there were at least a dozen sprinkler heads. In the middle of the room there was a large drain, which made me realize this must be the shower. But why would they make us cover our hair and faces? As the thought entered my mind, a yellow liquid started raining down on us.

It burned. It felt like I had a horrible sunburn and someone was rubbing me with a Brillo pad. I heard a few of the women grunt in pain, and some even screamed. In a panic I started running around trying to find refuge from the burning liquid I felt over my entire body. No matter where I stood, the yellow liquid rained down on me. When I felt it running between my legs I cried in pain and tried rubbing it away, but when I did all of my hair came off with it. I ran to Gilda who was now hissing and frantically rubbing her arms.

"What is this stuff?" I cried out, holding my hands above me like a shield.

"It permanently removes your hair. People are willing to pay more if you're hairless," she said, now angrily rubbing between her legs. "It will stop burning once you've removed all the hair."

I quickly began rubbing my entire body with a desperation I had never felt before. Sure enough, once my body was completely bald the burning sensation stopped and I sighed in relief. Soon after all the women were hairless, the sprinklers switched to water, eliciting a collective sigh among the women. We were instructed to remove the bags from our heads, which I didn't oppose since I desperately needed a real shower. The guard walked in and placed a piece of soap into each of our hands, and I couldn't help but feel thankful. I had never been so happy to take a shower.

After we were finished we were led back to our lockers, wrapped in thin purple towels. As I was getting dressed I couldn't help but admire my skin. Without hair, it felt ten times softer and it even looked smoother. I supposed I should be angry, but honestly a life without razors or waxing sounded amazing. The only hair left on my body now was the hair on my head.

Forezzo walked in as I stuck the mirror shard into the back of my jeans again. He smiled as he inspected some of the women who were still undressed. In his left hand he carried a yellow jar, and in the other a small brush. As he approached the women, he closely regarded their faces and dipped the brush into the jar, and then brushed the yellow liquid around the women's eyebrows. After a few seconds he gently wiped away the liquid, leaving the women left with perfectly sculpted eyebrows. When it was my turn, he slowly turned to me with twinkling eyes, and dramatically twirled the brush in his fingers.

"So lovely," he said, walking over to me. "The face of an angel and the body of a little vixen. A walking contradiction," he said, giggling to himself.

I felt nauseous at the thought of him touching me. My hand slightly twitched as I imagined driving my shard through his throat. I would have ended his miserable life right there if it weren't for his guard standing in the corner. As the tip of his brush touched my brow, I felt the familiar burning sensation, but the anger coursing through me dulled the pain.

As soon as his guard leaves, I'll have my chance to escape.

It wasn't long before Forezzo led us into another room. It was the same room where we were separated into groups, so it was right next to the entrance. If I was going to escape, this would be the best time, and I would have to act fast. I glared at the guard, wishing he and his big gun would leave. Forezzo walked to the wall of the entrance door and unlocked a case full of... collars.

You've got to be kidding.

"Now ladies, this is protection for you and for me as well," he said, walking over to one of the girls in the group. "No one will harm you if they see this around your neck. However, disobey me and this will be your downfall. Like I said, you just need the right attitude," he said as he snapped the color onto the woman in front of him. He then walked over to Gilda, holding out another collar marked with a different number.

"What do you mean by your downfall?" Gilda asked impatiently. Forezzo smiled as he reached up and locked the collar around her neck.

"Perhaps a demonstration would be best, yes?" He said overly excited.

He grabbed Gilda by the arm and walked her to the entrance, opening the door. He then pushed Gilda outside the door, and instantaneously Gilda was on the ground contorting in pain, screaming like I've never heard anyone scream before. Forezzo dragged Gilda back inside and dropped her on the floor where she continued to whimper and shake. If someone like Gilda could be taken down so easily, there's no way in Hell I stood a chance. All of the other women were now staring submissively at the floor. I shook my head in disbelief.

Just then Forezzo ordered the guard to bring a change of clothes for Gilda, who was now sweating profusely. This was my chance. I would have to do this before the guard returned. As Forezzo looked down at Gilda smiling, I pulled the shard out of my jeans and slowly walked towards the door. I looked at Gilda as I made my way forward, making eye contact with her. She caught on to what I was doing and slightly nodded her head. My stomach suddenly dropped as I saw Forezzo start to turn his head in my direction. Suddenly Gilda started whimpering louder than before, causing Forezzo to look back down at her. Without thinking, I ran behind Forezzo and drove the shard deep into the side of his neck. He spun around with his hand desperately holding onto his throat, which was now gushing bright, red blood.

"My little angel," he choked, suddenly dropping to his knees.

"I'm not your angel," I growled vehemently, driving the shard deeper into him. "And I will never be your whore." He fell backwards onto the floor with his eyes locked on my face, wide with shock. It was both satisfying and slightly horrific to watch him die. I turned to Gilda and the other girls, anxious to escape while I still had the chance.

"Run," I urged, walking backwards through the entrance. "The guard will be back soon." I began dashing away into the street, never looking back. But that didn't stop my thoughts from catching up to me.

Oh my God, I just killed a man. He deserved it, right? No, stop it. Don't think about it.

I was running in the opposite direction we came through, hoping to find someone who could help me. I reached a part of the city that was more crowded than the rest. As I maneuvered my way through the bustling street I could hear men shouting crude things at me, but I didn't care at this point. I just needed to find someone who didn't look completely untrustworthy.

Suddenly, there was an explosion about one hundred feet in front of me, making me stop in my tracks. To my amazement, I saw a man who appeared to be human stumble out of the smoking building. He looked to be around thirty years old, and he was rather cute in his leather outfit. As I ran to him, he looked me up and down with a curious look on his face.

"It's been awhile since I've seen jeans," he stated sarcastically, though his face was etched with worry.

"Please help me," I said slightly out of breath. "I was abducted from Earth and I need to get back home. Please, can you help me?" I begged, already on the verge of tears.

"Well I'm sort of in the middle of saving the galaxy," he said, closing his eyes and rubbing his head in frustration. "But yeah, of course I'll help you. It's not very often I meet another Terran, err… I mean human. What's your name?" He asked nicely, ignoring the stares he was receiving from his friends.

Wait, is that a raccoon? What the hell...

"Silvia," I replied uneasily, now watching the raccoon with morbid fascination. "Who…who are you? What do you mean you're saving the galaxy?" I asked returning my focus to him. He placed his hand on my shoulder, leading me away from his strange assortment of friends.

"Peter," growled a green woman behind him. "We don't have time for this!" The man waved his hand dismissively and nodded at the woman.

"You can call me Peter, but others know me as Star Lord," he said, smiling slightly. "The Universe is a lot more complicated than you think, Silvia. There are weapons that can completely destroy entire planets, and I'm trying to contain one right now." He held his hand up and revealed a small, round object, staring at it apprehensively. "I have to go to a planet called Xandar first, and then I can figure out a way to get you home. If I don't get this to the Nova Corps, we're all doomed," he said quietly, placing his hand on my bare shoulder.

I glanced suspiciously at his hand and frowned. "I can't tell if you're being serious right now," I said warily. "If this is true, why are you telling me this? You don't even know me."

If he really is saving the galaxy he shouldn't be revealing his plan to a stranger.

He smiled sweetly. "Well for one, you're from Earth and that pretty much makes you as harmless as a baby Orloni," he said, ignoring my confused stare. "And two, you're nice to look at." As he looked over my shoulder his cheeky smile turned into a frown. "Hide now," he urged. "I'll come back for you!" Before I could ask what was wrong, he sprinted off with the green woman at his side.

Behind me I heard the familiar roaring of a spaceship, and after turning around I discovered a fleet of them heading in my direction. People were running frantically in all directions, screaming and grabbing onto their loved ones. Not far from where I stood was a large, shirtless man wielding knives and smiling maniacally at the fleet of ships. Without hesitation I decided to take Peter's advice and hide. The terrified screams grew louder as the ships drew closer. I ran into the smoking building and hid behind some debris, hoping whatever the hell was coming would not find me. I couldn't hear or see what was going on outside, which only added to my anxiety.

After about twenty minutes of nothing happening, I left my hiding spot to see what was going on. I didn't understand why everyone had panicked. As I walked outside I saw people on their knees lined up in execution style. In front of them was a blue woman who appeared to be half robot. Her head snapped to me as if she sensed my presence and I reflexively took a step backwards. In quick, inhuman strides she was standing in front of me before I could blink. She tilted her head curiously and looked behind her in the direction of the people on their knees.

"Is this the one who was seen speaking with the criminal known as Star Lord?" She asked. Her voice had a strange metallic sound to it.

As one of the men guiltily nodded, I felt the woman's hand tightly grip my arm and pull me in the direction of a large ship. I couldn't help but cry out as the woman's grip tightened when I tried pulling away.

"Let go! You're hurting me," I said angrily. I continued trying to pull away, but her grip only intensified. I started to become frantic as we got closer to the ship. No, not again. I have to stay here so Peter can take me home! "Get your fucking hands off me," I yelled more hysterically.

"Quiet, Terran," she said sounding slightly annoyed.

"I said let go," I hissed, clenching my teeth. "Fucking bitch!" I dug my feet into the ground and managed to slip out of her grip.

She spun around and grabbed me by the front of my tank top. "You can either comply or I will break your arm. Either way you are coming aboard," she said matter-of-factly. Sensing my reluctance, she quickly twisted my arm so it was behind my back, causing me to shriek in pain. I could feel the muscles threatening to tear.

"OK! OK!" I shouted in defeat. With a satisfied nod, she released my arm and continued leading me aboard the ship. "Where are you taking me?" I asked, now feeling beyond pathetic. To make matters worse my eyes started to tear up as I realized I was once again someone's hostage.

She glanced over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "To Ronan," she said, smiling ever so slightly.

Who?