Chapter song: Make A Shadow by Meg Myers
Sitting up was harder than I imagined it would be. I groaned lazily and reached for the tooth brush and paste on the table, staring at it in disbelief. Did that really happen last night? "Oh, no," I moaned, slapping my forehead. I tried to touch his leg. How was I supposed to face him after that? It made no sense for me to want to touch that bastard. He tortured me. He mutilated my hand.
It doesn't even hurt, I thought, looking down at it curiously. The bruising was gone and the pain was nearly nonexistent. The pill Nebula gave me was a miracle drug. How was it possible for a small object to contain such extraordinary capabilities? Then I remembered the orb and its ability to destroy entire planets, and laughed at the irony. For a brief second I contemplated being grateful for Ronan healing me, but then I realized how insane that sounded. I should be furious at him, and I was. He tortured me, drugged me, and took advantage of my vulnerable state to further interrogate me.
I angrily stomped into the bathroom and began furiously brushing my teeth as I continued thinking about last night. That man had no honor at all. My hand stopped mid-stroke as I vaguely remembered Ronan storming out of the room, but I couldn't remember why he had been so angry when he left. Over the next new minutes I tried to call to mind what happened beforehand, but everything was a blur.
When I stepped out of the bathroom I was less surprised to find another tray of food sitting on the table. Right on cue, Nebula opened the door and quickly walked over to me, glaring at me with a hatred I didn't understand. Seeing that my food remained untouched, her dislike of me only seemed to intensify.
"I'll eat the damn food," I muttered, turning around.
On the tray there was a bowl filled with something that looked like porridge and the same fruit I had last night. I sat down on the bed with the tray in my lap and quickly began eating the bland food as Nebula watched me. As I took my last bite, she immediately pulled the tray out of my lap and carelessly threw it onto the table. She then proceeded to grab me by my arm and pull me from the bed, leading me through the door and into the hall.
"Hurry up," she ordered. "Ronan demands your presence."
"Why?" I asked angrily. "I've already told him everything I know." Unsurprisingly, she didn't respond to me.
Her grip on my arm was unnecessarily painful as she dragged me down a complexity of hallways and corridors. If Nebula weren't forcefully guiding me, I would've found it difficult to navigate the long, dim hallways. The sheer size of it was intimidating, and I knew this was not the same ship I boarded earlier. By the time I was out of breath from trying to keep up with her brisk pace, we came to an abrupt halt in front of a pair of astonishingly tall doors. On either side of the door stood two aliens I had seen the day earlier. They weren't any less ugly the second time around. Nebula shouted something at them, and they instantly opened the doors and stepped away. I was still looking at the pair of hideous aliens when I felt her sharply jab me in my back, pushing me through the doors. She didn't come in after me. Turning around, I saw her smirk before the heavy doors closed with an ominous thud. I cautiously glanced over my shoulder expecting to see Ronan, but I was all alone.
It was an impressively large room, covered from floor to ceiling with sharp, gray metal. There was enough space for hundreds of people to stand comfortably – or at least as comfortably as they could in such a cold, dark chamber. I began slowly walking around until I reached a large, metallic structure in the front of the room. As I stepped in front of it to get a better angle, I realized it was a chair or throne of some sort. The size of it led me to assume it was for only one person. Ronan.
Directly opposite to Ronan's throne was an enormous window that covered the entire wall. After a short walk I was standing in front of it, staring at a planet which closely resembled Earth. The sight made my eyes water as I thought of my family and friends back home who were probably already searching for me. As I gazed out of the window I couldn't help but admire the beautiful view. Everywhere I looked I could see twinkling stars and tiny planets in the distance. I stood there staring, becoming lost in the depths of the galaxy.
I was brought out of my stupor when I heard heavy footsteps slowly approaching me from behind. I remained facing the window, trying my best to appear unmoved by Ronan's presence, but I couldn't stop myself from slightly trembling when I felt his breath on the back of my head.
"You drugged me," I seethed, turning around. My confidence wavered at the size of him, but I somehow managed to continue glaring up at him. "That pill made me act like a fucking idiot."
The corner of his lip curved slightly as if what I said amused him. "It helped your hand, did it not?" he asked. I rolled my eyes, unable to argue with his point. He stepped closer to me, looking down at me smugly. "It seemed an appropriate time to extract information from you." I shifted nervously as he leaned in closer. "It didn't take long before the truth came spilling from your mouth, Silvia," he said slowly, emphasizing my name. I realized the son of a bitch was mocking me.
A flash of heat spread across my skin, blinding me with anger. "Asshole," I hissed as I pulled my hand back to strike him.
Before I could even ball my hand into a fist, he had his hand tightly wrapped around my wrist, holding it up beside my head. As he stared down at me with disapproval, his grip became alarmingly painful, and I couldn't help but whimper in response. Too stubborn to back down, I stared back in defiance as he tilted his head down in warning.
The two of us became locked in a stare-down until he growled and squeezed my wrist with much more force than before. I cried out and cast my eyes down in defeat as the pain became intolerable. Satisfied by my submission, Ronan roughly threw my wrist down and raised his chin proudly into the air.
"Why am I here?" I asked quietly, returning my attention to the Earth-like planet. I rubbed my aching wrist which was already starting to bruise.
"I want you to witness what is about to happen," he calmly stated. "You are, after all, partly responsible for it." There was a detectable sarcasm in his clear, yet quiet voice.
I didn't even try to hide my confusion as I stared back at him. "What are you talking about?" I asked.
"Your information was correct. The orb is indeed on Xandar and soon it will be in my possession." He stared at the planet with pure hatred in his eyes as he spoke. "When that happens, I will unfurl one thousand years of Kree justice on Xandar and burn it to its core."
My lips parted open in shock. "You can't destroy an entire planet," I exclaimed, horrified at what he was saying. "Millions of people will die!"
"Billions," he corrected, sneering cruelly down at me. "Long have I waited for this day. I will finally avenge my father and his father and his father before him, and cleanse the galaxy of Xandarians and their diseased culture." He gave the planet one final glare before turning on his heel and walking away.
"Wait!" I cried out, grabbing onto his arm. He roughly jerked himself away and continued on his way, shrugging me off like I was nothing. "Please, listen to me!" I ran in front of him and placed my hands on his chest, trying to push him back. "You can't do this! This is evil," I yelled, leaning forward with all of my weight.
He barely even glanced in my direction as he reached out with one hand and sent me flying against the wall. The wind was knocked out of me as I roughly collided with the hard, metal, causing me to gasp and groan for air. By the time I had recovered, Ronan was nowhere to be seen.
I limped to the window, staring at the planet which reminded me of home. In the distance I spotted a fleet of ships heading in its direction. It entered Xandar's stratosphere a moment later, blocking it from my view.
This is my fault. He never would have known where to find the orb if I hadn't told him.
Time seemed to slow down to an agonizing speed as I stood there in front of the window. All I could do was hope and pray that Ronan would fail, and that the people of Xandar would escape unharmed. I knew nothing about this galaxy or the aliens who lived in it, but I knew there had to be someone capable of stopping him. After all, it was him against the world. That had to mean something, right?
As one minute passed after the next, I was beginning to think Ronan's plan was unsuccessful. Maybe he's dead, I thought hopefully.
Just when I lowered my guard and allowed myself to relax, there was a great flash of light. My hands slammed against the window with horror at what happened next. A wave of purple energy covered the planet's surface, devouring everything in its path. I fell to my knees as Xandar's oceans were turned into wastelands.
"No, no, no…" I moaned over and over again.
My heart felt like it was being torn apart as I watched the planet fade to black. In my mind I imagined people screaming and running for their lives and children being obliterated before their parent's eyes. Xandar was completely destroyed in less than a minute.
"I'm so sorry," I wailed. "It's all my fault," I cried to no one.
Through blurry, tear-filled eyes I watched Ronan's ship return. The thought of seeing him again left me shaking with a rage I'd never felt before. It was a terrible, white-hot fury that terrified even myself. I hated him with every inch of my being. The last remaining bit of my self-control vanished when I heard Ronan's footsteps enter the chamber. I glared at him with pure loathing, making him stop in his tracks and scowl.
In his hand he carried a large hammer that looked to be about my height. In the middle of the hammer's head there was a stone that glowed purple - the same color purple I had seen spread across Xandar. The sight of it only intensified my hatred for him.
Blinded by rage, I marched towards him with my fists clenched and ready to strike. "You disgusting, evil, bastard!" I screamed, my voice dripping with animosity. "You're a fucking monster! You just murdered billions of innocent people!" I stopped advancing when he pointed the hammer at me.
His face contorted with anger. "Do not speak of things you know nothing about!" he spat. I took a step closer to his weapon, not caring anymore whether I lived or died. He twisted the weapon sideways in the air and paused, doubt flashing in his eyes.
"Do it!" I cried out angrily, tears running down my face. "Get it over with already."
"Be careful what you wish for, Terran," he growled darkly. When I took another step forward, his nostrils flared with outrage.
"I'm the reason they're dead…all those people," I cried hysterically, covering my face. I fell to my knees at his feet and groveled. "You have no use for me anymore! Let me go or kill me!" I begged, my voice breaking at the end.
He paused for a moment, watching me with a grimace. "I'll be the one to decide when you are no longer useful," he declared, his voice colder than before. I fell forward onto my hands, shaking my head and crying even louder than before. "Stop your pathetic mewling before I give you a real reason to cry, girl," he sneered.
I matched his look of disgust with my own. "Burn in Hell!" I shouted before spitting on the floor between us.
With a furious glare, he stepped to the side and kicked me in my stomach. The blow was so powerful it lifted me into the air and sent me tumbling a short distance away. With my face pressed against the floor, I choked and sobbed, unable to get a single breath in. Too weak to move, I remained still even as Ronan's boot dug into my ribs. He roughly forced me onto my back with a single kick, and sniggered hatefully when he saw my face.
"Fuck you," I seethed. In one final act of defiance, I spat at him from the floor and smiled when I saw it land on his face. With the back of his hand he wiped his cheek, looking both furious and disgusted. My triumphant smile faded when he refocused his attention on me. I didn't think it was possible to look as terrifying as he did at that moment.
He bent over and ferociously grabbed me by my neck, suspending me in the air as if I weighed nothing at all. I hung there helplessly clinging to his arm for support as my legs wildly kicked below me. He pulled me closer so our faces were only inches apart. I dangled there in his grasp, choking for air as my eyes rolled into the back of my head.
His hot breath swept across my face as he spoke. "You will learn your place, mortal," he growled venomously, squeezing the life out of me.
My eyes began fluttering as I came closer to the sweet release of unconsciousness. Through half-closed eyes I could see Ronan glaring at me with so much hatred I wondered why he didn't just kill me now. Slowly, I could feel myself shutting down. My legs became rigid and still and my arms fell down, swinging limply at my sides. Just as I began seeing tiny flickers of white light in the horizon, I was suddenly weightless with the sensation of flying. For a brief second I thought he had really killed me, but I was quickly disappointed when my body slammed against the floor.
I was sliding backwards against the rough metal until my head collided with something solid and sharp, causing me to see stars. When my vision cleared, I found myself lying on the opposite side of the room, lying at the foot of Ronan's throne. How is it possible to throw someone that far? I thought, glancing at Ronan. From this distance he appeared significantly smaller. With trembling fingers I slowly reached behind my head and felt the warm wetness pooling in my hair. As I held my fingers in front of my face I was shocked to see them dripping with blood. The sight of it left me feeling dizzy and weak, and unable to move.
With my limbs sprawled out on the floor, I helplessly watched as Ronan sauntered across the room in my direction. His confident smirk slowly melted into a thin, tight line the closer he came to me. Although I was on the brink of fainting, I managed to stay awake long enough to see him grimace unhappily at the sight of my bloody hand.
"Why are you doing this to me?" I asked, blinking slowly up at him.
I saw his lips move, but I didn't hear what he was saying because I was already drifting into darkness.
When I opened my eyes I was staring at a ceiling with a familiar blue light. I groaned miserably when I realized that I was back in my cell.
Why didn't he just kill me?
I hissed in pain as I stretched my limbs and felt the outcome of Ronan's wrath. My wrist was swollen and covered in purple bruises, but it was nowhere near as painful as my neck. The slightest movement had me cringing or gasping. When I managed to lift my head from the cot, I couldn't help but whimper as my hair stuck to the pillow. The thin, white pad was covered in rust-colored blood. Without a mirror I was unable to see the damage, but I could feel a thin, raised line on my scalp.
After examining the rest of my body and determining I was fine, I staggered to the bathroom to wash away the blood from my hair and skin. Inside the shower I leaned against the wall with my head propped against my forearm, closing my eyes in exhaustion. The warm water cascaded down my back, relieving the aches and pains from earlier. After half an hour of rinsing and scrubbing the blood was finally gone from my hair. As I stood there picking the last bits of blood from underneath my nails, an idea came to mind – I was going to escape. It was not a very good plan, but I knew it was my only chance of survival.
I jumped out of the shower and dressed more quickly than usual, my heart pounding in anticipation. I smiled as I walked out of the bathroom and saw the tray of food sitting by my cot. Knowing I had little time to act, I dropped to the floor and moaned in pain. The door slid open a moment later, revealing an apprehensive-looking Nebula.
She kneeled down next to me and frowned. "What is wrong, Terran?" she asked.
I grabbed at my chest and squeezed my eyes shut. "My heart - I think - heart attack," I said between gasps/
"Damn it," she said angrily before running out of the room, leaving the door wide open.
I opened my eyes and swiftly jumped to my feet, feeling better than ever. I ran to the door and glanced to the right and left, making sure it was clear for me to go. When I didn't see anyone, I took off sprinting down the hall with more speed than I thought I was capable of. Along the left side of the hallway there were dozens of doors - some of which were open - and I glanced inside them as I ran by hoping one of them led to an exit.
About halfway down the hall there was a large door with a flashing light above it. I quickly stopped to look inside. To my amazement, it was filled with hundreds of smaller spaceships and there didn't appear to be anyone watching guard. I cautiously stepped through the door and glanced to each side. It was empty. I ran slightly hunched over, trying to stay as low as possible, and ran to the spacecraft which was positioned closest to me. I quietly climbed up the spacecraft and pushed several buttons on the outside until the door lifted vertically into the air.
I slid inside the ship, pulling the door down with me until it made a mechanical hissing sound. It must have activated the craft, because immediately all of the lights on the dashboard began to glow with life. As the engine slowly started rumbling, I felt cold oxygen flow through the vents.
OK, so maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all.
To my right there was a lever with a red handle which I assumed was a gearshift of some kind. I grabbed the steering wheel and pointed it towards the wide, metal door I saw across the room and gently pushed the red handle forward. I laughed with joy when the spaceship easily glided forward. With casual ease I navigated my way through the rows of ships and approached the door. My freedom was on the other side, just out of my reach. This spaceship was useless to me if I couldn't open that door.
"OK," I sighed, looking around. "Which one opens the door?" As I scanned the hundreds of buttons for anything resembling a door or exit, I was rocked forward in my seat from a powerful explosion. I spun around to see Nebula running towards my ship, pointing a gun directly at my windshield.
In a panic, I clumsily pushed the red lever upwards which caused my ship to jolt forward at a terrifying speed. The door remained closed in front of me, and at the rate I was going I knew crashing into it wasn't going to feel good – it might even kill me. I began blindly hitting every button in front of me, hoping something would do the trick. Explosions and blasts of energy were fired from my ship, targeting and destroying everything in sight. I winced and covered my eyes as a particularly powerful blast shot forward, blowing a large hole into the door. Then, the explosions suddenly ceased and I was floating in the air.
I slowly opened my eyes and gasped in amazement. Whatever galaxy we were in, it was absolutely gorgeous. Everywhere I looked I could see shimmering stars of blue and red, bright moons, and planets of all colors. I couldn't believe I was actually flying in outer space right now.
It would've been even more beautiful if it weren't for Ronan's enormous ship blocking most of the view. The sight of it made my stomach drop. It was obviously built for one specific reason: to destroy and conquer. Its two wings stretched outwards and resembled a strand of DNA, both constantly rotating in a spiral motion. In between the two wings was the main body of the ship and in the center was the large window I stood in front of as I watched Xandar burn.
An obnoxiously loud beeping noise suddenly filled the ship, making me jump with surprise. Much to my dismay, the lights on the dashboard began to shut off one by one, leaving me in a pit of darkness. I started frantically hitting buttons, trying to turn everything back on, but nothing helped. A moment later, I heard the engine cut off.
Without power, I knew I would quickly run out of oxygen. I tried to keep my breathing slow and steady to ration it out, but my panic took over when I noticed my ship was being pulled towards Ronan's ship. I twisted on the steering wheel in every direction, willing it to go everywhere but there. It was useless. I felt like I was sitting in a car floating down a river, completely helpless with no control whatsoever.
As I gravitated closer to his ship, I could see Ronan standing in the window staring in my direction. I couldn't see his face, but judging from his body language he was furious. His posture was wide and he clasped his hammer with both of his hands. When my ship was close enough for me to see his face, I could clearly see the rage behind his eyes. I was especially grateful at that moment to be out of his reach.
The tension between us was palpable as we both stared at each other from a distance. The look he gave me had me pinned to my seat shaking with nervousness. I would have laughed if my situation weren't so dire at the moment. This had been without a doubt the worst plan ever. I had no idea why I thought this would work. I saw Nebula walk up behind him and say something, and I watched his lips move in response.
Suddenly his head snapped to the side, looking at something to the right of my ship. His mouth moved as if he was yelling something, and Nebula quickly ran off. I turned my head to see what he was staring at and suddenly wished I hadn't. There was a small meteoroid heading straight for my ship, and it was coming fast. As Ronan and I locked eyes again, I noticed the rage which was so prominent beforehand had vanished from his face. He appeared to be deep in concentration, with his lips parted and his brow wrinkled in thought. His focus never wandered from me - not even to blink.
And then he was gone.
It was cold.
I couldn't breathe.
I was alone.