"MURDERER!" Rocket yelled, squirming around in Drax's grasp. "MUUURDEREEER!" He couldn't help but to just cry out in the opening with everyone around, knowing deeply inside him he just ruined his reputation of being a tough guy.
Everyone else just stood there in overwhelmed shock, silently shedding tears. Gamora didn't know what was coming over her, but she gripped Peter's arm, and buried her face in his shoulder. It surprised him at first, but he let it be, and wrapped an arm around her.
"I've made myself clear now," Stein said, putting away the large, plasma gun in his pocket. "So hand over the forum,""What forum?" Peter asked. "We don't have a forum,"
"Don't fool with me-I know you have the experimentation forum of Rocket," Stein said, earning a little understood look from everyone for the main reason of his presence.
"M-My experimentation forum?" Rocket stuttered, wiping away tears from his eyes.
"Yes, it expired and she knew what Nova would do to me with it outdated," Stein said. "Clever girl for not going in herself,"
"That guy, the money and blood exchange, the hiding, all to free me from him," Rocket said to himself, staring at his lover's still body.
"W-Well we don't know where it is, so we c-can't!" Gamora shouted, feeling deeply ashamed for showing fear in her words.
"Oh, but I know where she would put it," Stein said, "In her suit pocket," He eyed the square bump in her shirt pocket, knowing that was it.
"Well your not getting it then," Peter said, and shot at him, perfectly nipping his hip.
He felt to the ground in pain, and tried to get back up, but then another shot got him and electrified him, almost putting him in a paralyzed state.
"Quick! Get him while he's down!" Peter yelled, and ran over to him. The others followed, which lead to Drax finally releasing Rocket from his grasp.
Rocket just dropped to his knees as he store at Lianna, not believing he lived longer than her.
But then, a weak moan slipped from her lips, making him perk up and run over to her.
"Lianna...Lianna?!" Rocket said, placing his hands on her chest.
"R...R-Roc...ket?" She spoke, bringing tears of joy to his eye's.
"Oh Lianna, your not dead!" he said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
"Not yet," she said, quickly making Rocket pop off her chest and flood worry over his face.
"Lianna, I'm not letting you die on me," he said.
"Yeah, but that was just the defense instinct, I need to go to a hospital a-s-a-p," she said, slowly turning her head to him.
"Ah h-how long can ya l-last?!"
"A-About...an hour and a-a half, possibly more or-r less,"
"Hold on there Lianna, hold on there,"
Suddenly, the sound of a large shot filled the air.
Rocket looked over to the sound, and was almost terrified by the hole that now gapped in Stein's torso. Stein said nothing, but groan as he fell to the ground, Peter standing behind him.
"Man, this baby has some major power in it," Peter said, resting the stolen plasma gun from Stein on his shoulders.
Lianna just smiled to the sight of Stein dead in the sand, but soon realized she was going to be that too if she didn't get to a hospital quick.
"Rocket," she muttered, feeling her eyes slowly close.
"Please! Hold in there, Lianna!" Rocket said, before she blacked out again.
The smell of medicine and sterilized fabrics filled Lianna's nose. She coughed to the intense smell and went to lean up when someone gently pushed her back down.
"Lianna, please stay down, you are very weak right now," It was Drax, and she couldn't help but to grin the best she could to hear one of her fellow friends.
"Drax," she said, trying to make herself sound happy and joyful, but her voice was harsh and rough.
"Is she waking up?" She grinned more to hear the voice of Gamora too, soon finding enough strength to open her eyes.
She saw she was in a hospital, and was connected to a heart monitor and several IV's with a different colored liquid in each bag.
"G-Guys, where, am I?" she asked, looking around the room.
"You're in the Xandarian Hospital, we were lucky enough to get you here in enough time," Gamora said, coming and kneeling by the bedside. "The doctors had to rush you in so your still wearing everything from back on that abandoned planet, which I find a little mean since they then left you dirty and unsanitary," Lianna smiled and then placed her hand on Gamora's shoulder.
"Are P-Peter and Rock-ket fine?" she asked.
"Yes, their just getting patched up right now, Lianna," Gamora said, placing her hand on tops of Lianna's with reassurance.
"Then I-I have something imp-portant for y-you," Lianna said, slowly reaching into her shirt pocket.
"What is it?" Gamora asked, willing to do the given job.
"Take this to N-Nova Prime, tell her i-it's Rocket's experimentation forum and that S-Stein had been backstabbing them," Lianna said, grinning in trust that her friend will do the duty.
"A-Are you sure you want me to do this?" Gamora asked, feeling a little unsure. Especially since she was mortal enemies with the Nova Prime before the big save of their planet.
"Rocket's injured, Peter will goof, Groot has no arms for pete sake, and Drax doesn't really look like he'll leave my side," Lianna said, grinning at Gamora in reassurance. "You can do it,"
"Fine then," Gamora smiled, and left the room.
"Are you sure that assassin can do her given job?" Drax questioned, still not technically over the fact that Gamora used to work for Ronan.
"I have faith and trust in her, Drax. You'll see," Lianna said, grinning to him.
"Nova Prime, you have a visitor," A guard said, standing at the entrance of the conference room.
"Who is it?" she asked, looking up from her work.
"One of the Guardians of the Galaxy members, Gamora," they said.
"What is it this time?" she asked, thinking it would be another unimportant request.
"She said it was urgent to see you, she has an expired forum for you," This quickly caught her attention.
"Bring her in," she said, as she walked to the other side of the holographic table.
The guard stepped aside and Gamora walked in, feeling nervous to be in this place alone. Nova Prime confronted her, and awaited for the expired forum that she was told of.
"This is Rocket's experimentation forum, from Professor Stein," Gamora said, reaching in her pocket and pulling out the folded forum. "He has been lying to you about the things he's been doing in his lab for over ten years now,"
Nova Prime took the forum into her hands, and felt ashamed of the fact she never notice what Stein was actually doing with their funds to them. Thinking of all those other experimented creatures along with Rocket who suffered there without the protection that Nova swore to give them.
"You there," She commanded, walking over to a guard. "I want you to have this sent in to the supreme court and have everyone inside this place arrested for placement of illegal experimentation. Also revive the body of Stein and bring it to the court, since I've heard he had the mishaps of being shot through the stomach," Gamora couldn't help but to grin in gratitude with Nova Prime's help.
"Now then, where are the others?" Nova Prime then asked, kinda shocking Gamora.
"T-There all back at the hospital," Gamora replied.
"How is Lianna, most of all?" Nova Prime asked, shocking Gamora even more.
"She's...not so good, I can say," Gamora said. "She was badly injured from the crash and she still hasn't regenerated the piece of the side of her torso back yet,"
"I never really do this for most others, but since I am friends with her mother and she stopped a very important criminal, your hospital bill will be free," Now Gamora was just plainly, jaw-dropping shocked.
"You know her mother?" Gamora asked, but knowing she should be heading back.
"She was a very courageous women when she saved me from assassination, so I owe thanks to her," Nova Prime said, grinning to Gamora. "Now off you go, you need to comfort your friend in recovery, and keep an eye on that 'Starlord' of yours,"
"Thank you very much then," Gamora said, holding out her hand for her to shake.
"Your welcome," Nova Prime said, shaking Gamora's hand.
Gamora was walking down a hallway in the hospital when she heard a familiar voice.
"Do ya know which room Lianna Argo is in along with the visitor named 'Drax the Destroyer'?" It was Rocket, sitting on Groot's shoulder as he asked the person at a desk. And she soon spotted Peter, sitting in a chair on the wall opposite of the desk and running his fingers up and down a stitch he had on his arm.
"Hey there," Gamora said, quickly getting Peter's attention. He smiled and quickly stood up, grabbing his leather jack as he walked over to her.
"Where were you?" he asked.
"Giving that forum to Nova like Lianna told me too," she said.
"Lianna?" Rocket asked, hopping down from Groot's shoulder. "You know where Lianna is?"
"Yeah, follow me," she said, and walked off towards the direction of her room.
Soon they had came to the Lianna's room and went inside, Rocket pushing to the front and rushing to the bed.
"Lianna! You're okay!" he said, stepping on a bar on the side of the bed to lift himself higher to hug her.
"You're okay too, right?" she asked, hugging him back.
"Sure I am," he said.
"He got three stitches," Peter blurted, earning a glare from Rocket.
"What! Three stitches!" she exclaimed, scooping him up and sitting him on her lap.
"It's fine! They were minor," he said, until she quickly ripped his zipper and sleeves down and turned his back to her, revealing three four to three inch stitches.
"Rocket! These aren't minor for you! They are major!" she almost yelled, searching him for any more injuries he would possible hide. "They're very dangerous to stress with them being so close to your cybernetic spine! It might cause more problems for you!"
"Oh! So is missing a piece of your torso is not dangerous?!" he loudly said, ripping the sheets back and revealing her damaged side bandaged up with a few IV lines connected there. "You're lucky that that was only a defense instinct!?"
"But you meant more in that time of crisis!?" Suddenly, a large lump popped out of Lianna's shoulder, shocking and silencing everyone.
"What?" she asked.
"U-Um," Peter hid behind Gamora slightly and pointed to the lump. "Y-Your shoulder, Lianna,"
She looked at her shoulder, and became shocked.
"Oooh my god!" she exclaimed, leaning to the other side of the bed in an effort to not be touched by the sudden lump. "What is this what is this what is this!" she rapidly said.
"H-Hold on, Lianna!" Rocket said, putting his hands in front of himself. "Someone call for a doctor!"
Another lump popped out of her hand, freaking her out more.
"Peter! Do something!" Gamora said, grabbing him by the shoulder. He shook his head 'yes' and ran out the door, looking for a doctor.
"Hey! You!" He yelled, spotting a doctor talking to a nurse.
"Huh? Me?" The doctor said, staring at the currently jumbled Peter.
"Yeah, you have a patient named 'Lianna Argo'?" Peter asked.
"Yes, what seems to be the problem?" The doctor asked, worried of what happened.
"Come with me," Peter said, grabbing him by the wrist and yanking him over to the room.
"What's going on? Unhand me!" The doctor protested, until Peter opened the door.
"Peter, she got worse!" Gamora said, rushing over to him.
"What's going on? Is everything okay?" The doctor was soon released from Peter's grip and shoved toward the bed, showing Lianna looking swollen up.
"Oh my god-someone call in the nurses!" The doctor rushed over to her and checked the heart monitor, it beeping rapidly. He rushed to the other side of the bed and picked up a scanner device, scanning her head.
"She's starting to run a fever!" he said, and began rummaging around the medicine bottles underneath the tray.
"Doctor Irot, is there something-" The nurse coming in the door stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the swollen patient. "I'll grab more people!" she said, and rushed back.
"Was this going on for a while?" Irot asked, still rummaging around the medicine bottles.
"It started after they started yelling," Drax said.
"'Borgaunic Lumps', high stress levels mixed with the allergic reaction to Gunzanio," Irot said. "She's Langarian, right?"
"Half Langarian," Rocket pointed out.
"Really? Cause when I di-" Suddenly Lianna began slowly growing, the suspension of the bed soon being stressed by the immense weight.
"Doctor Irot!" Another doctor said, bursting through the door. "What is she being diagnosed with?" Soon three nurses followed after the second doctor as they surrounded her.
"Borgaunic Lumps, a high fever, uncontrolled growth, and high heart rate levels," Irot said, finally pulling a bottle out from underneath the tray.
"What are we gonna do! She's maintaining too much for us to lower!" A nurse yelled as pulled a green, liquid filled IV out of Lianna.
"The only thing we can do," Irot said, filling a shot with a purple substance.
"You don't mean!?" The second doctor said, shocked to come down to the final resort.
"It's the only choice left!" And with that, he injected the shot into Lianna, releasing every bit of it.
The heart monitor showed her heart rate going down. Her body returned to normal size, and the lumps began disappearing into her skin. The monitor showed her heart rate going down even more, until it came to just a long, high pitch noise.
The sadly true, final chapter 20 is now just around the corner. It felt like so much time had flew since I first started this story, and so many people had loved reading as what I've seen. And to show that Lianna will still live on, I'm open to story ideas of what Lianna and the crew should do.
-xXFangirl311Xx