Everywhere around them were glass cages that housed a variety of creatures, antiques, and plants. It was like a cross between a zoo, a museum, and a freak show. They all stared about them at the various sights, some of them more than disturbing.

"Ok, this isn't creepy at all." Rocket commented.

"We house the galaxy's largest collection of fauna, relics, and species of all manner." The pink girl said. Rhea glanced at the dog in the astronaut suit which growled at Rocket as he passed, Rocket returning the favor. They stopped a distance away from a man who had his back to them flanked by two other men. "I present to you Tanleer Tivan, The Collector."

"My dear Gamora, how wonderful to meet you in the flesh." Tivan said as he walked up to them taking Gamora's hand and kissing the back of it.

"Let's bypass the formalities, Tivan." Gamora took her hand from his, but Tivan was already looking to Groot. "We have what we discussed."

"What is that thing there?" Tivan asked haltingly.

"I am Groot." Groot replied.

"I never thought I'd meet a Groot." Tivan remarked walking up to Groot. "Sir, you must allow me to pay you now so that I may own your carcass." Rhea and Rocket exchanged slightly freaked out looks. "At the moment of you death of course."

"I am Groot." Groot answered.

"Why, so he can turn you into a frickin' chair?" Rocket scoffed.

"That your pet?" Tivan nodded to Rocket before the others could warn him.

"His what?!" Rocket snapped going for his gun as Tivan grinned down at him.

"I don't know, is that your broken face." Rhea snapped as she popped her knuckles, her tattoo flashing, wiping the grin from Tivan's face.

"Tivan." Gamora recalled his attention. "We have been hallway around the galaxy retrieving this orb."

"Very well then, let us see that you brought." Trivan said and Gamora looked to Peter who took out the orb only to drop it. He quickly snatched it back up and held it out again trying to act like he hadn't just dropped it. Tivan took the orb from him with a look and walked over to a table placing it in a holder.

"Oh my new friends, before creation itself, there were six singularities." Tivan told them as he activated his machine which twisted the orb back and forth causing a hologram of sixteen circles to appear each depicting a reaction to the explosion. "Then the universe exploded into existence, and the remnants of these systems were formed into concentrated ingots."

Tivan pointed to a picture of stones being formed and Rhea felt her world tilt.

"Infinity Stones." Rhea breathed out in shock.

"Correct." Tivan looked to her. "These stones it seems can only be brandished by beings of extraordinary strength. Observe." Tivan gestured to another screen where an immense robot like creature wielding a stone destroyed an entire planet. "These carriers can use the stone to mow down entire civilizations like wheat in a field."

"There's a little pee coming out of me right now." Peter commented, Tivan shot him an un-amused look.

"Once for a moment a group was able to share the energy amongst themselves, but even they were quickly destroyed by it." A screen depicted Tivan's words as the people surrounding the stone were consumed. Rhea shuddered as she looked to the purple glowing stone that had been within the orb. Tivan shuddered gripping his hands in shaking fists then gesturing grandly to the stone. "Beautiful, beyond compare."

"Blah, blah, blah, we're all very fascinated whitey." Rocket mocked his movements. "But we'd like to get paid."

"How would you like to get paid?" Tivan asked as the holograms disappeared and he led them away, no one noticing the slave approaching the stone.

"What do you think fancy man? Units!" Rocket snapped.

"Very well then." Tivan opened a drawer and started to extract the money stopping when he saw what his worker was going to do. "Carina, stand back!"

"I will no longer be your slave!" Carina yelled grabbing the orb then screaming in horrible pain as it consumed her.

Groot grabbed Rocket out running the blast while Gamora and Rhea tackled Peter behind some cover. The explosion was immense and for another moment in her life Rhea wished she had at least inherited her mother's ability to make shields. When everything calmed down Gamora, Rhea, and Peter peeked over their cover and surveyed the immense damage done to what was left of the Collector's home.

"What the…" Peter trailed off as Gamora ran over to the orb closing it back up around the stone.

"How could I think Tivan could contain whatever was within the orb?" Gamora questioned herself.

"You had no idea what it was and you're not the first to go to…." Rhea snapped her mouth shut, but Gamora had heard her.

"What do you mean not the first?" Gamora demanded.

"Not important." Rhea replied, but was still getting the look from Gamora. "Look it doesn't matter, we need to get that thing into safe hands." Rhea looked over to where Tivan was. "Excuse me a moment, I need to have a quick talk with the Collector." Rhea walked over to Tivan and grabbed him up by his collar leaning in close to his ear so the others wouldn't hear her. "I know you have the red reality stone."

"How…?" Tivan gasped out in pain, still groggy from the blast.

"That's not important." Rhea snapped cutting him off. "What is important is that he is coming after them and you are in danger as long as you have that stone." Tivan looked to her wide eyed, fear racing through him. "Take it and bury it, lock it away, and throw away the key or you will doom us all. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, I will…keep it hidden." Tivan gasped out before she dropped him back to the ground.

"Good." Rhea turned on her heel and walking back to the others.

"You turned him as white as his hair, what did you say to him?" Peter asked.

"That his make-up was smeared, now come on, we need to find Rocket and Groot." Rhea brushed past them and heading outside. Both Gamora and Peter starred at her as they followed her out.

"What do you still have it for?" Rocket nearly yelled as he and Groot walked over to them; Gamora and Peter looking away from Rhea much to her relief.

"What are we going to do, leave it in there?" Peter asked.

"I can't believe you had that in your purse." Rocket said as Peter shot him a look.

"It's not a purse, it's a knapsack." Peter shot back.

"We have to bring this to Nova Corps." Gamora said and Rhea nodded in agreement. "There's a chance they can contain it."

"Are you kidding me?" Rocket yelped. "We're wanted by the Nova Corps, just give it to Ronan."

"So he can destroy the galaxy?" Peter snapped.

"What are you some saint all of the sudden? What had the galaxy ever done for you? Why would you want to save it?" Rocket demanded.

"Because I am one of the idiots who lives in it." Peter yelled back.

"Peter, listen to me." Gamora grabbed Peter's lapel. "We cannot allow the stone to fall into Ronan's hands. We have to go back to your ship and deliver it to Nova."

"Right, right, okay. I think you're right." Peter nodded then took the orb from Gamora. "Or we could give it to somebody who's not going to arrest us, who's really nice, for a whole lot of money." Rhea snatched the orb back. "I think it's a really good balance between both of your points of view."

"You're despicable." Gamora snapped. "Dishonorable, faithless."

"And a total douche bag!" Rhea added as she turned to walk away with Gamora.

"Rhea, you're going with her? You'll be sent back to prison." Rocket called after her.

"Then I'm going back to prison. For once in a long time I'm going to do the right thing and making my family proud." Rhea said, but both she and Gamora stopped short.

"Oh no." Gamora and Rhea said at the same time.

"At last!" Drax called out swords raised as he stood before Ronan's ships laughing. "Finally I shall meet my foe and destroy him."

"You called Ronan!?" Peter snapped.

"Quill! Don't you move boy!" Yondu called out from across the market.

"Hey, that's that guy we were going to sale you to." Rhea commented before Gamora took off to some mining crafts, the others following. Gamora pulled a man out of his craft while the others got into some unoccupied ones.

"I told you, you can't fit. Now wait here. Rhea and I'll be back for you." Rocket said to Groot as he and Rhea climbed into separate pods.

"And keep an eye out for Drax." Rhea said before her pod closed and they all took off into the air. "We got inbound." Rhea said as they weaved through the industrial city. They started to open fire concentrating on Gamora's ship. "And it seems they can track the orb, oh goody."

"Rocket, Rhea, keep them off Gamora until she gets to the Milano." Peter ordered.

"How? We've got no weaponry on these things." Rocket pointed out.

"These pods are industrial grade." Peter pointed out. "They're nearly indestructible."

"Not against necroblasts they're not." Rocket shot back.

"I don't think that's what he had in mind Rocket." Rhea caught on.

"Oh." Rocket also caught on then proceeded to ram into a ship causing it to hit another exploding on impact with a tower then he rammed straight through one ripping it apart.

Rhea followed his lead smashing into any of the ships that she could while Peter ripped into one using the pod controls to control the ship. He fired blasting more of Ronan's ships apart as they followed Gamora.

"I'm trapped; I can't make it to the Milano!" Gamora radioed the others. "I have to head out."

"Bad idea." Rhea called out. "Very bad idea!"

"These things aren't meant go out there." Peter agreed, but Gamora didn't listen as she shot out into space. Rhea Rocket and Peter could only watch as Nebula destroyed Gamora's ship and retrieved the orb. They could see her floating amongst the debris of the pod, unmoving.

"Quill, Rhea come on, her body mods should keep her alive for a couple of more minutes, but there's nothing you can do for her, these pods aren't meant to be out here." Rocket told them. "In a second we're going to be in the same boat."

"There has to be something." Rhea breathed out as Peter looked from her then to Gamora. "I can't lose another….there had to be…"

"Aw damn it. Rhea, go with Rocket." Peter ordered as he opened a comm link.

"Quill?" Rhea looked to him, Rocket also stopping and turning around.

"Yondu! Yondu! This is Quill, my coordinates are 227k324." Peter said.

"Quill." Rocket called out. "Quill what are you doing?"

"Just outside of Knowhere. If you're there come get me, I'm all yours." Quill finished his comm then putting on his mask stepped out of his pod rocketing over to Gamora. He took of his mask placing it on her allowing her to breath.

"Quill, don't be ridiculous, get back into your pod." Rocket called out. "You can't fit to people in there, you're going to die. You will die in seconds Quill."

"Quill…you are a very brave man." Rhea said before he removed his mask and comm placing it on Gamora. A fleet of ravagers came upon them the largest ship taking in Gamora and Peter. "Come on Rocket, we need to get back to Groot."