Chapter 9- Infinity Holders
Valkyrie awoke to unfamiliar music playing and pain. She groaned and opened her eyes to find herself laying on the ground of Xandar. Quill was a bit behind her and Gamora lay, trying to get up in front of her. Rocket was kneeling on the ground with twigs in his hands and Drax was to the left diagonally from where she layed.
Then Ronan came out of the wreckage, as if unharmed by the whole experience of his ship crashing to the ground. He was still holding the staff that held the infinity stone within.
Rocket turned around and growled, "You killed GROOT!" He charged at Ronan screaming and Ronan only had to blast Rocket back with the infinity stone. Rocket flew through the air and it the ground, slamming into a piece of broken metal.
"Behold!" Ronan shouted to the crowd of people standing around the crash site. He lifted up his hand in mockery at the group, "Your Guardians of the Galaxy. What fruit have they wrought? Only that my father and his father shall finally know vengeance. People of Xandar, the time has come to rejoice," Ronan lifted both of has arms fully up to the sky, "And renounce your paltry gods."
Ronan lifted the staff up higher and grabbed it with both hands. Valkyrie's heart beat faster and faster as she knew once the stone reached the ground, it would bring death.
"Your salvation is at hand! Ee shal gar!" Ronan finished in his own language, yelling an ancient war chant, "Yoho-"
"Ooo child things are going to get easier. Ooo child things are going to get brighter." It was Peter Quill, standing up and singing, "Listen to these words. Ooo child things are going to get easier. Ooo child things are going to get brighter." Then Quill started to dance. By this time Valkyrie was fully standing and staring open mouthed at Quill, "Bring it down hard."
Quill's dancing got more ridiculous, "Some day put it together…"
Ronan stared at Quill, "What are you doing?"
"Dance-off, bro. Me and you." Quill responded and made some poor dance moves with a kick and hand motions. He stuck his hand out to Gamora, "Gamora." Offering for her to join him but Gamora only shook her head, staring at Quill like he had grown a second head.
"Subtle, take it back." And he continued to dance.
"What are you doing?!" Ronan roared.
Quill had a huge smile on his face and said, "I'm distracting you, you big turd blossom."
Ronan and Valkyrie turned around to see Drax holding a fixed The Hadron Enforcer and Rocket was standing next to him. Rocket connected two cables and fired a shot at Ronan which completely shattered the staff that was holding the infinity stone.
Quill dived for the stone in, what seemed like slow motion, and caught the stone as he hit the ground.
"NO!" Gamora yelled as Quill caught the stone and suddenly a black and purple cloud surrounded Quill, Rocket, Ronan, Drax, Gamora and Valkyrie. Valkyrie frantically searched for the stone's orb that it was contained in, and found it.
Valkyrie stared at Quill in horror as he screamed in pain. Dark purple vines soon covered his face. She watched in horror and fascination as Gamora held out her hand to Quill and shouted, "Peter! Take my hand! Take my HAND!"
Quill reached up slowly and took Gamora's outstretched hand which then caused Gamora to look the same as Quill. Then Drax was there and took Quill's shoulder. Rocket reached up as far as he could and took Drax's finger.
Valkyrie looked around, nothing was happening. They were still screaming in pain. She closed her eyes and opened them again and made her body move forward. Her joints screaming as she fought through the wind to Gamora's side and grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly.
Searing pain shot through her body. Valkyrie opened her mouth and screamed.
"You're mortal!" Valkyrie heard Ronan shout faintly, "How?!"
"You said it yourself, bitch. We're the Guardians of the Galaxy." Quill opened his hand and released a string of purple energy at Ronan which then consumed him and burst him apart in an explosion of purple. Valkyrie took the stone's casing and quickly closed the stone within the orb and handed it to Quill.
The purple and black smoke disappeared and everyone stood there, painting, happy to be alive.
"Well, well, well." Came Yando's voice from behind them, "Quite the light show." Valkyrie looked around the Ravagers who had survived the battle now stood around them, Yando chuckled, "Ain't this sweet." A gun cocked to show that they meant business, "But you got some business to attend to before all the nookie-nookie starts." Yando said, marching up to them.
"Peter, you can't. Peter." Gamora said breathlessly.
Valkyrie breathed in and out, "Quill, don't."
"You gotta reconsider this, Yando." Quill said shaking his head, "I don't know who you're selling this to, but the only way the universe can survive is if you give it to the Nova Corps."
Valkyrie looked around and realised all of the Ravagers had guns pointed at them.
"I may be pretty as an angle," Yando remarked, flipping open his coat to reveal an arrow that held red energy that seemed like it was tied to the back of it, "But I sure as hell ain't one." Yando held out his hand, "Hand it over, son."
Quill swallowed and took the orb from out behind his back and handed it over to Yando.
"Quill, what the hell are you doing?!" Valkyrie demanded, glaring at Quill.
Yando laughed and signaled his men to leave. "Yando." Quill called out. Yando stopped and turned around, "Do not open that orb. You know that, right? You've seen what it does to people." Yando only pointed a finger at Quill, turned around and walked away, laughing.
The Ravagers went into their ship and took off, "He's going to be so pissed when he realises I switched out the orb on him." Gamora chuckled.
"He was going to kill you, Peter." Gamora said.
"Oh, I know. But he was about the only family I had."
Gamora took Quill's hand that held the orb, "No. He wasn't."
As the adrenaline wore off, Valkyrie was made aware of a massive migraine and sharp pain in her right side. She looked down to see about an inch of black metal sticking out of her side and Valkyrie knew that the rest was inside her, "Peter." Valkyrie breathed out. It must have been when Groot broke apart from the crash landing and she landed on something.
Quill looked around at her in shock mainly because of both her panicked tone and the use of his first name, "Val!" He shouted as she collapsed and darkness overtook her. But in those last few seconds of consciousness she thought one last thought, 'I saved my people.'
Valkyrie woke up with no pain. Nothing hurt. It also felt like she was floating. She opened her eyes to find herself in a white hospital room. She was lying on a white bed. Beeping noises were off to her left and when she looked to her right she saw her brother, Landon Rael sound asleep on the chair next to her bed, still dressed in uniform.
She swallowed which caused her to cough. She winced, but not in pain, as her coughing awoke her brother. "Valkyrie!" He exclaimed, "You're awake!"
"Landon. What happened?" Valkyrie asked, "Are the other's alright?"
Landon grinned, "What's happened? What's happened is that you defeated Ronan!"
A cough by the door had both Landon and Valkyrie turn to see Peter Quill standing in the doorway, "I do believe I had something to do with it as well." He walked in and shut the door, "How are you doing?
"Well, I'm not in pain so I guess that's good." Valkyrie remarked, "How are the others?"
"Getting by. The council is still arguing what to do about Gamora, Drax has hit every bar in Xandar and Rocket has finished replanting Groot and is helping rebuild Xandar's weapons out of scraps from the battle."
Valkyrie looked at Landon, "What do you mean 'what to do about Gamora'? She helped save us! She's good!"
"Yes, but many people still hold a grudge against her deeds and her father." Landon replied, "We are doing this by law. It'll take time, but-"
"Adoptive father." Valkyrie spat out, "It's not like she had a choice."
Landon winced, "Still, rules are rules. The council has to vote." Against her will, Valkyrie yawned, "Go back to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."
"Promise?" Valkyrie murmured, already half-way asleep.
Landon smiled, and placed a small kiss on her forehead, "Promise. Now rest."
"Why would you even know this?" Peter asked as himself, Gamora, Valkyrie and Nova Prime stood around the command center. A display of Peter's body was up on the screen.
"When we arrested you," Started Dray, Nova Prime's Second in command, "We noticed an anomaly in your nervous system, so we had it checked out."
It had been a month after the battle. Valkyrie wore light clothes, brown loose pants and a light blue zip-up jacket. She stood next to her mother, her arms crossed, staring at the new information in front of her.
"I'm not Terran?" Peter asked in complete shock.
Nova looked at Peter, "You are half Terran. Your mother was of Earth. Your father, well, he's something very ancient we've never seen here before. I'm sorry. Correction." Nova Prime looked directly at Valkyrie, "That we've only seen once before. And, it seems, we found a connection within your genetic network. You two, it seems. Are related."
Valkyrie's eyes widened, "Is that why you never spoke of my birth-parents?"
"We're related?" Peter asked at the same time as Valkyrie stared at her Mother and Peter stared at Valkyrie.
"Yes." Nova Prime answered.
Gamora looked at Peter, "That could be why you could hold the stone as long as you did," Then Gamora looked at Valkyrie, "And it could be why you were able to hold onto me for so long while you had basically a foot of metal inside of you poking into your lung."
"Is anyone going to address the fact that we're related?" Peter asked, motioning to himself and Valkyrie and Nova Prime seemed not to hear him.
The door opened and in walked Drax and Rocket. Rocket was carrying a pot that contained Groot, "You're friends have arrived. On behalf of the Nova Corps, we'd like to express our profound gratitude for your help in saving Xandar. If you will follow Denarian Day he has something to show you."
"Thank you, Nova Prime." Peter responded.
"Valkyrie, stay behind. I need to talk to you." Nova Prime commanded, "Quill, you next, but after Valkyrie."
Valkyrie let her friends follow Dey out of the room before asking, "What is it, Mother?"
"I want you to stay with them." Nova Prime said.
She looked at her mother, puzzled, "What? I mean, I know finding out Quill is related to me is shocking and I would want to get to know him, but my duty is to Xandar. I'm in the military. I just can't leave."
Nova Prime smiled and put her hands on Valkyries shoulders, "Then I'll make it an order. Stay with them, make sure they don't get into anymore trouble with Xandarian Law. And if you do some family bonding time with Quill while you're at it, I won't tell."
Valkyrie sighed,"So babysitting."
"Essentially. But, if I'm to understand things, they're your friends and you have a life-debt to Quill who is also related to you. That will be interesting. You should go with them."
Valkyrie smiled, "Thank you, Mother." She hugged her and started walking toward the door, "You do know that every once and awhile we'll have to get into trouble, right?"
Nova Prime smiled, "I know. Send in Quill after you leave."
"However, I have to warn you against breaking any laws in the future." Valkyrie heard as she rounded the corner with a duffle bag of cloths that Landon had handed to her after saying a quiet goodbye. She stopped in shock as she saw a rebuilt Milano.
"Question." Rocket said, "What if I see something that I want to take, and it belongs to someone else?"
"You will be arrested." Dey answered.
Rocket looked down and then up at Dey, "But what if I want it more than the person who has it?"
"Still illegal."
"That doesn't follow." Rocket complained as Valkyrie walked up next to Peter, "No, I want it more, sir. Do you understand?" Gamora started laughing, "What are you laughing at?" Gamora ushered Rocket away from Dey, "Why? I can't have a discussion with this gentleman?"
Drax stepped up and took Rocket's place, "What if someone does something irksome and I decide to remove his spine." Peter and Dey shared a glance and Dey shared an eye-roll with Valkyrie.
"That's… that's actually murder. It's one of the worst crimes of all. So… also illegal."
"Hmm." Drax responded and walked off.
Peter looked at Valkyrie and her duffle-bag, "Are you going on a trip?"
"I'm coming with you guys."
"Why?" Peter asked, "Didn't we kidnap you?"
"Yes, but if you look at it, Ronan was going to make a move and get Gamora out of there even if you hadn't made that little escape. You technically saved my life. Now, I have a life debt to you."
Peter's eyes widened in panic, "No! No, but didn't you save my life when you helped kill Ronan?"
"Keyword, helped." Valkyrie said, smirking, "Plus, I like the group dynamics, Always a laugh. I guess it won't be boring."
"Do you really have to? Can't I just transfer you credits and have it be done with?" Peter practically wined. Peter knew that Xandarians had strict life-debt laws. It was worse if you were in the military, which she was. The life-debt would supersede any order given until it was completed.
"Nope. We're family now, remember?" Valkyrie insisted, patting Peter in the back, "You're stuck with me. It won't be so bad." Valkyrie said as they walked to the ship together after saying goodbye to Dey.
"So bad?! You're properly a stickler with the laws. Won't have us do anything fun." The last part Peter whined again.
Valkyrie punched Peter in the arm, making him cry out, "Just wait to you see what I did for fun while I had spring break at Caeroio University."
Peter's eyes widened at the name, just like Valkyrie hoped they would, "But you're spring breaks are famous all over the galaxy."
Valkyrie smirked, "And you say I'm no fun." As they entered the rebuilt Milano.
After the pre-flight checks, Peter was sitting in the pilot's seat with Rocket it the co-pilot's. Drax was strapped in behind Peter and Valkyrie was sitting down and strapped in behind Rocket while Gamora stood next to Peter. Rocket had Groot sitting on his lap.
"So, what should we do next? Something good? Something bad? A bit of both?" Peter asked the group.
"We'll follow your lead, Star-Lord." Gamora replied.
It was silent for a second, then, "A bit of both!" Peter took off from the dock where the Milano was parked and zoomed into space.
Thank you to who Favorited this story: Blackrose3107
Thank you to who Followed this story: yume-hime, Blackrose3107