It's, oh, so quiet

Shhhh Shhhh

It's, oh, so still

Shhhh Shhhh

You're all alone

Shhh Shhh

And so peaceful until...

Between the thing with the murderous ball of muscle, Drax, trying to kill Gamora, and the crowded cell filled wall to wall with weirdos who'd never heard of personal space or hygiene, he hadn't been able to go back to sleep. So instead he figured he'd get up and beat everyone to the food line. He glanced down at the greenish grey goop in the bowls and cringed. It smelled like something died in the pot and just got cooked in with the rest. Stars, he was going to need to get the hell out of there fast and back to his ship to get some real damned food.

Peter sighed as he dropped his tray of…slop or whatever the hell was in the bowls given to him for breakfast.

A set of bowls clattered down on the table next to him and he looked up to see the cute chick from the other day drop onto the bench. He grinned to himself. Who needed sleep anyway?

"Peter Quill," he introduced himself. "Though…you might know me better as…Star Lord." He paused, puffed out his chest, and offered her his best confident smirk.

She arched an eyebrow at him. "I've only just met you, why would I know you by either?"

To say he was disappointed she hadn't recognized his name was an understatement, and he sputtered a little as he searched for a comeback. One of these days, people would recognize his name and gasp in awe, he was sure of it. "I…you…."

Her smile softened as he searched awkwardly for his words, then she held a hand out. "Riley Black."

Okay, that he could work with. Time to catch his bearings here. He was good at sweeping folks off their feet and right into his bed; and everyone loved compliments. "Pretty name for a pretty girl."

"Woman, not girl," she corrected, rolling her eyes. "So, what brings you to this hellscape?"

"Was that a 'what's a guy like you doing in a place like this' line?" he chuckled, running the cheap dull utensil through the slop. Gods, it looked even more disgusting running down the metal.

For a minute he wasn't sure if she was going to answer as he watched her sigh and stir the gunk in her bowls. Finally she seemed to make up her mind and bluntly said, "Gamora - half of everyone in here is terrified of her, the other half wants to kill her." She inclined her head toward the Drax. "The big guy tried to, but you stopped him." With a grimace, she took a scoopful of the gross liquid and gagged as she choked it down. "Why?" she rasped as she tried to wash the taste out with water. "Oh, that's gross."

Peter sighed. Just because he was an outlaw, didn't mean he was a bad person. What the hell was he supposed to do, let her die? "Believe it or not, not everyone in here is shitty."

Finally she smiled and it was like the sun peeking out through the clouds. "So, Quill, what's a guy like you doing in a place like this?"

Despite the nagging feeling that the remaining clouds were concealing something, he laughed. "Wrong place, wrong time."

"Move it, sweetheart," Rocket muttered, dropping down his tray between Peter and Riley, and trying to shove her off the bench.

"Dude!" Peter shouted. "You can't just push people like that!"

"We're already at four ways, I ain't making it five," the raccoon grumbled. "Move it."

Riley finally stood up, glanced down at her tray, then at Peter. "It's fine, I don't think I can stomach more of that…whatever it is," she said. "But come see me later…Star Lord." Her flirty smile nearly killed him as she walked away.

Peter damn near chased after her there and then, payout from the orb be damned. The way it sounded when she said 'Star Lord'... Shit, were these pants always this tight? Adjusting himself on the bench as she disappeared around the corner, he glared at Rocket. "I was this close, man!" he hissed. "Way to cock block me!"

"You never stood a chance," the trash panda scoffed.

"You don't know that!"

Rocket looked at him, then up at the bunk where the rest of her group sat. "You see them?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "What about 'em?"

"They're the Universal Church of Truth," Gamora muttered, dropping down to sit across the table from him. "Devoted followers of Thanos."

"She wants something from you, Quill," Rocket muttered. "Don't let her get in your head."

Narrowing his eyes, Peter looked around for any sign of her, but came up empty - she wasn't with her group, she wasn't nearby that he could see. She must've gone to the showers or something. He hadn't picked up any weird vibes from her, any lack of sincerity. Sure, he had the impression she was hiding something, but something awful? He wasn't convinced.

"Quill!"

"What?" he snapped, turning back to Rocket.

"Time to use your upstairs brain, idiot," the raccoon growled. "We're gettin' out of here."

Peter turned back as Rocket outlined his plan, but he couldn't shake the feeling he was missing something. Something with that cute chick - what was her name again? Riley? Riley. Definitely Riley. Maybe he'd get the chance to find out before they escaped.

Riley almost breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the raccoon yell at Quill before starting to detail their escape plan. It seemed like there was a chance she'd be able to get out of there after all. But as she was making her way back up to the rest of her group, alarms sounded and she ran to the railing just in time to see the big tree holding the battery and the prison going into lockdown while guards rushed in.

"Shit," she hissed. That certainly stepped up her timeline. Glancing up the stairs, she briefly thought about going to the rest of her group, but her mission to get the package to safety outweighed her desire to protect them. They might be batshit insane and manipulative as hell, but they were also victims of the Church. "Shitty shit!"

Instead of going back to them, she searched for any sign of Quill. From the corner of her eye, she caught him entering a cell with another prisoner and bolted in that direction. If this was their escape plan, she'd need him - the raccoon sure as hell wasn't going to let her go with them.

She reached the cell just as he was leaving, stopping just short of running into the man. Riley blinked at the prosthetic leg he was holding. "What the -."

Peter grabbed her and pulled her behind him, knocking another prisoner over the railing. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Really, I think the better question is why are you holding a prosthetic leg in the middle of a prison riot," she grumbled.

"Drop the leg!" a guard shouted behind him. "Drop the leg and move back to your cell!"

"My turn," Riley said, grinning. She ducked under Quill's arm, pushing him aside as she moved, and twisted the taser gun from the guard's hands while she elbowed him in the face. The Xandarian fell to the floor, holding his nose and screaming as the blood streamed down his face. "Thanks for this!"

Quill looked at her weirdly. "Wait, how come you get the gun? And why'd you -."

"Like you said," she replied, grinning. "Not everyone in here is shitty. And you're taking me with you."

"What if I say no?"

"Then I'll just keep saving your ass til you say yes," she shot back. "And I get the gun because you've got the…leg…for some reason…."

The corners of his mouth twitched upward in a smirk. "Trade?"

A prisoner approached behind Quill, so she pushed him aside and took aim. "Quill," she grunted as she shot the guy with the taser gun. "I don't even know why you have the leg, let alone why I'd want it."

"Fine," he said. "I'll get my own."

Grinning, she shot the taser gun at an approaching guard. "I'm still two up on you."

Quill turned around and used the leg to kick at a guard, then grabbed his gun then shot at the drone that floated over the railing toward Riley. "I'll get there."

"I win, you take me with you?" she said, smacking down another guard.

"Deal!"

In spite of herself, Riley smiled as she followed him. Absolute anarchy swirled around them as prisoners either tried to rush to safety or rush the guards, while the guards fought back. Bullets flew; beings from various races flew; tables; chairs. It was a mess and Riley loved it; she felt at home in chaos.

Quill slid across the floor, shooting at another drone as he went, while Riley tasered a prisoner and watched her pitch over the railing.

"The Watchtower!" Quill shouted at her.

Glancing up, she saw the tree and the raccoon were nearly there. "We won't make it!"

At that moment, the tree began extending its branches down over the catwalks, creating a ladder of branches that ended on their floor. It led straight up to the control room.

"Well, shit," she muttered, blinking at the ladder, then at Quill.

"Go!" Quill shouted. "I got your back!"

"And let you win?" she scoffed, tucking her gun under her arm as she kicked out at an approaching guard.

Quill grunted as he rolled out of the way of a large bench. "We're even! Just go!"

Biting back a curse, she tucked the gun under her chin and started climbing upwards.

"You!" she heard below her as she moved. "Man who has lain with an A'askavariian!"

Riley shook her head, glancing down. Quill was climbing up behind her, sputtering out, "I…no! I mean…it was one time!"

She resumed climbing, but shouted over her shoulder, "I think even one time is pretty damned adventurous!" When she neared the top, Riley hesitated as Gamora extended her hand, but she eventually accepted it. "Thank you," she muttered.

With a nod, the assassin turned back to knock out a guard, while Riley turned back to offer Peter a hand up. Together, they helped the muscular Kylosian up, then turned to the door to the Watchtower.

After they regrouped, they opened the doors to the Watchtower, with Gamora charging forward to yank the sole guard inside out of his seat and toss him out.

As soon as the raccoon sealed them inside, he went to work at the control panel.

"I only helped you so you would get out of his way," Gamora said to Riley, posture rigid as she gestured to Quill. "We need him, we don't need you. I don't trust you."

"Feeling's mutual," she muttered, stepping closer to Quill to put some space between her and Thanos's daughter. Last thing she needed was to make it this far only to be killed by her.

The Kylosian immediately filled the space and Gamora glared at him.

"Spare me your foul gaze, woman," he spat.

Gamora turned her scowl on Quill and bit out, "What the hell are they doing here?"

"Promised him he could stay by your side until he kills your boss, remember?" Quill said, seemingly unfazed. "Always keep my promises when they're to muscle-bound whack jobs who'd kill me if I don't."

Gamora crossed her arms and asked, "And her?" She pointed at Riley but refused to look at her.

"Saved my life." Quill dropped the leg on the console next to the raccoon. "Here ya go!"

The raccoon snickered. "You got the leg?"

"You said you needed it!"

"I was just kidding." His paws flew over the controls as his shoulders shook with barely restrained laughter. "I only need these two things," he said, holding up the battery and the wristband.

"What?" Quill exclaimed.

"Thought it'd be funny," came the reply through barely contained laughter. "What did he look like hopping around?"

Riley blinked. The trash panda was a jerk. Jesus. Whatever the disabled guy did to get into prison he didn't deserve that; no one did. What a dick!

"I had to transfer him 30,000 units!" Quill exclaimed.

The raccoon kept laughing as he worked, making Riley sorely tempted to dump his ass out the window. She exchanged an unimpressed glance with Quill, but kept silent as it was obvious the trash panda was their way out. What a total a-hole.

At that moment, one of the drones opened fire on the windows and Quill put an arm up to shield them as he pulled Riley behind him. The bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the glass.

"Bullet-proof glass," she muttered as Quill relaxed his grip.

"How are we going to leave?" the Kylosian interrupted.

Quill grinned. "Well, Drax, my friend Rocket here has a plan," he said. Then his expression turned a little sour. "Or was that something you made up, too?"

The raccoon, Rocket - what a comic book name, Rocket Raccoon - grumbled angrily, "I have a plan!"

"Then cease your yammering and relieve us from this irksome confinement!" Drax growled.

Putting a hand on Quill's back to steady herself, Riley leaned forward to look out the window. The bickering became background noise as she watched the guards form up below them and take aim. "Shit."

Quill followed her gaze. "Those…those are some big guns."

As soon as their aim was locked in, she saw one of them shouting what she assumed was a countdown. Not that she could read lips, but it was a pretty fair guess under the circumstances.

A volley of fire was released, impacting the glass and cracking it.

"Rodent!" Gamora shouted. "We are ready for your plan now!"

Drax laughed, "I recognize this animal. We'd roast them over a flame pit as children; their flesh was quite delicious."

Riley blinked at him. "Dude!"

"Not helping!" Rocket shouted.

Another volley was released, widening the cracks. "Whatever you're doing, do it faster!" Riley exclaimed, watching the fissures spread.

Rocket yanked at some wires, then connected them to the battery just as the guards below prepared for another volley.

And all at once the guards started floating, along with their weapons and their shields. In the cells, she saw prisoners drift to the ceiling. Rocket had turned off the gravity everywhere but the Watchtower. With a shudder, it was released from its clamps and hovered. Rocket's paws danced across the control panel again and the drones glided toward them, attaching to the bottom and acting as thrusters.

"Holy shit," Riley muttered, grabbing onto Quill as they dove sharply down toward the doors and crashed through them.

The watchtower skidded through the long hall on the other side, hitting walls and guards and whatever was in its path until it crashed to a halt. Rocket hit another button, closing the doors behind them and opening the ones in front.

"Okay," Quill said, relief clear in his voice. "That…that was a pretty good plan."

Rocket spread his hands and smiled smugly. "Right?"

"Don't let it go to your head," Riley muttered, smiling. "You're still an asshole."

"Thank you," the raccoon bit out snidely. "We gonna play 'insult the one who saved us all' or are we gonna get the hell outta here?"

Exchanging a grin with Quill, Riley followed the ragtag crew out of the Watchtower.