Chapter 10.
This is the tenth chapter. Hope you enjoy it!
FORGOT TO ADD: ON THE FOREARM OF EVEYONE'S SUIT'S (EXCEPT QUILL'S), THERE'S AN GOLD STRIPE; ON QUILL'S SUIT, THERE ARE TWO STRIPES, INDICATING HIM AS CAPTAIN.
The Bowie entered the planet's atmosphere, and descended over the oceans towards one of the continents, and then towards a major city. Mark, looking out of the viewport, saw the architecture was very similar to Earth's, and he noticed an island just beyond the city with a white stature of a male figure holding a monkey, which reminded Mark of the Statue of Liberty, before he then stepped forwards to the front of the cockpit and began using a screen. "It's like a replica of Earth. It makes no sense." Quill spoke. "Gravity and atmosphere are pretty much identical to Earth's." Mark added, reading the data from the screens. They then flew past the skyscrapers and towards the suburbs, which were familiar to Mark, but he noticed the cars were a boxy, compact old fashioned, from the 1970s and 80s. He placed his paw-hands on the front section, his head pointing down through the view port to see a figure in old looking ladies' clothes walking down the street, then the figure turned around and looked up at them, and Mark saw, his eyes widening in shock, it was an andromorphic animal! Technically, a Pig. A walking, animal like him!
The Bowie landed in the middle of the road, the landing gear just beyond some houses. Mark followed the others to the ramp room, and all together (minus Gamora), they exited the door and walked towards the ramp through the glass compartment and walked down it. Mark, in between Mantis and Nebula, noticed there a was a bunch of animal people, several different species, gathering in front of the ramp, all of them confused. "Hello. We mean you no harm." Quill spoke slowly and gently, as Mark, still a bit gobsmacked to see other walking animals like him, stepped off the ramp and stepped leftwards in between Nebula and Quill. A little Lemer girl with an orange ball let it go onto the ground and it bounced towards Drax. He picked it up with both hands and threw it back at the girl, but it hit her on the head and she fell onto he ground. The other animal people reacted with gasps and some stepping back. A male Rabbit in a suit with a briefcase yelled something out in their language, which Mark didn't understand a word of as he began to feel nervous which made him gulp, while pointing at them. "Listen to me, he was just trying to give her throw her back her ball." Quill tried to reason as one of the people thew something at his face, which hit him in the right forehead, making him yell out "Ow!". Drax laughed which pointing at him with his right hand, before he too was hit on the left forehead with a rock, which made him look back at the crowd. "Hey!" He spoke, as Mark, now filled with worry, was suddenly hit just above/in between his eyes/forehead, which made him cry out "OW!" as he held both hand paws on that area with his eyes closed and his face/muzzle pointing downwards. "Come on, there's no reason to… Hey, hey." Quill tried to reason, as Mark heard the sounds of a lot of small things being thrown at the group, hearing their voices and groans. "Groot, full Kaiju!" Nebula yelled out, which made Mark open his eyes and looked leftwards/upwards. "No!" He yelled out. "Not full Kaiju!" Quill yelled out moments later. But it was too late, as Groot already began doing this new thing they'd worked on, where he grows large and scary, Mark and Quill coming up with the name, as it was a reference to a giant beast. "I am… GROOOTTT!" Groot roared in a deep voice, Mark watching all the animal people run away as it happened, Mark face-palming as this was going terrible so far, hearing all of the footsteps of the animal people running away in fear. "No, not Kaiju! Groot down! There's no reason to be afraid. Get down, Groot!" He heard Quill say, as he looked forwards again to see the crowd mostly dispersed. "Everybody, it's okay. It's okay. Hey. Hey. Hi." He heard Quill continue to say, as he looked Leftwards to see Quill step up to a female Vampire Bat who had tripped on the pavement/curb and had her hurt right knee, which made Mark wince a little. "We're not here to harm you." Quill spoke gently, holding out his right hand. The woman tried to move away in panic, but Quill kept calm. "Okay. See? Here." He continued, taking out of his suit a grey rag with his left hand, then held it in both hands. "For your knee." He spoke, unfolding it, stepping closer. The woman took it with her right hand. 2We just need to save our friend." Quill added, the woman looking at him for a few seconds.
Before Mark knew it, the group was led into her house. Mark entered stepped in the doorway (hearing the woman speak for a second in her language) behind Quill, the woman pointing them into the lounge, Mark's ears, became filled with some kind of music he didn't like, so he held his paw-hands over his pointy ears, briefly hearing the woman speak in her language. He looked leftwards to see some black and white wedding photos, entered the lounge and looked around, the layout and looks of the house seeming a bit old fashioned. The music then stopped which made him sigh with relief as he removed his paw-hands as he stopped where he was and turned rightwards, Groot (now normal), now on his right. The woman spoke and gestured to the table before Mark. "Yeah, yeah. Sit. Let's sit. Okay." Quill spoke as he sat down in the front seat, Mark stepping to the corner of the table, in between Quill and Nebula, who sat down besides him, his face and muzzle just above the table. He looked leftwards to watch the woman move over to the window, where a lot of the locals we're looking in, and closed the blinders. Mark then looked ahead to see Drax lying down on the sofa/couch. "Drax, sit up. That's bad manners." Mark said to him sternly. "It's not bad manners. It's what it's here for." Drax said back. "Drax, sit up!" Nebula spoke sternly. "Idiot." She then muttered before Drax then sat up. "Thank you." Quill spoke, his hands together as a gesture as Mark looked leftwards at him, the woman bowing her head and replied in her language in response before she sat down. Mark, looking at both of them, he two in his line of sight, heard footsteps behind him, probably the husband, who stopped behind him and put out in front of him a tray with glass and blue cans and began giving them out. "Thank you." Quill replied, before the woman spoke in her language again. "Our friend… He's dying. Uh…" Quill explained before he looked rightwards at Nebula, who activated a hologram from her robotic hand, showing a hologram of Rocket in the Med-Bay, as the husband lowered a can and glass in the front of Mark's eyes, which he then took gently with his paw-hands (the can in his left, the glass in his right), looking back at Quill. The woman looked leaned in, looked closer. "We love our friend. But he is dying." Quill added, doing some gestures with his hands, before Mantis made a gagging sound, which made Mark look rightwards at her, as he put the can and glass in front of him on the table. "That's not dying that's already dead. They'll think he's already dead." Nebula spoke as she turned off the hologram. "They'll think we're here on a quest for revenge." Mark heard Drax say, before he looked leftwards at him, seeing he was lying down again. "Drax, sit up." Nebula ordered sternly. "That's what it's here for!" Drax said back. "No, it's not, Drax. It's for people to sit up on, alone or shoulder to shoulder. And get your boots off her cushions." Mark said sharply. "I find it hard to believe it doesn't have multiple purposes." Drax complained as he sat up, Mark rolling his eyes. "It does, but it's rude to lie down on someone else's furniture. And we are guests here." Mark added sharply, his temper getting short. "I'm sorry. My friend… is a bumbass." Quill spoke, before made a sound similar to her gagging sound, which made Mark look rightwards at her again. "That's the same as your dying." Nebula said back sharply. "Why do you criticize everything?" Mantis asked back sharply. "Well, why is it oblong, then?" Mark heard Drax ask. "Seriously?! We're having a different conversation now!" Mark thought in head, getting increasingly annoyed at their childish behaviour. "It was a totally different sound." Mantis exclaimed, which Mark kind of agreed with. "No, it wasn't." Nebula replied before making a similar sound. "Dying." She said before doing it again. "Dumbass. See? It's the same." She added, Mark at this have had enough.
"All right, guys, enough! Can we please stop argue about irrelevant things and get back to trying to save our friend?! And Drax, I can see you!" He yelled out, everyone looking at him, while Mark stared at Drax, who had been starting to lie down again, but when Mark finished, he sat up. "Good. Now, Quill, proceed." Mark spoke gentler, turning to upwards/leftwards at Quill, gesturing with his left paw-hand. "Thank you. I understand that none of this makes any sense to you right now. We need your help in finding a man. Uh, uh, I' gonna, I'm gonna draw. I'm gonna draw the man that we're looking for." Quill explained, as he found and grabbed and pen and a pad of paper on the table, and drawing on it. As mark looked rightwards at Nebula as she opened the can and poured the blue liquid int her glass, Quill gestured to her head, referring to the computer on her head, as she drank it. "That is delightful." She spoke before she went back to drinking it, which made Mark grin a bit, before he looked back at Quill. "Have you seen this man?" He asked, holding the piece of paper up. Mark had seen Quill draw before, and he hadn't been impressed, so he knew the drawing would not be a work of art. "That's very good." Mantis spoke with a smile. "Can I have that later to hang in my apartment, please?" Drax spoke. "Yeah. Thank you." Quill replied, as the woman looked at bit closer at the drawing while Mark rolled his eyes. She spoke something in her language, which made Mark look at her properly, hoping they were getting somewhere. "His name? His name is 'Mowtio'?" Quill asked. The woman then gestured and then got up and walked over to the window, Mark turning around leftwards as she opened the blinder and shooed away the locals who were still there, and they then dispersed. Quill got up and walked over to the woman, who then pointed somewhere out the window, then she counted with her fingers then pointed out again. Mark took a few steps leftwards to see where she was pointing and saw in the distance a metal pyramid like structure. "Many mowtios. There? At the pyramid?" Quill asked, the woman nodding each time he spoke. "Is that your car in the driveway?" Quill then asked, pointing forwards, Mark looking in that direction to see a blue coloured old-fashioned car in the house's driveway. Mark then grinned as he looked leftwards at the husband, who put his right hand on his neck and muttered something. Before they knew it, the group was out of their seats and heading towards the door. Quill, with Mark behind him, again, opened the door and ran out, the locals who were still around outside the door dispersing around. "Drax, stay here with Rocket. Watch him. That's who they're coming for." Quill ordered as Mark, with a smirk, ran over to the left side of the car. "My grandpa had a car like this. Before he died, he used to drive around with me in it. Shotgun." He said happily as he opened the door the way he remembered, the memories of the very similar car his late grandfather had, suddenly flooding back. "I wanna come." Drax protested. "No. Mantis, watch Drax." Quill ordered as Mark jumped up onto the big seat with his smallish body. "Groot, you know what to do with these." He heard Quill say to Drax as he fastened his seat-belt. Once he did that, he looked leftwards as Quill got in, seeing Groot get in the back left side, seeing him out of the corner of his eye. He then looked over his right shoulder to see Nebula at the rear left door, struggling to open it. "Push down on it." Mark spoke. "What?" She asked, looking rightwards/downwards at him through the window. "Push the handle down." He answered. "I am pushing it down." Nebula replied. "Push the button." Mark advised, thinking that was the reason why it wasn't opening. He heard a clicking sound, but, if his memory served him correctly, it didn't sound like the kind when the button his pressed. That could only mean one thing. "You're pressing the keyhole, aren't you?" He asked rhetorically. "The what?" She asked. "There's button under he handles. Press… that… in." He explained, going slowly with the last sentence, while gesturing with his paw-hands, the left one straight, the right one in a fist below it. Then Nebula looked down and he heard the familiar sounds that meant she did it. "Okay. Now what?" She asked, looking back at him. "OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!" Mark snapped, he may not be one to swear, but as it was something so obvious. Not to mention they were wasting valuable time. Nebula then opened the door and got in, Mark looking ahead again. Jeez, for someone as intelligent as her, even something as simple as opening a door is that challenging." Mark thought in his head. "That is a stupid design and your instruction we're very unclear." Nebula complained as she got in and shut the door. "Let's get that passkey and save our friend." Quill spoke as he started the engine. He then drove forwards, but the car impacted the bins and he then hit the brakes. Mark moved forwards with the stopping, held by his seatbelt, moved back into his seat and started upwards/leftwards at Quill. "Unbelievable." He spoke in a serious tone. "I was 8 years old when I left Earth, okay?" Quill asked back, looking at him. "You've been piloting spaceships since you were 10, and yet you can barely drive a car?" Mark pointed out, his tone still serious. "Don't' see you volunteering." Quill said back. "You want me to drive? I had lessons, and a license." Mark then asked. "No. I don't want you to drive. I got this." Quill replied as he then got the car going again, but kept stopping several times, then stopped for a few seconds before he got it going, though he drove across someone's lawn (Mark shouting "Not the lawn, Quill!") before he went down the street to the right, heading towards the pyramid.
They drove onwards towards the pyramid, Mark looking out of the window, seeing the place did look a lot like Earth in the 80s, especially when they passed an old-fashioned looking advertisement board. They then came upon some building, which Mark saw had graffiti on the wall, then a bit further on, he looked rightwards out the side window to see an old looking animal woman lying asleep on a bench. Then they passed an open gate when a figure with an octopus face, tentacles draping around. was giving out, what Mark saw as he looked closer was most likely drugs to a trio of young cockroach guys. Then a bit up the road he saw a pair of animal male figures fighting each other, one of the them hitting the other, that looked like a porcupine, with a stick. Drug dealing, homelessness, violence. This is definitely a replica of Earth, all right." Mark thought in his head. "This is the perfect society?" He heard Nebula ask, whom he assumed was also looking out and watching all of that as well. "Every society has it's ills, Nebula." Mark replied. A minute or two later, they arrived at the red pyramid, crossing the bridge across the surrounding water, stopping at a checkpoint. Mark saw that in front of the barrier were two animals, though they were disfigured and maimed and fitted with robotic limbs. "Here we go." Quill announced, before he stopped the car abruptly. Mark then opened the door and jumped out, closing the door with his right paw-hand and walked over to the front of the car then stepped leftwards. "We're here to see…" Quill (on Mark's left) began to say. "The High Evolutionary is expecting you." The one on the right spoke in a deepish male voice. "Which means it is a trap." Nebula spoke, on Mark's right. "It's a face-off." Quill said back. "She stays here." The right one spoke, staring at Nebula. "Why?" She asked. "Policy against weaponry and your arm is a gun." The right one answered, pointing with his left robotic arm at her robotic arm. The one on the left, a pig, then held out it's left arm at Quill, opened its two fingers revealing a scanner, then it scanned Quill, then it did the same with Mark. "They're clean." The pig spoke in a feminine voice. "Let's go." The other one said, before he started to turn around. "Hey." Nebula spoke. "It'll be okay." Quill replied, before he, Mark, and Grot, followed the animal into the pyramid, it led them through it into a large red metal brick walled chamber, where the animal got to their right said and pointed out with its left robotic arm at the desk in the centre, surrounded by several people in black or white clothes. The trio stepped forward silently, Mark looking at the red bricked desktop was they came around it to see a black skinned figure with a strange face in a blue metal looking outfit, holding up his right index finger, while looking at a computer. He looked just like the figure in the statue Mark looked at earlier, and he connected the dots. It was the High Evolutionary himself.
Silence filled the room for a few minutes, the only sound being the faint chatter of the people around the trio, and the High Evolutionary's clicking, minutes that Rocket did not have, Mark, standing on Quill's right, his arms folded, was getting impatient. He then looked leftwards/upwards at Quill, who then turned around to his right to see something that made his eyes widen. "You!" He cried, as Mark looked over his left shoulder to see the man they were after, which made him turn around leftwards as Quill headed towards the man, who then looked at Quill. "Hey, yeah, you!" Quill cried out, pointing with his left index finger as Mark started walking towards him, passing Groot, who then started walking behind him, hearing his footsteps. "I take it the passkey, it's in that thing on your head." Quill requested, stepping towards him, the trio then stopping. "I would advise against aggression." Mark heard a strange voice coming from behind the, which he guessed was the High Evolutionary's, which made him turn around leftwards to see the man standing up. "Oh. Got time for me now?" He heard Quill ask. "Your friend once took advantage. I learn my lessons. I aim some small part of my mental capacity back in my own direction, and now, gravity itself serves my whims." The High Evolutionary spoke as he stepped away from the desk, and walked towards them. "War Pig. Now." Mark heard a voice among them say, but he kept his attention on the High Evolutionary. "You must find Counter-Earth familiar." The High Evolutionary asked, pointing and them walking towards the large windows behind them. "Counter-Earth?" Mark and Quill asked at the same time. "I visited your planet many years ago." The High Evolutionary answered, which explained a lot. "Earth hasn't been my planet in a long time." Quill replied, which made Mark nod, as he kind of felt that sort of thing. "Your people had…wonderful spirit. The art and music and literature were some of the finest in the universe." The High Evolutionary explained, which made Mark unsure whether or not to take that as a compliment, being from Earth. "Earth would be a fabulous place, were it not for the ignorance and bigotry." The High Evolutionary continued, staring out the windows, Mark slightly agreeing with him. "Okay." Quill spoke. "It inspired me to create Counter-Earth." The High Evolutionary continued, as he walked around, as if ignoring Quill's voice. "I don't care." Quill spoke. "All of the good and none of the bad." The High Evolutionary added with a smile. "With it's animals." Mark muttered, as the High Evolutionary walked in a half circle on their left, Mark and Quill turning leftwards as he walked. "I don't need another speech by some impotent whackjob whose mother didn't love him rationalising why he needs to conquer the universe." Quill complained, the High Evolutionary stopping. "True. My bits and pieces were a distraction. I removed them eons ago." The High Evolutionary replied, which made Mark move his eyes downwards at his lower area in shock for a few seconds before he looked up again. "My mother did not love me. Not after at the of 12, I drafted her face onto the family dog." The High Evolutionary added, which made Mark widen his eyes, since he was a Dog. "Not her actual face. A genetic copy." The High Evolutionary added, though it didn't make Mark feel any better. "Oh, well, then, totally normal." "Quill replied sarcastically. "But I'm not trying to conquer the universe, I'm perfecting it." The High Evolutionary continued, stepping closer to Quill. "Depending on your point of view, 'perfecting' can be an excuse for conquering or destruction." Mark thought in his head, remembering the beliefs of Thanos. "Look, you can boast about yourself all you like, we just want the passkey." Mark then spoke, getting back to the point "Then bring me 89P13." The High Evolutionary replied, looking up and down at Mark and Quill. "I am Groot." Groot said menacingly, the High Evolutionary staring at him for a second. "He says, 'suck my...'" Quill started to translate, before the High Evolutionary interrupted him. "Why are you so angry?" He asked, as if he were stupid. "Because we know what you did to our friend." Mark answered viciously. "Anything I've done, I've done for the betterment of the universe." The High Evolutionary said and Mark then realised all those stories he'd heard about him are true. "Newsflash, Einstein. Better universes generally don't include a bunch of octopuses selling drugs to guys with cockroach heads." Quill said back, pointing he failed. "They do not." The High Evolutionary replied, before he in between Quill, Mark and Groot, and stepped towards the windows. "Which is why, as I have done many times before, I'm going to have to raze it all and start again." He spoke. "What? /Wait, what?" Mark and Quill asked at the same time, panic and fear in their voices, Mark's eyes widening. "We're in possession of the subject." One of the figures around them spoke. "Commence launch." The High Evolutionary responded, nodding. And a few seconds later, the floor began to rumble.
And that's the tenth chapter done. Hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review/comment. I also included a deleted scene (the "bits and pieces" part). The next chapter will be out sooner, next week, as I'll be away for the week after that. Oh, and to Sinikettu, thanks for giving me that thought, I'll think about it.
For those of you who may have noticed Mark having an increased role or prominence (I don't fully know how old cars like that worked, so let's say in this version all of the car doors have buttons on them), or having more to say, it will all make sense when his destiny is decided. What do you think it will be? I've already decided, but I'd to hear like your thoughts.