Mathew-Swift-Fiction presents...
"Guardians of the Galaxy: Prime Directive"
Murder Drones belong to GLITCH/Liam Vickers * GotG belong to Marvel (This version of GotG belongs to Eidos-Montreal)
(The events of this story takes place during the pilot of Murder Drones and before the events of Marvel's GotG. This story is not-canon to both of those stories or their timelines)
Chapter Six
No Guts, No Glory
"Run for your lives!" One of the worker drones ran towards the others, fearing for his life. Several of the other workers were trying to keep themselves away from the murderous drones that had infiltrated the bunker. One of which was already feasting on an unfortunate victim, devouring the oil from within its corpse. The other one was slowly approaching the group, crushing the drone's head with her massive claw.
"Mr. Doorman, what do we do?" Another worker asked, hoping his leader would have an answer to stop this massacre. However, he seemed to be just as scared as anybody else, his eyes in complete paranoia. "Uhh, sir?"
"Huh?" Khan got back to reality, as he shook his head from the trauma he had to endure. "Oh, right, a plan. Well, maybe if we build a quick door, we can…"
"Sir, I don't think doors are gonna help us!" Another worker said, still feeling frightened.
"Not with that attitude, Steve." Khan shook his head, as he tried to huddle the other drones away from the winged demonic drones. However, they scooched against a wall, as it was more than likely a dead end for the Worker Drones.
"Oh, don't worry," J smirked, as she was twiddling with her claws, anticipating the massacre that she was about to commit. But as she was about to feast upon the defenseless workers…
"HEY!" A familiar voice rang in her ears, as her eyes shrank in annoyance upon hearing it. She turned her head to the top of a pile of storage crates to see a shadowy figure, with glowing, red eyes visible in the shadows. "Leave these drones alone!"
As J looked at the figure with fury, the Worker Drones were in confusion upon seeing it.
"You must have some sort of death wish, Peter Quill." J monologues, as she turned her left hand into a submachine gun, pointing it up at him. The workers were intrigued, but Khan looked at the shadowy figure in realization. "Do you really think you can save these corrupted drones?" The workers looked up at the mysterious figure, in both curiosity and fear.
"That's funny," Peter said, pulling out one of his elemental blasters, aiming it at J. "The only corrupted drone I see… is you." J felt offended at such a remark, as she gritted her teeth in anger.
"Oh, please. That's not what the company says." J scoffed it off, as she stood her ground, unaware of the smaller vines growing underneath her legs, carefully slithering up on them. "And now, these workers will get to see what happens when someone tries to play the hero. Any last words?"
"Just a couple…" Peter nodded, as he pressed a button on his mask, as the sound of music was heard on the intercom. The workers were in awe at the sudden change of atmosphere, as it sounded like a man was singing in the bunker, echoing within the walls.
(Music: Livin' On a Prayer by Bon Jovi)
"NOW GROOT!" Peter yelled, as J's eyes shot in confusion at what was happening. Suddenly, the branches beneath J wrapped around her, trapping her in the vines. V notices the ambush, as she unsheathes her blades to take Peter down. But as she was about to attack, something knocked her leg and caused her to trip onto the ground.
"Heheh, sorry about that." N smiled sheepishly, as he gave his former partner a cautious wave. Groaning in anger, V attempted to slice through N's legs, as he jumped in the nick of time, as he hovered over her, nervously smiling at V. "Uhh, no hard feelings?"
Peter activated his jet boots, as he landed by the door, as Drax, Gamora, and Groot entered the room, with Rocket on his shoulders, holding a couple blasters in each paw. Uzi was the last to approach them, holding her charged railgun over her shoulder. Drax was confused at the choice of music.
"What is this melodic calamity?" He asked, confused at the intercoms.
"Blame Uzi! She suggested the tunes!" Peter deflected, as Uzi gave him a stern look.
"Bite me! This song is badass in a fight! At least, in my dreams, anyway." She spat at Peter, as they turned back to the Disassembly Drones before them.
"Ugh, why won't these jerks just stay dead?!" J gritted her teeth in fury.
"Who… who are those guys?" Thad asked, still wincing from the pain of V's claws from earlier, as Stella and Doll helped him stand.
"We're the Guardians of the Galaxy!" Peter called out, heroically. "And these worker drones are under our protection!"
"Yeah! So unless you wanna get disintegrated, I suggest you stand down!" Uzi called out as well, as she pointed her railgun at J and V. The other worker drones were in awe and excitement upon seeing this motley crew, as they hid behind the wall of crates, peeking in between the sides to see what was going on.
"Is that Khan's kid?" A female drone was shocked to see what she was seeing.
"Guardians of the Galaxy?" Another drone asked. But Khan was the most shocked of all.
"Uzi?!" He yelled, his voice echoing in the room, but was easily drowned out by the lyrical voice of Bon Jovi, playing on the intercoms.
"Alright, SPLIT UP!" Peter called, as the Guardians broke off into two groups. "Gamora, Drax, you guys help N on taking down V. Groot, make sure that the workers stay away from the chaos! Rocket, Uzi, you're with me!"
"Oh, FLARK, yeah!" Rocket smiled, as he held his customized pistols, hopping on a nearby crate to get some elevation. "I've been waiting all crutakin' day for this!"
"With pleasure!" Uzi nodded, as she held her railgun out, pointing it at J.
"Do you honestly think you could take down a disassembly drone like me?" J growled in fury, as she unsheathed her claws. "I am the definition of perfection! I am a god amongst these…AAH!" However, a couple plasma shots were fired at J, as she was rudely interrupted.
"Are you just gonna chat up on how bullshit you are, or are we gonna actually fight?" Rocket asked, his pistols steaming from the shots he fired.
"Grrrr!" J was especially furious, as her eyes lunged up to Rocket, as she aimed a submachine gun at the rodent. "I will make you suffer!" Then, she shot from her gun, as Rocket climbed up the pile of boxes, managing to avoid her bullets.
"Hang on, Rocket!" Peter hovered down and began to fire upon J, his plasma shots being barricaded by her wing. This caused J to look up to Peter, and aimed her weapon at him, firing away. However, Peter's maneuvering with his jet boots made it hard for J to hit him. Swerving side by side, avoiding the overhead lights, Peter dodged every shot that J managed to fire onto the roof. The falling glass from the lightbulbs littered the floor. Meanwhile, Uzi looks up to Rocket, as she pulls out what seemed to be a fountain branded pen.
"Rocket!" She calls down to him, as the rodent looks towards her. "Lend me a pistol!"
"Here, but if you break it, you buy it!" Rocket tossed the pistol down to the purple haired worker, as she began to shove the pen inside the glock of the gun. Then, she takes aim at the distracted J. Then, she pulls the trigger.
*BANG!*
The pen is shot out, like a miniature missile, as it stabs right into one of J's bulbs on her headband, as nanite-acid begins to leak from where the pen struck.
"AAUUGH!" J screamed, as she tried to reach for the weapon, while Peter was still firing his dual-blasters at her. Rocket was impressed by the idea Uzi had, as he hopped down beside her.
"Creatively cruel and tactically disgusting." He nodded. "Not bad… for a tin can."
"Heh, you're not so bad yourself… rodent." Uzi smirked, as she slightly twitched at the 'tin can' remark. Rocket twitched at his trigger word as well, but he decided to let it slide.
"RRRRAGH!" The sound of Drax the Destroyer's roars rumbled, as a massive laser caused him to use his daggers as a shield against the swings V made against them. N held out his launcher towards V, his arm shaking nervously, as he began to fire. However, in place of what should've been laser bullets, pink hearts floated from the barrel of his weapon, as his eyes shrank in shock.
"AHH, SORRY!" N screamed, feeling a bit embarrassed. "My mind is in a weird place! Don't think about it too much!" But before Drax could respond to N's strange ramblings, a missile is shot between them, causing both N and Drax to be sent flying in opposing directions. Drax landed near Groot, as the other Worker Drones saw the large Katathian warrior fall on his back, sounding weakened. Thad, his eyes in surprise, looks back to the other workers.
"Guys, we have to do something!" Thad suggested, as the other worker drones looked at each other. "Those 'Guardians' are trying to save us! We need to at least help them!"
"Out of the question!" Khan said, as he quickly stood in front of Thad, trying to get the workers' attention. "What WE need to do is to build a quick door to keep those monsters out!"
"But what about the Guardians?" Another worker asked, feeling a bit worried.
"Yeah, those guys need our help, Khan!" Another worker pleaded, as Khan began to sweat digitally.
"Well, uh, you see, uh…" Khan was trying to find an excuse, as Thad picks up a lead pipe on the ground.
"Well, I'm going to help them, or die trying!" Thad called out, as he charged out from their hiding spot.
"I am Groot!" Groot reached his hand forward, trying to warn Thad of the dangers he would face. But the jock was determined, as he held his arm high, holding the pipe to V, who was preparing to aim her weapon at N. He swung with all his might, as he managed to hit V on the head.
THUNG!
The pipe made a harsh ringing sound across the bunker, as it doesn't seem to have affected V at all. Instead, she slowly turns her head towards Thad, who was starting to shake in his steps.
"Oooh, sounds like a worker is trying to fight back…" Her voice sounded cold and malicious, as she retracts her gun and grabs a hold of Thad and his letterman jacket, holding him high above her head. "Pretty ballsy, I'll give you that. Too bad it'll be the last thing you ever do!" As her tail swung towards the helpless drone, she felt a surge of pain coming from her tail.
Gamora had sliced the syringe right off her tail, as she followed it up by a swift kick to V's chest, sending her across the room. Upon the kick, V lets go of Thad, as he lands on his back, looking up at the face of the being that saved his life. Gamora reaches forward and helps the worker drone back on his feet.
"Thanks for the distraction, kid," Gamora looked down to the brave, little drone, nodding to his bravery. "But you should probably get to safety."
"Uhh, no problem." Thad answered, blushing up at the armor-clad woman. He retreated back to where Groot was, as the Floral-Colossus assisted him to safety.
Meanwhile, Peter, Rocket and Uzi were still firing upon the stumbled J, as she finally managed to take the pen out of her head, crushing it to smithereens.
"Damn the well-made, quality-assured durability of JCJenson products!" She mumbled to herself, still using her wings as a shield against the blasts. Then, she begins to come up with a backup plan, as she retracts her hand into what seemed to be an EMP generator. Laughing maniacally, she raises the generator in the air and fires an electromagnetic pulse across the room. It deactivates the electronic devices of whatever was around her. Rocket's pistols and other weapons were disabled, the intercom music was shut off and even Uzi herself was shut down, due to the shock in her nervous system. Peter saw this, as he called out to Uzi.
"Hang on, kid!" He yelled, but J was ready for Peter, as she shot a smaller EMP blast at Star-Lord, causing his jet boots and his mask to malfunction, shutting down on its owner. Peter fell to the ground and landed with a thud, not far from where Uzi collapsed. Rocket, from dropping his malfunctioned weapons to the ground, tried to jump onto the oncoming Disassembly Drone, and began to scratch the living flark out of her. He did manage to graze her visor, scratching the pristine glass, but J grabbed a hold of him and held him up high.
"I'll deal with you later, vermin!" Then, she tosses him away to one of the walls, as Rocket is slammed against it, groaning and riddled with pain.
Across the room, Gamora was swinging against the swordsmanship of Serial Designation V, as their swords clashed against each other, sparks flying in all directions of the metallic collision. However, V's furious swings were beginning to throw Gamora off her balance, as the deadliest woman in the universe was pushed down by V's wrath. She raised her sword behind, as one quick swing would end Gamora's life.
However, as she struck down, another blade interfered, as N leaned in, using his own sword to keep Gamora safe. N began to push himself forward, trying his best to keep V away, but V knew what he was planning. She increased her strength, as the swords were getting closer to Gamora. N, as he began to struggle, looks over to see both Uzi and Peter Quill on the ground, as J was slowly walking towards them with a sadistic grin.
"Uzi! Peter!" He yelled, but his moment of empathy made the blades get closer to them, as N looked back up to V, whose eyes were filled with malicious glee. Knowing that he was no match against his former partner, he had a last resort idea. "Uhhh, I'd hate to do this, but…"
"Eww! You're disgusting!" V retorted, trying to remove N's saliva from her blade. However, as she attempted to clean her blade, Gamora got back on her feet, as she gave V another chest kick, causing her to fly back a bit. Then, out of nowhere, Drax charged forward and stabbed V with both of his daggers, much to N's dismay. But Drax merely tossed the injured drone up high, as N released his wings and flew up, as V was thrown towards his direction. Then, N did a flip and kicked V back down to the ground, causing her to land with a tremor, causing rock and metal to fly in all directions.
Regaining her consciousness, Uzi tried to reach for her railgun that fell not too far from her. But J got to it first and merely kicked it away. The Murder Drone leaned forward towards her prey and began to taunt her.
"Y'know, for a barely sentient toaster, you've got some nerve." She cooed, unsheathing one of her claws. "I've had prey fight back before, but there's something about your edgy spirit that's just so…" But something interfered with her teasing, as Peter managed to punch J in the face, causing her to step back.
"Oh, shut up with all the monologuing!" He sighed in annoyance, as he tried to reach for Uzi's railgun to finish the job. But J was quick to react, as she swung one of her claws at him, slicing his helmet. The glowing red eyes began to sputter and glitch out, as his human face became visible, looking a bit bruised. But Peter quickly tried to fight back, throwing some more punches, as J blocked them with her wrists, as she grabs Peter's head with one of her claws and throws him to the ground with a loud thud.
"Peter!" Gamora, Drax and N called out, as they tried to help him. However, J looked towards them and aimed her gun at them.
"One more step and your human pet dies by my hand!" J's shouts caused the whole room to go silent, as she looked back down to Peter, as her claw was keeping it in place. Her malicious grin returns, as she begins to apply pressure to her palm, slowly crushing his head. "You should've taken my offer, Peter Quill… And now, I'm going to enjoy making sure that your death is slow and…" However, J begins to feel a sharp pain in her leg. "...Painful?" She looks down to see that her tail was forcefully stabbed into her knee, as Uzi pushed down on it. J hops up, as she tries to reach for it, beginning to yell out the words that come into her head. "AAH! STOCKHOLDERS! FOURTH QUARTER! PROFITS! MOTHER OF COMPANY LEADERSHIP RETREATS!"
Then, as he was free from J's grasp, Peter stood up and pulled out his blasters, as he aimed them at J. Charging his blasters, J was still attempting to free her tail from her knee. Then, he fired a powerful shot at J, causing her to slam against the wall, feeling exhausted and weakened. As she shook her head to get up, she was met with a glowing, green barrel of a railgun, held by Uzi.
"One more buzzword, and you're history! Go on, I dare you…" She grinned, standing over J, as the Disassembly Drone was frightened. She looked around her to see the other Guardians gathering around her, looking triumphantly, as Groot was tying V up in his branches. Serial Designation J was scared out of her wits, as she tried to ease the situation.
"Uhhhhh, Professional compromi–?"
BWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
The massive beam of green light shot from Uzi's railgun, as everyone else covered their eyes from its blinding hazardous light. Finally, the light had dispersed, as Uzi and the Guardians of the Galaxy saw the fruits of their efforts.
Serial Designation J was completely destroyed, as a smoldering crater was left in the railgun's blast. The only things that remained from J were her legs, arms and her tail, as they laid on the ground motionless, and sparking.
"Holy hell…" Rocket was in awe from the sight of the power the railgun had, as his eyes were sparkling at it. "Now THAT is what I call a gun."
"I see the irony in this." Drax said, nodding at the remains of their opponent. "The metallic demon had perished by the hands of those she preyed upon."
"Sooo you don't think she'll regenerate like N did?" Peter asked cautiously.
"Doubt it." Uzi spat at the smoking crater that J once was. "And even if she does, I can take her down."
"I am Groot?" Groot asked, as he pointed to the Worker Drones' hiding spot, where one of the workers was peeking out from behind a box. Smiling, Peter raises his hand and gestures to Workers to come on out.
"It's alright, you can come out now!" He called. "The Murder Drones won't bother you anymore!"
The worker was hesitant at first, but then he carefully walked out, as several more Worker Drones began to follow suit. They were talking with each other, bewildered at the sight of the drones they feared being tied up and/or destroyed.
"They… they did it!" One of the WDF workers was in surprise, upon seeing J's smoking corpse. The sound of cheers came from the small group of Worker Drones, as they cheered for their heroes.
"So this is what praise feels like?" Rocket asked, as he was cracking a smile. "This ain't half bad."
"Told ya this was worth it." Peter nodded, as he turned back to the worker drones, as Thad came out from the group.
"Wow, that was amazing!" He was ecstatic, still holding a hand over his injury. "Thank you guys so much for saving us!"
"Don't just thank us." Peter nudged Uzi forward, to the front of the group. "If it weren't for Uzi here, the rest of us would've been done for."
"Yeah! Uzi, that was incredible! The way you shot that railgun was crazy!" Thad praised his fellow Worker Drone, causing Uzi to blush a bit.
"Oh, well, it was nothing, really…" Uzi tried to brush off the recognition, placing a hand behind her head.
"Nothing? You and these Guardians saved our entire colony!" Thad turned back to the others and raised a fist high. "Three cheers for Uzi and the Guardians of the Galaxy!" The worker drones cheered in unison, as Uzi looked behind her to Peter, who was smiling at her.
"Well, kid, how does it feel to finally get that respect?" He crossed his arms, as Uzi returned his smile with her own.
"It feels… kinda nice, actually." She mumbled, as the drones continued to cheer loudly. However, as they cheered on, another voice called to cease the excitement.
"Stop! Stop cheering!" Khan stepped to the front of the pack, waving his arms high, catching all the workers' attention. "There's no reason to cheer for these… strangers!"
"Except that we flarkin' saved your asses?" Rocket spat at Khan.
"Only because you brought those Murder Drones to our doorstep!" Khan responded, as he pointed a finger at the Guardians. "If it weren't for you… Guardians, we would've been shielded from those monsters!"
"Are you serious?!" Gamora scoffed at the thought. "All you had to protect you was three massive doors! No weapons, no barricades, or anything!"
"Yeah, if anything, Uzi was the only one who was putting in effort to protect all of you!" Peter backed up Gamora's statement. "And all you ever thought about was how to save yourself!"
"How dare you assume that of my daughter!" Khan was especially furious, as he tried to step forward. Uzi tried to say something to her father, hoping that she could calm her down.
"Dad, chill. I can explain everything. I was the one who…"
"I don't wanna hear it, Uzi. For all we know, they probably filled your head with all these lies and fake promises about being a hero, in a world where we never needed one." Khan glared at Peter, as he crossed his arms. "I hereby banish these so-called Guardians from the colony… indefinitely!" His words echoing across the shelter, as the workers were in shock at this news.
"Banished?" One worker said, almost as if he never heard of that word in his life.
"We never had anybody banished before…" Another worker gasped.
"Dad, are you flarkin' serious?!" Uzi retorted, not believing what she just heard. "They literally saved us, and you're just gonna banish them?!"
"I will do what I have to do to keep us all safe." Khan said, as he turned around to walk away. "Let's go, Uzi." The other Worker Drones began to follow their leader into the bunker, leaving Uzi, alone with N and the Guardians. Uzi looked back to them, as they decided to head as well. Uzi was at her breaking point. The only people that valued her in her life are being banished by her own father. Clenching her hands into fists, she tried to hide the sadness in her eyes, as she felt something within her, as a small meter appeared on her visor.
REBELLIOUS LEVELS 100%
Her meter vanished, as she began to come to a difficult decision. She took a deep breath and her words echoed in the bunker.
"You're wrong, Dad."
Khan froze in his steps, as he looked back at his daughter. "What was that, Uzi?" He asked in a tone of shock, as the other workers turned around.
"I said, you're wrong." Uzi crosses her arms and stands her ground. "If the Guardians wouldn't have shown up, we would all be disassembled." Hearing this, Peter, Rocket, Drax, Gamora and Groot looked back as well, seeing Uzi stand up for herself. "Because… I was the one who brought those drones here. Not them." The Worker Drones were in shock upon hearing Uzi's confession, as Khan's eyes shrank in bewilderment.
"Uzi, you don't have to shield them from…"
"Let me finish, Dad!" She interrupted. "I lead them here by pure accident. I never meant for that to happen, but I did. So if you're going to blame anyone for luring them here, then blame me!"
"But… Uzi, they're… they're not…"
"They're not what? Not like us? So what if they aren't? You and many others have taught us that humans have destroyed our way of life. But Peter Quill is not like those humans. He and his team risked their lives to save us! No other human would do that for us!"
"But, I… Uzi, I was just trying to protect you…" Khan places a hand on his daughter's shoulder, but Uzi slaps it away, giving her father a stern, disgusted look.
"Like how you left me and Peter to die back there?"
That chilling response left the entire room in shock, as Khan was speechless and stuttered at her words. The other workers looked at Khan in surprise.
"You left your own offspring to perish?" Drax's voice broke the silence, as he sounded serious. "You are a disgrace to your family name."
"I am Groot." Groot looked disappointed, shaking his head at Khan.
"Groot said that… that's pretty fucked up." Rocket translated. "Only he never used 'fucked.'"
"Uzi, I…"
"Save it." Uzi stepped back from her father, as she approached the Guardians of the Galaxy, standing heroically before them. "If you banish the Guardians… then I banish myself!" Khan's heart lunged into his throat, as he had nothing to say, aside from the sound of his stuttering filled the room. Uzi picked her railgun up, as she began to storm out of the bunker, passing by Peter and walking out of sight.
"Uhhh, maybe I should follow her." N suggested, as he began to rush after her, leaving Peter and his team alone with the Worker Drones.
"I think we should leave, as well." Gamora suggested, as she began to lead the others out, but Peter was the last to leave, as he looked down to see Uzi's railgun at his feet. Leaning down, he picks up the gun and inspects it.
"Look, Uzi's a good kid, Mr. Doorman," Peter Quill said to Khan, as he looked up at the human. "But you gotta give her a chance to be who she wants to be… even if she leaves the nest." Peter holds the railgun over his shoulder, as he leaves Khan Doorman on his own, as the workers were on the verge of sobbing from what was unfolding. A small digital tear came down from Khan's eye, as he clutched his chest, as the feeling of guilt overcame him.
The toxic snowflakes kept flying down onto the surface of the exoplanet, still blanketing the ground and drone corpses. Uzi was approaching the massive spiral where the carnage took place a while ago, as she dusted the snow off herself.
"Uzi!" The voice of N called out to her, as she looked over to the direction of her former home, to see the 'rebellious' Disassembly Drone flying towards her, with a look of worry on his face. Realizing who it was, she turned away from him, trying to hide her emotions.
"I want to be left alone, N." She muttered, as she kept on walking into the fog. N landed softly next to her, walking alongside her.
"Yeah, I kinda figured…" N said, his voice sounding a bit unsure of what to say next. "Are you… okay?"
"Shut up!" Uzi retorted, looking away from him. Clutching her arms, she continued to walk, as she looked down, giving a stern look, as if she was trying to hide her emotions. N knew that she was lying, as he scratches his head, trying to help her
"It's because of your dad, isn't it?" He asked, putting his hands behind his back, still making sure that Uzi was not… overemotional.
"Bite me!" She snapped, as she sounded rather agitated. "Since when do you want to act all 'therapist' and all that? What happened between me and my dad is none of your friggin' business!" Then, she slowly stops herself, as she sees the worried look on N's face. Blushing awkwardly, she turns away from him, placing her hands in the pockets of her hoodie. "Sorry, N. it's just that…"
"I understand…" N smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I mean, all that stuff with J and V, the Guardians saving your people and your dad banishing them… It's a lot to take in."
"It's just that… Why doesn't he understand that we can't hide away all the time?!" Uzi ranted, feeling as if she needed to get this off her chest. "The very minute someone mentions fighting back, it gets laughed off and shoved aside for… for… stupid doors!" She groans, kicking the nearest thing she could find, which was a small pile of snow. N flinched at the sight of Uzi venting out her frustrations, as he wasn't the most qualified for this sort of predicament. Disassembly Drones aren't exactly counselors, after all.
"Do you… wanna, maybe…" Shaking in his steps, N was trying to find the words to say. "Do you wanna, maybe… stay at the landing pod?" Uzi turned back to him, raising an eyebrow. The wind became more harsher, as Uzi grabbed onto her beanie. Maybe it would be a good idea to get out of this storm.
Hopping back into the Milano, Peter and his crew were relieved to finally get some heat from the freezing atmosphere of Copper Nine. Especially Rocket, whose fur was glistening with snowflakes. V, who was tied up and strapped to Groot's back, was grumbling to herself, not even believing that she lost to what seemed to be the biggest group of idiots this side of the Milky Way.
"I am Groot!" Groot said, as he brushed the snow off his shoulders.
"Yeah, who needs those chumps?" Rocket agreed, as he dusted himself as well. "All that effort to save their crutakin' asses and they just throw us out!"
"I am Groot!"
"I am not exaggerating!" Rocket spat at his pal.
"I dunno," V smiled sadistically, looking over her shoulder to Rocket. "
"You do not have the right to speak, demon." Drax sneered at V, ponting a teal finger at her. "You will answer your crimes to the Nova Corps once we head to New Xandar!"
"Yeah, at least we'll get some units in exchange for your sorry ass being scrap metal." Smiling at the thought of ridding this drone from the rest of his life, Rocket chuckled.
"Ooh, I'm going to enjoy ripping you all apart, once I break free from these branches." V threatened, attempting to struggle out of her restraints. But Groot's roots were just too tight and hard to squirm out of. "Grrr, stupid twigs!"
"Oh, those are just temporary. I'm sure we've got some heavy chains to keep you in check, right, Quill?" But there was no response, as Peter was looking back at the spherical airlock, thinking about some things. "Uhh, Quill?"
"Huh?" The Star-Lord asked, his mind still wandering off. "Oh, sorry, I, uh, I guess my mind was somewhere else."
"Don't tell me you feel sorry for those buckets of bolts." Rocket rolled his eyes. "You heard what that mustached flark said, he doesn't care about what we did. Let's just cut our losses and head off this dustball of a planet."
"It's not that, Rocket. It's just…" Peter drifted off,
"It's Uzi, isn't it?" Gamora asked, seeing the look on Peter's face. "You're worried about her, aren't you?"
"A little bit. I mean, she was the only one trying to protect her people. And her own father… left her to die." Peter felt something in him that made him feel sorry for their new allies.
"I still say that her father was a coward for not protecting his child." Drax stepped forward, placing a hand on Quill's shoulder. "I must admit, the little drone has a fighting spirit within her, much like Kamaria had, when she was…" The Katathian's voice fell silent upon remembering his past, with his family.
"I am Groot." Groot nodded, agreeing with Drax, as he gave a sympathetic smile to Peter.
"Well, she did have a kickass railgun, I'll give her that." Rocket scratched his head.
"And that Disassembly Drone as well," Gamora pondered. "If it weren't for him, we would've been killed."
"Yeah, we owe them a lot." Peter placed his hands in his pockets, as he sighed. "If only there was something we could do for them."
"I am Groot!" Groot's smile lit up, as he raised a hand high, getting the attention of the other Guardians.
"You sure about that, bud?" He asked, as Groot responded with a nod. Then, Rocket turned to everyone else. "Groot says he has an idea. But he wants us all to put it to a vote first."
"I see no objection to this." Drax acknowledged the Colossus's request. "I believe this would be a team decision?"
"I mean, why else would we vote on it?" Gamora replied.
"What did you have in mind, Groot?" Peter asked, looking up to him. Smiling at how everyone was listening to him, Groot raised his arm, pointing a finger behind them.
"I am Groot!" Groot nodded, pointing out to the airlock behind them.