Chapter 11: Not My Idea

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We came up with a plan. Now, I would not call it a good plan, or a smart one, or even one I particularly agreed with, but it was a plan. A plan that had been suggested by Rocket, and as such I made a mental note to never ever let the raccoon decide on the plans again. Call me paranoid but I had this sinking feeling that any and all plans he was involved with making would involve something going boom. Today that something was the Ravager ship. Which currently held the very two people we were attempting to save like I said not a smart plan.

"This is the worst plan ever," I announced once again from the copilot chair as we neared the Ravager's ship. I was actually a little surprised that Groot was okay with this plan actually. Now Drax, you might be wondering where he is. You see he was currently strapped to the top of the ship, with Rocket's Hadron Enforcer. And here I just wanted to blow up a moon.
"Well, I don't hear you making up any suggestions!" Rocket snapped rolling his eyes.
"I made many suggestions. And all of those suggestions did not involve blowing up a ship which currently has the very people we are trying to save on it!" I shouted as we slowed to a stop in front of the Ravager ship. Honestly, my suggestion of sneaking onto the ship and just taking Quill and Gamora would have worked perfectly.
"Well... too late." Rocket announced shrugging helplessly before smirking evilly as he fired a couple warning shots at the much bigger ship before us.
He gave them a minute to process that they were under attack before he opened a channel as he shouted, "Attention idiots! The lunatic on top of this craft is holding a Hadron Enforcer. It's a weapon of my own design. If you don't hand over our companions now he's gonna tear your ship a new one. A very big new one!"
"For the record, I have nothing to do with this," I called over the channel quickly shaking my hand though they couldn't see me, "This is all him. I have no say in this."
"I'm giving you to the count of 5," Rocket announced them ignoring me. He continued to sit there grinning slightly as he began counting down, a little faster than I was comfortable with. Luckily he only got to 3 before the frantic familiar voice of Quill shouted over the comm, "Rocket, it's me, for god sakes! We figured it out! We're fine!"
I let out a sigh of relief practically melting into my seat in relief, grinning slightly. I would never admit it but it was a little comforting to know that they were okay.
"Oh hey, Quill. What's going on?" Rocket asked casually almost sounding surprised
"Does this mean I do not need to fire?" Another voice called curiously.
I let out a low sigh as I called back, "No, Drax. You do not need to fire."
Not long after Quill and Gamora were returned to us, both thankfully in one piece but also both looking a little nervous. We gathered down in what I could only call the main room, settling ourselves down in a circle before Quill dropped the bomb.
"You call that 'figured it out'?" Rocket yelled in disbelief at Quill's horrible news, "We're gonna rob the guys who just beat us senseless?"
"Well, I stand corrected. This is the worst plan ever." I corrected myself, crossing my arms before nodding at Rocket, "I apologize, Rocket."
"Oh, you wanna talk about senseless? How about trying to save us by blowing us up?" Quill countered a little pissed about that as Rocket nodded back at me.
"We were only gonna blow them up if they didn't turn you over!" Rocket corrected defensively.
Quill looked at him like he was insane as he demanded, "And how on earth were they gonna turn us over when you only gave them to a count of five?!"
"We didn't have time to work out the minutiae of the plan!" Rocket yelled back at him looking briefly to Groot as he vented, "This is what we get for acting altruistically."
"I am Groot."
"They are ungrateful!" Rocket agreed wholeheartedly.
"This is just so entertaining to watch," I admitted looking between the two of them mildly amused by the one-sided conversation.
Gamora sighed interrupting us, "What's important now, is we get the Ravagers' army to help us save Xandar!"
"So we can give the stone to Yondu, who's just gonna sell it somebody even worse?" Rocket countered, pointing out what I considered the worst part of this.
"We'll figure that part out later," Quill assured us, pushing the problem away for the time being.
"We have to stop Ronan." Gamora insisted with a note of desperation.
"How?" Rocket shouted unconvinced.
"I have a plan." Quill suddenly announced confidently.
I leveled him with a disbelieving look as I asked generally surprised, "You? You have a plan?"
"Yes." Quill stammered, a bit of his confidence breaking away with my disbelief, leaving me very unassured.
"Okay, first of all, you're copying me from when I said I had a plan," Rocket declared.
"No, I'm not." Quill denied defensively, "People say it all the time. It's not that unique of a thing to say."
Rocket rolled his eyes as he continued, "Secondly, I don't even believe you have a plan."
Quill faltered a bit as he tinkered his previous statement, "I have... part of a plan."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You liar that's not a plan!" I declared shaking my head.
"What percentage of a plan do you have?" Drax asked looking for a bright side in this.
"You don't get to ask questions after the nonsense you pulled on Knowhere." Gamora decreed pointing at the troublemaker.
"I just saved Quill!" Drax said sounding mildly insulted.
"We've already established that you blowing up the ship I'm on it not saving me!" Quill reminded the warrior.
"When did we establish this?" Drax questioned.
Quill's eyes widened again as he yelled, "Like three seconds ago!"
"I wasn't listening, I was thinking of something else," Drax admitted dropping his case as he put his hands together.
"Good to know we're all on the same page here." I groaned sarcastically shaking my head and leaning back in my chair.
"She's right, you don't get an opinion." Rocket agreed with Gamora before he turned back to Quill repeating the question, "What percentage?"
"I don't know," Quill admitted hesitantly, "Twelve percent."
"Twelve percent?" Rocket repeated, only to throw his head back and laugh.
"That's a fake laugh!" Quill accused quickly.
Rocket snapped his head back insisted, "It's real!"
"Totally fake!"
"That is the most real, authentic, hysterical laugh of my entire life! Because that it now a plan!" Rocket shouted.
"It's barely a concept," Gamora agreed reluctantly.
"You're taking their side?" Quill accused her sounding almost hurt by this minor betrayal.
"I am Groot." The tree said shrugging calmly.
"So what if it's better than eleven percent?" Rocket demanded, "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"
"Thank you, Groot! Thank you!" Quill said relieved that someone had faith in him as he patted the tree on the shoulder, "See? Groot's the only one of you who has a clue!"
"Uh, check again," I warned him as Groot began, wait a minute, it looks like he was trying to eat one of the twigs on his shoulder. Quill looked down at him over to rub his eyes with a sigh.
"Guys. Come on. Yondu is going to be here in two seconds. He expects to hear this great plan of ours!" Quill began in a quivering voice looking around at us before he admitted, "I need your help."
I wrapped my arms around myself looking around at the group, avoiding looking Quill in the eyes.
Quill sighed before he began what I could only assume was his uplifting speech, "I look around at us. And you know what I see?"
I looked up at him expectantly, with a minor hope that he was going to say something awesome.
"Losers."
Or he could try that. I scoffed at him shaking my head at his choice of words as the others glared at him, glancing around at one another as if debating on if they should kill him. He looked around at us a little panicked realizing his mistake before he corrected, "I, mean, like folks who have lost stuff."
I blinked at his quick save.
"And we have. Man, we have, all of us." Quill continued quickly, fueled by the fact that he seemed to have us on the same page, "Our homes our families, normal lives."
I bite my lip looking away from Quill starting intensely on a single spot on the ground. Maybe, just maybe, Quill wasn't as big of an idiot as I had thought.
"And, usually, life takes more than it gives. But not today. Today, it's given us something. It has given us a chance." Quill declared bravely.
Unable to stay quiet anymore, though not able to force myself to look up I asked in a quiet voice, "To do what?"
"To give a shit." Quill answered simply, "For once. Not run away. I, for one, am not going to stand by and watch as Ronan whips out billions of innocents lives."
"Look, Quill," Rocket softly began hesitation in every word, "Stopping Ronan, it's impossible. You're asking us to die."
I closed my eyes at this, the reality of the situation was... difficult to say the least.
"Yeah, I guess I am," Quill admitted defeated, and I could hear him moving as if turning away from us.
No one spoke, no one dared to break the silence as Rocket's words sunk in. But I think my thoughts were a little different than the rest of them. I was not asking myself if I was willing to die trying to save millions. I had already answered that question for myself when Loki first came through that portal.
Not even then.
Going back to the start of this, when I first learned of SHIELD. I remembered Natasha looking me in the eyes and asking me that question. If I was truly willing to risk life and limb to do this, to save people.
Because when people ask me that question I always found myself asking myself one. It wasn't if I was willing to die, the real question was could I live with myself if I didn't. But then there was still a tiny part of me that made me hesitate.
"Quill," Gamora broke the silence suddenly, I snapped my eyes opened to look at her as she spoke. Quill turned back to face her as she began slowly, "I have lived most my life surrounded by my enemies."
I tilted my head, frowning with uncertainty as she stood to her full height announcing firmly with a grateful tone, "I will be grateful to die among my friends."
Oh great, more talk of friendship.
I looked over suspiciously as Drax stood as well a small smile on his big blue face as he declared, "You are an honorable man, Quill. I will fight beside you. And in the end, I will see my wife and daughter again."
I rolled my eyes groaning out a number of choice swears rubbing my face grumpily. Before I could think better of me I jumped to my feet setting my hands on my hips as I announced with a smile I couldn't stop, "Alright, just for the record, I still totally despise you all."
I ignored the way Quill smiled at me knowingly instead smirking at Groot as he stood with his catchphrase, "I am Groot."
Finally, all eyes fell on the seated Rocket, waiting expectantly as he looked at us suspiciously.
"What the hell I don't have that long a lifespan anyway." Rocket sighed rolling his eyes before standing up on top of the boxes he had been sitting on. He looked around us, "Now I'm standing. Y'all happy? We're all standing up now. Bunch of jackasses, standing in a circle."

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