Built for Destruction

Untitled Part 5

Rocket didn't know how long he had run since stumbling off of the ship, but he was sure as hell thankful that the other Guardians had decided to dock the Milano, allowing him means of escape. He didn't even know what planet he was on and hadn't given a moment to stop and take into consideration exactly where he was planning on going, but he did know one thing for sure. He had to keep moving.

He ran until the pads of his feet hurt and his ridged breaths had become so labored he was sure his lungs would burst if he kept going. And he would have had his blurring vision and a sudden spasm in his lower limbs caused him to lose his footing.

His fall hadn't even processed fully in his mind until he blinked his eyes open blearily in confusion, finding himself sprawled out on his stomach, his head only throbbing harder against his skull as it rested on the pavement. It had also occurred to him while working dizzily to push himself back onto all fours that he was not alone on the streets as many of the confused pedestrians began to approach the collapsed raccoon.

"Is it okay?"

"Where did he come from?"

The warbled voices were enough to cause the already frantic raccoon into a panic attack without the sudden presence of almost a dozen humanoids surrounding him, one even making the mistake of reaching down to prod his shoulder.

Having been one to often times avoid backwater planets such as this one seeing as though they lacked the more advanced technology he was so drawn to, and often forgot that seeing a walking and talking cybernetic raccoon racing madly through the streets was not an often occurrence in their more simple lives.

"Don't touch me!" He practically shouted, swatting away the hands and rolling himself over so that he was balancing on all fours, backing up as far as he could away from the shocked faces.

He hadn't even allowed them time to process the information before having found his escape route in a gap in the circle of people that surrounded him and taking off running again. Gasps and shouts of surprise sounded behind him as he tore through the crowd, veering around the corner of a tall brick building and into a darkened alleyway, taking shelter behind one of the large rusty trash bins, resisting the urge to gag at the putrid smell.

Not that it was really the worst of his worries as he collapsed to his knees, holding his head tightly in his hands.

"Gah! No, not again." He managed through gritted teeth as he pulled angrily at his sensitive ears, trying anything in order to keep control of his own mind as it flared with pain, almost like an electrical surge pulsing throughout his entire being.

A few labored breaths and countless bleeding claw marks later, Rocket was finally able to force his eyes open again, taking in a shaky gasp as his lungs were manually reminded that they did indeed have a part in keeping the raccoon alive. He clutched his chest with one hand, fingers grasping at the orange material as though the stuff were keeping him from breathing. And the more he tried reminding himself that it was doing him no damage besides the occasional snag on one of his damned implants, the more the clothing felt like it was constricting around his chest.

No. Dammit keep it together Rocky. He ordered himself, ignoring the coppery taste in his mouth as his sharp teeth punctured his tongue and forcing more air in through his nose, using his sudden craving for tearing something apart in a single burst of energy in ramming a fist into the side of the trash bin, letting out a howl of pain. Not that it stopped him however as he kept thrusting punches at the container, listening to the sound of the rippling metal until his knuckles bled.