Multiverse Era

Chapter 3

My body collapses onto the floor, jolting me awake. A groan of pain escapes me as I sit up. I must've fallen asleep at some point. As I tried to roll over on the bench, I fell off. The cell is empty, Gamora gone. Voices echo outside the cell, my too-curious mind begging me to follow.

Poking my head out of the cell, I see Rocket talking to someone down the narrow platform. I quietly make my way over, even more curious now as to what they're discussing. I find Gamora and the bounty man angrily discussing something with my raccoon friend.

"I'll lead you to the buyer directly and split the profits between the three of us." The green-skinned woman crosses her arms over her chest, keeping her expression neutral as always.

"I am Groot." The tree-like creature bangs on the door to another cell.

Rocket mirrors the woman's posture, crossing his arms. "Four of us. Asleep for the danger, awake for the money. As per frikin' usual." The raccoon just shakes his head at our friend.

I take this as my moment to jump into the conversation. "I want something too."

"Sorry, sweetheart. The adults are talking here." The bounty man waves me off, focusing his attention on Rocket.

I cross my arms over my chest. "Sorry, asshole. I don't really care."

The bounty man steps forward, towering over me. "What are you, like, ten?"

"What are you, like, fifty?"

Rocket steps between us, pushing the man away. "She's part of our crew, so she gets a cut of the prize." The man continues to glare at me, allowing me to glare right back.

~~~~~~~~~~

As we carry our trays to an open table, Rocket lays out the plan. "We're gonna need to get into that watchtower." He nods his head behind us, pointing out the very obvious watchtower. I look up, seeing multiple guards watching us from up above. They glare at the lot of us down here, ready to strike at any moment.

"I'm gonna need a few things," the raccoon continues. "The guards wear security bands to get in and out. I need one."

Gamora glances around, probably trying to see if Rocket is giving the correct information. "Leave it to me."

He nods his head, taking a quick glance at the room. "That dude there. I need his prosthetic leg." I watch as said man walks past, a slight limp caused by the fake leg attached to his body. I frown, not understanding why he would need a fake leg to get us out of there.

"And finally, on the wall back there is a black panel. Blinky yellow light." Subtlety, the four of us glance at it. "There's a quarnyx battery behind it. Purplish box, green wires. To get into that watchtower, I definitely need it."

The two adults look at Rocket in disbelief. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"Maybe you can make a deal with someone here. I'm sure someone here finds you attractive." The raccoon takes a bite of food, not worried about offending anyone. I kick his leg under the table, causing him to give me a 'what the hell' look.

"Look," Quill starts talking, "it's twenty feet up in the air, and it's in the middle of the most heavily-guarded part of the prison. It's impossible to get up there without being seen." He raises his eyebrows at the animal, glancing at the rest of us at the table.

Rocket lets out a sigh. "I got one plan and that plan requires a frikin' quarnyx battery, so figure it out!" He points at the man, before hitting his fist against the table.

Something crashes behind me, making me glance over my shoulder. I double-take the situation unfolding in front of me. "Uh, Rocket." I tap the raccoon's shoulder, trying to get his attention.