Twilight's Spell

Who's Got a Plan?

I climb into my pod carefully. The controls don't look that complex, this should be easy to fly. I take my seat and begin the take off. Once I'm off the ground, I follow the others to the Milano. It's not long before Ronan's goons come after us.

"Brooke, Rocket, keep them off Gamora until she gets to the Milano," Peter says through the on-ship communication device. I scan over my controls for a weapon. Seeing none, I decide the only thing I've got is my stone. I raise one hand and focus on knocking some mining equipment onto one of the enemy ships.

"How? We've got no weaponry on these things," Rocket yells at Peter. "And not all of us have an Infinity Stone we can wield."

"Don't hate," I respond, taking another shot at the same ship.

"These pods are industrial grade, they're nearly indestructible," Peter answers.

"Not against necroblasts, they're not," Rocket tell him.

"That's not what I'm saying," Peter says. I like this idea he's cooked up.

"Oh!" I hear Rocket say. He begins crashing into ships. I follow his lead, taking out the one I had been attacking previously.

"Let me borrow your ride," Peter tells one of the Sakaarians.

"Quill, I'm trapped!" Gamora calls out. "I can't make it to the Milano, I have to head out." What looks to be the main ship is right on Gamora's tail.

"What?" Peter asks. "Wait! These things aren't meant to go out there." We all follow her and the main ship outside.

"You are a disappointment, sister," the woman in the main ship says. "Of all our siblings, I hated you least." That's harsh. I hate both of my siblings, even my unknown sister, equally.

"Nebula, please," Gamora pleads with her sister. "If Ronan gets this stone he'll kill us all."

"Not all," she says. "You will already be dead." She fires at Gamora and the ship explodes. Gamora is left floating in space, the stone being picked up by Nebula.

"Quill," Rocket says, referring to both Peter and I, "come on. Her body mods should keep her alive a couple more minutes, but there's nothing we can do for her. These pods aren't meant to be out here. In a second, we're gonna be in the same boat." He begins to turn around.

"We have to get the stone back," I tell them both. I turn around as well.

"Aw, damn it!" Peter mutters. Rocket questions him. Peter starts a transmission. "Yondu! Yondu! This is Quill! My coordinates are two-two-seven-K-three-two- four." Rocket keeps trying to talk to him, but Peter just ignores him. "Just outside Knowhere. If you're there, come get me. I'm all yours." He opens the door and jets towards Gamora.

"Peter!' I yell at him. "He'll kill you. Dad can't afford to just pick you up and let you live again."

"Quill, don't be ridiculous," Rocket says simultaneously with me. "Get back into your pod! You can't fit two people in there, you're gonna die." Peter takes off his mask. "You'll die in seconds! Quill!" Peter puts his mask on Gamora as Yondu comes to pick him up."

"Let's go, Brooke," Rocket says. "No sense in the Ravagers taking you, too."

"But Peter..." I start.

"No, I won't let you get taken, too," he yells. I'm taken back by this. "Let's go get Drax and Groot." We both keep quiet on the ride back inside the skull. Groot and Drax are together when we land in front of them. "Blasted idiot. They're all idiots! Quill just got himself captured and this one tried to get herself taken, too!" Rocket turns his attention from my silence to Drax. "None of this ever would have happened if you didn't try to single-handedly take on a frickin' army!" Drax follows my lead and just remains silent, but Rocket won't let him off the hook. "Oh, boo-hoo-hoo. 'My wife and child are dead.'" Groot and I both gasp. "Oh, I don't care if it's mean! Everybody's got dead people! That's no excuse to get everybody else dead along the way! Come on, Groot. Ronan has the stone. The only chance we got is to get to the other side of the universe as fast as we can and maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to live full lives before that whack-job ever gets there."