Specimen (A Rocket Raccoon/GOTG Fanfic)

Prologue

The dark room settled in silence. The scattering sounds of metallic footsteps were no more. Only the sound of bursting bubbles as they reach the liquid's surface. Put an ear to the concrete glass and you will hear the steady breathing of the creature. Quietly adapting, safe and sound inside the enclosed capsule, like an unborn child.

Then the pod opens. The green substance rushed out and wet fur plunged onto the ground, resembling a small but solid figure. Its chest slowly rose and fell as it lay motionless. Then it stirred and turned its head. Eyes still closed, its painful scream echoed throughout the spacious room. Its paw blew hard against the metal ground, fighting against the pain rippling throughout its whole body. Panting, it slowly ceased and began to survey the room.

Its voice crackled as it grunted in pain. Again, its eyes scanned the room's interiors, finding others like him - lined along both sides. Each were from different kinds. Different species, all aligned in this dark room.

He continued to kneel on the cold metal ground, his paws against it. His eyes closed, then his ears perked from the clanking sounds of steel nearby. His eyes shifted to the iron entrance to his left, and the entrance opened to reveal a silver body. Iron feet sought through his eyes, then he slowly glanced up. Hands made from steel, and deep blue eyes grew nearer towards him, creating clanking metal sounds every step it makes. And then it stopped, its forged head towering over the raccoon.

"Who are you?" Cooed the voice of the mammal, staring deeply into the machine's hollow eyes.

Finally, it stood back. Its movement mechanism making noise, and as quick as thunder, jolted its hand to the animal. It grabbed him by his scruff, and made its way into another room.

The small hanging ball of fur yelped in pain, and clutched himself tighter to the robot's arms. Taking deep breaths, he shifted his gaze simultaneously around, examing the dimly illuminated room.

"Subject 89P13."

He thought he heard a mechanic voice, but all his ears had heeded was static as he was thrown hastily onto a caged chamber. He groaned as he heaved himself up and rubbed his neck.

"Subject 89P13."

There was that voice again, but now he was growing accustomed to his surroundings. He recognized the voice, clearly as day. He knew everything he had to know as he was programmed. It was strange. Like you were born again... out of a pod... and feeling as if you had lived before, but it doesn't matter. He knew he was here for a purpose.

Artificial. He thought to himself as he strained his ears to listen to the voice.

"Subject 89P13."

There it goes again. He hated that code name. His eyes surveyed the rooms interiors. Four walls... an entrance on both sides... the bluegazer who had tossed him standing stiffly at one corner... the only source of light came from the ceiling.

This isn't prison. He reminded himself as he examined. He was concurrently aware that he was naked, stripped off of his virility, he noted, that he had no intention of losing, even though he's just a monster. He remembered clearly now. The mutation... the test... the screams... Were those his? Or is he hearing the others?

His head jerked towards the right entrance, shaking away his own reverie as it opened and another one of those machines came inside.

It eyed the mammal closely with its blue orbs as it padded slowly towards the cage. Despite its solid exoskeleton, its movements were unwavering, making it look just like a human that was painted in silver, unlike the bluegazers, which were more ragged and gray in appearance. It examined the raccoon carefully, moving its head from side to side like a person dappled with curiosity, then it straightened itself and spoke.

"Subject 89P-"

"Don't call me that." The raccoon blurted out before it could finish, narrowing his eyes at the android.

"We will run some tests on you before you will be permitted to leave and go on your duty." The machine responded nonchalantly, as if it barely ever noticed his voice.

Duty. The word echoed in his mind. And that duty is to protect and look after the loonies. The reminder came to him just as suddenly. He had no other choice. As far as he's concerned, he's stuck in the Keystone Quadrant, in this planet- nobody knows what it's called.

He flinched as the cage he was in opened. The android was looking as if it was breathing, its hands pressed on a lock system and its glowing orbs shifting to the raccoon.

"You're released." It's nasal voice echoed throughout the room, and the light flickered on. It clasped its hands together, standing near the right entrance, mirroring the bluegazer to the left.

Glancing warily around, the raccoon prowled forward, sniffing as if it was still an ordinary animal, but his eyes were locked ahead as the front wall opened to reveal a scenery. He padded onward, his steps wavering and unsteady, and was convinced that there was no barrier between the edge and himself. His blurry eyes proved him otherwise.

Glass. He noted, shaking his head and adjusting his eyesight to see the glass panel more clearly. He touched the barrier with his paw, and scanned the planet's ecosystem. There were trees... hills... mountains... grass... clouds... but no skyscrapers or edifices, except this huge facility compound he was currently confined in. Below, he could make out the shapes of people constantly running and relentlessly thrashing their arms wildy as if they hardly care they're stepping on thorns or drowning.

The loonies. He recognized, then he focused his eyes on the smaller figures darting from one loonie to another. Each figure apart from the loonies was clearly the product of what was once a four legged animal.

So I'm not the first one. He remarked, just as he heard the voice of the android crackling behind him.

"Subject 89P1-"

"Just stop calling me that." The raccoon snapped without diverting his attention towards the android. "That isn't my name." He added, half to himself. He could feel the rhythmic respiration of the android behind him, despite the fact that it wasn't living.

"What will be your name then?" It questioned, and he could feel its intense blue gaze burning his back.

His ears twitched and flicked as he heard the sound of a rocket missile propelling upward into the sky just ahead of him, but before it could reach the stratosphere, it bursted into pieces, leaving behind falling debris from its explosion.

The magnetic field that enclosed the planet rippled at the rocket's impact, its electric surge spreading outwards throughout the sky. The raccoon watched in silent isolation, his eyes mirroring the dark smoke where the rocket exploded.

"Rocket..." He suddenly uttered.

"My name is Rocket."