The Girl Who Held the Universe in her Hands | marvel [1] ✔

NINE

CHAPTER NINE
' EVERYBODY'S GOT
DEAD PEOPLE. '

The ships landed in a cluster, and the door opened, Ronan stepping out with his hammer. Ash shifted at his confident approach, black mist forming in her palms.

"At last! I shall meet my foe and destroy him!" Drax lifted his knives and beckoned Ronan towards him.

"You called Ronan?" Quill looked at him with complete disbelief.

More ships swarmed around them, and Yondu landed too. "Quill! Don't you move, boy! Don't you move! Get out of the way!" Yondu chased after Quill and Gamora as they dashed away. At the same time, Ronan headed towards Drax. Ash looked between them, eyes widening at the two problems.

"Ronan, the Accuser!" Drax yelled, causing Ash to roll her eyes and run after the Quill and Gamora. They spied little mining pods and went to board them.

"I told you, you can't fit. Now, wait here. I'll be back." Rocket spoke to Groot. They climbed aboard, and Ash had to spend a moment looking over the console. She flicked a few buttons, and it burst into life. Sighing heavily, she shot away to join the others. Ash looked behind her and saw an extra pod. A breath of frustration escaped her as Nebula chased Gamora's ship.

Quill took his pod over to Ash and Rocket. "Rocket, keep them off Gamora until she gets to the Milano," he commanded.

"How? We've got no weaponry on these things." Ash could see Rocket furrow his eyebrows through the windscreen.

"These pods are industrial grade. They're nearly indestructible," Quill continued.

"Not against necroblasts, they're not," Ash corrected.

"That's not what I'm saying."

"Oh!" the two shouted in realisation.

They took their pods over to the two ships chasing them and crashed into each one. Then as another one came over to shoot at Quill's pod, they flew straight into it, making it explode. Quill then hijacked one of the ships while Nebula and her crew continued chasing after Gamora.

"Quill, I'm trapped! I can't make it to the Milano. I have to head out." Gamora shouted at the others.

"What? Wait! These things aren't meant to go out there!" Quill replied desperately. Gamora took her pod above the atmosphere, with Nebula chasing after her.

Nebula's voice carried through the system which linked them."You are a disappointment, sister. Of all our siblings, I hated you least."

Ash frowned. "Oh."

"Nebula, please. If Ronan gets this stone he'll kill us all." Gamora reasoned.

"Not all. You would already be dead." Nebula blew up Gamora's ship, leaving her floating in space while she took the Infinity Stone.

Ash did not react at first, her brows furrowing for a moment before she went to wrestle with her seat belt.

"Quill, Ash, come on," Rocket spoke softly.

"Her body modifications will keep her alive for a couple more minutes," Ash reasoned.

"There's nothing we can do for her. These pods aren't meant to be out here. In a second, we'll be the same." Rocket turned in his pod and started to leave.

"Rocket, wait, I can-"

"-Aw, damn it!" Quill shouted.

"Quill?" Ash asked.

"Yondu? Yondu! This is Quill! My coordinates are two-two-seven-K-three-two- four." he replayed.

"Quill? Quill, what are you doing?" Rocket questioned.

"Just outside Knowhere. If you're there, come get me. I'm all yours." Quill put on his mask, exited the pod and flew to Gamora.

"Quill, don't be ridiculous! Get your arse back into your pod! You can't fit two people in there. You're gonna die! Let me-" Ash shouted. Quill held Gamora's body and started to take off his mask.

"You'll die in seconds! Quill!" Rocket added. Quill put his mask over Gamora's face, and she started to breathe at the same as Yondu turned up and beamed them in.

Ash and Rocket landed their ships as Groot hauled an unconscious Drax out of a yellow liquid. "Blasted idiot. They're all idiots! Quill just got himself captured!" Rocket informed Groot at the top of his lungs.

Ash walked up to Drax and kicked his body. "None of this ever would have happened if you didn't try to single-handedly take on an army!" she seethed, stamping on his chest to push some yellow liquid from his throat.

"Oh, boo-hoo-hoo. My wife and child are dead." Rocket mocked, causing Groot to gasp in shock at his callousness.

Ash rounded on them. "Oh, who cares if it's mean! Everybody's got dead people! That's no excuse to get everybody else killed along the way! Come on, Groot, Rocket. 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, you'll be able to live full lives before that whack-job ever gets there."

Groot rose to his feet in defiance, and Ash turned, her eyes darkening as her temper flared. "I am Groot," he denied.

"Save them? How?" Rocket asked.

"I am Groot."

"I know they're the only friends we've ever had, but there's an army of Ravagers around them. And there's only three of us!"

Drax rose and stood next to Groot. "four."

"I am Groot!" Groot shouted, and Ash looked back.

"I promised myself I wouldn't go back to that shit." She groaned in frustration before she fell silent for a moment. "You've made me soft, Noah." She looked at the space next to her, but it was empty. She blinked a few times, her shoulders sagging as she sighed.

Rocket grunted in anger. He turned and started kicking the ground with his feet. "Aw! You're making me beat up grass!"