Amanda Smith (The Avengers ff) #English

63.

Some time has passed

"So your sister kept trying to kill you, and your father, the Titan Thanos, is behind special stones and he wants to rule the galaxy with them?
Why should that sound crazy?", I ask.
"He's not my dad", she says.
"He kidnapped me from my home planet".
"Then your kidnapper", I say.
She just starts laughing,
"Strange girl", she says.

"If that sounds normal to you, what's unnormal for you?", Rocket asks.
I raise an eyebrow,
"Recently it was a talking raccoon".
Drax begins to laugh, Rocket says nothing.
Slowly I get up and look into space again.

Later

"Sing it, Drax!", Quill shouts, while music is playing in the background.
"Why are we doing this again?", Rocket asks a little later.
"It's a distress signal, Rocket.
Someone could be dying", Gamora just looks at him annoyed.
" I get that, but why are we doing it?" , he just asks.
"'Cause we're nice. And maybe whoever it is will give us a little cheddar cheese for our effort", Quill says, while I'm just looking at him questioningly.
"Which isn't the point", Gamora interjects.
"Which isn't the point ... I mean ...
If he doesn't pony up..."
"We'll take his ship", Drax says, who has just woken up.
"Exactly!".
"B-b-b-bingo!", Quill looks at Gamora and shakes his head in disapproval.
"We are arriving", Mantis says suddenly.
"All right, Guardians. Don't forget, this might be dangerous, so let's put on our mean faces.
Groot, put that thing away. Now.
I don't wanna tell you again", Quill says, annoyed by the noise that Groots console makes.
"Groot!", he repeats.
"I am Groot!", he says, I'm looking at him startled. Now, I also understand what he says.
"Whoa!", Quill looks at him.
"Language!".
"You got some acorns on you, kid".
"Ever since you got a little sap, you're a total d-hole.
Keep it up, and I'm gonna smash that thing to pieces!", Rocket shouts.

The ship is slowing down. Suddenly a field of parts of a shredded ship appears in front of us, countless bodies float in space. "
"What happened?", Mantis asks horrified.
"Oh my god" Quill says softly.
It's quiet now.
"Looks like we're not getting paid", Rocket only before a body crashes against the ship.
"Wipers!
Wipers! Get it off!", Rocket yells.
But suddenly the man opens his eyes.

"How the hell is this dude still alive?", Quill asks after we've gotten him into the ship and put him on the table.
"He is not a dude. You're a dude. This... This is a man.
A handsome, muscular man", Drax says, I'm just looking at him questioningly again.
"I'm muscular", Quill says.
"Who are you kidding, Quill?
You're one sandwich away from fat", Rocket says, which makes me laugh softly.
"Yeah, right", he just says.
"It's true. You have gained a little weight...", Drax says pointing at his chin and belly.
"What?
Gamora, do you think I'm...", Quill asks, but she doesn't listen to him.

Mantis puts a hand on the man's forehead,
"He is anxious. Angry. He feels tremendous loss and guilt".
"It's like a pirate had a baby with an angel", that could only come from Drax again.
"Wow. This is a real wake-up call for me. Okay. I'm gonna get a Bowflex.
I'm gonna commit. I'm gonna get some dumbbells", I look at Quill just annoyed.
"You know you can't eat dumbbells, right?", Rocket says mockingly.
"It's like his muscles are made of Cotati metal fibers", Gamora says, fascinated.
"Stop massaging his muscles", Quill says softly, whereupon she releases his arm.
After that finally seems clear, he asks Mantis to wake up the man.
She puts her hand back on his forehead and says 'wake', whereupon the man wakes up and jumps off the table.

"Who the hell are you guys?", he asks suddenly.

After a while, I sit down to the stranger who's eating soup. He seems familiar to me.
"Aren't you Thor, the god of thunder?", I ask.
"That's right, little girl", he says.
"What's happening on earth right now?"
"Unfortunately, I haven't been to Midgard for a long time", he says, I just nod.
"I just wonder how Steve and the others are doing", I say softly.
He looks at me questioningly,
"Rogers?".
I nod,
"He saved me and I've been fighting on his side since a few months, so I hope to become an Avenger someday", I say.
"Good luck, kid", he says with a smile. Now I'm smiling too.