Affliction (P.P.)

Part 12

(Peter POV)

This is disgusting. Alien sewage is a MILLION times worse than human sewage. I hear a loud squish from under my boot. "I don't wanna know, I don't wanna know." I cringe. Loki smirks back at me. Of course he'd find it funny. We keep walking. There's graffiti all over the walls. Strange symbols and words in another language. A rat scurries past us. I wrinkle my nose but don't say anything. We walk for a long while, making various turns.
I look at the map. "We're almost there." I say. I keep studying the map as we go, but look up when I hear a faint rumbling from behind us. "Whaaaaat is that?" I ask rhetorically. The three of us listen for a moment, then a big slide of alien goo rushes around the corner. "Oh come on." I say in disgust. We all jump to the sides of the sewer as far away from the goo as possible. It sludges around our boots, and splashes some, but overall we didn't get it bad.

"We should hurry. I do NOT wanna be here when a whole goo-valanche happens." I say, then keep on walking. We make it to a man whole cover, and I go up a ladder and gently lift it, just to be sure it's the right one. I peek out, and look around. It's quiet mostly, I see a guard or two but they're walking away. "Guys, this is it!" I whisper yell down to Loki and Thor. I don't hear them coming up. "Guys?" I whisper. Then I hear voices. Authoritative voices. Not Loki and Thor's voices. "What are you doing down here?!" I hear someone shout. What are guards doing down there? They patrol the sewers now? I stay up in the hole where the ladder goes up, hoping they don't see me. I look down and see Loki standing with his back to the ladder. His hands are behind his back. He's motioning with his hand for me to go. I can't go! I don't know where I am! He keeps motioning more furiously. I quietly lift the man hole cover, and slowly climb out, unnoticed.

I put the cover back on before any of the guards down there can look up, then start walking to one of the walls of the palace. I scale it in minutes, and stand on the roof. Pulling the map out of my jacket, I look at my surroundings. "Okay okay." I say to myself. I find where I am on the map. I seem to be over the sleeping areas of the palace. The hospital wing Loki talked about is clear on the other side of the building. I look up at how far I'll have to go, and it's a while. I'm wide open too, so if anyone sees me I have no cover. I'll just have to risk it. I tuck the map back in my pocket, and start walking in long strides, trying to hurry. I hear an alarm go off, which is probably related to Loki and Thor, but even still I walk faster. A roof door slams open behind me. I look back with wide eyes to see a big green beefy guy starting to come after me. I run. I'm more than likely way faster than he is right? I keep running, but I can hear his ragged breathing behind me. He's gaining.

I think of how I can lose him, but there's nothing up here. It's just open roof. Roof that I'm also running out of. I'm right on top of where I need to be and I'm gonna get caught. I close my eyes and cringe, I put my last bit of strength into running, when the collar of my coat gets yanked from behind me, and I clothes line to a stop. The beefy guy holds me up by my coat, and laughs. "Gotcha." And then he punches me out.
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I slowly blink my eyes open. Wow my head hurts. I groan and look around, then try to sit up. I'm in a cell. With actual bars and everything. I'm in JAIL. On an alien planet. Loki and Thor I realize, are in the cell with me. "Well that didn't work." Thor says. "Yeah no sh*t." I say, pinching the bridge of my nose. I sit on the floor and lean my head against the wall. "We've got to get out of here. We were supposed to get the cure today so we can use the two days we have left to get back." I say.

"Actually, the day we'd have to leave would be today." Loki says. "wHAT?!" I stand. "You were out for a long time, it's about 1am right now." He says. I put my hands in my hair and tug slightly. "I'm seventeen years old, and out of my entire life, through school and everything, I don't think I've ever been this stressed out. Ever." I lean against the bars of the cell. We're quiet for a while, when a door opens and we hear a bunch of commotion. It sounds like a bunch of people laughing. They round the corner, and I can't believe my eyes. "Oh my God it's you guys! Hey! You remember us right? And Thor! You guys met! We know you!" I say. The group of people turn towards me. Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot are all standing there. They just look at us for a minute. "Come on remember? We fought Thanos together? Basically died together?" I say. "You guys!? What the hell are you doing on Vomia?" Quill says. "It's a long story." I say, relieved. "We gotta get you out of there." Rocket says.

He picks the lock with ease and the door swings open. Everyone stands in slight shock. "Well. That was quicker than I though it'd be." I say. Me, Thor, and Loki step out of the cell. "Do you guys need a lift back to earth?" Gamora asks. I shake my head. "No, we still have to get something from out of the palace." I say.
"What? Why? You can't go in there, you'll end up right back in a cell." Quill says, looking around to make sure no one is coming. "We have to. We need the cure." I say. They all look at each other. "You mean, THE cure? As in, the one that cures that scared goats disease they have?"
Rocket says. "Yes, that." I sigh in annoyance. "We're gonna need a plan to get inside." Loki says. We all start talking, and trying devise a way that will work, when Rocket clears his throat. "I hate to break up the brain storm, and you guys might be pissed at me, but I already stole three vials of it." He pulls three vials full of purple liquid out of his pocket. We all freeze.

"Why didn't you say that earlier?!" I say, probably louder than I should have. I pull one of the vials from his grasp. "And this is it? You're sure? This is it exactly?" I ask incredulously. "Yep. Snatched it from the hospital wing myself." He shrugs. I pump my fist. "Yes! Now we NEED to get back to earth. As quickly as possible." I say. "Well, the bad news is, we're underground right now. You're gonna have to go up through the palace to get out." Gamora says. She starts walking, and we all follow. I tuck the vial in my inside pocket, wrapped in a piece of fabric I tore from one of the beds in the cell, just to make sure it stays safe. We start ascending stairs, that are eerily dark, but don't seem to be used often, so they're probably safest. "Why are you guys here anyway?" I whisper. Rocket snorts. "We just broke ourselves out too. Got locked up for insulting the queen. You know these Vrenkrels are really touchy. Very snotty." He says. "How did you insult her?" I ask, confused. "He basically called her snotty b*tch right to her face." Quill says in annoyance.

"Oh that's not true. I was complimenting her." Rocket snickers. I roll my eyes, but it is kinda funny. We get to the top of the stairs, and Gamora peeks out the door, making sure it's clear. She nods back to us, and we all follow as she steps out. She leads us down several hallways, them being surprisingly quiet most of the way. No one seems to be around in this part of the palace, but I think we're in the sleeping quarters, which would be why. I see a door on the other end of a hallway we just t-ed into. "That's the way out." Quill nods. We start walking towards the door, when a bedroom door swings open. We all rush back in the small hallway we came out of, and put our backs against the walls. The foot steps keep getting closer and closer to us. Gamora and Loki pull out daggers, Quill readies his gun, Rocket pulls out this crazy looking gun thing, that almost looks like a nerf gun, and me, Drax, and Thor ready our fists. The shadow comes into view, and then the thing rounds the corner.....