Chapter Text
A litter of baby raccoons playfully huddled upon one another inside their cage until a shadow of a tall figure entered the room, walked toward the cage, and opened it.
Rocket's blood ran cold, and his body was instantly filled with an intense fear of seeing the shadow. The High Evolutionary. Just thinking about him made him want to hit something and sob simultaneously. It was the worst time of his life, but there had been a bright spot in it until he ruined it with his stupidity.
Everyone else's eyes flickered to Rocket at seeing the baby raccoons.
Except for Baby Rocket, the rest of the kits cowered back inside their cage. Baby Rocket remained at the front in a state of nervousness as the menacing hand of the High Evolutionary loomed over him.
Rocket felt bile rise up in his throat. He hadn't known about this or remembered any of it since it was before he gained intelligence. His eyes darted to the rest of the creatures; what were they? Was he really not one of a kind? That's what he thought all this time, but now he was seeing that there were other creatures like him, even though they were younger. A look of disgust passed his face. Was he really a…raccoon? He shook his head; no, that wasn't possible. He couldn't be a raccoon; he just couldn't.
The rest of the Guardians narrowed their eyes as dread pooled in their stomachs. They'd seen the enhancements on Rocket's back even though he tried to hide them, and they knew that life had been cruel to him. They didn't know much about Rocket's life before they'd met him, but Quill, Gamora, and Drax hadn't forgotten about the drunken, angry ramble Rocket went on at the bar at Knowhere when they had been waiting for the Collector. I didn't ask to get made! I didn't ask to be torn apart and put back together over and over, turned into some...some little monster!
The Avengers and Eternals were slightly lost, but they knew the baby raccoon was Rocket. They didn't like where any of this was going.
Present-day Rocket walked around Knowhere, listening to 'Creep' by Radiohead on Peter Quill's Zune over the speakers. He mumbled along with the lyrics.
There was still an uneasy atmosphere in the room, but the Guardians were aware that Rocket didn't like talking about his past, and the Avengers knew Rocket absolutely hated being called a raccoon, so they let it go.
Rocket's heart pounded in his chest as he tried to calm himself down after seeing the High Evolutionary again, even if it was just his shadow and looming hand. He tried to pay attention to the music; it always calmed him down, and he slowly felt his anxiety disappear. He would never admit it, but Creep by Radiohead was one of the songs he listened to the most in private. The lyrics just made sense.
Tony's eyes twitched at seeing the Zune again. It was an ancient piece of technology, but they had centenarians on the team and a woman who still used a pager even though she lived in space. He knew the Zune had sentimental value to Quill, but it was a Zune! Who had that in this day and age?
"Creep by Radiohead. That's a good song," said Stephen.
Mantis swayed to the song, trying to get Drax to dance. "Only idiots dance," Drax said.
"Exactly, which is why Mantis is dancing," Drax said. Mantis punched him hard on the arm, causing him to cry out in pain. "What's wrong with you?! It's a fact only idiots dance. Look at Quill, he's your brother."
Quill and Mantis rolled their eyes.
"Drax is never going to dance," said Thor.
"That's because I'm not a loser," said Drax.
Groot and Nebula put up a sign written in Kree letters. Knowhere's appearance had improved since the Kevin Bacon incident.
"Oh wow, the place has really brightened up," said Peter.
"I bet Kevin Bacon wishes he never has to see the place again," Rhodey said.
"I still can't believe that you guys live inside of the severed head of a Celestial," Gilgamesh said, shaking his head in disbelief. Ikaris didn't think he would ever be able to digest that fact, no matter how often he heard it.
"The severed head part is getting to me the most. I know Celestials can be killed, but a severed head?!" Kingo said.
"It's kind of weird to think we can live inside Tiamut's head," said Scott.
Kraglin and Cosmo were fighting over an object. Kraglin was trying to remove it from Cosmo's mouth.
"Cosmo's a cute dog," said Steve.
♫ But I'm a creep. I'm a weirdo. What the hell am I doin' here? I don't belong here. I don't care if it hurts. I wanna have control. I want a perfect body. I want a perfect soul. ♫ Rocket quietly sang along, wiping the tears from his eyes with his sleeve.
The Guardians had a lump in their throats at seeing Rocket's emotions. Everyone else shifted uncomfortably at seeing Rocket cry along to the song; what exactly did he go through in the past? Rocket clenched his fists and looked away, so he didn't have to witness everyone else's pitying looks.
I want a perfect body. Stephen's hands started trembling, Rhodey's legs felt stiff, the gaping space where Bucky's left arm was supposed to be felt emptier than usual, and all of Nebula's cybernetic enhancements felt like a burden. Although Sprite didn't relate to wanting a perfect body like the others, she knew what it felt like to be extremely unhappy with her body.
Rocket entered the bar and saw Peter Quill slumped over drunk on the table.
The group instantly sobered up at seeing Quill's state. Quill blanched; Gamora and Mantis's stomachs churned, the rest of the Guardians' faces crumpled, and the Avengers had highly concerned expressions. The Eternals winced; they didn't know Quill very well, but this wasn't a good state to be in.
"Quill…" Thor said morosely. He didn't want him to end up the same way he had—drunk and depressed. No wonder the two of them got along so well. Besides, Quill had tremendously helped him realize that he was keeping his heart shut and was afraid of love, so he wanted to look out for him.
Quill laughed weakly. "I look more pathetic moping alone than when both of us moping together."
"Life hasn't been kind to either of you," said T'Challa.
"Hey! Uh-uh! I told you a million times, you keep your grimy raccoon hands off my Zune!" Quill yelled, stumbling toward Rocket and grabbing the Zune from him.
Rocket couldn't even muster up the energy to remind Quill that he wasn't a raccoon since he was still shaken from seeing the High Evolutionary and the reminders of his past.
"And I told you a million times, I'm not a damn raccoon," Rocket said calmly, taking a drink from the fridge. Quill drooled and collapsed on the floor, falling unconscious. Rocket took a sip from his drink.
Gamora squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears from leaking out. Seeing the love of her life in this state broke her heart. It wasn't as if Peter was alone since he still had the rest of the Guardians with him, but he clearly wasn't doing okay. The Guardians' hearts twisted, and the Avengers' stomachs dropped.
"God…I look pathetic," Quill said, horrified.
"No, you just need help," Thor said kindly.
"I am Groot?" Groot said with extreme worry. Will he be okay?
"He will. Don't worry, Groot," Gamora said with pain in her voice. Quill cringed at Groot seeing him like this. What was he thinking?
Nebula looked at Quill with disappointment and sadness through the window. The hardware on the left side of her face was gone.
Nebula absentmindedly touched the enhancements around her eye as she stared at herself on-screen.
"I like the new look," Rhodey said.
She carried him out of the bar with Rocket trailing behind. Groot ran toward Quill, checking up on him.
Quill buried his face in his hands as shame filled his body. How could he put himself and the rest of the Guardians through this?
"Again?" Drax asked. The rest of the Guardians followed.
"Again?!" Quill echoed. "This is a regular thing?"
"We should've expected it after seeing Quill and Thor cry together. Quill probably fell into a deeper state of depression after Thor left," said Nebula. Quill and Thor exchanged gloomy expressions.
Nebula put Quill into his bed. He sleepily touched her arm, "I love you, Gamora."
All of their hearts dropped. A tear rolled down Gamora's cheek as she quickly brushed it away. "I love you too," she said quietly. "More than anything."
Quill kissed her forehead. "I hope we have more time this time around."
Eros had a desolate look in his eyes as he witnessed the quiet exchange between Gamora and Quill. He knew that Thanos killed Gamora, which made him want to weep. He knew that his brother was capable of immense cruelty, but murdering his daughter was a new low. Dread formed in his gut at knowing he would have to face him soon.
Nebula had a lingering sadness in her eyes. Quill had grown on her like a fungus, and she liked that her sister was happy around him. She and Gamora were never allowed to truly be happy when they were living with Thanos.
Nebula's face flickered with sadness as she gently removed his arm. She got up, turned off the lights, and left.
Gamora was thankful that Nebula was looking out for Peter when he needed it.
"So, what are you gonna do about Quill?" Rocket asked Nebula. He was upside down, walking on the ceiling with his gravity boots.
Peter's eyes lit up at seeing the gravity boots. He didn't need them because of his spider powers, but he still wanted to make them.
"Me? What am I going to do?" Nebula said, mystified.
"I think we should call Thor. He went through the same thing," said Mantis. Her heart was flooded with sadness at seeing Quill in that state.
"Please do," said Thor. Jane had only seen a glimpse of Bro Thor when she saw his training montage with the Guardians, but she knew about his depressive state during the Blip, and it broke her heart. She had been blipped, but she wished someone had been there for Thor when he was grieving.
"Me? Why not you?" "I got emotionalistical issues. What am I gonna do?"
"Yeah, I don't think Rocket trying to carry out an emotional talk will end well. He slapped Thor out of a panic attack on Asgard," said Rhodey.
"See? Rhodey's talking sense," said Rocket.
"And you think I'm a better option?" Nebula said in disbelief.
"Better than me!"
"Why are you on the ceiling?" "I wanted to see if these new gravity boots worked on a slope."
"They seem to work perfectly," said Bruce.
Rocket's chest puffed out. "Of course they do."
Kraglin was trying to master Yondu's Yaka Arrow when it flew into Nebula's chest, who sighed. She removed the arrow and shoved it in Kraglin's arms.
Nebula was unimpressed, and everyone else winced.
"Kraglin needs to master that quickly, for everyone's sake. It's a danger to be around him if he accidentally shoots the arrow into people's chests," said Carol.
Cosmo said he would never learn. Kraglin challenged her to do better, and she easily made a pebble float and followed her commands with her telekinesis powers.
The group chuckled.
"It probably isn't the best idea to ask a telekinetic dog to float a pebble," said Shang-Chi.
Kraglin said it was cheating and called her a bad dog, causing Cosmo to straighten up. "Do not say that to me," she said sternly. He repeated that she was a bad dog, and she told him to take it back.
"How can anyone think that Cosmo is a bad dog?" Kate said, scandalized. Steve and Clint nodded in agreement. America's chest warmed; Kate looked cute when she was offended on Cosmo's behalf.
"Nebula, did you hear? He called me a bad dog, and he refused to take it back." "I don't care, Cosmo."
Nebula pinched the bridge of her nose. Why did she have to deal with all of this?
"Nebula needs a vacation," said Valkyrie.
"There's a lot that needs to be done to fix up Knowhere before I can take a vacation," said Nebula.
"Is Peter okay?" Mantis asked. "I don't know," Nebula said. "What are you going to do?" Mantis asked.
"Why does everyone think I'll do something!" Nebula said, highly irritated.
Quill's face crumpled. Nebula was acting a better captain than him, so it made sense why the other Guardians would look for her guidance now. Honestly, anyone would be a better captain than him at the moment. He wasn't doing anything except drinking.
"Me? He's your brother," Nebula shot back. "It doesn't matter; he still doesn't listen to me," Mantis complained.
"As if anyone listens to their sibling," said Loki. Thor rolled his eyes.
"Peter never listens to me, but he doesn't listen to anyone. The only person he only listens to sometimes is Gamora," Mantis said, exasperated.
"Can you blame me? She's known as the most dangerous woman in the galaxy," said Quill.
The group bought roasted Orlinis on a stick and ate them.
The humans looked at the roasted Orlinis strangely. Wasn't that a space rat?
"God, I could kill for one of those right now," said Carol.
"Yeah, he has been pretty mopey ever since Gamora died," Kraglin said. "She's not dead. She just doesn't remember anything from the past few years," Nebula corrected.
"No, I'm dead," Gamora said simply. The Avengers and Guardians winced at the reminder.
"Mantis, why don't you just touch him and, you know, make him happy?" Drax suggested. "I am Groot?" Groot said, scandalized. The other Guardians made sounds of disgust. "No, not like that. Touch him with her powers," Rocket clarified.
Everyone shot Groot a sideways look while Mantis and Quill gagged.
Mantis smacked Groot on the arm. "That's my brother!" she exclaimed.
Groot shrugged. "I am Groot!" There can be multiple meanings!
"It is wrong to manipulate the feelings of friends," Mantis said. "What about that time you made me fall in love with my sock?" Drax asked. "Well, that was funny," she said.
Mantis snickered, and Drax was unimpressed.
"I guess it's back to one of us touching him the other way. Maybe we should draw straws," Drax said. "No one ever meant that, Drax," Nebula said, taking a big bite of her Orlini.
"I don't want any of you to touch me that way!" Quill said, his face flushing.
"Gamora does," Drax said simply.
"Oh my God," Quill said, mortified. Heat filled Gamora's cheeks.
Adam Warlock raced through the galaxy toward Knowhere.
"Why does he look like a gold Vision with hair?" Scott wondered. "He's even got a thing on his forehead."
"Huh," Vision said, eyeing Adam.
The Guardians' eyes widened with horror at seeing Adam. "He's gold!" Drax exclaimed.
"What's wrong with being gold?" America asked.
"It's that particular shade of gold," Gamora said, her face pinching. "I should've known those Sovereign assholes wouldn't have forgotten about it, even though it would've been at least ten years by that point!"
Rocket winced. "Shit, are they coming back for the Anulax batteries?"
Quill groaned in frustration. "God, I hope not because we don't have them anymore."
Meanwhile, Rocket was listening to 'Crazy on You' by Heart in his room. He noticed the key card he had made to escape his cell back in Arête Laboratories, took a deep breath, and slipped it into his pocket.
Everyone wondered what the object was; it clearly meant a lot to Rocket. Rocket closed his eyes in pain as his heart twisted; he was an idiot for thinking that all four of them could've escaped. The High Evolutionary had been right; they were fools for thinking they could've joined the New World.
He removed his shirt, revealing the cybernetic enhancements on his back.
The Avengers and Eternals' eyes bugged out of their heads. The Avengers never considered where Rocket came from; space was bizarre, so they assumed that he came from a species of talking raccoons, like how Groot was a talking tree. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect animal experimentation. It was slightly obvious what Rocket went through after seeing him as a baby with a litter of baby raccoons and then the cybernetic enhancements. They wouldn't ask questions—Tony, Bucky, and Nebula had been through similar situations, and Stephen, Natasha, and Rhodey could relate.
Suddenly, Rocket was tackled out of his room and into the streets by Adam Warlock. Quill was abruptly woken up as Adam and Rocket raced through his room.
The group's hearts jumped into their throats while Rocket gaped.
"I am Groot!" Groot yelled, jumping in his seat. No!
"What the fuck?!" Rocket exclaimed.
"That's one hell of a way to wake up!" said Kate.
"But it's a good thing I did because that gold motherfucker is attacking Rocket!" Quill said, clenching his fists.
"I think Ayesha still holds a grudge over those batteries," Gamora said, her face darkening.
"She needs to let it go; it's been ten years!" Rocket said, throwing his paws in the air. He wasn't too worried about being attacked because he'd been in worse situations. Everything would be fine.
Nebula raced into the armory and grabbed a jetpack. Meanwhile, Rocket quickly scampered away from Adam. "Where did you go, squirrel?" he said, looking around cluelessly.
"I'm not a squirrel," Rocket grumbled, crossing his arms. He was acutely aware that there was a large chance that he was actually a raccoon, but he didn't want to consider the implications of the realization.
"Get away from him!" Mantis hissed.
Using her jetpack, Nebula flew into the air and transformed her metal arm into a repulsor. "On the ground!" she yelled, pointing the repulsor at Adam.
All of their brows shot up at seeing Nebula's new arm while Nebula's eyes lit up. She loved it!
"I can see where the vibranium from my arm went," Bucky said, his face souring. T'Challa sighed; he still couldn't believe Nebula had given Rocket a vibranium arm for Christmas.
"It's for a good cause!" Rocket defended.
"Hm, Nebula's new arm has some features that look a bit…familiar, Rocket," Tony said smugly.
"Shut up," Rocket grumbled. Nebula's arm was probably inspired by the Iron Man and War Machine suits, but he wouldn't say that out loud. Tony already had a big enough ego.
Adam tried to attack Nebula, but she blasted him back into a building using the repulsor. Her arm changed back to normal.
"Oh," Bucky said, impressed. That was even more advanced than the Wakandan vibranium arm.
T'Challa was thankful that Shuri wasn't currently here; otherwise, she would've come up with a hundred versions of the metal arm for Sergeant Barnes.
Adam tackled Nebula, repeatedly beat her to the ground, and threw her into a building.
Everyone winced, and Eros narrowed his eyes.
"It's going to take much more than that to harm me," Nebula said.
Groot landed directly on Adam, wrapping him with wooden tendrils. He couldn't get out and began flying around, hitting various buildings and shredding Groot's body apart until only a head was left.
The room was silent as their eyes were wide. Groot whimpered with fear, and the Guardians' stomachs lurched at seeing Groot's body get destroyed. Although they knew that Groot would survive, seeing him like this reminded them of the time he blipped.
"What the hell is his problem?!" Kate exclaimed.
"Yeah, this dude needs to calm the hell down. There's no reason to get this angry over some damn batteries," Rhodey said.
"Who is that maniac?" Mantis asked, grabbing a weapon. "Some super-douche with ray gun hands! I don't freakin' know," Rocket said.
The group's hearts were pounding at the fear of the gold super-douche getting near the Guardians again. The Guardians, however, wanted Adam gone—he destroyed Groot's body, beat up Nebula, and attacked Rocket.
"It's not like we're short of enemies and the Sovereign's always hated us," Rocket said weakly. It was his fault that the Sovereign was after them, and he didn't want to be responsible for the death of another one of his friends.
Kraglin was hiding in the corner, holding the Yaka arrow in his hand. He whistled, causing the arrow to fly, and directed it at Adam. The arrow lightly slapped his face, and it fell to the ground.
All of them winced.
"This really isn't the time to experiment with the arrow, just grab a blaster and shoot him!" Natasha insisted.
"He's been trying to master that thing for nearly ten years now and still hasn't gotten it, so he shouldn't try now," said Drax.
"Who threw this thing at me?" Adam asked. No one answered. "Baby."
The Guardians, Avengers, and Eternals looked at Adam with incredulity.
"Well, the Sovereign were always a bit strange," said Quill.
"Didn't stop you from flirting with the High Priestess, did it?" Gamora muttered. Quill winced. He didn't miss the days when he and Gamora were dancing around each other, and she was trying to deny their unspoken thing.
Adam entered the armory and blasted Rocket back. Mantis tried to jump him, but he grabbed her arm, snapped it, and threw her to the side.
There was a collective loud gasp while the Avengers and Guardians felt ill, and the color drained from the Eternals' faces. Quill burned with anger at seeing his sister hurt, and Mantis turned bone white.
"No one does that to my friend!" Drax yelled, his fists clenched.
Quill shot Adam with his quad blasters, and Drax lifted him in the air. "Pick on someone your own size," he said, throwing Adam into a building. The two fought.
The Guardians sighed a small sigh of relief at seeing Drax.
"I am Groot," Groot said, extremely concerned. I hope Mantis is okay.
Mantis plastered a smile on her face. "I'll be alright with a med pack."
"But that gold asshole needs to get out of the way first for you to reach a med pack," Rocket growled.
"Peter!" Mantis cried. Quill ran into the armory to find Rocket gasping for air.
The Avengers and Guardians could feel nothing but blind terror at seeing Rocket in this state.
"Oh," Rocket said, panic flaring in his eyes. He'd been in many awful situations before, but this seemed bad.
"What did that gold man do?!" Thor exclaimed, rage seizing him.
"We need med packs," Mantis said. Quill ran and grabbed an armful of med packs.
"Grab all of them!" Rhodey hissed.
Nebula reshaped her broken body back into place. Drax and Adam were beating each other to a pulp until Adam got the upper hand and started hitting Drax's face.
"NO!" the group cried.
"How strong is he?!" Steve said.
"Shit, this is looking really bad," Layla said.
Nebula turned her arm into a blade and stabbed Adam. "That hurts," he said weakly. "What a pity," she snarled, removing the blade. Adam collapsed.
Everyone was pleased. Shang-Chi had a vivid flashback to Razorfist having similar features as Nebula and attempting to do the same thing to him as she did to Adam.
"Good," Gamora said. She wished she could've done that herself, but at least Adam would stop attacking her family and the rest of Knowhere.
"And whoever sent him has a grudge against you guys?" Ajak asked the Guardians, who nodded.
"Turns out stealing from them warrants sending an entire army after us. Who knew?" Rocket chuckled weakly, still shaken from witnessing the attack.
Meanwhile, Mantis sobbed as she placed her hands over Rocket's chest wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Her hands were red.
Rocket let out a tiny whimper at seeing all of the blood. What was happening to him? Groot wailed at seeing Rocket in his state; Drax and Nebula wanted to hit Adam and beat him to a pulp; Gamora's face was stony, Quill was sick with fear, and dread twisted in everyone else's guts.
Mantis's eyes darted down to her clean hands. She wanted them to stay that way; she didn't want Rocket's blood spilled over her hands.
Mantis put a med pack on her arm, which snapped the broken bone back into its place.
The Avengers and Eternals gaped at seeing the med pack in action. Stephen's eyes glittered at seeing the groundbreaking medical technology in space.
"I hate those things," Carol grumbled.
"That must hurt," said Kate.
"It's less painful than Thanos' torture sessions," Nebula said, causing Rocket to absentmindedly nod. Med packs were nothing compared to the pain he'd been through at the hands of the High Evolutionary.
Eros's eyes darkened at the reminder; he had quite a lot to say about how Thanos treated his children.
Quill activated the med pack on Rocket's chest, causing his body to convulse. Mantis screamed, causing Nebula to run into the room and command Quill to take them off. He removed them, showing Rocket's slightly electrocuted body.
Fresh terror rose within the group, especially Rocket. He sat unnaturally still while staring at the screen, fear flooding through every fiber of his body.
"What the hell happened?!" Tony yelled.
"That's not how med packs are supposed to work. Why didn't they work?" Loki questioned. He wasn't as attached to Rocket as the others were, but Rocket was close to Thor, so Loki was somewhat invested in his well-being.
"Peter just turned them on," said Gamora, her hands shaking. They couldn't lose another Guardian.
"How is Rocket going to heal?" Mantis asked in a small voice. Fear crept up Quill's spine; he couldn't watch himself lose another loved one after Gamora.
Kraglin looked at the destruction with a dazed expression. The citizens of Knowhere were injured, crying, and shaken.
The Avengers and Guardians looked at them with pity as this was the second time in recent history that the citizens of Knowhere would go through an attack like this. The first time was Thanos when he took the Reality Stone.
"I never should've left," Thor said, trembling with rage. He could've prevented this if he was there. None of the Guardians would be injured, and Rocket would be alright. He'd grown attached to the little rabbit and would tear that gold asshole apart if anything happened to him.
"You couldn't have known this would happen, Thor. It's not your fault," said Jane.
"I could've stopped it!"
"You needed to leave, Thor. Jane and the rest of New Asgard needed you," Quill said.
"I should've come back!"
"You needed to raise Love."
"And I could've done that on Knowhere."
Groot's head crawled over to Drax's injured body.
The Guardians let out a sigh of relief at seeing Groot alive. They knew he would be, but they were glad to get confirmation.
Kraglin saw Adam fly out of Knowhere. "Ah, hell," he said.
The Avengers and Guardians' faces darkened at seeing Adam fly away. They'd like to see him pay.
"Yeah, fly away, we'll find him eventually," Drax threatened.
Rocket was unconscious in Quill's arms. "We need to get him to the med bay," he said. "It's destroyed. There's one on the ship!" Nebula said.
Rocket felt numb. Was this the end? He knew his lifespan wasn't very long, and besides, it wasn't the first time one of them had to watch their own death.
Everyone else desperately hoped that Rocket would be okay and that there would be something in the med bay that could help him.
Cut to a quick montage of Baby Rocket's fur being shaved and 89P13 being tattooed on his body while chained to a table. The High Evolutionary and his subordinates, Theel and Vim, looked down at him, "Stitch him up and transfer him in with the rest of Batch 89," said the High Evolutionary.
Rocket squeezed his eyes shut and clamped his hands over his ears as he shivered at remembering what exactly he went through. He burned with embarrassment at everyone witnessing his worst moments, moments he tried his best to suppress, but he could never forget them.
The Guardians were frozen with horror; they wanted to comfort Rocket, but how could they begin to? There were no words to describe the atrocities that he went through at the hands of the High Evolutionary, plus he always lashed out whenever things got emotional. The Avengers were quivering with anger on Rocket's behalf, while the Eternals couldn't believe anyone could commit such heinous acts.
Quill's face was stony as fury twisted at seeing his best friend get tortured. Groot whimpered in fear and clapped his hands over his eyes; he couldn't watch the person he loved the most get hurt like this. Fat tears rolled down Mantis's cheeks, and Nebula tried to bite back her anger at seeing Rocket go through a similar thing as she had.
Thor's face darkened. He clenched his fists, and lightning traveled up his arms. He'd like to meet the High Evolutionary one day. Just to have a little one-to-one chat, of course. That's all.
Natasha and Bucky's stomachs clenched as they leaned on each other. Being chained to a table while being experimented on brought back too many awful memories.
"What did they do to you, Rocket?" Gamora asked faintly. She was no stranger to pain as Thanos cybernetically enhanced her body, but this was something else. She never could stomach watching Nebula get her enhancements.
"I'll tear them apart!" Drax roared.
"No!" Rocket cried, shaking with fear. Terror clawed up Rocket's throat at the thought of the Guardians near the High Evolutionary; he'd already lost one family to that psychopath; he couldn't survive if he lost his other one to him, too. The High Evolutionary had taken more than enough from him.
Theel threw Baby Rocket into a cage. Rocket shivered; the top of his head and back were shaved, and stitches and cybernetic enhancements were in their place.
All of them felt ill at seeing Rocket go through this. Tony, Bucky, and Natasha, in particular, felt queasy and furious. They knew what it felt like to be held hostage and have procedures done to their bodies without their consent—Tony never asked for the car battery attached to his heart even though it was to save his life; Bucky didn't ask for the metal arm that HYDRA gave him, and the Red Room had cruelly taken away Natasha's choice to biologically have children.
Lylla, a cybernetically augmented otter with two cybernetic arms, approached Rocket from the adjacent cage. "It's okay. You're here with us now," she said kindly.
Rocket's eyes looked desolate as he struggled to breathe at hearing and seeing Lylla. The last time he'd seen her was when her dead body dropped to the ground.
Groot grew a branch around Rocket, wrapping him in a hug. Rocket tensed for a moment but relaxed as he realized it was Groot and leaned into his embrace.
Everyone else was utterly horrified at seeing what was done to Lylla. No one wanted to ask what happened to her to get the cybernetic arms because they could assume what had happened. How could the High Evolutionary be capable of such cruelty?
Teefs, a cybernetically augmented walrus with two cybernetic wheels and mechanical eyelids, asked what kind of thing Rocket was. "Mask, eyes, face, mouth. Does it words?" Floor asked. She was a cybernetically augmented rabbit with a speaker over her mouth and cybernetic spider legs.
The Guardians, Avengers, and Eternals gaped.
Mantis clapped a hand over her mouth in horror. "They're so ug—pretty," she quickly corrected, remembering they were Rocket's friends.
"It's okay, friend. Don't let them scare you," Lylla said. "Hurts," Rocket said weakly, violently shivering.
The group sucked in a breath as their hearts broke. Natasha and Bucky's stomachs churned at the familiarity of the situation; how many times had they been in the same situation after what the Red Room and HYDRA did to them?
"Rocket…" Quill trailed off, unshed tears in his eyes. How could he watch his best friend go through this? Rocket's first word was hurts, and he was so small. He was just a baby at the time!
"Don't," Rocket said shortly, shivering slightly. Although he loved his friends and would always love them, it was his fault they were dead. Plus, he didn't want to remember the pain that he went through.
Gamora's mouth straightened into a thin line. She knew that Rocket didn't have the best life before he met them and that he spent some time in a lab, but she didn't expect this. All she wanted to do was gut the High Evolutionary for what he did to Rocket, his friends, and countless other innocent beings.
Lylla picked up a rag and softly wiped the blood away from Rocket's stitches. "It's okay. You're gonna be okay," she said.
Although the Guardians wished that Rocket had never been in a situation like that, they were glad he wasn't struggling through the pain alone.
Rocket's face crumpled, and a haunted look formed in his eyes. While he would be okay, Lylla wouldn't be. She was so kind, and kindness wasn't a quality that was readily available in the High Evolutionary's labs.
Cut back to the present, where the Guardians were inside the Bowie's med bay. They were gathered around Rocket's hospital bed, where he was hooked to a medical device. Groot's body was already growing back.
There was a collective sigh of relief at seeing Groot's body growing back.
"A kill switch?" Quill yelped. An x-ray showed that Rocket had a kill switch connected to his heart.
"A WHAT?" the Guardians and Avengers yelled.
Rocket's blood ran cold. "I have a kill switch in me?" he said weakly, clutching his chest.
"That thing needs to get out now," Tony said, his heart beating fast. While he didn't have a kill switch, he did know what it was like to have something that was killing him attached to his heart.
Bucky was glad that HYDRA didn't insert a kill switch in him because it was exactly the fucked up type of thing they'd do.
Bile rose in Natasha's throat. While she never had a kill switch in her, the later generations of Widow did. She watched a Widow plead that she didn't want to do this right in front of her in Budapest as Dreykov flipped the kill switch all the way from Russia. "M-My sister had a kill switch in her," she told the Guardians with a waver in her voice. She wanted them to know that she understood the fear they felt.
"Please tell me she got it out safely," Quill pleaded.
"She did, but others weren't so lucky."
Nebula was connected to a medical machine, allowing her to read the details of Rocket's cybernetic implants. "A device. Set to destruct if anyone goes poking around inside him. Or even if we use the med packs," she said.
"We need to get it out!" said Mantis.
"We'll figure it out, Rocket," Bruce said calmly. He felt like Rocket needed some stability now. "Between all of us, we'll think of something to get the kill switch out."
"While we could find a solution, they might not. You heard Nebula; it's set to destruct, and it's why the med packs didn't work. Rocket, unfortunately, doesn't have much time left," said Sam.
Silence.
"Fuck," Quill said, clutching his head. Rocket's eyes widened in fear.
Nebula shrugged. "We'll break into the High Evolutionary's labs, steal the code, and save Rocket."
Rocket froze, and he rapidly shook his head. "No! You can't do that!"
"Of course we will," Drax said simply. What other choice was there?
"Shut up, Rocket. They're going to do exactly that," Gamora said. She wished she was alive to help her family because she was in the mood to gut the High Evolutionary and his minions.
"Why would Rocket have a kill switch?" Quill asked. "Apparently, someone considers him proprietary technology and sent that golden lunatic to get him," Nebula responded.
Everyone's faces darkened as fury surged through them.
Bucky's heart sank. He and his arm were considered proprietary technology, too. He never expected to have so much in common with Rocket, of all people. He always considered him a menace who was a little too interested in his metal arm.
"So he'll die if we operate on him?" Mantis said. "And he'll die if we don't," said Drax.
There was a moment of silence. Rocket blinked the tears from his eyes; so this was the end. He didn't expect to live as long as he did, and at least he was dying surrounded by his family now. At least he was dying after he succeeded in bringing them all back from the dead via time travel.
"Shit, this is bad," said Peter.
"We can't do nothing!" Quill exclaimed. "I vote in favor of Nebula's idea."
"No! You can't go anywhere near him!" Rocket yelled. Everyone ignored him.
"There has to be some way to bypass it," Quill said. "It looks like there's a passkey that could override the kill switch," Nebula said.
The group's faces lit up. So there was something they could do to help Rocket!
Rocket didn't want to get his hopes up. While he would like to live, he didn't want the Guardians to go through so much trouble for him.
"What do we know about where Rocket came from?" Mantis asked. "He won't talk about it," Quill said.
Rocket wished no one had seen his past, but at least he learned about the kill switch.
A part of Quill wished he had stayed in blissful oblivion rather than see his best friend get tortured, but he was glad that he knew so he could get the kill switch out of Rocket.
"As if any of us talk about our traumatized pasts," Natasha muttered.
"Much of the tech was developed by a company called OrgoCorp. And there's a code on all of it. 89P13. He's got maybe forty-eight hours," Nebula said.
The Guardians and Avengers' hearts sank at hearing that Rocket only had forty-eight hours left.
"It's alright. All of us have achieved harder feats in a time crunch, too; the Guardians can do it," Scott said, trying to stay hopeful.
The Asgardians, Carol, and Eros blinked in surprise. "OrgoCorp? I knew they were involved in some…unpleasant dealings, but not this," Loki said.
"OrgoCorp is an intergalactic bioengineering company producing advanced cybergenetic technology and genetic enhancements across the galaxy. They're a leading force in cybergenetic research," Carol explained to the others. She planned on looking into the company when she got back home.
"So, the company is a front for the High Evolutionary's experiments," Clint summed up.
Quill walked to the cockpit, prompting Nebula to ask where he was going. The rest of the Guardians followed. "OrgoCorp have to have records, right? Maybe they'll have a way for us to override the kill switch and save Rocket," he said. "They won't just give us that information," Mantis said. "Well, that's why we're gonna break in," Quill said.
"And luckily, the Guardians are wonderful at that. How can I help this time in our universe?" Carol asked.
"Rocket needs someone to protect him by his side to protect him while we deal with the High Evolutionary," said Quill. He wasn't stupid enough to turn down help when they needed all the help they could get.
"No, I don't," Rocket said incredulously.
"That gold psychopath injured you enough to trigger the kill switch," Gamora said flatly. "Thor or Carol should stay with you. They're the most powerful ones."
"I'm staying with Rocket," Thor said immediately. He wasn't going to let that cruel asshole anywhere near his dear rabbit friend.
"We need Carol to break into OrgoCorp. If it comes down to it, she can blast us out of OrgoCorp with the records," Nebula said.
"And kill anyone who gets in our way!" Drax exclaimed. "Not kill anyone," Quill corrected.
"No, we're killing a couple of people," Quill admitted, his fists clenched.
"Kill a few people." "Kill no people." "Kill one guy, one stupid guy who no one loves." "Now you're just making it sad."
"Drax is telling the truth. We're going to kill the High Evolutionary, one stupid guy who no one loves," said Quill. Panic flared in Rocket's eyes; they wanted to kill the High Evolutionary? Were they insane? He was too powerful to be killed, and they would get themselves killed along the way.
Quill told Kraglin and Cosmo to watch over Knowhere for a few days until they returned.
Quill couldn't help but think that when they returned, it was either with Rocket's corpse or, hopefully, not.
Cosmo asked Kraglin to take back what he said about her being a bad dog, but he refused.
Nebula pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation.
Nebula located the coordinates for OrgoCorp and mentioned that she had a contact there who could help them get in. "Contact him. Let's go save our friend," Quill said, flying the Bowie out of Knowhere and into a jump point.
The Eternals blinked at seeing Knowhere, the severed head of a Celestial.
"That's the severed head of a Celestial? How is that possible?" Thena wondered.
Ikaris chuckled bitterly. "Just as impossible as creating a Uni-Mind and killing a Celestial via transmutation." He thought seeing Tiamut's corpse was an impossible sight, and now he'd seen two Celestial corpses.
"That wouldn't have been possible if Tiamut hadn't joined the Uni-Mind. It's a bit different than chopping off a Celestial's head."
Groot sat beside Rocket's hospital bed. Cut to a flashback of Young Rocket giggling as he and Floor chased each other in their cage.
Tears pooled in Rocket's eyes as he remembered the few good times when he was younger, all with his friends.
Natasha had a bitter smile. She wished she hadn't been alone in the Red Room, but they didn't allow weaknesses. They pitted girls against each other, so she was never close with any of the other Widows because she could play with them one day and then be forced to break their necks the next day. She had to be the best; otherwise, she would be killed, so it didn't give her many options to make friends during her childhood. Plus, she refused to speak to Yelena partly because she wanted to distance herself from her to try to convince herself that she wasn't her real sister and because she couldn't show any weaknesses, and Yelena was a huge weakness. Rocket was unbelievably lucky that he had his friends who allowed each other to feel like a person.
Bucky closed his eyes as his heart twisted. He didn't want to compare situations, but Rocket didn't know how lucky he was that he wasn't alone for the worst part of his life. That he had people who understood him and the pain he went through. While he met people after he escaped HYDRA who had been through the same situation as him, like Natasha and even Carol, to an extent, he was alone for seventy years. He didn't wish anyone else to go through the same torture he did, but it was a pain that he carried around for decades, and it would never go away.
"I'm glad you got out, Rocket," he said softly.
Rocket paused, ready to lash back before remembering that Bucky had gone through a similar situation. He shut his mouth. "I'm glad you got out, too."
Lylla and Teefs played with each other, and the four collapsed on the ground with laughter. "It's good to have friends," said Lylla.
Rocket bit back a sob. Friends. He wished Lylla, Teefs, and Floor could've seen the sky. He'd seen the sky and gone to places he could've only imagined seeing when they lived in their cages. He would've given anything to have shown them the same thing and brought them on the adventures he'd been through.
The Guardians' stomachs dropped. Rocket had never brought up his friends, and they had never met them, so they could only assume what had happened to them. What had the High Evolutionary done?
Cut back to the present at Arête Laboratories on Counter-Earth.
Rocket's heart jumped into his throat. Counter-Earth. It was where he, Floor, Lylla, and Teefs had naively thought they would've ended up. The new world, the perfect world.
The Avengers, Eternals, and Guardians blinked in surprise at seeing the planet's name. "Counter-Earth?" T'Challa said, taken aback.
"I've never heard of that planet. Where is it?" Carol said. A planet called Counter-Earth would've caught her attention since Earth was her home planet. She didn't have a good feeling about any of this.
"Me too," Thor and Loki said.
"Same here," Valkyrie added.
"I haven't either," said Nebula. The rest of the Guardians made sounds of agreement.
"How is it possible that none of you guys have heard about this planet?" Steve questioned.
"The High Evolutionary is carrying out illegal experiments. Who knows what that psychopath is up to?" Bucky said, shaking with anger.
"It's known as Halfworld to the rest of the galaxy," Rocket said quietly.
"I think I've heard of that planet. Vaguely," Loki said.
Ayesha was holding Adam in her arms. "My poor baby," she cried.
"Ayesha?!" the Guardians exclaimed.
"The gold asshole who attacked Rocket is Ayesha's son? I didn't see that coming," said Quill.
"Unnh, it hurts," Adam groaned.
"Good," they said.
High Evolutionary marched into the room. "Do you have it?" he demanded. "He does not, sire," Vim said.
"The Sovereign and the High Evolutionary are working together?!" Gamora said, baffled.
"So, the High Evolutionary is the one who sent the gold idiot to attack Rocket," Rhodey stated.
Rocket's breath left his body at the realization. Would the High Evolutionary never stop haunting him?
"So, this has nothing to do with the batteries?" Drax asked.
High Evolutionary's face was stretched into a purple metallic headpiece.
Rocket was filled with grim satisfaction at seeing the clearly fake skin.
"What's up with the fake skin?" Peter asked.
"I hope this isn't another Red Skull situation," Steve said. Rocket remembered the Red Skull on Vormir and thought Steve wasn't far off.
"I tried to warn you, High Evolutionary. These Guardians are more powerful than you think," Ayesha said.
The Guardians smirked.
"She learned that the hard way," said Gamora.
"Or perhaps you simply overestimate your own value, High Priestess," High Evolutionary said, standing on a stool to reach Ayesha's height.
Rocket snorted. Of course, the High Evolutionary couldn't stand looking up at someone.
He grabbed her hair. "No doubt, a flaw of some type in my own design. I created you lot as merely an aesthetic experiment. Beautiful numbskulls."
The Guardians made a strangled noise while everyone else's brows shot up. While shocked at the revelation, they couldn't help but be repulsed at the way the High Evolutionary was treating Ayesha by pulling her hair and examining her like she was an experiment, which, to him, she was. He was her creator.
"The High Evolutionary created the Sovereign?!" Rocket yelled. How intertwined was the High Evolutionary to his past?
"But Ayesha met us, and most importantly, Rocket, years ago, and she didn't tell him?" Gamora said, baffled. "He sent the violent gold one to attack Knowhere just because he wanted Rocket!"
"Well, it makes sense that the Sovereign are artificial beings since Ayesha seemed repulsed by Quill's offer to have sex with her, but that might just be a natural reaction—" Drax started to say before being cut off by Quill's loud splutters.
"I didn't mean to offer that!" Quill protested.
The Eternals shifted uncomfortably at hearing the High Evolutionary talk about the Sovereign being an aesthetic experiment and having flaws. After everything they learned about their origins, it hit a little too close to home.
"But your egos have run wild. And this one was meant to be the Warlock. The effigy of their people," High Evolutionary said, referring to Adam. "You removed Adam from his cocoon early, my liege. He is still a child," Ayesha said.
"Hey, he's like the opposite of Sprite. Adam is a baby in a man's body while Sprite is millennia old stuck in a child's body," Kingo pointed out.
"Only until Sersi turns me into a human with leftover Uni-Mind energy," Sprite muttered.
"No, there's something wrong with him even outside all that," High Evolutionary said. "Yes, there's something wrong with me. I was stabbed, you extraordinary phallus—" Adam said.
Everyone snorted while Rocket gaped at seeing someone call the High Evolutionary an extraordinary phallus.
"Yeah, I can see how Adam is still a child," Clint said, amused.
High Evolutionary blasted Adam back into the wall, causing him to scream. "He doesn't know any better. We shall do whatever you require, my liege," Ayesha quickly said.
The group's breaths caught. Seeing how cruel the High Evolutionary could be wasn't surprising—they'd seen what he'd done to Rocket.
The Guardians' eyes flew open in shock at seeing Ayesha, who was confident, poised, and uncowed when they'd last met her, act frightened.
"You knew of 89P13's existence for years without alerting me. That's not what I require!" High Evolutionary exclaimed.
Rocket's heart jumped into his throat, and his blood ran cold. Fuck. "Why didn't she tell him about me? It's been ten years since she met us."
"How did he figure out that Ayesha knows Rocket?" Nebula wondered.
"Why is he so obsessed with Rocket?" Rhodey asked.
"Find 89P13 and return it to me. Or I will destroy your entire civilization as is my right as your maker! Do you understand?" High Evolutionary demanded, grabbing Ayesha's chin.
The color drained from their faces.
"D-Destroying an entire civilization," Sersi said, feeling sick. "What's wrong with him?"
"Yes, sire," she said. He let go of Adam, letting him fall to the ground.
Although the Guardians didn't like Adam for what he'd done to Rocket and Knowhere, they felt a pang of sympathy.
The High Evolutionary, Vim, and Theel marched through the laboratory. "How did 89P13 survive after all these years, Theel?" "It was always clever, sire." "Yes, that's exactly why I want it now." "Of course." "It's brain."
Rocket's paws shook in equal amounts of fright and fury at knowing that the High Evolutionary was hunting him.
"He and his," Bucky corrected. "Not it."
"The High Evolutionary has done enough," Quill snarled. "Rocket only has forty-eight hours left." Dread gnawed at the group's insides at the reminder.
"That is the only reason, sire," Theel said, looking at Vim.
Rocket looked smug. He knew that the High Evolutionary couldn't stand that he was cleverer than him, that he had figured out how to prevent the experiments from going insane.
"But are you really trusting the Sovereign to retrieve it?" Theel asked. "They're merely a backup. I believe I know where they're going," High Evolutionary said.
Panic flared in the Avengers and Guardians' eyes, and Rocket let out a whimper. The High Evolutionary knew they were coming, and he'd hurt them too.
"It doesn't matter if he knows or not. We have to find Rocket's files at any cost," Quill said firmly.