Darkest Before Breaking Of The Dawn

Satellite Orbit

Unbeknownst to her, the Guardians' confusion became shock and disbelief at the unfortunate new development. Struggling to process the information with them, Peter only manages to stutter out a weak inquiry for clarification. "You mean he wasn't–I mean you're sure that he never really–" He never left us? He was held captive here!? How was that possible?!

"Peter, on my way over to you I fell through a trap door leading to some type of underground laboratory. That's where I found Rocket; along with all the weapons and gadgets missing from his room." She insisted bitterly.

Groot's harrowfully gasped, eyes growing wider as his fears for Rocket's fate were realized. I knew he would never really leave us! We never should have left here without him!

Peter grabbed his head in disbelief, his brain wanting to reject what he feared to be true. "So you found him and he told you he was held there against his will? But what took him so long to escape? I mean he escaped from twenty-two prisons before!" Though he was skeptical, he was also generally worried. For Rocket to be held captive without a successfully planned escape, the circumstances of his imprisonment had to have been dire.

"Who could have bested Rocket and held him captive for so long?" A bewildered Drax disputed, scowling with rising malice at whoever could have managed to do so.

"Yes, and who would do such a thing to Rocket? Was it the Badoons–or the Kree wanting revenge?" Mantis curiously yet fearfully asked as she too wondered who could have managed that.

"So why isn't Rocket the one explaining this all to us? You said he can't talk right now–why is that?" Nebula prodded, keeping her tone flat, expression unreadable–though on the inside she dreaded the answer. Whatever could have possibly happened to Rocket to bring her sister to tears couldn't be good.

Gamora's shuddering breath she blew out through the comm set them all on edge. "Look–Rocket is unconscious right now. I don't know who could have done this to him. He was alone when I found him tied up–and he is in very bad shape." She let out a steady breath fighting more tears–not wanting to look down at Rocket for fear of more surfacing at just the sight of him.

Groot groaned loudly in sorrow as it became painfully clear why Rocket wasn't able to talk. Not only that, but it was obvious where that agonized moan had sounded from. He grasped at his head as his imagination ran wild over how injured poor Rocket could be right now.

All doubt left Peter–replaced with alarm borderlining on fear. He looked at his team seeing their grave faces as they too pondered on what could have happened to him during captivity. "Just how bad of shape are we talking about here?"

"He was tied up there? All alone?" Mantis piteously exclaimed hands to her chest, heart wrenching for their little grumpy friend.

"What do you mean in very bad shape? What bad shape did they force him into?!" Drax demanded, rage brewing as he clenched his fists at his sides.

"Listen to me–there isn't much time!" She pleaded with them before gravely listing his various injuries. "All you need to know right now is he's unconscious. Has broken bones, cuts, bruises, slashes, wounds all over his body. His eyes seem to be either bruised or infected. All his nails have been torn off. His teeth have been torn off. Even his tail is missing. Everything needs disinfecting, bandaging, stitching, and painkillers...." She trailed off breathless, fighting exhaustion as she jogged frantically through the forest.

The harrowing description already painted a picture they dreaded to see. Rocket–there Rocket was not only held captive, but tortured? His teeth, nails and tail cut off?! They all looked at each other, expressions varying over the swirling emotions, raging within each other. Though it hurt them to hear all the damage that had been done to Rocket, they knew they needed to know if they were to be of any help when administering medical treatment for him.