" i just need you and some sunsets."
Some time had passed since SHIELD fell. Ash had been investigating Lady Rouge and after months of it, he got a lead. This had taken him to something that was being transported, something he'd been told was dangerous. The cargo was being sent over to Sokovia, while it was being transported at night, Ash followed and readied himself to ambush. His comlink springs to life, Natasha's voice speaking to him.
"Cargo is approaching. Ready to ambush in 3... 2... 1."
Ash drops down on a truck's roof, sneaking down to the doors at the back. Nicotine opens them and Ash heads in, landing gracefully before standing up. A pair of what he could only assume were HYDRA agents pointed their weapons at him.
"Hey, fellas." He grinned.
Ash attacked, very quickly dealing with the duo. Who both dropped and laid on the floor lifeless. He looked ahead and walked to the end of the truck. A container holding a very secured sceptre. Which had been Loki's. Ash's eyes widened and before he could contact Natasha, Rift teleported in.
"Why hello, long time no see." He grinned.
"What the hell are you doing with the sceptre?" Ash questioned.
Rift whistled, "Right to the questions, aren't we?" He smirked.
Ash charged at him but he grabbed the sceptre, pointing it at him and blasting it. He was sent flying and disappeared in a flash. Rift furrowed his brows and looked at it.
"Huh."
Ash was hurled through what he could only tell was space. He suddenly landed with a thud on cold, hard, metal floor. He groaned and a voice rang through his ear drums.
"What the hell?!"
"Why is there a talking racoon?" Nicotine deadpanned.
Ash's head ached and he turned to lie on his back, his eyes focused and sure enough a racoon was peering over him.
"What the fuck?" He said.
"I should be the one saying that! Who are you and what are you doing here?! Most of all, how the hell did you get here!?" The racoon yelled.
Ash groaned and held his head in pain, "I'm Ash, I dunno what I'm doing here and I got blasted here by Loki's sceptre." He explained.
"Who's Loki?!"
Ash stared at the rodent in confusion before pulling himself up and onto his feet.
"Whatever, where am I and who are you?" Ash questioned.
"We're in space." Nicotine said.
"What?" Ash replied.
"I didn't say anything." The racoon said confusedly, staring at him as though he were crazy.
"I know." Ash smiled.
"Right, well, I'm Rocket, that's Groot and your crazy ass is on my ship." He introduced.
"Okay, uh. How's the concept of symbiote in space?" Ash asked.
Rocket stared at him, realising that the guy that just dropped into his ship had a symbiote.
"They're not well received." He said exasperatedly.
"I am Groot." The tree said.
"Yeah, he's got a symbiote." Rocket told him.
Ash stood there confusedly, Rocket looked at him and sighed.
"Well, we need to go do something first on Xandar. Then we're hauling your ass back to wherever you came from." He said.
Ash nodded, "Fine by me."
***
"Xandarians. What a bunch of losers! All of them in a hurry to get from something stupid to nothing at all." Rocket said.
Ash crossed his arms and looked down at him as he rambled about Xandar.
"Look at this guy! Can you believe they call us criminals when they're assaulting us with that haircut?! What is that thing?! Look how it thinks its so cool! It's not cool to get help, walk by yourself, you little gargoyle. Look at Mr. Smiles, where's your wife, old man? What a class-a prevert." The racoon rambled.
Ash rolled his eyes, how did he go from getting blasted by Loki's sceptre to this? Rocket looked up from his tablet and over to Groot.
"Groot? Don't drink fountain water, you idiot. That's disgusting!" Rocket exclaimed.
Ash held the bridge of his nose and listened to Rocket talk about someone he found for him and Groot to collect a bounty on. They followed the guy and found him fighting a woman, who Rocket tackled and then ordered Groot to capture the guy. But he went for the woman.
"Ash! Hello! Go after that guy!" Rocket shouted.
Ash just stared at him in disbelief before chasing the guy the duo were after. He grumbled profanities as the woman threw Rocket away. Then a knife was thrown at the guy's hand and he dropped what he had been holding. He fought the woman and sent her flying with one of his devices. Ash dropped down and while he was distracted, pulled him into a chokehold. Rocket walked over and whistled.
"That's pretty harsh." He commented.
Groot managed to get the guy in the bag and hauled him over his shoulder. Ash simply followed them, then the woman turned up again to get whatever she was after after hacking Groot's arms to bits. She went over to the bag and the guy zapped her, knocking her out, allowing for him to run away to which Rocket dealt with him. Then the Nova Corps arrived, arresting the group.
***
They were brought in for processing and Ash stood there in annoyance. He explained everything about the others and when he finally moved on to Ash, was when his and Nicotine's hearts stopped.
"Ashton Stark, also from Terra, we don't actually have any information on him other than what he's told us. But we do know that he is the host for a symbiote called Nicotine, who was inhabiting a Kree soldier 25 years ago before it was arrested by the Kree and sent on a transport ship to the Agents of the Cosmos. Though he hasn't said anything about what the two have been doing together for the past couple years." He explained.
Ash simply stayed quiet and didn't make much movement.
"What a bunch of a-holes. Transport all five to the Kyln. I want the symbiote extracted from its host and sent to the Agents of the Cosmos there as well. Hopefully this time it won't escape."
The two were sent off and tried to keep each other calm. When they got there, they walked through the prison.
"I guess most of the Nova Corp want to uphold the laws, but these ones here, they're corrupt and cruel. But I ain't gonna be here long. I've escaped 22 prisons, this one's no different. You're lucky she showed up because we'd be getting that bounty by now and you'd be getting drawn and quartered by Yondu and his Ravagers." Rocket said.
"I've had a lot of folks try to kill me all these years. I'm not about to be brought down by a tree and a talking raccoon."
Ash stopped listening to the conversation, instead listening to Nicotine trying to calm him down. They continued to be led through the prison, until they reached an open door. A guy was messing with a walkman and... Quill? Ash didn't care and silently watched as he ran in and yelled, leading to being shocked by an electric baton.