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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟏
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐒
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Despite her best efforts to stop her aero-rig, Primrose continued to fly through the air and away from danger. A million thoughts went through her head as she flew, most cursing out Peter for sending her on her crazy flight. She knew he sent her away for her safety and she somewhat understood that. She wished the thought of that before he did. After all, Peter was the one who Ego was after. But even though she understood his actions, that didn't stop Primrose from being angry with her brother. The two of them usually talk out their plans before Peter went rogue and did something insane. That was how they worked. She didn't like how he was changing things up on her.
It wasn't long before the Quill woman reached the surface of the planet and landed not-so-gracefully next to Drax. He just stared at her with confusion in his eyes, unsure as to why Primrose was with him and not down below with everyone else. However, before either of them could say a word to the other, Kraglin landed the quadrant right in front of them and opened the door. Primrose glanced back in the direction she came one last time, having a mental debate on whether she should get on the ship or go back for her brother. After a long moment, she found herself turning and following the Kylosian man toward the quadrant.
The two of them only made it a few yards when blue tentacles emerged from the ground and wrapped around the quadrant. Drax and Primrose instantly stopped in their tracks and watched as the tentacles began pulling the ship toward them. Neither of them hesitated to turn back around and sprint in the direction they came in an effort to avoid being crushed. When they reached the hole they just flew out of, Drax forced Primrose onto the ground before he used his body to shield her and Mantis from the ship. Just as they thought they were done for, the quadrant began moving in the opposite direction. That caused the duo to get to their feet and once again run in another direction to evade the ship's engine flames. As Primrose continued to sprint across the sandy surface of Ego's planet, she couldn't help but blame her brother for everything. Even though he wasn't there with her, what was happening was most likely his fault.
It wasn't even a second after that thought went through her head when a tentacle shot out from the ground in front of her. Primrose skidded to a halt in the dirt beneath her, almost falling as she did so. When she regained her bearings, the brunette woman stared at the glowing blue object with wide eyes. The Quill woman quickly snapped out of her daze as she pulled out her blaster and began firing at it without an ounce of hesitation. To her dismay, her attacks didn't do any damage. The tentacle shot toward her without so much as a warning and wrapped around her entire body. Panic coursed through her veins as she looked over at Drax for help, only to find him holding Mantis above his head as he slowly sank into the surface.
Primrose's attention was soon drawn back to her current situation when the tentacle started tightly squeezing her. Pain went through every inch of her body as she tried her best to break free. It didn't take long for her to realize that her attempts were futile and only wasted the energy she had left. All it did was make the tentacle's grip around her tighten. Another moment passed of the life being squeezed out of her before Primrose screamed at the top of her lungs.
Down below in the center of the planet, Primrose and Drax's allies were faced with similar fates. Despite their best efforts to fend off Ego's attacks, Yondu and Rocket were overcome by two more of his tentacles. Rocks were beginning to form over their bodies as the planet began crushing them. Closer to the surface of the planet, Gamora and Nebula were stuck just out of reach of freedom as multiple smaller tentacles attacked them. And poor Groot was just about to reach his destination when the walls of the core started closing in on him. He tried his best to protect the detonator as the walls were threatening to crush him under their weight. Despite all the misery the Guardians were facing at that moment, it seemed Peter was facing the worst of it all. Instead of the tentacles squeezing the life out of him, they forced themselves under his skin for Ego to use him as a battery once again.
But as quickly as the pain came, it soon vanished. The tentacle instantly released Primrose and disappeared back into the earth, causing her to collapse on the floor. The Quill woman just lay there for a long moment taking in as many breaths as she could. After taking in one final deep breath, she forced herself to her feet and followed Drax to the quadrant. Primrose helped the Kylosian man get Mantis onto the ship before the two of them climbed on. While Drax went upstairs to where Kraglin was, Primrose stayed on the lower deck and stared in the direction they just came, hoping that her team made it out in time.
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What felt like an eternity passed before Gamora and Nebula came climbing out of the hole in the surface. A small smile appeared on Primrose's face as they sprinted towards the ship. As soon as they were close enough, the Quill woman reached out to help Gamora onto the ship before both of them assisted Nebula. While Nebula went to stand in the corner of the ship, Gamora knelt down beside Mantis to check her for any injuries. Despite knowing she should help the Zehoberei woman, Primrose went back to staring out in the distance to watch for the rest of their allies.
It wasn't long after that when Rocket flew out of the hole with Groot on his shoulders. The grin on Primrose's face did nothing but grow as she watched him fly through the sky until he landed on the lower deck. She just stared at the raccoon for a long moment before she noticed the sad look on his face. When she looked back towards the only means of escaping the center of the planet, there was no sign of Peter or Yondu. It didn't take long for Primrose to put all the pieces together, causing the smile to disappear from her face as she looked back at Rocket.
"Where are Peter and Yondu?" Primrose questioned, only to receive silence from the raccoon, "Rocket, where are they?"
Rocket didn't say a word as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the timer. The Quill woman's blood ran cold when she saw there was less than a minute left. After watching the clock for another moment, Primrose's eyes landed back on the raccoon.
"Rocket," the brunette woman called out again as tears began forming in her eyes, "Rocket, look at me! Where are they?!"
The only response she received from Rocket was a small shake of the head as he continued to stare at the timer. When Primrose's eyes landed on Groot, she found him pointing back in the direction they just came from. The tears in the Quill woman's eyes were soon streaming down her cheeks as she stared at the hole. When there was no movement in the distance, Primrose walked over to the wall and pulled off one of the giant blasters. "I'm going back for them."
"I'm going with Primrose," Gamora announced as she got to her feet and grabbed her own blaster from the wall before looking over at the younger woman with a small smile on her face, "we're not leaving without them."
The two of them exchanged a determined look before they started walking toward the ship's exit. However, they barely made it two steps when a shocking pain went through their bodies. That lasted for another moment before disappearing and sending the women to the floor. Primrose just stared up at the ceiling with tears in her eyes, her head filled with thoughts of her brother and Yondu. It wasn't after that when the sound of small footsteps greeted her ears before Rocket came into her line of vision. The raccoon just stared at her with a sad look in his eyes until he finally gathered enough courage to speak.
"I'm sorry. I can only afford to lose one friend today," Rocket told her without bothering to hide the emotion in his voice, "Kraglin, go!"
Tears continued to pour from Primrose's eyes as she stared at the hole her brother should be coming out of. She pleaded for her body to move so she could go after him, but nothing was willing to work. The Quill woman mentally cursed herself for not inheriting the Asgardian strength from her father. Because of that, she failed to save her brother and the man who raised her. Primrose was about to be all alone in the universe.
"Rocket, where's Quill?" Drax's voice came over the speakers as the quadrant began moving away from the planet's surface. When he didn't receive a response from down below, the Kylosian man shouted into the microphone. "Rocket! Where's Quill?! Rocket! Where's Quill?!"
"Please, Rocket," Primrose whispered just loud enough to be heard, causing Rocket to look at her for the first time since he got on the ship, "we need to go back for them."
Rocket just stared at her for a long moment before letting out a long sigh and placing the timer back in his pocket. "Both of them made me promise to get you out of here and I don't intend on breaking that promise. I'm sorry, Prim."
Primrose's tears didn't stop as she watched the door slowly close until no natural light was coming into the ship. As she felt the ship fly higher and higher into the sky, only one thought was going through the Quill woman's head. It wasn't long after that when the adrenaline within her began to fade and the pain from the electric shock Rocket gave her returned. Despite her best attempts at staying awake, Primrose's eyes slowly closed. And as she greeted the darkness like an old friend, she was completely unaware of the world she was about to face when she woke up.
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