ONE MONTH LATER.
STILL 2014...
"Showtime, a-holes!" Peter yelled to the rest of his team, and the device in his hand beeped, "It will be here any minute."
"Which will be its loss." added Gamora, as she finished setting up her gun.
Peter gave her a look, "I thought your thing was a sword?"
"We've been hired to stop an interdimension beast from feeding on those batteries, and I'm gonna stop it with a sword?"
"It's just swords were your thing and guns were mine and Els." Peter replied, pretending to be salty.
Eleanor smiled from the other side of Peter, "I don't mind if she wants to use a gun. I think that it would be easier for all of us."
Gamora pointed at the girl, "See!"
"Remember, she tried to murder us, Els," complained Peter, and Eleanor and Gamora rolled their eyes, "and you're taking her side!"
"Yeah, she doesn't complain about me not doing anything around the ship," Eleanor replied, "You nag all the time."
Gamora smiled smugly at Peter before shifting her attention to the other green alien of the team, "Drax, why aren't you wearing one of Rocket's aero-rigs?"
"It hurts."
"It hurts?"
Drax glanced sideways, giving her a stare, "I have sensitive nipples."
Rocket burst into laughter, "My nipples hurt! Oh, goodness me!" he mocked Drax.
"What about him?" Drax said, outraged at the mockery, "What's he doing?"
"I'm finishing this so we can listen to tunes while we work." replied Rocket. Drax pulled a face, "How is that a priority?"
"Blame Quill!" Rocket yelled, "He's the one who loves music so much!"
"No, I actually agree with Drax on this," Peter confirmed, and Drax pointed at him, "That's hardly important right now."
"Oh, okay," Rocket said, winking with the eye that was closest to Drax, "Sure, Quill."
"No, seriously, I side with Drax."
Rocket continued winking, "No, I understand that. You're being very serious right now."
Drax threw his hands down in annoyance, "I can clearly see you winking!"
"Damn it. I'm using my left eye?"
Eleanor looked to the floor and smiled as baby Groot ran across the floor, chasing after an Orloni. He couldn't catch up, so he pushed a neighbouring one that was just minding its own business. He punched the other one, and turned to the others smiling triumphantly.
"I am Groot." he said, looking up at Rocket and Eleanor. She sighed. "They were not looking at you funny!" Rocket exclaimed.
Baby Groot brought out a protective feeling in Eleanor. He was the little sprout that grew from the twigs of the old Groot. The old Groot who had saved Eleanor's life. 'I owe you one.' She felt by looking after his baby she was fulfilling the one she owed.
There was a massive blast of lightning and the most terrifying monster - in Eleanor's perspective - came leaping forwards from the sky. Rocket said what they were all thinking, "Well, that's intense."
The monster landed on the floor and Drax yelled, running after it with everyone following after him. Eleanor stayed a safe distance away, and she pointed her gun straight at the monster's skin. She began to shoot at it, when all of a sudden the sound of 'Mr. Blue Sky' began to play. Groot must have figured out how to start the speakers.
"Fun fact about these things!" Eleanor yelled as her family kept flying and leaping about around her, "They have multiple levels of thick skin that cannot be pierced with guns or knives which means, this mission is for nothing!"
Peter rolled his eyes as for the past month, all Eleanor had been telling them was fun facts about Terra. Somehow, she had found a book about it and it had become her new obsession.
Eleanor spotted Groot eying up an Orloni. "Careful, Groot! You'll get hurt!" she shouted over to him, dodging a tentacle. He gave her a smile and a short nod before running after the creature. Eleanor sighed and focused back on the monster.
"The beast's hide is too thick to be pieced from the outside," shouted Drax, "I must cut through it from the inside."
Gamora looked at him, "Huh?"
He started to laugh, holding up both his swords. Gamora pulled him a face, "No, no! Drax, wait a minute!" he ran at the monster, "Drax!"
He leapt into the monster's mouth.
"What is he doing?" asked Peter.
Eleanor rolled her eyes whilst replying, "He said the skin is too thick to be pierced from the outside, so he..."
"But that doesn't make any sense!"
Gamora yelled, "I tried telling him that!"
"Skin is the same level of thickness from the inside as from the outside!" Peter argued.
"We realise that." Gamora said, angrily.
Peter looked up, "There is a cut on its neck. Rocket, get it to look up!"
Gamora grumbled and threw away her gun, bringing out a sword from her pocket. Eleanor smiled proudly as she ran and jumped onto the monster, slicing it down its entire body with her sword. The monster fell to the floor and Drax jumped out of its body. He started to laugh, holding his knives up in the air, "Yes! I have single-handedly..." Gamora crossed her arms and Eleanor tilted her head, sighing, "vanquished the beast!"
Groot threw a stone at him.
"What?"
Eleanor stretched out her cramped arms as Drax sat on the steps, cleaning off the monster juice, "What are they called again?" he asked.
"Anulax batteries." Peter replied, slipping on his coat and passing Eleanor her hoodie jacket.
"Harbulary batteries."
"That's nothing like what I just said," said Peter, "But they're worth thousands of units apiece which is why the Sovereign hired us to protect them. Careful what you say around these folks. They're easily offended," Eleanor caught up with her dad and slipped her hand into his. He gave it a gentle squeeze, "The cost of transgression is death."
"We thank you guardians for putting your lives on the line," the head woman said, "We could not risk the lives of our own Sovereign citizens. Every citizen is born exactly as designed by the community. Impeccable, both physically and mentally. We control the DNA of our progeny germinating them in birthing pods."
"I guess I prefer to make people the old-fashioned way." Peter added, smirking as he spoke. Eleanor scowled at him.
The head woman continued, "Perhaps someday, you could give me a history lesson in the archaic ways of our ancestors. For academic purposes."
Peter smiled, "I would be honoured, yes. In the name of research, I think that could be pretty, uh," he spotted Gamora looking at him, "repulsive. I'm not into that kind of casual..."
"Oh, please," Gamora interrupted, stepping forward, "Your people promised something in exchange for our services. Bring it and we shall gladly be on our way."
A door on their right opened and two people brought out a struggling prisoner. They pushed the person to the ground and removed the hood.
"Family reunion. Yay!" Peter commented.
"I understand she is your sister." the head woman said.
Gamora scowled, "She's worth no more to me than the bounty due for her on Xandar." she grabbed Nebula's shoulder.
The head woman continued talking, "Our soldiers apprehended her attempting to steal the batteries. Do with her as you please."
Gamora roughly shoved Nebula towards the exit. Groot, who was in Eleanor's hands, pointed towards Gamora and the girl followed after them. Groot smiled up at her.