CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"Do not say it, Frost"
THE GROUP WAS WELL AND truly screwed because it wasn't just Ronan that showed up, Yondu and the Ravagers did too. After shouting at Peter to stay where he was, the Ravagers began moving towards the group, but they also moved.
Allison followed Gamora into what resembled a parking garage for ships.
"Perfect," Allison murmured, stepping towards one and sitting inside, the door slowly sliding shut. She Groot watching her from a distance, she gave him a small reasurring smile. "I'll be back, don't worry."
Let me take control! I'll kill them all!
"No. You'd loose control and go crazy! I'm not letting you, Frost," Allison shot back as she switched the pod on and glided it up.
Next, Rocket, Peter, Gamora and Allison took to the skies in these pods, weaving in and out of buildings as Ronan's dedicated followers trailed behind them, Nebula leading the charge. Allison was the one being protected by the other three, her having the Orb still and the main goal still being protect the Orb from Ronan. She knew she'd be the target, but that didn't scare her because, if worse came to worse, Allison would let Frost take control, and despite disliking her other self, the Ice Demon counterpart was a strong fighter and she trusted that part of her in battles.
Green lasers flew around the group, narrowly missing Allison. The Ice Demon could feel her fear but the adrenaline like feeling pumping through her veins overthrew it.
"Rocket, Gamora, keep them off Allison until she gets to the Milano!" Peter commanded over the destruction and loudness.
"How? We've got no weaponary on these things!" Rocket exclaimed Gamora's thoughts, fearing what was going to happen to his best friend. He wanted to do everything to help protect Allison, but he couldn't see anyway to do that.
"These pods are industrial grade, they're nearly indestructible!"
"Not against necroblasts they're not!" Gamora growled back, annoyed at Peter.
"That's not what I'm saying," Peter responded.
It didn't take long for Rocket to work out what Peter meant. He murmured an 'oh' and swerved his pod to the side, slamming into one of Ronan's minions pods. He sent it swinging into one of the high rise buildings and exploding on impact. Gamora watched before doing it herself, shocked at the outcome. Peter was right, that surprised her.
Rocket quickly leveled out his pod again and took off, chasing after Allison. He let out a battlecry as one of the enemy ships turned to him, beginning to fire at his pod but he slammed into them without hesitation, making the ship explode.
Allison, this is really bad, you're gonna get us killed!
Allison weaved in and out of the large structures that made Knowhere, trying her best to loose Ronan's goons but it was very difficult. She didn't let Frost's comments distract, her blocking them out the best she could during the air fight.
She slid around a corner, explosions firing behind her as the fleet began to thin. One of the enemy pods zoomed upwards, knocking Allison's to the side, but she continued to try and keep it stable. The Ice Demon could tell it wasn't helping though.
Allison! Listen to me! We're gonna die!
Sparks lit up the edge of her body as the metal continued to collide with the stone structure. "Peter, I'm trapped! I can't make it to the Milano!" More of Ronan's followers continued to push her further into the structure. Her eyes scanned the area but she quickly realised the only way was to leave Knowhere. "I have to head out."
Look! I know you hate me but please for once in your damn lift listen to me! You go out there, we're...
"Do not say it, Frost," Allison growled to her other self.
She broke away from the group, green lasers continuing to chase her. Allison gulped as the exit came closer, reaching over and placing the Orb into her lap securely.
"Wait. These things aren't meant to go out there," Peter informed her, but Allison had already guessed that.
She ignored his words though, swerving through the wide space to try and keep herself safe. Nebula did not give up though, wide dark eyes watching Allison's every move as her ship's weapon system began to track the pod's movements. A green rectangle outlined Allison's pod as Nebula focused on simply obtaining the Orb.
Peter and Rocket followed the fleet despite Gamora's pleads and instructions for them to turn around. She stayed in the Knowhere atmosphere though, valuing her life despite feeling a pain in her chest as she watched the three zoom out.
Allison, please don't do this
Allison could feel her pod slowing as she went further out. She tightened her hands around the controls, trying to hide the nervous sweat that was arising on her palms.
"You are a disappointment to your kind, Ice Demon," Nebula's husky voice said, connecting to some type of comm in the ships.
"Nebula, please listen to me," Allison began, trying to not let her voice shake as she moved one of her hands to grip onto the Orb. "I know you don't care about me, but if Ronan gets the Stone, we're all dead!"
Allison. . .
"Not you," her ship's weaponry locked onto her ship as it slowly died, boosters fading to nothing. "You'll already be dead."
I don't wanna die. . .
Allison tried to brace herself, but the sharp pain and fear felt like it killed her. Nebula shot a rocket at her pod, it exploding and sending Allison's limp body into the air. Her fingertips let go of the Orb as her skin paled and Frost began to take control, the Ice Demon counterpart being able to survive for longer then Allison on her own. But she couldn't move.
Rocket's heart dropped as he saw his best friend's body slowly turning and floating limply through the airless atmosphere. Glass shards surrounded her, eyes closed shut, making her look almost peaceful.
Nebula guided her ship closer, beaming the Orb up and into her grasp before turning, not looking back at all.
A soft white mist flowed off Frost's hands but the Ice Demon knew it was useless. She didn't want to die, she didn't want either side of Allison to die but it was happening. The demon slowly shut her eyes, loosing all sense of touch in her hands before it slowly moved through her body. Small bits of her ghostly white skin flake off, slowly making her body dissolve in space.
"I'm... sorry..." the Ice Demon spoke, only for no words to come out so, instead, she mouthed the words slowly and painfully. Frost had protected and defended Allison ever since they began to share a body. Even if it seemed like they hated each other at times, Frost cared for Allison's wellbeing and didn't want to loose the kindhearted side of her. That side deserved to stay alive.
"Quill... Come on..." Rocket urged as he tore his eyes from the Ice Demon's body that slowly began to freeze due to space temperature. It was too low for even a cryokinesis user to handle. "Frost can stay alive for a few more minutes but... There's nothing we can do for either of them. They live off each other, if one dies, the other does too." Rocket moved one of his hands from his pod controls, wiping his eyes with the back of his paw.
It had always been Groot, Rocket and Allison, occasionally Frost. They were their own little family, one that wouldn't leave the other behind and Rocket genuinely saw Allison as a parental figure, or simply family he never had. Seeing her dead genuinely broke him.
"These pods aren't meant to be out here. In a second, we're gonna be in the same boat." Slowly, and most certainly reluctantly, turned his pod around, begining to head back to the ground when he realised Peter wasn't following.
"Aw, damn it..." Peter muttered as he began to fiddle with the ships controls, opening a radio transmission to his old mentor. "Yondu! Yondu! This is Quill. My coordinates are 2-2-7-K-3-2-4."
"Quill, what are you doing?" Rocket asked, raising his voice as he guiding his ship back to Peter's.
"I'm just outside Knowhere," he hesitated as he looked back to Frost. Peter wasn't ready to let one of the kindest people he has met die if there was a way for him to save her. "If you're there, come and get me."
Peter enabled his helmet, the silver mask growing across his face with two red circles acting as eyes. Gathering everything he'd need, which wasn't much, he opened his pod, flying out and gliding through the galaxy with a soft boost from his boots.
"Quill, don't be ridiculous! Get back into your pod!" Rocket yelled, trying to convince him to turn around. The animal was ignored. "You can't fit two people in there! And if Allison's gone, it'll be for nothing-Quill! You're gonna die."
Peter's rocket boosters cut off shortly after as he flew to Allison, wrapping one arm under her back. He slowly retracted his helmet, pulling a small device out from behind his ear and placing it behind Allison's.
"You'll die in seconds!" Rocket continued to plead, his little heart thumping loudly in his chest as he watched helplessly. "Quill-
The helmet slowly enlarged around Allison's pale face, giving her a steady supply of oxygen. His skin began to freeze, flakes falling off and floating away slowly as he waited for a sign of life in the girl. He held her close to him and had relief flow over his freezing body when he heard a faint gasp from inside the helmet.
Peter watched as the full head of bleach white hair began to turn back into Allison's natural fiery orange, her skin beginning to return to a darker shade.
He looked up as a bright light began to catch his bloodshot eyes, looking behind them to see the Ravager ship raise to their level. Yondu grinned as he saw the two, pressing a certain button that'd beam them into the ship.
Peter's plan had worked, Allison was alive.