『 SATELLITES 』
( chapter fourteen, knowhere )
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WHEN ANDROMEDA HAD WOKEN UP, PETER WAS GONE. SHE HADN'T NOTICED HE LEFT UNTIL SHE FELT THE EMPTY SPACE WHERE SHE WAY LAYING DOWN. Andromeda got up slowly and put on the clothes that Peter had given her. She had placed the yellow prison uniform in the trash, she didn't want to be remembered about it. When Andromeda left the room, everyone was sitting as Rocket piloted the ship. Soon enough when the ships landed, they grabbed their weapons and hid it in their clothes.
"I'm guessing this is Knowhere?" Andromeda asked she saw tall buildings and lights everywhere. She was amazed by it entirely it was different than what she had seen before compared to the places she had been.
"Hundreds of years ago, the Titan group send workers in to mine the organic matter within the skull. Bone, brain tissue, spinal fluid. All rare resources, highly valued in black markets across the galaxy," Gamora explained as they landed, "It's dangerous and illegal work, suitable only for outlaws,"
"Well, I come from a planet of outlaws," Peter bragged slightly.
Andromeda rolled her eyes, "I do too, you idiot,"
Peter stared at her before resuming his sentence, "Billy the Kid, Bonnie and Clyde, John Stamos,"
"Sounds like a place which I would like to visit," Drax commented.
Andromeda looked around, nobody noticed they were there, "You'll love it, especially the Jackson 5," she added with a smile.
"Jackson 5?"
"Yep," Andromeda nodded.
The brunette saw a group of kids approach them and a little girl with dark brown hair came up to Andromeda with a smile on her face, "You have any units?" she asked innocently. Andromeda felt her heart drop, she couldn't believe there were kids begging for money on the streets.
"Get out of here," Peter said along with Gamora, Andromeda shook her head at the little girl and she walked away.
Peter noticed her face and quickly reassured her, "Some of these kids will scam you for your money," She smiled at Peter and kept walking with them until they approached a door.
"Your buyers in there?" Rocket asked curiously.
"We are to wait here for his representative," Gamora ordered, when Andromeda looked there was bouncer who had pushed someone out of the way. Where they going to get in there? She could feel the anxiety slowly creeping up on her.
"This is no respectable establishment," Drax commented as she looked around with disgust, "What are we supposed to do while we wait?"
Gamora simply shrugged her shoulders.
****
They had a found a casino of some sort which Drax and Rocket loved. They decided go drink and play games while they were allowed to kill time. Andromeda decided to stay quiet, she found some kids that were sitting the steps of a building chatting away. They were happy despite them being homeless and wearing dirty clothes.
Andromeda stood up and looked inside, she saw Rocket, Drax, and Groot laughing and enjoying a few drinks. Andromeda smiled at them, she didn't want to walk in because she usually didn't like crowds. Andromeda felt a tap on her shoulder and she looked over to see it was Peter. Andromeda smiled at him and she placed both her hands on her hips, "Hey,"
"Hey, how are you doing so far?" he asked curiously.
The brunette nodded her head, "I'm good, how's Gamora?" she asked.
"She almost killed me but its okay," Peter answered, "Why aren't you inside?"
"I'm not going to ask what happened since you're still alive," Andromeda started, "And I'm not usually a crowd person ," she answered. Peter nodded his head and he grew quiet which was usually weird, he was normally talking about some nonsense.
Andromeda furrowed her brows in confusion, "Is everything okay?" she asked.
"I wanted to talk about what happened between us earlier," he started, he spoke slowly almost as if he didn't want to talk about it.
"Yeah, what happened?" she asked folding her arms across her chest, she was curious as to what he said and his cheeks grew a light shade of pink.
Peter took in a deep breath, "Well, it's just, that I...really like you and I enjoyed spending that time with you,"
Andromeda quickly smiled and Peter seemed more relaxed once she did, "Peter, what are you trying to say?"
"Look, Andie, I'm not usually good with my words and I--" Andromeda leaned in and placed a kiss on Peter's lips. Their lips lingered together for a few seconds before the sound of commotion split them apart. When the two looked over Drax, Rocket and Groot were in a brawl.
"Oh my god!" Andromeda quickly ran in with Peter after her. Gamora. had grabbed Drax and held him back to keep him away from Rocket and Peter put himself in middle.
The two spat words to each other in a heated argument. Peter calmed the fight down as everybody watched, he was mostly calm until Rocket aimed the blaster towards him. Once they died down the fight, steel doors opened on the other side of the room. A woman with pink skin pigtails came out, "Milday Gamora, I'm here to fetch you form my master,"
They followed Gamora's lead as the woman led them up a creepy narrow way, "Okay, this isn't creepy at all," Rocket commented as they made their way up the stairs.
"We house the galaxy's largest collection of fauna, relics and species of all manner," she explained as they walked through a hall of artifacts, she stopped walking and extended her arms, "I present to you, Tanelaeer Tivan, The Collector,"
A man of average height stood in front of them. Her had frosty white hair and he wore small dark sunglasses along with a white fur coat. He turned around and stood in front of Gamora while taking his glasses off. Andromeda felt instantly uncomfortable by the man's presence.
"Oh, my dear Gamora," he started, "How wonderful to meet in flesh," he grabbed her hand and slowly Brough it up to his lips to give it a kiss.
"Let's bypass the formalities, Tivan," Gamora started, she was straight and to. the point which Andromeda liked, "We have what we discussed," His eyes slowly lifted up towards Groot and he seemed distracted.
"What is that thing there?" he asked.
"I am Groot,"
He slowly walked towards Groot and everyone simply watched, "You must allow me to pay you now so that I may own your carcass," he started, "At the moment of your death, of course,"
"I am Groot,"
"Why, so he could turn you into a frickin' chair?" Rocket asked.
"That's your pet?" He asked Peter. Andromeda remained quiet and stood her ground, she didn't want any attention to be drawn to herself.
"His what?" Rocket repeated angrily.
"Tivan," Gamora intervened, "We have been halfway around the galaxy, retrieving this Orb,"
"Very well, then," he started, "Let us see what you brought,"
Peter pulled out the Orb from his bag and handed it over to Tivan. Peter dropped it and quickly picked hit up to give it to him.
"Oh, my new friends, before creation itself, there were six singularities. Then the universe exploded into existence, and the remnants of these systems were forged into concentrated ingots," he started, he shows six small gems in a hologram, one purple, green, red, blue, yellow, and orange, "Infinity Stones,"
Andromeda quickly picked her head up, her father had. told her about the stones before but he phrased it in a different way, she kept quiet but she remembered it all too well. "These stones, it seems, can only be brandished by beings of extraordinary strength,".
"There's a little pee coming out of me right now," Peter commented.
"Once for a moment, a group was able to share the energy amongst themselves, but even then they were quickly destroyed by it," The Orb opened and it revealed the purple gem, if what Andromeda had heard was true, it was the power stone.
"Beautiful," Tivan commented, "Beyond compare,"
"Blah, blah, blah, we're all very fascinated but I would like to get paid," Rocket added.
"How would you like to get paid?"
"What do you think fancy man? Units!" Rocket answered.
"Very well, then" he went to turn his back and when he turned around, Andromeda noticed the woman going towards the stone.
"Carina, stand back,"
"I will no longer be your slave!" she then firmly placed her hand over the stone and the next thing Andromeda saw was her vision go black.