["Okay, here's the plan," Rocket Raccoon explained as he methodically prepared his meal in the prison cafeteria. "To get out of here, we need to get into that guard tower. And to do that, I need a few things."]
["First, I need one of those control bands the guards wear for access."]
[Gamora watched a guard tap his wristband against a console to open a door. "Leave that to me," she said calmly.]
[Rocket glanced across the room at a prisoner with a cybernetic limb. "Next. See that guy over there? I need his prosthetic leg."]
[Star-Lord looked at him, confused but willing to go along with it. "...Alright."]
["And finally," Rocket said, pointing high up on the wall. "See that control unit up there? The one with the flashing yellow light?"]
[Star-Lord followed his gaze. "Yeah."]
["There's a Quarnyx battery inside. Purple case, green wires. I need it to override the tower's security lockdown."]
[Unnoticed by the group, Groot looked up at the unit, then quietly stood up and walked away from their table.]
[Gamora looked skeptical. "And how are we supposed to get all those things?"]
["That wall is thirty feet high and it's in the most heavily guarded section of the prison," Star-Lord added. "There's no way to get up there without being seen."]
["My plan is flawless!" Rocket insisted, getting defensive. "We just have to get that battery! It's the key!"]
[The three of them were so absorbed in the discussion that they failed to see Groot's arms stretching, snaking their way up the wall toward the control unit. Only Drax, passing by with his own meal tray, paused to silently watch the tree-man's bizarre actions.]
[Groot's wooden fingers closed around the unit's outer casing and, with a soft thump, he pulled it free. It dropped to the floor, hitting a passing inmate who yelped in surprise. Rocket, still mid-rant, didn't hear a thing.]
["Now can we get back to the plan? Thank you," he said, spreading his paws.]
["The most critical part is the timing. As soon as that battery is removed, the entire facility goes into emergency lockdown. Alarms, drones, the works. So we have to get it last, and be ready to move fast the second it's disconnected."]
[As Rocket was explaining, Groot had already worked his fingers inside the unit and grasped the battery itself. Drax turned his head to look at the three planners, then back at Groot, a hint of amusement in his eyes.]
["So wait until the very last possible second before you grab the battery," Rocket concluded with finality.]
[At that exact moment, Groot gripped the battery with both hands and, with a mighty heave, ripped it free from its wires. A deafening klaxon began to blare throughout the prison.]
[The three of them looked around in confusion, until they saw Groot walking toward them, holding up the battery with a proud, innocent smile, as if to say he'd gotten it for them.]
[Rocket was speechless for a second. But the alarms were screaming and there was no turning back.]
["Well, the cat's out of the bag now!" he yelled over the noise.]
[Gamora made a split-second decision. "I'll get the control band!"]
["Prosthetic leg!" Star-Lord shouted, already running toward his target.]
[Rocket was left standing alone, covering his face with his paws. His perfect plan, ruined by idiots. His head was already starting to throb.]
"Hahaha! That tree! He's going to be the death of me!" someone in the audience roared with laughter.
"There is no doubt that Groot is a being of action. When he has a task, he does not hesitate!"
"The problem is he can't do anything but act! All he can say is 'I am Groot'!"
"Poor Rocket! I can feel his stress from here!"
"You could practically see the thought bubble over the raccoon's head: 'I am surrounded by morons.'"
The audiences across the various universes were thoroughly amused by Groot's simple-minded approach to teamwork.
Far away, the being known as the High Evolutionary watched the screen, his obsession with his creation growing with every passing moment. "So much potential… wasted on these buffoons." He had already dispatched his golden-skinned puppets, the Sovereign, with Ayesha herself leading the hunt. They would find Subject 89P13. They would bring him home.
In the viewing room, Rocket Raccoon felt a sudden, inexplicable chill run down his spine, but he shook it off, not knowing where the feeling came from.
[As the alarm blared, dozens of automated defense drones swarmed from the ceiling, surrounding the giant tree-man holding the battery.]
["Prisoner!" a guard's voice boomed from the tower. "Drop the device! Return to your cell or we will open fire!"]
[Groot, realizing he was in trouble, began to grow new, thicker branches over his body, preparing for a fight.]
["I am Groot!!!" he roared.]
["Fire!" came the immediate reply.]
[The drones unleashed a hail of gunfire. The bullets chewed into Groot's body, sending splinters flying everywhere. With a furious swipe of his arm, Groot smashed one drone into another, sending them both careening out of control. The damaged drone spun wildly, its guns firing randomly, forcing prisoners to dive for cover.]
[Groot punched another drone, sending it crashing into the wall.]
["All inmates, return to your cells immediately!" the guard commanded from the tower.]
[Rocket ran on all fours, scrambling to avoid the stray bullets, before climbing up Groot's body to his shoulder.]
["You idiot! Get the gun off that drone! The big one!" he yelled.]
[Groot shielded Rocket on his back while extending his right arm, weaving it into a thick, woody shield. He blocked a direct assault from another drone, then slapped it away. But more drones were arriving, and the enemy's firepower was intensifying. The situation was quickly turning against them.]
["The target is pinned! Open fire on my command!"]
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