"Wow! That raccoon is really smart!" Tobey's Peter Parker couldn't help but marvel at the screen. "I'll be honest, if that were me, I'd probably still be stuck in that control room trying to figure out what to do. He came up with a plan and executed it perfectly."
"Yeah," Gwen agreed, nodding beside him. As brilliant as they both were, they had to admit that Rocket's brand of chaotic, on-the-fly engineering was in a league of its own.
But one viewer wasn't filled with admiration. He was filled with a cold, predatory hunger.
The High Evolutionary stared at Rocket's triumphant face on the screen, his own masked features unreadable. Subject 89P13. Every display of brilliance, every spark of impossible creativity, only deepened his obsession. This was his greatest creation, a mind capable of turning galactic scrap into a flying battering ram. He had to have it back. He had to dissect that brain, peel back every layer, and understand the source of its unique genius. That, and he had to make the creature pay for the hideous scars it had left him with—the reason he was now forced to hide his face from the world.
[Using the guard tower as a battering ram, Rocket plowed through the prison corridors. Drones occasionally scraped off the sides as they collided with walls, but the makeshift vehicle kept its momentum.]
[With a final, bone-jarring crash, the tower smashed through the last security gate and ground to a halt, its power spent. Rocket slapped the console, and a heavy door slid shut behind them, cutting off the guards' pursuit.]
["That was a perfect plan!" Star-Lord exclaimed.]
[Rocket spread his arms, taking a proud bow.]
[The tower's main window, already damaged by rockets, couldn't take any more punishment. Quill shattered it with a single kick, cleared away the broken shards, and stepped out onto a service platform.]
[He scanned the prison's impound bay for his ship while Rocket and Gamora rummaged through lockers for their belongings.]
["Yeah! There it is! My ship! The Milan! The orange and blue one in the corner!"]
[Rocket pulled out his jumpsuit, holding it up with disgust. "They crumpled my pants into a ball! What kind of monster does that?"]
[He then glanced at Drax, who was putting on his pristine clothes. "How come yours is fine?"]
[After spotting his ship, Star-Lord rushed to his locker, pulled out his bag, and immediately checked for the Orb. Gamora came over, just as concerned. When they both saw the Orb was still there, they breathed a collective sigh of relief.]
["Take the Orb! Let's go!" Gamora urged.]
[But Quill was frantically searching his bag for something else. He didn't see his Walkman.]
[Gamora turned back, impatient. "What is it now?"]
["They didn't put it back!"]
["Put what back?"]
[Instead of answering, Quill shoved the bag containing the Orb into her hands.]
["Here! Get this to the ship! I'll be right back!"]
[Gamora was baffled. What could possibly be more important than escaping?]
["What are you doing?"]
["Just get the Milan and park it nearby!" Star-Lord cut her off. "Go! Go!"]
[With that, he sprinted off in the other direction, leaving Gamora staring after him with a look of pure exasperation.]
"Wait, is he going back for his Walkman and headphones?" Rhodey asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Surely not," Tony Stark frowned. "Is he really foolish enough to risk his life and a multi-billion unit payday for an ancient piece of Earth tech?"
"It might not mean much to us, but it's clearly important to him," Captain America said, his tone understanding. He wasn't surprised at all. He thought of his compass and the worn photo of Peggy inside. If he ever dropped that in a fight, he knew without a doubt that he would go back for it, no matter the risk.
"But is he really going to trust Gamora with the Orb?" Bruce Banner wondered aloud. "She just tried to kill him for it. What's stopping her from just taking the four billion and running?"
"No! No way!" Scott Lang suddenly interjected, pointing at the screen. "I can tell you with absolute certainty that the Orb is not in that bag."
"What?" Banner asked, turning to him.
"Because that guy thinks a bit like I do," Scott explained with a grin. "A little sleight of hand, a little misdirection. I'll bet you anything he swapped it out when no one was looking. Don't believe me? Let's make a wager."
"Alright," Bruce said, intrigued. "What are the stakes?"
"Loser buys afternoon tea for the winner."
"Count me in," Natasha said, raising a hand. "I bet he gave her the real one."
Scott looked at the super-soldier. "Cap? You in?"
Steve, recalling his own fair share of 'creative insubordination' during the war, grinned. "I'm with Scott on this one. I bet he made the switch."
[The prison hatch slid open. Star-Lord, now masked and dual-wielding his quad blasters, immediately drew the attention of several guards, who raised their weapons and charged.]
[He fired two shots, and the electromagnetic pulses from his blasters sent two guards crashing to the floor. He sidestepped a guard with a stun baton, grabbing his arm and landing a solid punch before trapping him in a headlock.]
[As another guard ran toward the commotion, Quill fired a quick shot over his shoulder, dropping the newcomer before delivering a heavy elbow to the guard in his arms, knocking him unconscious.]
[He let the body fall and continued forward. Another guard rushed out, baton raised, but Quill shot him decisively. The man fell, clutching his neck. "My neck!" he screamed.]
[As he passed, Quill fired another merciful shot, knocking the man out to spare him the pain.]
[Meanwhile, outside the Kyln, Rocket and the others had successfully boarded the Milan.]
["Well? How's he gonna get to us?" Rocket asked.]
[Gamora rolled her eyes. "He didn't share his plan with me. We're not exactly friends."]
["Fine! Do whatever you want! I'm not waiting for that loser! You've got the Orb, right?"]
["Yes." Gamora reached into the bag Star-Lord gave her… and pulled out a small, metal troll doll.]
[She frantically dumped the bag's contents out, but the Cosmic Orb was gone.]
[Star-Lord was no fool. He wasn't about to hand over the score of a lifetime to someone who had already tried to steal it.]
[From inside his jacket, he pulled out the real Orb, tossing it lightly in his hand as he located the guard who had taken his things. The alien was leaning back, headphones on, blissfully nodding his head to the music, completely lost in the rhythm. He didn't notice Quill until he was standing right over him.]
[The guard's eyes widened in shock, but before he could even shout, Quill, who had been preparing for this, swung the heavy Cosmic Orb and knocked him out cold, not sparing a thought for the four-billion-unit payday he was using as a bludgeon.]
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