[After being pulled into the Ravager ship, Star-Lord lay on top of Gamora, gasping for air.]
[He cradled her head in his hands as she regained consciousness with a series of violent coughs.]
[The first thing she saw was Star-Lord's concerned face looking down at her. "Quill? What happened?"]
[Star-Lord stroked her cheek, his voice a hoarse whisper. "I saw you… floating out there. I don't know what came over me, but I couldn't just watch you die."]
["There was this… impulse in my heart. I guess it must be what people call a heroic spirit…"]
["I'm not bragging," he added quickly. "Just making an objective observation…"]
[Gamora closed her eyes and let out a speechless sigh. "Where is the Orb?" she asked.]
[Star-Lord's face fell. "Uh… they must have taken it."]
[Gamora's eyes widened in horror. "What?!"]
[Before she could say more, the hatch beside them slid open, revealing a group of Ravagers.]
[Kraglin aimed his blaster right at them. "Welcome home, Peter," he said, the corner of his mouth twisting into a smirk.]
[Meanwhile, back on Knowhere, Groot fished Drax out of the yellow pool of spinal fluid.]
[The Destroyer was unconscious, having nearly drowned. Groot grew a sharp, hollow spike from his fingertip and carefully inserted it into Drax's trachea.]
[A stream of yellow liquid spurted out from the spike. With his airway cleared, Drax immediately coughed up more of the fluid and gasped for air, regaining consciousness.]
[Seeing that he was awake, Groot retracted the spike.]
[Rocket's mining pod came crashing to the ground nearby. He stormed out, cursing.]
["You brainless chuckleheads! You're all idiots! Quill got himself captured on purpose! This isn't how it was supposed to go! What were you thinking?!" He rounded on Drax. "You really thought you could take on Ronan's entire army by yourself?!"]
[Drax looked at the furious raccoon, his head bowed in shame. "You're right," he said quietly. "I was a fool. All my anger, all my rage… it was just a cover for my loss."]
[At this point, even Drax understood that he had ruined everything, leading to Quill's capture and leaving Gamora's fate unknown.]
[Groot silently patted his shoulder, offering comfort.]
[Rocket looked at his dejected expression and let out a bitter, mocking laugh. "Oh, boo-hoo! My wife and children are dead!"]
[Hearing Rocket's words, Groot's eyes widened, and he quickly raised an arm to stop him.]
[Rocket angrily waved him off. "Don't you give me that look! Tell me, who here hasn't had someone die in their family?!"]
["That's no excuse to get the living killed along with them!"]
[After his outburst, Rocket looked at Groot, his anger spent. He just wanted to be done with it all. "Come on, Groot. Ronan has the Stone. There's only one thing we can do now."]
["We run. We run as far and as fast as we can, to the other side of the galaxy. It's the only way! We might get to live a full life before that monster brings his war there!"]
[Groot stood up straight, his expression resolute. "I am Groot." (We have to save them.)]
[Rocket threw his hands up. "Save them? How?"]
["I am Groot." (They are our only friends.)]
["I know they're our only friends!" the Rocket standing on Stark Tower's roof yelled at the screen in frustration. "But they're guarded by an entire Ravager fleet, and there are only two of us!"]
[Drax slowly got to his feet, his voice calm but firm. "Three."]
[Rocket stared at them, gritting his teeth and running his hands over his head in anguish. With no other way to vent his frustration, he furiously kicked at a patch of grass on the ground.]
["You're going… to make… me… kick… the grass?!"]
"Heh, that raccoon is hilarious," Gwen Stacy chuckled from her spot on the couch.
"He's all bark, though," Garfield Peter added, a small smile on his face. "You can tell he wants to save them just as much as they do. He's just too proud to admit it."
His smile faded slightly. Rocket's angry words—who hasn't had someone die?—hit a little too close to home. A month had passed since the Elemental disaster, but the memories were still painfully fresh. He, Gwen, Harry, and Max had made a pact not to speak of the full extent of the horror they'd witnessed. Telling his Aunt May was out of the question; the shock would be too much for her. But the weight of it remained.
Gwen noticed the shift in his mood instantly. She leaned in, gently touching her forehead to his. "Hey," she whispered. "Don't go there. We're not gods, Peter. We did what we could. We saved a lot of people."
"Yeah… yeah, you're right," Garfield murmured, closing his eyes and leaning into her touch before giving her a soft kiss.
["I have the Orb. A deal's a deal."]
[Ronan stared coolly at the holographic image of Thanos.]
[Korath the Pursuer stepped forward, presenting the Cosmic Orb.]
["Give it to me, as we agreed."]
["Yes, that was our agreement," Ronan said, his voice laced with contempt. "I bring you the Orb, and you destroy Xandar for me."]
[He handed his warhammer to Korath and took the Orb in his hand.]
["But now that I know it contains an Infinity Stone… what do I need you for?"]
[Thanos's image flickered, his voice a low warning. "Boy. I would reconsider your current course."]
[Ignoring the threat, Ronan clenched his fist and crushed the Orb, revealing the violet Power Stone pulsing within.]
[Korath was horrified. "Master, you cannot! Thanos is the most powerful being in the universe!"]
[Ronan stared at the Stone, a mad glint in his eye. "Not anymore."]
[Without hesitation, he closed his hand around the Power Stone. He was instantly engulfed in its raw, unrestrained energy, screaming in agony as violet power erupted from his palm, cracking the floor beneath his feet.]
[Nebula watched Ronan struggle to contain the Stone's might, and a new thought sparked in her mind: perhaps he could truly defy Thanos.]
[The energy grew stronger, purple fissures spreading across Ronan's body as the Stone began to consume him. Realizing he couldn't hold on much longer, he cried out to Korath for his warhammer.]
[The loyal lieutenant handed him the weapon. Ronan took it and slammed the head of the warhammer down onto the Stone in his palm, embedding it into the weapon's cradle.]
[Severed from direct contact with a living host, the Power Stone's energy discharge ceased.]