With Lock's strength, he could punch through the walls of the Kyln with a single blow.
But he didn't.
The jailbreak was where the Guardians of the Galaxy first learned teamwork — no point in ruining that just to show off.
Once the five of them finished their discussion, Rocket quickly found a loophole in the prison security and put together a plan — the same as in the original timeline.
Star-Lord glanced at Lock. "You coming with us?"
Lock shook his head. "No. You do it your way. I'll meet you outside."
"Uh… wait, you can get out on your own? Why don't we just follow you?"
"You can't follow me. Not yet."
Lock stepped forward and pressed a hand against the alloy wall.
Ripples spread across the surface like water, and he simply walked through, vanishing.
By the time Star-Lord and the others blinked, Lock was gone — and outside, in open space.
Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Groot, and Drax all stared, their jaws practically on the floor.
No wonder he said they couldn't follow.
Even if Lock allowed it, the vacuum outside would have killed them instantly. They still had to break out the old-fashioned way — grabbing equipment, spacesuits, and a ship.
Being able to phase through alloy walls was one thing — Reality Stone tricks could explain that.
But surviving, breathing, moving in the void of space with no suit at all?
That was what truly shocked them.
Through the wall, they saw Lock casually wave at them.
Rocket muttered, "Quill, you sure he's really from Earth?"
"Probably… I mean, he hasn't lied to us so far," Star-Lord said — but he sounded less confident than before. When had Earthlings gotten this strong?
"Then why can't you survive out there?" Rocket demanded. "You're from Earth, too!"
"How should I know?"
Gamora's voice cut in, calm and sharp. "It doesn't matter. Being able to survive the vacuum is a sign of godhood. Whether he's human or not, he's already stepped into the level of a god. Focus on the escape."
Surviving space wasn't just about strength — it was about divinity.
Even Loki, not exactly the most physically powerful god, could live in the vacuum.
Thor, after Thanos shattered the Asgardian ship, floated half-dead through space until the Guardians found him — yet he lived long enough to be rescued.
Even Star-Lord, who carried Celestial blood, couldn't survive in space without a helmet — even after his powers awakened.
Lock thought of Ebony Maw — stronger in combat than most gods, even Loki — and yet he died miserably, frozen to death after Spider-Man tricked him out into space.
Space was the gods' domain.
Meanwhile, inside, Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Groot, and Drax were discovered by the guards, and the whole Kyln erupted into chaos.
The group worked together, just like in the original plot — Rocket's genius for turning random junk into deadly gadgets shone, Groot took hits and smashed through obstacles, Drax was an unstoppable wall of muscle, and Gamora's blade cut through everything in her way.
Lock stayed outside, keeping his senses stretched just far enough to make sure no "butterfly effect" accidents ruined the jailbreak.
Eventually, the team fought their way into the guard storage room.
Star-Lord spotted the guard playing with his Walkman, decked him, and snatched the precious cassette player back.
He quickly dug through the rest of the confiscated belongings — and breathed out in relief when he saw the Orb still sitting there.
Xandarians had no idea what they were holding. To them, it was just contraband, thrown in a bag with random clothes.
The thief in Star-Lord's blood made him hesitate for just a second — maybe he should swap it with a fake, just in case…
But before he could act, the Orb jerked in his hand and flew free, pulled by an unseen force.
"Hey!" Star-Lord grabbed for it, but the power dragging it away was too strong.
The Orb smashed through the protective glass and shot out into space, a trail of frozen vapor glittering behind it.
Outside, Lock calmly extended a hand. The Orb flew into his palm.
He didn't open it yet — fi,rst he focused on the energy inside, confirming the Power Stone was there. Only then did he let himself relax.
Three Infinity Stones.
Space. Reality. Power.
The other three were harder.
The Mind Stone — probably already back in Thanos' possession. Taking it would be a fight.
But Lock wasn't worried. Every day, he grew stronger. Thanos would be the one sweating when the time came.
The Time Stone — safe in the Eye of Agamotto, under the Ancient One's watch in Kamar-Taj. Not worth taking yet.
And the Soul Stone…
He wasn't going to sacrifice Natasha, obviously. Better to wait until someone else claims it — and then take it from them.
But if he saved Gamora, would the Soul Stone even appear?
He shelved the thought for later.
Inside the Kyln, Gamora rejoined Star-Lord, the last of the guards lying unconscious behind her.
Star-Lord was holding two Walkmans — his own and the one Lock had sold him earlier.
Gamora tilted her head. "This is the music you were talking about? It looks… primitive."
"Music is never primitive," Star-Lord said, puffing up with pride. "Technology changes, but music is eternal. It speaks to every species, every star system."
"Let me hear it."
He hesitated — then handed her Lock's copy, switched the track, and hit play.
Come and Get Your Love started blaring through the prison corridor.
Step by step, the two of them fell into rhythm, moving together, dancing their way past obstacles.
Blaster fire, alarms, chaos — all of it faded into the background. For a moment, it was just them, the music, and the fight.
By the time the song ended, they were smiling — and standing at the Milano's ramp.
In the original story, Star-Lord's detour for his Walkman almost got him left behind. Rocket and the others were even plotting to ditch him for a bigger cut.
But this time, there was no need.
Lock appeared outside, tapping politely on the Milano's cockpit window.
Rocket yelped. "Lock! There's no airlock open — you can't just—"
But Lock was already stepping through the hull, the wall rippling around him like water.
The air inside didn't even stir.
"Show-off," Rocket muttered.
Back in the Kyln, chaos still reigned.
The guards watched helplessly as Star-Lord and the others raided the storage room, hijacked a ship, and blasted away.
Normally, an escape was just another incident.
But this time…
They had seen the man outside — no suit, no protection — walk straight through the Milano's hull and into space as if it were nothing.
This wasn't just a jailbreak.
It was something far more dangerous.
The report to Xandar Prime went out immediately.
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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