“Right…there,” Delilah thought at me. I could feel it. My hand closing in around the stone. 

After all these years watching my life replay itself I was finally able to mostly focus on the movements of my actual body as the stone continued to replay it all. Every millimeter closer to wrapping my hands around the stone, one day closer to escaping this mind trap.

—

“Fresh fish!” A voice yelled from the crowd. “Nebula you blue hairy cunt!” “I’ll eat you alive” “That chick looks like a dude!” Voices continued to yell. 

“I am a dude!” I yelled back. “I’m not with them. Not a pirate-” I said but was struck at the back of the head by one of the Xandarian guard’s rifles.

“Keep moving,” he said. I frowned, annoyed by the treatment. It had only been a few minutes since we arrived on the prison, but it was already like the movies. Treated like a piece of meat I was searched, very thoroughly, and despite my complaints they didn’t believe I wasn’t part of the Andromeda pirates. 

Nebula and the other female pirates walking in a line in front of me, we were buck naked. Carrying our orange jumpsuits we were paraded in front of the other prisoners. The Xandarians more than a little excited to have captured the real Nebula. I could feel they were hoping some prison justice would make us disappear. 

“This one,” my Xandarian guard said, pointing at a large cell. I could feel men inside, and knew what these types did to fresh pieces of meat like me.  

“What? But I’m an Andromeda pirate. House me with the others-” I said. But was struck again, the rest of the pirates I was captured with escorted further inside the prison. Even though the Andromeda pirates and I were on the outs, I had hoped being housed with them would give me the opportunity to show I wasn’t such a bad guy. 

The guard ignoring my plea, the metal grated door was shut and I turned to face my cell mates. All had been staring at me with hate in their haki. Locking eyes with each of them, two were rather weak but big, at least seven feet tall, the last one was strong but shorter. 

“Alright, let’s get the sleeping arrangements in order,” I said. “I like to be warm, so at least one of you will have to sleep in my bunk. Not in a gay way but…” I trailed off as the strong but short occupant turned and slowly got up. I thought short because he was smaller than the other two, but as he stood he showed off his full six foot height. Muscle upon muscle flexing he had green skin and red twirling tattoos all around his body. The tattoos were rough, like deep scars that had once rended his body, but were now colored in with red tattoo ink. 

“I will not be keeping you warm,” he spat, the other two in the cell shying away from him slightly hinting that they knew he was stronger. “My mate once complained that I put off so much heat it was like sleeping next to a Helldemon.” 

“Drax, he’s part of the Andromedas,” one of my cellmates whispered to him. The name confirming my suspicions. With the pirate crew name, Drax’s anger shot up and his eyes glared at me. 

Since I knew it was useless to explain to the green skinned alien I raised my hand, halting a direct attack. “We aren’t all bad,” I said. “I’m Weston and-” I stopped talking as Drax roared and threw a haymaker at me. Dodging the fist just barely I felt the wind hit my skin and knew he was very strong. A smile moving up my lips I said, “You should join my pirate crew.” 

—

“So….close,” I thought slowly as my hands moved ever so slowly now toward the stone. 

—

“Are you sure there is another human here?” I asked. Drax the Destroyer walked in front of me. Other prisoners working pickaxes at our sides were chipping away at the mine’s walls piece by piece. 

“Yes,” Drax said with all the confidence in the world. But I had been mistaken for a Kree more times than I could count, and because of his strength his mind had suffered. Making him very gullible and too literal. But after our initial misunderstanding we had become fast friends. Though he still denied being my bed warmer. “You both look exactly alike.”

“Exactly?” I asked, more than a little doubtful. We moved to the side as a prisoner came toward us, pushing a cart full of ore. 

“Arms, legs, everything,” he said.

“Everyone here has arms and legs!” I spat back. 

“That guy doesn’t,” he said, pointing at a worm-like alien that was vibrating rapidly as it attached itself to the mine wall. The vibration somehow knocking loose the stones as men collected them. 

“Thanks DD,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I didn’t know that.” I had started calling him double D, from Ed, Edd, n’ Eddy, or DD, as in Dexter’s sister. Both helped to paint him in a simple light, but he enjoyed it since most people called him Drax instead of his preferred name Drax the Destroyer. 

We began walking again. Going further into the mine we got a few glances, but most were focused on the work. Everyone forced to mine a quota of ore, the weaker prisoners struggled to reach it so they had to mine longer. Eventually we got to a far end in the long tunnel until we came to someone that was surprisingly human. 

“That guy looks like me?” I asked, staring at the back of the muscular man. I had only asked if there were humans in the prison on a whim, I hadn’t actually expected to find any. 

“Yes, you look exactly alike,” Drax said, more confident now that he was in front of us. 

“He is black,” I mumbled, but was starting to think Drax was right. The guy was human. I raised my voice and said, “Hey, are you from Earth?” The man’s Haki spiked with the name but continued swinging his pickaxes. Tearing apart the wall with ease. “New York? Speaka da English?” The man turned and I knew immediately who he was. 

Tall, dark skin glistening with sweat, trim cut black curly hair, muscles for miles, and black sunglasses. I let out a literal gasp as my eyes nearly popped out of my head. “It’s Blade.” The man frowned with the name, his haki registering it, and I knew I was right. 

—

“Right…there…” I said, almost feeling the stone. 

—

I punched the Kikari alien in the nuts causing him to howl in pain. At least I thought it was the nuts. Kikari’s were known for being hard to pin down, and this was the closest I had been to one. Punching him in the bonejaw of a mouth it cracked and he bit off the tip of his tongue but was knocked out. 

I stood to see that others of my ragtag group of prisoners were finishing off their foes as well. Drax was continuously smashing two alien’s heads together, and Blade was hissing as he drank from the neck or armpit of a tentacle alien. The vampire hunter pulled his mouth away in disgust, dripping purple blood from his mouth.

“These aliens taste like shit,” he said. His voice deep, Blade hadn’t wanted to join up, but when I lied and said I had a plan to escape he begrudgingly joined up. Having chased a vampire from Earth across the galaxy, he had been arrested for killing a group of Xandarians that had been infected with the vampire virus. 

“You’re sure you’re not full vampire?” I asked. 

“I need to feed now and then since I don’t have my serum,” he growled. His eyes squinting at me from behind his sunglasses. He was still shirtless, but was wearing pants at least. 

“Okay, okay, just checking,” I said and turned to the woman we saved. It was Nebula. 

The other Andromeda pirates dead around her, we had been a little late in the saving, but Nebula was breathing at least. “Are you alright?” I asked, moving toward her to extend my hand. She stared up at me glaring. 

With deep blue skin, she had the sides and back of her head shaved. Black hair long on her scalp, she was missing an arm. Apparently like the version from the movies, she too had a lot of prosthetics and mechanized upgrades. The Xandarians having literally disarmed her when she was arrested she was much weaker than outside the prison. 

“Why did you…do this,” she hissed as she got up. She winced but stood on her own two feet. 

“Cus I want to be friends,” I said truthfully. “Despite our disagreements, and your reputation. I don’t think you’re as bad as people say.” At least I wanted to believe that. Maybe from canon, or the Guardian movies, either way I could feel she was scared and now alone. “Besides, maybe your merry pirate crew is working up a plan to save you. I think I’d rather keep you close.” She scoffed, doubtful of it, but I was willing to risk it. 

—

I could feel the heat from the stone radiating off of it. Like condensed lava, my mind felt exhausted trying to fight the memories, but I continued on. 

—

“How the fuck did that work?” Nebula growled as I drove the Xandarian ship away from the asteroid belt of a prison. 

“You trust your eyes too much,” Blade growled out. “It didn’t work.” He pointed to the screen at the helm of the ship. It zoomed in to show a Nova Corps flag ship. 

“Turning,” I said, tilting the controls to turn us around. 

“Dampeners,” Nebula growled as everyone leaned into one another as the ship turned. 

“I’m fucking driving,” I hissed, as if that explained why I forgot. I hit the button for what I assumed was the inertial suppressors and began charting another course away from the prison. 

“Anybody able to get a signal out?” I asked as I increased the power to the engines. 

“No, the asteroid field has terrible interference,” Nebula said as she pushed a few buttons and pulled some levers. At least she knew what she was doing. Drax and Blade stood behind us stoically as if it wasn’t their job to get out of there. 

“Do something,” I barked at them as alarms started going off. Apparently we were being targeted by a ship much bigger than us. 

“I am, your driving skills are much to be desired,” Drax said. 

“Constructive criticism isn’t helpful,” I said.

“You said it was,” Drax said offended. “When I said your face was very resilient while that Xandarian punched you.”

“I was fucking joking, Blade, come on, you know something about space travel, right?” I asked, doubtful. He was back in his black leather. Of course we had raided their armory for our stuff, we were all decked out in gear and weapons, even Nebula had her cyborg arm back. 

“Nope, and I don’t plan to learn,” he said. The ship began to alarm louder and for some reason the controls I was using became loose. Suddenly the viewport shifted as the ship moved on its own to turn back around again. 

“Xandarians took back control of their ship,” Nebula said in a very monotone way. I cursed under my breath. She had warned that would happen if we took the ship. 

“It doesn’t matter. We can just fight-” I was saying but was cut off as the Betelguese appeared out of nowhere and began firing at the Nova Corps ship. “Oooo your pirate crew missed you,” I said.

“Or someone else took control and wanted to make sure I was dead,” she grumbled. 

“Oh ye of little faith,” I said with hope in my voice. I gave it about a 50/50 shot she was right. Suddenly another ship appeared on the opposite side of the Xandarian ship. This one far larger I could almost feel a menacing haki from it, even though we were so far away. 

Nebula gasped, her fear spiking. “What?” The men asked almost in unison. 

“Please tell me you forgot another limb back at prison,” I said when she didn’t answer. 

She zoomed a screen in to look at the ship. “It’s the Osiris,” she said. “Thano’s flagship.”

“Your father?” I asked before I could stop myself. She stared at me wide eyed, surprised I knew that, but her haki said I wasn’t wrong. 

“Fuuuuck,” I said slowly as the fight between the Nova Corps, Betelguese, and Osiris started up. 

—

“Come on!” I thought loudly at the gem. Exhausted from it all, but still pushing through. 

—

The ship stopped shaking as violently and I stood slowly to see my Rift had closed. Drax and Nebula no longer on the bridge it was just Blade and I left, with a bunch of very angry female pirates. 

“She’s fine, I swear. Nebula’s just on my ship, Shippie,” I said raising my hand. We were on the Betelguese, narrowly saved by the deadly crew when Shippie Mcshipface hailed us. I had created a Rift to jump over to my ship when the Betelguese was blasted causing everyone inside to lurch. Unluckily for me I wasn’t thrown in, but the blue bitch was. 

“Get her back,” the first mate said. She was a gorgeous woman with pale skin. Her form somehow clung to the shadows, and to be honest she looked familiar but I couldn’t place her. 

“I can, just-” I was cut off again.

“It’s Asterian!” One of the women yelled, suddenly screens popped up to show a man glowing orange out in the middle of space. 

“Who?” I asked. 

“Girls, grab him,” the first mate said. “We will deal with this.” 

“No, seriously, Nebula and I are friends,” I said, raising my hands, but I could see they weren’t listening. I began to bring up my Conqueror’s Haki. 

—

The blue stone was invisible now and somehow the memories became all that mattered. 

—

I stepped out of Nebula’s room, my prize hidden away in my Rift. Turning I activated my Observation and gulped as I noticed the pale woman standing down the hall there. “What were you doing in there?” She asked. 

“Nothing, just wandering,” I said as if I got my hand caught in the cookie jar. I didn’t know why, but I felt the powerful circlet could be useful later. I was merely borrowing from an ally, Nebula would understand. The pale first mate frowned, but didn’t push. Instead her haki said she wanted something from me. 

Wearing a black skin tight dress, it was cut down the middle to show a line of cleavage. Pale skin that was almost grey she had thick black lipstick on and black hair that was as dark as the shadow that surrounded her. Eyeing her up and down I knew she was gorgeous but I didn’t let that phase me. Instead I locked eyes with her. Waiting for her to speak. 

“I wanted to apologize about our last meeting,” she said. 

“Trying to kill me an hour ago?” I asked. It had been a short lived battle. Blade and I taking out most of the female higher ups, when the supercharged Xandarian named Asterian got too close they stopped their attack. I gave them the coordinates for Ego and we were currently warping to the living planet. 

“No, well yes, and back with the Shi’ar,” she said. “It was a confusing time. The other members of the Imperial Guard and I merely wanted answers.” 

“You were with the Shi’ar?” I asked, then suddenly remembered her face from a memory I had. One where my arm was cut off. 

Anger began to fill me, but it was stopped as a voice announced, “Arriving at coordinates.” 

—

Memories cascaded in, and I was back to the present. The Osiris and it’s smaller ships, Nova Corps, the mysterious Asterian, and Shippie all fighting above us. Me panicking and lending the circlet to Ego only for my life to start over again. The back of my mind hoped the memories would end when I got to the present. Instead they started over. Quickly I realized I would be stuck in an infinite loop of my memories unless I did something now. 

Finding more strength somehow I moved the last few millimeters that took years, and my fingers touched and wrapped around the blue stone. Breathing in and out heavily I blinked rapidly as the blue light receded into the stone once more and my Haki could finally feel everything around me. 

“What the fuck,” I gasped, floating down from the pillar Ego had formed. “I felt like that-that went on for a fucking century.”

“More like a couple of hours,” a voice said. I looked up to see the pink skinned Jame. Her tentacles of hair all over the place I guessed she didn’t have it easy outside of whatever bullshit I had gone through. 

“Weston,” Delilah cried out from next to Jame and the redhead ran toward me.

“Weston!” Drax yelled louder, but with more of a puppy love than genuine relief. The massive man far faster than the red head he bowled into me before I could react. Knocking the wind out of me and making me drop the blue circlet.