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CHAPTER THREE:

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT

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ELEKTRA WINCED as the guards tightened their grip around her biceps, shoving her into a dimly lit room with a black spotted mirror on one side and a small hole to slide her clothes in when she was done undressing.

The binders undid themselves as if of their own free will and Elektra clenched her jaw.

"Prisoner," A distinctly male voice rang over the comms, "You will surrender your clothes immediately for decontamination."

Elektra had the sneaking suspicion the mirror was a two-way glass. "You perverts got nothing better to do except watch me strip?"

As if on cue, three robotic sentinels descended from the ceiling, all of their guns pointed directly at her. Her hackles rose, but she gave in, knowing she didn't have any resources to take them all in a fight, even hand to hand.

She narrowed her gaze at the two way mirror and began to unzip her Starforce uniform, practically hearing the wolf-whistles and catcalls coming from the other side of the mirror. With a hateful glare she stepped out of the uniform and kicked it to the side with her boots.

Her stomach curled as she was left in nothing but her bra and underwear.

The steel door to her right opened and a guard gestured for her to step into the next room.

As soon as she did, Elektra was assaulted with orange liquid hosing her down.

It spewed from all directions, tasting like the chemicals she used to clean and strip ship parts as it covered her mouth and burned her eyes.

She collapsed against the grate behind her from the force of the blast, the guards smirking as it dripped down the curves of her body and stained her skin orange.

Elektra surged forward but was met with the victorious glare of the guards as the sentinels surrounded her once more, her first curling at her side.

Irritation pulsed in her chest and she returned the glares with one of her own as they tossed her into a room with several yellow scrubs, the orange decontaminant dripping from her now wet hair that hung between her shoulder blades.

They'd taken her hairband as well, although Elektra wasn't sure why.

It wasn't like she could kill–no she probably could, never mind.

When she finally wiped the rest of the liquid from her eyes, she was met with the wide stares of Peter Quill and Rocket.

The Terran scanned her up and down while Rocket let out what sounded like an impressed scoff.

"Hey!" She snapped her fingers, using two of them to point to her face, "Eyes up here."

Quill and Rocket seemed to snap from their trance, a flirty smile on Quill's face as he scanned her once more.

Elektra simply sighed and slid into the bright yellow pants and sleeveless shirt. Shapeless and baggy and precisely what she expected from prison. She tugged on the drawstrings to better fit her waist and slid the thick black and yellow slippers over her feet.

The balding Aakron slammed her bedroll into her chest and Elektra walked beside Gamora as the five of them entered the main prison area.

She immediately took stock of what it looked like and how she could possibly escape.

A 360 degree watchtower enabled the guards to overlook every inch of the prison, including her every move.

More hooting and wolf-whistles greeted her as she strode further into the prison, hearing several of the male prisoners bark like a dog and call out a manner of insults she'd heard a million times.

A Rajak stepped directly in the middle of her path, his brow arched as he looked her up and down. Elektra planted her feet and crossed her arms.

"You're in my way."

The Rajak laughed, a gargle of noises resembling nails on a chalkboard, "Come on, darling," the purple skinned alien reached out a hand, "The least you could do is give us a smile."

She grabbed his hand and twisted, the cracking of bone echoing across the steel. Elektra lifted her lips, a small smile that never reached her eyes as she pushed the man into the watchtower.

"No thanks," She muttered, before dodging out of the way of a steel cup, the dishware hitting Quill square in the face.

Elektra dodged several other trinkets being thrown down towards the group, and she turned to see Gamora's eyes studying the ground, flinching at everything being thrown her way.

"Murderer–-!"

"--Coming for you first, Gamora!"

"--You're dead!"

"--You're scum! You're scum!"

Gamora stared straight ahead, refusing to look at any of the inmates as she was hit with gobs of spit and clumps of slop from their bowls.

Elektra wrinkled her nose at the smell and continued to survey the intergalactic prison.

"It's like I said, she's got a rep," Rocket spoke up, "A lot of prisoners here have lost their families to Ronan and his goons, she'll last a day tops."

Elektra's stomach churned and she was grateful there were no outward markers to denote any allegiance to Ronan or the Kree. Not that she would ever wear any unless she was forced to.

But still, it made it easier when Gamora was there to provide a shadow for her to slip into.

"The guards will protect her right?"

Elektra let out a chuckle at Quill's comment. The Terran furrowed his brow, "Please, they don't care about us." She stuck the bedroll between her hip and arm, "They probably have bets on how many of us leave this place alive."

"They're here to stop us from getting out," Rocket agreed, "They don't care what we do to each other inside."

Gamora finally stopped, a wry smile crossing her face as Peter turned back to face Rocket and Elektra.

"Whatever nightmare the future holds, are dreams compared to what's behind me."

Something stirred in Elektra's gut, telling her that the green-skinned woman believed every word that left her mouth.

She found herself agreeing with the sentiment. Years of being tortured and mistreated at the hands of the Kree Starforce, forced to do things she never ever wanted to do...yeah, the future looked pretty good.

Elektra slammed into Quill's shoulder as the man came to an abrupt stop.

"Jesus, dude, warn a girl next time."

"Sorry didn't exactly have time with this big blue asshole in front of me," Quill whispered sharply, never taking his eyes off the giant of an inmate before him.

The alien eyed the Terrans with a hunger in his gaze. He kept looking more at Quill than Elektra, however.

She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not.

"Next time, we come across another blue alien who wants to eat me, you'll be the first person I tell." His sarcasm sunk into her skin and Elektra sighed.

"It's the least you could do," She hissed, refusing to let him get the last word.

Before Quill could make another snarky remark, the alien began dragging his finger across his face.

"Check out the new meat!" The gravel of his voice echoed through the dining hall, drawing the attention of other inmates who'd previously been ignoring them. "I'm gonna slather you up in Gunavian jelly and go to town–"

The man was abruptly cut off as two branches began to weave their way up through his nostrils. Elektra pulled Quill back by the collar, a horrified look crossing both of their faces as Groot singlehandedly lifted the man up by his nose.

She could hear the cracking of bone and the creaking of growing limbs, the man's screams sounding nothing like the intimidating voice he'd used earlier.

"Let's make one thing clear!" Rocket bellowed out in his thick halfworld accent, causing the rest of the group to tense up at the sudden change in the rodent's demeanor, "These two here are our booty! You wanna get to them, you go through us!" Groot continued to lift the man up until he was a solid twelve feet above the ground.

Elektra couldn't help but seem a little impressed, despite the disgust curling in her belly. With each lift she could hear the sickening crunch of bone. "Or more accurately, we go through you!"

The prisoners immediately all took a step back and the blue alien thumped to the ground.

Elektra winced as his soft whimpers floated into the air, clutching his nose in pain.

Quill shot a look at the rest of the prisoners with an awkward swing of his torso, "I'm uh, I'm with them."

Before Elektra could follow, a guard shoved her and Gamora toward the upper floors.

"You two are sharing a room," His voice irritated her and the two women shot a wary look at one another, "Boss's orders."

The man shoved them up to the sleeping pods, the point of his gun poking her ribs with each move.

The pod they were placed in contained only two bunks and a group of angry prisoners continued to follow them, shouting and jeering at the green-skinned woman as she made her way to her side of the cell.

Elektra went relatively unnoticed, but she didn't miss the sharp gaze of a lone Kylosian in the middle of the mess hall, his eyes fixated on the pod that sealed itself shut.

The crowd dissipated and Gamora slid into the bed, staring upward at the ceiling.

Elektra sighed and began to unpack her bedroll, the silence a chasm neither woman was willing to close.

"I can hear you judging from here." Gamora snapped, arm stretched out behind her head.

"I'm not judging," Elektra answered honestly, positioning herself opposite the assassin, "But I can see how that could be a difficult concept for you to grasp."

The woman tensed and guilt clawed at Elektra's gut.

Perhaps she was being a bit harsh on the woman.

After all, she knew better than anyone about being forced to do things she didn't want to do. Especially by people who'd stolen her from her home and claimed her as their own.

But she, like Gamora, would never see her captors as family. She wasn't even sure she saw her family as family.

"You're worse than the ravager."

Elektra scoffed, "Please, no one's worse than the ravager," she thought she spied a smile on the woman's face, "at least I'm not gonna hit on you with bad pick-up lines while calling you even worse nicknames."

A small chortle slipped past the prison of Gamora's lips.

Elektra's lips twisted upward.

"His nicknames are awful."

"They really are."

The two women burst into involuntary laughter, the sound bouncing off the steel walls and echoing in their heads.

Elektra was surprised at how easy it was to make the stoic warrior laugh. Before this moment, she would have thought the woman didn't know what emotion was at all.

Silence hung over the women once more, and Elektra examined the grooves and beams of the steel ceiling above her, trying to picture the wire beneath it. She wondered how long it would take her to strip it entirely and rewire it to suit her needs.

Maybe she could even change the light from the ghastly orange to a nice soft blue.

"Thanos stole me from my home," Gamora broke the silence, her tone shifting into something more serious, "Killed my parents and eradicated my entire planet, right in front of me. Whatever loyalty you think I owe him, you're mistaken."

A beat passed between them.

Elektra inhaled sharply.

"I was taken by the Kree when I was twelve years old." She breathed, letting the emotions of her past wash over her once more, "And then, when I escaped, they hunted me down and found me again. Yon-Rogg wasn't about to let me go twice, so he made sure I couldn't. Placed a chip in my neck that would electrocute me if I even thought about escaping."

Her fingers brushed the scar on the back of her neck, the touch sending a shiver down her spine. The inhibitor was destroyed, crushed to pieces in the aftermath of Morag, but still she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

That he was always right behind her, waiting to pounce on her again.

Perhaps the Kyln was a blessing.

After all, it wasn't like he could reach her in here.

"There were other methods," Elektra's voice shook, but she kept her eyes focused on the beam above her, "Drowning, submitting to the Supreme Intelligence, but electrocution was the easiest." Her hand drifted to the bare skin around her neck. "When the choice is comply or die, there is no choice."
Gamora stilled.

Elektra shifted in her bunk and turned to face the wall, "You're not the only one with misunderstood loyalties."

The lights flickered before finally burning out.

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HER EYES SHOT OPEN at the sounds of drawn steel and shifting fabric.

Elektra forced herself to remain still as the footsteps shuffled around her cell, familiar jeers and laughter shaking in her ears.

"Take her down to the showers."

She tensed as she recognized the voice of the guard from before who'd escorted them into the cell.

"It'll be easier to clean up the blood."

Gamora let out a yell of frustration.

Prick.

Elektra's hand curled into a fist and she shoved herself up from her bunk. The bald guard was leaning against the railing right outside their cell, carving up the skin of an apple with a knife. One she was sure he probably lent to the other inmates to kill the assassin.

She clenched her jaw.

It was bad enough she was surrounded by the worst criminals in the galaxy, and the fact that they were helping the inmates murder each other only made things worse.

Elektra snuck up behind the guard, clueless to her arrival, and promptly smacked his head against the railing.

He toppled beside her, a fresh welt forming on his shiny skin.

She hurried to follow the group who'd taken Gamora, her fist burning.

Maybe it was the pang of sympathy in her chest, or the stupid morality complex she'd been born with, but Elektra felt some sort of kinship with the woman.

She wouldn't go so far as to say she trusted the assassin, but she didn't want her to die.

Especially in a place like this.

Elektra tip-toed behind the group, hiding behind walls and posts whenever they stopped to threaten Gamora with more jeers.

She slipped past another sleeping pod, this time with more inmates crowding each other in ways she was glad she didn't have to deal with.

Between the loud snores and lack of hygiene, she probably would have murdered a few inmates herself at this point. Or at least intimidated them into taking a shower.

At least she and Gamora had separate beds.

She snuck forward and hid behind the door to the showers, watching the scene unfold before her with a narrowed gaze.

"What are we looking at?"

The sound of Quill's voice made her jump and Elektra suddenly realized how close the Terran was to her.

"Jesus!" She whispered, hairs standing up on the back of her neck at the warmth of his breath near her ear. "I told you to warn me next time." He smirked at the surprise crossing her face.

"What? I make you nervous or something?"

Elektra rolled her eyes and tried to ignore the hammering in her chest, "You wish. I thought you were one of those dicks." She pointed towards the group holding Gamora against one of the showers, muttering threats with a knife against her throat. She couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but she knew it wasn't good.

She leaned back with a smirk, "It's hard to tell the difference when you look so much like them."

"Ouch," Quill placed a sarcastic hand to his heart, but she caught sight of the small smile stretching across his face, something dancing behind his green eyes.

"Can you two shut up?" A voice interrupted from the floor. Elektra looked down to see Rocket near her feet, "You can flirt later, they're gonna hear us."

Her cheeks grew hot and Quill wore a matching look of indignation.

"We weren't–"

"--Please he could never–"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever," Rocket shook his head and leaned forward, all three listening in to the scene unfolding before them, "What are you two doing?"

Elektra shushed him and Quill swatted his hand away.

"Well, that's just rude."

The trio continued to watch as a nasty looking alien pulled a knife from his belt and twirled it in his hands, "Gamora, consider this a death sentence for your crimes against the galaxy."

"Oh you gotta be kidding me," Elektra muttered.

These assholes really thought they could play judge, jury and executioner for a woman who could kick any of their asses if she really wanted to.

"HOW DARE YOU?!"

A monstrous voice roared from another entrance to the showers and Elektra pressed herself further back against the wall. Unfortunately, it had the added effect of pushing her closer to Quill's body. The ravager smirked, green eyes gleaming as they met her brown ones.

"Looks like someone's afraid," He teased.

Elektra lifted her brows, "You're an idiot if you're not." She peeked around the edge of the metal framing the entrance. The Kylosian from earlier strode into the showers, every bit as menacing and threatening as his name would imply.

Now with a closer look, Elektra recognized the markings carved into his skin, his hulking frame slightly less menacing due to the banana yellow pants he drug across the floor. Nonetheless, she wasn't about to provoke a fight with Drax the Destroyer.

"Her life," Drax snarled at the ringleader of the group, "Is not yours to take." He fixed his gaze on the assassin, flexing his fingers as he did. "Ronan killed my family. I shall kill one of his in return."

"Then you're gonna want to choose a different target," Elektra wasn't sure where the courage to step forward from her hiding spot came from, but it provided enough of a distraction for Gamora to spring into action and wrench two knives free from the goons, holding both blades to the neck of the ringleader and Drax, respectively.

Drax remained emotionless while the ringleader quivered.

Gamora's lips tightened, "I am no family to Ronan." Her gaze flickered over Elektra for a brief moment, "Or Thanos."

The knives clattered to the ground.

"I am your only hope at stopping him."

A beat passed and Elektra readied her fists, heat coursing through her veins. She wasn't sure if she could take him, but she wasn't about to let Gamora take the heat for someone else's crimes.

A war cry ripped through the room and the sound of a head hitting steel made her wince.

Drax's fingers closed around Gamora's throat, growing tighter with each passing moment, "Woman, your words mean nothing to me," He growled.

"Hey, hey–hey!"

She was surprised to see Quill step out of the shadows, concern lacing his usually lax features. Drax turned to face him, anger dripping from every crease and notch in his skin.

Elektra gulped.

Gamora's eyes widened slightly.

"She's right," Quill pointed her way, hands open in surrender, "If killing Ronan is your sole purpose, Gamora's not the one to go after."

Something flickered across the Kylosian's face.

"She is."

Elektra's stomach dropped and all three members of the group turned to face Quill, agape.

"Aw crap," She heard Rocket mutter under his breath.

"Dude, what the hell?"

Quill didn't even look at her, too busy focusing on the big guy in front of him, "Look, Gamora's your ticket to Thanos, I won't argue that. But if you really want your chance at Ronan..." He moved between Elektra and Drax as he spoke, pausing to turn back and wink for a brief moment. "She's a member of the Kree Starforce. His military unit. One of the best, and she betrayed him. He'll be back for her. For both of them."

Oh she was going to kill Peter Quill.

Elektra glanced over towards Rocket, who was currently pulling the fur from his forehead.

"When he does..." Why was he still talking? "That's when you..." Quill symbolically dragged his finger across his throat.

Drax narrowed his gaze at the Terran, "Why would I put my finger to his throat?"

Elektra groaned.

"What? No–it's a symbol," Quill protested, trying to save face, "This is a symbol for you slicing his throat."

"I would not slice his throat. I would cut his head clean off."

Jesus christ this was painful.

Elektra tuned out the rest of the conversation, trying to focus on calming the surge of anger twisting in her chest, and mentally picking which part of Peter Quill she would punch later.

Probably his face, or his dick.

He was way too fond of both.

The rant seemed to distract Drax for a brief moment, his grip around Gamora's throat loosening slightly, though not enough for her to fight her way to freedom.

"The point is..." Quill finally finished, "Ronan's going to find his way here eventually. You've been waiting years, what's one more day?"

That seemed to pierce the thick skull of the Kylosian and he let Gamora go, the green-skinned woman falling to the floor as she gasped for breath.

Elektra raced forward to help her up, but Gamora shoved her hands away.

Drax stared at the knife in his hands for a brief moment, "I like your knife, I'm keeping it."

The man strode out as silently as he'd arrived.

Quill let out a sigh of relief, but it didn't last long.

Elektra launched a kick directly between his legs, the terran writhing in pain as he grasped his balls and leaned over. "What the hell?" He choked out through thin breaths.

Her fist slammed into his jaw and he collapsed onto the hard cold steel.

Elektra glared at the man beneath her feet, arms crossed as Gamora stood at her side.

Rocket finally crawled out of the shadows to join them. "Well, I wish I could say he didn't deserve it. But...he definitely deserved it."

Gamora hummed in agreement as Quill continued to groan.

"Maybe next time you'll think before selling me out." Elektra spat at the writhing man below her.

"Hey, it saved her life didn't it?" Quill groaned, recovering just enough to squeeze out a retort.

Elektra simply scoffed and stepped over him out of the showers.

Gamora and Rocket followed behind her. 

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